Eight, Three Great Dark Realms (Third Watch)

  "It's me." Xī Zhīlán said with a bad tone, "What, aren't you pleased?"

  "...Tan Yu was speechless, he really didn't want to see her again, that night, the nightmare-like experience, just thinking about it made his hands and arms ache, so unbearable."

  "Don't be like this, okay? I'm not a plague descending upon the world." Qie Zhi Lan pouted her small mouth and said with grievance.

  "Tan Yu thought: 'You're not a plague god, but you are a death god...'"

  "What brings you here?"

  "Ah! Someone hired me to protect you for a month." Xie Zilan suddenly thought of something, her mouth curved into a smile, and she said with a grin, "It cost a great price! You should cherish it well."

  "Someone hired you... to protect me?" Qin Yu looked at him suspiciously, "You also take on bodyguard jobs?"

  "Alright, we are wandering warriors, either killing or saving people, mainly relying on these two skills to make a living."

  "Two skills? Are they the same one?" Qin Yu muttered to herself, but she also slightly put her mind at ease.

  "Who hired you?"

  "I know, I won't say it clearly, you can't be at ease." Xī Zhīlán tilted her head, "Of course, it's Zhang Lǎo Xuān Shī."

  "Master?" Qin Yu exclaimed involuntarily.

  Just as they were speaking, a faint sound of horseshoes came from afar, and in an instant, it seemed to be rushing towards the nearby area.

  Qin Yu was shocked. In this icy and snowy weather, who is so bold to gallop like this? Not only must one's riding skills be exceptional, but the horse also has to be extremely spirited.

  "I'll go first, come back and help you if anything happens." With a flick of her slender eyebrows, she vanished in an instant.

  Tan Yu's left eye had just caught a glimpse of her back disappearing, and his right eye blinked, already stimulated by a red flash.

  On the official road in the distance on the right side, two horses with bright red saddles galloped swiftly, and the knights on horseback seemed to be wearing all-red attire, dazzlingly eye-catching.

  Qin Yu had barely finished his thought when the two red horses appeared before him, suddenly stopping in their tracks without even a snort.

  "Good horses!" Quan Yu couldn't help but praise. These two crimson horses were rarely so similar.

  A red figure jumped off the horse and someone lightly laughed: "Is it just a good horse?"

  She looked up and saw a tall, red-clad young woman, about seventeen or eighteen years old, with two swords on her back, a powdered face and a smile, looking at her from across the way.

  The beauty had a delicate face, but her chest was towering and majestic, quite a sight to behold. Qin Yu's eyes sparkled in front of him, his heart slightly fluttering, and he involuntarily said: "A fine horse, a divine sword, a beautiful woman!"

  "How nice!" The woman smiled again, her white teeth flashing slightly, looking very happy. She turned her head to look at the young girl on horseback behind her, "Miss, Brother Jun has praised Butterfly as beautiful!"

  The girl was dressed in a green robe, with a purple cloak on the outside. A pair of pure eyes scanned Qin Yu without leaving any trace, and said lightly: "This young man is indeed good-tempered, not letting Xiao Die be arrogant!"

  The girl in red, Xiaodie, pouted and said: "Miss, you scolded me again!"

  Tan Yu looked up and glanced at the girl, thinking to himself: "These two little girls, one is more beautiful than the other, but they are also very bold, daring to venture into this wilderness alone."

  The green-clothed girl looked about the same age as Xi Zilan, with a beautiful face and a clear temperament, truly a little beauty. The red-clothed girl's appearance was slightly inferior, but her physique was robust, and her personality was also very bright and cheerful, making Quan Yu feel quite delighted.

  "What's your noble surname and given name?"

  "My name is Qin Yu. And you, Little Butterfly?"

  "Of course Little Butterfly shares the same surname as Miss, our Miss's surname is Zeng."

  "Zeng Xiaodie! What a great name!"

  "Haha, Qin Gongzi, you're really good at talking. Is that the Shenmu Inn up ahead?" Xiaodie said, "You guys are also here to attend the Shennong Auction, right?"

  Tan Yun nodded, unexpectedly this small inn was quite famous, even these two little girls had heard of it.

  But what is Shennong singing and selling?

  "Alright! Thanks a lot, Brother Jun! See you at the auction in a few days." Little Butterfly waved goodbye with her small hand and led the two horses towards the town.

  Qin Yu was startled and turned his head, only to see the green-clothed girl on the horse suddenly turn her head around, a faintly strange smile on her cool face.

  "Young master, don't be surprised, this is just Butterfly's nature."

  In front of Tan Yu, a flower suddenly appeared, and he was stunned. On the other side, the little butterfly was already nagging and chattering nonstop.

  The two girls had gone a long way, and Qin Yu was still in a daze.

  Zeng Yinyin, Zeng Xiaodie...

  "Hey, Shixiong, what's wrong?" Unbeknownst to him, Zhang Ren had already snuck up beside Qin Yu with his hunting bow, following his gaze towards the two riders in red attire heading into town.

  "What nonsense?" Quan Yu wiped his mouth and said seriously, "I was thinking, in such a remote wilderness, how did these two women end up here?"

  "People are coming and going here, maybe they just passed by. The sky is darkening, it's the time for guests to arrive, several unusual guests have just arrived in the town! Zhang Ren was still young, had just brushed shoulders with two beauties, although he was amazed, but didn't think much of it."

  "Huh? Just passing by?" Qin Yu furrowed his brow, chuckled and said, "This is what they mean by: 'Fated to meet from a thousand miles away, yet unfamiliar despite facing each other'!"

