Martial Arts Universe: With a single command, 100,000 iron cavalry will sweep across the martial wor

Zi Nu chuckled softly as she listened. She knew that Su Rongrong had made Su Qingfeng write the promise by pestering him, but she didn't want Su Qingfeng to get involved—the forces involved were too powerful, and it wasn't worth risking his life for a thief. Besides, Chu Liuxiang, that stupid thief, dared to steal a country's national treasure; wasn't he courting death?

Nongyu, Li Hongxiu, and Song Tian'er then understood. They hadn't expected Su Rongrong to exchange one hundred taels of silver for Wu Xiangjun's promise, and she had even begged for it shamelessly. Looking at the gentle and tender Su Rongrong, they were speechless for a moment.

Su Rongrong blushed deeply. She knew this promise was dishonorable, and now that Su Qingfeng wanted to renege, she was both angry and anxious. She grabbed Su Qingfeng and asked, "Lord Wu Xiang, are you going to go back on your word?"

Su Qingfeng pulled out a thousand-tael silver note from his pocket and shoved it at her: "What a load of rubbish! Here's the thousand taels, and the promise is null and void."

Su Rongrong grabbed the silver note and tore it up, shouting, "You bastard! You broke your promise, you don't deserve to be a nobleman!"

Seeing that she had torn up the silver note, Su Qingfeng was also so angry that she held up one finger:

"Bullshit! One hundred taels of silver! Su Rongrong, are you heartless? If I were killed by those forces while saving Chu Liuxiang, what would happen to my wife and children? Have you thought about that?!"

Su Rongrong's face flushed at Su Qingfeng's words. She knew that if Su Qingfeng went to save Chu Liuxiang and the others, she would be taking a great risk. But Chu Liuxiang had saved her life, and she couldn't bear to watch him die at the hands of the Mohists and the Peasants. "But... but you did promise me. Lord Wu Xiang, if you're willing to save Chu Liuxiang and the others this time, I'm willing to be your maid for three years. Is that alright?"

Su Qingfeng looked at Su Rongrong with some surprise—the once gentle woman had become so stubborn. He hadn't expected her to make such a decision. But, he certainly didn't lack maids. His own servants, Ziyun, Azhu, and Abi, were all clever and capable.

Su Qingfeng didn't want to keep a big shot like Su Rongrong by his side.

"Ha, I have plenty of maids under my command, I can't afford a big shot like you."

At this moment, Li Hongxiu also realized that this Lord Wu Xiang truly did not want to get involved in this matter, and even looked down on Chu Liuxiang, who was roaming around stealing. She knew that without Lord Wu Xiang's help, Chu Liuxiang and his companions would likely be in grave danger in Han Kingdom. Li Hongxiu glanced at Su Rongrong, then pulled Song Tian'er to Su Qingfeng and said solemnly:

"Lord Wu Xiang, what if we were included? If you save Chu Liuxiang this time, the two of us would be willing to serve you as maids for three years."

Su Qingfeng didn't bother looking at them anymore. He wasn't stupid; Xinzheng was already chaotic enough, why get involved? Wouldn't it be better to just watch the show from the sidelines? "No need," he said. "There are plenty of women in Zilan Pavilion, why would I need you beauties as maids?"

Li Hongxiu smiled confidently:

"Lord Wu Xiang may not know, but Sister Rongrong is a highly skilled physician and an even more remarkable master of disguise; I am well-versed in many secrets of the martial arts world and the martial arts techniques of masters; and Tian'er is an expert in cooking, a true master. I think we are qualified to be your maids."

Su Qingfeng smiled after hearing this, but still shook her head and refused. Although she was somewhat tempted, the deal was ultimately not worthwhile. "You are all indeed capable, but I still don't need you."

"You..." Li Hongxiu was annoyed when Su Qingfeng refused again. It seemed that Wu Xiangjun was determined not to help them, and she was now at a loss.

