It was already late at night, and the farmers scattered among the fields had already fallen asleep. In the darkness, the northern wind blew, the rice sea churned, and the ear waves rolled on the ground. A woman in a green embroidered dress walked along the gravel road.
"Ouch!" The woman in green stopped in her tracks and complained," What is it that caused your feet to hurt?"”
He looked down and saw a person lying on the side of the road. This person's chest was not moving up and down. His mouth was slightly open and his eyes were wide open. His body was not stiff yet. It seemed that he had died not long ago.
The woman in green touched the corpse in the dark night, but she was not afraid. Instead, she squatted down and reached out to touch the corpse. "One, two, three…nine holes of the same size on his chest." Humph! Seriously, since it was the same, wasn't it enough to just open a hole?”The person lying on the side of the road was Xiahou Yang, who had been killed by Wei Manor's " grass grows and orioles fly ". The woman's brows furrowed in boredom as she said disappointedly,"Sigh, this is too boring."
She stood up and was about to leave, but after a few steps, she said," Ouch!”He stopped and laughed instead of getting angry."Alright! Another dead person came! Today, my luck is really good.”She happily squatted down and checked again. She saw that there was only a flat and unremarkable wound on Wei Zhuang's right chest. The green-robed woman cursed angrily,"Who did this? Wouldn't anyone be able to cut this kind of wound with a knife? Using such a boring wound to kill someone was really wicked!”
"Go!" The woman in green cursed as she kicked Wei Zhuang fiercely. Blood spurted out from the corpse's chest and stained her feet. She felt a warmth in her calf."Is this person still alive?"
She raised her eyebrows and stretched out her hand to probe Wei Zhuang's nose. He was barely breathing. "What a pity, what a pity, who asked you to not arouse this lady's interest, looks like you won't live till dawn.”After saying that, he stood up and clapped his hands. It was obvious that he was about to leave, but he suddenly made a sound of surprise.
She looked at Wei Zhuang's head with interest and affection.
On Wei Zhuang's head, a wooden hairpin carved with wisteria flowers pierced through his brain.
The green-robed woman was overjoyed. She took out a firebreak, lit it up, and took a closer look. After looking at it for a long time, he became more and more excited. Sometimes, he would look up at the sky and mumble to himself," Yes, yes. Yes, we can do this…" He shook his head again and again." No, no, I don't think it will work…"
She couldn't help but lower her head to look at it again. She stood up and squatted down again. She stood up and squatted down again and again, as if she was thinking about an extremely complicated matter. The woman untied the bundle on her body and took out a steamed bun. She chewed on it in big mouthfuls and pondered until she swallowed the last mouthful of steamed bun. When she turned around and saw Xiahou Yang's corpse, she revealed a happy expression and beamed."That's right! Why don't you use the waste?"
The woman in green carried Wei Zhuang and walked to a small house at the side. She knocked on the door for a long time, but there was no response."So it's an empty room. I'm really lucky today.”
After carefully placing Wei Zhuang on the bed, he stared at the wound on his head for a while before reluctantly turning around to leave the room and kicking Xiahou Yang's corpse into the room.
The woman in green who acted strangely was the famous divine doctor in the martial world, Duanmu Rong.
Duanmu Rong had been obsessed with medicine all her life. She had turned a blind eye to the love between men and women and the struggles of the martial world. She had no feelings for benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, evil, and viciousness. Now that she was nearly thirty years old, she was still alone. She went wherever she wanted and wandered around, hoping to encounter some difficult and complicated diseases that would make it difficult for her skillful hands.
She spread the hem of her dress into bandages and wrapped them around her hands. She took out a sharp dagger and put it on the fire to roast it. She found a broken bowl in the room and went out to pick it up. She chose a pebble about the size of a palm and came back. After looking left and right, she finally found a pair of fire poker on the firewood pile. Duanmu Rong placed these things on the shaky small table and said to herself,"I can only make do with it.”
