Chapter 23

  "Your words are logically wrong. If I were Zhan Zhao's fiancée, having you escort me would be even more inconvenient." Little Phoenix Maiden was completely matter-of-fact.

  Bai Yutang didn't give her a chance to finish the second half of her sentence, cutting her off by saying: "From a friend's standpoint, plus our reputation as the Five Rats of Trap Island, what's inconvenient about it?"

  "If the young lady is worried that Brother Bai will have some inconvenience sending her alone, I happen to be free and can accompany you both to Changzhou." Northern Knight Ou Yang Chun spoke up at the right moment.

  Lu Xiaofeng suddenly had a feeling of falling into a pit, how did he end up turning her originally possible trip to Changzhou into a confirmed itinerary?

  Xiao Feng's eyes narrowed slightly as she shot a most unfriendly glance at Bai Yutang sitting across from her.

  Bai Yutang's skin was thick and he didn't take her sharp words to heart. He thought to himself: It's not fair that Bai Wuzi always gets the short end of the stick, you should also taste the bitterness for once.

  Not to mention the undercurrents between Little Phoenix and Jin Mao Mouse, on that side, Xian Zhao, who had finally stopped coughing, said to Bei Xia: "This is too much trouble for Master Ouyang."

  "It's nothing, just a small effort." Ouyang Chun waved his hand nonchalantly.

  "Hey, that's going too far! She is the one involved, how can these few heroes completely ignore her opinion and decide on the travel arrangements for her?"

  Xiaohe seized the opportunity to add the final straw that broke the camel's back, saying: "This is for the best, I'll have my young mistress thank you two heroes on my behalf."

  Lu Xiaofeng struggled in her heart for a while, but ultimately didn't raise any more objections. She decided that for the sake of social harmony and human unity, she would just go with the flow. Besides, she wouldn't lose anything by doing so, and with Beixia and Jinmao Shu protecting her along the way, her safety was guaranteed.

  The dishes and wine kept coming, and everyone stopped talking much.

  Three adults were eating and drinking, frequently raising their cups. Little Phoenix was quietly having her meal under the service of Yinger, without forcing Xiaohe to sit down and dine with herself.

  Xiaohe has her own professional integrity, and occasionally, when her attire is intended to help conceal her identity, she will cooperate with her according to the situation at the time. However, at other times, Lu Xiaofeng cannot force her. The limitations of the era have created such a master-slave relationship, and Miss Xiaofeng says she is powerless.

  Speaking of drinking, Lu Xiaofeng was really surprised by Zhan Xiaomei's capacity for liquor this time.

  Meow, she roughly counted and found that more than a dozen wine jars had been rolled down in no time, and the three heroes were still frequently raising their cups to drink...

  Look at these three, clear-headed and spirited, Little Phoenix is already collapsing, really regretting eating with them. Looking at the situation, she won't be able to leave until they've had enough to drink.

  Fainted...

  "Xiaohe, you have some too."

  Xiaohe took the food handed over by the young lady and went to one side to eat.

  Lu Xiaofeng, who was eating and drinking to his heart's content, supported the table with one hand and propped up his cheek with the other. He looked left and right, then at the people across from him, thinking that these three were not great heroes, but rather just three drunkards!

  The idle little phoenix girl picked up the bones on the table and started playing a puzzle game.

  She was so engrossed in her play that she didn't even notice the three people who were originally drinking and arguing had already cast their eyes on her.

  After eating, Xiao He walked back to the side of his young mistress and served her. He covered his face with a look of shock as he watched the thing take shape in his young mistress's hands, his face turned white as paper.

  That was a skull made of a pile of broken bones, perfectly and delicately crafted.

  Miss, isn't your hobby a bit too weird? Xiao He screamed in her heart.

  Bai Yutang swallowed the wine in his throat with some difficulty.

  Bei Xia Ouyang Chun's eyes were full of astonishment.

  Zhan Zhao couldn't help but recall the scene of her performing a cesarean section to deliver Wang Xiang's precious child, and how she was no longer familiar with the human body's structure, that hand rising and knife falling between familiarity and intuition...

  "Little... miss..." Xiao He finally stuttered out a sound.

  Lu Xiaofeng was taken aback, and immediately pushed the bones into a pile. He turned his head, raised an eyebrow and smiled: "Xiaohe."

  Xiaohe puffed out his cheeks.

  "It's just bones, nothing to be afraid of."

