Chapter 81: A Kind Mother and a Great Filial Daughter

"Miss, the Eldest Master has come to pick us up!"

After half a month of forced marches following the Marquis of Lord Lieyang, General Guan Zhong received a piece of good news from Song Song Changqing.

"Although he didn't say it explicitly, judging from the Eldest Master's arrangements, the Master must have already escaped danger and completely returned to the light and been reborn." He was so excited that tears welled up.

"Heaven bless, Foster Father is finally safe." After performing a shadow-following act, Xiao Yu personally poured a cup of hot tea for General Guan Zhong and asked, "What arrangements does the Eldest Uncle have?"

At this time, the sun was setting behind the mountains, and they had experienced another day of galloping on horseback.

The Fire Crow Army entered the military camp prepared in advance by the prefecture, while they stayed in a nearby inn, booking a suite with a small courtyard.

General Guan Zhong had just returned from inquiring about news outside.

Apart from Song Song Changqing revealing unimportant official news received by the Fire Crow Army, General Guan Zhong would also go to the General Guan family's pharmacy in the prefecture or directly find local officials to inquire about the situation in Luodu and Yingxiang Prefecture.

Xiao Yu rarely went out; one reason was that she was tired after a day and didn't want to bother, and the other was that as a "noble young lady," it was inconvenient for her to show her face.

The Western Shu Kingdom did not have the strict etiquette of the Ming and Qing dynasties of her previous life, and it was very common for women and young ladies to go out.

However, going out for outings or visiting guests was different from going out with family servants to inquire about news.

"The Eldest Master received the King's order and left Luodu for Liulin Ferry to respectfully welcome the Marquis of Lord Lieyang and the Fire Crow Army, and then he will follow the Marquis of Lord Lieyang to Tianmen Town in Yingxiang Prefecture to wait for the arrival of the imperial envoy from the Upper State," General Guan Zhong said happily, holding his teacup.

"Is this an official letter issued by the Shu court to the Fire Crow Army, or did the Eldest Uncle send a message separately? Are there any other messages?" Xiao Yu asked again.

General Guan Zhong shook his head and said, "The Eldest Master didn't send a message separately. What Song Song Changqing told me was the court's official news, and the nearby prefects and magistrates all received the decree to cooperate with the Eldest Master and receive the Fire Crow Army."

Xiao Yu deliberately said disappointedly, "In that case, there is still no definite news from Foster Father's side."

General Guan Zhong smiled, "Miss, if the Master had really passed away, the Eldest Master would never have accepted this task. I even dare to assert that it was the Eldest Master who took the initiative to request this errand from the King."

"Think about it, if the Master hadn't been saved, our General Guan family wouldn't dare say we were at odds with the Marquis of Lord Lieyang, but at least we wouldn't take a hot face to stick to his cold butt."

"If the Master had really died, the Marquis of Lord Lieyang wouldn't take the Eldest Master's diligence as kindness either."

"That makes sense."

Although she said "that makes sense," Xiao Yu actually still had some doubts in her heart.

Even if General Guan General Guan Huchen hadn't died, the relationship between the General Guan family and the Marquis of Lord Lieyang was very awkward.

In such a situation, avoiding them from afar and pretending to be transparent would be the best choice.

Of course, it was also possible that the General Guan family was worried about being held a grudge by the Marquis of Lord Lieyang, so they hurriedly arranged for the Eldest General Guan to come and kneel and lick without a bottom line, hinting that the General Guan family didn't dare to hold a grudge against the Marquis, and that he should be magnanimous and let go of this "victim."

The next morning, the Fire Crow Army officially entered Hexi Prefecture.

The capital of Hexi Prefecture was Yingxiang Prefecture.

In the afternoon, the Fire Crow Army passed through a forest where willow catkins were drifting and arrived at Liulin Ferry by the Black Dragon River, only to see a team of horses already waiting there.

"The Censor-in-Chief of the Western Shu Kingdom, General Guan General Guan Wenlong, respectfully welcomes the Marquis of Lord Lieyang~~~"

General Guan General Guan Wenlong wore a black high-mountain crown, a dark green official robe, a book knife and jade ring at his waist, and held a tablet in his hand, dressed very formally.

