《Step Down, Let Me Come!》 CH 1 Chapter 1: Exile #posted on puretl.com / do not steal or repost! ¡°Don''t play dead! Get up quickly!¡± In a stupor, Shen Tang felt someone kicking her foot. As if kicking wasn''t enough, the other person also started cursing. [MD, who kicked me?] She curled up her legs in pain and weakly opened her eyes. It felt like someone just removed a gauze from her eyes. Her vision changed from a bit sandy to high-definition. [What happened?] Because of the sharp pain, she took one deep breath, as she stared blankly at the unfamiliar things in front of her. [Did I compete at drinking with someone last night?] It seems that after she''s been drinking for most of the night, the editor called her urging for a draft. Therefore, she took a brush in a drinking stupor. #posted on puretl.com / do not steal or repost! No matter what, she couldn''t recall what happened after. Though it can be certain that she shouldn''t be like that now! Shen Tang fiercely pinched herself, until she felt a distinct stab of pain. It broke her happy-go-lucky mindset. After seeing one¡¯s own but still unfamiliar hand, four words immediately popped into her head- She transmigrated! Additionally, she also ¡°traveled¡± to different times. [She merely didn¡¯t know if drinking alcohol or pulling all-nighters to catch up with her schedule was the reason behind her sudden death]. The more she thought about it, the more she felt like the dwarfs were hammering inside her head without stopping. Pain let Shen Tang hastily freeze. ¡°Eat faster, after that we¡¯ll be on our way¡±. She covered her head in an attempt to ease the stinging pain when the tall shadow blocked the sunlight from above. The person wore a pair of straw sandals stained with dark brown mud. He threw out a burnt black, palm-sized pancake, which landed on the muddy ground beside her skirt. Regardless of whether Shen Tang would eat it or not, he continued handing it to others. In the next second, a hand appeared beside her and rapidly took hold of that pancake. Shen Tang reacted too slowly, consequently, she could only glance at the side suspiciously. The one who snatched her food was a woman with messy hair and a dirty face. She used both hands to try to gobble it up. At the moment, she looked exactly like a reincarnation of a starving ghost. She was so afraid that the Shen Tang would take it back, that she didn''t even shake off the dirt from the pancake before she stuffed it whole in her mouth. Finally, as if she still wished for more, she started sucking at the crumbs of a cake that were left on her fingers. Shen Tang ¡°¡­¡­.¡± She also didn¡¯t know how many days the woman went without washing, but the long hair that should be beautiful in a jet-black color was greasy and full of knots. The exposed skin on the head accumulated a layer of a yellow, sticky substance. After a careful sniff, an even weirder stench came from her body. It resembled stinky socks that were stuffed for three to five weeks with hymenanthes to make juice ¨C the only thing that was presentable were her facial features that couldn¡¯t be covered by dirt. Shen Tong amiably reasoned with her ¡°Lady, this is my pancake¡±. Nevertheless, the woman seemed to be deaf and ignored her, still smacking her mouth, relishing the taste of the pancake. At this time, she noticed that the color of her fingers was different from the rest of her hand, and her throat convulsed. She didn¡¯t have mysophobia, but after suffering this kind of visual attack at such a close range, she subconsciously felt physical discomfort. If you looked at Shen Tang now, you could see that her complexion had changed. The woman was worried that the fool would go crazy and start beating herself, so she tried to move her buttocks in the opposite direction. Remaining in one position wasn¡¯t bad, but when she moved, Shen Tang sensed that something was pulling her. She bowed her head to see what was tugging at her waist. It was one extremely thick hemp rope, the one that was used to tie a group of grasshoppers. It bound her body with women of all ages and a messy appearance. After raising her head to look around, as far as the eye could see seemed to be people in coarse hemp prisoner clothes. All of them had a look of tiredness across their faces. There were all kinds of people old and weak, women and children, male and female. Additionally, there were also a dozen or so strong young men dressed more uniformly with sabers hanging around their waists, that were patrolling and overseeing people. When their line of sight swept over the statures of pretty young female offenders, it would occasionally halt for a moment. This, this¡­. Did¡­ a large family commit a crime and then was taken to the execution ground to cancel their household register? They could also be exiled. The difference was only in getting reincarnated quicker or later. [Gulugulugulu] Her stomach untimely rumbled with hunger. It was so loud that even others could hear it. Shen Tang covered her slightly pained belly with a hand. The hunger caused her to salivate. The more she swallowed, the stronger the feeling of hunger became, to the point of being unable to ignore it. #posted on puretl.com / do not steal or repost! In her mind, Shen Tang was knitting her eyebrows. She could only let her attention shift from this torture to the happenings in front of her. Some prisoner anxiously ate food and ended up choking on the dry cake. He unceasingly pounded on his belly in an attempt to swallow it, but his face gradually became blue. People around didn¡¯t seem to care. Neither stepped forward to pat the back, nor handed water. He kicked his legs with difficulty and tried to crawl towards the man dressed as an official. He used all of his strength to extend his right hand to seek help, but until it powerlessly fell during his last breath, the latter still didn''t have any thought of helping. Furthermore, after he kicked the other person''s legs and discovered that he really died, he muttered: ¡°bad luck!¡± He took out a dagger from his waist and bent down to cut off the skin on the right half of the man''s ear, then threw it into a dirty cloth bag. Shen Tang ¡°.....¡± ¡°We should move!¡± ¡°Quicker!¡± ¡°Get up! Don¡¯t give Laozi the reason to whip you!¡± Prisoners put on their heavy shackles again. The shackles for female prisoners were small, weighing about thirty-five catties, and the shackles for male prisoners were more than one size larger, weighing fifty if not eighty catties. The dozen or so young men in uniform urged on, then kicked the prisoners that didn''t react quickly enough. If they still didn¡¯t get up, they directly whipped them. The massive force behind the whippings left a shocking finger-wide injury on their skin. Shen Tang silently immersed herself in walking. She searched the memory of her body with great effort. The result was really unfortunate. She not only did not have the luck of a transmigrator, she also didn''t have the memories of a previous owner of this body as well as home. Besides knowing that her name was Shen Tang and her pen name ¡°You Li¡±, she knew that in her precious life she was painting to make a living. She was also afraid of a nagging editor. Other things were generally vague !!! After stealing glances at the prisoner and the guards nearby, she sighed secretly: [Unlucky, this TM is the beginning of hell, right?] Seriously unlucky, no one is worse off than me! Regardless of this, life is the most important. Should I escape? Or wait for an opportunity to escape after getting to the destination? Presently, it looked like, both of the choices weren''t too optimistic. They hurried on, facing the scorching sun. Midway, some prisoners died from exhaustion. Until sunset smudged the horizon, only then they were granted permission to rest for the night. Guards jointly put up a bonfire. From their luggage, they took out dry meat and put it on fire, then sprinkle a little salt on it to make a pot of broth. This time, Shen Tang reacted really fast, and she managed to save her pancake. Once, she was sitting, she started to attentively chew a stiff ice-cold pancake. She used her saliva to soften it and then swallowed it. She put her attention on the guards that were in a quiet discussion. Despite the content of their talk being sparse, she pieced some information together with difficulty. These prisoners were from one family. Their surname was Gong, The young, and the old, even servants could not escape and were thoroughly captured. They were divided into 3 parts and then escorted to the destination in batches. The men were sent to the frontier to serve as laborers for the army, and the women were sent to the brothel of Xiao city. Shen Tang went with the second group. Most of them were female relatives and maidservants of the Gong family. The most senior among them was the old lord. In this batch were also a few young wives, young and beautiful concubines, heirs of different ages, as well as servants and maids. She reckoned that the owner of this body wasn''t a slave, but an heir. Bones'' age also couldn''t be more than 21 to 22 years old. Because of the sentence, the men have gotten tattoos on their faces, and women have gotten engravings behind their ears. If they were to die on the road, the guards would have simply cut out the patch of skin or ear with characters. She touched her ear, and as expected, it has already formed a scab. Shen Tang ¡°.....dang!¡± Pure: Just as a quick translator note, ¡®MD¡¯ is just a slang for motherf*cker. CH 2 Chapter 2: What a broken meteorite! The bright moon looked bleak, and the stars were sparse. #posted on puretl.com / do not steal or repost! Today''s night resembled a dense, hard-to-dissolve ink, it was desolate and profound. The prisoners subjected to a scorching sun with cangue* on their heads were already marching for the whole day, no matter if it was their bodies or spirits, both were squeezed to the limit. Consequently, one small, rancid and smelly pancake became the most delicious food in the world for them. After eating they laid on the ground, and a moment later the sound of snoring rang in succession. Sometimes the sound of wood cracking coming from the ignited bonfire could also be heard. The guards encircled the bonfire as they took out liquor sacks, and started sipping alcohol. The dried meat in the pottery urn has already been boiled until soft, and then the spices were added, to bring out a strongly concentrated aroma. For these weak prisoners, that for a long time didn''t satisfy their hunger, it had close to a fatal attractive force. Gudong, gulong. Shen Tang heard the sound of others swallowing, as well as the rumbling of their bellies. She lowered her head and stroked her shriveled belly, downcast. She was also hungry. ¡°Do you want to drink?¡± one of the guards scooped out a bowl of soup from the pottery urn. He blew at it before drinking. He noticed the fervent gazes that were directed towards him from the corner of his eyes. Suddenly he looked around harboring malicious intentions and smiled ¡°This meat soup is extremely expensive. If you want to drink it, you need to take out your things for an exchange¡±. The convicted immediately became quiet. Shen Tang lifted her eyelids, pursuing the corner of her mouth. Indignant feeling flashed in the depths of her dark pupils. #posted on puretl.com / do not steal or repost! She merely didn''t remember, it didn''t mean that she really turned stupid. She understood his meaning ¨C who knows what the future holds for them? The women on the verge of entering the brothel, even if they had some money, later everything on them was taken clear. So how can they still have the things to exchange? The answer was obvious. After the guard''s words, his eyes frivolously swept through a group of women. He appreciated the expressions of hesitation or grief on their faces as if watching a play. Another guard smilingly patted the back of his head. He mocked him ¡°You didn¡¯t look at yourself in the mirror and see if you are qualified enough to climb their couch. These certainly are the "nobles" of the Gong family ¡°. He deliberately put emphasis on the word ¡°nobles¡±. ¡°Nobles? What kind of nobles?¡± guard touched the back of his head, intentionally raising his voice, then shouted ¡°people that serve the aristocrats in the brothel?¡± ¡°That''s right!¡± The three tipsy guards also came to join in the fun. ¡°Brothel is not the place that anyone with money can enjoy? It''s not like us brothers really can''t afford this dirty money. If one person can¡¯t then just gather it together. If we can''t afford a whole night, then we will buy half of it. You¡¯ll come for half of the incense, and I¡¯ll come for the other half. ¡°Old three, who do you look down on? Who¡¯ll take half of an incense stick is my grandson*!¡±. Sooner or later they¡¯ll have to begin making transactions, starting it here or in the brothel, is there any difference?¡± Facing this kind of tremendous shame and humiliation, even if it made the male offenders angry, they still didn''t dare to say anything. More attractive females even trembled in fear, ashen-faced. Seeing them saying more and more outrageous things, the head guard could only make an appearance to stop it. ¡°The few of you calm down a bit! You are becoming more and more absurd! Wait for our assignment to end. It''s okay if you like going to brothels, but there is no need to gaze at these women! Cheer up and watch these people! The superior instructed that if any of them escaped, no one would be able to eat and walk around!¡± Guards fell silent, after a moment one person mumbled. ¡°All of them had their wenxin and wudan destroyed, how could they escape?¡± Wenxin? Wudan? Shen Tang keenly caught these two words. Without any indication, a sharp burst of pain that she couldn¡¯t ignore came from the depths of her mind. She heard guards starting to quietly fawn over head guard again, one of them said smilingly: ¡°If it goes for these criminals from the Gong clan, no matter how well-off they were before, right now, it is all in the past. We are only low-grade gongshi*, yet you are 3-grade Zanniao¡±. Others also added: ¡°that''s right, that''s right. Head, these criminals are not women but abolished and useless people, how can they escape?¡± Low-grade gongshi? 3-grade Zanniao? What are those things? Shen Tang frowned and gritted her teeth, enduring continuous bursts of strong pain. Unknowingly, her forehead was already covered in a thin layer of cold sweat, her complexion has also turned pale. Even though she already restrained herself, the trembling movements alarmed the surrounding prisoners. The women opened their eyes to glance at Shen Tang. Seeing her supporting her forehead with a look of unbearable pain, moreover groaning, they turned around. Murmurs sounded ¡°Crazy¡­¡± Unaware of time, the pain seemed to cross over a critical point. Hong! After that, the ache receded like a tide. Shen Tang panted lightly as if she had received an amnesty, she appeared bewildered. After she regained soberness, she recalled one more scrap of unfamiliar memory. She closed her eyes tightly ¨C Two years ago, the world was fixed. On the night that meteorites descended like rain, there was one star unlike others, it spread a strange dazzling light, dyeing the whole sky purple. This meteorite rain reversed the factors of the war and let the overlord who was only one step away from reaching the top bear a grudge. What¡¯s most important, It rapidly changed this world. #posted on puretl.com / do not steal or repost! Since then, the group lost a leader, and all the warlords and princes started to assemble their own troops. The world reverted to chaos. Subsequently, it split into 100 endlessly warring countries. When the people were unable to make a living, some of them started to realize the unbelievable changes that occurred in their bodies. Scholars practicing martial arts could better absorb the qi from heaven and earth and gather it to the pubic region, to temper one''s body. The dantian is divided into the literary side and the martial arts side. The energy of heaven and earth can be condensed into pellet and then changed into ¡°Wenxin¡± or ¡°Wudan¡±, both of them had their own merits. Along with the people continuously exploring, gradually the system of division was created. Wenxin was divided into 9 ranks. Their words came true, they could create something from nothing, form troops, and then while talking and laughing win from a distance of a thousand miles. Wudan had 20 ranks, one man could hold the pass against a thousand armies, but a magnificent army could only kill 7 people and lose 7, suffering a crushing defeat. Gongshi and Zanya ranks belong to Wudan. They are distinguished into low-level and Third Class, respectively. The highest level of Wudan is 20th, Chehou. After the wily star descended from the sky, only the three people have gotten the rank of "Chehou". All of them were heroes with an unequalled spirits, able to move mountains and protect the heavenly pillars of the country! Shen Tang arranged this unfamiliar memory, and she became speechless. She just guessed she should be a wenxin or wudan artist and even if her physique was abolished, it should still be better than that of an ordinary person. Perhaps she could use her ability to escape. Who knew that when she just thought of that, in her mind appeared a small line of information that cut short her extravagant hopes. She is a woman. In this world, women''s bodies were like broken bags, even though they could realize the existence of qi from heaven and earth, they still had no way to gather it into their pubic region. Naturally, they don''t have so-called wenxin, wudan. Shen Tang ¡°...Dang!¡± This broken meteorite could also be sexist? She just stopped swearing in her heart, when she heard the head guard sternly reminding his subordinates. ¡°What do you fools know?¡± the head guard was flattered and felt happy, but he didn''t get carried away. ¡°Shi clan was searched, and their possessions were confiscated, but not everyone got caught. I heard that the wudafu (9 rank) still managed to escape if we meet¡­ humph!¡± 3rd-rank zanniao can let the low-grade artist cry and shout for mum and dad, lost. Wudafu is classified as a 9 grade. He can beat Zanniao (3-grade) like a grandfather, his grandson. If Wudafu appeared to seize people, I¡¯m afraid that they can''t even escape with their lives¡­ Of course, the possibility wasn¡¯t big. Everyone understood, and at the same time felt sorry for each other. Because of this small episode, they had no choice but to put away their [wanton] hearts. They didn¡¯t dare to rush. The surroundings were quiet, only the sound of crying birds remained. Shen Tang had nothing to live for now. At this moment, she became keenly aware of the movement of the hemp rope around her waist, followed by the rolling sound of a small stone being thrown out. After hearing the movements, the guard came over. He warned quietly: ¡°What are you doing?¡± The woman who snatched Shen Tang''s pancakes during the day, swallowed her saliva, and asked, ¡°Is there still broth in master''s place?¡± Shen Tang was already nodding off to sleep, but the tip of her brow still trembled. T/N: *The 20 ranks of Wudan refer to the 20-grade military title system of the Qin Dynasty (¶þÊ®µÈ¾ô). From low to high, it is Gongshi, Shangzao, Zanniao, Bugeng, Dafu, Guandafu, Gongdafu, Gongcheng, Wudafu, Zuo Shuchang, You Shu Chang, Zuo Geng, Zhong Geng, You Geng, Shao Shang Zao, Da Shang Zao, Si Che Shu Chang, Da Shu Chang, Guan Nei Hou, Che Hou. *The division of Wenxin was born out of the nine-rank Zhongzheng system (¾ÅÆ·ÖÐÕýÖÆ) used in Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties. Unlike Wudan, which can be upgraded, the rank of Wenxin is fixed under normal circumstances. It is like a blind box and has a few ranks_(:§Ù¡±¡Ï)_ Cangue - wooden collar-like stocks used to restrain and punish criminals in China Grandson¡ªit¡¯s a saying, the one with the lowest status in the group is a grandson. CH 3 Chapter 3: Where are your manners? #posted on puretl.com / do not steal or repost! The woman''s words distracted the guard for a moment. Soon after, he understood them thoroughly. His hand impolitely grouped her fine and soft waist, as his eyes wantonly sized her up. ¡°Just in time. There is still one bowl left. Young lady wants to try?¡± The woman inquired once again ¡°Is there also a cake?¡± The guard pretended to hesitate, yet he still squeezed her waist hard. From the woman''s mouth came a faint panting sound. This frail sound was like a feather tickling the apex of the heart. The roots of the ears of surrounding people turned hot, and the tailbones became numb. #posted on puretl.com / do not steal or repost! ¡°Hiss! ¡ª small lady, the spirits of everyone who can hear your voice wants to fly away. If you go to the brothel, in just several days you will definitively rise to the top¡­¡± Guard reduced the strength of his hand ¡°Cake, maybe there is, but it depends on your performance¡±. This woman looked unkept, and an unappetizing odour still lingered on her whole body. However, the road to exile was difficult. Who wasn¡¯t stinking, after a day of travelling in this heat? Additionally, that guard didn''t meet up with a woman for a long time, and someone just like he wanted recommended their bed to him. Thinking of this, he couldn¡¯t help but snicker. No wonder colleagues liked escorting female offenders. After all, the work was this rewarding and uncomplicated. In the end, you could also get lucky with women on the road. Who knew - The woman raised her hand to caress the back of his hand and gently took it away under his puzzled eyes. ¡°What¡¯s up with you?¡± The guard just wanted to explode, when the woman neither quickly nor slowly said: ¡°Your servant is a married woman with a boy and a girl, in regard to appearance, how can I compare to this young and inexperienced girl? I¡¯m worried that my words weren¡¯t thoughtful, how about¡ª¡° When speaking, her line of sight shifted to Shen Tang. The guard understood and sneered: ¡°What a cruel woman! You want her to serve me, while you will drink soup and eat cake?¡± ¡°Master is somewhat unaware. This girl was raised by me¡±. ¡°You raised her?¡± It was obvious from his expression that he didn''t believe her. How can a mother, in order to get one bowl of soup and cake, personally push their daughter into the man''s embrace? ¡°Previously, what master said was correct. Things got this far, it is only a matter of time before she enters the brothel to be humiliated. Rather than giving this girl''s pure body cheaply to somebody with low status, leaving a lifetime of regret, it''s better to ask the master for help. If you are satisfied, she will suffer less on the road¡±. The woman''s act seems sincere. People that didn''t know the truth could think that she was some kind of caring mother. The guard got dizzy, because of her words. Such a wonderful thing existed? He himself not only could enjoy women, but he would also amass good virtue, since this was such an admirable and exemplary deed? Shen Tang ¡°¡­¡± Where are your manners? This woman¡¯s bone age was at most 20 years old, so how could she give birth to 11 or 12-year-old girl? If you want to be a brothel keeper to harm her, just say so, but you had the audacity to claim yourself as her mother! She completely couldn¡¯t tolerate it! She couldn¡¯t act anymore, Shen Tang gradually woke up, and then she fixed her dark eyes on the woman. The line of sight of the guard swam between them: ¡°Why doesn¡¯t she get close to you?¡± The woman said: ¡°This kid was born with a brain disease, so she would occasionally be out of her mind. She was always served with the utmost care, so her skin is soft and tender. She can serve others without a hitch¡­¡± ¡°Why is she called ¡°Shen¡±, not ¡°Gong¡±?¡± These female offenders are not the type of people who would get involved in everything. Guard because of his cautiousness, first looked at Shen Tang tattoo behind her ear. She wasn''t ¡¯t called ¡°Gong¡± and she was young. After pondering about the list of offenders, he realized she should only be a slave girl. Who knew this woman would continue with her excuse:¡° She was brought into Gong household after being raised by the parents of my deceased husband. Naturally, her surname takes after him. The head of the family thought she was suffering alone and didn''t have anyone to depend on, so they showed kindness and allowed this slave to take her into the mansion to raise her¡±. Guard: ¡°¡­¡± Since she wasn¡¯t an important female prisoner, he can take it. He chose Shen Tang. As for this woman¡­ It was still far from the Xiao city, so there will be plenty of chances. He also ¡°as promised¡± gave the woman one extra warm soup and pancake. He exchanged greetings with his colleagues standing on a night watch and pulled Shen Tang to the back of the small slope in the distance. The night turned so dark, that only the vague shadows could be seen. The guard on a night watch joked: ¡°finish quickly and let the brother also have fun, don''t think that you can eat alone¡±. ¡°This is natural. Even if I forget about others, I will never forget about my brothers. The fingers at the side of Shan Tang¡¯s body curled, her mood started to fluctuate. If she rejects now, she will offend these guards, and then the situation may get out of control. But if they were alone - Unexpectedly, this is a fantastic opportunity. #posted on puretl.com / do not steal or repost! One low-level Gongshi is easier to handle than a whole group. Despite her incomplete memory, intuition told Shen Tang, that low-level Gongshi is exactly the weakest among them! Her expression moved a little, and in silence, she hung her eyelids, trying hard to put up a good act of a fool with a brain sickness. When Shen Tang was taken, the woman just started to loudly drink hot soup. She lifted her head just in time to meet with Shen Tang¡¯s deep dark pupils. It seemed like one look was enough to see through her soul, leaving her with no place to hide. The woman''s hair stood on the ends. She lowered her head scowling: ¡°Crazy¡±. Behind the small slope were weeds. The underbrush was tall enough to reach a person''s waist. It was dense and stuffy. Because Shen Tang ¡°naturally had brain disease¡±, the guard wasn''t afraid of her running away. He half kneeled on the ground, with an impatient expression, urgently bowing his head to release his belt. ¡°E - ¡° The dark silhouette dazzled past in front of his eyes, and before the guard had time to react, his neck was already being tightly strangled from the front to the back by a tick hemp rope. Sneak attack! Without having taken any precautions against her, how could he think, that Shen Tang could suddenly revolt? But he is not a low-grade Gongshi for nothing, so wasn¡¯t it fairly simple for him to deal with a woman who was attempting to escape? At once, he urged his wudan to work. His arms visibly expanded several times. The muscles looked like stones, full of explosive power. The power of wudan was enough to easily smash her head, break her hands and feet, as well as damage the bones all over her body. The guard effortlessly broke free from the hemp rope, and then threw it away. As fast as lightning, he prepared to capture Shen Tang. However, Shen Tang unexpectedly was quicker than him and throw a punch. This punch almost left an afterimage. It was fast, fierce, and accurate, directly hitting his chin. The faint sound of swaying water in the brain resounded. Grabbing this opportunity, Shen Tang once again fiercely started to suppress him. She turned her hand to restrain his wrists and used the other hand to stop the death roar from reverberating from his throat. Kacha kacha - She disposed of him without a tiny bit of hesitation. Two sounds of breaking bones ring out almost at the same time. Shen Tang ¡°¡­¡± Looking at the guard''s head that was slanted at a weird angle, her mood turned from relaxed to dreamlike in an instant. Low-grade Gongshi¡­ Only this? Only this? She slumped to the side. ¡°This also¡­ is too much to take in¡­¡± Although she had the advantage of the sneak attack, but this really came out way too smoothly. This matter ends here. She also had no time to think about it. She hurriedly searched the body of the guard and took all of his valuables and food. After that, she ran in the opposite direction. She needed to urgently escape. In case she was discovered missing and pursued, there were only two roads awaiting her. One way was to get rid of all the guards, which included the 3th-grade Zanniao with an unknown depth. Intuition told her that this road wasn''t too optimistic. Or she could become crippled and taken back, then what awaited her at the end was life worse than death. As for this woman - Later, she will search for a brothel in the Xiao city, to pay her a visit! Shen Tang gritted her teeth and hurried madly in one direction. She didn''t even care about the debris laying on the ground, which hurt the soles of her feet. Who would ever think - She just ran for less than a half stick of incense, when a vague sound of horse hooves appeared behind her. The sound was quickly looming. Sound of horse hooves??? #posted on puretl.com / do not steal or repost! Wait a bit, the officials didn''t have horses, so how did this sound appear? She didn''t have time to think if it was an enemy or a passerby when the intense sense of danger spread from the back of her heart to the whole body. Shen Tang reacted instantly, rolling to the right, when she stabilized she saw the arrow deeply embedded in the position she was just now. Following the direction of the flying arrow was surprisingly the leader of the guards riding on his horse with a murderous aura. Shen Tang ¡°¡­Dang!¡± CH 4 Chapter 4: The final nail in the coffin of theology ¡°How come you are the only person standing guard on night watch? The head of the guards had already returned from his patrol and discovered that one of his subordinates on sentry duty was gone. ¡°Oh, he. A female criminal was looking for him, he is with the woman right now¡±. The subordinate pointed in the direction of a small slope, as he winked knowingly at his boss. This kind of thing was quite common on the road to exile. The convicted, wanting to face fewer hardships, had to either be looked after by somebody of higher status or have a relative that would be willing to bribe the guards for them. If they didn¡¯t have a chance at either of them, they could only use their own bodies as capital to buy guards. The people from Gong clan had been searched thoroughly and exiled. Even their former colleagues and students had to face some consequences. Who would have the energy to take care of others? It left the convicted with only one choice. It is better not to say anything about how pleasant this job could be. The head of guards naturally also knew about these unspoken rules. ¡°How long has he been there already?¡± ¡°Just a moment¡±. ¡°Humph, he¡¯s absconding!¡± ¡°Nevertheless, according to the speed of this youngster, he should be nearly done. He¡¯s fast, so he won¡¯t need to use too much time¡±. After hearing it, the corner of mouth of the head of guards moved slightly. Apparently, he wanted to laugh, but stiffly endured. He lifted his face while pretending to be serious. ¡°After he comes back, tell him that, he has two extra hours of duty¡±. After waiting for a while, no one came back. Is it possible that this youngster truly got a useful folk remedy from somewhere and cured his venereal disease? The guard couldn''t sit still, looking at the convicted sleeping like dead pigs, he wasn''t afraid that they would take this opportunity to escape. Therefore, he quietly stood up to follow Shen Tang and the man. After listening to the movements, he guessed that the two of them were almost done. It was just in time for the change of duties. However, when he approached the small slope, he got a foreboding feeling. The movement of this place was too abnormal! There were neither breaths that would make people''s ears burn nor exciting sounds of banging. Only the sounds of animals and wind brushing the weeds could be heard. ¡°Old Zhou? Are you¡ª¡° He shoved down his restlessness and quickly brushed the dense cluster of weeds aside, calling out his colleague''s name. Promptly, his shouts came to a stop. He lowered his head to take a look at the thing he just stepped on - One arm! With the help of a hazy light of the night, the guard discerned that the hand belonged to the corpse of a man with a crooked head, and that man was the one he just called ¡°Old Zhou¡±! ¡°Dead, he has died!¡± His frightened scream attracted the attention of the head of guards. The person was already dead, but his body was still warm and soft like the body of a living person. Furthermore, the body still wasn¡¯t cold, so it was clear that the man just died. The head of guards pinched the neck and wrist of the body to examine it. Judging from the traces, he should have been killed off in an instant. The strength of this person''s hand and fingers must have been extremely powerful. Even though hints of him using wudan were left on his body, his life was still taken without any significant resistance. The murderer was certainly more powerful than this low-grade Gongshi. ¡°What about this female offender? Did you find her body?¡± Seeing that the body was thoroughly looted, the head of the guards thought of something. Subordinate answered: ¡°No, we didn¡¯t find her. There is only Old Zhou¡±. The head of guards ¡°¡­¡± Somebody died, and the female offender couldn¡¯t be found? Did someone help her? With this guess, his expression turned sinister. ¡°Come back for now and watch over the prisoners! If you find someone suspicious among the people, directly kill them!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The head of guards followed the traces left by Shen Tang. Before long, on the dark road before him appeared the vague silhouette of an escapee. Without the slightest hesitation, he pulled on the string of his bow. The arrow left the string. He shot in the direction of Shen Tang¡¯s vest. Without any suspense, it should have been a sure kill. Who would have expected that she had eyes on the back of her head and could immediately dodge the arrow that was about to hit her? ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that there was still such a slippery fish left!¡± He urged his horse to jump over Shen Tang¡¯s head. He tightened the reins, and the horse''s hoofs stabilized. Then, he blocked her path and said angrily: ¡°You disguised yourself as a woman and mixed in with other female offenders. Then, you seized the opportunity to escape. Gong traitor, you had a good plan!¡± The possessions of the Gong¡¯s criminals were confiscated. No matter their age, males had their dantian abolished. It was firstly to prevent criminals from fleeing and secondly to stop them from taking vengeance someday. Before his eyes was a lonely criminal, without any support. ¡°Shen Tang¡± must have used sex appeal to tempt the guard and then, taking advantage of his relaxed mood, dealt with him using a sneak attack. But even if the low-grade Gongshi put his guard down, he still wasn¡¯t someone that a woman can behead in an instant. Furthermore, after looking at his wound, he concluded that the attacker had to have wenxin or wudan. It is a well-known fact that women don¡¯t have that ability, so he concluded that the ¡°female offender¡± before his eyes naturally was a man. The male that wasn¡¯t discovered for such a long time in the group of women, without a doubt, had to be protected by other prisoners. He summed it up. This person had to wield a fairly important position and power in the Gong clan. If this kind of significant fish ran away, how could he return to report the completion of his mission? In the blink of an eye, he came up with a logical conjecture. Shen Tang stood up from the ground. Ptooey! She spat out the sand that was sticking to the corner of her mouth. Then, she heard the words of the head of the guards. Why did he call her a cross-dresser? In addition, why did he address her as ¡°Gong traitor¡±? You can¡¯t bully her, just because she still doesn¡¯t have her memories! You shouldn¡¯t casually assume things! ¡°He, then what do you think?¡± After Shen Tang finished speaking, she inattentively pulled at her injured cheek. The faint sting made her gasp¡ªjust now she had to evade in a hurry, and her cheeks were painfully scratched by the debris on the ground. It was painfully hot. She didn¡¯t have to touch it to know that she was bleeding¡ªher sight from the beginning to the end didn''t leave her enemy. ¡°Come back with me, I won¡¯t kill you¡±. Shen Tang was amused by his words: ¡°You won¡¯t kill me? You¡¯re a bastard spitting nonsense!¡± I will believe you in your dreams! ¡°Since we can¡¯t come to an agreement, then¡ª¡°The head of the guards didn''t get angry. Instead, with rapid attention, congregated his qi. Through the depths of his eyes flashed a killing intent, ¡°Spear, blade, sword, halberd, bow, crossbow dagger-axe and mao spear¡ªkill!¡± Shen Tang ¡°¡­eh?¡± Why did he suddenly start to recite something? As soon as the question popped into her brain, the longbow in the hands of the head of guards transformed into a cross-shaped halberd. It was nearly ten feet long. The sharp point headed straight at her face. He didn¡¯t have any moral conduct of a martial artist. Shen Tang was frightened by this unexpected situation. She agilely tilted her head and leaned back, avoiding the fatal strike. The longer the weapon in hand, the wider the attack range and attack power. Nearly one foot long, a strange long halberd in the hand of the head of guards was precise like a spear and watertight. Horizontal cross or straight thrust, the halberd was like an extension of his arm. What''s worse, Shen Tang was empty-handed. Under these circumstances, not to mention an escape, she has simply become a living target who could just die from exhaustion. As for the setting of changing the appearance of the weapon after reciting a few words, this kind of the nail in the coffin of science¡­ Finally, she realized how the horse appeared there. Can this world become more unscientific? Ptooey! The sharp point of the long halberd scratched her left arm, directly inserting into the ground, looking at that her hair stood on ends. If she had reacted a bit more slowly just now, this would have definitely stabbed her heart through! ¡°Spear, blade, sword, halberd, bow, crossbow¡­¡± Her life was hanging by a thread. She was dodging while holding onto a glimmer of hope that she could also conjure a weapon¡ªeven though the women of this world couldn¡¯t use wudan and wenxin. Why couldn''t there be an exception? Before she could finish speaking, she was interrupted by the oncoming halberd. The head of guards taunted her: ¡°You''re merely an ant, don¡¯t overestimate your strength!