Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 38: Safe Outside
Shen Tang herself didn't realize how often she went to Lu Xingzhou today. It was so frequent that Dugu Qingli didn't bother to pay attention to her, and it was so frequent that loyal elders such as Tang Yunzhong were speechless when they saw her.

Faced with the deaths of Huo Yu, the City Lord, and Liu Qingcang, and the dramatic changes in Xiazhou, which faction wouldn't have hurriedly convened meetings to discuss the next steps? But here, not even a single sect meeting had been held.

It’s as if these things have nothing to do with them... God knows they are the protagonists of these things!

It would have been fine if he had just said he was treating his leg in the morning, but he stayed at Lu Xingzhou's place all afternoon and wanted to go there again in the evening!
Shen Tang felt a little embarrassed when he thought about this, and he slipped away in his wheelchair as if to escape: "Then I'll ask you tomorrow."

Returning to her own boudoir, Shen Tang threw herself onto the bed with a "bang", touching her burning cheeks with both hands, and whispered to herself: "Shen Tang, Shen Tang, what are you doing..."

A bellyband flew up when she hit the bed, then slowly fell back and covered her head.

"..." Shen Tang pulled off his bellyband and said with gritted teeth, "Are you forcing me to find a maid to clean up? I don't want to find one."

She has too many secrets, and it is difficult for a maid who is close to her to reveal her secrets, so she dare not trust her.

She had difficulty walking, and sometimes Dugu Qingli had no choice but to act as a half-maid, which made her feel sorry for Qingli.

But fortunately, my leg is almost healed... Will Lu Xingzhou come early tomorrow morning to treat his leg?
...Why did I think of him again?

Shen Tang angrily threw the bellyband far away.

Dugu Qingli was just pushing the door open when he saw something coming towards him. He drew his sword with a "swish" and his bellyband turned into pieces that fluttered in the air.

"Why did you throw this thing away?" Dugu Qingli was very puzzled. "I think Lu Xingzhou likes it very much. He stared at it for at least several breaths yesterday."

Shen Tang glanced at her and said, "He spends much more time staring at you than that... How about you wear that one day and see if he'll be even happier?"

Dugu Qingli was shocked: "That's not a handkerchief? It's something to wear? How can you wear this thing? It only covers half of your body!"

Shen Tang blinked: "Do you want to try it? It's actually very comfortable, definitely more comfortable than your bra."

Dugu Qingli pondered deeply: "Wearing something like this certainly wouldn't be convenient for wielding a sword. Is this why you practiced the Imperial Supreme World Sutra?"

Lu Xingzhou likes this? Shen Tang's face fell: "Get out, I want to take a shower."

Dugu Qingli said seriously, "I'm sorry, Lu Xingzhou said you can't get wet, and I came here specifically to remind you of this."

Shen Tang buried his head in the pillow and could no longer make a sound.

…………

The next morning, Lu Xingzhou stepped into Shen Tang's yard, but did not see the two women eating breakfast.

Confused, he knocked on Shen Tang's door, and a muffled voice came from inside: "It's not closed, come in."

When Lu Xingzhou pushed the door open, he saw Shen Tangsheng leaning on the bed with a helpless look on his face.

I haven't showered, and there's no maid to help me wipe myself. What should I do if I get smelly...

"What's going on?" Lu Xingzhou looked around: "Where's Qingli?"

Shen Tang blurted out: "Are you here to treat her leg?"

"Uh..." I haven't seen you have any opinions before...

Lu Xingzhou knew better than to reason with a woman, so he smiled faintly as he walked to the bedside and placed a pill on the bedside: "Okay, yesterday's pill is done, and it will fill the last part of your needs."

Shen Tang's little resentment, which had come from nowhere, disappeared instantly. Finally, he turned his head to look at his profile and whispered, "Thank you. Where's yours?"

"I've got an idea. I'll study it slowly when I have some free time today. Now I'll change your medicine first." Lu Xingzhou rowed to her legs and lifted her skirt skillfully.

My eyes inadvertently swept over her socks and found that she had changed a pair, and I couldn't help but smile.

Shen Tang noticed his gaze and blushed a little. "Of course you have to wash your feet. You don't think I'm afraid of the fumes, do you?"

