Chapter 802: The Princess's Attendants [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

Official road, teahouse.

The landscape here is slightly different from that of the northwestern mainland.

The winds of the Northwest Continent are like a burly, robust man, full of brutal force. Here, the winds are hot and sticky, carrying a hint of dampness, much like a mysterious, masked, and ruthless alien woman. The midday sun is exceptionally scorching.

In a corner of this quiet teahouse, a tall, burly man in coarse linen clothes swallowed a few times and quickly downed a bowl of tea bigger than his face. Only after the tea had subsided did he put the earthenware bowl down.

"Shopkeeper, another bowl, please."

The teahouse owner, who was resting his chin on his hand with his eyes half-closed and looking listless, snapped awake at the sound of the thunderous noise. Just as he was about to erupt in anger, the sight of the man's physique and fierce expression made him swallow fearfully and obediently refill the tea.

The tall, strong man drank another bowl with gusto.

He tugged at his collar and muttered something under his breath.

At this time of year, while the temperature in the Northwest is still pleasantly mild, here it's unbearably hot and humid. Exposed skin is covered with a thin layer of sweat, looking as if it's been waxed. If the wind blows dust, the fine dust particles in the air will stick tightly to the skin. If you rub it with your fingers, you can rub off a trail of grayish-black dirt, along with an unpleasant, sour odor.

"Not enough, have another bowl."

He drank seven or eight bowls in a row before stopping.

The teahouse owner was seething with anger, but when he saw the small piece of silver the man pulled from his clothes, his face lit up with joy. The man fanned himself with his straw hat while asking the teahouse owner for information. For the sake of the silver, the owner told him everything he knew.

The tall, strong man asked simple questions, such as what the royal family's surname is now and whether the situation is peaceful.

These are questions that ordinary people are aware of.

The tea shop owner answered them one by one.

but--

"Judging from your accent, are you a local?"

The tall, strong man said, "Yes, I'm a local. I've been working away from home for many years, and I only came back recently after receiving an urgent message from home."

The teahouse owner lowered his voice: "I can tell you, sir, that you have an extraordinary bearing and are not an ordinary person. If I may be so bold as to tell you the truth—if you don't have anything urgent to attend to, you should leave as soon as you're done. There have been wars and conscriptions everywhere these past few years. Someone like you, sir, would definitely be arrested if discovered!"

When soldiers are conscripted for war, they are basically used as consumables.

The tall, burly man chuckled: "Aren't you afraid of getting arrested, shopkeeper?"

The tea shop owner said, "Don't worry, we've already made offerings."

Some people, if they had connections and were willing to spend money, could avoid being conscripted; if they didn't have money, they could use grain as a substitute. The teahouse owner's relatives had some connections, but others weren't so lucky. This place had been fighting for several years, and conscripting soldiers for just as many years.

The minimum and maximum age for military recruitment are constantly being updated.

It's now rare to see young people on the streets.

The tall, burly man said, "If we're soldiers, we're soldiers. We've been killing people before anyway. Thank you for your concern, sir."

After he finished speaking, he asked the shopkeeper a few more questions.

As the sun began to set, he grabbed his straw hat, put it on his head, and stepped out of the teahouse into the scorching sunlight.

He didn't take many steps, but each step covered several meters, and he disappeared from sight in no time. The shopkeeper stared blankly at the man's departing figure, secretly marveling—someone with such ghostly and supernatural abilities must be a martial arts master!

The shopkeeper's previous worries were unnecessary.

The man, unaware of the innkeeper's thoughts, traveled for two more days after leaving the teahouse. During this time, the heavens turned against him, unannouncedly unleashing a thunderstorm. Had he not used his martial arts to block the rain, he would have been soaked to the bone, though inevitably in a sorry state.

I haven't showered for days, and I'm covered in a sour smell.

Finally, we saw a city.

Without a travel permit and being a wanted criminal, he couldn't simply swagger into the city. Relying on his skills, he sneaked in. He found the best-built house in the city, used the mansion's well water to take a bath, and even stole a set of clothes.

Judging from the size of the man's clothes, he was much smaller than the man himself. However, wealthy families usually made clothes with a large allowance, so he could barely fit into them. After putting on the clothes, he casually took some silver and prepared to leave, but then the unexpected happened.

Footsteps echoed from the corridor outside.

Several maids said in unison, "Madam."

Then I heard a soft female voice.

"Did you receive a visiting card at your residence today?"

The maid replied, "Madam, there is no visiting card."

The footsteps drew closer, and the man thought to himself, "This is troublesome," and immediately leaped onto the roof beam to hide. The next moment, the door creaked open from the outside. Several graceful figures entered the room, followed by several maids who went to light incense, prepare tea, and fetch clean clothes from behind a screen... It seemed they were preparing to help the lady bathe and cleanse herself.

