Martial Arts Crossover: My master tricked Huang Rong into becoming my wife!

After leaving the official post station, Chen Yanzhou and Huang Rong headed north, traveling along the winding official road.

The further north you go, the thinner the originally gentle autumn scenery of Jiangnan becomes, replaced by a desolate and bleak atmosphere.

The Henan region was, after all, already under the control of the Jurchens.

Along the way, Chen Yanzhou witnessed firsthand what it meant to have "bones exposed in the wilderness, and not a rooster crowing for a thousand miles."

The once fertile farmland was mostly abandoned and overgrown with waist-high weeds. Occasionally, when passing through a few villages, they were mostly ruins. Only a few skinny wild dogs roamed among the ruins, unafraid of people, their green eyes revealing a chillingly fierce light.

To avoid being checked by the Jin soldiers, the two had to hide during the day and travel at night, or specifically choose to walk on deserted paths.

His attire had long since changed. Chen Yanzhou was wearing a tattered gray cotton-padded jacket that he had somehow found, with a straw rope tied around his waist. The Xuan Tie Heavy Sword on his back was wrapped tightly in several layers of thick, tattered burlap sacks, making him look like a laborer fleeing famine with his bedding.

To further conceal her identity, Huang Rong smeared soot from the bottom of a pot on her pretty face, deliberately lowered her originally bright eyes, wore a coarse cloth dress with patches upon patches, and held a withered tree branch in her hand. As for the dog-beating stick, she had wrapped it with tattered strips of cloth to resemble a fire poker and tucked it into the tattered cloth pocket behind her waist.

Even Wangcai seemed to have sensed the hardships of the world. Its usual playful energy had subsided considerably, and it followed behind the two with its tail between its legs, not daring to utter a sound.

After traveling and stopping for five or six days, they finally arrived at Xiangcheng.

Although Xiangcheng is called a city, it has long lost its former prosperity.

The city wall is mottled, with the wolf-head flags of the Jurchens flying on it, baring their fangs and claws in the howling north wind.

Two rows of Jin soldiers stood at the city gate, each holding a long spear and staring at passersby with sinister eyes. Anyone who displeased them was whipped or even directly seized to be used as a conscript.

Chen Yanzhou lowered his straw hat and mingled behind several refugees pushing wheelbarrows. He slipped a few copper coins into the hands of the Jin soldiers guarding the gate and pretended to be a poor and timid man. Only then did he manage to sneak into the city.

The city was desolate, with few pedestrians on the streets, and most of them were in a hurry and dared not look up.

Most of the shops on both sides were closed, and the few that were open were almost deserted.

However, the sound of the patrolling Jin soldiers' horses' hooves clattering on the bluestone pavement was particularly jarring.

"This godforsaken place, even the air smells of blood." Huang Rong leaned close to Chen Yanzhou and muttered in a low voice. Although her face was smeared with ash, the disgust in her eyes was impossible to hide.

Chen Yanzhou patted her hand discreetly, signaling her to be quiet. His gaze swept around the streets before finally settling on an inn with a sign that read "Yuelai Old Shop".

The paint on the signboard had mostly peeled off, and the storefront looked quite dilapidated, but faint sounds of people and the aroma of food could be heard coming from inside. In this lifeless Xiangcheng, it was a rare place to stay.

"Let's go get something to eat first." Chen Yanzhou tightened the bedding roll on his back and led Huang Rong and Wangcai inside.

The lobby was dimly lit and contained seven or eight greasy square tables, about 50-60% full.

Most of them were江湖汉人 (jianghu men, people from all walks of life) or traveling merchants who had been traveling all over the country. They ate and drank in silence, and spoke in very low voices.

Chen Yanzhou chose a corner seat and placed the Xuan Tie Heavy Sword at his feet. With a muffled thud, the floorboards beneath his feet trembled.

The waiter, a sharp-eyed fellow, noticed that although the two were dressed in rags, they possessed an air of importance, especially the large black dog, which looked menacing. He quickly approached with a teapot, a professional, fake smile plastered on his face: "Gentlemen, would you like a meal or a room?"

"Get something to eat first." Chen Yanzhou took out a small piece of silver from his pocket and casually tossed it on the table. "Cut three catties of cooked beef, with a good mix of lean and fat, and a roast chicken, two catties of flatbread, and a pot of hot tea. The rest is yours."

