Chapter 189

Liang Qingyi, who was only thirty-four years old, was at the prime of his life. He was extremely quick-witted, yet a district magistrate was condescending to invite him for tea? What a joke! He was different from those mountain villages that relied on the mountains. In the end, he was just a boat company, not much different from a carriage company.

Moonlight Bay was naturally formed, so the commoners who lived by the water built boats and ferried ferries, breaking away from their previous lives of cutting wood, hunting, fishing, and farming. With the prosperity of the post road, more and more people gathered here to make a living. Thus, the composition of the people here was very complicated. They had no roots.

Thus, if the government wanted to touch him, it was very easy, no matter if it was a local official or a low-ranking official. Although Liang Qingyi was the tyrant of Moonlight Bay, it was only relative to the commoners who depended on the water to make a living. Moonlight Bay was located at the border between the Great Mountains Department and Gourd County. He didn't have much contact with either side, so why would the district magistrate of Gourd County want to see him?

Liang Qingyi immediately put away his arrogant expression and took two steps forward. He cupped his hands in greeting and said, "So it's Lord District Magistrate. This commoner, Liang Qingyi, has eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai. Please forgive me. It is my honor to have Lord visit Moonlight Bay. Please come to my humble abode and let me show my manners. "

Ye Xiaotian smiled faintly and waved his hand to signal to Hua Yunfei and the others who were also dressed in plain clothes. Then, he followed Liang Qingyi. Liang Qingyi took a quick glance and saw that there were already more than ten strangers standing on the pier. They did not look like merchants, nor did they look like sailors. However, with his eyesight, he could tell that they were not easy to get along with.

Liang Qingyi's heart trembled even more. What good could an official want from him? Night owls wouldn't come for nothing! Liang Qingyi carefully invited Ye Xiaotian into his courtyard on the pier.

This courtyard looked ordinary from the outside, but once you stepped inside, it was a whole other world. The hall was magnificently decorated with moon eye obsidian bead curtains, pear-wood lined tables made of green jade, sandalwood couch, and silk embroidered screens. It was exquisite, luxurious, and elegant.

Although Liang Qingyi was the owner of a shipping company and called himself the King of the Ten Thousand Mountains, he was, after all, a courier station, and had seen a lot of guests coming and going from south to north, so he was not an ignorant and inexperienced landlord. This hall had been meticulously decorated by an expert, which made him very proud.

But now that he invited Ye Xiaotian to sit, Liang Qingyi, who didn't know the purpose of his visit, was very nervous and didn't show any signs of pride. He carefully sat down and asked a maid to serve tea. He then bowed and asked cautiously, "Magistrate, this commoner is only a boatman who lives by the river. How can I be worthy of Magistrate?

Liang Qingyi understood and immediately said, "Don't worry, Magistrate, they are all necessary helpers of this commoner. They are all from families that have followed my Liang family for more than thirty years. They are trustworthy!" Liang Qingyi understood and immediately said, "Milord, don't worry. They are all helpers of this commoner. They are all from families that have followed the Liang family for more than thirty years.

Tell them to do what you want them to do. The news of this official's arrival must not be leaked. Tell them to do whatever you want them to do, but don't leak the news that I've arrived here. Ye Xiaotian's gaze focused on Liang Qingyi and he said lightly, "I am not a hindrance, but I am afraid it will be disadvantageous to you."

Liang Qingyi was secretly alarmed. He wanted to wave his hand to dismiss the stewards, but now he became cautious. He first apologized to Ye Xiaotian, then got up and went down to the hall. He called the stewards to his side and warned them earnestly before dismissing them.

Liang Qingyi was secretly alarmed; at first she wanted to wave her hand to dismiss the stewards, but now she became more cautious. First she excused herself to Ye Xiaotian, and then she got up and went down the hall. She called the stewards to her side and cautioned them again before dismissing them.