The man on the roof beam remained silent for three seconds.

"ah--"

A maid behind the screen gasped in surprise.

"What's wrong?" the lady asked softly.

"Madam, it seems our house has been burgled."

The woman addressed as "Madam" rose and quickly walked behind the screen. The stolen item was a set of men's clothing. This maid was specifically responsible for organizing and guarding the Madam's clothes and jewelry. She could find everything with her eyes closed.

But at this moment, one set of men's clothing is missing.

The lady remained calm: "Look for what's missing."

The maid quickly found the answer after a thorough search.

Besides that set of clothes, we're also short of some silver.

This silver was the reward money that the lady usually used to reward the servants. Although it was only a small handful less, it was hard to notice compared to that small box. But the maid had a habit of stacking the reward money layer by layer, making it neat and tidy to look at.

The reward money was in disarray at this moment.

The maid in charge of guarding the area turned pale with fright.

Just as he was about to bow and apologize, he heard the lady say gently, "If there are no other stolen items, then there is no need to worry about it. There are many people in this world who live in poverty. That person was probably forced to become a petty thief because he had no other choice. Since no one was injured and not much was lost, let's just let this matter go."

The maids were moved to tears upon hearing this.

"Let's prepare some water; it's getting hotter and hotter."

Because summer comes early here, wealthy people wear light summer clothes early on, and this lady is no exception.

This woman looked very young, with delicate, snow-white skin, suggesting she wasn't very old. Yet, her eyes possessed an undeniable allure and charm. This aura was clearly not something a woman in her teens or twenties could possess. Her age was difficult to guess.

The lady sat at a table by the latticed window. While the maid fetched water for her bath, she opened a scroll and began to read intently. She was so focused that time flew by. When she came to her senses, the maid had finished preparing the bath, adding half a bottle of floral water and fresh flower petals to the tub. The maid was about to help her undress when the lady smiled and said, "Go away, you don't need to serve me."

Without asking why, the maids curtsied and withdrew.

Soon, only the lady remained in the room.

No, it should be said that there were two people.

She smiled faintly and raised her beautiful eyes, her gaze clear and confident as she looked at a certain spot on the roof beam: "I understand the hardships you face, and I will not report you to the authorities... If this man stays here, he will tarnish my reputation. Wouldn't that be repaying kindness with enmity?"

The man sitting on the roof beam: "..."

He figured these women were ordinary people who wouldn't be able to see through his presence, so he used a little trick to conceal himself, planning to wait until the woman entered the bath before quietly leaving with the maid.

Unexpectedly—

It seems I made a mistake in my judgment.

The lady asked, "Won't the brave warrior come down?"

The burly man finally responded, but his words and tone were extremely flippant: "Having been a gentleman thief today, why not be a womanizer again? What about repaying kindness with enmity? Let's settle the real 'gratitude' once we're in bed together."

The smile in the lady's eyes instantly turned to ice.

She raised her hand and slapped the crossbeam of the screen, drawing a gleaming longsword with a whoosh. Her eyes darkened as she said, "Are you courting death?"

The murderous aura stirred up the surrounding天地气气 (heaven and earth energy), causing it to become restless.

Upon seeing this, the burly man dropped all pretense and revealed his true form.

When the lady saw the burly man's appearance clearly, her heart sank.

She couldn't discern this man's true strength; she couldn't even detect fluctuations in the air's energy. Yet, this thief was clearly no ordinary person. This could only prove one thing: his strength far surpassed her own. She'd met her match today…

The lady was alarmed, and the burly man also had a grim face.

The two faced each other, more than ten feet apart.

a long time--

The burly man's gaze drifted down from the woman's face, then returned to it after a glance—the women here were all dressed in strapless tops, long skirts, and long robes, reflecting a promiscuous lifestyle, with the strapless tops positioned rather low. Whether this was genuine or a forgery was immediately obvious.

Therefore, the lady before me is truly a woman.

A woman who opened up the Dan Palace and gathered literary talent!

The burly man's thick, dark brows furrowed tightly, as if he were pondering whether he was still on the Northwest Continent or had already returned to his homeland, weary from his journey. If it was his homeland, how could there be female scholars there? During his moment of distraction, the woman made no rash move.

He asked, "Are you a woman?"

The lady said, "So what if she's a woman?"

The burly man fell silent for a long while before speaking: "My surname is Qi, and my given name is Cang. I happened to be passing by and had no intention of disturbing the host. I have no ill will towards you, so you can put down your sword. If I had ill intentions, what could you do to resist?"

The lady knew that Qi Cang's words were true.

