knife

Chapter 493 My territory
Standing outside the door, I gently knocked on the door panel.

The door opened, and Jiang Ping stood in the doorway looking at Li Dachui.

"You really know how to shop! You've been gone for almost an hour. I'm starving!" Jiang Ping, having just finished bathing, had her black hair casually draped over her shoulders. A white gauze dress billowed as the door opened, revealing a large expanse of her snow-white skin. A blue ribbon was about to tie her waist, instantly showcasing her graceful figure.

The woman's unique fragrance wafted over, and her pouting lips, seemingly both angry and displeased, immediately made Li Dachui's heart skip a beat.

This is a kind of beauty completely different from that of Xiao Changche.

Xiao Changche was tall and slender, and her years of battlefield experience had given her a heroic and valiant air; she was the kind of mature and sophisticated woman.

The woman before him, however, was a typical Jiangnan woman, with a delicate and charming figure that evoked pity. In particular, the thought of her true identity made Li Dachui's body inexplicably hot.

Taking a deep breath, Li Dachui suppressed some of the romantic thoughts in his heart, raised the food in his hand, and said with a smile, "The streets here are so winding and twisting that I got lost. It wasn't easy to find my way back, but it wasn't a complete loss. Look, I brought you some delicious food!"

Jiang Ping smiled and stepped aside. Li Dachui walked in, placed the items on the table, and opened them one by one.

Jiang Ping closed the door and walked to the table. Looking at the food on the table, she smiled and said, "These are all famous snacks from Danyang. You really know how to pick them."

"I don't know the famous dishes of Danyang, but I have a mouth, so I can ask!" Li Dachui said with a smile. "However, they saw that I was from out of town, so they charged me a lot more. The way the people next to me paid looked like they were looking at a big fool."

"Since you knew that, why did you give it back?" Jiang Ping asked with a smile.

"You can't buy happiness with money!" Li Dachui chuckled. "Want to try some?"

“These are all dishes I often eat, let’s save them for now!” Jiang Ping said with a smile. “This is my territory, and since you’re here, it’s my treat. I’ve already ordered the most famous eight delicacies of Danyang, which will be delivered to your room in a bit. Just wait and see!”

"Really? There's such a custom? Then I'm in for a real feast today! I should have come with you sooner; my mouth has been so bland these days!" Li Dachui laughed. "Danyang has its Eight Delicacies, and we have our Eight Bowls of Food in the Northeast. When you go to the Northeast, I'll treat you to Eight Bowls of Food!"

"That would be wonderful!" Jiang Ping smiled. "I just wonder if I'll ever have the chance to go to the area beyond the Great Wall in this lifetime?"

"If you set your mind to it, there's nothing you can't do!"

As they were talking, there was another knock on the door. Li Dachui opened the door and found a row of waiters standing outside. Then, one after another, fragrant dishes were brought into the room and placed on the table.

A meal of "Eight Delicacies" may only consist of eight dishes, but including drinks, it costs ten taels of silver. For an ordinary person, it's a rare treat to have such an meal in a year.

Li Dachui picked up the wine pot and filled both of their cups. He then smiled and said, "Then I'll take this opportunity to thank Jiang Jiang for her hospitality."

"I should be toasting you, welcoming you to Danyang, and thanking you for taking care of me along the way!" Jiang Ping also raised her glass with a smile.

The two clinked their glasses and drank it all in one gulp.

"Good wine!" Li Dachui said with a smile, picking up the wine pot and filling Jiang Ping's glass.

“Since you toasted me the first time, shouldn’t I toast you the second time?” Jiang Ping said with a smile.

"nature!"

Jiang Ping raised her glass, about to speak, when there was another knock at the door. Before she could open it, the person outside pushed it open. The two turned to see an elderly man with a full head of white hair. Li Dachui's smile remained unchanged, but Jiang Ping's face turned cold.

The old man was an acquaintance.

Li Dachui had seen him in Yong'an County. At that time, Li Dachui led a group of people from the Ruijin Banner. But the old man in front of him, who was all smiles and bowing, was wearing full armor and was leading more than a hundred heavily armored cavalrymen in a charge against Lin Hong's personal guards.

His name is He Han.

"How did you find us?" Jiang Ping put down her wine glass and asked angrily.

He Han stepped through the door, bowing the whole time, and said with a smile, "Princess, your status is noble and extraordinary. As soon as you stepped into Danyang, our people naturally noticed you."

"Alright, now you can see I'm doing fine, you can go now!" Jiang Ping waved her hand.

He Han did not leave, but remained standing there like a nail, his smile unchanged: "Princess, the Empress Dowager knows you have returned, so she sent this old servant to invite you back. You have been away for too long this time, and you have done such a big thing in Yong'an County. The Empress Dowager does not seem very happy!"

Jiang Ping put down her chopsticks and glanced at Li Dachui across from her.

Li Dachui stood up with a smile: "Jiang Jiang, since the Empress Dowager has given the order, it is not good to disobey, otherwise it will be difficult for Steward He to explain. You can go. Anyway, I will be traveling in Danyang for quite a long time, and there will definitely be opportunities to meet again."

Jiang Ping sighed, "I really shouldn't have come back to Danyang. Li Bao, why don't you wander around Danyang for a bit and take a look around? I'll come back to find you after I've met my cousin. Don't wander off anywhere, or I won't be able to find you."

"I'll go check out the Five Tigers Breaking the Gate Blade sect first. If I can single-handedly defeat their sect, I'll definitely become famous throughout Danyang. Then they won't have to worry about not being able to find me!" Li Dachui said with a smile.

"Alright, after you've chosen the Five Tigers Severing the Gate of the Mountain, I'll take you to Cloud Mist Mountain!" Jiang Ping stood up and walked out. "Don't see me off, enjoy these eight delicacies!"

"Walk slowly!"

Outside the Ruyi Inn, a carriage was already parked. The carriage looked ordinary, but the two white horses pulling it, without a single blemish, made passersby instinctively move aside.

Using horses to pull carriages is uncommon in Danyang, and a horse with a shoulder height of seven feet like this is even more precious. Moreover, this horse is purebred and used to pull carriages. Even the most dull-witted person would know that the owner of this carriage must be of extraordinary status.

Jiang Ping climbed into the carriage and looked at Lin Yunqi, who was sitting inside bowing to her. She asked in a low voice, "What happened?"

"Your Majesty, Zhu Chi has returned from beyond the Great Wall. He brought back important news that you must know immediately!" Lin Yunqi said in a low voice.

"Outside the pass?"

"The Northern Yuan has perished!" Lin Yunqi said.

Jiang Ping's body tensed up instantly. After a moment of hesitation, she reached out and lifted the carriage curtain, looking towards the third floor of the Ruyi Inn. Li Dachui was standing by the window, waving to her.

Jiang Ping smiled and waved to him, then lowered the curtain. The carriage moved forward smoothly at He Han's soft shout.

(End of this chapter)