Makeup Chapter 9
As it was getting dark, some disciples from Fanli Village went to get some torches.
Haike happened to have one in his hand, so Meng Shizhuang used the bright firelight to look around the mountain environment.
It was June, and Sujian Mountain was covered in lush greenery, with birdsong and cicadas chirping at night. Meanwhile, the road up the mountain to Fanli Village was filled with a dead silence, save for the occasional human voice.
Meng Shizhuang reached out and tugged at the waist of her trousers, then quietly stood on tiptoe. She peered through the gap above Haike's shoulder. There were no trees to be seen, only a few stumps dotting the roadside, like half-grown tombstones. The low brushwood had been cleared clean, leaving nothing visible.
Maybe they were afraid that someone would hide by disguising themselves as mountain objects.
Meng is thinking about makeup.
Further up the mountain, every hundred steps, there were sentries. Each sentry consisted of twenty men, some wielding swords, others wielding spears. While they didn't move in unison, their expressions were solemn. At a glance from the elder leading the group up the mountain, they advanced without hesitation.
Meng Shizhuang couldn't help but sneer when he thought about the behavior of the patrolling disciples on Sujian Mountain.
If it was their turn to guard the Loyalty Hall, they would still be able to perform. Apart from anything else, once they encountered him, armed with a sword, they would forget about the external enemies, internal traitors, or any other unusual circumstances, and would just forget about their duties and focus on finding a way to show him off.
He counted in his mind all the way up the mountain, and the more he counted, the more frightened he became.
There were more than two hundred disciples patrolling along the way. On Sujian Mountain, this was the only number of disciples that could be counted. It was no wonder that they had to mobilize all their forces to deal with night raids.
Judging from what those people said just now, the two factions fought hundreds of battles.
Meng Shizhuang couldn't help but look ahead. As they walked, the Sujian Mountain team became more dispersed, with figures haphazardly piled together. He couldn't find Lao Hu, but he casually caught a glimpse of a disciple's sword.
Could it be that the Su Jian Jue really has the power to defeat a hundred with one?
After walking for a while, they saw a fire ahead and saw two wooden sentry towers standing before them. Each tower held four disciples. Seeing someone coming, they struck a gong and gestured to the people below. Someone then opened the village gate and moved the deer fort ahead.
As he walked through the gate, Meng Shizhuang looked up and glanced.
This wooden door was built with great fanfare, but it was just a hollow frame that swayed in the wind.
He put aside his previous thoughts and realized that the reason why the two sides had been deadlocked for so long was mostly due to the twelve mechanical doors on Sujian Mountain. As long as they could hide inside, no one from outside could get in.
As soon as you enter Fanli Village, you will see an extremely open area.
The owner of this manor, Fan Ji, had come to greet them personally with his men, and their conversation was quite cordial. Luo Shun finally spoke, his usual lazy tone, unconcerned with the content of his words. Even that tone made it hard to bear listening to his evasive, unfocused sentences.
Yao Qinian got to the front again.
Torches are used generously here, lighting up everything at night.
He saw the owner of Fanli Manor clearly: a very elegant middle-aged man with a beard. As someone from Sujian Mountain, he wasn't used to Luo Shun's talk, but the owner was always smiling and stroking his beard.
But for some reason, perhaps because the fire was too bright, it instead revealed a sinister contempt in this person's eyes.
In the blink of an eye, Yao Qinian's previous feeling disappeared without a trace, and Master Fan still had that smiling face.
But he didn't dare to look again and went back to Haike.
Haike remembered Lao Hu's words clearly and never left Meng Shizhuang's side for a moment.
Few disciples remained obedient in the procession. Luo Shun and a few other hall masters stood at the front, while the other disciples gathered behind them, their arms around each other's shoulders, peeking in and laughing and playing. Meanwhile, the people from Fanli Village remained orderly. The disciples who followed to greet them lined up behind their elders, while those standing guard showed no sign of fatigue, their backs straight and their eyes fixed.
