Chapter 218: Chapter 219: What's going on between you and Zhao Xiyan?

Qi Yue’s brow furrowed slightly.

Neither of them had appeared all of yesterday; she had thought she wouldn’t see them again, only to find them intercepting her here.

All four of them had bundles tied to their horses, clearly indicating that they too were planning to leave.

Could it be that they wanted to say goodbye?

As she pondered, Qin Lingwei approached like a fledgling spotting its mother hen, riding her horse closer.

“Divine Doctor sister, Divine Doctor sister, are you leaving?”

Qi Yue, worried the horses might get spooked, had to rein in her own, temporarily stopping.

“Yes, I’m leaving.”

“Divine Doctor sister, where are you going? We’re leaving too.”

Qi Yue naturally wouldn’t reveal her whereabouts and deflected, “Since we’re both leaving, let’s part ways here.”

As she was about to whip her horse and leave, suddenly Qin Zhongyu cut in from an angle, obstructing her path.

“Miss Qi, Brother Qu, my sister and I wish to travel with you both, if that’s possible?”

Although Qu Wei had already given up his intentions toward Qi Yue, dedicating himself to the role of her big brother, the nerves tightened once Qin Zhongyu came near.

Before Qi Yue could speak, he flatly rejected the offer.

“It’s not possible. Qin, if you keep approaching my sister time and again, don’t think I’m unaware of your motives. Best you leave before I strike you.”

However, Qin Zhongyu merely smiled slightly.

Such was the demeanor of someone from the Royal Family, accustomed to living in luxury; that smile revealed an air of disdainful laziness.

“Brother Qu, the journey can be lonely; why not have more company and make it livelier?”

“I…” Qu Wei was about to decline but was stopped by a look from Qi Yue.

“My brother and I are headed south. If it’s on your way, let’s go together!”

Hearing Qi Yue agree to travel together, the smile on Qin Zhongyu’s handsome face deepened.

His peach blossom eyes boldly and enthusiastically fixed on Qi Yue, radiating the confidence that he knew she’d be willing to accompany them.

“Thank you, Miss Qi. It happens to be on our way.”

Qi Yue said no more, signaling Qu Wei with her eyes, and took the lead galloping ahead.

They had been prepared to make haste on their journey, so she had fed their horses plenty of sugar beans in advance.

The two horses ran swiftly, quickly leaving Qin Zhongyu and the others far behind.

Unable to keep his question inside, Qu Wei asked what was on his mind.

“Sister Yueyue, that Qin fellow means no good; you shouldn’t have agreed to travel together.”

Qi Yue tugged at the corner of her mouth.

“Didn’t you say you wanted to find a good match for me? Qin Zhongyu is quite the catch, and his family background is impeccable. Why are you now saying he’s no good?”

On hearing this, Qu Wei was shocked, almost falling off his horse.

“Sister Yueyue, from what I see, this Qin fellow is full of schemes, nowhere near as good as Zhao Xiyan.”

Qi Yue rolled her eyes speechlessly.

Why bring up that scoundrel Zhao? He’s also full of deceit, harboring another in his heart yet refusing to let her go!

Seeing Qi Yue not responding, Qu Wei suddenly pulled on the reins, hurriedly saying, “Sister Yueyue, did you forget to take something with you?”

Qi Yue, confused, was forced to stop as well.

“What did I forget?”

“The box, the box for letters!”

“Oh, that,” Qi Yue said indifferently, “I threw that away long ago.”

Qu Wei was thoroughly dumbstruck.

“What exactly happened? What’s the deal with you and Zhao Xiyan?”

Mumbling to himself, yet not daring to question Qi Yue further, he simply spurred his horse to catch up.

The brief delay allowed Qin Zhongyu, who had been lagging behind all along, to catch up with a face full of eagerness.

“Brother Qu, your horses seem ordinary; how come they run so fast?”

The moment Qu Wei thought of the likelihood that Qi Yue might fancy Qin Zhongyu, he found himself thoroughly displeased.

