Chapter 118 "You won't hurt me."
Under the banyan tree, the young Taoist priest seemed to sense something, and suddenly turned his head to look behind him out of the corner of his eye.
Only a gentle breeze was blowing, and there was no one around.
"how?"
Zhang Xu, also known as Zhang Liangxiang, was merely a civil official, not a martial artist, and thus failed to notice anything amiss. He only stared at the young Taoist priest who had just recovered from a serious illness.
Hidden beneath the ravines, those weathered eyes flashed with a shrewd, calculating light.
Pei Xuan was starting to feel uneasy after being stared at by Zhang Liangxiang for so long.
The young Taoist priest smiled brightly: "...What's wrong?"
Zhang Liangxiang stroked his beard, wondering if it was just his imagination. This child he had watched grow up…
Zhang Liangxiang nodded as he finished his judgment, his expression meaningful: "It has a living quality now."
The young Taoist priest was taken aback, his smile freezing on his face.
Zhang Xu said nothing more, politely declined the advice of the heroes, calmly put on his shackles, and went to the capital to meet the emperor as a convicted criminal.
Just before leaving, he glanced at Jiang Ling'er through the crowd and gave her a respectful fist salute from afar.
This is a unique fist-and-palm salute used by people in the martial arts world.
Appearing in a high-ranking scholar in the imperial court, it is both strange and has a peculiar sense of harmony.
Jiang Ling'er was taken aback for a moment, but quickly returned the greeting with clasped hands. The words she had wanted to say to Zhang Liang but hadn't yet... were all conveyed in this clasped-hand greeting.
As soon as Jiang Ling'er finished speaking, she looked up and saw the old man with gray hair standing there in a daze.
After a long while, the scholar-official, who had been prudent and restrained all his life, burst into laughter for the first time. The laughter echoed over the scarred ruins and lingered for a long time.
This town is scarred from the ravages of war, but beneath the scars, tender shoots sprout from the cracks in the rocks.
Wildfires have burned everything, and spring grasses have grown again. This ravaged town will eventually shine with new brilliance.
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Seven days later, the city of Jinling was repaired. Jiang Ling'er and others assisted Ma Qingmei in burying Ma Rujiao and his wife together.
After seeing off Zhang Liangxiang, Song Shiliang, and a group of heroes, they arranged three burial sites in the suburbs.
Jiang Ling'er was unusually silent that day.
After kowtowing three times at the tombs of Ma Rujiao, Abbot Jinghai, and Master Lu, he returned and remained silent.
Until the next day, on an otherwise ordinary morning.
It's like a pot of water that's been simmering for a long time finally boiling.
She finally snapped.
The cause was actually just a small piece of pork.
--
"Why isn't the young chef moving? Is the food not to your liking?"
As the cook finished speaking, Jiang Ling'er, Pei Xuan, the Seven Sons of Lingxiao and the others turned their gazes to Lian Sheng, and the young monk's hand, which was picking up food, visibly froze.
The two dishes in front of him were empty of vegetables, but the meat was completely untouched.
Jinling City was still under slow repair, and firewood and rice were more expensive than gold and silver, let alone meat. Even so, thanks to the assistance of the "Number One Escort Under Heaven" and his band of outlaws during the siege, Jinling City survived. The people were grateful, and fruits, meat, and fresh vegetables flowed to the "Number One Escort" like water. Yuan Wenkang naturally refused, but unable to refuse their hospitality, he finally agreed to keep only a small portion.
This small portion appears on today's dining table, a testament to Yuan Wenkang's care for the younger generation.
The cook, wiping the sweat from her brow at the untouched plate of meat in front of Liansheng, suddenly realized, "I understand! Little Master, monks are devout and abstain from meat, but right now... but right now, gold is easy to come by, but a grain of millet is hard to come by. Little Master, you haven't seen it, but many of your fellow disciples are fighting over food. In this chaotic world, having anything to eat is already a blessing, let alone a little bit of meat! Buddha certainly won't blame you..."
Upon hearing this, the young monk's face stiffened even more, and Master Ma, sitting beside him, let out a strange cry:
"You blockhead! You're giving Grandpa the meat instead of eating it! Grandpa's been so bored he's practically eating a bird's nest..."
"...I'll eat it."
A light, crisp sound rang out, drawing everyone's attention.
The young monk's hand, which had been frozen for a long time, finally reached for the meat, but he stopped as soon as his lips touched the meat scraps. His fingertips loosened their grip, and the meat slices fell onto the table.
The cook is right. These days, gold is easy to come by, but a grain of millet is hard to find. Let alone meat? How can he possibly feed so many people in the city who are starving…?
Lian Sheng picked up the meat again and finally put it in her mouth, but then spat it out the next second.
The young monk's face paled slightly, and under everyone's gaze, he broke out in a cold sweat.
He stopped using chopsticks and instead grabbed the meat with his hands, stuffing it into his mouth and trying to swallow it. However, he still vomited after eating. He couldn't stop dry heaving, and a vein even bulged in his neck from the effort.
Cook: "Young master, why...why do this to yourself..."
Even the rough and uncultured Master Ma couldn't stand it anymore: "Hey, you little rascal..."
Just as he was about to grab the now-disheveled pieces of meat on the table again, a crisp sound rang out—it was Jiang Ling'er slamming her chopsticks down.
"If you can't eat, then don't!"
She slammed down her chopsticks and bowl and stormed off, ignoring Yuan Wenkang's calls.
