Wuxia Fantasy: Starting with the Revitalization of the Beggars' Sect

"I am not angry, but I admire Senior Zhu's sincere heart. For these few plum trees, he was willing to brave the wind and snow and go through all this trouble."

After Lin Ye finished speaking, Zhu Changling stroked his beard and laughed heartily:

"I love flowers by nature, and there's nothing I can do about it. But in this bitterly cold place, only the plum blossoms are willing to keep me company. If I don't take good care of them, this village will probably become so desolate that it will lose all its vitality."

Zhu Jiuzhen retorted, "Father, are you implying that I'm not as vibrant as this flower?"

He snorted and acted coy.

"You child, when did I ever say that?"

Zhu Changling looked rather helpless and turned to Lin Ye, saying:

"Brother Zhang, please don't take offense. My daughter has been spoiled by me since she was a child. She may have offended me the other day, so I apologize on her behalf. I will have my servants prepare a big feast later, firstly to apologize to you, Brother Zhang, and secondly to welcome you back."

Lin Ye said, "I wouldn't dare."

Then Zhu Changling summoned Qiao Fu, gave him some instructions, and Qiao Fu accepted the order and left.

Zhu Changling said, "Brother Zhang, the banquet still needs some preparation. Why don't you let Zhen'er show you around the estate and let me tell you how it's decorated?"

Lin Ye said, "I'm afraid this will be a bit of a hassle for Miss Zhu."

Zhu Jiuzhen laughed and said, "What trouble?"

As she spoke, she walked to Lin Ye's side, took his wrist in her hand, and said, "Consider this my apology to you."

With a wave of his hand, he led Lin Ye away.

Zhu Changling had a kind smile on his face, but once his daughter Zhu Jiuzhen had led Lin Ye far away, his smile vanished, and a sinister expression appeared on his face.

He summoned a guard to his side and said to him, "Go and invite Master Wu here, but make sure to avoid this kid. Also, send someone to find Master Yao."

…………

Zhu Jiuzhen led Lin Ye on a tour of Hongmei Manor, during which they were polite and chatted and laughed.

However, it was only Zhu Jiuzhen who was joking. Lin Ye just casually agreed each time. Zhu Jiuzhen saw that Lin Ye didn't know what was good for him and almost revealed his true form several times. Fortunately, she remembered her father's instructions and managed to hold back.

At this moment, Zhu Jiuzhen suddenly thought of something and said with a smile, "By the way, Brother Wuji, shall I take you to see the general I'm raising?"

"General, what is that?" Lin Ye asked knowingly.

Zhu Jiuzhen smiled mysteriously, "You'll find out when you come with me."

Zhu Jiuzhen led Lin Ye to a hall outside, where a plaque above the hall read "Lingkui Camp".

Before even entering, I could hear dogs barking coming from inside.

A dozen or so vicious dogs were gathered in a circle of wooden stakes. When they saw Lin Ye, a stranger, the dogs barked even more fiercely.

Zhu Jiuzhen angrily cursed, "You beast, what are you yelling about!"

The "Lingkui Camp" was always guarded by dog ​​servants. Zhu Jiuzhen took the long whip from the dog servant and lashed it at the dogs.

The force was so great that several vicious dogs were immediately left with bloody marks on their faces.

Then he lashed out several more times, and those dogs that had been howling and whimpering stopped barking.

Lin Ye said, "Miss Zhu, that's just how dogs are; they always bark at strangers. Why bother?"

Zhu Jiuzhen said, "Brother Wuji is a distinguished guest. These beasts are ignorant and should be beaten."

She added, "It's my fault for bringing you here for no reason. I originally wanted to show you how well I train dogs, but instead, I caused my little brother to suffer at the hands of these beasts."

At this point, he lashed out at the dogs again with his whip.

Lin Ye asked, "The generals Miss Zhu mentioned, are they them?"

