Chapter 265: First Encounter

After the wine rounds, several people walked out from the main gate of the County Office.

It was Clerk Qin who saw them out; Shen Yanliu had drunk quite a bit and was already slightly tipsy.

Li Xianjiang was also flushed from the drink, a faint smile hanging on his face as he stepped over the threshold of the County Government Office; he glanced at the plaza in front of the County Office, where the Zeying Tai for the martial examination had already been erected...

Li Xianjiang, emboldened by the alcohol, turned his head to look at Clerk Qin and said, "Not bad, the platform is already set up. Your Magistrate Shen is still as swift and decisive as ever in his work!"

The group had arrived early, as the examination was not to be held for another three days.

Clerk Qin smiled and said, "Selecting talent is a major event that happens once every three years; the County Magistrate has always attached great importance to it."

Li Xianjiang nodded; his mood was clearly excellent, as he had been very satisfied with the drinking at the banquet just now.

But the expressions of Zhu Qunxiang, Lu Qingfeng, and Wang Shanshan, who stood beside him, were somewhat unpleasant; Shen Yanliu had only toasted each of them once before he began to neglect them, focusing solely on drinking and talking with Li Xianjiang.

In truth, this could not be blamed entirely on Shen Yanliu; having spent a long time in officialdom, one naturally learns to treat people according to their status.

Although they were all Sect Emissaries, Shen Yanliu had treated Chu Ming, who arrived a month ago to review the Tainted Blood Case, almost with the courtesy due to a superior.

Yet he was not very attentive to Fan Yuanhai, Zhu Qunxiang, Lu Qingfeng, and Wang Shanshan.

Naturally, there were the ways of officialdom involved here.

One must know what a critical task reviewing the Tainted Blood Case was; any Sect Emissary, or rather, Outer Sect Disciple, capable of being responsible for such an important duty could basically be said to be guaranteed a promotion to the Inner Sect.

While this inspection of the Registered Disciples' examination was also important, it was a routine matter, and the merit points were split among the five of them; those Outer Sect Disciples assigned to such tasks were either just out of the Sect and beginning their training, or they had been marginalized with basically no hope of promotion.

For instance, Fan Yuanhai—the last time, the Xu Ruhu case was handled in a complete mess, and since then, very few important tasks had been assigned to him.

In fact, the situations of Zhu Qunxiang, Lu Qingfeng, and Wang Shanshan were roughly the same.

And all of this, Shen Yanliu was naturally well aware of.

Clerk Qin saw the group out the door, then took his leave and retreated back into the County Office.

Zhu Qunxiang looked at Fan Yuanhai with a smile and said, "Brother Fan, this is already your second time in Xiangu County; why didn't I hear you mention it along the way?"

Fan Yuanhai's expression was somewhat awkward; because of the Xu Ruhu case, he had suffered a defeat in this Xiangu County and was afraid of people asking about it, so he naturally did not want to bring it up, but just now at the banquet, he did not know if Shen Yanliu had done so intentionally or unintentionally, but he had brought the matter up himself.

Fan Yuanhai said, "It was just handling a case here in the first half of the year, nothing worth mentioning."

By this time, the alcohol was beginning to rise in Li Xianjiang, and his head was still spinning; seeing that the group had actually started chatting at the entrance of the County Office, he said, "It's been a tiring journey; everyone, let's go to the relay station to rest first."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Qunxiang pursed his lips and said, "Is the relay station such a good place?" He turned his head to look at Fan Yuanhai and asked with a smile, "Since Brother Fan is revisiting an old haunt, you must know where to stay."

Fan Yuanhai looked at Zhu Qunxiang with a smile and said, "Brother Zhu has asked the right person. The best inn in Xiangu County is the Chunfeng Inn on West Street. Why don't we go there?"

As Fan Yuanhai spoke, his gaze swept over everyone present; Lu Qingfeng and Wang Shanshan both nodded in agreement, while Lv Qingzhu just stood there smiling, without joining the conversation.

Seeing that Lv Qingzhu did not speak, Zhu Qunxiang asked with a smile, "Miss Qingzhu, since Brother Fan says the Chunfeng Inn is not bad, why not go and take a look? It should be better than the kiln-like relay station, right?"

