Chapter 438 Ge Quan x Fang Jinrong 7

Chapter 438: Ge Quan x Fang Jinrong 7

Money greases the wheels. Fan Er, after hearing Ge Quan's words, greased palms at the Cao Yun Office to dig for information, and indeed got some inside scoop.

The carriage heading west was nothing out of the ordinary. Ji Wunian and Fan Xue sat inside, while Ge Quan and Fang Jinrong sat on the driver's bench outside. Fan Er passed over two bundles—one filled with dried rations, the other with warm clothes Hong Ying had sent for Fang Jinrong.

"The Canal Gang is the Luo family's operation. They rule the south with an iron fist—even the Lou family, the most prominent clan in Yangzhou, has to steer clear of them." Fan Er had been busy lately, settling the captured young men and women, poking around for intel, and handling gang business all at once. He was run off his feet, so it was already a lot for him to come see Ge Quan and the others off.

Ge Quan took the bundles and passed both to Fang Jinrong. "I've heard of the Luo family too. They're certainly formidable. Are they involved?"

Fan Er grimaced. "The Green Gang's business overlaps with the Canal Gang's—we stepped on their toes. But don't these great clans care so much about their reputation? How could they act so underhandedly?" He still couldn't believe the Luo family had poisoned his boss.

Ji Wunian pushed aside the carriage curtain, folded her arms, and snorted. "Don't sell these great clans short. The experts they've taken in might outnumber the ones in mid-tier martial sects. The Luo family's ancestral home is in Lin'an, and I've heard Lin'an is full of all sorts of weird rumors. You've all heard of You City, haven't you? The people who dragged us into that cliff cave looked just like the legendary You City people."

Fan Er thought she was talking nonsense. "Are you saying the Luo family would give up being proper aristocrats to mess around with human trafficking?"

Ji Wunian said gleefully, "You never know."

If Ge Quan hadn't been there, Fan Er would've drawn his sword on her.

"What are your plans from here?" Ge Quan asked. He said "you" instead of "the Green Gang," which meant he accepted Fan Er as a friend but wouldn't get involved in their gang's affairs.

Fair enough, and Fan Er didn't have the nerve to ask Ge Quan for help. "The Green Gang can't afford to offend the Luo family. With the boss dead, we don't want to keep our hands in Yangzhou business. I hear maritime trade pays well—maybe we'll head up to the northern coast."

Jianghu wanderers are far more carefree about business than ordinary merchants. They can't afford not to be—having enemies raid their turf and having to relocate is a common thing. If this place doesn't want us, there's always somewhere that will.

After saying goodbye to Fan Er, the four headed west. Fang Jinrong was opening the bundle of dried rations. "Huh? Ge Quan, there's a pouch of silver in here too."

Ge Quan felt a tug at his heart. He glanced back at Fan Er's retreating figure and called out, "Thanks, Fan Er, brother!"

Fan Er didn't turn around, just waved a hand over his shoulder.

"Put it away," Ge Quan said to Fang Jinrong.

Fang Jinrong casually stuffed the silver into his sleeve, found it too heavy, and shoved it into Ge Quan's arms.

Ge Quan was driving the carriage when he suddenly caught the hand fumbling at his chest with one hand, his eyes on Fang Jinrong dark and unreadable.

Fang Jinrong was confused. "What's wrong? Do you want some candied fruit or not?" The bundle from Fan Er had steamed buns, flatbreads, and candied fruits and pastries. He had a plum in his mouth right then.

Ge Quan felt a lump in his throat. "No," he said stiffly.

Fang Jinrong shot him a look, puffed up with annoyance, and stuffed the candied fruit back into the oil paper wrapper. "Take it or leave it." He bent down and went into the carriage.

Ge Quan was full of regret but couldn't just drop the reins. "Rong'er, that's not what I meant."

Fan Xue had watched the whole tiff and asked Fang Jinrong without batting an eye, "Um... why does Brother Ge call you Rong'er?"

Fang Jinrong, when he was in a bad mood, never cared about others. "Because he wants to be my dad."

Fan Xue's pupils dilated. "Huh?"

The further northwest they went, the more people they ran into carrying swords and blades. One day they rested at an inn in a small town. In the main hall, only one scholar-looking guy seemed normal; everyone else was armed.

"Where's your sword?" Ji Wunian tore at the coarse wheat bun in her hand, breaking it into pieces to dip into her mutton soup.

"My master broke it. Fengzhong is fixing it." Ge Quan saw Fang Jinrong frowning as he drank his mutton soup, called the waiter over and ordered another bowl of pulled noodles, and moved the mutton soup in front of Fang Jinrong to himself. He didn't mind that it was Fang Jinrong's leftovers and buried his head in the soup.

Fang Jinrong said nothing, pressing his lips together, and absentmindedly tore at his bun while waiting for his noodles.

The two had been at odds lately.

Well, more accurately, things had been tense between them since they hit the road.

Ji Wunian savored the drama between them like a side dish, watching with great amusement.

Fan Xue carefully pushed his bowl over. "Brother Ge, if you're still hungry, I haven't touched this bowl."

