Ties of Love, Ruan Wan

Ruan Wan kicked the man with the red nose. "He and his accomplices framed us for theft, but their real intention was to kidnap us."

At this moment, Master Qian led his men over, and the man with the bulbous nose quickly lowered his head when he saw Master Qian.

Master Qian kicked him, saying, "I let you off last time, Wu Laosi. It seems you won't learn your lesson until you're fed to the fish in the river. How dare you touch my guest!"

Ruan Wan let go of Lou Qianyuan's hand and pulled him back a step.

Na Wu Lao Si hurriedly knelt on the ground and begged for mercy, "Fourth Master, I was confused. How was I supposed to know that she was your guest? If I had known that this lady was your guest, I wouldn't have dared to do it even if you gave me the courage."

Several of his accomplices, seeing that things were not going well, tried to run away, but they were all restrained by Master Qian's men.

Master Qian gave the order, "Take them to the authorities!"

Several henchmen dragged the group of people to the government office.

Master Qian smiled at Ruan Wan, "I'm so sorry, you were frightened."

Ruan Wan smiled and said, "You're too kind. I should thank Master Qian for saving me."

Ruan Wan bowed again to Brother Zhang and the others, saying, "Thank you again, Brother Successor."

The crowd that had just gathered then followed Master Qian's men to escort the bandits to the government office.

Once aboard the ship, Ruan Wan began preparing medicine for Lou Qianyuan.

Lou Qianyuan was still in shock and felt extremely ashamed. "In my current state, I can't even protect you, yet I need you to protect me."

Ruan Wan helped him lie down on the bed. "No one says that only you can protect me, and I can't protect you. I'm not like those delicate girls you've met before. I've always protected myself since I was little, so don't worry, just focus on getting better."

Lou Qianyuan still felt something was off; were they really lovers now?

At first, Wan'er did indeed sternly reject him, but now that they are publicly known as husband and wife, Wan'er is not opposed to it.

This is a matter of great importance concerning one's reputation, but Wan'er doesn't seem to care much about such things.

However, she still takes great care of herself in daily life. Wan'er doesn't make new clothes for herself, but she makes them for him instead.

However, if a man cannot even protect the woman he loves, she will definitely be disappointed.

But Wan'er still didn't care.

Having gone through life and death together day and night, Lou Qianyuan believed that this was a good opportunity for their feelings to deepen.

Lou Qianyuan, however, became increasingly confused, even feeling that he was not good enough for Wan'er.

There's no point in thinking about it too much. Right now, I should focus on getting better so I can make a good impression on Wan'er.

Ruan Wan was brewing medicine on the deck at that moment. The ship was still moored at the ferry dock, as if nothing had happened.

Master Qian walked over, bowed to Ruan Wan, and asked with a smile, "How should I address you, Madam?"

Ruan Wan didn't know what this person's purpose was, but she still told him, based on her fabricated identity, that "my husband's surname is Lou."

"Lou? That must be Madam Lou."

Master Qian's eyes darted around, then he smiled and said, "Madam Lou is truly a heroine; she dealt with those river bandits with such composure just now."

Ruan Wan quickly waved her hand and laughed, "Fourth Master, you flatter me. It's all thanks to your righteous help. If they had attacked us all at once, I wouldn't have been able to do anything."

Master Qian seemed quite pleased with the praise, and then asked, "May I ask, Madam Lou and your husband, what brings you all this way to the capital?"

"Go home, my husband's family is from the capital."

Master Qian frowned slightly, then smiled and said, "Madam Lou, please rest assured. I dare to do business on the water, so I can definitely guarantee the safety of my customers. If you need any help, please come directly to me."

"Fourth Master, your righteousness is truly admirable; I thank you in advance."

As Ruan Wan watched Master Qian's departing figure, she guessed he was trying to figure out his and Lou Qianyuan's identities.

The surname Lou was already rare in the Great Xia Dynasty. People knew that the current empress was surnamed Lou, and anyone living in the capital with the surname Lou must have an extraordinary status.

Ruan Wan did this on purpose, wanting Master Qian to guess their identities.

If Master Qian is wary of their status, he will take extra care of them. If he has any dealings with the Zhang family, it will be easy to see the clues.

However, Ruan Wan still trusted Master Qian quite a bit, as this was not their first meeting.

When Ruan Wan went to Jiangnan before, she also took Qian Siye's boat. At that time, she went upstream and it took her almost two months to get there.

Along the way, we also learned about Master Qian. He was a generous and forthright man with a strong sense of chivalry. He was polite to his guests, but if he encountered a difficult person, he was no different from a local bully or thug.

To be able to operate such a large ship on the Wudu River, one must have connections in both the legitimate and criminal worlds, and must have powerful backers.

Knowing this, Ruan Wan dared to bring the person back to the dock. Ruan Wan knew that Master Qian would not sit idly by.

If something happens to his passengers, it will damage his reputation.

The bowl of strong medicinal soup had a bitter smell that could be smelled from afar, but Lou Qianyuan drank it all in one gulp without even frowning.

He really wanted to get better soon, but the medicine was just too bitter. Before, when he was at home, he always had candied fruit and dried fruit on hand when he took the medicine.

Right now, all I can do is drink a few more bowls of water.

Ruan Wan told Lou Qianyuan about her conversation with Master Qian.

Lou Qianyuan pondered for a moment, then frowned and said, "If he's Zhang Lucheng's man, we should notify Zhang Lucheng and his men as soon as we disembark, so we can be captured immediately."

Ruan Wan shook her head. "They're afraid we'll tip them off, so they'll probably just get rid of us. If Master Qian really is Zhang Lucheng's man, he should have found a way to eliminate us on the ship."