Lv Qingzhu remained smiling and said, "Whatever is fine."

Seeing that Lv Qingzhu had spoken, Zhu Qunxiang glanced at Li Xianjiang and said, "Then let's go."

With that, the group left the entrance of the County Office and headed south along West Street.

Li Xianjiang stood there, watching their backs, and let out a cold snort, saying, "They have a free relay station but won't stay there, insisting on going to stay at some inn. Truly, the world is going downhill; the young people of today have broken brains!"

As Li Xianjiang spoke, he lifted his feet and walked in the direction of the relay station. The relay station not only provided free lodging but also covered three meals a day; he really could not understand why those fellows wouldn't go.

Not knowing how to take advantage of a bargain—if that isn't stupid, what is?

Of course, he could not understand it, because in the eyes of Fan Yuanhai and Zhu Qunxiang, as long as one could live comfortably, what did spending a little money matter?

This is not to say that Li Xianjiang lacked money; it could only be said that everyone has their own temperament.

Not only did he not lack money, but he was actually rolling in wealth; as a Principal in the Administration Commissioner Office, the money, grain, and taxes of two counties passed through his hands—the kickbacks from this were beyond counting...

Fan Yuanhai, Zhu Qunxiang, Lu Qingfeng, Wang Shanshan, Lv Qingzhu, and A Mo walked along the road, chatting as they went about some of the local customs of Xiangu County.

During this, it was basically Fan Yuanhai doing the talking while the others listened.

After all, the examination would not start for three days, so they had some leisure time during this period, and as they chatted, they began talking about places for entertainment.

Originally the tone was normal, but Fan Yuanhai suddenly lowered his voice.

A Mo faintly heard, "Huaying Pavilion... the Four Great Flower Shadows or something..."

A Mo's brow furrowed, her fists clenched until they creaked; Lv Qingzhu suddenly placed a hand like a white lotus root onto A Mo's fist and shook her head at her; A Mo immediately loosened her fist, dispelling her anger.

As they spoke, they arrived at the Chunfeng Inn.

Seeing that Fan Yuanhai had brought so many people at once, the proprietress was immediately all smiles, greeting them with great enthusiasm.

Each of them found their rooms; just as Lv Qingzhu and A Mo reached the door of their room, Zhu Qunxiang suddenly came over and said, "Miss Qingzhu, I am in the Yi Room of the Earth section; if you need any help with anything, feel free to come find me."

Lv Qingzhu stood there smiling and said, "Whatever is fine."

Zhu Qunxiang glanced at Lv Qingzhu and walked away happily. As he walked, he thought to himself that this Miss Qingzhu looked cold, but she was actually quite easy to talk to when communicating.

A Mo stood beside Lv Qingzhu, her eyes looking at Zhu Qunxiang's back with disgust; she was particularly nauseated by Zhu Qunxiang's happy appearance.

A Mo knew her young lady best; for anyone she disliked, no matter what they said to her, she would always say "whatever is fine," and would not say an extra word.

Lv Qingzhu and A Mo entered the room, drank some tea, and rested for a while.

Lv Qingzhu said, "A Mo, shall we go out and have some fun later?"

"Where shall we go for fun?"

Lv Qingzhu said, "Just now on the road, did you hear what they said? It seemed to be Huaying Pavilion... the Four Great Flower Shadows or something..."

A Mo's ugly face turned red, and she stammered, "What they said... it seemed to be... a brothel."

Lv Qingzhu said, "So what if it's a brothel? Let's go take a look."

"Ah..." A Mo's face showed a look of difficulty. "But, if the Master finds out, he will scold us..."

"If you don't say anything, how would my father know?" Lv Qingzhu looked at A Mo.

"Ah..." A Mo avoided Lv Qingzhu's eyes. "I definitely won't say anything..."

Lv Qingzhu said, "A Mo, look at me."

"Ah..." A Mo raised her head somewhat nervously.

Lv Qingzhu said, "We will go to a clothing store in a moment, find two sets of men's clothes, and wear them. Who would know we are women? We'll just go and take a look; the Four Great Flower Shadows, it sounds very interesting just by the name..."

"Won't you please!" Lv Qingzhu shook A Mo's arm, acting like a spoiled child.

