The Beauty and the Swordsman

Pei Lingyou sat in the stream, feeling utterly hopeless, as if her pride was so shattered that it could never be mended.

But my tummy finally felt relieved.

Her expression slowly relaxed, her eyes staring unblinkingly into the void, with a comical emptiness.

Ren Wofei and Zhao Xingxing tried very hard to suppress their laughter.

Shoumo and Chengui were the best at avoiding suspicion, so they pretended to be very busy and didn't look at the air.

Pingping looked distressed and sensibly went to find clean clothes.

Only Kuang Ye remained by the stream, asking worriedly:

"Miss Pei, are you feeling better? Is your stomach still hurting?"

Pei Lingyou sat motionless in the stream, shaking her head blankly.

She didn't dare look at Kuang Ye's face.

She was afraid that if she looked at him, she would think of how much she wanted to pursue him, but then wet her pants in front of the first person she really liked in her life.

This is a disgrace that can never be recovered.

Kuang Ye clearly didn't care about these things and gently advised her:

"The stream is too cold, Miss Pei, please come out. I will give you my outer robe to cover yourself with."

Pei Lingyou remained silent, shaking her head instead.

With no other option, Kuang Ye picked up a crowbar, disregarded his boots and trousers, and stepped directly into the water to help Pei Lingyou pry open the shackles on her hands.

Unfortunately, despite trying several times and biting down hard on his cheeks, he couldn't pry open the shackles; he only managed to slightly deform the keyhole.

The imperial court ignores the lives of ordinary people, focusing all its attention on researching criminal laws and instruments of torture.

The specially made shackles were incredibly hard, and Kuang Ye almost wanted to curse.

"It seems we'll have to use heavy weapons to cut it," Kuang Ye said.

Everyone simultaneously thought of Pei Lingyou's weapon, the Crimson Jade Fox Bone Slash, and then immediately realized that the blade of the broadsword had been secretly worn away by that guy, rendering it unusable. They couldn't help but raise their hands and give Shoumo a slap.

Shoumo knew he was in the wrong, and scratched his head sheepishly.

Now that all methods have been tried, it seems we can only wait for the Kuang family's carriage to arrive.

Before joining the Shinkai Society, Kuang Ye wrote home asking for a swordsmith who could forge and sharpen knives, and a tailor who was skilled at tailoring clothes.

The only hope for breaking the iron shackles is to wait for the swordsmith to sharpen the blade on the spot and re-polish the Red Jade Fox Bone Cleaver.

Pei Lingyou stubbornly sat in the stream, refusing to leave until her shackles were removed.

She felt that she didn't know when the knife would be sharpened, and she still needed to eat, drink, and urinate.

She didn't want to go through another humiliating experience, so she simply waited in the stream.

Fortunately, the Kuang family's carriage arrived quickly. A little over an hour later, just as the sun was high in the sky, the sound of carriage wheels came from afar.

Everyone looked to the east upon hearing the sound.

Although I knew the Kwong family carriage was coming, I never expected it to be such a huge vehicle.

The rumbling sound of the horse-drawn carriage grew louder as it approached, deep and rugged.

The trees on both sides of the road were rustling and whispering, as if some enormous creature was about to burst out of them.

The next moment, four jet-black steeds galloped through the forest.

The horses had bronze and gold curtains covering their faces, silk tassels hanging from their cheeks, brass bells hanging from their chests, and colorful silk tassels in their tails. They walked with their heads held high and full of spirit.

Behind the dark horse, a "mobile palace" resembling a small mountain was revealed.

The carriage had dark-painted pillars, a high roof, and heavy wheels.

The entire vehicle is made of hardwood, with a glossy finish. The finely crafted, gilded components gleam.

The roof of the car is like a dome, inlaid with turquoise, topaz and colorful mother-of-pearl.

Plain-colored curtains hung down on all four sides of the carriage, vaguely revealing the interior layout, which included a front hall, an inner room, and small rooms on both sides.

The carriage floor was covered with thick, white cashmere felt, and the seats on both sides were adorned with brocade mats. In the center, on a small carved table, there was even a recessed slot for a large rhinoceros horn vase, inside which were inserted several tender, verdant bamboo shoots.

The luxury, sophistication, and style... caused everyone to involuntarily exclaim "Wow!" and their jaws dropped to the floor.

