Is Li Miaozhen back? Or is it the inn’s attendant knocking?
The Princess Consort hastily wiped away her tears, cleared her throat, and tried to keep her voice calm: “Who is it?”
A familiar, rich voice came from outside the door, kept very low: “It’s me. Open up.”
The Princess Consort stood up abruptly, her plain face flooding with uncontrollable joy and excitement. Her beautiful eyes brightened, but she quickly sat back down, turning her back, and said:
“Who are you? I don’t know you. Why should I open the door for you?”
“I’m your wild man from the banks of Daming Lake,” Xu Qi An knocked on the door again.
The Princess Consort spat, her eyebrows rising in anger as she scolded coquettishly, “I don’t know you. Stop bothering me. Otherwise, I’ll call the innkeeper to drive you away.”
Her mind immediately recalled the play she had watched in the morning. The scholar hadn’t captured the young lady’s heart right away. There was a scene where the wealthy young lady said: If you truly care for me, wait outside the courtyard until the third watch. If I open the window and see you, I’ll believe you.
The scholar indeed waited until the third watch, so the wealthy young lady believed his sincerity.
The Princess Consort tested: “If you’re sincere, stand at the door until the third watch. Then I’ll believe you.”
After saying this, she somewhat anticipated Xu Qi An’s reaction.
Of course, the Princess Consort wouldn’t admit to any amorous entanglement with him. He had promised to settle her, and while she thought him a lecher, she also considered him a true hero.
So she believed him.
Her relationship with Xu Qi An was pure, not like the secretly betrothed couple in the play.
Over these days, she had repeatedly emphasized to herself that their relationship was based on a hero’s word being as weighty as gold, definitely not a private affair between a man and woman.
Only in this way could she convince herself to associate with Xu Qi An and accept his gifts. After all, she was a married woman, and her husband’s name only had just died. How awful it would sound if she eloped with a wild man right after.
“You’re crazy!”
The person outside cursed mercilessly, saying impatiently, “Are you going to open the door or not?”
The Princess Consort said defiantly, “No.”
He then said, “If you like staying at the inn so much, then stay. I’ll come regularly to pay for your room. I won’t bother you anymore. Goodbye.”
The Princess Consort’s shoulders moved, instinctively wanting to turn around, but she resisted.
She sat silently for a moment, realizing there was truly no more sound from outside. Finally unable to resist, she turned to look, finding the doorway empty.
The Princess Consort’s heart sank, suddenly filled with indescribable fear. She stood up, quickly walked to the door, opened it, and looked left and right. The corridor was empty.
Panicking, she ran down the long corridor, lifting her skirt as she descended the stairs, chasing out of the inn.
Then, she saw a man with gentle features standing plainly on the street outside the inn.
He smiled at her as she chased out, saying, “Let’s go!”
For some reason, upon seeing him, the Princess Consort shed all her reserve, put aside all her grievances and anger, and chose to follow him.
…
Xu Qi An bought a house not too far from, but not too close to, the Xu manor. It was a small courtyard house facing south, with two side rooms each on the east and west.
“I bought this house under a false name. No one will trace it, and no one recognizes me in this appearance. You can live here without worry,” Xu Qi An took out the key, opened the courtyard gate, and said, “From now on, you’ll live here alone. Your identity is sensitive, so I can’t hire maids or servants for you.
“So you’ll have to learn to do many things yourself, like washing clothes, cooking, and cleaning the courtyard. Of course, I’ll leave you some money. If you find these chores tiring, you can hire someone to do them. But if you can do it yourself, try to do so.
“The inner city is very safe. During the day, it goes without saying, and at night night watchmen and Imperial Sword Guards are patrolling. You can live here at ease.”
The Princess Consort took the key he handed her, holding it in her small hand without responding.
Xu Qi An looked at her, hesitated for a moment, and said, “How about I come to stay every couple of days?”
The Princess Consort was startled, protecting her chest as she stepped back, “Dong dong dong.”
I didn’t say I wanted to sleep with you… Xu Qi An’s mouth twitched slightly as he explained, “I can rest in the east or west side room.”
Hearing this, the Princess Consort fell silent.
She didn’t agree, but she didn’t refuse either. This house was bought by him, and if he insisted on living with her, she, as a weak woman, had no way to refuse.
The Princess Consort entered the house and looked around, finding that pots, pans, bedding, furniture, and everything else was complete and new.
There were even a few not-so-new clothes in the wardrobe.
“Whose clothes are these?” Her mood improved, and her voice carried a hint of coquetry.
“They’re my aunt’s. I thought you two would be about the same size, so they should fit,” Xu Qi An’s voice came from outside.
“You want me to wear someone else’s old clothes?” The Princess Consort was incredulous.
Xu Qi An walked over, leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed, and teased, “There’s fine silk in the chest under the bed. You can make yourself some clothes.”
The Princess Consort was at a loss for words, her eyebrows drooping, “I don’t know how…”
You have a lot more to learn. A golden canary wanting to fly freely in the open sky must learn to be independent. Xu Qi An steeled his heart, ignoring her dejected mood, and beckoned:
“Go draw a bucket of water from the well. I want to see your strength.”
