"kindness."
After settling their luggage in the car, Xue Qing remembered something else: "Oh right, Senior Sister said that Second Senior Brother's place is remote and it's difficult to cash his silver notes. She told us to bring cash and go to the money exchange first."
"I'll go, Uncle-Master, you wait here."
"That's fine, it's too much trouble to travel back and forth by carriage."
Liu Ying went to the money exchange to exchange silver, while Xue Qing sat on the outside of the carriage waiting, using the roof to block the sunlight.
A man who didn't look like a good person swaggered up to Xue Qing: "Little girl, you're pretty enough. Just arrived at Lingyu Mountain?"
Is this a flirtation? Is this what they call a flirtation? Almost two months after transmigrating, she was finally flirted with by a native dressed in ancient costume!
"No, I..." Xue Qing wanted to tell him that she hadn't just arrived, but was just about to leave.
The natives weren't interested in listening to her and interrupted her, saying to themselves, "Luckily, I ran into you. Everyone in Lingyu Mountain knows me. The head of the Lingyu Sect is an old acquaintance of my father. Do you know Aunt Xue from the Lingyu Sect? She's my aunt."
Xue Qing had no idea when she had gained a nephew. Knowing that the person in front of her was bragging and acting like a hooligan, she scoffed and said, "I know you have powerful connections, but I don't care. Please go play over there."
"Little girl, you have high standards. Look how dangerous it is for you to be alone. I'll keep you company." The man said, leaning towards Xue Qing.
Xue Qing pushed him away: "I'm waiting for someone."
Who is it?
"man."
The man wiped his mouth and lunged at Xue Qing, saying, "Little girl, you're getting interesting. I'm a man, aren't I?"
Fortunately, she still carried that flashy hidden sword. The man in front of her didn't know martial arts; if she just brandished a weapon to scare him, he'd definitely wet his pants as he ran. Just as Xue Qing was about to draw her sword, a girl in red blocked her way and kicked the charging man far away.
"You!" Xue Qing could sense that the girl in front of her was the one who had saved her during the chaos in Changsheng Town. Could it be a coincidence? It couldn't be that coincidental.
The girl ignored Xue Qing. Although her movements were subtle, Xue Qing could still sense that the girl was trying to avoid seeing her face. Why? Was it more than just wanting to keep a low profile?
"You, you dare hit me! Do you know that my aunt is Xue Qing from the Lingyu Sect!" The thug lay on the ground, still refusing to behave.
The girl in red didn't say anything. She raised her foot to stomp on the man's face, but before she could step on him, she saw the man collapse limply and faint from fright!
Xue Qing felt ashamed; she was so useless. Luckily, she hadn't drawn her weapon, or he would have been scared to death.
"Girl, let him go. This is Lingyu Sect territory. It's not good to hurt people here." Xue Qing said to the girl in red. If the disciples patrolling down the mountain found out that their martial uncle had been harassed, who knows what kind of trouble they would cause? If word got out in the martial arts world, it would be even more ridiculous than the Xilin Pavilion Master's daughter being jilted.
The girl in red didn't say anything, but she put her feet down, clearly having heard Xue Qing's words.
There's a 50% chance this girl is mute, but Xue Qing still said, "Miss, you saved me in Changsheng Town too? I've always wanted to thank you properly. May I ask your name?"
The girl in red didn't answer, nor did she turn her head. She... ran away. Xue Qing didn't know martial arts, so how could she catch up with her? She could only watch blankly as the crimson figure blended into the crowd and disappeared. Xue Qing suddenly wished she knew martial arts. With a few quick tugs on the ground, she could run faster than Liu Xiang, able to catch those she wanted to catch and dodge those she wanted to dodge. It was all that bastard Yan Ming's fault. Couldn't he concentrate on practicing martial arts? If he hadn't been distracted and suffered a qi deviation, Xue Qing wouldn't have needed to help him regulate his internal energy, and her martial arts wouldn't have been completely ruined. Just imagine how carefree it would be if she were still the Xue Qing who dominated the martial arts world, roaming the world with a sword.
Xue Qing retreated back into the carriage and waited for a while. Liu Ying returned carrying a small floral bag. Although the floral cloth was a bit torn, it was filled with gleaming silver.
"Uncle-Master, we can set off now." Liu Ying put the silver into the carriage and sat down in the driver's seat.
Xue Qing climbed into the carriage, lifted the curtain a little, and spoke to Liu Ying: "Liu Ying, I saw that female knight in red again. She saved me again."
"It's quite a coincidence. There's only a small town here at Lingyu Mountain, and there's no official road leading anywhere else nearby, so very few people come here," Liu Ying said as she whipped the carriage.
"You also think she's following us?"
"Maybe it was someone sent by Yan Ming." Liu Ying was reluctant to say Yan Ming's name.
