"Is Li Miaozhen back?" "Or is the waiter of the inn knocking on the door?"
The princess frantically wiped away her tears, cleared her throat, and tried to keep her tone calm, "Who is it?"
A familiar, mellow voice came from outside the door, "It's me. Open the door."
The princess suddenly stood up, and her plain face was filled with uncontrollable surprise and excitement. Her beautiful eyes lit up, but she immediately sat back on the stool, turned her back, and said,
"Who are you? I don't know you. Why should I open the door for you?"
"I'm your wild man by the Daming Lake." Xu Qi 'an knocked on the door.
The princess spat, raised her eyebrows, and reprimanded, "I don't know you. Don't bother me again. Otherwise, I'll ask the innkeeper to drive you away. "
She immediately thought of the play she watched in the morning. The scholar did not capture the heart of the rich lady at the beginning. There was a scene in the play. The rich lady said, "If you really like me, wait outside the courtyard until midnight. I'll open the window and see you. I'll believe you."
As expected, the scholar waited until the third night watch period. Thus, the daughter of a rich family believed that he was sincere to her.
The princess tentatively said, "If you are sincere, stand at the door until midnight, then I'll believe you."
After saying that, she was looking forward to Xu Qi 'an's reaction.
Of course, the princess did not admit that she had any ambiguous entanglement with him. It was just that he promised to settle her down. She felt that he was a lecherous man, but he was a true hero.
So she believed him.
She and Xu Qi 'an were innocent. They were not a man and a woman who secretly promised to marry each other in a play.
In the past few days, she had emphasized countless times that their relationship was that of a hero in Jianghu, and that her promise was worth a thousand gold. It was definitely not a private relationship between a man and a woman.
Only in this way could she convince herself to get along with Xu Qi 'an and accept his gift. After all, she was a married woman. Her nominal husband had just died, and she eloped with a wild man. How ugly would that sound?
"Crazy!"
The person outside the door scolded mercilessly, and said angrily, "Are you going to open the door or not?"
The princess said angrily, "No."
He said, "Since you like to stay in the inn, then stay. I'll come here regularly to help you pay for the room. I won't bother you anymore. Goodbye."
The princess's shoulders moved. She subconsciously wanted to turn around, but she resisted.
She sat silently for a moment and found that there was really no movement outside the door. Finally, she couldn't help but look back.
Wangfei's heart sank, and an indescribable fear suddenly surged within her. She got up and quickly walked to the door. Opening it, she looked around. The corridor was empty.
The consort panicked and ran down the long corridor. Lifting her skirt, she ran down the stairs and ran out of the inn.
Then she saw an ordinary man with soft features standing on the street outside the inn. Qi's, and she stood outside the inn.
He looked at himself with a smile and said, "Let's go!"
For some reason, when Wang Fei saw him, she let go of all her reservations, let go of all her grievances and anger, and chose to leave with him.
… …
Xu Qi 'an bought a house not far from the Xu Mansion, but not close either. It was a small courtyard house facing the south, and there were two rooms on the east and west sides.
"I bought this house under a false name. No one will find out. No one will recognize me now, so you can live here without worry."
Xu Qi 'an took out the key and opened the door. "You will live here alone in the future. Your identity is sensitive, so I can't hire a maid or an old maid for you.
"So you have to learn to do many things yourself, such as washing, cooking, and sweeping the yard. Of course, I'll leave you some money. If you find it tiring, you can hire someone to do it. But if you can do it yourself, try your best.
"The security in the inner city is very good. Not to mention during the day, there are night watchmen and Imperial Blade Guards patrolling at night. You can live here without worry."
The princess took the key from him and held it in her small hand. She didn't respond.
Xu Qi 'an looked at her, hesitated, and said, "Why don't I come and stay here every two days?"
The princess was shocked. She covered her chest and took a few steps back.
"I didn't say I wanted to sleep with you …" The corner of Xu Qi 'an's mouth twitched. He explained, "I can rest in the east room or the west room."
The princess was silent.
She didn't agree, but she didn't refuse either. You bought this house, and if you want to live with me, there's nothing I can do as a weak woman.
The princess entered the house and walked around. She found pots, bowls, ladles, bedding, furniture, and so on. Everything was there and they were all new.
There were even a few clothes in the closet that were neither new nor old.
"Whose clothes are these?" She was in a good mood, so her voice sounded delicate.
"They're my aunt's. I thought you two have similar figures, so you should be able to wear them." Xu Qi 'an's voice came from outside.
"You want me to wear someone else's old clothes?" The princess couldn't believe it.
Xu Qi 'an walked over, leaned against the door, crossed his arms, and teased, "There's good silk in the cabinet under the bed. You can make some clothes for yourself."
The princess was speechless, and her eyebrows drooped. "I don't know …"
You still have a lot to learn. If a canary wants to fly to the sky of freedom again, you must learn to be independent. Xu Qi 'an made up his mind, ignored her little disappointment, and waved his hand.
