Chapter 007: There is a beautiful person, graceful and elegant.

Upon seeing her, Xi Bin could not help but feel a slight stir in his heart. Having encountered numerous modern women flaunting their charms, he truly understood what it meant for a woman to possess the grace of water when he beheld this ancient beauty in her splendid attire. The ancient beauties, whether in their adornments or clothing, were not as intricate as those of later generations; their natural beauty, free from excessive embellishment, could indeed resonate more deeply with the heart. Surrounded by rampant weeds, the presence of these two beauties instantly infused the surroundings with vitality. The ancient beauties, whether in their adornments or clothing, were not as intricate as those of later generations; their natural beauty, free from excessive embellishment, could indeed resonate more deeply with the heart. Surrounded by rampant weeds, the presence of these two beauties instantly infused the surroundings with vitality.

Do not be misled by Confucius's half-life of misfortune; in the details of life, he was a person of great refinement. While the soldiers, stripped bare, jumped into the river in a frenzy, Confucius preferred not to bathe among them. Instead, he chose to swim upstream alone and found this elegant spot.

"Pah! Who would care about you?" The young lady had no intention of sparring with him, rendering Xi Bin's wordplay useless. Without looking back, she spat at him and walked ahead to Qing Yu. Seeing this, Qing Yu hurriedly called out, "Second Miss, wait for me!" and followed her, stepping cautiously.

Behind the half-reclining willows by the river, Confucius, leaning against the tree trunk and standing in the water, secretly exclaimed in distress: "What shall I do about this?"

Ren Bingyue was initially unwilling, but at this moment, with her feet immersed in the clear spring water, she felt so comfortable that she did not want to pull them out. After hearing Qingyu's words, she couldn't help but feel a bit tempted

Ren Bingyue sat by the river, dipping her delicate feet into the cool water, her beautiful eyes narrowing in comfort. Throughout the journey, the jolting of the warhorse had gone unnoticed, but at this moment, the refreshing coolness seeped into her heart, and she suddenly felt her entire body, once jostled, become soft and relaxed.

Xi Bin felt a slight stir in his heart: "This group of people holds a significant status; those who can afford so many fine horses must belong to a prominent family or aristocracy."

Xi Bin hurriedly stopped Brother A Qiu, saying: "The two young ladies are merely travelers passing through here, why the panic? Step back."

Xi Bin hurriedly pulled his feet out of the water, put on cloth socks, and donned his deer leather boots, allowing them to help him up. Young Master Qingji, with a slender waist and a strong physique, was only slightly shorter than Confucius in this group. As the A Qiu brothers helped him up, Xi Bin leaned forward to look down the road and indeed saw more than twenty agile knights under the distant trees, each with an arrow on their shoulder and a bow at their waist

The charming maid Qingyu, upon hearing the young lady's instructions, gracefully walked to the riverbank. She carried a cloth pouch slung over her shoulder, and upon opening it, she took out a beautifully carved water jar, then squatted by the river to draw water.

The young girl, having discerned the postures of Xi Bin and the other two, realized that they were not ambushers with ill intentions. She then brushed aside the grass and confidently stepped forward. With a slight glance at Xi Bin, akin to that of a sparrow, she appeared relaxed in her speech, yet her heart still held a measure of caution.

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Ah Qiu scratched his head and said, "Young Master, I notice that the accents of these two young ladies are similar to yours; they seem to be from Wu Country."

At this time, the atmosphere of hypocrisy among people was not prevalent, and praising someone to their face was not considered impolite. However, Xi Bin felt embarrassed to sing nervously in front of a stranger girl, so he elongated his tone and recited: "In the wild, there are creeping grasses, with dewdrops glistening. There is a beautiful person, graceful and elegant. By chance, we meet, just as I wish..."

Ah Q tiptoed to look outside and, with a苦 face, said: "Young master, my humble stature is not tall, so I cannot see the situation on the road"

The riverbank here has never been trodden by human feet, and the banks are overgrown with reeds, making it very difficult to walk forward. Not only must one push aside the mugwort and reeds, but small insects like crickets and grasshoppers are also jumping around everywhere. Those insects jump very high, and if one is not careful, they might jump right into one's mouth. She also has to cover her face, and when Xi Bin saw this, he couldn't help but laugh and said, "Hey, be careful of snakes"

Xi Bin stretched his neck and looked for a moment, but he couldn't even see a shadow of the person, which made him feel quite bored. He turned around and saw that Brother A Qiu was looking at him, which made him feel a bit uneasy, and he asked, "What are you looking at me for?"

