The Return of Stars to the Jianghu

Chapter 14 Withdrawing Money from the Bank 3 Mu is Chased by Fan Ye

The two walked into the city without using a carriage. Feeling quite tired, they soon fell asleep.

The next morning, Luo Yifei and Sanmu went to Taihe Money Exchange. It was still early, and there weren't many people in the hall; those sitting to the side seemed to be waiting for something. Fortunately, there was no queue. Luo Yifei took out the bank draft number Bili had given him and prepared to exchange it for cash.

After verifying the authenticity of the bank's documents and confirming that everything was correct, the clerk of the money exchange informed another person to collect the silver.

At this moment, Sanmu turned around and saw a face that terrified him. It was Fan Ye, who had intercepted their southward journey twice.

Fan Ye was a notorious thief in the martial arts world, and many people recognized his face. No one expected that he would openly appear at Taihe Money House.

Despite her initial panic, Sanmu remained calm and whispered to Luo Yifei, "Pretend you don't know me, take the money and go back quickly. Also, tell them the people you encountered the past two nights have come again."

There weren't many people waiting at the money exchange in the morning. Sanmu walked towards the door with his head down, brushing past Fan Ye. Fortunately, Fan Ye didn't notice him.

Just as Sanmu walked out the door, Fan Ye turned back and walked towards the door.

Sanmu quickly walked away as soon as he stepped out the door. When he turned around and saw Fan Ye leaving the money exchange, he took off running. Fan Ye saw the man running ahead and became certain of Sanmu's identity, so he chased after him.

Luo Yifei saw this scene just as he was leaving after withdrawing the money. Realizing something was terribly wrong, he immediately headed in the opposite direction. He needed to get back to Shigang Town as quickly as possible to inform Qi Yuan and Bi Li.

Qi Yuan saw Luo Yifei running back panting, but didn't see Sanmu, and immediately realized that something bad must have happened.

After Luo Yifei finished speaking, "The people I met two nights ago have come again. Sanmu told me to get the money and come back to Code Name as soon as possible. He was being chased north by that person."

"Sanmu is clever; he won't be caught. Even if he is, he'll find a way to escape. We need to head south as soon as possible." Qi Yuan said to Luo Yifei, then told everyone to pack their things quickly.

"Aren't we going back to save Sanmu?" Luo Yifei looked at Qi Yuan in surprise.

"We can't go now. It's not too late to rescue them after we send Qingwei and Huaxi to An Island. Besides, if Fan Ye is alone, Sanmu can handle him. But if it's a group of people, taking them now would be like walking into a trap."

The group quickly packed their things and boarded the carriage. Previously, Sanmu had always driven the carriage, but this time it was Bili who took over.

“If we had a compass, we could head south and take a boat to An Island,” Qi Yuan said, looking at Luo Yifei.

Upon hearing this, Luo Yifei wondered if Qi Yuan knew he had a compass or was lamenting the lack of one.

Silence fell for a long while, broken only by the sound of the carriage moving across the road. After a long time, Luo Yifei spoke up, "I do have a compass, but I don't know if this sea route is safe."

“There are pirates at sea, especially in the strait to the southwest, where they are most rampant. However, our An Island is in the southeast, where pirates rarely appear. It's just that the fog is thick, and merchant ships often lose their way, circling the sea several times before they can find the mainland.”

After listening to Qi Yuan's explanation, Luo Yifei no longer avoided the crowd and took out a compass from his bag, handing it to Qi Yuan. Qi Yuan then passed it to Bi Li through the window at the front of the carriage.

"If you need any Western items along the way, feel free to ask me. I've naturally packed quite a few things in this big bag." Luo Yifei didn't know what Qi Yuan's purpose was in arriving, and he had a feeling that Qi Yuan knew something but wasn't telling him, but he didn't know how to ask. So he simply went with the flow and acted on his intuition.

Qingwei and Huaxi knew that Qi Yuan's trip was at the behest of their fathers, to escort them to safety. They felt deeply guilty. They had already been attacked twice on the way. Once, they were safely rescued by Yan Xiao, a镖师 (bodyguard) from the Humen镖局 (Tibetan Escort Agency) hired by Qi Yuan. The other time, they were attacked at night while passing through Mount Emei; Qi Yuan was hit by a hidden arrow, but fortunately, Ji Mi and Bi Li treated his wound in time. Later, they received an antidote from the Red Robe Sect to prevent the poison from taking effect.

Seeing the awkward silence, Qingwei spoke up, "The last two attacks were also related to this man named Fan Ye."

Qingwei glanced at Qi Yuan, but didn't stop him from speaking, so she continued, "Just like Qiao Zhi told you, we're going from Liberty City to An Island. The journey is fraught with hardship. The two most dangerous parts were both related to this guy named Fan Ye."

"The first time was on the way from Xishu Kingdom to Lanting County. Qi Yuan summoned the bodyguard Yan Xiao to stop this man named Fan Ye. He prevented him from robbing us," Qingwei said, recounting what she knew. At the time, she and Hua Xi were asleep in the carriage and only woke up when they heard the commotion outside. When they woke up, they saw that the bodyguard Yan Xiao had made Fan Ye retreat in fear.

Qi Yuan didn't let Qingwei continue, but spoke up himself: "Yan Xiao is the second-ranked镖师 (bodyguard/escort) in the martial arts world, known as Little Yama. With him escorting, Fan Ye naturally wouldn't dare to block the way. After leaving Lanting County, he no longer needed Yan Xiao's escort, as his镖局 (escort agency) only operates within the territory of Western Shu."