At this moment, Wei Zhuang was already on the verge of death, but Duanmu Rong ignored him. Instead, she picked up a dagger and chopped off Xiahou Yang's right hand with a swoosh. Duanmu Rong placed her severed hand on the table and sat down comfortably. She carefully used the dagger to slowly remove the muscles and skin on her hand. As she cut, she sang happily,"Autumn orchids grow in the weeds, Luo Sheng grows in the hall; Green leaves and white branches, fragrant flowers and fragrant flowers are everywhere. My wife has a beautiful son. Why is Sun so sad…"
Duanmu Rong played with it for a while before she picked up the arm that only had bones left. She approached the candlelight to observe it and praised,"Yes, this is a very good hand!”She kicked the corpse under the table and said casually,""It seems that you ate quite well when you were alive, don't you think so?”
With a crack, she used the fire poker to crush the bones. Then, she picked a piece of the bone and put it into the broken bowl. She crushed it into powder with pebbles. Then, he chose a wider piece of white bone and flattened it into a small round piece.
"Very good!" She said to herself," Now, the fun is coming.”
"Ouch!" Duanmu Rong suddenly remembered that there was an extremely boring wound on this person's chest." Sigh, although this dish is annoying, I can't not eat it."”In the eyes of the divine doctor, Duanmu Rong, this kind of wound was like a child's naughty knee injury. As a mother, she only needed to spit on it and it would be treated. She quickly cleaned the wound.
"Haha!" After he was done, Duanmu Rong cheered at Wei Zhuang and said," Brother, Meng is here. You better lie down properly."”At this moment, Wei Zhuang's injuries were severe and his consciousness was already unclear. Not to mention that he could not hear Duanmu Rong's words at all, even if he did, he could not move. Naturally, he lay down obediently.
Duanmu Rong walked to the side of the bed, and with a flick of her wrist, she shaved off the hair near Wei Zhuang's wound. Duanmu Rong could see the hairpin clearly now. She held the end of the hairpin with one hand and used the other hand to gently dig out some of Wei Zhuang's skulls around the hairpin with a dagger. At first, blood gushed out like water and soaked her clothes, but Duanmu Rong did not notice it at all. At this moment, all her attention was on the strange wound.
The area around the wound was cleared, and Duanmu Rong retreated to the side.
Wei Zhuang was determined to kill himself and did not show any mercy. Although the hairpin was made of wood and its texture was soft, under the force of Wei Zhuang's internal energy, it actually broke the skull. Fortunately, his bones were hard enough to block most of the force, but the tip of the hairpin still pierced into his brain.
Duanmu Rong watched as the hairpin stood upright on the wound and did not shake. She knew that a part of it had pierced into this person's brain. If he forcefully took it out, it would probably be out of control. Duanmu Rong pondered for a moment and said in a low voice,"It seems like this is the only way."
With a wave of her fingers, she cut off the exposed part of the hairpin. As for the small part that had sunk into her brain, she actually ignored it. Once the hairpin was taken out, she immediately cut off the round small bone that she had prepared beforehand to cover the wound. She then took out bone powder to fill the hole. Duanmu Rong proudly looked at her masterpiece, then took out a golden needle and sewed the wound with a thread. In this way, the front end of the hairpin would forever remain in Wei Zhuang's head.
The light of dawn had just appeared. Now, all he could do was wait. Although Duanmu Rong did not care whether this person was alive or dead, if he came back to life, how could she miss this moment of pride?
Although she had been busy all night, Duanmu Rong did not look tired at all. Wei Zhuang's breathing came from the bed, sounding even deeper than the previous night. Duanmu Rong looked around and saw Xiahou Yang's corpse."Why not use this person to kill some time?”
Ge Nia left Qi City with his daughter, Fu Nian, Jing Tianming, and the others as they silently headed northeast. "Father won't kill me! I don't believe it!" The words that Jing Tianming had shouted in front of the pursuing soldiers of the State of Qin lingered in Ge Nia's heart.
