CHAPTER 43
They were said to have exchanged a few moves, but in reality, they had already gone back and forth for over a dozen exchanges without any sign of stopping. The woman in purple was clearly holding back, but Sheng Qing wasn't exactly a martial arts expert either. After a series of attacks, he was already out of breath. Oh no, another strand of hair had been cut off.
"My dear mother, please spare me." Sheng Qingchao cast a resentful glance at her nominal mother. "Do you really want to shave your daughter's head like that?"
"How can a young lady be so concerned with her appearance? That's a man's business." The woman in purple looked displeased, and her sword strikes became even more precise. "My daughter, Sheng Zhilin's daughter, doesn't rely on her looks for a living. I think you're itching for a beating. It's time for you to come with me to the military camp for some training again." As she spoke, she turned her sword and cut off another strand of hair.
Sheng Qing held her breath and focused her mind, channeling her spiritual energy throughout her body, instantly reviving her. She then shifted her strategy, emphasizing defense over offense, finally managing to carefully observe her stubborn and demanding stepmother.
At first glance, he certainly looks dashing, but upon closer inspection, his overall appearance is rather delicate, suggesting that he has been criticized and is therefore quite particular about comments about his looks.
Well, I've accidentally run into the line of fire.
"All you can do is hide?" Sheng Zhilin's expression was slightly annoyed. "You only hang out with those lowlifes all day, and you even fell into the water? If word gets out, people will laugh their heads off."
"I..." Sheng Qing swallowed the word "no" back. She had to take the blame. She turned her grief and anger into strength, seized the opportunity, and used her sword to cut off an inch of Sheng Zhilin's clothes.
"Huh?" Sheng Zhilin looked puzzled, his expression softening noticeably. "It's not like you're just lazing around and wasting your days."
"Mother taught me well!" Sheng Qing chuckled dryly, offering a compliment before staring intently at Sheng Zhilin, taking in every detail of her gaze, whether she leaned forward or backward, and the direction of her footsteps.
"Very good, let's try again." Sheng Zhilin was quite satisfied with Sheng Qing's performance. On a whim, he changed his weapon again, wielding a spear with graceful movements.
Sheng Qing was so engrossed in watching that when she came to her senses, the spearhead grazed her neck, almost slicing through her skin.
Is it really necessary to be this serious?
Sheng Qing stopped being distracted and began to imitate the moves with great seriousness, focusing all his attention on dealing with the playful and eccentric woman in front of him.
They didn't know how many rounds they had fought. When they were stopped, Sheng Qing was drenched in sweat, panting and worried, wondering if it would be convenient to take a bath in this place.
"Sister is amazing!" Sheng Qing was still catching her breath when she heard a familiar voice and almost choked on her saliva.
"Yinyin, accompany your sister to bathe and change." The young girl Yinyin pushed through the crowd of onlookers and, without waiting for Sheng Qing's consent, pulled her away.
"No need," Sheng Qing said weakly, but her refusal was ignored and vanished with the wind.
"Yinyin, don't be so playful. Remember to come have dinner together." Sheng Zhilin and Yinyin seemed quite familiar with each other. Ignoring Sheng Qing's dissatisfaction, the two smiled at each other.
Even though, Sheng Qing is still your daughter in name only, so why are you just ignoring her like this?
Yinyin looked frail, but she was surprisingly strong. She led Sheng Qing to a unique courtyard with a distinctive aesthetic in both its exterior decoration and interior furnishings.
It took a lot of persuasion to finally get Yinyin to leave the room, allowing her some time to enjoy a bath alone. She lingered in the bath for half an hour. After repeatedly declining Yinyin's offer to help her change, she reluctantly got out of the bath, dried herself off, and changed into clean clothes.
"Sister, why are you suddenly shy?" Yinyin blinked her eyes and asked curiously.
"Where?" Sheng Qing chuckled dryly, quickly changing the subject and asking what dishes were for dinner.
Actually, the topic change wasn't too abrupt. After practicing with Sheng Zhilin for an entire afternoon, unless you're a god, an ordinary person would have been starving long ago.
Dinner was nothing short of a delicacy, featuring rare and exotic foods. However, Sheng Zhilin had indeed arranged the next day's itinerary after dinner: a private tutoring session in the morning to learn military strategy from the female instructor, followed by horseback archery training in the afternoon, and finally, an evening banquet to accompany the guests.
Upon hearing this, Sheng Qing's vision blurred. Being the future city lord's successor was truly not easy. Not only did he need to be proficient in both literature and martial arts, but he also had to navigate the complexities of banquets.
Yinyin pestered Sheng Qing to return to the bedroom, and only reluctantly said goodbye after being told to leave. Before leaving, she smiled mysteriously and said, "Enjoy the surprise," before disappearing.