After she left, the young monk's face turned completely pale, his long eyelashes trembled slightly, casting shadows, and his greasy, meaty lips were devoid of color.
"Oh dear, what a mess..." The cook quickly grabbed a rag and started cleaning up. "This, this is best not to eat. Oh, young chef, you just sit down, I'll clean it up..."
The young Taoist priest sat not far away, watching everything without making a sound. He caught a glimpse of the dazzling red dress disappearing through the doorway, and then slowly drank the last mouthful of porridge.
--
The backyard of the world's number one镖师 (bodyguard/escort).
Jiang Ling'er glared at the century-old tree as if it were her enemy, striking it repeatedly with her palms. Under the bright sunlight, lightning flashed like dragons. Autumn had not yet arrived, and the century-old banyan tree occasionally shook down a shower of leaves.
The first palm strike: Heavy Clouds and Flying Lightning.
Amidst the falling leaves, memories flood back, finally settling on the pale, timid, and delicate face of a young boy.
Jiang Ling'er's temper flared even more, and with her second palm strike, the wind stirred and the lamps swayed.
The century-old tree shook violently, like the thin arms and legs of a young person. At first glance, it showed no talent in legwork, let alone the aura of a king, let alone killing people. It probably wouldn't even dare to kill a chicken.
If it weren't for him, Kong Wu wouldn't have been able to escape, and Xiao Zao wouldn't have been injured and disappeared because of him.
If it weren't for him, my father wouldn't have been stigmatized and wouldn't have died such a tragic death.
If it weren't for him, how many innocent people would have died...
He was even... he was even a monk!
The final strike: The Teng Snake has no feet!
Instead of hitting the old tree, it was aimed at the side behind it.
A powerful gust of wind, carrying a thunderbolt with the force of a thousand pounds, rushed towards us!
But it abruptly stopped an inch in front of the young Taoist.
Her long hair rose high and then slowly fell down.
Fallen leaves drifted down and landed on the young Taoist's simple yet clean black boots.
The wind stirred but the trees remained still; the same murderous aura swept over him but did not move him in the slightest.
"Good!" Pei Xuan couldn't help but sigh, raising an eyebrow. "You've improved again?"
Learning martial arts is not difficult, and learning superior martial arts is not difficult either. What is difficult is to be able to use your skills effectively, control your movements, and leave room for maneuver.
This is something many people may practice martial arts their whole lives and still not understand.
"You're not afraid of death."
Jiang Ling'er withdrew her hand, turned her back, and snorted coldly. This outburst improved her mood considerably, but her face was still very sour.
He didn't even give Pei Xuan a friendly look.
"You won't hurt me."
Jiang Ling'er paused, frowned, and turned to look at him: "Why would I hurt you?"
"I knew it."
Pei Xuan simply smiled, his gaze fixed on her, her phoenix eyes reflecting her. His smile was faint and delicate, just like always, yet it felt... somewhat different from usual.
It's a bit disgusting.
Jiang Ling'er frowned even more deeply, feeling that he was acting strangely, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Anyway... he had always been acting strangely.
Pei Xuan suddenly coughed softly, turned his gaze away, and unconsciously rubbed his nose with his knuckles:
“Your fist technique has a murderous aura; I know it’s not aimed at me.”
Jiang Ling'er's bad mood flared up again, and she gave a cold laugh:
"Don't think I don't know you've also been plotting to kill him for a long time."
"You heard me."
The word "also" reveals that Jiang Ling'er overheard Zhang Liangxiang and Pei Xuan's conversation, and also reveals Pei Xuan's murderous intent.
Pei Xuan did not deny it.
On this point, they unusually stood on the same side.
It goes without saying who that "he" is.
Jiang Ling'er was angry at Lian Sheng's indecisiveness for letting Kong Wu escape, and at his weakness and incompetence. Even an old woman could fight Jin with a hoe, but where was he?
Although it was not his wish, when the enemy was at the gates and everyone else was fighting on all sides and resisting the Jin invaders, he disguised himself as a woman and hid!
He actually hid!
Jiang Ling'er felt more despair than anger.
How can such a person shoulder such a great responsibility?
"The thought of the old镖头 (bodyguard/escort)...the thought of so many people losing their lives for someone like him, I just..."
Jiang Ling'er took a deep breath, clenching her fists so tightly that her knuckles turned white and the veins on the back of her hands were clearly visible.
In the end, he angrily kicked the sand on the ground and stormed off the escort agency.
Behind the artificial hill not far away, a young monk carrying food in his hands had a deathly pale face, devoid of any color.
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Jiang Ling'er came to the street.
Having made a name for herself in both the martial arts tournament and the siege battle, Jiang Ling'er experienced the love and respect of her hometown people for the first time, something that had never happened to her before, even as the young head of the escort team.
But now, all she wants is to find a quiet place.
The warmth and enthusiasm of the villagers overwhelmed her, and they practically surrounded her. Suddenly, a slender hand reached out from the crowd and took her hand.
"Come with me."
Jiang Ling'er paused. She didn't sense any killing intent from the newcomer, and the strength with which he was gripping her indicated that he was weak and not a martial artist. She followed him as they ran through the alleyways, finally reaching a secluded spot. Jiang Ling'er looked up—
Fengyue Tower x.
The woman who had been holding her hand released it, removed her large felt hat, and revealed a beautiful, delicate face.
"Long time no see, Miss Jiang... no, I should call you 'Young Master Escort'."
Liu Yirong said to her with a smile.
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Author's note: I'll try to finish it before Christmas!
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