Zhu Jiuzhen laughed and said, "That's right," then pointed to the dogs, "That's the General Who Pacifies Bandits, that's the General Who Prestigiously Distant, that's the General of Chariots and Cavalry..."

The dogs she pointed to were all very large. After pointing for a while, she sighed, "It's a pity that there were originally thirty 'Generals' here, but now there are only so many left. It seems that Qiao Fu will have to find another batch later."

The other dozen or so were naturally killed by Lin Ye. Lin Ye knew perfectly well what Zhu Jiuzhen was thinking when she brought it up now. She just wanted him to feel guilty towards her so that it would be easier to talk to her in the future.

He then added, "It's all my fault for being impulsive the other day, causing the deaths of so many of Miss Zhu's beloved dogs."

Zhu Jiuzhen chuckled, "I'm not saying this to blame you, Wuji, please don't misunderstand. But your staff technique is indeed impressive. Who did you learn it from?"

Lin Ye did not answer, but lowered his head, revealing a sad expression.

Zhu Jiuzhen secretly glanced at Lin Ye's face, then smiled and said, "If my brother doesn't want to talk about it, then he won't."

"Please forgive me, Miss Zhu."

"You always call me 'Miss Zhu' this and 'Miss Zhu' that, acting so distant. I've been calling you 'little brother' for ages, but you won't even call me 'sister.' Do you think I'm not good enough to be your sister?"

Lin Ye said, "That's not it..."

Zhu Jiuzhen said, "Then call me 'sister' and let me hear it."

Zhu Jiuzhen spoke these words in a charming and tender tone, which was very pleasant to hear.

Knowing he couldn't refuse, Lin Ye could only call out, "Sister Zhu."

Zhu Jiuzhen was taken aback after hearing this, and then her brows furrowed involuntarily. She could accept Lin Ye calling her "Sister Zhu" or "Sister Zhen".

But he deliberately omitted the word "sister," so "Sister Zhu" sounded like "Pig Sister," which was really jarring. In that case, it would be better to just say "Miss Zhu."

He wondered to himself, "Is this kid secretly mocking me?"

He was secretly annoyed and wanted to put on a smiling face, but he couldn't manage it anymore.

Lin Ye said, "Sister Zhu, I'd like to go for a walk outside the manor, is that alright?"

Zhu Jiuzhen forced a fake smile, "If Brother Wuji wants to see the scenery here, just go outside."

Upon hearing Zhu Jiuzhen's words, Lin Ye did not hesitate, bowed slightly, and left the "Lingkui Camp" on his own.

Zhu Jiuzhen didn't follow, but after watching Lin Ye leave, she put on a resentful expression.

"You brat, wait until your father's important business is settled, then I'll teach you a lesson!"

……

Lin Ye walked out of Hongmei Manor and looked back, but no one followed. He wondered if Zhu Changling hadn't had time to instruct his men or if he didn't want to arouse Zhang Wuji's suspicion.

In any case, he has plenty of time to find the cave today.

He continued searching along the path he had taken that day, but from noon until dusk, he searched the southeast and northeast directions, but still found nothing.

The cave must be located on a cliff halfway up the mountain, and since it's impossible to climb walls and scale forests, it would be very troublesome to find. The waterfall, too, is nowhere to be found.

As night was about to fall, Lin Ye was wondering whether he should go back to Red Plum Manor when he suddenly heard people calling his name all around him.

Of course, that wasn't his real name; he was just called "Brother Wuji" or "Young Master Wuji."

Then a dense burst of flames rushed toward him from the direction of Red Plum Manor.

Without a doubt, it must be Zhu Changling who ordered his men to search for him everywhere. Judging from the sounds inside, it seems that Zhu Changling is also among the search party.

Lin Ye thought for a moment. After all, he was unfamiliar with the place and the people there were many of them and they knew the area well. They would eventually find him.

Lin Ye made a rough observation and found that there were at least 180 servants on the estate, not counting the disciples and guards.

Since he's safe for now, he might as well stay a few more days.

Thinking of this, he raised his voice and said, "I'm here."