¡± Shen Tang ¡°¡­¡± She recalled that up to now no one could make her so frustrated, besides the editor! When the halberd came again, she grabbed the tip of it with her bare hands in fury and pulled at it angrily. ¡°Enough!¡± Obscure rage in her chest boiled, charring. The piece of writing suddenly emerged and began to burn repeatedly. Intuition told her that this piece may be the key to her victory. The content was like that - [The sword in the hand of a loving mother¡­] CH 5 Chapter 5: Late novice benefits ¡°Lo, loving mother¡­ sword?¡± Shen Tang was stupefied, was it really the sword and not a thread? The second part was even more surprising in that it was about ¡°striking at her leaving son¡± !* This ¡°loving mother¡± was really toxic. If the first part was still comprehensible¡ªno matter how good-tempered a loving mother could be, she still could lose her temper when her son starts to cause her trouble. Otherwise, from where ¡°Filial children come from strict upbringing¡± would come from¡ªbut the following sentence simply shocked her deeply! [Eighteen blows per second, the sword strikes critically]. Shen Tang''s first reaction was to guess - Was the ¡°son¡± dead? Can this kind of improper and awful literature seriously be a key to her victory? She began to doubt her intuition. The head of the guards, who was forcibly thrown off from his horse, also began to feel the absurdity of this situation¡ª unexpectedly, he was forcibly thrown off his horse by a little more than a ten-year-old prisoner! At this time, he started to show his true murderous intent. If he doesn''t kill this Gong traitor today, then in the future it will definitely bring him trouble! To uphold the ¡°immovable like a mountain, moving like a thunder¡±* standard, he suddenly accumulated strength in his arm and retracted the tip of the halberd, then with lightning speed stabbed out again, aiming at Shen Tang¡¯s left eye. Who knew - The anticipated incident of halberd piercing through the skull did not happen. On the way, he encountered a resistance that almost numbed the web between the thumb and forefinger of his hand. Clang! The tip of the halberd and the body of the sword offset each other. It was an ancient sword with a simple and inelegant shape, but a sharp blade. It appeared with a faint sound of dragons singing and tigers roaring. And the person holding the sword was truly Shen Tang! After witnessing this scene, the pupils of the chief official trembled slightly. The two of them reached a stalemate. This also gave Shen Tang a breather. She didn¡¯t know if she should use this short time to complain about ¡°the loving mother sword¡± that unexpectedly really changed into a sword or to pity herself for receiving the blade with her bare hands¡ªbeing a master painter who adores her job, for her, the hand was absolutely more important than her brain! Just now, controlled by rage, she unexpectedly used her precious right hand to receive the sharp blade with her bare hands. Fortunately, she didn''t injure her muscles and bones. Otherwise, if she wouldn¡¯t be able to take the brush for the rest of her life, then what would be left for her? And this person in front of her who had hurt her right hand - Shen Tang''s pupils became cold. Today, let this ¡°loving mother¡± carefully teach this overage boy well! Just as the two of them were at a stalemate, Shen Tang made a wrong step. The sharp sword blade brushed against the halberd, and the distance between them instantly narrowed. At the same time, she also whispered the last deranged sentence - [Eighteen blows per second, the sword strikes critically]. In the instant she took out the sword, an invisible, powerful force converged from her pubic region to her right hand. It not only made the heavy sword in her hand feel as light as a feather but also increased her speed. Now, every time she took out the sword, it left an afterimage. It was deserving of the sentence ¡°sword strikes critically¡±. Originally there was only one sword, but at this time 18 of them appeared. Each of them headed directly for a vital point. The sword shadow and sword light intertwined into a web. Reasonably, this could turn the skull of the guard into a hedgehog, but this world was so ignorant of martial ethics, not to mention science - The guard crossed his arms. He used wrist protectors made of ferrous metal to forcibly resist 18 swords. He came out unscathed! No, can¡¯t say unscathed. At least she managed to poke at the bun on the top of his head. After noticing this, Shen Tang almost started shouting insults. Can this world still be better? If 3rd-grade Zanniao was already this problematic, then wouldn''t the 20th-grade Chehou from his place soar straight to the heavens? The expression of the head of guards became more focused and dignified. He waited for Shen Tang to slow down, looking for the opportunity to make a move, then punched, leaving a red shadow. Shen Tang promptly dodged, and the shadow of his fist smashed a big hole in the ground. Sand arose, blocking her line of sight. When she could see clearly again, she found one sharp broadsword coming straight at her face. She had no choice but to resist with a horizontal slash. She slightly bent her knees under immense pressure, and her center of gravity sank. She forcibly took on this blow. The loud clang of swords could make people have auditory hallucinations. The leader of the guards: ¡°I underestimated you!¡± He was aggressively closing on her. After a one-round fight, the two sides were exhausted however, he still didn''t take down the prisoner. Shen Tang was already heavily breathing, and a thin layer of sweat appeared on her forehead unknowingly. It was widely recognized that the 3rd-rank Zanniao was 2 or 3 times more powerful than the low-grade Gongshi. The head of guards brandished his sword with full strength. He was in a hurry to split her in half. Because of that, she suspected that her arm was already on the verge of becoming useless. The great pain, caused her mood to be far from good. ¡°Humph! Clearly, I overestimated you too much¡± No means no, why actually bother to say anything ¡°I on the contrary overestimated you¡± ¡­ Show off! ¡°But, only to this point¡ª¡° The head of guards was unaffected by Shen Tang''s provocation, and he put away his anger. He quickly dragged the blade however, it stopped a foot before the latter. His thick eyebrows curled up. A loud shout reverberated through the empty space. ¡°Who are you? Come out!¡± Shen Tang was frightened, her back turned cold. Someone was in the vicinity? Just at this time, a magnetic deep male voice entered her ears. She just heard, as this person unhurriedly say: ¡°Those who have the ambition to help the world should hide their inner aspiration; the teeth are hard but are the first to be lost, and the tongue is soft but remains until death. The soft can overcome the hard, the weak can overcome the strong¡±.* After listening to it, the face of the guard turned ashen. The words dropped and a black and white calligraphy painting unfolded under Shen Tang''s feet. The characters flew out, and one by one entered her body. In one moment she completely restored her energy! Her arms stopped hurting and her breathing calmed down. Her strength came back. No, she had even more energy! She had a premonition, if she tried to strike once again, then it wouldn''t be only 18 swords that would appear, but 36! This was obviously a friend! Was it a late novice benefit for transmigrators? After noticing that Shen Tang''s breath stabilized, the head of guards cursed in his mind. He nearly ground his teeth into molars. ¡°Hindering official business is a crime deserving of death!¡± Man ridiculed: ¡°Then I won''t hinder you in punishing a person and look at it from here?¡± The head of guards remained unresigned: ¡°Gong clan had done many wrongdoings, but you associate with this Gong traitor. Are you not afraid of stirring trouble for yourself? ¡°Why Gong clan was ruined, you know better than I. Who is the traitor, is still unknown¡±. The head of guards understood that he had no chance, but he was still in a tangle. He was afraid, that what he had to face now was the joined forces of Shen Tang and the man in the dark. He could lose his life like that! He had no alternative but to hang down his blade and withdraw in front of Shen Tang. He retreated several feet and then unwillingly left on his horse. Nearly at the same time, the calligraphy under Shen Tang''s feet scattered. Following the disappearance, Shen Tang who had just recently acquired new energy resumed her state from before. Shen Tang ¡°...¡± Wasn¡¯t the limit time of this buff too short? The crisis was resolved. She sat on the ground adjusting her breath. She looked unbelievingly at her own hands - unexpectedly, she was able to survive the opening of hell and survive until the novice protection period arrived. She was even able to keep her small life¡­ One is bound for good fortune after surviving the calamity! While wiping the hot sweat, Shen Tang conveniently looked at the meagre silhouette of a young man with blue lips walking out from behind the trees. She promptly got up to face him and express her thanks ¡°Many thanks mister for saving my life¡±. The young man looked at Shen Tang. He narrowed his eyes sizing her up for a moment, then said indifferently: ¡°No need. It was because he discovered my tracks first and shouted. You are the male successor of the Gong clan, I don¡¯t want to save you, but kill you¡±. Shen Tang ¡°...¡± The smile on her lips gradually froze. *The poem ¡°Song of the Parting Son¡±£¨¡¶ÓÎ×ÓÒ÷¡·ÌÆ ÃϽ¼£©, written by Tang Dynasty poet Meng Jiao, is among the classic poems about a mother''s selfless love. It¡¯s a modified version. *¡¶Ëï×Ó¡¤¾üÕù¡· Sun Tzu - ¡°The Art of War¡±, Military Contention * ±Ü»ö¾íÎå ¡°Avoiding misfortune¡± vol. 5 - ¡¶È¨Ä±²Ð¾í¡·ÕžÓÕý ¡°Classic of tactics¡± Zhang Juzheng. CH 6 Chapter 6: Seal of state, power of language Shen Tang settled her mind, looking straight at the youth. She asked him: ¡°Do you have a grievance with Gong clan?¡± Who knew that the youth''s answer would be so unpredictable? To her surprise, she saw him put both hands in his sleeves, half leaning on a tree trunk, slightly drooping his eyelids. He indifferently said: ¡°No grievance¡±. Shen Tang ¡°¡­¡± If you don¡¯t have a grudge, then why do you involve yourself in this? Why would you want to kill Gong''s clan male successor? Maybe Shen Tang''s expression was too indescribable because the youth seemed displeased. ¡°What¡¯s with this expression?¡± Naturally, it was the expression of someone looking at the mental disorder patient! Shen Tang ridiculed him in her mind however, she said: ¡°If you don¡¯t harbor a grievance, then is there a need to be so cruel?¡± Youth sneered: ¡°You are a child from the Gong clan, how could you not know?¡± Shen Tang ¡°¡­¡± She already stated that she doesn''t want others to randomly create a new, strange identity for her. She took a long breath and slowly exhaled the stale air in her chest. Then, she put on an ¡°amiable¡± expression. ¡°Mister, I engraved in my heart the grace of saving my life, but you should understand a few things¡±. ¡°Say it¡±. ¡°First, I¡¯m not a child of a Gong clan¡±. After she said that, Shen Tang noticed that the expression of the youth had changed. She didn¡¯t care if the juvenile didn¡¯t believe her and continued: ¡°The second, I really don¡¯t know the reason for your malice. The third, I definitely am not a successor of a Gong clan¡­¡±. Clearly, she is a real woman. Although she was still young, so her body didn¡¯t start to develop, and she didn''t have any obvious characteristics of these two sexes however, after looking at her face you couldn¡¯t easily misidentify her gender! The juvenile carefully sized Shen Tang''s face, after looking at her eyes, he seemed to cautiously consider the truthfulness of her words. After a long time, he nodded: ¡°Small master, I believe you¡±. Shen Tang ¡°¡­¡± So stupid! (¨s¨F¡õ¡ä)¨s¦à©ß©¥©ß She is not a man, why is he so adamant! Did he need to see her pulling her pants down to believe her? The juvenile ridiculed: ¡°Although your talent is not bad, after seeing your misuse of wenxin and the disorderly fight, I say you didn¡¯t seem like someone who received a decent education¡±. No decent scholar would fight head-on with a warrior. Considering that the exiled prisoners were not only from the Gong''s clan younger generation, he guessed that this little master might be one of the outsiders. Thanks to his appearance, he mingled with the womenfolk, and only because of this his dantian was spared and was not abolished. Shen Tang ¡°¡­¡± For a moment she didn¡¯t know where she should start to ridicule. She only managed to capture one important point. ¡°You say¡­ wenxin? I have wenxin?¡± This body has wenxin? She got excited! It seems to be one of the merits of transmigration. ¡°You didn¡¯t know?¡± Her expression didn¡¯t seem fake, this time youth was flabbergasted. Shen Tang sincerely shook her head. She transmigrated into this world less than 24 hours ago. Not only, she didn¡¯t retain the memory of the original owner, but her home has also been ruined. Where should she learn about this? Youth questioned closely: ¡°Since you didn''t know that you have wenxin, then what about the magic words just now? ¡°Magic words¡­ what are they?¡± ¡°Precisely ¡°The sword in the hand of a loving mother, striking at her leaving son¡± this passage, your wenxin magic words¡±. The youth frowned while talking, his expression turned strange. The striking loving mother didn''t seem like a proper magic sentence. However, the world was big, nothing was too bizarre. Perhaps his knowledge was just too little. Shen Tang truthfully said: ¡°¡­ I was thinking of a way to save my life when it abruptly appeared in my mind¡±. Youth ¡°¡­¡± This is too unreasonable! Shen Tang changed the topic. ¡°Mister still didn''t tell me why you don''t like Gong clan so much¡±. The unanswered problem is like watching a spectacle without actually being able to participate in it. For her, it was this kind of upsetting feeling. The youth glanced at Shen Tang and indifferently said: ¡°Even though I don''t have any personal grudge, I feel the hatred of the destroyed nation¡±. After hearing it, Shen Tang quickly stopped her upsetting feelings. This is not a game. She could inattentively offend someone and perhaps get into a fight over it. Nevertheless, she didn''t know, that currently there are numerous countries and each of them is constantly at war, conquering, and destroying others. Establishing new countries was nothing new. . If a generation lived long enough, each person could even change their nationality more than two times. The youth truly didn''t have any deep feelings for the countries with an ancient history. ¡°Then, magic words?¡± Shen Tang didn''t treat him with courtesy, directly considering youth as a free ¡°explaining NPC¡±. If she could get an answer from him, why should she bustle about making inquiries? Who doesn''t like free stuff? Youth ¡°¡­¡± He confirmed for the third time that Shen Tang was really clueless. All of her questions were considered basics, answering them didn''t really matter. Merely the questions were so rudimentary, that it let him doubt if in reality, she wasn''t a savage that came out from some corner deep in the mountains. The youth had no choice but to start from the beginning. His narration was more complete than her memories. The thief star, that was falling down, was torn apart and scattered across the land of the Central Plains. People in the world were busing themselves with practicing literature and martial arts to absorb the energy of the world and refine their bodies. Except for traders who counted on ¡°rare goods to live¡±, no one paid attention to it. Until a certain craftsman carved one of the thief star stones into a seal and dedicated it to the king. As soon as the monarch got the seal, purple light burst out from it, and countless strange characters floated out of the seal, some of which merged with his dantian. At this time, people started to realize that certain words in the seal combined with a special wenxin or wudan could exert incredible power. These words were precisely ¡°magic words¡±. For example, the sentence that the youth voiced previously ¡°the teeth are hard but are the first to be lost, and the tongue is soft but remains until death. The soft can overcome the hard, the weak can overcome the strong¡± was used for support and recovery of his allies. However, identical magic words said by someone else could lead to different results. Since then, fragments of the thief star, became a standard material for each country''s seal of state. The words contained in the seal of state directly influenced the strength of the countries. If the monarch urged, the seal of the state could be turned into an important weapon of the country, guarding the destiny of the country. At this point, the youth stopped. He glanced secretly at Shen Tang, indifferently stating: ¡°The capital of Zhongtai was destroyed, and the imperial seal was lost. There are rumours that the Gong family hid it for their private use. However, after the Gong family was searched, the whereabouts of the national seal has yet to be found¡­¡± Shen Tang didn''t mind the seal of the state, but - ¡°Zhongtai?¡±* After hearing her inquiry, the expression of the youth changed to fairly wonderful and at the same time complicated. ¡°¡­ It is the original Xin country, in the rumours, it was renamed as ¡°Zhongtai¡±. He thought that Shen Tang was asking about this because the news had been stopped on the way to exile, so she was unaware that nowadays Chongtai was the old Xin country. He didn¡¯t realize, she just felt that the name sounded weird. ¡°Destroying the country and renaming it¡­¡± What was this process? The youth said: ¡°For humiliation.¡± ¡°Humiliation?¡± ¡°Whoever is a servant of servants is commonly known as Zhongtai. The leftover men from the Yin country, naturally believe it is an extraordinary shame and humiliation¡±. What is a ¡°Servant of servants¡±? In layman''s terms, it is the servant of the servant, the inferior of the inferior. As one of the sinners who subjugated the country, how could the Gong family not be hated? As long as the national seal does not appear, the turmoil will not stop. These may be sounded interesting, but had nothing to do with Shen Tang. She cared more about the appearance of her wenxin. Youth proposed: ¡°You might as well test it¡±. Wenxin had 9 ranks, only by knowing the specific Wenxin grade, could one find suitable magic words for oneself. Shen Tang ¡°How to test it?¡± *Zhongtai (ÖØ̨) - Used as a metaphor for similar things amongst the lowest grade, e.g. servants servant. CH 7 Chapter 7: The signature of wenxin The youngster extended his right hand to Shen Tang, his palm facing upwards. Shen Tang didn¡¯t understand. She hesitated a bit before also extending her right hand. She tilted her head in doubt. ¡°Like this?¡± Youngster coldly watched her, his expression complicated, as if asking her ¡°What do you think?¡±. As a result, Shen Tang pulled back her hand as if she had been electrocuted. ¡°Concentrate the qi in the middle of your palm¡±. After the youth saw that Shen Tang was still confused, he had no choice but to specify. He thought that he said it clearly enough, but Shen Tang didn¡¯t even know what ¡°qi¡± was. After seeing that Shen Tang didn¡¯t move for a long time, he could only say: ¡°When you just used magic words, did you not notice something traveling along your meridians and out of your dantian? This is exactly ¡°qi¡±. Now, try to move it from your dantian and condense it in the hollow of your palm. Can you do that?¡± Magic words do not always succeed, things like this require practice. This young master before his eyes could use the power of wenxin to compete against 3rd-grade Zanniao. The impact of his magic words was big. He shouldn¡¯t be completely clueless about this. The youth said it clearly. Shen Tang started to carefully recall the mysterious feeling from before. Qi, Dantian, magic words, wenxin¡­ After a long time, she vaguely grabbed onto something and guided it slowly in the direction of her palm. Finally - One lump of the colourless qi gradually formed. First, it was the size of a pea, and then it grew to the size of a child''s fist. It floated one inch above the hollow of her palm. Shen Tang raised her head to look at the youth, she asked him: ¡°Mister, is it ¡°qi¡±? This is really magical¡­ which grade am I?¡± After the appearance of the qi, the young man lowered his eyes slightly. Half of his face was covered by shadows, so his expression wasn¡¯t clear, but Shen Tang was sure that his eyes had fallen on the palm of her hand. She felt that the atmosphere wasn¡¯t right, so she inquired again. The youngster only then came back to his senses and responded: ¡°Then you refine and condense the mass of ''qi'', just like me¡±. When saying, on his extended right hand quickly appeared a cyan-coloured mass of revolving qi. At first, it looked like a thin mist, but two breaths later it changed to a densely clustered jelly-like dark cyan mass. In the end, under the gaze of Shen Tang, it transformed into the oddly shaped dark cyan seal the size of an infant''s fist. Noticing the curiosity of Shen Tang, the youth voluntarily gave her the seal. The seal looked exquisite. With ¡°lower 6-grade¡± engraving in seal script* on the side, and ¡°Qi clan Yuanliang¡± engraved on the bottom with the same handwriting. ¡°Are you called Qi Yuanliang?¡± If this was a name, then the lower 6-grade should be the grade of his wenxin. The youngster was displeased: ¡°Surname Qi, name Shan, courtesy name Yuanliang¡±. He said while staring into Shen Tang¡¯s eyes. After seeing her clear gaze, without the slightest contempt for a lower-grade wenxin, he became slightly pleased. His expression wasn¡¯t so estranged anymore. Shen Tang customarily said: ¡°Indeed a good name¡±. Had ¡°Shan¡±, and ¡°Liang¡±, seemed like a name for a good person. Qi Shan fell silent. Shen Tang returned the seal. ¡°I roughly know what to do now¡±. After learning the method that Qu Shan demonstrated, she rotated the mass of qi and compressed it together. The mass of qi gradually changed from colorless to a milky-white jelly-like substance, and then to a transparent crystal-like small object. Only then, did Shen Tang put away her ¡°qi¡± and hastily looked at the sides of a seal. As result - ¡°Why, why there are no words?¡± ¡°No words?¡± He said so, but Qi Shan didn¡¯t seem surprised. It seemed like he expected it. Shen Tang handed him her seal, doubting: ¡°Indeed, there are no writings on the side. There is only text at the bottom¡±. On the bottom was an engraving in a flamboyant and wild style in seal script - ¡°Shen clan Youli¡± (Youli - young pear) ¡°Shen¡­ You¡­li? You really are not from the Gong clan¡±. Because the seal was transparent, he had to focus to recognize the words. Qi Shan slightly narrowed his eyes, looking at the words at the bottom and commenting ¡°However, small master, your name is rather excessively delicate¡­¡± At first, he thought that this was a girl''s name. Shen Tang ¡°¡­¡± She already gave up, explaining that she was a girl. Since the people in this world tacitly agreed that if you have wenxin then you must be a man, even if she appeared suddenly and wanted to explain it to them, their conviction just didn''t benefit her. Just let them misunderstand for a moment until she understands why she has wenxin or has enough strength, as to avoid being considered a heretic and die. ¡°Mister Qi, I¡¯m Shen Tang¡±. ¡°The fallen leaves of Pear (Tang Li) are as red as rouge, and the fragrant buckwheat flowers are as white as snow¡±*. Qi exposed a slight smile, saying, ¡°it is also a nice name¡±. Shen Tang ¡°¡­¡± She really wanted to say her name was ¡°Shen Tang¡±, and Youli was just a random pseudonym, without any special meaning. But he thought differently and even showed off his knowledge. She didn¡¯t want to damp his enthusiasm, and could only accept the praise. At this moment, the thing she cared about the most was the grade of her wenxin. ¡°Mister Qi, what is the grade of my wenxin?¡± Who knew he would ask instead: ¡°Which one do you want?¡± Shen Tang: ¡°What do you mean?¡± Qi Shan suddenly changed the topic. ¡°Unlike the 20-grades of wudan, wenxin only had 9-grades. Upper 1st grade, upper-middle 2nd grade, upper-low 3rd grade, in this order up to 9th grade low. Wudan can be upgraded after a period of practice, so the ones with an innate talent can even become the highest-rank Chehou. However, the rank of wenxin cannot be changed. My wenxin is a 6-grade middle-low, it falls short of the best but is better than the worst. Then, what grade do you want to be?¡± Shen Tang was stunned: ¡°This¡­ is it up to me?¡± Qi Shan said: ¡°If it was a bystander, naturally no. However, you met me, I can help you this one time¡±. Shen Tang was baffled. Intuition told her, Qi Shan''s words carried an implicit meaning. But he didn¡¯t explain it more and only lightly hinted: ¡°Young child walking with a lot of money in the city, really is not a good thing¡±. Shen Tang unconsciously tensed. What is this wenxin? Why is it unexpectedly so serious? It seems that even after getting this transmigration benefit, you could still attract unwanted attention and end up getting killed. Shen Tang controlled her curiosity that could kill a cat and didn¡¯t inquire more, only asked: ¡°What grade can I pretend to be?¡± Qi Shan was ¡°6th-grade middle-low¡± wenxin, and wenxin couldn¡¯t be changed, from birth it stayed the same. In this way, he certainly couldn''t help people to modify their grade of wenxin, so he could only disguise others'' wenxin. This being the case - Shen Tang probed: ¡°Then¡ªthe highest 1st-grade is okay?¡± Qi Shan nearly laughed, because of her question. ¡°The highest 1st-grade, belongs to the sages. It is nearly nonexistent. Only the princes holding the national seal can have it. Are you looking for death?¡± Shen Tang dropped her gaze to the seal in her hand. ¡°Then, to be on the safe side, I will pretend to be the 9th-grade low¡±. ¡°9th-grade low? Oh, you are actually smart¡±. On the side of the seal ¡°9th-grade low¡± 4 characters in seal script appeared. Shen Tang played with this transparent seal. She didn¡¯t know what to do with it. ¡°How to withdraw this thing?¡± ¡°Why would you want to do that? This is your identity proof. Even if it is ¡°9th-grade low¡± wenxin, it is still better than being an ordinary man¡±. In this chaotic era where one person can have two nationalities, the lives of ordinary people didn¡¯t mean anything, not to mention that Shen Tang was still considered an escapee. The words on her ear were engraved using a special method. It could only be cut off otherwise, it would stay forever. But if she had a wenxin seal with her and used decoration to hide the engraving on her ear, even if the ordinary guard saw it, he still wouldn''t dare to inspect it. It was equivalent to safety insurance. It was precisely the seal with a signature. *Seal script¡ªis an ancient style of writing Chinese characters that was common throughout the latter half of the 1st millennium BC. It evolved organically out of the Zhou dynasty bronze script. * Village Walk¡± by Wang Yucheng CH 8 Chapter 8: You can¡¯t judge a book by its cover ¡°This¡­ Mister Qi¡­¡± Shen Tang wanted to say something but hesitated. Qi Shan looked up, indifferently saying: ¡°If you have something to say, just say it. I don''t like people who beat about the bush¡±. ¡°Then I will say it directly¡ªMister Qi, if it¡¯s okay¡­ can I follow you for a few days?¡± Shen Tang looked a bit embarrassed, ¡°I know my identity as an escapee can cause trouble. I shouldn''t bother you, but I¡¯m a stranger in an unfamiliar land. Honestly, I don¡¯t know what to do¡­¡± Qi Shan could flexibly use wenxin. This was a nice chance for a free extracurricular tutorial class. If she didn¡¯t use it, wouldn''t she just wrong herself? It was a rare chance, and if missed, it would be difficult to get it again. If she could understand the wenxin more, in the future she would blend better into this unfamiliar world. Shen Tang thoroughly used her young age and difficult situation to appear like a weak person, in an attempt to win his sympathy. However, Qi Shan didn''t show any pity at all. He only looked on with interest at the lowered head of this pitifully looking, innocent young master. A newbie who doesn''t know much about control of the Wenxin, yet dares to face the third-grade Zanniao, and still doesn¡¯t fall behind. How can he be a little dog in dire straits? He was clearly a young wolfhound with sharp teeth and piercing eyes! Even though he was still young, once he gained confidence, he would become an oppressive existence. Acting weak? This could fool other people, but not him. Qi Shanlian lowered his eyelids and started to fiddle with the dark cyan-coloured wenxin seal on his waist. He pondered for a good while and then said: ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not out of the question, but¡ªin the next village we have to part ways, otherwise you will regret it¡±. Shen Tang was astonished and asked him: ¡°Regret? Why?¡± Qi Shen pointed at the sword at his waist, asking in reply: ¡°Guess. Is this sword just a decoration or a handy weapon?¡± Shen Tang ¡°¡­¡± Qi Shen smiled: ¡°Young master, don''t think that someone who helps you out once is a good person. I have much more troubles than you, an escapee. It¡¯s not only me. Later if you see someone who dares to walk outside alone, no matter if he is wearing the Wenxin seal or the Wudan Tiger tally, be more vigilant¡±. Shen Tang blinked and muttered quietly, but Qi Shen still heard it. ¡°¡­ Mister Qi seems to think I¡¯m too simple¡±. Qi Shan sneered in his mind. This young master indeed wasn¡¯t simple, but Shen Tang¡¯s request also wasn¡¯t too excessive. She only asked to follow him. Anyway, he already helped her once, so why not help again. He should do things thoroughly and make a personal connection. Two people built a bonfire in the lee. Qi Shan rested with a sword between his hands. He hadn''t drifted off yet and heard the rumbling of Shen Tang''s belly. He opened his eyes to look at the latter. Shen Tang covered her belly and awkwardly laughed: ¡°I walked 7 to 8 hours with cangue on and only had one soured pancake to eat. Because of that, I made this graceless sound¡­ I disturbed your sleep¡­¡± Shen Tang¡¯s belly was endlessly making noises. He couldn¡¯t pretend that he didn¡¯t hear it. So he took off the sack with water and a bag with dry food at his waist and then handed them over. ¡°First, eat something¡±. Shen Tang wasn¡¯t polite. ¡°Thank you very much¡±. As the slightly cool and soft rice slid into her throat and rolled into her stomach, her intense hunger was slightly relieved. Despite starving, she only ate half and didn¡¯t move the other portion. Qi Shan was surprised, but didn¡¯t say anything. Because of this incident, he wasn¡¯t sleepy. He took out a scroll made from a tanned animal leather from his bag. He started reading under the dim light of the bonfire. Shen Tang vaguely saw two characters ¡°Magic words¡± on the top of the scroll and became curious. She looked on as if she has seen the most interesting thing in the world. Qi Shan, under her curious, expecting eyes, wasn¡¯t able to concentrate. He lightly sighed: ¡°Curious?¡± Shen Tang embraced her knees and embarrassingly smiled: ¡°Yeah, curious! Wenxin is really mystical. Can you teach me?¡± Qi Shan said: ¡°You¡¯re really impolite¡±. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you don¡¯t like people speaking in a roundabout way? People that are not frank?¡± Qi Shan ¡°¡­¡± He didn''t talk about teaching people then. However, the scroll in his hands wasn¡¯t any rare object. On the scroll were written only the widely-known magic words that he arranged before. It was a must-know for everyone. If Shen Tang went to the bookstore in a slightly larger town or to the academy, she would inevitably meet with it. Moreover, magic words were actually streams of consciousness and most of them could only be sensed and not conveyed by words. The same magic word, some people could learn and some could try their whole life without success. People could only master the magic words that are suitable for themselves or the ones they had comprehended. Only then could they have perfect control over their power. ¡°Look for yourself¡± Qi Shan generously lend her the scroll, ¡°If you don¡¯t understand something, just ask¡±. Shen Tang took it with an overwhelming curiosity. After looking at the first line of words, she was stupefied. Qi Shan: ¡°Do you recognize the characters above?¡± If she didn¡¯t recognize them, he was also unable to help her, however much he would like to. Shen Tang shook her head. ¡°I recognize the characters above. I just want to ask something, ¡®Quench one¡¯s thirst by thinking of plums¡¯ (means console oneself with illusions) is also¡­ is it also a magic sentence?¡± ¡°Of course, don¡¯t be fooled by the brief magic phrases of wudan and wenxin. Its power shouldn''t be underestimated. This phrase is also one of the few that is necessary to master. If the caster has a strong wenxin and uses it properly, it can even determine the outcome of the war at a critical moment¡±. Shen Tang was dumbstruck. ¡°Determine¡­ the outcome of the war?¡± ¡°Naturally, these sentences can only boost the morale of an army¡±. After noticing Shen Tang¡¯s doubtful look, he thought that Shen Tang misunderstood that the magic sentences should always be long, so he said, ¡°Originally, these magic sentences were really long. In a chapter Guile and Chicanery* was recorded, ¡®Emperor Wu of Wei, led the army, but they couldn''t find water. The whole army was very thirsty. Therefore, he sent an order: ¡°There is a big plum grove in front of us, with many plums, sweet and sour, which can quench thirst.¡± The soldiers drooled after hearing this. Relying on this, they finally reached the water source in front of them¡¯. But after polishing this, only four characters remained¡±. Shen Tang gaped, she learned something new. ¡°And this¡­ scattered about like stars in the sky or chess pieces on a board?¡± Qi Shan said: ¡°To arrange the troops and fight against the enemy¡±. ¡°To cut weeds and eliminate the roots?¡± ¡°Maintaining the energy of soldiers requires considerable expenditure. They cannot be used lightly¡±. Shen Tang pointed at the scroll, asking: ¡°To walk right into the trap?¡± Qi Shan answered: ¡°It is mostly used in arranging troops and disturbing the enemy, making them act without thinking¡±. She didn¡¯t need to ask about the rest. After looking at Qi Shan¡¯s densely packed notes, she realized that every magic sentence there was used for battles. It was no wonder that he said he is not an easy man to deal with. After looking at these wenxin magic words, and then at the simulated military formation drawn on top of the scroll, Shen Tang came to understand that her dear friend was the kind of person who used offence as defence. The fanatic, who squatted in the grass. He only lacked the writing ¡°I am LYB*¡± on his face. ¡°Mister Qi, I have one question left¡±. Qi Shan believed that she was unpredictable. They only just get acquainted. She said three sentences, and two of them were questions. After ending her inquiries, he believed that she should definitely come up with another question. But - After thinking of Shen Tang¡¯s wenxin, he squinted his eyes and became a little more patient. ¡°Ask¡±. Shen Tang looked at the back. She discovered that the top not only had the wenxin magic words, but also wudan magic words. Truthfully speaking, she didn''t really understand the differences between the two. Could both of them be used for fighting? ¡°What¡¯s the specific difference between wenxin and wudan?¡± Qi Shan ¡°¡­¡± He once again doubted if Shen Tang wasn¡¯t savage from nowhere. All of her questions were outside his expectations. ¡°LYB - Legend Young Beyond, generally in the game, refers to a player who hides in a house or bushes or plays a more insidious way. *Guile and Chicanery¡ªA New Account of the Tales of the World, compiled by Liu Yiqing. CH 9 Chapter 9: To quench one¡¯s thirst by thinking of plums (to console oneself with illusions) The atmosphere was awkwardly quiet for the time of three breaths. Qi Shan helplessly said: ¡°People with wudan concentrate qi in their bodies, and individuals with wenxin control it to the outside¡±. Even though Shen Tang really wanted to say that she understood it, to not let him doubt her IQ, but - ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t really understand it. Mister Qi, could you elaborate on it?¡± Qi Shan didn¡¯t expect Shen Tang would understand it at once. This young master could truly be a savage from nowhere. He didn¡¯t understand succinct and euphemistic speech. As a result, Qi Shan switched to a more common way of speaking. ¡°Wudan, ¡®wu - martial¡¯ serve as a core. Martial artists, from the start of the war, demonstrate their stand by conquering. They initiate war to end the war. Therefore, the majority of the magic words concern their bodies. They temper their body to be more powerful and fight by themselves against a thousand enemies¡±. Shen Tang thoughtfully nodded. ¡°Majority of the magic words are used on their bodies, so are there any magic words that are not used like that?