After instructing the innkeeper on what to do, Meng Xiaoyu thought about her plans for tomorrow, and her mood brightened considerably.
Feeling better, she even ate two extra bowls of rice.
“Hey, Sister Ye Han!”
After dinner, feeling cheerful, Meng Xiaoyu decided to practice her sword skills in the courtyard behind the inn.
She grabbed the “Qingyue Sword” hanging by her bed and walked out of her room.
However, as soon as she opened the door, she saw Ye Han standing there with her usual expressionless face, arms crossed over her chest, leaning against the wall with her eyes slightly closed, as if resting or deep in thought.
Meng Xiaoyu was quite annoyed with Ye Han for repeatedly stopping her from going out shopping earlier that morning.
But since she was in a good mood now, she greeted Ye Han cheerfully.
She expected Ye Han to respond politely or at least give a cold “hmm.”
But Meng Xiaoyu stood by the door long enough for cobwebs to form, and still, there was no polite response or even a cold “hmm.”
Ye Han, upon hearing Meng Xiaoyu’s cheerful greeting, opened her eyes and turned slightly to stare at Meng Xiaoyu’s bright smile, lost in thought.
“Hey, I’m greeting you!”
Meng Xiaoyu was annoyed when Ye Han just stared blankly at her.
How could someone be so rude?
She had greeted her, and Ye Han should at least respond out of courtesy.
But instead, Ye Han just stared and zoned out.
“……”
“Shouldn’t you respond politely?”
Seeing Ye Han’s eyes change, Meng Xiaoyu knew she had snapped out of it and said so.
“What kind of response does Miss Meng want?”
Ye Han replied flatly.
“……”
Meng Xiaoyu was speechless.
“Miss Meng, the Palace Master instructed that you are not to leave the inn. So, please go back to your room and rest.”
Seeing Meng Xiaoyu fall silent, Ye Han, still expressionless, spoke up.
“Who said I was going out?”
Meng Xiaoyu’s good mood instantly plummeted to freezing point upon hearing Ye Han’s words.
She retorted loudly.
Hearing Meng Xiaoyu’s loud retort, Ye Han wanted to retort, “Then who was it this morning, crying and making a fuss to go out shopping?”
Seeing Ye Han’s disbelieving expression, Meng Xiaoyu snorted coldly, then walked past Ye Han with her “Qingyue Sword” and headed downstairs.
As for Ye Han’s disbelieving expression, Miss Meng despised it deeply.
“What do you mean? Is my word so untrustworthy? Showing that kind of expression just because I made a fuss to go out shopping this morning? I despise you.”
Meng Xiaoyu muttered to herself as she went downstairs, even secretly flipping Ye Han the bird when she turned to look at her.
When Ye Han looked over, Meng Xiaoyu quickly turned back and continued down the stairs.
Ye Han, seeing Meng Xiaoyu reach the first-floor hall, leaped gracefully from the second-floor corridor railing, spun in mid-air, and landed silently beside Meng Xiaoyu.
Her perfect leap and graceful spin in mid-air, landing without a sound, earned her applause from the onlookers in the inn, and some experts recognized her exceptional martial arts skills.
“Show-off,” Meng Xiaoyu muttered disdainfully, seeing the crowd in the inn’s hall applauding Ye Han’s display of Light Skill.
She then turned and headed to the small courtyard behind the inn.
Watching Meng Xiaoyu’s disdainful mutter and her incomprehensible comment, Ye Han could only follow her to the courtyard.
She didn’t even know why she had jumped from the second-floor railing to show off her Light Skill.
She just felt an impulse when she saw that petite white figure downstairs.
By the time she came to her senses, she had already jumped and landed beside her, surrounded by applause she couldn’t understand.
She didn’t think she had done anything great, so why were they applauding?
Before she could think further, Meng Xiaoyu had disdainfully muttered and walked to the courtyard.
Ye Han really wanted to ask, “What do you mean by show-off?”
But her habit of not asking too many questions kept her silent.
