The Princess and Her Rough-Rider Khan
Chapter 112 Where will you run to now?!! (One more update)

Chapter 112: 112 Where will you run to now?!! (One more update)

Li Xianyun, along with Zhuo Ma and others, cut the desserts into small pieces and placed them on plates for customers to sample.

A variety of ice porridge flavors were also served in very small bowls for tasting.

First, the customers had to get a taste of sweetness before they would consider buying from the shop.

By the hour of si, the number of pedestrians on the street steadily increased.

Li Xianyun then went with Bater to the bakery across the street to eat because of her status, she couldn’t expose herself too much.

The four settled down, and just as they ordered food, the performers Nata had hired arrived.

Sounds of gongs and drums soon began to resonate in front of the Ice Porridge Shop.

Their performance content was different from that of Houtang, which was all about dragon dances or lion dances.

They presented traditional Khitan dances, wrestling, and archery.

Among them was a person of extraordinary skill who could not only walk while upside down, supporting himself with one hand but also dance with snakes...

The exciting performances quickly attracted a lot of people.

Three layers in and three layers out, a mass of people crowded in front of the Ice Porridge Shop.

Adults stopped to watch, while children darted in and out among them, chasing, frolicking, and causing a ruckus, sometimes eliciting scoldings from the adults, but their laughter couldn’t be stopped.

The server at the bakery brought their food and, seeing the four people looking at the Ice Porridge Shop across the street, said sourly, "All flash and no substance, what’s the use? If it doesn’t taste good, hardly anyone will buy it."

His words were full of disdain.

Zhuo Ma wanted to snap back.

Li Xianyun gave her a look.

Zhuo Ma had to bite back her retort and, after the server left, she couldn’t help but say, "Young Master, why didn’t you let this servant retort?"

"There’s no need for pointless arguments, and he’s not wrong; if it’s tasty, people will buy it," Li Xianyun said, "Let’s just wait and see."

She wasn’t afraid of trouble, but she felt that verbal sparring was unnecessary. Even if you win an argument, what’s the use?

It’s better to convince him with actual results.

Moreover, the waiter’s bitter words were merely out of jealousy, without any ill intentions. Had there been any malice, she would not have let it go.

Li Xianyun picked up a roasted bun, took a bite, and chewed thoughtfully before saying to the three, "Let’s eat."

The four of them had set out early without having breakfast.

And they had been busy just a while ago and were all hungry.

They ate heartily while watching the commotion outside.

Good food always dispels worries, and it wasn’t long before Zhuo Ma smilingly said, "I didn’t expect the Nata couple to be so creative."

Youlan added, "Ali is quite good too, I heard from Nata’s wife that the idea to hire performers was Ali’s."

Li Xianyun looked at the lively scene outside and was quite satisfied with the three people she had chosen.

The Nata couple was clean, organized, hardworking, and had impeccable characters, giving credit where credit is due and not stealing any of Ali’s thunder.

Ali was upright; otherwise, he wouldn’t have suggested they order less food initially. Moreover, he had always been helping out in the West Market, was experienced and had many ideas of his own, making him someone who could be heavily relied on in the future.

Li Xianyun planned to first have him work in the Ice Porridge Shop and, once he had learned enough, to let him open an Ice Porridge Shop in the West Market.

Having spent years in the West Market, he knew it well.

After the performances ended, the performers moved towards the crowd with trays in hand.

The trays contained sample desserts and ice porridge for tasting.

Thinking they would have to pay, people started to leave.

Nata laughed and said, "Hold on a minute, everyone. These are samples, they’re free! If you don’t like it after trying, you can just leave, but if you like it, please come into the shop and have a look."

His voice was deep and loud, stopping people in their tracks.

After tasting, nearly everyone had nothing but praise, and nine out of ten entered the Ice Porridge Shop with beaming smiles.

Naturally, inside the shop, Ali and two women were ready to receive the guests.

Ali was well-versed in this line of work, so everything felt like second nature to him.

He even passed on his experience to the two women.

The three of them were very warm and polite, neither overbearing nor servile, and treated everyone with respect, which left the customers highly satisfied.

The seven individuals in the Ice Porridge Shop had clear divisions of labor:

Nata greeted customers at the door, while Ali and the two women took care of serving and handling payments. Nata’s wife and the other two women prepared the ice porridge and desserts in the back room.

The group worked efficiently and systematically.

Upon seeing Zhuo Ma and her party finish their meal, Li Xianyun had Youlan settle the bill and said, "Let’s go."

"Young Master, are we leaving just like that?" Youlan asked with a hint of reluctance.

Seeing the booming business of the Ice Porridge Shop, Youlan and the others wanted to stay a bit longer.

Li Xianyun smiled and said, "There’s nothing for us to do here, let’s go check out how the construction of the Drying Room is progressing."

The three of them replied, "Yes."

Li Xianyun and her entourage headed toward the place where they had stored their carriage and horses.

Having just unloaded the pastries, Bater had, as usual, left the carriage and horses in storage, which made it much easier for the four of them to move around.

No sooner had the group reached the corner of the street than a gang of masked individuals sprang from the alleys, blocking their path.

The masked individuals were dressed like ordinary citizens, with only a black veil covering their faces.

Each of them was tall and strong, holding sharp scimitars—they were clearly a group of desperadoes.

Li Xianyun looked around and saw the crossroads were lined with dilapidated houses; many were abandoned, and few pedestrians ventured here.

The reason the County Government Office designated this area for horse and carriage storage must have been because of its seclusion and sparse population, which facilitated easy vehicle maneuvering.

This provided an opportunity for the masked attackers to ambush them.

About a dozen masked individuals had tightly encircled Li Xianyun and her party.

Bater and Zhuo Ma, one in front and one behind, shielded Li Xianyun and Youlan.

Li Xianyun raised her cuffs, aiming at the masked men.

Her fingers, hidden within the cuffs, were placed on the mechanism of her sleeve arrows, ready to fire at any moment.

One of the masked individuals, clearly the leader of the group, raised an arm, and the masked men closed in.

The confrontation between both sides escalated quickly.

The masked bandits, confident in their numerical superiority, scattered the four defenders, intending to pick them off one by one.

Zhuo Ma and Bater were entangled by several masked men and couldn’t afford to be distracted.

Li Xianyun and Youlan were together.

As the masked men drew closer, Li Xianyun pulled Youlan along, running toward an area without attackers and raising her sleeve arrows as they fled.

Li Xianyun, skilled in mechanical designs and medicine, knew the human body like the back of her hand.

Her arrows never missed, each striking a vital point.

Soon, six or seven masked men lay dead on the ground.

The attackers, who had assumed Li Xianyun to be defenseless, were unexpectedly halted by her fierce resistance.

This undeniably provided Li Xianyun and Youlan with a chance to escape.

But clearly, the masked men had come prepared.

No sooner had they fled down an alley than more masked men appeared ahead, blocking their escape route.

Li Xianyun quickly pulled Youlan to run back the way they had come, with the masked men close behind in pursuit.

The leader of the masked men looked at Li Xianyun and said viciously, "Where do you think you’re going? Today we will act on Minister Xiao’s behalf and kill you, the woman who has bewitched Khan and brought calamity upon the nation!"