He Lan Tianxia

The abbot had long since vanished without a trace, and Murong Junlan was nowhere to be seen either. Hong Xiuying, seething with anger, paced aimlessly. Suddenly, she heard the sound of someone struggling. Her gaze fell upon the large red sedan chair. The chair continued to move. Hong Xiuying tiptoed over, reached out and lifted the curtain. Inside, she saw a large black cloth bundle, and it seemed as if someone was bound inside.

Without thinking, Hong Xiuying used a short knife to cut open the bag, and a monk was revealed inside.

"A monk?" At this point, Hong Xiuying harbored resentment towards monks. This monk, oblivious to her presence, was sitting in her wedding sedan chair, which made her very unhappy. She said with disdain:

"You stinking monk, get out here."

No response? Hong Xiuying grew impatient, reached out and yanked, and the person inside actually tumbled out backwards. Ha, not only was he tied up, but a rag was stuffed in his mouth.

"Thank you for saving my life, young lady." The "abbot" was about to kneel down to express his gratitude, but Hong Xiuying was conflicted. She didn't know if this monk was the same as the one from before, and in any case, she didn't want to see any monks right now. She didn't help him up and turned away.

Just as the abbot was about to kneel down, Zhong Ziqi happened to come up and helped him up with both hands, sincerely saying:

"Master, please stand still." After saying that, Zhong Ziqi chased after Hong Xiuying.

"Why did you chase after me? You didn't offend me." Hong Xiuying was furious and had nowhere to vent her anger.

Zhong Ziqi immediately stepped in front of Hong Xiuying and bowed deeply: "Miss Hong, Ziqi thanks you for saving my life."

Hong Xiuying tried to force Zhong Ziqi away, but no matter which direction she walked, Zhong Ziqi would stand in that direction and bow. Hong Xiuying was angry. If she hadn't tried to save him, she wouldn't have been poisoned; if she hadn't been poisoned, she wouldn't have needed an antidote; and without the antidote, she wouldn't be in this embarrassing situation of being coveted. Thinking about this, she really got angry. She impatiently pushed Zhong Ziqi, but unexpectedly, she was too strong and actually pushed the weak scholar to the ground.

With a "thud," it sounded like Zhong Ziqi had bumped into something. At first, Hong Xiuying didn't pay much attention. She took a couple of steps, seemingly not hearing any movement behind her. She turned around and saw that Zhong Ziqi seemed motionless. Had he fainted? Hong Xiuying, still angry, walked back.

"Is he dead?" Hong Xiuying patted Zhong Ziqi's shoulder, but there was no response. She panicked and grabbed Zhong Ziqi's collar. My goodness, how could he be so ridiculously weak? He actually fainted.

Hong Xiuying, disregarding her anger, immediately helped Zhong Ziqi sit up and began to heal him by sitting cross-legged on the spot and channeling her internal energy. Zhong Ziqi recovered and let out a long sigh. Seeing Hong Xiuying healing him, his eyes brightened considerably. Unable to contain his joy, yet also a little shy, he looked at Hong Xiuying and suddenly blurted out a bold question: "Miss Hong, I dare to ask, would you be willing to marry me?"

Hong Xiuying was stunned for a few seconds by this sudden confession, but before she could react, Zhong Ziqi blurted out, "I know I am not as good as you, but I have been in love with you since the first time I saw you. If you think I am not good enough for you, you can marry me."

Hong Xiuying choked, nearly choking to death: "I'll marry you?"

"Mmm-hmm-hmm." Zhong Ziqi nodded vigorously, like a chicken pecking at rice.

"Ridiculous!" Hong Xiuying thought Zhong Ziqi must have been driven mad by the accident, so she impatiently threw him down and turned to leave, saying, "Have you lost your mind?"

Zhong Ziqi panicked and shouted, "Miss Hong, I have no way to repay your life-saving grace. I am willing to offer myself to you."

"Do whatever you want." Hong Xiuying wasn't as patient with him, and left without looking back after saying that.

The abbot had witnessed everything. He secretly made a plan in his mind, then walked towards Zhong Ziqi, clasping his hands together with a devout expression.

"Thank you for saving my life, young master. I have an idea, but I wonder if you would be willing to listen to it."

……

At dawn, Zhong Ziqi returned to the yamen with the "abbot." The magistrate, still shaken, was shocked to see another monk appear after just one escaped. He immediately ordered the constables to arrest the "abbot." Despite Zhong Ziqi's numerous explanations, it was to no avail; the "abbot" was imprisoned.

Zhong Ziqi racked his brains but couldn't come up with a good solution. Hong Xiuying was nowhere to be found, and so was that girl Yan'er. The huge yamen seemed to have suddenly fallen silent.

The constables were busy repairing the holes in the roof, while the magistrate remained inside, still shaken. No one paid any attention to Zhong Ziqi's wild thoughts.

Around noon, the yamen drum suddenly boomed like thunder. The magistrate was so startled that it took him quite a while to dare come out and enter the courtroom. He slammed his gavel and asked:

Who is beating the drum?

A constable stepped forward and reported, "Your Honor, it was your son, Young Master Zhong, who was beating the drum."

The magistrate was so angry his chest ached. Was his son just bored and looking for trouble? He went over and beat the drum, wanting to see what mischief his son was up to.

"Bring it in."

"You audacious Zhong Ziqi, what are you doing beating the drum for no reason?"

"Your Honor, I wish to set up a martial arts contest outside the yamen to find a husband," Zhong Ziqi said clearly.

