At the foot of Tianqin Mountain, Liang Xiao surveyed the landscape.
The place was blessed with clear waters and beautiful mountains, much like Tian Shan, presenting an idyllic scene of a paradise secluded from the world.
Tianqin Mountain covered a vast area, with its main peak soaring into the clouds, resembling an upright ancient zither shrouded in mist!
This was the headquarters of the Dingguo Marquisate and the sacred land of all Qin players, the "Qin Sect."
The personnel from the Liang household were resting in a nearby village, with only the Tian Shan knights accompanying Liang Xiao.
Chen Shaoling personally ventured into the mountain to deliver a message. Moments later, he emerged with over fifty refined and elegant male and female Qin players, each cradling a Qin.
"We, the disciples of the Qin Sect, pay our respects to the An Guo Marquis!"
The Qin players bowed to Liang Xiao, their words filled with respect.
Liang Xiao responded courteously and looked at Chen Shaoling with a hint of confusion.
Chen Shaoling, understanding his look, explained, "Marquis An Guo, the people from the Dingguo Marquisate will arrive soon. The Qin Saint is still in seclusion and we will be able to meet her elders shortly!"
At this moment, Chen Shaoling and the other Tian Shan knights were beaming with pride.
As Tian Shan knights, they originally disdained serving royalty and high officials, preferring to roam the land, righting wrongs and upholding justice.
But Liang Xiao was an exception!
An Guo, Ding Guo, Zhen Guo, Fu Guo, Xing Guo, Hu Guo...
In the Da Gan dynasty, there was a tradition similar to Da Liang. The first generation of marquises with titles related to "Guo" (country), regardless of their fiefdoms, were the pillars of the empire, ministers who benefited the country and its people!
Serving the country and its people, being a great hero—in their eyes, protecting Liang Xiao was the greatest act of chivalry!
Of course, it was also to facilitate the marriage between their junior sister and Liang Xiao. If their junior sister were to win Liang Xiao over on her own, who knew how long that would take...
Liang Xiao suddenly understood and exchanged pleasantries with everyone.
The young Qin player at the forefront glanced at Jian Qinwan, then looked at Liang Xiao and asked, "Marquis An Guo, I am Situ Shaozheng. May I be so bold as to ask: does Marquis An Guo play the Qin?"
Liang Xiao shook his head.
The Qin players were immediately disappointed and couldn't help but beat their chests and lament, tears streaming down their faces.
"The Qin Fairy of our Qin Sect has fallen in love with someone who cannot play the Qin!"
The scene turned awkward!
"You all!" Jian Qinwan's face, hidden by her veil, turned crimson with embarrassment.
She had caused trouble for the "flower thief" again...
Liang Xiao remained silent.
The Qin Saint's affection for Jian Qinwan extended to him, and she was naturally very kind to him. If he were to fall out with the Qin players here, it would be impolite.
"This shows what a uniquely great figure Marquis An Guo is, to have won the heart of the aloof and unparalleled Qin Fairy!" Situ Shaozheng and the others couldn't help but exclaim.
The sudden exclamations rendered Liang Xiao speechless.
The reputation of the Qin Fairy indeed spread far and wide. Even at Tianqin Mountain, thousands of miles away, such gossip could be heard.
Seeing that the Qin players did not seem to intend to make things difficult for Liang Xiao, Jian Qinwan breathed a sigh of relief. She then regained her composure, her heart in disarray, "You all are truly enough..."
Chen Shaoling and Li Hongshu exchanged knowing smiles, raising their eyebrows, their moods uplifted.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, junior sister doesn't even bother to explain now. Before, she would at least say, 'Please don't misunderstand'..."
Hearing Jian Qinwan speak, Liang Xiao finally said, "You flatter me, you flatter me..."
Situ Shaozheng mustered his courage and said sternly, "Marquis An Guo is now renowned throughout the land, and we deeply admire you. However, we wish to make our position clear beforehand: the Qin Fairy is an existence revered by everyone in our Qin Sect. If Marquis An Guo were to betray her, we Qin players would not fear powerful forces. Even if our Qins were shattered and our lives lost, we would not rest until justice was served!"
"Right!" The male and female Qin players echoed in unison.
