Chapter 171
Chapter 171
The next morning.
Sword King Li Qianqiu drove the carriage, departing from Nujiang Commandery City to take Shen Lang back to Xuanwu City. As they reached the main road, the sudden, thunderous sound of hooves echoed from behind. Over a hundred elite riders galloped with such astonishing force that the ground faintly trembled. They were the cavalry escorting Xue Le.
“Get out of the way, you mangy dog blocking the road!”
A woman’s voice rang out, not Xue Le’s, but that of her female guard. Shen Lang was taken aback.
‘This is the road to Xuanwu City. Why would Xue Le be coming back? Besides, this road is quite wide; my carriage is hardly an obstruction.’
Before Shen Lang could speak, Sword King Li Qianqiu immediately pulled the carriage to the edge of the road and bowed his head slightly. Astride a swift steed and leading her hundred-strong cavalry, Xue Le galloped past in a cloud of dust, full of arrogance. Shen Lang was left eating a mouthful of it.
“Ptui, ptui, ptui!”
Shen Lang was curious as to why Xue Le was heading back to Xuanwu City. Sword King Li Qianqiu returned to the carriage, but a moment later, Xue Le’s cavalry column came charging toward them again from the front.
“Get out of the way, you mangy dog blocking the road!”
The female guard beside Xue Le shouted once more.
‘Are you people insane? You just left, and now you’re coming back?’
Shen Lang soon realized. Xue Le had surely already been to the Count of Xuanwu’s Estate and had no reason to take this road on her return journey. Her riding back and forth twice was purely to humiliate him. It was all to say, “Get out of the way, you mangy dog blocking the road!” twice. It was a deliberate act to make his carriage look insignificant, parked on the side of the road.
Shen Lang couldn't help but marvel at her actions. How had such an insolent and tyrannical woman managed to stay alive this long? Even a man like Sword King Li Qianqiu could no longer bear it, and he felt no more hesitation or shame about what he had done the previous night.
‘It takes a greater villain to deal with a villain, as they say.’
He once again pulled the carriage to the side of the road. Xue Le, leading her hundred cavalrymen, swaggered past them yet again.
“You lowly live-in son-in-law. Seeing as you know your place, I’ll let you off this once.”
This time, Xue Le truly departed. Leading her cavalry, she took a fork in the road and sped toward the capital.
* * *
Shen Lang returned to the Count of Xuanwu's Estate. Sword King Li Qianqiu didn't even stay for a cup of tea before immediately leaving the estate and heading south. He departed in such a hurry that Shen Lang felt a pang of guilt. Upon his return, Shen Lang immediately heard astounding news. Pirate King Qiu Tianwei had personally dispatched five thousand soldiers to Gold Mountain Island. Shen Lang was overjoyed. The next crucial phase had finally begun.
“Father-in-law, please take two thousand private soldiers and head to Gold Mountain Island at once. Remember, only make a show of trying to seize the island; you must not engage in a real battle.”
Next, it was time to activate the Mang'ai Island strategy! How was Xu Qianqian progressing? With this significant development in the overall strategy, Xu Qianqian had to play her part. Her task was crucial. After fully understanding Qiu Yao'er, if Shen Lang determined he couldn't handle her directly, he would have to drastically revise his Raging Tide City strategy.
‘Xu Qianqian, don't you dare disappoint me! If you fail, I might have to step in myself. You absolutely must not fail. I still want to live a long life. I have no desire to embark on a potentially fatal adventure.’
* * *
Xue Le hurried back to the capital. Every night, she stayed in the finest room at the post station, kicking out anyone else staying in the same courtyard. She had a vast wardrobe and had not yet worn the underpants Shen Lang had prepared for her. On the third day after meeting Shen Lang, she finally put them on. She climbed into bed and fell into a pleasant sleep. That night, she had a dream, a very embarrassing dream.
“Brother Zhong, I hate you. Don’t do that, no…”
And then she woke up. Upon waking, she found the itching in that area was truly unbearable. She had no choice but to lift the covers and look. The moment she did, she couldn't help but let out a bloodcurdling scream.
“My lady, what is it?”
The female guard outside asked urgently, drawing her sword, ready to rush into the room at any moment. But Xue Le quickly clamped a hand over her screaming mouth and said:
“It-it’s nothing. I just had a nightmare!”
She closed her eyes, wishing the reality she had just seen was nothing but a bad dream. When she opened them again to check, the rash and blisters were still there. Along with them, the itching, like ants crawling inside her bones, grew more and more intense.
She was a wild and willful person, but not a woman entirely ignorant of the world. She was well aware that she couldn't let anyone know about her condition, as its exposure could cause a massive scandal.
She was, without a doubt, a pure and innocent woman. But if anyone were to discover her condition, no matter how she tried to hide it, rumors would spread that she had contracted a vile disease. If that happened, her future with Brother Zhong would be over.
‘Heavens! How could this have happened? What have I done to deserve such punishment from the heavens? I am pure. I love cleanliness above all else! Why must I be afflicted with such a terrifying, incurable disease?’
That night, Xue Le suffered from unparalleled torment and itching, unable to sleep a wink.
The next day.
She did not continue to the capital but turned south to return to her home in Wuan City. In a time like this, only her family could be trusted, and only the female physician in her clan could be shown her illness.