What surprise? Sheng Qing shook his head, puzzled.
Suddenly, something came to mind: if finding the snake-bodied, human-headed goddess statue can break the current secret realm, then is this world the same?
Following this logic, could the so-called Montrealm also be another secret realm? If she breaks through it, will she be able to return to the real world?
Although being a corporate slave is tough, at least it's a real world, a world where she has real family and friends.
No, is that world necessarily real?
Sheng Qing felt a headache coming on. Perhaps it was because too many things had happened that day, or perhaps it was because dinner was too lavish and her blood sugar had spiked. All she wanted to do was lie in bed and worry about tomorrow's problems tomorrow.
Ancient people's clothes were so complicated. In a daze, Sheng Qing haphazardly tore off his belt and layers of outer garments, then kicked off his shoes and socks and climbed onto the bed.
This bed is so big and soft. Sheng Qing lay flat on her back in a starfish position. The quilt is so silky and skin-friendly. She couldn't help but bury her face in it and take a deep breath.
Huh? I have a feeling there's someone else in the room.
"It can't be haunted, can it?" Sheng Qing reluctantly got up, pulled the curtains down, and then covered herself up completely with the blanket.
Something's wrong! There's something moving in the blanket. Could it be a snake?
Sheng Qing woke up instantly and tumbled off the bed.
"What are you doing, playing tricks on me!" I said, seizing the initiative and not letting myself be outdone.
"Young Miss, are you alright?"
"Young Miss, I am not a ghost, I am Tao Sheng."
Sounds came from outside the door and from the bed at the same time, from a man and a woman, one startled and the other frightened.
The door was pushed open, the bed curtains were lifted, and candlelight was lit in the room.
With a look of surprise and doubt, Su Su peeked into the room from outside, holding an oil lamp. The handsome young man also revealed his true face from under the bed curtain. He was the same one who had pleaded with Sheng Qing during the day, and he didn't forget to pull the quilt to cover his naked lower body.
Sheng Qing suddenly understood why Yin Yin had said she was inexplicably enjoying the surprise; they had already stripped her naked and put her in bed.
Perhaps this trick would still work on the original Sheng Qing, but she, Sheng Qing, is not that kind of person. Does she just sleep with whoever she fancys?
Who says the ancients were conservative? They were much more open than the Qing Dynasty of the 21st century.
"Don't you like it, sister?" Yin Yin, the instigator, appeared at the right moment, looking smug as if she wanted to take credit.
"Get out," Sheng Qing said irritably.
"Young Miss, please let me stay." The young man named Taosheng was about to cry again. "If you don't let me stay, I will be sold to that brothel tomorrow."
The sight of the beautiful woman in tears was truly pitiful. Sheng Qing's heart softened, and she couldn't help but wipe away the young man's tears, saying gently, "Don't be afraid, no one dares to touch you."
Seeing Sheng Qing moved, the young man leaned on Sheng Qing's shoulder and began to weep softly.
The young man was only fifteen or sixteen years old. Sheng Qing was perfectly clear-headed and had no complicated thoughts. He just wanted to get rid of the person as soon as possible so he could get a good night's sleep.
"Don't cry." Sheng Qing comforted the young man, then turned to Su Su and instructed, "Take him away first. No one is allowed to touch him without my permission." He glanced at Yin Yin out of the corner of his eye, noticing the fleeting look of amusement on her face before quickly giving way to a puzzled expression.
The young man thanked Sheng Qing profusely and only left with Su Su after a long while. But Yin Yin was not so easy to please. Seemingly certain that Sheng Qing had no way to deal with her, she stubbornly refused to leave.
"Sister, I'm being very good, lying on the bed without moving." Yinyin said, taking off her coat and shoes and socks and lying down on the inside of the bed. Seeing that Sheng Qing didn't move, she got up and pulled Sheng Qing to lie down on the outside.
Sheng Qing was truly at a loss, but it should be fine with a girl. Sheng Qing sniffed, thinking, "What's wrong with sleeping with a sweet and soft girl?"
Once the bed curtains were drawn, the blankets were pulled up, and her eyes were closed, the rhythmic rise and fall of her breathing could be heard. Sheng Qing was about to drift off to sleep.
Half an hour later, Yinyin, who should have been fast asleep, opened her eyes. Her expression was clear. She sat up silently, lay on her side, and looked tenderly at Shengqing, who was sleeping soundly beside her.
After a long pause, the young girl sighed softly, reaching out to stroke Sheng Qing's hair, then her fingertips moved to her eyebrows and eyes, her movements incredibly gentle. A slight smile played on her lips as she whispered, "Sister, do you really prefer girls?"
