Chapter 179: I Never Make Friends

If he would not drink it, then so be it. Yuan Gang did not insist. He set the tea aside and looked around the room.

“Better than where I’m staying. Are there any empty rooms here?”

“No!”

Niu Youdao flung the answer at him irritably.

Yuan Gang turned and left. He went out, shut the door behind him, ignored Hao Qingqing as she sidled over, and crooked a finger at Black Peony for her to come closer.

Black Peony walked over slowly. “What is it?”

“Arrange a room for me.”

Yuan Gang issued the instruction directly, then turned, called Wei Duo along, and left.

Black Peony was caught between annoyance and amusement. She had no idea who this man even was. They had never met before, yet he had already started ordering her around.

She only waited on Niu Youdao. She had no interest in waiting on anyone else. She immediately went inside to ask what was going on.

Standing at the window, Niu Youdao heard her out and looked somewhat helpless. He raised a hand.

“Talk to the inn and see if they can arrange another room. If they can’t, let him stay with me.”

Stay with you?

From those words, Black Peony realized that the nameless fellow’s relationship with Master Dao was anything but simple. Even she, a woman who had already stood naked before him, had been refused when she wanted to share his room.

In short, flirting and teasing were fine with him. Anything real was not.

Outside, Yuan Gang was leading Wei Duo toward the stairs when Hao Qingqing appeared again and blocked the stairway, finally forcing him to stop.

Hao Qingqing flashed a brilliant smile.

“My name is Hao Qingqing. I’m friends with Master Dao. May I ask your honored name?”

“Move.”

Yuan Gang’s voice was cold.

Hao Qingqing persisted, “We’ll all be friends from now on. We should at least get acquainted...”

She had barely drawn out the last word when Yuan Gang reached out, moved her bodily to one side, and walked straight downstairs.

Wei Duo followed.

Chai Fei flashed over.

“Young Mistress, are you all right?”

Hao Qingqing leaned out to watch the figure disappearing below and waved a hand.

“I’m fine.”

Chai Fei said, “Young Mistress, we do not know the depths of that Xuanyuan Dao. It would be best not to provoke him lightly.”

“Why would I provoke him?” Hao Qingqing turned and asked, then pointed downstairs. “If I’m going to provoke anyone, it would be that one just now.”

Chai Fei frowned. “That is exactly what I mean. They should be together.”

“So what?”

“Young Mistress, what exactly are you trying to do?”

Hao Qingqing leaned against the railing and looked downstairs.

“That big fellow is very pleasing to the eye. He has a real masculine flavor to him. I like him!”

Chai Fei was completely defeated by her.

An unmarried young woman saying such things without the slightest shame?

His face darkened.

“Young Mistress, stop fooling around.”

Hao Qingqing pouted.

“If I like him, I like him. Is that not allowed? When you meet someone you like, you should act in time. If someone else snatches him away first, regretting it later won’t help. I’ll get to know him a little and see what kind of person he is.”

Chai Fei was speechless. He assumed she was joking because of how bluntly she spoke, so he only warned her.

“Young Mistress, you came out to gain experience. Do not cause trouble and do not run around recklessly. If you make Sister Pei angry, she really will have you escorted home.”

After giving the warning, he turned away, returned to his original seat, and continued keeping watch on her.

Before long, Black Peony came upstairs with an inn attendant. The attendant opened another room.

There were nine rooms arranged around this floor in total, and for the moment no other guests occupied them. Lady Pei’s group had taken two rooms, while Niu Youdao’s side occupied four. Several rooms were still empty, so letting Yuan Gang take another presented no problem.

At about the same time, Yuan Gang and Wei Duo returned carrying padded robes, some wooden planks, and other odds and ends. They entered the room Black Peony indicated.

After putting everything down, Yuan Gang pulled the room token from downstairs off his belt and tossed it to the attendant, telling him to deal with the old room.

The attendant left.

Hao Qingqing came in.

Yuan Gang went out.

Hao Qingqing followed him out.

Bang!

Hao Qingqing, walking behind Yuan Gang, stopped short outside Niu Youdao’s room. The suddenly closing door nearly struck her in the face.

She stamped her foot in fury.

Inside, Niu Youdao still stood at the window with his hands clasped behind his back, looking outside.

Yuan Gang sat down beside the table.

“Why haven’t I seen Old Bear?”

“I sent him back. He should have returned to Shang Chaozong’s side.”

Niu Youdao turned around, sat opposite him, picked up the tea Yuan Gang had poured earlier, and drank slowly.

Yuan Gang said, “There’s something off about the woman in pink outside.”

Niu Youdao leaned slowly back in his chair.

“What? You noticed a problem?”

“She talks too much.”

“Talks too much?”

Niu Youdao froze.

Her mouth could certainly be unpleasant, but was she really that talkative?

Yuan Gang asked, “Who is she?”

“Probably someone with a substantial background.”

There was little Niu Youdao could not tell Yuan Gang. He briefly explained everything from their encounter at the relay station up to the present.

Yuan Gang said, “From what you’re saying, she may be from the State of Qi’s imperial clan.”

“My guess as well. And probably not some ordinary member of the imperial clan. Very possibly someone at princess level.”

“What about the woman beside you? Is she reliable?”

“An independent cultivator I met in Star-Plucking City...”

Niu Youdao explained how he had met Black Peony and the others, and also gave Yuan Gang a general account of what had happened along the road. Since Yuan Gang was already here, understanding the situation would make it easier for him to respond to danger and guard against risk.

Niu Youdao laid out some of his plans as well.

There were no secrets between the two men.

After hearing everything, Yuan Gang fell into thought.

Niu Youdao slowly took another sip of tea.

“Did Hai Ruyue let you leave?”

