Minglong

Chapter 320 Unchanging Green Hills
After the little incident at noon, the house became quiet again.

Bing Tuozi and Qing Mo were annoyed because he had changed his general at the worst possible time, and they disappeared after the meeting, probably avoiding each other.

Xie Jinhuan went to try and coax someone, but was turned away twice. He could only start preparing for the next leg of his journey so that he could go and return as soon as possible.

Theoretically, there shouldn't be much risk going to Longgutan this time, as long as we don't expose our whereabouts, but that's only in theory.

Xie Jinhuan's current reputation is no less than that of Lao Ai, who was known for his leash-like behavior in the street. Anyone with a penis knows how much of a threat he poses. When it comes to something like stealing the Five Divine Gifts, they will definitely keep an eye on his whereabouts.

If he happens to have disappeared in the capital for a month or two, it's obvious what he's been up to. Using a fake identity is one thing, but figuring out how to do it secretly is another.

As dusk fell, Xie Jinhuan sat in the entertainment hall of the princess's residence, holding a booklet in his hand. The booklet listed the tasks the court would be undertaking in the next month or so, such as performance evaluations of local officials, tax audits in various regions, and the imperial examinations.

These are all matters of national importance, but they have nothing to do with him and are not suitable as an excuse for him to be busy in the capital. After thinking about it, he said:
"Or I could pretend to continue our romantic escapades at home, with Duoduo shyly running out every day to buy some new clothes, and then throwing out a few poems or something..."

On the small table were drinks and snacks. Duoduo was pouring drinks, but halfway through, she leaned on his shoulder, crossed her arms, and looked around.
“Young Master Xie is a righteous hero of the highest rank. He’s busy in the spring, yet he’s still at home composing poems. Outsiders certainly won’t believe it.”

Xie Jinhuan, with his elbow nestled between Nai Duo's legs, was quite enjoying it. He turned to ask:

"So how do you think I should explain myself so that outsiders will believe I'm in the capital?"

"Um……"

Duoduo thought about it carefully for a moment, then looked up and said:

"How about we announce to the public that you and His Highness are getting married? As the eldest princess of the Great Qian Dynasty, the emperor's darling daughter, it's not appropriate for the prince consort to be absent and go on an adventure to Dragon Bone Beach..."

Zhao Ling, who was leaning against the soft couch opposite the wine table, had been pondering why Senior Nangong was wiping his face, but upon hearing this, she snapped out of her thoughts:

"Huh? You little brat, are you crazy about men?"

Xie Jinhuan felt that Duoduo just wanted to be a maidservant in her dowry, so what was wrong with that?

He'd already shamelessly clung to the landlady, making it impossible for him not to want to marry her, but he still said earnestly:

"Marriage is not a trivial matter. How can it be used to cover up one's whereabouts? If something happens and one cannot return, the news will be made public, which would be very embarrassing for Your Highness."

Duoduo smiled sheepishly: "I was just saying. I'll think of something else."

Zhao Ling glanced at Duo Duo a few times, and only after the girl consciously let go of her arms and sat down did she get up and sit down in front of her:
"Don't think too much about it. Just live normally at the Marquis's residence. Every day, I'll have Qingmo dress up as you and travel around with me in a carriage. Then, I'll have the Crimson Guard spread some news about you slaying demons and monsters. Those who believe will believe, and those who don't, even if you don't move in the capital, they'll probably search Dragon Bone Beach. The main thing is for you to hide yourself."

Xie Jinhuan agreed, and naturally put his arm around her shoulder.

"Then let's do as Your Highness says. What's meant to be will be, and if it's not meant to be, we can't avoid it. If we pretend too much, it will only make us look like we're hiding something."

Duoduo sat down in front of her, and seeing that the princess had taken up her shoulder, she couldn't very well push her away. She could only reluctantly pour the wine, and after thinking for a moment, she said:
"According to the rules, when a princess or noblewoman chooses a consort, they must first have a trial marriage to avoid the consort having any hidden ailments..."

