Ning Qingxue wiped her swollen eyes and picked up the unsigned letter. She knew it wasn't addressed to her. She wanted to open it, but in the end, restrained herself. Carefully, she packed all of Ye Mo's things into the small case before opening the door.
"Qingxue, what happened to you?" Li Mumei looked at her red, swollen eyes in concern. She was sure—Ning Qingxue had cried, and cried hard.
"What's in that case?" Li Mumei asked, staring curiously at the box in Ning Qingxue's arms. It was clear that whatever was in there had caused the dramatic shift in her emotions.
"It's mine," Ning Qingxue shook her head and didn't let Li Mumei look inside.
Li Mumei frowned. "Qingxue, things are settled here. Let's go. Today we'll go to the Civil Affairs Bureau to finalize your divorce from Ye Mo, and then head straight to Yuzhou. I doubt your uncle's negotiation with your great-uncle will go well. We probably won't need to go back to Beijing. The Ning Family's pharmaceutical business may even split in two."
"Mumei, I want to stay a few more days. Ye Mo might come back. And… I don't want to get divorced yet." Ning Qingxue shook her head, refusing.
"Why?" Li Mumei was shocked. Just yesterday, Ning Qingxue had been eager to leave with her. Now she changed her mind and even wanted to stay here? What was so appealing about this place?
Ning Qingxue didn't answer. Her mind was preoccupied: When will Ye Mo come back? Everything she thought she knew about him… none of it was real. But when had she ever truly cared to understand him? Whether it was before or after their engagement, she had never bothered to notice him. In fact, their first meeting was when she came to Ninghai to ask for his help.
Li Mumei didn't ask further. She knew that once Qingxue decided not to talk, pressing her was pointless.
That evening, when Xu Wei returned, Ning Qingxue finally asked about Ye Mo. Though Xu Wei wasn't fond of her, she still explained Ye Mo's situation over the past few months.
Ning Qingxue hadn't expected Ye Mo to live so simply—just going out and returning daily. Xu Wei didn't even know Ye Mo was a student.
Meanwhile, Ye Mo had left Qilong Cliff in the middle of the night. Though he didn't fear the Song family, his strength was still far too weak. If the Song family learned he was the one who killed Song Shaowen and set up a trap for him, he wouldn't even have the strength to flee—let alone find peace to cultivate his Silverheart Grass.
It was only a matter of time before the Song family connected the dots. So, for now, he had to disappear completely. He couldn't let them find him—for at least the next three years.
Ye Mo didn't hitch another ride. Instead, he used his Shadow Cloud Steps, moving no slower than a car. By around 6 a.m., he had reached Fengtang Town, a mid-sized town in Fengkou City.
He found a small inn to clean himself up but realized he didn't have an ID card. Still, small inns weren't strict about ID. After a quick wash, Ye Mo knew he couldn't stay in urban areas for long—it wasn't safe without identification.
To avoid suspicion, he bought a backpack and filled it with basic supplies and dry food. He still had a few thousand yuan—taken from Song Shaowen and his men. His only plan now was to head to Guilin's mountainous area near the border and find a secluded place to cultivate in peace.
Outside the bus station in Fengtang Town, Ye Mo hesitated. Taking a long-distance bus would likely expose him—most were checked for IDs these days.
Train-hopping would be safer, but Fengtang Town had no railway station.
"Hey friend, heading somewhere? Need a ride?" A man in his thirties walked up.
Ye Mo's aimless pacing outside the station had clearly caught this man's eye. He was here to solicit passengers.
One look and Ye Mo could tell it was a black taxi—an illegal private shuttle avoiding taxes. Most people wouldn't risk it, but some who wanted to save money took them because they were cheap.
But Ye Mo preferred such transport—they avoided major highways and ID checks, taking back roads instead.
"Where are you going?" Ye Mo asked casually.
"Qishi. It's fifty-five yuan. Interested?" The man looked hopeful.
Ye Mo knew the place. Though not exactly where he wanted to go, it was close enough. No wonder there was a market for these rides—Ye Mo had just seen the official ticket price on the board: ninety-five yuan. These guys charged nearly half.
"Alright, take me there," Ye Mo nodded.
"Hey, Blackie! Got another one for Qishi. Fifty-five!" the man shouted toward a bus outside the station.
"That's the bus—get on. I'll go find more passengers," the man said. He wasn't the driver, just a recruiter.
Ye Mo boarded the bus. There were already about thirty people inside. He picked a seat near the back and closed his eyes to rest.
A few more people boarded after him. But the last person to get on caught Ye Mo's attention.
She wore gold-rimmed glasses, wasn't exactly pretty but not ugly either, and had an intense presence. Her figure was explosive—curvy and bold.
What drew Ye Mo's attention wasn't her looks, but her killing aura. Though she looked ordinary on the surface, Ye Mo could instantly sense it—this woman had killed people. More than once.
Her glasses didn't match her fierce aura. Pretending to be bookish? he wondered.
As she boarded, several young men stared, eyes drifting to her chest and hips, swallowing nervously. She didn't need a pretty face—her body alone could captivate most men.
But she acted like she didn't notice any of them. Her sharp gaze swept the whole bus, including Ye Mo, but it wasn't arrogant—just cold and professional.
A woman with a story, Ye Mo thought. But he closed his eyes again. He had a story too. The world was full of people with stories—why bother caring about theirs?
It was off-season for travel. Though there were only about forty people on board, the bus departed anyway.
About half an hour later, someone came around collecting fares. Ye Mo handed over his and went back to resting.
The ride was smooth enough, even without using the highway. According to the driver, it would take about four hours to reach Qishi. Two hours had already passed.
Suddenly—
"Driver, stop the bus. I want to get off here."
A voice broke the silence.
"Miss, this is the Xiangling Mountains. There's nothing here—are you sure?" the driver asked kindly. But before he could finish, the woman cut him off:
"That's my business. Just stop the bus."