Chapter 10

Li Qingluo nodded heavily, "Yes, grandmother, Lu'er will remember."

Li Qingluo had never imagined that everything would have to rely on her grandmother; she knew that in this world, the only thing one could ever rely on was oneself.

Pei Lao Furen asked her, "You don't even ask what the grandmother wants you to do, you just agree? What if the grandmother asks you to do something you're not willing to or find extremely difficult?"

Li Qingluo: "Grandmother has done a great favor for Lu'er; Lu'er owes her. So no matter what, Lu'er will go through fire and water. Even if it means killing and setting fires, Lu'er will not shirk."

Pei Lao Furen actually felt somewhat moved.

But then she immediately scolded her: "Pah! What do I want you to kill and set fires for? I'm not that kind of person!"

Zhang Mama and the others beside her also burst into laughter.

It had been a long time since anyone had seen the Old Lady so emotionally intense and yet lively.

"But we'll talk about this later. Get ready; tomorrow we'll go down the mountain."

The next day.

The Taoists on the mountain, although somewhat reluctant to see Pei Lao Furen and Li Qingluo leave, knew that people have joys and sorrows, partings and reunions, just as the moon has its waxing and waning.

Where there is gathering, there is also parting; this is the normal course of life.

Moreover, Pei Lao Furen never truly belonged to the Qing Song Guan.

Before leaving, Pei Lao Furen had Zhang Mama send Qingyangzi a hundred taels of silver.

Qingyangzi, tears in his eyes, reluctantly sent off this wealth-bringing old lady, waving his little hand: "Good person, do come back——"

Li Qingluo glanced back, then turned to ask Zhang Mama, "Is he Qingyangzi? How can he be so young?"

He looked to be only in his twenties, wearing a Taoist robe, his immortal aura and bone structure actually giving him a somewhat handsome appearance.

Zhang Mama: "That's him, not a particularly strict Taoist priest."

Hardly had she finished speaking when, at a fork in the road, they unexpectedly encountered a group of people.

Li Qingluo got into the carriage to accompany Pei Lao Furen, and then heard Zhang Mama come over and say: "Old Lady, it's the nobleperson who lives in the small cottage behind the rear hill of Green Pine. The nobleperson said they received the apology gifts we sent yesterday, and asked if you don't mind, they could join us on the journey to the city to escort us."

Li Qingluo lowered her brows and eyes.

Yesterday Li Kechuan came again to the Taoist temple and caused a big disturbance, once more disturbing that nobleperson's peace.

Even the grandmother seemed somewhat wary of that side, so she immediately had Zhang Mama personally bring Du You's painting saint's work over as an apology gift.

Yesterday, when Li Qingluo went out and bumped into Zhang Mama, she learned of this.

I heard they accepted it without hesitation; today it seems he is quite satisfied with the apology gift.

Li Qingluo had never studied, nor did she know who Du You was, but she supposed it must be something very valuable; otherwise, the matter would not have been resolved so easily.

Pei Lao Furen quickly replied: "Go tell them that we have troubled and bothered the nobleperson."

Pei Lao Furen stood on ceremony, and the two groups, one ahead and one behind, set off together.

Li Qingluo did not probe into matters concerning that nobleperson, which pleased Pei Lao Furen.

She gently patted Li Qingluo's hand and suddenly sighed: "If you hadn't had your identity swapped by that wicked woman, and had grown up in Jinling from childhood, you would certainly have been an exceptionally outstanding young lady."

Li Qingluo gazed at Pei Lao Furen, her heart stirred fiercely.

Whether in past or present life, this is the first person who has felt regret for her identity being swapped.

Grandmother, she is sincere, feeling a twinge of heartache for this granddaughter of hers, perhaps?

"Grandmother, perhaps... all of this is the granddaughter's fate."

Pei Lao Furen: "That's no excuse for your foolish father and muddle-headed mother to let the Liu family off the hook! How stupid. To dare swap a thousand-gold identity, that poisonous woman and her family all deserve the death penalty; they actually indulge that illegitimate child, not holding them accountable—what a bunch of idiots!"

Li Qingluo: ……

When the grandmother scolds people, she really does feel rather relieved.

Li Qingluo silently committed it to memory, learning it in her heart.

But today, at last, we are going to enter the city.

I just don't know whether, in the previous life, Li Qingzhu's arranged self-immolation act will be performed again.

That day, my not returning home immediately surely disrupted Li Qingzhu's plan.

However, her self-immolation could be carried out seamlessly, leaving the entire Li family unaware of the truth; thus the plan must have been extremely thorough, and she would certainly not give it up easily.

Hah.

If she no longer feigns death by self-immolation, Li Qingluo still wouldn't know how to continue this play.

It's just about dying.

Once dead, let you never dare to come back to life!

A fierce intent flashed in her eyes; Pei Lao Furen didn't notice, and just as she was puzzled, the carriage jolted suddenly, causing grandmother and granddaughter to tumble into each other's arms.

Li Qingluo quickly helped Pei Lao Furen up, asking anxiously: "Grandmother, are you alright?"

Zhang Mama shouted from outside: "Old Lady, be careful, there are bandits!"

Bandits?

Li Qingluo's face instantly changed, and she shoved Pei Lao Furen behind her.

"Grand-, grandmother, we will surely be fine!"

Although that nobleperson has only a few attendants, Zhang Mama and the others seem to have some skill.

But we are all elderly, weak, women, and children; if the bandits are numerous, we will surely have trouble dealing with them.

Thinking of this, Li Qingluo also felt a little afraid, yet she continually kept Pei Lao Furen behind her.

Even she herself had forgotten that Pei Lao Furen was once a female general who commanded the battlefield.

Outside, the fighting lasted only a moment before the sounds died down.

Pei Lao Furen patted Li Qingluo's shoulder, "Good child, accompany grandmother down from the carriage to have a look."

Although Li Qingluo's hands were shaking, she still gritted her teeth, supported Pei Lao Furen, and carefully stepped down from the carriage.

Outside the carriage, corpses lay scattered across the ground—there were actually dozens of bandits!

However, now except for one of them still being held and questioned, the rest are already dead.

But at this very moment, that remaining bandit also had his head instantly cut off.

Looking at the killers, they are those few nobles; Zhang Mama and her companions' weapons have not even a trace of blood.

Li Qingluo turned her head away, not wanting to look further.

But as she turned her head, she suddenly met a pair of icy eyes.

Those eyes, like a venomous snake.

Black and deep, flashing a hint of cold light, hiding a chilling chill and killing intent.

Li Qingluo involuntarily, her whole body broke out in goosebumps.

"Bold! You dare to offend the current Prince Su's appearance; I'll gouge out your dog eyes!"

A close attendant shouted loudly, raised his hand making a gouging-eye gesture, and lunged at Li Qingluo.

"Grandmother!"