At this moment, Vice Admiral Zhang whispered in his ear, "General, in my opinion, this man is not simple, and he seems to understand things. We don't need to get entangled with him. It's better for you to follow his advice in the future. He's probably looking out for your best interests. As for that Master Niu, we'll find him in the city of Xi'an later and take care of him. It's not good if he spreads rumors!" The General gave the Vice Admiral a glare, "Alright, let's handle it this way then."
Meanwhile, Jian Yumei and Lin Li had already arrived outside the city. Jian Yumei was still holding Master Niu.
In the wilderness, Jian Yumei released Master Niu from his grasp. Master Niu stood up, still in a state of shock. However, being an experienced person, he adjusted himself and tidied his hair as a prelude to his speech.
"Thank you, brother, for saving my life!" Master Niu bowed.
"No problem, Master Niu. You narrowly escaped death this time. Do you still intend to continue as before?" Jian Yumei asked with a smile.
"I dare not! I won't continue in this line of work anymore. With my limited skills, I can still make ends meet doing odd jobs, but if I encounter such things again, I won't survive!" Master Niu said.
"Yes, indeed. Those two ghosts had grievances spanning two lifetimes, especially the female ghost. The energy accumulated from their two-life grievances erupted this time, and it was extraordinary!" Jian Yumei remarked.
"Indeed, and that General's recklessness didn't help. If he hadn't kicked over my bag of tricks, maybe I could have captured those two ghosts!" Master Niu said, noticing Jian Yumei's ambiguous smile.
"But my abilities were indeed insufficient. If my skills were enough, I wouldn't have had to rely on that bag of tricks. Without it, I would have had other methods!" Master Niu continued.
Jian Yumei chuckled. "So, what are your plans for the future?" she asked.
"I reckon I can't stay in Xi'an anymore! I don't want to leave my hometown, but I'll return to my ancestral home in Hanzhong to farm. I still have a few plots of land and old houses there!" Master Niu replied.
"Do your friends in Hanzhong know about your land and houses?" Jian Yumei asked with concern.
"Yeah, I think they do!" Master Niu replied.
"In that case, you'd better not go back. Otherwise, if the General investigates you and people spill the beans, he might send someone to seize your property! You should go somewhere else, preferably to a place like Beijing, where there's plenty of space and opportunity!" Jian Yumei suggested.
"If I have no other choice, then so be it. I can see from the General's demeanor this time that he's determined to get rid of us. What about you two, how will you handle it?" Master Niu asked.
"We're like birds of passage, haha. He can't touch us!" Jian Yumei laughed heartily. Throughout the conversation with Master Niu, Jian Yumei had been using official language peppered with Beijing dialect, which was based on her proficiency in Mandarin. She believed in being cautious, as human hearts are inscrutable.
Furthermore, Jian Yumei discreetly reminded her senior sister not to speak too much, as her Shaanxi dialect was quite distinctive. Jian Yumei herself didn't have much of an accent, but she couldn't afford to leave any potential risks for their master.
"Alright, brother, I owe you my life this time. I'll take my leave now. I won't dare to take the train. I'll just walk, maybe go to Henan first, and if things don't work out, head to Beijing!" Master Niu said.
"Understood. Remember, don't deceive others, and don't promise things you can't deliver! Otherwise, if you end up dying in a strange place, you won't even know how it happened!" Jian Yumei warned.
"I understand. Brother, your martial arts and wisdom are profound. I deeply admire you! I will never exaggerate again and will only promise what I can do! And I won't dare to deal with soldiers anymore. If I see them, I'll just hide!" Master Niu sighed.
"In saying so, Master Niu also hopes for societal change!" Jian Yumei chuckled.
"Yes, indeed. I only earn a little money, but they play with people's lives. Moreover, I've done many things for my customers!" Master Niu said.
"Master Niu's dedication is admirable. I know, sometimes it's just a bit exaggerated. Otherwise, I wouldn't have saved you!" Jian Yumei remarked.
"Hehe, it seems it's all about karma!" Master Niu chuckled.
"Yes, if you were a greedy and murderous person, I would have handed you over to that General. That's how justice works!" Jian Yumei smiled.
"Thank you, brother. If our paths cross again, I'll do whatever I can to help, even at the cost of my life! Until we meet again!" Master Niu bowed to Jian Yumei.
"Until we meet again!" Jian Yumei replied.
After Master Niu left, Jian Yumei said to Lin Li, "Senior sister, let's go too!"
"Junior brother, do you think we can still go back to our inn?" Lin Li asked.
"We'll quickly go back, grab our things, and leave this place! Although I don't think Liu Zhenhua dares to touch us, we still need to be cautious!" Jian Yumei said.
"Alright, let's go back to the inn!" Lin Li agreed.
When Jian Yumei and Lin Li returned to the inn, they looked around and didn't see anyone. They quietly climbed onto the roof and entered their room to pack their luggage. Since they had prepaid for their stay and didn't owe anyone any money, there was no need to settle any bills.
They quietly hoisted their luggage, especially the qin case. Jian Yumei held the qin case and smiled at her old friend inside.
The pair of golden-crowned snakes inside also shook in response, and Jian Yumei felt the case tremble. She smiled.
"Let's go. We're leaving Xi'an!" Jian Yumei said.
They leaped over the rooftops of the city and arrived at the outskirts. They saw a barracks with a stable.
Jian Yumei smiled at Lin Li. "Shall we ride horses?"
Lin Li laughed. "Sure, let's steal some horses!"
"Not stealing, these soldiers aren't doing any proper work all day anyway. Taking from them is fair game. Let's go get them!" Jian Yumei said with a smile.
"Alright, let's go!" Lin Li replied.
They quietly leaped into the barracks' stable.
At this moment, the guard who was supposed to watch the stable was sound asleep in a corner of the stable on a pile of hay. Jian Yumei and Lin Li quietly entered the stable and found two sets of saddles and reins. They quietly approached the horses.
As if by fate, the horses didn't panic when they saw Jian Yumei and Lin Li. They nodded at Jian Yumei as if greeting her.
Jian Yumei smiled. She carefully observed and then chose a chestnut-colored and a black warhorse. She signaled to Lin Li, who approached. Together, they saddled the horses and then quietly led them out of the stable.
There was a side door in the stable directly facing the road outside. Jian Yumei and Lin Li left the barracks' stable and mounted the horses directly.
They had practiced horseback riding before, so they were quite skilled at it. It was a necessary skill after all.
Now they were riding on horseback, smiling at each other.
"Junior brother, everything went so smoothly. I love this horse!" Lin Li looked happily at her chestnut-colored horse.
"Haha, let's call yours 'Red Hare' and mine 'Black General.' We'll head to Henan like this, shall we? No more trains. Who knows, that General might be laying an ambush on the train. It's too risky for us!" Jian Yumei said.
"Alright, let's ride to Henan. Junior brother, let's go!" Lin Li was already eager to go.
"Alright, senior sister, let's go!" Jian Yumei said, urging the horse forward.
Seeing this, Lin Li also spurred her horse and rode ahead.