She thought she would just change the medicine today, but Lu Xingzhou still pinched her legs twice: "Do you feel it?"

Shen Tang actually felt that he was doing it on purpose, but he had no evidence, so he could only answer sullenly, "Yes."

Not only that, but the reaction was even more intense than before. She could clearly feel the warmth and rough touch of his palm, and it felt like an electric shock, and her whole body was numb.

"You're recovering well." Lu Xingzhou didn't touch her any more. He slowly removed the bandage, carefully scraped off the remaining ointment, and put on a new one for her.

Shen Tang stared at his gentle and focused expression for a long time before suddenly asking, "I heard Liu Yan'er might sell the Danxia Gang. Do you want to buy it?" "Sell... where is she going?"

"It is said that Bai Chi will take her to Fenxiang Tower."

Lu Xingzhou paused and thought for a while: "If she plans to go to Fenxiang Tower, then she shouldn't sell it. With the medicine mountain in hand, she will have a say in Fenxiang Tower in the future. Once she sells it, her status in Fenxiang Tower will be worse than that of a maid."

Shen Tang suddenly realized: "Yes, this is why Bai Chi encouraged her to sell the property. In fact, what he really wanted to buy was Fenxiang Tower. This should be the condition for Bai Chi to return to the sect. Otherwise, there is no reason for him to return after leaving the sect."

Lu Xingzhou nodded. "But if Liu Yan'er keeps holding on to the property without capable people around her, she'll be killed and her property taken away sooner or later. If I were her, my first choice would be to sell it to someone else at a low price, take the money and move to another place, and live the life of an ordinary wealthy woman. I wonder if she's awakened enough..."

Shen Tang smiled. "Of course she doesn't have that wisdom, but we can discuss the pros and cons. Why can't we be the ones to buy the mountain at a low price? Even if Liu Yan'er is stupid, she wouldn't really entrust her future to a sycophantic man. She's just at a loss right now. If someone could give her some advice, she should be able to explain it clearly."

Lu Xingzhou changed the medicine and tied a beautiful bow: "Buying the mountain may mean a conflict with Fenxiang Tower."

Shen Tang said: "All you need is to say whether you want to buy it or not."

"Buy it," Lu Xingzhou said casually, "but not for making a medicine mountain. If you want to grow your own herbs, you can just open up a part of it as a medicine garden. Most of the area can be used as the base of the Sword Sect. Swords can come out of Danxia. Wouldn't that be more comfortable than the current small martial arts hall? Besides, Danxia Mountain probably has some secrets. If we really buy it, we can slowly explore..."

"Oh, yes, you are the original owner." Shen Tang laughed: "When you coaxed me to rent a house, you said that it was the direction of expansion."

"That statement also included the Huo residence. The Huo residence and the mountain behind it are connected to Danxia Mountain. It really feels like a series of mountains with swords emerging from each peak. The farmland below the mountain can all be the sect's property, which is very impressive." Lu Xingzhou pondered and said, "I don't know what the Huo family thinks now. That old house has become a very ominous place. I wonder if they can dispose of it. If so, they can really take it over."

Shen Tang said: "Are you overestimating the strength of the remnants of the Tianxing Sword Sect? We only have so few people..."

"First of all, if you want to revitalize Zhongxing, you must be hiring a lot of people. Secondly, you definitely have more than just these few people." Lu Xingzhou sighed, "Now is the time for you to tell me your secret. Otherwise, it will be difficult to make any plans, and they will just be empty talk."

Shen Tang was silent for a moment, then whispered, "How much did you guess?"

Lu Xingzhou said, "I originally suspected you were the missing princess, but I felt like there were a lot of things I couldn't figure out. If you were a princess, Huo Yu and Sheng Yuanyao wouldn't have been unfamiliar with you. Furthermore, everyone in the Tianxing Sword Sect would recognize your identity as Shen Tang... unless you were wearing a human skin mask, but I don't think so."

Shen Tang rarely revealed a mischievous smile. "I have been practicing in the Tianxing Sword Sect since I was young. Shen is my mother's surname, and my master is my uncle. If it weren't for this royal relationship, how could the Tianxing Sword Sect become an imperial merchant? However, the people in the Tianxing Sword Sect don't know that I am a princess. They think I am just a disciple they have watched grow up."

