As soon as he finished speaking, Bai Erya stood on her tiptoes and kissed him.

Wu Liangchen soon felt the girl in his arms grow feverish. Then he heard Erya whisper breathlessly in his ear.

"Brother Xiaowu, take me!"

To be honest, Wu Liangchen was truly tempted when he heard those words.

After all, few men could withstand such a temptation.

But he managed to restrain himself.

The girl’s father was in the very next room. No matter how much of a scoundrel he might be, he couldn’t bring himself to do something like that.

He forced himself to calm down and whispered, "Erya, I know how you feel, but I can’t do that. It would be unfair to you. Wait for me to return. When I do, I’ll marry you with all the proper ceremonies. Alright?"

Bai Erya looked at Wu Liangchen, her eyes brimming with tears. She nodded firmly. "Alright!"

Just then, the sound of Old Man Bai’s cough came from outside the door.

"Erya, are the dumplings ready yet?"

The two quickly separated. Bai Erya wiped the tears from her face and called out, "Almost! They’re almost ready!"

Then she whispered to Wu Liangchen, "Brother Xiaowu, you go on out. Keep my dad company for a bit. I’ll be done in a minute."

Wu Liangchen nodded and walked out of the kitchen.

Old Man Bai was standing in the courtyard, his gaze icy as he looked at Wu Liangchen.

"Why was Erya crying?" Old Man Bai asked.

As her father, he could tell from her voice that she had just been crying, no matter how she tried to hide it.

Wu Liangchen was silent for a moment before telling him everything.

After listening, the color drained from Old Man Bai’s face. He leaned weakly against the courtyard wall and whispered in a voice thick with anger.

"What’s to become of Erya? She’s given her whole heart to you. If you don’t come back... the consequences are unthinkable."

"That won’t happen. I, Wu Liangchen, am a man of my word. Since I said I would return, I will."

He swore no oaths, but seeing the determination in Wu Liangchen’s eyes, the anger in Old Man Bai’s heart gradually faded.

"You’d better do what you say. Otherwise, even an old man like me won’t let you off the hook!"

Just then, Wu Liangchen seemed to remember something. He pulled a small pouch from his clothes and handed it to Old Man Bai.

"What’s this?" Old Man Bai asked, curious. But when he took it and looked inside, he was stunned.

The pouch was stuffed to the brim with Eagle Yuan. It looked like there were at least two or three hundred of them.

"Uncle Bai, after I leave, you and Erya shouldn’t set up your stall outside anymore. This money is for your expenses while I’m gone," Wu Liangchen said.

Old Man Bai was taken aback for a moment, then said, "But we don’t need this much."

Two or three hundred coins, and in Eagle Yuan, which was a hard currency—this was enough to buy a decent mansion.

Given the father and daughter’s usual living expenses, this amount of money would be enough to last them twenty or thirty years.

"A lot? I don’t think it’s much at all," Wu Liangchen said with a smile. "You should take this time to enjoy life a little. Eat whatever you want, don’t hold back."

On second thought, Old Man Bai figured that since Wu Liangchen was leaving the city tomorrow, he could just hold onto the money for him. And so, he nodded.

"Alright!"

-----------------

The dumplings were ready.

The plump, round dumplings, filled with pork and scallions, were bursting with juice, their aroma filling the air.

Yet the three people sitting at the table were all silent.

Old Man Bai was already full from the congee and couldn’t eat another bite.

Wu Liangchen didn’t know what to say. Erya was sitting right across from him, staring silently, her mournful gaze threatening to swallow him whole.

After eating in silence for a few moments, Wu Liangchen suddenly said, "While I’m gone, if you run into any trouble, go find Liu Dongchuan at the main courtyard. He’ll help you." 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Alright," Old Man Bai replied.

Wu Liangchen finished his bowl of dumplings, stood up, and said, "I should be going."

With that, he steeled his heart and left quickly, not daring to meet Bai Erya’s eyes.

Erya said nothing, only lowering her head in silence as tears fell, one after another, splashing into her bowl.

Old Man Bai sighed heavily. "Alright, girl, don’t cry. It’s not like he’s never coming back. You just wait here patiently. I have faith in that boy, Xiaowu. He’ll definitely come back for you."

His words of comfort had the opposite effect. Bai Erya suddenly slumped onto the table and began to sob uncontrollably, catching Old Man Bai completely off guard. He could only scratch his head and sigh.

