While on Mount Hua, my mind is at peace!

Chapter 140 A First Encounter

Yue Feng smiled apologetically: "Madam, please don't misunderstand. I didn't mean anything by it. I was just wondering what kind of man would kick such a good wife out of the house? And even abandon such a good child as Bao'er?"

Fang Xiu said with a somber expression, "Aying had no choice in the matter; it was all the master's... Aying's father who forced him. Aying's father wanted him to marry Lord Xue's daughter."

"Lord Xue... is the governor of the Eastern Investigation Bureau in Hanzhong, holding a high position and wielding great power. His daughter is naturally of noble birth. How could she... how could she be married off as a concubine?"

Yue Feng hadn't expected that the Eastern Depot was involved. A thought struck him, and he said, "Madam, please forgive me, but if I may say something inappropriate, why can't we make Lord Xue's daughter the principal wife and you the concubine? Wouldn't that be a beautiful story?"

Fang Xiu said, "Young hero, you are my benefactor. You can say whatever you want; there's nothing inappropriate about it. When the Ouyang family and the Xue family were discussing the marriage, I mentioned this method to Aying early on, and he agreed at the time. But later... I don't know why... perhaps..."

Fang Xiu's voice trailed off, and Yue Feng said, "If Madam doesn't want to talk about it, then there's no need to. I had no intention of prying into other people's privacy; I was just a little curious."

Fang Xiu shook her head and said, "No, it's not that I didn't want to say. It's just that I didn't understand before, but I suddenly understood just now."

Yue Feng raised his eyebrows: "Oh?"

Fang Xiu said, "Young hero, seeing how down and out I am now, you probably don't know that my father was once the deputy chief constable of the Six Doors in Hanzhong, right? It was he who arranged Ah Ying's position in the Six Doors."

Yue Feng immediately understood the problem: "You mean, your ex-husband is currently working for the Six Doors, but his father wants him to marry the daughter of an important person in the Eastern Depot?"

"No wonder. The Eastern Depot is now much more powerful than the Six Doors, and your father has just passed away. Your ex-husband's family must be extremely anxious, desperately looking for a new patron."

Yue Feng's tone was laced with sarcasm, and Fang Xiu sighed softly as she listened.

"Alas, what can be done? A woman's life is all about marrying a good husband; a man's life is all about finding a good support. For this, let alone a wife, one can give up everything else."

Yue Feng listened in silence. As a transmigrator, he didn't agree with Fang Xiu's words. But what Fang Xiu said was indeed the reality of this world. Faced with such a reality, even he could do very little.

He thought, "Let's leave it at that. There's no need to delve any further. If we do, unless I kill the entire Ouyang family, the poor mother and daughter will have to pay the price. It's better to wait and see how things develop."

He made up his mind, and just then, Fang Xiu's tea was ready. Not minding the heat, he drank the whole bowl of tea in one gulp and said with a smile, "Good tea. I'm sorry to have bothered you today. Take care, Madam!" Before he finished speaking, he had already left the room, even closing the door behind him.

Fang Xiu hurriedly opened the door and chased after him, only to find the streets deserted and Yue Feng nowhere to be seen. She realized that in her haste she hadn't even had time to ask his name, and felt a pang of disappointment.

Back inside, Fang Xiu was startled to see five silver ingots lined up on the bench where Yue Feng had sat, weighing at least a hundred taels in total. Below the ingots were two lines of small characters, faint yet remarkably clear:

A brief encounter

This is just a small token of my appreciation.

Fang Xiu squatted in front of the stool, staring at the silver coins and small print on it. Suddenly, she leaned over the stool and began to sob softly. Afraid of waking Bao'er in the inner room, she cried very quietly, yet there was a certain inexplicable sense of relief in her sobs.

Hanzhong, Baima Escort Agency.

Xie Tianqing was meditating in his room. Ever since meeting Lin Pingzhi, his sense of crisis as the leader of the Qingcheng Sect had become increasingly real.

Even disregarding the friendship between Lin Pingzhi and Yue Feng, Lin Pingzhi's growth rate is terrifying. If he, as the senior brother, doesn't work harder, he might really be surpassed by Lin Pingzhi in a few months.

Of course, just as his master said, making Lin Pingzhi the sect leader didn't seem so bad... but he just wasn't willing to admit defeat, unwilling to let his sword spirit be tarnished. Therefore, at least in terms of martial arts, he had to give himself an explanation.

Xie Tianqing circulated his inner energy several times, and two hours had passed. Suddenly, hurried footsteps approached and reached his room door.

"Sect Leader Xie! Something terrible has happened! The Eastern Depot and the Six Doors have arrived, looking for Young Hero Yue in a menacing manner. The Chief Escort is currently dealing with them!"

Xie Tianqing leaped from the couch and darted to the door. He opened it and, as he walked out, asked the messenger, "Has Brother Yue returned yet?"

"No, we've already sent people to look for it, but we might not be able to find it in a short time."

Xie Tianqing hummed in agreement and said nothing more. Just as he reached the outside of the living room, he heard a sarcastic voice say:

"Chief Escort Ma, you've really made something of yourself these days. Lord Ouyang is not only a key figure in the Six Doors, but also my future son-in-law. Yue Feng publicly severed his wrist, not only slapping the Six Doors in the face, but also slapping me, Xue Yu, and the Eastern Depot in the face!"

"The face of the Eastern Depot is the face of the imperial court. How dare you, Chief Escort Ma, protect such a criminal? Are you truly risking your life?"

Despite his best efforts to control himself, Ma Liangcai's voice still trembled slightly:

"Lord Xue, please forgive me, Brother Yue is by no means one to bully the weak; there must be some misunderstanding. I will prepare a feast to entertain you all, and we can all speak openly about this once Brother Yue returns, shall we?"

Xue Yu sneered, "Brother, what a load of rubbish! No matter what anyone says, he'll pay with his blood. Guards, seize this scoundrel and take him back to the yamen for thorough interrogation. I don't believe he doesn't know where Yue Feng is."

Xue Yu and his dozen or so men in purple robes shouted and charged at Ma Liangcai. Although there were many镖头 (bodyguards),镖师 (bodyguards), and Qingcheng Sect disciples in the living room, they were all knocked down with a few punches and kicks and could not be stopped at all.

Suddenly, a sword light flew horizontally, blocking the path between Ma Liangcai and the purple-clad man. The sword light was extremely sharp, and the purple-clad men hurriedly stopped. They saw an otherworldly young man standing to one side, holding an unusually long ancient sword, like a pine tree.

Xie Tianqing said, "Step back, you are no match for me."

The men in purple looked at each other in dismay. A few of them, however, were not convinced of the danger and charged forward with their weapons.

Xie Tianqing swung his longsword, cleaving all the men's weapons in two. The purple-clad men's hands were split open, blood flowing freely, and fear involuntarily appeared on their faces.

An official in his fifties, sitting in the center of the hall, said upon seeing this:

"So it's the new leader of the Qingcheng Sect. The Qingcheng Sect openly defied the imperial court; this crime has been recorded. As for now... let me see what real skills this successor of Yu the Dwarf has!"