Jian Qinwan almost fainted into Yue Lian's arms.
Chen Shaoling also gave Liang Xiao a flirtatious glance, his eyes full of challenge, as if to say: You don't want them to know you touched junior sister, do you?
Liang Xiao wiped the cold sweat from his brow and nodded, "Alright."
At this moment, Liang Xiao's emotions were complex.
"To think that I, Liang, with my lifelong reputation, would also have moments of succumbing to others' 'tyranny'?"
"Please, let such tyranny come even more fiercely..."
Having received Liang Xiao's promise, the Qin players no longer lingered. After paying their respects to Jian Qinwan, they returned to their studies, leaving only Situ Shaozheng to lead the way.
"Miss Qinwan truly lives up to her name as the Qin Fairy, her charm is immense..." Yue Lian praised, then looked at Liang Xiao with admiration.
"To think that even a girl like this could be 'kidnapped' by our young master!"
Along the way, Chen Shaoling couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Situ, where did the rumors about our Marquis An Guo in the Jiangnan region originate? They paint our Marquis An Guo as a man-eating monster with three heads, six arms, and eight wings!"
Situ Shaozheng was taken aback and said with a wry smile, "We have also heard about this, but we do not know who initiated it. I heard it first spread from Jinling."
Jinling!
Everyone's hearts trembled.
This was one of the most prosperous prefectural cities in Jiangnan, and the Zhuo family of Jinling, led by Zhuo Zifang, was located there. Yet, these rumors still couldn't be clarified?
After Situ Shaozheng led everyone to a reception hall at the foot of the mountain, he departed, leaving only the reception staff from the Dingguo Marquisate.
After they sat down and there were no outsiders around, Liang Xiao sighed, "It seems that Zhuo Lingjun's eagerness for me to find him is also related to this matter. After leaving Tianqin Mountain, we will disguise ourselves and change our names to avoid any complications that might affect our journey."
Everyone agreed.
"Sister!"
A moment later, a crisp voice came from outside the door.
Jian Qinwan, who had been feeling shy because of Liang Xiao, suddenly stood up. "Xiao Yu!"
A fair-skinned and adorable young girl with pigtails entered the reception hall and rushed into Jian Qinwan's arms, crying and acting spoiled.
Liang Xiao and Yue Lian instantly understood.
This child was the daughter of Gongsun Jing, the Qin Saint, and Jian Nanfeng, the Sword Saint, named Gongsun Yu. She was, in a way, a half-sister to Jian Qinwan.
In terms of age, she was eleven years old, like Zhen Mi, but unlike Zhen Mi, who had experienced hardships that led to premature maturity, Gongsun Yu's innocence was the norm for a young girl.
"Why hasn't Sister come to see Xiao Yu for so long~" Gongsun Yu asked with a tearful voice.
Jian Qinwan couldn't help but glance at Liang Xiao and stammered, "Because... Ah, Sister is here to see Xiao Yu now, isn't she?"
"Hmph! Sister only came because brother-in-law was coming~" Gongsun Yu pouted.
Jian Qinwan felt like she was suffocating!
How could even a child know?
And she even called him brother-in-law...
"Where is brother-in-law? Where is he? Which one is Xiao Yu's brother-in-law~"
Gongsun Yu went from the Tian Shan knights, patting each of their thighs, and kept asking, making Jian Qinwan cover her face, too embarrassed to look.
Liang Xiao resumed his usual tactical cough.
Gongsun Yu immediately pointed at Liang Xiao, her bright eyes lighting up. "This big brother is the tallest and most handsome, he must be my brother-in-law! Right, Sister~"
Jian Qinwan still covered her face and replied, "A child's words are innocent..."
"That's right, he is your brother-in-law," Yue Lian nodded, shattering Jian Qinwan's composure with a single sentence!
"That's right!" The Tian Shan knights echoed in unison, making Jian Qinwan wish she could find a hole to crawl into.
"Then that's settled!"
Gongsun Yu smiled even more happily, hugging Liang Xiao's leg and acting spoiled. "Brother-in-law~ Good brother-in-law~ If you don't give Xiao Yu a satisfactory meeting gift today, Xiao Yu won't let Sister marry you~"