  "Now it's like this and it's not scary, but Miss, you make them very scary."

  Lu Xiaofeng innocently blinked his eyes, pretending to be cute, "No way, it's you who has a flower in your eye."

  Miss, you're really talking nonsense with your eyes wide open.

  Bai Yutang: I'll be the witness.

  Ouyang Chun: This is also too sugarcoated.

  Zhan Zhao couldn't help but want to laugh, her interactions with Xiao He were often very interesting and not at all like the usual master-servant relationship.

  "The girl must be bored waiting around, it's Zhan Mou being inconsiderate."

  Lü Xiao Feng said: Ah, you finally thought of it.

  Xiaohe suggested: "Zhan sir, why don't we do this? Miss and I will head back to the government inn first, while you continue drinking with Ouyang and Bai?"

  Zhan Zhao looked at Lu Xiaofeng and asked, "What does Miss think?"

  Lu Xiaofeng nodded hastily, "That's best." No need to delay any further.

  "Zhang's mother sent her daughter out."

  Bai Yutang playfully teased a certain imperial cat.

  Zhan Zhao pretended he didn't see it.

  After sending Lu Xiaofeng and his servant away, Zhan Zhao returned to the wine house's elegant room.

  Bai Yutang smiled as soon as he came in: "Zhan Xiaomao, if you go on like this, you'll definitely be a henpecked husband."

  "White brother." Zhan Zhao was very helpless.

  Ouyang Chun held up a wine jug and smiled, "Brother Bai's words are wrong. Being controlled by one's wife is also a kind of blessing at times. I think Brother Zhan's good fortune is not small."

  Bai Yutang disagreed, sipping his wine as he said, "I think his troubles are yet to come." Pang Taishi will definitely not let his daughter marry the Imperial Cat of Kaifeng, and when that happens, it'll be a great show to watch, haha.

  Zhan Zhao stretched out his hand to cover his mouth and coughed, "Let's drink, let's drink."

  Bai Yutang burst out laughing.

  Even Ou Yang Chun couldn't help but burst out laughing.

  Lu Xiaofeng and his servant, who had left the wine tower saying they were going back to the government inn, did not go back directly but instead strolled around on the street.

  Xiaohe wasn't surprised at all by this result.

  "Sir, you still haven't given up on competing with Ding young lady?"

  "It's not that I'm not used to it, but I just can't help feeling a bit disappointed. I came all the way to Songjiang Prefecture just to see this commotion, only to end up being thoroughly let down. The gap between my expectations and reality is really hard for me to accept right now." Watching the drama of that little cat's exhibition wasn't easy, and in the end it was all for nothing - what a rip-off!

  Xiaohe said matter-of-factly: "However, neither Zhang Gongzi nor Bai Daxia are on stage, so you still won't be able to see what you want to see."

  "Who says it isn't?" Lu Xiaofeng couldn't help but stop in his tracks, tapping his palm with a fan and said to Xiaohe with some resentment, "You say why Zhan Zhao doesn't dare go up to the drum tower? Miss Ding is so beautiful and has a crush on him."

  Xiaohe: I always thought you didn't understand anything, Miss. But isn't this quite clear? So why didn't you sense Master Zhang's intentions?

  Xiaohe said it's really hard to understand.

  "Sir, can't you see that Mr. Zhan doesn't like Miss Ding?"

  "So I don't understand." They were clearly a match made in heaven, but now they didn't see eye to eye. How many more chances would Xiao Mao have to hit it off with Ding Yuehua? He seemed to be quite busy at the Kaifeng Prefecture.

  "The little one really doesn't understand what you don't understand, young master."

  "I'm confused myself, so it's fine if you don't understand."

  From a distance, he saw that the area under the stage was still crowded with people, which made Lu Xiaofeng fully realize the human nature of loving to gather in crowds.

  As they got closer, they could see that the fight on stage was also very intense. In ancient times, this would have been a free martial arts movie. Little Phoenix thought this form of entertainment was really great.

  Lu Xiaofeng took Xiaohe to a nearby teahouse on the second floor, ordered some fruit and pastries, as well as a pot of clear tea. They cracked melon seeds and ate snacks while watching a free, purely natural, no-special-effects martial arts film.

  Xiaohe felt that there was no one more leisurely than their family's young lady.

  As she watched, Little Phoenix couldn't help but worry for the ancients.