How could a ten-year-old child understand everything? He did not do anything wrong. It was an unstoppable torrent that washed away his past and pushed him to a position where he could not see the future at the moment. Ge Nia was vexed for many days, and on this night, he finally called Tianming over. He wanted to speak, but he was at a loss for words. He only heard himself say,"Tianming, do you know who I am?"
"Yes, you are Ge Nia. Everyone says that you are the number one swordsman in the world.”
"Then who are you?"
"I am…Tianming. My mother is Liji.”the child replied.
"What about your father?" Ge Nia asked again. This time, Jing Tianming pursed his lips and did not answer. Ge Nia secretly sighed and said to the child,"Your father is called Jing Ke, a hero.”
Tianming tilted his head and looked out of the window. Seeing that his father was silent, Gai Lan continued,"Tianming, along the way, you saw with your own eyes that there are many bad people outside who want to kill us. Those bad people are all…Qin Wang's subordinates. Remember, no matter who you talk to in the future, don't ever mention the past again, understand?”
Jing Tianming stood stiffly without nodding or speaking. There was no expression on his small face, and no one knew what he was thinking.
Seeing him like this, Ge Lan knew that it was useless to say anything more. He sighed and said,"Let's forget about the past.”
"When we find a place to settle down in a few days, I'll start teaching you martial arts."”Pausing, Galen continued,"Tianming, do you want to learn the Hundred Steps Flying Sword?”
Jing Tianming nodded vigorously.
" Good boy." Ge Nia smiled and asked," Do you know why you practice martial arts?”
Jing Tianming looked at Ge Nie and Ge Lan and thought,"If I knew martial arts, I wouldn't be afraid of bad people. If I knew martial arts, I wouldn't have to be with you guys and could return to my father's side.”"I want to practice martial arts to protect myself."”
" Good, ambitious." Ge Nia nodded." From now on, I will take you as my disciple."”"Aren't you going to call me master?" Ge Lan encouraged with a smile.”
"Master." Jing Tianming respectfully knelt down and kowtowed three times to Ge Nia. Ge Nia patted his head in relief and said,"Good, good, good child."
In the small room, Xiahou Yang's corpse was placed on the table. His stomach had long been cut open. Duanmu Rong's hands were digging around the internal organs of the corpse, her expression focused. The air was filled with a pungent smell of medicine and a slight rancid smell. In order to delay the decay of the corpse, Duanmu Rong had already soaked the corpse in medicine. Even so, after a few days, the corpse had already begun to show signs of decay.
Duanmu Rong knew that she didn't have much time. She had to finish reading it as soon as possible.
Wei Zhuang did not know how long he had been unconscious. He wasn't even sure if he was still alive. When he opened his eyes in a daze, he felt dizzy and weak all over. He wanted to open his mouth to make a sound, but he did not have any strength.
"Am I dead or alive?" He thought.
In the haze, Wei Zhuang saw a human figure swaying beside him. Wei Zhuang forced himself to open his eyes, wanting to see more clearly. He was surprised to see Xia Hou Yang lying on the table, his round eyes staring at him. His body was cut open from the neck down, and his internal organs were hanging outside. A woman had her back to him, holding a small knife. She cut off the heart and held it in her hand. She stabbed it with the knife in an intoxicated manner, humming a tune happily.
"Looks like I'm still dead after all." Wei Zhuang was shocked and fainted on the spot.
Ge Nia and his group headed northeast, seemingly heading toward the Kingdom of Qi. However, not long after they left the borders of the Kingdom of Chu, they took a detour into the wilderness and headed straight for Huaiyin.
"This is really a waste of time.”Fu Nian said as he pounded his leg. " No choice," Galen replied." Father means that we have to spend more time on foot in order to shake off the people following us.”
The four of them arrived at Huaiyin before daybreak. The streets were still deserted, but some diligent shops had already lit candles and were ready to do business. The butcher carried a pig that had been split open, the farmer carried green fruits and vegetables, and the fragrance of freshly boiled soybean milk wafted out of the small shop. At the entrance of an inn on the street, the waiter was wiping the door frame and window grilles clean enough with a rag. When he saw Ge Nia and the others passing by, he warmly greeted them,"Old customer, you haven't come in for so long. Please come in and have a seat. What do you want to eat?”