The robe had wide sleeves, embroidered with beautiful cloud patterns, solemn and atmospheric, and solemn and exquisite.

His bowing etiquette was also exceptionally grand, almost a plus version of facing the King of Shu, not only prostrating himself but also keeping his forehead on the ground for a long time.

He was like this, and the civil and military officials behind him were the same.

Compared with the Iron Cavalry Camp of the Luye Guard, the Shu soldiers and generals who appeared here were exceptionally gorgeous in their attire.

Likewise, their armor was bright and shining, glistening in the sun.

The tassels on their heads were also bright in color, as if they were gorgeous red flowers.

The cloaks were made of the most expensive brocade, making the nearby green willows lose their color.

"Retreat to the side and clear the road!" General Cai said indifferently.

The Marquis of Lord Lieyang didn't even show his face, nor did he speak.

"Reporting to the Marquis, reporting to General Cai, Tianmen Town has received definite notice that the imperial envoy from the Upper State of China, Lord Dongfang, has encountered a small matter in the Eastern Sha Domain and will have to wait at least two months before crossing west."

"Therefore, the Marquis and the generals do not need to rush on the road."

"Moreover, from this Liulin Ferry, one can take a boat directly to Yingxiang Prefecture and Tianmen Town."

"The humble official has prepared three large ships and several dragon boats."

"If the wind is favorable and we proceed at full speed, we can let the Fire Crow Army arrive at Tianmen Town in two days, which is no slower than riding a horse," General Guan General Guan Wenlong said.

General Cai showed hesitation, discussed with the Marquis of Lord Lieyang for a while, and then ordered General Guan General Guan Wenlong to build a gangplank and let the Fire Crow Army board the ship.

Following General Guan General Guan Wenlong's order, the civil and military officials below busied themselves enthusiastically.

General Guan Wenlong scanned the Fire Crow Army formation, found General Cai alone, and said, "General Cai, does the Marquis intend to take all the Western generals back to China?"

"Why do you ask this? If you want to recall the knights of the Shu Kingdom, you can take them away at any time," General Cai said indifferently.

"No, no!" General Guan Wenlong waved his hands repeatedly and said respectfully, "Being able to serve the Great Qin is the greatest blessing in the lives of all the soldiers."

"Our King of Shu and our Western countries will only be happy to see it happen; how could we refuse?"

"In fact, it is because our King of Shu heard that the Fire Crow Army lost quite a few people at Flying Immortal Ferry; there were three thousand of them, and now only three hundred remain, so he is worried that the Marquis lacks soldiers."

"In short, as long as the Marquis has a need, our Shu Kingdom is willing to fill all the vacancies."

Xu Huier speaking, he also pointed his fingers at the gorgeously armored soldiers, saying, "General, look, that is Li Shunjun, ranked ninth on the Shu East War God List, a descendant of the Shu Kingdom's royal family, only 19 years old, already at the Great Completion of the True Qi Realm; and there is the 'God Bow' Li Wanchen, also a member of the royal family, the second son of the Prince of Qinghe, who has practiced the sixth change of the 'Nine Changes of the Heavenly River', a young talent famous in the West; and for example, that one..."

General Guan Wenlong talked endlessly, and every young talent was described by him as being rare in heaven and hard to find on earth, a once-in-a-century peerless talent.

The more General Cai listened, the tighter his brows furrowed.

Although a few young talents were indeed gifted, and if trained for a few years, they could be considered elites in the Fire Crow Army.

But General Guan General Guan Wenlong... or rather the King of Shu, was clearly arranging for the children of the Shu noble families to walk through the back door.

Delusionally trying to follow the Marquis of Lord Lieyang into the Great Qin, realizing the great vision of "escaping the barbarians and entering China" overnight.

Damn it, when fighting against a million-strong army and conquering thirty-six countries, these bastards were nowhere to be seen; now that the battle is over and the Marquis is returning to the court to receive rewards, you all drilled out, and even called it "satisfying the Marquis's needs and completing the Fire Crow Army's vacancies."

