Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

A lone rider slowly approached across the boundless desert.

With a neigh, the man and horse came to a stop on the flat hill.

Looking at the Han Chinese town in the distance, where wisps of smoke rose from the trees, a woman on horseback couldn't help but laugh and say, "We've finally made it out."

Although her words were filled with joy, she turned her head to look at the man leading their horses beside her, and there was a hint of reluctance and regret in her eyes.

The sandstorms beyond the Great Wall may have obscured her radiant beauty, but they could not conceal her lovely face and heroic bearing.

It was Princess Zhaoyang and her two companions who, after more than half a month, finally returned to Han territory.

After their tryst at the Hu family farmhouse, the three originally intended to continue their journey back to Ganningqian.

Unexpectedly, they encountered bandits on the way, who robbed them of horses and women.

Because of the beauty of Zhaoyang and Aqi, the bandit leader became lustful and relentlessly pursued them.

Although Jia Lian and his two companions were all skilled in martial arts, especially Aqi, whose archery skills were unparalleled, they could easily defeat a few dozen ragtag enemies in battle by dividing and killing them.

Unfortunately, the three men were disguised and traveling stealthily, carrying neither powerful bows nor swords or spears. The bandits, on the other hand, were armed with a wide variety of weapons, so Jia Lian and his companions could only rely on their warhorses to evade them.

They traveled southwest, not knowing how far they had gone. After shaking off the bandits, they faced the vast desert and could only sigh at how long their journey home was.

Following the general direction, after many twists and turns, we have finally returned to Han territory.

Jia Lian nodded, then led his horse down the hill and headed towards the town along the ancient, sandy road.

It's called a town, but it's more accurate to call it a border town.

Even before entering the city, one could see many merchants carrying goods. Most were Han Chinese, but there were also some non-Han Chinese, and even some Westerners with strange attire.

"Would you like to come down and have a bowl of tea?" Jia Lian asked the two women on horseback, seeing a spacious teahouse by the roadside.

"Um."

Princess Zhaoyang had just responded when Aqi, who was behind her, jumped down first.

They were originally one person and one horse, but one horse was hit by an arrow and the other collapsed from exhaustion on the way. Only Jia Lian's white-haired warhorse, tall and strong, carried them over.

At first, the three rode together, with Jia Lian in the middle, which was quite nice.

After escaping danger, Jia Lian cherished his precious horse and worried about suffering the same fate as those who had gone before, so he decided to dismount and walk himself, and most of the time only allowed the two lithe women to ride with him.

The two women were not familiar with each other and had different social statuses, so it was natural for them to feel uncomfortable being jostled and huddled together so soon.

Although the spacious teahouse was simply decorated, it had two floors. People were scattered upstairs and downstairs, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere.

Jia Lian, a man of Central Asian descent, was accompanied by two beautiful women. Such an unusual combination naturally attracted the attention of many people when he stepped into the teahouse.

However, upon noticing that Jia Lian and the other two appeared to be wearing swords at their waists, the chaotic gazes gradually returned to peace and tranquility.

I ordered a pot of hot tea and asked for a few dishes of food. When the waiter brought the tea, I asked him directly for information such as the name of the place and how far it was from Ganning Pass.

Although the waiter was surprised that Jia Lian and his companions were dressed as non-Han people but spoke with a pure Han accent, he still answered Jia Lian's question honestly.

It turned out that Jia Lian and his group had already deviated from Gan Ning Pass and had traveled from west to south, entering the ancient Silk Road that had been built by countless merchants since ancient times.

This place is called Uto, one of the most famous border towns on the border of the Great Wei. Less than a hundred miles to the west is the Great Wei's vassal state of Qianxiang.

Therefore, countless merchants and travelers pass through this place every year.

Suddenly, Jia Lian noticed that the noise in the teahouse had subsided. He turned around and saw a storyteller, who looked to be about forty years old and quite dignified, sitting on the three-foot-high wooden platform in the middle.

The teahouse was quiet because everyone was looking at him.