  Zhang Ren blinked his eyes, still not understanding where the passion for poetry came from, and someone behind him was already applauding loudly.

  "What a wonderful phrase! What a wonderful phrase!"

  The two brothers turned their heads to take a look, but it was a man in his thirties, wearing a headscarf, a black straight robe that seemed to be made of silk, with a stylish design, and a wide-bladed long sword at his waist, which made Qian Yun look at him several times.

  Behind him was a yellow horse as his mount.

  Qin Yu saw the Confucian scholar's face was as pale as wax, and that yellow horse was panting heavily, covered in sweat, its head twisting back and forth looking for grass to eat. What a perfect pair! He casually asked: "What's so wonderful about this place?"

  "This sentence is quite smooth!" The old scholar hummed slightly, seeing Quan Yu glance over with a hint of mockery in his eyes, and added another sentence, "Consider yourself lucky, kid, it's right up my alley!"

  Qin Yu's eyelid twitched, and he felt displeased in his heart. This guy didn't just have a face like egg yolk, but also spoke very annoyingly.

  "I say, brother, you're chasing after someone else's girl, but you don't even have a good horse to ride. How can you possibly catch up? Even if you do catch up, how are you going to win her over?"

  What is called a Huang Tuo is actually a yellow horse with white spots. Due to the processing of the Qin and Tang dynasties' folk literature, the tragic episode of "Qin Qiong selling horses" made the Huang Tuo horse one of the most famous horses in the world. In fact, normally, out of 100 Huang Tuo horses, 99 are quite ordinary in terms of their strength.

  This old man's yellow horse is one of the ninety-nine point five, it's really too ordinary and common, compared to Xiaodie and her master's crimson horse, it's far inferior.

  There's a comparison: in front are two brand-new BMWs and Mercedes-Benz, behind is a ten-year-old Jetta Santana.

  "That's because you're judging by appearance, superficially. You can't see the exceptional qualities of this horse. I'm just low-key, that's all." The big uncle said with a faint smile.

  "Turns out it's a low-key uncle!"

  The Confucian scholar's face turned black, and whoever heard the combination of "Uncle Master" would not be happy. Especially this old master who thought he was elegant and low-key.

  "Little kid, haven't you heard of the great name of Yi Yang Jin Gongzi?"

  Tan Yun was suddenly startled.

  That middle-aged Confucian scholar raised an eyebrow, unexpectedly the young man opposite him had actually heard of his name, quite interesting.

  "You're the renowned, awe-inspiring... uh... Yi... something... Jin Young Master?"

  The Confucian scholar smiled slightly, feeling pleased with himself, and couldn't help but think that his reputation had spread farther than he had expected.

  Zhang Ren was somewhat puzzled and asked in a low voice: "Second brother, does he also often have nocturnal emissions?"

  "Probably like you, having a good dream."

  Zhang Ren's face turned red with shame as he listened to him. At his age, he was already at the stage where he had romantic feelings and was easily aroused, sometimes unknowingly ejaculating in bed, but he didn't dare tell his master about it. He secretly asked his second senior brother for advice and only then did he learn some of the secrets that men kept hidden.

  The middle-aged Confucian scholar's face changed greatly, his ears were sharp and pointed, and he was taken aback for a moment before suddenly becoming furious, pressing the hilt of his sword and glaring at Zhang Ren.

  "You little scamp!"

  "Ah, Golden Young Master, are you going to kill and rob in front of Zeng's daughter?" Qin Yu revealed a smile, and said to Zhang Ren, "Little Shidi, come here, I have something to say to you."

  Zhang Ren sensed the anger and strong aura mixed in the Confucian scholar's uncle, and sure enough, he dodged behind his senior brother, feeling uneasy in his heart. This uncle was clearly not an ordinary weak Confucian scholar, with a very tough undercurrent.

  His left hand dropped down, and from under his sleeve a black crossbow slid out half a foot, with a bolt already on the string.

  "Second Master..."

  Tan Yong's eyes stared at the middle-aged Confucian scholar, and he coldly nodded: "That's it, children's words are harmless, no malice. Master Jin is magnanimous, I hope you won't take it to heart."

  The Confucian scholar gazed at him with both eyes and suddenly asked: "You actually still know Zeng Niang?"

  "Jin Gongzi's bitter love for Zeng Xiaojie is true and sincere, it can be felt throughout the heavens and the earth. Who in the world does not know about it?" Tan Yun said with a chuckle.

  Jin Gongzi's face turned yellow and gloomy, his mouth twitched, and he waved his hand.

  "Consider yourself lucky and get out of here!"

  "Little brother, come on, big brother will take you to hunt wild goats." Qin Yu grabbed Zhang Ren's right hand with one hand and covered his black crossbow with his large sleeve.

  The two slowly walked past in front of the Confucian scholar. The Confucian scholar stared with wide eyes but remained motionless.

  "Second Master, how did you know he wouldn't make a move?" Zhang Ren quietly asked from twenty meters away.

  "This man is a notorious rogue in the four southern counties of Jingnan, and I've heard my master mention him before. He's a true expert in the dark arts. However, he has a weakness for women, so he probably won't be too interested in you."

  This sentence is a bit too advanced! Zhang Ren silently sensed the true meaning of his senior brother's words in his heart, and felt very strange.

  "Big brother is talking weirdly today!"

  "Don't think too much, just walk quickly."

  ……

  PS: Don't think too much, just quickly give me recommendations and collections! Today I was forced to update three chapters in a row... Look, I'm going to take advantage of the momentum and roll with it, be a rolling meatball for once, there are too few votes, brothers and sisters please help me out!