Chapter 715 Purple Mist Displays Divine Power, Embroiderer Enters Sixth Rank! [Second update of 4k3, please vote for monthly tickets!]
The two flew very high.
The swing swung high, lifting off the ground.
Fortunately, Ouyang Rong tinkered with and repaired the swing today, otherwise it might have really been thrown off the wall...
Zhao Qingxiu's lunge seemed to have used up all her strength.
They didn't even care whether they would fall.
Ouyang Rong's first reaction was surprise. In a flash, he grabbed the ropes on both sides with both hands, unable to hug her. Zhao Qingxiu had rushed into his arms, so the two were facing each other, and she could only hug his waist by herself.
Ouyang Rong shouted:
"Watch out, hold on tight!"
Zhao Qingxiu buried her face in his arms, and without him saying anything, she hugged him very tightly.
Ouyang Rong didn't know how the embroiderer felt, but his heart was in his throat, worried that the two of them would be thrown away.
He held his breath for a moment on the swinging swing, and only breathed a sigh of relief after the swing slowed down a bit.
Good heavens, this sudden upheaval has forced back the nearly 1,300 merits that were about to overflow from his body.
Once the swing's amplitude had calmed down, Ouyang Rong gently touched the embroiderer's hair, which was styled in a bun, and whispered:
"What's wrong? Is the embroiderer drunk?"
Zhao Qingxiu shook her head blankly, her extremely thin and delicate body pressed against Ouyang Rong's chest as she arched upwards and adjusted her posture.
She sat facing Ouyang Rong in his lap, her chin resting on his right shoulder.
Ouyang Rong also hugged her. The embroiderer was too thin and had a small frame, so he could easily hold her in his arms, his right hand touching her right shoulder.
The embroiderer had very small shoulders, which were standard sloping shoulders, also known as "beauty shoulders," the kind of small shoulders that easily slipped off clothing straps, and were described as "old shoulders and cunning shoulders."
He gently rubbed it with his palm.
After a while, Ouyang Rong felt the small words written by the embroiderer on his back.
I won't come back. I'm going to Huaiye Lane. Wherever my love goes, I'll go. You said that a home is when the two of us are together.
Ouyang Rong pursed his lips.
After a short while, she suddenly asked, "Is the embroiderer a little afraid of my aunt? You have to tell the truth."
Zhao Qingxiu paused for a moment, then nodded almost imperceptibly, her head buried in his shoulder.
Ouyang Rong, who was concentrating, sensed it and immediately said:
“I’ve already spoken to my aunt, and she said she’d like to meet you. She’ll also give you a little something as a gift on your birthday…”
He explained in detail.
Zhao Qingxiu's small face lit up with surprise as she pulled away from his embrace, tilting her head slightly as if looking at him with joy.
Ouyang Rong smiled broadly, shaking his head as he said:
"Embroiderer, don't be afraid. You have no idea how many people admire you. Junior Sister feels sorry for you, and so does Wei Lai. They all say they want to give you gifts."
Zhao Qingxiu still felt that these developments were like a dream, a fantasy.
She had prepared herself to be scolded and beaten by the ladies of the house on her birthday, including that Madam Zhen. Over the years, she would sometimes dream of that slap, and occasionally wake up in the middle of the night, hugging her knees and gently covering her face...
However, after hearing Ouyang Rong's account, Zhao Qingxiu immediately became somewhat apprehensive and unsure of what to do with her hands.
Ouyang Rong noticed and asked, "What's wrong with the embroiderer?"
Zhao Qingxiu was writing nervously, so fast that her handwriting became messy:
They gave me gifts, and I need to reciprocate. They'll arrive the day after tomorrow, so I need to hurry and prepare.
Ouyang Rong chuckled: "Do whatever you want. It's just a formality anyway. They definitely won't make things difficult for you, even if you didn't prepare a gift..."
Zhao Qingxiu shook her head vigorously.
No, that's unacceptable!
Ouyang Rong hesitated for a moment, then spread his hands:
"Alright, just don't be too insistent. It's not about the price of the gift, but the sentiment behind it."
"Um."
Zhao Qingxiu opened her arms again and gently hugged Ouyang Rong, swinging her legs happily.
The two of them began to sway together on the swing, the amplitude gradually increasing.
The way the two were facing each other and embracing caused Ouyang Rong to gradually feel a little strange.
He took a deep breath and stared straight ahead for a moment.
Ouyang Rong prepared to take a peek at the embroiderer.
But then she found her face being lifted up.
Zhao Qingxiu grabbed his head and foolishly offered herself to him without a care in the world.
It turns out she couldn't bear it either.
However, it was rare to see an embroiderer so proactive and enthusiastic.
Ouyang Rong's lips and teeth were moistened with saliva, and his eyes were slightly open.
The extra 1,300 merits finally have a place to go.
...
Ouyang Rong picked up the clothes scattered on the ground, turned around, and quietly closed the door.
He picked up the items all the way to the swing.
He coughed and finished dressing.
When I left, it was already dawn outside; a night had passed.
