Chapter 39: Blocking the Sedan

Looking at Liu Xiaolou's smile, Xingde Jun felt a little uneasy and hurriedly warned: "I'm asking you to lure someone, so go and talk properly. Don't use those rough methods!"

Liu Xiaolou patted his chest: "Rest assured, Master, it won't be too rough. I'll try to bring her here quietly, without even this lady knowing how she came, hehe..."

Xingde Jun hurriedly stopped him: "You don't need those tricks of yours. Just honestly send the message."

Liu Xiaolou realized: "Ah... so it's mutual affection... but why not go to the door?"

Xingde Jun sighed: "She is a lady from a big family, and the rules in the clan are very strict."

After roughly explaining the situation, Liu Xiaolou finally understood. After all this trouble, Xingde Jun was here to have a secret meeting with his lover.

This Zhou Qiniang was the direct granddaughter of the Zhou clan leader. Although she was over thirty, she was still unmarried. The main reason was that her heart was tied to Xingde Jun. But Xingde Jun was a rogue cultivator with no foundation, and his cultivation was not too outstanding. For a big clan like the Zhou family, he was absolutely not a good candidate for marriage. To put it bluntly, they were not a match in status.

This pair of old lovers also knew the difficulties, and they had been secretly in love for many years, never revealing it. Unfortunately, no matter how secret it was, there would eventually be a day of exposure. Just last month, their secret meeting was discovered by the clan, and Xingde Jun was beaten heavily by Zhou family experts. People spared his life because of Zhou Qiniang's bitter pleading, allowing him to escape.

But a heavy beating couldn't stop the longing. Xingde Jun's injury hadn't fully healed, and he came again, and he even brought Liu Xiaolou with him.

Liu Xiaolou complained in his heart that Xingde Jun really wanted love over his life. This matter was not difficult for him. Since he was still counting on Xingde Jun to teach him array techniques, he naturally did as he requested and went to the Zhou family villa to deliver the message.

According to Xingde Jun, Zhou Qiniang went out to relax on this day every month, which was also the day they agreed to meet secretly. Liu Xiaolou very much doubted whether Zhou Qiniang could come out to meet him after the beating incident last month, but regardless, he would go and see the situation first.

He crouched at a crossroads three miles away from the villa, hiding in the grass by the road, waiting patiently for the target to appear. Perhaps because the villa had just been broken into by rogue cultivators, few people entered or left the villa. He waited for a full two hours, and only a few servants from the villa passed by.

Just before dusk, a sedan chair finally came out of the villa. The coachman whipped the horse to urge it forward in front, and a young master followed on horseback beside the sedan.

The sedan curtain was a green gauze tent. The real person had really come!

Liu Xiaolou rushed out crying and howling, blocking the sedan chair: "Auntie!"

The horse raised its hooves, and the sedan chair stopped. The young master behind the sedan leaped up, and the whip in his hand flicked in the air with a crisp "snap."

"Who are you? Why are you blocking the sedan?"

Along with the crisp sound of the whip, a wave of qi rolled over. Caught off guard, Liu Xiaolou was almost knocked off balance by the wave of qi.

Xingde Jun had warned Liu Xiaolou that after last month's incident, the Zhou family would likely send experts to keep a close eye on Zhou Qiniang, so he must be careful. He figured the one wielding the whip should be some expert, but this expert didn't seem to be a person with deep true qi as Xingde Jun had said, and felt no stronger than himself!

Liu Xiaolou continued to shout: "Auntie, it's me, your nephew! Come out and see, and you'll know!"

Hearing Liu Xiaolou's shouting of "Auntie" and "nephew," the young master didn't strike the second whip, but looked suspiciously at the sedan chair.

The sedan curtain was lifted. The woman sitting in the sedan was wearing a goose-yellow shirt and a pleated skirt, with a gold hairpin inserted in her hair bun. Her figure was slender and graceful, and her face was delicate and refined. She was truly stunning.

She didn't look like she was over thirty at all; she was a young girl under twenty.