¡± ¡°Yes, take the magic words ''a hundred answers to a single call'' as an example¡ªif the vassals and tacticians use it, it can shake a hundred soldiers, but if the general uses it, it can make a hundred soldiers put on armor and mount their horses. Their imposing manner concentrates into one sharp knife. If the morale of the upper and lower soldiers are identical, the troops will be stronger, unrivaled¡±. Qi Shan, already predicted Shen Tang¡¯s train of thought. He answered her before she even asked. ¡°Some magic words are the same for wenxin and wudan. You don¡¯t have to be curious about that¡±. The same magic words in the hands of different people can have different results. The results depend on the person''s understanding and cultivation realm. Shen Tang ¡°¡­¡± Qi Shan continued: ¡°Wenxin and wudan are different. Wenxin essence lay in the two words ¡°plan¡± and ¡°calculation¡±. So, wenxin magic words incline to control, arrangement. They are used to control complex, treacherous and changeable situations. Wudan has 20 grades, the higher, the stronger the person. As a result, people think wenxin is also like that, the higher, the stronger. But in my opinion, this is a wrong perception. The contrast in wenxin is here¡±. He pointed at his brain. If you don¡¯t have enough brains, even if you have a 2nd-grade upper middle wenxin, it¡¯s better that you don¡¯t provoke an unknown 9th-grade lower wenxin artist. Shen Tang considered it for a moment. She felt that she understood it and yet did not. ¡°Wudan martial artist fights by themselves. If they get stronger, they can form a clique and take brothers to fight together. Wenxin will not fight easily, but hire other thugs to fight for him as a behind-the-scenes boss? The former shows muscle, and the latter show off his brains?¡± One fight, the other assists? After hearing this, Qi Shan became silent for a while. Despite not understanding what ¡°show off¡± means, after combining the context, he could guess the general meaning of Shen Tang. He said expressionlessly: ¡°You can understand it like that¡±. Shen Tang thought over it and asked: ¡°¡­but, is it not really passive?¡± ¡°Passive?¡± Wenxin plays role in assisting and commanding. Wenxin skills are also mostly like this. The fights rely mostly on wudan possessors. In case a wudan artist was left alone and captured, could he really only extend one¡¯s neck in preparation for execution? ¡°People can¡¯t grasp both, but what if they want to? Can you really only choose one?¡± You must choose one or the other, but she wants both! Qi Shan understood her thoughts slightly. ¡°Records state, there have been some examples of condensing the wenxin and wudan at the same time, but¡ª¡± ¡°But what?¡± Qi Shan fiddled with a bonfire and dimly said: ¡°They either died prematurely or were stupid and had a mediocre ability, no different from ordinary people¡±. Shen Tang ¡°¡­¡± She is not worthy of this golden finger - wenxin, wudan double cultivation. She held the scroll, dizzy. She recognized every word. Furthermore, she also quickly remembered the notes of Qi Shan. But she didn''t know how to practice and use it. Consulting ¡°Novice NPC¡± didn''t help, his clich¨¦ words were too mysterious. She completely realized only ¡°being in the zone¡± phrase. Sure enough, she shouldn''t require too much from the free food. The time passed, her belly started to growl again. Shen Tang massaged her belly. She looked at the scroll¡¯s ¡°To quench one¡¯s thirst by thinking of plums¡± phrase. In her mind appeared a green plum. ¡°Didn¡¯t he say that wenxin can ¡°create things from nothing¡± ¡­ you, ¡°to quench one¡¯s thirst by thinking of plums¡± give me a few plums, it is not too much right?¡± If more green plums appear, she could also make something else to eat. Qi Shan¡¯s hearing was excellent. He poured on her a basin of cold water. ¡°Obviously, it¡¯s too excessive. Even though ¡®Magic words¡¯ are magical, they can¡¯t give you food. If they could¡ªin this world there wouldn''t be so many people dying from hunger¡±. He unknowingly thought about something. Qi Shan sigh looking at the bonfire, ¡°Several months ago on the trip, I personally saw some common people¡­¡± He halted at that, on one¡¯s accord, stopping the topic. She didn¡¯t need him to explain, Shen Tang could also predict his next words. It was nothing else but, a human tragedy where starving people are everywhere. She said: ¡°Why can¡¯t? ¡®Magic words¡¯ can condense a sharp blade, warhorse, and helmet. It can also help people fight against a thousand enemies. Then, why can¡¯t it condense a little green plum?¡± If they could use wudan and wenxin to work in the field, even if the efficiency couldn''t be compared with farmer machines, it would still be much better than letting ordinary people face the ground to work. If it could condense food - She could sell green plums to earn money for her travels. After traveling to this world, she became a penniless escapee. It was really too difficult for her, an ordinary otaku painter. If this way was also impossible, she could only choose to continue with her old profession and paint for others, but she didn¡¯t know who would be willing to buy her drafts. Qi Shan didn¡¯t give her a positive answer. He only claimed: ¡°The problems ahead, I can¡¯t answer them. However, the final one¡ªYou will learn the answer when you have more experience in the future. In this muddy and chaotic world, who was willing to turn a sword into a plow? That kind of person would inevitably be attacked by others. Young master¡¯s idea wasn¡¯t new. There were also people with lofty ideals lobbying everywhere to assist the princes in advocating reform, but they all failed for various reasons and ended miserably. Thinking of these unpleasant stories, he closed his eyes in agitation to take a breather. From time to time he could hear Shen Tang muttering ¡°Looking at plums to quench thirst¡±. About a quarter of an hour later, she was still trying to do something with this sentence. Qi Shan''s eyes were closed: ¡°Learning magic words requires fate. There are thousands of them in this world, so don''t waste your time on one, and try another. Of course, you can''t learn everything, don¡¯t bite off more than you can chew. Good-quality things are better than many inferior ones¡±. ¡°Oh, I understand¡±. After that, he immediately heard clear breaking and chewing sounds. Qi Shan: ¡°???¡± The remaining half of the dry food and water were with him. Where could young master Shen Tang find food? He vaguely smelled the fragrance of the green plums. Qi Shan: ¡°!!!¡± He suddenly opened his eyes to look at Shen Tang. The latter sat cross-legged on the ground with a dozen or so round green plums piled up on his legs. Each of them looked fresh and tender, crisp and delicious. While chewing, Shen Tang frowned aggrieved. Her face was wrinkled, but because she was too hungry, she could only swallow it. ¡°You, where did¡­ this green plus came from?¡± Qi Shan¡¯s eyes became round. He spoke with difficulty. He even swallowed a few times, before regaining his ability to speak. Shen Tang blinked at him. Because of the sourness, she had to clear her vision. ¡°Green plums? Oh, I tried the ¡®to quench one¡¯s thirst by thinking of plums¡¯ magic sentence. Then I strived to urge my wenxin to work, but from the beginning to the end it didn¡¯t have the effect you had written on the notes. After testing it a few times, more plums appeared from the thin air¡­ You see, it is just like that¡ª¡° ¡°To quench one¡¯s thirst by thinking of plums!¡± After Shen Tang finished speaking, she demonstrated it again. When magic words fell, a green plum appeared on her palm under Qi Shan''s gaze. CH 10 Chapter 10: The way of princes Shen Tang took another bite. ¡°It¡¯s very sour. One magic sentence can only produce one fruit, too little, but if I can eat it, it¡¯s enough¡±. After all, it¡¯s a free green plum, she couldn¡¯t demand too much. She was prepared to make more and turn them into honey greengage crispy plums, salted plums, or plum wine. After all, it didn''t cost her anything. Even if the plums didn''t make a lot of profit, it shouldn''t be a problem for her to support herself with it. She carefully picked a big, green plum and handed it to Qi Shan. ¡°Here! Mister Qi, do you want to try?¡± At first, Qi Shan didn¡¯t take it. He just looked at it, then he lifted his eyes to glance at Shen Tang''s ¡°cheater¡± smug smile. His brows twitched fiercely and on his forehead appeared faintly discernible blue veins. After all, this young master knows or not¡­ After a good while, Qi Shan sighed. He accepted it. He casually wiped the fruit with his sleeves and bit it. Indeed, it was really sour! No matter if it was the texture or taste, it completely resembled unripe fruit. Shen Tang saw the expression of Qi Shan gradually change and smiled: ¡°If it was cooked, the taste would be better. I don¡¯t know if the magic phrase that can produce wine exists. Wouldn''t it be nice to brew green plum wine and hide it somewhere and when the snow falls we could go to the center of the lake to enjoy the scenery, make tea and taste green plums. Wouldn¡¯t it be pleasant?¡± Qi Shan looked at Shen Tang with a complicated expression. He sighed: ¡°If you think it¡¯s good, then it''s good. Just don''t regret your reckless action in the future¡­¡± Shen Tang stopped gnawing at the green plums. She asked, not understanding: ¡°Mister Qi, do you mean¡­ that creating things is not good? I can regret it?¡± ¡°It''s a good thing for others, but it''s not necessarily a good thing for you¡±. He looked at Shen Tang with regret, as if she had lost a big treasure without her knowledge. Before Shen Tang could open her mouth to get to the bottom of it, he changed the topic, ¡°Of course, if young master Shen doesn¡¯t have any big ambitions and only wants to eat till full and have a place that can protect from the rain, then it can be regarded as a good thing¡±. Shen Tang chew the plum ¡°stupefied¡±. She knitted her eyebrows. She tried to speculate why Qi Shan said that. She probed: ¡°Is it related to my wenxin?¡± Qi Shan was amazed by her keenness, he nodded: ¡°¡®Somewhat¡±. Shen Tang listened with rapt attention. Who knew Qi Shan wouldn¡¯t cooperate and explain things in more detail. What¡¯s his meaning? The imperial seal hidden by the Gong clan may be on the body of young master Shen? Even if Qi Shan is not interested in the seal of state, young master Shen may not think so. In order to avoid unnecessary misunderstanding, it was better to pretend not to know. Most importantly, he suspected that young master Shen¡¯s wenxin had already connected with the seal, and he had unintentionally awakened the ¡°way of princes¡±. Wenxin, wudan, seal of state¡ªthe relation between them is special. The seal of state not only can change the fate of the nation, and resist enemies, but it also has one extremely crucial ability. It is ¡°The way of princes¡±. The princes, with wenxin or wudan, that can connect with the national seal can obtain a special ability, according to their innermost thoughts¡ªmost of the time princes obtain "rule", "close to the people" or "fans" ". They can even get a wenxin and wudan that can bless others, so that they can recruit many capable people. Shen Tang¡¯s way of princes was currently unknown for him, but it definitely had a relation with ¡°farming¡±. Otherwise, how could she create green plums? One prince with a ¡°farming¡± ability¡­ It seemed like an useless ability. However, young master Shen seemed not to have any ambitions. He only wanted to defend himself. This ability was extremely suitable for him. At least, he won¡¯t starve. Shen Tang had a cat scratching at her heart ¡°¡­¡± Now, she thought that the most annoying thing in the world was to stop talking in the middle to make people guess. ¡°You don¡¯t want to say it in more detail. It¡¯s reasonable. Logically, I shouldn''t ask more questions, but after all, it is related to me¡­¡± Shen Tang tried to ask in a roundabout way. She used all kinds of insinuations, ¡°I guess¡­ is it that my wenxin has a defect? Is this defect serious? Is there a remedy?¡± Qi Shan answered her without fooling around: ¡°Cannot¡±. As far as he knows, the national seal connects with a prince, in a "way of princes". This kind of innate ability needs to be activated through the medium of the national seal. Except for one case, ability stays fixed throughout one''s life. This situation? Die! You must die! Young master Shen only needs to live. This national seal in her hands left her with the current ability¡ªthe only advantage of it is that she will not worry about starving to death. If young master Shen had any ambitions, it would be a disaster for him. He already lost at the start. He was born with a defect. Likewise, he was no match for others that could threaten him at all. Qi Shan¡¯s face gradually became graver. Shen Tang felt that the plum in her hand wasn¡¯t appetizing after all. She - Will she die in the near future? Momentarily, countless thoughts appeared in her mind. If Qi Shan hadn¡¯t made a sound and pulled her back from her thoughts, she would have already imagined herself lying sick on the bed and writing a testament. ¡°Young master Shen, apart from ¡°Quench one¡¯s thirst by thinking of plums¡± plum, can you also create other things?¡± Shen Tang shook her head: ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I can try¡±. Qi Shan took out the other scroll. He pointed at one of the magic phrases: ¡°Try this one - ¡° Shen Tang leaned close to him to take a look. She muttered: ¡°Paint the ground to make cakes, but you can¡¯t eat them?¡± (to feed on illusions) The meaning of this magic phrase and ¡°to quench thirst on plums¡± phrase are identical¡±. Since ¡°to quench thirst on plums¡± phrase can make plums, then this magic phrase maybe can make some bread. Shen Tang said: ¡°but this says it¡¯s ¡®not edible¡¯. How can you eat something drawn on the ground? Isn¡¯t it better to reduce it to ¡®to allay one¡¯s hunger using a picture of a cake¡¯?¡± The cake is better than the plum in satisfying hunger. Plum is admittedly fresh, but it¡¯s too small and sour. Shen Tang''s stomach was made of iron, but she still didn''t dare to eat more. Just now, she gnawed on 20 of them, so her gums turned numb. As a result, she tried to use the sentence a dozen times and nothing happened. She was a bit discouraged at this point. From the corner of her eye, she inadvertently glanced at the densely packed notes on the scroll. Her eyes lit up. She moved her finger and stopped on one paragraph: ¡°Mister Qi, compared to painting cakes, I think this paragraph is more interesting¡ªTurning rock into gold is enough to make a fortune.¡± (It is a metaphor to modify the original text a little when revising it, so it will turn out better). ¡°Turning rock into gold?¡± He understood instantly Shen Tang¡¯s plan. ¡°Right, turning rock into gold! ¡ª How many catties of plums and pancakes can a small piece of gold buy? In terms of value, it is natural that this line is better, and more than that¡ªthere are others like ¡°Golden House to keep one¡¯s mistress¡±. However, I don''t know whether I will create ¡°Golden House¡± or ¡°mistress¡±. If it''s ''mistress'', this ''mistress'' male or female, beautiful or ugly¡­¡± Qi Shan looked at Shen Tang as if looking at a daydreaming idiot. Shen Tang was young, but really thought too much. ¡°If you are not afraid of suddenly dying, you can try¡±. Shen Tang ¡°???¡± Qi Shan sneered: ¡°The value of a thing and the result of wenxin are based on the consumption of it. The stronger the wenxin, the greater the consumption, and the stronger the magic words. If someone forcibly uses a magic phrase that is beyond the scope of their ability, it''s okay if they only fail. At most, they would be weakened for a while. But once they succeed¡ªit will definitely backfire on them. For example, life expectancy could be shortened, they could die a premature death, have a lingering illness or lie in bed for a lifetime. Some people even bled from the seven orifices and died on the spot. Throughout the ages, such tragedies have been happening everywhere. Mister Shen, don''t follow in their footsteps just because of your curiosity and greed¡±. How the value of a green plum and a piece of cake could be compared with gold, silver and jade? Everything has a price. CH 11 Chapter 11: As fast as lightning, the Dayun motorcycle ¡°Turn things to gold¡± and ¡°golden house for mistress¡± couldn¡¯t be counted on. Shen Tang was admittedly disappointed. She didn¡¯t dare to take risks. As time went by, bit by bit, the dark blue clouds became more and more reddish. It lasted until dawn. When the naughty ray of the sun touched her eyelids, Shen Tang awoke from her dreams. It was already daytime. She tiredly rubbed her right eye and murmured softly. ¡°Why is it already 6 AM?¡± Shen Tang added: ¡°It¡¯s already late¡±. Qi Shan looked at her. To his surprise, he saw young master Shen sitting near the bonfire, roasting food. ¡°Did you not sleep last night?¡± The rough linen prison uniform was wet with dew as it clung to the skin. After the night, it didn¡¯t have any wrinkles on it. Shen Tang didn¡¯t lift her head: ¡°I didn¡¯t sleep. Too many things happened yesterday, so I couldn¡¯t sleep. Mister Qi, do you want to try my cooking?¡± She passed the fork made out of the tree branches to Qi Shan while talking. Only then, Qi Shan saw clearly what was in Shen Tang¡¯s hand. Three pancakes were strung together by tree branches, The pancakes were about the size of an adult''s palm and were baked until both sides became browned, silently exuding the enticing burnt aroma of food. They were in a desolate place outside the city. Where did the pancake come from? He didn¡¯t need to guess. He wasn¡¯t polite with her: ¡°Thank you very much¡±. Qi Shan is a particular person, so he had a ¡°preparatory activity¡± before breakfast¡ªto one¡¯s surprise he wet the handkerchief with the water in the sack, then wiped the residual drowsiness off his face. He took out the wooden toothbrush from the bag and sprinkled some mint green powder on it. He rinsed his mouth with the remaining water. After that, he took the grilled cake. ¡°A? Why is it sweet?¡± Even though the sweetness wasn¡¯t too strong and mostly covered by the burnt smell, after a careful taste it was still noticeable. Shen Tang uncovered her secret: ¡°A cauldron is as sweet as syrup, it is not easy to get it*¡±. After hearing this, Qi Shan immediately became dumbstruck, even the cake in his mouth lost taste. He frustratingly said: ¡°¡­ ¡®A cauldron as sweet as syrup¡¯ had its origins with righteous song, it also belongs to boost morale type magic phrase and its requirements of wenxin are extremely high¡­¡± Did he really had trouble with this magic phrase? Regardless of the outcome, is it that only the food comes out of the hands of young master Shen? How can he look straight at this phrase later on? ¡°No matter the magic phrase, in my opinion, only the magic phrase that can let me eat fully can be truly useful¡±. Shen Tang blew at the hot pancake and tasted it very carefully. When the taste filled her mouth, she was fully satisfied. The sugar on the pancake came not only from a ¡°Cauldron as sweet as syrup¡¯ phrase. I discovered that this phrase used too much of my wenxin, so I gave up on that¡­¡± Qi Shan ¡°¡­¡± After all, did she bring disaster for other magic phrases for a bit of sugar? ¡°Which one did you choose?¡± Shen Tang unhurriedly extended her right hand: ¡°The land of Zhouyuan is so fertile, that even a bitter vegetable like a Viola grows as sweet as sugar*¡±. Malt sugar the size of a thumb appeared. Qi Shan frowned suddenly: ¡°This sentence is so¡­¡± Shen Tang threw the sugar into her mouth and chewed. She squinted her eyes, satisfied: ¡°What''s wrong with this sentence?¡± ¡°No one has ever used it.¡± Shen Tang: ¡°¡­huh?¡± ¡°All the magic phrases we use come from the seal of the state, or from that thief star. The magic phrases recorded on it are as vast as smoke, no one can tell how many there are. It has been more than two hundred years since the appearance of the thief star. More and more magic phrases are being used, but compared with the phrases that can¡¯t be used, it is still the tip of the iceberg. This sentence ''The land of Zhouyuan is so fertile, that even a bitter vegetable like a Viola grows as sweet as sugar¡¯ was just copied by me accidentally¡­¡± He thought that this phrase was interesting, so he just copied it. Shen Tang ¡°¡­¡± Qi Shan asked her: ¡°What is the effect of this phrase?¡± Is it merely one grain of malt sugar? Shen Tang asked without answering: ¡°Didn''t mister Qi see it?¡± Her expression was too bright, like a clear spring in which the bottom is visible at a glance. Qi Shan couldn¡¯t tell whether she was hiding something, but he knew that she wasn¡¯t as innocent as she looked. No longer chatting, the two ate breakfast quietly, then disposed of the campfire. They packed their things and get ready to go. Because the rough linen prison uniform on Shen Tang was too eye-catching, Qi Shan offered her a clean old one. While waiting for Young Master Shen to change his clothes, he accidentally stepped on a place with soft soil. ¡°Huh?¡± He squatted down and brushed aside the weeds, investigating. He pinched up the wet and soft soil, carefully checking it out. He discovered that it was completely different from the barren sand that could raise dust from three steps away. He unconsciously recalled something and pulled out the sword from his waist and stabbed the ground. When the sword''s edge entered the soil, it was easy at first, but it became difficult to move when it entered six inches deep into the ground. The sword''s edge was covered in some sticky soil. He pulled out the long sword from the soil again. The soil on the sword reflected the situation truthfully. Qi Shan twirled the soil on the edge of the sword, and muttered thoughtfully: ¡°The land of Zhouyuan is so fertile, that even a bitter vegetable like a Viola grows as sweet as sugar¡­¡± The general meaning of this sentence was that the land in Zhouyuan was fertile, and even viola and bitter herbs could be as sweet as caramel. The magic phrase of Young Master Shen¡­ Does the focus lie on ¡°malt sugar¡±? Or on fertile land? Qi Shan lowered his eyes and began to clean the sword''s body. He retracted the scabbard and got up as if nothing had happened. He rubbed the soil with his clogs to cover up the sword marks. Not long after, Shen Tang came out from the dense forest. The man''s clothes were too wide for the eleven-year-old youth, so she had to use long straps to gather the sleeves around her wrists, narrowing it, and then she raised the excessively long hem to be even with the ankles. She wrapped the waist with a waist rope to fix the clothes. Coupled with a feminine, charming face that had a bit of a wild temperament, she looked like an outstanding boy. Qi Shan exclaimed: ¡°Young master Shen, let''s go, keep up¡±. Shen Tang trotted a few steps: ¡°Mister, here I go¡±. As the sun rose and the scorching sun became hotter, Shen Tang wiped her sweat with a sleeve: ¡°Mister Qi, don''t you know the magic phrase for a tall horse? The 3rd-grade Zanniao from last night had weapons and a horse, very convenient¡±. Qi Shan asked her calmly: ¡°Young master Shen has wudan?¡± Shen Tang shook her head: ¡°This¡­no¡­¡± ¡°Because you don¡¯t have a wudan, we don¡¯t have any horses¡±. This unenthusiastic verdict sentenced Shen Tang to the ¡°death penalty¡±. Shen Tang almost wanted to breathe out her last: ¡°Why? Aren''t wenxin and wudan equal? This kind of magic phrase can''t be shared?¡± She felt that her wenxin was looked down on! Looking down at her two thin bamboo pole-like legs, she became speechless. Although the wound on her foot had been treated briefly, and she also wore the soft-soled straw sandals that Qi Shan had lent her, but the road was rough, and she didn¡¯t know how long would it take to arrive to the nearest village¡­ Qi Shan glanced at the young master Shen Tang, who seemed to be out of his body from the corner of his eyes, and then he burst out laughing. ¡°There is no need to share this kind of magic phrase¡±. ¡°How could it be unnecessary?¡± What is the equivalent to a tall horse in ancient times? It¡¯s a luxury sports car! ¡°Generally speaking, scholars with a wenxin travel by chariots and horses. Why should they be waste their energy like those reckless men?¡± Shen Tang: ¡°¡­¡± After walking for a while, Qi Shan vaguely heard young master Shen who was following behind him weakly muttering. ¡°Fast as lightning-¡± He was about to be amazed by young master Shen''s superb perception. He was even able to understand the high-level magic phrase that could increase the marching speed of the army. Who would have thought that her next sentence would be - ¡°Dayun motorcycle!¡± Qi Shan: ¡°???¡± *Wen Tianxiang "Song of Righteousness" *Book of Songs, Daya CH 12 Chapter 12: Place to stay At the end of the path, the smoke from kitchen chimneys was vaguely rising. On the field, you could see the tired silhouettes starting to put down their farming tools and going back to their houses one after another. A pair of good-looking brothers came to Qianjia village. One walking in front, the other riding a snow-white nearly man-sized mule. The mule was really good-looking. It didn¡¯t have any hairs on its body, and there was a valuable little bell made from pure gold hanging from its neck that jingled clearly with every step. The two had just appeared, but they had already drawn the attention of the farmers. The senior wore a crow patterned green robe, a scarf on his head, and wooden clogs on his feet. He was thin and wore the signature of wenxin on his waist. He should be a young official studying away from home. The youth looked 11-12 and didn¡¯t resemble his senior, but he was also a handsome young man with red lips, white teeth and deep features. Probably, his ancestors had a bit of foreign blood in them, because his facial features were more profound than that of ordinary people. At first glance, some people thought he was a bright girl, but when they heard the young man''s name, they realized that ¡°she¡± was actually a young man. ¡°My humble home is simple and crude, I will wrong the two young masters and ask to put up with it for one night¡±. The village official led the two into the side house. Qianjia village was a small village with less than 100 households. The most decent and clean house in the village belonged to the village official family. After hearing that the two young masters wanted to stay for the night, he enthusiastically invited them to his house. Additionally, he asked the women of the house to clean the side house. Qi Shan gave one silver to the village official and asked him to prepare rations for a few days and hot water to bathe. The remaining amount was to be taken as a token of thanks. The village official beaming weighed the silver in his hand. After evaluation, he hurriedly responded saying ¡®no problem¡¯. Before leaving, he even asked if he should give some fresh grass for the mule to eat. After mentioning the mule, Qi Shan¡¯s expression turned unnatural, ¡°There is no need, this mule is not a living creature. It was created by my younger brother''s magic words. The village official understood. His expression turned more respectful. Jingle, jingle - The familiar jingle sound resounded nearby. Qi Shan pushed open the window to let out stale air in the room. He looked up and saw Shen Tang leading the mule with one hand and teasing it with a handful of grass with the other. He also vaguely heard him muttering to it. ¡°Motor, why are you not eating? Try it, I especially picked it for you¡­¡± Qi Shan ¡°¡­¡± After speaking about the mule named ¡°Motorcycle¡±, he simply couldn''t breathe. No one would have thought that a strange phrase¡ª¡± As fast as lightning, the Dayun motorcycle¡±¡ªcould actually condense a snow-white mule! And young master Shen happily rode on it. ¡°Mister Qi, do you want one too?¡± Qi Shan decisively refused. Not to mention that he couldn¡¯t use that magic phrase, even if he could and succeeded, the outcome not necessarily would be the same as young master Shen¡¯s. The most important was - Even if the mule was beautiful, it was still only the mule, he wouldn¡¯t ride it! ¡°Then, do you want to ride together?¡± Shen Tang raised her hand to cover the eyes, blocking the rays of sun, then offered. Qi Shan refused once again. Even if he had a broken leg, he wouldn''t ride this stupid looking mule. Shen Tang shrugged and didn¡¯t force him. With the low-profile sports motorcycle (mule) for transportation, her feet were finally unburdened. Passing by an unknown tree that strikingly resembled a Japanese banana tree, she bent over on the mule''s back and stretched out her hand to take two leaves. One to protect her shoulders from the sun. And she wanted to hand the other one to Qi Shan to protect his head. ¡°Mister Qi!¡± Qi Shan covered his head and turned around. Shen Tang threw him the leaf. ¡°Catch!¡± Seeing Shen Tang so afraid of sunlight, he smiled helplessly. ¡°Why is a proper man afraid of a little hardship?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not afraid, but as the old saying goes¡ªwhite covers all ugliness¡±. Shen Tang adjusted the angle of the big leaf and smiled: ¡°Tanned, uneven skin tone is detrimental to beauty¡±. Qi Shan ¡°¡­¡± The two of them walked for a few days, before noticing signs of human habitation. Because of the droughts and wars over the years, Qianjia village was left with a few households, and you couldn¡¯t see any young faces in the whole village. There were only elderly and kids. Because two new young faces arrived so suddenly, the news spread swiftly in the entire village. From time to time, there were kids looking around the village official¡¯s house. Qishan went to find a village official for something, and when he came back, he heard the laughter of Shen Tang playing with a few kids. The two sides were ¡°fighting¡±. One small child wearing starched white clothes saddled the snow-white mule. His hands held the dried up branch as a pike, he looked rather overbearing. On the side, the young master Shen, with a stick in hand, welcomed the enemy. The two of them came and went. The confrontation continued, and the fight was ¡°awfully busy¡±. As ¡°soldiers¡±, the other children nervously ¡°watched the battle¡± from the sidelines, applauding from time to time and shouting ¡°The general is amazing!¡± Qi Shan: ¡°¡­¡± In the beginning, he even thought that Shen Tang was just being playful¡ªafter all, young master Shen was only the 11-12 year old youth and even if he received the hardships of being banished, he was still mischievous in his nature¡ªbut after looking for a while, he realized that the unfamiliar small kid was a bit interesting too. He asked a village official: ¡°What¡¯s his name? Is he the kid from the village?¡± The village official replied: ¡°He isn¡¯t from our village¡±. ¡°He isn¡¯t?¡± The village official sighed: ¡°I heard he is the child of the great family, but it''s just that he¡¯s been ill since childhood, so he lives in a neighborhood to recuperate. They say he is recuperating, but in reality he was abandoned. Of course, the servants will not do their best to serve him. He¡¯s very pitiful and often sneaks out to play with the children in the village¡±. Usually, they play around until dark, and then the servants would come to pick him up. Qi Shan became a little interested. ¡°Foul disease? Where?¡± The village official glanced at the happy-looking child and carefully pointed to his own brain, then said, ¡°I heard it''s a brain disease.¡± Speaking frankly, he was a fool. Qi Shan was slightly flabbergasted. Just as he was about to speak, he heard the loud cheers coming from several children. It turned out that the child ¡°deceived¡± Shen Tang with a feint, and hit the ¡°master¡± she was protecting. Undeniably, he hit the ¡°lord¡± on the forehead. According to the rules, he won. Examining ¡°the dying master¡±, Shen Tang could only ¡°helplessly¡± spread out her hands and abandon her weapon in ¡°surrender¡±. ¡°Sigh, I lost¡±. The winner could obtain spoils of war. The so-called spoil of war was precisely the malt sugar, the size of the thumb. She pulled open the sack on her waist and took out one malt sugar she made when she was bored. One person, one sugar, this was called ¡°rewarding three armies¡±, and the ¡°commander¡± who made a great contribution¡ªthe boy who steadily sat on the mule and swung the spear, got three for himself. The other kids impatiently ate the sugar, but only one didn¡¯t. He foolishly held it, not knowing what to do. This silly look was completely different from his previous high-spirited one when he was ¡°fighting¡± on the back of a mule. ¡°Won¡¯t you eat it?¡± Shen Tang squatted down in inquiry. The child shook his head. He looked at the sugar in his hand, hesitating. He picked one up and handed it to Shen Tang. He gazed at her with shining eyes, like he was expecting something. ¡°You want to feed me?¡± ¡°Yes, eat¡±. The child replied. Shen Tang didn''t dislike the child''s dirty hands, she opened her mouth and ate the caramel he handed over, smiling while bending her eyes. ¡°Ya, it¡¯s really sweet. You should also try¡±. Seeing this, the child lowered his head and picked up another one to put in his mouth. He put the last one in the faded pouch on his waist. The pouch was heavy. Taking advantage of her point of view, Shen Tang vaguely noticed that inside his pouch laid a piece of exquisite tiger-head jade bi, which was also engraved with small seal characters. The other kids returned home perfectly satisfied. Only the child wearing washed white clothes stayed behind, and was led by the village official to wait in the main room. The sky in the summer was extremely fickle. It didn''t take long before it got dark and started raining heavily. There was lightning, thunder, and howling wind. Shen Tang lit up the lamp, and she started to memorize magic words like crazy. At this time, the door was slammed against the wall. CH 13 Chapter 13: Night rain Outside, the rain was coming down in torrents. The sky and earth seemed to become one. From time to time, it was accompanied by lightning and thunder. Qi Shan had just lied down, when the loud knocking woke him up. He opened his eyes, got up, and tidied up his clothes. He was just about to put on the wooden clogs to open the door, but Shen Tang was a step faster. The guest wore a conical bamboo hat and woven rush raincoat, he looked anxious - He was a Qianjia village official. Shen Tang moved to the side, inviting him inside. ¡°Outside it is raining heavily, sir. First, you should come inside¡±. The village official waved his hand, declining: ¡°No, no, thank you¡±. Qi Shan stepped forward: ¡°Sir, looks anxious, something bad has happened?¡± ¡°The two young masters, did you see Ayan?¡± The wind and rain were blowing outside the house. The village official was soaked, and the droplets were dripping down his face. He didn¡¯t bother to wipe them away. His voice was trembling, ¡°This kid¡­ not watched for a moment, and he disappeared!¡± Shen Tang was puzzled: ¡°Who is Ayan?¡± ¡°This is the kid the young master played so lively with before¡±. After he said that, Shen Tang understood. Originally, it was this foolish looking child. He was called ¡°Ayan¡±. Shen Tang looked at the weather outside. She shook her head: ¡°We¡¯ve been staying in this house all this time and didn¡¯t see him. When did he disappear?¡± The village official said: ¡°Just now, at most 15 minutes ago¡±. Shen Tang heard this and sunk in thought. One quarter of an hour, it¡¯s just 15 minutes. The downpour outside was unstoppable, even the raincoat wasn¡¯t enough. The wind whistled and the beast''s howls could be faintly heard from the mountains. It was horrific. A child disappeared in this kind of weather. Could it be that he met with the dangerous animals around the village? It is also what the village official was worrying the most. He said: ¡°If he just naughtily ran to play, it wouldn¡¯t be so bad, but I¡¯m afraid that he went downhill and met a tiger¡­¡± Because of the drought, the harvest in these years was lacking. The repeated taxes and the wars everywhere impacted the lives of the villagers. The beasts in the mountains also lived poorly, so sometimes they would go downhill to hunt. It was still okay, when they only took the livestock away, but not the kids¡­ Within two years, similar tragedies had already happened three times. Qi Shan took his hat off the wall and put it on, tightening the string. He said: ¡°Sir, firstly, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll look for him. We will find him. Well, think about it, maybe the child was picked up by the people from the manor, it is still unknown ¡­ ¡° The village official sighed. He also hoped that everything could be like Qi Shan said, that it was just a false alarm and the child didn¡¯t disappear nor was taken away by a big animal, but was just picked up. However, he knew that this possibility was very small. Ayan wasn¡¯t valued in the manor. He just needed to live, no one cared if he was hungry. Half a month ago, he stayed in the village for four or five days before being picked up¡ªand that was because one of the villagers deliberately reminded the people from the manor of Ayan. The weather tonight was so bad, he wouldn¡¯t expect them to go out to pick him up. Shen Tang said: ¡°I will also help you¡±. Qi Shan looked at her: ¡°You better forget about it. Don¡¯t you see the weather outside? We won¡¯t find him, and we will lose you yet¡±. The village official was grateful for Qi Shan¡¯s help and also disapproved of Shen Tang going out¡ªThis young master was still an innocent kid. He was around 11¨C12 years old and looked meager. He could only be five or six years older than Ayan. ¡°The worry is superfluous, how can I get lost? No matter how bad it is, I¡¯m still a better helper than the villagers who would search in the dark¡±. Shen Tang borrowed a coat from the village official. But, he wasn¡¯t reassured and handed her a wooden knife. If she had bad luck and met with a tiger, she could at least have something to protect herself with. ¡°Ayan!