With the immediate danger finally gone, Yan Rou looked at Lei Feng and nodded. They both knew it was time to leave this clearing.
For Yan Rou, staying any longer might bring her more trouble. Lei Feng was just bored now that the masked man had run away.
Lei Feng walked over to the waiting horses. Manager Wei must have arranged them before the fight. Without much effort, Lei Feng hoisted the still-unconscious Uncle Zhang, who was barely stirring, and settled him onto a saddle, making sure he wouldn't fall.
Yan Rou stood quietly for a moment, watching Lei Feng handle Uncle Zhang. After a short pause, she climbed onto her horse, adjusting her grip on the reins.
Lei Feng swung himself onto the last horse with ease. Together, the three of them rode out of the clearing and back toward the main road, leaving the injured thugs groaning in the dust behind them.
They rode quietly for almost an hour. The only thing that could be heard was the steady sound of the horses' hooves.
Yan Rou found herself stealing glances at Lei Feng, who rode just a few feet away. Every so often, she looked over, trying to make sense of the man who had saved her life but seemed so hard to understand.
She kept thinking about how easily Lei Feng had blocked that demonic palm strike earlier, using only a simple move and no sign of Qi. The scene kept replaying in her mind again and again.
Finally, she could not bear the silence any longer.
"Who are you?" she asked, her voice cutting through the quiet.
Lei Feng turned to her with his familiar lazy smile. "I told you already. I'm Lei Feng."
"That's not what I mean!" Yan Rou snapped, unable to hide her frustration. "Where did you come from? Who taught you? What's your cultivation level? Are you really a mortal without cultivation? No ordinary person could do what you did."
Lei Feng chuckled at the barrage of questions from Yan Rou. "So many questions. Are you that eager to know everything about your future husband?"
He winked at her, grinning. "Maybe I'll tell you once you officially become my wife. Was that your proposal just now?"
"Sadly, I can't agree just yet. I need to see how you develop first. There are many ways I could help you, but I can't take you in as my wife before that."
"You—!" Yan Rou sputtered, her cheeks turning red with anger. She stopped herself, taking a deep breath to stay calm. "Fine, forget that I asked. Why did you let them all go? The masked man and his thugs could have told us who sent them. Now I have no clues!"
"Clues?" Lei Feng repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Why do you need clues? If they send more people, it'll just make things more interesting."
"You just don't understand!" Yan Rou's voice rose in frustration. "This isn't a game for me. The Yan family has enemies. The contract my father is negotiating in Azure Dragon City is crucial for us. Our rivals—especially the Zhao family—would do anything to see us lose. Capturing that man was our best chance to find out who's behind these attacks!"
She paused, her face growing serious. "My family's situation is more complicated than it looks. That masked man was a Foundation Realm expert—someone powerful must be backing him. Letting him go was a huge mistake."
"They probably wanted to capture me and use me as leverage against my family. If we'd caught them, we could have exposed whoever is pulling the strings and brought them to justice."
Lei Feng shrugged, looking as if he didn't care at all. "He promised to send me beauties. I have to keep my priorities straight."
Yan Rou could only stare at him, unable to find any words.
"Hmph. Go chase your beauties, then. But you should stop having any ideas about me."
"Rou Rou, are you getting jealous now?"
"Who's jealous? Not me," Yan Rou shot back, crossing her arms, refusing to speak anymore.
However, as the horses carried them down the long road, Yan Rou found herself unable to stay quiet for long. She turned to Lei Feng, wanting to learn more about this enigma.
"What about you, Lei Feng? Why are you even going to Azure Dragon City? What kind of business could someone like you possibly have there?"
For the first time, Lei Feng gave her a real answer. "I have something my masters set up for me a long time ago," he said, sounding casual. "I have a marriage contract with a girl from the city. I'm supposed to find her."
Yan Rou blinked, caught off guard. "A marriage contract? You already have a marriage contract, yet you still have designs on me?"
"What is wrong with a man having ten wives and fifty concubines? My second master always said that having more beauties shows a man's abilities," Lei Feng said, sounding relaxed.
"Your second master is a clear hooligan." Yan Rou could not stop herself. After all, what kind of master taught their disciple like this?
"So, is your marriage already arranged? What is her name?"
"Yes. My masters arranged it. However, in my eyes, she is still a potential wife candidate. I have to see her for myself first. If she turned out to be ugly or lacking, then my masters cannot blame me," Lei Feng confirmed, nodding. "I believe her name is Shui Lin."
The moment he said the name, Yan Rou choked on her own saliva. She started coughing so hard that she doubled over in the saddle, struggling to catch her breath as her face turned bright red.
Lei Feng watched her with a hint of amusement. "Are you okay? It almost looks like you know her."
After a few moments, Yan Rou finally managed to breathe again. She stared at Lei Feng with wide eyes, as if she was seeing a ghost.
"Shui... Shui Lin?" she whispered, her voice shaky. "Is it that Shui Lin... Do you have any idea who Shui Lin even is?"
Lei Feng shook his head, looking completely unbothered. "Not really. She's just another possible wife on my list."
He stroked his chin, pretending to think it over. "Of course, it depends if she's grown up to be pretty or not. And, well, her development in general…"
"Heh. Keep dreaming. Do you even know what the Shui Family is like? You expect me to believe you have a marriage contract with them? That's impossible," Yan Rou scoffed.
"Rou Rou, I'm telling you the truth. What would it take to convince you?"
"Show me the marriage contract, then," Yan Rou demanded.
"It was a verbal contract. There's nothing written down. Plus, it was around 10 years ago."
"10 years ago? The Shui Lin I know turned 18 this year. Why did you wait for so long to find her, then?"
"Her turning 18 was the reason why I came down the mountains to search for her. She is finally of marriageable age. What would I have done with her before?"
"You… Forget it. Do you even know where she lives? How will you find her once you reach there?" Yan Rou asked.
"Nope. I've never even been to the city before. I will just ask around, I guess." On this part, Lei Feng was not very clear.
"Then… how about I help you find her?" Yan Rou proposed. " I happen to know her, and I'll take you to her place myself. I will believe you if they let you in."
"Really? You'd do that for me?" Lei Feng burst out laughing. "I knew it. My Rou Rou still cares about me the most."
"Who's your Rou Rou? Go find your other beauties—and Shui Lin. Hmph." Yan Rou turned away, pretending not to care, though her cheeks were still a bit red.