Heaven is the shore of mortal dust - Chapter 35
"That sentence?" Wei Zijun pretended to be confused.
"It's that phrase, 'You won't go hungry'!"
"You should be saying this to me, Second Brother and Third Brother. You live in mansions and courtyards, while I don't even have a thatched hut. You live in luxury, while I eat wild fruits in the mountains..." Before she could finish, Wei Zijun realized something was wrong. Eating wild fruits in the mountains?! Why was she being described as a monkey? Just as she was pondering this, the other side burst into laughter.
Wei Zijun herself couldn't help but smile, a smile spreading across her face.
That smile stunned the three men on the boat. What a beautiful smile it was! The golden rays of the setting sun shone on her snow-white face, and the glow of the sunset fell on her cheeks. Her red lips curled up, and her clear eyes were filled with the blue sky and green lotus leaves. That smile made the world lose its color and put the beautiful scenery to shame.
"Big brother! You're so beautiful!" Truly, children speak without restraint; these words were something the two grown men could never utter. Duan Xin not only spoke without restraint, but also put it into action, wrapping his arms around Wei Zijun's neck and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.
The two grown men looked at Duan Xin with immense envy, lamenting that they had grown to such an advanced age.
Wei Zijun was slapped on the lips, and her smile vanished.
"Go away—" She slapped away Duan Xin's hand that was around her neck, ignored the others, and started eating beef.
"Are you hungry?" Li Tianqi asked softly.
"Hmm! I didn't eat a single grain of rice all afternoon, but I drank a lot of water. I also drank a lot of alcohol just now, and now my head is spinning."
"Come on, fourth brother, let's drink this cup again." Chen Chang refilled the cups for everyone.
"I'll just have a small sip of this. Third Brother and Second Brother, cheers! You both know my alcohol tolerance, so don't force me."
She absolutely could not get drunk again. It was such a long journey, and one of the two men would surely carry her in front of the horse. Who knew if they would discover anything amiss? She couldn't take the risk.
After taking a small sip, Wei Zijun felt a little dizzy. Holding her wine glass, she leaned against the sloping straw mat behind her, which was just the right size for her to lean back comfortably.
Looking at the afterglow filling the sky, the enchanting glow of the sunset, and the verdant lotus leaves, I felt completely captivated, and all I could do was recite a poem to express my feelings.
Holding wine in her left hand and her right arm draped over the edge of the boat, the small boat drifted into a lotus leaf. Dew from the leaf, along with the mud and sand on it, rolled onto her sleeve. Suddenly inspired, Wei Zijun squinted her drunken eyes, gazed at the distant land, and softly recited:
The wind whispers through the secluded grass along the path.
Lotus pods perch on the water.
The small boat swayed gently, and the air was thick with the scent of incense.
A figure by the lotus pond, drenched in red mud.
After reciting the poem, he couldn't help but feel a little pleased with himself, thinking that he was not much inferior to Li Bai and Du Fu. He tilted his wine cup and fell asleep.
Seeing that the wine in the cup had spilled all over the woman, Li Tianqi couldn't help but smile wryly. He got up, picked up the wine cup, and used his sleeve to wipe the wet front of her clothes.
Upon seeing this, Chen Chang couldn't help but sigh, "Fourth Brother has such a neutral appearance, such elegance, and such great talent. I'm afraid he's not only a calamity for women, but also for many men."
"Luckily he's a man," Li Tianqi laughed. "If he were a woman, we brothers would have drawn our swords against her."
Indeed, although Wei Zijun's delicate features possessed a kind of androgynous beauty, no one ever doubted his gender. Firstly, while her appearance was strikingly beautiful and her complexion exceptionally fair, she never appeared delicate, and her cheerful and open-minded personality was rare among women. Secondly, although her figure was overly slender and petite than most men, she possessed a striking and heroic air, making one feel that her face was perfectly suited to her slender frame, enhancing her ethereal and graceful beauty. Imagine, however, a face as white as porcelain paired with a burly, dark-skinned man—what a waste! Thirdly, although her voice was gentle and mellow, it was a highly magnetic baritone, unlike a woman's shrill voice. It made one feel that such a handsome man should possess this androgynous voice; a rough, gruff voice would disrupt the overall harmonious beauty, which would be a terrible eyesore.
