Chapter 439: Chapter 414, Passerby_1
Master Five and his party settled down in Taohua Village, taking over Daohua’s manor; they left early and returned late every day, hardly ever seen.
Life in Taohua Village went on as usual, with the villagers oblivious to their presence.
It was only at dinner time that Daohua could catch a glimpse of Master Five and his company.
“Time for dinner.”
Seeing Master Five and his companions arrive, Granny Gu’s eyes couldn’t help but reveal a touch of joy, while Daohua remained silent.
Now she was certain that her master, Granny Gu, and Master Five knew each other.
“Old friends…”
The fact that her master and Granny Gu knew people who carried out secret missions for the Emperor hinted that their past identities were far from ordinary.
Daohua was very curious about this, but no matter how she asked, her master and Granny Gu kept their lips sealed.
Although she felt some regret, she didn’t dwell on it too much; as long as these people did not threaten their safety, she didn’t care that much.
After dinner, Master Five moved into Xiao Yeyang’s room, while the others went down to the manor to rest.
Early the next morning, when Daohua woke up, these people had vanished again.
Watching them hurry back and forth, Daohua’s eyes narrowed slightly.
It seemed like Ningmen Prefecture might really have a gold mine unbeknownst to others.
Master Five and the others, including Granny Gu and Gu Jian, didn’t take seriously Daohua’s previous search for a gold mine to earn a reward; they all treated it as a young girl’s fanciful talk.
In the following days, Daohua didn’t bring up the matter again, and everyone else had pushed it to the back of their minds.
Now, seeing Master Five’s early departures and late returns, she began to ponder seriously.
Her space was fueled by the energy of grass and trees, and over the years, she had become very sensitive to this energy. She knew the aura of Jing Cao, and felt that if she really set her mind to it, she could find it.
However, she still harbored certain doubts about Master Five and his crew.
Even though they knew her master and Granny Gu, people change, and the two elders had always lived reclusively, unaware of the wickedness of the world.
Everything else would have to wait until Xiao Yeyang arrived.
“Master, are my third brother and fourth brother really alright?”
Days passed without Yan Wenkai and Yan Wentao returning, and Daohua, worried, sought confirmation from her master once more.
Gu Jian assured her, “I can verify that they are not in any life-threatening danger.”
As for the rest, he couldn’t guarantee.
Clearly, whether it was Xiaowu or the four men who accompanied him, none were easy to deal with. The three kids were first tied up and then locked in a chest, giving their leader quite a hassle. It would be strange if they didn’t vent their anger.
It was only because he was protecting his little disciple that she wasn’t disciplined as well.
Daohua’s expression changed; if there was no life-threatening danger, did that mean there were other dangers?
Seeing his disciple’s concern, Gu Jian said again, “Those men are all capable; otherwise, the Emperor wouldn’t have sent them on a secret mission. Do you think their bodyguards are ordinary people?”
“Although your third brother and fourth brother have spent some time training in the army camp, it’s still far from enough. They’ve experienced too little, and some hardship will only benefit them without doing harm.”
Upon hearing this, Daohua asked no more, but thinking of Wu Jingyi’s smug and insincere smile when talking about her two brothers, she couldn’t help but worry about them.
Not dwelling on this any longer, Daohua looked down the mountain and muttered, “This Xiao Yeyang, why is he taking so long this time?”
In the past, when she arrived in the morning, that fellow was sure to hurry over by the afternoon.
This time she had released the hawk several days ago, and yet, there was no sign of him. Even if he was far away searching for someone, he should have arrived by now.
Hearing his disciple mutter, Gu Jian was silent and glanced toward the small mound near the wall of the courtyard.
Considering that Master Five and his group must not reveal their identities, he decided not to mention that the hawk had been buried.
Knowing his disciple’s personality, if she found out the hawk hadn’t delivered its message, she would surely seek other ways to communicate. To avoid any complications, it was better to wait patiently.
Over the next two days, Daohua busied herself with preserving snow pears while waiting for Xiao Yeyang.
Even after she had filled all the ceramic pots she brought, Xiao Yeyang still hadn’t arrived.
At that point, Daohua couldn’t help but start to worry.
“Could something have happened to Xiao Yeyang?”
