At this time, a man in dark purple coarse cloth came over and asked with interest, "Young lady, can you read the Beihai language?"
Shen Xu looked up in confusion when he saw a stranger approaching him. Seeing that the man was wearing coarse cloth, he smiled faintly and replied, "Well, 'The Treasure Hunter' is a folk tale from the North Sea adapted from a true story. It tells the story of a righteous and free knight who meets a beautiful princess."
"My favorite character is the Thousand-Faced Fox. Although he's not the protagonist and doesn't win the princess's heart, he's smart, brave, handsome, and wealthy. He maneuvers between various factions, manipulating the powerful and wealthy. In the end, he defeats the evil king and saves the suffering people."
She spoke excitedly to the stranger, then casually picked up a copy of "Treasure Hunt" she had copied and recommended it to him, "How about buying a copy, sir? There's a translated version here."
The book stall owner echoed, "Yes, yes, this is the book copied by Miss Song. The handwriting is clear and neat, without any typos. My dear, I'm going to sell the shop anyway, so I'll sell it to you at a discount of fifty cents."
The man picked up the book and flipped through it. He saw that the font on the paper was neat and tidy, the ink color was even, and the writing was smooth.
He smiled slightly and said, "Okay, but I haven't read the first volume yet. Can you tell me about it, young lady?"
Shen Xu nodded slightly, the yew earrings on both sides of her cheeks swaying gently. She smiled lightly and said, "It's just that this story is a bit long, I'm afraid it will delay the guest's work."
"No problem." The man in dark purple clothes folded his arms and leaned against the bookstall. "Miss, are you a local? Why don't you take me around and tell me about this 'Treasure Hunt' story?"
"So you're here to travel around Langya County, sir. Are you buying any books?"
"Give me one or two taels of silver, young lady. Can you tell me both the upper and lower volumes?" The man raised the corners of his mouth and took out a piece of silver from his sleeve pocket.
"Okay, then I'll treat you to tea." Shen Xu took the silver coin without hesitation and led him to a teahouse. She attentively took him to a seat by the window and skillfully picked up the teapot and poured two cups of tea.
"This is the famous Suoya Longjing tea from Qingxi Town. Don't miss it, sir."
After saying that, Shen Xu called out to the beef patty stall downstairs outside the window, "Second Brother Li, please take the trouble to make two beef patties and bring them up."
"Okay." The person outside the window responded, and the town was filled with a peaceful atmosphere.
The purple-robed man narrowed his eyes slightly, picked up the teacup and sniffed the tea. Perhaps because it was too hot, he placed the tea on the table again. "It's quite lively here."
"Hmm." Shen Xu took a sip of tea and said with a smile, "Then I'll start talking."
"good."
"A long, long time ago, there lived a beautiful princess in the Kingdom of the North Sea. She had long, smooth golden hair and clear, azure eyes. The young men who pursued her lined up from the palace gate all the way to the city walls."
"But she had a greedy and cruel father, the king, who loved treasures and beauties, killing and plundering. So, to curry favor with the king, the nobles who followed him often oppressed the people, raped women, and plundered the people's wealth, offering it to the king in exchange for power and status."
"A well-traveled knight arrives at the North Sea Kingdom. With a humorous personality, a passion for justice, a kind heart, and an optimistic outlook, he falls in love with a princess on tour at first sight. Meanwhile, a group of thieves are vying for the title of "King of Thieves." They wager that whoever can steal the most valuable treasure from the North Sea Palace will be crowned the King of Thieves and achieve fame."
"Famous figures in the martial arts world, such as the Great Sage Tongtian and the Thousand-Faced Fox, have all issued warnings to the North Sea royal family about the treasure theft. The King of North Sea is furious at this group of arrogant thieves. He has forcibly recruited prominent figures from across the country to design various traps and mechanisms, and has dispatched guards to search for them, offering a reward for their capture."
Time passed minute by minute, and Shen Xu slowly and unhurriedly narrated this beautiful Beihai story. His gentle voice blended into the quiet afternoon, and along with the mellow aroma of tea, drifted leisurely in the teahouse.
Unconsciously, more and more customers passed by the teahouse, and time in the small town seemed to have stopped. The peaceful and tranquil country smoke accompanied this story to the exciting and mysterious North Sea Kingdom.
Dark and windy night
The Beihai Kingdom's palace was heavily guarded, with teams of guards on edge, and torches lit on the palace walls.
The knight walked quickly on the roof of the palace. He easily avoided the rows of patrolling guards and climbed into the princess's bedroom.
While the beautiful princess was sleeping, the knight kissed her on the cheek and carried her away. The maid's screams attracted the guards, and the knight dodged numerous pursuits, breaking through the traps set in the palace, and finally stole the princess out of the palace.
Meanwhile, the light-as-a-swallow Great Sage Tongtian and the ever-changing Thousand-Faced Fox also took action...
The Monkey King sneaked into the heavily guarded emperor's mansion, knocked out the guards, and stole the Five Barbarians Order, which symbolized the king's military power and wealth.
The Thousand-Faced Fox, disguised as a stunning beauty, mediated between the king and the nobles, obtaining the nobles' pass token and the key to the king's treasury. He opened the treasury under the king's orders and, in the name of the nobles, transported all the treasures from the treasury out of the palace overnight.
The next day, faced with the empty treasury, the lost Five Barbarians Order and the missing princess, the king was furious and immediately sent troops to hunt down the thieves.
However, the evil nobles who were ordered to hunt down the thieves were ambitious. They not only coveted the beauty of the princess, but also wanted to annex the king's army and replace it.
He arbitrarily tampered with the king's will and wanted to use the army to eliminate the five guardian tribes of the North Sea Kingdom in order to take control of the palace and hunt down thieves.
The knight transformed himself into a knight and escorted the princess out of the clutches of the nobles. The two went through hardships, relied on each other, and fell in love. Together they crushed the nobles' conspiracy and escaped from the North Sea Kingdom.
The Thousand-Faced Fox distributed all the treasures in the palace. He used his wise business acumen to trick the king and nobles, and cleverly made them voluntarily hand over their land and food and distribute them to the poor people.
Later, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, relying on the Five Barbarians' Order, gathered an army and attacked the palace...
Just as everyone was still immersed in the tense story, a deep voice called out gently.
"Xiu Xiu, go home for dinner."
I saw Song Lin standing under the window of the teahouse, wearing a bamboo-green and white casual long gown, looking up at the teahouse with his handsome face.
"Sir, my husband asked me to go home for dinner. Well, I'll tell you about it when the time comes." Shen Xu stood up, smiled politely at the man in purple, answered out the window, and quickly went downstairs holding up her skirt.
The purple-clad man propped up his head, his gaze softly fixed on the graceful figure outside the window. The white lily-of-the-valley hairpin danced in her black hair, and her happy, relaxed smile added a soulful finishing touch to the peaceful and tranquil sunset scene.
He murmured, "Beautiful princess?"
"Who are you chatting with?" Song Lin looked towards the window and saw the man's gentle gaze fell on his wife. He frowned slightly and looked up at the man upstairs.
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