Chapter 973 Being Challenged
Lin Mengya shook her head and gave up the idea of asking further.
After all, everyone had things they did not want others to know.
The next day, Shi Bupo still looked frivolous as usual. However, there was something tacit between him and Ling Mengya.
Because they saw the guy who had no talent in medicine was working hard to read medical books.
Seeing that, even Xu Shan was lack-jawed, not to mention Qinghu.
Of course, Shi Bupo was still the one who had a big mouth, even though he studied hard.
No matter how tiring and hard the journey was, the argument between Shi Bupo and Xu Shan could always be heard.
It could be taken as a sort of entertainment during Lin Mengya’s busy work. Of course, she would yell at them to shut up when she got annoyed.
In short, the journey was dull, but it was not hard to get through.
Lin Mengya had spent a month and a half in the carriage.
Fortunately, she had already learned how to stay in the carriage at ease. Besides, the secret letters were sent to her continuously every day, so she had no time to feel bored at all.
As a result, when they arrived in the territory of Xiang Prefecture, the carriage suddenly slowed down, causing her to feel a little unaccustomed.
They left the Capital City on the first day of the New Year.
And it was mid-February now. The early spring weather was chilly, but it was not as cold as winter.
Today, Lin Mengya, who had not touched a comfortable bed for a long time, could finally sleep on a bed.
Leaving everything behind, Lin Mengya fell asleep so soundly that even her living clock temporarily stopped working and let her sleep for an entire day.
“What smells so good?”
Finally, the physiological reaction of hunger made her reluctantly wake up from her sound sleep.
“Qinghu is right. Master, you are not only a sleepy cat but also a greedy one.”
With a smiling face, Baisu put a bowl of vegetable porridge in front of Lin Mengya.
Qinghu had always been meticulous in taking care of Lin Mengya’s daily life.
“What time is it now? Where are they?”
Lin Mengya asked while eating porridge. They arrived at Chong’an County in the evening. The inconspicuous inn she stayed in was one of Sanjue Hall’s industries.
It was in the territory of her men. That was why she could sleep so soundly.
A trace of worry flashed through Baisu’s eyes, but she tried to hide her thoughts in front of Lin Mengya with a relaxed look.
“It’s just getting dark. Qinghu and another two have gone to the resting place to check out. They hope you have a good rest, saying that if there’s anything, you can talk about it tomorrow.”
Lin Mengya raised her eyebrows. She wondered if Baisu knew that every time she tried to lie, her eyes were too earnest, even fixed firmly on the other.
It was probably a so-called over-correction.
“Baisu, you’ve kept something from me.”
Lin Mengya put down the white porcelain bowl, wiped her mouth, and looked at Baisu calmly.
After struggling in her mind for a while, Baisu shrugged in dejection, but her tone was a little indignant.
“Master, I knew you would expose my lie at once. However, none of the three guys were willing to get involved in this matter.”
Lin Mengya shook her head. She naturally knew that if Qinghu or her two bodyguards told her about this matter, she would certainly make them scream by using her methods.
But Baisu was different. She had always been generous and kind to these maids. She was the most appropriate one to take the blame for them.
“Since you know you can’t hide it from me, you’d better tell the truth. Could it be that anything happened to our men internally?”
Baisu looked at her master in surprise, with her big bright eyes full of unwillingness.
“As expected, nothing can escape your eyes, Master. Hump, the Branch Hall here is quite peaceful. However, some people have maliciously guessed your intention and come here to make trouble!”
According to Lin Mengya’s order, the Branch Halls all over the country only needed to send their elites over to join her troop.
However, because of Lin Mengya’s connections with the imperial court of various countries, the development of Sanjue Hall was unduly smooth.
Thus, some people had forgotten that they could call the shots not because of how much they were capable, but because of Lin Mengya’s fame.
Once the desire for power swelled, in addition to blind confidence, it would also bring up the arrogance that one thought he was invincible.
To prevent such a situation back then, all the Branch Hall Masters had been elected by the headquarters of Sanjue Hall.
In addition to maintaining their loyalty, more importantly, they were from Sanjue Hall, which gave them a sense of responsibility and belonging.
For the sake of increasing the number of people to develop the Branch Hall, where many Deputy Hall Masters and even the supervisors were recruited from outside.
However, there were always more talents. Even though the Branch Halls Master designated by the headquarter of Sanjue Hall were outstanding in some aspects, their capabilities were somewhat uneven.
As time went by, there were some cases where the more capable Deputy Hall Masters overstepped their roles and made the Branch Hall Masters nominal ones.
This time, Lin Mengya and Qinghu had made a plan. The people they took out were not only to complete their missions but also to gain experience.
After these people returned safely, they would be the backbone force of Sanjue Hall.
However, some people were reluctant to offer the elites they had worked so hard to recruit to Lin Mengya, the idle Hall Master in their thoughts.
