Building a Harmonious Song Dynasty - Chapter 33
Qin Zhen nodded, then yawned again and said, "I have to go to sleep now. You three should go to sleep too. See you tomorrow morning!"
Seeing that Qin Zhen had disappeared, the boy asked his sister in confusion, "Three people? Doesn't that mean it's just the two of us left?"
The girl thought for a moment before saying, "She might be mistaken, thinking that the 'giant lobster' from the Zhenhai Gang is still around."
The two of them chattered on and off as they leaped off the roof. Only Yue Fei, hidden in the shadows, felt a chill run down his spine. He knew that the third person Qin Zhen was referring to was himself…
The next morning, the four men, full of energy, stood at the dock.
"I am the older sister, Maple Leaf, and this is my younger brother, Watermark. It's so great to be traveling with you."
The cheerful young girl in front of him spoke to Yue Fei, making Yue Fei think that he had a terrible dream last night. Was the brutal assassin in black who chased his younger brother with a big knife the same woman in front of him?
Seeing that Yue Fei was stunned and didn't answer Feng Ye's question, the younger brother Shuihen laughed wildly and said, "You brute, stop pretending to be gentle. You're scaring everyone. It's disgusting... hahaha..."
With a clang, the broadsword was drawn again by Maple Leaf, who pointed it at the watermark and said, "What did you call me? Say it again and see!"
While they were making a fuss, Qin Zhen saw the passenger ship lowering its escalator and quickly said, "Hurry, hurry, we need to get going, someone is waiting to be rescued!"
Upon hearing this, Shuihen turned and immediately ran towards the boat, shouting, "A tyrant is a tyrant, even if I don't say it, you're still a tyrant..."
Maple Leaf was furious with her younger brother. She chased after him, brandishing her knife and shouting, "You brat, I'll cut out your tongue!"
Yue Fei smiled and shook his head. He had seen such a strange brother and sister. Recalling the expression on the waiter's face when he learned that the brother and sister were going to be taken away by them that morning, he suddenly understood.
After the four boarded the boat, other passengers gradually boarded as well. The cabin was crowded and mixed, so Qin Zhen went to stand on the deck and enjoyed the breeze from the river.
The ladder was retracted, the ropes pulled back, and the wooden boat slowly moved away from the ferry dock. Qin Zhen looked towards the riverbank and suddenly saw two figures jump into view. It was them!
"Boatman, please wait a moment!"
Qin Zhen hurriedly called out to stop the wooden boat that was about to leave, and then ran to the bow of the boat to look carefully. The two people riding horses toward the ferry were indeed Zhao Gou and Zhao Yong!
The wooden boat was already several feet away from the riverbank. Qin Zhen was about to beg the boatman to dock when a dark figure descended from the sky. Zhao Yong had actually "flew" onto the boat with Zhao Gou!
Zhao Gou, who appeared out of nowhere, had beads of sweat on his forehead and a thick layer of dust clinging to his black cloak, which billowed in the wind. He walked towards Qin Zhen with a weary expression, but stopped in front of her and said with a grin, "I've been traveling all night, but at least I made it in time."
Qin Zhen never expected him to come looking for her; it surprised her greatly. Looking into Zhao Goudai's dark eyes, Qin Zhen uttered two words in a reproachful tone—"Fool!"
Zhao Gou was stunned for a moment, wondering why Qin Zhen had called him a fool. Then he saw Qin Zhen raise his hand and wipe the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief. So, as if possessed, he said, "I'd rather be a fool."
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For those of you who spend long hours sitting in front of the computer, please remember to exercise!
I went hiking yesterday for Qingming Festival, and it almost killed me. I've become so weak without even realizing it...
Volume Two: Eagle Soars Through the Sky Chapter 67 The Mysterious Woman in White
The Daling River flowed gently, and the wooden boat sailed eastward with the wind and current, arriving at the ferry crossing in Haibei Prefecture that afternoon. To reach Yiwulü Mountain, they still had to travel nearly a hundred miles northeast of Haibei Prefecture. Qin Zhen looked up at the sky and realized that if they didn't hurry, the six days they had initially agreed upon might not be enough.
They stopped at the ferry. After thinking for a moment, Qin Zhen said to everyone, "Time is running out. It's inconvenient for so many of us to travel. You all wait for me at the inn in Haibei Prefecture. Qiu Shui and her brother will take me into the mountains."
Zhao Gou, who had finally caught up with them, naturally disagreed. He was worried about Qiu Shui and her brother and objected, saying, "It's too unsafe for you to go with them alone. Let's go with you. If time is too tight, we can travel through the night."
Yue Fei also said, "Let's all go together. Yiwulü Mountain is densely forested and lush. If anything happens, we can help each other out."