  This Ding Yuehua's matchmaking is going on like this, Zhan Xiaomao won't go and fight, what if others win? Is this the rhythm of breaking up with the official partner? Is it really stupid to be like this?

  Could it be that the plot here is that you are Xiao Mao's stepmother again?

  These days, even official couples are not secure, and legally married families can break up at any time, it's really unreasonable!

  Little Phoenix Maiden silently lit a bunch of candles for Zhan Zhao in her heart.

  Zhan Zhao, who had been secretly lit a pile of candles by someone, parted ways with Bei Xia and Bai Yutang when the sky turned dark, and returned to the government inn with a drunken body.

  In the courtyard, Lu Xiaofeng, who had changed back into women's clothing, stroked his chin and gazed up at the sky with a thoughtful expression.

  Zhan Zhao took two steps forward and said: "Miss Lu."

  "You're back."

  "Zhan Zhao is back."

  "Have you had enough?" She said with a hint of teasing in her expression.

  Zhan Zhao lowered his head and said, "A thousand cups are too little when meeting a bosom friend, I'm not a greedy drinker on ordinary days."

  "Oh." Lu Xiaofeng didn't mean anything else, just purely joking around.

  "What is the girl looking at?"

  "They say the morning clouds don't go out, but the evening clouds travel a thousand miles. But today in the late afternoon, there wasn't even half a cloud of sunset glow on the horizon. I also don't know if tomorrow will be a sunny day or not, and whether there will be a big sun or not." Little Phoenix Maiden said with some annoyance.

  "What's wrong? Are you going on a long trip, miss?"

  "No, I've taken on a case and need evidence in broad daylight." said Lu Xiaofeng.

  At this time, Xiao He came out of the house and saw Zhan Zhao bowing, saying: "Master Zhan, please speak quickly about our young lady. She has been staring at the sky in the courtyard for half a day and is almost possessed by evil spirits."

  "Nonsense! I don't have any mental illness, I'm just thinking. Thinking is worrying, and worrying is not knowing." Lu Xiaofeng said with a straight face.

  Xiaohe was immediately amused by her words.

  Zhan Zhao couldn't help but smile.

  "What kind of case did you take on, and now we have to wait for a sunny day?"

  Xiaohe replied on behalf of him, "It's a case of human life, but the county government has not been able to verify the injury. The plaintiff is also shouting injustice repeatedly. When Miss returned, she met and asked for help."

  "Are you sure, miss?"

  Lu Xiaofeng smiled, his hands behind his back, took two strides, and said with a pretentious air: "In my opinion..."

  "Miss, don't pretend anymore, just say it quickly."

  Lu Xiaofeng smiled slyly and tilted his head towards her, saying: "Because I didn't know, that's why I was thinking just now."

  Xiaohe: *silence*

  Zhan Zhao: "......" This girl is really mischievous.

  "Miss, you're teasing me." She saw that the young lady was like this and knew she had been worrying for nothing. Just then, she happened to see a courier bringing in a food box, so she went over to receive it.

  Lu Xiaofeng covered his mouth with his sleeve and smiled.

  Zhan Zhao said: "Tomorrow, Zhan will accompany the young lady on her way."

  "Alright." Lu Xiaofeng agreed readily.

  Xiaohe carried a food box over and said, "I'll go in first to set the meal, Miss. You can finish your conversation with Master Zhan before eating."

  "Miss, why don't you go have dinner first?"

  "Oh, it seems like Wei has had enough to drink, so he's not planning on having dinner?"

  "Thank you for your concern, Miss. Zhan Zhao has eaten something."

  "That's good, I'll go in first." Lu Xiaofeng said and quickly turned around and went into his own room.

  Zhuo Zhao left with a smile and shook his head in the hospital, this girl...

  The author has something to say: I just want to repeat a sentence from the text: The author does not want to argue with anyone, I write quietly, you read quietly, that's all.

  Every plot that appears is usually carefully considered before being written, and generally speaking, there will not be a big loophole in logic. It's good to have doubts, but sometimes, to be honest, it's just because the reader is too lazy to think, because the author doesn't always write the text in a very straightforward way, as that would lose some of its flavor.

  Of course, the author is not a saint, and even saints have three points of error. So if there really are mistakes, I will humbly accept them, and if they can be corrected, I will correct them. If they cannot be corrected, I will acknowledge the errors, and in future books, I will avoid making the same mistakes.

  Finally, I wish you a pleasant read and also wish myself a pleasant write.