Sponsored

"Where is Zhao Family Village?"

Ding Ling continued to ask.

𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

The old man saw Ding Ling dressed in fine clothes and with an extraordinary aura, clearly a person of importance. Somewhat nervous, he hunched slightly and said haltingly:

"I don’t know where it is either. I just know that if you walk ahead for more than twenty miles, you might reach Qingyun Town."

"Qingyun Town?"

The names of various small towns flashed through Ding Ling’s mind, and he really couldn’t recall a place called Qingyun Town on the Jiuzhou Land for a moment.

Then he looked at the young woman:

"I wonder, young lady, if you know where this place is?"

"Lin’an."

The young woman saw Ding Ling, outstanding and handsome, a rare sight of beauty in this world, and for a moment, she was mesmerized. It wasn’t until Ding Ling spoke that her face turned slightly red, and she shyly said:

"This Qingyun Town is a small town under the jurisdiction of Lin’an."

"Lin’an."

Ding Ling nodded and smiled:

"Thank you."

He was so gracious and polite, it felt like a spring breeze.

The old man’s nervousness receded a bit, and he smiled sheepishly and said, "I haven’t done anything to help you. No need to be so polite, Young Hero."

He quickly took out a cup, poured some tea, and said:

"If Young Hero doesn’t mind, perhaps you could have a cup of tea. You seem weary and travel-worn; are you a stranger here?"

"You could say that."

Ding Ling had intended to walk away immediately, but seeing the old man’s expression and demeanor, he couldn’t refuse, so he sat down, picked up the cup, and drank the tea in one gulp. Taking some broken silver from his pocket, he placed it down and smiled:

"Old man, I have some matters to tend to, so I’ll take my leave now."

After finishing speaking,

Ding Ling stood up and stepped away.

The old man was startled upon seeing the broken silver on the table. He hurried to catch up, saying:

"Young Hero, you shouldn’t do this. I offered you the tea, I can’t accept your money."

Ding Ling paid no heed, only walking faster.

Seeing that Ding Ling was about to disappear from sight,

the young woman disregarded her tea, whistled, and the horse grazing beside her came at the sound. She leapt onto the horse’s back and chased after Ding Ling, calling out as she ran:

"Hero, Hero, wait for me, wait!"

Ding Ling didn’t pay attention to the old man.

He understood the hardships of the poor; it was clear from how the old man, despite his age, was still working, that life was tough for him.

Yet giving gold seemed inappropriate.

Ding Ling crushed a silver ingot from his pocket, leaving some broken silver as tea money for the old man.

Now, with the young woman calling after him, Ding Ling, who initially planned to use Soaring in the Void to travel hundreds of miles instantly to Chang’an, paused.

The young woman had offered directions.

Ding Ling couldn’t ignore her, so he stopped where he was, waiting for the young woman’s horse to catch up and then said:

"Do you have something to ask me?"

"Uh."

The young woman froze; she was an escapee from a ruined household.

She had been fleeing for several months.

Looking around, the land was vast, yet nowhere felt safe.

She had no idea where to go.

Seeing Ding Ling, and recognizing that he was also a stranger, alongside his kindness and sympathy towards the old man—she already admired his appearance and charisma tremendously—and now her good impression of Ding Ling soared even higher.

So, seeing Ding Ling about to leave,

it was instinctive for her to follow.

This was mere instinct, but it also indirectly proved Ding Ling’s current great allure; he was indeed very captivating!

"If you have nothing to ask, then let us part here."

Ding Ling, seeing the young woman daydreaming, gently reminded her.

The young woman came back to her senses quickly, saying:

"Hero. Where are you going? Could you take me with you?"

"Take you with me?"

Ding Ling was taken aback.

The young woman’s face turned as red as fire, and feeling it was impolite to talk to Ding Ling from horseback, she jumped down, tidied her hair over her ear, her eyes flitting a bit, and somewhat unnaturally said:

"I am Mu Jianping from the Mu Royal Mansion. Due to the Prince’s Mansion being besieged by the Great Qing official Duolong and his troops, we had no choice but to flee. During the escape, I got separated from my brother. The silver, silver is all spent. I don’t know where to go."

The more she spoke,

the redder Mu Jianping’s face became,

until finally, her head drooped completely, as if too embarrassed to face Ding Ling.

"..."

Ding Ling was speechless.

He looked Mu Jianping up and down.

Even though the girl had a face full of frost and weariness, the inherent elegance and clarity in her bones were hard to hide. Her features were more appealing upon closer inspection; if she were to rid herself of the weariness and dress up, she would certainly be as captivating as a bright pearl from the sea, or a beautiful jade in one’s palm.

"Mu Jianping from the Mu Royal Mansion?"

Ding Ling thought for a moment and remembered:

"Don’t you know Weil Xiaobao?"

According to the storyline.

Mu Jianping should have long been Weil Xiaobao’s wife.

"Weil Xiaobao?"

Mu Jianping was taken aback, a flash of distaste across her pretty face:

"That little scoundrel is too much, I don’t like him!"

It appeared that with the players’ interference,

Mu Jianping hadn’t ended up with Weil Xiaobao.

Ding Ling continued:

"It’s our first meeting, and you already revealed your background to me. Aren’t you afraid I might hand you over to the Great Qing for a reward?"

"I’m not afraid."

A flicker of fear crossed Mu Jianping’s face, but she quickly straightened up, her bright almond eyes fixing on Ding Ling, and said crisply:

"Hero, you are a good person. You wouldn’t harm me."

"..."

Ding Ling’s eye twitched twice:

"We’ve only just met, how do you know I’m not pretending?"

Ding Ling leaned close to Mu Jianping, their faces nearly touching.

His acting activated, he smirked mischievously:

"If I were to assault you now and then hand you over to the authorities, wouldn’t that be making a huge profit?"

Ding Ling’s acting was at full level.

This smile made Mu Jianping’s heart quiver, making her instinctively step back. But soon after, as if thinking of something, she straightened her chest, approached Ding Ling, and said coquettishly:

"I’m not afraid at all. I believe you’re a good person, just trying to scare me! Your demeanor towards the old man and me shows your nature. Besides, your steps are as quick as the wind, clearly a Martial Arts Expert. If you wanted to harm me, you would have done so already, why bother with such words?"

"... It seems you’re not stupid."

’Of course I’m not stupid.’

Mu Jianping put on a wide-eyed expression:

"I’m clever, otherwise the Great Qing soldiers would have caught me long ago!"

"Hehe."

Ding Ling chuckled, without a word, glanced around:

"It’s getting late. Let’s talk as we walk."

"Hero, does this mean you agree to let me follow you?"

Mu Jianping eagerly asked.

"If you wish to follow, then come along."

Ding Ling lifted a leg and walked forward.

"Alright!"

Mu Jianping gleefully said:

"Thank you, Hero!"

She led her horse, trotting to follow behind Ding Ling, calling out:

"Hero, Hero. Do you want to ride the horse? My horse is well-behaved. How about you ride it?"

"No need. You ride it yourself. You look so petite and run so slowly. Better ride the horse."