Chapter 626 - 629: Killing Two Birds with One Stone

Chapter 626: Chapter 629: Killing Two Birds with One Stone

The conditions in the temple were limited, so washing up was out of the question.

Hua Manman wiped her face with a damp handkerchief, then leaned against Li Ji and fell asleep.

When night fell, everyone in the temple was asleep.

Hua Manman quietly opened her eyes.

She sat up, moving gingerly.

Li Ji woke up instantly. "Where are you going?" he asked.

Hua Manman whispered.

"To relieve myself."

Li Ji said, "I’ll go with you."

Hua Manman refused without hesitation.

"You stay here and sleep. I’ll be right back."

The temple was full of people. Even though everyone was asleep, it was still inconvenient.

If Hua Manman wanted to use the toilet, she had to go back to the carriage, where there was a chamber pot.

Holding an umbrella in one hand and a lantern in the other, she hurried out of the local deity’s temple and slipped into the carriage.

As soon as she was inside, Hua Manman’s face contorted.

She set the lantern aside, lifted her skirt, and pulled down her undergarments, revealing two slender, straight legs—and a wound on her inner thigh.

She had ridden a horse all day, and the saddle had chafed her inner thigh raw.

It had been hurting terribly for a while, but she hadn’t let on, not wanting to delay their journey.

There was spare wound medicine in the carriage.

Hua Manman found the medicine vial and, lowering her head, carefully applied the ointment to the wound.

When the ointment touched the wound, she sucked in a sharp breath from the pain.

She gritted her teeth and managed to finish applying the medicine.

After getting dressed, Hua Manman wiped her fingers clean, picked up the lantern, and ducked out of the carriage.

But the first thing she saw was Li Ji standing right beside the carriage.

Hua Manman froze. "Why did you come out?"

Li Ji replied, "I was worried, so I came to check on you."

He handed the oil-paper umbrella he was holding to Hua Manman, then swept her up into his arms and walked steadily toward the temple.

They were very close, and Li Ji smelled the scent of medicine on her.

But he said nothing, just held her tightly in his arms.

A cold wind carried raindrops with it, dampening the hem of his robes.

「The next morning, the group set off again.」

Li Ji abandoned the mountain path and ordered the group to return to the main road.

They were all disguised as members of the Cloud Crane Opera Troupe. Under the cover of this identity, they no longer needed to deliberately avoid the government.

Hua Manman also no longer had to endure the pain of riding a horse; she could continue to ride in the carriage.

This was wonderful news for her.

Zheng Fu had been harboring schemes of his own, constantly looking for a chance to escape Li Ji’s control along the way. But every time, before he could even act, Li Ji would put him firmly back in his place.

This happened several times.

Zheng Fu was thoroughly intimidated.

People are like that. Once they clearly recognize the vast gap between themselves and their opponent, they no longer dare to act rashly.

As they drew closer and closer to Tianjing, Li Ji and his group grew more alert and vigilant.

Today, they had just entered a small county town before dark, planning to rest for the night, replenish their food and water, and continue their journey at dawn.

Men and horses alike were exhausted from the long road.

As soon as Hua Manman finished washing up, she eagerly dove into bed, hugged Li Ji, and fell sound asleep.

But the two of them hadn’t been asleep for long when they heard a frantic knocking at the door.

Hua Manman was forced awake. She sat up, rubbing her eyes, and asked groggily.

"Who is it?"

Zheng Fu’s voice came through the door: "Master, it’s terrible! The government is here!"

At his words, Hua Manman was instantly wide awake.

She turned to look at Li Ji and asked in a low voice.

"Could the government have found you?"

Li Ji frowned, his mind racing. ’Where did I slip up?’ he wondered.

He got out of bed, put on his clothes and shoes, and walked over to open the door.

He asked Zheng Fu, who was standing outside.

"What does the government want with us?"

Zheng Fu had clearly just been woken up as well; his clothes were disheveled, and his shoes were on the wrong feet.

He said urgently.

"I heard an honored guest arrived in town today.

The County Magistrate wants to entertain this guest properly, so he’s ordered all the opera troupes in the city to perform. There’s a generous reward for the best performance.

The guards just came looking for us, telling us to get our things ready. We have to go to the county government office to rehearse first thing tomorrow morning."

Hearing that his identity had not been exposed, Li Ji’s brow slowly relaxed.

However, he didn’t let his guard down completely. He replied coolly.

"Just handle these matters yourself."

Zheng Fu asked cautiously, "Aren’t you coming with us, sir?"

Li Ji retorted, "Do I look like someone who performs in operas?"

Recalling the man’s intimidating aura when he drew his sword to cut people down, Zheng Fu quickly bowed and flattered him.

"A man of your status couldn’t possibly stoop to performing for others! Leave the opera to us. You just wait for our good news here at the inn."

’Once I get to the county government, I’ll report these people to the County Magistrate for harboring a fugitive,’ he secretly plotted.

Although Li Ji had never revealed his identity, Zheng Fu wasn’t blind. He had seen many wanted posters along their journey, and the man in the portrait bore a strong resemblance to Li Ji. Combined with the group’s excessively low-key behavior, Zheng Fu was almost certain that Li Ji was the fugitive the court was offering a huge reward for!

If he could just turn Li Ji in, not only would he be free from this group’s control, but he would also receive one thousand taels of silver.

’Kill two birds with one stone. It’s delightful just thinking about it!’

However, the next moment, he heard Li Ji say.

"Tomorrow, you will take your men to the county government to perform. Your nephew, Yuanbao, will stay behind."

The smile on Zheng Fu’s face instantly froze.

His wife and child had both passed away from illness, and at his age, it would be difficult to have another child.

Yuanbao was his nephew in name, but in reality, he had long regarded the boy as his own son.

He was counting on Yuanbao to care for him in his old age and see to his burial. How could he bear to leave Yuanbao behind at the inn?!

Zheng Fu was so anxious he broke out in a sweat.

"Yuanbao has to perform on stage too. I’m afraid he can’t stay at the inn to serve you esteemed guests."

Li Ji said unhurriedly.

"So Yuanbao performs as well. Have him come over and sing a piece for us. I’ll see how good he is. If he’s good, fine. But if he’s not, bringing him to the county government will only bring you shame. It would be better to just leave him at the inn."

How could Zheng Fu possibly agree?

He knew better than anyone that Yuanbao was never cut out for opera and couldn’t sing at all.

Besides, performing opera was hard work, and Zheng Fu couldn’t bear to let Yuanbao suffer through it.

If he agreed to bring Yuanbao over to sing a piece now, his lie would be exposed immediately.

Zheng Fu was frantic. "To be honest, Yuanbao’s singing is just average. His main job is to manage the costumes and props. The troupe can’t function without him."

Li Ji said, "Aren’t you the troupe master? Can’t you manage these things? If that’s really the case, then let Yuanbao take the Cloud Crane Opera Troupe to the county government to perform, and you can stay at the inn and wait for them to return."