Lou Qianyuan understood Ruan Wan's purpose: "You mean, if he makes any moves on the ship, it proves he's a member of the Zhang family?"

Ruan Wan nodded. "Yes, that's why we can't sleep too soundly at night."

However, the next few days were uneventful, and nothing happened.

However, Ruan Wan still dared not let her guard down, in case the enemy was doing it on purpose to lower their guard before making a move.

There was also good news: after taking a few doses of medicine, Lou Qianyuan's health gradually improved, and he no longer coughed at night.

During the day, Ruan Wan would accompany Lou Qianyuan to take walks on the deck, and the two were inseparable day and night.

In this way, ten days passed peacefully.

The ship does not travel in a straight line. Across the Wudu River is southern Xinjiang, and there are ferries along the way. Trade between the two countries has been relatively peaceful in recent years.

Ruan Wan and Lou Qianyuan discussed it and decided that they would get off at the next ferry crossing.

The food provided on the ship was too expensive, so they needed to buy some dry rations. They also needed to test whether anyone on the ship was following them.

The next ferry crossing is right next to the riverbank in southern Xinjiang. It's the largest ferry crossing in southern Xinjiang, called Linyuan Ferry.

This was a perfect match for Lou Qianyuan's major.

Lou Qianyuan vividly described, "I once traveled to the Southern Frontier. The customs there are completely different from those of the Great Xia Dynasty. Witchcraft and sorcery are prevalent there, and even the royal family reveres them."

They knew exactly which villages preferred sour and spicy food, and which shops had the best food for the people of Daxia.

Ruan Wan said helplessly, "We're just buying some supplies at the dock, not going on a sightseeing trip."

Lou Qianyuan suddenly said shyly, "We can come to the Southern Frontier to travel in the future, and we can travel all over the Divine Continent."

Ruan Wan didn't want to repeat herself anymore; with his indomitable nature, nothing she said would work.

After sending Lou Qianyuan back to the capital, Ruan Wan disappeared into the mortal world, going to a place where no one could find her.

This trip broadened Ruan Wan's horizons, showing that she didn't necessarily have to settle down in Daxia in the future.

The Eastern Yi, the Chu Kingdom, or even the Southern Frontier—anywhere they could find, even if they wanted to.

In mid-April, the boat docked at Linyuan Ferry, a large ferry crossing where many people disembarked.

Ruan Wan and Lou Qianyuan mingled in the crowd and disembarked together.

During those ten days, the two of them did not take a leisurely stroll. They carefully imprinted the appearance and characteristics of everyone on the ship in their minds, especially the men under Master Qian.

Lou Qianyuan was responsible for observing whether anyone was following behind him.

Unexpectedly, Qian Siye's men did not disembark this time either; they did not disembark at any of the ferry crossings along the way.

All of Master Qian's men had fixed posts and almost never left their positions.

Perhaps Ruan Wan and the others were overthinking things; Master Qian was just an ordinary boat captain.

Only after seeing it with my own eyes did I understand the world-shaking difference Lou Qianyuan had described.

People in southern Xinjiang mostly wear uniform clothing, indigo-blue clothes, and white hats.

The Miao people all have slightly dark skin and more defined features. Ruan Wan felt that they were somewhat like a mix of Indian and Chinese people.

Most of the things sold at the market were things Ruan Wan had never seen before. The colorful pastries were dyed with plant juices and had a strange fragrance.

The stalls mainly sell furs and handicrafts, but there are also many stalls selling herbs, including many rare herbs, which are displayed on the ground for sale.

Ruan Wan's eyes lit up with envy; the golden thread lotus, the ten great herbs, and the chicken blood vine were laid out by the roadside like firewood.

I must go to southern Xinjiang when I have time in the future.

With no one following behind, Ruan Wan relaxed a little and strolled through the market attentively, with Lou Qianyuan following behind like a lackey.

Ruan Wan wanted to try everything at each stall, if only she had enough money.

After sending Lou Qianyuan off, they still needed to leave some travel expenses for their escape.

Perhaps seeing Ruan Wan's mouth watering, the Miao woman at the pastry stall handed Ruan Wan a piece of green pastry.

Soft, chewy, and bouncy, Ruan Wan knew at a bite that it was made from rice. However, the strange yet refreshing taste, and the green color, made her wonder what dye it was made of.

Ruan Wan asked directly, "Auntie, what's the coloring used for this rice cake?"

The older woman smiled and waved to Ruan Wan, then pointed to the dense forest behind her, as if to say that raw materials were readily available everywhere.

Ruan Wan walked in the direction the aunt pointed, with Lou Qianyuan following closely behind. The aunt took a few steps and then stopped.

Completely absorbed by the auntie's mysterious pastries, Ruan Wan and her companions were unaware that the stall behind them had quietly gathered, completely blocking their view.

There was a green grass at the aunt's feet, the color of which was very similar to that of a pastry. Ruan Wan squatted down, picked a leaf, and smelled it. It smelled exactly the same.

It's amazing. I've never seen this plant before, even though it's just across the river in Daxia.

Ruan Wan stood up, wanting to ask the aunt what kind of plant it was.

Suddenly, a man emerged from the dense forest and sprinkled a handful of white powder on Ruan Wan.

Lou Qianyuan tried to pull Ruan Wan back, but it was too late.

The two of them suddenly went black and fainted.

When Ruan Wan regained consciousness, she realized that she had been arrested, but it was different from being arrested in a normal way.

Ruan Wan woke up on a bamboo bed, without any ropes binding her, but her clothes had been changed.

I changed into a Miao ethnic costume, and surprisingly, it fit me perfectly.

Lou Qianyuan isn't by my side. Could it be that we've separated and locked up?

Ruan Wan tiptoed to the door and peeked out through the crack. It was pitch black; it was already night.