Chapter 110: Enemies are hard to part with
Five days later, Liu Xunyi and Lin Fangda entered Yingchuan.

Although Yingchuan was not as prosperous as Luoyang, it was adjacent to the Huai River and had convenient access to rivers, so it was quite wealthy.

As the sun sets, the dusty Liu Xunyi and Lin Fangda settle down at the Gaosheng Inn in Yingchuan City.

For safety reasons, the birthday gift that Luo Tianjin prepared for Pan Chuba will be secretly delivered to Yingchuan by other disciples, and finally handed over to them at Gaosheng Inn.

The lobby of the inn was bustling with people, and groups of diners sat together, drinking a pot of hot wine, ordering a few dishes, and chatting and drinking with great interest. Many of these diners were boatmen and coolies. They usually went out on a boat for ten days or half a month. After returning safely, they would find good friends to get together and drink and chat. Although life was hard, they could still find joy in the midst of hardship.

Lin Fangda had been sitting here for more than half an hour, looking lazily back and forth at the dishes on the table, but he only drank and did not move his chopsticks. For several days in a row, he was in this depressed and unhappy state.

It was not until Lin Fangda drank a whole pot of wine by himself that Liu Xunyi could no longer hold back his doubts and asked, "Brother, I've seen you look uneasy these past two days. What's on your mind? Can you tell me?"

Lin Fangda was stunned when he heard this, and looked straight at Liu Xunyi with complicated eyes. He wanted to say something several times but stopped himself, and finally sighed, as if he was hesitating about something in his heart.

"Big brother was a little strange at the Donghai Teahouse that day. But I remember that before we went to the teahouse, big brother was obviously very happy and everything was normal." Liu Xunyi said again, "Could it be that the little Mongolian prince made big brother unhappy?"

"A mere Wang Qing Shu is not something that I will never forget." Lin Fang said in a depressed tone. He seemed to be avoiding something deliberately. His eyes flickered and he dared not look at Liu Xunyi. "Don't ask me. I'm fine..."

"Brother, wait a minute." Liu Xunyi held down Lin Fangda's hand that was about to pick up the wine glass, and said seriously, "Brother, you don't want to tell me, you must have your own difficulties. It's not unreasonable for me to ask you. Brother, you are a righteous man with a generous temperament. Ordinary trivial matters will never make you so worried. You and I have become sworn brothers. I just hope that you will not treat me as an outsider. Although I don't have much ability, I am willing to do my best to share your worries."

Hearing this, Lin Fangda couldn't help but sigh softly, and stammered, "I didn't mean to hide it, but...ah! That's it! My dear brother, what you said makes sense. I am a grown man and I should say what I mean. Why should I be like a woman and nag about it? In fact, there is something I have always wanted to ask you clearly, and I hope you...can tell me the truth."

When Lin Fangda said this, all he could think about was Luo Ningyu, and the scene of Luo Ningyu staring at Liu Xunyi in the East China Sea Teahouse appeared before his eyes. Whenever he thought of this, Lin Fangda always felt mixed emotions and felt very uncomfortable.

Liu Xunyi just used a little trick of "playing hard to get" to make Lin Fangda couldn't help but speak out his thoughts. From this, it is not difficult to see that Lin Fangda has a simple mind and no ulterior motives.

Liu Xunyi put down his wine glass and said seriously, "Brother, please ask me, I will tell you everything I know!"

At this moment, Liu Xunyi was worried that Lin Fang would question his true identity. Although he appeared to be frank on the surface, he was already worried in his heart.

The two of them had their own thoughts, but they were also equally nervous. For a moment, the atmosphere became a little awkward.

"Don't worry about it, my dear brother. It's not a big deal..." Finally, Lin Fangda mustered up his courage and said reluctantly, "I just want to ask... my dear brother, are you... are you..."

Having said this, Lin Fangda's tongue began to get tangled involuntarily. He hesitated for a long time, but all he could say over and over was "Is it?" and he couldn't say anything else for a long time.

In fact, Lin Fangda was afraid. What if Liu Xunyi was also interested in Luo Ningyu? What should he do then?
At this moment, it was not just Lin Fangda who was nervous. Liu Xunyi also felt his heart tightening. He was afraid that Lin Fangda would ask about his true origins. Given his current relationship with Lin Fangda, Liu Xunyi really didn't want to take advantage of Lin Fangda's kindness and lie to him again and again.

"Brother, what do you want to ask?" Liu Xunyi asked calmly, "You and I are brothers, why not just speak frankly?" Liu Xunyi was very conflicted, but he did not dare to show any nervousness.

Whether it was because of the alcohol or because he was shy, Lin Fangda's face turned red, and he wished that blood would drip out. He was eager and worried, and his eyes swept back and forth on Liu Xunyi's body.

After hesitating for a long time, Lin Fangda finally made up his mind. If Liu Xunyi and Luo Ningyu were really in love, he would take the initiative to give in and make this good thing happen. After thinking about it, Lin Fangda's face calmed down a lot, and he said frankly: "Actually, I want to ask my dear brother if you like it..."

"Oh!"

Before he could finish his words, a heavy bag suddenly fell on the table, scaring the nervous Liu Xunyi and Lin Fangda so much that they almost screamed.

"Hey! I say, you two are really disloyal, aren't you? You actually left me alone and sneaked off to Yingchuan to play?"

A familiar voice suddenly sounded, Lin Fangda and Liu Xunyi looked up, only to see a "handsome young man" with delicate eyebrows, red lips and white teeth, standing by the table with an unhappy look on his face, glaring at them with his almond-shaped eyes.

