SES Chapter 222 Part 2

He paused, then realized everything else sounded hollow. “That’s it. Cheers.”

He drank. He usually drank mixed liquor and hated baijiu, but this time it burned cleanly, opening his pores, spicy yet satisfying.

Cao Yanhua complained, “Brother Luo, whoever speaks first has the advantage. Everyone just wants safety—what else is there to say?”

Luo Ren laughed, lifted his bowl, and said, “Then no more words. Safety.”

Mu Dai echoed silently in her heart: Safety.

Only with safety could you have a life. With a life, days. With days, a future. The kind of life she longed for—like pushing a shopping cart through a supermarket while he reached for the things she couldn’t.

Once the decision was made, they began preparing.

Hangu Pass, Fengzi Ridge—both carried special significance. Fengzi Ridge’s terrain itself resembled a giant Phoenix Luan clasp. To be safe, it might be the best place for the final seal.

Driving back and forth would waste too much time.

Luo Ren called the Daoist and told him to set out, detouring through Lijiang to bring the six Fierce Slips to Tong County. No transfers. Tank and water together. Measure everything, have a glass lid made, secure it with leather straps, and pack it with bubble wrap and foam.

At the same time, Mu Dai contacted Zheng Mingshan. He had reliable friends everywhere. Could he arrange transport from Youwu to Lijiang, then to Tong County? As long as the price wasn’t outrageous, they’d pay.

Zheng Mingshan replied, “Money’s not the issue. But one car for the whole trip is hard on both driver and vehicle. I can arrange relays—each friend handles a stretch, like a baton pass.”

That was even better. At most, two days.

Before hanging up, he added, “Your master’s burial site is ready. I’ll bring her ashes back soon. The burial will wait for you—contact me when you’re done.”

Mu Dai’s eyes stung. “Senior brother, have you been in Baoding all this time?”

“Yes. Your master wanted to return here. I suspect she was born here. I’ve stayed a while—once an old man told me there used to be a crossroads with a century-old distillery. It was burned down during the occupation.”

“Did you find anything about her?”

“I tried, but too much time has passed. The only ones who still remember her… might be us.”

After the call, Mu Dai stood by the window for a long time.

Tong County’s mountains had stood for thousands of years—longer than people, dynasties, or buildings. Now a modern city sat among them, old lives and stories buried by time.

On impulse, she called Wan Fenghuo.

“I want to look someone up.”

Wan Fenghuo replied briskly, “Costs money.”

“I’ll pay. As long as I live, I’ll pay. If it’s too much, can I pay in installments?”

Her sincerity disarmed him. “Who?”

“My master. Plum Blossom Ninth Lady.”

“The Plum Blossom Ninth Lady of Youwu Town’s Guan Si Archway?”

Mu Dai’s heart pounded. “You already knew?”

He explained. “The Daoist asked me about Guan Si Archway before. Why investigate your own master?”

“She passed away. I want to know more about her past.”

Moved, Wan Fenghuo said, “I’ll give you a twenty percent discount.”

That night, the Daoist reached Lijiang. The glass lid was being made and would be ready by morning.

“Just guard the cargo,” Luo Ren told him.

“Like I’d do anything else,” the Daoist replied.

Then he added, “Is Píngtíng your sister? She asked what you were busy with. I told her to ask you. She just shook her head and left.”

Luo Ren froze.

He remembered childhood—Píngtíng holding a wooden spear, telling him, Don’t be afraid. I’ll protect you.

After hanging up, he told the others, “We hope for the best—but we prepare for the worst.”

“What does that mean?” Cao Yanhua asked.

“If we don’t come back—anyone you need to say goodbye to?”

Silence fell.

Mu Dai returned to her room and called Huo Zihong.

The bar noise faded as Huo Zihong went upstairs.

She teased Mu Dai lightly, then asked if she was lonely.

They talked like family.

If Mu Dai didn’t come back, she wanted their last call to be warm—not filled with grief.

Later, Zheng Mingshan called. “Are you marrying Luo Ren?”

Mu Dai laughed helplessly. “Maybe. Just… a plan.”

“Good,” he said. “If he treats you badly, I’ll deal with him.”

That night, Mu Dai stretched by the window, calm like never before.

Now was good.

Very good.

Three days later, as the sun bled red across the sky, the Daoist arrived in Tong County.

The six Fierce Slips arrived.

And the fate they could not avoid… arrived too.