Chapter 49: Ill-Fated Connection

The next day at noon, after Qiuhun finished her lunch, she didn't dare to take a nap and hurried to the Wai Bo Zi Liu Shu to line up.

By the time she arrived, she had narrowly managed to get the eighth spot; if she had dawdled any longer, she might not have gotten in line at all.

Qiuhun stuck out her tongue; if she hadn't managed to get in line, the young miss would likely have scolded her again.

Shen Mizhi had a bad temper and was cold as ice; Qiuhun was still quite afraid of her!

Qiuhun waited for two hours before Duan Rong, who had transformed into a display rack, walked under the Wai Bo Zi Liu Shu in the fading light of the sunset.

This was the first time Qiuhun had observed such a strangely behaving fellow from such close range.

She saw Duan Rong methodically set up his easel first, then hang the satchel from his shoulder onto the tree...

Qiuhun's large eyes stared unblinkingly, sparkling with curiosity!

Once Duan Rong had set his things down, he took out the wedge-shaped tallies and handed them out one by one.

Qiuhun had been standing for nearly two hours, and her calves were already aching.

However, the young miss had said she would arrive at the hour of Shen.

Although several personal attendants and maids in the line had already taken their tallies and left, Qiuhun remained standing there, gazing toward the street entrance...

Shen Mizhi had indeed left the house just as the hour of Shen began; she was truly a bit curious about the level of that painter's skill and whether he really had as much of an air about him as he put on.

Just as Shen Mizhi turned into West Street from an alley not far from the Wai Bo Zi Liu Shu, Qiuhun spotted her at a glance.

Qiuhun waved happily and called out "Young Miss," then ran out of the line toward Shen Mizhi...

Perhaps it was because she had stood for too long, but Qiuhun's legs had grown stiff; she didn't notice it in the first few steps, but after a few more, her thigh suddenly cramped.

Qiuhun stumbled and fell to the ground!

The wedge-shaped tally in her hand also flew out and landed with a "clack" at the entrance of the Raw Medicine Shop.

At this moment, a plump woman with a full figure, dressed in a verdant water-colored dress and holding a goose-quill saber, was passing by the entrance of the Raw Medicine Shop; she wore her hair in a single-coil bun, with strands hanging down on both sides, a style that could make one's face appear thinner.

Just as she was about to step into the Raw Medicine Shop, she suddenly saw a wedge-shaped tally fall from the sky and land right by her feet with a "clack."

The plump woman was overjoyed and immediately bent down to snatch the tally into her hand.

Qiuhun fell to the ground and, seeing her tally picked up by someone else, ignored the pain of the cramp and struggled to climb up, shouting, "That is my token!"

The plump woman had been lining up for two days without success; now that she had it in her grasp, how could she let it go? She argued sophistically, "What do you mean yours! Is your name written on it? If you call out to it, will it answer you? How is it yours?"

This was clearly an attempt to act like a rogue!

She saw that Qiuhun was just a little maid and looked frail, so she didn't take her seriously at all!

Qiuhun was so angry that her breath hitched, and her lips trembled. "You... you rogue... that is my token!"

"Who's a rogue?" The plump woman took a step forward instead, as if she were in the right, and yelled, "Who's a rogue? I picked up this tally; what does it have to do with you?"

Qiuhun was too angry to speak and couldn't suppress the plump woman's aggressive, spittle-flying demeanor; she was on the verge of tears and said, "That is the tally I got by waiting in line! You... you are bullying people!"

"You got it by waiting in line? Who can prove that?" the plump woman demanded aggressively.

Qiuhun rubbed her tears and turned her head to look behind her.

The one man and two women waiting in line for paintings at the stall all lowered their heads; Duan Rong had naturally noticed the commotion here long ago, but three women make a drama, and the two were arguing so fiercely, how could he dare to intervene? Duan Rong's mind raced, and he was just about to tell them both that he could temporarily add a tally for them so they wouldn't have to keep arguing.

But before Duan Rong could speak, Shen Mizhi had already walked over, stood in front of Qiuhun, and without a word, drew her Long Sword with a "shing" sound, shouting angrily, "The tally! Hand it over!"

