The Beauty and the Swordsman

After the meal, another half day passed, and by the stream in the deep forest, everything finally settled down.

The veteran tailors presented twelve brand-new crimson robes embroidered with golden phoenix tails, displaying them one by one, which immediately caught everyone's eye.

The fabric of the clothes was a more vibrant and lustrous silk brocade in fiery red than ever before.

Sunlight shone on the smooth satin, revealing its arrogant crimson patterns.

But upon closer inspection, the crimson flame pattern is subtly embroidered with long, thorny roses in varying shades of crimson silk thread.

This makes the texture look fuller and more fluid, with a touch of softness amidst the fierceness, and even more striking.

The back of the garment used to be made of gold foil hammered into fine gold thread and sewn into the shape of a phoenix tail.

This time, the veteran tailors directly sewed a "golden rope" about half the thickness of a little finger, which looked like it could be used to hang oneself, onto the hem of the garment using the gold thread embroidery technique.

It is also decorated with gold foil fragments and patterns of intertwined gold vines.

In addition, the waistline of the dress was adorned with a full circle of rubies, cut into shimmering rhombuses.

In this way, whether walking or fighting, the ruby ​​will sway slightly like a tassel, emitting a dazzling brilliance.

The entire garment looks gorgeous, exquisite, and exceptionally elegant.

These clothes are many times more precious than Pei Lingyou's previous clothes.

Needless to say, Pei Lingyou and Pingping, two girls who love pretty clothes, were overjoyed.

Even Ren Wofei and Zhao Xingxing were stunned, frequently glancing at Kuang Ye with curious eyes, wondering just how rich his family was to be so generous.

After admiring the new clothes, Pei Lingyou couldn't wait to try them on.

But with her hands still shackled, she had to wait another half an hour.

After the old man who forged the knife thoroughly polished the Red Jade Fox Bone Blade with water, he plucked a hair from Shoumo's head and blew it onto the blade.

Seeing that the blade could cut through a hair with a breath and remained as sharp as ever, the old man who forged the knife nodded in satisfaction.

The Crimson Fox Bone Slash gleamed once more in the setting sun, its blood-red, fragmented light flowing like blood.

The blade is two inches narrower than before, making it look sharper and more menacing.

But it's only two inches, which doesn't affect the weight of this hundred-odd pounds at all.

It took the old swordsmith and his two apprentices working together to lift the sword to Kuang Ye's feet.

Kuang Ye stroked the blade, examining it carefully like a meticulous inspector.

Seeing that her beloved broadsword was ready, Pei Lingyou jumped around anxiously, shouting:

"Break my shackles! I want to show off my new sword!"

But a new problem has arisen.

First, Pei Lingyou's red jade fox bone shard was as tall as a person, half a person wide, and extremely heavy.

Most of the people present were wielding light longswords; who could actually wield one?

Secondly, even if he could swing it, he would be cutting off the shackles on Pei Lingyou's hands.

That thing tightly bound Pei Lingyou's wrists; it was wide and thick. How much force would it take to just break the shackles without hurting her hands at all?

The group gestured with their hands and realized that the blade had to precisely cut through the keyhole, stopping a fraction of an inch above the skin of the wrist, for it to succeed.

Otherwise, Pei Lingyou's hands would be injured.

This is only slightly thicker than a strand of hair.

Even Pei Lingyou herself would find it difficult to achieve such powerful and precise control of her strength.

The people present felt worried and began to discuss the matter animatedly.

"Who's going to carry the knife? It'll take two people to lift it."

"How are we going to put it down after we lift it up? We usually use swords, we've never used something this big before!"

"Aim carefully! Even a fraction off, and the boss's hand is gone!"

"You shouldn't have said anything, it just made me even more nervous! I'm too scared to swing the knife!"

"Coward! Go away, I'll do it... Damn it, I'm nervous too!"

Pei Lingyou's earlier excitement at being so eager to get rid of her shackles vanished, and she lay bored on a large rock listening to everyone chatter.

Even she thought it was impossible to accomplish.

Unexpectedly, amidst the commotion, Kuang Ye, who had been silently calculating angles and distances, suddenly shouted, "Make way!"

Before anyone could react, the Crimson Jade Fox Bone Slash was raised high, a terrifying gust of wind ripped through the air with a buzzing sound, and slashed fiercely toward Pei Lingyou's wrist.

With a clang, the shackles fell to the ground, and Pei Lingyou's hands were finally freed.

The crimson fox bone slash hovered just an inch above the skin of her wrist, completely still, as steady as a rock.

The scene fell silent instantly.

Whether startled or stunned by the sudden action, everyone looked up along the blade.

Kuang Ye remained calm and composed, his expression as still as water.

Upon closer inspection, it became clear that he was wielding the knife with only one hand.