Seeing her concern, Qingyu patted her chest and said, "Rest assured, Miss. That person is accompanied by two burly attendants. When they saw you earlier, they did not harbor any ill intentions, so how could they possibly pursue you now? Moreover, I have a bow from the *Tu* book in my hand and arrows in my pouch. If he truly dares to come and spy, I will shoot his left eye if he looks at me with his left eye, and I will shoot his right eye if he looks at me with his right eye"

Is that so? Xi Bin thought to himself, the voices of the two young ladies were soft and sweet, certainly not the accent of the people from Lu. His curiosity grew even more. In ancient times, transportation was inconvenient, and it was quite unlikely for two young girls, who looked so tender that they could be easily pinched to bring forth water, to travel alone from afar between Lu and Wu. He quickly said, "A Qiu, check if there are any of their companions on the road."

Ren Bingyue spat: "What is a slick-talking scoundrel doing here? Have you filled the water? Let's go."

At this moment, Xi Bin finally saw her in full. The young woman was dressed in a fitted deep robe with narrow sleeves, suitable for long journeys. The garment was embroidered with exquisite and elegant patterns, and the robe, after several twists and turns, wrapped around her pert hips and flared out like a trumpet at the bottom. Her figure was slender and well-proportioned; although her appearance still bore a hint of youthful innocence, she already possessed a touch of natural feminine charm.

Qingyu was drawing water, smiling as she said: "Second Miss, that person just now was reciting poetry, expressing his admiration for you. I think he looks quite dashing, a rare find among men. Why did you not respond to him?"

The young maid Qingyu was drawing water not far in front of Xi Bin. This young lady deliberately avoided looking at Xi Bin, and as her gaze shifted, she looked towards the riverbank, where she noticed Xi Bin's large feet still submerged in the river. The young lady's delicate brows involuntarily furrowed slightly as she said: "Qingyu, go draw water upstream."

Qingyu smiled gently and said: "I know, Second Miss. In fact, there is no need to be so cautious. Once we pass through this valley ahead, we will reach Qicheng and meet with the eldest young lady. After the eldest young lady hands over the goods, we will head back to Wu. By then, it might not be possible for you to see him."

This master and servant must also be on a long journey. They ventured into the overgrown grass and suddenly encountered three large men. Their demeanor remained calm, and just this level of courage is something few women can achieve. It seems they have traveled far and wide, truly having seen the world.

Xi Bin finally encountered two extremely attractive women, but they only said one sentence to him, and it was quite dismissive. He felt a bit restless and shouted, "Hey, is it really necessary to run so far? I was already in the gutter. No matter how high up you think you are, the upper class is still just the lower class of the upper class. The birds and beasts in the mountains might be drinking and relieving themselves in places even more elevated than yours. Out of sight, out of mind, right? Hey, hey..." No matter how high up you think you are, the upper class is still just the lower class of the upper class. The birds and beasts in the mountains might be drinking and relieving themselves in places even more elevated than yours. Out of sight, out of mind, right? Hey, hey...

Ren Bingyue and Qingyu arrived at a bend in the river, where the water was over half a person deep, crystal clear to the bottom. A half-fallen willow tree lay horizontally by the riverbank, its branches and leaves lush, while fish swam gracefully in the water. The scenery was exceptionally beautiful, and they felt a strong fondness for the place, so they decided to stop here.

"Who are you? My young master is bathing here, step aside!" Upon seeing that it was a woman, Brother A Qiu couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Although the girl was beautiful, they were not the type to pity a delicate flower, and immediately shot a glare back at the leader.

She gazed at the clear river water, her delicate feet kicking up splashes, the ripples of the water spreading like soft silk. Unable to resist the temptation of the river, she bit her lower lip, her face flushed, and said: "Alright, then this young lady shall bathe here, so you must keep a close watch on me."

Xi Bin laughed heartily and said, "I only mentioned that one should be cautious of snakes in the grass; I never said that there are snakes lurking at this moment. I was merely offering a kind reminder. How could it be interpreted as a deliberate jest?"

Qingyu, do not pay any attention to them; let us take the water and leave.

Ren Bingyue gave her a light scolding, a faint blush rising on her cheeks: "You talk too much, be careful on the way. I noticed that the two guards beside that person are carrying weapons forged by our family. They are likely associated with those resting below, and they might also be from some prominent family in our Wu State here in Lu State for business. It is best to keep our distance from them; we must not let our important matters be leaked."

At this point, he dared not utter a word and could only endure it while pinching his nose

Qingyu was so startled that she jumped three feet high, nearly dropping the water jar in her hand. However, her movements were quick; with one hand, she flipped her wrist and drew her sword, asking in a flustered manner: "Where is it? Where is it?"

