Chapter 130: The Next Step

We messed around for a while until we were too tired to move, then each of us showered to wash off the exhaustion of the past few days. Three people in one bed was far too crowded. To prevent He Yu from dragging away all the blankets once he fell asleep, I went to ask the staff for two extra ones.

While He Yu was showering, Lu Ayao leaned against the headboard, playing with his phone—a rare sight for him.

I wrapped myself in my blanket and lay down. I hadn’t felt much earlier, but the moment I hit the bed, my back and waist started aching. It seemed all the aftereffects of the past few days’ intense exertion were finally catching up with me. Before long, my eyelids began to droop. I didn’t fight it, simply closing my eyes and drifting off to sleep.

I thought we could just make do for the night, but I realized I had completely underestimated He Yu’s destructive sleeping habits.

The night was a total roller coaster. First came He Yu’s thunderous snoring. Back in Gansu, it hadn’t been so obvious because we stayed in a twin room, but tonight the three of us were practically glued together, amplifying the sound at least tenfold.

The first time I was jolted awake, I gave He Yu a kick. I didn’t use much force, so it didn’t wake him, but his tractor-like snoring stopped. I curled up in my blanket and rolled over, only for the snoring to resume behind me instantly.

I pulled the blanket over my head, burying myself inside and plugging my ears. As it turned out, when you’re completely exhausted, even if someone is doing construction right next to your ear, you’ll just treat it like a fart. Listening to He Yu’s snoring, I eventually drifted back into a hazy sleep.

In the middle of the night, while half-awake, I suddenly felt something heavy draped over me. It pressed right on my waist, so heavy I could barely breathe. I struggled to shift aside, trying to get the weight off me.

Then I felt the space beside me empty as someone sat up. I forced my eyes open and saw Lu Ayao gathering his blanket, getting off the bed, and going over to sleep on the sofa.

Only then did I realize that He Yu had thrown his leg over me at some point, sleeping completely spread-eagled. I was already teetering on the edge of the bed. I gave him a shove to push him back, but the guy was out cold; he only moved his leg down.

I shifted a bit closer to the edge and looked over at Lu Ayao. He seemed to be fast asleep on the sofa already. I lay back down, thinking to myself that I should just let it be.

When I woke up the next day at noon, my neck hurt from lying on the sofa. Lu Ayao wasn’t around.

During the night, He Yu had pushed me off the bed onto the floor. I hadn’t bothered to climb back up and had just slept on the floor wrapped in my blanket for a few hours. Later, Lu Ayao woke me up, freed up his spot, and let me sleep on the sofa instead.

He had gone out right as I lay down, and he still hadn’t returned by the time I woke up at noon.

I went to wash my face and sat on the sofa to clear my head. He Yu was still facedown on the bed, snoring away. I checked the time, and the first thing that crossed my mind was that Lu Ayao might have run off again without a word. By now, I was completely desensitized to his habit of leaving without saying goodbye.

So, this time, it felt perfectly normal.

With that thought, I rifled through He Yu’s trouser pockets to count the money inside. To my surprise, only a few dozen yuan were missing. I started to wonder. If he was running away, why didn’t he take enough money? With only a few dozen yuan, wouldn’t he end up living on the streets?

As I was thinking this, there was a knock on the door. Still lost in thought, I called out toward the door, “Sorry, we’re still resting. No housekeeping yet!”

“Gan Ji, open the door,” Lu Ayao’s voice suddenly drifted in.

Hearing his voice, I froze for a second before jumping off the sofa to rush over and open the door. I didn’t even need to think to know that my expression upon seeing Lu Ayao must have looked incredibly shocked, the kind of shock one has upon seeing a ghost.

“You… you didn’t leave this time?” I blurted out, my brain momentarily short-circuiting.

Lu Ayao raised the bags of takeout food in his hand toward me. I quickly stepped aside to let him in. Watching his back as he entered, a feeling like seeing one’s own child finally grow up and become sensible welled up in my heart. There weren’t many reasons for Lu Ayao to stay. Was it because he had no money? Was that why he had to come back for now?

He placed the containers on the small table, pulling out several small boxes of stir-fry and a bowl of rice noodles topped with chili oil. Looking at the dishes on the table, I felt a touch of warmth. It seemed this man wasn’t entirely cold-hearted.

He Yu liked stir-fry and rice, while I preferred rice noodles and vermicelli. Lu Ayao hadn’t been with us for long, but he had clearly paid attention to our preferences.

As I sat down, Lu Ayao pushed the bowl of rice noodles toward me. “I’ve already eaten. This is for you two.”

I thanked him and opened the lid to start eating. As I snapped the disposable chopsticks apart, I said, “I thought you’d left again. Is your deal with Han Jian over?”

Lu Ayao glanced at me. “We were just temporary partners. There was no deal. I apologize for what happened before; I kept things from you. After leaving Shennongjia, I didn’t follow the vehicle to the hospital. Instead, I went alone to investigate several locations from the Nine-Ring Jade Casket’s Water System Map. I thought those places would hold clues, but I didn’t expect them to be nothing more than complex trap-filled tombs.”

“I was injured and had no choice but to go to Yunnan first. But once I arrived, I realized the area was already controlled by Qiao Sangui’s forces. I was alone and outnumbered. Later, I met Han Jian. He had a well-equipped team and proper gear. I had no choice but to partner with him.”

It was rare for Lu Ayao to be so candid. I was stunned by his words. After processing it for a moment, I took a mouthful of rice noodles and said, “Han Jian has an agenda. I don’t think he came here just out of curiosity. Do you know what he’s looking for in the Buddhist Pagoda?”

Lu Ayao shook his head. “But I know he really is looking for something very important. I overheard him on the phone earlier. He’s looking for the pagoda just to take that item out.”

I was satisfied with his openness. Although he hadn’t revealed much, at least we had reached a point where we could communicate normally, instead of me wanting to strangle him after barely two sentences like before.

“Tian Xiaoqi wants to kill you. She’s no longer working with Tian Yuqing,” I said, slurping my rice noodles. “She told me that you and Tian Yuqing have been talking a lot in private, so she thinks you’ve sided with him. As far as I know, the Lu Clan and the Tian Family haven’t been close for generations. I’m curious, what kind of consensus could you and Tian Yuqing possibly reach?”

At my question, Lu Ayao hesitated.

I quickly cut myself off. “Fine, I get it. That’s off-limits. Let me ask something else then.”

I took a sip of broth, set down my chopsticks, and recounted all our remaining money. Then I set a portion of it on the table and looked at him with utmost seriousness. “This isn’t like you. What do you plan to do next?”

Lu Ayao looked up at me and frowned.

Without shifting my gaze, I continued, “This is all the money we have right now. The tent we sold belonged to the three of us, so a share of this money rightfully belongs to you. I’m giving you your portion now. Whether you go back to Nanjing or somewhere else, it’s up to you.”

As I spoke, I pushed the money forward. Lu Ayao glanced at the cash on the table, then pushed it right back to me. I stared, stunned by his movement. What was going on? Had this kid completely changed his nature? Normally, wouldn’t he take the money and leave at a time like this?

“I’m not going back to Nanjing,” Lu Ayao said. “From now on, wherever you go, I go.”

Volume 3: The Nu River Pagoda of Ten Thousand Infants – End

# The Water Shadow Pavilion of Molting