"No need!" Xue Qing waved her hand repeatedly.
"I'll do it." Liu Ying said and walked over. The white horse was indeed docile, lowering its head obediently like a lamb, letting Liu Ying put the reins on it. Xue Qing tentatively approached it, and it snorted threateningly from its nose again. When Xue Qing went to Mount Emei again, she was determined to find the innkeeper to argue with him. This horse was definitely gay!
"Master, Young Master Wuxin, we're on our way now. Thank you for your hospitality yesterday," Xue Qing said with a slight bow.
"My dear little Qingqing, seeing this sword is like seeing me. Take it out and look at it when you miss me." Jian Wuxin's eyes were brimming with tears, like an abandoned Border Collie.
Xue Qing smiled sweetly: "I will wrap the sword up and try not to look at it."
As soon as Xue Qing climbed into the carriage, Liu Ying drove the carriage at breakneck speed, as if a pack of wolves were chasing her. Xue Qing lost her balance and bumped into the wooden board behind her, and Jian Die helped her sit up.
"Thank you," Xue Qing said, rubbing the back of her head.
"Auntie, is Brother Firefly still afraid of Young Master Wuxin's horse? Can we tell him that the horse doesn't bite?" Cocoon Butterfly said worriedly.
"That's not it... Your brother Liuying... just really wants to see Master." Xue Qing deceived the flowers of the motherland once again.
“Oh, I understand now. My father once drove the carriage this fast when he took me to see my mother,” Cocoon Butterfly nodded vigorously.
Xue Qing always felt that she had misunderstood.
“Aunt, look, Young Master Wuxin is still behind us,” said Cocoon Butterfly, peeking through the curtain.
Xue Qing was startled and quickly lifted her curtain. Sure enough, Jian Wuxin was riding an alpaca chasing after the carriage. No wonder the carriage seemed to be going faster and faster. Did Liu Ying and Jian Wuxin really enjoy playing that old chase game that Pan Jinlian and Ximen Qing played to death? The two women in the carriage were the ones who would get hurt!
Xue Qing leaned forward and waved to Jian Wuxin, "Don't see me off! Go back! Don't see me off!"
Because of the speed, all Jian Wuxin could hear was the howling wind. He couldn't hear Xue Qing speaking, but he saw her waving at him. Thinking she was greeting him, he happily blew her a kiss.
The carriage lurched violently again, and Xue Qing nearly coughed up blood. She'd never suffered like this, not even bungee jumping! If Jian Wuxin didn't return soon, Liu Ying might be transporting two corpses to Mount Goulou. Thankfully, Xue Qing's little white horse was quite spirited, galloping at full speed. Jian Wuxin's figure on the alpaca grew smaller and smaller until it finally disappeared from sight.
Having narrowly escaped death, Xue Qing lowered the curtain with relief. She really missed the speed limit signs on modern highways. There was a reason why the Land and Resources Bureau paved the road ten times a year; they were afraid of being jolted in the buttocks!
After shaking off Jian Wuxin, the carriage returned to its usual smooth journey, arriving at Mount Goulou in the afternoon. Mount Goulou was desolate, with no towns at its foot. Xue Qingzhen suspected her second senior brother had taken the money and was planning to spend it somewhere. The area below was deserted, with no inns or post stations to store the carriage. The mountain road was steep, and the carriage couldn't climb it, so they had to lead the horses away, leaving the carriage at the foot of the mountain. After all, no one would come here, and no one would be interested in the carriage.
The little white horse carried four or five large bags, and the three of them, carrying and lifting, finally managed to get all the luggage up the mountain. Mount Goulou was rugged with strange rocks and few trees; it was hard to understand why the second brother (a character from Journey to the West) would choose to live here—it seemed so unappealing. The mountain wasn't too high; upon reaching the summit, they saw a three-room thatched hut. The hut was covered in dust, hardly resembling a habitable place. Entering the inner room, they found a person lying on the edge of the bed, head down, clothes stained with bright red blood.
This is Dongchou's residence. Could there be anyone else besides Dongchou? Xue Qing was shocked: "Second Senior Brother! Second Senior Brother is dead!"
Mountaintop Drunkard
Who did this?! Or did they let their second senior brother starve to death because they were delayed at Broken Sword Manor for a day? Xue Qing rushed to the body. Although she had never met him before, she couldn't help but be moved when she saw that he was dead.
"Master!" Upon hearing Xue Qing's cry, Liu Ying threw down the bundle in her hands and rushed over to check Dong Chou's breathing.
Suddenly, the "corpse" raised a hand and waved it above its head a few times, as if shooing away flies, to drive the two away. Then the corpse sat up, opened its sleepy eyes, and said, "It's so noisy. Can't you let people get some sleep?"
As soon as Dongchou opened his mouth, the room reeked of alcohol. Xue Qing, forgetting all about politeness, covered her nose, and Jian Die also covered her nose: "Auntie, it stinks!"
