Chen Shaoling's expression suddenly turned solemn, and he took Liang Xiao's hands.
"Marquis Anguo, I originally dared not see her, but she must be of great help to you. Alas, I'm doing this all for you."
Jian Qinwan, Yue Lian, Zhuo Xun: ???
If not for Chen Shaoling's deep affection for his wife Li Hongshu, Jian Qinwan and Yue Lian would have suspected that Liang Xiao had seduced him.
"Stop this nonsense. You just want me to deal with her for you!" Liang Xiao couldn't help but roll his eyes.
This guy was becoming more and more flamboyant.
Chen Shaoling chuckled, "As expected, I can't hide anything from Marquis Anguo! This matter is too complicated to explain in a word, too complicated!"
As Liang Xiao listened to Chen Shaoling's quiet explanation, a hint of surprise flickered in his eyes.
The crowd arrived at the base of the high platform and looked up.
Seated on the stage was a beautiful woman in a red robe, exuding heroic spirit. Behind her stood ten guards, five men and five women.
In front of the woman in red were ten tables, each with a nine-link puzzle and a specially made hourglass.
Everyone was puzzled.
According to Chen Shaoling's introduction, this woman was named Chen Xinyue, a renowned female knight from the Chuzhou region.
"What trick is Lady Chen playing now?"
A few newly arrived martial artists quickly asked the spectators beside them.
One spectator said, "She claims that if anyone can solve the nine-link puzzle within half an hour, she will fulfill any request within her capabilities."
A martial artist chuckled and teased, "Can marriage be one of those requests?"
Chen Xinyue on the stage smiled, "If you have the skill, you can certainly try. But if you fail, you must become my subordinate for at least one month, toiling diligently without complaint!"
Immediately, more than half of the people gave up their fantasies.
The nine-link puzzle was a new fad that had only recently gained popularity.
Solving a nine-link puzzle in half an hour was tantamount to dreaming while awake!
However, Chen Xinyue was always a woman of her word. The reward she offered today was truly enticing. Where there was a great reward, there would be brave men. Soon, ten knights and scholars summoned their courage, stepped onto the stage, signed the contracts, and began solving the nine-link puzzles.
The hourglass was inverted, and the timer began.
But by the time the sand ran out, these individuals had all lowered their heads in dejection, admitting defeat.
Chen Xinyue said with a smile, "Third brother, take them back to the manor and have their buttocks branded with a special mark. It will be washed off in a month."
Branded on their buttocks?!
The brows of the onlookers twitched. They finally understood why those ten men looked so dejected.
Those around Liang Xiao were also astonished, and Liang Xiao himself was dumbfounded, unsure whether to laugh or cry.
A woman making such vulgar remarks in public?
It reminded him of how slaughterhouses branded pigs' hindquarters with "Inspection Passed"...
"This woman is quite interesting. How did you offend her?" Liang Xiao asked Chen Shaoling in a low voice.
Chen Shaoling sighed, "It's too complicated to explain..."
"Is that all you can say?" everyone couldn't help but roll their eyes at him.
Yue Lian worriedly said, "Young master, you shouldn't go. You might get trapped..."
Her young master was now the Marquis Anguo. If he couldn't solve this puzzle, it would be troublesome!
"Don't be afraid." Liang Xiao smiled charmingly and ascended the stage with Chen Shaoling.
"You?"
Upon seeing Chen Shaoling, Chen Xinyue's smile, which had been plastered on her face, instantly froze. She quickly put on a stern expression and said, "How dare you come to me?"
Chen Shaoling's old face flushed. He pointed to Liang Xiao and said, "It's not me! It's this one, this one is..."
Liang Xiao quickly put his arm around Chen Shaoling's shoulder and said with righteous indignation, "I am Lu Changhe, the General of the North, of the Great Qian Kingdom. I am the sworn third brother of my elder brother Chen Shaoling. Don't make things difficult for my elder brother. Come at me if you have any issues! I also have a second brother, General Nan Jiyun, who pacifies the barbarians. Neither of them are to be trifled with by a mere young lady like you!"
The moment he finished speaking, Jian Qinwan and the others almost fell over.
