Fu Fong’s expression darkened, but the anger in his eyes did not last. A cold smile slowly returned to his lips as he glanced at Li Manman.

For a brief moment, they exchanged a look.

It was quick, but it was enough.

Li Manman’s lips curved slightly, her earlier displeasure fading into calculation.

"Fine," she said at last, her voice calm and steady. "Since you are so confident, we will agree."

Fu Fong let out a short laugh, clearly regaining his composure.

"Yes," he added, lifting his chin as he looked at Han Fuji and then at Bai Ming. "We will wait."

His gaze settled fully on Bai Ming, sharp and mocking.

"Two days," he repeated slowly. "We will give you exactly two days."

There was a brief pause before his smile widened.

"If you fail," he continued, "do not think of running away."

Li Manman stepped forward slightly, her eyes resting on Bai Ming with quiet amusement.

"We will be watching," she said. "Everyone will be watching."

The meaning behind her words was clear. There would be no escape.

Fu Fong let out one last laugh before turning away.

"Let us go," he said.

Li Manman followed without looking back, and the two of them entered the inn as if nothing had happened.

The tension they left behind did not fade.

For a moment, no one spoke.

Then the crowd began to stir, and whispers rose again, louder than before.

"Two days..."

"Is that even possible..."

"She is finished..."

"This will be interesting..."

The excitement only grew.

Fu Li frowned deeply as she looked around.

"That is enough," she said sharply.

She stepped forward and waved her hand toward the crowd.

"What are you all standing here for?" she asked, her voice firm. "Is there nothing else for you to do?"

Some people hesitated, while others lingered.

Fu Li’s expression hardened.

"Go," she said again, more forcefully.

Fu Fei stepped forward beside her, her calm presence adding weight to the command.

"Please disperse," she said. "There is nothing more to see."

The two of them stood side by side, one firm and direct, the other calm and steady.

Slowly, the crowd began to break apart.

Some left reluctantly, still turning back to look, while others continued whispering as they walked away.

Within moments, the space cleared.

But the tension remained.

Fu Li exhaled slowly and turned back, her expression no longer as confident as before.

Fu Fei’s brows were slightly drawn, her thoughts unsettled.

And in the center of it all, Bai Ming stood quietly.

Before Han Fuji could say anything, Bai Ming turned.

Without a word, she began to walk away.

Her steps were steady, but quick enough to show that she had no intention of stopping.

The sudden movement caught the others off guard.

Fu Li blinked.

"Bai Ming?" she called.

Bai Ming did not turn back.

Fu Fei’s expression shifted.

"She is leaving?" she said.

Han Fuji watched her retreating figure for a moment.

Then a faint grin appeared on his lips.

"She is angry," he said quietly. "She is truly angry."

He exhaled lightly and turned to Fu Li and Fu Fei.

"Go after her," he said. "Catch up before she goes too far."

Fu Li reacted immediately.

"Right," she said, already turning.

Fu Fei nodded.

"We will go."

Just as they were about to leave, Fu Li paused and looked back.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

Fu Fei also looked at him.

"You were not here before. When did you arrive?"

Han Fuji tilted his head slightly, as if amused.

"I came to the market with Fu Sheng," he replied. "We had errands to run."

He glanced over his shoulder as he spoke, scanning the area.

Then he frowned slightly.

"Where did he go?"

He looked around again, this time more carefully.

The carriage was still there.

The goods were still there.

But Fu Sheng was nowhere in sight.

Han Fuji clicked his tongue softly.

"That is strange," he muttered.

Then he waved his hand lightly.

"Forget that for now," he said. "Go after her first."

Fu Li did not hesitate again.

"Let us go," she said, grabbing Fu Fei’s hand.

The two of them hurried after Bai Ming, quickly disappearing into the crowd.

Han Fuji remained where he stood.

For a moment, he said nothing.

His gaze lingered in the direction Bai Ming had gone, the faint smile on his lips not quite fading.

Then he let out a quiet breath.

"Two days," he murmured.

This time, there was no amusement in his voice.

Only thought. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

.....

20 minutes ago,

The market remained busy, but away from the growing crowd, Fu Sheng and Han Fuji stood beside their carriage, checking through the items they had purchased.

Several bags of seeds were already stacked neatly, each one tied and marked according to the list Su Long had written. The variety was wide, and the quantity was more than enough for a proper start.

Han Fuji crouched slightly, loosening one of the knots to check the contents.

"These are correct," he said. "The quality is not bad either."

Fu Sheng stood beside him, holding the folded note in his hand as he compared each item carefully.

"We have most of them," he said. "Only one or two are left."

Han Fuji nodded and tied the bag again before standing up.

"We can find the rest further ahead," he replied.

But just as he lifted his head—

His gaze shifted.

Not far from them, a large crowd had gathered, voices rising in uneven waves.

Han Fuji narrowed his eyes slightly.

"...What is that?" he muttered.

Fu Sheng followed his line of sight but did not react immediately.

"It is not our concern," he said. "We should finish what we came for."

But Han Fuji was already moving.

"Let us take a look," he said.

Before Fu Sheng could stop him, Han Fuji had already grabbed hold of the carriage and began pulling it toward the direction of the crowd.

Fu Sheng let out a quiet sigh.

"You always do this," he said under his breath... it was the fifth time Han Fuji was dragging him away since they came into this market.

But he did not leave him.

He stepped forward and followed behind.

The closer they got, the louder the voices became.

Curious murmurs blending together.

Han Fuji slowed slightly as they approached the outer edge of the crowd.

"Something happened.. I think some people are fighting," he said.

Fu Sheng was about to respond—

But then he stopped.

Completely.

His steps halted as if something had caught him in place.

His eyes widened.

Not because of the crowd.

Not because of the noise.

But because of someone within it.

His gaze fixed forward, unmoving.

And then—

A name slipped from his lips before he could stop it.

"...Meilin?"