CHAPTER 73

Niutou Village

"Giddy-up, yah!" The long whip rose high, flicking a graceful arc before landing crisply on the bluestone pavement, producing a pleasant, rhythmic clatter.

The chestnut horse, however, was accustomed to this commotion. It continued its unhurried, delicate trot, maintaining the dignified air of a noble steed, never forgetting that its ancestors for seven or eight generations had once served as elegant imperial carriage horses.

This was an unremarkable-looking carriage. Its sky-blue body was clean, devoid of any superfluous adornments. Only the robust and upright steed at the front hinted at the vehicle's extraordinary nature.

The old man driving was around fifty years old. A circle of grizzled, stubbly short beard framed his mouth, and the wrinkles on his face traced the passage of time. His eyes held a hint of the dimness of old age, yet his hands, gripping the reins and wielding the whip, remained vigorous, skilled, and agile.

"Young master! A few more li [miles} and we'll reach the borders of Mawei [Horsetail] Village. Another thirty li ahead is Yongzhou City. This old man can only take you this far... the road ahead, you'll have to manage on your own!" With a flick of the long whip, Old Wang adjusted his tilted straw hat and shouted toward the carriage compartment behind him.

His wife at home was waiting for him to return and start cooking! He couldn't linger outside for too long.

"No matter. Stop the carriage here, then." After a moment, a few light coughs came from inside the carriage, followed by an elegant, steady voice, so clear it seemed like a whisper.

As the words fell, a jade-white hand lifted the blue cloth curtain, revealing a face of such beauty it was hard to tell if it belonged to a man or a woman, eyes so deep they stirred the heart, lips so pale they evoked pity.

'Tsk, this young master is so beautiful, even more so than the top courtesan!'

'Let alone full-bl0oded young men, even this old man felt unsettled... Sigh, this is definitely not a good omen!'

Before the curtain was fully drawn aside, a lovely, delicate young girl peeked out. Her rosy cheeks were plump like steamed buns, but her expression was one of puffed-up anger. Her bright eyes glared with annoyance at the person beside her before turning a fierce, dagger-like gaze toward Old Wang, who was smiling awkwardly, as if he were some heinous villain. "Hey! What kind of business is this? Dumping passengers in the middle of nowhere? Watch out, I'll report you for refusing service!"

"Hehe... S-sorry, this old man has no choice..." Old Wang felt guilty under her glare but refused to relent. He turned and pulled on the reins. "Whoa!"

'Good heavens! The girl looks spirited, but why is her glare so fierce, like a tiger-woman ready to devour someone?'

"Enough, don't trouble him. I'm fine." Covering his chest, he coughed lightly a few more times. A faint blush rose on his pale complexion, making him appear even more breathtakingly beautiful.

"Hmph!" The reluctant girl lost her temper immediately under his calm glance and carefully helped him alight from the carriage.

The young man, however, remained composed. Casually, he tossed Old Wang a silver ingot of excellent quality and said leisurely, "Speak no more of this... you may go."

Old Wang caught the silver ingot with both hands, resisting the urge to bite it. With an apologetic smile, he handed the two a small blue bundle. "Young master, inside are some pastries from Wufangzhai. Take them to stave off hunger on the road!"

The girl's eyes lit up. She took the bundle without hesitation, her lips curving into a smile. Her expression toward Old Wang softened considerably. "Hmm, fine, fine. You may go."

The person she supported, however, showed a slight flicker in her eyes, a cold light flashing past in an instant.

"Giddy-up, yah!" With another crack of the whip, Old Wang turned the carriage around and leisurely drove away, leaving the two young people supporting each other by the roadside, looking particularly desolate in this remote wilderness.

Seemingly glancing back unintentionally, Old Wang sighed and shook his head, yet still suppressed the sudden surge of pity in his heart: It's these two youngsters' misfortune, but it's not his fault!

With the silver ingot he had just received, he had earned three today, enough to cover his expenses for the entire year!

