The old man's words made the room fall silent instantly.
Su Xian hurriedly shielded Duoduo in her arms, hiding behind Xiao Yi.
Xiao Yi's expression turned cold.
"There is no Dragon Maiden here as you claim; you must be seeing things."
"Furthermore, if the Dragon Maiden you speak of stepped in to save someone, she certainly wasn't after those so-called empty titles you mentioned."
"Therefore, there is no need for you to offer any so-called repayment."
"There are many people with ulterior motives in this world. If you were to expose her identity, it wouldn't be repaying a kindness, but rather biting the hand that feeds you!"
"Yun Xiao, see him out!"
Xiao Yi's stern face and icy tone filled the old man with fear.
"Please," Yun Xiao gestured to the old man.
The old man bowed to Duoduo one last time before following Yun Xiao out.
Li Jin walked to the window and looked down.
"Huh? Those people have left."
A moment later, Yun Xiao knocked and entered.
"Your Highness, that man went down and said a few words to the others, and then they all followed him away."
Xiao Yi pondered for a moment.
"Yun Xiao, take some men to buy provisions. Once you have them, deliver them to the ship."
"We will go back shortly to pack our things and return to the ship as well. We are leaving overnight."
"In such a hurry?" Li Jin was quite surprised.
"Yes, didn't those people just leave?" Su Xian was also puzzled.
"Human nature is unpredictable," Xiao Yi spat out coldly.
Yun Xiao bowed and led his men away.
Just in case, Xiao Yi had Li Jin take Duoduo out through a window on the other side to return to the inn.
Xu Jinxin held Yingniang tightly, pulled Su Xian along, and followed Xiao Yi out of the restaurant.
Sure enough, the people who had been crowding outside were all gone.
They boarded the carriage and returned to the inn without a hitch.
Li Jin, having taken Duoduo back to the inn first, was waiting for them in the room.
"Pack your things, we are leaving immediately," Xiao Yi instructed everyone.
Everyone returned to their respective rooms to pack their luggage.
Duoduo felt very guilty.
It was all because of her that everyone had to leave early.
Duoduo felt very uneasy because, from beginning to end, her father hadn't asked her a single question.
Duoduo nervously picked at the palm of her hand.
Lüdou packed the luggage and carried it to the carriage.
"Let's go, everything is packed." Su Xian looked around the room and found nothing left behind.
She reached out to take Duoduo's hand, only to find the girl absent-minded.
Su Xian patted Duoduo's head and said nothing.
Xiao Yi pushed his wheelchair out the door, just in time to meet Li Jin's family.
The group boarded the carriage, and it slowly drove out of the inn.
Li Jiangyu, who was resting with his eyes closed on a chair, was somewhat surprised when he heard the boatmen say that Duoduo and the others had returned.
Because when Xiao Yi and his group left, they had agreed to stay in the city for a night.
It was only mid-afternoon, and they were already back.
Li Jiangyu sat up, walked to the side of the ship, and saw Duoduo boarding with low spirits.
"Duoduo, what's wrong?"
Duoduo shook her head, indicating she didn't want to talk about it.
Li Jin smiled at Li Jiangyu, "We couldn't bear to leave you, so we came back to keep you company."
Li Jiangyu laughed too, the beard on his face twitching upward.
"Ah, with you gone, I really did miss you all."
"But how come you didn't bring us anything good to eat?"
"Being on this ship every day, my mouth is getting so bland it's sprouting feathers!"
Li Jin patted Li Jiangyu on the shoulder.
"Don't worry, he ordered a whole banquet for you!" Li Jin pointed at Xiao Yi.
Li Jiangyu was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter and cupped his hands toward Xiao Yi in thanks.
"Many thanks!"
Xiao Yi nodded, "Once Yun Xiao and the others return with the provisions, we will set off."
"No problem, I'll have someone go meet them right now!"
Li Jiangyu cherished his two ships dearly; worried something might happen to them, he hadn't followed Duoduo and the others into the city.
Now that Xiao Yi and the others were back, Li Jiangyu was naturally at ease and could go for a stroll in the city himself.
"Go and return quickly, do not delay!" Xiao Yi ordered with a cold face.
Hearing Xiao Yi's poor tone, Li Jiangyu instinctively wanted to retort, but after a second thought, he held his tongue.
Li Jiangyu called a few boatmen and disembarked together.
Xiao Yi pushed his wheelchair into the cabin, and Su Xian followed.
Yingniang looked at the shore with great reluctance.
"Father, exactly how much longer do we have to travel before we arrive?"
Li Jin patted his daughter's head and then looked at the listless Duoduo.
"Soon, we've already covered half the distance."
"Ah? Only half? I thought we had already traveled very, very far!"
Yingniang felt that the days on the ship dragged on like years, making her miserable.
"If we divide the remaining days into segments, it won't feel so long."
"For example, in another three to five days, we will reach the next county."
"After passing three to five counties, we will be there," Li Jin comforted his daughter.
Yingniang thought about it for a moment and nodded.
"Thinking about it that way, it doesn't seem that far anymore."
Xu Jinxin laughed playfully seeing her daughter looking so foolishly coaxed by her father.
Yun Xiao was very fast; in the time it takes an incense stick to burn, he drove the carriage over.
Li Jiangyu and his men followed them back.
The carriage was piled high with grain, rice, flour, and meat.
Li Jiangyu and the others had smiles all over their faces.
These would be enough for them to eat for many days.
The guards helped carry the goods onto the ship before sitting down to eat the banquet ordered from the restaurant.
After the meal, Li Jiangyu called out the departure signal, and the ship slowly made its way into the water.
Duoduo stopped running around and just sat in her room reading.
Occasionally, when she got tired of reading, she would go to the window to look outside and rest her eyes.
For several consecutive days, Duoduo was like this.
Su Xian saw this and felt anxious in her heart.
She asked Duoduo, but Duoduo just shook her head and said she was fine.
However, Su Xian always felt that something was weighing on Duoduo's mind.
Out of options, Su Xian went to see Xiao Yi to ask if he could talk some sense into Duoduo.
After hearing Su Xian's request, Xiao Yi merely smiled faintly.
"Since Duoduo says she's fine, then she must be fine."
"Some things cannot be changed in her understanding and thoughts just by a few words of advice from others."
"Duoduo is very smart. Once she figures it out on her own, she will naturally be fine."
"This is a process; we shouldn't help, and we couldn't even if we tried."
Su Xian was anxious, "Your Highness, you are so wise, and Duoduo listens to you. If you talk to her, it will definitely help!"
Xiao Yi looked up and saw the worry in his wife's eyes.
He pondered for a moment, "Alright, have her come over. Just tell her I need to see her about something!"
Hearing Xiao Yi's agreement, Su Xian left happily.
When Duoduo heard her mother say her father needed to see her, the book in her hands instantly dropped onto the table.
It seemed that what was bound to come had finally arrived!
Duoduo's heart, which had been uneasy for days, began to pound wildly once again.
"Hurry up and go!" Su Xian gently nudged Duoduo.