Haike looked at the sharp contrast between the two sides and felt a little ashamed.
He whispered to Yao Qinian who had slipped back, "Don't run around anymore. Master will scold you if he sees you."
This scene didn't last long. As soon as Luo Shun finished his words, Fan Ji spoke up: "Brother Luo, you must be tired today. The village has prepared a welcoming banquet for you and your followers, and we've also arranged accommodations for you. Brother Luo, please come with me to the banquet."
He raised his hand and rubbed his brow, which was about to twitch. Luo Shun's manner of speaking really made him want to frown, but he held it back because of his status. Now his brow was sore.
As he spoke, he led the way and took people to the largest meeting hall.
Ke Congzhou looked up at the plaque outside the hall, which read "Four Seasons in Order."
Luo Shun and several other hall masters entered the meeting hall. After three rounds of wine, the atmosphere became increasingly lively. The disciples of Sujian Mountain were then assigned to a side room for dinner. Despite the lack of wine, the food was a feast unlike anything they had ever seen.
Because they had to keep an eye on Meng Shizhuang, the three Haikes sat at the same table with Meng Shizhuang.
Ah Wuyi sat down and buried his head in eating. His cheeks were bulging and his mind was working very fast.
He gave half of the last steamed bun he had ever seen on the mountain to the black dog, with whom he had battled wits and courage for years, and the other half to the blind fortuneteller at the gate of the dilapidated temple. It was said that the blind man had been blinded for miscalculating people's birth dates, and since then he had given up his fraudulent ways and wandered around the city, gathering any useful information.
The best sword in the martial arts world is in Daohai City, and the best sword in Daohai City is in Sujian Mountain.
It was this sentence that made him choose Sujian Mountain among many bandit dens.
He had only been selected to join the Loyalty Hall, where he could learn swordsmanship, a few days earlier, so it was hard to say the fortune teller's words were a lie. But judging from the journey to Fanli Village, Su Jianshan was not a top-tier figure among these "bandits." He couldn't rob people of their copper coins, and he wasn't very good at deceiving people.
Ah Wu swallowed the food in his mouth in a hurry and wiped his mouth. He thought, even so, Su Jian Mountain is still well-known. So many people would rather go hungry than not praise its power. This sword must be a great sword that can "create the world"!
A wave of blood surged in his heart, as if his blood was boiling as when he first climbed the mountain.
After finishing this meal, he will definitely learn sword skills well!
When Yao Qinian saw Awu eating, he picked up the chopsticks without hesitation.
The table was a mess. Haike restrained his chopsticks in his own bowl, rarely reaching out for food except for the occasional dish Yao Qinian picked up. He observed Meng Shizhuang, and seeing that she was only holding the bowl of porridge, he stood up and placed the untouched egg custard in front of her.
Meng Shizhuang's drinking of porridge paused.
It wasn't that he didn't want to try other things, but he was still thinking about the purpose of going down the mountain, and his previous crazy spirit of throwing things out of control had actually subsided. It turned out that after someone upset him, even though he thought Lao Ju wouldn't let him show his skills, he still had to use clumsy and reckless methods to hurt others as well.
But he and Luo Shun had a bet coming up, and he couldn't let himself get hurt no matter what.
So he looked at the table full of food without any desire to fight for it.
Meng Shizhuang hesitated for a moment, but finally accepted Haike's kindness and moved the bowl in front of herself.
Yao Qinian was busy paddling his rice. In the midst of his busy schedule, he looked up and saw his senior brother's action. He subconsciously responded and picked up a piece of wild vegetable leaf and put it into Meng Shizhuang's bowl.
Aside from the porridge and steamed buns, Meng Shizhuang had no idea what the food in front of him was. He feigned composure and began by picking up the wild vegetable leaves Yao Qinian had given him and putting them into his mouth. He'd eaten plenty of wild vegetables before, but he'd never tasted leaves this big.
