Facing each other
"But when you were testing me like this, didn't you ever consider how sad I would be if I saw you being so intimate with another woman? So, am I trying to test whether you really care about me by being intimate with another man? In short, I don't like you being like this. If you do it again, I'll assume you've truly fallen in love with someone else and won't talk to you for three years."
Hearing this, Cha Suxun knelt upright and swore before her, "I was inconsiderate and rash. I swear, no matter what the reason, I will never behave intimately with another woman and cause you any grief. If I break this oath, I will be struck by lightning."
After he finished speaking, Cha Suxun tried to hug her again. A'li's resistance to him was much less, so he hugged her.
"I'll give her some silver and send her away later, so she won't be an eyesore in front of my wife."
"Never mind, she's just a pitiful person. Dripping Water Town is in a time of crisis, and she's a weak woman, where can she go in a short while? Check her background, and if there's no problem, bring her back to the village. After all, she's still your cousin, so you can do whatever you want."
As he spoke, Ah Li took out a letter and handed it to Cha Suxun, saying, "This was sent by the shopkeeper while you were away. He said it was sent by a burly man."
Cha Suxun unfolded the letter, and the two read it together. The general message was: Hedong Village's martial arts competition for a bride has concluded, and the winner is Ren Ci'an, the eldest son of Tianma Village. The wedding ceremony will be held tomorrow evening, and they are specially invited to attend. It just so happens that the leaders of several villages are particularly eager to meet the new leader of Jiwang Valley. Considering that Chi Li is pregnant and unwell, they will specially bring a soft carriage to pick her up tomorrow morning.
The letter was signed by Liu Xianghe, the leader of Hedong Village.
"This is clearly forcing us to go! If we don't go, we'll be at odds with the villages mentioned in the letter. We don't have a close relationship with Hedong Village, so it shouldn't matter to them whether we're present at the wedding ceremony or not. But they've gone to such great lengths to invite us up the mountain, using soft couches and carriages. I'm afraid this is truly a Hongmen Banquet."
"Just wait for me at the foot of the mountain. Anyway, I wrote to tell you that you had a serious mouth injury, and the doctor recommended bed rest."
"We agreed that we would advance and retreat together and go together to take care of each other."
The next morning, the two were preparing to set off for Hedong Village for a banquet. As soon as they opened the door, they saw Chi Xun's cousin waiting at the door.
Compared to yesterday, my cousin's dress was like a completely different person. Unlike yesterday when she was wearing heavy makeup and revealing clothes, she was dressed very simply today, with only a bamboo hairpin in her hair, and she didn't even wear any rouge or lipstick.
"Cousin, we have something to do, and it might be dangerous. Please wait at the inn. We will probably be back tomorrow after finishing our business."
"Cousin, I'll go with you. I've been practicing martial arts with my father since I was young. Even if I fight three grown men, I won't necessarily be at a disadvantage. I can protect you."
Seeing her thin arms and legs, Ah Li was a bit skeptical that she could possibly beat a man. Unexpectedly, her cousin seemed to sense her disbelief and immediately demonstrated a boxing routine with her. Her movements were exceptionally agile and nimble, each punch flowing with a swift force. Her boxing was good, but she was a bit reckless.
"What do you think? Cousin, I can really protect you." While trying to persuade her, He Qi suddenly remembered what Ah Cha told him last night about making Ah Jie jealous and angry. If he still wanted Ah Li to agree to let him go with her, he had to erase yesterday's misunderstanding.
So, Heqi changed his strategy and said, "Actually, I want to go with my cousin's wife, and I have a selfish motive. My husband told a few years ago with a fellow villager that they wanted to go out together to seek a way out, and he never came back. After my family got into trouble, that fellow villager's wife couldn't bear it and told me that they didn't go out to seek a way out at all, but to join a mountain stronghold and become bandits. However, she didn't know which stronghold they were in, only that they were in the area near Dishui Town. I heard that Hedong Village is holding a martial arts competition to recruit a bride and is inviting representatives from many villages to a banquet. I want to try my luck and see if I can find him. I want to convince him to come home with me and live a peaceful life. So, I beg my cousin's wife to help me."
Before she could finish her words, Heqi knelt at her feet with a plop, and spoke with such tears that he almost deceived himself.
Ah Li had never seen such a scene before, and quickly helped her up. It turned out that she was married, and she couldn't help but feel a little guilty about the misunderstanding she had yesterday. Ah Li pulled out a small green porcelain bottle from her bosom and handed it to her, saying, "This is the self-defense poison I developed. Take it, and immediately spread it to the person in danger. After all, we are going to someone else's territory, and nothing can be certain."
"Thank you, cousin, I won't cause you any trouble." He Qi bowed and thanked her, then took the initiative to stand beside Ah Li. This was the way his sister taught him to behave. If he traveled with a couple and stayed away from the opposite sex, he wouldn't make any big mistakes.