"Oh?" Ge Nia said," You have a good memory. I came here once eight years ago, and you still remember?”After saying that, she happily walked into the shop. Fu Nian sat down on the brick bed beside the low table and called for the waiter to pour some water, tea, and a towel. He picked up the hot towel and wiped his face. He smiled and said,"Yes, yes, you have a good memory. I've never been here before, so I'm sure you remember me.”
The waiter's trick to attract customers was exposed. He smiled awkwardly and quickly went to greet the other customers.
After Ge Nie ate the steamed buns and drank the tea, he finally heaved a sigh of relief."Lan 'er, after thinking about it along the way, I feel that Huaiyin City should be the place where we can settle down.”
"What do you mean?" Galen asked.
"Firstly, Huaiyin is in the south, so the power of the King of Qin can't reach here for the time being.”Ge Nia continued," Secondly, Father doesn't know many people here. If you want to conceal your identity and not provoke anyone, it should be easier to succeed.”
Fu Nian finished a bite of the bun and said,""How could that be? I think that waiter is quite familiar with you.”After saying that, he saw Galen glare at him and quickly changed his words."Sigh, why are the buns in this shop so unpalatable?”
Wei Zhuang opened his eyes again. He didn't know how much time had passed. His eyelids were half-open and his consciousness was hazy. He felt that his surroundings were dark. After a while, a faint silver light seeped into his eyes and he could vaguely see something.
Wei Zhuang glanced at it.
Moonlight shone through the window, illuminating a clean, white skeleton. From head to toe, the human figure was complete, except for the missing right hand bone.
A woman was sitting in front of the skeleton, staring at it and nodding her head repeatedly. She kept giggling, and she was holding a bone in her hand. She put it into her mouth and was chewing it with relish.
Wei Zhuang thought to himself,"I've been wandering in Jianghu all my life. I didn't expect to fall into hell after death and end up being eaten by a female ghost."”He couldn't help but suck in a breath of cold air. This movement sent waves of pain from his head.
Seeing the female ghost slowly walking towards him, Wei Zhuang's vision darkened and he could only moan.
Duanmu Rong heard a sound coming from the bed and quickly rushed over to check on him. She saw Wei Zhuang's face was pale and his lips were trembling. His eyes were wide open as he stared blankly at the leftover chicken leg bone in his hand. His eyes rolled back and he fainted again.
Ge Nia and his group headed northeast, seemingly heading toward the Kingdom of Qi. However, not long after they left the borders of the Kingdom of Chu, they took a detour into the wilderness and headed straight for Huaiyin.
"This is really a waste of time.”Fu Nian said as he pounded his leg. " No choice," Galen replied." Father means that we have to spend more time on foot in order to shake off the people following us.”
The four of them arrived at Huaiyin before daybreak. The streets were still deserted, but some diligent shops had already lit candles and were ready to do business. The butcher carried a pig that had been split open, the farmer carried green fruits and vegetables, and the fragrance of freshly boiled soybean milk wafted out of the small shop. At the entrance of an inn on the street, the waiter was wiping the door frame and window grilles clean enough with a rag. When he saw Ge Nia and the others passing by, he warmly greeted them,"Old customer, you haven't come in for so long. Please come in and have a seat. What do you want to eat?”
"Oh?" Ge Nia said," You have a good memory. I came here once eight years ago, and you still remember?”After saying that, she happily walked into the shop. Fu Nian sat down on the brick bed beside the low table and called for the waiter to pour some water, tea, and a towel. He picked up the hot towel and wiped his face. He smiled and said,"Yes, yes, you have a good memory. I've never been here before, so I'm sure you remember me.”
The waiter's trick to attract customers was exposed. He smiled awkwardly and quickly went to greet the other customers.
After Ge Nie ate the steamed buns and drank the tea, he finally heaved a sigh of relief."Lan 'er, after thinking about it along the way, I feel that Huaiyin City should be the place where we can settle down.”
