The sky over the rivers and lakes is very clear

Chapter 16

The emerald green bamboo forest and the bright red tents create a striking yet not jarring contrast.

Through the gaps in the bamboo grove, Lao Lin looked at the tent from left to right, finding it novel, eerie, and unreal.

Those burly men in red looked fierce, and he dared not look at them for long. He turned his gaze back and noticed that the porridge pot was a little dry. Just as he was about to add two ladles of cold water, he saw two more people walking towards him from the end of the road.

A handsome young man dressed in white, with bright and clear features, was as elegant and refined as a wisp of cloud atop a snow-capped mountain.

The other was a beggar boy, thin and small, dressed in tattered clothes and wearing open-toed rags. His exposed skin on his face, hands, and feet was so dark that it was impossible to tell what he originally looked like.

The contrast between these two standing together is simply the most cruel:

He is as noble as he is lowly;

He is as clean as he is dirty;

He was as beautiful as he was ugly...

However, behind that beautiful, clean, and noble young man stood that lowly, dirty, and ugly beggar, and a spotted pig—the pig's fur was smooth and shiny, white and black, and it looked cleaner than the beggar.

Old Lin rubbed his eyes again, realized he hadn't misread it, and couldn't help but sigh.

At the same time, the beggar-like rogue glanced at the steaming steamer in front of Old Lin's shop from afar and sighed deeply.

Damn it! It's already dawn, and he's been tormented by this pretentious old man in white all night. He's exhausted, sleepy, thirsty, and hungry. He's really suffered a lot!

The aroma of food wafting from the steamer made his stomach rumble. He quickened his pace, put on a smile, and said, "Sir, there's a breakfast stall up ahead. Would you like to take a break?"

Feng Xuese gazed ahead, a faint smile playing on her lips: "Okay."

His quick agreement surprised the young man, who was taken aback for a moment before suspecting that the man might be plotting against him again.

Feng Xuese ignored him and walked towards the tent in the bamboo forest.

The boy stared at the magnificent red tent, feeling uneasy, and reluctantly followed after it.

The burly men in red, who were on guard in the bamboo forest, bowed respectfully to Feng Xuese and said, "Greetings, Young Master Feng!"

The Sky Over the Martial World is Clear - Part One: The Sky Over the Martial World is Clear - Chapter 5 (3)

Feng Xuese smiled slightly: "Is your young master here?"

The burly man in red at the head of the group replied, "Young Master will be here shortly. Please go first, Young Master Feng!"

Feng Xuese hummed in agreement and walked straight into the tent.

The young man followed closely behind, wondering to himself: This seemingly mad old man is actually some kind of crazy young master; what a sophisticated name! He really does seem like a madman, otherwise he wouldn't be picking on someone as insignificant as me…

Feng Xuese coldly ordered, "Wait outside."

The boy's eyes darted around, and he immediately replied, "Yes, hero!"

Wait? Bah! If I were to actually wait for you, I'd be out of my mind!

Feng Xuese's sharp eyes saw through his little scheme, but he didn't mind. He just smiled slightly and said, "You might as well try to escape. But you'd better not be caught by me. Otherwise, if I catch you, I'll cut off a limb—" He coldly sized up the other man, "You have five chances. The fifth time, I'll behead you!"

The boy was startled and lowered his head, smiling obsequiously, "Great hero, how dare I run away! You don't even need to catch me a fifth time. Just once, cut off one of my legs, and next time I'll only be able to hop on one leg! Don't worry, I'll just squat by the door, and I'll make sure you see me as soon as you come out of the tent!"

After saying that, without waiting for Feng Xuese to give any instructions, he took the initiative to find a place outside the tent where it wouldn't be in the way, sat down on the ground, put his hands on his knees, straightened his back, and looked straight ahead, being as proper as could be.

Although this kid is a scoundrel, he's not entirely naive. Feng Xuese glanced at him, lifted the red curtain, and went into the tent.

The boy sat on the ground, bored, pondering how to escape. But that old man was incredibly skilled; he couldn't possibly outrun him on his own two legs, especially with Huahua in tow. He needed to devise a foolproof plan to escape.

He looked around and saw that the burly man in red was heavily guarded in the bamboo grove. Already intimidated by Feng Xuese's presence, he dared not make a move, and now his heart sank even further. "Sigh! We're so poor, what use is it for that old man to arrest us?"

Meanwhile, Old Lin was lifting the lid of the steamer, and the steaming hot vapors spread out, carrying the aroma of steamed buns and mantou into the bamboo forest, which was extremely tempting.

The boy patted his empty stomach and swallowed hard: "Huahua, I'm so hungry!"

The spotted pig lay beside him, rubbing its long snout against his hand and making soft grunts.

"Huahua, are you hungry too?" He sighed and looked around, seeing that the burly men in red were ignoring him. "Come on, Huahua, let's go eat some steamed buns!" He led Huazhu strolling towards the tea and snack shop.

At this time, two or three early risers were already sitting in the shop, and Old Lin was serving them food.

The roadside stalls didn't serve anything fancy, just simple vegetable buns, millet porridge, salted duck eggs, tea eggs, dried pickled vegetables, and fermented bean curd, but everyone ate with relish.

The boy leaned closer: "Uncle, how much are the steamed buns?"

Old Lin, disgusted by his filth, stepped aside: "Five copper coins a tael."

"A few?"

"Three."

"One copper coin each, I'll buy five." The boy followed Old Lin as they walked back and forth in the shop.

Old Lin's face fell: "Not for sale!"

He had never seen anyone haggle over the price of steamed buns before. If it weren't for the extraordinary air about the young man in white, he would have kicked this kid out long ago—this little beggar was really ruining the customers' appetites.

"How about this, I'll buy three buns with five copper coins, and you can give me two more free."

Old Lin slammed a plate of steamed buns he'd just picked out of the steamer onto the table, then, with a stern face, went to ladle out some rice porridge: "Go away, go away, don't cause trouble if you're not buying! Can't you see I'm busy here!"

"Alright, alright, you're busy, you're busy. If we can't afford it, we won't buy it!" the boy muttered to himself. As he turned around, his open shirt drifted unintentionally across the table, and he walked away.

After Lao Lin served the porridge, he turned around and found that there was only an empty plate left on the table, and the steamed buns were gone.