In the courtyard, Meng Xiaoyu found a large open space, drew her sword, and casually tossed the scabbard aside.
She began practicing the basic sword techniques Mi Jiu had taught her.
Though still a bit clumsy, she was much better than before.
She could now perform the entire set of techniques smoothly, unlike before when she would forget the next move after completing one.
A few days ago, Sister Ru Bing had also taught her this set of techniques, but Meng Xiaoyu, though familiar with the moves, couldn’t perform them smoothly.
Now, having finally mastered the set, she couldn’t help but cheer, “I did it! I finally mastered it! Haha, I’m a genius!”
As Meng Xiaoyu laughed and praised herself, Ye Han, sitting on a nearby rooftop, watched her with a face full of black lines, her mouth twitching.
She couldn’t help but roll her eyes and think, “It took you over a month to master such a simple set of basic techniques, and you call yourself a genius? How thick-skinned can you be?”
Time flew by, and it was already the afternoon of the next day.
Meng Xiaoyu, staying obediently in her room, was filled with excitement.
Soon, the innkeeper would bring the person she had instructed him to bring yesterday, and her plan to sneak out was about to begin.
She was both excited and nervous.
She checked the time on her solar-powered digital watch, a birthday gift from her cousin in England when she turned fifteen.
Her cousin had said it had a hundred-year lifespan.
Meng Xiaoyu had worn it ever since, except when bathing or sleeping.
Now, seeing the time was 3:38 PM, she grew even more excited and muttered, “It’s time to get rid of those watching me.”
After tidying her already neat clothes, Meng Xiaoyu, with a mischievous smile, went to the inn’s hall.
Ignoring Ye Han, who was leisurely drinking tea at a table, she headed for the inn’s entrance.
As she stepped out, Ye Han, as expected, blocked her path with her expressionless face.
“Why are you blocking me, Sister Ye Han? I’m going to buy something. If I go any later, I won’t be able to get it,” Meng Xiaoyu said in a sweet, coquettish voice.
“What does Miss Meng want to buy? Just tell me, and I’ll have someone get it for you,” Ye Han replied, still expressionless.
“Really?”
Meng Xiaoyu feigned doubt, then continued, “But I need to buy a lot of things. Are you sure you can get them all?”
“I’m sure. Just tell me what you need,” Ye Han said, feeling an urge to facepalm.
What was wrong with this little lady today, using such a coquettish tone?
Didn’t she know that no matter how much she acted cute, Ye Han wouldn’t disobey the Palace Master’s orders?
“Really? I love you, Sister Ye Han!”
Meng Xiaoyu said happily, then quickly flashed a mischievous smile.
Switching to her normal voice, she said, “Since you insist, I won’t refuse. I need freshly baked ‘Pineapple Cakes’ from Li’s Pastry Shop at the end of the third street in the South District. They must be freshly baked, or I won’t eat them.”
As soon as she finished, a shadow darted towards the South District.
Seeing this, Meng Xiaoyu smiled slyly and continued, “I also need freshly steamed ‘Ham Buns’ from Wang’s Bun Shop on the fifth street in the East District, and…”
She listed all the famous snacks and their distant locations that the innkeeper had told her about yesterday.
She noticed that by the seventh item, no more shadows were darting away, suggesting there were only six watchers.
To be safe, she listed a few more items.
When she finished, she saw Ye Han’s face as dark as the bottom of a pot.
“That’s all I need,” Meng Xiaoyu said, swallowing nervously at Ye Han’s dark expression.
When Ye Han just stared at her without speaking, Meng Xiaoyu, feeling a bit scared, asked, “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I just have a question for Miss Meng,” Ye Han finally spoke.
“Hehe, what’s the matter?”
Meng Xiaoyu, seeing Ye Han’s darkened face and hearing her somewhat gritted teeth voice, became even more fearful, swallowed another mouthful of saliva, and then cautiously said.
“I just wanted to ask Miss Meng, you bought so much food at once, can you finish it all?”