?

Xie Jinhuan blinked, thinking that Duoduo was a bit mischievous.

Zhao Ling was also baffled: "He's a top-tier martial artist, do you think there could be a problem?"

"Who knows if you haven't tried? Anyway, His Highness is leaning against me like that, and Young Master Xie hasn't reacted at all... Ah~"

As Duoduo was teasing him, she noticed His Highness raise his hand and pull her into Xie Jinhuan's arms:
"You want to try, huh? Fine, I'll give you the chance. Xie Jinhuan, do to her everything you did to Sect Leader Nangong today."

"what?"

Xie Jinhuan had originally intended to take the opportunity to punish Nai Duo, but upon hearing this, she realized that the landlady was trying to get information out of her, and smiled as she said:
"This might not be appropriate..."

Duoduo nestled in his arms, seemingly unbothered, and even tilted her cheeks up with great interest:
"I know that Young Master Xie would not want to offend a senior, so why don't I guess for myself?"

Zhao Ling, who had been curious all day, nodded upon seeing this:
"Alright, Xie Jinhuan, you're not allowed to hide anything. If you guess wrong, be smug and proud. If you guess right, act guilty. We'll see through it but not say anything."

Duoduo perked up and immediately sat up, eager to try.

Xie Jinhuan didn't believe Duoduo could guess it, but seeing that the master and servant were determined to play around, and believing that a customer is always right, he nodded in agreement.

Then he discovered that Naido's method of guessing was actually exhaustive!
Xie Jinhuan had just finished preparing when he noticed Duoduo kneeling in front of him, taking a sip of wine from a glass, and then bringing it close to his face, feeding him a bottle of imported wine mouth-to-mouth.

boo~
Xie Jinhuan was afraid of upsetting the landlady, so she didn't do anything rash and simply raised her hand slightly to accept it.

As expected, Zhao Ling frowned when she saw the maid stealing food in front of her.
"Are you guessing wrong? It's just feeding wine mouth-to-mouth, why would Senior Nangong need to wipe his face before going out?"

Duoduo sat up straight, her face flushed, and said confidently:
"Young Master Xie discovered that it was Senior Nangong who fed him, and he accidentally spat it out."

?

Zhao Ling blinked, thinking it was quite possible, and looked at Xie Jinhuan to confirm.

Xie Jinhuan thought Duoduo was a clever little devil, but still shook her head. Seeing that Duoduo had guessed wrong, and with the maid leading the way, Zhao Ling became interested as well. Seeing that there were no outsiders in the room, she also knelt down. The chubby peacock approached Xie Jinhuan, mimicking how Momo fed her baby wine:
"Could it be like this?"

Although she didn't pull down her skirt, the bulging white fabric still created a breathtaking impact.

Duoduo, on the other hand, was very sensible. She gently pushed Zhao Ling's back, which made the remaining distance disappear completely, and she buried herself in him. She then picked up the wine pot to help with the "High Mountain Flowing Water" ritual.

"Oh, Duoduo!"

"Huh? Didn't Your Highness want to play this?"

"Whoosh...ton ton ton~"

Seeing that the landlady was still trying to dodge, Xie Jinhuan pressed her back down and forced her to drink a few mouthfuls of wine, making Zhao Ling blush and try to escape before continuing to shake her head.

Zhao Ling had already suffered a loss, and this guy only gave a denial after she had already suffered a loss, so naturally her face darkened:
"Not yet? Then what exactly did you do?"

Duo Duo's eyes moved, and she was suddenly startled:
"Young Master Xie, is it something other than wine that got your face dirty?"

"Hmm?" Zhao Ling looked slightly puzzled.

Seeing that Duoduo, the clever little devil, was about to guess the truth, Xie Jinhuan waved his hand and said:
"It's nothing, how about we stop here? I'll play a tune for you to liven things up..."

"No! His Highness has ordered me to figure it out!"

In order to answer the princess's question, Duoduo did her duty diligently and put her hand inside her robe.