"What do you mean?" Galen asked.
"Firstly, Huaiyin is in the south, so the power of the King of Qin can't reach here for the time being.”Ge Nia continued," Secondly, Father doesn't know many people here. If you want to conceal your identity and not provoke anyone, it should be easier to succeed.”
Fu Nian finished a bite of the bun and said,""How could that be? I think that waiter is quite familiar with you.”After saying that, he saw Galen glare at him and quickly changed his words."Sigh, why are the buns in this shop so unpalatable?”
Wei Zhuang opened his eyes again. He didn't know how much time had passed. His eyelids were half-open and his consciousness was hazy. He felt that his surroundings were dark. After a while, a faint silver light seeped into his eyes and he could vaguely see something.
Wei Zhuang glanced at it.
Moonlight shone through the window, illuminating a clean, white skeleton. From head to toe, the human figure was complete, except for the missing right hand bone.
A woman was sitting in front of the skeleton, staring at it and nodding her head repeatedly. She kept giggling, and she was holding a bone in her hand. She put it into her mouth and was chewing it with relish.
Wei Zhuang thought to himself,"I've been wandering in Jianghu all my life. I didn't expect to fall into hell after death and end up being eaten by a female ghost."”He couldn't help but suck in a breath of cold air. This movement sent waves of pain from his head.
Seeing the female ghost slowly walking towards him, Wei Zhuang's vision darkened and he could only moan.
Duanmu Rong heard a sound coming from the bed and quickly rushed over to check on him. She saw Wei Zhuang's face was pale and his lips were trembling. His eyes were wide open as he stared blankly at the leftover chicken leg bone in his hand. His eyes rolled back and he fainted again.
Not far from the west of Huaiyin City, Ge Nia had instructed Gai Lan to find a house there to settle down and raise Jing Tianming. Strangely, this residence was close to the big city of Huaiyin, so it was crowded with people. However, there were not many people living in the houses on the left. Although the houses were continuous, they were almost all empty.
When Galen had booked the place, the landlord had only charged him one and three cents of silver. He had expected the place to be old and dilapidated, so he had come with his father, Tianming, and Fu Nian. When he pushed open the door, he saw a two-room wooden house with a small courtyard in the middle. The roof beams were all intact, and he couldn't help but be overjoyed. Jing Tianming was young after all. He excitedly went in and out of the new house as soon as he arrived. He pointed to the second room and said,"Master, look, what a huge bamboo forest.”
Ge Nia saw a verdant bamboo forest. It was very elegant, and a house stood in the middle of the bamboo forest. Outside the bamboo forest, there was a horizontal board hanging on the door. The words "Musical Courtyard" were written in seal script. It was obvious that there were noble people living there.
"Tianming, come and help me light the fire and make tea for your two masters," said Gai Lan.”Tianming nodded and followed Galen into the kitchen. Seeing the two of them leave, Ge Nie bowed to Fu Nian and said,"It was all thanks to Mr. Fu's help along the way. If you don't mind, why don't we stay together?”Ge Nie knew that Fu Nian viewed money as worldly possessions and was the most generous. He had probably spent all his money along the way, so he asked this question.
"Great Hero Gai," said Fu Nian,"there is no need to worry about this old man.”Fu Nian stroked his beard and pretended to be proud."Although this old man is not talented, I have just arrived in Huaiyin and have already met my literary friends. There is still a school in Mouton Lane in the city waiting for this old man to preside over it.”Ge Nia didn't insist and said,"That's great. I was worried that Tianming's studies would stop here. It seems that I'll have to trouble you in the future.”
"No, no, no. It is also a great pleasure in life for a teacher to get talents and raise them.”Fu Nian's tone changed. He winked at Ge Nia and said," Besides, this old man is teaching a class, but there are no students. Wouldn't we be starving?”The two of them laughed and took the tea from Gai Lan. They talked for the whole night without mentioning anything.