"Ningyu?" Lin Fangda was slightly stunned, but soon recognized that this person was Luo Ningyu disguised as a man. He asked in surprise, "You... why are you dressed like this?"

Luo Ningyu's sudden appearance made Lin Fangda very nervous. His heart, which was beating so fast, seemed to have missed a beat, and an indescribable embarrassment appeared on his face.

"Keep your voice down!" Luo Ningyu reached out and tapped Lin Fangda's head hard, then quickly sat down, as if she didn't want to attract the strange looks from the people around her. Liu Xunyi looked back and forth between Luo Ningyu and Lin Fangda with a suspicious look, and asked, "Miss, why are you in Yingchuan too?"

"What? You guys can come, but I can't?" Luo Ningyu snorted, then pulled out a pair of chopsticks, suddenly pointed at Liu Xunyi, and scolded, "Don't call me Miss next time you see me, it sounds awkward. You can call me by my name like Lin Fangda."

Liu Xunyi didn't hear anything special in Luo Ningyu's words. Instead, Lin Fangda felt a pang of sadness in his heart. However, he didn't dare to respond carelessly and could only sit aside feeling sad.

"I can come, but..." Liu Xunyi raised his eyebrows and said with a smile, "Could it be that you overheard the conversation between the Palace Master and us and sneaked out?"

"That won't do!" Lin Fang exclaimed, "Ningyu, if the Palace Master knew about this, he would definitely punish you severely."

"With my father's martial arts, I was exposed before I even got close, so how could I eavesdrop?" Luo Ningyu pouted and grumbled in dissatisfaction, "I'm not afraid to tell you, this time I'm doing my job on orders. From now on, even the two of you have to obey my orders."

Hearing this, Liu Xunyi and Lin Fangda couldn't help but look at each other. Liu Xunyi asked in confusion, "Did the mansion master send you here?"

Lin Fangda muttered, "It's probably because you pestered the Palace Master again, and the Palace Master finally gave in because he couldn't resist any more."

"Hey!" Luo Ningyu glared and snorted, "I can go wherever I want, who can tell me? The day after tomorrow is Laba Festival, you two are here to celebrate Mr. Pan's birthday, are you planning to go to the Pan Mansion empty-handed?"

"Could it be that the birthday gift prepared by the mansion master is on you?" Liu Xunyi asked suspiciously, "The mansion master only asked us to come to Gaosheng Inn to wait, but he never expected that it would be you who came."

Luo Ningyu retorted: "Why? Can't I escort the birthday gift?"

"I can, but..." Before Lin Fang could finish his words, he was glared back at by Luo Ningyu. He could only mutter to himself, "It would be safer for us to bring him here directly than to let you escort him..."

"Little... Ningyu, where is the birthday gift?" Liu Xunyi hurried to smooth things over before Luo Ningyu changed her expression. He changed the subject and asked with a smile, "Is it this bundle?" After saying that, Liu Xunyi had already reached out to touch the bundle, but Luo Ningyu suddenly knocked her hand hard with chopsticks. Liu Xunyi felt pain on the back of his hand and quickly retracted his hand.

"Hmph!" Luo Ningyu stared at the bewildered Liu Xunyi and Lin Fangda with displeasure, and said uninterestedly, "The birthday gift is not for my son. I only have a bill of lading in my hand."

"Invoice?"

"The cargo invoice of Pan Huai Ship Merchant." Luo Ningyu nodded and said, "The birthday gift prepared by Dad is still floating on the river. It will arrive at the dock early tomorrow morning. We can go and pick it up with the invoice."

Hearing this, Liu Xunyi and Lin Fangda were relieved. They smiled at each other, the meaning of which was self-evident.

"Ningyu, have you ever met Master Pan?" Lin Fangda asked curiously, "What is his character like? How is his martial arts?"

"I only met him once by chance with my father." Luo Ningyu hesitated, "That was when I was thirteen or fourteen years old, and I haven't seen him since then. He should be a good person. My father once said that Master Pan Ba ​​was a man of temperament. As for martial arts... How can a person who cut his own tendons in front of his master's grave and abolished his martial arts talk about martial arts? To this day, there are only a handful of people in the martial arts world who still remember Master Pan Ba. Even in Yingchuan, the locals only know that Master Pan Ba ​​is a shipowner, and very few people know that he has any connection with the martial arts world."

"Living in seclusion in the city, it seems that Mr. Pan Ba ​​is indeed a great hero." Liu Xunyi said with emotion, "He can truly repent with great enlightenment and separate the first half of his life from the second half so thoroughly. How many people in the world can do that?"

Lin Fangda smacked his lips a few times and said with a wry smile, "We are here to wish Mr. Pan a happy birthday, but no one has ever seen his true face. What if we send the birthday gift to the wrong person?"

"Although we have never met, everyone in Yingchuan knows Mr. Pan." Luo Ningyu sneered, "The ship merchant Pan Huai is well known to everyone in Yingchuan. If you ask anyone on the street, you will know which direction the door of the Pan Mansion opens. How could they send the wrong person?"

Liu Xunyi could hear some bickering in their words, and hurriedly said with a smile: "We will go to the dock of Pan Huai's merchant ship early tomorrow morning to take down the birthday gift first, and then ask someone about the Pan Mansion."

"Ouch! How can you walk without paying attention, cripple? If you have the guts, don't walk! You cripple, you're running so fast. It's really bad luck..."

Suddenly, a sharp shouting and cursing sounded outside the inn. Liu Xunyi and the other two subconsciously looked in the direction of the sound, and saw a ragged coolie pointing at the dim street and yelling. As for the "dead cripple" he mentioned, he had already disappeared.

……

(End of this chapter)