Ren Bingyue scoffed, "Go to hell, you shot him all over with eyes, yet it still ended up being me who suffered in the end"

Xi Bin admired her beauty, which was pleasing to the eye. A thought crossed his mind, and he recalled a suitable ancient poem. At that time, poetry was recited and sung, much like the spontaneous performances of the Mongolians at their gatherings, a completely natural occurrence.

Qingyu responded with a single sound, took down the bow, nocked an arrow, and looked at her with a smile. Miss Ren Er stood up gracefully, gently tugged at the silk ribbon around her waist, and, with a hint of shyness, opened her robe to reveal the fitted white garment underneath. Although the color of the clothing was plain, it complemented her delicate beauty, creating an exceptionally alluring sight.

Come, help me up

Upon seeing someone by the river, the young girl was taken aback. Before Ah Qiu and his brother could inquire further, she had already widened her round, dark almond-shaped eyes, stepped back a pace, and exclaimed, "Who are you?"

He placed his clothes on the tree trunk, brushed his teeth with a willow branch, and took a bath, enjoying his leisure. Unexpectedly, two women suddenly appeared. At this moment, Teacher Kong was completely naked and did not dare to make a sound, so he stood behind the tree crown, holding his breath and waiting for them to leave. To his surprise, the two women began to wash their feet.

The two young girls, not very old, immediately became excited at the thought of a prank. They promptly took off their riding boots, loosened their garters, and pulled off their pure white cloth socks, immersing their pair of fair feet into the water

Qingyu turned back in surprise, the young lady wrinkled her nose, made a face at Xibi, and then pouted her lips downward. Qingyu understood, shot Xibi a glare, picked up the water jug, poured out the river water, and continued walking upstream along the riverbank

Behind the willow tree, Teacher Kong listened to their conversation, as if struck by a bolt from the blue, his large eyes wide open in shock, completely taken aback.

Qingyu observed her expression and advised, "Second Miss, this journey has truly been exhausting. Why not... you take a bath here? It will surely refresh you greatly."

A pair of lively eyes swiftly scanned the A Qiu brothers, seemingly assessing their identities. When the gaze fell upon the weapons in their hands, it flickered slightly, and the corners of the mouth curled up, appearing somewhat amused yet not fully so. Although the expression was not intentionally flirtatious, it was indeed quite captivating.

Ren Bingyue shot her a glance and reproached, "Did you not see the flow of the lower and the illustrations... Ah, pshaw! How many lewd fellows are downstream?" As she spoke, she herself chuckled in a disordered manner, her body trembling as she said, "How can you expect people to feel at ease while bathing?"

As the young girl stopped speaking, a person immediately emerged from the side, treading on the bent mugwort and reeds, blocking her path. This person was also a young girl, dressed in a fitted blue outfit, with a short top and a tapered skirt. She carried a bow and arrows on her back and wore a hat made of oak silk, appearing quite charming. Her delicate hand was already resting on the short sword at her waist

Qingyu was drawing water upstream, while Ren Bingyue was washing her face a little downstream. The girl, being particular about cleanliness, had traveled a hundred miles in a day with her family. Although she had her face covered with a veil while riding, some dust was unavoidable. At this moment, having washed her face, Ren Bingyue took out a pure white silk handkerchief from her bosom and gently wiped her face, feeling refreshed.

"Yes, Second Miss." The two maids had a very good relationship; although Qingyu responded with her words, her demeanor did not appear particularly respectful. She then smiled and said, "Second Miss, you sent the guards away to the river, didn't you do that to wash up? Are you returning already?"

He shouted for a long time, both upstream and downstream, but the two young ladies ignored him and instead walked faster. Their graceful figures were partially hidden among the grass, and as they turned around a bend in the river, they disappeared.

Ah!

That young lady shot a glare at Xi Bin and said to her: "He is just teasing you, what is there to be afraid of from a snake? Truly useless." This young lady was indeed quite bold; as she spoke, she pushed aside the mugwort and reeds and strode forward.

The young lady first shot him a fierce glare with her bright eyes, then scrutinized him carefully. Although this young man appeared somewhat unwell, he had a robust physique and striking features, which were quite rare. She slightly raised her nose, not even glancing at him, her demeanor reserved yet already revealing a hint of pride.

She let out a hum and turned to leave, but suddenly paused, her eyes darting, and a sly smile spread across her face: "Come, Qingyu, let’s wash our feet before we go. I see they have a water jug nearby as well. Let them talk nonsense; we’ll give them our foot-washing water."

Aqiu and Zaiqiu followed his instructions and retreated to the side of Xi Bin, letting their hands hang down.