The waiter's eyes lit up immediately upon seeing the silver, and his fake smile instantly became more sincere: "Alright! Please wait a moment, sir, it'll be right there!"

These past few days, while traveling through the desolate wilderness, the two of them had been eating nothing but dry, hard naan bread given to them by Zhao Da. Upon hearing the words "roast chicken," Huang Rong involuntarily swallowed, and her previously listless spirits instantly lifted.

Before long, the food and wine were served.

The beef was cut thickly, with glistening tendons interspersed throughout, and the roast chicken was golden in color, glistening with oil, and exuding an enticing aroma.

Chen Yanzhou didn't stand on ceremony. He tore off a chicken leg and handed it directly to Huang Rong's bowl: "Eat up, you've been suffering these past few days."

Looking at the glistening chicken leg in the bowl, Huang Rong felt a warmth in her heart.

Ignoring any semblance of ladylike decorum, she grabbed a chicken leg and took a big bite. The tender chicken meat mixed with the rich sauce exploded on her tongue, and the long-lost meaty satisfaction made her squint her eyes.

"Mmm...delicious!" Huang Rong mumbled, her cheeks puffed out like a little squirrel eating.

Seeing that she was eating with relish, Chen Yanzhou smiled and picked up a large mouthful of beef for himself.

The two people and their dog, in a corner of this dilapidated inn, swept the food off the table like a whirlwind.

Wangcai squatted under the table, catching bones that Chen Yanzhou threw down from time to time, and chewing them happily.

After a satisfying meal, Huang Rong breathed a sigh of relief, took out a handkerchief from her bosom, and elegantly wiped the grease from the corner of her mouth. Even in her beggar's clothes, she exuded a touch of the noble air of a young lady from Peach Blossom Island.

She rested her chin on her hand, watching Chen Yanzhou slowly sipping his tea across from her, and suddenly called out softly.

"Chen Yanzhou".

"Hmm?" Chen Yanzhou put down his teacup, looked up at her, and said, "Not full yet? How about another chicken?"

"All you ever think about is eating!" Huang Rong glared at him reproachfully, then leaned forward slightly, getting closer to the table.

"After we... return from Shaolin Temple, will you come back to Peach Blossom Island with me?"

Chen Yanzhou was slightly taken aback. Looking at the girl so close to him, he thought for a moment and then said.

"Peach Blossom Island? I've long heard that it's the number one fairyland in the East China Sea. When the peach blossoms are in full bloom, the falling petals are breathtaking. I've always wanted to go and see it for myself."

"Really?" Huang Rong's eyes lit up, and a smile instantly spread across her lips. "Then it's a deal! I'll have the mute servant prepare the best guest room for you and cook you the best food!"

"Oh, right, I'll tell you another secret," Huang Rong said mysteriously.

Chen Yanzhou leaned closer, cooperating: "What secret? Could it be that Peach Blossom Island is hiding some unparalleled treasure?"

"What are you thinking? If there were, I would have dug it up already!" Huang Rong rolled her eyes at him, then added, "It's an old man my dad locked up on the island. He's crazy and really funny."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yanzhou immediately understood.

"My dad said that old man's name is Zhou Botong, and he's supposedly Wang Chongyang's junior brother from the Quanzhen Sect. His nickname is something like 'Old Mischievous Boy.'" Huang Rong shook her head, her face a mixture of disdain and mischief. "But I think he's just a fool. My dad locked him in that cave for so many years, and he couldn't even break the Peach Blossom Formation. Isn't that stupid?"

Hearing her comment, Chen Yanzhou suppressed a laugh and nodded in agreement, saying, "That's pretty silly. Since he's an old rascal, he must be very playful. When we get there, we can tease him to pass the time."

"Exactly!" Huang Rong chuckled. "Let's team up and see if we can pluck a few hairs from his beard!"

The two huddled together, whispering and occasionally exchanging smiles, completely oblivious to their surroundings.

However, just as the two were chatting and laughing, in the darkest corner of the inn's lobby, a figure that had been keeping its head down suddenly raised its head slowly.

The person was wearing a tattered cloak and a straw hat with the brim pulled low, obscuring her face. In front of her was only a jug of cheap wine; she had not ordered any food.

In that instant, the gaze beneath the bamboo hat pierced through the noisy crowd and the murky air, landing precisely on Chen Yanzhou and Huang Rong, but only for a moment before shifting away.