Meanwhile, Wu Liangchen had already run a great distance.

’He felt awful, too.’

’But what was done was done; there was no point in saying more.’

’After all, he couldn’t drag Erya and her father into this mess.’

’The only solution was to leave this volatile place first. He would come back for Erya once the dust had settled.’

Once he had composed himself, Wu Liangchen arrived at the main courtyard where he used to live.

The courtyard gate was still shut tight, but that posed no problem for Wu Liangchen. He slipped around to the back, vaulted over the wall, and headed first for his old home.

The house had been completely ransacked; even the bedding had been torn up. But Wu Liangchen had hidden his valuables extremely well, so the intruders had come up empty-handed.

After moving the water crock aside, Wu Liangchen pried up the floor tile directly beneath it. He dug away a layer of loose earth and retrieved two oilcloth-wrapped bundles.

One bundle was filled with silver coins, four or five hundred of them.

Wu Liangchen had hidden them long ago. He had several such hiding spots, ensuring that even if one was discovered, the others would remain safe.

The other bundle contained a small booklet: Wu Liangchen’s handwritten notes on the Four-Step Fist.

Wu Liangchen secured the items, moved the water crock back into place, and retrieved money from two other hiding spots. Only then did he leave and slip quietly over to Liu Dongchuan’s home.

After he knocked on the door, a sharp voice immediately called out from within.

"Who’s there?"

"It’s me," Wu Liangchen said softly.

The room fell silent for a moment. Then, Liu Dongchuan ran out, his clothes disheveled, a look of pure shock on his face as he stared at Wu Liangchen.

"Xiaowu, where have you been the last few days?"

"Let’s get inside first, then I’ll tell you."

"Alright!"

Liu Dongchuan hurriedly ushered Wu Liangchen into the house.

Sister Liu was in a room at the back, so she wouldn’t be disturbed.

Wu Liangchen then gave him a brief account of what had happened. When he finished, Liu Dongchuan’s eyes were wide with shock. "This... What’s to be done?!"

After all, he had seen the recent commotion in the city with his own eyes, but he had never imagined Wu Liangchen was involved.

"Don’t worry, Brother Liu. I’ve already made arrangements and should be able to leave the city tomorrow. I came here for two reasons: to say goodbye, and to ask for your help."

"We’re brothers. You don’t even need to ask."

Wu Liangchen then explained the situation with Bai Erya.

Liu Dongchuan nodded at once. "Don’t worry. After you’re gone, I’ll definitely look after the Bai family, father and daughter. I’ll make sure nothing happens to them."

"Good. Here are fifty silver coins. Consider them a gift for Third Master and Third Granny. If you really see me as a brother, don’t refuse."

Hearing this, Liu Dongchuan didn’t hesitate and took the money.

"And this," Wu Liangchen said, handing him the other bundle.

"This is a martial arts manual I wrote. It’s suitable for ordinary people with no previous training. You’re a bit older, Brother Liu, but you’re strong. If you practice it, you might be in for a surprise."

At these words, Liu Dongchuan’s hands began to tremble.

He knew all too well how precious this manual was. He took a deep breath and said.

"Then... thank you, brother."

With that, he carefully and reverently put the small bundle away.

"Do you need my help getting out of the city tomorrow? If you go by way of the docks..."

"No. Xiao Rong will definitely have the docks heavily guarded. Besides, don’t worry. I have it all arranged. I’ll be out of the city tomorrow. Just remember to give my regards to Third Master and Third Granny for me."

With that, Wu Liangchen turned to leave. He suddenly remembered something and turned back.

"Brother Liu, Cui Qi and his crew may be a bunch of swindlers, but they’re well-informed. After I’m gone, you could try to win them over. Use them as your eyes and ears."

"Understood!"

Wu Liangchen left the courtyard, avoided the patrolling guards, and soon returned to the West Garden Opera House.

Aunt Fan was waiting anxiously for him. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw him return safely.

"The search party came by during the day," she said. "Thankfully, I was prepared. I hid everything, then took the girls and your sister and hid in the attic crawlspace. But I suspect they’ll be back."

"Don’t worry. Everything has been taken care of."

"So when are we leaving?" Aunt Fan asked eagerly.

"Tomorrow morning..." Wu Liangchen paused, then said with determination.

"We’re leaving the city!"