¡± The heavy rain made the ground muddy. Although Shen Tang''s eyesight was good, from time to time she would step on the puddle. When walking, she would also splash the muddy water everywhere, dirtying her clothes. After 15 minutes of searching, she still wasn¡¯t able to find any trace of Ayan in the fields near Qianjia Village. Other villagers also didn¡¯t have any gains. As time passed by, everyone started losing their faith. Qi Shan asked the village official where the manor was. He wanted to go there to inquire¡ªalthough the possibility of being picked up by them wasn¡¯t high, but if? Shen Tang volunteered herself: ¡°I¡¯ll go too¡±. The village official sighed: ¡°Then, I will have to bother you¡±. The villagers went towards the mountains to look for him. The situation now looked the same as with the other kids that were caught by tiger previously. The villagers were looking for them all night, but at the end they found them at the foot of a mountain. In the underbrush laid intestines, mincemeat and bones, all that was left of them. ¡°If the magic words are so mystical, why is there no way to stop the rain?¡± Despite wearing a raincoat and bamboo hat, Shen Tang was still drenched by the rain. The ice-cold clothes were sticking to her skin, making her feel extremely uncomfortable. Her garment also didn¡¯t stop the night wind from giving her goosebumps. Qi Shan said: ¡°Maybe there is¡±. Who let there be so many magic words? Moreover - ¡°Even if there is, it¡¯s not like we can learn all the magic phrases. It¡¯s better to take a raincoat, than just hope that in this world exists a phrase like that¡±. Shen Tang had to jog to keep up with his footsteps. It didn¡¯t matter if she splashed the sewage while walking, because she was already dirty, so it didn¡¯t bother her: ¡°So is there any sort of light that wouldn¡¯t get soaked by rain? It would be really convenient while walking in the heavy rain at night¡­¡± Qi Shan ¡°¡­¡± The village wasn¡¯t too far away from the manor. The two of them followed the muddy trail. The road was uneven, and they walked for half an hour before finding the manor. They saw a courtyard surrounded by a short fence with the barely seen black tiles and white walls. The courtyard was pitch-black, and not shiny at all. From a distance, it looked like a curled up shadow of a beast. Shen Tang stepped forward and knocked. Knock, knock, knock - At this moment, the thunderbolt illuminated half of the sky, followed by a deafening rumble of thunder. Shen Tang was worried that the knocking could be inaudible inside the manor, so she made a fist and started banging on it¡ªbang, bang, bang! And then, at the house she thought was empty, an impatient man''s voice could be faintly heard: ¡°Who is knocking?¡± After a moment, the doors opened. The middle-aged man who opened the door wore a short brown robe and a headband. He seemed dissatisfied to be disturbed in the middle of the night. His eyes swept over Shen Tang and Qi Shan. After seeing one short kid and one tall youth, his expression slightly relaxed, and he seemed more friendly. ¡°You two are?¡± Shen Tang replied: ¡°We are travelers, temporarily staying in Qianjia village. The village official said that the child named Ayan lives in this manor. He played in the village and didn¡¯t return, we didn¡¯t see him for some time. The village official is worried that he was eaten by a tiger and is searching everywhere for him¡±. After the middle-aged man heard it, his expression eased a lot: ¡°Oh, Ayan was picked up, I troubled you two¡±. Picked up??? Shen Tang frowned slightly. The hat blocked her expression, before she resumed to normal. At this time, Qi Shan saluted the other man with a mild expression: ¡°If the young master is safely at home, I can relax. The road is dark, the wind, and rain is strong, so is it possible that we can temporarily stay in your house to avoid getting caught in it?¡± The middle-aged man hesitated. At the end, he let Shen Tang and Qi Shan in and said: ¡°You two came here in this rain, because of that child. You can stay here. Everyone is already asleep, I have no way to receive you, so I hope you will forgive me.¡± The two followed the middle-aged man into the courtyard. There were a few trees in the courtyard, and between them was a rope tied to dry the clothes. There were seven or eight adult-sized clothing and one white with patches for a kid. Shen Tang glanced at them and took back her line of sight unnoticed. CH 14 Chapter 14: A wise man looks after his own hide Qi Shan walked to the stairs in the corridor and took off his bamboo hat. He bent down to take off the wooden clogs and neatly lined them up side by side. He lifted the hem of his clothes and stepped on the steps with his bare feet. Next, he took off the water ladle hanging on the wooden post, scooped up some rainwater from the stone basin under the porch and washed away the mud on his feet. Shen Tang also took off her wooden clogs and subconsciously went to look for indoor shoes. She looked around, but couldn¡¯t find them. Qi Shan rolled up the dirty clothes and tied them around his legs, he took out the customized handkerchief from his sleeve to wipe his feet, before giving the ladle to Shen Tang. They weren¡¯t slow, but the middle-aged man already took off his ill-fitting shoes with tore soles and barefoot went up the wooden stairs, leaving the water footprints behind¡ªalthough the courtyard was almost squeaky-clean and a few places were paved with gravel, but the muddy puddles still accumulated. It was easy to get your feet dirty¡ªSeeing the two busying themselves, the man laughed out loud. ¡°The two of you can do whatever you want, no need to bother¡±. After hearing this, Shen Tang rinsed her feet and threw the ladle into the stone basin. She stepped loudly on the wooden stairs. Qi Shan spoke strictly. ¡°You Li, your etiquette?¡± Shen Tang laughed while beckoning: ¡°Didn¡¯t he say we can do what we want? Elder brother, you are too polite. What are you doing, still not coming here to hide from the rain?¡± Qi Shan took a deep breath. Apparently, he helplessly took in Shen Tang¡¯s actions and turned around to apologize to the middle-age man. The middle-age man was quite a conservative person. He kept smiling, and repeating ¡°it¡¯s nothing¡±. He didn''t show any discomfort on his face, instead he praised Shen Tang''s true temperament and liveliness. Qi Shan sighed: ¡°But my younger brother will be 12 this year, and he¡¯s still so unsteady. I¡¯m worried that he will suffer a big loss in the future¡­¡± The middle-age man face froze slightly. ¡°Younger brother? Is this a young master?¡± Qi Shan nodded: ¡°Yes, younger brother. He¡¯s similar to mother and because of his androgynous appearance, he has caused many misunderstandings over the years¡±. The middle-age man sneered twice, saying that he had made a mistake. He unexpectedly mistook the boy for the beautiful girl. While saying that, he took two guests to their room. He let them stay there. If the rain continues, they could also stay there for another night. The middle-age man suddenly said: ¡°I just recalled, the warm ginger soup was left in the east kitchen. Do you want some to warm up?¡± Qi Shan saluted in thanks. The man said: ¡°Wait for a moment¡±. Along with the gradually receding sound of the footsteps, Shen Tang put away her frivolous smile. Her expression turned solemn and grave: ¡°He¡¯s lying, his weak points are visible all over his body. No matter if he went to the east kitchen for the soup or not, we have to be careful¡±. Qi Shan: ¡°Naturally, we have to be alert. The village official said Ayan has a brain disease, and was abandoned from the moment he was born. No one cares about him. The servants were always very negligent, which can also be seen from his clothes hanging in the yard. But this person said that Ayan was his son, ah!¡±. Shen Tang strolled indoors, from time to time she touched some items inside the room. Her fingers remained clean without any dust. There were two neatly arranged desks near the leaking window, one large and one small. The bookshelves were used as partitions to divide the room into several areas. Shen Tang casually picked up the bamboo slips on the table and opened it. She found out that they were for children''s education. There were both adult handwriting and children''s scribble on it. She said: ¡°They cleaned the room nicely. It seems that the servants are not totally lazing around¡­ unexpectedly, no came to this thatched cottage that could fly away in this heavy rain and wind to collect the clothes. This is unreasonable¡±. Qi Shan calmly said: ¡°Furthermore, the man that was impersonating the scholar looked a bit ferocious. His gaze was cruel, and he had the bloody smell on his body. It is irresponsible to say that scholars resemble an uncivilized people that are full of lies¡ªIt¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to accept it, but I¡¯m worried that I can¡¯t¡­¡±. In other words, he had no way to believe it. Shen Tang raised her brow: ¡°Is he a bandit?¡± Qi Shan supposed: ¡°The current political situation is turbulent, so it is not impossible. It is not rare for people to become bandits and rob houses. It¡¯s not only not rare, but has even become the only one source of money for some people. Furthermore, it could also help the village to ¡°get rich¡±. ¡°That''s an inauspicious thing to say¡±. ¡°Most likely there will be no survivors. It¡¯s also possible that they¡¯re the thieves, but in any case they¡¯re not the masters of this manor¡±. They were looking for Ayan, but didn¡¯t find him, and instead they met with this terrible case. Shen Tang took a deep breath. Qi Shan found it funny: ¡°Young master Shen, are you afraid?¡± Even he didn¡¯t believe in the words he just said. Shen Tang sat on a cushion and blinked: ¡°I¡¯m just a good person, carrying out the official duties and observing the law. They probably are black-hearted terrible killers, how can I not be afraid? Mister Qi, we are inside the wolves'' den, and we are the dinner for this hungry animals¡­¡± While saying, she fished out the knife from her waist. The middle-aged man did not notice this thin knife inside her clothes. Qi Shan didn¡¯t take out his sword. The two people could only rely on this wooden knife. She had the feeling of safety, when clenching on the shaft of this knife. In fact, she was unable to understand why she¡ªa painter who felt the best being at home had to go through such unnerving things? Although¨C Although she killed one official, in retrospect she still calmly accepted the reality, because she thought this was reasonable self-defense. Due to the remaining factors of this body and the fact that she wasn¡¯t strong enough, she had to become such a fierce and cold-blooded person at that moment. She was a friendly person. After all, under the urges and roaring of her editor, how could she still not dare to say something? How could this kind of painter have bad intentions? Qi Shan ¡°¡­¡± ¡°We entered the wolves'' den, but who is the hungry wolf and who is having dinner is still unknown¡±. When he repeated the phrase ¡°follow the public and abide by the law¡± his expression turned apathetic, he impolitely tore down her mask, and smiled: ¡°Good citizens who obey the public and abide by the law can¡¯t be fugitives.¡± Who knew Shen Tang would say: ¡°Mister Qi, might not know, but I was wronged. If I died on the road to exile or in the brothel of Xiao city, someday the incorruptible official would reverse this verdict and prove my innocence. However, at this time I would be already dead, and leave only regrets behind. In order not to let this scene come true, and to defend the justice of the law, I had to save my life. It is reasonable in my case to be a fugitive¡°. Qi Shan ¡°¡­¡± He looked at young master Shen speaking with such assurance and sighed with sorrow, that his face wasn¡¯t as thick as this boy''s face. Just as he was about to say something, the smile on Shen Tang''s face suddenly disappeared. She straightened up and looked towards the door. She raised her hand to her lips, hinting Qi Shan to stay silent. After a moment, the heavy footsteps neared, the middle-aged man came over with two bowls of steaming ginger soup. ¡°You were waiting for a long time¡±. Qi Shan and Shen Tang nodded in gratitude. Under the watch of the middle-aged man, the two of them clasped the bowls and were about to start drinking the soup. The two of them seemed to not have set up any defense against him, the middle-aged man was overjoyed. However, when he was about to reveal his sneer, a bowl of steaming ginger soup came pouring down in the next second. Immediately after, the low table was sent flying, and it smashed towards the front door. Qi Shan splashed the soup, Shen Tang sent the table flying. After that - Qi Shan quietly retreated behind Shen Tang. He said calmly: ¡°Know the male, protect the female, retreat if you can¡¯t do something, this is the principle of a ¡®wise man looks after his own hide¡¯¡±. Shen Tang ¡°???¡± Shen Tang ¡°!!!¡± CH 15 Chapter 15: The 4th rank Bugeng ¡°Mister Qi, this ¡°a wise man looks after his own hide¡± magic phrase, why didn¡¯t you give it to me?¡± Shen Tang almost vomited blood. She had memorized this passage not long ago. It could condense Qi into a strong wind to protect the whole body! To put it in simple terms, it could create a shield. She didn¡¯t have a problem with Qi Shan protecting himself, but he unexpectedly quietly retreated behind her¡ªa weak 11-12 year old female nerd to let her face this terrible killer alone! It really made one¡¯s hair stand up in anger! Qi Shan stayed calm: ¡°I''m weak and not good at fighting¡±. Shen Tang ¡°¡­¡± She suddenly recalled what she said about Qi Shan after looking at the scroll with magic words last night¡ªthe LYB, who uses offense as defense and squats with his head down in the grass¡ªnow it seems this evaluation wasn¡¯t that accurate. She needed to add one more line. It''s also quite easy for this guy to sell his teammates. ¡°No matter how bad you are at fighting, you are still a young man around 20 years old¡±. Hide behind her? Is it an action of a manly man? She fell silent and kicked at the middle-age man''s chest. Looking at the man who didn¡¯t have time to react, before being sent flying, Qi Shan said: ¡°People around 20 years old can''t kick people so far¡±. Shen Tang ¡°¡­¡± The middle-aged man fell to the ground while covering his chest. He seemed overwhelmed with shock. He never thought that one tiny kid could be this strong. He slapped the ground and jumped up, shouting loudly: ¡°You¡¯re a nuisance, so don¡¯t blame me for being ruthless!¡± From nowhere, he took out a red hatchet. Then, he slashed at Shen Tang! Boom! The man used his wudan on the hatchet, so it could cut iron like mud. It split the knife in Shen Tang¡¯s hand in half. The man was overjoyed. Then, he used brute force to slash horizontally, aiming at Shen Tang¡¯s neck. The man was smiling, and he seemed to already see the tragic scene of Shen Tang''s head flying away from her body. Unexpectedly, she leaned back, avoiding the successive strikes. Her every step was taken calmly. The middle-aged man didn¡¯t have any special style of fighting, he just used brute force coupled with his red hatchet. One strike after another. He only needed to hit once to disable or kill his opponent. After noticing the split he made on the ground, Shen Tang¡¯s expression turned cold. Qi Shan timely said: ¡°2nd rank, Shangzao¡±. Nevertheless, a 2nd-rank Shangzao who only used brute force. Shen Tang seized the opportunity to get closer to him and store the strength in her fist, aiming at his wrist. The middle-aged man screamed in pain. The hatchet in his hands fell down. She used this opportunity to give him a hard kick three inches below the navel. It was a dead loss for the man, and even Qi Shan gasped subconsciously. He covered his face with his sleeves and couldn''t bear to look directly. There is no man that can withstand that kind of pain. The middle-aged man wasn¡¯t an exception. He screamed and bent over towards Shen Tang¡¯s chest. He was caught by his ears and his hair fell down. Then, he bumped into her bent-up knee. Boom! Qi Shan subconsciously rubbed his nose. He seemed to feel the pain of this man. Just at this time, out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed the silhouette swaying outside the paper window. He acted without thinking and read- ¡°Standing together through storms and dangers!¡± When he said the word ¡°standing together¡±, A grey glow broke through the window and with unrivaled momentum shot towards Shen Tang. At the same time, Chinese characters suddenly appeared all over Shen Tang¡¯s body. The two powers collided, creating the air wave that exploded with a bang. Shen Tang avoided it early. She looked at the blade that sunk several inches into the ground, then raised her head to look outside¡ªthere was an enemy in the dark! Qi Shan said: ¡°His colleague, he should be a 3rd-rank Zanniao¡±. With his rich experience, he was able to deduce roughly the strength of this man¡¯s colleague, on the basis of only this one strike. But his next words were - ¡°Young, master Shen, you should be able to deal with him¡±. Shen Tang ¡°¡­¡± The meaning hidden behind his words, he still wants to be just an audience. Unlike the middle-aged man who fought disorderly, the one who came was obviously a practitioner. He rushed in, and in his palm appeared some power that forced the spear inserted into the ground to fly back into his hand. His target wasn¡¯t Shen Tang. He feinted to approach Qi Shan. The comer wore black clothes, nearly 9 feet tall with a massive back and a muscular body. Solely standing, he gave others enormous pressure, making the originally spacious house feel narrow and stifling. With an expression of ¡°as expected¡±, Qi Shan unhurriedly mouthed one magic phrase. The light surged under his feet, and his body swayed slightly, as he retreated more than ten feet away. The man in black wanted to pursue him, but was stopped by Shen Tang with her killing ¡°Mother Sword¡± magic phrase. He was unable to escape. Clang! Dong! A spear and a sword clashed. Qi Shan dodged to the comparatively safe open space. He unhurriedly said: ¡°When I am in danger, it¡¯ll be inflicted on others, so¡ªwhen I am in danger, others are in danger. If people want to be safe, they need to help solve my difficulties¡±. The magic phrase took effect, but the light unexpectedly shined under Shen Tang¡¯s feet. Shen Tang after hearing this magic phrase: ¡°¡­???¡± While blocking the enemy''s spear that was stabbing at her like a violent storm, she shouted angrily: ¡°Qi Yuanliang! Are you a human?!¡± Qi Shan was truly a dog! This magic phrase at first didn¡¯t seem so wrong, but after interpreting it in fact it meant¡ªIf I¡¯m in danger, then I will pass the danger to the other person. If I endanger others, I will be in danger, so if that person wants to be safe, he has to help me solve the danger. It was equivalent to mandatory risk sharing. ¡°Young master Shen, the big picture is the most important¡±. Qi Shan heard what she said and unexpectedly thickened his skin, smiling saying, ¡°As the saying goes¡ª¡®Wenxin is not eliminated, wudan is not extinguished¡¯. This practitioner cannot be ignorant of this truth. I am weak, so I will entrust my life to young master Shen¡±. Shen Tang ¡°¡­¡± Brother Qi Yuanliang, do you still remember the phrase ¡°Guess whether this saber is a decoration or a handy weapon¡± that you said last night? Only one night passed, and you already managed to pick up a frail scholar character? Bang! The roof was pierced thoroughly by the sword¡¯s gray tip. The man¡¯s strength was extraordinary, at least he was stronger than the 3rd rank Zanniao official she met before. Shen Tang retreated a few steps to unload the pressure. She looked at her slightly numb web between her thumb and forefinger, and her expression turned heavy. ¡°Qi Yuanliang, are you certain that he is a 3rd rank Zanniao?¡± Qi Shan was about to say ¡°yes¡±, but through the unextinguished oil lamp, he saw the man''s thick lips slightly parting. He started muttering something silently. Immediately after, there was a change in his momentum. Hundreds of spears danced in an instant, and his spear wrapped around Shen Tang''s long sword like a snake. Qi Shan carefully identified it. [Soldiers changeable power, water changeable shape¡­] This is¡­ Qi Shan comprehended in an instant. ¡°Be careful. He¡¯s a 4th rank Bugeng!¡± Almost after his words, an imaginary shadow quietly appeared in Shen Tang¡¯s blind spot. The black clothes man that was entangled with Shen Tang formed a pincer attack. The spear came, but Shen Tang seemed to have eyes on her back, and she grabbed the hanging curtain, then leaped vertically onto the broken hanging beam, avoiding the attack that could hit her heart. ¡°WTF, unexpectedly, he can split the [body]!¡± She just stood firmly, when she heard Qi Shan¡¯s voice in her ears. He said: ¡°Scatter about like stars in the sky or chess pieces on a board!¡± Buzz - The crisscross characters stretched out from under his feet. At first glance, it looked like a huge chessboard. When the chessboard appeared, the man¡¯s in black feet sank and his knees trembled slightly, as if a huge stone was pressing on his shoulders. His legs started sinking into an invisible quagmire. He shouted loudly and his energy burst out from his body. The gray blade collided with wenxin¡¯s light and made a harsh impact sound. Shen Tang looked at this, not knowing what to do. This exceeded her scope of understanding. Qi Shan noticed her worry and coldly said: ¡°You just have to fight, leave the rest to me. Catch him alive!¡± The threshold for being Gongshi and Shangzao was extremely low, any warrior could reach it. The 3rd rank Zanniao was a dividing range. From the 4th rank Bugeng, the practitioners could use ¡®The art of war¡¯ magic phrases and could become the commander in the army. If he was willing to become stronger and become part of the army, he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about eating and drinking. Why did he become a bandit to make a living by robbing and killing people? ²»¸ü - bugeng, the 4th rank¡ªcreated since the reform of Shangyang in the Qin dynasty to reward military merits. It¡¯s divided into 20 ranks. CH 16 Chapter 16: One body is missing Since Qi Shan said to do as she wished, Shen Tang naturally skipped the formalities. She had an imposing presence. Her defense was impenetrable and her moves evasive. Even though the man in black was using the most favorable weapon¡ªa long spear, she didn¡¯t give him the time for a breather. He was overwhelmed by her concentrated attacks, repeatedly retreating. Boom - A sword pierced the wall behind the man in black. Taking advantage of Shen Tang pulling out her sword, the man in black shouted and abandoned his long spear. He congealed the gray light in his hand and with a bang, punched Shen Tang¡¯s chest. The gray matter emitted a faint, booming sound. Shen Tang didn''t hesitate. She raised her hand to meet his fist. No one expected that at this time, her target would disappear! She didn¡¯t have time to pull back, and her punch left a big hole in the wall. Shen Tang: ¡°???¡± It¡¯s not - A person? Qi Shan slightly smiled, reminding her. ¡°Young master Shen, when facing the enemy, you shouldn''t be absent-minded¡±. ¡°Just now, you took him away?¡± Qi Shan had yet to answer when the man in black¡¯s face turned grave: ¡°The battle formation magic phrase, ¡®substituting one thing for another¡¯?¡± In order to strengthen themselves and not be swallowed, the vassals of various countries vigorously employed some tacticians who were good at military formation and military tactics. For more than two hundred years, these black-hearted people made the magic words a required course for later generations to embark on or contribute to the official career. But practicing wenxin was much more difficult than practicing wudan. On the one hand, the magic words were difficult to control and even if they were properly controlled, the effect was still unknown; On the other hand, the effect of the magic words was dependent on the person. The situation on the battlefield was always rapidly changing, so it was necessary to change the strategy according to the situation. With one negligence, you could lose everything. ¡°Didn¡¯t expect this remote place to know what¡¯s what¡±. Qi Shan agreed tacitly with the judgment of the man in black. The man sneered. ¡°So¡ªI can¡¯t spare you even more!¡± Dong! Explosion again! On the eve of being hit by the long spear, Qi Shan didn¡¯t hide or try to evade. He was smiling, leisurely and carefree looking at the man in black whose forehead was bulging due to the energy accumulated all over his body. Between him and the spear was barely 2 feet, a bit closer and it could take his life. However, such a small distance has become a natural moat. Hard to cross. Shen Tang, who had to handle everything: ¡°¡­¡± She wanted to tell him how sissy he was. She gritted her teeth: ¡°Qi Yuanliang, you¡¯re done? Why are you just standing there stupidly?¡± Of course, Qi Shan didn¡¯t panic. No matter if he was willing or not, young master Shen had to protect him. After having this guarantee, he could rest assured (talk big) and from time to time help out Shen Tang. Overall, he was still OB (observing the fight, then reaping benefits). When she crossed swords with the man in black again, Shen Tang clearly felt the difference. Not to mention his strength and speed, his aura was a lot weaker. Although her hands were numb and the chest felt stuffy, it seemed like the person before her, in this short period of time, was replaced by somebody else. This time, Qi Shan considerably helped her and ¡°explained¡±. ¡°Don''t be surprised by his changes. This is the most common way for fighters of storing power. In a short period of time, all the potential of the Dantian and wudan is forced out, so the fighter can obtain substantial progress in a short period of time. The fourth class Bugeng is comparable to the fifth class Dafu. After some time, the fighter will become weak and powerless, easy to be trampled on. You just needed to hold on to that time¡±. Shen Tang: ¡°¡­¡± Damn it! Isn''t this such a desperate method? ¡°Why didn''t you remind me earlier?¡± The man in black was fierce. His killing intent rushed to the sky. If she hadn¡¯t understood the current situation and underestimated the enemy, would she be beheaded? Qi Shan looked at her, beaming: ¡°Tough adversaries make you stronger. Young master Shen fought skillfully and easily. I was afraid that if I made a sound, I would distract you¡±. An insignificant 4th rank Bugeng. From the beginning, he didn¡¯t put him in his eyes. He wasn¡¯t worth his attention. He was more curious about this young master Shen. This person was too interesting! Clearly, he possessed wenxin, but he could roll up his sleeves and fight, while not being at a disadvantage. He could fight with the 4th rank Bugeng. Even when the man started to rely on the secret skills and in a short period of time upgraded his wudan to a 5th grade Dafu, he could also contest with him. This was really going against common sense. Could he contend with a person stronger than this man? Young master Shen had a national seal and a special wenxin. His fighting strength wasn¡¯t worse than any 5th grade Dafu. He was also closely related to the Gong family, that was thoroughly searched and exterminated. All these things made him unable to restrain the urge to investigate him and reveal his secret. After a hundred moves, the man in black''s momentum plummeted, and Shen Tang slashed her sword against the wall, making him unable to move. ¡°Caught alive¡±. Qi Shan said: ¡°No, the person is already dead¡±. Shen Tang retracted her sword for a moment. ¡°Dead? How could he die¡­¡± Her line of sight fell on the body of the man in black. The latter¡¯s head was hanging down, and a jet-black smelly blood was spilling from his mouth. He really didn¡¯t breathe. Qi Shan said: ¡°This person is either a bandit or a suicide soldier. The mission failed, and the only thing he could do was to die! Suicide can be delightful for him, living not necessary¡±. Looking at this situation, his previous judgment was wrong. The latter could be the real bandit, who intended to kill and rob. The man in black probably stalled him, and was unlucky to meet the two of them. ¡°Suicide soldier? Who was he supposed to assassinate? Could it be A Yan?¡± Qi Shan lost interest: ¡°Maybe.¡± ¡°What would he be trying to do by killing a fool born with brain disease?¡± ¡°Young master Shen, you have no experience, so naturally you don¡¯t know the dangers of the world. How can you guarantee that the talk about the brain disease is true? Maybe this child has a scheming heart, and he knows how to hide his clumsiness. Maybe, he uses his stupidity to protect himself from harm¡­ There are many examples of people enduring suffering, while waiting for their revenge¡±. ¡°This¡­¡± Qi Shan: ¡°You gave him three caramels earlier, but he refused to eat it. He insisted on letting you eat one first. How can you be sure that he wasn¡¯t testing you and asking you to help him examine if it had poison in it?¡± Shen Tang: ¡°¡­¡± She had no idea: ¡°But he is at most six years old¡­¡± Qi Shan said: ¡°If the environment forces you, not to mention six years old, even if you are two or one-year-old, you can still scheme to protect yourself¡±. Shen Tang: ¡°¡­¡± If a six-year-old child can be so deceitful, how could she¡ªa house girl with a slight social fear, keep living? She said: ¡°If this is the case, A Yan''s background cannot be simple¡±. To kill a child, they send out a 4th grade suicide soldier. They had identification cards! Reason told Qi Shan that things were fine at this point. Whether A Yan lived or died had nothing to do with him, and he should get out early to avoid provoking other matters. However, young master Shen didn''t think like him. He wanted to collect the corpses of the dead in this house. One by one, the bodies were dragged to the main hall. Feeling the temperature of the corpses, Shen Tang judged that these people should have died not long after A Yan disappeared, and the village official called to find him. ¡°Alas, eleven lives¡­¡± Qi Shan was expressionless: ¡°Human life is the most contemptible thing in the world. This is the case now, and it will be the same in the future.¡± Shen Tang shook her head: ¡°This is wrong. If the situation was stable and the laws in order, those who have killed without reason would have to pay with their lives¡±. Qi Shan was amused by her words. ¡°There has never been a ''stable situation'' anywhere¡±. Not now, nor ever. Shen Tang was choked by his words, and couldn''t help complaining. ¡°Mister Qi, you have the skills, but you''re still not considering assisting anyone to calm the troubled times? You are just making sarcastic remarks¡­¡± Qi Shan smiled without saying a word. Shen Tang was about to pick up the firewood to clean up the corpses, but she suddenly thought of something and stopped. Her eyes turned to the hands of these corpses. She looked around. ¡°Not quite right¡±. Qi Shan asked: ¡°What''s wrong?¡± ¡°One body is missing¡±. ¡°You mean A Yan? He may still be alive¡­¡± Shen Tang said: ¡°It¡¯s not A Yan¡¯s, but someone else¡¯s¡±. One body was missing! _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_ Can you guess who was missing? There are clues above. CH 17 Chapter 17: Disgrace (1) Qi Shan''s gaze swept over the 11 bodies. He pondered for a while, but didn¡¯t discover any doubtful points. He might as well stop thinking about it and directly ask for an answer. ¡°Who is missing?¡± ¡°One man¡±. Shen Tang replied, then added the details, ¡°one man about 7 feet 4 inches tall¡±. Qi Shan muttered something, and suddenly a divine light flashed through his brain. He suddenly realized who Shen Tang was talking about! ¡°Yes, indeed. He is missing¡±. This man may still be living! Qi Shan focused his gaze on the palms of 11 bodies. Their palms were really rough with dark skin and many callouses. Even the hands of old ladies that always wore clothes made from silk had work signs on them, but the hands of these corpses didn¡¯t have any signs of holding a pen to write. A long time of writing characters could deform the knuckles. The degree of deformation was related to the amount of calligraphy practice. These corpses didn¡¯t have such deformations. However, the room that they stayed in had a lot of books. In front of the window, there were two writing desks ¨C one big and one small. There were bamboo slips for kids on them. If it was prepared for A Yan, then where was the person that gave him that at this moment? Naturally, that was the proof that didn¡¯t mean much. The instructor could teach the child during the day and come back to his house in the evenings. But the bandit who opened the door for them before had wudan, but was wearing a brown scholar shirt that didn''t fit very well. This was interesting. The possibility of these clothes not belonging to the bandit was high. The clothes probably belonged to the instructor of that kid. Qi Shan said: ¡°After that? What¡¯s the use of finding him?¡± Shen Tang said: ¡°At least we could understand the inside story¡±. Qi Shan couldn''t help but laugh, reminding Shen Tang. ¡°Young master Shen, do you still remember your current identity? Not to mention that this case has nothing to do with you. Even if it was, once you found out, it could be a clay ox in the sea, you could never get out of it. After seeing injustice on the road, you want to draw a sword to help and take care of every small thing on the road, this is the style of a heroic knight-errant¡±. Shen Tang ¡°¡­¡± Even though these words were unpleasant to hear, they were true. At this moment, she should ignore the clues and not cause a sensation. The entire house was searched. Besides the two of them, there were no survivors. There were no clues. Shen Tang had to put on the raincoat and hat again. They had to return to the Qianjia village. Through the rain curtain, they saw the village official waiting for someone at the entrance to the village. By a lucky conscience, the village official also saw them. He hastily greeted them: ¡°The two of you finally returned ¨C ¡° Shen Tang lamented: ¡°Nevertheless, we didn¡¯t find¡­¡± Unexpectedly, the village official said: ¡°A Yan was found¡±. Shen Tang and Qi Shan were flabbergasted: ¡°found?¡± Qi Shan asked: ¡°Other people?¡± Shen Tang also asked: ¡°Previously, where did he run off to?¡± The village official was happy that A Yan was safe. After seeing the two strangers so eager to know more about it, his smile blossomed. He was especially waiting at the entrance of the village for them to inform them about the good news: ¡°Previously, A Yan was called by his teacher. He said that he has to take him north to look for his relatives. Because of some accident, they had to immediately leave. At this moment, they are already on the road¡­¡± Shen Tang and Qi Shan looked at each other in dismay. ¡°A Yan¡¯s teacher?¡± ¡°What¡¯s so urgent that they had to leave that very night in this heavy rain?¡± The village official also didn¡¯t know and didn¡¯t want to inquire more. Shen Tang asked: ¡°A Yan voluntarily left with him?¡± The village official found it strange: ¡°Young master Shen, what do you mean?¡± Shen Tang laughed awkwardly. The village official said: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, that man is a good person¡±. Even if he wasn¡¯t a good person, he also wouldn¡¯t be a kidnapper. Nowadays, kids are of little value, to say nothing of a fool with a brain disease. Why would someone go to such lengths to kidnap and sell him? The torrential rain showed no sign of stopping. More than ten miles away from the Qianjia village. The red horse was running through the dense forest under the heavy rain. There were two people on the back of the horse, one big and one small. The older one had grey hair and was quite old. He wore a silver scholar garment. The raincoat was draped over his shoulder and he wore a bamboo hat. The small one didn¡¯t have a raincoat. His both hands were rigidly clenching on the reins. After looking carefully, wasn¡¯t the child who was pursuing his lips, while looking solemn and dignified, A Yan? ¡°Jia!¡± Where the horse''s hooves fell, the muddy water was splattering. The red horse was like a flame leaping through the jungle. Without the slightest hesitation, one leap took him 2 feet further. He crossed over the rapid stream and only then stopped. ¡°A Yan, it, it¡¯s okay¡­¡±. The weak voice came from the back. A Yan controlled the steed to half-kneel and helped the frail old man get off the horse. The blood mixed with rainwater, gathered under the old man''s feet. He powerlessly sat on the ground. He had a greenish-white complexion. His right hand was covering the position below the right rib. The wound wouldn¡¯t stop bleeding. The old man took several deep breaths, then relaxed his breathing to suppress the severe pain of his wound. The blue veins on his forehead were throbbing uncontrollably. A Yan looked at him saddened. He lifted his hand to help him straighten out the hat. The elder tried to smile, but it looked uglier than crying: ¡°Nothing. Fortunately, it¡¯s not deep. I won¡¯t die¡­¡± After a moment, he saw A Yan take out a piece of sticky caramel from his sack. It was the size of a thumb, stained with blood and wet by the rain. He handed it to the old man and said, ¡°Teacher, eat¡±. The elder smiled and didn¡¯t refuse. The taste of caramel wasn¡¯t too good. He tore his sleeve, to make a simple bandage. After that, with A Yan¡¯s support, he stood up. He started talking to himself: ¡°Firstly, we have to find a place to hide from the rain, then we should go to Xiao city to replenish our rations¡±. A Yan muttered: ¡°Xiao city?¡± The elder said: ¡°Yes, firstly we will go there and then decide on the rest¡±. They could luckily avoid the chase this time, but the next time? Luck will not always be with him, so it was better to make preparations early. A Yan had suffered. He had to flee with this bad old man from a young age. Originally he wanted him to stay in the village, but¡ª¡ªthe child grew up and had his own idea. A Yan nodded: ¡°Well, let¡¯s go to the Xiao city!¡± ¡°Does A Yan know where the Xiao city is?