Zhao Ling wasn't stupid either. Seeing this action, her eyes widened in disbelief, and she leaned closer to ask curiously:
"You wouldn't... huh?!"

Xie Jinhuan was finding it hard to resist the teasing from the master and servant, and not wanting to betray Bing Tuozi, he decided to go all in and act like a tyrant, embracing both of them to smoothly dodge the question...

……
-
a few days later.

On a quiet spring day, a carriage drove out of the city gate and slowly traveled south along the Luo River.

On the grassy banks of the Luo River, Nangong Ye, dressed in a black dress and wearing a veiled hat, reverting to her former attire as a female knight-errant, walked peacefully alongside her disciple Qingmo.
"Qingmo, what brings you here?"

"Um……"

Linghu Qingmo had been reflecting on her actions in seclusion for the past few days. She had thought her master would say something to her privately, but since her master was about to embark on a long journey and showed no sign of blaming her, she had come to see him off. Now, she mustered her courage and asked:

"Master, last time I...I..."

Nangong Ye sighed inwardly and smiled slightly:
"I've already told you I don't care, don't overthink it."

Linghu Qingmo blinked:
“I know Master is easygoing, but Xie Jinhuan did offend you last time in Xirong, and this time I did… Even if Master doesn’t take it to heart, we did have actual contact. Will Master have any lingering resentment about this?”

Seeing that Qingmo had never doubted that her master had any problems and had always been thinking of her, Nangong Ye felt extremely guilty and really wanted to face his fears and make things clear like the demoness.

Whether Qingmo scolded her for being shameless or she had no choice but to accept her master's command, things had come to a conclusion, and she no longer had to be so conflicted.

Even though Qingmo was heartbroken and left on her own initiative to become a wandering martial artist, only able to catch a glimpse of that brat from afar every few years, it was her own fault for not being able to withstand the tribulation of love, and she had no one to blame but herself.

But now that things have come to this, how easy is it to open one's mouth and talk about it?
Bu Yuehua and Lin Wanyi didn't have much contact in the past, but she personally raised Qingmo...

Nangong Ye's lips moved for a long time, but in the end he couldn't muster the courage to raise his hand and pat Qingmo's shoulder:

“It takes time to see the knot in one’s heart clearly. I’m busy with important matters first. When I get back from Dragon Bone Beach, we can talk about it slowly and clear things up between us, master and disciple.”

"Contact me anytime during this period. If you want to see Xie Jinhuan, I can use the magic of summoning immortals to bring you here. Don't feel offended. Even if you can't help but want to hug your lover, it's only natural. I've never taken it to heart."

Seeing that his master wanted to calm down first and talk about these things later, Linghu Qingmo didn't ask any more questions, but simply said earnestly:

"I will stay home and cultivate diligently, and will not disturb my master unless necessary. Please take care of yourself, Master, and also please take care of yourself, Senior and Xie Jinhuan."

Nangong Ye nodded slightly, turned and walked south. After taking a few steps, he looked back at the white-clad heroine who was seeing him off on the grass.

For more than a decade, every time she went out to slay demons in the spring, Qingmo would see her off in the same way. From a six or seven-year-old girl to an eleven or twelve-year-old girl, and then to a young woman in her prime, the reluctance in her eyes never changed.

She had thought that this teacher-student and mother-like relationship would last until she was old and gray, until Qingmo stood atop the mountain and she was the one to see him off.

As it turned out, the green hills remained unchanged, but a rascal forced his way between the two of them...

Ugh……

Nangong Ye didn't know who to blame, and could only secretly vow that he would be honest and straightforward next time they met, and that he would not mistreat his disciple like this again.

Seeing Qingmo wave goodbye, Nangong Ye also waved, and then headed south to catch up...
-
Because Zhao Lingduoduo's scenes and subsequent events were not included, the previous chapter ended abruptly, so an extra chapter or 2 has been added to this volume!

(End of this chapter)