"Go get a bucket of water from the well. I want to see your strength."
The princess followed him out of the house with great interest. She came to the well and tried to get water, but soon shook her head. "It's too heavy. I can't lift it."
Xu Qi 'an gave her a small wooden bucket. The bucket of water was equivalent to half a basin, and Xu Lingyin could lift it.
The princess didn't disappoint and lifted it.
"Ah, the bucket fell into the well." The princess's hand slipped, and the bucket and rope fell into the well. She looked at Xu Qi 'an innocently.
"Why are you looking at me like a victim?"
"How would I know it would fall into the well?"
"This means that you don't realize your mistake, or you're trying to use your innocent eyes to act coquettishly in exchange for my forgiveness and tolerance."
"I, I'm not acting coquettishly." The princess didn't admit it. She stomped her feet and said, "Then what should I do?"
"At this time, you need a man." Xu Qi 'an opened his palm, circulated his Qi, and sucked the wooden bucket up.
"I need a man …" The princess retorted angrily, "I'm a widow now. I don't have a man."
This topic wasn't suitable for them to delve into, at least not for them, so Xu Qi 'an changed the topic and said, "You can read the books in the study when you're free to pass the time."
Before the princess could refuse, Xu Qi 'an added, "Don't worry, they're all idle books."
The princess nodded slightly. "Then I'm interested."
She wasn't in a hurry to read the books. She moved a large wooden basin from the house and carried water from the well by herself. Then, she took out Aunt Xu Ningyan's clothes and threw them into the large wooden basin.
She washed the clothes clumsily.
Xu Qi 'an sat on the edge of the well, chewing on a blade of grass. He looked at the former King of Zhenbei's wife, the first beauty of Daibun, sitting on a small stool and washing the clothes seriously.
She rolled up her sleeves, revealing her fair and tender arms. The bodhi bracelet covered her beautiful face, but the temperament that she inadvertently revealed was always fascinating.
Her beauty was not limited to her appearance.
"When do you plan to leave the capital?" Mu Nanzi asked casually.
"How do you know that I'm leaving the capital?" Xu Qi 'an asked in return.
"Although I haven't spent much time with him, I know a little about him. He's arrogant and conceited, and he won't tolerate you. He didn't take revenge now because it's not the right time. If you think that he will let it go, you will die miserably. "
Mu Nanzi brushed the hair on her forehead and snorted twice. "He's also very lecherous. When I first entered the palace, he was stunned when he saw me for the first time. At that time, I knew that even the emperor was no different from ordinary people. "
"It's because you're too good-looking, princess. Not only the emperor wants to dominate your beauty, but also the Rain God wants to dominate your beauty …" Xu Qi 'an cursed.
"When you leave the capital, can you take me with you?" She carefully probed.
"No." Xu Qi 'an said impatiently.
"Oh," Mu Nanzi lowered her head and continued to scrub the clothes. Xu Qi 'an raised his head and looked at the blue sky in a daze. Then, he was splashed with dirty water mixed with foam.
The initiator burst into laughter.
Xu Qi 'an glared at her fiercely, but she was not afraid. She put her hands on her waist and provocatively raised her chin.
It was dusk before they knew it. Xu Qi 'an and the princess worked together to cook a table of food, which was barely edible.
After dinner, he tentatively said, "It's curfew. I, um, I won't leave tonight?"
The princess did not answer. She just cleaned up the bowls and chopsticks.
"Hello?" Xu Qi 'an shouted.
"It's up to you whether you want to stay or not. Why are you asking me? I'm just a weak woman. How can I drive you away?" She replied fiercely.
She fully showed a helpless attitude.
…
In Jianzhou, there was a villa with mountains and water. There were pavilions and water pavilions and a small bridge.
The pavilion was exquisitely built, decorated with rockery, gardens, and green trees. The scenery was beautiful.
In the inner courtyard of the villa, there was a pool emitting cold air. In the pool, there was a nine-color flower bud. Red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple, gold, and white …
In the night, the Jinlian Taoist priest strolled to the side of the pool. His Taoist robe was washed white, and his white hair was messy. His eyes were warm and bright as he silently stared at the flower bud in the pool.
This villa was the property of a wealthy merchant in Jianzhou. Many years ago, the wealthy merchant was in trouble and was chased by bandits. Coincidentally, he was saved by a Taoist priest of the Earth Sect.
In order to express his gratitude, he gave this villa to the Taoist priest.
Later, this villa became the secret stronghold of the Earth Sect's Good Cultivation Faction. It was also the headquarters of the Heaven & Earth Society.
In the villa, there were a total of 36 Taoist priests of the Earth Sect. Other than Jinlian, there was also a White Lotus Taoist priest, who was a fourth-grade powerhouse.
The rest of the disciples had different levels of cultivation.
The Jinlian Taoist priest had led this group of disciples to escape to this place. They had been growing wretchedly, changing out of their Taoist robes and picking up hoes. On the surface, they looked like servants in the villa, but in reality, they were Taoist priests who had to endure humiliation.
