"The weather is getting colder. I wonder how Second Brother is doing." Xue Qing sat down in a chair and said with a worried look on her face. Actually, she was wondering just how handsome Second Brother was.
“I haven’t seen my master for three years. He often travels around, so it’s very difficult to see him.” Liu Ying sat down in the chair opposite Xue Qing.
“Yes, it’s so hard to see him,” Xue Qing agreed, though she knew absolutely nothing about it.
"Do you think Second Senior Brother will really agree to become the leader of the martial arts alliance?" Xue Qing remembered that she hadn't come out to play for nothing; she had a mission.
"Logically speaking, no, Master hates trouble the most. But if Uncle-Master goes to ask, it's not certain. Didn't you successfully persuade Master to accept me as your disciple back then?"
Xue Qing understood; they just wanted her to act cute. All she had to do was cry, make a scene, and threaten suicide. The rope was still in her bag.
The next morning, the three of them went to the tailor shop to buy clothes for Jian Die. The tailor was amazed when he saw Jian Die, saying that the little girl was a beauty in the making and that he had to give her a discount. Xue Qing picked out a few outfits that she liked and asked the shopkeeper to wrap them up. The shopkeeper was all smiles and flattered her, saying, "Madam, your daughter will definitely grow up to be a great beauty just like you."
Xue Qing's face immediately turned as long as Changbai Mountain. She dragged Jian Die out the door, shouting, "Liu Ying, don't give him any money! Consider these clothes as compensation for your emotional distress."
The innkeeper, a monk with no idea what was wrong, asked Liuying in confusion, "Sir, what's wrong with your wife?"
Upon hearing the shopkeeper say that Xue Qing was his wife, Liu Ying smiled, took out some silver and placed it on the shopkeeper's table: "Keep the change, this is a reward for your good eye." After saying that, she went out to chase after Xue Qing.
Xue Qing angrily dragged Jian Die out of the tailor shop. Just as they were about to get into the carriage, they noticed a crowd gathered on the street, seemingly watching something.
"Let's go take a look too." Xue Qing became interested and pulled Jian Die over. Liu Ying chased after them from the tailor shop.
The stall being surrounded was selling embroidery. The crowd wasn't drawn to it because of the exquisite craftsmanship of the embroidery, but because the stall owner was being harassed. The owner was a young woman, barely middle-aged, dressed in coarse cloth, but rather quite pretty. A burly man was blocking the embroidery stall, not buying anything but asking all sorts of questions, and even groping the woman. There's a phrase specifically used to describe this situation—harassing a respectable woman.
"Young lady, how much money do you earn in a day?" The burly man grabbed a handkerchief embroidered with flowers and tried to measure it against the young woman, who was so frightened that she backed away.
"It's a small business, I won't make much money," the young woman said timidly, probably afraid the big man would rob her.
"Why don't you come home with me? I have several acres of land; you'll live a life of luxury." The burly man said as he reached out to embrace the young woman.
Xue Qing looked around. Among the crowd were many strong men, yet not one of them intended to step forward to stop them. Xue Qing's anger flared up: "It truly proves Lady Hua Rui's poem: 'One hundred and forty thousand men laid down their arms, and not a single one was a true man! Cocoon Butterfly, go and save that girl."
"kindness."
Just as Cocoon Butterfly was about to make a move, Firefly stopped her with her sword sheath: "We don't need to do it, someone else has taken care of it."
A brightly dressed man used his sword sheath to pry away the burly man's hand from the young woman's body: "Brother, women are meant to be cherished. You're being too rough; be careful not to hurt her delicate skin."
Although the man had regular features, he had a roguish air about him. His collar was a little disheveled, as if he had just woken up from a brothel. But in Xue Qing's eyes, he was extremely tall and imposing. This was a classic case of a hero saving a damsel in distress! In front of a group of cowards, he shone like a luminous pearl in the night.
"Kid, this is none of your business, don't be stupid," the big man said, snorting like an ox.
The lack of television in ancient times was a huge disadvantage. This scene and dialogue are exactly what you'd expect from a TV drama. If that burly man had watched a CCTV8 drama, he would know he had no chance of winning and would be beaten to a pulp. Releasing the woman and leaving gracefully would have been the best choice for a background character like him. But the burly man clearly had no interest in watching TV. He persisted, tearing at the young woman's clothes.
The young woman screamed in terror. Seeing this, the hero, who was trying to save the beauty, drew his sword and swiftly swung the tip across the burly man's body. After the sword's gust of wind, the man's clothes began to slip off his body piece by piece, leaving him shirtless in the cold wind.
The man sheathed his sword and teased, "Cold? If you know you're cold, then don't pull at that girl's clothes. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Didn't your mother teach you that?"