As soon as they left the inn, several strong men surrounded them, clasped their fists and politely invited them, "Chi Zhai Zhu, Madam Chi, we are sent by the Hedong Zhai Zhu to take you to the wedding banquet. Here is the token, please take a look."
Cha Suxun just glanced at the token symbolically and helped A Li into the carriage.
After a tiring journey, they finally reached the outskirts of Hedong Village near noon. Ah Li gently lifted the carriage curtain. Outside, there was a sentry every hundred meters, wearing a red silk belt and holding a long machete.
Noticing the moist mist in the mountains and the incredibly lush vines, which grew more and more from the outskirts, Ahri sniffed the fresh scent of earth and grass. As she sniffed, she detected a faint sweetness, a mix of floral and fruity, difficult to distinguish.
Sensing something was amiss, Ah Li lowered the curtains, removed the silver bracelet from her wrist, and twirled it in her hand until it broke. Ah Li shook it, and several small pills fell out. Ah Li took only three and carefully put the rest back.
Ah Li waved towards Chi Xun, and when he leaned closer, Ah Li tried her best to keep her voice as low as possible and said, "The smell in this mountain is not right, don't breathe in too sharply. One per person, be prepared first."
Before she could even begin to explain, Ah Li handed the pill to her cousin, who swallowed it without hesitation. Ah Li whispered in her ear, "When you enter the mountains, don't inhale sharply. This is a medicine I specially developed for you. It can cure most poisons. However, you really need to change your habit of eating whatever you're given. If I had treated you differently and given you a poison, you would have died."
"But I know my sister-in-law won't harm me."
The carriage drove deep into the mountains and stopped at the entrance of a stone cave. One of the strong men knocked on the door and reminded him, "Chizhai Master, behind the stone cave is Hedong Village. The passage inside the cave is narrow and winding, so the carriage can't enter. I have to ask you to go in."
"Has there never been a sedan chair?"
"The cave has many corners and the passage is a bit narrow, so the sedan chair can't be lifted."
Cha Suxun immediately frowned in displeasure, took out the wedding gift he had prepared in advance and was about to back out.
"The mountains are slippery. What if my wife accidentally slips and falls? I can't take that risk. You take my wedding gift in and tell your village chief that it's not that I'm being pretentious and unwilling to leave, but that I'm too timid to let my wife take that risk. I appreciate your kindness, village chief. Just consider it my own good fortune. I'll host a private banquet for all of you another day."
Suddenly, before I could see them, I heard their voices. Applause rang out from within the cave, and a middle-aged man with a deep voice praised them, "What a pair of enviable lovers! The leader of Chi Village truly loves his wife as much as the legend says!"
A short, middle-aged man with short legs emerged. His clothing was of excellent quality, but the colors and patterns seemed a bit old-fashioned, and the entire garment was covered in dense, small patterns. The leader of Hedong Village had a poor sense of taste, like someone who had suddenly become wealthy and was eager to show off his wealth.
"Come, get some silk and pave the path to this cave."
"Silk is precious. Village Master Liu must not waste it for us."
Village Chief Liu was somewhat pleased with himself. He raised his chin proudly and patted the jade ring on his right thumb ostentatiously. He said, "I despise money. It's nothing to worry about. It's just some silk. I have plenty in my storehouse. It's a blessing for such a beautiful wife to step on them. It's better than having them piled up in my storehouse and gathering dust."
"Master Liu is really generous. I admire him." Cha Suxun deliberately flattered.
Village Master Liu was extremely pleased, and once the silk was laid out, he hurriedly led them into the village. Beyond the cave was a stone-carved mountain gate, with two giant dragons coiled on the frames on either side of the gate. Their scales were clearly depicted, and they resembled dragons, except for their lack of horns.
Carvings that resembled dragons too closely were considered an offense to the Emperor, but the Hedong Village didn't seem to mind, and even introduced them to them with some pride. Most of the decorative carvings in the village were of this type of dragon.
The village was bustling with activity, and the welcome table at the entrance was piled high with gifts. Cha Suxun presented the two wooden boxes he had brought, and the eyes of many nearby people were drawn to them.
"Master Liu is very powerful, so I won't give you anything vulgar like gold or silver. Our village is famous for its Gu insects, which are extremely rare. It takes ten years to produce a pair of mother and child Gu insects, and the failure rate is extremely high. Even our village has only produced six pairs. Upon hearing about the Master's good news, my father specially brought out two pairs to congratulate you. I hope you won't despise them."
Hearing this, Village Chief Liu became interested. Seeing the people around him talking and casting envious glances at him after hearing Village Chief Chi's words, Village Chief Liu's vanity was satisfied. He deliberately left the box open for a while longer, fearing that onlookers would not be able to see clearly, and personally ordered someone to deliver the wooden box to him in his room.
"The old village chief's Gu is extremely rare. I'm already overjoyed that he gave me two pairs of such precious and rare Gu! How dare I despise them! Come, Village Chief Chi, Madam Chi, please take a seat!"
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