The Jinlian Taoist priest had thought carefully about choosing this place as the stronghold. Jianzhou was the holy land of martial arts in Daibun. It was also the only state with a "Wulin League Leader".
There were many sects in the other twelve states, but they were like a plate of loose sand. However, the entire martial arts world in Jianzhou was a whole.
The Wulin League ruled the Jianghu of Jianzhou.
It was an organization that even the local officials had to be polite to, and even the imperial court had to acknowledge its status. Of course, the Wulin League was not a heretical organization that violated the law by force.
On the contrary, the existence of the Wulin League had greatly improved the order of the Jianghu in Jianzhou. It had truly become the Jianghu's business.
The reason the Jinlian Taoist priest chose this place as the stronghold was because the order here was perfect and there was a strong enough Jianghu organization to effectively prevent the infiltration of the Earth Sect and the Demon Dao.
At this moment, the water in the pool suddenly boiled. Bubbles bubbled, and cold air rose like smoke.
The nine-colored flower bud suddenly came to life. Red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple, gold, and white … they lit up one after another. The multicolored light rose and fell as if it was breathing.
After the multicolored light rose and fell dozens of times, the flower bud shook, and a multicolored light shot up hundreds of feet high, illuminating the dark night. From dozens of miles away, anyone who looked up would be able to see the magnificent multicolored light.
"Every time the nine-colored Jinlian flower is about to mature, it will emit multicolored light. It can't be concealed no matter what."
At this moment, a graceful young woman in a plain long dress walked over gracefully. She stood side by side with the Jinlian Taoist priest and looked at the slowly dissipating multicolored light in the night sky.
"The Black Lotus must have noticed it. We can't hide it from him. Sect Leader, have you found a suitable helper?" The young woman asked worriedly.
The Jinlian Taoist priest smiled and asked, "Who do you think is a suitable helper?"
The young woman with the Taoist name White Lotus said softly, "Of course it's the Taoist Master of Renzong, Luo Yuheng."
Jinlian shook his head. "She is afraid of the Hellfire of the Black Lotus, so she won't go against him. The nine-colored Jinlian flower is not enough to make her risk her life, and I can't give her a reward that will move her for now. "
"Unless I send Xu Qi 'an to her bed …" The Jinlian Taoist priest thought to himself. However, Luo Yuheng attached great importance to the choice of a Taoist partner. She couldn't make up her mind yet, so she was probably still testing Xu Qi 'an.
The young woman White Lotus thought for a while. Seeing that the Sect Leader looked calm and confident, she raised her eyebrows.
"Are you thinking of sending the members of the Heaven & Earth Society? But didn't you say that you won't expose their identities before they grow up and have enough confidence to eradicate the Black Lotus? "
"Their growth is beyond my imagination." The Jinlian Taoist priest explained.
"Who are they?" White Lotus blinked her bright eyes curiously.
"You'll know when they come to the Sword Province." The Jinlian Taoist priest kept her in suspense.
…
In an ancient Taoist temple in a faraway Fairy Mountain.
In a quiet room, an oil lamp was placed on a table. Black figures sat cross-legged on cattail hassocks around the candlelight. Half of their faces were dyed orange, while the other half was hidden in the shadows.
The candlelight cast their shadows on the wall. As the flame swayed, their figures twisted, like ghosts baring their fangs and brandishing their claws.
"The Nine-Colored Lotus Seed is about to mature …"
A deep voice came from the void, echoing in the quiet room.
The black figures beside the candlelight whispered, "Kill Jinlian and the others, and take back the Nine-Colored Lotus Seed."
"Catch White Lotus and take turns to pluck her, suck her Profound Qi dry."
"I've been craving White Lotus's body for years …"
"It's been a long time since I've killed someone. I can't wait to drink human blood …"
"The Wulin League in the Sword Province is troublesome, but it's more fun this way. Hehehe …"
The words were sinister, and the tone was sinister. It sounded like a gathering of demons.
The deep voice came from the void again. "It could be a trap. The mysterious master in the Chu Zhou City is Jinlian's partner, and he is waiting for me to fall into his trap."
The whispers disappeared in an instant, and the shadows sitting around the candlelight seemed to be afraid and restrained their arrogance.
The deep voice continued, "Spread the news, the Wulin League of the Nine States will be interested. There is still half a month before the Nine-Colored Jinlian Seed ripens, and the Jianghu masters from other states will also be interested. "
Then, the deep voice let out an eerie laugh. "That includes the emperor of Daibun."
…
In the East Wing, Xu Qi'an blew out the candles and lay on the bed, ready to sleep.
Suddenly, he felt a familiar feeling in his heart. Someone had sent him a message through the fragment.
He immediately sat up, relit the candles, and took out the fragment of the Book of the Earth to read the message.
"Nine: Everyone, the Nine-Colored Lotus Seed will mature in half a month. Are you ready? "
