Chapter 19 Instant Connection: Lu Qing followed the maid to Du Xiao...

Lu Qing followed the maid to the outside of Du Xiaoyu's courtyard and was quite surprised to see that there were sword-wielding disciples guarding the gate.

Lu Qing asked the maid in a very "naive" voice, "Is your manor very dangerous? Why are there guards outside the young master's wife's door?"

The girl was naive and innocent, asking questions without any sense of propriety, but once she asked, she couldn't refuse to answer. The servant woman chuckled dryly, "It's always been this way."

Lu Qing smiled and said "Oh".

The maid explained the situation to the two gatekeepers, who, upon hearing that she was a woman from the divine servant's side, dared not neglect her and immediately let her in.

Du Xiaoyu was sitting on the porch, staring blankly at her lower abdomen.

Lu Qing called out softly, "Sister Du."

Du Xiaoyu looked up in surprise, "It's you?!"

Lu Qing smiled and said, "Sister Du."

Du Xiaoyu forced a smile, "Is there something you need from this young lady?"

Lu Qing was very outgoing. "My name is Lu Qing, Lu as in 'sika deer,' and Qing as in 'gentle breeze and bright moon.' Sister Du, you can just call me by my name."

Lu Qing's smile was as cute as a sunflower, making it impossible for anyone to be wary of her. Du Xiaoyu then said, "Little Lu, my little sister."

"Yes." Lu Qing responded crisply and stepped forward to take Du Xiaoyu's arm. "Sister, the master is hosting a banquet tonight, but I'm only dressed in men's clothing. I see that you're about the same size as me. Could you lend me a set of clothes? Just enough so I won't be impolite. Otherwise, my master will punish me by making me copy the 'Book of Etiquette' again."

Du Xiaoyu smiled and said, "It's our fault for not being hospitable enough." She turned to the maid and said, "Go to the sewing room and fetch a few sets of my new clothes."

The maid responded and turned to leave.

Then Du Xiaoyu said, "Never mind, if there are any seasonal clothes made for me there, bring them. I might not be able to wear them again." She spoke the last sentence very softly, and the maid didn't hear it clearly, so she just responded and went out.

Lu Qing heard it clearly. She turned her head to look at Du Xiaoyu and said, "Sister Du, I always feel that you have something on your mind. Even though you are smiling, it always feels like the smile doesn't reach your eyes."

Du Xiaoyu glanced around warily, then patted Lu Qing's hand. "Even if you change your clothes, this hairstyle won't work. Let me style your hair like a proper young lady's."

Lu Qing looked surprised and delighted. "Really? My family never styles my hair like a girl's. They always style it like this, it doesn't look good at all."

Du Xiaoyu was a little confused. "Your family member combs your hair?" Did this girl say it backwards?

Lu Qing replied matter-of-factly, "Of course he combs my hair. I'm his woman, so of course he should take care of me."

Du Xiaoyu was caught off guard by this display of affection, which the person making the remarks seemed perfectly natural, while the listener blushed and felt their heart race. "Miss Xiaolu, you shouldn't say these things in front of others in the future."

Lu Qing tugged at her sleeve and said coquettishly, "Isn't it because I feel so close to you, sister? It's like I've seen you somewhere before. How should I put it? It's like we've known each other forever, like a connection from a past life. Besides, seeing you sad makes me sad too."

Lu Qing had only a superficial understanding of most things in this world, except for love words. All the vows of eternal love and sweet words spoken in front of the Crimson Giant Tree over the past two thousand years had now been imprinted into her mind by the woman on the Crimson Giant Tree, word for word.

Du Xiaoyu was actually a simple-minded woman who hadn't seen much of the world. Her parents had been strict with her since childhood, and after marriage, she had stayed at the Sword Forging Manor, never even leaving its gates. All her attention was on Tie Zhilan. After being coaxed by Lu Qing with a few words, she quickly became close to him.

The two entered the room hand in hand and sat down in front of the dressing table. Du Xiaoyu let her hair down and combed it with a wooden comb. Lu Qing's black hair was soft, smooth, and felt as comfortable as flowing water in her hands.

Du Xiaoyu sighed sincerely, "The Divine Servant is truly blessed."

Lu Qing gave Du Xiaoyu a look in the bronze mirror, "That's right."

Du Xiaoyu couldn't help but laugh. Seeing Lu Qing's closeness to her, she mustered her courage and whispered, "Little Lu, could you tell the Divine Servant that you can come back next year to collect the weapon that was forged for you?"

Lu Qing asked curiously, "Why? Sister, if you have any difficulties, just tell me. My husband listens to me. I'll go back and talk to him properly. He shouldn't refuse."

Du Xiaoyu was suddenly filled with boundless hope. She sat down next to Lu Qing, took Lu Qing's hand, and placed it on her lower abdomen. "Xiao Lu, I'm pregnant."

"Ah. This is good news!" Lu Qing curiously touched her belly, but there was no reaction inside. "So it turns out that you are the master craftsman of the Sword Forging Manor. Since you are pregnant and cannot overwork, I can understand."

"No, I'm not." Du Xiaoyu couldn't hide her sorrow. She came up with a lame excuse. "Zhilan is the master craftsman. If it's just forging ordinary weapons, Zhilan doesn't need to lift a finger, so it can be done anytime. But now that I'm pregnant, I want Zhilan to spend more time with me."

