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After Bai Miaqing mimicked the scholars, she continued, “I imagine those scholars never expected that the booklets they disdain were actually written by a young girl.”
Seeing her keen interest in the booklets, Shen Yu’an sat down beside her and joined her in reading the following content.
Two quarters of an hour later, Bai Miaqing neatly arranged the papers on the table.
Then, she took out a finely crafted sandalwood box and handed it to Shen Yu’an.
Shen Yu’an extended his hand to accept it, asking, “Hmm?”
Bai Miaqing cleared her throat and explained, “Originally, Big Brother also intended to come with us, but due to various matters in the store that couldn’t be set aside during the festive season, he entrusted me to bring you the New Year’s gift he had prepared for you.”
“A New Year’s gift for me?” Shen Yu’an was somewhat puzzled. She and Bai Mingxi had only met once, so when did they become close enough for him to give her a New Year’s gift?
She wasn’t one to beat around the bush and didn’t see any reason to hide anything, so she directly opened the exquisite sandalwood box.
Inside the box lay a hairpin, strikingly similar to the one she had purchased from the jewelry store in the capital city during her last visit.
Perhaps not knowing Shen Yu’an’s preferences, or perhaps remembering that she had chosen this style of hairpin during their last encounter, Bai Mingxi had selected it as her gift.
In short, at first glance, the hairpin Shen Yu’an held now was not significantly different from the one she had bought before.
The only notable difference might be that the previous one she bought had a design of auspicious clouds engraved on it. However, the one Bai Mingxi had given her was adorned with a lifelike flower bud carving.
Shen Yu’an said, “I already have a hairpin like this one, so this…”
She felt that she shouldn’t accept this hairpin, thus she was about to decline.
But Bai Miaqing spoke before Shen Yu’an could refuse, saying, “Since it’s already been given to you, why not keep it and use it interchangeably? It wouldn’t be quite appropriate to return a New Year’s gift.”
Bai Miaqing felt a bit exasperated upon seeing the hairpin.
Considering Bai Mingxi’s tendency to inquire about a woman’s preferences when selecting gifts, he should have chosen differently.
However, now that the hairpin had been presented, Bai Miaqing could only do her best to persuade Shen Yu’an to accept it.
Shen Yu’an, upon hearing Bai Miaqing’s persuasion, indeed didn’t continue to decline.
Mainly, she thought it wasn’t necessary—it was just a hairpin after all. She casually placed the hairpin on the table, inadvertently resting it on top of the loose pages of the yet-to-be-printed booklets.
After a long time apart, the two of them sat together and engaged in casual conversation.
However, after reading that recent booklet, it seemed to stir up a touch of carefree sentiment in Bai Miaqing’s heart.
Most of their conversation revolved around the stories of the martial world that Shen Yu’an had fabricated.
Bai Miaqing, with a sense of longing, remarked, “Could there really be in this world those carefree and unbound martial heroes like the ones you write about?”
The stories were all fabricated, but Shen Yu’an still pondered the question Bai Miaqing had raised.
In the realm of Great Wei, the martial world did exist, and there were martial heroes too.
The Great Wei court had relatively lax control over the martial world. As long as they didn’t cause trouble, the court wouldn’t interfere in their affairs.
Shen Yu’an replied to Bai Miaqing, “There are, but they probably aren’t as exaggerated as I write them.”
Upon hearing the affirmative response, Bai Miaqing smiled and replied, “I used to think that in life, one must follow predetermined paths—get married, have a family, and obey parents-in-law.”
“But after what happened, and seeing what you write, I suddenly feel that being a free-spirited martial heroine, wandering the martial world, doesn’t seem like a bad idea either.”
What had happened, both Shen Yu’an and Bai Miaqing naturally understood, and they didn’t need to mention it explicitly.
Shen Yu’an’s thoughts drifted a bit as she spoke of the martial world. Indeed, the martial world did exist in Great Wei.
However, in these years of turmoil within the Great Wei court, the court and the martial world had become entangled.
The Fourth Prince, Wei Chenyi, lived up to his role as the male lead in the original story. He had subdued several factions in the martial world and had exerted significant efforts to claim the imperial throne.
……
Meanwhile, in a dense forest about a hundred miles away,
Fei Yanchen was currently facing off against a man carrying a large blade on his back.
This man, named Chu Yi, appeared robust and imposing, his stature quite imposing. He was known as the “Great Blade Swordsman” in the martial world.
In short, he was a righteous figure in the martial world, engaging in acts of robbing the rich to help the poor. He had a considerable number of followers under his command.
However, Chu Yi’s expression was less than favorable at the moment as he stood facing Fei Yanchen.
“You don’t need to waste your efforts. I won’t align myself with the likes of you,” Chu Yi said angrily.
“All you people, the promises you make when recruiting are all nonsense. When you’re in power, you’re no different from those corrupt officials, squeezing the lifeblood and money from the people to build your grand mansions,” Chu Yi ranted.
Fei Yanchen didn’t interrupt him, nor did he show any displeasure at being rejected. He listened quietly as Chu Yi finished speaking.
After a moment of silence following Chu Yi’s words, Fei Yanchen calmly spoke, “Why not take a gamble? If you’re willing to serve me, I can make you a promise. Once the major event is accomplished, I’ll set you free.”
Chu Yi spat vehemently on the ground and shouted, “I don’t believe a word of your crap! I won’t gamble with you. Your actions are those of a traitor! I, on my own, roam the martial world freely, doing the noble work of robbing the rich to help the poor. I’m a renowned and respected martial hero.”
He said the words “martial hero” with a sense of pride and self-satisfaction.
He continued, “Follow you? You’ve got nothing. I could end up with my head off my shoulders one day if I follow you. I’d rather die for someone I care about than follow you into death. I won’t become a wronged spirit.”
After finishing his words, Chu Yi was about to leave, but Fei Dong took a step forward to block his path.
Chu Yi’s fierce gaze fixed on Fei Dong as he glared at him and attempted to step to the left to go around, planning to leave.
However, regardless of whether he moved left or right, Fei Dong synchronously blocked his path, preventing him from leaving.
“Damn it!”
Chu Yi cursed in frustration, lifting the large blade from his back and swinging it towards Fei Dong.
Fei Dong immediately engaged him in combat.
For a moment, the sounds of shouts and clashes of swords and blades echoed, one after another.
In a short span of time, Chu Yi and Fei Dong had exchanged blows for more than a hundred rounds, sweating profusely in the bitter cold of winter.
Fei Dong’s sword swept toward Chu Yi’s neck.
Chu Yi cursed, quickly withdrawing his blade and stepping back repeatedly.
“What the hell do you want?!!!” he exclaimed in frustration.
Chu Yi was cursing under his breath; he had just come out to have some fun, but he was unexpectedly cornered by these lunatics.
It seemed like he might meet his end here today, and he wasn’t ready to meet his demise just yet.
Chu Yi’s ponderous mind was racing, desperately trying to come up with a way to escape.
He circled around, racking his brain for a solution to break free from this group of people.
Glaring at Fei Yanchen, he thought to himself, “Devious scoundrel, no sense of honor!”
To his disbelief, so many people had come to corner him alone.