After the stewards of the shipping company had left, Liang Qingyi hurried back to the hall and smiled apologetically, "Sir, this commoner has already given instructions. Holding a teacup, Ye Xiaotian crossed his legs and smiled at Liang Qingyi, saying, "Master Liang, this official would like to introduce a few people to your accounting office. It will only take a few days and you don't need to pay for it. What do you think …?"

Ye Xiaotian held his teacup and crossed his legs. He smiled at Liang Qingyi and said, "Owner Liang, this official wants to introduce a few people to your accounting office. It'll only take a few days, and you don't need to pay them. What do you think …?"

"Ah?"

Liang Qingyi was puzzled and at a loss …

Ye Xiaotian and his entourage 'dejectedly' left Tiger Pass. Perhaps because Ambassador Pang had raised his vigilance against Ye Xiaotian's little tricks, Ye Xiaotian felt that he could not find any clues. Moreover, the huge number of accounting books made him feel even more hopeless. Thus, he 'resentfully' left.

Ambassador Pang still maintained an indifferent expression and politely sent him out of Tiger Pass. He did not wait for Liang Qingyi's caravan to go far before he turned around and returned to the pass.

Ye Xiaotian knew that there were still people watching them to see if they had really returned to Gourd County. Therefore, Ye Xiaotian really did obediently return to Gourd County. When he passed by Moonlight Bay, he did not even stop to look at it.

On the second day after he returned to Gourd County, he made a surprise attack and sneaked back to Moonlight Bay. That was how this scene unfolded before his eyes. Ye Xiaotian had to come personally. Although Liang Qingyi was a man of the wilderness, if he did not show up, other people might not be able to control Liang Qingyi.

Ye Xiaotian was the district magistrate and naturally could not disappear for too long. Soon, he quietly left Moonlight Bay and returned to Gourd County. When he left, Hua Yunfei and six other warriors stayed behind at Moonlight Bay. There were also four old men who stayed behind with them. The old man leading them was surnamed Nan.

The four old men were arranged by Liang Qingyi to work in the accountant's office to check the accounts of the past few years. It was said that they were hired by Master Liang at a high price to check the accounts, to prevent the accountant from committing fraud. As for Hua Yunfei and the six warriors, they became Liang Qingyi's bodyguards.

Liang Qingyi was the king of Moonlight Bay. Wherever he went, everyone's gazes would be focused on him. Who would care about who his guards were yesterday, who was today, how many people were there yesterday, and how many people were there today …?

…

In just over two days, on the evening of the third day, Hua Yunfei hurried back to the Ye Mansion. Hua Yunfei rushed to the back of the house and saw Tao Siniang walking towards him. Hua Yunfei subconsciously wanted to avoid her, but they had already bumped into each other. If he avoided her now, it would be too deliberate. He could only stand still with an unnatural expression.

Ever since Tao Siniang hugged Hua Yunfei, Hua Yunfei's feelings towards Tao Siniang suddenly changed. In the past, Tao Siniang was just a gentle and virtuous big sister in his heart, but now …. Hua Yunfei did not dare to look at Tao Siniang's expression. He lowered his gaze and said shyly, "Siniang, is my big brother here?"

Although Ye Xiaotian did not punish Hua Yunfei, Tao Siniang still felt that she owed him a favor. Tao Siniang did not know that this young man had developed some strange feelings towards her. In that era, other than some poor and remote villages who raised children as brides, the mainstream marriage of the entire society was that the man was older than the woman. It was unthinkable for a woman to be older than the man.

Tao Si Niang was older than Hua Yunfei by seven or eight years. Although a twenty-five or twenty-six year old woman did not look old, it was the most mature period of a girl's development. From the inside out, she looked like a perfectly ripe peach. But in Tao Si Niang's heart, she only treated Hua Yunfei as a little brother.

Seeing that it was Hua Yunfei, Tao Siniang warmly greeted him, "Brother Yunfei, the master is in the reception pavilion talking to Yaoyao, you should go over."

