knife

Chapter 191 No Laughing

Dressed in simple clothes, wearing a straw hat, with a basket tied around his waist, and his face smeared with something dark, and barefoot, Li Dachui looked like a typical local farmer from any angle.

Standing beside him, dressed as a peasant woman, was naturally Xiao Changche. She wore a simple cloth skirt, patched upon patched, and although her face wasn't as dark as Li Dachui's, it looked as if it hadn't been washed in a long time and was covered in a layer of grime.

They looked exactly like a farming couple.

Li Dachui was preparing to grill some fish, but his method of preparing the fish was somewhat unusual.

There was not a soul in the quiet river bend, and with their keen senses, they would have detected anyone who approached long ago.

Standing by the river, with hands outstretched, invisible and intangible true energy emanates from them, splitting into two, then four, then eight, becoming finer and more numerous, until these energies intertwine.

In Xiao Changche's perception, Li Dachui's true energy transformed into a fine, dense net in the air.

She looked at Li Dachui with some shock, as if he was getting stronger every day.

Compared to them, I am far behind.

The large net formed from true energy silently disappeared into the river. A moment later, the river splashed, and more than a dozen fish were pulled into the air. They struggled in the air, shaking their heads and tails, but the space available for them to move was getting smaller and smaller. Finally, they were squeezed together and then slowly flew in the air to Li Dachui's front and slammed onto the grass with a thud.

Li Dachui's control over his internal energy was becoming increasingly free and effortless.

"How far are you from the Innate Realm?" Xiao Changche asked.

"I don't know!" Li Dachui shook his head and said, "Sometimes I feel like I'm about to enter the gate, but other times I feel like it's a long way off. The old man said that innate is the understanding of heaven and earth, and the precise control and complete use of power. So, I can only wait for my own opportunity. In terms of power, I have no problem, but in terms of experience, I am still far from it."

"Always much better than me!" Xiao Changche squatted down with a hint of resentment to clean the fish. His true energy was like a knife, sharp and incomparable. He removed the scales, gutted the fish, gutted them, and then the fish, as if they were tied with a rope, flew back to the river to wash themselves. When they flew back to Xiao Changche's hands, they were already clean.

Meanwhile, Li Dachui had already lit a fire and placed seven or eight bottles and jars in front of him, preparing to start grilling fish.

"The reason you've been stagnant lately, and even feel that your true energy isn't as abundant as before, is because the Qi of Heaven and Earth has been refining your true energy, removing impurities such as malevolent energy and bloodlust. It may seem like there's less, but it's become much purer and more potent when used. Once you get through this adaptation period, you'll make rapid progress. When it comes to martial arts cultivation, I really haven't seen anyone more skilled than you."

“You are better than me!” Xiao Changche said, sitting by the fire, hugging his legs and resting his chin on his knees.

“I cheated!” Li Dachui shook his head: “I would naturally boast about it in front of others, but there’s no need for that in front of you.”

Xiao Changche smiled as he watched Li Dachui skillfully brush on the seasonings and flip the grilled fish over and over. In no time, the aroma filled the air.

Being with this person makes me lazy; I don't want to think about anything or do anything, because this man will arrange everything for me, making things incredibly easy.

Perhaps this is a kind of dependency!
Ever since his identity was exposed when he and Li Dachui ambushed Tiele, his sense of dependence on them has only grown stronger.

But it's so good to have someone to rely on!

In the past, Xiao Changche had to worry about everything and do everything himself. He had no desire to go back to those days.

Li Dachui handed a grilled fish to Xiao Changche: "Make do with this!"

"This is acceptable!" Xiao Changche sighed. "What you casually prepared is much more elaborate than what I usually eat. You really are a perfectionist when it comes to food."

"In this life, food and drink are essential; you can't skimp on your own appetite!" Li Dachui laughed as he tore off a piece of fish, put it in his mouth, and smacked his lips, saying, "Without Shaoxing wine to marinate it, the fishy smell is a bit too strong!"

Xiao Changche took a big bite, but was completely unaware of what was happening.

"It's strange, actually Linghu Ye sent Li Guohua to congratulate Zhang Ruo on the opening of his government office. That's quite a high-level gesture!" Xiao Changche said with a puzzled expression as he ate his fish. "I thought it would be at most Linghu Zhishu."

“He’s trying to make us look bad!” Li Dachui said. “Who is Linghu Ye? Of course he won’t let go of any opportunity to weaken us. Now that Zhang Ruoming is openly trying to break away from us and start his own business, he’s more than happy to oblige.”

"Zhang Ruo is such an ingrate!" Xiao Changche said with dissatisfaction. "If it weren't for us, would he be where he is today?"

"He has his reasons!" Li Dachui laughed. "You can't say he's wrong. Miss Xiao, we should all have the basic qualities of doing good without expecting anything in return!"

"You're just talking nonsense!" Xiao Changche said. "What are you really thinking?"