¡± ¡°I don''t know¡±. A Yan pointed at the horse, ¡°But we have a big red horse¡±. The old man couldn''t help laughing: ¡°You are still too young. The big red horse won''t last long, and maintaining it forcibly will cause you a lot of burden¡­ A Yan, put away your big red horse. The situation is better now. Firstly, let''s find shelter from the rain for the night¡­¡± A Yan vigorously nodded. This night passed especially hard. When Shen Tang awoke, the rain had already stopped. The soil outside the house was muddy, and the potholes were full of it. The village official had already packed the dry food prepared for the two of them. Taking advantage of the still light, Qi Shan decided to leave early. The two of them hurried for 12 hours before they came across a roadside tea shop. They decided to stop and rest, drink some tea and catch their breath. There was a sound of horseshoes coming from everywhere. There were about a hundred people, all dressed as soldiers. Behind them, were a few prison carts that they were escorting. Qi Shan glanced at Shen Tang from the corner of his eye: ¡°Don''t be nervous, young master Shen. They are not looking for you. This group should be the Geng country soldiers¡±. CH 18 Chapter 18: Disgrace (2) After hearing that these soldiers were unrelated to her case, Shen Tang relaxed. She raised her hand to lower her hat. While sitting in the corner and pretending to drink tea, she tried to reduce the volume of her voice: ¡°The Geng country¡¯s soldiers¡­ Why are they here?¡± Qi Shan almost choked on his tea. This young master Shen never failed to disappoint him. His every question was outside his prediction. ¡°If the Geng country¡¯s soldiers are not here, then where should they be?¡± Shen Tang ¡°¡­¡± Her intuition told her that she apparently asked a stupid question. Shen Tang tried to remedy herself. ¡°But, is it not a Zhongtai? No, Xin country? How can Geng country¡¯s soldiers ¡­¡± She stopped talking and covered her eyes to not look at Qi Shan¡¯s expression that made her feel like a fool anymore. ¡ª She remembered Qi Shan said Zhongtai''s ¨C the Xin country that was annihilated ¨C seal of state was suspected to be hidden by the Gong clan. ¡ª At that time, she focused on a seal of state and the Gong clan. Basically, she didn¡¯t ask who was the one that destroyed Xin country. Looking at it now, it should be the Geng Country. This question was enough to completely expose her ¡°naivety and ignorance¡±. Fortunately, Qi Shan was already used to the ¡°unexpectedness¡± of young master Shen. He didn¡¯t delve into it. Shen Tang was embarrassed: ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t understand these things too deeply¡­¡± ¡°Understanding it now is not too late¡±. Qi Shan half smiled. He taped three times on the table with his fingers, and silently recited the magic words ¡°The law is not passed on to the six ears¡±. The faintly discernible energy of wenxin surged up and disappeared without a trace, ¡°One glance was enough to recognise that you¡¯re a nobleman raised by a highly respected noble. I can understand it. You are still considered good, other hedonistic sons of rich parents perhaps are more ignorant and fearless. They only know how to ride around a red-light district, kiss women, and have loose morals while unruly playing around. How can they know of the hatred of country invasions, destruction of homelands, and the suffering of the people?¡± Shen Tang: ¡°¡­¡± She just needed to not take this as a personal attack, Qi Shan wasn¡¯t talking about her. Shen Tang thickened her face: ¡°Mister Qi, what you said is right¡±. Qi Shan looked unsatisfied. He just couldn¡¯t control his emotions just now - Three-year-old children and farmers in the fields knew about Geng country killing in Xin country, but this young master Shen, who had a great connection with the Gong family, was confused about it and said he didn''t know anything. He just didn¡¯t know if he should be angry or start laughing. Shen Tang guiltily lowered her head to drink tea. ¡°However, Xin country and Geng country are one now. Destroyed or not, there is no difference for the common people. It¡¯s just the top of the mountain for them. The incapable ruler was changed to a tyrant, that¡¯s all¡­¡± Shen Tang was astonished. From the corner of her eyes, she glanced at the Geng country''s soldiers. After seeing that they didn¡¯t pay attention to them, she relaxed: ¡°After hearing your comments now, I think you were against the destruction of the Xin country. But, didn¡¯t you say before¡­¡± When their eyes met for the first time, Qi Shan still felt malice toward her, since he thought that she was the ¡°child of the Gong clan¡±. The rumors implied that the Gong family had something to do with Xin country¡¯s destruction, and also that they hid the national seal. Shen Tang still thought Qi Shan really loved this country, but now she understood it was not like that. Qi Shan lazily opened his eyes. ¡°Both things are not in conflict¡±. Noticing, that he didn¡¯t want to say more, Shen Tang had to take the initiative to change the topic. She wanted to make some insinuations to try to understand this world better. She pointed to the top of her head: This Geng country¡¯s¡­ owner. Why do you have such a low evaluation of him?¡± Xin country was extinguished. The king should be blamed for being incompetent. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to call him an ¡°incapable ruler¡±. Moreover, the power of the Geng country was strong. The king just expanded his territory during his reign, but the evaluation of Qi Shan was actually a ¡°tyrant¡±? Qi Shan sneered: ¡°If this is not the action of the tyrant, which king can¡¯t be called a ¡°humanitarian master¡±? Just look, if the tyrant Zheng Qiao doesn''t die within five years, the Geng country will surely be destroyed¡±. Shen Tang wanted to gossip more. ¡°Concretely, where is he cruel?¡± Qi Shan was about to explain, when the ear-piercing scoldings sounded from the prison cart outside the tea shop. After a while, there was only the sound of whipping and miserable screams. Shen Tang looked through the gap in the bamboo curtain of the tea shop, and could vaguely see blood dripping from the corner of the prison cart. Another prisoner scolded angrily: ¡°Even if you beat this old man to death, this old man will say, Zheng Qiao, you are a bootlicking and cheap [breed]. Kill this old man, and put on mourning clothes* to accomplish the dreams of your ancestors! I hope your family dies, scoundrel!¡± The older brother had a head of white hair and was muscular. He sounded angry, his voice was like thunder. It was the first time Shen Tang watched someone cursing in this world. Awesome! But of course, the Geng soldiers wouldn¡¯t allow him to curse any longer. At that time, someone swung the whip. A casual swing left a bloody scar on his body. The man gritted his teeth and didn¡¯t scream or beg for forgiveness. The more ruthless they were, the more he cursed. The man was dying. The soldier panted and spat at the prisoner in the prison cart: ¡°Old wretch!¡± ¡°Young master Shen. You asked just now ¡®Where is he cruel?¡¯, but didn¡¯t you see that just now?¡±. Qi Shan pointed in the direction outside the tea shop. Worried that Shen Tang would not understand, he started from the beginning, ¡°Zheng Qiao is the owner of the Geng country now. When he was 5 years old, he followed his mother to enter the Xin country¡¯s harem as a hostage. It is said that he was smart and studious since he was a child. He was also born with natural beauty. At the age of fifteen, he became famous as the Heartwarming King of the capital. The king of the Xin country was overjoyed and gave him the name ''Loved by women''¡°. ¡°Did the owner of the Xin country have a serious illness?¡± Qi Shan said: ¡°Indeed he is ill ¨C muddleheaded, incompetent, and lecherous. Incidentally, the mother of Zheng Qiao was watching over his harem. ¡°This Zheng Qiao is also a bit pitiful¡­¡± Qi Shan jeered at her na?vet¨¦. He asked: ¡°Do you think that Zheng Qiao was forced by some powers and had no other choice?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s not like that?¡± Unconsciously, you thought that the incapable king wanted to rule by force, right? Qi Shan shook his head with regret: ¡°If it was like that, Zheng Qiao would also be pitiful, but it¡¯s a pity that it¡¯s not like that. He is excellent at ordering others to do his dirty work. In these years he killed many loyal officials, eradicating dissidents. Those who offended him, calling him a sycophant or a pet, were soon imprisoned. Regardless of whether they were wronged or not, all of them got capital punishment¡±. What is ¡°capital punishment¡±? It¡¯s to cruelly destroy the dantian. After dantian, wenxin and wudan were destroyed, there is no way to restore them. Even if later the verdict was reversed, there was no way to undo it. Zheng Qiao bullied the weak but feared the strong. He was only punishing people with no background or weak foundation. Qi Shan didn¡¯t know how many talented people were destroyed by him. The situation in the early years of Xin country was quite stable. Their power wasn¡¯t weak. Even though their ruler didn¡¯t appear in the court 365 days a year and spent all day in the harem, playing with women or ordering people to look for beauties everywhere, the conditions of living weren¡¯t that bad. But after Zheng Qiao appeared, every day was chaotic. Afterwards, Geng¡¯s country''s royal family was in an internal disorder. The king thought about Zheng Qiao who was staying in another country as a hostage. Zheng Qiao was ambitious, and not resigned to the existing situation. He used money and a promise of good future prospects to win over the courtiers of Xin country. It went without a hitch, so the Xin country¡¯s owner let him return to his country. Nearly 5 years later, the Geng country took advantage of the successive drought in the Xin country and its bad military strength. They sneakily send troops. The irresistible force stormed the city walls. Every time they seized a city, Zheng Qiao would overlook the soldiers'' actions of burning, killing, looting, and robbing, while he humiliated the old officials of the Xin country in every possible way. ¡°Speaking of which, Zheng Qiao and Gong clan also had a relationship¡±. Shen Tang¡¯s scalp turned numb. She really didn¡¯t know about this. Contrary to her expectations, Qi Shan laughed and continued speaking. ¡°That year, Gong clan was the main force supporting Zheng Qiao¡¯s return to the Geng country. Interestingly ¨C the Gong clan was exterminated, the men were sent to the frontier to serve as coolies in the army, and the female relatives were sent to the brothel in Xiao city. ¡ª This was the first order of Zheng Qiao, when he decided to break through to the Xin¡¯s country capital¡±. Xin country (Zhongtai) was eradicated. It was also a country Qi Shan and sister Tang were currently staying at. Of course, it was already annexed by the Geng country, merely the power wasn¡¯t yet stable. The background of the whole world was totally chaotic, and the wars between the vassals were very fierce. Sister Tang currently was only an 11-12 year old. She was still in the stage of trying to understand the outside world. She has yet to mature before she could really embark on the road of becoming a prince. Besides, she had to get an opportunity for her to become the king. ¡°The law is not passed on to the six ears¡± was a soundproofing magic phrase. There was also a corresponding phrase ¡°the walls have ears¡± used to eavesdrop on other people¡¯s conversations. *Death: When the ancients surrendered, the etiquette of scholars and officials is to put on mourning clothes¡­ they should¡­ CH 19 Chapter 19: Disgrace (3) Shen Tang almost choked on the tea. ¡°Cough, cough ¨C former, formerly was this the truth about the extermination of the Gong clan?¡± after hearing the details, Shen Tang thought that Gong clan really wasn¡¯t so upright and innocent, ¡°They clearly knew Zheng Qiao is a crafty man and still let the tiger return to the mountain. Didn¡¯t they think that he would retaliate against them one day?¡± In this world, not everyone would repay the kindness. Zheng Qiao¡¯s experience in Xin country was a complete shame and humiliation for him. At that time he was weak and had to accept a compromise. Now that he had become the king of the Geng country, he developed and gained strength, and the accumulated grievance at the bottom of his heart erupted like a volcano. He wanted to urgently erase his dark past. Qi Shan said: ¡°This, I don¡¯t know¡±. Shen Tang teased: ¡°And here I thought that you¡¯re know-it-all¡±. Although her transmigration began with a hell difficulty, Qi Shan ¡°GuideNPC¡± was really responsible and diligent. She gave him a 5-star evaluation! Qi Shan pretended to be amazed. He faked: ¡°I¡¯m extremely honored to know you¡¯re viewing me so highly¡±. Shen Tang ¡°¡­¡± Her face still wasn¡¯t as thick as mister Qi, thereupon she bowed her head and started drinking tea. Actually, Qi Shan was drinking tea, while observing Shen Tang¡¯s reaction ¨C He was curious all along, what kind of relationship did young master Shen have with the Gong clan? Just now, after hearing that the reason behind the destruction of the Gong clan was Zheng Qiao reprisal, young master Shen didn¡¯t show any resentment or hatred on his face. He was calm, as if this matter was unrelated to him. However, how could it be unrelated? If young master Shen was ruthless, how could he rush about in the rain for one fool last night? His reaction was completely beyond common sense and logic. Because Geng country¡¯s soldiers didn¡¯t depart yet, Shen Tang didn¡¯t want to leave yet to not arouse attention. So she asked the owner of the tea shop to gave them a new pot of tea. The two continued to stay there to kill time, and conveniently inquired about the identity of the prisoner on the prison cart. The shop owner timidly turned around. He stole a glance at the soldiers outside, then whispered: ¡°They say it was the imperial censor¡¯s deputy¡­¡± Shen Tang didn¡¯t understand. She muttered, looking at Qi Shan: ¡°The imperial censor¡¯s deputy?¡± Don¡¯t blame her for being illiterate, as a person who lost her memory she truly didn¡¯t know. Qi Shan: ¡°The imperial censor¡¯s deputy¡¯s surname was ¡®Tian¡¯? ¡°It seems like his surname was ¡®Tian¡¯? A few soldiers also cursed something about ¡®Old bastard with a surname Tian¡¯, ¡®imperial censor¡¯s deputy so what¡¯, and so on¡±. The shop owner also didn¡¯t understand this. Not to mention these high officials, even the veterans guarding the city gates could easily kill these little commoners. He refilled a pot of tea for Shen Tang, and sighed, ¡°Don''t be curious, you two, so that you won¡¯t die!¡± Xin and Geng countries fought. The aftermath was the most harmful thing for the common people. The Geng county¡¯s folk were a bit better. Besides the taxation that was a bit higher than in the past, that let them feel oppressed, without a place to breathe, they were fortunate to not die from hunger. The Xin country was worse off. The kings of the two countries fought in Xin country. The common people from the Xin country not only had to work hard to provide military supplies and food but also had to face the burning, killing, and looting of Geng country¡¯s soldiers. Some people thought that it would stay calm for a while after the battle, but who knew that the king of the Geng country adhered to the principle of ¡°don''t lose money to your brothers¡± and allowed his subordinates who fought with him to break the law and commit crimes. The people trembled when they saw the Geng soldiers. The shop owner noticed that the two young masters were really attractive and couldn¡¯t help but remind them a bit, as to avoid younger generation to impulsively lose their lives. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, shop owner. We know propriety¡±. Qi Shan smiled at the shop owner¡¯s good will. After the shop owner busied himself somewhere else, the smile on Qi Shan¡¯s face disappeared, it was replaced by the gloomy look, ¡°Imperial censor¡¯s deputy was a senior officer in a central supervisory agency. He received a badge of a high-ranking official in the court and maintained order of all kinds of government officials¡±. Shen Tang understood: ¡°Like this, this imperial censor¡¯s deputy wanted to impeach Zheng Qiao, didn¡¯t he? I estimate that he offended him terribly¡­¡± She recalled how energetic he looked just now. He let people sufficiently realize the charm of a language art by abusing roundly. How could Zheng Qiao let this person go? Qi Shan sighed: ¡°It¡¯s not this simple¡­¡± ¡°What did this imperial censor¡¯s deputy with a Tian surname do more?¡± ¡°I heard that he was quite honest and had an explosive character. He obeyed the law and selected officials. He didn¡¯t abstain from anything. No matter nobleman, official, or someone else, he captured everyone and impeached them. Naturally, Zheng Qiao wasn¡¯t an exception. Ever since Zheng Qiao became a pupil of the king of the Xin country, this imperial censor¡¯s deputy was the government official who cursed the most. He once blocked Zheng Qiao''s way to court with a royal horse, and yelled at him in front of the people¡°. Shen Tang asked: ¡°Did he give him any face?¡± Qi Shan: ¡°No. Later on, the officials of the capital city as well as common people, who didn¡¯t know what kind of person Zheng Qiao relied on? When Zheng Qiao wanted to return to his country, the imperial censor¡¯s deputy opposition was the fiercest. He argued that if he came back home, he would become a calamity for them and cause endless trouble. He begged the king of Xin country to kill Zheng Qiao nineteen times¡°. After Shen Tang heard this, she could already guess that the whole family of imperial censor¡¯s deputy was taken down. She said: ¡°Once Zheng Qiao freed himself, the family of the imperial censor¡¯s deputy¡­ no, his whole clan couldn¡¯t have an easy time¡­¡± In any case, Gong clan had helped Zheng Qiao, and they ended up dying or being exiled, to say nothing about the imperial censor¡¯s deputy. Qi Shan said: ¡°Not only¡±. ¡°Are there any other grudges?¡± ¡°Before Zheng Qiao returned to his country, the imperial censor¡¯s deputy called his disciples and family members who were officials in the court to implore the king of Xin to execute Zheng Qiao. The king was also under pressure and¡­ He also had a problem with Zheng Qiao, so he thought about killing him¡­¡± I heard that the imperial order had been written and was just waiting to be issued. It''s just that Zheng Qiao got the information in advance, and managed to eliminate the crisis as if it didn¡¯t exist. He fled back to Geng country overnight. If he had received the news later, he would be dead. Shen Tang: ¡°¡­¡± What should she say? ¡°This story tells us that when weeds are cut, we must get rid of the roots. We have to take advantage of other''s weaknesses, and we should start in advance to avoid the problems that may be incurred by a delay¡±. After Qi Shan heard Shen Tang seriously ¡°learned a lesson¡±, Qi Shan¡¯s mouth twitched slightly, but he didn¡¯t know what was wrong with it. He just took a sip of tea, when he heard the prisoner''s bloody cries coming from outside the tea shop, followed by the sound of the prisoner sobbing and cursing: ¡°You are too much of a bully! You are too much of a bully! Zheng Qiao, you are such a cheap sl*t! How dare you do that¡ªhow dare you, how dare you!¡± Shen Tang turned her head and looked outside the tea house. ¡°What happened again?¡± Qi Shan got up and went to the door of the tea shop to inquire in a low voice. After a while, he came back with a stern face, and the aura around his body was chilling: ¡°Zheng Qiao ordered the Xin¡¯s king to lead the old ministers to formally surrender¡­¡± Shen Tang was surprised: ¡°I thought they had already surrendered¡­¡± ¡°There is still a ceremony, Zheng Qiao cares about this the most¡±. ¡°But if you lose, you surrender. Isn''t that normal? Xin country had been destroyed, and the overall situation had already been settled. Why is the prisoner''s reaction so strong? When the prisoner was beaten to death, he didn''t beg for mercy or cry. After hearing about such an inevitability, he¡¯s crying like this¡­¡± There must be something in it. Qi Shan clenched his hands. His throat rolled, and his voice trembled imperceptibly. He closed his eyes tightly and then opened them again. He calmly said: ¡°The imperial seal has been lost for a long time, Zheng Qiao was furious, and forced the king of Xin to abdicate and give the rights to the only concubine of the king¡­¡± Shen Tang asked with her eyes: ¡°Then?¡± The humiliation of changing the name to ¡°Zhongtai¡± and forcing the king to give his position to the king''s concubine. Zheng Qiao was a fox creating trouble. Qi Shan¡¯s expression was complicated. He continued saying: ¡°¡­then an imperial concubine, had to perform the ceremony facing forward with hands tied behind her back and with jasper in her mouth. Completely naked, she had to lead all the officials in the mourning robes to surrender¡­¡±. Shen Tang ¡°¡­¡± CH 20 Chapter 20: Blindly guessing the household Shen Tang let out a gasp. She just realized why Qi Shan was looking so gloomy. Who could bear such shame and humiliation? ¡°The defeated royal family led all the officials to surrender, which is the honor that the victorious country should enjoy. Likely, the king of Xin will not rebel, no matter how unwilling he is. But this Zheng Qiao¡­ is he crazy?¡± Qi Shan ridiculed: ¡°In my opinion, he is not reconciled¡­¡± The humiliation the Xin country experienced that year, he wanted to give it back 10 times. No, 100 times. He also wanted Xin to be remembered in history as shameful forever. Shen Tang fumed: ¡°this is too disgusting!¡± ¡°Disgusting¡± wasn¡¯t enough to describe Zheng Qiao¡¯s madness. Shen Tang only thought that person was malicious, narrow-minded, and repulsive. What the bindings and holding the jade in the mouth meant? Simply, the person had to tie their hands behind their back and put a piece of jade in their mouth ¨C in funerals people believed that jade in a mouth of a corpse could prevent it from decaying and at the same time, it was to show the noble status of the deceased ¨C then surrender to the victorious country with this image. In the specific implementation process, it was generally necessary to expose the upper body to show that one is not carrying any weapons, which also meant that one was a ¡°lamb to be slaughtered¡±. Entrusting their life to others to let the others kill them, and let them do it as they please. And now, Zheng Qiao forced Xin country¡¯s king to abdicate and give the position to the woman ¨C first, the women didn¡¯t have wenxin or wudan, at the same time she was also the only daughter of the king of Xin - he also forced her to expose her body in a public place with numerous people to hand over the surrender letter with a sealed ribbon fastening correspondence, household register and state treasury. Without a doubt, it caused the leftover men from Xin faces¡¯ to be trampled on, leaving them with no leeway. Qi Shan stared at the teacup in his hand with a sneer, it took him a lot of effort not to crush it. He secretly took several deep breaths to calm down his volcanic anger: ¡°Growing up in the depths of the palace, while only knowing the favor and flattery of the servants. Did they think that he would be ¡®noble¡¯ in his methods and vision? If he cannot get Xin¡¯s seal of the state, this war¡¯s profit would be halved. According to Zheng Qiao¡¯s character, he wouldn¡¯t leave it at that¡­¡± Hearing ¡°the seal of the state¡± once more, Shen Tang¡¯s eyelids faintly twitched: ¡°This kind of person can¡¯t sit still¡±. Qi Shan previously said that if Zheng Qiao doesn¡¯t die suddenly within these 5 years, the Geng country would surely be destroyed. This ¡°prediction¡± was considered conservative. According to the ruthlessness and viciousness Zheng Qiao was showing lately, it is still a big question if they can survive these 3 years. He also made a terrible mistake - Indulging the soldiers and horses to do evil, burn, kill and loot. Military discipline and loyalty were difficult to cultivate, but it was easy to destroy. Outside the tea shop, the soldiers of the Geng saw that the wife of the boss of the tea shop looked a bit exceptional, so they unexpectedly thought of a wicked idea and exchanged glances with each other. They deliberately asked the lady to refill their tea, and in the process, someone touched her small hands and waist. They even wanted to pout and kiss her. The landlady''s face turned pale with fright, and she screamed again and again, but the soldiers laughed. ¡°Solider, soldier¡­¡± The owner of the tea shop attempted to step forward to help his wife but was thrown away by a slap to his face. Half of his face quickly became red and swollen. ¡°Get lost! Do you want to ruin your master''s fun? Are you courting death?¡± Break - Qi Shan followed the sound and looked down at Shen Tang''s hand. The teacup in her hand had been crushed by her fingers. Fortunately, young master Shen didn''t slap the table in anger and impulsively rushed out. Instead, he said with a cold face, ¡°If he can''t restrain the soldiers and horses with strict military discipline, these sharp blades used by Zheng Qiao to fight in the South and the North will sooner or later be driven by desire. Unsatisfied, they will become resentful towards Zheng Qiao, and finally¡ªreturn to kill their Lord¡±. Qi Shan raised his head to look into Shen Tang¡¯s eyes. This was a completely intuitive movement. Her eyes were overly tranquil. They were so calm that one could suspect that she was looking at a group of dying ants¡ªwhen this thought came to his mind, Qi Shan was in a trance for a moment. He sipped tea to cover up some subtle emotions: ¡°Before that, I didn''t know what could happen. How many innocent and smart people have lost their lives¡­ Sigh, the situation is so¡­ Young master Shen, what can you and I do? We can only be spectators¡±. ¡°Yuanliang¡±. Qi Shan raised his brows. Don¡¯t be fooled by young master Shen. He was always saying ¡®Mister Qi¡¯, or ¡®Mister¡¯, which sounded respectful, but this respect was still false or perfunctory. On the contrary, it was the name ¡°Qi Yuanliang¡± that he blurted out under his anger earlier, that sounded more truthful. Openly called out ¡°Yuanliang¡±¡­ He didn¡¯t feel offended and even looked forward to it. ¡°What is it?¡± Shen Tang sat down. She controlled herself to not pay attention to the movements outside¡ªthese soldiers only took advantage of the situation, because they were in an advantageous situation. They had to escort the criminals, so they shouldn¡¯t be too excessive. If she jumped out now ¡°to fight for justice¡±, instead she would bring them more trouble. As a result, she could only divert her attention and control her sullen emotions. ¡°I¡¯m curious, who are you in the end?¡± Qi Shan knew too much. Moreover, the timing of his appearance was too much of a coincidence. How much luck, Shen Tang, needed to have to meet an awesome person that knew everything after the start of this Hell? Who knew, Qi Shan wouldn¡¯t answer, but instead return her the ball. ¡°Before answering, young master Shen, shouldn¡¯t you also reveal your true identity? Show some sincerity¡±. And why do you have a national seal! It¡¯s just that he didn¡¯t ask about this because he believed that young master Shen was enough crafty to know the meaning of his unfinished words - This could be the tacit understanding between them. Shen Tang ¡°¡­¡± It was useless to ask her this question. If she had a minimum guarantee and possessed the memory of the previous owner of the body, would she need to do insinuations and depend on Qi Shan to understand the situation? ¡°Yuanliang. Who do you think am I?¡± Shen Tang used the jack-of-all-trades way of speaking. She could also pass the ball to him and pretend to be mysterious! Who knew that after her question, Qi Shan would become silent. His expression was complicated. She was unable to understand it thoroughly. He suddenly sighed: ¡°I thought¡­ yes, Shen, your surname is Shen!¡± He didn''t know what to think, but his expression suddenly brightened! Shen Tang was confused. On her forehead appeared three question marks, but on the outside, her expression remained still: ¡°My surname is Shen. Yuanliang, didn¡¯t you know it earlier? Wenxin can¡¯t be wrong, unless I¡¯m like you and have your disguising ability¡±. But - Why is her surname Shen? The next sentence of Qi Shan left her speechless. ¡°In this way, young master Shen is ¡®Gong Cheng¡¯?¡± Shen Tang ¡°¡­¡± She suddenly really wanted to know what Qi Shan was just imagining. Qi Shan continued, his eyes locked on Shen Tang. He talked about a scandal: ¡°King of Xin was a womanizer, and he treated women extremely ruthlessly. Perhaps it was his retribution. For the past many years, he had only one daughter. But his love for her was far less than his love for Gong Cheng, the son of the first wife of the Gong clan. Someone once suggested to him that Gong Cheng should be his daughter''s husband-in-law, but he was severely reprimanded by the king and even degraded¡­ Therefore, there are rumours¡­¡± Shen Tang voluntarily added: ¡°You mean ¨C King of Xin planted grasslands on the head of Patriarch Gong? No, I mean slept with the wife of the Patriarch Gong?¡± Gong Cheng was the child of the King of Xin??? The patriarch of the Gong clan has been cheated on for many years??? Hold on - Shen Tang was stunned for a moment, and it took her a while to react. Looking back at her wenxin and into the eyes of Qi Shan that said ¡°I¡¯ve seen through your secret¡±, she almost spit out a mouthful of old blood. Her voice was shaking: ¡°The family name of the king of the Xin country is¡­¡± Qi Shan said: ¡°Shen¡±. Qi Yuanliang¡¯s imagination was rich, but the truth¡­ CH 21 Chapter 21: Glory of kings, the ingenious project, is finally online (note from author) It was a great honor to be able to participate in this event. Although there were several issues with the outlining process and the main text had to undergo numerous amendments from the beginning of this year to mid-year, the script was finally completed. I really want to thank the editors for their perseverance. Personally, I feel that the plot is nearly complete, and I hope that friends who like the king and the hero Gongsun Li can take a look at it. Give it a go (*¨Œ*) You can look it up on ¡°The Age of Kings: Heroic Scroll¡± under the account of the Glory of King. It should be updated in about two days. (#^.^#) I will make an update today, as early as possible ¡ª------------------ The end of a note from the author ÍõÕßÈÙÒ«£¬Ãî±Ê¼Æ»® - Glory of kings, the ingenious project ÍõÕßÈÙÒ« - it¡¯s a mobile game launched by Tencent TiMi studio ÍõÕßʱ´ú£ºÓ¢ÐÛÊé¾í - ¡°The Age of Kings: Heroic Scroll¡± ¡ª------------------- It¡¯s the post from 2022-03-09. I wanted to update this note from the author so that this novel doesn''t have missing chapters. (The next chapter is chapter 22, don¡¯t be surprised). CH 22 Chapter 22: Poison The surname of the royal family from the Xin country, was Shen? Shen Tang resisted the urge to spit out blood and with difficulties smiled: ¡°Even though if I say it you may not believe me, but you really thought too much¡±. Qi Shan said: ¡°I thought too much?¡± Shen Tang forcefully nodded: ¡°Yes, you thought too much¡±. Her ¡°Shen¡± had nothing to do with the Xin country¡¯s royal family. This really, I mean really, was just a coincidence! Moreover - ¡°Yuanliang, isn¡¯t it beyond belief? If I truly was this person, how could I be in this kind of circumstances today¡­¡± If Shen Tang was not the person involved, she would have believed it ¨C logically speaking, the possibility of Qi Shan¡¯s guess being true was high, but it was established on a major premise that she was a boy. Shen Tang was convinced that her body didn¡¯t have an unfamiliar ¡°tumor¡±. She! Is! A! Real! Girl ! ¡°Not to mention anything else, the officials escorting the prisoners wouldn¡¯t let me go easily. The Gong clan members who were with me wouldn¡¯t treat me like I was no one¡­¡± Therefore, this body cannot be the Gong Cheng he was talking about, let alone the one he spoke of, the illegitimate son of the Lord Xin who stayed in the Gong family. Even if it was true, could Shen Tang admit it? Where was the way out for the prince/princess of the destroyed country? Qi Shan pondered. He looked calm on the surface, so Shen Tang had a hard time trying to pry into his true thoughts ¨C whether he was persuaded by her or whether he persisted on his view. ¡°I understand¡±. Shen Tang ¡°¡­¡± Brother, what did you understand? At that moment, she had the urge to open a hole in Qi Shan¡¯s head. ¡°Go, fill the sack with the tea, the young master is in a hurry¡±. ¡°There is also young master¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°There is also¡­¡± The shouts of soldiers sounded outside the tea shop. Because the route was remote and the weather was too hot, the sacks were already empty. They laughed while throwing the sacks at the shop owner¡¯s face. He endured it all. When his face became red and swollen after the slap, he showed an ugly smile and bowed his head. He picked up the sacks and put them in his arms saying humbly: ¡°Yes, yes, yes. Let¡¯s go-¡±. He looked worriedly at his wife from the corner of his eyes. One soldier seeing him dawdling kicked his butt and urged: ¡°What are you doing wasting time? Quicker!¡± The owner staggered and almost fell head first on the ground. He was pulled by the soldiers and started trembling all over. He didn¡¯t dare to struggle. The expression of the married couple who dared not speak out and dare not resist pleased the soldiers. The arrogant laughter sounded and was heard by every customer along with the sobs of the proprietress in fear. Everyone was furious, but dared not to speak out. Even Shen Tang started silently reciting ¡°Bear everything under the sun¡±. She mouthed it 3 times. ¡°Sh*t, f*ckin world!¡± Qi Shan clearly heard Shen Tang¡¯s cursing: ¡°¡­¡± He didn¡¯t think that the young master Shen, who looked refined and noble, could sound like a gangster so much. These kinds of profanities could only be said by street hooligans and careless fools. Noticing that Shen Tang stood up, he asked: ¡°Young master Shen, do you want to aid them?¡± Shen Tang said: ¡°I¡¯m not a fool¡±. A plan was needed to help others get out of their predicament. Openly helping wasn¡¯t realistic, but this didn¡¯t mean that they couldn¡¯t help in the shadows. Shen Tang rubbed her head against a sleeve. She adjusted her expression to look pure and harmless in order to help the owner for once. The owner was overwhelmed by a favor and immediately refused. ¡°Young master Shen, I can¡¯t let¡­¡± Shen Tang said: ¡°What¡¯s unacceptable? Close to a hundred sacks, when will you fill it all? There are only the two of you. I am worried that it¡¯ll be too much for you and that will make things difficult. It is my wish to dismiss them as soon as possible¡­¡± After the tea shop owner heard it, his eyes became red. He choked with emotion: ¡°Thank, thank you very much¡­¡± The circumstances were difficult for this couple, and only they understood the feelings of helplessness and despair. They also knew that the customers had no obligation to help. Who didn¡¯t know how arrogant the Geng soldiers were? Burning, killing, looting. They were killing for pleasure and doing all kinds of evil. Everyone was afraid of death. During this period of time, the soldier came to check on them. His line of sight swept over Shen Tang, who was huddled in a corner, while working silently. Because she looked young, worked nimble and was petite, she was mistaken to be the servant of this tea house. After staring for a while, the soldier thought that there is no problem and went out. The two people busied themselves for a quarter of an hour, until their foreheads were covered in a sweat. They ended filling the sacks and went to report of finished work. Qi Shan was curious: ¡°What were you doing?¡± Shen Tang took a sip of tea, and even on her eyebrows were written ¡°happiness¡±, these 4 characters: ¡°Later, Yuanliang will know¡±. Qi Shan raised his eyebrow, guessing: ¡°poisoning?¡± ¡°You guessed right¡±. ¡°Where did you get it?¡± When the words fell, Qi Shan suddenly thought of something. He asked again: ¡°Magic words?¡± Shen Tang smiled: ¡°Correct¡±. Qi Shan took a deep breath: ¡°Which one?¡± Or which magic phrase was so "devastating" and ¡°overturning¡±? Shen Tang looked mysterious. She chanted slowly: ¡°The green bamboo snake''s mouth, the needle on a wasp''s tail*¡±. Qi Shan frowned: ¡°this magic phrase?¡± It was the same as the previous one, ¡°Zhouyuan is auspicious, pansy tea is like a candy¡±, both were never used by people before, or it¡¯s better to say that they were deemed worthless. Only literally, the poison should be snake venom and wasp needle venom. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m afraid the poison won¡¯t kill them, so I added one more thing. Yuanliang, you might as well guess what it was?¡± Qi Shan had the ability to never forget things. The thing that Shen Tang added was definitely in his scroll with magic words. The one that could be called drug, could only be¡­ He reacted instantly: ¡°Poison nut?¡± ¡°Correct¡±. It was a pity there was no prize for guessing. The poison nut may sound unfamiliar, but if they talked about the well-known ¡°mobility medicine¡± everyone would understand. Qi Shan ¡°¡­¡± His eyes when looking at Shen Tang became more and more complicated - This young master Shen¡¯s ¡°way of princes¡± was not only related to ¡°farming¡±. It could make the land fertile, and it could also create medical ingredients from nowhere? Shen Tang noticed his strange expression and thought that he didn¡¯t approve of this. ¡°Yuanliang, do you disdain such matters?¡± The big-hearted nobleman may not necessarily be accustomed to such matters. Qi Shan shook his head: ¡°No, the way you kill them is not important. The crucial thing is the result¡±. When he traveled, he saw many defeated countries. He encountered many women who were forced and became pregnant or suffered from serious diseases. There were numerous funerals in every household. The severed limbs and remains could be seen everywhere. Just looking at the manners of these soldiers, could their hands be clean? If they died, they deserved it. Only - ¡°You added so much of it. Do you truly think others won¡¯t be able to notice it?