Chapter 10, The Swordsman

The words of this person carry a hint of lewdness. By saying that Yu Zi is a young boy from the noble's rear garden, it is essentially mocking her as the noble's young concubine

After watching Yu Zi turn and step into the donkey cart team, Gong Lao then turned his head to walk towards his own position

Yu Zi smiled gently, looking at her father who was deeply worried about her, and softly said: "Father, I can handle it, so please do not worry."

This is a warning

The anger of the palace elder was of no concern to the swordsmen. One swordsman raised the delicate chin of Yu Zi and, after carefully examining her, smiled slyly at the other swordsmen, saying: "The son of the palace, so graceful and quiet, with such fine white teeth, is truly unlike us sweaty husbands, making one’s heart flutter"

At this moment, the young man with a long, yellowish face laughed and said: "Ah, could it be that you have taken a liking to Old Gong's son? Although Old Gong is brave, he is ultimately aging. If you are interested, it would not be impossible to bring this boy over for some fun."

As soon as the voice of the youth landed, the group of swordsmen burst into a hearty laugh

Yu Zi lowered her head and clasped her hands, saying: "Indeed"

Amidst the laughter, Yu Zi quietly stared at Ya

At this moment, the palace is far away, a hundred steps distant!

Gong Lao was taken aback, meeting the gaze of Yu Zi's eyes

These eyes, clear as water, serene and undisturbed, bring a sense of calm to anyone who gazes upon them

Yaxian is clearly the leader of these swordsmen. When he shook his head, the man's words came to an abrupt halt, and he chuckled incessantly

She is not a palace, nor a valiant warrior of this era. People of this time would easily risk their lives for dignity. She would not; she believes in Han Xin and thinks that when one is in a position of weakness, one should endure the humiliation. Moreover, these people are merely mocking her verbally and have not caused her any substantial harm, so it is nothing significant

Amidst the laughter, Gong Lao hurriedly made his way over here in a state of exasperation

As the sound faded, another swordsman rode forward from a hundred paces away, then shouted loudly, "Set off—"

Amidst the laughter, another swordsman exclaimed, "Indeed, such a person does not resemble a beggar. Could it be that he is a young boy who has escaped from the garden of some noble?"

After watching the father and daughter depart into the distance, Ya lowered his head and gazed at his own palm, revealing a look of contemplation.

The crowd of swordsmen fell silent at the serious expression of the palace official. At that moment, one swordsman chuckled and said, "Although the old official is willing to die, your son is weak and easy to bully, we..."

When the father and daughter arrived at the caravan, the caravan was already fully prepared and was just about to set off

The laughter grew louder

At this point, the palace let out a long sigh and added, "Fortunately, my son can read, so he can avoid it in the future."

Ya Jing quietly gazed at her palm, smiled slightly, and said: "This matter will be discussed later."

The angry shout of the elder Gong echoed, "Ya, what do you intend to do?"

Elder Gong looked at the composed Yu Zi, his dry lips moved slightly, but he merely let out a sigh

She met the hurriedly arriving Elder Gong

Departure

The elder Gong could not help but nod. He fixed his gaze on Ya, then on the loud laughter that continued to echo, and finally on the group of swordsmen who were whistling at Yu Zi. Raising his voice, he solemnly shouted: "Gentlemen, although I am old, for the sake of my son, I dare not fear death!"

The father and daughter organized their bundles, which consisted merely of a few sets of clothes and shoes. However, this time, Yu Zi's luggage included two hundred dollar coins worth of salt, which added a bit of weight to her load.

The young man with a yellowish long face felt somewhat unwilling; he looked at Ya and, seeing his resolute expression, pouted and replied: "Alright."

As Ya's voice fell, the crowd of swordsmen erupted in a series of howls and laughter.

At this moment, the person in charge shot a glance at Old Gong, let out a cold snort from his nose, then glanced at Yu Zi and said: "If anyone has doubts, you must resolve them."

