Before Jian Qinwan could finish, Liang Xiao rushed forward, disregarding her aversion to physical contact, and clapped a hand over her mouth with his right.
“Mmph mmph mmph…”
Jian Qinwan’s face turned red as she struggled, and just as she was about to break free, Liang Xiao, startled, hooked her abdomen with his left hand, determined to prevent her from revealing the White Night Flying Shadow and the Heavenly Dragon Shattering City Halberd.
“What is this?”
Chen Shaoling and the others looked bewildered, their hearts filled with awe for Liang Xiao. In this world, perhaps only the Marquis of Anguo dared to court death in such a manner.
Liang Xiao chuckled dryly. “It’s nothing, Brother Shaoling, you all should return. The Bodhisattva is merely emotionally agitated. She’ll recover shortly.”
“Mmph…”
Jian Qinwan was both furious and anxious. She slammed her arm backward, but Liang Xiao, clad in the Luminous White Dragon Armor, was impervious to such a gentle impact.
Realizing she couldn’t break free from either side, Jian Qinwan, in a moment of desperation, suddenly squatted down!
In an instant, both Liang Xiao and Jian Qinwan’s expressions changed.
Liang Xiao felt his palm resting on something extraordinary…
Soft! Large!
This astonishing sensation…
In that moment, Liang Xiao felt as though the King of Hell was beckoning him with a smile!
The onlookers, gazing at Liang Xiao’s hand pressed against Jian Qinwan’s right chest, were almost petrified!
Jian Qinwan’s mind went blank for a brief moment, then she quickly regained her senses. Her neck and face flushed crimson, and she struggled violently like a fish on a chopping board.
Liang Xiao quickly squatted down with her, re-hooking his arm around her waist, fearing she would draw her sword and kill him.
Never mind right or wrong, his life was paramount!
The senior disciples snapped back to reality and tacitly turned their backs.
“We saw nothing just now. Marquis of Anguo, you’re on your own. We hope to see you alive next time we meet…”
After Chen Shaoling finished speaking, he and the Tianshan swordsmen vanished without a trace.
Once everyone was far away, Liang Xiao finally released Jian Qinwan. “Sor-sorry, I really didn’t do it on purpose…”
“You…”
Jian Qinwan shielded her chest with her left hand, her face red, tears welling up in her eyes. She gripped the hilt of her sword at her waist with her right hand, as if ready to strike Liang Xiao at any moment.
“What do you mean by this!”
Hearing the tearful tone in Jian Qinwan’s voice, Liang Xiao said helplessly, “I can’t afford to have too many unnecessary troubles. It would take too much time to explain.”
Upon hearing this, Jian Qinwan fell silent.
“Miss Qinwan, young master…” Yue Lian also approached, intending to plead for Liang Xiao.
Jian Qinwan turned away and quickly walked back to her room, tears streaming down her face like a broken dam. “This young lady will not cause you any more trouble!”
Regardless of how Liang Xiao and Yue Lian called out to her, Jian Qinwan turned a deaf ear.
Yue Lian asked Liang Xiao to wait and followed Jian Qinwan to her room, pleading from outside the door, “Miss Qinwan, please don’t be angry…”
“Yue Lian, I need to be alone…”
Yue Lian had no choice but to agree and returned to Liang Xiao, saying dejectedly, “Young master, what should we do?”
Liang Xiao sighed softly. “She’s convinced, so her mother will be convinced. Then the entire Tianshan sect might know, the whole world will know. Before the realm is pacified, we absolutely cannot admit it. If absolutely necessary, we’ll say that General Tian manifested.”
Yue Lian nodded obediently and said no more.
She now deeply understood that her young master wanted to protect those around him and prevent his family from being drawn into the whirlpool of conflict. No wonder he had mobilized the Liang Mansion in advance, significantly increasing the guards to protect her, Luo Qingxue, Zhen Mi, and Liang Yun.
As the Marquis of Anguo, he was already so dazzling that he was hated by those noble clans. If he were also General Tian…
Whether it was the barbarians or the noble clans, they would undoubtedly retaliate fiercely, not ruling out a coup, which would then lead to great chaos in the nation!
In her room, Jian Qinwan wiped away her tears, her face flushed. She pressed a hand against her rapidly rising chest, her gaze filled with an incomparable resentment.
