That wretched vixen has disguised herself as my wife!

"And then there's Lu Zhao, that burden, too!"

"Although Lord Lu has been freed from the remaining poison, he is still weak and should not exert himself for long. Let's travel slowly."

Fang Zhiyi answered with a smile.

"alright."

Xie Yunqi and Fang Zhiyi walked in front of the corridor. Jiang Jingming deliberately slowed down and walked side by side with A Qing. The faint scent of sandalwood wafted around them on the morning breeze.

The laughter and chatter of the two people in front of him gradually faded into the distance, and Jiang Jingming could only hear the sound of his own footsteps on the wooden planks.

Aqing moves like a cat, rarely making a sound.

So, in the situation last night, if the night wind hadn't picked up and stirred the knife hanging at her waist, I probably wouldn't have noticed her standing there.

Besides that, there was another thing that Jiang Jingming cared about.

Last night, Aqing was wearing that iron mask.

......

When she was a child, Aqing learned to use a knife from Chen Zhuo. At first, she practiced the angle and force of the knife repeatedly on a piece of pork belly hanging from the beam, thousands of times.

Later, he gradually began to fight against wolves and even bears, and Jiang Jingming even protested to Shen Zhuo about it.

Because under normal circumstances, it's hard to imagine a frail little girl, armed only with a dagger, going to fight such a wild beast.

However, this method is cruel, but also very effective.

At first, Aqing would get injured, and each time she would stumble out of the dark room covered in blood.

Later on, she became more and more decisive and efficient in her actions, and there was no longer any of her own blood on her body.

Day after day, one day, Shen Zhuo nodded and said that she was qualified to carry out the mission.

Carrying out a mission is essentially an assassination.

The night before, Jiang Jingming and Aqing sat by the crescent-shaped spring, rolled up their trousers, and soaked in the water.

Jiang Jingming asked Aqing if she was scared, and she shook her head.

Jiang Jingming could vaguely sense her unease from her expression, so he took out the iron mask from his pocket.

During the day, he first asked He Quan to teach him blacksmithing, and with great difficulty, he managed to forge a mask that could barely cover his face without blocking his vision.

Then, they used a brush to draw and paint, making the already crooked iron surface look even uglier.

"I originally wanted to draw it nicely..."

Jiang Jingming scratched his head, thinking that he should have left this kind of thing to Madam Song.

Ah Qing took the iron mask and gently placed it on her face.

The originally clear and pretty young girl looked somewhat ridiculous wearing an oversized and mismatched iron mask.

"Never mind, I'll make you a new one next time."

Jiang Jingming said with a smile.

Aqing shook her head, a slight smile playing on her lips hidden beneath her iron mask.

"I love so much."

She was actually a little scared, even though she had practiced the knife technique countless times.

But it wasn't because she was afraid of killing someone; she was just afraid of failing the mission and not being able to stay by his side.

Jiang Jingming breathed a sigh of relief, leaned back, and listened to the cicadas chirping and frogs croaking in the grass.

Aqing sat beside him, holding the iron mask, lost in thought.

The spring water flowed past their ankles, reflecting the bright moon, and many years passed like this.

......

Ah Qing really liked that iron-faced man.

She would wear it whenever she was about to kill someone.

Thinking of this, Jiang Jingming sighed softly.

Aqing didn't stay in her room last night; she went somewhere else.

She wore an iron mask; she was going to kill someone.

She hadn't told him about this beforehand, and he didn't even know who she was going to kill.

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Hot-Blooded Fool

Jiang Jingming always felt that Aqing was the most understanding girl in the world and would never keep a secret from him.

However, this turned out to be not the case, and this fact was a huge blow to him.

But Jiang Jingming thought about it carefully, and compared to this...

What Aqing saw was him inexplicably holding the hand of a beautiful girl he had just met yesterday and refusing to let go.

In comparison, she has more reason to remain silent.

The two walked silently through the corridor and into the lobby.

Just like the shabby courtyard, the main hall was also empty, with only a few old tables and chairs sparsely placed.

Lu Zhao was pacing at the door when he saw them and hurried over.

"Young Master Jing, Miss Aqing!"

"Good morning, are you feeling any better?"

Jiang Jingming nodded, and sure enough, he saw that the young lady's slap still had some redness and swelling. The effect of the young lady's slap was long-lasting.

"It couldn't be better!"

Lu Zhao took a deep breath and clasped his hands in a salute:

"I am truly grateful to everyone for saving my life. I will forever remember your kindness!"

"It's alright, it was Miss Fang who saved you."

Jiang Jingming turned his head and saw Fang Zhiyi pouring herself tea again.

She has a relaxed and composed demeanor that allows her to remain calm and collected in any situation.

"I already thanked Miss Fang this morning, but..."

