Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 238 - 231 The Green Fish Lantern Part 2

Chapter 238: Chapter 231 The Green Fish Lantern Part 2

After that day, the caravan moved slowly forward and soon arrived at a wide canyon engulfed by black winds.

From a distance, the white canyon looked like a knife slit between two mountain peaks, its entrance continuously absorbing a large quantity of black thread-like air currents from all directions.

The caravan stopped slowly at the edge of the canyon, avoiding the wind, and found a recess in the bare mountainside to hide in.

Oval, flat tents that had been prepared earlier were set up, clinging to the ground, their smooth surfaces glowing white, like little mushrooms growing in the recess.

Ma Yuan and several team leaders directed everyone to position their tents, forming an even larger, complex formation that seemed to serve a special function.

The white ox carts were parked at the edge of the recess, lined up to block the wild winds outside.

In the midst of arranging everything, Ma Yuan listened to a report from a subordinate who had run over, his brows immediately furrowed tightly.

"Are you sure?"

"Certain," the subordinate nodded gravely.

"Understood, go and bring me the ’Hornet’." Ma Yuan pondered for a moment and then instructed.

"Should we use it now?" Another team leader leaned in and asked in a low voice.

"We have no choice, it’s coming. Although it’s a bit of a waste, safety comes first. Placing it a bit ahead can reduce a lot of casualties. Money can be earned again, but if we skimp and people die because of it, that would be bad," Ma Yuan shook his head.

"That’s true."

"We’ve been on the Yang Path for a while now and haven’t really encountered any danger. This time, it seems we’ll have to use everything at once," another team leader said with a wry smile.

"Misfortune and fortune come hand in hand, who knows?" Ma Yuan sighed. "Fang Wushui, are the Linglong sets all prepared?"

The other two nodded.

"After this trip, we can live in peace for a little while. I hope we can make it safely."

After waiting for a while, Ma Yuan walked towards the ox cart where he was staying, climbed into the corresponding compartment, and knocked on a room’s door. There was no response.

He frowned and knocked again.

"Qiuqiu?"

He called out twice. Still, there was no response from inside.

"Master, Miss has gone to listen to stories from that gentleman again," a maid timidly poked her head out from the side.

"Gone again?" Ma Yuan’s brows tightened, "This girl really knows how to make people worry."

"Are you worried about Miss Qiuqiu?" The woman who had saved Qiuqiu before happened to be passing through the carriage corridor and stopped to ask.

"It turns out to be Miss Bao Luofei." Ma Yuan bowed respectfully to her. "My Qiuqiu is the kindest and most innocent..."

"The leader need not worry about Mr. Honghua; he has extensive knowledge, impressive learning, and is known to be loyal and kind...." Bao Luofei said indifferently.

"I’m not afraid of that, I’m worried that Qiuqiu, the child, hasn’t seen many outstanding men. What if..."

Ma Yuan felt a touch of embarrassment.

"As daughters of Jianghu, if we choose scholars without the strength to truss a chicken, life will be hard in the future..."

"That’s not necessarily true. Settling down incognito, living a stable life in wealth can also be a happy affair," Bao Luofei shook her head lightly, seeming to recall some past events, a flicker of emotion in her eyes.

"What Miss Bao says is indeed reasonable..." Ma Yuan nodded, but inside he disagreed. They of Jianghu lived on the edge of the sword. Were the friends they made numerous? Certainly, but enemies even more so. Without martial arts to protect oneself, living incognito would lead only to the destruction of home and family, nothing more.

"By the way, have you heard of a faction known as ’Nine Blossoms Tongue’?" Bao Luofei suddenly spoke.

"Nine Blossoms Tongue?" Ma Yuan was taken aback for a moment, "I’m afraid not."

"It has another name, ’Tian Qing Gang.’ The gang leader, Fu Shiran, also goes by the name Dongye Zhi."

"Dongye Zhi?!" Ma Yuan suddenly understood, "Are you referring to Tian Qing Law King Dongye Zhi!?"

"Tian Qing Law King? Is that his title here? It does fit his image," Bao Luofei said earnestly.

"Indeed, I’m talking about him. I am ashamed to admit that I originally planned to hide in the team, then after passing the Black Wind Canyon, I intended to go our separate ways, to avoid implicating you all. However, I didn’t expect this to happen. Tian Qing Gang has been relentlessly pursuing me; I’ve faced off against their Rudder Master dozens of times, each time just barely escaping with injuries. But now I’ve received news that Tian Qing Gang’s leader himself has taken action against me. Fearful of involving you, I plan to take my leave now."

Upon hearing this, Ma Yuan’s heart raced. He was unfamiliar with Tian Qing Gang, but Tian Qing Law King’s notoriety in these borderlands was as thunderous, known to silence crying children.

Though called a Law King, he was actually akin to a Demon King, with many followers under his command. At his single command, it often led to the slaughter of villages and towns, even attacking Loose Cultivators passing by. The surrounding Sects had tried to encircle and suppress him several times, but his actions, cunning as a fox, left them running in circles. Due to not being able to outlast him, they eventually ceased their efforts.

Moreover, this was the state of affairs years ago. More recently, Tian Qing Law King has been keeping a low profile, keeping to himself, rumored to be cultivating some earth-shattering Demonic Arts. Now coming out of seclusion, his skill must have advanced even further.

But at this moment, after having spent so much time with Bao Luofei, to be suspected of complicity... At this thought, his face nearly turned green, especially hearing that Tian Qing Law King was notoriously suspicious.

