Три мандариновые утки и полторы пары

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"We know we were wrong—please spare our lives—"

"I won't do it again—please have mercy!"

Thinking the other party was about to attack, the three were so frightened that they knelt down and kowtowed.

"When you beg for mercy, the history of the Severing Blade will come to an end for you."

It's starting! It's starting! The three felt a mixture of satisfaction and trepidation, unsure whether to listen to him and seek a glimmer of hope!

"pity……"

What a pity? Did they not even have a choice, and were they to be killed outright? The only word that flashed through the minds of the three was death…

"I don't have time to see you off today." With a flick of the purple rope, the longsword on the ground returned to his back.

Before the three burly men could finish listening to him, they were so terrified that their eyes rolled back in their heads. As Li Shufang walked past them, the three men felt a surge of energy sweep across their waists and abdomens, and instantly, they collapsed, foaming at the mouth.

"These three won't wake up until dawn. Let's get our stolen money back and get out of here!"

The father and daughter standing nearby were overjoyed and kowtowed to him in gratitude.

"Young lady, in the future, don't help your old man out in the middle of the night so that villains can put on their old tricks."

Watching the figure walk towards the ancient temple on the mountain, the cool, melodious sound carried on the night breeze was still there.

***Exclusively produced by Fengmingxuan*** ***

The ancient temple under the moonlight is filled with a serene radiance. Gazing at the ancient plaque of "Yingyuan Temple", a pair of star-like eyes shine with a deep and bright light. The early autumn wind keeps blowing, and the surrounding environment gradually becomes desolate with the deepening of the night.

In the stillness of the night, with faint stars, the autumn wind blows again, bringing a deeper chill and a message that is not of desolation. Those waiting before the temple squint sharply.

"Achoo!" He sneezed forcefully. The autumn wind at night was particularly chilly, and this wind was truly menacing. He blew his nose and looked up at the moonlight. "Things haven't changed, have they?"

His red nose, tightly knit eyebrows, and pale complexion made his naturally melancholic handsome face very popular with women and young girls, but he avoided them like the plague because their fierce and jealous arguments were completely different from their usual gentle and sweet demeanor.

Therefore, he greatly admired someone who was so comfortable in that situation back then. Until he accidentally learned that the person had to disguise himself as a man, he began to be attracted to that otherworldly aura that emanated from him inside and out. Little did he know... it would become a nightmare that severely damaged his male dignity!

When he sneezed again, the faint sound of footsteps finally came from the other end of the stone path. Facing the elegant figure that seemed to arrive on the moon, the long-lost old friend made him stare in astonishment.

He had always known that she was a woman disguised as a man, but he had never seen her in women's clothing before, so when he saw the beautiful woman walking in the moonlight, he was a little stunned.

"Shufang." Su Shaochu called out with a smile, and before he could respond, her graceful figure was already in front of him, reaching out to wrap her arms around him. "So many years have passed, and I have finally seen you again."

"Uh!" Li Shufang was still in a daze at her appearance and her actions.

"When I saw you in the Green Bamboo Garden, I couldn't believe that Shanshan had really found you."

"Are you...are you alright?" He finally managed to find his tongue and asked.

The long-awaited reunion and her tight embrace moved Li Shufang to hug her back.

"My dear son, you've finally come to save your mother!"

The simple phrase "good son" shattered the touching atmosphere of their farewell into a tragic reality.

"If you dare to push your mother away, there will surely be even more miserable lives in the world as proof of your misery."

Just as Li Shufang was about to push her away, Su Shaochu's cheerful laughter reached his ears.

"Su Shaochu, what exactly do you want?" Li Shufang gritted his teeth.

"A touching reunion between mother and son, why are you so indifferent!" Su Shaochu cupped his face, her expression full of heartache. "Have you been bullied outside these past few years? Oh! That's impossible. With your swordsmanship and personality, it's good enough if you don't bully others."

"You, you—" The naturally melancholic young man's face was contorted with frustration as Su Shaochu rubbed his face.

"Good boy, call me 'Mother'."

"Why must someone as skilled, handsome, gentle, and with an unparalleled melancholy as myself, an outstanding young swordsman, insist on calling a woman only a few years older than me 'Mother'?"

"So you're not going to call me that anymore?" She waited for his answer calmly.

"Really... do we have to?" Li Shufang held a sliver of hope for this Su family ghost, considering his help and past friendship, and decided to treat this gamble as a joke.

