38 households in the state

What does "Three's Company" mean?

The capital of Huzhou, Wanze City, is located east of the sea, west of the river, adjacent to Liulijing (the capital of Liuli) to the north, and bordering the rice-producing region to the south. It is a treasure land with convenient transportation and thriving commerce.

Therefore, unlike other places, Wanze City, being wealthy and generous, waived the entrance fee, and even offered a 50% discount on tolls for convoys of ten or more vehicles.

Upon entering the city, one sees camel caravans laden with silk brushing past vendors carrying fruits and vegetables for exchange. Wine flags flutter on both sides of the wide streets, and wine banners proclaiming "Only Du Kang can dispel sorrow" dance in the wind. Mixed with the sound of a pipa coming from somewhere, the entire street is filled with the aroma of wine.

The silk shopkeeper was haggling with a foreign merchant over the brocades he had on hand; the jewel-encrusted fabrics shimmered in the sunlight. Next door, wisps of smoke wafted from the eatery; the rising steam from the steamers carried a medley of aromas—fresh, smoky, and spicy—that made mouths water. The storyteller slammed his gavel down, startling the birds pecking at the floor in front of the hall. The audience, seated around the hall, held their breath, not wanting to miss a single detail of the story.

Jiangwei grew up in the mountains and the farthest she had ever been was a small town a few dozen miles away from the fox clan. Now, seeing this bustling scene, her ears couldn't help but wag happily.

Upon seeing this, Ying Jianhua mercilessly struck him with the scroll.

"Keep your ears closed, there are too many people and too many eyes around here."

After saying that, he rubbed his wrist and sighed inwardly, "It's been so long since I've tapped the red flower; my movements are rusty."

Jiangwei didn't think this was due to clumsiness; it had brought tears to his eyes! But since he had been reckless first, he couldn't be in the right, so he had no choice but to lift the carriage curtain and sit outside, minimizing contact. He wasn't even here anymore; surely Young Master Amo couldn't bother him any longer!

Little did he know that Young Master Amo was even more annoyed.

He had only turned one page of the book in his hand all morning, without reading a single word.

The wheels rolled over a pebble, and the reflections of the two people on the curtain swayed, becoming extremely close. He was so engrossed that he crumpled a corner of the book page.

The paper wrinkled, just like the heart became thin and crumpled into a ball. He couldn't understand how Du Zhijin and Jiangwei had become so close.

Because Jiangwei suddenly started reading? But he's always been reading, and she doesn't seem to care.

I thought and thought, got annoyed and annoyed, so I decided to stop worrying about myself and worry about others instead.

"parking."

Upon hearing this, Du Zhijin tugged at the horse's stiff body and stopped it by the roadside: "What's wrong?"

Ying Jianhua looked at her and Jiangwei's shoulders leaning together, pursed her lips and said nothing.

The three of them took turns driving, with Du Zhijin keeping watch alone at night, and Jiangwei driving first and then him during the day. This morning, although Jiangwei was supposed to drive, she took his place, saying that she was "more familiar with Wanze City."

Looking at her expression, she was open and honest, without a trace of selfishness.

"...This book is incomplete; I'd like to buy a copy."

Du Zhijin looked around and pointed to the direction on his right, saying, "Perfect, there's a bookstore over there. I'll take you there."

He nodded slightly, acknowledging her statement, and discreetly tore off a page, stuffing it into the crevice under the soft couch.

Okay, now the book is incomplete.

Jiangwei: "Then I will stay and watch over everyone's things."

Du Zhijin: "I'm so sorry. Otherwise, do you have any books you like? We can buy them all."

He glanced at her quickly, then lowered his head and said softly, "Then... let's buy a book that you, my benefactor, would like."

With parting imminent, having something she loves by her side is a way to remember her.

————

After the two arrived at the bookstore, Ying Jianhua became convinced that Du Zhijin's claim that she was familiar with Wanze City was not a lie.

She explained, "About three years ago, a water snake appeared here, causing quite a commotion."