After chewing two bites, he pursed his lips and frowned.
The texture of this wild vegetable was truly strange, like sticky saliva, so he swallowed it whole without chewing it. Then he picked up the spoon, reached for the bowl the seafarer had brought him, and brought it to his lips. The fishy smell rushed into his nose, then slid down his throat after entering his mouth.
Meng Shizhuang raised her hands to cover her neck, feeling as if a snake had nimbly crawled in.
He thought about it, mixed the bowl with the porridge, and finally felt more comfortable eating it.
After dinner, he was taken to rest by the disciples of Fanlizhuang.
The rooms assigned to them were not far from the dining area, with three people in one room.
Haike thought for a moment and asked Awu to go to another room, where he lived with Yao Qinian and Meng Shizhuang.
A Wu was relieved and bowed to Hai Ke with his sword in hand, then went to find someone else to team up with.
The disciple who brought them here also reminded them: "Brothers, have breakfast tomorrow at the same place. After breakfast, I will take you to the martial arts arena. If you get lost on the mountain, you can ask the disciples on patrol."
After thanking him, Hai Ke gently closed the door.
Yao Qinian casually placed the sword he had brought on the table in the room. "The competition will start tomorrow, so soon?"
Hai Ke picked up his sword and said, "Were we not here to compete in martial arts? Do you think we are here to get something for free? Put away your sword!"
Yao Qinian straightened his back slightly and took the sword thrown by the seafarer: "This scabbard is a little short. If I sleep with it as a pillow, I might cut my face."
Hai Ke thought of Yao Qinian's restless sleeping posture and walked over to exchange swords with him: "Then you can use mine. It's better than yours, but it won't fit well."
Yao Qinian took it and placed it on the bedside, then began to daydream again: "I wonder when I will be able to have my own sword like Ke Congzhou."
He asked the hermit, "Doesn't Ke Congzhou have two daggers? I only see him using one. If I ask him to borrow the other, would he be willing to give it to me?"
The seafarer blew out the oil lamp in the room, and the room became dark.
Yao Qinian only saw the first part of his frown; the rest of his expression probably mirrored his tone of voice: "Don't try to get your hands on other people's things. Whether he wants it or not is his own business. Besides, don't you still dislike him? You're taking advantage of him with a clear conscience, eating his candy without even holding back."
Meng Shizhuang was sleeping at the very edge, huddled up with her arms folded over her chest, listening to them talk quietly.
He heard Yao Qinian reply, "I'm just saying it, I'm not really interested. We're both halfway up the mountain, so how can we compare to him still having a brand new sword lying around? And you bought the candy, I'm not taking advantage of him."
Meng Shizhuang often carried a sword as he walked through the Lingyun training ground, and had seen Ke Congzhou use a short sword many times, but he had never seen Ke Congzhou use two swords at the same time.
Dual swords...
There are ten levels in Su Jian Jue, and after the seventh level it is the double sword moves.
But he hasn't reached that high level yet.
Not to mention him, Lao Hu himself was still wandering around on the seventh floor.
Hai Ke: "How do you know it's idle? I saw him using two swords a few days ago."
Meng Shizhuang tightened her arms around him.
Yao Qinian also thought about the Su Jian Jue, and his voice rose slightly. "He's started learning the seventh level? That's impossible. Master, that's how far he's come."
Hai Ke stated the facts: "Both the mental method and the sword techniques are indispensable. Perhaps he was just practicing the sword techniques. However, when Master asked Master Ruan to forge swords, he asked for two. He might not have thought that he did not have such talent."
The room was quiet for a while.
After a long moment, Yao Qinian uttered an "oh" and squeezed out a sound from his throat: "So what? I still can't stand him."
Hai Ke snorted and laughed: "Take care of yourself first."
Yao Qinian was about to talk non-stop: "Senior Brother, I..."
Hai Ke interrupted him: "Shut up, close your eyes."
Yao Qinian: "Oh."
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