Chapter 18

[Favorability: 8] Xiao

A favorability of "eight" means she likes him, yet she is a married woman! Shuo

And her daughter is already so grown up! q

If that were all, it would be fine, but the most fatal part is that her daughter, Yue Yue Lingshan, happened to obtain a copy of the diary and immediately came to tell her about it. q

Soon after, Yue Yue Lingshan also understood the complications involved.

This made Ning Zhongze feel even more embarrassed. Jiu

Fortunately, Yue Yue Lingshan's score was higher than hers, which made her feel she wasn't so conspicuous and spared her from bearing her daughter's strange gazes. Si

[Character: Yue Yue Lingshan] Ba

[Appearance: 9] San

[Favorability: 9] Er

"It's a pity Suzhou is too far; otherwise, I would also want to go to the 'Precious Dragon Chess Gathering' to see the owner of that diary and find a way to get him to mention me more often." Yue Yue Lingshan sighed. Qi

Ning Zhongze hesitated for a moment before saying, "Shan'er, not receiving a reward might not be a bad thing; at least we don't owe him any favors. He... he is too fickle." Ba

Yue Yue Lingshan turned her head to look, blinking her eyes: "But Mother, we already owe him favors; every day we receive a month's worth of true qi as a reward." Ling

Ning Zhongze: "..." Ling

She had actually forgotten this point and was momentarily speechless.

She felt helpless about this; this daily reward of a month's worth of true qi was forcibly given by the diary copy, and even if she wanted to refuse, she could not.

However, speaking of which, this kind of reward... truly delightful!

"Mother, do you think he will come to our Huashan?" Yue Yue Lingshan suddenly asked.

Ning Zhongze pondered for a moment and said, "Huashan is one of the Five Great Mountains of the Central Region; if he isn't just staying in one place, there is an eighty percent chance he will come here."

"Oh." Yue Yue Lingshan propped her small head on her hand, her little mind beginning to wander with wild thoughts.

Central Plains Escort Agency.

Jiang Sishui added today's reward of 300 martial arts experience points to the "Heaven-Sundering Sword Drawing Art."

[Heaven-Sundering Sword Drawing Art (Heavenly Art): Entry Level (1200/**

"From beginner to entry level; if I'm not mistaken, one thousand should be a watershed."

"By that logic, do ten thousand, one hundred thousand, and one million represent different levels of destructive power?"

Jiang Sishui seemed to have realized something.

As long as he figured out the combat power corresponding to the current entry-level "Heaven-Sundering Sword Drawing Art," he would have a rough idea of his own strength.

After washing up and eating the breakfast brought by the servants, he prepared to depart, setting off for Leigu Mountain under the escort of the escort team led by Zhao Zhao Tianhao.

Along the way, he saw Zhao Zhao Zhao Qiying again.

She was still dressed in a set of white tight-fitting attire, bare-faced with her dark hair tied back by only a single hair ribbon, wearing nothing but a pair of dangling earrings, appearing exceptionally simple and elegant.

Riding a tall, sturdy horse, she gazed straight ahead with a calm and composed demeanor; despite her young age, she possessed the bearing of a noble family, looking every bit like a heroic knight-errant.

Although it was only a fleeting glance, the sight made Jiang Sishui's heart race.

Jiang Sishui did not ride a horse because he simply did not know how, so he sat in the carriage prepared in advance by the escort agency.

Seeing that everything was in order, Zhao Zhao Tianhao gave the order, and the escort team set off!

Along the way, Jiang Sishui lifted the curtain, watching the scenery outside through the carriage window.

After about an hour of this...

Zhao Zhao Zhao Qiying suddenly said, "Father, your daughter is feeling a bit tired."

Zhao Zhao Tianhao turned to look, glancing at Zhao Zhao Zhao Qiying in surprise, unable to comprehend.

They had only been traveling for such a short while; how could she already be tired?

This was nothing like his usual steady and reliable eldest daughter.

Thinking it over, Zhao Zhao Tianhao guessed his daughter probably had some unspoken difficulty, so he did not press the matter and asked with concern, "Should we stop and rest for a while?"

Zhao Zhao Zhao Qiying shook her head, pointed back at the carriage, and said, "Your daughter will be fine if she just rests inside the carriage compartment for a while."

Zhao Zhao Tianhao frowned, displeased: "Zhao Zhao Qiying, how can you be so ignorant of propriety? Since we have accepted this escort mission, we must devote ourselves fully; disturbing the client now is highly inappropriate!"

Zhao Zhao Zhao Qiying replied, "Father, your daughter understands this. How about this: your daughter will go ask for their opinion; if they refuse, your daughter will apologize to them."

Hearing her say this, Zhao Zhao Tianhao stopped objecting: "Then go ahead."

Zhao Zhao Zhao Qiying acknowledged the order, then approached the outside of the carriage, lifted a corner of the curtain, and smiled: "May I ask... may I come in?"

Jiang Sishui was just feeling bored when he suddenly saw that beautiful face he had been thinking about moments ago; his heart skipped a beat, first feeling guilty, then lighting up as he hurriedly said, "Please come in!"

Zhao Zhao Zhao Qiying said thanks, bent down, and climbed into the carriage.

Jiang Sishui quickly shifted his body to make space.

Zhao Zhao Zhao Qiying's earlobes turned slightly red, yet she did not act shy or affected; instead, she sat down beside him with grace and poise.