She was indeed a stunning beauty, no wonder Xingde Jun couldn't forget her!

Meeting eyes, Liu Xiaolou was awed by the woman's radiance and didn't dare to look too much in his haste, just holding a sachet with both hands: "Auntie, look!"

The sachet was a token of trust. Just by showing it, Zhou Qiniang would understand what it meant and would definitely cooperate perfectly.

He waited for a moment, but didn't wait for Zhou Qiniang's recognition, but instead waited for a question: "Liu Xiaolou?"

Liu Xiaolou was stunned. He subconsciously looked up and saw the woman in the sedan staring at him with wide eyes, looking at him with the same astonishment.

Why was this voice so familiar? The look of her wide eyes seemed to have been seen somewhere before?

After staring at each other for a while, Liu Xiaolou's heart jumped, and he suddenly remembered—wasn't this the one who was harvesting spiritual fields in Goose Mountain a few months ago?

At that time, he was caught red-handed by her, and then inexplicably let go. At that time, it was in the wild at night, and today she had changed her attire, and her hair bun was also different, so he didn't recognize her at first glance.

The woman asked coldly: "When did I have a nephew like you?"

Liu Xiaolou was tongue-tied, his brain a bit dazed.

This turn of events was truly unexpected, and he couldn't figure out what was going on for a long time. Xingde Jun's lover of many years, how could it be her? As a direct daughter of the Zhou family, why would she run to Goose Mountain to do farm work?

The only reaction now was to keep showing the sachet in his hand, showing it left, showing it right, turning it over to show the front, and then showing the back...

"Why are you holding the sachet?" the woman asked again.

She didn't recognize it?

Liu Xiaolou glanced at the curtain of the sedan chair. It was correct, a green gauze tent.

Could it be that he was tricked by Xingde Jun? That shouldn't be.

"How did you know I was here?" the woman asked again.

Liu Xiaolou's thoughts turned, but he hadn't figured it out yet when the expert wielding the whip took action.

The tip of the whip circled like a spirit snake, pointing at Liu Xiaolou's Chest acupoint. Liu Xiaolou flicked his wrist and dodged it nimbly. The young master said angrily: "Still dare to dodge?"

The second whip struck down, and Liu Xiaolou dodged again, and was immediately sealed by a powerful true qi, unable to move.

It was the woman who took action and sealed Liu Xiaolou's meridians.

The young master still wanted to wield the third whip, but was stopped by the woman, who said softly: "Take him back."

The young master's whip, full of anger, was casually stopped by the woman. His face flushed, and he asked awkwardly: "Ninth Sister, not going for an outing anymore?"

The woman shook her head: "This person is very strange, I want to take him back to ask questions. I'll trouble you, Second Young Master."

Liu Xiaolou finally understood that he had recognized the wrong person. The one in front of him was not Zhou Qiniang, but Ninth Sister.

Wasn't it said that only Zhou Qiniang's sedan chair was a green gauze tent? Xingde Jun, I'm not finished with you!

The young master lifted Liu Xiaolou onto the saddle, the sedan chair turned around, and returned to the villa.

Entering through the side door, the sedan chair stopped outside a moon gate. Ninth Sister got off and walked, the young master carried Liu Xiaolou and followed behind, passing through corridors, gardens, bypassing several buildings, and entering a quiet small courtyard.

There was a fish pond in the courtyard, and clusters of green bamboo were planted at the base of the wall, which looked very quiet.

The young master placed the person in the bamboo pavilion by the pond, looked at Ninth Sister, and Ninth Sister said: "Thank you for your hard work, Second Young Master. I want to ask him some questions alone."

The young master warned: "These guys of unknown background have cunning methods. Ninth Sister, be careful. This Zhou family villa was just broken into by a bunch of thieves last month..."

Ninth Sister sneered: "I recognize this guy. With his three moves and two styles, can he do the big thing of breaking into this villa? Let him cultivate for thirty years first!"

The young master nodded, said no more, and exited the small courtyard, leaving only Ninth Sister standing in the pavilion, silent. ===== CHAPTER 40 =====