But suspicion was already upon them; whether Bao Luofei stayed or left, they would be linked with the villains of Tian Qing Gang in these unknown and dangerous lands. Losing a powerful ally like Bao Luofei would be regrettable.

He was, after all, the fierce man who dared to enter the Yang Path alone for a bit of Silver. With gritted teeth, he nodded.

"Miss Bao, you’re being too serious," Ma Yuan said with a stern face. "Let’s not even mention that we are strangers in a strange land, the supplies you’re carrying alone definitely won’t last. Just consider how difficult it will be for Tian Qing’s men to find us here, and even if they do manage to locate us, we can think of ways to hide you."

Since he had already gotten himself into a mess with the mutton, Ma Yuan thought it would be better to go all in—perhaps he could even gain a little favor from Bao Luofei for his troubles.

Bao Luofei looked deeply at Ma Yuan, her face showing a touch of emotion as she nodded.

"I shall repay this debt of gratitude from your team in the future," she said.

Ma Yuan hurriedly expressed his modesty.

*************************

Lin Xin carefully blew the ink dry on the rice paper in front of him, picked it up to give it a shake, and then attached it to the wall beside him.

Although the room was small, it had everything he needed. Since he would be living here for at least a few years, he had started to treat it just like his own place in the manor—practicing writing and calligraphy each day and reciting Buddhist scripture, which made him feel increasingly serene and settled.

"Your calligraphy is really good, sir," Ma Qiuqiu said, sitting upright beside him. "Much better than my dad’s."

"Do you know what this character is?" Lin Xin asked her with a smile.

"I don’t know."

Lin Xin pointed at the paper he had just written on.

"This is ’heart,’ a character from a foreign land far away." What he wrote was in the script of the Two-Faced Kingdom.

"A foreign land far away? How far is it? Is it farther than the Central Prefecture where we’re headed?" the little girl asked, her eyes wide with curiosity.

"I don’t know either," Lin Xin shook his head. "I’ve only come across it in ancient books."

"So there are things that you don’t know, sir?"

"There’s plenty I don’t know," Lin Xin laughed. "By the way, Qiuqiu, has your dad mentioned how long we’re going to stay here?" He had noticed that they were setting up camp and assumed that they might be staying for a while.

"I’m not sure. But usually, when my dad sets up camp, we stay for more than two months," Ma Qiuqiu said nonchalantly. "I’ve been traveling around with my dad since I was little, so I’m quite familiar with his habits."

"Don’t you get tired?"

"Not really, I’m used to it. Why would I be tired?" Ma Qiuqiu said casually. "But sir, how come you know so much yet you’re still traveling with the caravan to Central Prefecture? The people there are not all good."

Lin Xin’s eyes darkened.

"It’s just because of some troubles that I have no choice but to go."

Ma Qiuqiu also nodded in understanding and tactfully refrained from asking further. Despite her seemingly innocent and pure appearance, she was actually quite clever and lively in thought.

"Then, can you tell me what sort of troubles they are?"

"You’re still young; you wouldn’t understand," Lin Xin said with a smile.

"What? Qiuqiu is not young, Qiuqiu is... Qiuqiu is big now," said Ma Qiuqiu, her face blushing slightly as she sneakily glanced at Lin Xin.

Lin Xin was taken aback by the young girl’s sudden statement, momentarily startled and wondering if he had neglected to maintain an appropriate distance.

Looking at Ma Qiuqiu, she was indeed attractive with long legs, fair skin, and gentle obedience, making her an agreeable and sensible companion. As she sat there with a blush on her face, the off-shoulder white dress she wore subtly revealed a trace of her snowy white shoulders, her complexion smooth and visible. What she referred to as ’big’ was unmistakably the prominent rise at her chest.

Essentially, this was a confession.

For a young girl untouched by romantic affairs to express herself to this extent surely took a great deal of courage, and it was no small feat.

He was considering how to phrase his response, to decline her gently without hurting the young girl’s pride and dignity.

"There’s no need for more words, sir. Qiuqiu knows she was too forward," said Ma Qiuqiu when she noticed there was no joy in his eyes, only surprise. Feeling her heart cool by half as he hesitated on his words, she became even more certain of Lin Xin’s sentiments.

"Young ladies should not speak so abruptly in the future," Lin Xin said seriously.

"Yes..." Ma Qiuqiu quickly replied.

Somehow, the more she looked at Lin Xin, the more all-knowing he seemed to her. She felt like a child learning to speak in his presence, clueless, always looking up to her teacher to hear him explain many principles she had never even considered.

After spending such times together, the image of Lin Xin in her heart had grown more and more impressive.

"It’s just a pity that sir doesn’t practice martial arts; otherwise, you would surely be a renowned hero celebrated for both literary and martial excellence," she thought as she listened to him, "But isn’t this just perfect? I can work hard to practice martial arts. My dad also wants me to learn it for self-protection. Once I master the martial arts, I can guard sir’s side, and then we’ll embody both literary and martial skills, won’t we?"

As she entertained this thought, she looked dazedly at Lin Xin, as if spellbound.

Her previous aversion to learning martial arts vanished in an instant, leaving only a young girl’s springtime fancies.

This was no surprise, for in those days, only the wealthy could afford an education in literacy, and a well-learned man was a scholar who commanded respect. Ordinary people, without ample background, qualifications, or financial resources, could scarcely hope to engage in literary education.

Only someone like Ma Yuan, who had grown to be very realistic, understood that in chaotic times, without the support of martial skills, culture held little prospect for success.

But Ma Qiuqiu was oblivious to these things. She had met many men, but had never come across anyone as learned as Lin Xin. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to support it by voting for it on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to continue reading.)