Thinking delightedly, Old Wang's wrinkled face blossomed into a smile.

The two left by the roadside were none other than Su Yan and Tong Tong, who had fled in haste from Chonghua, once the illustrious direct disciples of Chonghua, now disgraced as demonic sect traitors.

In just a single day, the news had spread like wildfire across the Nine Provinces, forcing them to conceal their identities and go into hiding.

Although under Ye Zhiqiu's suppression, the Chonghua Sect adopted a hands-off attitude toward the two, a wave of hunting down demonic sect fiends and Chonghua traitors had been stirred up, led by the Bingyan Island and the Qianyu Sect. If given the chance, Tong Tong really wanted to rush in front of those two old geezers and point at their noses to curse: Busybodies meddling in others' affairs!

Her myriad questions were swallowed back upon seeing Su Yan's rare look of desolation. Tong Tong optimistically thought: 'Does this count as us eloping?'

According to the script, this seems to be the path to being together!

What does the distinction between righteous and demonic paths have to do with her?

As long as she could follow her senior brother, would she have to worry about not living a life of luxury?

Thus, when Su Yan proposed going to Cangzhou to find someone, Tong Tong readily agreed.

Gazing into the distance at the slowly departing carriage, Tong Tong tightly clutched the small bundle in her arms, her tone tinged with reluctance: "Senior brother, such a large silver ingot would be enough for a round of flower wine at the Yanying [Swallow Oriole] Pavilion!"

How could you give it away so casually? Thrift is a virtue! Besides, we have no source of income now, so we should spend carefully...

The Yanying Pavilion, a leader among the pleasure quarters, a den of extravagance with exorbitant prices.

Hearing this, Su Yan glanced over faintly, the corners of her lips curling slightly, but a chill flickered in her beautiful eyes: "Oh? How do you know? Could it be... you've been there before?"

For a young lady to know so much about such a place of debauchery, what could be the reason?

Little Seven Tong, you know... too much...

A shiver ran down Tong Tong's spine. She quickly clung to Su Yan's arm and offered a flattering smile: "How could I! I heard it all from Fifth Senior Brother... hehe, hehehe..."

'Sorry, Fifth Senior Brother, I didn't mean to sell you out, but as the saying goes, better the friend die than the poor Daoist!'

'If you hadn't constantly bragged in front of me about how delicious the flower wine at the Yanying Pavilion was, how exquisite their pastries were, I wouldn't have been curious enough to inquire, and I wouldn't have incidentally learned how stunning the courtesans at the Yanying Pavilion were, or how exorbitant their prices were... So, in the end, it's all Fifth Senior Brother's fault!'

Tong Tong nodded righteously, feeling her image instantly shine brightly again.

Stealing a glance, she saw Su Yan's expression hadn't improved. Tong Tong bit her lip and muttered softly, "I bet a hundred and fifty top-grade spirit stones on you winning, senior brother! I spent my entire fortune! Who would have thought..."

'Who would have thought such a thing would happen, leaving me with nothing!'

'Wuwu, after toiling for a hundred thousand years, I'm back to square one in an instant! How utterly miserable!'

Now she was penniless, how could she continue to spend extravagantly? She needed to increase income and reduce expenses...

Su Yan glanced sideways at her. "So you're blaming me?"

This girl, if you don't discipline her for three days, she'll climb onto the roof and tear off the tiles, her courage has grown fat!

Her cultivation never seems to improve, but her skill at pushing her luck is becoming more refined... Hmph.

"No! Absolutely not!" Tong Tong flashed an ingratiating smile, almost raising her hand to swear to the heavens. "Of course it's not your fault! I just... I just feel a bit regretful..."

"Heh..." Su Yan let out a soft scoff, leaning down halfway to whisper softly by her ear, "That betting pool was set up by people I sent." Her low, gentle voice carried a hint of charm that could make one's bones go weak.

The match ended inconclusively, but the result was that the house took everything.

As for who profited, naturally it was the one who set up the pool.

