Exile with Storage Space: Family Fortunes in the Barren Lands-Chapter 648 - 603: The Girl Wielding Dual Blades (1)
They walked through the locust tree grove, crossed a valley, and finally arrived at a narrow pass.
On both sides, the cliffs were several dozen feet high.
The path in the middle was blocked by an iron fence, and behind the fence, a high platform was built.
On the platform, figures holding weapons could be seen faintly.
Lou Chengye saw a flash of bright blade light pass by.
He became more alert.
Li Xingsheng still maintained a laid-back expression, looking around and asking the two women leading the way if this village belonged to their master.
Ah Qing looked back at him, "Indeed, this is my master’s village."
Good heavens, have they encountered the subordinates of the Feihu Village leader? Lou Chengye secretly touched his waist, where a small dagger was hidden, given to him by his father for self-defense.
At the fence gate, Ah Qing waved to the people on the platform.
The gate opened automatically.
"Please enter, the two gentlemen." Ah Qing turned and gestured for Li Xingsheng and Lou Chengye to enter.
"Ladies first." Li Xingsheng cupped his fists and nodded.
Ah Qing glanced at him and continued leading the way with Ah Lan.
After they passed, the two knife-wielding guards on the platform began discussing quietly.
"Hey, Brother Liu, the man they brought in this time is better looking than any before. Do you think Miss Ling will be satisfied?"
"Miss Ling has high standards. Only this type of handsome man can catch her eye."
"Miss Ling is as beautiful as a fairy, naturally likes to look at handsome men. She wouldn’t even spare a glance at rough, bearded dwarves like you."
"Hey, hey, hey, complimenting people is fine, but why start insulting me? What’s wrong with being a short bearded rough man? It’s better than you being a skinny twig, with arms thinner than the lady’s. Miss Ling could snap your arm with a pinch."
"But I’m handsome, with clear brows and distinct features."
"Oh please, you look like a monkey, clear brows and distinct features? Then I’m as captivating as moonlight on flowers."
"I can cook! Miss Ling praised the way I cook sliced winter bamboo shoots."
"Ah, but Miss Ling didn’t eat it. She just glanced at it and gave it away."
"That’s because Miss Ling was full and couldn’t eat more, unlike your meat soup which she directly said ’no need to bring it.’" The skinny man mimicked the woman’s tone and gave the fat man a disdainful look.
"That... that’s because Miss Ling was leaving and had no time to look!" The fat man argued indignantly.
"Ha ha ha, don’t flatter yourself." The skinny man snorted coldly.
The two bored guards at the gate mocked each other back and forth.
Li Xingsheng and Lou Chengye followed Ah Qing and Ah Lan inside, bypassing a stone forest until they reached an open area.
In the open area, many people were practicing.
Li Xingsheng observed closely, keeping the number of people in mind.
"This way, please." Ah Qing turned back, pointing to a direction on their left, towards a suspension bridge, "Horses can’t cross, please leave them here."
The suspension bridge was about three yards long, and under it was a rushing river several yards below.
The opposite side of the bridge was also a mountain.
On the mountain, peculiar rocks stood tall, mixed with some sparse trees.
Unexpectedly, locust trees were also growing between the rocks.
Clusters of snow-white locust flowers covered the treetops, looking from afar as if it had snowed.
Lou Chengye frowned as he looked at the suspension bridge.
Because this bridge truly unnerved the observer.
Four iron chains as thick as a child’s arm connected the mountain in front and the rocks below.
On top, the left and right iron chains acted as handrails, while wooden planks were placed on the lower chains.
However, the planks weren’t placed tightly, leaving a half-foot wide gap between them.
If one’s foot slipped, they could fall through the gaps in the iron chains, ending up in the rushing river below, potentially drowning or dying from the fall.
No wonder that over the years, no one has ever managed to break into Feihu Village, becoming more rampant year after year—it turns out they live in such a perilous location.
Horses and donkeys couldn’t cross.
To explore the terrain behind the mountain, they could only abandon the horses and cross on foot.
Li Xingsheng dismounted.
Lou Chengye climbed down from the donkey.
"Hey, we still have luggage here." Lou Chengye pointed to the donkey’s back.
"Bring it." Ah Qing said.
She called over a lackey, instructing him to watch the horses and donkeys, nodded to Li Xingsheng, and headed towards the iron chain bridge.
Ah Lan urged Li Xingsheng and Lou Chengye from behind, "Please, gentlemen."
"Please, Miss." Li Xingsheng fanned himself with a folding fan and stepped onto the bridge’s planks.