“I made some explosives, blew up Liufang Guesthouse, and escaped in the chaos.”

Blew up Liufang Guesthouse?

Niu Youdao’s cheek twitched.

He was speechless.

If Yuan Gang said he had blown up Liufang Guesthouse, it certainly would not have been some little firecracker. Niu Youdao had no idea how much explosive he had used and could scarcely imagine the commotion that must have rocked Jinzhou Prefectural Capital.

“Looks like the person behind this inn will meet you tomorrow,” Yuan Gang said.

Now that he understood more of what was happening and knew Master Dao had already found a way to handle what Yuan Gang had been worried about, the trace of gravity in his eyes eased.

“Probably within the next day or two.”

Niu Youdao nodded slightly.

After their private discussion ended, Yuan Gang came back outside and was immediately blocked by Hao Qingqing again.

Black Peony, lingering nearby, stared at the scene in surprise.

Chai Fei also rose and flashed over at once.

Yuan Gang had been very rough with Hao Qingqing before, simply shoving her aside. Chai Fei was worried he might do something reckless to her.

A man and a woman stood facing one another.

The man was tall and powerfully built.

The woman had to tilt her head back to look at him.

Yuan Gang looked down at her with an expressionless face, his manner cold.

Hao Qingqing looked up at him without yielding, chin raised proudly as she met his gaze head-on.

Yuan Gang asked, “What do you want?”

Seeing him finally speak to her properly, Hao Qingqing smiled. She cupped her fists.

“Nothing. I just want to make a friend.”

“I never make friends.”

Yuan Gang’s voice remained indifferent.

That was no lie.

To him, the word “friend” was both decoration and hypocrisy.

He had no need for the decoration, and no need for the hypocrisy.

He was a man without friends.

He had brothers.

In his previous life, he had watched Master Dao make far too many friends—people from every walk of life, a chaotic assortment of characters, full of schemes and mutual deception.

Master Dao was a man who liked making friends.

Yuan Gang was not.

He did not possess Master Dao’s inclination for social give-and-take, nor was he comfortable with that kind of polite falseness.

So matters of friendship were better left to Master Dao.

“Huh?”

Hao Qingqing plainly did not believe him.

“How can a person not make friends?”

Yuan Gang pointed back at the door behind him.

“The man inside likes making friends. If you want a friend, go find him.”

Black Peony nearly laughed aloud.

On that point she agreed.

Master Dao really did seem to enjoy making friends wherever he went.

“I’m already friends with him,” Hao Qingqing said. “I still don’t know your name.”

“Yuan Gang.”

He gave his name, then asked, “Anything else? If not, move.”

Faced with a man like this, Hao Qingqing found herself with little room to maneuver. He did not even bother with ordinary courtesies and had simply told her he never made friends.

What else was she supposed to say?

After hesitating for a moment, she suddenly gathered her courage.

“Yuan Gang, I like you!”

Though she still held her chin high with an air of pride, the moment the words left her mouth, heat rose into her cheeks and painted them red.

Chai Fei was speechless.

He nearly called her his little ancestor.

Black Peony stared, dumbfounded.

Yuan Gang asked, “Do you?”

Hao Qingqing clasped both hands behind her back, lifted her chin, and thrust out her chest.

“What? Am I not allowed to?”

“You are. How do you prove you like me?”

“How do you want me to prove it?”

“Come to my room. Sleep with me first. Then we’ll talk.”

A flush instantly spread across Hao Qingqing’s entire face.

She had never imagined Yuan Gang would be this explosive.

He was far fiercer than she was.

All the boldness she had forced herself to muster vanished in an instant.

She twisted awkwardly.

“Isn’t that a little too fast? We barely know each other...”

Before she could finish, Chai Fei grabbed her and yanked her behind him.

He glared at Yuan Gang and shouted, “Insolence!”

The shout startled everyone in the rooms on that floor. Doors opened one after another.

“What happened?”

Niu Youdao stepped out and asked.

“Nothing.”

Yuan Gang glanced back and answered flatly.

Then he ignored everyone else and strode away. At his own room, he pushed Wei Duo inside with him and shut the door.

Black Peony remained frozen where she stood, staring after him.

She suddenly felt that birds of a feather truly did flock together.

Master Dao was already a strange man in her eyes.

Now another one had appeared who was even fiercer.

“What happened?”

Lady Pei and the others flashed over and asked.

Chai Fei released Hao Qingqing’s arm and pointed at her flushed face.

“Ask her yourself! Sister Pei, I think we should return as soon as possible. If this continues, neither you nor I will be able to bear the responsibility!”

With that, he turned and walked away.

From his expression, it was obvious this eldest young lady had genuinely infuriated him.

Lady Pei seized Hao Qingqing by the arm and dragged her away to ask Chai Fei what had happened.

Meanwhile, Lei Zongkang and the other two gathered around Black Peony and asked what was going on.

Black Peony did not know whether to laugh or cry as she explained what had just happened.

The three men looked at one another.

So that was all?

Niu Youdao crooked his mouth in amusement and turned back into his room.

He had no idea whether Hao Qingqing’s confession was genuine, but judging from everything he had seen along the road, she did seem to be a woman of unusually straightforward temperament. She liked and disliked openly, without much concealment.

Perhaps she really was the sort of woman who dared to love, dared to hate, and dared to confess it outright.

But Niu Youdao knew exactly what kind of man Yuan Gang was.

In their previous life, Yuan Gang had been short and thin. He did not show off, did not parade his abilities, did not flaunt his wealth, did not know how to whisper sweet words, knew nothing of flowery talk, and had no sense of romance. He was cold and hard.

What woman would like a man like that?

[End of Chapter 179]