Chapter Nine, The Mountain Village Ghost Woman

Lu Bing crouched down, placed the money in front of the young woman, and said: "Go, bury your father, and may you find peace in your sorrow." As he stood up to leave, the young woman said: "Please wait, young sir. You have bought me, and I must go with you. Please leave me an address, and I will come to find you."

Lu Bing strolled leisurely down the street, now having grown taller, approximately 1.85 meters in height, standing out among the crowd like a crane among chickens, exuding a sense of heroism from within. With his fair complexion and broad shoulders, despite his exceptional martial skills, he spoke with a refined manner, instantly becoming an idol in the eyes of the young women and wives of Dongqiao Town. Many suitors even came to propose marriage, but fortunately, there was the boorish Xia Dade, who turned them all down, allowing Lu Bing to breathe a little easier, as he did not wish to marry so early.

While walking, I suddenly saw a person dressed in mourning attire, with grass stuck in their hair, quietly weeping. Lu Bing approached, and the people around, upon seeing Lu Bing, said: "Oh, isn't this Third Master?"

Lu Bingshan felt a surge of emotion and, upon checking his pocket, found only ten taels of silver. He then said to the person next to him, "Who can lend me five taels of silver? I will return it as soon as I get home later. I didn't bring so much silver with me today."

"It's nothing, Third Brother, if you want to marry this girl, Second Brother can even give you the main house," Xia Dade interjected, and then leaned closer to Lu Bing, whispering in his ear: "Opportunities are fleeting; if you don't want such a good girl, you're foolish. As the saying goes, troubles come knocking at the door, and soon it will be a sin. Ahem, this is not something Second Brother should say, pfft, pfft, pfft, forget I said anything. In any case, just marry her; if that doesn't work, you can always keep her as a concubine. After all, you've already bought her, so what's the problem? Don't you think so, Third Brother?"

Following the path, they arrived at a hillside hollow on the west side of the town, in front of a dilapidated earth god temple. This temple had long been abandoned, overgrown with weeds and in a state of disrepair. Lu Bing couldn't help but shiver; such places were always known to be haunted. Thoughts of old corpses in mountain villages and ghosts in desolate hamlets filled his mind

If life continues to pass so blandly, it will soon become calm and peaceful, and Lu Bing will be able to return home. Although it will be done secretly, it is still much better than not being able to see his parents at all

Lu Bing picked up the teacup and took a sip of water; his throat felt as if it were on fire from the running. Before he had finished drinking, he heard a knock at the door. Xia Dade went to the front yard to open the door. After a while, he heard Xia Dade shouting at the top of his lungs: "Third brother, your sister-in-law has arrived!"

As he pondered, Lu Bing found himself unable to sleep. Suddenly, he heard footsteps outside the door. He turned over, got up, and gently opened the window beside his bed to look outside. He saw Yang Feiyan push open the door to the side room and quietly walk out. Then, with a twist of her body, she leaped over the wall like a bamboo shoot sprouting from the ground. Lu Bing was left dumbfounded, and he couldn't help but realize why she was called Yang Feiyan; it turned out she was a female thief.

Lu Bing was stunned for a moment before saying: "Weren't you just..."

Lu Bing was taken aback, thinking to himself that in modern society, he was merely of school age. Looking at the girl, she seemed quite young as well; how could they discuss marriage? However, the girl was indeed stunningly beautiful, and being a young man full of vigor, Lu Bing couldn't help but feel a stir in his heart. Yet, he still said, "This is too reckless. I am not prepared for this. Besides, I am currently staying at my second brother's house, so there are many inconveniences."

When Lu Bing first arrived in the Ming Dynasty, he found everything to be novel; now, however, he feels somewhat bored. He longs for a life with computers and televisions. Sigh, how wonderful it would be if modern conveniences could be brought to ancient times. But soon, Lu Bing realizes that this idea is impractical; even if they were brought here, they would be unusable—there is no electricity, no internet, no signal. What is the point of it all

The young woman quickly caught up, following Lu Bing all the way. The crowd couldn't help but shake their heads, thinking that the Third Master had truly gotten himself into trouble this time. It would be one thing if such a beautiful woman had a blemish on her face, but with such a large birthmark, it was truly something to behold. Tsk tsk tsk, the crowd couldn't help but click their tongues in astonishment.

Lu Bing almost popped his eyes out, but looking closely at her features, it was indeed the same young lady from earlier. He couldn't help but exclaim, "It is you"

Everyone hurriedly took out their money; it is indeed a blessing that Master San can borrow from them. Not to mention repaying it immediately, even if he does not, it is still a stroke of good fortune. Having established a connection with Master San, one will no longer fear any local bullies. Just mentioning Master San's name will surely scare them away.

"Greetings, my friend. What is the matter?" Lu Bing inquired

Lu Bing acted with chivalry and righteousness, yet he did not take pride in his achievements. He generously provided financial assistance to the impoverished and helped the weak, integrating himself with the common people. As a result, everyone was willing to greet him and took pride in knowing Lu Bing

However, Lu Bing was becoming somewhat impatient. His martial arts had stagnated, showing no signs of progress. Discussing military strategy with Meng Lin had become repetitive, revolving around just a few concepts. He attempted to explain to Meng Lin about deep operations in land, sea, and air combat, but Meng Lin's mouth fell open in confusion, unable to comprehend at all. He even reached out to touch Lu Bing's forehead, asking if he had a fever.