He had seen her, and he had touched her. She was now unmarriageable!
“Have I changed?” Jian Qinwan murmured to herself.
Not only had she been molested by a man for the first time in her life, but she hadn’t even instinctively drawn her sword against him!
In the past, she would have been on full alert if anyone came within ten feet of her!
Jian Qinwan pondered deeply and finally found a reason for herself: “Bah! This young lady was just happy to hear the good news from the front lines and forgot to resist!”
No matter if that lecher was General Tian or not, she would not change her original intention.
But what if he were also General Tian… Heavens!
Jian Qinwan felt her face burning terrifyingly, and a strange sense of envy, along with a touch of jealousy, surged in her heart towards Xiao Qing, Luo Qingxue, and Yue Lian!
After regaining her composure, Jian Qinwan finally walked out of her room, only to find Liang Xiao and Yue Lian still waiting in the courtyard.
“Bodhisattva, I…”
Before Liang Xiao could explain, Jian Qinwan’s beautiful eyes glared fiercely at him. “No need to say more, General Tian manifested, right? This young lady won’t cause you trouble, but I will settle accounts with you sooner or later!”
Liang Xiao was stunned and repeatedly expressed his gratitude. Jian Qinwan then slammed the door shut with a “bang.”
“Young master, might Miss Qinwan like you…” Yue Lian asked timidly.
Liang Xiao chuckled. “Doesn’t she like the perfect, flawless General Tian in her heart? She’s an ethereal Qin Immortal. When her mother sent her to be my bodyguard, you saw how resistant and reluctant she was, how pale she turned from fear. I’ve always felt guilty.”
Yue Lian fell silent.
Liang Xiao also fell silent.
Having obtained the two supreme treasures of Bodhi Temple, and using them with ease, Liang Xiao’s objective was achieved. He finally bid farewell to Hong Ren with everyone.
Before leaving, Liang Xiao donated a thousand taels to Bodhi Temple. Hong Ren politely refused, “Bodhi Temple’s expenses are all borne by the state, Marquis of Anguo need not worry.”
Liang Xiao was even more impressed. Many monks and temples in the Great Qian were not so noble. Quite a few temples’ monks and nuns, relying on their tax-exempt status, engaged in lavish construction.
Finally, Liang Xiao decided to send people back to renovate the dilapidated buildings of Bodhi Temple.
At dusk, Liang Xiao and his entourage finally returned to the Liang Mansion in Yanzhou.
Late at night, Liang Xiao and Yue Lian waited at the west gate of the Liang Mansion, with Yue Lian behind him.
After a moment, a white figure galloped from afar and stopped at the gate.
It was Hong Xiu, riding the White Night Flying Shadow, with the Heavenly Dragon Shattering City Halberd on his back, coming to rendezvous!
This was Liang Xiao’s request; the White Night Flying Shadow was too conspicuous, and Liang Xiao couldn’t bring it with him.
Without its armor, the White Night Flying Shadow was still imposing, but there was a noticeable difference compared to when it was armored.
“Amitabha, Marquis of Anguo, no one noticed you along the way.” Hong Xiu simply clasped his hands together and bowed to Liang Xiao.
Liang Xiao, filled with gratitude, immediately welcomed Hong Xiu in, and the White Night Flying Shadow was stabled in an unoccupied stable, next to a clean room prepared specifically for Hong Xiu.
Hong Xiu sighed, “This humble monk has long since become a monk, but to be able to follow the Marquis of Anguo, I still can’t suppress my excitement. I am ashamed!”
Liang Xiao comforted him, “After Buddha attained enlightenment, he still did not forget to save all living beings. For a hundred years, many martial monks from Bodhi Temple have rushed to the front lines to resist the barbarians.”
Hong Xiu smiled, “Yes, as long as one does not violate their true heart, everywhere in the human world is a merit.”
The two conversed until late into the night.
The next morning, just as Liang Xiao was about to head to the Prefect’s mansion to bid farewell to Liu Anmin, he received an urgent report from a guard.
“Second Young Master! General Anbei, Lu Changhe, requests an audience!”
Liang Xiao narrowed his eyes, holding a grudge in his heart.
Did this brat not understand the meaning of “do not worry or disturb”?