¡± They would taste it and spit it out. Shen Tang smiled: ¡°They would notice if it was water, but it¡¯s the tea. The taste is different, and they would think it¡¯s because the weather is so hot¡±. Qi Shan: ¡°¡­¡± While the two were chatting, more than a hundred soldiers had already left. They took so much advantage of this couple and only threw three copper coins to the owner of the tea shop, directly at this face. However, the boss had to swallow his anger, put a smile on his face, and thank him. Seeing that they were already gone, Shen Tang got up and stretched: ¡°Yuanliang, let''s go and watch a good show¡±. Shen Tang pulled out the mule, turned over and rode on it. Qi Shan still preferred to walk on foot. The two followed the troops unhurriedly, and Shen Tang said quickly: ¡°Yuan Liang, poisoning and assassinating soldiers of the Geng Kingdom is a serious crime¡±. ¡°You know it''s a crime, and you still want to do it?¡± Shen Tang didn''t care at all: ¡°I don''t have to worry if there are too many lice! I am a fugitive who is only half a step away from death. It¡¯s fortunate for me if I live one more day. What are you afraid of if I add another crime to my body? But Yuanliang, you still followed me! Are you not afraid of getting into trouble?¡± Qi Shan raised his eyes, and said in a low voice: ¡°I also said that I am not a good person¡±. Name, you need to make up for what is lacking. If it was the prosperous age - Looking at young master Shen, who was riding on a white mule and smiling happily, Qi Shan sighed secretly ¨C that is probably the most beneficial ¡°way of princes¡± for this world. Unfortunately, he was born in the wrong time. CH 23 Chapter 23: Teacher Tian ¡°I have one small motorbike, never mounted¡­¡± Shen Tang rode on a motorbike and acted quite uncontrollable. She would occasionally stretch her neck and sing loudly, sometimes she would also pick leaves and nearby flowers. Accompanied by the sound of bells ¡°Dingling, dingling¡±, the out-of-the-ordinary tune echoed. The singer would periodically forget the words and hum twice instead. ¡°One day I rode to the market on a whim¡­¡± Qi Shan finally couldn¡¯t endure it anymore: ¡°Young master Shen, from whom did you learn the ¡®joy¡¯ from the six arts of a gentleman?¡± Simply an incompetent teacher. ¡°Does it sound bad?¡± Shen Tang asked honestly. Despite the fact that she couldn¡¯t recall much, she vaguely remembered that she should be a singer before. The kind of singer who could overwhelm everyone when she picked up the microphone and sang. She could sing and draw. She was a high-quality woman representative. (*¨Œ*) Qi Shan looked at Shen Tang with a complicated expression. The latter expression was magnanimous and confident. Obviously, not only did she not think there was a problem with her singing, but she also had a problem with her aesthetics. Qi Shan couldn''t figure out where her self-confidence came from, and said: ¡°There is a saying that is very appropriate for the occasion¡ªhow could it lack the folk song and village flute¡±. Shen Tang was puzzled: ¡°What?¡± Qi Shan held back a smile: ¡°A hoarse voice is hard to listen to¡±. Shen Tang ¡°¡­.¡± She clenched her fists. ¡°It was because of his luck, that Yuanliang was able to grow up safely, right?¡± Certain someone grew up his mouth! ¡°Naturally, it¡¯s because of my strength¡±. Shen Tang ¡°¡­¡± After noticing that her facial expression went out of control, and her facial features became distorted and shifted, Qi Shan laughed heartily: ¡°Young master Shen, don''t worry, you are still young, you can still be saved if you learn slowly¡±. About half a day later, Qi Shan looked up at the sun. It was the time when the sun was at its worst. Not to mention escorting prisoners on their way, even if they did nothing but stand dryly, their sweat would overflow uncontrollably and wet their underwear. ¡°Do you want to speed up?¡± Shen Tang said: ¡°I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll get discovered if we get too close¡±. Qi Shan said: ¡°With the laziness of those soldiers, how could they be willing to continue to hurry under this scorching weather? Most of them will find a shady place to rest their feet and drink tea to relieve the heat. Young master Shen poured so much stuff into the tea, I''m afraid we won''t be able to see the good show if we go too late¡±. ¡°Yuanliang, your words are reasonable. Then, I will go first to see the fun. Since you don¡¯t want to take a ride, just go slowly on your feet¡±. Shen Tang whipped the back of the motorcycle with a whip. The motorcycle suffered from the pain and started to run wildly. A moment later, only the dot remained. Facing Shen Tang¡¯s childish ¡°provocation¡±, Qi Shan only smiled as if he didn¡¯t care. However, he immediately started chanting: ¡°Chasing the wind¡±. With wings that are fierce and mysterious, while you move you can chase the wind and observe the scenery. His silhouette swayed slightly, and only the afterimages remained. As if stepping on the wind, with his every step he was more than 3 feet away. He looked calm and relaxed. Shen Tang: ¡°???¡± Qi Shan passed by her, only leaving a slight breeze. In the blink of an eye, his figure had already appeared dozens of feet away. Shen Tang ¡°!!!¡± Call for a referee, there is a cheater, a fraud!!! In the end, she lost because of her insufficient experience in magic. She rode a four-legged motorcycle, and still couldn''t run past the two-legged Qi Shan. The sun was scorching, the escorting soldiers couldn¡¯t take it. They took a rest in a small but dense forest. They gathered in the shade in twos and threes, while a few prison cars were exposed to the sun at will. The prisoners were either sunburned and suffered from heat exhaustion, pale and powerless, or had grave injuries from the whip. The imperial censor¡¯s deputy¡¯s injury was the most serious. Tired, sleepy, hungry, with a thirsty throat discharging smoke. The imperial censor¡¯s deputy even felt his vitality quickly leaving his body. In order to torment prisoners, soldiers were completely unscrupulous. The prison vehicles were specially customized according to their height. Some were especially high, so prisoners could only slightly tiptoe to make their necks and wrists more comfortable. Some were low, where prisoners already couldn¡¯t stand straight, but they also couldn¡¯t sit down, so they could only maintain a half-kneeling position. No matter which one, no one could calmly fall asleep. After a few days, even the people without whip injuries were barely alive. The imperial censor¡¯s deputy vehicle was especially tall. He could only strive hard to tiptoe to take a good breath, but he was unable to maintain this position for long and kept falling down. The grave injury, emotional exhaustion, lack of water, starvation, not enough sleep¡­many kinds of factors gave rise to severe hallucinations. His chapped lips were slightly moving, he muttered: ¡°water, water¡­ water¡­¡± When he was about to faint, his prison car was shaken, and it made him wake up. ¡°Dad, wake up!¡± The imperial censor¡¯s deputy with difficulty found a bit of reason and turned his head to look at his son in the next vehicle ¨C his son''s vehicle was low and had room to stretch legs ¨C he looked at him full of worry and surprise. He said: ¡°Dad, look at them¡±. Them? Who? The imperial censor¡¯s deputy reacted a few beats later. He followed his son''s line of sight and saw the soldiers that just hid under the shades of trees, one after another falling down. They were rolling while holding their heads, falling to the ground while twitching all over, having difficulties with breathing, rolling their eyes while spitting foam or clenching teeth while having facial spasms. The minority didn¡¯t have such a big reaction, but they also knelt on the ground clutching their stomachs, while others lost control of their anus, showing all kinds of ugly appearances. Highly experienced imperial censor¡¯s deputy in an instant understood. His first thought: the soldiers were poisoned! The second thought was: someone wants to break a prisoner out of jail! This thought raised his spirits. His intense will to live burst forth from the depths of his body and prompted him to barely pull himself together. These soldiers were in a mess. ¡°There is poison in the water!¡± ¡°It, it¡¯s poison!¡± ¡°Meet the enemy, be careful, take precautions!¡± Most of the soldiers were poisoned, only the ten or so that didn¡¯t have time to drink water escaped. They drew out knives and surrounded the prisoners. They appeared panicked and guarded themselves against the attacks from all directions. They appeared to be just like birds startled by the mere twang of a bow. A few breaths later, the surroundings were still quiet. Dingling - Came! The thought appeared in many soldiers'' minds. However, the weird thing, they only heard the sound but couldn¡¯t see the person. ¡°People? Where?¡± ¡°Filial sons, are you looking for me?¡± An unfamiliar voice sounded from the back of the crowd. They turned around, frightened, but saw no one. There was only one puerile and delicate young boy holding a double-edged sword. His swiped his sword, and the sharp edge of the weapon naturally presented itself before their eyes. Their eyes suddenly started hurting. Blood stained their entire field of vision. ¡°Splitting the wanderer!¡± Shen Tang''s expression was as cold as frost as she jumped down with a sword in hand. She lifted the caring mother sword to teach this filial son a lesson. A few criminals lost ground under their feet and tumbled down to the ground. The prison carriage was sent several tens of feet away. The imperial censor¡¯s deputy pupils contracted. ¡°We didn¡¯t see each other for a long time, teacher Tian¡±. The imperial censor¡¯s deputy turned his head and saw the tall youth standing not too far away. He tucked his hands in his sleeves. The wind slightly brushed against his hair, there was a unique beauty to it. The youth smiled and nodded, but his smile looked false no matter how you looked at it. Teacher Tian? The imperial censor¡¯s deputy was startled by this call. Qi Shan saw this and naturally added: ¡°The eminent person has a short memory, teacher Tian¡±. The man¡¯s son lent an arm to his old father. He looked at Qi Shan with precaution: ¡°This young master, do you know my father?¡± And to address him as ¡°teacher Tian¡±? The imperial censor¡¯s deputy was also puzzled. Did they know each other? According to his experience, he naturally saw through the methods that this youth used to rescue him. It was nothing more but building a battlefield with ¡°spread all over the place¡± magic sentence, and then using the ¡°substitute¡± magic sentence or other magic words meant to mobilize troops. It''s simple to say, but looking at the distance between the youth and the prison car, the scope of the ¡°spread all over the place¡± magic sentence was about a hundred feet¡ªHow could a scholar who has achieved this level by his own strength before being connected to any prince be an unknown and simple character? If they knew each other, he would definitely have an impression of him. CH 24 Chapter 24: Xiao city ¡°Know, naturally know¡±. Qi Shan wasn¡¯t surprised by the imperial censor¡¯s deputy''s reaction. He still wore a shallow smile, ¡°But, regretfully, we met only once. Master Tian may not remember. Eight years ago, during the special examination in Xin country, master Tian happened to be there as a judging official at that time¡±. Eight years ago? Judging official? The two prompts reminded him of something. He had a slight impression. The so-called ¡°special examination¡± besides being a normal selection of talents, was also a special trial with assessment. The judging official was the chief examiner. The scholars could use this opportunity to start their official careers. Three things were being assessed: family background, a character with the capability and most important the grade of wenxin. The first two determined the lowest line or the threshold of officialdom. The last one determined what height the official could get to in his career. The imperial official¡¯s deputy had a good memory. The scholars selected at that time left an impression on him. However, he didn¡¯t remember Qi Shan. Then, was he unsuccessful? As soon as this guess popped up in his mind, the man¡¯s face appeared a little unnatural ¨C he was the judging official, so it was his fault that he had missed such a big fish. But after thinking about it, Xin country no longer existed now. Numerous old officials of Xin have been liquidated and poisoned by Zheng Qiao. In just a few months, countless people died unjustly. It was a good thing to not be selected as an official for Qi Shan. He patted his son''s arm lightly. His son understood and helped him to stand up. The father and son bowed solemnly to Qi Shan, ¡°We ask for the name of our benefactor¡±. Qi Shan ¨C returned the greeting. ¡°Surname Qi, name Shan, courtesy name Yuanliang¡±. The imperial censor¡¯s deputy muttered: ¡°Qi Yuanliang¡­ Qi?¡± Qi Shan''s family name was too rare, so he had a vague impression that there was indeed a young scholar named ¡°Qi Shan¡± on the enrollment. He was only sixteen years old at the time, and he was the youngest among the group of scholars. But - The imperial censor¡¯s deputy lowered his eyelids and glanced at the wenxin stamp on Qi Shan¡¯s waist indiscriminately ¨C If he remembered correctly, the grade of that wenxin scholar was - Before he could recall that memory, Qi Shan had already seen through his little tricks and opened his mouth. ¡°It is 6-grade lower-middle¡±. The man pursed his lips and remained silent. As the clues increased, he gradually remembered some dusty details. This time, his son looked at Qi Shan, before looking at his father. He interjected: ¡°The 6-grade lower-middle wenxin? Why wasn¡¯t he accepted by officials?¡± Even though the 6-grade lower-middle wenxin belonged to the lower-middle grade, if there was no accident, he had no possibility of climbing to the position of the three lords and nine ministers under the emperor, but with good materials he could become a small official without a hitch. A few years before, the destroyed country of Xin was really in lack of talents. Their standards weren¡¯t high, so it was impossible that they didn¡¯t hire Qi Shan. The imperial censor¡¯s deputy didn¡¯t say anything. He glanced sideways, he warned his son to keep silent without uttering a word. His son trembled, closing and opening his mouth without a sound. When his son calmed down, he faced Qi Shan to seek confirmation. ¡°Did the benefactor offend someone at that time?¡± Qi Shan was banned, and couldn¡¯t even become a minor official in the remote area. It was natural that it wasn¡¯t merely because of his grade of wenxin. ¡°Yes, indeed, I offended someone¡±. Qi Shan¡¯s eyes curved like a crescent moons. He admitted it straightforwardly. ¡°Dad. Who set up our benefactor?¡± The man¡¯s son has the same temperament as his father, or even more straightforward and simple. After finding out that Qi Shan was punished because he offended someone and missed his opportunity to start the official career, he immediately became angry. Unexpectedly, his dad not only didn¡¯t answer, but secretly pinched his arm. ¡°Dad - ¡° ¡°Keep silent!¡± The imperial censor¡¯s deputy glared at him. Son: ¡°¡­¡± ¡°This person can¡¯t be considered framed, but it was because of some information. At that time, it was better for him to not be chosen, than to be threatened by others after becoming an official¡±. Qi Shan appeared to be very open-minded. There were no obvious emotional ups and downs in his eyes, as if they were discussing some unrelated to him trifles. ¡°Information?¡± The foolish son was still upright. Qi Shan suddenly smiled: ¡°Yes, fake family background¡±. The man¡¯s son: ¡°¡­¡± The imperial censor¡¯s deputy who knew part of the truth: ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Fake family background¡± was nothing compared to the real information. However, the Xin country was destroyed, the ¡°great issue¡± at that time, was nothing now. Merely, their lives as well as several relatives and friends'' lives were saved by them. Was there a need to expose other''s faults? Qi Shan asked: ¡°Master Tian, do you know where that person is now?¡± The man remembered something and his face became dark and gloomy. ¡°In the Xiao city¡­¡± ¡°Xiao city?¡± ¡°He is now the governor of Sibao County, and his county is in Xiao city. Geng''s soldiers are suppressing the border, and he secretly colluded with Zheng Qiao. They are cooperating. They took down numerous fortresses in Xin country¡­ If it wasn''t for this, Xin country would have survived at least five more months, and maybe wait for a turning point¡­¡± Qi Shan said: ¡°He is a notorious villain, so there is no surprise¡±. ¡°Are you asking for his whereabouts for¡­ revenge?¡± At his time, young master Shen¡¯s voice with a hint of unkindness sounded in his ears: ¡°I was just fearlessly facing the enemy, when you were chatting and reminiscing here?¡± Shen Tang¡¯s body was wholly soaked in blood. She came over carrying the loving mother sword to handle the corpses ¨C destroy them and eliminate traces, to avoid other twists and turns¡ªbut she saw Qi Shan chatting with someone from a distance, so her hand formed into a fist. She thought that the one who needed her sword the most were not the corpses of filial sons, but Qi Yuanliang, who stood on the edge, like an onlooker all along. Seeing that Shen Tang came back, Qi Shan''s eyes flashed with surprise¡ªhe knew that Shen Tang could deal with those ten soldiers, but he didn''t expect her to move so fast even without the blessing of magic words. ¡°Naturally, I trust young master Shen¡¯s ability. Aren¡¯t they your enemy?¡± Facing the accusation, he dismissed it perfunctorily without any sincerity. He looked past Shen Tang behind her, ¡°Are they all dead?¡± She snorted coldly: ¡°All dead¡±. She cut the weeds and got rid of the roots, leaving no future troubles. With a flick of Shen Tang''s wrist, the blood on the sword was thrown onto the grass. It left little red dots on the ground. ¡°What about the poisoned ones?¡± ¡°A kind-hearted person like me would naturally not let them continue to be tortured ¨C their throats and hearts were cut¡± They were guaranteed to die. While Qi Shan and Shen Tang talked, Qi Shan also paid attention to the rescued prisoners from the corner of the eye¡ª¡ª the imperial censor¡¯s deputy, as the official of imperial censor rank, had to have a lot of contact with the Gong family of the Xin country. If young master Shen was ¡°Gong Cheng¡±, he should recognize him. However, the man didn''t have the reaction that an acquaintance should have when seeing Shen Tang''s face, instead he was a little curious and surprised. A young man wearing wenxin symbol fought more fiercely than a reckless man with wudan tiger tally. It was indeed worthy of his curiosity. Qi Shan reflected on himself. Was Shen Tang really not ¡°Gong Cheng¡±? As soon as he frowned, Shen Tang guessed what the hell was going on in his heart, and resisted the urge to roll her eyes¡ªshe knew that Qi Shan''s previous ¡°I understand¡±, concerned the silence. If he had time to think about it, why couldn¡¯t he help her with burying the bodies. Who knew - Qi Shan decisively refused. The reason was also nonsense. ¡°I''m cowardly, so I don''t want to see bloody corpses¡±. Shen Tang: ¡°¡­¡± She could only roll up her sleeves and work on her own. There was no hope for the help of Qi Shan, and even more so for the prisoners who were half-alive with the help of her pancakes, green plums, and maltose. While she was working, Qi Shan leaned against the tree trunk and hid in the shade to ask her. ¡°Young master Shen, are you interested in going to the Xiao city?¡± CH 25 Chapter 25: Familiar-looking Shen Tang threw the blade she was digging with, to the ground. She was annoyed: ¡°What will I do in Xiao City? Walk right into the trap? Moreover, what good can be in that lousy place?¡± Take seriously her identity as a fugitive! ¡°Young master Shen, are you not worried about your other relatives?¡± Shen Tang hesitated. Qi Shan''s words hit the mark. No matter what, she was the one using this body right now, so she should understand more about the past of the previous owner, so as to avoid being seen through by people that knew the previous owner and making trouble for herself. She didn¡¯t know if the previous owner had relatives. She could take care of them in secret if they survived the penalty. If they couldn''t survive and died, she could also collect their corpses, so they wouldn¡¯t have to be exposed to the conditions in the wilderness. The change in Shen Tang¡¯s expression was caught by Qi Shan. The happiness of the latter could be clearly seen with the naked eye. He was certain that Shen Tang¡¯s choice would be consistent with his wish. ¡°I can tell, young master Shen¡¯s potential is out of the ordinary. Someday, you may have some achievements. I¡¯m not talented, I may be a disgrace, but even if I¡¯m not as good as those famous Confucian teachers, I¡¯m more than enough to teach young master Shen the basics¡­¡± Shen Tang had a plan in mind, but she didn¡¯t say anything. She deliberately said: ¡°Yuanshan, I already remembered these books¡±. Qi Shan laughed involuntarily. He lifted his hand, pointing at his brain. He confidently said: ¡°Young master Shen, The truly precious content is there. If looking through some books about magic words, could make you proficient in controlling wenxin, being a teacher would be too easy¡±. ¡°Your words are right, but the Xiao city¡­¡± She put so much effort into escaping, but in the end, she would have to come back there. If she was unlucky, she could even meet with the people that escorted her and then she would really feel awkward: ¡°You have to give me a guarantee¡±. ¡°For example?¡± Shen Tang: ¡°For example, the magic sentence that can change figure and appearance¡±. Qi Shan: ¡°¡­¡± He really didn¡¯t have that kind of thing. In his understanding, this kind of revolutionary magic sentence didn¡¯t exist ¨C Every magic word under the sky was created for power, schemes, and the military. Why was young master Shen¡¯s brain so peculiar?¡± Even though there was no such magic sentence, there were other things. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Shen Tang caught the small bottle that Qi Shan threw at her. After opening it, she squinted her eyes to look inside. Inside was the exquisite dark powder. She didn¡¯t know what it could be used for. Qi Shan explained: ¡°Ash at the bottom¡±. Shen Tang ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Smear it on your face or often go running, bask in the sun and sweat a lot. After 7 to 8 days, of not taking a bath and not rinsing your mouth, who could actually recognize you?¡± Shen Tang imagined herself not taking a bath for 7 to 8 days of sweating. She could nearly smell this incomprehensibly pungent foul odor. ¡°Do you only have this rotten idea?¡± ¡°How could it be a rotten idea?¡± The smile on Qi Shan¡¯s face vanished to some degree. He said without emotion, ¡°I know it from experience¡±. Shen Tang was a bit surprised. From experience? However, clearly Qi Shan didn¡¯t want to explain more, so he raised his voice: ¡°Young master Shen, in reality, you don¡¯t have to be so worried. These escort officials ¡®neglect their duty¡¯ far more than you. If the criminal escapes, there is a minimal possibility that they would report it. Most probably, they will cut the ear of some other person to make up a quota. Thus, you don¡¯t have to worry that they could have a wanted portrait of you at the Xiao city gate¡±. Even if the official ¡°failed to neglect his duty¡± and let Shen Tang¡¯s news report higher, and even if the painter would draw the wanted portrait, so what? Because the painters¡¯ sketches were quite abstract. Unless the person¡¯s face had some truly distinct characteristics, otherwise even one¡¯s mother wouldn''t be able to recognize that person, not to mention the guards who are seeing common people entering and exiting the city every day on a standard basis. The possibility of exposing Shen Tang¡¯s identity was too small. One argument, made Shen Tang relax. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go¡±. While puffing and blowing, she dug a massive hole in the ground. One after the other, the corpses were thrown into the hole and then covered by the earth. When she finished her task, the moon was already high in the sky. Qi Shan made a bonfire and was roasting the pancakes that Shen Tang made out of her magic words. She just sat down, but could already eat something warm. ¡°Hot!¡± She miscalculated, nearly burning her tongue. The pancake was tasteless, and besides the burnt aroma, the more you ate, the more thirsty you would become. For every two bites, you had to take one sip of water, and it tasted extremely bland. In her heart, she couldn¡¯t help but mutter why she couldn¡¯t add some stuffing, such as preserved vegetables with meat. Unaware, this night, Qi Shan went to bed especially early. He neither read books nor practice magic. Shen Tang wasn¡¯t sleepy, she stared blankly at the bonfire. Some unknown time later, she heard the quiet sound of footsteps treading on the plants ¨C someone was cautiously approaching her, but he didn¡¯t have any malice, so she didn¡¯t mind him. That person sat nearby and used the light from the bonfire to look at her. It was the silly son of the imperial censor¡¯s deputy. Intentionally or otherwise, he¡¯s staring at her. He wanted to say something but then hesitated as if he wanted to confirm something. He opened his mouth a few times but still didn¡¯t know where to start. Shen Tang looked at him with impatience. In the end, she took the initiative to start the topic. ¡°Did the deputy go to sleep?¡± He was startled, apparently, he didn¡¯t think Shen Tang would talk to him: ¡°Yes¡­ Dad¡¯s sleeping, but not too sound. He¡¯s feverish. He suffered too much on the road. His wounds reddened. Tomorrow, I have to find a way to obtain some herbal medicine¡­¡± While saying this, his eyes became red. His father¡¯s body was better than normal people, but he was unable to withstand the passage of time, the turbulence, and the torment he experienced. Shen Tang said: ¡°Nearby should be a village. You can obtain medicine from the villagers. Anyhow, I still didn¡¯t ask you how you are called, how should I address you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Tian Zhong, my courtesy name is Shouyi. ¡°Shouyi, why were you looking at me just now?¡± ¡°I think that you look the same as the person that I met before, except for your sex. Moreover, after I heard you talking with Mister Qi Shan, learning that you are¡­¡± Tian Zhong swallowed the words ¡°escaped criminal¡±, ¡°Even more, I think you have some sort of relationship with her¡±. Shen Tang ¡°¡­¡± Good things are not happening, but bad things are happening so soon. Did she just run into someone that knew the original owner of this body? Shen Tang asked: ¡°Who is this person? Are you familiar with each other?¡± Tian Zhong repeatedly weaved his hand: ¡°Not familiar, I just saw her once. She should be my nephew''s by the male line daughter-in-law¡±. Shen Tang was deeply shaken: ¡°¡­ nephew, nephew¡¯s by the male line daughter-in-law?¡± ¡°Strictly speaking, she¡¯s also not¡±. He explained, ¡°I and Yunchi¡¯s father are schoolmates and peers, both of as recognized godfather. Yunchi is my brother¡¯s son, so if the two got married, they should call me ¡°Uncle Tian¡±. ¡°Who is Yunchi?¡± ¡°Gong clan Gong Cheng, his courtesy name is Yunchi. Shen Tang ¡°¡­¡± My God! She directly called a God! This body was just 11¨C12 years old! ¡°Why didn¡¯t they complete the ceremony?¡± ¡°On the day of the big wedding there was no time for 3 prostrations, so the rite wasn¡¯t complete. Before the ceremony was completed, officials broke into the Gong''s mansion to take them. The people in the whole mansion were brought together and escorted into prison and sent on the road within two days. I was also a guest at the time¡­ What a pity¡±. After speaking, he sighed. He busied himself with the case of the Gong family¡¯s penalty and absolutely didn¡¯t expect that only a few days later, his entire family would also suffer a disaster. Shen Tang asked: ¡°Where is Gong Cheng now?¡± He smiled wryly: ¡°If he is lucky, he is probably on the road to exile. If he is unlucky, he¡¯s probably on the road to Yellow Springs¡±. Shen Tang suppressed her twitching veins, and continued to make insinuations, to extract more information: ¡°Which family does Gong Cheng''s bride belong to?¡± ¡°She was born in the Shen family, but¡­¡± ¡°Just what?¡± He said: ¡°It''s just that within two days of the Gong clan¡¯s sentence, the Shen family was exiled by Zheng Qiao from the nine tribes, really miserable¡±. Shen Tang: ¡°¡­¡± The Nine Clans¡­ In other words, other than Gong Cheng, whose life and death were unknown, the original owner was a ¨C true orphan? ------ Five hundred words in an hour! Gong Cheng is not the male lead! Gong Cheng is six or seven years older than the heroine! He is not the male lead! He is a passer-by, at most, he has a one part role to play. The heroine is not married either! The heroine is unmarried! Will not marry in the future, at most she will take a wife! The male protagonist is six years younger than the female protagonist, so as long as someone older than the female protagonist appears in the text, it cannot be the male protagonist! The emotional drama in this text is almost nonexistent! Everyone, just look at her career. After all, while being a boss you can have a group of well-off courtiers, and the number is not limited at the same time, not like in love. What does this tell us? Tell us that doing business is better than having fun! CH 26 Chapter 26: Using each other ¡°Wiped out¡­ how did Shen clan offend Zheng Qiao to lead to such an outcome?¡± it took Shen Tang a long time to once again find her voice. The imperial censor¡¯s deputy fought with Zheng Qiao head-on, and the Gong clan was suspected to be hiding the seal of state. The two were only sentenced to exile and not exterminated¡ªexile is really cruel, but in any case, they could still live 2 more days. When it came to the Shen clan, why was it directly wiped out? Really, wiping out the entire household register. Supposing that this body was really Tian Zhong¡¯s ¡°niece¡±, she didn¡¯t know if she should say that this small girl was just unlucky. If she stayed in the Shen clan, she would be directly killed, but she came to the Gong clan to get married and was exiled instead. However, because of that, she would probably have to live a life worse than death. Who knew, Tian Zhong would actually shake his head. ¡°No one knows¡±. ¡°No one knows?¡± Shen Tang¡¯s raised her voice, ¡°How could they not know? Master Tian think about it more, for example, Shen clan impeached Zheng Qiao, or the Shen clan get in the way of Zheng Qiao¡­ Do they not have this kind of resentment? If they don¡¯t, how could he just exterminate them?¡± ¡°It¡¯s also something I¡¯m puzzled over¡±. Shen clan was exterminated. The old friends and disciples of Shen clan also strived to help them, but the ones that took the initiative were warned by demotion or directly killed. Zheng Qiao¡¯s ways were harsh, his attitude firm, so no one dared to stick out for Shen clan. Tian Zhong said: ¡°Shen clan wasn¡¯t a big clan in the Xin country. How could they get noticed by Zheng Qiao?¡± These words were already exaggerated. Frankly, when Zheng Qiao was inciting trouble in Xin country, the Shen clan didn¡¯t have any qualifications to even breathe in front of him! They were truly unremarkable, or you could say that their ability was limited. They were neither too bold to be envied, nor too mediocre to be completely ignored. They didn''t follow in others footsteps and didn¡¯t cling to favored officials, nor did they offend any small officials. No matter how Tian Zhong tried to recall, he couldn¡¯t remember any conflict between the Shen clan and Zheng Qiao. However, the Shen clan was the only one who was exterminated. Moreover - Shen Tang¡¯s attitude made Tian Zhong a little concerned. As a result, he probed: ¡°Young master Shen, you care so much about Shen clan, but did you have friendly relations with them?¡± Actually, he wanted to ask something else, for example ¨C wasn¡¯t this young master a twin brother of Shen family who concealed his identity for some reason and grew up among the common people? The two of them were really too similar. At one time, Tian Zhong doubted if Shen Tang wasn¡¯t that unlucky girl from the Shen family, but seeing the symbol of wenxin on her waist, he dispelled his doubts. Other things could be made up, but only the sex couldn¡¯t be false. He was certain. This young master Shen, even if he wasn¡¯t the twin brother of that girl, he was still linked to that family in countless ways. Shen Tang didn¡¯t nod nor shook her head. Although Tian Zhong didn¡¯t have any malice, but in her circumstances it was better to avoid unnecessary trouble. The fewer people knew, the saver it was for her. Tian Zhong was also tactful. Noticing that Shen Tang didn¡¯t want to continue this topic, he changed the subject. He started talking about Qi Shan. Truly, he was still quite interested in Qi Shan. He had no idea how did he and Shen Tang run into each other. When he asked his father about Qi Shan, his father just glared at him. Oh - Shen Tang said: ¡°It¡¯s like a destiny¡±. Tian Zhong was flabbergasted: ¡°After coincidentally meeting, you just decided to move together?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t it be like that?¡± Tian Zhong said: ¡°It''s not impossible, the benefactor has great talent, and your wenxin and potential ¨C you only have a few rivals in this world, at least that''s how I see it. In the future, if you meet the right master and are willing to submit to him, the growth of your wenxin cannot be underestimated. Only ¨C ¡° ¡°Only what?¡± The above sentence wasn¡¯t asked by Shen Tang. The familiar male voice came from behind them. Shen Tang and Tian Zhong evenly turned their heads to meet with a pair of deep black pupils. They turned silent one after the other. Tian Zhong even suddenly stood up. With his hands hanging awkwardly by his sides, a blush of shame crawled from his neck to his cheeks. The benefactor saved his father. He talked too much and lost his propriety. Unexpectedly, benefactor stood behind them¡­ If he wasn¡¯t afraid of scaring others, he would give himself a slap on the face. His dad said it right, he should really sew his running mouth! He wanted to apologize, but was stopped by Qi Shan¡¯s hand. He easily made Tian Zhong leave: ¡°I just got up and heard the faint sound of coughing coming from master Tian¡¯s side¡­¡± Tian Zhong following Qi Shan¡¯s words swiftly found a way out of this embarrassing situation. ¡°Dad¡¯s not well? I¡¯ll go and see¡±. He disappeared in a flash, as if the soles of his feet were smeared with oil. Qi Shan sat in his place. He clearly heard their conversation. He started playing with bonfire while smiling. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that, I assumed wrongly. Young master Shen is not from the Gong clan, but was born in the Shen clan¡­¡± She didn¡¯t want to say too much. The intuition told her that Qi Shan could still be mistaken. Before finding a definite evidence, she wouldn¡¯t dare to be certain that this body belonged to the lady from the Shen clan¡­ Shen Tang didn¡¯t utter a world. Qi Shan said: ¡°Since Shen clan was already uprooted, young master Shen, you don¡¯t have any relatives left in this world. It doesn''t matter if you don''t go to the Xiao city. Rest early, we¡¯ll go to a nearby town tomorrow¡±. ¡°When did I say I wouldn¡¯t go to the Xiao city?¡± Qi Shan was astonished: ¡°You¡¯ll go?¡± Fully aware of Qi Shan¡¯s strategy of retreat to advance, Shen Tang still said: ¡°I¡¯ll go, why should I not? I went with you in order to learn the actual way of the world. The key task is to survive, I¡¯ll deal with other things when they come. I¡¯m just curious, what do I have that Yuanliang actually regard as important? You seem like you really want me to go there, but in my opinion, taking someone superfluous on the road is not beneficial for you¡±. Seeing Shen Tang poking through this window paper, Qi Shan was slightly surprised, and said solemnly: ¡°Young master Shen, you are not a burden¡±. Naturally, it was because of a cooperation. Even profiteers could be envious of this kind of spirit. Shen Tang understood his unfinished words and smiled without a word. She let him become her encyclopedia, and she also became his tool to achieve a certain purpose? They¡¯re tools for each other, which was fair and just. ¡°Yuanliang, I still have a question¡±. Qi Shan: ¡°Ask¡±. Shen Tang turned to look in the direction of Tian Zhong. ¡°Before Tian Shouyi said something. I felt a bit doubtful when he said, ¡®if you meet the right master in the future and are willing to submit to him, the growth of your wenxin cannot be underestimated¡¯. What did he mean?¡± Intuition told her, that there was another meaning hidden inside his words. ¡°Originally, it¡¯s this question. You don¡¯t need to know¡±. Shen Tang: ¡°???¡± Qi Shan had a complex hard to describe expression, when he said: ¡°Young master Shen, wenxins are different. Tian Shouyi¡¯s words could be aimed at most of the people with wenxin or wudan. However, I sincerely hope, you¡¯re not one of them¡±. Shen Tang ¡°???