Sanjue Hall had strict rules. If they complied outwardly but disobeyed inwardly, the Enforcement Team would not tolerate them.
The members of the Enforcement Team were trained by Qinghu in person. Not only were they highly skilled in martial arts, but each of them also firmly stood up for the rules.
These people realized that they could not take it head-on, so some of the smart ones thought of other ways.
They sent their men over according to the order issued by the headquarters. They held the fort in person in the name of escorting the Hall Master. But in the end, with various excuses, they simply had their men show up in front of the Hall Master, which could be regarded as fulfilling their duties.
What they were doing was also testing the bottom line of Lin Mengya, the Hall Master.
...
After all, Lin Mengya had promised in advance that everyone had the chance to go back on their word.
However, if they were allowed to swagger away, she, as the Hall Master, would become the butt of a joke, and she would no longer have any prestige in the future.
If she insisted on punishing those people, she would be at a disadvantage, and her troops would lose their morale. The loss would outweigh the gain.
In short, whoever came up with this idea, had pushed Lin Mengya, the Hall Master, to be in the limelight.
As expected, those people were here to stir up trouble, but unfortunately, the methods were somewhat despicable.
“How many in-charge persons of the Branch Hall have come?”
After Baisu finished her words angrily, Lin Mengya didn’t respond at all. She just asked lightly and continued to have tea at the table.
“There are seven Deputy Hall Masters in total. Among them, only three make big noises, two have unclear attitudes, and another two should be here to escort you. Qinghu said that one of them is an old friend of yours.”
Lin Mengya’s eyebrows twitched. She had met many old friends recently. It was not necessarily a good thing for her.
Putting the teacup on the table, Lin Mengya looked as calm as usual.
“Oh? Who is it?”
...
Baisu whispered in Lin Mengya’s ear with a joyful look on her face.
“Everyone calls him Master Guo. It’s said that he used to do great things with you. Now he is in charge of the affairs of the Nation of Lintian, and he is quite influential among all the Branch Hall Masters. With his support, I don’t think those people can make anything big.”
Lin Mengya smiled, and the expression on her delicate face gradually became soft.
Some memories appeared in her mind, and her eyes were flashing with some expectations.
She clearly remembered Master Guo.
When she went to the Nation of Lintian to look for herbs back then, Lin Mengya disguised herself as a man and muddled in Master Guo’s trade caravan.
Time went by quickly. Master Guo had become the spine of Sanjue Hall, and Lin Mengya was no longer the innocent girl.
However, Lin Mengya didn’t expect that Master Guo would come here to support her from far away.
It proved that she didn’t misjudge Master Guo back then.
“Go pass a message to Master Guo, telling him just to be a bystander tomorrow, but I appreciate his kindness,” Lin Mengya said.
Baisu looked at Lin Mengya suspiciously. She could not understand why her master would do such a thing that reduced her strength.
Baisu thought that her master had lost her mind because of anger, so she said in an anxious tone.
“Master, why do you have to do that? Master Guo’s words are somewhat influential, after all. The other Branch Hall Master can say nothing but ‘yes’, who is not reliable. In this case, you will have to fight alone tomorrow!”
Compared with Baisu, who was extremely anxious, Lin Mengya, who was tasting the fragrant tea with her eyes narrowed, seemed to be too relaxed.
Lin Mengya looked at Baisu in front of her, who was even more anxious than her, with a smile. After enjoying Baisu’s anxiety for her, Lin Mengya said slowly.
“In their eyes, I’m just a good-for-nothing who becomes the Hall Master with luck. In this case, if Master Guo keeps helping me, won’t it be solid proof that I am a good-for-nothing? In this way, it’s no different from drinking poison to quench thirst. It can not wipe out their thoughts about challenging me.”
Baisu was indeed smart. After hearing this, she said thoughtfully.
“Master, so you mean…”
Lin Mengya’s lips touched the warm tea, appearing rosy and delicate, and curved into a seductive sneer.
But in her narrowed eyes, a cold glint was flashed.
“We’re doing something different from the imperial court. Since they had the thought of laying their hands on me, they should be ready to be eliminated.”
Lin Mengya’s voice sounded pleasant to ear. However, Baisu shivered at it.
Baisu knew that her master would not easily show a trace of killing intent. Even though Lin Mengya had peerless poisoning skills, she still looked harmless.
Baisu did not realize until today that one might have a chance to survive if he messed with the emperor, Long Tianyu, who was far away in the Capital City.
However, if one messed with Lin Mengya, who was in front of her, he would be sentenced to death, without a doubt.
Perhaps, those people had misjudged the situation.
The most terrifying, severe, and fatal thing in Sanjue Hall was not the strict rules or the tough Enforcement Team.
It was Lin Mengya, the founder of Sanjue Hall, who seemed to be vulnerable.