"Oh." Lu Qing seemed to believe her, but then suddenly frowned. "Sister, that's not right. Next year, after you give birth, the young master should be by your side even more. On the contrary, the child hasn't been born yet..."

Du Xiaoyu was so embarrassed that she almost burst into tears. "Little Deer Sister, I'm begging you. If I make a weapon for you now, the child in my belly won't survive."

Lu Qing stared at her in astonishment.

Du Xiaoyu stopped speaking, only holding Lu Qing's hand, pleading silently.

Lu Qing grasped her hand in return and nodded earnestly, "Don't worry. It's just a weapon; how could it be more important than a life?"

Tears welled up in Du Xiaoyu's eyes, and she choked out, "Thank you, Little Deer Sister, and thank you to your family too."

Lu Qing thought for a moment and then said, "Sister, we're not in a hurry. But Master Tie is very hospitable. I'm just afraid that my master will find it hard to refuse his hospitality at tonight's banquet."

Du Xiaoyu thought for a moment, "I will talk to my husband and ask him to plead with the manor lord. It's only a year later, it's not like..." Du Xiaoyu's tone softened, but a hint of resentment still lingered.

Lu Qing looked at her intently, "My sister and I hit it off immediately. If you really want to help, just ask, and I will do my best."

Du Xiaoyu seemed to remember something and gave a bitter smile. "This is the fate of women who marry into the Tie family. None of us can escape it."

Us? Married into the Tie family?

This "we" certainly doesn't refer to her and Du Xiaoyu. So, which other women were also involved in the secrets of the Sword Casting Manor?

Lu Qing instinctively knew she shouldn't ask too many questions, otherwise it might arouse suspicion. So she patted Du Xiaoyu's hand, "Don't worry, sister, I'll come to visit you again next year and see your little baby."

Du Xiaoyu nodded gently, looking at her lower abdomen with obvious affection, "If she is born, she will have to call you aunt."

"Ah, do you think it will be a boy or a girl?" Lu Qing asked, very curious.

Du Xiaoyu's smile held an unspeakable sadness. "It would be best if it were a girl. That she could marry peacefully, have many children and grandchildren, and stay with her husband until old age."

Lu Qing seemed oblivious to anything amiss. Just then, the maid retrieved the new clothes Du Xiaoyu had made. There were over a dozen sets; she couldn't carry them all by herself, so she had the old woman from the sewing room help her bring them back.

Du Xiaoyu told them to put their things down and then go outside to keep watch, while she personally helped Lu Qing with her makeup and dressing.

Only after she finished her makeup did Lu Qing belatedly exclaim, "Ah! I'm wearing your clothes. If the mistress of the manor sees this, won't she laugh at me?"

Du Xiaoyu sighed, "Don't worry, my mother-in-law passed away when my husband was only three years old."

“Ah,” Lu Qing sighed, “children without mothers are so pitiful.”

Du Xiaoyu was heartbroken, but said nothing more.

"Oh, right, Sister Du. This is Broken Fragrance Dust, a kind of spiritual medicine. My family says it can be used as a face mask, and it works very well. I don't have anything else to express my gratitude, so please accept this."

Du Xiaoyu took the bottle, looked at it, and sighed softly. "No need. I wouldn't need it anyway. Let's not waste it. This is your husband's kindness. Keep it. I'm really not being polite. I'm pregnant now and don't need anything. If you could ask your husband to postpone it for a year, that would be what I want most."

Lu Qing had no choice but to retract her words. "Sister Du, your skill is amazing. I almost didn't recognize myself. Alright, I've bothered you for quite a while. Since you're pregnant, you should rest. We can sit down and talk again at the banquet tonight."

Du Xiaoyu softly replied, "Okay."

The maid was still waiting outside. Lu Qing smiled, "You should go back first. I rarely dress up so nicely, so I should take a good look around to do justice to this beautiful outfit. Go back and tell my master."

Seeing that she had said goodbye to Du Xiaoyu and had no intention of staying, the maidservant did not dare to stop her and went back to the guest courtyard first.

Lu Qing left Du Xiaoyu's courtyard and did indeed wander around outside, but she didn't run into anyone. Naturally, she couldn't get any information out of them. She walked back dejectedly.

But as they walked, they heard people coming towards them from the front, and they were arguing in hushed tones.

Lu Qing's eyes darted around, and she stood behind the artificial hill by the roadside.

"...It's not that I don't want to help, it's just that this matter is really hard to talk about."

Another familiar voice sneered, "Elder Tie, if you don't want to talk, just say so. Why try to fool me with these unfounded accusations? The secrets of the Sword Forging Manor may be something you can hide from ordinary people, but which of these top sects doesn't know the truth? A weapon with a spirit is always a rare find, but the Sword Forging Manor almost always has a price tag; as long as you can afford it, they can definitely forge one. But what is a spirit? It's not like a child in a woman's womb, something you can just have whenever you want. The speculation that you possess the Spirit Fruit has been going on for a long time. I'm not forcing you; I just want one answer: how did you obtain that Spirit Fruit? And you won't even tell me that."

The speaker was none other than Yu Jitang.

A note from the author:

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