Fang Jinrong's hands slowed, stealing a sideways glance at Ge Quan's reaction.

"No need, I've had enough." Ge Quan didn't push the soup bowl back. He just stood up, quick and decisive, and went to the kitchen to check on Fang Jinrong's noodles.

Fan Xue, looking a bit disappointed, pulled his bowl back, tore up a bun in a few quick moves, and sipped his soup politely.

Ji Wunian watched his movements and, for once, said seriously, "The next stop is Lü City. We can't stick around until you find your brother in Lü City. Have you thought about what you'll do after that?"

Fan Xue's heart sank, his gaze unconsciously following Ge Quan as he came back with the bowl.

"This noodle is good—I had them cook it in clear broth. Give it a taste." Ge Quan stirred the spoon in the bowl, telling Fang Jinrong to try the soup first.

Fang Jinrong awkwardly bowed his head and ate the noodles. He wasn't deliberately trying to pick a fight with Ge Quan; he just felt inexplicably out of sorts.

"Brother Ge, I just heard this inn doesn't have many rooms left. I could sleep on the common bed downstairs if needed." Fan Xue said considerately.

Here we go again.

Fang Jinrong chewed the chewy noodles hard, having listened to clucking the whole way. You'd think he was traveling with a hen.

Ge Quan had already reserved the rooms. "No need. I booked two regular rooms—you and Ji Wunian take one, and I'll sleep in the common room."

The northwest was normally desolate, but recently it had been flooded with martial artists. Even finding two regular rooms was hard. If they weren't just staying one night, renting a farmhouse would've been more convenient.

"Wouldn't the common room be packed to the gills? You take a room, and the three of us can squeeze into one." Though Fang Jinrong had been raised by the Fang family, a small-town young master wasn't as particular as true aristocratic heirs. He was naive, not foolish—he knew when to be particular and when to make do.

The waiter somehow scrounged up another bed and added it to the room. The already small room was so crammed with the extra bed there was barely room to stand. Fang Jinrong and the others still washed up in Ge Quan's room, with Ge Quan helping them dump the bathwater afterward.

"Brother Ge, you can come in now." Fan Xue was the last to bathe. It was freezing, and Fang Jinrong and Ji Wunian had already gone back to their room.

Ge Quan stood still at Fang Jinrong's door. "Come out first, then I'll go in to dump the water."

"It's no trouble—I'm already dressed. It's freezing out there. You might as well come in and get warm." Fan Xue's voice was calm, revealing nothing unusual.

Ge Quan didn't answer, pretending he hadn't heard.

Inside the room, Fan Xue helplessly wrapped his naked body, and a flash of resentment flickered in his eyes.

Only when he finally came out, dragging his feet, did Ge Quan go in to dump the water. He didn't mind the freezing cold outside and simply washed up in the woodshed before coming back.

His long hair, still half-damp, hung loose down his back. As he climbed the stairs, a strand fell across his forehead and cheek, giving his pale, handsome face a touch of carefree wildness. He stopped in front of Fang Jinrong's door, his expression softening. "Rong'er, are you asleep?"

Ji Wunian, curled up in bed, watched the lump under Fang Jinrong's covers with great interest. When no sound came for a long while, she said to Ge Quan, who was waiting outside, "He's already asleep. Whatever it is, talk to him tomorrow."

Ge Quan sighed. The moment he moved toward his own door, his eyes turned icy.

"Come out." His voice was low.

Creak. The door opened, and Fan Xue stood there, his hair just as damp, his outer robe shed again, leaving only a thin white inner garment. His eyes looked up, shy and alluring, with a fragile beauty that invited pity while hinting at seduction, quietly radiating charm.

"Brother Ge..." He lunged forward the moment the door opened, but Ge Quan was quicker to dodge.

The wind howled outside, carrying fine sand and gravel that occasionally struck the window frame with a crackling sound. Fang Jinrong wriggled under his covers, then sat up straight. By the dim light of the oil lamp on the table, he saw Ji Wunian on the opposite bed lying motionless, presumably asleep, but Fanxue, who should have been sharing his bed, had yet to return.

He didn't know why, but he felt really uneasy. Before he could even think about it, he threw on his clothes and got out of bed.

The night was pitch-black; apart from the faint glow in their room, all others had extinguished their lamps and retired. By that faint light, Fang Jinrong could clearly see Fanxue kneeling at Ge Quan's feet, sobbing as she begged.

"I know Ge-ge loves Jinrong, but my heart is just as true to you. Even if I could only serve by your side as a servant without any title or standing, I'd be willing—just don't drive me away."

"Ge-ge, my parents are gone, and I don't know if I'll ever find my brother. I truly can't bear to lose you."

The tooth powder he'd used to wash up that evening was refreshing and pleasant, yet Fang Jinrong's mouth tasted bitter now, and the bitterness went straight to his heart.

He'd never felt anything like this in his whole life—the ache of his heart being flooded with sourness was too much to bear. His mind wandered, and he thought crazily: even if he were eating sweet candy right now, the candy would probably taste bitter too.