He asked, "The Drinking Serpent? Could it be related to the demon on Huo Qing's body?"

Du Zhijin shook her head, indicating that she didn't know until she met Huo Qing in person.

In the past, his family was poor, and Ying Jianhua didn't own many books, but he knew each one by heart. Now that he had some time and money, he picked out several books in a row. If he wasn't worried that the carriage wouldn't be able to hold them all, he could have bought even more. In the blink of an eye, he saw Du Zhijin stop in front of the "The Overbearing Immortal Falls in Love with Me" series of books.

He was startled by the sight and nearly fell, book and all. After regaining his balance, he rushed over to stop her: "Why did you buy that?"

Du Zhijin: "Doesn't Xiaohong really like this kind of book? The Fox Demon Chapter, the Mortal Chapter, and here there's even a Threesome? What does 'Threesome' mean? Is it taken from the saying 'Among three people walking together, there must be one who can teach me'?"

As soon as the phrase "three people together" appeared, Ying Jianhua began to cough heavily until she finished speaking.

If others heard her say these things, what would they think? How could she have ended up with the most offensive book in the series?

At this moment, Jianhua should feel immense hatred for her past greed for petty gains, otherwise she wouldn't have reaped such a terrible consequence.

While he was reflecting on himself, Du Zhijin had already picked up another book and started reading: "Mo Yuan pressed Bai Xue down on the table, his eyes glowing with an eerie red, and said in a deep voice, 'If you want it, I'll give you my life.'" "Since we're talking about 'Among three people walking together, there must be one who can teach me,' why don't we buy a copy of the Analects?" He quickly covered her mouth, silencing the rest of his words forever.

"Huh?" Du Zhijin blinked. Although she was puzzled, she still readily put down "Three's Company" and went to buy another copy of "Three's Company".

I really want to know what happens next.

The owner of this bookstore was probably a Confucian scholar, as the Analects was placed on the very top of the bookshelf. Just as Ying Jianhua reached out to take it, the sunlight shone directly onto the hairpin in his hair.

That emerald green reminded Du Zhijin of some things.

She taught Jiangwei how to practice martial arts, but she didn't teach Ying Jianhua how to protect himself. Moreover, Jiangwei had the talent for cultivation, but Ying Jianhua did not; he was just an ordinary person, and her methods wouldn't work for him.

Furthermore, Ying Jianhua doesn't have that much time to slowly cultivate, so giving him a weapon is the most effective solution.

She had been pondering what kind of weapon would suit him. Swords, spears, halberds, axes, hooks, and forks were all too unfamiliar to him; the silver needles and poison he carried with him were far more convenient. However, the power of the silver needles and poison was extremely limited, and they were almost useless against demons of a slightly higher level like the Illusion Demon.

The weapon should be familiar enough and well-concealed, and the jade hairpin on his head perfectly fits these requirements, doesn't it?

After she told Ying Jianhua her thoughts, he said, "So you've been spending a lot of time with Jiangwei these days to teach him martial arts?"

Du Zhijin was taken aback when he asked such an unrelated question and was momentarily stunned: "Yes."

Then she saw Ying Jianhua's expression brighten instantly, and the corners of her lips even seemed to turn up slightly. She was quite puzzled: "Amo, did something happen that makes you happy?"

Ying Jianhua placed the Analects in her hand, smiling as she said, "There is boundless joy in books."

Du Zhijin:?

Does this line appear in poems that encourage studying?

“I know a senior craftswoman who is quite skilled in weapon forging. It’s too late to bother her today. Let’s visit her tomorrow and ask her to turn your jade hairpin into a weapon.”

Ying Jianhua had no objection to her idea of ​​turning the hairpin into a weapon, but he noticed something: "Does this senior you know know the medical cultivator senior you mentioned before?"

She seemed to know many seniors; indeed, Dengxian Mountain was full of talented people.

Du Zhijin thought for a moment and shook his head: "The two of them are not familiar with each other. But you reminded me that Master Baopu has a wide circle of friends, so perhaps he can find out where the senior healer is."

