People in the Qin Dynasty, entertained during the Warring States period

Upon seeing that icy face, even if that face were as beautiful as a rosy sunset, a man without any confidence would have to back down and leave disappointed.

"sister!"

Jibuteng stood up, his eyes filled with concern, and asked, "Are you better now?"

Hua Ying said calmly, "Please sit down first."

"……it is good."

Ji Bu glanced at Cao Ze, hesitated for a moment, and then sat down.

The saying goes that the eldest brother is like a father and the eldest sister is like a mother. He was raised by his sister, so naturally he listens to her.

Whether it was due to Hua Ying's powerful aura or not, Ying Bu, who was always bold and unrestrained, became as docile as his good brother Ji Bu.

Cao Ze smiled and said, "Miss Huaying looks great, congratulations on your recovery."

Hua Ying calmly replied, "Thanks to you, sir."

Ji Bu and Ying Bu exchanged a glance and looked at each other blankly.

Cao Ze raised his glass. "Want to have a drink together?"

Hua Ying glanced at her younger brother and Ying Bu, and said, "Let's go upstairs."

Cao Ze didn't care; he came here to get something for free. If he could get some information from Hua Ying, that would be even better.

Ji Bu's heart skipped a beat.

Seriously? Doesn't your sister know this guy is a scumbag?

He wanted to stop them, but he didn't dare, and could only watch helplessly as Cao Ze and his sister went upstairs.

“Phew…” Yingbu let out a long breath. “Brother Jibu, your sister is really scary, just like… just like a tigress in the snow.”

Like Ji Bu and his sister, he was an orphan. He received a lot of kindness from Hua Ying when he was young, and he also got a lot of beatings from Hua Ying for taking Ji Bu drinking with him.

In particular, on one occasion, he secretly took the Ji brothers to a restaurant for drinks. A nobleman took a fancy to the Ji brothers because they were as beautiful as flowers, and insisted that the Ji brothers become his male prostitutes.

Ji Bu, being his good brother, naturally refused, and as a result, he was almost beaten up on the spot by the old nobleman.

Fortunately, Hua Ying arrived with her men and drove the old nobleman away, preventing the Ji Bu brothers from finding out why the flowers were so red.

But he was crippled; he was beaten so badly that he couldn't get out of bed for more than half a month.

Ji Bu stood up and paced back and forth, wanting to go up and take a look, but when he thought of Cao Ze's supposed strength as a half-step grandmaster, he had to give up.

"Qingruo, do me a favor and go up and keep an eye on things."

Qingruo flashed her little tiger teeth, "The usual, three candied hawthorns!"

Ji Bu urged Ying Bu, "Go buy three candied hawthorns."

Ying Bu retorted irritably, "Have you ever seen a tough guy like me buy candied hawthorns?"

"I'll treat you to drinks next time."

"Hey! It's just buying a candied hawthorn, no big deal! Wait here, I'll be right back!"

Yingbu went out happily to buy candied hawthorns, while Qingruo ran upstairs cheerfully to act as her spy.

Only Ji Bu was still somewhat concerned about the cost; if Ying Bu drank freely, he could bankrupt himself.

But even if he doesn't drink freely, he can still drink until he's able to get his monthly allowance in advance, which is because he's a centurion and has the right to do so.

Upstairs in a quiet room, two fireplaces were burning brightly.

Hua Ying picked up the boiling water from the small red clay stove, poured it into a teacup, and brewed a cup of hot tea, handing it to Cao Ze.

What do you want with me?

Hua Ying was serious and unsmiling, with a businesslike demeanor.

As soon as Cao Ze entered Zuimeng Tower, she learned of his arrival through her informants.

Originally, I didn't plan to see Cao Ze again, as I always felt that Cao Ze was a bit strange.

In addition, the information she had about Cao Ze, as well as the rumors circulating in the streets and all told her to stay away from this man.

But when she saw Cao Ze shamelessly drinking with her brother under the guise of being her old friend, she couldn't sit still any longer.

She was worried that her younger brother would be led astray by Cao Ze and learn those lewd things, after all, her brother was too handsome, and she didn't know how many women with bad intentions were eyeing him, wanting to sleep with him so that they could have a good memory even if they got married in the future.

This is why she sent Jibu and Yingbu into the army once they were capable of protecting themselves.

Of course, she had another worry: that Cao Ze might intentionally or unintentionally reveal to Ji Bu that he was a disciple of the Farmer's School.

She didn't want Ji Bu to get involved in the conflicts between the martial arts world and the imperial court.

Cao Ze held his teacup and said casually, "Nothing much, I just missed you and wanted to see you."

Hua Ying sneered, "Hypocritical."

Cao Ze just smiled and didn't say anything.

At the same time, he was also very curious as to why the obviously strong-willed woman in front of him would later become the most sought-after courtesan of the Drunken Dream Pavilion after experiencing the vicissitudes of life.