Look at that astonishing display of force—fast, accurate, and ruthless—coupled with his remarkably calm and handsome face.

It felt as if a powerful storm had swept through everyone's hearts.

Only Pei Lingyou didn't seem to feel anything. Like Sun Wukong, who had been imprisoned under the Five Elements Mountain for five hundred years and was finally released, she shouted loudly, "Freedom! I love freedom!" and ran around the field happily with her hands raised.

She would touch her brand-new golden phoenix tail crimson robe for a moment, and then swing her newly sharpened red jade fox bone slash a few times.

Kuang Ye looked at him with a smile, his eyes crinkling, showing none of the imposing manner he had displayed earlier.

Seeing that Pei Lingyou had regained her freedom, her clothes were ready, the Red Jade Fox Bone Slash was repaired, and all her belongings were neatly loaded onto the vehicle, everyone felt a great weight lifted from their hearts. They bid farewell to the three old swordsmiths and the servants of the Kuang family and embarked on their journey eastward.

This time, with the luxurious carriage, which resembled a mobile palace, provided for them, they were spared the hardships of sleeping in the open and the dangers of fighting snakes, insects, and rats for trees at night. They all lay comfortably on the cashmere carpet, grinning happily.

When Kuang Ye saw that everyone was lying haphazardly on the ground with Pei Lingyou in the center, there was no room for him to even put his feet down. If he wanted to get to Pei Lingyou's side, he would have to step on Ren Wofei and Zhao Xingxing's faces to get there.

Kuang Ye gave a helpless, bitter smile.

He had planned it all out. The carriage was clearly divided into four sections, one for Shoumo and Chen Gui, one for Ren Wofei and Zhao Xingxing, and one for Pingping, who was still growing and needed a separate room for herself.

Then he could naturally share a room with Pei Lingyou.

Unfortunately, despite the good plans, reality never quite lived up to Kuang Ye's expectations.

I don’t know when it started, but no matter where they are, as long as Pei Lingyou is there, the other six people will always unconsciously center around her, sitting or standing around her, forming a close and intimate group.

This is something that none of them realized.

Only Kuang Ye discovered this and found it particularly troublesome, always having to go to great lengths to get a seat next to Pei Lingyou.

And so, right now he could only sit at the farthest point from the hall entrance, gazing longingly at Pei Lingyou speaking in the center of the front hall.

Pei Lingyou crossed her legs, rested her head on the red jade fox bone shard, and stroked her smooth, new clothes. She clicked her tongue in admiration of the exquisite craftsmanship of the master artisans of Southern Continent, then couldn't help but glance around at the carriage's furnishings, saying:

"Kuang Ye, the money for the clothes, the money for forging the sword, and the money for the carriage must add up to quite a bit, right?"

As Pei Lingyou spoke, she kept a close eye on Kuang Ye's expression, afraid that he would reveal his intention to ask her for money.

But Kuang Ye simply shook his head honestly:

"I don't know. I haven't asked."

It wasn't that he was afraid Pei Lingyou would feel burdened and deliberately didn't say anything; it was that he genuinely hadn't asked how much the expenses were this time.

He noticed Pei Lingyou's worry about repaying the money and comforted her:

"This whole mess started because Shoumo was tricked by the Duxin Society, which led to the loss of your clothes and sword. Shoumo is a member of my Tongchen Sect, and as the sect leader, it is my duty to clean up his mess."

After saying that, Kuang Ye took out an extra two hundred taels of silver to make up for the reward that Du Chuan had originally promised.

Upon seeing the silver note, Pingping, who had been clinging tightly to Pei Lingyou, immediately sat up, took the silver note, and walked towards the side room, seemingly intending to put it in her personal bag.

Kuang Ye immediately stood up, stretched his arms, yawned, and strolled around the carriage before naturally taking Pingping's seat.

Pei Lingyou smiled and leaned closer.

Without the burden of money, her eyes immediately turned to Kuang Ye.

Kuang Ye could tell that she wanted to make a lighthearted joke with him.

He had just composed his worldly, ordinary face, and was filled with anticipation, ready to receive those sweet words that always made his heart flutter.

But Pei Lingyou seemed to have thought of something, and her eyes suddenly darkened.

She swallowed back all the sweet words that were on the tip of her tongue.

She smiled at Kuang Ye, lay back on the cashmere blanket, and stared at the slightly swaying gem on the roof of the car, lost in thought.

Kuang Ye didn't ask any questions, but just quietly looked at Pei Lingyou.

When she pulled out a crumpled, wet and then dried sketch of "The Old Man and the Chicken" from her bosom, Kuang Ye gave a soft "Oh".

He took a gray package from the storage compartment on the side of the car and handed it to Pei Lingyou:

"Go."

Pei Lingyou took the package, opened it, and looked through it. She paused for a moment, then revealed a bright and radiant smile.