Fang Jinrong returned to bed, and not long after, Fanxue came in carrying a chill. They shared a bed with two separate blankets, doing their best to avoid touching each other.

That night, Fang Jinrong barely slept. He never took things to heart, so he was rarely this upset, lying awake all night. The next morning, dark circles shadowed his eyes, making Ji Wunian keep glancing over. Yet she actually didn't tease him for once, instead scanning the other three at the table.

Ge Quan ordered several bowls of millet porridge, sesame flatbreads, and dried tofu. After scarfing down his food in a few bites, he stepped out briefly and returned with a large bundle of dried fruit and nuts, which he shoved into Fang Jinrong's hands. "Eat these on the road."

"Here, you take them." Fang Jinrong took the bundle and casually tossed it into Fanxue's lap.

Ge Quan's expression darkened, but just then, some clueless person in the inn recognized him.

"Ge Quan? Didn't expect you to show up for the commotion."

He had a name in the martial world, and the moment those two words were spoken, everyone in the inn rushing to leave turned their heads.

"I'm Zhang Tang of the Soul-Chasing Saber. I hear you rank seventh on the Zhixuan Pavilion's Martial Heroes Ranking?" A burly man with a heavy-backed saber with three rings strapped to his side suddenly rose and blocked Ge Quan's path.

The Martial Heroes Ranking was updated every eight years, featuring young masters under thirty. Anyone who made the list was a brilliant and extraordinary talent. Ge Quan ranked seventh, a modest ranking since few had seen him fight, but it already placed him among the elite of the younger generation.

Zhang Tang was powerfully built, brimming with raw power, with a cocky look in his eyes—clearly a formidable fighter. He was obviously dissatisfied with the ranking, or rather, he wanted to make a name for himself by challenging the seventh-ranked Ge Quan.

Ge Quan was already irritated, and his cold reply was, "I don't know."

Zhang Tang, already spoiling for a fight, was further provoked by his attitude. Without a second word, he whipped out his saber. "The young master of Changfeng Manor is a hero of his generation, yet he only ranks twelfth. I'd like to see what skills you have."

The saber came at him with a freezing, biting wind, but Ge Quan didn't even glance at the attack. He shifted his body slightly, dodging with the ease of a willow leaf in the wind. He carried no sword at his waist; instead, he used his palm as a blade, striking the flat of the saber with a single hand. A crisp "clang" rang out, and Zhang Tang's hand shook violently as the heavy blade flew from his grip, embedding itself deep into the wooden window that had been shielding the inn from the wind.

Wood splinters flew everywhere, and the entire window was torn away, crashing with the saber onto the empty, cold street outside with a loud thud.

The inn's hall fell instantly silent. The martial artists who had been covertly sizing up Ge Quan quickly averted their eager gazes and sat back down to eat.

Anyone could see that Ge Quan hadn't used his full strength—he hadn't even drawn a weapon.

Zhang Tang's face turned ashen. If the weather hadn't been so dry and cold, he would likely have been drenched in cold sweat. The tall, burly man's lips trembled. "I concede."

Fang Jinrong rolled his eyes. Wasn't that obvious?

"Rong'er, let's go." Ge Quan packed two catties of strong liquor and five catties of mutton. He wasn't much of a drinker, but the further northwest they traveled, the more biting the wind grew. A few sips of strong liquor on the road at night worked better than hot soup.

No one dared to block their path again. Ge Quan drove the carriage out of the town, then suddenly called inside, "Ji Wunian, come out and take the reins."

Ji Wunian smiled silently, shook her head, and climbed out to take over from Ge Quan.

The carriage's windows and door were covered with thick padded curtains stuffed with cotton—not exactly warm, but at least windproof.

Fang Jinrong hadn't slept well the night before and was now curled up in the farthest corner, wrapped in a woolen blanket, trying to catch up on rest. But since they'd just set off, he hadn't fallen deeply asleep, and he sensed Ge Quan enter.

"Ge-ge..." Fanxue's weak voice sounded.

Ge Quan spoke calmly, "Please step outside for a moment. I have something to say to Rong'er."

Fanxue fell silent for a while, then left the carriage and sat on the shaft outside.

"Your background is pitiful, but it has nothing to do with us. Delivering you to Lü City is already Ge Quan's kindness."

Ji Wunian stared at the road ahead, casually brushing a strand of hair blown across her mouth by the wind, a mocking smile curling at her lips. "Don't think your fragility is a weapon. For people like us who live on the edge of a blade, we have no time for sympathy. Ge Quan finally found himself a guy he cares for. If you truly appreciate him saving you once, you should know better than to get in the way."

She had a striking, bold appearance—not the delicate, refined features of the Jiangnan region, but sharp, androgynous ones. Her demeanor was unrestrained and eccentric, but as a wandering physician who had witnessed countless partings and deaths, she understood human nature far better than Ge Quan or the others. Whether Fanxue's feelings stemmed from gratitude or grew over time, he wasn't the one Ge Quan wanted. Ge Quan's heart was entirely set on Fang Jinrong—everyone but the young master himself could see that clearly.

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