Longevity Martial Arts: Obtain Golden Affixes at the Start

The Shen family of Tianmu City is a small branch of the Shen family, one of the twelve great families of the Great Chu Kingdom, and they wield considerable influence throughout Zhaohua Prefecture.

The young man standing at the door was named Shen Qingfeng, the eldest son of the Shen family, and a well-known elegant gentleman throughout Tianmu County.

"Miss Mo." Shen Qingfeng bowed slightly, holding a food box in his hand. "I heard that your leg injury has not yet healed. My father obtained some excellent osmanthus cakes the other day, which are most suitable for people recovering from injuries. I took the liberty of bringing them over, and I hope you will not find them offensive."

He spoke politely and behaved properly, but his eyes couldn't help but glance at Mo Qiushui's face a few more times.

Mo Qiushui said expressionlessly, "Young Master Shen, I've already said there's no need to see me off anymore."

"The young lady is seriously injured, it's always good for her to nourish her body." Shen Qingfeng seemed not to hear her refusal and placed the food box steadily on the table.

Mo Qiushui said calmly, "Put your things down and leave."

Shen Qingfeng wasn't annoyed at all. He still smiled and cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "Then I won't disturb your recovery any longer. I'll come to visit you another day."

After he finished speaking, he turned and left, his white robes fluttering, his steps unhurried, truly displaying the elegance of a renowned scholar.

Huang Li closed the door and turned around: "My lord, this Shen Qingfeng seems to have feelings for you. He's come to fawn over you time and time again. How many times has this been? The fourth time, right?"

Mo Qiushui didn't reply, and picked up the book to continue flipping through it.

"You know, this young master Shen is handsome and comes from a good family. So many women are eager to marry him, but he only comes to our area," Huang Li said, opening the food box. "I want to see how delicious this osmanthus cake really is..."

Her hand suddenly stopped.

There were indeed several delicate osmanthus cakes in the food box, but next to the cakes was a folded piece of paper.

Huang Li pulled out the note, unfolded it, glanced at it, her eyes widened suddenly, and then she covered her mouth and burst out laughing.

"My lord! Look!" She jogged over and handed the note to Mo Qiushui.

Mo Qiushui took the note, glanced at it, and saw neat lines of small regular script written on it.

Autumn Water Maiden's Appreciation:

From the day we first met, the girl's heroic and spirited demeanor was deeply imprinted in my heart and I could not forget it.

Whenever I think about it, I can't sleep at night and can't eat.

The young lady is lying injured in bed, and I am extremely worried. I wish I could take her place.

These simple pastries are just a small token of my heartfelt wish for your speedy recovery and the return of your smile.

"My lord, look at what this is written..." Huang Li leaned closer, her face full of excitement, "'Sleepless nights, loss of appetite,' this young master Shen is truly devoted to you!"

"Infatuation?" Mo Qiushui scoffed. "It's nothing more than being unable to move when you see a pretty face."

Huang Li chuckled, "Then how will you reply, sir?"

"Bring me paper and pen."

Mo Qiushui picked up her pen, pondered for a moment, and began to write. The letter was completed in a short while.

Shen Gongzi's esteemed assessment:

I appreciate your kind offer, sir.

However, Qiu Shui is a martial artist, his heart is on the battlefield, and his ambition is to make a name for himself through martial arts. In this life, he only wishes to ride a horse and wield a sword to establish himself.

Matters of affection between men and women are not what I seek.

That's all I have to say. Take care.

……

White Bone Plain, a haven of peace.

Although it is called a "nest", it is actually a village of considerable size.

Hong Lang, along with Pu Xi and Zhu Dachang, rode horses for most of the day before finally spotting the lights as dusk approached.

The sudden appearance of a large patch of bright lights on this desolate land of White Bone Plains only made it seem more eerie.

The village was built on a low, rocky hill, surrounded by a wall made of thick wooden stakes. Every few steps along the wall, a torch was stuck in the ground, illuminating the entire village.

The village gate consisted of two heavy iron doors, which were wide open at the moment, with two rows of guards standing at the entrance.

The guards were all humanoid, yet each possessed the characteristics of a demon.

Some had scales covering their faces, while others had horns on their heads. They wore uniform black leather armor, long swords hanging at their waists, and stood there motionless, exuding the air of a proper military unit.

As Hong Lang and his two companions approached, the leading guard raised his hand to stop them.

It was a monster with a lizard's head. Its vertical pupils swept over the three of them before finally landing on Zhu Dachang.

"Zhu Dachang?" The lizard-headed man clearly recognized the pig demon. "What are you doing here?"

Zhu Dachang chuckled, his smile appearing particularly憨厚 (honest and simple) on his pig-like face: "Isn't this...to present a beauty to the Captain!"

"A beauty?" The lizard-headed man glanced at Pu Xi's plain face and scoffed. "You call this a beauty? Zhu Dachang, are you tired of living?"

Zhu Dachang quickly waved his hand and took two steps forward: "My lord, you don't know, this young lady is in disguise. Her real face is... tsk tsk tsk, I, Old Pig, have lived for so many years and have never seen such a beautiful woman!"

The lizard-headed man looked at him with a mixture of belief and doubt.

Zhu Dachang panicked: "My lord, think about it! Even if I, Old Pig, am stupid, I wouldn't dare joke about something like this, would I? What if the captain blames me? Would I still want my pig head?"

The lizard-headed man was silent for a moment, then looked at Pu Xi.

Pu Xi remained expressionless, her gaze languidly lowered, conveying a sense of indifference as if she "disdained to explain."

This attitude is more persuasive than any words.

A truly confident woman doesn't need to resort to coquettish gestures to prove her beauty.

The lizard-headed creature tilted its head slightly, as if relenting: "Go in, but let me make this clear beforehand: if you dare to play me for a fool, all three of you will have your skin peeled off and used as lanterns."

Zhu Dachang nodded repeatedly, "Understood, understood! Don't worry, sir!"

The three of them passed through the village gate and walked along a stone-paved path.

The interior of Anlewo was much more "prosperous" than Hong Lang had imagined.

Every few steps along both sides of the road stood a stone pillar, with oil pans burning on top, the firelight illuminating the entire road as bright as day.

In the distance, several stone halls could be vaguely seen, brightly lit, and the sounds of string and wind instruments drifted over from there, mixed with the laughter of women.

Zhu Dachang lowered his voice and said, "That's the banquet hall over there; the beauty appreciation party will be held there."

Hong Lang scanned the surroundings, secretly noting the distribution of guards and the direction of the road.

The banquet hall was a large hall built of bluestone, with its doors wide open and many people already seated inside.

When Hong Lang walked in, his first reaction wasn't to look at the monsters, but to smell a strong stench of alcohol mixed with the smell of cosmetics and roasted meat, which made him feel a little dizzy.

Two rows of long tables were placed on either side of the hall, piled high with wine jars and meat, with a demon sitting behind each table.

These monsters had various appearances; some had bull heads, some had eagle heads, and one had bluish-gray skin and cloudy, white eyes, resembling a standing corpse.

Each one of them is at the Meridian Opening Realm.

Hong Lang quickly counted them: there were six long tables on the left, with five people seated and one empty; there were six long tables on the right, with six people seated.

There are eleven in total.

With that empty spot, there are exactly twelve centurions.