The three faces lit up with smiles upon hearing this. Su Lai happily exclaimed, "Great! We brothers can be together again."
Yu Daohen nodded. Though he wanted to stay, why did his heart ache so much?
For the next three days, Yu Daohen stayed in his room, cultivating and healing his injuries. Meanwhile, Zhang Xiaoqiang and the other two spent their evenings drinking and their days fishing by the river.
After about a week, Yu Daohen's injuries had mostly healed.
Seeing Yu Daohen emerge, Zhang Xiaoqiang grinned and said, "Master Yu, want to go fishing?"
Yu Daohen looked at the fishing rods and baskets they were holding and nodded. "Sure. I've been cooped up in my room for so long, I was planning to get out anyway."
The four of them grabbed their gear and headed to the riverbank to start fishing.
Su Lai took out his wine flask, took a swig, and then offered it to Yu Daohen. "Master Yu, have a drink."
Yu Daohen took the flask and drank deeply before returning to his fishing.
They seasoned the fish they caught with a little salt and grilled them on the spot. Paired with the peach blossom wine, it was an incredibly enjoyable experience.
Zhang Xiaoqiang sighed, looking at the food and wine. "If only we had some fruit too."
Yu Daohen gave him a speechless look. "Do you think this is your home, where you get whatever you want?"
"That's true," Zhang Xiaoqiang said, then suddenly shouted as he glanced at the river, "Look, strawberries!"
They all turned their heads and saw a strawberry floating down the river.
Zhang Xiaoqiang picked up the strawberry and examined it. Although it was a bit rotten, it meant there was a strawberry patch upstream.
They followed the river upstream for about five minutes before discovering a strawberry patch. The strawberries there looked large and juicy.
Su Lai looked puzzled. "That's strange. I remember this place being barren land the last time I was here. Did I misremember?"
Zhang Xiaoqiang paid no mind to it, walking into the patch and popping a strawberry into his mouth. "Damn, these strawberries are so sweet."
Yu Daohen and the others didn't think much of it and joined Zhang Xiaoqiang in picking strawberries.
That evening, they returned to the inn and resumed their drinking.
The days passed by, and in the blink of an eye, over twenty days had gone by.
Despite drinking and eating meat daily, the group didn't gain weight; instead, they lost a few pounds, and their complexions became pale and sickly.
Yu Daohen, in particular, whose pale complexion was already indicative of illness, now looked utterly devoid of color, resembling a dead man's face.
Meanwhile.
On the train to Yangzhou, Li Naifeng gazed out at the passing scenery. There were still five days left until the deadline Yu Ye had promised.
However, he had a nagging feeling that Yu Ye and the others might be in trouble, so he decided to head to the Midnight Spirit Shop in Jiangdu early.
Li Naifeng followed the directions circulating in the martial world and arrived at the entrance of the Midnight Spirit Shop in Jiangdu.
He saw that the shop was open from a distance and felt a flicker of confusion. "Could it be that Master Yu has already returned?"
Li Naifeng was about to turn away, but then he thought it best to see Master Yu in person.
After all, he might not be at the shop.
As he approached the entrance of the Midnight Spirit Shop, before he could even step inside, he heard a childish, milky voice say, "Sorry, the Midnight Spirit Shop isn't open for business these few days."
Li Naifeng followed the direction of the voice and saw a little girl with golden hair, dressed in a Lolita outfit, lying on a rocking chair, resting with her eyes closed. She occasionally lifted a teacup from the nearby table and took a sip.
Li Naifeng was utterly bewildered. Who was this adorable little girl?
Had he come to the wrong place?
Li Naifeng stepped back and looked at the sign on the door, which clearly read "Midnight Spirit Shop." "It's correct, it is this place."
Seeing that the person hadn't left, Yu Yijun opened her eyes and looked over. She saw him staring at her with a rather lecherous expression.
Yu Yijun cleared her throat and said, "Sorry, we're not taking any business recently. Please come back in a few days."
Li Naifeng shook his head and asked, "May I ask who you are?"
Yu Yijun cleared her throat lightly and introduced herself. "I am Yu Yijun, the apple of Yu Daohen's eye, and also the little Master Yu of the Midnight Spirit Shop. In the martial world, I am known as Fairy Yu."
"Apple of his eye?" Li Naifeng was dumbfounded. As far as he knew, "apple of his eye" simply meant daughter.
Wait!
Li Naifeng suddenly realized something was amiss and felt a chill run down his spine.
Master Yu was only eighteen years old, and this little girl looked about seven or eight.
This meant Master Yu had married and had a child at the age of ten.
Holy cow!!
The peerless prodigy was truly terrifying.
After a moment, Li Naifeng recovered from his shock and asked, "Where is your father?"
Yu Yijun shook her head. "I don't know. My daddy hasn't been back for almost a month."
Upon hearing this, Li Naifeng's expression turned serious.
It seemed Master Yu and the others were indeed in danger.
He had to go to the Yan Shu Sect immediately and ask Master Tang for help!
Watching Li Naifeng hurry away, Yu Yijun looked puzzled.
To be honest, she was also starting to worry about her daddy.
She had intended to inform her father Qin, but he had gone into seclusion half a month ago, and she couldn't disturb him.