Bah! My good sons of China have a hard time getting into the Fire Crow Army, and you group of Western barbarians are all dreaming!

"The Marquis will at most select ten or so Western generals with outstanding merits to return to China with the Fire Crow Army."

General Cai shook his head and tactfully refused, "To cross the three thousand weak waters of the Flowing Sand River, one must have a Gale Car Feather Wheel."

"Not to mention the most expensive 'West Zhang Kunlun Gale Car'."

"Just talking about the relatively ordinary Zhou Rao Kingdom flying car, how much is a boat ticket?"

"It's not that your Western generals are not brave enough; it's really that the Gale Car seats are limited and cannot accommodate too many people."

"Otherwise, this time the chaos of the thirty-six countries would not have seen only a hundred or so Fire Crow warriors enter Tianmen Town."

"The three thousand Fire Crow Army, with a full establishment of three thousand Blazing Fire Cavalry and twenty thousand auxiliary soldiers, we are willing to bring them all to the West, but the West is too far."

These words were also somewhat sincere; at least the Marquis of Lord Lieyang did not object at all to bringing the three thousand Fire Crow Army to the West.

It was really that the journey was too far and the cost was too high.

It seemed that in order to completely cut off the King of Shu's thoughts, before the Fire Crow Army boarded the ship, General Cai specifically picked out all seventy-six Shu knights.

"Return to Luodu; the Luye Guard only has this bit of blood left, and the responsibility on your shoulders is very heavy. The future reconstruction of the Luye Imperial Guard depends entirely on you."

When General Cai said these words, at least three parts of the sincerity on his face were not fake.

The Luye Guard was not only very important to the Shu Kingdom, but also very important to the Great Qin.

Western Shu was a wooden stake nailed by the Great Qin in the Western Sha Basin, a dog tied to the wooden stake!

Only when the Luye Guard restored its strength could the Shu Kingdom be stable; only when Western Shu was stable could the Western countries not cause great chaos.

"Miss, we have to leave too; the Madam and the Young Lady are waiting for us in front." General Guan Zhong returned to the green willow forest and said to Xiao Yu with joy.

Xiao Yu was surprised, "Which Madam and Young Lady? Why don't they board the ship with the Eldest Uncle?"

"It's the Second Madam and Lady Lady Tianfeng; they came from Luodu to pick you up to go home!" General Guan Zhong smiled.

Hearing this, Xiao Yu became even more surprised and uncertain.

The Second Madam brought her daughter over just to pick up her, a foster daughter?

Even if the Second Madam was virtuous and Lady Lady Tianfeng was gentle and approachable, was there any need for them to travel thousands of miles to pick her up?

"Sigh, the Second Madam is an elder; there is no need for her to work so hard for Xiao Yu."

General Guan Zhong looked left and right and whispered, "I guess it has something to do with you becoming famous throughout the world recently. The Second Madam values you and wants to bring people over to protect you."

"Famous throughout the world..."

Thinking of the compliments and flattery she had received in various parts of the Shu Kingdom these days, Xiao Yu couldn't help but smile bitterly.

"Let's go, where is the Second Madam? Xiao Yu must go pay respects to her immediately."

"The Second Madam's surname is Wen, and she doesn't look old..."

General Guan Zhong jumped on his horse and, while leading Xiao Yu to ride slowly, gave a rough introduction to the situation of Lady Wen and Lady Lady Tianfeng.

Approaching dusk, the sky was full of red clouds.

Fifteen miles southwest of the green willow forest, at the "Yuelai Inn" at the entrance of Longtou Town.

"Yu'er pays respects to the Second Madam!"

Lady Wen really didn't look old.

She looked only twenty-seven or twenty-eight, like a ripe peach that had grown from early spring to early summer.

She might not be considered peerless, but she was definitely gorgeous and charming.

Her delicate face was set off by the red clouds, her vermilion lips were evenly applied with rouge. Her moth-like eyebrows were small and curved like the moon, and her cicada-like temples were new and layered like clouds.