"Oh, okay! Okay …. "

As if he had been granted amnesty, Hua Yunfei hurriedly slipped away from Tao Siniang's side. When the two of them brushed past each other, Hua Yunfei caught a whiff of the faint fragrance of a woman on Tao Si Niang's body. Hua Yunfei panicked and lost his footing. The tip of his foot suddenly tripped over a cobblestone, almost causing him to fall.

Fortunately, Hua Yunfei was nimble and quickly jumped forward. Not daring to stop for even a moment, he staggered forward and only regained his composure when he was seven or eight steps away from her. Tao Siniang was startled at first, thinking that he was about to fall and almost cried out. When she saw that he had steadied himself, she shook her head with a smile, "So rash, in the end, he's still a child that hasn't grown up."

Hua Yunfei didn't dare to turn his head back. When he steadied himself, he couldn't help but clench his fists and feel regret, "Ai! I'm usually fine, why is it that when I see her …. This time, I've lost face in front of Tao Siniang, she'll definitely laugh at me …. "

In the reception pavilion, Ye Xiaotian was talking to Yaoyao. Other families were afraid that their children wouldn't like to study, but Yaoyao was too obedient and worked hard every day. Ye Xiaotian was afraid that she would overwork her little body, so he always tried to persuade her to study less.

Ye Xiaotian said, "Did you play with A Big Man and Fuwa on the mountain today? Those two fellows definitely can't stand being cooped up at home, you should bring them out more often. "

Yaoyao said happily, "Yes, I bring them to the back of the mountain to play every day. But brother, you don't have to worry about them being bored, they sometimes go up the mountain to play by themselves and don't even come back at night. When Elder Dong goes to the mountain to catch insects, they always follow and play happily, how could they be bored? "

Ye Xiaotian patted her head and sighed, "They aren't bored, but you are. Girls, you just need to know how to write your own name and know how to count. Even if you learn a lot, you won't be able to become the top scholar, so why work so hard? "

Yaoyao pouted and said, "Even if you don't become the top scholar, you can still understand etiquette, know shame, and know the big picture. I see that in our family, everything is managed by Fourth Mother, others wouldn't understand even if they wanted to help. I read more books, so that when I grow up, I can help Brother Xiaotian. "

Ye Xiaotian laughed and pinched her little face, "Our Yaoyao is so obedient, learning to be a housekeeper at such a young age. Don't worry, even if you don't know anything, brother won't drive you out. When you grow up, brother will marry you off, and you will receive a huge betrothal gift. Wahahaha … "

Yaoyao knew that he was teasing her, so she put her hands on her waist and looked at him, unconvinced, "You are the district magistrate, when Yaoyao grows up, brother might already be a high-ranking official, don't you feel embarrassed if you don't give me a big dowry? You still want to receive betrothal gifts, hmph! Hmph hmph … "

Ye Xiaotian slapped his forehead and 'suddenly realized', "That's right, no wonder people say that girls are losers, sigh! Losers, losers, really losers … "

"You're so good! Brother is guarding a mountain of gold and silver in front of the Venerable of the God Sect, yet he's still so stingy … "

It was not an exaggeration. Miao lived in seclusion in the mountains, so they were short of materials. But when they had money, they did not hesitate to worship the God of Venomous Vermin. It was just like the herdsmen in some areas who were extremely poor, but they worshiped the temples until they were rich. After a thousand years of accumulation, the Divine Sect had accumulated a lot of wealth. Moreover, there was a gold mine under the Divine Sect that was unknown to the outside world.

Yaoyao started tickling Ye Xiaotian. Ye Xiaotian laughed and dodged. At this time, Hua Yunfei walked in. As soon as Ye Xiaotian saw Hua Yunfei, he quickly grabbed Yaoyao's little hand and used his eyes to stop her frolicking. He couldn't wait to ask Hua Yunfei, "Did you get anything?"