Jiang Shuyue swayed slightly as she watched the villagers scatter like birds and beasts.
"Miss, please get into the carriage quickly." Nangong Zeyue's gaze had never left that delicate yet resilient figure. Seeing her sway slightly, he quickly went up to support Jiang Shuyue's arm.
"Mother, have all the bad guys been scared away?" Sui Sui broke free from Qiu Ju's embrace and rushed towards Jiang Shu Yue.
"Miss is so clever, how did you tell at a glance that not all of those people were bandits?"
"In a famine year, where would there be so many bandits? They're just poor people with nowhere else to turn." Jiang Shuyue hugged her son and sat back in the carriage, still feeling lingering fear. It would be a lie to say she wasn't afraid.
Lan'er and Mei'er peeked out and were so frightened that they quickly shrank back.
"Don't look at those damned people, look at your feet." Nangong Zeyue raised her wide sleeves to block the two girls' view, reached out to help the two girls down from the carriage, and then put them into the carriage behind.
Gao Mu sheathed his sword and sat on the carriage shaft.
The carriage continued on its way and soon passed through the woods and emerged from Jiulianpo.
Tonight, the wild beasts of Jiulianpo are destined for a grand feast.
Nangong Zeyue rode his horse closely following the carriage that Jiang Shuyue was riding in.
Sui Sui poked her little head out from the side of the carriage and said proudly, "Uncle Nangong, I wasn't scared just now. I threw a bag of Five Steps Out."
"Sui Sui is so brave. He's a real man." Nangong Zeyue praised him without missing the opportunity.
"I want to protect my mother and Aunt Qiuju."
"Is Shengsheng alright?" Sui Sui suddenly changed the subject, asking a question he had wanted to ask for a long time.
"He is very good. He likes Black Pool Valley very much. He has many senior brothers who take care of him. His master also values him highly, saying that he is a martial arts prodigy."
As dusk deepened, Gao Mu quickened his pace. Nangong Zeyue told Sui Sui to sit back in the carriage, and that he would tell her about Shui Sheng in detail later that night.
Inside the carriage, Qiuju patted her chest in lingering fear. "Miss, will we encounter any more bandits on our journey? My legs are still trembling!"
"What are you afraid of? Gao Mu and Cang Yun are very skilled in martial arts! If they weren't afraid of bandits jumping onto the carriage, they could have killed more than a hundred people in that short time."
Jiang Shuyue was still feeling lingering fear when she spoke of it. After all, bandits were a motley crew, and if there were any skilled individuals among them, it wouldn't have been easy for the group to escape.
They were delayed by bandits on the way, and by the time they arrived in town it was past 7 PM.
The inns in the town are not like those in the county seat. Although the items in the rooms are old, they are still quite clean.
Gao Mu instructed the waiter to bring the food upstairs, and he ate in the hall with Cang Yun and Nangong Zeyue.
"You two are truly skilled. I am Nangong Zeyue, a good friend of Miss Jiang," Nangong Zeyue introduced herself.
"Young Master Nangong, your arrival today is truly timely. I am Gao Mu, Miss Jiang's bodyguard. Thank you for your help, Young Master, so that Miss and Young Master are safe and sound." Gao Mu stood up and cupped his hands to Nangong Zeyue, his tone polite and humble.
"My name is Cang Yun. We will be responsible for the safety of you and your young master from now on." Cang Yun also introduced himself with a cupped hand, his gaze lingering on Nangong Zeyue's face for a moment.
He secretly wondered if this person was really the girl's friend.
Each of the three had their own thoughts, and after finishing their meal, they went back to their rooms to rest.
Nangong Zeyue was thinking about Sui Sui, and he lingered outside Jiang Shuyue's room.
Just as she was hesitating whether to knock on the door, the door opened and Lan'er and Mei'er came out of the room.
Jiang Shuyue spotted him immediately. "Young Master Nangong, come in and have a cup of tea."