And so this so-called man swaggered around the city without anyone ever objecting.
Gradually, this so-called man discovered more benefits of being a man.
Being a man means you can laugh out loud without covering your mouth, you can swagger around the streets without attracting gossip, you can eat meat in large chunks and drink wine in large bowls, and you can be a womanizer and live a carefree life.
[Volume 1, Deer City Chapter: Chapter 31, The Liu Family (Part 1)]
As expected, Juyunlou's business boomed, and Wei Zijun began to teach Duan Xin how to be a good accountant. Duan Xin, who was literate, was clever and quick-witted, far superior to those dullards with long beards.
After careful calculation and deducting all expenses, the income from just these few days was three hundred taels of silver. Looking at the gleaming silver, Wei Zijun thought that her master would finally no longer have to live a hard life, which was a way of repaying his kindness. As for Dieyun, she would bring back any unusual items she saw to him, just wanting to make him happy.
The issue of provisions was resolved smoothly. Although she was extremely reluctant to hurt anyone, Qiu Zaifang was still put on the guillotine, and Duan Xin also got his revenge.
Large numbers of merchants carried grain by waterway through Gaoyou, Sixian, Yongcheng, Kaifeng and other places to the capital Chang'an and Luoyang. From there, the grain was transported through Xinxiang, Qinghe and Tongxian to the garrisons in Yanjun and Yuyang on the border. Finally, it was transported by land to the garrisons in Wuyuan and Yiwu on the border. For a time, the grain supply for the garrisons in various places was fully resolved.
Upon receiving an urgent edict about the border crisis and the continuous invasions by the Western Turks, Li Tianqi and Li Hongyi rushed to the border overnight. The next day, Chen Chang also left behind his deputy general and 20,000 troops, and led 60,000 troops to Yiwu.
After her brothers left, Wei Zijun felt a little lost. She used to be happy with their laughter and company. But now that they were gone, she felt listless and began to devote herself to martial arts training.
Through daily diligent study and practice, coupled with her exceptional comprehension, she quickly achieved a draw with Dieyun. Finally, one day, she defeated Dieyun.
Dieyun was extremely annoyed, so she secretly took him out of the valley to play once, which was enough to satisfy him.
Wei Zijun was puzzled. Having followed her master for so many years, Dieyun's skill should be no less than her master's; how could he be defeated so easily? It turned out that Dieyun's original surname was Yin. While still an infant, he was struck by a palm strike from a member of the Liu family, causing him to vomit blood. The Liu family believed the infant was dead, which is how her master managed to save him. However, due to his young age and weak body, his self-healing ability was poor. Even with her master's superior medical skills, Dieyun suffered internal injuries, preventing him from reaching a higher level of martial arts.
Wei Zijun felt deeply saddened for Dieyun, and what saddened her even more was that he was unable to defeat his enemies and had to live a life of hiding. She really wanted to be able to help Dieyun one day so that he could step back into this colorful world.
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Even though it's already the ninth month of the lunar calendar, summer in Jiangnan is still hot.
Wei Zijun went to the shop early in the morning. She hadn't yet grasped the two phrases her master had taught her that day, so she had been walking and thinking about them since then. Ever since she defeated Dieyun, her master had been personally teaching her martial arts. She hadn't dared to slack off in the slightest, and she had been practicing diligently every day, making rapid progress. Although her current skill level wasn't that of a top-tier expert, it was at least above average.
Upon arriving at Juyun Tower, I saw a person lingering in front of the door.
The man was tall and robust, with his black hair tied up high. His dark blue robe accentuated his strong physique, but his face was obscured because his back was turned.
It seems this person wants to enter the shop, since it's still early and the doors haven't opened yet. Restaurants, unlike small shops, don't require early mornings; they're usually empty at this time.
"May I ask if you have something to do while you linger here, sir?" Wei Zijun stepped forward and asked, bowing respectfully.
The man turned around, paused for a moment, and then replied, "That's right." He didn't explain why.