The burly man's face froze in terror: "Mother, Mother... Mother, he's bullying me!" A few beautiful tears streamed down his face. He covered his naked body, pushed through the crowd, and ran away, tears welling in his eyes.
The onlookers applauded and cheered, and Xue Qing clapped along, saying, "Cocoon Butterfly, did you see that? You should marry a man like this; he makes you feel safe."
The man waved to the onlookers, then turned to the young woman he had rescued and asked, "Where do you live, young lady? How old are you? Are you engaged?"
If all ten fingers of a person were middle fingers, Xue Qing would definitely be raising both hands above her head right now. What kind of heroic rescue is this?! She escaped from one lecherous man's mouth only to fall into another! This is supposed to be a heroic rescue?! It's clearly a case of the strong preying on the weak within a lecherous gang!
Before the young woman could answer, the man slapped his forehead and said, "I was being presumptuous. How could I ask a young lady where she lives?"
Xue Qing rolled her eyes. Now she realized that asking too directly would scare the girl away. Too late. Her intentions were now obvious to everyone.
“How could a woman as graceful as you have a place to stay? You must be a fairy from the lake who has come to the mortal world by chance,” the man said.
Xue Qing felt a sudden darkness before her eyes and choked, but fortunately, Liu Ying caught her in time.
"Uncle-Master, are you alright?" Liu Ying asked with concern.
"Not only is everything alright, it's wonderful! From now on, nothing can surprise me anymore," Xue Qing replied.
What is the highest level of flattery? It's not fancy words or a fawning smile, but rather speaking with a sincere face what even a blind person couldn't possibly say, while calmly ignoring the intelligence of others and disregarding one's own.
"Let's go, it's time for us to head to Broken Sword Manor," Xue Qing said to Liu Ying and Jian Die.
“But…” Cocoon Butterfly glanced at the young woman who was still being harassed by the man and said with concern.
"Don't worry, although that man's mouth isn't honest, his hands are much more honest than the previous one. He'll just say a few more words; he won't make things difficult for the girl." Xue Qing patted Jian Die's shoulder to reassure her. Although the girl came from the desert, she had a strong sense of justice.
"Uncle-Master, you dropped your sword," Liu Ying reminded him.
Xue Qing looked down and saw the hidden sword on the ground; it must have fallen out when she almost tripped. She picked it up, and sunlight shone on its blade, refracting the light in every direction, making the entire sword radiate a dazzling brilliance that drew the attention of those around her. The man also noticed Xue Qing—or rather, he noticed the hidden sword first. His expression was one of surprise, but upon seeing Xue Qing with the sword, his expression gradually turned to joy. He released the young woman and ran to Xue Qing.
Xue Qing was startled when she saw the man run up to her. She watched as the man snatched the sword from her hand and examined it closely. The small inscription on the sword, "The sword has no heart, but is devoted to Qing," was still clearly visible.
Xue Qing asked timidly, "Brother... is this robbery?"
"It really is you!" The man returned the sword to Xue Qing, his face beaming like a chrysanthemum blooming at midnight. "I knew you would come looking for me! And you even brought the token of love I gave you! My sweet little Qingqing!"
Xue Qing's eyebrows twitched twice, mainly because the man's strange way of addressing her seemed to be related to her name. She asked weakly, "Brother... what did you say?"
The man continued to call out happily, "It's me! My darling little Qingqing, don't you recognize me? I'm Jian Wuxin!"
boom.
Broken Sword Manor
*Thud.* Xue Qing plopped down on the ground. This time, Liu Ying couldn't catch her, because Liu Ying was also stunned. Xue Qing and Jian Wuxin first met fifteen years ago, and they only met once. Before setting off to conquer the desert, the then-leader of the Lingyu Sect visited Duanjian Manor, and Xue Qing naturally went along. At that time, ten-year-old Jian Wuxin fell in love with five-year-old Xue Qing at first sight! He fell in love! Let's count what happened when Xue Qing was five years old: Jian Wuxin fell in love with Xue Qing at first sight, Xue Qing and Yan Ming secretly pledged their lives to each other, and Liu Ying secretly developed feelings for Xue Qing. So, five years old really is a hurdle in life!
At the time, ten-year-old Jian Wuxin pursued five-year-old Xue Qing with passionate fervor, addressing her in a series of alternating terms: Qing'er → Little Qingqing → Good Qingqing → Darling Little Qingqing → Good Little Qingqing → Darling Good Little Qingqing → Darling Good Little Qingqing. After Xue Qing broke his nose, he reverted to calling her Good Little Qingqing. Afterward, Xue Qing avoided Jian Wuxin, never showing up wherever he was. However, this didn't stop Jian Wuxin from being captivated by his goddess. Every year on Xue Qing's birthday, he would send a gift to Lingyu Mountain, one of which was a hidden sword.