trade

Li Jiangmen placed his hands behind his back and landed steadily on the bamboo next to Xu Ning.

"Who are you?" Xu Ning was puzzled. She really had no impression of the person in front of her.

The visitor was a woman in a plain robe, about forty years old. Her eyebrows were long and dark, and the fine lines at the corners of her eyes clung to her, yet she retained her charm. Her thick black hair was streaked with a few strands of silver, and her hair was meticulously combed, with only a single wooden hairpin tucked into her hair.

The woman had a faint smile on her face, which was very peaceful. Xu Ning felt very comfortable looking at her.

The middle-aged woman on the bamboo planted one foot lightly on the ground, put her two fingers together, used her arm as a sword, and her fingertips as a scabbard. Every move she made was filled with sword energy.

“I have traveled thousands of miles singing and seen the drama of the world. I sigh at the sufferings of the people, and the red sun that does not shine on the snow-capped mountains. The road of this world is full of ups and downs, and the only way is to let go and choose again.”[1]

The woman chanted, her steps shifting, her long arms waving, her sword aura surging, stirring up the dust on the ground. Her eyes were gentle, yet each move was deadly. Xu Ning, as if drawn by something, as if possessed by a demon, picked up the sword and swung it across the ground.

Xu Ning's mind was blank, and she seemed to have entered a void separated from the world, with only her and Li Jiangmen.

The Xilin Sword blossomed into flowers in the air, and the bamboo leaves swirled in the wind, forming a bamboo rain all over the sky. The subtle bamboo fragrance was refreshing.

Li Jiangmen put away his "sword" and stood still, while Xu Ning was still immersed in it. The top of the snow-capped mountain was bitingly cold and covered with endless white snow. The dark clouds did not dissipate, and the golden sun did not shine. There was only a vast white world, and in this world, there was only a woman practicing sword.

About a quarter of an hour later, Xu Ning came back to his senses. He realized who the visitor was and bowed his head in greeting. "Thank you, Senior Li, for your guidance."

Li Jiangmen curled his lips slightly and said softly, "You don't need to thank me. You should thank the Sword Immortal Fang Hongzhi. This is the sword intent she realized back then."

Xu Ning was full of doubts. She understood the sword immortal's sword intent, but it just wouldn't transfer to herself.

Or in other words, it has little killing power when used.

Li Jiangmen looked at Xu Ning and smiled faintly: "Come on, do you want to become my disciple?"

There are many people who want to become Li Jiangmen's disciple, but she has never accepted any disciples.

"But, I have already taken Senior Zui as my master." Xu Ning was a little flattered. Recently, too many master-level figures wanted to take her as their disciple.

Li Jiangmen raised an eyebrow, not expecting her master to be one step ahead of her. "No problem, then I'm also your senior sister. Senior sisters are also good at teaching martial arts to junior sisters."

Li Jiangmen still felt that he had taken advantage, after all, there was a nearly thirty-year age difference between him and his junior sister.

"Ah?" Xu Ning's heart skipped a beat. Overnight, he became the same generation as the Sword Immortal.

"Let's go back, it's almost noon." Li Jiangmen came over and took Xu Ning's hand and walked towards the farm.

Xu Ning hadn't come to his senses yet and followed Li Jiangmen like a wooden man.

The servants in the manor have been busy preparing for Qu Xiang's wedding these days. Some are arranging flowers, some are hanging red flowers, and they are all busy without stopping.

"Be careful, this is the eldest lady's favorite flower, don't break it." The housekeeper gave instructions all the way, fearing that something might go wrong.

Qu Xiaotian thought his eyesight was blurry, but when he hurried over to Xu Ning and the others, he realized that he was not mistaken.

"Mr. Li, I didn't expect it was really you." Qu Xiaotian was overjoyed and almost knelt on the ground.

Li Jiangmen nodded and said in a casual tone: "Master Qu, there is no need to be so polite. My younger brother wrote to me the day before yesterday, saying that he is getting married and invited me to have a drink at the wedding. I also came to see my junior sister on the way." After he finished speaking, Li Jiangmen glanced at Xu Ning with a loving look in his eyes.

Qu Xiaotian then realized that the rumors were true. Li Jiangxin was Li Jiangmen's younger brother, and the girl who asked him for "Splendid Rivers and Mountains" last night was the disciple of the most drunkard in the world.

