Chapter 71: Trouble Arrives

  。

  In the evening, Qin Mubai arrived at the Yu Bridge as scheduled.

  The Princess Gaoyang was indeed waiting here, and when she saw Qin Mubai, a smile appeared on her still somewhat childish face.

  Before, Qin Mubai had only seen Gao Yang Princess's strange smile, sly smile, ill-intentioned smile, and eerie smile, but he had never seen her like today, smiling so innocently and shyly.

  For a moment, Qin Mubai was indeed a bit unaccustomed to it.

  "Cough... Your Highness, I have arrived."

  "Please take a seat!" Princess Gao Yang smiled and pointed to a stone table and chairs near the river in the willow forest, saying "I've already made preparations!"

  "Alright." Qin Mubai walked over and found that this stone table and chairs had just been moved here, with only two seats. On the table were already placed exquisite imperial pastries and fragrant palace wine. Two maids each held an ancient-style pipa standing by, while other palace maids and eunuchs were actually waiting from a distance.

  Qin Mubai smiled and took a pipa from a maid, sitting down calmly: "Let's begin!"

  "What's the hurry? You must not have had dinner yet, right? Eat something first. I don't want others to say that I'm mistreating my teacher." Princess Gao Yang sat down in front of Qin Mu Bai, her hands propping up her cheeks as she stared at him with a smile spreading across her face.

  "Alright." Qin Mu Bai casually ate two pieces of pastry and said, "Can we start now?"

  "Come on!" Princess Gaoyang supported her cheek with one hand, frowned slightly with a displeased expression, and stretched out a small white jade-like smooth hand to pick up a piece of venison and handed it to Qin Mubai's face. "You're a big man, a majestic general, how can you only eat so little? Come have some venison to supplement."

  Qin Mu furrowed his brow: "Princess, you'd better give up, I'll do it myself."

  "No way, I must have you eat!" Princess Gao Yang stubbornly held up her chopsticks directly at Qin Mu Bai, with an expression that she wouldn't give up until she reached her goal.

  "Alright, alright, I'll eat it." Qin Mubai let out a helpless bitter laugh, stretched out his mouth and took a bite of the dried venison, swallowing it down in one gulp.

  "I'm full, really full - let's start playing the pipa now!"

  "Hehe!" The two maids beside her covered their mouths and giggled out loud.

  "What are you laughing at? Don't laugh! You're really asking for a beating!" Princess Gaoyang's face turned red in an instant, and she glared angrily, "Turn around and don't stare at us!"

  "Yes, Your Highness." The two maids obediently turned around.

  Qin Mubai no longer paid attention to these things, and began to teach the art of playing the pipa, saying: "Your Highness, please take a look, actually I don't have any special skills in playing the pipa, it's just that my way of playing is different from others, I use my hands directly to play - so, I only need to teach you finger techniques."

  "Heh heh, I didn't expect that you, a general, would be so different from those rough and unrefined military school types. Your fingers are so slender and dexterous. Not only can you wield a sword, but you can also play the pipa with such mastery. If I hadn't heard it myself, I wouldn't have believed those rumors!" Princess Gaoyang didn't even glance at Qin Mubai's fingers on the pipa strings, instead she stared straight at his face.

  Qin Mubai awkwardly smiled and said: "Your Highness, do you still want me to teach you pipa finger techniques?"

  "Want, of course want!" Princess Gao Yang giggled and picked up the pipa herself, holding it awkwardly in her arms and randomly pressing her fingers on the strings, producing a few strange notes. "Is that right?"

  "Hmm..." Qin Mubai let out a long, stifled sigh and patiently said, "Your finger placement is all wrong - are you playing the pipa or cultivating the Nine Yin White Bone Claw?"

  "What is Jiuyin Baiguzhao?" Princess Gaoyang blinked her sparkling eyes, asking curiously.

  "...when I didn't say." Qin Mu Bai adjusted his expression, "The correct finger technique should be like this..."

  Then began a demonstration again and again.

  "What's wrong? Why is it so hard!" Princess Gao Yang followed and learned several times, still awkward, and hummed unhappily, "You come over, hold my hand and teach me."

  "Hehe..." The two palace maids who had turned around laughed again.

  "Dead servant, take ten steps back! Cover your ears!" Princess Gaoyang's face turned even redder as she angrily hissed.

  "Yes, Your Highness." The two maids did as they were told. In the darkness of the willow forest, their figures could hardly be seen now.

  "Teacher, come quickly and teach me fingerings! I'm really stupid, if you don't teach me hand in hand, how can I possibly learn?" The princess of Gaoyang pouted and hummed beside him.

  She's now completely different, like a changed person. The previous fierce and evil little devil instantly became a gentle and charming little woman. But when Qin Mu Bai saw her smiling eyes that were full of charm and allure, he knew in his heart - this was still the same cunning and mysterious little witch. Only now, she didn't treat him as an enemy, but possibly as... another kind of man.

  Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore. I just teach pipa and nothing else.

  Then Qin Mubai walked over, bent down behind her, stretched out both hands to hold her small hands separately, and taught her fingerings.

  At this time, Qin Mubai clearly felt that the little demon girl's body trembled slightly, and her fingers became a bit stiff.