Departure

Standing in front of Elder Gong, Yu Zi placed her hand on the bronze sword that Elder Gong was waving, and smiled, saying: "Father need not be angry, Ya is merely playing with the child"

The person in charge left without looking back

Gong led Yu Zi, weaving through the crowd while saying: "My child, swordsmen are all valiant warriors; you must not easily yield."

Beside her, Ya slowly shook her head

A copy of the miscellaneous worker's contract

A dozen or so mounted swordsmen were staring intently at Yu Zi, scrutinizing her from head to toe. These individuals were hired swordsmen who had previously interacted with the palace elder near the city of Ceng.

Yu Zicha raised his hand and replied: "Indeed"

Staring intently, a young man around twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with a long and sallow face, reached out his hand and gave a heavy pat on Yu Zi's shoulder, laughing, "Although the child is dark, the skin is delicate, and the features are even better, quite resembling a virgin."

The grand procession stretched along the official road, extending a full two li in length

At that moment, a young swordsman with bronze skin, narrow eyes, and strikingly masculine features, deliberately sporting a short beard, tilted his head and cast a glance at Yu Zi. Suddenly, his right hand shot out like lightning, tightly gripping Yu Zi's chin, akin to an eagle capturing a rabbit.

In the blink of an eye, the day of the caravan's departure has arrived

This person in charge is no longer the one who was employed yesterday, Yu Zi.

The caravan has begun to move

Yu Zi was taken aback and quickly stepped back a step. However, she was as weak as a chicken, and how far could she retreat? In the blink of an eye, her chin was firmly held in the palm of this young man's hand

As soon as Yu Zi gained her freedom, she disregarded the joyful crowd of swordsmen and turned to walk towards the old palace official

He only mentioned up to this point

The laughter grew louder

The palace held Yu Zi's hand and said in a deep voice: "The child comes with the father"

The elder Gong looked at her, chuckled softly, reached out to stroke her hair, and wore a face full of affection and joy

In this caravan, there are as many as three hundred swordsmen resembling palace guards. Among these three hundred, only fifty or sixty are temporarily hired by the merchant group, while the rest are maintained by the merchant group itself

Her gaze, calm yet imbued with a certain chill, fixed directly on Ya. Yuzi extended her hand, slowly prying open his large palm, and said: "As a dignified husband, I kindly ask you to speak with caution"

This child is the beggar that the old palace master picked up

At this point, the young man let out a cold laugh and said, "Old Gong, relying on his martial prowess, has meddled in many trivial matters of Zengcheng. I truly wonder, if his son were to become a young boy under the brother's control, would he be willing to die to express his gratitude?"

Gong Lao, in a fit of urgency, stepped forward to argue. Yu Zi grabbed her father and shook her head.

Ya and the group of swordsmen were still laughing heartily, perhaps intimidated by Yu Zi's indifference. His smile froze for a moment, his brows raised, and he actually allowed her to pry open his palm.

A voice fell, and another swordsman a hundred steps away immediately followed with a loud shout. Thus, the shouts continued in succession, and before long, the sound spread throughout a line of two to three li.

He stared at Yu Zi for a while and asked, "Can you read?"

Before Yu Zi appeared a large convoy consisting of fifteen horse-drawn carriages, twenty ox carts, and thirty donkey carts

"Good." The man nodded slightly, pointed behind Yu Zi, and said: "From today onwards, you will belong to the donkey cart team, sharing the same duties as the laborers."

Gong Lao, despite his advanced age, is a renowned warrior; however, he is merely an ordinary swordsman within the donkey cart team. Although his status is not high, both he and his daughter are quite pleased to be able to stay together in the same team.

Two individuals approached a pale and thin steward, who was both slender and elongated in appearance

At this moment, a loud call was heard, "Set off—"

Gong Lao took a few deep breaths, glaring at the swordsman for a moment. Turning back to Yu Zi, he finally suppressed his anger and slowly sheathed his sword. If Yu Zi were truly his son, enduring such an insult would be a matter of life and death. However, she was after all a woman, and what others said could not be considered too excessive.