Ouyang Rong's eyes were somewhat dazed. Before leaving, he internally examined the Pagoda of Merit:
[Merit: 6,012]
Nearly 1,300 merits were spent.
What precise control?
Ouyang Rong breathed a long sigh of relief.
The embroiderer was still asleep. He had actually called her just now, but the pretty young girl turned over and went back to sleep.
It's rare for me to sleep so soundly.
Ouyang Rong then stopped calling her.
He went out feeling refreshed.
Instruct Pei Shisan Niang to guard the courtyard.
Ouyang Rong turned his head and instructed Ali to drive the carriage to the main hall of Jiangzhou.
As soon as he arrived at the lobby of Jiangzhou, he saw a familiar figure at the office desk.
It was Yuan Huaimin.
Ouyang Rong asked curiously, "Why did you come so early? That's not like you."
Yuan Huaimin suddenly stepped forward and grabbed his sleeve:
"Lianghan, will you be attending the victory celebration on the fifteenth?"
"Yes, that's right. What's wrong?"
“It’s alright…” Yuan Huaimin said, bowing his head, “I’ll go too.”
"Being beaten up by Commander Yi... and then persuaded?"
Ouyang Rong asked with a smile.
Yuan Huaimin glanced at him and nodded.
Before leaving, he asked again:
"Brother Lianghan, let's go together that day. I'll be waiting for you."
"It depends."
"good."
Yuan Huaimin took his leave.
Ouyang Rong shook his head.
At this moment, Yan Liulang arrived, clasped his hands in greeting, and reported:
"Your Excellency! People have arrived from Hukou County."
Ouyang Rong stamped his foot and glanced sideways...
After an incense stick had burned, Ouyang Rong met the quick-witted servant sent by Wang Caozhi in a side hall, and listened to him while drinking tea.
He frowned slightly and asked:
"You mean, so far, Cao Zhi and Fellow Daoist Lu haven't found any trace of that thin-faced man? At the same time, those monitoring him haven't seen any unusual activity from Duan Quanwu's side; they're all stationed at the marshland suppressing bandits?"
“That’s right, sir.”
The messenger respectfully reports:
"Manager Wang asked me to inquire whether we should all return first, as we have searched all over Hukou County for several days without success."
"That skinny man didn't enter the city, and there's no record of him passing through customs. He got off the ship one stop early that day, in the suburbs of Hukou County, and he probably didn't enter the city afterwards."
"General Duan and his three hundred armored soldiers are stationed at the camp, but he is nowhere to be seen either. Since the logistics supply to the camp is the usual practice of the Hukou County government, Magistrate Meng, following your instructions, assisted Manager Wang in sending people to investigate, and indeed, there is no trace of this thin man. We don't know where he went..."
"Manager Wang's idea is that we should leave some people behind to continue searching in Hukou County, but send most of the people back first, so as not to waste them there."
Ouyang Rong looked thoughtful, paced around the hall for a moment, then turned and made a decision:
"Tell him to wait two more days and search patiently. Before the victory celebration on the 15th, regardless of whether there are any clues, everyone should return to Xunyang."
"As ordered, my lord."
"Okay, you may leave now."
The messenger bowed and retreated.
Looking at the empty side hall, Ouyang Rong's sword-like eyebrows gradually furrowed.
...
Zhao Qingxiu slept very soundly and without any dreams.
Because of the hardships she endured in her youth, she was born with a weak constitution, prone to dreaming and lacking energy, and her sleep was very light.
Zhao Qingxiu woke up groggily.
She felt herself waking up, her consciousness returning somewhat.
Even the naked body under the crumpled blankets turned over.
But in that one moment when she habitually lingered in bed before waking up, Zhao Qingxiu closed her eyes and fell asleep.
She looked around.
It's that dream again.
In the dream, there is an abyss, and in the abyss dwells a dragon that devours people.
There is a story of a Yue woman slaying a dragon.
Some Yue women died in battle and fell into the abyss.
In the abyss, dragons are born, and dragons perish.
Zhao Qingxiu was at the very back of the crowd.
She... has eyes now.
She can see now.
Zhao Qingxiu saw tall female figures, some familiar and some unfamiliar, standing in front of her, like walls surrounding her.
Zhao Qingxiu felt that she was in a detached observer's perspective, out of place with the busy women.
The women seemed to be talking and calling out names, which must have been some of them.
Among these names, some were unfamiliar to Zhao Qingxiu, while others were familiar to her.
There is "a candle in the snow" and "a fish longing for the abyss".
It seems that these are all titles bestowed upon female rulers and hung on the ancestral tablets in the Temple of Female Rulers.
Zhao Qingxiu looked down.
The abyss was teeming with evil dragons, which died and were reborn, only to die again.
They are endlessly regenerating and can never be completely eradicated.
The Yue women continued to die in battle, and their numbers gradually dwindled.
Some dragons were not killed by the swords of these tall women, but rather seemed to age and die on their own. In just a few breaths, they experienced birth, aging, sickness and death. Their life force seemed to be drawn out of their bodies, and their blood lost, turning them into pale but hideous dragon corpses.
