After marrying the fierce god, her handsome young husband was pampered to the extreme.

Pearl didn't understand the metaphor. "Then why doesn't Uncle take the same path as Susu?"

Lin Yuntang lowered his eyes. He didn't know how to explain this to Pearl. There was no doubt that he wanted to be with Lan Shu.

But could he really abandon his roots in the southwest and go to the north alone with Lan Shu?

Lin Yuntang didn't know.

He thought about it for a long time, but he still had no answer to this question.

But he couldn't bring himself to tell Lan Shu to give up everything.

In the end, they can only fall into a predicament, worrying themselves unnecessarily.

Seeing that her uncle remained silent, Pearl asked, "Is it because Susu wants to eat cakes from other places?"

"What?"

Pearl asked, "Is it because Gao Gao lives in another place that Uncle and Su Su don't go the same way?"

Lin Yuntang sighed, "Because Susu is in the north and my uncle is in the south, we shouldn't have any contact..."

Pearl didn't understand, but she remembered her mission as a little Ultraman: "Uncle, don't you want to go find SuSu? If SuSu leaves, she'll be gone forever."

He repeated, "You can buy Gao Gao tomorrow too, but once Su Su leaves, she'll be gone."

Lin Yuntang's eyes widened suddenly.

He was able to climb his way up from a lowly soldier to where he is today, so starting over wouldn't be a big deal.

But with Lan Shu gone, he will be lonely for the rest of his life, no matter how high he climbs.

What's there to consider?

Lan Shu was never an obstacle to his future.

Lin Yuntang laughed at himself for letting his future blind him. "Let's go find Susu."

"Uh-huh!"

Lin Yuntang hurriedly took Pearl to the Zhao family, only to be told that His Highness Prince Cheng had already left, leaving behind only a letter and a box.

He opened it and saw that the box was full of pearls, with a pink ribbon-shaped cloth ball in the center.

The letter contained simple words, and the ugly handwriting made it obvious who wrote it.

—Take good care of my precious Pearl. See you in Fucheng.

-----------------

Ningzhou Prefecture City.

A beautiful woman carrying a zither gracefully stepped onto the stage and began to play a series of rapid-fire pieces, drawing applause and cheers from the audience.

Because he was so handsome and didn't wear a veil, everyone could completely ignore his rough piano skills.

When the music ended, he nodded slightly, then gracefully withdrew, clutching his zither.

The tables below were packed with people, and several people were sharing tables.

One person asked, "I'd like to order ten portions of the dishes recommended by Young Master Lan today! Would I have the pleasure of a leisurely chat with Young Master Lan?"

Another person scoffed, "You think you can see Young Master Lan with just ten dishes? That's wishful thinking. If you don't have the money, step aside. I want fifty dishes. Please, innkeeper, quickly call Young Master Lan out and play another tune."

"I'll provide one hundred portions and have Young Master Lan meet me."

Such a competitive display of wealth and status within a restaurant is truly incongruous.

But because of the beauty, everything seems reasonable again.

This restaurant was originally quite ordinary, but one day, it invited a musician from the north. This musician was stunningly beautiful and charming; a single glance from her was enough to make men fight.

This musician was none other than Lan Shu, who had "run away from home".

No matter how noisy it was outside, Lan Shu went into the inner room, and the boss immediately handed him ten taels of silver.

"Young Master Lan, this is today's allowance. Please count it." Although the boss had designs on this beauty, money was more important to him than her, so he was happy to hold Lan Shu.

Lan Shu put away the silver and said, "I won't be coming starting tomorrow."

The shopkeeper's face immediately fell. "Young Master Lan, now is the perfect time for you to make a name for yourself. If you back down now, who in Ningzhou will remember your name in the future?"

Lan Shu pursed her lips, speaking as if she were doing it for his own good, but wasn't it just because he could attract customers to spend money?

The boss wasn't like this back then; he said it was a mutually beneficial arrangement and I could leave anytime.

He said, "I'm leaving Ningzhou. You should find someone to replace me as soon as possible."

"Could it be that Young Master Lan thinks my share of the profits is too small? Here's what I'll do: starting tomorrow, I'll give you twenty taels of silver every day." The boss said smugly, "I'm not bragging, but even the top courtesan at the brothel might not earn twenty taels a day."

Lan Shu rolled her eyes. "It's not about the money. I'm leaving."

"Wait a minute." The boss suddenly blocked his way and began to play the emotional card, "Young Master Lan, we've been working together for about ten days now, and we've gotten along quite well. If there's anything you're not satisfied with, just let me know, and I'll try my best to meet your needs."

"There's nothing I'm dissatisfied with. I'm just leaving Ningzhou, that's all. Please make way."

The shopkeeper remained unmoved. "Young Master Lan, since you've made up your mind, I won't try to persuade you to stay. We've known each other for a while, so let me treat you to a drink. Let's part on good terms."

Lan Shu said, "Okay."

The owner said, "Please."

Lan Shu thought to herself: This person's intentions are written all over his face. Let's see what he's up to.

Soon, the shopkeeper brought over a jade wine cup. He first poured himself a cup to dispel Lan Shu's concerns, and then his fingers twitched slightly as he poured wine for Lan Shu.

The powder inside the ring instantly fell into the wine cup, where it melted and disappeared.

Lan Shu picked up the wine glass and took a sniff. Oh, it was just ordinary sleeping potion.

He tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp.

The boss used his wine glass to cover the sly smile on his lips.

"Farewell." Lan Shu stood up, but just as she reached the door, she suddenly fainted.

The shopkeeper calmly put down his wine cup. "Heh, you're my cash cow now. How could I let you leave so easily? Once you're mine, why would I be afraid of you running away?"

As the boss walked, he loosened his belt, and soon he was completely naked, then pounced on Lan Shu.

But before he could even kiss the beauty, he was kicked against the wall.

Yin Cheng nudged Lan Shu. "I saw you throw up. Get up."

Lan Shu silently got up from the ground. "Why are you here?"

Yin Cheng looked at Lan Shu, then silently glanced at the greasy, white flesh beside him. He belatedly stammered, "Did I come at the wrong time? It's time for the fourth brother to take the stage."

"You know that much." Lan Shu looked at the boss's body without feeling embarrassed at all. "This guy is so fragile, he fainted after just one kick?"

Yin Cheng shrugged innocently; he had never seen anyone so weak before.

Lan Shu silently searched through all the gold and silver the boss had kept in the room. "How did you know I was here?"

Yin Cheng said, "Young Master Lan, you've become quite famous these days."

Yin Cheng originally planned to find the person first in Ningzhou, but while having tea with his wife at a teahouse near the city gate, he heard that a beautiful woman in red playing the zither had suddenly appeared at a certain restaurant.

It's hard not to know.

Lan Shu asked, "Then what are you doing here? To laugh at me?"

"Yes, and I also have some good news for you," Yin Cheng said. "Fourth brother came to see you, aren't you happy?"

Lan Shu's mind raced for a moment, then he said nonchalantly, "Tch, what's it to me?"