"Oh dear, you're so long-winded," Maple Leaf interrupted. "We siblings will naturally ensure Qin Zhen's safety when we take her there. Yiwulü Mountain is our territory, what could possibly happen?"
The younger brother, Shuihen, also said, "The cult leader doesn't like strangers disturbing him. What if you really go with him and upset him?"
Thinking of Ji Wuhuan's strange temper, Qin Zhen was also a little scared and advised, "I will come to this ferry to meet you by noon tomorrow at the latest. You should go into the city first and rest for the night. Don't come with me. Who can bully me?"
Seeing Qin Zhen's confident demeanor and recalling her unusual qualities, Yue Fei gradually relaxed, realizing that it would indeed be difficult for others to bully her.
Zhao Gou, however, remained frowning. He didn't know Qiu Shui's background, so how could he let Qin Zhen go with them?
Seeing this, Qin Zhen reassured him, "Don't worry, the person I'm going to find is my fifth senior brother. Maple Leaf and Watermark are both people taught by my senior brother, and they will take good care of me."
As soon as she finished speaking, Qiu Shui and her brother were so surprised that they couldn't close their mouths. They only knew that the Beacon Fire Token of the Beacon Fire Holy Sect was in Qin Zhen's hands, but they didn't know that Qin Zhen was the sect leader's junior sister!
After much persuasion, Qin Zhen finally set off with Qiu Shui. Watching them disappear into the distance, Zhao Gou said to Zhao Yong, "Go and follow them, just in case."
Zhao Yong bowed his head and responded, then followed after him. Yue Fei, seeing how much Zhao Gou, as a prince, valued Qin Zhen, naturally knew that Qin Zhen was more than just a maid to Zhao Gou.
Only Zhao Gou and Yue Fei remained at the ferry crossing. Yue Fei said, "Your Highness, let's go into the city and find an inn to stay in. They won't be back for a while."
Zhao Gou nodded and said, "Alright. You don't need to call me Your Highness outside. You are Qin Zhen's elder brother, so let's address each other as brothers."
Although he felt awkward, Yue Fei had no choice but to smile and agree since Zhao Gou had said so.
After settling into an inn in Haibei City, they were quite bored, so Zhao Gou asked the innkeeper for a Go board to play with. He then asked Yue Fei, "Brother Yue, would you be interested in playing a couple of games with me?"
"Well... my chess skills are not good, I'm afraid you'll laugh at me."
"It's alright, it's alright, it's just a way to kill time anyway. Besides, I'm not good at playing chess, I just wander around casually."
The two sat down facing each other around the chessboard in the room, one playing black and the other white, and began to move the pieces.
As dusk settled, they became so engrossed in their game of chess that they forgot to eat dinner. It wasn't until the waiter brought up the oil lamp that they realized several hours had passed.
Zhao Gou smiled and stretched his arms, saying, "It's been a long time since I've played chess like this. Brother Yue's chess skills are so good, yet you say they're not good. I'm so ashamed."
Yue Fei was a little embarrassed. He had only played chess with Zhou Tong in the village before, and he was always defeated. So he didn't know his own level. Today, hearing Zhao Gou praise him, he felt relieved. After all, the memory of losing chess for eight years in a row was still very hard!
They put away the chessboard and were about to go down for dinner when Zhao Yong appeared at the door.
"You're back so soon?" Zhao Gou asked in surprise, but seeing that only Zhao Yong had returned, he knew that he must have lost him.
Zhao Yong said with embarrassment, "They disappeared as soon as they reached the foot of the mountain. My subordinates searched for a long time in the forest, but kept going around in circles. I think there must have been some kind of trap or formation there, which I was unable to break, so I had to come back."
"Never mind," Zhao Gou sighed. "Qin Zhen's previous senior brothers were all very good to her, so I believe she'll be fine. You've worked hard too. Brother Yue and I were just about to go eat, let's go together."
"Thank you, Master!"
The next morning, the three of them left the city early and arrived at the ferry crossing where they had disembarked. There was no one else at the port in the early morning, and not even any ships were docked.
"Master, it's still early, they're probably still on their way. Why don't we wait at the tea stall next door for a while?"
When the three of them arrived at a teahouse next to the ferry, they were surprised to see a woman with long, black hair and dressed in white sitting inside. The woman had her back to them and was simply sitting there quietly. Although they couldn't see her face, they found her beautiful just from her back.
There was only one table in the small teahouse, and they felt it wouldn't be appropriate to disturb the young lady, so they didn't sit down. Zhao Yong noticed there were empty benches next to the table, so he decided to move them over for Zhao Gou to sit and rest.