"Wait, Senior Sister, are you saying that the one who's going to marry Sister Qu Xiang is Li Jiangxin, the second owner of Wanqi Villa?"

"Yes, Ning'er, it was me who asked my brother to unfurl the sword."

Xu Ning was speechless for a long time.

Tang Xixu had been following Xu Ning. He had been hiding near the bamboo forest that morning.

The four servants had almost left, so Li Jiangmen didn't want to beat around the bush with him: "Come out."

Tang Xixu had disliked her for a long time, and she even held Xu Ning's hand. The young man was full of hostility towards Li Jiangmen.

Tang Xixu's attacks were brutal and every one of them was meant to take someone's life. If Li Jiangmen hadn't been quick, he would have been seriously injured.

Li Jiangmen had not expected that the disciple his master had casually accepted would have such great talent, almost catching up with Zui Shengchi back then.

"Hmph, the so-called Sword Immortal is nothing more than this. In my eyes, you are all... garbage." Tang Xixu squinted his eyes and looked down on Li Jiangmen with contempt. His words were arrogant, and the facts proved that his strength was also true.

Back then, Li Jiangmen was an envied daughter of heaven. She entered the Lesser Heaven at the age of 20 and the Greater Heaven at the age of 30. However, it took her nearly another ten years to reach the Upper Purity Realm. In the words of Zui Shengchi, her inner demons were too heavy, she cared too much about the results, and she had obsessions, so she could never get there.

Li Jiangmen had always thought that she and Fang Hongzhi were geniuses, but it was not until today when she fought with Tang Xixu that she realized that she was just a mediocre person.

Li Jiangmen had rarely suffered defeat in his life, and this was one of those rare occasions. The middle-aged woman crouched on one leg, clutching her chest. Soon, a mouthful of hot blood rushed to her throat.

At this moment, Li Jiangmen felt relieved. She attached too much importance to the merits and demerits of martial artists, so what did it matter whether the result was good or bad.

"You win." Li Jiangmen didn't like to admit defeat from the bottom of his heart, and he never said the words "I lost".

Tang Xixu never showed mercy to losers. If they lost, they lost. Even if you showed mercy to them, they would not win. Tang Xixu did not claim to be a savior, nor did he claim to help everyone.

"Xu Ning, I will teach you. I will teach you better than you, so don't worry." Tang Xixu's voice was cold when he passed by Li Jiangmen, like a warning but more like a threat.

Li Jiangmen has lived for more than 40 years, but he was still frightened by such a "young boy".

Li Jiangmen shook her head. She saw something in the young man's eyes. It was too complicated, too complicated. Who did he resemble? Like Ye Yulan, the leader of the Lie Yin Sect who had marched all the way to the Central Plains fifteen years ago.

She didn't know whether it was right or wrong to hand Xu Ning over to Tang Xixu.

As the day went by, the sky turned crimson, smoke from the kitchen rose into the air, and the servants stopped what they were doing and took a rest.

The next day, Qu Xiaotian invited Xu Ning to the main house and was very polite.

"Miss Xu, please forgive me for any offense I may have caused you the other day. I have been looking for an owner for the painting 'Splendid Rivers and Mountains' and only found one these days. If you don't mind, please accept it."

Qu Xiaotian presented Xu Ning with a clean and tidy scroll of "Splendid Rivers and Mountains".

Xu Ning was still a little overwhelmed by the sudden change.

[Master, what are you standing there for? Answer it now.]

Xu Ning was no longer shy: "In that case, thank you very much, Master Qu." Xu Ning immediately unfolded the picture to take a look. She wanted to see how precious this thing was that made Master Qu so reluctant to give it up in the first place.

The long axis slowly unfolded on the table, with towering mountains undulating one after another, "peaks and ridges gathered together, waves were raging, mountains and rivers were inside and outside the Tongguan Road" [2]. The peaks were towering into the clouds, shrouded in mist, and the mountains and rivers were dangerous. Where there were rivers and rocks were clearly marked, and there were even some records predicting the climate of some important locations.

This is not a map of rivers and mountains, it is clearly a map of the country.

Xu Ning frowned, not knowing whether to refuse or accept it. It was indeed a hot potato.

Xu Ning didn't dare to destroy it on his own. If nothing unexpected happened, there would probably be a lot of people who wanted this picture.