She no longer dared to ride a horse. She feared it might kill her. But traveling in a carriage was just as agonizing, to the point where death seemed preferable. The entire journey was filled with pain, and she couldn't sleep at all, day or night.
In just a few days, she felt as if she were in a fiery hell, so much in pain that she no longer wished to live. She lost over ten pounds.
* * *
When Shen Lang met Jin Mucong again, he got the feeling that the poor fatty had matured quite a bit.
“Here, a gift.”
“Thank you, Brother-in-law…”
The fatty instinctively checked the item he was given and said in surprise:
“I-I’m practicing abstinence.”
Shen Lang asked him.
“How long have you been abstinent?”
“Seventeen *shichen*.”
‘To be able to state the exact number of *shichen* like that. You will never succeed at abstinence. Of course, it’s not just you; even someone with a will as strong as mine would find abstinence difficult.’
“This belonged to Xue Le.”
Jin Mucong was startled and examined the underpants more closely.
“Really?”
“Of course.”
“Brother-in-law, don’t tell me… you didn’t sleep with her, did you?”
The scoundrel. For a moment, Shen Lang wanted to beat the fatty to death.
“Just kidding, just kidding…”
Jin Mucong said sheepishly, quickly stuffing the underpants into his pocket. For a moment, Shen Lang wondered if the gift was more poison than medicine for him. Still, the fatty looked quite sturdy; he probably wouldn't collapse from malnutrition after breaking his abstinence and indulging his desires. The fatty then picked up his brush and began writing furiously again.
“Fatty, what are you doing?”
“Copying books.”
“What are you copying?”
“The nineteen policy essays and one hundred fifty poems you taught me.”
“The Gold Mountain Island dispute is over. There’s no use in copying them now.”
‘Some people burn their books after the university entrance exams are over, yet here you are, still copying. This must be an addiction to copying books.’
“Brother-in-law, if I don’t work harder, I might really not be able to get a wife in the future.”
“So?”
“So I’m thinking of taking the imperial examination. I’m going to become a *jinshi*, just like Tang Lun.”
“Hey, brother-in-law, stop trying to surprise me. After you inherit the County, you’ll enjoy endless wealth and glory. Why would you want to join the ranks of scholars who live such arduous and competitive lives every day?”
“If I pass the exam and become a *jinshi*, girls will surely think I’m a man of great talent and will start to like me.”
‘Other people take the exam to become officials, but you’re doing it just to meet girls?’
“So, Brother-in-law, hurry up and write some more essays for me. Give me about seven or eight hundred policy essays, and a few thousand poems. If I fail this time, I’ll just take it again next time. If I keep taking the exam, I’m bound to pass once, right?”
For a moment, Shen Lang was dumbfounded by the fatty’s persistence.
“Fatty, with such incredible persistence, why don’t you try writing the essays yourself?”
“Why is a smart person like you spouting such nonsense? How could a stupid person like me ever produce a good essay?”
Shen Lang was astounded. It seemed the fatty really had matured.
* * *
The next day.
Tang Yun, the heir of the Count of Jinhai, came to the Count of Xuanwu’s Estate in person.
“Count of Xuanwu, our clan will formally transfer the rights to Gold Mountain Island to the Jin Clan as per our agreement. We invite you to come to Gold Mountain Island to receive them in person.”
Shen Lang was overjoyed.
“The Count of Jinhai is truly a man of his word.”
The Count of Xuanwu, looking deeply moved, took two thousand private soldiers, two hundred master blacksmiths, and eight hundred miners, boarded several dozen large ships, and set off with great fanfare to receive Gold Mountain Island. Tang Yun, the heir of the Count of Jinhai’s Estate, accompanied them. Along the way, Shen Lang treated Young Master Tang Yun with great warmth, as if genuinely trying to befriend him.
“Young Master Tang Yun, I truly never expected this. Your esteemed father has made such a wise and decisive judgment. It seems I have failed to recognize a true hero of our time. Over a hundred years ago, our Jin and Tang Clans were close, but later, misunderstandings piled up like mountains. Now that those misunderstandings have been cleared, I believe our two families can let old grudges melt away like snow.”
Hearing Shen Lang’s words, Tang Yun inwardly sneered in contempt but nodded in agreement on the surface. Shen Lang continued.
“With the New Policies being fiercely implemented, both our families are noble clans with long histories. We should join hands and move forward as one. From this day forward, how about our two families become like brother clans once more?”
“Brother Shen Lang, your words have merit.”
“I’ve heard that Brother Tang has a well-mannered, sensible, beautiful, and generous younger sister who has just turned sixteen. As it happens, the heir of our clan, Jin Mucong, is not yet betrothed. How about we use this opportunity for our two families to form a happy union and continue the friendship of a hundred years ago?”
“Isn’t Jin Mucong betrothed?”
“That engagement has already been dissolved.”
Tang Yun felt even more smug inwardly.
‘So the Count of Wuan’s Estate has finally broken off the engagement with your Count of Xuanwu’s Estate. Your Jin Clan is no longer just a crumbling wall, but a collapsed one that everyone will trample over.’
“Marriage is a very serious matter, not something I can decide. However, I will speak to my father when I return, and I am sure he will consider it carefully.”
“Excellent. I shall await the day our two families are once again joined by marriage and become in-laws.”
Just then, Jin Hui’s voice came from outside.