He walked extremely steadily, as if on flat ground.
Lou Chengye had never seen such a bridge before, feeling timid at heart, he took a deep breath and pretended he was walking on flat ground.
Not looking down, he managed to walk steadily enough.
Arrived at the other side.
Ah Qing led them through a cave.
In front of them appeared many courtyards.
Big or small, they were scattered along the mountainside.
Ah Qing did not stop, continuously leading them forward.
Finally, they stopped in front of a courtyard with bluestone steps.
"This is our master’s residence, please follow me." Ah Qing ascended the steps.
The steps were about a dozen, and at the end of the steps, above the courtyard gate, were written the words Lianyue Residence.
Li Xingsheng glanced at the courtyard gate, then looked around behind him, and followed up.
Ah Qing knocked on the door, "Guests have arrived, open the door."
The door quickly opened.
A young woman stepped out, dressed similarly to Ah Qing and Ah Lan.
They were all wearing short blue outfits, with blue scarves wrapped around their heads.
She glanced at Li Xingsheng and Lou Chengye, and stepped aside to let them pass.
They entered the courtyard.
Li Xingsheng saw that many flowers and trees were planted in the courtyard, making it look like a small garden.
Ah Qing led Li Xingsheng and Lou Chengye to the main house, "Please take a seat, our Miss will be here shortly."
She left Ah Lan to wait in the main house and went outside.
Before long, another woman dressed the same way brought in tea.
Lou Chengye, being a servant, stood behind Li Xingsheng and was not qualified to drink tea.
Li Xingsheng picked up the teacup, smelled the fragrance of the tea, and praised, "Locust flower tea, so fragrant, not bad at all."
Ah Lan said, "The young master is right, this is indeed locust flower tea."
.
Ah Qing left the main house and went to a small courtyard on the side.
The small courtyard was filled with various weapons.
A sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl in red, with a graceful figure, was vigorously practicing with a pair of Willow Leaf Sabers.
The two sabers in her hands moved incredibly fast.
Only flashes of bright silver light could be seen, the edges and backs of the blades invisible.
Two maids standing in the courtyard occasionally clapped and shouted, "Good! Miss’s sword technique has improved a lot!"
"Miss! The maid has found another young man, this time he will definitely suit your taste." Ah Qing walked over and said.
"Has he been checked for height, weight, appearance, speech, does he have a lisp, body odor, all checked?" one of the maids asked Ah Qing.
"Of course, obviously problematic men, how could I bring them for Miss to see?"
"Have you asked his name yet?" another maid asked.
"Not yet, I forgot." Ah Qing had been too amazed by Li Xingsheng’s appearance to remember to ask.
"Bring him to the Rain Viewing Pavilion, I’ll take a look." The girl in red sheathed her swords, looked back at Ah Qing, "If he fits, keep him; if not, give him an ounce of silver and send him away!"
"Yes, Miss." Ah Qing withdrew.
The girl in red handed over her double sabers, and a maid stepped forward to collect them.
Another immediately brought forward a tray with towels and tea.
In the morning heat of summer, practicing swordsmanship had left the girl in red sweaty.
Making her complexion appear even more porcelain-like, her eyes like cold stars.
Looking at her eyebrows and eyes as beautiful as a painting, the maid sighed, "Miss’s face, a blessing or a curse, if someone else had a face like Miss’s, they would surely be very proud. But for Miss, it’s a misfortune."
The maid who had collected the swords came over and said, "Miss, if this man is passable, just accept him, if Miss doesn’t settle the marriage soon, the secondary leader might play some dirty tricks on Miss."
"The secondary leader is shameless, hasn’t he looked at himself in the mirror! He’s half-blind and twice Miss’s age, where does he get the audacity to think Miss would marry him?" The maid with the tray sneered.
The other maid said angrily, "If only the Big Master’s illness would get better, see if the secondary leader dares to treat Miss like this anymore! He’s courting death!"
"But the Big Master’s illness isn’t improving, the secondary leader, relying on having more people under his command, is pressing Miss step by step, if not for Miss’s martial skills, she would have been bullied to death long ago! Now she has no choice but to casually find a man and marry herself off, alas..."
"What’s the use of saying all this now? What we need to do now is, I must quickly get myself married, so the secondary leader doesn’t take over the village! Let my adopted father live a bit longer! That’s enough!"
The girl in red put the towel back on the tray, picked up a small mirror to tidy her hair, "Let’s go, come with me to see that man."