  "Relax a bit, you're clenching your fingers like that, how can I teach you fingerings?"

  "Oh, oh!" The face of Princess Gaoyang turned even redder.

  After great difficulty, Qin Mubai finally managed to press her fingers down into the correct finger positions.

  "That's it, got it?"

  "It seems I've understood a bit!" Princess Gao Yang giggled and said, "But all the pushing, pulling, hitting, and pinching require changing fingers, it's so complicated! Can you teach me one by one?"

  "Good." Qin Mu Bai didn't stop at just one thing, so he took her hand and slowly taught her to play a tune of "High Mountain Flowing Water".

  The tune was intermittent, and Princess Gao Yang's mind was clearly not on the zither, her fingers not following Qin Mu Bai's movements at all. After teaching for a while, Qin Mu Bai stood up and took a deep breath: "Let's stop here for today, Your Highness can practice more when you have time later. It's definitely impossible to learn in such a short time, I won't teach you too much at once."

  "Are you leaving?" Princess Gao Yang hastily stood up and turned around, looking at him with a hint of disappointment. "Why the hurry? ... Look, there's still so much food and wine left uneaten, what a waste! Father Emperor always teaches us to be frugal... I know you can't be full, the military rations aren't good either - have some more before you go!"

  "No, I'll take my leave." Qin Mu Bai cupped his hands and turned to walk away.

  "No, you can't go!" Princess Gao Yang suddenly jumped up and stretched out her arms to block Qin Mu Bai's path.

  "Your Highness, if you continue like this, I won't be coming again." Qin Mu Bai said calmly.

  Gao Yang Gongzhu slightly hesitated, slowly lowered her arm and nodded: "Alright then, I'll let you go... but take this plate of venison back with you to eat, okay?"

  "......Alright!" Under helplessness, Qin Mubai could only agree and picked up the plate of venison, smiling: "Thank you, Princess. I'll take my leave."

  "It's getting late, I won't see you off." Princess Gaoyang said in a low voice.

  Qin Mubai walked away with big strides.

  Gao Yang princess sat on the stone bench, watching Qin Mu Bai walk out of the willow forest and disappear from her sight. She muttered to herself: "Bandit leader, stinky man... Am I really that detestable?"

  Those two palace maids walked over with a sly look on their faces, glanced from afar and said: "Your Highness, why did you let him leave just like that?"

  "What can be done if he doesn't leave? That guy, treating me like a fierce beast... Hey, what's it to you!" Princess Gao Yang blurted out in anger, her face red and her heart racing.

  "Oh dear, I've troubled you again, Your Highness... Hehe!"

  "Still smiling, asking for a beating!"

  ……

  Returning to her quarters, Qin Mubai sat in her own room, holding a piece of venison and staring blankly.

  Today, such things, Qin Mubai wasn't inexperienced - a young girl's first love secretly sending autumn waves, even sticking to the book and chasing after him, at one time he still enjoyed this taste. But now, his mood couldn't be beautiful no matter what.

  "What the hell? When did I ever try to seduce her? As far as I remember, we've only had conflicts and fought with each other, almost to the point of killing each other!" Qin Mu blinked his eyes woodenly. "Could it be that this little girl has some psychological issues, where the more obedient and flattering you are to her, the less she likes it; but when I'm always opposing her, even bullying and hurting her, she's actually developing feelings for me?"

  What a disaster! Why did I have to provoke High Princess Gao Yang of all people?! This guy is eccentric and dares to do anything, if things develop in this direction, even if I "guard my body like jade", but with girls chasing boys, who knows when the fire will start?!

  No way, it must be nipped in the bud - tomorrow, I'll go ask the emperor for leave, go back and rest, calm her down for a while before talking again!

  That night, Qin Mu Bai had just fallen asleep when he suddenly heard someone outside the door say: "Is General Qin asleep?"

  At this time, no one came to disturb Qin Mu Bai. He heard the voice and it was Pang Fei. This kid had just taken a few days off and probably just returned to the military camp.

  "Pang Fei, what's so important that it can't wait and has to wake me up at this hour?"

  "General... I have an urgent matter to report."

  "Then come in." Qin Mu Bai was still lying down and asked when he saw Pang Fei coming in, "Is there something important?"

  Pang Fei Jian's eyes widened as he closed the door, knelt down beside Qin Mu Bai's bed and whispered in his ear: "Master, something has happened to the world's number one wine."

  "What's going on?" Qin Mu Bai's heart skipped a beat as he asked.

  "Master, do you still remember 'Three Immortals'?" Pang Fei said, "This time, the disciple took a leave of absence and went to Tianxia First Wine to visit his future wife on Master's orders. However, I heard that Han Wang forcibly invited Three Immortals to the mansion to perform and has been gone for six or seven days without being released."

  Qin Mubai suddenly sat up: "Forced to go, is there such a thing?"

  "What's more... Next, I hope Master won't be too angry after hearing this." Pang Fei said with a bit of trepidation.

  "Hesitate no more, fart quickly and let it go!"

  "The King of Han has spoken, if he wants to send back the Third Fairy Maiden, it's not impossible... but only if... the Mistress herself goes to exchange for her!"

  "What?!"

  Smash red tickets, add more... Everyone's magnificent smashing!