Zi Nu watched Su Qingfeng from the side, a hint of admiration flashing in her eyes. She hadn't expected Su Qingfeng to be able to resist the three ladies' requests, and she couldn't help but feel pleased.

Su Rongrong looked at Su Qingfeng with disappointment. The three of them alone couldn't possibly save Chu Liuxiang. They feared that once they left Zilan Pavilion, they would be harassed by their pursuers, and they wouldn't even be able to protect themselves, let alone save Chu Liuxiang.

Su Qingfeng glanced at the women in the room and gently shook her head. They were far too stubborn; there must be more to this than met the eye.

The Marquis of Sui Pearl—he had heard of it in his previous life. The Marquis of Sui Pearl and the He Shi Bi of the Eastern Continent were known as the "Two Treasures of the Spring and Autumn Period".

Legend has it that during the Spring and Autumn Period, the ruler of the State of Sui saved a giant snake. The snake was actually the son of the Dragon King, who, in gratitude, gave the Marquis of Sui a precious pearl, which became known as the Marquis of Sui Pearl or the Spirit Snake Pearl.

Su Qingfeng felt that this bead was definitely unusual—this was the world of martial arts, and with such a strange event as the Seven Constellations of the Azure Dragon, it wouldn't be surprising to have another one.

He was determined to obtain the Suihou Pearl, but to do so secretly under the watchful eyes of everyone was no easy feat. If Shi Guanyin were here, he could rest assured, but the unpredictable woman was nowhere to be found. Su Qingfeng could only devise a plan on his own, trying to avoid being noticed by all sides.

He turned to Nongyu and instructed, "Go and call Yanlingji over."

Nongyu responded and hurriedly left, her face slightly flushed. She couldn't help but think about the future: if Sister Zinu and Lord Wuxiang were together, would she still be considered a maid? Perhaps she should be considered a subordinate... If he treated her like that again in the future, should she resist?

Seeing Su Qingfeng summon the Baiyue woman, Zi Nu was displeased and stepped forward with a cold face, asking, "What do you want with her?"

"I have something to tell you. Prepare a quiet room for me later. You also need to come with me. This matter requires your cooperation with Yan Lingji."

Su Qingfeng secretly thought that perhaps he could use the power of Tianze, the deposed crown prince of Baiyue, to stir up trouble in Xinzheng, thus giving him a chance to retrieve the pearl. While Tianze's revenge seemed like wishful thinking, if it only targeted Ji Wuye and Bai Yifei, it could facilitate a cooperation between him and Han Fei—Zi Nu could act as a go-between. Han Fei and Wei Zhuang hadn't made a move yet; with the help of Baiyue, Ji Wuye and the others would likely be no match.

At this moment, Su Rongrong approached after whispering with Li Hongxiu and Song Tian'er, and said with a helpless expression:

"Lord Wu Xiang, we are willing to compromise: we only ask that you bring Chu Liuxiang and the others out of the slums. Would you agree to this condition?"

Su Qingfeng smiled upon hearing this—it seemed they truly had no other choice. Getting Chu Liuxiang out of the slums wasn't difficult enough; as for their fate afterward, that was none of her concern.

"Oh? Poor girl, is that really true?"

Su Rongrong, Li Hongxiu, and Song Tian'er nodded hurriedly. They were truly at their wits' end, only hoping that Su Qingfeng could take Chu Liuxiang and the others out of the slums—surely Su Qingfeng would agree to such a condition. "It's true, the three of us have decided."

Su Qingfeng laughed upon hearing this. To gain three stunningly beautiful maids effortlessly, without offending any powerful factions—only a fool would refuse such a good deal. Seeing their nervous expressions, he nodded and replied, "Alright, then I'll go to the slums to rescue Chu Liuxiang and the others. I hope you won't go back on your word." Su Rongrong hurriedly said, "Since we've already agreed, we will never break our promise."