The waiter, who was still wandering around, noticed the confusion on Jia Lian's face and turned to the group with a smile, saying, "Gentlemen, you are in luck today. That is our manager. He used to be a storyteller when he was young. Now that he has opened this teahouse, he still hasn't forgotten his old trade and often goes on stage to tell stories and talk about plays for everyone."

It's precisely because our manager, Shu, said it so well that our business is the best among all the teahouses in the area!

Especially these past few days, our shopkeeper has been telling the freshest and most interesting stories, and you can only hear them here with him. There's nowhere else to hear them. Don't believe me? Look around, many of the people sitting here today came specifically to hear our shopkeeper's storytelling."

Because of the waiter's boasting, Jia Lian and the others watched with great interest.

The shopkeeper cleared his throat and said loudly, "Today we will continue to tell the story of Jia Lian, a young general of this dynasty, who was both a scholar and a warrior, and whose name was known throughout the land."

This morning we told the stories of "Unrivaled Bravery, Single-handedly Rescuing His Lord" and "Defeating the Strong with the Weak, Winning Two Battles in Two Victories." Now, let's tell the story of "General Jia's Clever Slaying of the Third Prince of the Oirat!"

"good!"

"I've been waiting here for ages, hurry up and tell me, stop dawdling."

The shopkeeper's brief pause drew angry shouts of demand for payment from many people.

Meanwhile, Princess Zhaoyang and Aqi, the two women, also turned to look at Jia Lian.

The two women's gazes, initially filled with surprise, gradually became more intrigued.

Princess Zhaoyang leaned closer and whispered with a smile, "So that's what this interesting story is all about. I wonder if our renowned Erlang, skilled in both literature and martial arts, would be interested in hearing his own story from someone else?"

A strange, inexplicable feeling welled up in Jia Lian's heart. Who would have thought that, in such a remote and desolate desert, someone would compile his deeds into a book? And it sounded quite complete, even with chapter titles?

But he didn't say anything. After wandering in the borderlands for a month, he still needed to find out the situation of the imperial court and the delegation.

He could perhaps deduce what he wanted from what these idle people were saying, so he just glanced at Princess Zhaoyang and gestured for her to calm down.

Seeing that he had successfully attracted everyone's attention, the shopkeeper chuckled and said no more nonsense:

"Speaking of the third prince of the Oirat, whose full name is 'Dushuohut-Bahamu', it doesn't matter if you didn't hear the name clearly. Just know that he was a prince of the Oirat king."

Rumor has it that this person was extremely ugly, with a rat-like head and eyes, dark skin, covered in fine hair, and only five feet tall.

By virtue of his status as an envoy of the alliance, he pretended to curry favor with the court and asked to marry the princess of our superior nation, while secretly colluding with the Tartars.

Their aim was to collude with the Tartars to kidnap our princess and massacre our envoys, thereby undermining the alliance between the two countries.

Their wolfish ambitions are blatantly obvious. If they are allowed to achieve their goals, the consequences will be unimaginable!

Fortunately, the imperial envoy escorting the princess to the border was none other than the young general Jia Lian…

……

In the blink of an eye, a flash of white light appeared in the darkness, and the Oirat rebels were horrified to find their prince's headless body slowly collapsing into a pool of blood. Looking up, they saw a seven-foot-tall young general in a white battle robe standing tall and straight on horseback, holding an eight-foot-long spear in one hand, the tip of which held the rebel leader's head!

The rebels were terrified and at a loss, when they heard the young general, who looked like an immortal descending to earth, shout: "Surrender!"

'

The bandits were terrified, dropped their weapons in panic, and knelt down to beg for mercy...

His seemingly plausible but actually embellished explanation captivated the attention of the diverse group of customers from all over the country in the teahouse, who cheered enthusiastically.

But someone jokingly asked the waiter beside him, "I don't know how many people have been talking about General Jia these past few days, how come you say only your manager can hear it here?"