After all, few people would associate a cold and aloof fairy with a courtesan who uses her beauty to please men.

He found it difficult to distinguish the flower shadow in front of him from the flower shadow that appeared later as the same person.

Aside from appearance and identity, he really couldn't find any other similarities.

Was it because the country was destroyed and the family perished...?

Cao Ze remained silent, as did Hua Ying.

This made Qing Ruo, who was eavesdropping outside, extremely anxious; she felt like she was being scratched by a cat.

Could it be that Sister Huaying has already slept with Mr. Cao Ze?

Thinking of this, Qingruo, who looked like a primary school monk, had a bright light in her small eyes and became even more excited.

"Qingruo, come in!"

After a long while, Hua Ying called out with a cold face.

Qingruo, who had been like a cat scratching its paws, suddenly opened the door and, using both hands and feet, swayed from side to side to reach Huaying.

"Sister Huaying, what is it?"

Qingruo was full of energy, head held high and chest out; an uninformed person might have thought he was a general about to go to the battlefield.

"What are you eavesdropping on!"

Qingruo shuddered at Huaying's presence and stammered, "I wasn't eavesdropping. I was just waiting, waiting for Sister Huaying to give me a go."

Hua Ying sneered, "Instead of going out to play, you're standing upstairs. How strange! What benefits did that kid give you this time?"

Xiao Qing stuck out her little tongue innocently and said, "There's no benefit to it, just three candied hawthorns..."

Faced with the choice between upholding principles and being lenient for confessing, she wholeheartedly chose the latter.

Hua Ying said irritably, "You think you can be bought off with just three candied hawthorns?"

Xiao Qingruo stammered, "How about I give one to Sister Huaying?"

"what?"

"Those two?"

Xiaoqing felt very sorry for Huaying, but she still succumbed to Huaying's tyranny.

"..."

Hua Ying was speechless; she was long past the age of abandoning her principles for candied hawthorns.

"Go and tell Ji Bu that if he's drinking with Ying Bu, fine, but don't interfere in my affairs anymore! Otherwise..."

Hua Ying glanced at Cao Ze, who was watching the show with great interest, and said coldly, "Break his legs!"

"Oh oh..."

Xiao Qing was startled and quickly darted outside.

Sister Huaying has gone crazy again!

Cao Ze clicked his tongue and said, "Why are you scaring a little girl?"

"The master's reprimand of his disciple is none of your business, sir."

Hua Ying said calmly, "Now that things have come to this, I will not hide it from you, sir. This is the Canglong Hall, a branch of the Siyue Hall that the Farmer Family has just built in the Chu Kingdom, and I am honored to be its head."

This was an opportunity she actively sought out, and she even managed to scrape together the money herself for it.

It's clear that the current leader of the Xia clan cares a lot about the Chu Kingdom, and she naturally doesn't want to miss this opportunity to take things a step further.

"The Azure Dragon coils on the left, the White Tiger fiercely guards the right, the Vermilion Bird spreads its wings in front, and the Spirit Tortoise circles its head behind."

Cao Ze smiled and recounted the rumors circulating in the martial arts world about the various branches of the Farmer's Clan in the Seven Kingdoms. All of them belonged to the Four Mountains Hall and were mainly responsible for accumulating wealth for the Farmer's Clan.

Otherwise, how could farmers afford to support 100,000 disciples of Dazeshan?

Hua Ying remained noncommittal, and said slowly, "Xia Kui said to the farmer that you are a friend of the farmer. Please keep this a secret."

Although she said that, she knew in her heart that Cao Zebao was not keeping it a secret, and she had no control over it at all.

It seems that after a while, I will have to find a new place.

Cao Ze nodded: "Of course."

He paused for a moment and said, "Since Hall Master Huaying is so sincere, then I will not hold back any longer. There is indeed something I would like to trouble Hall Master Huaying with."

Hua Ying's heart stirred slightly, but she asked calmly, "What is it?"

Cao Ze thought for a moment and then made up a story: "My people have received intelligence from Li Yuan that Li Yuan is plotting to assassinate someone, and it seems to be related to us. I would like to ask Miss Hua Ying to investigate this matter."

Hua Ying's soft lips curled up slightly as she couldn't help but smile.

Her smile is actually very beautiful, sweet and lovely, with cherry lips, shallow dimples, and a natural charm that makes her even more alluring and captivating.

Cao Ze thought to himself that he now understood why Hua Ying would sometimes wear a veil and maintain a cold, aloof expression.

With Hua Ying's naturally alluring and seductive appearance, anyone who saw her would assume she was a promiscuous woman and speculate that she was the mistress of some powerful figure.

Hua Ying noticed that Cao Ze was drawn to her, and a hint of helplessness appeared in her eyes.

She wore a veil to conceal her alluring and seductive appearance and avoid most trouble.