Lu Zhao scratched his head, looking troubled.

"She said that as a doctor, saving lives is her duty, and refused my gift of thanks."

“Miss Fang is a kind-hearted doctor, let her go.”

Jiang Jingming glanced at her lazily.

"Anyway, we'll be working together in the future, so there will be plenty of opportunities to repay your kindness."

"Young Master Jing is right."

Lu Zhao breathed a sigh of relief, then lowered his voice.

"Only one thing is a little strange."

"what's up?"

Jiang Jingming had already guessed it, but he still pretended to be surprised.

"This morning I went to see the person in charge to thank him and, as usual, inquire about Master Fu and the bandits, but he wasn't in his room."

Lu Zhao frowned, then resumed his role as the impartial and just young constable.

"I asked the maids in the courtyard, and they all said they had never seen it before. I wonder if it's because they're old and their eyesight and memory are not good."

Jiang Jingming listened thoughtfully, but he was curious about something else.

"Are these maids really as Miss Xie said, the youngest of whom is at least sixty years old?"

"As far as I know, he is at least fifty-nine years old."

Lu Zhao answered with a serious expression.

After a brief silence, the two looked at each other and burst into laughter.

"Fine, let's just go our own way!"

Lu Zhao patted his head, dismissing these unimportant things.

"That person in charge is a coward and incapable of being of any use. He probably fled overnight to avoid trouble because he was afraid I would question him when I woke up the next day."

"That's probably right."

Jiang Jingming smiled.

"I've heard that the mutton soup noodles in Shulan City are absolutely amazing. Let's go have a bowl before we continue our journey!"

Lu Zhao rubbed his hands together, very excited.

Jiang Jingming nodded. This young chieftain was essentially the same type of person as Miss Xie.

He's just a hot-blooded, easily fooled idiot.

......

Thick wheat noodles, about the width of a finger, are boiled in boiling water for a few seconds, then scooped out and placed in a bowl the size of a face, and finally topped with a generous amount of fragrant yokan (sweet bean jelly).

Yokan is made by simmering fresh mutton, diced and mixed with mutton bone marrow, overnight until the broth is thick and milky white. It is a top-quality topping.

Five steaming bowls of yokan noodles were served, and the instant steam made it impossible to see the person across the table.

"It smells so good!!!"

Miss Xie rolled up her sleeves and was the first to get to work, mixing the noodles and yokan evenly, then picking up a piece with her chopsticks and blowing on it with a "ha-hu-ha-hu" sound.

"Don't eat it yet! Add some vinegar, add some vinegar."

Lu Zhao held the vinegar pot and circled the table, adding a few drops of fragrant vinegar to everyone's bowl.

“I’ve heard from the brothers of the Divine Capital Guard that if you come to Yongzhou on official business, you must eat this mutton soup noodles. We may not be able to get used to other things.”

Jiang Jingming stirred a mouthful of noodles. The aroma of vinegar cut off most of the greasiness of the yogurt broth, and the piping hot fragrance entered his throat, delicate and mellow.

Indeed, it lives up to its reputation.

Aqing has never been very interested in food. The way she eats is a bit like a rabbit eating grass, with a kind of listless feeling as if she is only maintaining her vital signs.

Through a layer of misty fog, you could see Fang Zhiyi sitting opposite you, eating with a serious expression. If you didn't know better, you would think she was Shennong tasting hundreds of herbs.

Lu Zhao returned to his seat, hurriedly slurped up a mouthful of noodles, and then tilted his head back to breathe on the scalding noodles.

He took a sip of cold tea, calmed down, and couldn't help but talk to Jiang Jingming.

"Ever since I had a brush with death, I've become much more open-minded. Fame and fortune, achievements and accomplishments—none of them are as meaningful as a bowl of noodles in the morning!"

Jiang Jingming scooped up a spoonful of bone broth and said with a smile:

"I might as well take on the position of Junior Chief."

"Of course, of course!"

Lu Zhao laughed along and patted his shoulder hard.

"Jingming, your swordsmanship is so beautiful. If you really want to join our Divine Capital Guard, I'll introduce you right away!"

"Do I need your introduction?"

Xie Yunqi ate his noodles and glanced at him sideways.

"Jingming, who taught you how to use your sword? I think you're much better than Lu Zhao. He always brags about how he's from a very respectable family!"

“When doing business in Shulan City, bandits are rampant. My father was worried that I would suffer losses in the future, so he spent a lot of money to hire a reclusive master to teach me some self-defense sword techniques.”

Jiang Jingming used a half-true, half-false statement.

It was indeed my father, indeed a reclusive master, and indeed a sword technique for self-defense.

"Hum~"

Xie Yunqi pushed away the bowl of noodles, stood up, and laughed heartily.