Fifteen minutes later—

The two sat facing each other, brewing tea, without the slightest hint of tension.

Qi Cang scrutinized the woman opposite him and asked, "Judging from your accent, you're probably not from around here?"

"Yes, I came here to settle down many years ago with my brother to avoid trouble."

Qi Cang asked again, "From the Northwest?"

The lady nodded: "That's right."

Qi Cang asked again, "Are you from Heyin County, Longwu County, Sibao County, or Minfeng County?"

Compared to the vast Northwest continent, these four places are small and unknown; you'd basically never hear of them without deliberately looking into them. The lady paused in pouring tea, looking up at Qi Cang with a questioning and doubtful gaze. Qi Cang understood immediately from her reaction.

He couldn't help but grin.

He muttered to himself, "What a small world..."

She was puzzled: "I am indeed from Sibao County, but we are just strangers... What makes you say that, brave man?"

Qi Cang gulped down his drink: "The literal meaning."

The lady continued to probe indirectly.

"How could the brave man guess the young woman's ancestral home with just a few words?"

Qi Cang said, "Because you can cultivate."

The lady frowned: "..."

She discovered her ability to cultivate a few years ago, but by then she was already past the age of enlightenment, and her body carried too much worldly impurity. She could hardly feel the flow of the energy of heaven and earth, let alone absorb it into her body.

She was just lucky.

I unexpectedly obtained a rare and precious plant.

It's said to expel the stagnant energy accumulated in the body over the years, and she relied on this to gradually build it up. Heaven rewards those who spend money; as long as she poured in enough precious medicinal herbs, she truly got her wish and successfully condensed her literary heart.

Only she knows the hardships and effort involved.

The man's words seemed to conceal a secret.

She calmly replied, "There is no necessary connection between the two."

Qi Cang said, "Yes, the lord I served before was killed by the governor of Longwu County. Interestingly, this person was also a woman. She also had quite a few female scholars and warriors under her command. Do you think there is any connection between them?"

The lady was first startled, as she was unaware that there were other women capable of cultivation besides herself. Then she was puzzled: "...But, I am from Sibao County, not Longwu County..."

They're completely unrelated, aren't they?

"That prefect of Longwu County seized Sibao County last year, but you said you were able to cultivate several years ago, which is somewhat different from what I know..."

lady:"……"

As dusk fell, Qi Cang had no intention of moving, so the lady had no choice but to invite him to stay at her residence for a few days. She added, "The clothes you are wearing don't fit. If you don't mind, we'll have the embroiderers in the house make you a new set."

Qi Cang didn't stand on ceremony: "Making a new one is fine. It's inevitable that misunderstandings will arise if I wear your man's clothes."

The lady replied, "No, not at all."

Because there was no male head of the household.

Qi Cang discovered this a long time ago.

Although there were several sets of men's clothing from different seasons in the master bedroom wardrobe, none of them showed signs of wearing; they were all new clothes, and there were no other signs of male activity. Qi Cang assumed she was a widow and didn't investigate further before falling asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

As night fell, the lady went out.

He instructed the groom, "Go to the government office."

To be precise, it was the residence of the princess who was granted this fief.

She always felt that the name Qi Cang sounded familiar.

"Qi Cang...Qi Cang...This man's surname is Qi?"

Inside the government office, the lights were on.

She was rummaging through a pile of books and documents.

An hour passed in the blink of an eye, and she had gained nothing. Just then, a woman's teasing voice came from outside the door, smiling brightly: "My darling, didn't you go back after your shift? When did you become so diligent, coming back to work at this hour?"

Lady: "...Your Highness, we need to find someone."

The newcomer walked with a graceful gait, while the lady did not even raise her head.

"Who are you looking for? Tell me, and I'll find them for you."

The lady said, "Qi Cang."

The woman she addressed as "Your Highness" grunted and turned to ask, "Qi Cang? Why are you looking for him?"

The lady asked in surprise, "Does Your Highness know him?"

His Highness covered his mouth and chuckled foolishly: "Oh dear, this man surnamed Qi, if we go back ten years or so, who in the whole country wouldn't know him? But you still haven't said why you suddenly sought him out?"

The lady said, "Something has come up."

His Highness sat sideways on the table, leaning back with his right hand supporting him: "If you want to find him, you'll have to ask if the King of Hell will make an exception."

The lady frowned: "What do you mean?"

His Highness said, "The man has been dead for many years. You can dig around in the mass graves outside the city; you might find his whole family."

lady:"……"

Could it be someone with the same name?

A coincidence?

|ω`)

Happy Dragon Boat Festival, my darlings!

PS: The lady's identity should be easy to guess, and she is a subject of this prince.

(End of this chapter)