Sure enough, as soon as Xu Ning returned to the house, he saw a woman sitting in her room drinking tea.

Zhao Mingshang's expression and posture made Xu Ning feel a little unfamiliar. She just sat there and made Xu Ning feel the aura of a superior.

"Xu Ning, I've been waiting for you for a long time." Zhao Mingshang curled his upper lip, his eyes bright and determined.

"The beginning of the new year is your majesty's birthday. The fact that the Splendid Rivers and Mountains painting has fallen into the hands of the people has always been a source of worry for your majesty. I would like to present it to your majesty as a gift. I don't need to explain the significance of this painting."

Xu Ning was not someone who would be easily persuaded. She would not do a business that would result in a loss: "What can I get if I give it to you?"

Zhao Mingchang raised his eyebrows, then looked Xu Ning in the eye: "Serving His Majesty, one should not ask for anything in return."

Xu Ning sat down and poured himself a cup of tea. "You're quite calculating."

"It's okay if I give it to you. It's useless to me anyway. But I have one condition."

"Miss Xu, please feel free to speak."

"I know you're on the same side as Yuwen Xin. I want you to promise that if Tang Xixu needs your support one day in the future, you will stand by him without hesitation."

Xu Ning's eyes were firm, and Zhao Mingchang felt something was strange listening to him, as if he was entrusting his son to someone else's care.

Xu Ning's "bid" was a bit "expensive", so after weighing the pros and cons, Zhao Mingshang finally agreed.

Not for any other reason, just because she needed a bargaining chip, a bargaining chip that was enough to enter the royal family.

[Side quest completed! Reward: You can satisfy one of the owner's needs at any time and any place.]

Xu Ning was overjoyed, this was simply a "black card".

Not long after Zhao Mingshang left, Tang Xixu arrived.

"What deal did you make with her?"

When Xu Ning was talking about the conditions just now, she leaned close to Zhao Mingshang's ear. She knew that Tang Xixu was eavesdropping outside.

"I won't tell you."

The night was very quiet in Qujiabao. Tomorrow was the wedding. Li Jiangxin whispered to his men, "Everything must be prepared. Nothing can go wrong tomorrow."

Although it is a marriage into the wife's family, the proper etiquette still needs to be observed.

After the servants left, Li Jiangxin's heart was filled with anticipation for tomorrow. He looked forward to all the good things in the future and carefully touched every stitch and thread of the wedding dress.

Qu Xiang did not violate etiquette and still quietly came to see Li Jiangxin the night before the wedding.

"Xiangxiang, this is against the rules. I'll let you see enough after we get married." Li Jiangxin saw tenderness in the eyes of the woman in front of him.

Qu Xiang was 24 years old when she met the man she loved, so she was still a little shy.

Qu Xiaotian initially opposed the marriage. Li Jiangxin was a man of the underworld, calculating, and ten years older than Qu Xiang. However, he couldn't resist his daughter's affection for her, and seeing that Li Jiangxin was willing to marry into his family and help him manage the affairs of the clan, Qu Xiaotian agreed because he couldn't find any other problems.

Li Jiangmen had something else to do, so he gave the gift and prepared to leave.

"Sister, do you really not want to attend my wedding?"

Li Jiangmen frowned, half his face hidden in the darkness, and said with his back to Li Jiangxin, "You'll have to take care of yourself."

Li Jiangxin looked at his sister's receding back and clenched his fists. One day I will prove myself to you.

The 28th day of the twelfth lunar month is a good day for marriage.

Qujiabao is located in a remote area, so there are relatively few visitors. Only those who have a very good relationship with Qujiazhuang will come here, and most of them just come with a gift.

The suona plays loudly, the bride is married in red, there are three letters and six ceremonies, wild geese are sent as betrothal gifts, and the couple is loyal and faithful.

Qu Xiang sat in the bridal chamber with a red veil covering her head. She hadn't eaten for a day and was already hungry.

A maid suddenly knocked on the door: "If you are hungry, you may drink some water first."

The maid's voice sounded a little unfamiliar, but Qu Xiang didn't pay much attention to it: "Bring it in."

Qu Xiang was so hungry that he drank a large cup of tea.

Half a minute later, Qu Xiang's eyes went dark and he passed out.

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