He approached the table, clasped his hands in greeting to the woman, and said, "I'm sorry to bother you, young lady. May I ask if you could give me this bench..."
Before Zhao Yong could finish speaking, he suddenly felt a murderous aura rushing towards him. For some reason, the woman in white suddenly attacked Zhao Yong with ruthless moves, forcing Zhao Yong to draw his sword to defend himself.
Yue Fei and Zhao Gou didn't know why they suddenly started fighting, but seeing that the woman's fingers were already around Zhao Yong's neck, intending to kill him, the two of them rushed to help and narrowly saved Zhao Yong, who had already been hit by a palm strike.
Zhao Yong, coughing up blood, glared at the man and struggled to say, "You're so unreasonable! What have I done to offend you? Or are you an assassin sent by that person?"
A cold laugh rang out, and the woman in white turned around with her hands behind her back, looking down contemptuously at Zhao Yong, who was sitting on the ground, and Zhao Gou and Yue Fei, who were supporting him.
The three men were astonished when they saw the woman's face. She was extremely beautiful; although her features were strikingly handsome, she also possessed a captivating charm. A hint of wickedness emanated from her eyes, and her half-smiling gaze made them extremely uncomfortable.
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It was my fault for updating so late today... Please don't be offended, everyone...
Let's guess who this person in white is!
Volume Two: Eagle Soars Through the Sky Chapter 68: Misunderstandings Escalate
"I want your tongue!"
The woman in white's disdainful gaze suddenly turned sharp, and with a flick of her sleeve, her long arm reached out to grab Zhao Yong.
Seeing that this man was completely unreasonable and even wanted to take a life, Yue Fei drew his long sword to assist Zhao Yong. Zhao Yong had been struck in the chest by a palm, severely damaging his heart meridian, and was now barely holding on.
Zhao Gou helped Zhao Yong back to a corner. Seeing that Yue Fei's situation was also not good, he was about to step aside to help Yue Fei when Zhao Yong pulled him back.
"Master, this person's origins are unknown, and her martial arts are superb. We cannot resist her. If she is an assassin sent by the Prince of Yun, then we are in grave danger. You must leave here quickly and head southeast to find Qin Zhen. Once you find them, things should be fine. Hurry!"
"Foolish!" Zhao Gou scolded, "How could I possibly abandon one of you and run away?"
Zhao Yong was anxious. Seeing that Yue Fei couldn't hold on much longer, he hurriedly said, "Master, this is not the time to be reckless. You should leave quickly!"
Zhao Gou frowned and said, "Where can we go? If she really wants to kill me, she will catch up in no time. At this point, the only chance of victory is to fight with all our might!"
After saying this, Zhao Gou climbed onto the beam of the teahouse, forcefully tore off the dry grass from the roof, tied it into small bundles, lit them with a flint, and then threw them at the man in white.
Although these fireballs couldn't harm the woman in white, they disrupted her rhythm. Yue Fei, who had been struggling to hold on, finally had a chance to catch his breath and then seized the opportunity to advance, temporarily gaining the upper hand over the man!
The woman in white was annoyed by the constant fireballs being thrown at her. She hadn't intended to harm the child, but Zhao Gou's meddling had truly ignited her anger. So, she retreated continuously following Yue Fei's attacks until she reached the edge of the teahouse. Then, she swung her palm powerfully, snapping one of the teahouse's pillars in two, causing the entire teahouse to collapse with a crash!
Yue Fei and the man in white flew away from the teahouse in time, but Zhao Gou and the wounded Zhao Yong on the beam were nowhere to be seen!
"You!" Yue Fei was stunned by the scene of ruins before him. He roared and swung his sword forward, each move faster and each strike heavier than the last, forcing the man in white to frown and fight back with all his might!
When Qin Zhen arrived at the ferry crossing carrying breakfast from the city, she was met with a chaotic scene. The intense killing intent startled her, and she rushed over at full speed, shouting, "Big brother, fifth senior brother, stop!"
The two fighters, who had reached a critical moment, could no longer stop their attacks. Qin Zhen stomped his feet in frustration and had no choice but to take out his double-bladed sword, split it into two daggers, and wield both of them as he rushed between them, managing to block their attacks and separate them.
"What are you doing? We're all on the same side, stop fighting!"
Qin Zhen shouted, but Yue Fei, for the first time, yelled back at her, "Who says she's one of us? He killed the Prince and Guard Zhao!"
"What?" Qin Zhen asked Yue Fei, his eyes wide.
Yue Fei turned his head and pointed at the collapsed thatched hut, gritting his teeth as he said, "This person attacked us for no reason, first seriously injuring Guard Zhao, and then deliberately destroyed the hut, burying the Ninth Prince and Guard Zhao together underneath!"