Chapter 117 "Don't let your good looks fool you again..."
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The best darts in the world.
The siege of Jinling finally ended with the defeat of the Jin army and the first light of dawn.
Jiang Ling'er's reputation as a chivalrous woman soared from that day forward, while Zhao Xiao vanished. Some said he was bewitched by the enchantress and went mad. Others said he surrendered to the Jin army, while still others said he died.
Accounts differ. Overnight, he went from being the envy of everyone as the youngest and most powerful head镖师 (chief镖师) in history to being condemned by all—
"He'd better be dead, or I'll kill this bastard for my fourth brother!"
Yuan Wenkang was almost gritting his teeth, his eyes slightly red, not only because he was heartbroken for the younger generation, but also because of Yuan Zao.
When she woke up the next day and saw that her hair was all white, she locked herself in her room for a whole day.
When they discovered it, the empty boudoir contained only a letter.
The letter contained only four words: "My daughter is unfilial."
Nobody knows where she went.
Jiang Ling'er immediately replied, "Second Uncle Yuan, I definitely will..."
“You don’t need to worry about this.” Yuan Wenkang shook his head, but in a short while he had transformed from a loving father back into the dignified Xuanwu Hall Master. “She’s not a child anymore. She should be responsible for her actions. And you have more important things to do.”
“But…” Jiang Ling’er wanted to say something, but seeing Yuan Wenkang’s firm resolve, she stopped. Under Yuan Wenkang’s gaze, she straightened her back. “Second Uncle Yuan, please speak.”
Yuan Wenkang suddenly knelt on one knee. Jiang Ling'er was stunned for a moment and quickly helped him up.
"Second Uncle!"
"The old镖头's innocence has been cleared. Zhao Xiao is unworthy to be the chief镖头 of the number one镖头 in the world! The position of chief镖头 of the number one镖头 in the world cannot be vacant for even a day; it should rightfully be..."
"It wasn't me."
Yuan Wenkang raised his eyes, his expression displeased: "Ling'er."
Jiang Ling'er helped Yuan Wenkang up and stared at him intently:
"Second Uncle, I still have unfinished business. I must fulfill my father's last wish. The position of the chief镖头 (head of the number one镖师) in the world should not be mine under any circumstances. It should be yours, Second Uncle."
Yuan Wenkang paused, his brows furrowing even more tightly. He seemed about to say something, but Jiang Ling'er spoke first:
"Second Uncle, listen to me first. You're right. The number one escort agency in the world cannot be without a leader for even a day. Although Ling'er did her part in the Jin army's attack on the city, it was Second Uncle who led the people in a tenacious resistance. It was Second Uncle who led the disciples of the four halls of the number one escort agency in the world to evacuate the people and save the wounded. The chief escort of the number one escort agency in the world is none other than Second Uncle!"
As soon as Jiang Ling'er finished speaking, she knelt down on one knee. Following her kneeling, all the disciples of the镖门 (镖门 is a type of镖局 is a type of镖局) knelt down in unison!
"You... sigh."
After a long silence, Yuan Wenkang sighed deeply. He helped Jiang Ling'er up, gripped her shoulders tightly, and his eyes glistened with tears: "If my elder brother were still alive... he would be comforted."
A moment of bitterness welled up in Jiang Ling'er's eyes. Every time she heard the name of the old镖头 (bodyguard), a sour feeling would rise up first. But this time, she looked at Yuan Wenkang and a smile slowly spread across her face.
Yuan Wenkang sighed deeply again, patted her shoulder heavily, and said nothing more, but suddenly said at the end:
"It's best to avoid contact with that Daoist Xiaoyaozi from the Lingxiao Sect named 'Pei Xuan'."
Jiang Ling'er paused, then subconsciously looked towards the southeast wing, where Pei Xuan was resting, and Lian Sheng and Ma Qingmei were taking care of him.
He was seriously injured and is still recovering.
Jiang Ling'er was quite surprised: "Second Uncle knows him?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Jiang Ling'er realized what she meant.
He is the famous Xiaoyaozi Zhenren, whose sword light chills nineteen provinces. He is an amazing figure in the eyes of many, a carefree little immortal.
It's not surprising that Uncle Yuan knew.
To everyone's surprise, Yuan Wenkang slowly shook his head, a deep frown forming between his brows, just as he had when he heard that the Jin army was about to capture Nanjing. His expression was extremely solemn.