"Then others heard it from our manager and then spread it around to others..."

"Hehehe, stop bragging. We came all the way from the capital, and we've heard far more stories than your manager can tell us."

Besides the story of General Jia escorting the princess out of the pass by imperial decree, I've also heard stories about General Jia's past.

"Really? Really? Then tell us about him. General Jia is amazing! Is he some kind of deity descended to earth...?"

Listening to the people around him spontaneously starting to talk, saying things like "a young prodigy, a star from a prestigious family," and "his literary talent has captivated the capital, winning the heart of a princess," and so on.

Princess Zhaoyang listened with great interest, occasionally turning back to glance at Jia Lian with a smile.

Jia Lian gradually realized that the fact that such a short-lived event had spread so widely and quickly among the people, even reaching this remote border town, was likely the work of someone.

It seems I can't linger any longer; I need to go back as soon as possible.

After seeing that the two daughters of Duke Zhaoyang had finished eating and drinking, Jia Lian got up and went to the counter, taking off a piece of jade from his waist and placing it on the counter.

"Shopkeeper, would you accept this?"

The shopkeeper, who had perfectly switched back from being a storyteller, immediately brightened up when he saw Jia Lian's shimmering, obviously valuable jade pendant.

He quickly picked it up and examined it closely.

However, after looking at it for a while, the shopkeeper awkwardly put down the jade pendant and said sincerely to Jia Lian, "Sir, our shop is a small business and we really cannot accept such a valuable item."

If you are short of cash, sir, you can go to a pawnshop called Hengyulou in town. It is the most reputable pawnshop in the area, and I believe they can give you a reasonable price.

In fact, it's not that they can't accept it, but that they dare not accept it.

Although the shopkeeper could sense that the jade was quite valuable, he wasn't in this business after all.

Although the tea and snacks here are much more expensive than in the Central Plains, they still only cost a few dozen coins.

He was also afraid of being scammed.

Jia Lian could not possibly be completely oblivious to the shopkeeper's thoughts, but he was helpless in the face of it all.

He wasn't on vacation this time; neither he nor Princess Zhaoyang had any money on them.

We can't very well ask Princess Zhaoyang to use her jewelry to pay for her lodging and meals... Princess Zhaoyang didn't actually wear many pieces of jewelry.

He was thinking that since the shopkeeper was his close friend, he would just give him a few taels of silver as a small favor.

"Kid, you're really short on cash, aren't you? Then I'll take this thing for a hundred coins!"

A large, burly hand reached out from behind, grabbed the jade on the table, and began to examine it.

The more I looked, the brighter my eyes became.

Although not everyone is an expert in jade, some people still have basic value judgments.

Clearly, this big man wanted to take advantage of the situation.

Jia Lian turned around and glanced at him. He saw that the big man was eight feet tall, broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, with a body full of muscles.

At several tables behind him sat about a dozen men dressed similarly.

Seeing Jia Lian's unfriendly expression, the shopkeeper quickly tugged at Jia Lian's sleeve and whispered, "Sir, don't be impulsive. These people are bodyguards under a wealthy merchant. They are extremely fierce, and even the bandits in the desert are afraid of them."

Be careful, sir, you might get ripped off.

Seeing that Jia Lian was alone and had no money, the shopkeeper assumed he was a novice in the martial arts world and was afraid he would be taken advantage of by these镖客 (bodyguards/escorts).

Jia Lian nodded. So this was the legendary镖客 (bodyguard/escort) from the Northwest!

Indeed, even the three of them encountered a group of bandits in the desert, which shows that the desert is not a peaceful place.

These merchants, carrying valuable goods, must have had something to rely on to dare to pass through the desert.

These strong, powerful bodyguards were their only means of safe passage. Of course, the price of their services was certainly not cheap.

However, Jia Lian merely smiled, his hand resting on the sword at his waist, and said with a disdainful laugh:

"One tael of silver, plus your life, might be enough to exchange for this piece of jade of mine."