Cocoon Butterfly's words struck a nerve with Dongchou. He rolled over, moved closer to Cocoon Butterfly, and deliberately breathed on her: "Little girl, does it smell bad?"
"Liu Ying, is this... Second Senior Brother?" Xue Qing's voice trembled slightly.
"Master!" Liu Ying called out, trying to stop Dong Chou's rude behavior.
Xue Qing's body trembled. The person in front of her was dressed like a beggar on the street, covered in grease and bloodstains. He was wearing a headband, but she couldn't understand the meaning of the few strands of hair that were sticking out. His cheeks were slightly sunken, making him look sallow and thin, and his dark circles were so deep they could rival those of a national treasure. Was this the person she called "Jade-Faced Swordsman," her second senior brother? She no longer believed the rumors!
"Second Senior Brother, the child is ignorant, don't take it to heart." Xue Qing hurriedly pulled Dong Chou away from Jian Die. If Jian Die got angry, she might hit him. Given the difference between his appearance and the rumors, his martial arts skills might not be as superb as they were. What if Jian Die beats him badly?
"Master!" Liu Ying called out again, but Dong Chou still didn't hear her, his gaze fixed on Xue Qing.
"Good junior sister! Did you bring money for your senior brother? Give it to me now, or the tavern owner will chop me up with a kitchen knife if you don't pay back the money you owe for drinks!" Dong Chou grabbed Xue Qing and shook her violently.
"I brought it! Let me go first!" Xue Qing said nervously, her head was spinning, and she felt like she was on a roller coaster.
"Master!" Liu Ying called again, but Dong Chou still didn't respond.
Unable to bear it any longer, Liu Ying drew her sword and slashed at Dong Chou. The strike was incredibly fast and merciless, but to Xue Qing's surprise, Dong Chou dodged it as if he were simply stretching. Dong Chou appeared drunk, yet his skills were surprisingly sharp. But this wasn't the end. Liu Ying shifted her sword, softening her grip, yet the table closest to her was scraped clean of wood chips. Despite the gentle blow, Dong Chou dared not meet it head-on. He retreated, then pulled a wine gourd from his waist to block the remaining sword energy.
"Good lad! You haven't slacked off in these three years!" Dongchou finally brought Liuying into his sight and laughed heartily.
“Aunt, is this the second uncle? He’s completely different from what Dad said.” Even Jian Die realized that the rumors were unreliable.
"Time is a cruel mistress." That was the only explanation Xue Qing could offer.
"Putting everything else aside, junior sister, hurry up and give me the silver first, or the proprietress will sell my sword!" Dongchou said anxiously.
"Master! You pawned 'Suwen' to the tavern?!" This was the first time Xue Qing had heard Liu Ying's voice carry such a heavy dose of negative emotion.
Dongchou patted Liuying on the shoulder to comfort him: "Don't make such a fuss, your teacher will go redeem him right away." With that, he took the money bag handed to him by Xue Qing and rushed out the door.
"I can't believe he would trade 'Suwen' for wine," Dongchou muttered to himself as he left Liuying.
"What is 'Suwen' again? My brain isn't working too well since I went into qi deviation." Xue Qing asked curiously, pretending to rub her head. There really aren't many things that can make Liu Ying care so much.
Before Liu Ying could speak, Jian Die blurted out, "I know that. My father told me that besides his appearance and martial arts skills, my second uncle also had a sword that my father envied. That sword was given to my second uncle by a deceased, very powerful person. It was a peerless sword that even Broken Sword Manor praised highly."
Xue Qing still didn't understand, and she would never believe Jian Die's father again!
Liu Ying explained in more detail: "It was left to my master by the former head of the Linghu clan, which is as famous as Duanjian Manor. It was made of rare white jade and is pure white, so it is called 'Suwen'. When that person died, the sword was not yet finished. Later, my master found many skilled craftsmen to finish the sword, but because the blade was too tough, no tool could leave a mark on it, so it is still a half-finished product."
"Can an unfinished, half-finished product still be used?" Xue Qing exclaimed in surprise.
"The blade has been polished, but the patterns haven't been engraved yet, so it looks a bit strange, but it doesn't affect its use," Liu Ying replied.
Xue Qing understood Liu Ying's feelings. Sword practitioners cherish their swords as if they were their own lives. A broken sword means certain death. Even when he was starving, he still remembered to polish his sword every day. Trading a famous sword for wine was something no swordsman would do. If it weren't for the fact that his moves just now were indeed sharp, Xue Qing would have really doubted that this second senior brother was a fake.
Xue Qing and Liu Ying stood aside waiting for the banquet. Since there was no place to sit in the house, Jian Die started standing next to the two of them. Later, she took out a cloth from her bag and started wiping the tables and chairs.