"Although this kid made great contributions in the defense of Nanjing, I'm afraid... I'm afraid that keeping such a person by your side will be more of a curse than a blessing."
"Second Uncle, don't let his sickly, charlatan-like appearance fool you..."
Jiang Ling'er knew that not only Yuan Wenkang, but everyone was curious about how she had come back from the dead. So she briefly told Yuan Wenkang about what had happened on her journey north and then south, only briefly mentioning the little poison.
Pei Xuan not only used the trumpet creeper to cure her poison, but also cured the poison of many of his martial arts friends in the martial arts arena, a fact that Yuan Wenkang was well aware of.
Yuan Wenkang pondered for a moment, his expression softening slightly, but his tightly furrowed brows remained furrowed as he glanced at her:
"Do you really know who he is? Do you know that after learning of your death, he almost went berserk and nearly went mad? He looked even more ferocious than the orthodox demonic sects."
"Him?" Jiang Ling'er was stunned, finding it hard to believe that the carefree, seemingly unconcerned, poor Taoist priest had almost gone mad. Her tone was full of doubt. "You mean he went mad?"
Yuan Wenkang said with exasperation, "Don't fall for someone's good looks again!"
Jiang Ling'er: "..."
How Jiang Ling'er managed to wring Ji Yunshu's heart is still a topic of conversation among the people of Nanjing.
Embarrassing.
That's so embarrassing.
Jiang Ling'er gave an awkward laugh, saying that she had been tricked by the stinky Taoist priest's appearance, even though it was nothing, she didn't know why she felt guilty herself:
"Second Uncle, why bring that up again... Ji Yunshu and I are over, and I haven't thought about him for a long time."
This is true.
“I never approved of my elder brother getting too close to that kid Pei Xuan,” Yuan Wenkang said, shaking his head. “Although that kid is exceptionally talented and has become a renowned figure at a young age, my elder brother tried to match you with him, but you chose to fall for Ji Yunshu, that weak and helpless scholar. In the end, it just wasn’t meant to be, and I was quite disappointed at the time. Now it seems…”
Yuan Wenkang recalled Pei Xuan's handsome face suddenly darkening as he watched Jiang Ling'er fall to the ground, his eyes bloodshot from fighting against a hundred men, and felt a chill run down his spine.
He immediately thought, "Thank goodness this person is on my side. If he were on the enemy's side..."
Yuan Wenkang shook his head heavily and concluded:
"They are definitely not a good match."
"...Who?" Jiang Ling'er's almond-shaped eyes widened, almost unable to believe her ears. "Second Uncle, are you saying that I almost...almost got engaged to that...that stinky Taoist priest???"
Yuan Wenkang was also puzzled: "Didn't your elder brother tell you this?"
"Father...is he really serious?"
Jiang Ling'er was speechless.
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"...What, do I have words on my face?"
Inside the room, the young man, who was about to drink his daily dose of medicinal food, suddenly paused, his long fingers holding the spoon stopping.
The young Taoist priest, who had just recovered from a serious illness, finally regained a trace of life on his pale, handsome face.
However, this handsome face, always smiling and warm towards others, vanished when facing Jiang Ling'er. His voice was indifferent, and his phoenix eyes glanced at her not far away.
"Do I have words on my face?"
Ha, they're even worse than strangers.
Jiang Ling'er paused, blinked her almond-shaped eyes quickly, and turned her face away, trying to cover it up:
"……nothing."
The young Taoist priest raised his long eyebrows slightly, staring at the woman's raven-feather-like hair not far away. His phoenix eyes narrowed slightly with suspicion as he slowly drank the medicinal food.
"You think you're completely healed!"
Ma Qingmei brought in the freshly cooked medicinal meal, and her expression turned sour upon seeing Jiang Ling'er that she slammed the meal down on the table in front of her.
"Drink it quickly! I won't cook it a second time!"
Despite the apparent effort, not a single drop of the scalding hot medicinal food spilled from the teacup.
A two-faced, sharp-tongued but soft-hearted brat.
Although several days had passed since the Jinling Incident, Jiang Ling'er knew that the scoundrel Taoist priest still harbored resentment towards her.
He resented her for knocking him unconscious, and he resented that she didn't even bother to tell him beforehand.
Jiang Ling'er felt a little guilty, but then she thought, she had saved his life!
To be precise, it saved his life again!
If she hadn't intervened in time, and those three silver needles hadn't been inserted, this guy would have been dead long ago! How dare he give her attitude? He's incredibly rude!