¡± What did he want to say? She changed the topic: ¡°Can you let me know what do you want to do in the Xiao city? Let me prepare myself¡­¡± After all, Qi Shan loved to sell his teammates. She needed to be on guard, lest she didn¡¯t know how she died. Qi Shan, raised his head to look at the clear moon. The night¡¯s wind brushed his hair, concealing the emotions hidden in his eyes. Shen Tang only heard his voice: ¡°In order to collect the debt. I have a longstanding debt, and I must collect it, even if it is only to recover some interest¡±. Shen Tang ¡°¡­¡± She felt apprehensive in her heart. Collect a debt? I believe your evil! What debt could cause Qi Shan to produce such a strong killing intent? The end of the night, dawn. The second day, the two of them separated with Tian Zhong and his father. The latter was going to seek refuge in his relative''s house. They would die sooner or later if they stayed in Zheng Qiao''s area of influence. Shen Tang and Qi Shan went to the Xiao city. CH 27 Chapter 27: Entering City The road to Xiao City was far from smooth. Not to mention dangerous animals, poisonous insects, and fierce beasts, just the bandits who blocked the road to rob were enough to frighten people. The two of them, in order to lessen unneeded troubles, did their utmost not to spend the night outdoors. However, their top priority was to buy new clothes for young master Shen, because they were already running out of Qi Shan¡¯s clothes for him to wear. Qi Shan came out of the cloth shop with a cloth bag in his hand. They didn¡¯t have time to take the measurements, so he could only choose the male clothes that were similar in size to young master Shen from ready-made ones. There were inner and outer clothes, in addition to the one he lent to young master Shen before. Three sets should be enough to wear. ¡°Young master Shen, we should move¡­¡± Qi Shan just wanted to call Shen Tang to start the journey to another village before it got dark, but Shen Tang that should be waiting at the entrance was nowhere to be seen. He? He dared to run around in an unfamiliar place? Qi Shan wanted to look for Shen Tang, but he didn¡¯t even take a step, when from the corner of his eyes he glimpsed a somewhat familiar pure white thing on the opposite side of the street ¨C the lofty snow-white mule obediently lay on the ground. Even if the passers-by surrounded him, they still couldn''t block its swaying tail. Qi Shan: ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Fellow countrymen, take a look, take a look, fresh green plums! Just picked! Three pennies a catty. Buy now while stocks last¡­¡± When he approached the crowd, he heard a familiar voice. To his surprise, he saw the familiar-looking young master Shen, carelessly sitting on the ground with his hair tied up in a bun with a straw rope. A piece of cloth was spread out in front of him, on which there were green plums piled up like hills, besides it was a big basket full of green plums. He didn¡¯t seem the least bit bashful, enthusiastically peddling green plums. If there were buyers, he would passionately call them masters, ladies, brothers, or sisters. His mouth was smeared with honey. He didn¡¯t even forget to advertise. It¡¯s a bargain. Thin-skinned big green plums, that could not only quench thirst and reduce body heat, but also beautify the skin. It was a must-have fruit in midsummer. Qi Shan stood in the crowd for a while and discovered that most of the buyers were girls, that bought around 3 to 5 catty of fruits. Not to mention the low price of the green plums, merely the voice of this young master yelling ¡°sister¡±, and ¡°lady¡± was enough for them to buy everything. Were it not for him being too young and his attitude enthusiastic, in addition to being beautiful with pure eyes and no dirty thoughts, the men on this street would probably drag him to the alley and beat him up ¨C you have spare time to tease these wives and little ladies, what do you want? It was frivolous to call everyone a lady or sister. A moment later, Shen Tang¡¯s green plums were completely sold out. She put a few copper coins in her purse. She got up and dusted off the dirt on her buttocks. She had already predicted that Qi Shan was standing at the side. She asked smilingly: ¡°Yuanshan, are you done?¡± Qi Shan wasn¡¯t happy, he endured the urge to roll his eyes. ¡°Done, what are you doing here?¡± Others were selling wine, while young master Shen was selling plums on the street? Shen Tang shook the money bag, which made a clanging sound. ¡°I was penniless, Yuanliang you asked, because¡­¡± Were you not aware of how poor she was? She couldn¡¯t always take the money from Qi Shan, right? They were neither relatives nor friends. They used each other, so no one owned the other. Shen Tang couldn¡¯t be so shameless as to take him as an ATM as well. Under the complicated gaze of Qi Shan, Shen Tang returned the frame to another stall owner, redeemed the mortgaged wenxin seal from him, and put it back on her waist. With the newly earned money, she bought some salt, wine, and pickled side dishes. ¡°Why did you give the money to master Tian, even though you knew you¡¯re so short on money?¡± Qi Shan, packed the cloths to the bag on the mule. Ever since they discovered Shen Tang could keep the mule for the whole day without getting tired, they utilized it for more purposes. They put the baggage on the mule to save the efforts. Two days before, day made a farewell with Tian Zhong. Shen Tang gave them a few silver coins, in addition to a few pancakes. ¡°On the one hand, these silver coins weren¡¯t earned by me¡±. They were taken from the body of her first killed officer. She didn¡¯t regret taking other''s money. ¡°On the other hand, they were injured and penniless. Even if they knew of a place where they could get help, they didn¡¯t have anything on them, and it is unknown if they can reach their destination¡±. If she didn¡¯t have money, she wouldn¡¯t die. After consideration, she just gave them some money. Shen Tang was a female nerd painter that grew up in peaceful times. She couldn¡¯t bear to see unfortunate people, so if she could help, she would choose to do that. Qi Shan found it unbelievable, so he asked again: ¡°Only because of that?¡± Shen Tang didn¡¯t understand and tiled her head. ¡°If it¡¯s not this, then what? What? In this period, good people doing good deeds are always questioned?¡± Qi Shan: ¡°¡­¡± After perceiving from Shen Tang¡¯s expression that she seemed to be speaking the truth, he didn¡¯t know what to think, his expression kept changing, making others confused. Shen Tang failed to understand, so she had no other way but to cautiously ask him: ¡°Yuanliang?¡± Qi Shan gazed at her deeply. He sighed: ¡°Nothing¡±. Then he stumbled and appeared a few feet away. Shen Tang, who was left on the ground: ¡°¡­no!¡± Since it was nothing, why are you running away using magic words? Even if you bullied her, she still wouldn¡¯t know how to ride a motorcycle while using ¡®chase the wind¡¯ magic sentence! Because she was poor, Shen Tang could only walk while selling self-made pancakes, green plums and maltose. The price for the green plums and maltose fluctuated according to the dresses of the local people. The price for the people with a dignified and clean appearance was a bit higher than for the people with messy appearance whose clothes were covered in patches. The price for the pancakes depended on local street vendors. Since it was a no-cost transaction for her, she tried to not disrupt the market. Qi Shan declined to comment on her serious considerations. Of course, it was unknown how he ridiculed her in his heart. Young master Shen was the worst user of wenxin he had ever seen in his life, even compared to the moment when he was at his worst. However, Shen Tang enjoyed it, so he didn¡¯t say much. The two of them hurried and finally approached the territory of Sibao County. After calculating the time they spend on the road, it was estimated that they were even slower than the second batch of the Gong clan¡¯s exiled criminals. ¡°Yuanliang, not long ago I heard the folk on the market saying that Sibao County has four treasures, and the people have ample food and clothing¡­ But why?¡± Shen Tang led the motorcycle, while following Qi Shan. She kept looking around. The street was empty. The surroundings that they could see were wrecked. Occasionally, they could see the malnourished passersby, that clothes looked like the worn-out bags that were covering only the bones. They looked as if a gust of wind could make them wobble. These people were also really timid. If they accidentally met the eyes of Qi Shan or Shen Tang, they would shrink back similar to a frightened rabbit and disappear quickly. Qi Shan sighed: ¡°Sibao County was one of the first counties that Geng Kingdom conquered. Three of the six nearby counties were looted, and the situation in Sibao County was particularly serious. If they wanted to restore the prosperity of the past, it would be difficult¡­¡± Each and every family wore white mourning dresses and made funeral arrangements. The wailing and sobbing never ended. This sour sight, wasn¡¯t unexpected to Qi Shan. Who let the war be led in Xin Kingdom? The folk of this land were destined to suffer. When the two people merely arrived to Xiao city, they had already discovered that outside and inside the city were two different worlds. Corpses littered the fields outside the city, and the barren land was thousands of miles away. The whining sound of the night wind was like thousands of lonely souls and wild ghosts crying together in mourning. And in the city - The crowd was surging like a tide to celebrate peace with dance and songs. CH 28 Chapter 28: Young Lady Abnormal! Too abnormal! Shen Tang couldn¡¯t help but glance around while rubbing her eyes. After she confirmed that she wasn¡¯t in dreamland, she asked Qi Shan: ¡°Yuanliang¡­ we didn¡¯t go in the wrong direction, right? We didn¡¯t carelessly step into strange fairyland, or cross over through some doors¡­ this, this is wrong¡­¡± She couldn¡¯t help but turn her head to look in the direction they just came from. She couldn¡¯t see the end of the line that was slowly going forward. Most of these people¡¯s cloths were shabby, what¡¯s more they looked apathetic. On the contrary, the residents of the city had rosy faces and their clothes looked proper and neat. The strange discrepancy was like a visual attack that made her doubt the ways of the world. Qi Shan was expressionless: ¡°Where is it wrong?¡± Shen Tang pointed in the direction of the gate. ¡°Look outside, then inside. Is it good?¡± After getting used to the wilderness and destroyed surroundings, she couldn''t believe that Xiao City, which was growing and lively, truly existed under the same sky. However, the reality was that ¨C the two were separated barely by the city wall and one moat. Qi Shan closed his eyes, when he heard her. Unknowingly, the sneer formed on the corner of his lips, showing his old-fashioned attitude: ¡°Young master Shen, you still need to see more to not be so surprised later on¡±. Shen Tang wasn¡¯t satisfied: ¡°Are you saying I¡¯m making a fuss about nothing?¡± Are you not going to give her face? ¡°That¡¯s what I mean¡±. Correct, you¡¯re not giving any face! Shen Tang: ¡°¡­¡± She truly wanted to perform a craniectomy on this guy. Passing by a restaurant, Qi Shan pointed to the place close to a door of the wine shop, then he told her: ¡°Young master Shen, wait for me first. I¡¯m going to ask about something. I will be back after around 2 hours. You have to be here, don¡¯t run around¡±. ¡°Ask around? Are you looking for the whereabouts of your creditor?¡± Seeing that Qi Shan didn¡¯t answer directly, Shen Tang waved her hand indifferently, ¡°If you have to go, then go. The sooner you leave, the sooner you can come back. We still have to find a place to stay. I don¡¯t want to sleep on the streets or under the bridge¡±. Qi Shan ¡°¡­¡± His originally raging feelings disappeared, because of Shen Tang¡¯s words. Suddenly, he felt like a deflated ball, without any feelings. His emotions didn¡¯t have any place to go, so they mixed into a ball in his chest and finally changed into one long sigh. Helplessly, he repeated: ¡°Okay, don¡¯t run around¡±. Shen Tang listened to his words and stayed near the entrance. She followed Qi Shan¡¯s back with her eyes, until he completely disappeared on the end of the street. After that, her eyes suddenly shone ¨C although she was here for about 1 month, she spent her days on traveling with Qi Shan, so she didn¡¯t have any time for herself at all. Naturally, she also didn¡¯t get to properly experience this world. She waited in one place for a while, then turned around to rent a small folding stool from the wine shop owner. Motor obediently laid down and accompanied her. ¡°This small lady, what¡¯s your name?¡± About a quarter of an hour later, a male voice came from above her head, he seemed to be feigning seriousness. Shen Tang raised her head to see a middle-aged man with wealthy appearance and rough features, looking straight at her. She raised her hand to point at herself. She asked: ¡°I?¡± At this time, only one of the Japanese-style emoticons could express her mood. Oh my god. She was here for about 1 month, and it was the first time someone got her sex right! In the past, there was no one that wasn¡¯t misled by Qi Shan. Truly evil, Qi Yuanliang! The middle-aged man approached her with a smile: ¡°Really, really¡±. Shen Tang was charming and pretty. It was possible to see that she would grow up to be a beauty, even though she was in her early teens. She only required one or two years to be able to be sold for profit. He skin was white and clear, manners neat, only her clothes looked cheap. He estimated she wasn¡¯t from a rich family. She kept glancing around like a curious bumpkin. A single glance was enough to tell that she was a tender, inexperienced kid. Easy to swindle. He noticed when Qi Shan and Shen Tang appeared. At first, he didn¡¯t have those kinds of thoughts, after all, Shen Tang was with Qi Shan. ¡ª It was necessary to know that in this world there were a few kinds of people he couldn¡¯t provoke, one of them was a scholar, an elegant man wearing a hat and hairpin. Who knew if this kind of person had wenxin or not? It wouldn¡¯t be good if he carelessly suffered losses ¨C Who let Qi Shan leave Shen Tang alone? It could be heard from their accents that they weren¡¯t from here. If such a fat sheep wasn¡¯t slaughtered, when could he open his business? He just needed to take her with him, then Qi Shan would be powerless. At this moment, Shen Tang obediently sat on the small stool. She appeared innocent and even smiled kindly at the man: ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± The man smiled: ¡°It¡¯s like that. The man, you were with just now, told me to lead you to the inn¡±. Shen Tang asked: ¡°Yuanliang, told you to call for me?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m helping in the Youth inn. Your companion is wearing a white scholarly garment, right? He¡¯s tall, meager. He said you¡¯re waiting near the wine shop entrance¡±. The man was gesticulating, while answering her. Shen Tang looked innocent and simple. When the man described him, she nodded. ¡°Yes, yes, yes. This is precisely Yuanliang¡­ but, didn¡¯t he say he had something to do and told me to stay here¡­¡± The man interrupted her: ¡°This, apparently he met the enemy and can¡¯t meet you for a moment¡±. Seeing that he ¡°appeared to be saying the truth¡±, Shen Tang was uncertain. The man asked again: ¡°Young lady, are you worried that I may be a fraud? In this case, it¡¯s better if I wait with you here for that young master. You are a small young lady, so it¡¯s not safe for you to wait here¡±. Shen Tang promptly shook her head. ¡°No, no, no. It¡¯s not like that¡±. She fell silent, while considering his words. She asked the man again. ¡°If you wait here, won''t you delay your inn chores?¡± The man generously waved his hand, straightforwardly smiling. ¡°It¡¯s not a problem. Delay, then delay. I can¡¯t let the lady wait on the streets, where it is not safe¡±. When he said that, her expression wavered a little. This scene also fell in the eyes of pedestrians. The owner of the wine shop raised his eyes and glanced at the man, while snorting softly, but he didn¡¯t expose him. The other shop owners were also familiar with this middle-aged man ¨C a well-known gangster in this area, who often went to the villages near Xiao city to look for boys and small girls. Then, the child would be raised at home for two years, and if it didn''t grow up badly, it would be sold at a high price. Some foreigners who didn''t know the situation were also his targets. At this moment, he clearly targeted this young lady. The wine shop¡¯s owner spat inwardly. However, it was still none of his business. No one''s business was easy these days. Interrupting someone¡¯s business was like killing their parents. Offending this kind of hoodlum meant the end of the business in Xiao city for him. It was better to not get involved in this kind of affairs and pretend not to see them. At the same time, he sneered in his heart. He ridiculed Shen Tang for her naivety and stupidity. This man was born with a pair of slender and narrow mouse eyes. When Shen Tang wasn''t paying attention, he looked back and forth between her face and clothes. In addition to his frivolity, he was obviously not a decent person. Only the children of rich and noble families who were ignorant of the world would be fooled by him. Unexpectedly, she even chatted with him, with a smile. Little he imagined, there was a reason why Shen Tang behaved like that. Who made him the first person to call out her actual sex? Shen Tang was all smiles, and only because of that, she was willing to chat with the other party for a few more minutes. Later - It would be fine if he changed his mind, but if he still wanted to play tricks ¨C She would send him to heaven early. CH 29 Chapter 29: Gamble Scoundrels like him saw all kinds of people. People like him perfected their control over people in the midst of struggles, so with just one glance they could see through someone and learn how to deal with them. So, he could also see through that naive and simple young lady before his eyes. She was truly softhearted. Softhearted people were moved by virtue. The more generously he announced that ¡°delaying work¡± didn¡¯t matter, and that he would ¡°wait¡± with the lady for her own ¡°safety¡±, the more guilt she would feel, so the trust she put in him would sharply increase. She would let go of her precautions, even in an unfamiliar environment, and then fall into his trap. As expected. The young lady closed her eyes, shyly asking: ¡°Do you really not mind?¡± The man sat near Shen Tang. He deliberately extended his two legs, exposing his feet with black mud stains and frostbitten toes, so that Shen Tang could see his severely worn out straw sandals. He appeared straightforward and generous: ¡°Not at all. At most, the shopkeeper would deduct a few copper coins. If that gentleman doesn''t see you passing by, he¡¯ll come here¡±. Shen Tang¡¯s expression changed, and her eyes started wandering around, as if she were fighting an important battle in her heart. The man was secretly delighted in his heart. Why did he dare to say that? It was because he knew that Qi Shan wouldn¡¯t come back so quickly! He didn¡¯t worry his lies could be exposed. He stayed calm, but he already started counting in his mind. When he counted to ¡°15¡± the lady sitting on the stool stood up. She said softly: ¡°Since Yuanliang told you to find me, it¡¯s better to quickly go and meet with him. If we¡¯re late, we¡¯re not only going to delay your duties, but he would also curse at us¡­ lead the way¡±. Success! The man was delighted, so he quickly said: ¡°It¡¯s what I should do, there is no trouble. It¡¯s the little lady that suffered a loss¡±. ¡°Young lady, we¡¯re going there¡±. The man extended his finger, he pointed at the direction, where Qi Shan departed before. When he did that, he also intimately took Shen Tang¡¯s motor with him. He said again: ¡°The Youth Inn is a bit far from here, do you want to take a ride there?¡± During the whole process, the man behaved very decently and properly, which also invisibly increased Shen Tang''s sense of trust in his position as a ¡°helper at the Youth Inn¡±. Of course, Shen Tang didn¡¯t doubt him. She clumsily climbed onto the back of the motor. The man shoot a glance at the motor. He was pulling the rope, while chatting with her: ¡°This doesn¡¯t look like a horse?¡± Meek young lady would certainly answer to his questions. ¡°Motor is a mule¡±. ¡°Mule?¡± The man secretly thought about how much money this mule could earn him. Even though it was a mule, not a horse, this mule was good-looking, his entire body was snow-white, and he was as tall as a typical full-grown man, so the price should be considerable. If he found the buyer himself, the price could be even higher. At this time the man lead the motor at the front and he only reveled his back to Shen Tang. Naturally, he didn¡¯t want to reveal his expression to Shen Tang. The greed and pride nearly overflowed on his face. Upon seeing it, the trader that was still worried about this matter, sighed deeply and muttered ¨C you can¡¯t obstruct some people from courting death. She fell into this scoundrel hands, so this young lady was already done for. The butcher¡¯s shop was next to the wine shop. The butcher saw dim-witted Shen Tang going with the hoodlum, and his expression changed a few times. He clenched his teeth, then he threw the knife to the cutting board and picked up another butcher knife. He didn¡¯t go out yet, when his parents stopped him. They firmly give him a meaningful look. The butcher didn''t struggle, he just looked as the silhouette of Shen Tang gradually shrank and finally sighed. ¡°Sinful!¡± He wiped his face with his dirty hands, suppressed his meddling thoughts, and cursed again, ¡°What a broken world!¡± He wasn¡¯t sure if he cursed himself or that hoodlum. After adjusting his mood, he continued with his job. The buyer swiftly said a few words. ¡°That young master can¡¯t be in trouble¡±. Butcher was stunned: ¡°What?¡± The guest smiled and repeated. ¡°That young master can¡¯t be in trouble. On the contrary, we should worry about that cheater¡¯s life¡±. The butcher widely opened his eyes in surprise, he still held the knife, he made an angry gesture: ¡°This old fool, what are you saying?¡± The guest was fearless, he said calmly: ¡°We can as well make a bet, right?¡± When the butcher heard that Shen Tang wasn¡¯t in trouble, he relaxed a little. Then, he thought that the guest was just talking drivel. What young master? The one who was taken away was clearly a charming and beautiful young lady. He snorted, dissatisfied: ¡°An old and unscrupulous thing. Your skills are not good, head is also bad, so you just talk nonsense and deceive people. You can''t even tell whether he is a man or a woman. You say you want to gamble, so how do you want to do that?¡± Client: ¡°After 1 hour, this young master will safely come back. If I win, you will give me the viscera from today¡±. The butcher didn¡¯t think much and accepted. It was just a few catties that no one wanted, it wasn¡¯t a big gamble. He was familiar with this client. He was bought by Moonlight Building and worked in the kitchen ¡ªevery time he came, he would buy some unwanted viscera. The butcher saw that he was different from the other workers in Moonlight Building. He didn¡¯t look like someone who would fawn over the other person, but rather like a scholar, with an indescribable elegance, so he was very fond of him, and he would always give him more viscera. Today, he came as usual. He didn¡¯t expect that he would start to talk drivel. The butcher said: ¡°And if I win?¡± Client: ¡°I will buy more viscera¡±. The butcher was unhappy: ¡°How much more money can I earn by selling more viscera? Ok, just gamble!¡± After a moment, the butcher cut half a catty of meat and wrapped it in lotus leaves. He put it together with the viscera from before and pointed at the table, and said, ¡°If she can come back, I will give you this half catty as well¡±. Even though it didn¡¯t have much meat, one could still make a stew meat with it. The client was skin and bones. The butcher had a soft heart and sincerely hoped the client could win. If that young lady was safe and sound, it would also help him to amass some secret virtue, he would feel a bit better. The client bowed: ¡°Thank you¡±. The butcher muttered: ¡°This action is also decent¡±. What kind of place was the Moonlight Building? It was a place for men and women to have fun. The client was a helper in the kitchen doing rough work, but the slaves bought back by Moonlight Building were, to put it bluntly, the worst of the low-class. He was often ridiculed for behaving like a scholar, the butcher also thought he was putting on airs. However, the butcher didn¡¯t laugh. It was only because the client¡¯s temperament was especially good. It was nice talking with him. After an hour, the butcher became anxious. From time to time he would look in the direction, where Shen Tang disappeared. He asked: ¡°Old fool, why did you just say young master? It¡¯s clear that she was a girl¡±. The guest didn''t take the butcher''s rudeness to heart at all, he just pointed to his waist with a smile. The butcher was puzzled: ¡°What''s wrong? Your back hurts?¡± The guest said: ¡°Wenxin symbol¡±. The butcher was taken aback: ¡°What?¡± Client: ¡°That one had a wenxin. Although he isn¡¯t as good as an ordinary warrior, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem to him to deal with an ordinary person¡±. Butcher: ¡°¡­¡± As an ordinary person, he has heard of the ¡°wenxin¡± before even if he has never seen it, so he naturally knew what it meant. ¡°Why didn''t I see it?¡± When the butcher tried to recall, he could only remember that pretty face. The client said: ¡°Wenxin symbol is colorless and transparent like crystal. If you don''t pay attention to it, it could be easily overlooked¡±. Because of the emergence of wenxin and wudan, it became popular for men to wear monograms or accessories similar to them when they went out. It was difficult to discern the ordinary monogram and the wenxin monogram, and it was difficult for ordinary people to distinguish it in the first place. CH 30 Chapter 30: Save me! The shopkeeper next door got excited after hearing it. He stuck his head out to ¡°chitchat¡± with the customer. His words were full of contempt: ¡°Hey you! This old fool, can you also recognize the things only the nobility can have?¡± Another customer agreed with him. ¡°There is a lot of ¡°nobility¡± in the Building¡­¡± Despite being treated with malice and ridicule by the surrounding people, customer¡¯s face remained unmoved. His eyes, which seemed to experience thousands of sails, remained peaceful. The butcher found the words harsh. He appeared fierce: ¡°Go, go, go! Don¡¯t gather here and ruin my business. Do you want to beat meat? If not, go to the other place¡±. People watching the customer felt that it was no longer exciting and dispersed one after the other. Although the butcher¡¯s job was dirty and tiring, he was from the best and the wealthiest family on this street, so his words had a bit of weight ¨C ordinary people were willing to eat meat only during the holidays. Still, the butcher''s family could eat it every now and then. Meat and vegetables were full of oil and water. Neighbors didn¡¯t want to offend him. Seeing that the busybodies dispersed, the butcher asked the customer: ¡°Old fool, did you just say the truth?¡± Customer smiled: ¡°Naturally, it¡¯s true¡±. The butcher pondered for a while, then asked: ¡°How did you know?¡± He was also curious how this old fool could recognize wenxin symbol from that far, and not mistake it for an ordinary ornament. The customer tapped on the butcher''s table with his fingers, then said with a smile, ¡°That''s not important. The critical thing is that you''re going to lose. You bet, you pay¡±. ¡°Good! If I lose, it will be a happy event!! Later, I''ll go back and get some wine for you¡­¡± The butcher waved his hand indifferently. He had a well-paid job and didn¡¯t care about the little ¡°gambling money¡±. While waiting, the butcher stretched his arms to support himself on the wooden table. He chatted with the guest, ¡°Hey, old fool, I heard you¡¯re snarky. Have you really studied?¡± The customer said: ¡°I know a few words¡±. As soon as the butcher heard this, he regained his spirits and slapped the table, ¡°Old fool, you also know that my child is going to begin schooling¡­¡± The customer asked him quietly: ¡°Do you want your baby to study?¡± The butcher nodded his head and said: ¡°He doesn''t need to learn many words, after all, I don''t expect my baby to become an official. How is it possible for our family members to become noble? You just need to teach my baby to read a few words, so he won¡¯t get tricked in the future. I always wanted to give this shop to my baby¡­¡± ¡°What if your child has a wenxin or wudan? Will you still help him? If he has wenxin he would need to practice literature and if he has wudan he would need to practice physical fitness, in this way the child could eat up all your wealth¡±. The butcher only felt that the old man was teasing him, so he curled his lips and lowered his head to start cutting the meat: ¡°He just needs to follow me? My baby is not worthy, so he just needs to follow me and learn how to be a butcher¡­¡± In his memory, those with wenxin or Wudan were all nobles. They were either high-ranking and powerful or rich and powerful. In short, they were masters. These people could fly over walls, and create things out of nothing, which were the means only available to gods. They were only common people, mud-rolling about on the ground. He was a butcher, his kids will also be. The rest? How could he dare to imagine so much? The customer''s eyes were tranquil like water when he looked at the butcher. The butcher didn¡¯t even dare to daydream about it, and he started to feel uncomfortable. He sighed: ¡°Jiqiu Zhiye¡­¡± The butcher didn¡¯t understand: ¡°What?¡± ¡°It means that the son inherits the father''s business¡±. The guest explained, ¡°The son of a Liang Ye must learn how to make a fur; the son of a Liang Gong must learn to use a dustpan¡±. The butcher didn''t understand even more, but he was sure of one thing ¨C this old thing was truly literate, and probably even more than that! Like that, he became more and more confused. Who didn¡¯t respect literate people these days? If the old thing went out of his way to teach children to read and write, he wouldn¡¯t end up doing so badly. How could he be bought back by Moonlight Building to be a helper in the kitchen? The butcher was suspicious, but the customer didn''t want to talk too much, and with the business coming, he could only put away his extra thoughts. He thought he could take his child to find old fool at night and bring with him two catties of good meat. Eating offal every day could cause illness. Meanwhile, the gangster took Shen Tang far away. They first walked down a major street, and when Shen Tang became distracted and lost her guard, he suggested taking a shortcut, then they went into the alley. The farther they were, the more remote and quiet it became. Shen Tang finally felt a little uneasy. She asked the man: ¡°How far is it from the Inn?¡± The man replied: ¡°Hurry up, hurry up¡±. They detoured two more alleys, Shen Tang asked again. ¡°Are you sure we didn''t go the wrong way?¡± The man was impatient. They were only a few steps away from the destination. He felt confident, so he raised his voice several times to intimidate Shen Tang: ¡°We¡¯re almost there, little lady, why are you so anxious?¡± Shen Tang sensed something was wrong, and panicked: ¡°I want to go back¡­¡± The man chuckled and refused to stop: ¡°It''s late!¡± He kicked open the door and rushed to the yard, then he said, ¡°It''s business¡±. It was a very remote and dirty courtyard. The gaps in the walls were filled with weeds, and the sounds of conversations could be heard in the whole courtyard. Shen Tang made a preparation to climb off the back of the motor and escape. As soon as she landed, and before she could stabilize, she was pushed vigorously into the yard by the man. Her center of gravity was unstable, so her feet staggered violently. She turned her head in fear to look at a man and a woman who came out of the courtyard. The woman said: ¡°What a charming lady, Laitou, where did you find her? Look at this delicate skin and tender flesh¡­¡± While speaking, she wanted to pinch Shen Tang''s face. Shen Tang dodged in fear, and glared at the man named ¡°Laitou¡±: ¡°You, you, you, Yuan Liang didn''t call me here?¡± Laitou ignored Shen Tang, but he still replied to the lady: ¡°Just a few words, and she followed me obediently. She is good-looking, but not smart¡±. The man next to the woman looked closely at Shen Tang''s face, and Shen Tang stepped back cowardly. She wanted to cry in fear. The man licked his lips and snorted: ¡°What kind of brains does a girl need? If a woman needs to be smart, how could we do business? Take her to Moonlight Building later. They are always urging us for good products¡±. The woman ignored her companion''s words: ¡°Moonlight Building? Isn''t that building full of young men, why do you want a girl to go there?¡± Laitou and the man looked at each other and smiled. The vulgar thoughts seemed to flow between the two of them silently. ¡°You don''t understand, if people come to ask for goods, we will just give them to them¡±. ¡°That''s right, women don''t need to care about it so much¡±. Laitou pushed Shen Tang''s shoulders, preparing to lock her into a dark, dirty room with an unspeakable stench. Shen Tang stepped aside. Shamed and angry, he gritted his teeth: ¡°How dare you disobey me?¡± The woman sneered, her eyes suddenly turned keen. She started to pinch Shen Tang''s flesh, threatening: ¡°You are just a little girl, even if the wife of the emperor comes, we can still sell her. Be more honest! Otherwise, we will deal with you differently!¡± Shen Tang directly dodged behind the pillar. Her eyes reddened, when she scolded: ¡°Aren''t you afraid of God''s retribution for doing this?¡± Seeing that Shen Tang ran more and more vigorously, the three of them planned to join forces to take her down, and then beat her hard to make her remember. ¡°Retribution?¡± Laitou spat, ¡°I am God!¡± ¡°Yuanliang help!¡± The man said: ¡°No one will save you, even if you shout!¡± This little girl was good at running and as slippery as a loach. ¡°I am scared!¡± Shen Tang''s voice turned into a cry. The yard wasn¡¯t big, Shen Tang was quickly cornered by the three of them, and the little lady who was about to cry shrank her shoulders. The next moment, the fear on her face faded. ¡°It''s strange!¡± She pushed off the wall to make momentum and swept her long legs. CH 31 Chapter 31: Appearance of the city In the courtyard, two men and one woman had their hands tied behind their backs. The three of them were kneeling under Shen Tang¡¯s feet, while shivering uncontrollably. ¡°Who said that he¡¯s a god just now?¡± Shen Tang used a stick to lift the jaw of the first person. She asked, smilingly: ¡°Is it you?¡± The mentioned person¡¯s head shook like a rattle. He dodged backwards, while trembling. He tried to avoid Shen Tang¡¯s stick, and yet he was afraid she would act impulsively. They also didn''t know why the situation was like it was, and they seemed to turn foolish by being beaten. Shen Tang used the stick again. ¡°Then, is it you?¡± This man was precisely the one who deceived her before, Laitou. ¡°No, no ¨C ¡° He was sobbing and speaking indistinctly. He was so afraid that he looked like he was about to cry. No wonder he was so afraid. He just recalled getting kicked by Shen Tang. He didn¡¯t even feel pain, when four or five of his teeth were knocked out, and the rest were on the verge of falling out. The blood was flowing out of his gums, making his face bloody. The farther development looked like a dream. A small girl subdued three adults. They didn¡¯t have any strength to resist! As a result, this situation occurred. ¡°Is it also not you?¡± Shen Tang smiled and lifted the jaw of the third person with a long stick. She was the only woman among the three, ¡°Then, is it you?¡± The woman sold Laitou without hesitation. Her voice was sharp and loud: ¡°It¡¯s not me, not me! It¡¯s Laitou!¡± Shen Tang looked at Laitou, she squinted her eyes. ¡°Death is near at hand, and you still lie. You committed one more crime!¡± After hearing about ¡°death¡± Laitou was so scared, that tears and snot flowed down his face. He couldn¡¯t continue to kneel on the ground, he kowtowed to beg for forgiveness. He just kowtowed three times, when she stopped him with the stick. She said indifferently: ¡°Look, you still have some repentance, but I can give you a chance to make meritorious deeds and atone for your sins. Say¡ª you always use this method. Where are all the innocent women who were cheated by you?¡± She checked, but the courtyard didn¡¯t have any other abducted women. If she knew it from the beginning, why would she waste so much time? ¡°All, all of them were sold¡­¡± Laitou couldn¡¯t control his tongue and stuttered. ¡°Sold? Where? How many? How much money? Narrate in full detail!¡± Shen Tang sat on the stool, with her left foot set aside, and her right leg bent up. She laid her hand holding a stick on her knee. Her series of questions made the three of them feel like crying. How should they answer this question? If they didn¡¯t, they would die even faster. The two men had no clue, and they were afraid that Shen Tang would rip they head off if they answered wrongly, but the woman had a guess in her mind¡ªshe thought that Shen Tang read too many story books in the market, so she yearned for the days when knights wielded swords for protection, and before she matured, she ran out to fight for justice. There was a way to deal with that kind of foolish young man. She cried out: ¡°Little lady misunderstood us. We just made mistake two or three times. We really didn''t do anything else to offend the heavens¡±. Shen Tang sneered: ¡°Two or three times? So, you met with me so early. Why don''t you buy welfare lottery tickets if you have this luck?¡± The woman maintained this statement. ¡°We have sold a lot of goods¡­but we are doing this to save people¡±. She carefully watched Shen Tang''s expression from the corner of her eye, and continued when she saw that she was not angry, ¡°What we sold were all serious things¡±. Their parents took the money for the goods they bought. In this world, selling people will give you only a few bucks, and we only made a big mistake because we wanted to get lard. We will never cheat again!¡± Shen Tang laughed after hearing this: ¡°Save people?