"Alright..." A Mo's face turned red, and she agreed.

Since childhood, A Mo had zero resistance to Lv Qingzhu's pouting; as long as Lv Qingzhu used this trick, no matter how unreasonable the request, A Mo would agree, and because of this, she had been beaten by the master more than once.

Seeing that A Mo had agreed, Lv Qingzhu was suddenly in a great mood.

The two had grown up together in Changliu Mountain, and this was their first time traveling far from home; Lv Qingzhu had passed over Shangcai County, a suburban county of Shenyun Prefecture, and specifically chosen this remote Xiangu County just to have a good tour.

A Mo was actually also on her first long-distance trip; although she felt it was very improper for the young lady to go to a brothel, since the young lady said it was fine to go dressed in men's clothing, then it was fine.

The two couldn't wait to head out, inquired about the location of a clothing store, and walked inside.

The shopkeeper greeted them enthusiastically; as far as clothing stores went, women's business was usually much easier to handle than men's.

When the shopkeeper heard they wanted to buy men's clothing, he didn't react much; times were chaotic, and it was not uncommon for women to buy men's clothes.

Lv Qingzhu quickly selected a moon-white, piped, elegant robe.

She held it up against her body to compare.

A Mo smiled and said, "Young lady, it looks like a perfect fit."

Lv Qingzhu said, "A Mo, from now on don't call me young lady, call me Young Master. By the way, I won't be called Lv Qingzhu for the time being, I am called Lv Qingshan!"

A Mo pursed her lips and smiled, but when it came time for her to choose clothes, she couldn't smile anymore.

Although A Mo was a girl, few men were as tall and sturdy as her; standing there, she was just like a small mountain.

The shopkeeper brought out the largest size, but A Mo still couldn't fit into it.

A Mo looked at Lv Qingzhu with a mournful face. "Young lady..."

"It's fine, A Mo. Small shops in this backwater are just like this." As Lv Qingzhu said this, she turned her head to look at the shopkeeper and asked, "If you make a set of ready-to-wear clothes now, when can it be finished? Can it be done by tomorrow morning?"

"With this young lady's physique, I'm afraid it's a bit difficult..." The shopkeeper glanced at A Mo, a look of difficulty appearing on his face, and said, "To rush it out, I'd have to pull an all-nighter... it's just... regarding the price..."

Lv Qingzhu said, "Just name a number."

The shopkeeper quoted a price.

Lv Qingzhu was slightly surprised, because she felt the shopkeeper's price was very cheap, at least much lower than the cost of living in Shenyun Prefecture.

The two paid the deposit, and after the shopkeeper stood on a chair and table to measure A Mo's dimensions, they left the clothing store.

"Young lady, where are we going now?"

Lv Qingzhu said, "Just wandering around!"

The two began to stroll along the street; because A Mo's clothes were not yet finished, Lv Qingzhu hadn't changed into her men's outfit either, and was still wearing her floral-patterned water skirt.

The two ate quite a few snacks along the street; earlier at the banquet, Lv Qingzhu hadn't liked the atmosphere, so she had neither drunk any wine nor eaten a single bite of food.

"Young lady, this beef offal sandwich is really delicious..." A Mo was slurping from the spiciness, yet couldn't help but praise it.

"Mm, it is not bad." Lv Qingzhu also took a bite and chewed slowly.

The two ate while walking, and as they walked, Lv Qingzhu suddenly stopped at the entrance of an alley.

A Mo noticed Lv Qingzhu had suddenly stopped, so she turned to look at her.

Lv Qingzhu stood at the alley entrance, looking at the two sides of the not-too-wide street, which were packed with stalls, and the alley itself was bustling with people.

Lv Qingzhu's eyes lit up slightly, flashing with interest. "This is quite lively... what is this alley for?"

A Mo had already walked to Lv Qingzhu's side; she looked at a stall at the alley entrance and said, "It seems to be selling antiques?"

"Is that so?" Lv Qingzhu had already lifted her foot and walked in.

A Mo immediately followed.

The alley was already crowded, but A Mo's mountain-like figure, combined with her naturally fierce and ugly face, was quite terrifying; as the two walked along, passersby retreated one after another...