Shameless!
"So it's the Tianshan侠客 Chen Shaoling, Great Hero Chen!" a gasp arose from below, and then someone asked with confusion, "Why has Great Hero Chen sworn brotherhood with a scoundrel like Lu Changhe? He has chosen his companions poorly!"
Chen Xinyue shot Chen Shaoling a glare and said coldly, "So you've found two sworn general brothers. Great Hero Chen is quite formidable!"
Chen Shaoling was also stunned on the spot, unsure whether to laugh or cry.
Did my third brother offend Marquis Anguo somewhere? Why such great enmity!
Third brother, standing behind Chen Xinyue, sighed helplessly, "So, is General Lu here to cause trouble, or...?"
"No, no, no, I'm here to solve the nine-link puzzle for my elder brother!" Liang Xiao quickly explained.
"You, an Anbei General, can solve a nine-link puzzle? Talented in both civil and martial arts?" Chen Xinyue sneered, appraising Liang Xiao.
Liang Xiao, with an air of triumph, pouted and said, "Within half an hour, you solve a nine-link puzzle, and you will do anything within your capability for the other party. Do these words of yours still count?"
"Naturally, they do!"
Liang Xiao glanced at the nine-link puzzle on the table and smiled, "How about this? I will solve two consecutively, each with its own separate contract. If I solve both, you will do two things for me. If I fail to solve either, I will be your subordinate for two months. What do you say?"
Chen Xinyue did not immediately respond to Liang Xiao. She gave a look at the anxious Chen Shaoling, then said, "Agreed! But for this second contract, let Chen Shaoling sign it, and you will solve the nine-link puzzle for him!"
"No problem! My elder brother trusts me, Lu Changhe, such an excellent third brother, implicitly!" Liang Xiao said without hesitation.
Chen Shaoling's brow twitched. He almost jumped up to strike Liang Xiao with his sword.
If he couldn't solve it, he might be stuck with Chen Xinyue for the rest of his life!
"This Lu Changhe is truly arrogant to the extreme!" A wave of boos came from below.
From the back of the crowd, three girls and Li Jinyu's expressions varied.
Setting up ambushes thousands of miles away, how shameless!
Chen Xinyue stared at Liang Xiao, her suspicion growing.
This man wore a sword at his waist and possessed a calm demeanor, indeed resembling a martial artist.
Chen Shaoling, biting the bullet, signed Chen Xinyue's contract with Liang Xiao. Trembling, he placed his hand on Liang Xiao's shoulder, his face full of grievance.
This brat, wouldn't he solve his own first and then deliberately ignore me, selling me out?
Liang Xiao paid no attention to Chen Shaoling. He picked up a nine-link puzzle and began to solve it leisurely.
Before the hourglass ran out, to everyone's astonishment, Liang Xiao had solved one nine-link puzzle!
Chen Xinyue's pupils contracted violently, and she stammered, "How is this possible..."
There was still nearly a third of the sand left in the hourglass!
Liang Xiao smiled and said, "My contract requires you to act as agreed."
This nine-link puzzle was not difficult to solve. The world record was even faster than his time!
Chen Xinyue shot Chen Shaoling a resentful glance and nodded with difficulty, "Fine..."
Below the stage, Jian Qinwan and the others watched with bright eyes, a mixture of surprise and joy.
Just then, Senior Sister Li Hongshu finally arrived from afar. Upon seeing Chen Shaoling and Chen Xinyue, she exclaimed in shock, "How did you run into her?"
"What about me?" Chen Shaoling quickly threw a pleading glance at Liang Xiao.
Liang Xiao picked up another nine-link puzzle and slowly began to solve it, making Chen Shaoling anxious.
Knowing that the hourglass was about to run out, Chen Shaoling broke out in a cold sweat, his heart pounding in his chest. Only then did Liang Xiao remove the last ring and chuckle.
"Don't scare me like this!" Chen Shaoling sighed with relief, almost bursting into tears on the spot.
Chen Shaoling did not cry, but Chen Xinyue glared at him with resentment, tears of grievance welling up in her eyes, "You, you specifically found him to help, were you planning to hand me over to him?"