¡± Seeing that Shen Tang could still be swayed, the woman immediately felt hopeful, and quibbled: ¡°It''s been hard for everyone during these years of war. If there are many babies in the family, there are many mouths to feed, so how can they be able to raise them? If we don''t buy or sell them, those babies will either starve to death or be sent to other families for food. We sold them, so they could have somewhere to go and something to eat. Shen Tang laughed angrily at this inverted rhetoric. She pressed the stick against her throat. She sneered and gave an ultimatum: ¡°Stop quibbling, confess! Otherwise, this stick will go in. You have experienced my strength. I guarantee that this stick can pierce a hole in your back. I¡¯ll stab you three times¡±. With only a little force, she left a black and blue mark on the woman''s throat, causing the latter to scream in pain. ¡°I confess! I confess!¡± ¡°This strong man, spare my life!¡± Shen Tang was a little satisfied. The butcher looked out at the sun from time to time, and the more he watched, the more anxious he became, rubbing his hands nervously, and sighing. ¡°Old man, is what you said really true?¡± Unexpectedly, the customer lifted the packed lotus leaf with a smile, pouted towards the end of the street, and said with a smile, ¡°I won this game¡±. The butcher poked his head out and squinted his eyes ¡ªhe started butchering even before dawn, so his eyes were burnt out after a long time of work. The things a little further away were blurred¡ªso he squinted. His eyes were almost cramping, but he still couldn¡¯t see it. He just noticed the commotion there. It wasn''t until Shen Tang approached that he saw what happened. He saw that charming little lady¡­ Ah no, young master, riding on the back of that beautiful mule, while chewing something in his mouth. He was in no hurry to go back. He was holding a rope with two men and one woman - The three of them were badly battered and limped. However, the people who often did business in this area, were able to recognize these three scourges particularly easily. Shen Tang returned to the wine shop, and sat on the small stall. She flicked her fingers repeatedly and used the three oblate green plum cores to make the kidnappers fall on their knees with a plop. The dull sound made everyone''s scalps tingle and their knees in pain. Shen Tang pointed at the three of them, full of murderous intent: ¡°Kneel¡±. The three of them shrank, swallowed and cried out in pain, not daring to disobey in the slightest. Customer: ¡°¡­¡± There seemed to be a flash of surprise in his eyes. He thought that Shen Tang would kill gangsters with bad intentions. What kind of battle was that? ¡°Why didn''t this young master kill them directly?¡± The onlookers gathered together to watch the excitement, then gradually dispersed. Later, the customer stepped forward to chat with Shen Tang. Shen Tang was bored stiff, so she gnawed on the green plume, while complaining about Qi Shan. After she heard the question, she turned her head in the direction of the newcomer. She pointed at herself: ¡°¡­did you call me young master?¡± Customer: ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± His gaze fixed on the Wenxin on Shen Tang''s waist for a second, before moving away. Shen Tang: ¡°No, correct. Brother has good eyes!¡± Where was it good, he was just as blind as Qi Shan! As for his question - ¡°Why I didn¡¯t kill these three people? Of course, it¡¯s because killing people is against the law. I¡¯m a good citizen abiding by the law, a weak painter, how could I do something so bloody? No matter how dam*ed they are, they should be handed over to the Xiao city government office¡­¡± And the truth was - That courtyard was too remote, desolate, and uninhibited. If these three people were killed there, the corpses would be easily exposed and left unattended, then they would rot and produce maggots, which would greatly affect the structure of Xiao city¡¯s landscape. Moreover, it wasn¡¯t right for an artist to kill at the drop of a hat. Therefore, she decided to cultivate her moral and spiritual character and to abide by law. The customer could barely understand Shen Tang''s ridicule, and said: ¡°If you hand them over to the government, they would be set free in no time¡±. Shen Tang stopped gnawing at the green plum for a moment. She hesitated: ¡°Then ¨C I''ll drag them out of the city and kill them later?¡± CH 32 Chapter 32: Discussion According to Qi Shan¡¯s understanding of Shen Tang, this young master wouldn¡¯t let others protect him. He was worried that Shen Tang would come up with a bad idea, so he hurriedly handled his own business and returned at once. The result - Person? Such a big young master Shen? Qi Shan stood in place, his face became black. When he just thought that Shen Tang was abducted, or that she kidnaped abductors, he heard an unfamiliar, calm male voice in his ears. ¡°It is Qi Shan, young master Qi?¡± ¡°Hello sir, indeed I¡¯m Qi Shan¡± Qi Shan took back his anxiety and proceeded to salute. After that, he straightened his back, while secretly observing the appearance of the man ¨C his hair was grayish-white, and he looked old, the marks of hardships were visible on his face. He was probably around 40 to 50 years old. He wore some yellowish old clothes and straw sandals. Only this, wouldn¡¯t be able to arose Qi Shan¡¯s interest, it was his cultured and scholarly disposition that left him amazed. His appeared gentle and fair. His dark eyes were too clear for a person his age. He dropped his eyes, he gazed at his hands. His hands looked old and rough, they also had some traces of frostbite. He carried some meat wrapped in lotus leaves. He looked like a poor person, who did a lot of heavy manual work. At this moment, these complicated thoughts quickly passed through his mind, and he gradually cleared his doubts. He calmly asked: ¡°Sir, how did you know about the name Shan?¡± The newcomer kindly smiled: ¡°Young master Shen said that¡±. Qi Shan understood immediately who this ¡°young master Shen¡± was. The worry in his chest disappeared with this information. He asked again: ¡°Did he leave any words?¡± ¡°Yes. He said, ¡®I have a matter to settle outside, I will be back in a moment¡¯¡±. Qi Shan didn¡¯t know what to say. Young master Shen originally didn¡¯t know the road. He had never been in this city before, what matters could he have here? Qi Shan asked again: ¡°Did he say what he had to do?¡± Newcomer: ¡°He wanted to uphold virtue and condemn evil on the behalf of heaven¡±. Qi Shan: ¡°¡­?¡± Qi Shan looked suspicious. These words seemed to be quite weird, they seemed exactly like something that folk would say about god in teachings of an evil cult, right? The newcomer: ¡°Young master Shen was worried that you won¡¯t be able to find him, he especially requested that you wait here for him, so as to not worry you¡±. Qi Shan sighed without humor: ¡°How can I worry? Even if I have to worry, I''m more worried about villains who offended him¡­¡± The newcomer unnaturally pursued up his lips and suppressed his knowing smile. He had to say, his judgment was still pretty accurate. After Qi Shan heard about Shen Tang¡¯s ¡°wonderful¡± experience in these 2 hours that he was gone, his expression went out of control ¨C He just left for a little more than 2 hours and young master Shen already managed to provoke people? Merely, it already happened, so it was useless to say more. Qi Shan chatted, while waiting for Shen Tang. He didn¡¯t reveal his questions on the surface, but inside his doubts grew. This old man was dressed like a poor commoner, but his words, manners, and his temperament was like he was soaked in incense all year round and raised in a noble and wealthy family. Even if he wore yellowish old clothes and his hands had traces of hard work, it couldn¡¯t change his distinct style. Finally, they started chatting about magic words. Recently, he delved into some new battle formation magic words ¨C ¡°to walk right into the trap¡± and ¡°cornered beast will still fight¡±. The former was used to deploy troops and deceive the enemy''s forces, while the latter was mostly used to stimulate the momentum when in disadvantage, it was a magic word used for final struggle. But if the opportunity was seized correctly, it could give a chance to make a comeback. The old man perceived Qi Shan¡¯s frankness and assurance, and he seemed distracted for a moment. He didn¡¯t know what to think, so he said: ¡°To walk right into the trap, it is to court disaster¡­ Young master Qi, the magic words you used were ¡®Don''t see the sparrows between fences, but see the hawks throwing themselves into the trap¡¯, right? It¡¯s not too good¡±. Qi Shan was a little surprised, so he asked: ¡°Why is it bad?¡± ¡°You could be easily targeted. If the enemy¡¯s wenxin reaches you, he only needs to ¡®Draw the sword to destroy the net and set oriole free¡¯, that means easily break your formation¡±. If the net was destroyed by a sharp sword, how could it trap the oriole? Since the sky was high and the bird could fly away, the troubles could be endless. ¡°Then, in sir¡¯s view, what¡¯s the best?¡± ¡°Might as well ¡®Sink into water and enter fire (commit suicide) and court disaster¡¯¡±. Qi Shan ¡°¡­¡± If it is said that ¡°to walk right into the trap¡± could still leave some leeway out, give an opportunity to ¡°strike the net and destroy it¡±, the magic words that this old man mentioned meant a complete annihilation of the enemy. Qi Shan looked at the old man with some surprise, this man looked kind, but he said some deathly things. ¡°Then ¨C in sir¡¯s opinion, what about ¡®a cornered beast will still fight¡¯? The old man lacked interest, his expression seemed indifferent, but then he said something amazing: ¡°On the battlefield, if the enemy is dead, I will live. If you use ''a trapped beast will fight'' magic sentence it may turn out unpredictable, you may not be able to win for a long time¡±. Qi Shan: ¡°¡­¡± You can¡¯t judge a man by his appearance, these words were really true. He thought he already had enough unexpected winning moves, but he didn¡¯t expect he could meet with a person even more outstanding than him. It was only that this old man¡­ didn¡¯t wait for Qi Shan to have more ideas. At this time, Shen Tang quickly came back on her mule. She jumped down and said with a smile: ¡°Yuanliang, you¡¯ve been waiting for a long time¡±. Qi Shan suppressed his pointless thoughts and looked at Shen Tang¡¯s clothes and hands with detail. They were perfectly clean, so could it be that she didn¡¯t kill anyone? ¡°You said ¡®you wanted to uphold virtue and condemn evil on the behalf of heaven¡¯, so what about the ¡®condemn evil¡¯ part? Shen Tang leaned on a motor, radiant with delight: ¡°They, they¡¯re travelling so fast now, they may be able to ask for a soup from Meng Po (goddess who gives potion to the souls) right about now¡±. Qi Shan: ¡°¡­¡± So, ¡°Condemning evil¡± part was really carried out. The evil tendencies of the young master Shen were not light. After the old man saw that they¡¯ve reunited, he bid his farewell. Qi Shan hastily asked him where he lived now, so they could learn from each other if the opportunity arises, but the old man politely declined. Seeing that the old man took the meat covered in lotus leaves and left, Qi Shan frowned and didn''t come back to his senses until Shen Tang stretched out her hand and shook it in front of his eyes. ¡°What¡¯re ya doing?¡± Angrily, he patted the back of Shen Tang''s hand away. Shen Tang said: ¡°If you look at him again, you won''t be able to look back¡±. Qi Shan murmured: ¡°It''s a pity¡±. Shen Tang took out two caramels, then trotted up to keep up with Qi Shan''s pace, and asked curiously, ¡°What''s the pity?¡± Qi Shan said: ¡°This person is not simple¡±. Shen Tang thought that he wanted to say that even a blind person would be able to realize this, so she said: ¡°It is certainly not easy to catch a person in the vast crowd at only one glance. Look at his temperament, he is not like an ordinary person, I don''t know if it''s because of his family or some accidents¡±. It¡¯s not like she didn¡¯t realize that this old man was ¡°not an ordinary hermit who lives in the wild, but a true recluse that chose the city¡±, but the hermit still had his own pretentious style. Even if he was destitute, it was highly unlikely that he would eat something that even common people regard with disdain, wear wretched clothes and do so much heavy work. Qi Shan didn¡¯t answer, so Shen Tang asked again: ¡°Looking at you talking so joyously, like you knew each other for a long time, I have to ask what did you talk about?¡± ¡°Magic words¡±. ¡°Does he have wenxin?¡± Qi Shan drooped his eyes: ¡°Perhaps, he had¡±. Shen Tang: ¡°?¡± He had, so it means that he doesn¡¯t have now, right? To let Qi Shan appreciate him so much, the two of them certainly were ¡°birds of the same feather¡±, so Shen Tang couldn¡¯t be more curious ¨C Why did this old man lose his wenxin? Could it be that he was also banished like people from the Gong clan and his dantian was destroyed and wenxin crushed? Qi Shan was walking, when he discovered that the footsteps behind him stopped. He turned his head and saw Shen Tang running to a butcher''s shop that was closing, inquiring about something with the butcher, then quickly running back. CH 33 Chapter 33: Mister Chu The sound of motorcycle bells gradually traveled near. Shen Tang came back after her inquiry. She feigned mysteriousness: ¡°Yuanliang, why are you not asking me anything? Are you not curious?¡± Qi Shan kept his composure, he flatly said some infuriating words: ¡°Youli, you¡¯re not someone who can refrain from talking¡±. Shen Tang: ¡°¡­¡± Like on every normal day, Shen Tang once again wanted to see what was hidden inside Qi Shan¡¯s head. ¡°It''s really rare to have such a big mouth and still live in peace¡±. Shen Tang ridiculed him. However, Qi Shan didn¡¯t even wrinkle his brows. She had to say: ¡°According to what butcher said, that person was a ¡®celebrity¡¯ in a nearby district and his family surname should be ¡°Chu¡±. Qi Shan asked: ¡°Which one?¡± There were a lot of family surnames that sounded exactly the same. Shen Tang specifically asked the butcher a few more questions. She answered: ¡°It should be the Chu from ¡°take the clothes, then wear them¡±, Chu from attire¡± (ñÒ). After hearing which one it was, Qi Shan frowned imperceptibly. Shen Tang, who walked 2 steps behind him, didn''t sense it. ¡°Chu¡­ that family name is uncommon in the Xin and Geng kingdom¡±. Shen Tang asked: ¡°Where is it popular?¡± Qi Shan shook his head and remained silent. He changed the topic: ¡°Besides family name, did you ask about other things?¡± Shen Tang said: ¡°Butcher also said that Mister Chu was a cheaply bought slave who was sent to the market five years ago. At that time, more than 30 slaves were sent with him. I also heard that there were more than 200 slaves originally, and they were going to be sold elsewhere, but the plague broke out on the way, and only a few of them remained, so they sold the remaining slaves in Xiao city that was nearby. Because of the plague, the price of slaves was also remarkably low¡­¡± Qi Shan asked: ¡°5 years ago? Definitely?¡± Shen Tang carefully recalled butcher¡¯s words: ¡°Butcher also didn¡¯t remember much, so it could also be more than 5 years ago¡­ Mister Chu was then bought as an extra by Moonlight Building and taken away. I also especially asked about Moonlight Building¡­¡± She didn¡¯t finish her words yet, when Qi Shan said: ¡°It¡¯s a brothel with male prostitutes¡±. Shen Tang stopped and looked at Qi Shan¡¯s silhouette weirdly. She muttered: ¡°How are you so clear about that?¡± What kind of place was a brothel with male prostitutes? It was a place for both men and women, created for pleasure. Qi Shan didn¡¯t answer directly at all. He tilted his head and spoke like he wanted to warn a child: ¡°Youli, you¡¯re too young to understand this¡±. Shen Tang: ¡°¡­¡± She gave him a middle finger in her heart. I, your older sister, had become an adult 800 years earlier than you, thank you! Qi Shan: ¡°What is he doing in the Moonlight Building?¡± Shen Tang was baffled: ¡°He is certainly doing some odd jobs in the kitchen. With Mister Chu¡¯s age, he has no energy, so he shouldn¡¯t do any heavy work. At most, he is helping with miscellaneous chores like washing plates and bowls or delivering food. In his age, say, what can he do more?¡± Qi Shan: ¡°¡­¡± He would bet 3 coins that Young master Shen was wrong. Other than that - Qi Shan flatly said: ¡°This people are somewhat weird, they have too many contradictions. After talking with him, I discovered that his attainments in literature, speech, and spirituality are not low, at least not inferior to mine. Xiao city is truly a place with hidden talents. It¡¯s so interesting¡±. Shen Tang was flabbergasted: ¡°Not inferior?¡± ¡°Maybe, even better¡±. Shen Tang was puzzled: ¡°With this kind of talent, even if you were in dire straits, then bought by the brothel, it¡¯s unlikely that you would have to do many chores in the back kitchen, right? If he wants to live a better life, it shouldn''t be too difficult, but it doesn''t look like that from the way he is dressed¡±. Even if he was a slave, he should have so much proficiency as a slave. Qi Shan dropped his gaze and laughed. ¡°Who knows what he¡¯s thinking? But, ¡°Chu¡± family name, actually let me recall some old court case¡±. After hearing it, Shen Tang¡¯s gossipy soul woke up. She immediately felt more spirited ¨C according to the regular pattern, the so-called ¡°old case¡± in all likelihood was linked with mister Qi in countless ways. Even if he wasn¡¯t involved directly, he should at least be a relative of the person involved. It was a pattern! ¡°What old case?¡± Qi Shan smiled: ¡°Many kingdoms choose to connect by marriage, so in-laws are everywhere. A few years ago, Xin kingdom was rich and powerful, so the small neighboring countries decided to follow it blindly, and they didn¡¯t hesitate to respectfully offer princesses to be concubines in Xin kingdom. Among them, there was one with a surname ''Chu''¡±. ¡°Oh, then?¡± Qi Shan continued with the story: ¡°When the girl from another country with a surname ¡°Chu¡± just joined the concubines in Xin, she was really doted on by the king, but the winds changed, when Zheng Qiao started to avoid the favored ¡°beloved concubine¡±. It was said that this favored concubine was well-read in poetry and books, tolerant and kind. She also became pregnant soon, and had great potential to enter the middle palace. As a result, she had a miscarriage in May and died suddenly¡±. Shen Tang listened carefully, afraid to miss important points. ¡°I can bet that this matter is not so simple¡±. Qi Shan nodded and said: ¡°Naturally, it¡¯s not so simple. There are numerous rumors in the marketplace. Some say that the favorite concubine was discovered to have an improper relationship with an imperial guard, and some say that her child was actually Zheng Qiao¡¯s. And shortly after Zheng Qiao returned, Xin kingdom send troops to annihilate the home kingdom of that favored concubine. It is said that when he destroyed it, Xin kingdom also send an order in secret to massacre everyone and torment the aristocrats with good merits¡­ Seeing the attitude of the king of Xin, it could be said that this rumors had some truth in it. Of course, it was also possible that Zheng Qiao cheated and framed the beloved concubine in order to return home smoothly¡±. Shen Tang: ¡°¡­¡± Could it be, like in that legendary sentence, ¡°fortunes rise and fall?¡± Xin kingdom also destroyed and massacred other kingdoms. They also harassed royals and treated prisoners without dignity. Now it was Zheng Qiao¡¯s turn to destroy Xin. He not only imitated them, but also did a lot more, like forcing the [naked] princess to surrounded for her kingdom. It could be called ¡°student surpasses the master¡±. Shen Tang guessed: ¡°Yuanliang, you mean that that mister Chu could be a member of a royal family from that small kingdom?¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. It is possible, but it could be wrong¡±. The most popular surname in that small country that was destroyed was ¡°Chu¡±. The scope is too large, so his identity is uncertain, but he must have enmity with Xin kingdom. Qi Shan let out a breath of turbid air slowly, and temporarily suppressed the complicated emotions churning in his chest: ¡°Let''s not talk about this, young master Shen, let''s settle down first, and think about the rest slowly¡±. They¡¯ll have to spend this period of time in the Xiao city. Shen Tang shrugged indifferently: ¡°Everything is up to Yuanliang¡±. Being a stranger in a strange land, you could only hope for ¡°guide NPC¡±. Qi Shan led Shen Tang to a remote, small hut. Although the house was small, it was fully equipped, and the owner''s elaborate thoughts could be seen in every place of this house. The owners were an elderly peasant couple, about fifty years old. As soon as the two appeared, the old lady came up to them with a smile and led Shen Tang to her room. The room was close to the courtyard. Shen Tang could see the patio in the courtyard after opening the wooden door. Qi Shan lived next door. After the old couple left, she asked, ¡°Yuanliang, you know these two?¡± The old couple was very familiar with Qi Shan, as if they were old acquaintances. Qi Shan said: ¡°I have known them for five or six years¡­¡± Shen Tang frowned. She didn''t know if she was just too suspicious, but she especially took notice of ¡°five or six years¡± Qi Shan talked about. CH 34 Chapter 34: Back to Business (1) Qi Shan understood Shen Tang to some degree. He only needed one glance at her sparkling eyes to know she was up to no good: ¡°It¡¯s an old story, I may tell you if I have a chance in the future¡±. He hinted that he might say about it in the future, but Shen Tang shouldn¡¯t ask. Shen Tang snorted and removed the forked pole supporting the window. The awning window snapped shut. Shen Tang¡¯s murmurs could be faintly heard, ¡°It¡¯s better if you don¡¯t say. Who would be curious about your trifles?¡±, Qi Shan could only laugh and shook his head. ¡°Young master Shen¡­ you¡¯re like a child¡±. Qi Shan faintly sighed with sorrow, then opened his bag. In the middle of packing, an old woman¡¯s shadow appeared on the doors. She lifted her hand and knocked 3 times. Qi Shan said: ¡°Come in¡±. An old lady pushed the door. She carried dinner on the side table and held a lamp oil for the night. After glimpsing her figure, Qi Shan immediately got up to welcome her: ¡°How can we let you do this? Give it to me¡±. The old lady smiled but evaded him: ¡°Young master Qi should sit down. I¡¯m still agile, so how can I not do this?¡± She put down the table and made the bed. After that, Qi Shan took some silver from his pouch and gave it to the lady, he said: ¡°These are from us for borrowing your house, so please accept it¡±. ¡°This is unacceptable ¨C ¡° The old lady pushed the silver back without much thought. If it wasn¡¯t for him, they would already be dead 4¨C5 years ago, how could they still peacefully live here? It¡¯s not only that - The prospects of this young master were also ruined in the process. She said: ¡°I certainly can¡¯t accept this money¡±. Who knew that Qi Shan was so stubborn that he would push the money back again. ¡°One yard counts for one yard. If the old lady doesn''t accept it, we will be too embarrassed to continue to live here¡±. After saying that, he started to repack the scattered luggage. After a long time, the old lady finally accepted the money. She looked at the shadow of a young figure on the wooden door and sighed deeply. Tired from traveling during the day, Shen Tang fell asleep soundly with the sleepers on. She didn¡¯t dream that night, and she had no idea that the oil lamp next door had been lit all night. The next day, East Ascension pavilion. Shen Tang woke up naturally and opened her eyes. She took the homemade bamboo tube, fetched clean water from the courtyard, and sat down on the porch to wash. When Qi Shan came back, he saw the young master Shen sitting in a bold posture, while bending over to wipe her teeth and rinse her mouth. He passed her some things. ¡°Here, breakfast. It¡¯s still warm, so eat now¡±. ¡°Thank you very much¡±. Shen Tang splashed cold water on her face and the remaining sleepiness left her. She held a hot flatbread in her mouth. She noticed from the corner of her eye that Qi Shan sat down next to her. She asked: ¡°Yuanliang, do you know where the brothel is in Xiao City?¡± Qi Shan, who was about to speak: ¡°¡­?¡± His fork nearly fell. He asked with a dark face: ¡°Young master Shen, how old are you? Do you want to go there to have fun? That¡¯s not a place you should go to¡±. Trifling can destroy the will, it¡¯s unacceptable! ¡°Yuanliang, you thought about something bad, right? I only want to go there to find a person and learn about her current situation¡±. Shen Tang was grinning, ¡°After all, if not for her words, I wouldn¡¯t be able to run away so quickly. But thanks to her, I was able to meet Yuanliang¡±. After a quick musing, Qi Shan understood Shen Tang¡¯s idea. ¡°You want revenge?¡± She wanted to take revenge on those exiled women of the Gong clan. Qi Shan wanted to remind Shen Tang, prevent her from recklessly bumping into the gutter and suffer a setback: ¡°According to my information, there are still 5 members of the Gong clan on freedom. They weren¡¯t caught, but they were snitched on by their clan¡¯s exiled members. What could you do by approaching hastily without fear?¡± It¡¯s better to not look for trouble and get arrested instead. ¡°But it¡¯s not my style to let go of revenge¡±. Shen Tang frowned, then asked herself honestly. She wasn¡¯t a narrow-minded person, but she also wasn¡¯t a person who would jump into a fire and still smile, not minding. She wasn¡¯t a foolish woman! Qi Shan suggested: ¡°You can take a roundabout route¡±. Shen Tang asked: ¡°For example?¡± Qi Shan: ¡°Think about it yourself¡±. It was Shen Tang¡¯s grudge, not his, so even if he made plans for her, when she succeeded, it wouldn¡¯t be able to satisfy her heart. Shen Tang briefly pondered, then shook her head. She muttered. ¡°Not good, not good. This method is not good¡­¡± ¡°What method won¡¯t do?¡± Qi Shan¡¯s curiosity was picked. He wanted to know how was he planning to retaliate. Shen Tang awkwardly moved her line of sight, she didn¡¯t want to say that. This method wasn¡¯t too cruel, rather it wasn¡¯t suitable. Especially nowadays, in this lawless world, it''s reasonable to pay back others in the same way ¨C and it¡¯s also reasonable, for the victim to not be able to use the same method to retaliate. Her way was illegal but gratifying! The enemy was a woman and Shen Tang was also a woman, so it would be really disgusting to retaliate in that way. What method? Naturally, it¡¯s to spend money to find someone to take care of the woman. But, one problem still existed - Shen Tang was destitute. That brothel was also different from ordinary ones, the average prices weren¡¯t low. So, when this thought occurred to her, she quickly extinguished it. She sighed: ¡°Let it be ¨C let her live more days. When the 5 seniors from the Gong clan get caught, I will come to her and ask for guidance¡±. Qi Shan smiled while shaking his head. 5 seniors were 9 class wudan fighters. How could they be caught so easily? The morning passed in a flash. Shen Tang was idling her time away. She looked through Qi Shan¡¯s scrolls relentlessly, but she still couldn¡¯t find anything interesting. There was nothing to do, and it was really difficult to bear for a person with ADHD like her. In fact, it wasn¡¯t only difficult for her, but also for Qi Shan. ¡°Young master Shen, if you¡¯re bored, go outside to play¡±. Don¡¯t wander about before his eyes, and stop sighing. He was so disturbed that he couldn¡¯t even read one word the entire morning. Shen Tang became enthusiastic. That¡¯s right, Xiao City was an unfamiliar place to her. She could always find some fun to pass the time. What was the point in staying in one place? She turned over her room and took out her slush fund ¨C peddling green plums, pancakes, and malt sugar along the way saved her a small amount of money. Qi Shan only had time to warn her to be careful to not be forced into labor and to not get lost, before Young Master Shen vanished with a gust of wind. ¡°Tsk, still a child at heart¡±. Qi Shan sat at the table again and got lost in thoughts ¨C Under the table laid a scroll full of his notes. The ¡°seal of state¡± and ¡°way of princes¡± could be vaguely seen written on it, as well as the layout of defense of the entire Xiao City. Meanwhile, Shen Tang was pulling her motor onto the streets. The wasteland was thousands of miles away from the wall, but inside the wall, the sound of fireworks lingered, and the city was full of vitality. There were also merchants hawking every few steps along the street. Shen Tang was curious about everything, so she bought many odd things one after the other, so her purse soon became empty. ¡°I still need to think of a way to earn money¡­¡± Shen Tang howled in grief in her heart. She was so poor, she had embarrassed all the time-traveling girls. Ashamed, ashamed _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_ However, she continued to stroll, but she still couldn¡¯t find a good spot for a business. The Xiao City didn¡¯t lack pancakes, green plums, or maltose. The competition was fierce, so the business wasn¡¯t easy. Shen Tang pulled the motor in a circle, then she glimpsed something from the corner of her eyes, so she returned slowly. ¡°Bookstore? Accept sketches?¡± Hehe. She immediately thought of a good way to earn money. CH 35 Chapter 35: Back to Business (2) ¡°Shopkeeper¡±. She tied her motor in front of the bookstore, then trotted in. The shopkeeper was just doing calculations. When he heard a clear young voice, he raised his head, seamlessly swept his gaze around, and bowed his head once again, making noise with his abacus. He asked faintly: ¡°What book do you want to buy?¡± Shen Tang pointed at a notice outside the door. They accepted artworks at high prices. ¡°Shopkeeper, do you receive sketches here? How much?¡± When she said that, the shopkeeper''s fingers froze as he calculated with the abacus. The ¡°pop¡± sound of the beads colliding with each other stopped abruptly, with a lingering noise. He raised his head. Firstly, he wanted to confirm something from her face, then he smiled meaningfully: ¡°The guest wants to sell paintings?¡± Shen Tang nodded: ¡°Yes, I want to try¡±. Who knew the shopkeeper would shake his head: ¡°Customer, I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t be able to give us the paintings that we want, how about going to a different store to look around¡±. ¡°I paint, you buy, is it inappropriate?¡± The shopkeeper laughed involuntarily and thought that Shen Tang was too young to understand, so he gave her a tactful excuse: ¡°For this job, small shops usually look for older married painters. If their painting skills are not enough, as long as they can catch the eye, it¡¯s okay, but age, and experience are the most important¡±. Shen Tang still hadn''t thought it through, but when she heard the reminder that ¡°age and experience are the most significant¡±, her expression turned weird. She frowned, and hinted back gently: ¡°Oh, so that''s what it means. Ahem, I understand what the shopkeeper means, but sometimes age and experience really doesn''t matter. I believe that knowledge and insight are essential. Shopkeeper choked: ¡°You understand?¡± Shen Tang asked in reply: ¡°Why would I not?¡± Anyway, according to Qi Shan, she was also a ¡°rich kid¡± who ¡°visits prostitutes, is promiscuous, dissolute, and unrestrained, and also plays with people¡±. If she didn¡¯t understand, wouldn''t she have to be sorry for Qi Yuanliang''s messy character design? Shen Tang felt that she lived in the world of a Mixitu (Japanese erotic comic). As everyone knew, before transmigrating she was an ordinary painter, an otaku, and she depended on her work to live. In her sparse memories, her scope of business was quite broad ¨C from cheap private profile pictures to more expensive commercial manuscripts, drawing emoticons, and making fan pictures. Regardless of whether it was a knowledgeable person or a high-profile person, they were all her clients. In terms of painting skills, she couldn¡¯t compare with those big masters who made people want to kneel for them, but with her skills, it shouldn''t be difficult to make a living. She had some confidence in her professional skills. The shopkeeper stared blankly, could it be that he made an error in judgment? Then, he recalled that he hung this announcement a few days ago and still no one came, but the clients were rushing him. It was rare for someone to come at this moment, so he might as well let him give it a try. Anyway, he could hand in the drawing first and then settle the money. If the drawing was bad or unsatisfactory, he wouldn''t suffer a loss anyway. The shopkeeper muttered something, he decided to let Shen Tang give it a try. He had to say some unsightly things first, such as the method of settlement, and the content requirements of the painting. This time, the Mixitu picture requested by the client had specific requirements. The client was the number one servant of Moonlight Building, and he requested to use him as the main character to draw a set of Mixitu portraits with passion, but the image shouldn¡¯t be too intimate. Shen Tang temporarily didn¡¯t notice the content. She only heard ¡°Moonlight¡±¡ªwasn¡¯t it a coincidence? That was the place where Mister Chulao was working. ¡°Moonlight Building?¡± She used fingers to form a pen, dipped them in tea and wrote the words ¡°Moonlight Building¡± on the wooden table. The words were flamboyant, like a dance of phoenixes with a heroic spirit assaulting the senses, wild but not chaotic, the overall look was pleasing to the eye. The shopkeeper¡¯s eyes lit up, and his expectations immediately soared. If his handwriting was like this, his painting would probably also be impressive. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s truly Moonlight Building¡±. There was only one Moonlight Building in Xiao city. Shen Tang asked again: ¡°Portrait Mixitu is not a problem, the requirements are also okay, only ¨C I have never seen that person¡±. The shopkeeper waved his hand: ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that¡±. Under normal circumstances, the owner of the portrait would meet with the painter. If he wasn''t very famous, he would dress up as a model for the painter, just to make the painting look nice. It was necessary to know that asking an artist to draw Mixitu wasn¡¯t something that all the people in that kind of business could do. It was usually the treatment that only the top card or quasi-top card of commercial entertainment areas could get, and this was also because of their fame. It was to consolidate popularity and attract potential patrons. If the Mixitu painting sold well, then with time, they could rely on painting to earn even more money. To sum up - It resembled a personal portrait. The reality wasn¡¯t the point, the point was to highlight the beauty of the characters. Shen Tang understood: ¡°Then I will come back later?¡± The shopkeeper: ¡°What are you going to do? Going now is better¡±. Shen Tang was flabbergasted, she turned her head to look at the bright sun outside. ¡°Now? Daytime?¡± Even if she didn¡¯t remember much, she still knew that daytime wasn¡¯t appropriate. The shopkeeper broke into laughter: ¡°That person is a celebrity, if the young lady goes there at night, he won''t have time to entertain you, let alone to let you paint. That kind of place is really messy, it''s not suitable for a young lady to set foot at night. Now is the most suitable time¡±. Shen Tang didn¡¯t doubt that. Only - ¡°Are you familiar with Moonlight Building?¡± The shopkeeper blurted out: ¡°I¡¯m not that familiar with it, after all, there are so many famous venues in Xiao City, and they have all been cooperating with each other. It¡¯s just that Moonlight Building is famous and easy to contact¡±. Shen Tang pondered, then asked: ¡°If¡­ I want to buy an odd-job man from Moonlight Building, how much would it cost?¡± The shopkeeper noticed that she was asking seriously, and after a little brainstorming, he imagined the ethical drama of ¡°the younger brother and sister who were deeply in trouble, when the poor painter stepped forward to buy them¡±. After all, apart from such reasons, normal people would not spend an unreasonable amount of money to buy handymen working in such places. ¡°This, generally, it depends on the sex and age of the worker; with different conditions, the price would also be different¡±. Hiring a painter could improve his relations with customers. The shopkeeper was in a happy mood and didn¡¯t mind Shen Tang''s questions. ¡°Only all the people from entertainment venues know, besides white skin, these people are all black inside, so the price could be steep. They wouldn¡¯t let go of meat easily. Even a handyman can charge three to five times the normal price¡±. Shen Tang muttered: ¡°Yes, if you want to get out of a place full of greedy people, you really have to take off a layer of your skin¡±. She had a bold thought. If Mister Chulao was willing, she would buy him. Qi Yuanliang, this ¡°guide NPC¡± would fly away from her, so couldn¡¯t Mister Chulao take his place? She didn¡¯t know Mister Chulao¡¯s address, but if she went to his workplace, she would definitely be blocked by people, and she would end up like a monk who couldn¡¯t escape the temple. Shen Tang thought that the shopkeeper was exaggerating the amount of that kind of avenues in this city and absolutely didn¡¯t expect that it was the truth. In the central area of Xiao city, there were five long streets with these kinds of businesses. Only in the daytime, the streets were empty. She was speechless: ¡°This, so much?¡± The shopkeeper didn¡¯t wonder at the strange sight. ¡°The county encourages¡­ building?¡± Shen Tang turned stupid. The shopkeeper led Shen Tang to stop in front of a brand-new building. He asked her to wait outside, then went alone to announce them, and came out after a while and said: ¡°He just woke up, and he will come after putting on makeup. Let''s go to the tea shop facing the street to wait.¡±