The two stopped in front of a stall, where the shopkeeper had various wood-carved bead bracelets laid out.

Lv Qingzhu looked them over and realized they were all artificially aged fakes; she picked up one that looked decent, rubbed it in her hands a few times, sniffed it at the tip of her nose, and then frowned and put it down.

The moment the shopkeeper saw Lv Qingzhu's reaction, he felt she was an expert.

Just as Lv Qingzhu was about to leave, the shopkeeper suddenly said, "Young lady, stay a moment, I have sandalwood ones here too." As the shopkeeper spoke, he fished out a wood-carved bead bracelet from under the stall and handed it to Lv Qingzhu.

Lv Qingzhu turned back and glanced at the item in the shopkeeper's hand, grabbed it, examined the color carefully in the sunlight, and then sniffed it at the tip of her nose; sure enough, there was a faint, lingering fragrance.

Do not underestimate this fragrance; although it was faint, it could last for a hundred years without dissipating.

Lv Qingzhu held the wood-carved bead bracelet and smiled lightly, "It really is sandalwood! Do you have any that aren't artificially aged? I'll buy two strings!"

The shopkeeper's old face turned slightly red; his gaze swept over the mountain-of-flesh A Mo and her naturally fierce face, and he said, "Yes, yes..."

As the shopkeeper spoke, he bent down and fished out two brand-new bracelets from under the stall; Lv Qingzhu touched them and smiled, "These bracelets are actually quite good..."

Duan Rong walked in from the alley entrance; he didn't come to this Antique Street often anymore, only occasionally coming to hunt for some books to take back. Over the past year, he had noticed that the shopkeepers here had changed quite a bit.

"Business is hard to do these days."

Duan Rong walked slowly, when he suddenly saw two people standing in front of the stall ahead.

He looked at their backs; the one wearing the water skirt and carrying a Sword looked normal, but the person standing beside her was simply like a mountain of flesh.

Moreover, judging by the hairstyle and clothing from behind, it seemed to be a woman; Duan Rong walked past the stall and couldn't help but take a few extra looks.

Just at this moment, the shopkeeper also saw Duan Rong and called out enthusiastically, "Young Master Mo, haven't seen you in a long time!"

When Duan Rong heard the shopkeeper call him "Touch-a-bit," his face immediately turned black.

At this time, A Mo and Lv Qingzhu turned around together to look at Duan Rong behind them.

The moment the two backs turned around, the intense contrast and collision made Duan Rong's breath hitch, and his heart jumped into his throat...

A Mo's face was full of ferocity; although she was smiling, it was even more hair-raising!

Lv Qingzhu held her Sword in her left hand, hanging down, and lightly gripped a string of wood-carved bead bracelets in her right; her waist was as straight as a Sword, and although she looked at him with a clever smile, her gaze held a restrained sharpness...

Although the shopkeeper had enthusiastically called out to Duan Rong as "Touch-a-bit," Duan Rong did not respond to him and just walked past the stall as if nothing had happened.

A Mo nudged Lv Qingzhu with her elbow and whispered, "Young lady, that shopkeeper called him 'Touch-a-bit'?"

"I know." Lv Qingzhu turned around and began to chat with the shopkeeper; in a few sentences, the shopkeeper explained the origin of Duan Rong's nickname "Touch-a-bit" to Lv Qingzhu.

Lv Qingzhu's eyes sparkled with brilliance, appearing very interested. She had been bursting with curiosity since she was small, and she loved strange and eccentric things the most, people included.

Lv Qingzhu paid for two strings of bracelets, one for her and one for A Mo, and the two turned to leave the stall.

Lv Qingzhu saw at a glance that Duan Rong had turned around ahead, seemingly heading toward a shop facing the street; just at this moment, Lv Qingzhu's brows suddenly furrowed, and almost simultaneously, A Mo's large hand flashed out, already grabbing at her side.

The moment Duan Rong turned around in front, the corner of his eye glanced toward Lv Qingzhu and A Mo; A Mo's mountain-of-flesh figure was simply too conspicuous, like a landmark, towering high amidst the crowd.

Duan Rong's gaze shifted; in the past he might not have been able to tell, but now, with just one look, he could see that a pickpocket had gotten close to Lv Qingzhu.

(End of chapter)