The young woman heard that Lu Bing wanted to borrow money to buy her from m.hetushu.com, and she couldn't help but raise her head to look at Lu Bing. Although it was just a fleeting glance, Lu Bing's body still trembled. The young woman's eyes were like a tranquil lake, truly beautiful, and her features were well-defined. If it weren't for the birthmark on her face, she would undoubtedly be an unparalleled beauty.

Suddenly, the young lady swayed and vanished without a trace. Lu Bing was greatly alarmed, feeling a shiver run down his spine. Could it be that this young lady was not a person, but rather some entity that had transformed, specifically luring him in with the intent to harm him

Lu Bing spat out the water he had just drunk, coughing repeatedly as he said, "I am still unmarried, what sister-in-law?"

I deliberately applied red dye to my face as a birthmark, hoping to find a good person with a pure heart. You bought me without any malicious intent, solely out of kindness and righteousness. You are the good-hearted person I have been looking for; since you have purchased me, I belong to you. Unable to catch up with you, I inquired with others, and upon asking, I learned of your fame and that you are indeed a chivalrous person. Thus, I asked for directions while searching for you, and fortunately, the town is not large.

Lu Bing's face turned red, yet he could only agree.

Who would buy this appearance to take home? The poor man does not mind, but he does not have that much silver. This is not a big place, and even if there are kind-hearted people, they do not have that much money. There are quite a few copper coins scattered beside the young lady, which must have been given to her by someone who could not bear to see her in distress.

"What nonsense are you talking about, Second Brother? I don't know this young lady at all," said Lu Bing as he cupped his hands and asked, "May I ask the young lady's name and whom she is here to see?"

Lu Bing, caught between laughter and tears, said: "Really, there's no need. I am not yet married, and I am currently staying at someone else's home and borrowing books. I cannot accommodate you, nor can I employ a maid. So, I bid you farewell. Until we meet again"

Lu Bing's speed was nothing to scoff at; he ran for his life and finally shook off the girl, circling several times before returning to Xia Dade's home. Xia Dade was there, bare-chested and lifting a stone lock. Upon seeing Lu Bing rush in in a fluster, he was puzzled and asked, "Brother, what is the matter with you? Why are you in such a panic?"

Lu Bing decided to follow and take a look. Given the current situation, it was certain that he was inviting trouble into his home. He wanted to see what Yang Feiyan was planning. Lu Bing, confident in his martial arts skills, was not too worried. Since he was merely following, he didn't even take a knife with him. He turned around, got out of bed, put on his shoes, and quietly followed her out. Yang Feiyan was not walking quickly; she occasionally looked back, which made her seem even more guilty. Fortunately, Lu Bing was not discovered.

With such thoughts in mind, Lu Bing felt a desire to retreat and considered turning to leave. If he were to encounter the young lady tomorrow, he would simply drive her out of the house. However, he must inform his second brother, Xia Dade, tonight to be more cautious. Before he could turn around, a hand rested on Lu Bing's shoulder, slightly cold to the touch. Startled, Lu Bing instinctively shouted and swung his fist backward.

"Exactly!" replied Yang Feiyan

Abnormal occurrences must be sinister; could it be that this young lady has ulterior motives? Lu Bing recalled a saying from his days wandering the martial world, which suggested that some notorious bandits would find a beautiful female leader to infiltrate a residence through various means, and then collaborate from within to commit murder and arson. Could it be that he had fallen into such a situation? However, although Xia Dade was wealthy, it hardly warranted such elaborate schemes. After all, Dongqiao Town is a small place; where would such bandits come from? There would be no need for internal and external collaboration; in a large crowd, a direct confrontation would suffice to achieve victory.

Lu https : / / www.hetushu .com .com Bing arranged Yang Feiyan to the side room, but that night, after lying down, he felt increasingly strange. This era is quite feudal, and Xiao Rui has not received much education; even at the moment of parting life and death, she merely embraced him without saying anything overly sentimental. This girl, judging by the characters she wrote during the day, is clearly well-educated. How could she come up and say such fiery words, claiming to be yours?

Xia Dade entered with a tall girl whose eyebrows resembled a freshly bloomed lotus. Xia Dade said, "Third brother, this is where you are at fault. How could you have such a beautiful wife and not mention it to your second brother?"

Passersby saw Lu Bing and all cupped their hands in greeting, calling out "Third Master." Why is he called Third Master? Firstly, Meng Lin, Xia Dade, and Lu Bing have already sworn brotherhood, with Meng Lin being the eldest, Xia Dade as the second brother, and naturally, Lu Bing becomes the Third Master. Moreover, Lu Bing is famously known as Lu San Dao, so it is only fitting that he is referred to by this title.

My name is Yang Feiyan. I am here for you. I never said I was your wife; I am yours. You just bought me. You can either marry me or keep me as a maid, it's all up to you.

This girl went with her father to seek refuge with relatives. On the way, her father fell ill, and after spending all their money on medicine and treatment, he passed away, leaving this poor girl behind. Alas, she is a pitiable soul, resorting to selling herself to raise money for her father's burial.

Lu Bing nodded and looked down. The young lady had written in delicate, elegant characters, clearly indicating that she had received a good education. A glance at her face made it clear why no one would buy her for even fifteen taels of silver. Her face was covered in dust, and beneath the grime, there was a large birthmark on her cheek.