In the thatched cottage on the east outskirts of Qi City, half a month had passed since Wei Zhuang woke up. In fact, Duanmu Rong's method of treating Wei Zhuang was unheard of at that time. It was extremely dangerous to perform. He relied on Wei Zhuang's decades of martial arts practice to strengthen his body and survive.
After Wei Zhuang woke up, he struggled to sit up on the bed. He put his hand on his pulse and felt a strong vibration coming from his fingertips."So I'm still alive."
However, when he remembered the scene he saw when he was unconscious, he suddenly became uncertain. Just as he was wondering, he suddenly heard footsteps outside the room. The person's footsteps were light, so it must be a woman. Wei Zhuang's heart trembled as he thought,"Even if this woman is a human and not a ghost, what's the difference between a woman who eats human flesh and a ghost?”
The wooden door was pushed open. Wei Zhuang, who had been in Jianghu for many years, panicked and thought,"I wonder how terrifying this female demon looks?”He lowered his head and looked away.
"Yo! Are you awake?" The woman's voice that entered his ears was very pleasant to hear.
Her voice was soft and sweet. When it entered Wei Zhuang's ears, it was like spring melting ice. Wei Zhuang was stunned. He looked up and was even more surprised. He saw that this woman had smooth skin and a pair of phoenix eyes under her willowy eyebrows. She was petite and elegant, but there was not a trace of malevolence.
Duanmu Rong frowned and complained when she saw Wei Zhuang's appearance,""Why do you look so silly? Is your brain fried?" As she spoke, she reached out to touch Wei Zhuang's forehead. Wei Zhuang instinctively moved aside. Duanmu Rong saw this and shouted,"Why are you hiding? Do you want me to eat you?" For some reason, Wei Zhuang sat there obediently after being scolded by such a delicate voice.
" Well, the condition of the wound is not bad." Duanmu Rong reached out to hold Wei Zhuang's chin and said gently,""Come, open your mouth." After she finished speaking, her pretty face moved closer to Wei Zhuang.
"What…what do you want?" Wei Zhuang hurriedly dodged backwards. Duanmu Rong had already slapped him on the cheek.
"Don't move! Do you think I will kiss you? Open your mouth, I want to see your tongue.”After saying that, he reached out and gently lifted Wei Zhuang's neck. Wei Zhuang's face turned green and then white. Under Duanmu Rong's orders, he had completely forgotten that he was the chief guard of the State of Qin and was like an obedient child, allowing her to manipulate him.
In the following month, Wei Zhuang spent most of his time lying in bed to recuperate. Occasionally, he would get out of bed and walk around, but he also followed Duanmu Rong's orders and did not take a step out of the house. Although the woman had never revealed her identity, Wei Zhuang had already guessed that there was no one else in the world who could treat his serious injuries other than the divine doctor Duanmu Rong.
Occasionally, he would think of the story of the female ghost eating people and couldn't help but smile. He then recalled that although Duanmu Rong was his savior and her medical skills were unimaginably high, she had actually tortured Xiahou Yang's corpse in all sorts of ways for the sake of medical research. The white bones were still hanging high on the wall for her reference. This action was shocking.
However, Duanmu Rong's mouth was full of cold words, but her actions were full of care, causing Wei Zhuang to be at a loss. He admired Duanmu Rong and was frightened, grateful and angry.
On this day, because he didn't take the medicine according to the time, he was slapped twice by Duanmu Rong. Wei Zhuang was filled with anger. Although he was seriously injured, he had recovered half of his strength. It should have been easy for him to stop Duanmu Rong from hitting him, but for some reason, he had allowed a jade-like hand to slap his face.