The Princess Consort followed him out with interest, came to the well, and tried to draw water, but soon shook her head, “It’s too heavy. I can’t lift it.”
Xu Qi An then gave her a smaller wooden bucket, with about half a washbasin of water. Even Xu Lingyin could lift this much weight.
The Princess Consort didn’t disappoint, managing to lift it.
“Ah, the bucket fell into the well.” The Princess Consort’s hand slipped, and both the bucket and rope fell into the well. She looked at Xu Qi An innocently.
“Why are you looking at me like a victim?”
“How was I supposed to know it would fall into the well?”
“This shows you haven’t realized your mistake, or you’re trying to use innocent eyes to act cute and gain my forgiveness and tolerance.”
“I, I’m not acting cute.” The Princess Consort denied, stamping her foot, “What should we do now?”
“At times like this, you need a man.” Xu Qi An opened his palm, channeled his energy, and lifted the wooden bucket out.
Need a man… The Princess Consort angrily retorted, “I’m a widow now. I don’t have a man.”
This topic wasn’t suitable to delve into, at least not for them, so Xu Qi An changed the subject, saying, “You can read the books in the study room in your spare time to pass the time.”
Before the Princess Consort could refuse, Xu Qi An added, “Don’t worry, they’re all leisurely books and story collections.”
The Princess Consort nodded slightly, “Then I’m interested.”
Reading wasn’t urgent, so she brought out a large wooden tub from the house, drew water from the well by herself, and then took out Xu Ning Yan’s aunt’s clothes, dumping them all into the large wooden tub.
She clumsily began washing the clothes.
Xu Qi An sat on the edge of the well, chewing on a blade of grass, watching this former Princess Consort of the Northern Garrison King, the first beauty of Great Shang, sitting on a small stool, earnestly washing clothes.
Her sleeves were rolled up, revealing two sections of delicate, white arms. The bodhi bead bracelet concealed her world-class beautiful face, but the unintentional display of her temperament was always captivating.
Her beauty was not limited to her appearance.
“When do you plan to leave the capital?” Mu Nanzhi asked casually.
“How do you know I’m leaving the capital?” Xu Qi An asked in return.
“Although I didn’t interact with him much, I know something of his character. He’s arrogant and conceited, and will never tolerate you. If he’s not retaliating now, it’s only because the time isn’t right. If you think he’ll let this go, you’ll die miserably,” Mu Nanzhi brushed her bangs aside, snorting twice. “And he’s lecherous too. When I first entered the palace, he was stunned at first sight of me. I knew then that even an emperor is no different from ordinary men.”
It’s because your beauty is too high, Princess Consort. Not only does the emperor want to possess your beauty, but even the Rain God wants to possess it… Xu Qi An inwardly joked.
“Then can you take me with you when you leave the capital?” she probed cautiously.
“No,” Xu Qi An said irritably.
Mu Nanzhi let out an “Oh,” lowered her head, and continued scrubbing clothes. Xu Qi An tilted his head back, staring blankly at the azure sky, then got a face full of dirty, soapy water.
The culprit burst into laughter.
Xu Qi An glared at her fiercely, but she wasn’t afraid. She put her hands on her hips and raised her chin in defiance.
Before they knew it, dusk had fallen. Xu Qi An and the Princess Consort worked together to prepare a table of barely edible dishes.
After dinner, he tentatively asked, “The curfew’s in effect. I, um, I won’t leave tonight?”
The Princess Consort didn’t answer, busying herself with clearing the dishes.
“Hey?” Xu Qi An called out.
“Stay or go as you please. Why ask me? I’m just a weak woman. Could I drive you away?” she replied fiercely.
Fully displaying an attitude of helplessness.
…
In Jian Province, there was a mountain villa by a river, with pavilions, terraces, small bridges, and flowing water.
The buildings were exquisitely constructed, and adorned with rockeries, gardens, and green trees, creating a beautiful landscape.
In the inner courtyard of the villa, there was a pool emanating cold air. In the pool grew a nine-colored flower bud, with hues of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, purple, gold, and white…
In the night, Daoist Master Jin Lian paced to the poolside. His Daoist robe was washed to a pale white, and his graying hair disheveled. His gaze was gentle and bright as he silently gazed at the flower bud in the pool.
This villa was once the property of a wealthy merchant in Jian Province. Years ago, when the merchant fell on hard times and was pursued by bandits, he was fortunately saved by a Daoist master from the Earth Sect.
To show his gratitude, he gifted this villa to the Daoist master.
Later, this villa became a secret base for the benevolent faction of the Earth Sect, as well as the headquarters of the Heaven and Earth Society.
In the villa, there were thirty-six Daoist priests from the Earth Sect. Besides Jin Lian, there was another Fourth-Rank expert, Daoist Master Bai Lian. The other disciples varied in their cultivation levels.
Daoist Master Jin Lian had led this group of disciples to flee here, where they had been developing in secret. They exchanged their Daoist robes for hoes, outwardly appearing as servants of the villa, but in reality, they were Daoist priests enduring humiliation for a greater cause.