"This is utterly absurd! Guards, throw this brat out!" The magistrate nearly cursed. The constables dragged Zhong Ziqi out. Zhong Ziqi then started beating the drum outside again.

The magistrate ordered him to be taken away again, and later simply ignored Zhong Ziqi. The magistrate felt that ever since those two big shots arrived, nothing in the yamen had been normal. Now his son was acting like a fool, even holding a martial arts contest to find a husband. He couldn't even squat down properly; who could he compete with? How could he compete?

Seeing that his father ignored him, Zhong Ziqi continued beating the drum. Unexpectedly, he actually managed to attract someone's attention. This person was none other than He Yan'er, the girl who had spent the morning strolling through the market. At that moment, she was truly bored. After hearing Zhong Ziqi's bold idea, she surprisingly agreed wholeheartedly and even started beating the drum herself.

My goodness, the magistrate dared not offend this powerful figure. They could do whatever they wanted. So, with the help of the constables, a martial arts contest was quickly set up at the yamen gate to find a husband. The person seeking a husband was none other than Zhong Ziqi, the magistrate's son, who knew absolutely no martial arts skills.

The county was small, and this interesting event quickly spread throughout the streets and alleys, making the area in front of the yamen (government office) lively again. Since it was the magistrate's son seeking a wife, quite a few women came to see him.

Some had hair like a waterfall of black, faces like jade plates, and eyes as bright as stars; others had red lips that seemed to drip with lusciousness, and graceful figures, as beautiful as a poem or a painting; still others bowed their heads, like a gentle tune from Jiangnan, leaving a lingering impression… But none of these could catch Zhong Ziqi's eye. The Hong Xiuying he longed for every day never came. Meanwhile, the extremely bored Yan'er sat on the stage every day, enjoying the scenery with great interest.

On this day, a man finally arrived. He was a big, burly guy who said that if he won, he would marry his sister to Zhong Ziqi. Since the match was set up, people who came had to fight. But Zhong Ziqi didn't know any martial arts. What should they do?

Zhong Ziqi wasn't stupid. He walked up to Yan'er, bowed, and asked her to step forward to fight for him. Yan'er said she wasn't very good at martial arts, but Zhong Ziqi didn't believe her. Actually, Zhong Ziqi was at a loss. Could he ask a constable to go up and fight in his place? He wanted to, but his father wouldn't allow it.

As expected, Yan'er lost, and the burly man happily went home to prepare for his sister's marriage.

In less than half an hour, the sound of suona horns filled the air, and a bright red wedding sedan chair was carried to the entrance of the yamen, standing shoulder to shoulder with Hong Xiuying's sedan chair.

More and more people gathered to watch the spectacle, eventually crowding in front of the two sedan chairs. Whether it was someone's carelessness or the pushing from behind, the bride inside the sedan chair was accidentally pushed out, and her red veil was ripped off.

Oh dear, this is terrible! Inside the sedan chair sat an extremely ugly woman with buck teeth and a wide face. The onlookers immediately erupted in cheers. The son of a dignified county magistrate had chosen a wife through a martial arts contest, but instead of a beautiful woman, he had lost to such an ugly one. Everyone felt sorry for Young Master Zhong.

When the magistrate learned of this, he was furious and immediately rejected the marriage. But the ugly woman insisted, saying that she would follow her husband wherever he went, and that she must marry Zhong Ziqi. Zhong Ziqi neither objected nor expressed his disapproval, and the confused bride was sent to the bridal chamber.

While everyone felt sorry for Young Master Zhong, another shocking piece of news came out of the government office the next day: Young Master Zhong could not accept the bride's ugliness and hanged himself on their wedding night.

The next day, the government office was filled with mournful music, everyone immersed in grief. In a place unnoticed by the crowd, Hong Xiuying stood quietly for a long time. Since Zhong Ziqi's martial arts contest to find a husband, she had been watching from afar. She knew his loyalty, but her goal was the young master Wang. Later, she heard that Zhong Ziqi had finally married. Although she felt a little uncomfortable, she did not waver. But today, when she heard that Zhong Ziqi had hanged himself, she suddenly felt that Zhong Ziqi was wonderful. A sadness swept through her heart. She thought that Zhong Ziqi had done so much for her. Even if he couldn't wait for her, there was no need for him to hang himself. He didn't deserve it for her.

As Hong Xiuying pondered, she unknowingly walked to the entrance of the yamen. Zhong Ziqi had shielded her from a hidden weapon and saved her life, so it was only right for her to see him one last time, especially since he had lost his life because of her unrequited love.

The people inside the yamen suddenly and quietly withdrew, and Hong Xiuying did not notice. She was only concerned with walking step by step closer to Zhong Ziqi who was lying down.

Hong Xiuying said sadly, "Fool, no one forced you to marry him if you didn't want to. How could you do such an absurd thing?"

Suddenly, Hong Xiuying ripped the white cloth off Zhong Ziqi's body and shouted angrily, "If you're a man, stand up now! If you stand up, I'll marry you right now, do you hear me?"

Hong Xiuying's hand was suddenly grabbed, startling her. Although she was a martial artist, she was quite frightened at this moment. But then she saw Zhong Ziqi, dressed impeccably, stand up and hold Hong Xiuying's hand with deep affection, saying in a trembling voice, "Miss Hong, are you telling the truth?"

Startled, Hong Xiuying immediately realized she had fallen into a trap. She tried to shake off Zhong Ziqi's hand but was held tightly in his arms.

"I know you care about me, don't you? Sooyoung, just marry me."