"Fine!" Su Shaochu generously spread his hands. "The price for breaking the contract is to give me all your little golden monkeys, including Big Girl, Little Girl, Hairy Girl, and the other tiny girls!"

Li Shufang gasped. Every single girl was his beloved. To give away an entire litter would cost him half his life, and he would grieve for three more years. His lips trembled for a moment before he finally managed to utter, "...Mother."

"My good son." Su Shaochu suddenly flashed a bright smile, which in his eyes was like a devil's smile. "Show the love between mother and son after a long separation, the excited hug, the tears of shouting."

"In such extraordinary times, we shouldn't..."

Seeing a soft hum escape from her smiling lips, Li Shufang was struck dumb, taking a step back in fright. He immediately reached out and hugged her, shouting loudly, "Mother! I... I finally saw you! Although I could have not seen you, seeing you is still... Waaah—" Heavens! Why are you doing this to me!

Tears truly streamed down his face, for it was utterly shameful; and the Meteor Sword and the Twin Swordsmen were now tarnished tonight.

When this Su family ghost wants to accomplish something, he has plenty of ways to make people cry and scream. He experienced this firsthand back then and had nightmares every night, and he still can't get rid of it now.

"Back then...did you really hate me that much back then to resort to such drastic measures?" This was a question he had always wanted to ask, since the engagement, made in the name of mother and son, meant he would never have a chance.

"No." Su Shaochu patted his back and said with a gentle smile.

"Why do you still deny it now? You clearly don't like my feelings for you, that's why you used this method."

"If I said, 'I like you, I like you so much, I really want to keep you by my side,'" Su Shaochu sighed earnestly, "but unfortunately you are a person, and a grown man at that. I can't treat you like a little golden monkey pet. It's perfect that you're here to express your feelings, and well, everything just happened naturally."

Most importantly, the most important thing is which kind of relationship can mold him into whatever he wants; obviously, it's mother and son.

From the very beginning, she found this person incredibly cute and amusing. He had the face of a melancholic young man, but his personality was that of an overly sunny teenager. This contradictory nature of his inner and outer self, coupled with his self-proclaimed aloofness, often led him to jump around hysterically at the slightest provocation. At first glance, she felt that he was a humanoid velvety little golden monkey, and she wanted to find a way to get her hands on him.

"Is this what you call liking someone?" In her heart, he was... a pet. "It happened so naturally, but did you ever think that my chivalrous dignity would also be naturally damaged?"

"It will get better with time." She smiled and spread her hands, telling him to be a man and not be so petty. "Just like when you appeared at Green Bamboo Music, look how well you and Tian'er acted, even your arrogance as young masters was so convincing."

Liu Tian'er was a wealthy young lady whom she had saved before. Her father doted on her since childhood, cultivating her talents in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. After her father's death, her mother remarried. The development of the relationship was somewhat like a scene from a play, except that her mother's new husband was the head of the Duan family, one of the four great families. The second son of the Duan family was in love with her and pursued her relentlessly, leaving her confused between family and love.

'As soon as Shanshan found out Zhu Yu's whereabouts in Jinghui City, she was certain that she would see you at Green Bamboo Gathering sooner or later. To avoid arousing Zhu Yu's suspicion, she sent Tian'er to Green Bamboo Gathering as a spy. For the past two weeks, I've been going there every day, pretending to be a lovesick stepsister.'

"I just didn't expect the old abbot of Miaofa Daoyuan to be here too." Thinking of the old scholar, she was still somewhat incredulous. "That wooden hairpin must also be the old abbot's masterpiece." The old abbot always enjoyed carving little trinkets. "Look at you all, so serious, you seem to be enjoying yourselves very much!"

"Stop talking. He and Lao Yuan arranged for people to play the steward and henchmen, and he actually dared to charge me, a small boss, for their wages. He's a real bloodsucker." Even though he was the behind-the-scenes owner of Hongguan Winery, as long as it wasn't the winery's business, his subordinate in charge of the money still charged him wages.

"That's just like Boss Yuan's personality." Yuan Changqing had been trained by his previous master to manage accounts and finances, and to take charge of the Li family's businesses.

"Tian'er was still worried that I hadn't understood her hint."

Inside the bamboo grove, she expressed her worries several times, fearing that Su Shaochu would have difficulty escaping. Shaochu could only hold her hand, his firm gaze conveying a message to reassure her.