She wore a palace dress with a lake-green long-sleeved wide skirt, a long sword hanging at her waist, her figure tall and straight, her limbs slender and powerful, adding a few points of eye-catching heroism to her charm.

"Yu'er, no need for such a grand ceremony!"

Lady Wen's smiling face was even sweeter and brighter than the spring flowers outside the house.

She took the initiative to leave her seat, stepped forward two steps, lifted Xiao Yu, who was preparing to kneel, and looked at her with appreciative eyes, exclaiming, "Truly a handsome person with a jade-like appearance!

Although General Guan Huchen suffered a disaster on this trip to the Northern Wilderness, being able to accept such an extraordinary good daughter for our General Guan family is worth it."

"Madam is over-praising."

Xiao Yu secretly sounded the alarm in her heart: What is General Guan General Guan Huchen's wife doing? What is there about her that is worth being targeted by her?

But on the surface, she naturally entered the acting state, a blush appeared on her cheeks, and there was a hint of shyness in the corners of her eyes.

"Hey, you child, why do you keep calling me 'Madam'?" Lady Wen pretended to be angry, "From now on, we are all one family; do you still want to be distant from me?"

——This is what you asked for, don't blame me if something happens!

Xiao Yu tentatively opened her mouth and said softly, "Mother?"

"Hey, this is Mother's good daughter!" Lady Wen laughed happily.

A hint of strangeness appeared in the corners of Xiao Yu's eyes, and then quickly disappeared.

The "Great Destroyer" was indeed triggered, and the "Method to Destroy Wen Wen Danxia" began to derive...

Huh, the Purple Mansion couldn't complete the method of destruction in an instant.

"Immortal Wen Danxia" is actually not just for show!

"Yu'er is a barbarian girl from the Northern Wilderness; being able to be accepted by Foster Father is already a great stroke of luck."

"The day before yesterday, Foster Father suffered a disaster; thinking of the future, I felt lost and terrified."

"Now that Mother is so kind and approachable, treating Yu'er as if she were her own, Yu'er is deeply moved and tearful..."

Xiao Yu stepped back a few steps with red eyes and knelt down firmly again, "Mother is above, please accept Yu'er's bow!"

"Yu'er..."

Even though Lady Wen was full of vicious schemes, she was a little touched at this moment.

——This barbarian girl is actually easy to get along with; she is very sincere and frank, unlike those cousin misses and hall misses in the mansion, who are obedient and honest on the surface, but whose bellies are full of flowery little thoughts, unfortunately...

"Yu'er, you and I have a mother-daughter bond; seeing you, I am also very happy."

Lady Wen said with her mouth and smiled with her face, her right hand unconsciously untied the "Phoenix Shadow Sword" at her waist, handed it to Xiao Yu, and said, "This 'Mother' cannot let you bow in vain; this Phoenix Shadow Sword is exquisite and light, just suitable for women to use—"

"Madam!"

General Guan Zhong, who had been shrinking in a corner, watching the mother-kindness and daughter-filial piety with a satisfied face, couldn't help it, "This is your ancestral treasure sword; how can you give it to others?"

Lady Wen was stunned, looked down at the Phoenix Shadow Sword that had already fallen into Xiao Yu's hands, and felt a little confused in her heart: How did I lose my head and start acting out the play? But it doesn't matter...

"Nonsense! How can Yu'er be considered 'others'?"

Lady Wen turned her head and scolded General Guan Zhong, then held Xiao Yu's right hand and said, "Xu Huier the sky is not dark, Mother will teach you a set of sword techniques, which just happens to be used with the Phoenix Shadow Sword."

——Let me take a good look at what kind of sharpness the innate sword bone is; don't let Mother down! Yu'er~~

A hint of a smile flashed in the corners of Xiao Yu's eyes: Dear Mother, the Purple Mansion has been running at high intensity until now, and it still hasn't derived your method of destruction; you are truly amazing. Your sword technique will definitely bring many surprises! ===== CHAPTER 82 =====