knife

Chapter 19 Take it easy

Zhang Qingyun stared wide-eyed at the tent in front of her.

only one!
Why is there only one?

Looking at Zhang Qingyun's expression, Li Dachui seemed to realize something and said somewhat awkwardly, "Xiao Mao was careless. I'm usually alone, so he only kept one set of outdoor gear."

Zhang Qingyun lowered her head.
That was an oversight; it was clearly the bandits' intentional act.

So many bandits, each with two horses, one for riding and the other carrying supplies, yet they were left with only one horse.

As the thieves were leaving, they bid farewell to Li Dachui, each of them smiling like a Maitreya Buddha.
At the time, I thought that Li Dachui, the leader, lacked authority. Now, thinking back, I realize that there was something indescribable hidden in those smiles.

"It's alright, the weather outside isn't too cold!" she said, trying to sound cheerful.

Li Dachui was taken aback. Did this mean he had to spend the night alone outside?

He coughed lightly and said, "Since there's only one tent, it's natural that you should stay here. I'm a man, how can I let a weak woman like you stay outside? If I really did that, I'd be scolded by everyone."

"Thank you very much!" Zhang Qingyun immediately replied with a smile, then ducked down and rushed into the tent, leaving Li Dachui quite bewildered.

"Didn't you even know to politely decline?" Li Dazui couldn't help but chuckle.

Perhaps embarrassed by what had happened during the day, Zhang Qingyun went into the tent and didn't come out. The tent remained silent, and Li Dachui naturally didn't dare lift the curtain to see what she was doing.

The cold night was long, and sleeping outdoors was not a good idea. Fortunately, there was no shortage of firewood around. In no time, Li Dachui dragged over several large bundles of firewood and piled them up to the side. He needed to prepare more.

Even if one's martial arts cultivation reaches the Innate level, the cold and heat of this world can still threaten one's body. Li Dachui didn't want to have any hidden ailments at such a young age.

Fang Xiaomao will definitely give her a good scolding later. She's usually such a serious person, so why is she not doing anything serious this time?

This is yet another clear example of good intentions gone wrong!

This has forced me to sleep outdoors in the cold night.

The campfire roared, the barbecue grill was set up, and the wild game hunted during the day sizzled as it roasted. In the hanging cooking pot, golden millet was boiling and bubbling, and soon the aroma filled the air.

Looking back at the tent, Li Dachui grinned. He hadn't eaten anything all day, and with such delicious food as a temptation, he wasn't afraid you wouldn't come out.

He could also see that although Zhang Qingyun was young, she actually acted with a chivalrous spirit and was not pretentious or affected. Just look at how she dared to follow Zhang Ruowan all the way to Zhenwu City, just to seek that sliver of hope.

Li Dachui greatly admired this point; if she had truly stayed in Chang'an, she certainly wouldn't have lived long.

Regardless of their faction, everyone in Chang'an would find her an eyesore.

Arranging for an accidental death or a sudden illness is perfectly normal.

However, she was, after all, a daughter raised in a noble and respectable family, and worldly etiquette and perceptions still influenced her. Therefore, the scene that happened during the day caused her to break down instantly.

However, he recovered quite quickly afterward.

Now, thinking back on what happened during the day, I feel somewhat ashamed.

To be honest, Li Dachui has never met a woman of this type.

There were countless women who were completely obedient to Li Dachui, but Li Dachui was impatient with them and found them lacking in autonomy.

Li Dachui only regarded Xia Zhi, a woman who didn't need to rely on him for anything and could even solve many problems for him on many occasions, as a partner on his journey.

Even though Xia Zhi is actually very beautiful in appearance, if you really want to find flaws, it's just that her hands are a bit big and her arms and legs are a bit thick. But if you want someone who has cultivated martial arts to this level to be perfect in these aspects, then that's really too harsh.

Zhang Qingyun is different. She is decisive, has her own ideas and dares to put them into practice, but sometimes she appears as delicate as a willow, making people want to help her as soon as they see her.

When such contrasting personalities coexist in one person, it is indeed extremely attractive to Li Dachui.

"It's time to eat!"

Li Dachui tapped the soup bowl with a small spoon and called out. Sure enough, the curtain was lifted and Zhang Qingyun came out. It was clear that her time alone had allowed her to regain her composure and find herself again. She was no longer like before, afraid to look Li Dachui in the eye.

Sitting cross-legged on the ground, he watched as Li Dachui took out a large box from his bundle. When he opened the box, it contained a complete set of tableware. Just by looking at the beautifully packaged box, one could tell that the tableware inside was definitely not ordinary stuff.

