Ah Wang first put all the Jade Rabbits into a small bag, then took out the remaining four silver ingots from his belt with a smug and proud expression and said, "Madam gave them to me, and there are still four left."

"..."

How odd, why isn’t the master saying anything?

Ah Wang looked up and saw Liu Ji staring at him intensely, his once bright peach blossom eyes now gloomy and dark, something Ah Wang had never seen before, making his heart skip a beat.

He took out the pile of Jade Rabbits again, cupped in his hands, and offered them to Liu Ji, much like coaxing an angry child, "Master, here you go."

Liu Ji lowered his gaze to look at the pile of rabbits, then lifted his eyes that seemed to want to stab Ah Wang again, indicating to his waist with his long fingers.

Ah Wang finally realized, the master didn’t care about the Jade Rabbits. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

He clearly wanted his life!

If he dared let the master handle the money himself, Madam would undoubtedly beat him to death with a stick when they returned to the village.

Ah Wang took a step back, attempting to go around him, expecting to be blocked, but to his surprise, the master stood frozen in place, making no move.

Liu. Scholar. Ji looked up at a forty-five-degree angle toward the sky, the sun so scorching it made him feel dizzy.

He thought, he should no longer love!

Liu Ji had always been disgruntled about Qin Yao secretly giving Ah Wang silver, and giving him more than she gave himself.

On the journey back, whenever Ah Wang appeared, Liu Ji would stare at him with eyes that wanted to devour him.

The dark aura surrounding Liu Ji astonished Gongliang Liao and others, discovering that this seemingly nonchalant man could be quite intimidating when angry.

Curious, Gongliang Liao inquired about the situation, clicked his tongue twice, saying nothing.

Yet he still called Qi Xian and others forward, advising them not to provoke Liu Ji during this period, to prevent saying the wrong thing, causing someone to lose control and flip the table.

Gongliang Liao said, "For now, only this old man can somewhat restrain him, so nothing should happen on this journey, but without Yao Niang, no one can truly hold him down, so everyone must endure as much as possible."

Rogues aren’t scary, only when they get jealous and cultured.

Gongliang Liao saw through his third son’s little mind long ago, appearing nonchalant on the surface, actually not broader than a needle’s tip.

Qi Xian wholeheartedly agreed, nodding earnestly, "Teacher, don’t worry, in a few days the junior disciple will figure it out, and naturally, it’ll be fine."

Gongliang Liao shook his head, it won’t be fine, unless Ah Wang hands over the money.

But!

This boatload of people is no match for one Ah Wang!

Thus, no solution.

"Where did Miss Qin find Ah Wang?" Shi Tou remarked with both curiosity and envy, sighing, "Ah Wang’s martial arts are strong, and he’s so loyal to Miss Qin. Mr. Ji’s eyes these days are frightening, yet Ah Wang seems unfazed. Such a mindset, I wonder if he’s just too dull or already beyond all worldly matters."

Hearing this from where he was squatting in the shadows, Liu Ji almost coughed up a mouthful of old blood.

He was the one who brought him back!

It was him! It was he who was blinded by lard that year, getting himself such a nemesis!

Yet thinking of the forty taels of silver in Ah Wang’s belt, Liu Ji still felt a pang in his heart.

It was definitely not that he yearned for that forty taels of silver, but... why did Madam not trust him so much?!

Could it be that by taking the silver, he’d indulge in debauchery, squander recklessly, ignoring his studies?

Ah Wang came into the cabin with today’s dinner, his eyes sweeping over a certain grim-face in the dark corner, his clear eyes seemingly able to see through one’s heart, seriously saying, "You would."

Liu Ji: !!!

Not noticing the shadowy crawl of his master, Ah Wang set the dishes on the table one by one.

A pot of green beans and egg braised tofu, cut into square blocks of white tofu stacked into a triangle, topped with steaming egg broth sauce that infused the tofu with fresh saltiness, garnished with simple-cooked, jade-like green beans.

Though the color seemed plain, Qi Xian and others on the ship used to greasy food found it refreshing. The aroma of the green beans and egg broth blend invigorated the senses.

A pot of vegetable pieces and fresh fish white porridge, using large boneless chunks of fish belly added to the white porridge at just the right moment, making the meat tender while allowing its juices to blend into the porridge.

Hand-torn vegetables added last to the fish porridge, lush in color, sweet and fresh.

Served with a dish of homemade spicy salty sauce, bright red in color, oily but not greasy, heavily salty and spicy, just a dash added to the porridge whets the appetite.

Seeing everyone salivating over the meal, about to dig in.

Liu Ji rushed out from the shadows, grabbed his set of bowl and chopsticks, "Teacher, this disciple is eating first."

Ah Wang is Ah Wang, food is food, Liu Ji always kept things very clear, never holding grudges against food because of people.

Yet after eating, Liu Ji couldn’t help but gaze at the moon’s reflection on the river, pondering what he must do for Madam to trust his character?

"Ah-choo!"

Qin Yao rubbed her nose, was the mountain wind too strong?

Yin Le looked at the dart lodged in her shoulder garment, less than half a finger’s breadth from her vulnerable neck, wondering if her master intended to kill her?

Thinking this, Yin Le hurriedly raised her eyes to look at the woman who stepped into the moonlight from the dark forest, rubbing her nose and looking around, muttering something.

It didn’t seem like she wanted to kill her.

So, the master just had a slip of the hand?

Qin Yao realized just then, she seemed to have slipped her hand a bit.

She quickly asked, "Are you alive?"

"... Alive."

Qin Yao wanted to continue, but perhaps it was the large day-night temperature difference in autumn, making today’s mountain wind feel unusually strange, afraid she’d lose focus and really hurt her disciple, she waved her hand, telling Yin Le:

"Tonight’s extra training ends here, go home and sleep."

Reaching Yin Le’s side, seeing the child still stiff, Qin Yao casually removed the dart from her shoulder, pulling open the collar for a look inside, "No worries, just a bit of a red mark, your master is confident in her aim."

Yin Le nodded, trusting her master just increased the difficulty of the training.

"Sigh~" Yin Le bowed her head, "I’m still too lacking, even after so long, I still can’t fully dodge your moves, Master."

Qin Yao patted the young one’s shoulder, waved for her to wash up and sleep, and think less of such things.

With hot water brought by Mrs. Li, she quickly washed up, returned to her room and lay down, mentally calculating the days, the results of the scholar exams should be out, wondering about Liu Ji’s situation.

And, the weather has indeed turned cold. Qin Yao wrapped herself in the thin cotton quilt that Mrs. Li just changed, thinking of the kids next door, she got up again to check the doors and windows, ensuring they were closed, then returned to lie down and sleep.