Wei Zhuang sat on the edge of the bed, thinking about it, unable to understand. He heard a melodious singing voice. It was Duanmu Rong, who was staring at the white bones in boredom. She sang the southern song that Wei Zhuang had often heard for more than a month."Autumn orchids grow in the weeds, Luo Sheng grows in the hall; Green leaves and white branches, fragrant flowers and fragrant flowers are everywhere. My wife has a beautiful son. Why is Sun so sad…"
Once, when Duanmu Rong was in a good mood, Wei Zhuang asked about the origin of this song. Duanmu Rong said that the singer was a young and beautiful goddess who lived in Wu Mountain of Chu State. Her name was Shao Siming, and she was in charge of the fate of all children in the world. Wei Zhuang asked again: Listening to your tone, there is still a lingering sound, as if there is something else, why not sing the whole tune? Duanmu Rong only smiled and did not answer.
He didn't know how many times he had heard this song, but at this time, Wei Zhuang still listened carefully to every word. He quietly looked at Duanmu Rong and hummed. His tone seemed distant and close, respectful and sad. Unknowingly, he fell asleep.
When he woke up the next day, Wei Zhuang made up his mind to thank Duanmu Rong, but he saw a few big words on the wall: "After a year, if I'm still alive, come to Huaiyin to see me. Duanmu Rong, stay." He was the only one left in the empty hut. The singing and the bones had disappeared along with the woman.
Ge Nia had already decided to conceal his identity and stay in Huaiyin, refusing to go out again. He originally wanted to write to his disciples, Gong Zijing, Zhang Lei, and the others, but after thinking about it, he gave up. He put all his attention on Jing Tianming, who was now only ten years old. From morning till night, he only attentively taught and urged him to learn martial arts.
In less than two months, Ge Nia could tell that this child was talented and had the potential to practice martial arts. In addition, Tian Ming was serious in his studies and diligently practiced, which made Ge Nia feel quite gratified.
The reason Jing Tianming was willing to train so hard was because he wanted to leave as soon as he could. He had always kept this thought in his heart and did not mention it to anyone, so no one knew.
This old and young pair were inseparable day and night, and it was hard on Gai Lan. Ge Nia did not want to reveal his whereabouts and did not contact his disciples, so he naturally cut off all sources of income. However, the three of them still had to eat and drink after paying rent. Where would they get their expenses from? Galen had sneaked past the pawnshop a few times and had already pawned all the valuables. Seeing that there was not much rice left in the jar, Galen had no choice but to tell Ge Nia the truth.
Ge Nia thought for a while and came up with a plan. He asked Gai Lan to go to the market to borrow flour, pork, and other items. He walked through the bamboo forest in the backyard and cut bamboo strips to make a steamer.
The next day, Gai Lan opened the door, stacked the steamer, and started selling steaming buns.
Ge Nia, who was originally known as the 'Number One Swordsman in the World', liked to cook since he was young. He was skilled at making flowers, and his culinary skills were no less exquisite than his swordsmanship. However, the concept of men being superior to women was deeply ingrained. Cooking was a woman's job. If everyone knew that Ge Nia was good at cooking, he would probably be given the title of the " World's Best Chef " in addition to the title of " World's Best Swordsman ". Ge Nia, who was famous for his martial arts, thought that the title of the best chef in the world sounded pretty good, but it was a little too manly. Therefore, other than Ge Lan, no one knew that he was a good cook.
From then on, Ge Nia made buns in the backyard, while Gai Lan pretended to make them herself and sold them in the front yard. Not long after, the name of the bun shop became more and more famous in Huaiyin City, and their lives naturally improved.
On this day, Duanmu Rong returned to Huaiyin and was about to enter the house when she smelled a burst of fragrance. Only then did she realize that there was a steamed bun shop next to her house. What else in the world could make Duanmu Rong happier than this? She then walked up to Galen with a smile and said,""Miss, what flavor do you have for the buns?”
"Only meat buns," replied Galen.”
"Alright, give me five." Duanmu Rong took the bun and smelled it before biting it. She was really overjoyed.
The filling of the bun was firm on the outside and loose on the inside. The meat was perspiring the moment it entered the mouth. After the freshness, there was a sweet and salty taste that did not dissipate for a long time. It was obvious that it was made with aged soy sauce that had been brewed for more than five years. The snow-white skin of the bun was not too thick. What was rare was that the texture of the skin was very good. When one bit it, it seemed to be made by a person with great arm strength.