"Don't worry, I will definitely find someone to cure you."

"The present matter is the most important. As for the rest, we'll take it one step at a time." Ying Jianhua wasn't too concerned about the strange voice in her head now. Firstly, it had been appearing less and less frequently lately, and secondly, apart from the pain she experienced the first time she heard it, it had caused almost no aftereffects.

If he weren't a doctor himself, he would almost have thought that everything before was just a hallucination.

Because the two spent some extra time buying books, by the time they found Huo Bai's sister Huo Qing's residence, the setting sun had quietly dyed the clouds red.

Huo Qing received a letter from her sister, knowing that her friend was coming, so she prepared dinner early in the morning and stood at the door to greet her. In the distance, she saw a familiar carriage slowly approaching, and a smile unconsciously crept into the corners of her eyes.

After all, she hadn't seen anything from her home for a whole year.

"Could it be Miss Mu, Young Master Mo, or Young Master Hong?"

Du Zhijin slowly brought the carriage to a stop, and looked at the woman in front of him after hearing the sound.

He had a similar appearance to Huo Bai, but his eyebrows and eyes were softer, and he looked very kind.

She jumped off the carriage, first taking out a letter and handing it over to identify herself. Huo Qing read the letter, and his smile became more genuine: "The three of you, please."

Huo Bai had said that competition in Huzhou was fierce, and her sister had struggled a great deal to barely establish herself. But upon stepping into the residence, Du Zhijin felt that Huo Bai's understanding of the word "barely" was perhaps a bit too harsh.

Looking at Ying Jianhua's expression, she saw the same surprise. Sure enough, she wasn't the only one who thought so!

Jiangwei asked directly. Huo Qing smiled lightly: "Wanze City has millions of wealthy merchants, what is my little fortune compared to that?"

The group took their seats, and Ying Jianhua sat next to her. While Huo Qing was giving instructions to the servants, he lowered his voice and asked, "Is there anything unusual about her?"

Du Zhijin remained silent.

Because she saw nothing. Huo Qing was completely clean, without a trace of demonic or ghostly aura.

This isn't the first time. Adding the demon in Ying Jianhua's mind, this is the second time she's failed to detect a demon's presence. Could it be that the Flame Demon has damaged her foundation and caused her cultivation to regress?

No, she has to go out tonight and try her luck with a few demons. She absolutely cannot lose face in front of Doctor Ying!

Despite having various thoughts in his mind, Du Zhijin still told the truth: "No. Miss Huo Qing has nothing on her."

Ying Jianhua was taken aback.

No?

"Could it be that the monster has already escaped?"

Her brows furrowed in confusion, as if she were deeply perplexed. After a moment, she shook her head at him: "It's not that... Anyway, let's see after tonight."

She waited until she had beaten up a few lesser demons overnight to regain her skills.

Ying Jianhua was absolutely convinced of this. He never questioned Du Zhijin's strength, especially after he witnessed her kill Huan Yao.

After the welcoming banquet, Huo Qing led them to their respective rooms. Huo Qing's mansion was exquisite in every way, and the beds were naturally soft and comfortable, but Ying Jianhua slept very restlessly.

Perhaps it was because he had mentioned the strange noise during the day, and what he thought about during the day manifested in his dreams at night; as he fell asleep, he always had vague sounds in his mind.

He couldn't hear clearly, but he was certain that the strange voice was talking about something related to him, or even to Du Zhijin.

As for what exactly happened... he rubbed his throbbing temples and dragged his tired body out of bed to wash up.

However, a loud, angry curse was heard coming from the courtyard.

"Who the hell threw shit in my house?! Do you even have enough for breakfast?!"

Outside the courtyard, Du Zhijin, who had finally regained his touch after a night of playing, squatted on the wall, sighing with emotion.

They really are sisters from the same mother; no matter what they look like, their cursing tones are exactly the same.

[Author's Note]

I was called out by a friend today, so I rushed through this and that's all I can manage (sob). I'll definitely post two updates tomorrow!