"The appearance of that third prince terrified her!" Tian'er said, still shaken.

Su Shaochu gave a wry smile. "If it weren't for such a troublesome person, would things have come to this?"

"Hmm." Li Shufang frowned, sensing that a group of people were approaching in the shadows, and there were also faint flickering lights in the bushes.

"It seems either I haven't made him lose his temper enough, or he's already gone mad with anger."

Chapter Ten

Below Yingyuan Temple, Yan Pingfei and the real Song Zishao led the guards and countless soldiers, holding torches, to surround the passage below. Soldiers also stood on both sides of the three stone steps in front of the temple gate.

"Young Master Su, the Third Prince is waiting for you. Please come with me!"

Yan Pingfei walked up to the third stone platform and clasped his hands in a fist salute to the upwards.

"I'm afraid I can only disappoint the Third Prince's kind invitation."

"Please don't put me in a difficult position, Young Master Su."

Su Shaochu sighed deeply and then lowered his eyes. "Shufang."

Li Shufang wrapped his arms around her waist, leaped up, his feet touching the stone carvings in front of the ancient temple, and soared even higher, flying over the stone steps and soldiers below.

"Surround him—be careful he doesn't go into the woods!"

The officers and soldiers, as if facing a formidable enemy, lined up in formation along the edge of the woods under Yan Pingfei's instructions.

Before Li Shufang, who was holding Su Shaochu, even landed, the purple rope around his body was already shaking, and the sword on his back flew into the air. As soon as it was unsheathed, the long sword spun in his hand, like a burst of silver light scattering stars in the deep blue night sky. With his swift movement, the sword flow intertwined and created a huge backflow wind pressure. Those who were blocking the way below could not stand and screamed in surprise, tumbling down the stone steps.

Li Shufang landed on the second stone platform. Below, the flat ground was filled with soldiers and guards surrounding him. People from the third stone platform behind him also rushed down. Just as he was about to jump up again with Su Shaochu in his arms, a fierce sword strike came. He blocked it with his own sword and was surprised to find that the attacker's swordsmanship was quite good. To avoid affecting Su Shaochu, he did not attack back but instead retreated with Su Shaochu in his arms.

"Ahem, Shufang, let me introduce you. This is Feng Yan, the legendary swordsman from Nanyuan who, against all conscience, helped the Third Prince to abuse his power."

"Oh!" Judging from the foundation of this sword technique, it should be this person. "I've heard so much about you. Which way do you prefer to die, a severed throat, a pierced heart, or a brain pierced? Duan Liren is very willing to make things convenient for people and send you on your way." He greeted me with the innocence of whether the weather was nice or not.

Feng Yan, who was always cold and indifferent, simply looked at Su Shaochu with his cold, narrow eyes.

"Fourth Young Master, things have gone too far; it's not a good thing."

"Um."

"Feng Yan didn't want to hurt you, but things changed when the Third Prince took action."

These few words encapsulated everything. Su Shaochu sighed softly. Regardless of whether Feng Yan could defeat Li Shufang, all these people tonight were just a prelude. Zhu Yu wanted her to return to his side on her own.

It seems that she has to back down for now.

“Tell Shanshan…” She leaned against Li Shufang’s shoulder and whispered, “Between me and Zhu Yu, only one of us can stay!”

"What does this mean?" Li Shufang asked in surprise.

Su Shaochu smiled at him and patted his face.

"Shufang, don't take this opportunity to run away and make me not see you for several more years."

"Huh?!" This means...

"Ahem, your swordsmanship is so superb that no one can get close to you. So, go down and cover the rear!"

On the stone steps, Su Shaochu gave a forceful push and waved to Li Shufang, who had fallen and was looking on in disbelief.

"It's hard for the two of them to get away together; the troublesome things that follow will all be yours."

"Shaochu——"

Li Shufang swiftly flipped and landed on the first stone platform. When he looked up again, he saw her turning away with Yan Pingfei by her side. He hurriedly tried to leap up again, but Feng Yan's sword attack had already arrived!

In the shadows, the handsome, long eyes that had been observing all this for a long time had been holding back. The two seemed inseparable, especially Su Shaochu, who rarely showed such intimacy with others, leaned his head against the other's body, causing the onlookers to clench their fists until the veins stood out.

First Prince of the Eastern Region, Li Shufang, the Meteor Swordsman—who comes next? Who truly holds a place in your heart?