Duanmu Rong took a few bites. Her face was glowing like a withered tree in spring. Her eyes were blurred as she shook her head and said,"Gen…hao…ge…ya.”
"Miss, what did you say?"”
"Hotpot, root…howl…tree…ah.”Duanmu Rong didn't have time to reply and stuffed the second bun into her mouth. Seeing Gai Lan's stunned expression, she finally swallowed the bun and said softly,"I say, it's really delicious." "Who made these buns?" Galen was unwilling to speak the truth, so he replied,"I did it."
"Oh?" Duanmu Rong looked at Gai Lan's hand and thought,"If your arm bones were ten times thicker than they are now, perhaps I would believe that you could make such a strong dough.”However, since the other party did not say anything, he did not ask further.
"Do you still have these buns? I want 30 more." Duanmu Rong asked after she finished eating.
"Do you want to take the young lady away? The buns in the store were all sold out today.”Galen said.
Duanmu Rong snorted and said,"Can't you make more after selling them?"”As he spoke, he walked straight into the house. Galen hurriedly tried to stop him."Young lady, it's really sold out." However, when Duanmu Rong gently pushed her, she felt a surge of inner strength. Only then did Gai Lan realize that this person knew martial arts. She wanted to stop him, but she was afraid that her identity would be exposed. In her hesitation, Duanmu Rong had already passed through the small courtyard and arrived at the second room.
In Duanmu Rong's mind, the person who made the steamed bun was just a boorish man with a strong arm. When she saw Ge Nia, his sword-like eyebrows were slightly thick, and his eyes were bright like stars. He was imposing without anger, and he was tall and imposing. Although she did not know him, she could tell at a glance that this person had peerless martial arts. If it were anyone else, they would have been shocked. Duanmu Rong only raised her eyebrows.
Ge Nia, on the other hand, was startled when he saw a beautiful woman suddenly barge into his house. He was about to speak when Duanmu Rong politely said,"Hello, I want to buy steamed buns."
Ge Nia was stunned for a moment before smiling back."Steamed buns are only sold outside. This is the place to make steamed buns.”
"It's sold out outside. I want another 30. Thank you." Duanmu Rong said.
Seeing Duanmu Rong's determined expression, Ge Nie knew that she wouldn't leave if he didn't sell her, so he replied,"Miss, please wait for a quarter of an hour.”After saying that, he divided the 30 buns into five trays and placed them in the steamer. Other people had ten buns in a tray, but Ge Nie's buns were more solid. Each bun was twice the size of an ordinary bun, and a tray could only hold six.
Duanmu Rong waited at the side, her heart itching. It was fine when he was making the buns, but after putting them into the steamer, Ge Nie had nothing to do. Being alone with this beautiful woman in this small room made him feel awkward. Should he stay? It's not good for a man and a woman to be alone. This was clearly his home. He really didn't know whether to leave or stay, so he could only find a conversation and ask,""Miss lives nearby?"
"I'm staying at the Musical Note Courtyard," Duanmu Rong replied.”
When Ge Nie heard this, he realized that this girl was the owner of the elegant bamboo forest next door."Such an elegant lady is indeed very compatible with that elegant residence.”
Duanmu Rong did not feel anything. She stared at the steamer with all her heart. After the buns were steamed, Ge Nia opened the steamer and was about to pick up the buns when Duanmu Rong politely stopped him."No need to trouble yourself." He actually pulled out a pair of iron chopsticks from his long hair and said,"You have to eat buns while they're hot."
He ate one mouthful after another, fast, ruthless, and accurate. Every time she stretched out her chopsticks, a big bun was gone. Thirty buns disappeared into the beautiful girl's small mouth. Duanmu Rong paid the bill politely after she finished eating and walked out leisurely.
Ge Nia looked at the girl's back and thought,"Indeed, you can't judge a person by their appearance. Who would have thought that such a petite girl could swallow mountains and rivers when she eats?”
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]