Chapter 27: Escaping Misfortune and Turning it into a Blessing (Please read on!)
"Damn it."
Li Xian's blood surged, and he drew his sword first. Although he felt a chill run down his spine, he knew he had to leave behind some blood and bones before he died.
Suddenly, the footsteps slowed down.
"What is he afraid of... afraid of alerting the people in the village!"
Li Xian had a sudden inspiration and immediately shouted a few times.
The thing slowed down a little, then suddenly stopped, seemingly hesitating whether to give chase.
"Madam Wen, you've arrived!"
Li Xian shouted.
The lady of Yihezhuang's family is surnamed "Wen". She cannot be called by her given name in daily life; she can only be referred to as "Lady".
The shout worked; the creature began to retreat. In fact, at that moment, it was still several miles away from the village.
Seizing the opportunity, Li Xian increased his speed and finally stepped into the village entrance.
He was panting heavily, and looked back into the darkness.
All I saw were a pair of crimson eyes, as large as copper bells. Those eyes stared at me before turning and leaving.
Li Xian breathed a sigh of relief.
"Our escape this time was entirely due to the Madam's prestige."
When I came to my senses, I was shocked to find myself covered in cold sweat, my clothes completely soaked.
Of the eight guards, only one returned, a truly tragic outcome.
The commotion quickly reached Pang Long's attention. He brought Li Xian back into the house, warmed him with hot tea, and circulated his internal energy to calm his mind.
"This kid is really quick-witted. He was a little flustered just now, but he's completely calm now."
Pang Long secretly admired Li Xian. When he checked Li Xian's pulse, although his blood and qi were rapid, there was no sign of disorder. Clearly, he was alright and hadn't been scared out of his wits.
This is not the first time this has happened.
"That Feng Huo was unlucky, encountering it twice in a row."
Pang Long said, "But once we're back at the manor, everything is safe. That thing doesn't dare come near, for fear that Madam will take its life."
"Commander Pang, what exactly is that?" Li Xian asked curiously.
“I… don’t know either,” Pang Long said. “Later, I will lead you into the inner courtyard, and you can explain the details to Madam.”
"Madam...?" Li Xian had always been curious about this "Madam".
"Take a rest, Madam is still awake," Pang Long instructed.
...
The inner courtyard is where Madam Wen frequently goes. It doesn't require regular guards for patrols, but occasionally, for official business, she will summon them.
Walk through a long corridor.
Li Xian looked around curiously and saw a lake with lotus flowers growing on its surface. The lotus flowers were golden green and very beautiful.
Clearly, this is no ordinary lotus.
Although it was snowing outside, the inner courtyard was as vibrant as springtime. In terms of area, the inner courtyard was several times larger than the outer courtyard.
"This place is so big, I wonder if that lady can fit in all of it."
"I heard from Commander Pang that Madam has many friends in the martial arts world, and she sometimes comes over to visit."
"The martial world... what exactly is the martial world like?"
Li Xian couldn't help but feel curious, but to say he longed for it... was probably an exaggeration. He could tell from the small details that this martial world was a cannibalistic place.
But if one is free, even if the world is dangerous, one is willing to take the plunge.
"Madam, the person has been brought here."
Pang Long knelt on one knee outside the first-floor pavilion and said respectfully.
"Let him in."
A gentle voice came from inside, yet it carried an air of authority.
Walk into the house.
A unique fragrance wafted through the air, with a calming and soothing effect. Li Xian saw that the room was dimly lit, and in front of him was a screen with a graceful figure behind it.
"explain."
There was no unnecessary talk.
Li Xian lowered his head and recounted what had happened. After a moment, Madam Wen said, "I understand."
"Despite the great changes, this young nurse still speaks clearly."
"Pang Long, take him away and give him a tael of silver as a token of your respect."
They were led out of the inner courtyard without lingering for long.