"She's not one of his people," Xue Qing said definitively. Although Yan Ming had said he would send someone to the Central Plains to keep in touch with her, that person was there to monitor and order her around, not to protect her. Of the six Dao Lords under Yan Ming, only two were women. One was already a young woman, and the other was indeed a young girl. However, the girl was Yan Ming's disciple and had a tendency to have feelings for her master. She knew about Xue Qing's past impure relationship with Yan Ming. To expect her to save Xue Qing was like hoping there was something fishy inside a vegetarian bun. "It's alright, no need to rush. If she really follows us, she will definitely reappear. Once we catch her, everything will become clear."
Storytelling old woman
Although we were delayed a bit at the foot of the mountain, we managed to reach the town before dark. As usual, we checked into the most luxurious inn and requested two adjacent superior rooms.
The small town near Broken Sword Manor was a hub for martial arts enthusiasts. Many were drinking and chatting, several burly men with booming voices. Xue Qing, finding it too noisy, ordered some side dishes and ate in her room with Liu Ying. After dinner, Liu Ying returned to her room, and Xue Qing made her bed, sitting there with nowhere to sit. In ancient times, there were no televisions, no computers, and novel writing wasn't popular. No wonder families had so many children—it was truly boring!
Xue Qing jumped out of bed, put on her shoes, and thought, "A life without Liu Ying is truly incomplete." She went outside; Liu Ying's room was right next door. Xue Qing knocked lightly twice, but no one answered. She knocked harder twice, but still no one answered. The door was locked from the inside, meaning someone was inside. Could it be that Liu Ying forgot to lock the door and a thief broke in? The silver she brought for Dong Chou was all in his room!
How could Xue Qing bear the loss of her property? In her desperation, she disregarded her delicate health (just kidding) and slammed her head against the door. Although Xue Qing had lost her internal energy, her years of martial arts training had made her as strong as an ox. The flimsy wooden door couldn't withstand her brute force and opened with a pitiful thud. Xue Qing rushed in and found a large wooden basin in the center of the room, the hot water still steaming. A person in the water had exposed fair shoulders. Well, all sorts of period dramas had taught Xue Qing that this scene was called bathing, but Xue Qing's actions at this moment were called barging into a men's bathhouse.
Liu Ying was taking a bath when Xue Qing suddenly burst into the room. Her startled gaze met Xue Qing's equally shocked eyes. The awkward silence lasted only a few seconds before Liu Ying struck the water with her palm, channeling all her inner strength. The splashing water, like a mosaic, blocked Xue Qing's view. A drop of water landed on the doorpost beside Xue Qing, gently leaving a small dent. Xue Qing was even more astonished.
"Do you want to kill your martial uncle?!" Xue Qing screamed and ran out of the room. The door slammed shut behind her as soon as she stepped out. Xue Qing squatted by the door, patting her trembling heart. People in ancient times were incredibly protective of their bodies. Chaste and virtuous women could commit suicide to preserve their chastity, and Liu Ying could even kill herself to remain chaste!
After lingering for a while outside the Firefly Pavilion, Xue Qing finally realized she had no chance to go in and obediently got out. It was past mealtime, and there were fewer people, but because of the torrential rain outside, many more had sought shelter in the inn. As mentioned before, entertainment facilities were limited in ancient times, so many people were still sitting and drinking and chatting. Xue Qing ordered a plate of apricot kernel rice and a pot of sake, settling into a corner to eat alone. Eating wasn't the main point; her hearing was excellent, and listening to others talk about things in the martial arts world helped pass the time.
"The year before last, last year, and this year, I've come every year, but Broken Sword Manor still refuses to give me a sword," a swordsman complained after finishing a cup of wine.
"Ha, don't tell me you've only gone three times, I've gone ten times and they still won't help me forge a sword," the person at his table comforted him.
"Why is it so hard to find a suitable weapon?"
"Isn't there another family called Linghu, whose weapon forging skills are also top-notch, even comparable to Broken Sword Manor?"
"Alright, that clan is extremely eccentric, I can't even see them. I'd better just obediently go and beg Broken Sword Manor."
"Sigh, this is the only way."
Xue Qing subconsciously touched the hidden sword in her sleeve through her clothes. This thing must have quite a history. Besides its undeniably shiny and gorgeous appearance, its material is also extremely rare, far superior to anything displayed in ordinary blacksmith shops. Otherwise, Xue Qing wouldn't have been so reluctant to exchange it.
The rain outside showed no signs of letting up, and another person, soaked to the bone, ran into the inn. The person was an old woman with white hair. If she were just an old woman with white hair, there would be nothing special about her. What interested Xue Qing were the two boys following behind her. One had a blue ribbon tied around his head, and the other had a red ribbon tied around his head. The two were twins, which looked particularly interesting. The things the two boys were carrying were also very peculiar. The boy with the blue ribbon was holding a small drum, and the boy with the red ribbon was holding something that looked like a clapper.
Xue Qing wasn't the only one interested in the old woman and the boy. Just as the old woman finished speaking with the shopkeeper, a half-drunk wanderer stood up and said, "Old lady, are you a storyteller?"
The old woman looked at him and said, "I travel all over the world and find joy in storytelling."