Chapter 162 Parting Ways

There was only Su Feiyong inside the car. He politely greeted Old Man Ma, saying, "Elder Ma, Second Master asked me to send her regards to you. Did Mr. Tu'e manage to help you both?"

"He helped out immensely! He caught quite a few snakes for this good-for-nothing apprentice of mine to brew snake soup. Look at how sturdily he's been fed!" Old Man Ma said with a pointed tone.

It would have been better if he hadn't mentioned those snake soups. Thinking back on it now, I couldn't help but worry whether any two-headed snakes might have gotten mixed into the meat we ate.

Su Feiyong smiled. "That's good to hear. In the future, Second Master's affairs will still require your assistance."

"I probably won't be able to help with his matters," Old Man Ma said, shedding his usual roguish and slippery demeanor to adopt a stern and serious expression.

Su Feiyong looked at him, and after a brief moment, said, "I understand. I will relay this to Second Master, and on her behalf, I thank you both. Mr. Wang, if you ever need any help in the future, please feel free to reach out."

Why did he specifically single me out?

Tu'e looked as though he wanted to say something to me, but after glancing at Old Man Ma, he ultimately said nothing. He got into the car, frowning as he stared at me until the vehicle drove away into the distance.

I knew what he wanted to tell me—it concerned Sister Yan. However, I had already warned him not to mention Sister Yan in front of Old Man Ma. Though that guy's mind was a bit slow, he was nonetheless quite honest.

"What did you and that fellow hatch behind my back?" Old Man Ma cast a dark, sidelong glance at me.

"What are you saying? If something was really going on, how could I possibly keep it from you?" I replied.

Old Man Ma gave me a contemptuous look and let out a cold hum. "Don't flatter me. I'm old and useless now, not like you, getting so chummy with that surnamed Wei fellow that she even went out of her way to tell you to contact her if anything comes up!"

So this old man was bothered by that matter. I was baffled by it myself. Apart from that university incident where I saw her one more time than Old Man Ma did, we had simply shared a meal and a dormitory room without interacting much beyond that. After all, that person and I were worlds apart.

Fuming, Old Man Ma climbed over the highway railing and strode toward the bushes nearby.

I quickly hurried after him. "Master, where are we going now? Can I turn on my phone and make a call?"

"Don't even think about making phone calls. First, come with me to visit a friend; think of it as getting acquainted with some new faces."

I felt rather discouraged. Uncle and Wenzi and the others hadn't been able to reach me for so long; goodness knows how worried sick they must be.

Following Old Man Ma through the bushes, we emerged onto another highway.

Old Man Ma pointed in a certain direction and said, "See that? A car is driving this way, flag one down for me."

"Why didn't you just ask Su Feiyong to give us a ride earlier?" I asked.

"Do you have any common sense at all, boy? Why did we hide away in that remote mountain village in the first place? You might be familiar with that surnamed Wei person, but can you guarantee she isn't even closer with others? Stop chattering, the car is here, go!" Old Man Ma shoved me hard in the back.

Before I could react, I stumbled forward a few steps right into the middle of the road.

The speeding double-cab pickup truck slammed on its brakes, producing a harsh screech of friction!

This damned old man didn't even bother to look at what kind of vehicle it was! Was he trying to get me killed on purpose?! If that truck had been any larger, or if the driver inside had had slightly worse eyesight, my young life would have ended right here today!

The stubble-faced middle-aged driver stuck his head out, his face pale with lingering fright as he cursed violently: "Are you courting death?! Don't you know this is a highway?! Darting out like that, are you in such a hurry to reincarnate?! Damn it!"

Just as I was about to say something, Old Man Ma walked over with a beaming smile, saying apologetically, "Sorry, sorry, young people are just impulsive and scatterbrained."

With that, he turned toward me and scolded indignantly, "Is that any way to flag down a car?! Running right into the middle of the road! If something had happened, how could I answer to your father? Come over here and apologize to the driver right now... cough, cough, cough..."

What the hell! This old man's expression changed fast enough! It was clearly him who had shoved me out without a moment's hesitation! Yet now, somehow, it had all become my fault!

With Old Man Ma mixing scolding, apologies, and coughing fits all at once, the driver's anger subsided by more than half. "Alright, just pay attention and don't do it again in the future. Where are you two trying to catch a ride to?"

"We just want to catch a ride out. We hadn't seen any other cars here for so long, and my grandson got anxious. Truly sorry about that!" Old Man Ma said with utmost remorse.

He was acting! This old man could just keep right on acting!

"Get in the car," the middle-aged driver said.

Once inside, we found the driver to be a good-tempered fellow who didn't hold a grudge. He even asked where we were headed and offered to take us as far along as he could.

Old Man Ma didn't stand on ceremony either, immediately announcing that we needed to catch a long-distance bus and asking him to drop us off at a convenient spot for transit.

The driver asked which direction our long-distance bus was headed and actually drove us straight there.

I felt extremely resentful inside, but considering this old man's advanced age, I wouldn't argue with him!

After driving for a long time, the vehicle pulled over by the roadside. The stubble-faced middle-aged driver said, "Just wait here. There's a bus passing by at twelve o'clock, and it's just about time now."

We got out of the car and thanked the driver.

We didn't have to wait long before the long-distance bus truly arrived. Once on board, a long and tedious journey began.

This truly marked the end of my secluded, reclusive life. While living in the mountain village, cut off from the world, it hadn't felt like much, but now that I was back out, I felt more and more that I should contact Wenzi and the others to let them know I was safe.

Ever since Uncle had thrown me out, we hadn't been in touch. They might be fine, but if a guy like Wenzi couldn't reach me for so long, there was no telling if he might call the police. If that happened, things would blow completely out of proportion.

My own phone couldn't be turned on, and Old Man Ma wouldn't allow me to borrow anyone else's phone—otherwise, I would have made contact while we were still in the village.

Catching a glimpse of a young man nearby chatting on QQ, a sudden flash of inspiration struck me. I couldn't make phone calls, but sending a message should be fine, right?

I glanced ahead at Old Man Ma, who was sitting in the front row, and lowered my voice to borrow the young man's phone.

The kid looked at me suspiciously and was initially reluctant, but seeing that I looked refined and didn't resemble a bad person, he handed it over anyway.

I quickly logged into QQ and sent Wenzi a message, briefly reporting that I was safe, indicating that I was fine now, and telling him not to contact me or look for me for the time being.

Just as I was about to log out, Wenzi quickly replied with a single message: Where are you?

This guy—I had just told him not to look for me, yet he was still asking that question.

I was about to reply when I noticed Old Man Ma's face turning around from the front. I hurriedly logged out of QQ, returned the phone, and forced a smile at Old Man Ma.

With a dark face and a warning glare, Old Man Ma turned his head back around.

After several hours of travel, we got off the bus in the afternoon, having arrived in a nearby city.

Stepping out of the station, Old Man Ma said in a cold voice, "I'm warning you, if you don't want to bring trouble to the people around you, don't contact them. This matter hasn't been settled yet. If you rashly make contact and something happens, don't say I didn't warn you!"