Yan Li spoke quickly, "Something has happened, Chen Zhou is not in a good state, and Xiao Bao's matter is true."
Jiang Wan's suspicious gaze swept back and forth between the master and disciple.
She was truly worried that Yan Li would deliberately use Xiao Bao's situation to his advantage, feeding them false information and upsetting her sister.
Therefore, she had to confirm the authenticity of the news in advance.
Seeing her like this, Yan Li glared at her impatiently, "You little girl, am I that kind of person?"
Jiang Wan chuckled, "Aren't you?"
Yan Li was furious, but since he was asking for a favor, he had to endure it. "Your sister's child is currently at the residence of Lord Shen of the Jiangnan Imperial Textile Manufactory. I saw the child a few days ago. There are some discrepancies with the portrait; the real person is a bit chubbier, but I would never mistake them."
Jiangnan Imperial Textile Manufactory? Lord Shen?
The name sounded a bit familiar, but Jiang Wan couldn't recall where she had heard it for a moment.
"Uncle Yan, you better be telling the truth, otherwise, I won't help with Gu Chen Zhou's illness."
Yan Li gritted his teeth in anger. This girl was as pragmatic as ever!
Jiang Xiao quickly found the silver notes Jiang Wan had placed in her makeup box and returned with them.
Jiang Wan glanced at the denominations. They were indeed fifty taels, so she handed them over.
Yan Li did not take them. "We wish to settle in the small mountain village."
This meant they wanted Jiang Pan's help.
Jiang Wan raised her eyebrows. Were they planning to operate openly now? Had they stopped fearing death, or had they resolved their troubles?
Yan Li gave Jiang Wan a reassuring look, and she understood that the master and disciple were likely safe now.
So she nodded, "Alright, let me talk to my father when he gets back."
Jiang Xiao was so eager to know Xiao Bao's whereabouts that he ignored the early hour and rushed to the yamen to fetch Jiang Pan.
When Jiang Pan saw the master and disciple, his sharp gaze lingered on them for a long time.
His intuition told him that these two had extraordinary identities.
Yan Li did not avoid his gaze, allowing him to examine them frankly. After all, Jiang Pan had never met them before, so he wasn't afraid of being recognized.
After a while, Jiang Pan finally said, "Do you really know Xiao Bao's whereabouts?"
Yan Li nodded, "Of course."
Jiang Pan narrowed his eyes and asked, "Your reason for wanting to settle in the small mountain village?"
Going to such lengths to deliver news, refusing money, and instead requesting to settle in a small village, it all seemed suspicious.
Yan Li said, "My disciple is severely injured and needs a place to recuperate. The outside is filled with refugees fleeing famine, and Yao County is relatively peaceful. Moreover, I know you all came from Jianzhou, and my ancestral home is also in Jianzhou. Living with you would provide mutual support."
He spoke with utmost seriousness, but Jiang Pan remained unconvinced.
This master and disciple clearly appeared to be people who traveled the martial world. Although they both looked unwell, they were not people who needed the support of ordinary villagers.
Jiang Pan was reluctant to house people of unknown origin in the village, fearing it would bring trouble.
Jiang Xiao, seeing Jiang Pan's continued refusal, was on the verge of tears but managed to hold back.
Jiang Wan pulled Jiang Pan aside and whispered, "Dad, they've already told me Xiao Bao's whereabouts. So I think they're not bad people."
Since Yan Li dared to walk around openly with Gu Chen Zhou, it meant their threat had been removed.
There was no harm in letting them stay in the village, and besides, she could openly seek energy from Gu Chen Zhou!
It sounded quite good.
Jiang Pan was a bit surprised, "They really told you?"
Jiang Wan nodded, "They said Xiao Bao is at the residence of Lord Shen of the Jiangnan Imperial Textile Manufactory. I think what they said is likely true, especially since they refused money and want to settle in the small mountain village, which shows they have confidence. Moreover, I can have Little Ma Zai investigate the news. If it's false, we can settle the score with them."
Jiang Pan thought about it carefully and found some logic in her words.
He then turned to Yan Li and said, "I agree to your request, but there are no houses available in the village for you to reside in for the time being..."
Yan Li glanced at the Jiang family's courtyard. "Brother Jiang, your place looks quite spacious. If it's convenient, I'd like to rent a room from you to stay temporarily. My disciple's body can no longer endure hardship."
Just as Jiang Pan was about to refuse, Jiang Wan spoke first, "We don't have any proper rooms left, only a storage room is vacant. Are you sure you want to rent it?"
Yan Li smiled, "If it weren't for my disciple's injuries, we could sleep outdoors. A storage room is already very good. I'll rent it."
Saying that, Yan Li took out a silver note and handed it to Jiang Wan, "This is a deposit for my disciple and me staying at the Jiang family's. Food expenses will also be deducted from this. If it's not enough, I'll pay the difference."
Jiang Wan looked down. Good heavens, they were quite generous, handing over a hundred taels right away.
She took the silver note, folded it twice, and tucked it into her sleeve. She then turned to Wang Hongye and said, "Aunt Hongye, please tidy up the storage room."
Wang Hongye nodded and went to clean the room.
The Jiang family had several storage rooms of similar size, so Wang Hongye chose the one with the least clutter. After clearing out the items, she also set up a simple bed.
Yan Li politely said thank you and helped the extremely weak Gu Chen Zhou into the room.
Jiang Pan pulled Jiang Wan aside and muttered, "Daughter, is it really okay to house them in our home? What if... it's bad luck if that child dies in our house?"
Jiang Wan's mouth twitched. "Dad, don't worry, they don't seem like bad people. Besides, isn't there the old immortal? If they want to cause trouble under the old immortal's nose, they must be tired of living."
Upon hearing the mention of the old immortal, Jiang Pan immediately felt relieved.
"Since you say so, I won't worry about it. By the way, that Lord Shen of the Jiangnan Imperial Textile Manufactory, why does he sound so familiar? I feel like I've heard it somewhere before."
Jiang Wan had the same feeling. "But our family doesn't know any important figures. We probably just overheard it somewhere. Dad, I'll arrange for Little Ma Zai to investigate Xiao Bao's whereabouts. We'll know for sure by tomorrow at the latest."
Jiang Pan sighed, "It must be true, otherwise your sister will likely break down. Look at her, I really can't bear it..."
After returning, he hadn't dared to meet Jiang Xiao's gaze.
Jiang Wan, having some trust in Yan Li, turned to arrange for Little Ma Zai.
She didn't trust any other bird to handle this matter, so she specifically used her powers to enlarge Little Ma Zai's body by nearly ten times, and its physical strength also increased dramatically.
Little Ma Zai let out a proud cry to the sky, flapped its wings, and flew off in the direction Jiang Wan had indicated.