I never thought about becoming the son-in-law of the Bai family, not that Bai Hanyan was unattractive. The main reason was that I felt we were simply not from the same world.
To put it mildly, I felt absolutely nothing for her.
I believed she probably didn't like me much either, otherwise, why would she always pick fights with me for no reason?
After some thought, I decided I had to return the White Tiger Dagger quickly to avoid any misunderstandings.
After all, the Bai family was a powerful and influential entity in Guangling. If Bai Zhujing came looking for me, I wouldn't be able to handle him.
That night, while Bai Hanyan was asleep in her bunk, I quietly slipped the White Tiger Dagger under her pillow.
Only after doing so could I finally sleep soundly.
However, the next morning, as soon as I opened my eyes, I saw Bai Hanyan standing by my bunk, her eyes red and swollen as she glared at me.
Her appearance was like a vengeful spirit, instantly scaring away all my sleepiness.
"Xiang Fei, what do you mean by this?!"
"What do you mean?"
She held the White Tiger Dagger in her hand and gritted her teeth, saying, "Once Bai Hanyan gives something away, there's no reason to take it back!"
I realized what was happening and said with a smile, "You weren't giving it, you were just lending it to me that day..."
Before I could finish speaking, she abruptly pulled out the dagger. I was startled!
She directly threw the dagger at me. I didn't even have time to dodge before the dagger, with a "clang," embedded itself into the carriage wall behind me.
I had used this dagger before, so I knew how sharp it was.
It could be said that this dagger was not only an antique but also a rare and formidable blade.
"Are you crazy?!" I yelled, my heart still pounding.
She gritted her teeth and said, "Whether you want this dagger or not, you're going to take it! Figure it out yourself!"
I swallowed, "How can you be like this?"
"What's wrong with me?"
"You..."
Just as I was about to say more, Wang Yang leaned over and said, "Miss Bai, please calm down. My brother here is ignorant, don't mind him..."
Wang Yang gave me a meaningful look and continued, "It's just that this White Tiger Dagger of your family is rather extraordinary, and my brother here dares not accept it."
Bai Hanyan snorted coldly, "I know what you're going to say, right? It's about the rumors in Guangling. That's right, my ancestors did say that whoever possesses the White Tiger Dagger can enter the Bai family. But these are old rules. I gave the dagger to him because we went through hardships together... yet he doesn't appreciate it!"
Wang Yang exaggeratedly exclaimed, "Oh, so that's how it is! Then Xiao Fei misunderstood you... As long as your Bai family doesn't have that rule, Xiao Fei would certainly not refuse your kind gesture."
This fellow's words became more and more outrageous, "You don't understand my brother; he overthinks things. He feels he's not good enough for you and doesn't want to hold you back, which is why... Miss Bai, please calm down. As long as you don't have that intention, I'll accept this dagger on his behalf! Take it!"
Saying this, Wang Yang took the scabbard from Bai Hanyan's hand, then pulled out the dagger stuck in the carriage wall, closed it, and handed it to me, whispering, "Take it for now..."
I hesitated, but I followed his advice.
"You just said he feels he's not good enough for me?" Bai Hanyan glanced at me and asked.
Wang Yang smiled, "Let's go, Miss Bai, I'll treat you to some food in the dining car so he can reflect on himself, and we can have a good chat."
Bai Hanyan hesitated for a moment before leaving with Wang Yang, leaving me sitting on the bunk, feeling somewhat helpless.
Wu Tingxiu returned with a porcelain basin, having clearly just washed her face. "You're awake?"
I nodded.
"Then hurry up and get something to eat. We'll probably reach Guangling tonight," Wu Tingxiu said.
"I can't eat..." I stuffed the dagger into my backpack, fell back, and covered my head with the quilt, deciding to sleep away my troubles.
I don't know what Wang Yang said to Bai Hanyan, but after that, Bai Hanyan's anger completely subsided.
Wang Yang even told me to rest assured that Bai Hanyan wouldn't force me to marry her.
What was all this about?
I asked him what exactly he said to Bai Hanyan. He replied, "You're just too straightforward. Don't you know that women need to be coaxed?"
I retorted, "Do you think I'm like you? Slippery-tongued, glib, and shifty..."
"Oh, you think highly of me, describing me with three idioms." Wang Yang, far from being ashamed, took it as a badge of honor. "Thank you very much."
After some playful banter, he told me that Bai Hanyan might have some feelings for me, but it wasn't to the point where she would marry no one else but me.
It was just that she was a girl with a thin skin and pride, and I had completely disregarded her feelings, making it difficult for her to back down, which was why she was so aggressive towards me.
In any case, as long as I didn't have to become the Bai family's son-in-law, anything was fine.
Upon arriving in Guangling, we went our separate ways.
Wang Yang and I went to Hongyuan, intending to surprise Hong Yunpeng. Instead, we were both stunned speechless!
The signboard of Yishi Zhai was smashed to pieces, and the interior was even more disastrous, a scene of utter chaos.
"Did your shop get robbed?" Wang Yang said, recovering from his shock.
I ignored him and entered the shop. Seeing the shelves smashed and scattered, I quickly paged Hong Yunpeng, asking him to call back immediately.
After about ten minutes, my phone rang. The caller was actually Uncle Hong.
"Is that Xiao Fei?" Uncle Hong asked on the phone.
"Uncle Hong, it's me. Where's Yunpeng ge?"
"Sigh... he's in the hospital right now."
"In the hospital? What happened?"
"He won't tell me when I ask. This kid is driving me crazy!"
"I'll be there right away."
After hanging up, Wang Yang and I rushed to the hospital.
When we arrived at the hospital, Hong Yunpeng had bandages wrapped around his head and his leg in a cast. He lay on the hospital bed looking dejected.
Seeing us, he hesitated to speak. Only after Uncle Hong left did he tell us what had happened.
It turned out that the Cizhou kiln cup we had acquired earlier, Hong Yunpeng had planned to sell. However, the person named Tian who sold us the cup came knocking, saying he didn't want to sell it anymore.
Hong Yunpeng argued with him, stating that in the antique business, that was the rule, and there was no backing out.
The man named Tian, having heard from somewhere that his Cizhou kiln cup was very valuable, insisted that Hong Yunpeng return it to him.
How could Hong Yunpeng agree?
Then, who knew, that fellow found An Yuan Tang.
An Yuan Tang was now Liu Hui's territory. Upon hearing about the matter, Liu Hui personally came to confront Hong Yunpeng, saying that the man named Tian was a distant relative of his and that Hong Yunpeng should return the Cizhou kiln cup to him.
Hong Yunpeng refused, so Liu Hui brought his men over and smashed the shop. Not only that, but he also took the Cizhou kiln cup.
When I heard this, I was already furious. I slammed my fist hard onto the hospital bed.
This was outright bullying!