Looking at Su Qingfeng's smiling face, Su Rongrong felt helpless. From now on, she, Li Hongxiu, and Song Tian'er would be this man's maids... She could only hope that he wouldn't do anything too outrageous to them.

Zi Nu stared wide-eyed, utterly unable to believe that Su Rongrong and the others had so easily "sold" her to Su Qingfeng. Su Qingfeng's overjoyed expression only fueled her anger. Zi Nu couldn't understand why seeing Su Qingfeng take in three such excellent maids made her uncomfortable. She shook her head, sat back in her chair, and couldn't figure it out—could she have fallen for that guy? Impossible, how could she possibly like him? Perhaps she was overthinking it.

Xinzheng, in a poor area.

Chu Liuxiang and his companions were starving, their stomachs practically touching their backs, and they slumped listlessly at the table. Hu Tiehua glanced at Chu Liuxiang; the once dashing and debonair Chu Liuxiang was now disheveled, a far cry from his usual suave self. Hu Tiehua and Ji Bingyan both found it quite strange.

Hu Tiehua nudged Ji Bingyan beside him and asked, "Old Ji, it seems Old Chu can't escape either. Are we doomed this time?" Ji Bingyan didn't even look up, and weakly replied, "I'm afraid so... By the afternoon at the latest, the city guards will have found this place. We're not locals, so we'll most likely be arrested as accomplices in the kidnapping of the crown prince. Once exposed, the Mohists and the Peasants won't let us off either."

Chu Liuxiang stared at the Suihou Pearl on the table, filled with remorse. How could he have been so foolish as to steal this hot potato? This wasn't the Ming Dynasty after all; there was no one in Xinzheng City to turn to for help. Even with his exceptional lightness skills, he couldn't evade the army's arrows, nor could he escape the pursuit of the Mohist and Agricultural School masters.

He thought of Su Rongrong and the others again. But now the entire city of Xinzheng was under lockdown, allowing only entry but no exit. Even if Rongrong and the others arrived, they probably wouldn't be able to save anyone.

Chu Liuxiang tapped the table and said to Hu Tiehua and Ji Bingyan, "Old Ji, Old Hu, we can't just wait here to die. We should rush out now—although it will alert the city guards and the peasant and Mo families, there's no food here, and we've been starving for days. If we delay until the afternoon, and those people find us..."

Given our current situation, we probably don't even have the strength to fight a war.

Hu Tiehua shook his head and said:

"I understand. But going out now is a dead end for us. We might as well wait for Rongrong and the others to come and rescue us. If no one comes by the afternoon, we're really doomed."

"Let's wait a little longer. It's only morning. Maybe Rongrong can think of a way to get us out."

Ji Bingyan agreed with Hu Tiehua's assessment. Rushing out now would be certain death; if Su Rongrong could find a way to rescue them, they might have a glimmer of hope.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Chu Liuxiang and his companions immediately stood up on guard—they hadn't noticed anyone approaching at all, and they couldn't help but tense up.

Hu Tiehua walked to the door and asked cautiously:

"Who?"

A man outside the door slipped a hairpin through the crack in the door and said:

"Miss Su Rongrong sent me. You can identify this hairpin."

Hu Tiehua took the hairpin and said happily:

"It's Rongrong's! We're saved!"

He opened the door and saw a man in black standing outside. Hu Tiehua sized him up for a few moments and asked:

"Brother, where are Rongrong and the others? Can you take us to find them?"

"Alright. A carriage is ready outside. After you get in, someone will take you to a temporarily safe place. Miss Su Rongrong and the others are already waiting there."

Thank you.

Chu Liuxiang and his companions stepped out of the house and boarded a luxurious carriage. They discovered that the attendants guarding the carriage were all innate masters, and the group headed straight towards the city guards' garrison, showing no fear of being questioned.

"Stop the car! We need to check—"

"Let them through. This is a newcomer; they don't recognize this as the lady's carriage."