Duan Rong gave a silent laugh; this young lady's temper was truly reckless!

As soon as Qiuhun saw Shen Mizhi arrive, she felt emboldened and, pointing at the plump woman, cried, "Young Miss, she snatched my tally!"

The plump woman was slightly stunned when she saw Shen Mizhi standing opposite her; this woman stood with her waist and spine straight, her entire presence as sharp as a sword, and the tassel on the Long Sword in her hand was white as snow, the blade's cold light like water—it was clearly no ordinary item.

"This one is a martial artist..." The plump woman's eyelids drooped, and she felt a moment of hesitation.

Seeing the plump woman standing motionless, Shen Mizhi said coldly, "Either hand over the tally yourself, or I will take it by force and drag you to the Ya Men! Choose for yourself!"

The plump woman was provoked into a fit of rage by Shen Mizhi's arrogant attitude; she looked over and noticed the maid behind Shen Mizhi looking at her as if she had already been defeated.

She felt very displeased and said sarcastically, "What have I done that you would drag me to the Ya Men? I've never heard that picking up a tally is against the law!"

"Did your parents never teach you? To take without asking is the act of a thief!"

"Who are you calling a thief?"

"You!"

The plump woman was instantly enraged; she drew her goose-quill saber, took a large stride, and leaped forward, slashing toward Shen Mizhi.

Shen Mizhi gave a faint, cold smile; was she afraid you wouldn't come?

The two clashed with blade and sword, and in an instant, they were locked in a fight.

After two moves, the plump woman was shocked to the core; the web of her thumb ached, and two or three times, the goose-quill saber in her hand had nearly been shaken from her grip by the opponent's powerful Internal Breath!

The opponent's Internal Breath was clearly far deeper than her own, and her sword techniques were even more exquisite and fierce!

The plump woman retreated two steps, but Shen Mizhi stepped diagonally and moved horizontally, her Long Sword thrusting rapidly from the side.

Seeing Shen Mizhi's fierce sword momentum, the plump woman merely raised her saber to block, but Shen Mizhi suddenly twisted her wrist, and the Long Sword in her hand spun out a sword flower.

With a "ding," the goose-quill saber in the plump woman's hand was swept away by the sword flower created by Shen Mizhi's wrist strength, and it stuck diagonally into the middle of the street.

Seeing her strike succeed, Shen Mizhi sank her hips and twisted her waist, delivering a horizontal sweep with one leg that sent the plump woman flying backward.

The plump woman, with her sturdy build, landed with a dull thud not far from Duan Rong's painting stall, kicking up a cloud of dust!

Shen Mizhi was filled with indignation; she had long since decided that she would not only defeat this woman but also humiliate her to vent for her maid, Qiuhun.

Her maid was someone she could scold or hit, but no one else was allowed to bully her!

Almost the moment the woman hit the ground, Shen Mizhi leaped forward, pressing in with her sword.

Her original intention was to point the sword at the plump woman's throat and force her to apologize to Qiuhun.

But unexpectedly, as she leaped in front of the woman and landed, her foot stepped on a smooth pebble.

The pebble wasn't small, but it had been covered in a layer of dust kicked up when the plump woman fell; it was almost the same color as the ground and was nearly impossible to notice.

Shen Mizhi had originally intended to press the Long Sword against the plump woman's throat, but as she landed, her body tilted, and it looked as if the Long Sword was about to pierce the woman's throat!

At this critical moment, Duan Rong suddenly jumped up, his left foot, infused with Internal Breath, stomping hard against the willow tree at his side to borrow its force!

As the crooked willow tree swayed, Duan Rong leaped and lunged!

He wrapped both arms around Shen Mizhi's shoulders, and their figures immediately went into disarray, causing them both to tumble backward together!

The tip of the Long Sword merely circled the plump woman's neck, leaving behind nothing more than a faint, shallow bloodstain!

Yet the plump woman's face had already turned deathly pale, her beauty marred by terror!

(End of chapter)