Nangong Zeyue quickly turned around and saw Jiang Shuyue sitting at the table, so he went inside.
"There's not much good tea here, just make do with this." Jiang Shuyue picked up a white porcelain cup from the tea tray, poured a cup of tea, and handed it to Nangong Zeyue.
"Is Shuisheng settling in well there?"
Nangong Zeyue lifted his robe and sat opposite Jiang Shuyue, taking the teacup with his hand. "Black Pool Valley has beautiful scenery, and Shuisheng likes it very much. Master has already accepted him as his last disciple."
"That's good."
Jiang Shuyue recalled what Nangong Zeyue had said: his master's kung fu was far superior to Lin Miaoshou's. It was Shui Sheng's good fortune to be personally taught martial arts by the Valley Master.
Nangong Zeyue took a sip of tea, then turned to look into the inner room. "Did Sui Sui go to wash up?"
"He was tired and didn't eat much for dinner. I don't know if he was frightened today."
"It shouldn't be, Sui Sui is different from other children."
Nangong Zeyue's slender fingers caressed the teacup as she looked into Jiang Shuyue's eyes and asked, "Were those two guards sent by Sui Sui's father?"
“That’s right, they are both quite skilled, as you saw.” Jiang Shuyue nodded.
"You and him..."
Seeing that Nangong Zeyue hesitated to speak, Jiang Shuyue raised an eyebrow and said, "He and I were tricked into having Suisui, so I don't blame him for it."
Nangong Zeyue coughed lightly and said, "Didn't he give you an explanation?"
“He offered to take responsibility, but I declined. He is of noble status, and he will certainly have no shortage of women in his harem in the future.”
“I will never share a husband with anyone else,” Jiang Shuyue said, pointing to the teacup in Nangong Zeyue’s hand.
"It's like this teacup. If you drink from it and others drink from it, wouldn't you feel disgusted?"
Nangong Zeyue was amused by Jiang Shuyue's blunt words, "That's right, disgusting, extremely disgusting."
Nangong Zeyue laughed so hard he almost fell over. He pushed his teacup onto the table, deciding not to drink a drop.
The teacups in the inn must have been used by others. The more I think about it, the more disgusted I feel. I can't even wash them.
Jiang Shuyue said in a serious tone, "My son would never call anyone else 'mother'."
Nangong Zeyue stopped laughing and analyzed the matter objectively, "Sui Sui's father is the heir apparent, and he will inevitably inherit the title of Prince of Yannan in the future. It will be inevitable that he will have three wives and four concubines. His principal wife, the Princess of Yannan, will definitely consider the other party's family background and so on."
Jiang Shuyue, of course, understood the standards that noble families used to choose their principal wives.
Given her current status, she wouldn't be able to enter such a prestigious family, nor would she deign to enter anyone's prestigious family.
"Don't think too much about it, it's just that the young master is not blessed."
Jiang Shuyue: "..."
Does she seem to be overthinking things?!
"Thank you for your concern, Young Master Nangong. I have no intention of climbing the social ladder of the Prince of Yannan's family."
Her beautiful eyes curved slightly. "The most beautiful love is to have one person in your heart and stay together until old age. Even this is something that Sui Sui's father can't do."
Looking at the beautiful woman's charming smile, like an innocent young girl yearning for a beautiful love, Nangong Zeyue was mesmerized, her heart pounding.
"Ahem... Well? You've been traveling all day, get some rest."
Nangong Zeyue felt that if she stayed any longer, her heart would jump out of her chest, so she quickly got up and left. When she reached the door, she paused slightly.
"I live right next door to you, just call me if you need anything."
Nangong Zeyue originally lived in another room, but he said that Sui Sui would come to his room if she couldn't sleep, so Cang Yun had no choice but to switch rooms with him.
Jiang Shuyue was completely bewildered. She considered Nangong Zeyue a good friend, and she wanted to talk to him about his life ideals. Why did he just run away?
Ugh! What a disappointment!
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