When the carriage came to a stop, an elegantly dressed old servant stepped down, bowed respectfully to Kuang Ye, and greeted him with "Greetings, Young Master." Kuang Ye simply nodded as if it were nothing out of the ordinary, and gestured with his hand to indicate that the servant did not need to stand on ceremony. Everyone felt that the servant's status had been completely elevated.

The old servant spoke gently and calmly, in the same scholarly style as Kuang Ye, saying:

"Young Master, as you instructed, we chose the most inconspicuous car in the family. The items have been prepared according to your wishes. We have invited the old tailor from Nanzhou and the swordsmith from Beizuantang."

As soon as he finished speaking, more than a dozen people emerged from behind the carriage.

Only then did everyone realize that behind this carriage, which was as large as a mobile palace, were four or five smaller carriages that were equally expensive and exquisite.

However, the lead car was so big that it blocked the cars behind it.

A dozen or so people got off the carriage at the back.

The group of people at the head of the group were dressed in uniform and appeared to be servants of the Kuang family. There was even a cook among them.

They carried bedding, cooking utensils, bowls and chopsticks, and luggage and dry food, presenting them one by one to Kuang Ye.

Kuang Ye nodded, and the servants immediately took the things and retreated. Chen Gui and Shou Mo went up to receive the things with delight.

Even Ren Wofei, Zhao Xingxing, and Pingping felt like it was Chinese New Year.

They came out of the Crossing Heart Society with almost nothing, but now they have replenished all the things they need for their journey.

Everyone went to unload the goods in high spirits.

At this moment, six old tailors, carrying a piece of red silk brocade with a dark floral pattern, dozens of rolls of gold thread about half the thickness of a little finger, as well as a soft measuring tape, cutting tools, needles and thread, stepped forward in a row, bowed to Kuang Ye, and greeted him as "Young Master Kuang".

Kuang Ye responded politely, then pointed to Pei Lingyou sitting in the stream:

"Please have the tailors make clothes for Miss Pei. However, she is not feeling well right now, could we use the clothes she wore a few days ago as a reference?"

"Yes, yes," the old tailors readily agreed.

They've been making clothes in Nanzhou for decades, and they can accurately measure Pei Lingyou's shoulder width, waist circumference, and sleeve length just by looking at her a few times.

But they still kept measuring Pei Lingyou's clothes, the ones from which the gold threads had been removed.

There's no other way; in business, the employer is only satisfied if the ceremony is done properly.

Moreover, the Kuang family is the biggest financial backer and long-time employer in the entire Southern Continent. They have given them far too much, so the old tailors have no reason not to accept.

In no time, they measured the dimensions and unloaded the workbench, lamps, cutting rulers, needles and thread holders from the carriages behind, and began making the garments on the spot.

This stunned Pei Lingyou, who was sitting in the water.

Suddenly, all thoughts of saving face and losing face were forgotten.

Nanzhou is the birthplace of the most famous silk and cloth shops in the Dayong Kingdom, and tailors are everywhere.

Back then, if she wanted to find such an old tailor to make a golden phoenix tail crimson robe, it would take more than a dozen master tailors half a year to make just one.

Kuang Ye then invited six old tailors from Nanzhou to the scene.

Can it be done immediately?

Pei Lingyou was utterly astonished and muttered to herself:

"Looks like all that talk about waiting half a year for one item back then was just a gimmick, a tactic, just to sell it to me at a high price! Hey, Kuang Ye, what does your family do? You seem really rich."

Kuang Ye thought to himself, "You asked! You finally asked!!" But on his face, he remained composed and dignified, and replied with a slight smile:

"I am not very talented, but my family has a small fortune. Actually, Miss Pei, if your friend wants to make a lot of money easily, quickly, and without trouble, marrying into a family like this would be the most suitable. My family happens to have some eligible unmarried men."

Some? Aren't you an only child? Aren't you an only child?

The old servants and attendants of the Kuang family standing nearby showed no outward expression, but were inwardly puzzled.

Kuang Ye believed that he had spoken in a very subtle way, but that anyone could definitely understand him.

Unexpectedly, Pei Lingyou wasn't good at lying; she made up lies but didn't remember them. She had long forgotten about the "she has a friend" thing and raised an eyebrow in confusion:

"Whose friend is short of money? Why would someone who's short of money get married?"

"Cough cough..." Kuang Ye swallowed a mouthful of blood, using all his internal strength to force it down.