Lu Xingzhou: “…”

"My mother was just an ordinary concubine, and I've also lived a cautious life since childhood. If you're really Huo Shang, then we have another similarity." Shen Tang smiled. "But I'm the eldest daughter. When I was born, my father was very fond of me. He taught me the royal martial arts without reservation. But I spend most of my time in the Tianxing Sword Sect and rarely return to the capital. It's not surprising that Sheng Yuanyao doesn't recognize me... I did see her. She was fourteen or fifteen at the time. She sneaked into the back of someone else's banquet hall in the marquis' mansion just to eavesdrop on the secret of an infidelity, ha..."

Lu Xingzhou couldn't help laughing: "What about the Huo family?"

"The Huo family's favor isn't as high as people imagine... Grand Tutor Huo doesn't know who Shen Tang is, but I've met them as Princess Gu Yitang. Huo Yu has met me, but it's a pity that she wasn't able to see me at all this time, right?"

Lu Xingzhou thought about how Huo Yu really hadn't seen Shen Tang this time, and couldn't help but laugh: "You've been living under an alias for so long, are you trying to keep a low profile?"

"Yes. When I was very young, the Imperial Master gave me advice: be content with life outside. My father respected the Imperial Master's advice, so he sent me to the Tianxing Sword Sect and allowed me to use an alias, which can be considered a form of protection... But I still hope you will call me Shen Tang."

"Of course... I'm not used to calling her by any other name either." Lu Xingzhou asked, "What about your mother..."

"He passed away two years ago. They said he died of illness." Shen Tang sneered: "I don't know if there is any ghost in it."

Using the analogy of Huo Shang's early death, it was even more unacceptable for a concubine to die in her prime. The possibility of ghosts was very high. It was just a pity that Shen Tang had no way to investigate such a matter.

Lu Xingzhou's eyes fell on her legs: "So your legs..."

"It's a very clichéd political struggle," Shen Tang said calmly. "My father fought the Demon King a few years ago, and both sides were injured. His health has deteriorated. The battle for the crown prince has also been quite fierce in recent years. You know, women in this dynasty can become emperors. As the eldest daughter, I've naturally become a thorn in the eyes of some people."

Lu Xingzhou couldn't help but say, "You're not the empress's legitimate daughter, and you've been away from home for a long time. Most officials don't know you. You have almost no political capital. What threat can you pose?"

"Yes." Shen Tang smiled sweetly, "Because the princes are so useless... Do you know my cultivation?"

Lu Xingzhou was silent for a moment: "Fourth rank."

"But their highest rank is only fifth rank," Shen Tang said calmly. "In the world of cultivation, strength is the greatest political capital. Although my father never intended to pass the throne to me, some people were afraid. When they were afraid, they wanted to weaken my power, or even kill me... So, when my master and I were delivering goods to the capital, we were ambushed and attacked. The mountain gate in Yongzhou was also attacked at the same time. I still don't know which of my brothers did it, or if it was... my father himself."

I may have to say that many old friends said that what female-oriented content was actually a joke, and it seems that some brothers have been led astray.

While I read women's fiction and have my share of rants and even written satirical essays, my regular writing has nothing to do with that. For example, the opening scene with the Danxia Gang is a classic case of massive layoffs. When the male-oriented series The King's Avatar played that trope, women's fiction writing hadn't even begun to understand its place. It's fair to say it has a bit of a skit vibe; it's true that this kind of thing lends itself well to adaptation.

Another example is the scene where the hero leaves Yuan Muyu. That's the classic yandere-tsundere male-oriented tug-of-war and the Jicha ancestral first love abuse. What does that have to do with female-oriented content? When male-oriented content had yandere-like axe-like anime, female-oriented content didn't even exist. Don't get the rhythm wrong, everything you see looks like female-oriented content. I always satirize and complain about those things, but how could I possibly use them myself...

At first, I was laughing at everyone's jokes, but then I felt something was off. Even the story of a seductress teasing a little brother was suspected of being a female-oriented story. It felt quite strange. This trend needs to stop, otherwise I'm afraid that even if I write about a legitimate daughter, people will say it's a female-oriented story... Yes, my heart skipped a beat when I wrote this line...

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(End of this chapter)