"This is really good!" Li Dachui said seriously, "The area outside the Great Wall is so vast, it's not a black-and-white place. There are quite a few people like Cai Ming who play both sides, smiling at both us and Linghu Ye. Now there's a third possibility, they can unite around Zhang Ruo, that's great!" "Do you think Zhang Ruo will help us?"

"Why not? We're single-mindedly focused on conquering the Yuan, unlike Linghu Ye, who's only thinking about marching into the interior and emulating the Li family to rise to power! If he doesn't help us, why would he help Linghu Ye? At least for now, he's definitely on our side."

Xiao Changche stared intently at Li Dachui.

Why do you look at me like that? Is something wrong?

Xiao Changche said thoughtfully, "You're also a member of the Li family! I understand now. One day in the future, when Zhang Ruo really wants to oppose you, if you suddenly reveal this identity, he'll be dumbfounded. And by then, the interior will be in chaos, and Chang'an might have already been overthrown. You, the posthumous son of the former crown prince, leading your troops into the interior to quell the rebellion, and then raising the banner of the Li family again, will be seen by Zhang Ruo as righteous beyond measure, the legitimate successor. He will absolutely be loyal to you to the point of prostration!"

"I haven't thought that far ahead!" Li Dachui shrugged. "Dealing with Linghu Ye and then facing Beiyuan is already exhausting me. Who knows what the situation will be like in a few years? We'll see then!"

"You're not telling the truth!" Xiao Changche feigned anger: "Even though that's the situation, I still don't like Zhang Ruo."

“Keep this up!” Li Dachui laughed. “Later, the two of us will attend together. You play the good cop, and I'll play the bad cop. If you’re not happy about this, why not show it even more in front of Li Guohua?”

Xiao Changche snorted: "No need to pretend, I'm already furious. In my opinion, Zhang Ruo should serve us wholeheartedly. By the way, you said Zhang Qingyun has already returned to Chang'an?"

“Yes!” Li Dachui said, “The work in Chang’an needs her to go back and take charge so that we can get things moving more quickly. She’s no longer a fallen noblewoman; she’s the daughter of a high-ranking official of the third rank, the Vice Censor-in-Chief, who comes with his own aura. If she goes back to Chang’an, she’ll quickly integrate into the upper circles. With Wu De’s cover, our plans within the pass can be rolled out at the fastest speed. I promised her that if she does a great job and satisfies me, then she’ll be Zhang Bing!”

"Qian Jia, Zhou Yi, Zhang Bing! Could you be any more casual with your naming? Zhang Bing is such an awful name for a girl!"

“My name is Li Dachui, and yours is Xiao Changche. Does it sound nice?” Li Dachui laughed. “Names aren’t important; what matters is the meaning they represent. Believe it or not, Zhang Qingyun will be very satisfied with the name Zhang Bing, because this name represents status and power!”

Xiao Changche remained noncommittal, tossed aside the fishbone in his hand, and rummaged in his pocket for a while before pulling out something. He held it tightly in his hand, hesitated for a moment, and then handed it to Li Dachui.

"Huh?" Li Dachui asked.

"This is a gift for you, don't laugh!" Xiao Changche said sternly.

"Okay, I won't laugh!" Li Dachui reached out and took the things from Xiao Changche's hand.

He withdrew his hand and saw that what was spread out in his palm was something that looked like a sachet.

The fabric was excellent, the gold and silver threads were of the finest quality, and it was inlaid with the best jade pieces. But what about the craftsmanship? Li Dachui held the sachet closer to his eyes and stared at it intently.

It's all crooked and messy; my skills aren't even as good as yours!

"Laugh if you want!" Xiao Changche stared at Li Dachui.

Li Dachui wasn't fooled. If he laughed now, Xiao Changche might get angry and embarrassed.

He carefully and solemnly put the sachet into his bosom and hid it close to his body.

"This is the first thing you've given me. I must keep it close to my body and pass it down to future generations as a family heirloom!"

Xiao Changche smiled with satisfaction.

The item itself isn't great, but she embroidered it stitch by stitch, and her fingers got pricked so many times!

If Li Dachui dares to laugh, I'll teach him a lesson.

Looking up at the sky, Xiao Chang stood up and said, "It's almost time. The teams from Baoping City and Tai'an City should have arrived at the designated location by now. Let's go. Zhang Ruo's banquet can't be without us!"

"Go!" Li Dachui waved his hand, and all the odds and ends on the ground flew up and fell into the river. With a whistle, Xiao Hei came flying from the woods in the distance with a green horse.

In Du County, at the Inspectorate's Office, the last rays of the sun were slowly setting, casting a bright, shimmering light on the plaque above the office.

Zhang Ruo chatted and laughed with Li Guohua, Cai Tianyou and the others, but he was somewhat anxious. Time was passing by, but there was still no news from Baoping City.

If the Anxi Protectorate hadn't come, today's opening would have been much less meaningful.

(End of this chapter)