Give it to me, Part 1 (Newly Revised)

With the Huashan Sword Trial imminent, an inn was quietly built along the road from the He family to Huashan.

It is called Lelai Restaurant.

Zhou Jian'an bent down and pulled Han Yizhi, who was still under the stage, up, saying, "Miss, you've seen the hidden compartments on the stage, what do you think? If there's anything else you need from me, Old Zhou, just let me know."

Han Yizhi dusted herself off and looked up to ask, "Can you see from the second floor?"

"No problem, we can't see your upper body from here," came the reply from the second floor.

Han Yizhi nodded in satisfaction.

Zhou Jian'an took out a bunch of keys from his pocket and handed them to Han Yizhi, saying, "Then I'll give you these keys. As Miss Pei instructed, I've kept a spare key."

"Thank you for your trouble." Han Yizhi took the keys.

Zhou Jian'an touched his nose and said with a smug smile, "In this Sword Casting City, apart from someone with the surname Zhou, you really can't find another person who can build this inn in half a month."

Han Yizhi looked at the stocky, slightly balding middle-aged man in front of her and said:

"My young lady said that the construction of Sword Forging City still depends on Boss Zhou, so there is no need to worry too much about Le Lai Restaurant. If there are any problems, my young lady will send someone to find you."

"Zhou understands."

Han Yizhi glanced at the laborers sitting in the front courtyard, took out two ingots from her handkerchief, and said, "This is the money for Miss to treat everyone to drinks."

Zhou Jian'an clasped his hands and said, "Thank you, young lady. Please tell Miss Pei to rest assured that all those who have come are trustworthy brothers, and I will take good care of them."

After a pause, Zhou Jian'an continued, "I hope Miss Pei can put in a good word for me with Young Master Chen."

"I will pass on the message to you, Miss."

This doesn't seem like the demeanor of a maid at all, Zhou Jian'an thought to himself. He quickly walked through the crowd in the lobby and left the Le Lai Restaurant.

"Palace Master, shouldn't we deal with them?" a man holding a pipa asked.

Han Yizhi glared at him and said, "I told you not to call me Palace Master."

"Follow your palace master's instructions and mind your own business." Han Yizhi clapped her hands. "Change your clothes. You will no longer be people of Liuli Palace for the next few days, so don't mess things up."

*

It was midday, and the sun was blazing, causing travelers to scramble to avoid it. Even on the official road, there were very few pedestrians passing by.

That being said, there was one person who looked particularly strange on the main road leading to Mount Hua. This person was dressed in a newly made outfit, with an old-fashioned but exquisite sword at his waist, and an old, paulownia-colored sword case on his back.

Su Yishan and his horse were completely exposed to the sun. The horse lay wearily on the side of the road, and Su Yishan squatted beside it, gently stroking its back.

Drops of sweat, like tears, gathered along his jawline, falling onto the pebbles on the ground and leaving obvious marks.

A carriage stopped in front of Su Yishan.

Su Yishan looked up and examined the horses and carriage decorations in front of him, recognizing at a glance that it was the carriage of an official's daughter.

It's rare to see a young lady like you traveling in this weather. I wonder why the carriage stopped. Su Yishan, feeling drowsy from the scorching sun, thought to himself.

Lifting the carriage curtain, Pei Jiangxi leaned out and eagerly called out, "Brother Yishan, is that you?"

Scenes from past events flashed through Su Yishan's mind, one after another. A woman from an official family, someone who addressed him so affectionately—a name truly appeared in his mind. Though long forgotten, he suddenly remembered a girl, but there was a strange sense of incongruity.

“I thought it looked a lot like you from afar,” Pei Jiangxi said happily. “I never expected it really was you.”

The image in Su Yishan's mind gradually overlapped with the girl in front of him, and his eyes brightened.

"It's me, Shi Xi." Pei Jiangxi removed her veil and said coquettishly, "You don't not remember me, do you?"

"Of course I remember," Su Yishan replied repeatedly.

Looking at the coquettish girl, Su Yishan smiled and said, "You've changed."

“You haven’t changed,” Pei Jiangxi said, making a face. “You don’t care about anything except martial arts, including me.”

Pei Jiangxi got out of the car and patted Su Yishan's arm, scolding, "To be honest, you didn't remember who I was at all just now."

Before Su Yishan could explain, Pei Jiangxi continued, "You and Zi'an have been away from the capital for many years, without returning to see me or even writing a single letter."

We often think of you too.

Pei Jiangxi pointed at Su Yishan, and said with a smug smile, "Alright, I forgive you."

"What's wrong?" Pei Jiangxi asked, looking at the horse lying by the roadside.

"I don't know why, I don't feel energetic today."

*

Wang Boyu was bending down to check on the horse's condition, while Pei Jiangxi and Su Yishan stood aside, holding an umbrella and watching with concern.

“This is Boyu,” Pei Jiangxi introduced to Su Yishan. “His master is the famous Swordswoman. My father specially asked him to protect me on this trip.”

Pei Jiangxi was dressed as a young lady from an official family, while Wang Boyu looked every bit the chivalrous knight-errant.

After a short while, Wang Boyu straightened up and said, "This is because they ate something unclean."

"Is it serious?" Pei Jiangxi asked with concern.

Seeing her concerned expression, Wang Boyu couldn't help but think to himself, "Don't you know better than I how serious the medicine you gave me is?"

Wang Boyu glanced at Pei Jiangxi, coughed twice, and cheerfully reassured her, "It's nothing serious. Just take a few common herbs, rest for a night, and you'll be fine."

“That would be best,” Pei Jiangxi breathed a sigh of relief.

"But I don't know where to find these herbs now," Su Yishan said, stroking his stubble.

“The Le Lai Restaurant is not far ahead,” Pei Jiangxi said gently. “Brother Yishan, why don’t you come with us? There are many people coming and going on this official road, and these ordinary herbal medicine shops should have some on hand.”