Li Dachui skillfully chopped the roasted meat into fine pieces, then split a flatbread in half, poured the meat mixture inside, and handed the flatbread to Zhang Qingyun: "You can't usually get to eat food made by me, Li Dachui, with the skills of a real chef."

Holding the flatbread, Zhang Qingyun was somewhat dazed: "Brother Li, you're a bandit, do you live such a refined life?"

Looking at these tableware, Zhang Qingyun couldn't help but think of the exquisite set of wine cups that the other party had taken out in that dilapidated temple.

"What? Don't bandits deserve a refined lifestyle?" Li Dachui retorted with a smile. "Does that mean only officials like you can afford to be refined?"

“That’s not what I meant. I just wanted to say that Brother Li seems quite different from other bandits.” Zhang Qingyun shook his head repeatedly and said, “For example, that Ao Hu is more in line with my imagination of bandits.”

“That’s because!” Li Dachui raised an eyebrow. “I’m the most powerful bandit! Ordinary bandits may look fierce, but they’re actually quite pitiful! They often don’t know where their next meal will come from. But someone like me, naturally, eats the finest food! Try this! Roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) with millet porridge, it’s a perfect match.”

"Thank you so much, Brother Li!"

"No need to thank me. If nothing goes wrong, you'll need my help a lot in the future! If I have to thank you every time, I'm afraid I won't be able to keep up with it," Li Dachui said with a smile.

Zhang Qingyun was taken aback and didn't know how to respond for a moment.

She was still not used to Li Dachui's way of communicating.

There are too many mysteries surrounding Li Dachui.

Having expended so much energy during the day, she was starving. She quickly finished the meat pie and millet porridge, and a blush appeared on her fair face.

Li Dachui quickly washed and tidied up all the utensils, while Zhang Qingyun didn't seem to care about doing any of that; she just watched the busy Li Dachui intently.

"I still don't understand why you came to protect my daughter and me?" Zhang Qingyun asked after Li Dachui sat down.

"Someone really did pay for it!"

"I do not believe!"

“Alright, to tell you the truth, I’ve always wanted to open up a trade route to the interior, but unfortunately, although I, Li Dachui, have connections everywhere outside the Great Wall, I don’t have much influence inside. This time, it’s like a godsend; someone is willing to exchange protecting you and your daughter for a trade route to the interior. This is a huge profit for me! Of course, I had to agree.” Li Dachui said with a smile.

"It seems that there are people within the pass who think you have the strength and want to support you to grow stronger, so that you can be used to restrain Linghu Ye at some point, right?" Zhang Qingyun said thoughtfully.

Li Dachui clapped his hands and said, "Qingyun is indeed very clever. They want to interfere outside the pass, and I just happen to want to make some moves inside the pass. Isn't that a perfect match? Everyone gets what they want."

"Are we, father and daughter, just an extra, a catalyst?" Zhang Qingyun said with some sadness.

“Miss Qingyun is overthinking it!” Li Dachui said, “In fact, the person who contacted me still admires Master Zhang very much and told me to do my best to keep Master Zhang alive.”

“Do your best, not necessarily.” Zhang Qingyun sighed softly. “I can tell the difference. Thank you, Brother Li. I can’t express my gratitude enough, but I wonder what I can do for you in the future to repay your kindness?”

"Master Zhang has already paid the reward!" Li Dazui poured a cup of hot water and handed it to Zhang Qingyun. "Master Zhang has many friends. Regardless of how many of these friends are hypocritical or how many are truly loyal, for me, being able to connect with these influential or prestigious people in the Qin Dynasty means having another avenue to explore. It prevents me from relying on only one line once I enter the pass. Not putting all my eggs in one basket is my consistent approach. So, Miss Qingyun, you don't need to feel any pressure. Just relax. If Master Zhang can truly establish himself outside the pass, then we'll have even more opportunities to cooperate in the future."

"Although I know you're trying to comfort me, I still feel much better!" Zhang Qingyun laughed. "But I can't just sit around doing nothing forever, can I? I'm not some pampered young lady who never lifts a finger anymore! Besides, I also want to do something to help my father, even if it's just a limited help."

"Let's settle in first! Miss Qingyun comes from a family with a long history of learning, so there must be many things she can do. I'm just afraid you won't be able to handle it all!"

"If that's the case, then that's wonderful!" Zhang Qingyun finally smiled. "Brother Li, what do you look like? I can't keep looking at this face forever!"

Li Dachui smiled, ran his hand across his face, and the bearded man's face vanished without a trace.

The person who appeared before Zhang Qingyun was still the same refined and cultured person he had been in the dilapidated temple.

"Isn't this fake too?"

"Let me remove my makeup!"

(End of this chapter)