Jia Lian's sword was naturally the imperial sword bestowed by the emperor. However, to avoid attracting attention, a layer of coarse cloth was wrapped around its scabbard.

Nevertheless, it is not difficult to tell from its appearance that Jia Lian is carrying a fine sword.

Therefore, the burly man, who had been quite interested and looked like he wanted to have a taste of Jia Lian, couldn't help but narrow his eyes when he saw Jia Lian's reaction.

He wasn't a vicious bandit, but a镖客 (bodyguard/escort) who made his living in the desert year-round. He was paid for escorting goods, not for murder and robbery.

Even if it were murder and robbery, they wouldn't choose this place. Because there are still Wei border troops stationed in the border town ahead!

He was just trying to take advantage of Jia Lian's youth and ignorance.

Who knew that Jia Lian would demand his life in exchange?

Feeling humiliated in front of his friends, he sneered, "Kid, you're pretty arrogant."

As he spoke, he made a gesture as if to draw his sword. He didn't want to kill anyone, but he figured it wouldn't be a problem to just scare the young man in front of him.

Jia Lian's expression grew colder. Just as he was considering whether to cripple this man, a young boy's voice rang out: "Stop!"

Everyone looked up and saw a handsome young man and a beautiful young woman walking down from the second floor.

They were all around ten years old, and what was remarkable was that both the boys and girls were exceptionally handsome.

Behind the boy and girl were several servants, clearly from a prominent family, exuding an air of nobility.

The elderly servant stepped forward and shouted at the burly man, "Fan Zhong, what do you think you're doing? Have you forgotten the master's rules?"

'

The burly man gave an awkward smile, said nothing, but simply cupped his hands in greeting to the young boy and girl, put down the jade pendant, and turned to leave.

Clearly, these young men and women were the owners of these镖客 (bodyguards/couriers).

At this moment, the girl walked over, looked at the jade pendant on the counter, and suddenly looked up at Jia Lian and said, "May I take a look?"

Jia Lian was also astonished at this moment, that there could be such an exquisite and beautiful little girl in the world, and that she would appear in such a place.

Upon closer inspection, she is in no way inferior to Daiyu.

She didn't even have the slightest sign of illness like Daiyu; instead, she appeared more energetic and healthy.

Not wanting to appear like a weirdo, Jia Lian nodded and handed her the jade pendant.

The little girl took it and examined it closely with her beautiful, dark eyes, glancing up at Jia Lian at one point. Finally, she said, "This jade is carved from the finest Lantian jade. It's entirely emerald green, with a delicate and translucent texture, and fine, even lines throughout. Such a beautiful piece of jade is worth at least several tens of taels of silver!"

Upon hearing this, everyone cast a sigh of disbelief at the burly man. The man shrugged, as if to say, "I'm not an expert, how would I know?"

The little girl glanced at her brother again before saying to Jia Lian, "Big brother, if you want to exchange this jade, you don't need to go to the pawnshop. Can we exchange it for thirty taels of silver?"

There was a hint of nervousness in her voice. She really liked this exquisite jade pendant.

Jia Lian noticed her unease and couldn't help but smile. Perhaps this was one of the rare times this young girl had spoken up about business, fearing that the deal might fall apart.

So he nodded and smiled, "Okay, but little sister, can you make the decision?"

He just wanted to exchange some money to get by in the current situation, and he didn't really care whether he suffered a loss or not. He vaguely remembered that this piece of jade was given to him by Zhang Shuo's mother, and he often carried it with him to show that he valued it.

Although he knew that this jade would be worth far more than thirty taels when it was brought back to the Central Plains, he just couldn't resist taking a liking to the little girl.

Seeing that Jia Lian had agreed, the little girl was very happy and immediately showed the jade pendant to her brother, asking him to tap the clapper.

Perhaps knowing his younger sister's taste, the young man did not object. He simply bowed to Jia Lian and then had the servants pay.

After the deal was done, the little girl left with her brother and the others. Before leaving, she gave Jia Lian a grateful look.