“What do you mean ‘looks average’? Can you even tell? That’s clearly a steed of a thousand li!”

He shot Qu Zhongyu a cold glare and slapped the horse’s forehead to catch up with Qi Yue ahead.

After running for the whole morning, the group stopped for a short break, then hit the road again, but the horses belonging to Qin Zhongyu and his companions suddenly started to have diarrhea.

Qi Yue had no intention of waiting for them, turned a deaf ear to Qin Lingwei’s pleas for help, cracked her whip, and her horse took off like the wind.

She had no plans to travel with Qin Zhongyu and his party, so she took this chance to teach them a lesson.

“Yueyue, how come their horses suddenly got the runs?”

“How should I know?”

“It wasn’t you, was it?”

“So what if it was? You got a problem with that?”

Qu Wei burst into laughter, belatedly catching on.

“Sis Yueyue, well done! No wonder you agreed to let that Qin surname follow us. You had this planned from the start.”

Qi Yue snorted in response.

“Who would be as foolish as you, only good at saying unpleasant things and provoking others.”

The two of them rode hard, heading south to Fuzhou, then took a boat for one day, and traveled eastward for another day before finally stopping.

“We’re here.”

Seeing the three big characters for “Nanguan Town” on a stone tablet, Qi Yue breathed a sigh of relief.

The reason for coming here was because, on the last day of the free medical clinic, Qu Wei had received insider news from untrustworthy sources in the Dongjiang area, mentioning that someone had captured a newly matured White Rhino in Longnan Western Region.

Based on various descriptions, Qi Yue judged that the man should be Bai Dahui.

She decided on the spot to intercept the White Rhino en route.

Nanguan Town was situated on the essential path from Longnan Western Region to Dongjiang; if Bai Dahui wanted to return to Dongjiang, he had to pass through here.

“Big brother, first we find a bustling inn to stay in, then we inquire about Bai Dahui’s whereabouts,” Qi Yue suggested.

Qu Wei also dismounted from his horse.

“Sis Yueyue, are you confident Bai Dahui won’t take another route back to Dongjiang?”

Qi Yue gave him a sideways glance.

“Can’t you read a map? This is the only way to Dongjiang.”

Qu Wei waved his hands dismissively.

“But isn’t there also a water route? That’s even shorter.”@@novelbin@@

“Although that water route is shorter, it’s tougher to navigate, and with rampant pirates, Bai Dahui can’t swim. He would be foolish to take the water route with the White Rhino.”

“Makes sense,” Qu Wei said, nodding seriously, before raising another doubt, “But what if he passed through here early?”

Qi Yue furrowed her brows.

“Impossible. It takes at least half a month to get here from the Longnan Western Region, unless your information is wrong.”

Qu Wei rolled his eyes, visibly annoyed.

“Sis Yueyue, that’s belittling your big brother. I guarantee you, the news from the untrustworthy sources is absolutely reliable. I bet Murong Mingyue doesn’t even know about the White Rhino situation by now!”

“Then there’s nothing to worry about, let’s find a place to stay.”

They quickly found lodging at the Yunlai Inn, and after learning from the innkeeper’s young assistant that no one had recently passed through with any white oxen, they finally relaxed.

After resting for a night, Qi Yue began to get restless.

She pondered that if Bai Dahui did come to Nanguan Town, they couldn’t act here; it’d be better to silently take the White Rhino into her space when he was almost within reach.

This meant they should lay an ambush for Bai Dahui further along the road.

But as she spread out the map, she was momentarily at a loss.

Nanguan Town might just be a town, but it was a strategic crossroad, with four different paths leading towards the Longnan Western Region. If they missed Bai Dahui, the White Rhino could slip through their fingers.

The subsequent outcome would surely be a tragedy.

This was a situation she initiated, and she couldn’t stand by while Xiaobai and Little Bai Yun’s kin were harmed.

“Which road will he take to come over?”