The wisps of crimson light that had been drawn away, like red dragons, rushed towards a certain position at the very top of everyone's heads with lightning speed.
Zhao Qingxiu looked up.
A small bronze sword hangs upside down.
It hovers above the heads of all living beings in the abyss.
Its entire body was covered in blood, thick and almost dripping.
All the crimson orbs of light, like dragons, surged toward the bronze sword, just as a spider coiled at the very center of a spiderweb.
Below, in the abyss, countless terrifying and indescribable evil dragons seemed to be its prey.
But the abyss beneath our feet is unfathomably deep; how could we possibly finish eating it all?
The evil dragon emerged faster and faster, becoming increasingly ferocious and terrifying.
Just then.
"Yue Chuzi!"
Zhao Qingxiu suddenly heard a scream from behind her, from who-knows-who.
She saw all the tall female figures in front of her turn around and look at her.
They had no faces; their faces were completely black, and all that could be seen were pairs of eyes that were either sharp, gentle, or pitying.
However, at this moment, all those eyes were fixed on Zhao Qingxiu's back.
She turned around and looked back in a daze.
A gigantic, blood-red, malevolent dragon, whose appearance was indescribably terrifying, coiled behind Zhao Qingxiu like a dragon, its gaping maw about to devour her.
Zhao Qingxiu could not control her legs and took a step back.
"Don't be afraid."
Suddenly, a familiar, gentle male voice spoke in her ear.
“I’m here,” he said.
Zhao Qingxiu trembled and turned her head to look.
It's Tanlang.
However, at this moment, Tanlang was shrouded in a strange purple mist, obscuring his face. He stood with his hands behind his back, side by side with him.
Yes, she hadn't seen his face in a long time, not even in this strange dream.
However, when Zhao Qingxiu heard his voice, she could intuitively and strongly sense that he was laughing.
His words sounded incredibly familiar:
"Instead of being afraid of it, embroiderer, you should accept it openly... Next time you dream of it, be bold and take a good look at it, but remember that it's just a dream and it can't really eat you... Heh, you might as well pick up a stone and smash it in, and see which unlucky dragon's little head gets hit..."
Zhao Qingxiu paused.
It felt as if the whole world had stood still.
Tanlang's purple mist phantom suddenly condensed into a purple pebble, which landed in her palm.
After a moment of silence, Zhao Qingxiu straightened up and, under the gazes of many tall women around her, threw the pebble with all her might without hesitation.
Purple mist pebbles struck the evil dragon.
Like a drop of water falling on a calm lake, concentric ripples spread in all directions.
It's like a glass bottle pierced by a tiny needle.
The evil dragon shattered and disintegrated.
The crimson light cluster formed from the corpse split into two, like two dragons, one soaring into the sky and the other sinking into the earth, their trajectories opposite.
The "blood-red dragon" that soared into the sky headed straight for the bronze sword.
The "blood-red dragon" that plunged into the ground swooped back into the abyss below.
It's as if it's been divided equally between the two.
The situation seemed to be settling down.
However, in the next instant, a scene that drew everyone's attention appeared.
"Clang~"
The purple pebble that pierced the evil dragon suddenly emitted a loud, resonant sound.
The two crimson orbs of light, resembling swimming dragons, suddenly froze in place.
Above his head, the small bronze sword, covered in blood, trembled in protest.
Beneath their feet lay a deep abyss where evil dragons constantly emerged, a place of turbulent waves.
The purple pebbles were ignored.
"Clang~"
As the second bell rang.
The two dragon-like crimson orbs of light almost simultaneously changed direction, returned to their original positions, and merged into one larger crimson orb of light.
Within the ball of light, a small, exquisitely crafted phantom of a trapped dragon could be faintly seen, endlessly circling.
"Clang~"
The bell rang for the third time.
Each time the bell tolls, the purple pebble's color dims.
With the third chime, the purple pebble completely disappeared.
A massive, crimson ball of light containing the phantom of a trapped dragon shot straight down at the slender Zhao Qingxiu.
As the distance closed, the huge crimson light cluster shrank, eventually transforming into a new red pebble that landed in Zhao Qingxiu's palm and merged into her hand.
Zhao Qingxiu stared intently at the spot where Tanlang had transformed into a purple mist pebble.
She lowered her head, stunned.
A phantom image of a trapped dragon circled repeatedly in her palm, yet it could not escape her five fingers, becoming completely docile.
Tan...lang?
The dream is over.
...
————
(PS: Waaah, it's a bit late, but I'll make up for it with two 4k words each! I didn't slack off, I've only slept less than seven hours these past two days, and my typing speed is terrible.)
By the way, "Gentleman's Glory" has reached four stars! My first four-star work in my writing career, I'm a little excited. Thanks to all my brothers for their strong support, you guys are awesome, love you all! *bows and shows chest*
Finally, I'm begging for some monthly votes! Let's keep pushing!
(End of this chapter)
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