Chapter 1025: Chapter 1024: On the Road
The next morning, Shen Ying returned to Tonglin County with a satisfied expression alongside Lu Zheng, then gathered Liu Qingyan and her sister to embark on their journey together.
"That town down there is where we previously conducted disaster relief and distributed grain. Look how improved it is now!" Shen Ying pointed to a small town beneath the clouds, recounting the flooding from several months ago to Liu Qingquan.
Liu Qingquan nodded repeatedly, looking down at the scenery with interest, "I’m all grown up now. Next time there’s a flood, I’ll join you!"
Liu Qingyan couldn’t help but give Liu Qingquan a flick on the forehead, "Can’t you think more positively? You’re talking as if we’re not taking you with us now!"
Liu Qingquan held her little head, pouting angrily at Liu Qingyan, "Sister! I’m really going to be knocked dumb by you!"
Lu Zheng couldn’t resist reaching out to rub her head, "Really? I can’t tell!"
"Ah, brother-in-law, my hair!" Liu Qingquan immediately dashed away, clutching her hair in utter despair, "I spent so long braiding it this morning!"
Lu Zheng stroked his chin, "Can’t you use a spell to restore it?"
Liu Qingquan blinked, evasively saying, "Hair styled with spells lacks soul."
Liu Qingyan sneered, "She’s just lazy and can’t perform such delicate operations."
Upon hearing this, Liu Qingquan immediately jumped over, cheerfully grabbing Liu Qingyan’s arm, "Well, that’s why sister is here."
Shen Ying teased, "What if your sister marries into the Lu family?"
"Then it wouldn’t be any diff—"
Liu Qingquan’s eyes darted, "How would that be any different from now?"
Liu Qingyan squinted her eyes, while Shen Ying sent a flirtatious glance at Lu Zheng, who pointed to an imposing mountain peak ahead, "I see there’s a tall waterfall there. Let’s go catch some wild chickens and grill some fish, take a break before continuing."
...
On the side of a steep and beautiful mountain, next to a waterfall plummeting over a hundred feet, by the edge of a deep green pool, four people were setting up a grill.
Flames flickered, and the aroma wafted through the air.
"Wow! It smells amazing!"
Liu Qingquan fanned towards herself and took a deep breath.
"Hehe, this is the joy of being here. With brother-in-law personally cooking, we are truly blessed!"
It was midsummer, and there was nothing happening in both modern and ancient times, so the four of them were in no hurry to reach Tushan, flying leisurely. Whenever they spotted beautiful landscapes, they’d descend for a tour.
Liu Qingquan was easy to occupy—Lu Zheng took a chicken off the grill, tore off half, and she was too busy eating to talk.
Liu Qingyan cradled the other half of the chicken, carefully tearing off a small piece to eat. Her lips gently moved, her throat shifted slightly as she gracefully swallowed, her movements gentle and her demeanor elegant.
Lu Zheng blinked, feeling a sudden urge to taste Liu Qingyan’s lips, when he was presented with a piece of fish beside his mouth.
"Hehe!"
Shen Ying placed the fish into Lu Zheng’s mouth, touched the corner of his lips with her slender fingertips, then returned to eat herself, licking off the oil.
Damn it, she’s a demon...
Liu Qingyan’s face flushed ruby red, but being inherently gentle and bashful, she dared not seduce Lu Zheng in front of Liu Qingquan, merely sharing a secretive smile and casting him a signaling glance.
Lu Zheng sighed, noticing Liu Qingquan, immersed in dealing with her grilled chicken, feeling he had brought along a major third wheel.
Rubbing his fingers together, Lu Zheng contemplated which spell would give Liu Qingquan sweet dreams tonight when his ears twitched and turned to one side.
Shen Ying blinked and softly chuckled, "Another pair of young lovers."
Liu Qingyan sensed newcomers but remained unfazed, still nibbling the grilled chicken.
Before long, rustling noises emerged from the bushes on the left, followed by a young couple darting out. The man donned a blue fitted outfit with a long saber strapped to his back, appearing about thirty years old. The woman wore a tight pink dress with a short sword hanging from her waist, looking youthful and vibrant.
The two sped along, exchanging amorous glances, their figures nearly glued together as they left the woods, only to find the four behind the deep pool barbecuing.
"Hmm?"
"Hey?"
Instinctively, the couple released hands, simultaneously glancing towards the four.
"Who are you?" The woman exclaimed.
The man swiftly drew his saber, vigilantly looking at the four, "Why trespass our sect’s forbidden area in the rear mountains?"
"Forbidden area in the rear mountains?"
Lu Zheng and the three women exchanged confused looks, momentarily bewildered.
Shen Ying inquired, "These are the rear mountains—were there any sect buildings just ahead?"
Lu Zheng shook his head, "Didn’t notice any. We came from the southwest, perhaps the sect is on the other side, so we didn’t see it."
Liu Qingyan pursed her lips, shyly glancing at the couple, "If this is their sect’s forbidden area, then we’ve indeed been impudent."
Liu Qingquan sucked the chicken wing clean, spitting out the bone without concern, "There isn’t even a simple trail. How could we have known it was a forbidden area?"
The couple glanced at each other, about to speak when they noticed the four staring at the bushes on their left.
At that moment, a sinister voice sounded from the left, "Deng Yu, Rongrong, you’re... good..."
"Senior Brother?" The man in the blue outfit was startled.
"Husband?" The woman in the pink skirt gasped with shock, her face paling.
"Hmm?"
"Huh?"
"Hey?"
Lu Zheng’s eyes lit up, Liu Qingquan instantly lifted her head, Liu Qingyan and Shen Ying looked at the couple with a perplexed expression.
Next, a middle-aged man with short facial hair, dressed in a blue fitted garment, slowly emerged from the woods, glaring sinisterly at the blue-clad man and pink-dressed woman, his face twitching with murderous intent.
"Senior Brother, let me explain..." The man in blue, Deng Yu, clung to Yang Rongrong as they slowly stepped back.
"Explain what? Explain how you took advantage of me being occupied, my wife going home, taking my wife to the rear mountains for an illicit affair while Master’s bones are not yet cold?" The short-haired man clenched his fists, making a clicking sound.
"Senior Brother, now isn’t the time to discuss this." Deng Yu’s eyes darted around and noticed Lu Zheng and the others, quickly changing the subject, "These four people are suspicious. Could they be here to steal the Mountain-Suppressing Stele after Master passed away?"
The short-haired man glanced at Lu Zheng and company briefly, scoffing, "Hmph, do you think they resemble thieves?"
Lu Zheng nodded, pondering that this man had some sense, when he heard the man continue, "Just a group of young people with some minor skills wandering recklessly. Once I finish with you, disposing of them will be a breeze."
Lu Zheng: ???
On the other side, Yang Rongrong was taken aback, involuntarily stepping back to hide behind Deng Yu, "You want to kill me? Don’t think I don’t know about you and Mistress!"
Liu Qingyan: ???
The short-haired man’s face changed, but before he could speak, more rustling came from the southern woods. Next, a group of ten black-clad, masked men holding sharp blades and a striking woman dressed in a yellow outfit leading them emerged from the trees.
Right when they burst forth from the woods, the woman in yellow addressed those behind her, "This is the rear mountains of the Hundred Peaks Sect. The stele is in Hundred Peaks Cave. Currently, Duan Heng Mountain has just died, and the guards are lax..."
Before finishing her sentence, the group noticed the anomaly ahead, instantly stopping in their tracks and staring at the scene blankly, then Deng Yu stared dumbfounded at the woman in yellow, "Xiu Lan?"
Shen Ying: ???