The old granny helped tidying up the porcelain jars, laughing as she said, “Don’t overthink it; the young Xiao lad has so many people with him. Didn’t you say he went to find someone? Maybe he’s gone a bit too far, or maybe, the falcons and hawks failed to deliver the message.”
Daohua furrowed her brows, “Maybe.”
When dusk fell and just as Daohua had set the dinner on the table, Master Wu arrived with Wei Qi and Eunuch An; as for Wu Jingyi and Yang Chenghua, they were still running around outside with the Imperial Guards.
It wasn’t possible to search all three states and eighteen counties of the Ningmen Prefecture in a short while.
Yet, their time was severely limited.
The three of them looked a bit weary, and their spirits weren’t very high.
They had been leaving early and returning late these days, having scoured several nearby counties, but they had not found any sighting of Jing Cao.
Gu Jian motioned for Daohua to serve rice to the three men.
Daohua didn’t say anything and rose to get bowls from the kitchen.
By the time she came back with the bowls and chopsticks, she saw her own master concernedly asking Master Wu, “How is it, not a single piece of news?”
Master Wu naturally took his seat, rubbing his swollen temples, and shook his head, “Gold mines are hard to find. If they were easy, the Imperial Court wouldn’t have been ignorant all these years.”
Seeing that Master Wu and the others were hungry, the old granny said, “Have dinner first, we can talk afterwards.”
After the meal, a figure dressed in black suddenly arrived at Taohua Temple, carrying a letter in his hand.
Wei Qi quickly walked to the Imperial Guards, took the letter from his hands, and then hurriedly approached Master Wu.
Master Wu calmly opened the letter and began to read. After finishing, he was silent for a long while, then looked at the old granny and Gu Jian hesitantly, “I have to go back.”
Upon hearing this, Daohua noticed her master and the old granny’s faces stiffen. She had wanted to stay in the room to hear their conversation, but Eunuch An, using the excuse of an untidy kitchen, dragged her out.
“…something has come up, I must return immediately, otherwise… it will cause chaos… I’ll come to see you again…”
Daohua only heard snippets of the conversation.
That evening, the lights in the hall stayed on. Daohua wanted to go in, but sadly, Eunuch An and Wei Qi stood at the door like guardian deities.
“Master, may I bring you a cup of tea?”
“No need, you go to sleep. Your granny and I will catch up with Master Wu.”
Hearing this, Daohua pursed her lips and finally had to return to her own room.
The next morning, as soon as Daohua got up, she saw Wang Manman.
Since Master Wu and the others had taken over the manor, Wang Manman and Xiaoliu had been commandeered to cook and boil water for them every day.
Daohua exclaimed in surprise, “Those people left?”
Wang Manman nodded, “Miss, who exactly were those people? They scared me to death.”
Daohua: “….Don’t worry about who they were. We won’t see them again anyway. You go down the mountain and tell Brother Xiaoliu and the rest to forget about these last few days, to avoid any trouble.”
Wang Manman nodded her head.
After washing up, Daohua went to the courtyard to practice with her whip. After finishing her practice, she noticed that there was still no activity in the rooms of the old granny and her master. Unable to resist calling out a few times and hearing no reply, she entered the room to look for them, only to discover that both were absent.
“Master, Granny!”
Fearing something had happened, Daohua swiftly left Taohua Temple. Once outside, she saw the two elders supporting each other, standing in the pavilion atop the mountain.
Daohua ran over, entered the pavilion, and even as she approached, neither of the two elders noticed, their gaze fixed on the mountain below.
Sensing the low spirits of the two elders, Daohua also fell silent.
Her master and granny were still too lonely, or else they wouldn’t have clung so to an old acquaintance.
A while later, the wind picked up at the mountain’s summit, and Daohua spoke up, “Granny, Master, it’s getting windy. Let’s go back.”
The old granny and Gu Jian nodded, turned around, and walked back.
Daohua couldn’t help but ask again, “Master, what exactly is your relationship with that Master Wu?”
Gu Jian: “…perhaps a passerby we will never see again.”
Struck by that reply, Daohua stood dumbfounded, wanting to ask more, but seeing her master and the old granny’s reluctance to speak, she wisely shut her mouth.
After Master Wu and the others had left, Daohua saw that her master and the old granny were both listless. Not daring to leave right away, she planned to stay at Taohua Temple for a few more days, waiting for the two elders’ mood to recover before returning home.