Jin Lian had chosen this location as their base after careful consideration. Jian Province was the holy land of martial arts in Great Shang and the only province with a “Martial Arts Alliance Leader.”
While the other twelve provinces had numerous scattered martial arts schools, the entire martial arts world of Jian Province was unified.
The Martial Arts Alliance ruled over Jian Province’s jianghu.
This was an organization that even local officials had to treat with respect, and even the imperial court had to acknowledge its status. Of course, the Martial Arts Alliance was not an evil organization that violated laws with force.
On the contrary, the existence of the Martial Arts Alliance greatly improved the order of Jian Province’s jianghu, truly achieving the principle of “jianghu matters are settled within jianghu.”
Daoist Master Jin Lian chose this location for their base because of its well-established order and the presence of a sufficiently powerful jianghu organization that effectively suppressed the infiltration of the Earth Sect’s demonic Daoists.
At this moment, the pool water suddenly began to boil, bubbles gurgling, cold mist rising like smoke.
The nine-colored flower bud suddenly came to life. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, purple, gold, and white… each color lit up in turn, the radiance ebbing and flowing like breath.
After the radiance had ebbed and flowed dozens of times, the flower bud trembled, shooting up a beam of light hundreds of zhang high, illuminating the night. For dozens of li around, anyone who looked up could see this gorgeous beam of light.
“Every time the Nine-Colored Golden Lotus is about to mature, it emits this radiance. There’s no way to conceal it.”
At this time, a graceful woman dressed as a young married woman in a plain long dress approached with elegant steps. She stood shoulder to shoulder with Daoist Master Jin Lian, gazing at the slowly dissipating radiance in the night sky.
“Black Lotus must have noticed it. There’s no hiding it. Sect Leader, have you found suitable helpers?” the young woman asked worriedly.
Daoist Master Jin Lian smiled and asked in return, “Who do you think would be suitable helpers?”
The young woman with the Daoist title Bai Lian said softly, “Naturally, the head of the Human Sect, Luo Yuheng.”
Jin Lian shook his head, “She’s wary of Black Lotus’s karmic fire and won’t oppose him. The Nine-Colored Golden Lotus isn’t enough to make her risk her life, and I can’t offer her a tempting enough reward for now.”
Unless I send Xu Qi An to her bed… Jin Lian thought to himself. However, Luo Yuheng was very particular about her choice of dual cultivation partner and couldn’t make up her mind yet. She was probably still evaluating Xu Qi An.
The young woman Bai Lian thought for a moment. Seeing the Sect Leader’s calm expression, seemingly quite confident, she raised her eyebrows:
“Could you be thinking of mobilizing the Heaven and Earth Society members? But didn’t you say that before they grow strong enough before we have enough confidence to eradicate Black Lotus, you wouldn’t expose their identities?”
“Their growth has exceeded my expectations,” Daoist Master Jin Lian explained.
“Who are they?” Bai Lian blinked her bright eyes, showing some curiosity.
“When they arrive in Jian Province, you’ll know,” Daoist Master Jin Lian kept the mystery.
…
In a distant celestial mountain, in an ancient Daoist temple.
In a quiet room, an oil lamp sat on a table. Dark figures sat cross-legged on rush mats around the candlelight, their faces half-illuminated by the orange glow, half hidden in shadow.
The candlelight cast their shadows on the wall. As the flame flickered, their shadows twisted, resembling ghoulish, gesticulating specters.
“The Nine-Colored Lotus Seeds are about to mature…”
A deep voice echoed through the void, reverberating in the quiet room.
The dark figures around the candlelight whispered:
“Kill them all, Jin Lian and his people. Take back the Nine-Colored Lotus Seeds.”
“Capture Bai Lian, take turns absorbing her essence, drain her dry.”
“I’ve been craving Bai Lian’s body for many years…”
“It’s been so long since we’ve had a great massacre. I can’t wait to drink human blood…”
“Jian Province has the Martial Arts Alliance. It’s troublesome, but that makes it interesting, hehe…”
The content of their words was perverse, their tones eerie, as if demons were having a gathering.
The deep voice resonated from the void again: “It could also be a trap. That mysterious expert in Chu Province is Jin Lian’s companion, waiting for me to walk into their net.”
The whispers instantly ceased. The shadows surrounding the candlelight seemed to show some apprehension, curbing their arrogance.
The deep voice continued: “Spread the news. The Nine Provinces Martial Arts Alliance will be interested. There’s still half a month until the Nine-Colored Golden Lotus matures. Martial arts experts from other provinces will surely be interested too.”
At this point, the deep voice let out a weird laugh: “This includes that emperor of Great Shang.”
…
In the east side room, Xu Qi An blew out the candle and lay on the bed, preparing to sleep.
Suddenly, a familiar sense of palpitation came over him. Someone was sending a message through the fragment.
He immediately sat up, lit the candle, sat at the table, took out the Earth Book fragment, and checked the message content:
[Nine: Everyone, in half a month, the Nine-Colored Lotus Seeds will mature. Are you ready?]