With the two of them close at hand, a gentle and lingering aura of the opposite sex filled this small space, enveloping Jiang Sishui.

Jiang Sishui, who had remained single until his death in his previous life, immediately felt dizzy, his heart pounding wildly.

Zhao Zhao Zhao Qiying was a martial artist who had reached the Grandmaster realm, possessing keen senses; upon noticing that Jiang Sishui seemed even more nervous than she was, she suddenly stopped feeling nervous herself.

A faint smile flashed across the corner of her mouth and vanished; Zhao Zhao Zhao Qiying turned to face Jiang Sishui and asked with concern, "What is wrong with you?"

"Nothing, nothing at all." Jiang Sishui shook his head repeatedly.

Realizing he was acting somewhat out of sorts, and to cover his embarrassment, he immediately changed the subject: "My name is Jiang Sishui."

"Zhao Zhao Zhao Qiying, my father's eldest daughter."

After exchanging names, Zhao Zhao Zhao Qiying smiled apologetically: "I am feeling a bit unwell and cannot ride a horse for now, so I came to the carriage compartment to rest for a while; I hope I haven't disturbed Young Master Jiang?"

"Not at all! Young Lady Zhao can stay here as long as she likes; anyway, I am alone and bored." Jiang Sishui hurriedly expressed his stance.

Zhao Zhao Zhao Qiying offered her thanks, then glanced at the long sword hanging at Jiang Sishui's waist and asked, "Does Young Master Jiang also practice martial arts?"

Jiang Sishui shook his head. "I would like to, but I have no connections, and I know absolutely nothing about martial arts knowledge. Carrying this sword is merely to bluff ordinary people."

Zhao Zhao Zhao Qiying nodded slightly.

As the saying goes: The master leads you to the door; cultivation depends on the individual.

In any profession, a guide is extremely important.

Without connections, ordinary people basically cannot access proper martial arts.

Unless you are exceptionally lucky.

"Does Young Master Jiang yearn for the Martial Dao and the Wu Lin?" Zhao Zhao Zhao Qiying asked again.

Jiang Sishui nodded honestly. "You martial artists can leap over roofs and walk on walls, settling grudges with satisfaction, while we ordinary people are bound by government restrictions and must constantly worry about becoming innocent victims of collateral damage. Naturally, we envy you."

Suddenly, a thought stirred in his heart. "Miss Zhao, forgive my presumption, but may I ask you a few questions?"

Hearing this, Zhao Zhao Zhao Qiying secretly guessed his intent, but since she had come specifically to help Jiang Sishui, she naturally would not refuse. Smiling, she said, "Go ahead and ask."

Having received an affirmative answer, Jiang Sishui did not stand on ceremony and asked directly, "Miss Zhao, your escort agency travels north and south, granting you broad knowledge, but I wonder, what is our world like? How vast is it?"

Hearing this, and combining it with the diary entries from the past three days, Zhao Zhao Zhao Qiying instantly understood what Jiang Sishui wanted to know.

After carefully organizing her words, she began to speak: "The land we inhabit is called the Central Region; beyond the Central Region, all lands are considered barbarian territories outside civilization."

"The Central Region is divided into Four Seas and Twenty-Eight Prefectures, along with some scattered islands."

"The Four Seas are located to the east and due south of the Central Region; in order, they are the Bohai Sea, the Yellow Sea, the East Sea, and the South Sea."

"Of the Twenty-Eight Prefectures, twenty-seven lie on the mainland, while the twenty-eighth hangs isolated at the boundary between the East Sea and the South Sea, known as Zhi Prefecture."

"Nowadays, the Martial Dao flourishes in the Central Region, with sects and gangs standing everywhere, but the greatest powers belong to the Six Great Dynasties."

"Each dynasty possesses terrifying power surpassing that of heavenly beings; together they have carved up the Central Region and are the nominal rulers of the twenty-seven prefectures."

"We are currently within the Great Song Dynasty, which comprises four prefectures: Su Prefecture, Hui Prefecture, Zhezhou, and Ezhou. It borders the East Sea to the east."

"South of Great Song lies Great Sui, comprising five prefectures: Min Prefecture, Gan Prefecture, Xiangzhou, Gui Prefecture, and Nanzhou. It borders the East Sea to the east and the South Sea to the south."

"North of Great Song lies Great Ming, comprising five prefectures: Jingzhou, Jizhou, Jinzhou, Yuzhou, and Lu Prefecture. It borders the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea to the east."

"Northeast of Great Ming lies Great Qing, comprising three prefectures: Hei Prefecture, Ji Prefecture, and Liao Prefecture. It borders the Bohai Sea to the east and south."

"West of Great Ming lies Great Qin, comprising four prefectures: Shanzhou, Ning Prefecture, Ganzhou, and Qingzhou."

"South of Great Qin and west of Great Song and Great Sui, the three prefectures of Yu Prefecture, Shuzhou, and Yunzhou are carved up and controlled by smaller nations such as Liao, Western Western Xia, Tubo, and Dali."

"Finally, there is Great Yuan, possessing only three prefectures: Mengzhou, Xin Prefecture, and Zang Prefecture. Yet its area is the vastest among all dynasties, looming over the Central Region from the northernmost and westernmost lands in a semi-encircling formation."

As Jiang Sishui listened to Zhao Zhao Zhao Qiying's account, he simultaneously constructed a map of the entire Central Region in his mind.

However, the more he thought about it, the more familiar it felt.