That girl Ma Qingmei is really something, actually helping that scoundrel Taoist priest. She was lucky enough to receive guidance from Senior Ma Rujiao in the underworld, making her half a disciple of Senior Ma Rujiao. Senior Ma is also her father's brother, so they are from the same clan! Yet she's siding with that bastard Pei Xuan!
Jiang Ling'er picked up the piping hot medicinal food and took a sip. Still indignant, she couldn't help but echo the sarcastic tone of that scoundrel Taoist priest:
"A fierce, shrewish woman from Hedong, and a cold, unyielding rock. You two are quite a perfect match, working together in perfect harmony."
As soon as she finished speaking, Ma Qingmei paused, stunned. She couldn't help but glance at Pei Xuan subconsciously.
The young Taoist's eyebrows, which resembled distant mountains, furrowed tightly; he was truly angry.
His handsome face was as cold as frost, and his voice as sharp as an ice blade.
"I could tell her pulse was strong as a tiger's; it would be a waste for her to drink it."
Jiang Ling'er was immediately furious, and even rolled up her sleeves, but for some reason she suddenly calmed down, put down her teacup, and stormed off.
"this……"
Ma Qingmei was stunned for a moment. She wanted to chase after him, but when she turned around and saw the young monk who had appeared out of nowhere, she suddenly understood why.
Lian Sheng was still carrying food in his hands, perhaps because Jiang Ling'er had bumped into him in her haste to go out earlier. His face was deathly pale, his small, overly delicate face, like a dodder vine, was completely devoid of color, making him look even more seriously injured than Pei Xuan.
The young Taoist priest merely glanced at it, chuckled very softly, lowered his head and drank the entire bowl of medicinal food without saying a word.
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Seven days passed, and Yuan Zao was still nowhere to be found.
A large number of Song soldiers who originally intended to capture Jiang Ling'er and execute her on the spot were persuaded by Zhang Liangxiang to have Zhang Liangxiang and Song Shiliang go to the capital to explain the various reasons for the incident to the emperor.
Zhang Liangxiang, who was renowned as the second-in-command, was one day implicated in a crime because of a commoner.
Jiang Ling'er was not afraid of taking responsibility for her actions, and she was unwilling for others to bear the consequences for her. In the end, it was Song Shiliang who persuaded her to stay.
“Nephew, listen to your uncle’s advice. The martial world is not like the imperial court; it’s a different kind of bloody battle. Good children, you’ve done enough. Leave the rest to us. Consider it…” Song Shiliang paused, glancing at Zhang Liangxiang, who was standing not far away with his eyes downcast, “…for the sake of the old镖头 (bodyguard/escort).
Since Jiang Ling'er last saw Zhang Liangxiang, Zhang Liangxiang seemed... to have aged.
Perhaps because he had led Song soldiers to the rescue and traveled through wind and rain, the already thin old man became even thinner, as if a layer of skin covered his bones, with his white hair.
Perhaps knowing that Jiang Ling'er still resented him, Zhang Xu and Zhang Liangxiang kept their distance. It was because of his commission that the old镖头 (bodyguard/escort) was killed.
Jiang Ling'er also knew that the old镖头 (bodyguard/escort) was loyal and righteous throughout his life, and would never stand idly by when it came to matters of national righteousness. She also knew that Zhang Liangxiang was taking on the responsibility to protect his close friend's bloodline, and that he was personally pleading his case before the emperor.
If she were still grieving the loss of the old镖头 (bodyguard/escort), and if her father were still alive... he would surely blame her.
She's not a child anymore.
Moreover, she heard from the Seven Sons of Lingxiao that if Zhang Liang hadn't remonstrated with the Emperor at the cost of his life, they probably wouldn't have been able to get reinforcements.
The casualties in Jinling City at that time were probably incomparable to those of today.
Jiang Ling'er took a deep breath and went to apologize and thank Zhang Liangxiang. However, she inadvertently stumbled upon Zhang Liangxiang talking to Pei Xuan.
She paused slightly, then turned her head, intending to leave. But now, having unintentionally studied the *Longevity Manual*, and with guidance from masters like Shui Rong, Master Ma, Master Lu, and Ma Rujiao, her inner strength was vastly different. Zhang Liangxiang's almost cold, devoid of emotion, words drifted into her ears:
“Lian Sheng is not yet worthy of the title ‘Crown Prince.’ If he is not up to the task…”
"Kill him."
Jiang Ling'er suddenly opened her eyes.
Her long eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings.
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