Upon hearing this, Tong Tong went from weak-kneed to instantly perked up, her mournful little gaze immediately turning into adoring starry eyes. "Wow, Senior Brother, you truly have incredible foresight!"

'Wahaha, the house takes all!'

'One, two, three... Ah, ten fingers aren't enough! Quick, teach me how to calculate this sum!'

'By the way, did you know beforehand that this would happen...'

With just a glance, Su Yan guessed Tong Tong's thoughts. Her eyes darkened slightly as she chuckled mockingly. "Without permission, who would dare set up a betting pool and gather crowds for gambling within Chonghua Sect?"

Although she was the house, even she hadn't anticipated this total payout outcome.

This silly girl, did she really think she could foresee the future?

If she had known her identity would be exposed earlier... Su Yan smiled faintly, tinged with a hint of irony. What could she have done?

If given the choice, she would rather keep her secret of dual cultivation in demonic and orthodox paths hidden forever.

Remembering Ye Zhiqiu's complex, hesitant expression, no matter how many doubts or how much unwillingness she felt in her heart, she could only suppress them.

'Yan'er, you must not let anyone discover your true identity.'

'Yan'er, you are the unparalleled dual cultivator of demonic and orthodox paths.'

'Yan'er, you are Master's only hope.'

'Yan'er, Yan'er...'

Su Yan fiercely shut her eyes, shaking off the chaotic voices in her mind. When she opened them again, they were clear. "Let's go, we'll rest in the nearest village."

Her face was as pale as jade, but she was no longer coughing. Tong Tong looked at her curiously, unable to hide her delight. "Senior brother, you're better now?" Just moments ago, she was coughing badly, how is she now so refreshed and not out of breath?

"Mmm... cough, cough." Su Yan uncomfortably averted her gaze and responded softly.

"Eh? So you're not better after all... Quick, don't talk anymore." Tong Tong nervously patted her back, smoothing her breathing, her eyes filled with genuine concern that made the other's cheeks grow faintly warm.

It was just pretending to be weak to lull the pursuers, but this silly girl took it seriously... Well, better not tell her.

Enjoying Tong Tong's care, Su Yan wore a faint smile as they leisurely walked toward the other end of the path.

......

Leisurely driving the carriage, Old Wang had a sudden thought and took out the three silver ingots from his sleeve to examine them closely. Two of them appeared dull and lackluster, as if they had been around for some time, while the one given by the young official looked exceptionally bright, yet carried an air of unreality.

Old Wang grew suspicious. He picked one up and took a bite, hard, yes, it was definitely real!

Old Wang's eyes crinkled into a smile, but the next moment, that smile froze on his face.

His hand, gripping the reins, spasmed a few times and could no longer move.

His face, covered in wrinkles like blooming chrysanthemums, was now etched with purplish-blue patterns, as if a spider specialized in weaving such threads had lurked beneath, making it particularly terrifying.

The silver ingot of excellent quality slipped from his hand, tumbling and rolling into the roadside grass. Meanwhile, his well-trained horse, unaware of its master's misfortune, continued pulling the carriage at a steady pace, heading down the familiar path, gradually fading into the distance...

......

Niutou [Ox-head] Village.

Tong Tong squinted, trying to make out the three characters arranged from right to left on the tattered signboard. The corner of her mouth twitched: Niutou [Ox-head] Village, Mawei [Horsetail] Village, why not just call it Horseface Village to make a perfect pair? Who came up with such a name? Truly a genius...

"Senior Brother! Are we really going into this place?" She couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.

She had always trusted her intuition.

"No matter," Su Yan replied with a faint smile, carrying an inexplicable chill. Yet in Tong Tong's eyes, it only added to his captivating charm.

It was likely that news of their intended visit to Mawei Village had already reached the ears of those with ulterior motives... Walking into a trap was not her style.

As for the old man's fate, since he had decided to betray them, he should have been prepared to face the underworld!

'Niutou Village?'

'Heh... interesting.'

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