Pang Long chuckled and patted Li Xian on the shoulder, "You little rascal, you've turned misfortune into blessing. One tael of silver is enough for you to visit a brothel a few times."
Li Xian gave an awkward smile; the misunderstanding from last time hadn't been cleared up yet. Pang Longshen believed that he preferred to frequent brothels.
"It's a rare opportunity for you to be so close to Madam. If word gets out, you can certainly boast about it," Pang Long said.
"Commander Pang," Li Xian asked, "what will Madam do?"
Pang Long said, "I don't know. This is not something we can guess. Madam has her reasons for doing what she wants."
...
The reward of one or two coins was enough to cover several months' salary. Li Xian held it in his hand; it felt heavy, and he couldn't help but feel extremely happy.
"Money...this thing is too important!"
After gaining a deeper understanding of "martial arts" and "martial arts way," Li Xian discovered that martial artists cannot leave their jobs.
Martial arts is a bottomless pit; you can throw thousands or hundreds of taels of silver into it and still not hear a sound. You must have a way to make money.
Otherwise, why would "Madam Wen" bother managing this estate and keeping the family fortune running?
The kind of chivalrous knight-errant who roams the world freely and unrestrained, as imagined, may exist, but the vast majority of them cannot achieve such a carefree existence.
Upon returning to the house.
Zhao Han and the others had already turned off the lights and gone to sleep. Just as Li Xian was about to take a step, she suddenly saw a chair that had fallen over and tripped over her foot.
He had already sensed it and wasn't actually tripped. He gently stepped over it and helped the chair up.
I closed my eyes and fell asleep.
The next day.
The news of Li Xian's story spread, but his daily morning training continued without fail. Li Xian cherished this only time he could practice martial arts.
Learning from yesterday's lessons.
When running around the village, Li Xian ran one more lap than usual. Although his running speed was fast, there is always a limit.
Because it started snowing.
The guards weren't in high spirits for martial arts practice. Around 7 AM, some guards practiced their punches a few times before going to rest and prepare for their duty shifts.
Li Xian is tireless in his efforts.
[Persistence and diligent practice of boxing, proficiency +2]
[A resilient mind that refuses to follow the crowd is destined for greatness; Proficiency +3]
He studied diligently for more than an hour.
My proficiency in Sifangquan has increased by [78] points.
[Four Directions Fist]
[Proficiency: 812/1500 Minor Mastery]
"I don't seek to reach the sky in one step, but only to make progress every day!"
"It's a pity that Class D guards have too little time to practice martial arts. If they could become Class C guards..."
"Not only will my patrol time be reduced, but I'll also have an extra hour each day to practice martial arts, and I can even eat Class C meals! Class C meals include beef and mutton... which are much better than fatty meat!"
Thinking of this, I couldn't help but swallow.
A full stomach leads to lustful thoughts; now that we're well-fed, we naturally want to eat better. And while we're at it, we'll take our younger brother along so he can eat better too.
"The guard competition is held once a month."
"It seems we'll be there soon. If it weren't for the guard competition where Jiang Yun didn't advance any further, she wouldn't have bothered with my Tiger Blood Pill."
...
Li Xian's patrol duty is cancelled today.
Pang Long wore an antique copper bell around his waist and followed the same route as Li Xian from the previous night.
"Commander Pang, if that thing appears, can you handle it?" Li Xian asked.
"I don't know, but with this bell, the demon dares not show itself." Pang Long shook the bell.
A muffled thud was heard, but it traveled extremely far.
Pang Long said, "We can't just lose the rent of a village worth hundreds of taels of silver."
"The lady gave us a bell and told us to walk along the road and bring back any rent money we found. If we found any corpses, we were to bury them on the spot."
"It can't be that we end up as wandering ghosts."
Li Xian asked, "Commander Pang, do you know what that is?"
“Oh…” Pang Long looked at Li Xian, “I heard Madam mention it.”
(End of this chapter)
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