She watched quietly for a long time, her eyes shifting. After a moment, she leaned forward and placed a deep kiss on Sheng Qing's brow.
Perhaps sensing something, or perhaps simply noticing the tingling sensation on her face caused by the foreign object, Sheng Qing, still asleep, murmured incoherently, rubbed her eyebrows and eyes, turned over, and fell into a deep sleep again.
The girl, Yinyin, breathed a sigh of relief and carefully lay down next to Sheng Qing.
"Why sleep so much before death, when you'll have plenty of time to sleep after you die?" A melodious chanting voice rang out from outside the door. Sheng Qing silently rolled her eyes in her heart. What a terrifying woman.
Still half asleep, Sheng Qing turned her head and realized that the girl Yin Yin beside her had already disappeared. Without thinking much, she picked up the clothes that were scattered aside and started to put them on.
With a bang, the room door was violently pushed open, and Sheng Zhilin stood outside the door, full of energy, with the sky just beginning to lighten.
"Still lying in bed? Get up and do your morning exercise!"
"Coming, coming." Sheng Qing muttered unhappily. Wait, why did they add another morning exercise session?
Just as I was about to ask, another sharp blade suddenly came flying at me.
Seriously? You haven't had enough fun yet?
Sheng Qing sighed helplessly, then nimbly got ready and quickly finished packing.
Fortunately, she had left the greatsword in her room yesterday. She picked it up casually, and whether it was because she was grumpy when she woke up or because she had slept soundly last night, Sheng Qing suddenly felt refreshed and rushed straight at Sheng Zhilin's face.
As expected, the woman easily dodged, and Sheng Qing seized the opportunity to slip out the door and run away into the distance. It didn't matter which direction she went; as long as she was away from this terrifying woman, that was enough.
"What are you running for? You stop right there!" came Sheng Zhilin's slightly annoyed voice from behind.
Sheng Qing ran even faster, even mobilizing his spiritual energy, disappearing around the corner like an arrow released from a bow.
Unfortunately, Sheng Qing was caught red-handed in the kitchen by Sheng Zhilin less than half an hour after he managed to hide.
Having slept on an empty stomach all night, Sheng Zhilin was drawn to the kitchen by the aroma, just as he had thought.
There was no way to avoid it, and no way to fight back, so Sheng Qing could only obediently be dragged to the military camp by Sheng Zhilin to begin a day of arduous work.
If she had even a tenth of the eloquence of a lecturer on "Lecture Room of One Hundred Schools," it would be fine, but this female teacher's explanation was simply too boring. Sheng Qing drooped her eyelids, wanting to meet the Duke of Zhou in the morning.
Just as he was feeling utterly bored, he suddenly heard several strange noises coming from outside the window, like the calls of some kind of animal, but Sheng Qing immediately recognized that they were made by humans.
She peeked out and saw a young woman in her early twenties, dressed in gorgeous clothes and with her hair tied up in a jade crown, winking at her.
"Call me?" Sheng Qing mouthed, taking advantage of the female teacher's inattention.
The young woman nodded emphatically, waved, and pointed to a few pages of paper in her hand.
What is this person trying to do? This is a heavily guarded military area, how did she manage to sneak in?
Sheng Qing glanced down at her clothes; they were quite gorgeous.
Suddenly, the woman crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it in through the window. The female teacher giving the lecture was about to approach when Sheng Qing caught the paper ball with quick reflexes.
Phew! That was a close call.
One wave subsided, another rose. The young woman threw several more balls in, seemingly lacking accuracy. By sheer coincidence, the last ball hit the female teacher squarely in the back.
Damn it! Just as Sheng Qing smoothed out the crumpled paper in his hand, before he could even examine it closely, the enraged general snatched it away.
"Nonsense!" The female teacher glanced at the papers before looking away, then frowned, her face full of heartache. "Did the city lord send you here to look at these?"
Sheng Qing glanced at it and saw that it seemed to be a portrait on the paper. However, the clothes of the person in the painting were a bit, well, a bit simple. But the painter's skills were excellent. With just a few strokes, he had captured the charm of the handsome man.
In all honesty, Sheng Qingzhen didn't... wait, I was just about to drag the culprit outside the window into the water, but how did she disappear in the blink of an eye? In the end, I can only say, I, I, I have no idea why.
Whether she was caught slacking off or the person in the portrait was dressed too scantily and seductively, Sheng Qing blushed and wanted to get closer to see more clearly.
"You still want to see? You're hopeless!" The female teacher was even more furious when she saw this, and tore the drawing paper to shreds.
Hmm? Why do those eyebrows and eyes look so familiar?
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