Chapter 4

A somewhat sharp and accusatory voice came from the dilapidated courtyard, truly a case of the person not yet arriving but the voice preceding them. When the person finally approached, it turned out to be a young girl, in the prime of her youth, with a tall and slender figure and a delicate face. Even the coarse linen clothes could not conceal her graceful figure and alluring curves. The two segments of her arms exposed outside her short sleeves were astonishingly white and smooth. Such a beautiful girl should have exuded charm, but the fierce and almost biting expression on her face ruined everything.

On her back was a scabbard labeled "Fourteen Stances." Wu Fan, with empty hands, immediately turned his eyes, feigning innocence and pretending to be clueless upon seeing the girl.

"Hey, Wu Lao Da! Are you deaf or heartless? Huh? The rice jar at home is almost empty!" The girl was extremely angry, one hand on her hip, the other pointing at Wu Fan, incessantly scolding him: "You're fine out here, no worries about food or drink, but what about me? Am I supposed to drink the northwestern wind? And it's not even the right season for that! I can't even get full from it! I really don't understand what my father was thinking when he betrothed me to you, this scoundrel! You look so honest, but your heart is so cruel! I'm not even married to you yet, and you treat me like this! What will it be like after we're married...?"

Wu Fan touched his nose, trying to interrupt the girl, saying, "Hey, little sister, it's like this..."

"Go to hell! I'm your betrothed wife! Call me what?!" The girl suddenly raised her voice, angrily pointing at the broken door that had fallen to the ground, saying, "What did I do in my past life to deserve this? I must have had the worst luck to be betrothed to you, this poor wretch! Look! Look! You dress so well, but look at this house! It's not even as spacious as a pigsty!"

【Well, with this speed of talking, I can't argue!】

Wu Fan sighed inwardly, tentatively stepping into the house. Then, he stealthily pulled out a silver ticket from his sleeve, grinning and said, "I was just so happy, I forgot to buy it! Come! Look at this!"

"One... one hundred taels?"

The girl's accusations and scolding instantly stopped. Her eyes gleamed with a frightening light, and her hands moved faster than her words, snatching the silver ticket from Wu Fan's hand in a flash. She examined it from all angles, as if it were more precious than her own father.

"Did you get paid?" The girl subtly tucked the silver ticket into her chest, then scrutinized Wu Fan, full of suspicion: "You only get ten taels a month. Where did you get so much silver?"

Wu Fan raised an eyebrow, smiling, "Why do you care where it came from? You miser! Go buy some wine and food. I'm in a good mood today, hehe!"

The girl carefully examined Wu Fan's face. She felt that in the past month, this future husband had changed quite a bit, but she couldn't pinpoint exactly what had changed. After some thought, she realized that the hundred taels of silver were probably not obtained through proper means. She didn't press further, but went straight to the market to buy wine and food... However, based on Wu Fan's understanding of her, she probably wouldn't buy much, at most half a catty of wine and half a catty of meat, then come back and boil a pot of cabbage... to be eaten over two or three days.

Watching the girl's nimble steps, Wu Fan sat on the threshold of the dilapidated house, took off the "Fourteen Stances" from his back and put it aside, and began to daydream, or rather, to reminisce... about his betrothed, Tong Rui.

Tong Rui's father had originally been a comrade of Wu Fan's father, also a member of the Eagle-Soaring Guard. However, the difference was that Tong Rui's father died early, and her mother had also passed away from illness years ago. Her brother and sister-in-law were unwilling to take on the burden of raising her, so Wu Fan's father got a good deal. At the time, Wu Fan's father thought, "I only have one son, and the family is drained from his martial arts training. It will be hard to find a wife in the future! Tong Rui is clearly a beauty, so why not prepare her for my son early?" Thus, Wu Fan's father, with great foresight, brought Tong Rui home to be raised alongside Wu Fan, nominally as a child bride. What Wu Fan's father never expected was that while Tong Rui was indeed beautiful, her stingy and fierce personality was something Wu Fan found hard to bear!

"Bang bang!"

The sudden noise startled Wu Fan.

"What are you daydreaming about! Fix this door quickly! You always go out at night, leaving me alone at home. Are you not worried?" Tong Rui returned quickly with a small piece of pork and some loose wine, kicking the fallen wooden door with her foot, frowning, "It's all eaten by bugs! Damn bugs! You fix it, I'll cook!"

【With your fierce personality? Who would dare to take advantage of you!】

Wu Fan rolled his eyes, walked over, and squatted down to look at the wooden door, half-heartedly trying to fix it. As he worked, he might have used a bit too much force, and "crack," another corner of the broken wooden door fell off.

Looking at the corner of the door in his hand, which was completely hollowed out by bugs, Wu Fan sighed, "Running water does not rot, and a door hinge does not rot either!"

In reality? It was just because he was a poor man and hadn't replaced the door in decades.

"Bang bang bang..."

The sound of hurried footsteps approached, causing Wu Fan to look up. He saw his superior, the Chief Banner Qian Rui, and behind him, four or five members of the Eagle-Soaring Guard. Wu Fan's eyebrows furrowed, his eyes darting around, and he turned to walk towards the house, grabbing his weapon, the "Fourteen Stances."

He was so cautious because Wu Fan was very alert, thinking: 【These people haven't come for three to five months, and now they're here so urgently. Could it be that Deputy Thousand-Man Zhao Xi has betrayed me, and my embezzlement of the "Yishui Marquis" family's silver has been exposed? Or has my fabrication of the appearance of the Maitreya Sect and the killing of Hundred-Man Chen Yu Ci been discovered?】

"Huff huff..."

Chief Banner Qian Rui ran over, panting heavily, and without entering Wu Fan's house, he said directly, "Wu Xiao Qi, someone has discovered the traces of the Maitreya Sect. Let's go!"

Wu Fan felt a sense of relief, but also had other thoughts... He had just fabricated the story of the Maitreya Sect, and now they had actually appeared. Was this a real-life version of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf"?

"Wife! I have a mission! You eat by yourself!" He shouted into the house and quickly walked out, asking as he went, "What's going on?"

Qian Rui panted, "Didn't you say the Maitreya Sect was at the ancient temple outside Luoyang? But when we went, it was empty?"

Wu Fan nodded, lying without a second thought, "That's right! I found the traces of the Maitreya Sect and followed them to the ancient temple, only to realize it was their meeting place."

"You were right! It is their meeting place!" Qian Rui called to Wu Fan and the others as they ran, vividly recounting, "But for some reason, they got wind of it and hid. Today, some Eagle-Soaring Guard from Chang'an came to Luoyang to deliver a letter and discovered them there. They traced the线索 and found out that these people had been in Luoyang for over a month! They usually disguised themselves as highwaymen, almost managing to slip through! The Thousand-Man was very angry, and now he's gathering all the Eagle-Soaring Guard in Luoyang to capture these heretics!"

Wu Fan was speechless, feeling... a headache.

...

PS: Requesting recommendations and collections.

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