Call Me Rong'er

Seeing Lu Chen charging toward her with the bamboo pole in hand, the corners of Huang Rong's lips lifted slightly, a hint of delight surfacing in her bright, starlike eyes.

A martial artist must possess courage.

A coward lacking that inner "spirit," even if gifted with peerless divine arts, could never amount to much—at best, they'd become a mediocre "Martial Artisan," far from first-rate, let alone a grandmaster.

But Lu Chen, though his face was taut and his teeth clenched, looking utterly tense, had still unhesitatingly left the boat to meet her when he saw her being chased by a dozen big men—this showed his bravery.

After all, those dozen men were all armed with weapons. Though Lu Chen's bamboo pole was longer, he knew no martial arts; even with a "Long Weapon" in hand, he couldn't unleash its power.

Yet he still charged.

Eyes wide with fury, strides long and swift, pressing forward without hesitation—he bore a fierce, battlefield-ready aura of "me or them, none survive."

In their mutual rush toward each other, Lu Chen soon met Huang Rong. Without a second thought, he stepped forward to shield her behind him, gripping the bamboo pole as he faced the dozen menacing thugs.

At this moment, Lu Chen was highly tense, his nerves stretched taut, his eyes fixed only on those ruffians, ready to fight with all he had—utterly forgetting that in this situation, compared to Huang Rong, he was the one who needed protection.

And Lu Chen's instinctive protective gesture made Huang Rong pause for a moment, then her brows curved, a soft smile spreading across her face.

She then grabbed his arm without ceremony, pulled him behind her, and slapped the bundle into his chest. Her slender fingers brushed lightly over his wrist like plucking a zither, and Lu Chen's wrist went slightly numb, his fingers gripping the bamboo pole involuntarily loosening.

Huang Rong smoothly snatched the bamboo pole, flicked and lifted it toward the foremost thug, easily deflecting his steel blade, then hooked his belt and flung him backward. The big man flailed as he flew, crashing into a companion behind him.

Then Huang Rong turned her head and gave Lu Chen a radiant smile:

"I wasn't running because I couldn't beat them, you know—just playing with them. But still, thank you. I'm glad you came to meet me."

With that, she stepped lightly forward to meet the thugs who were rushing over one after another.

Lu Chen clutched the bundle, staring blankly at Huang Rong.

She thrust, stabbed, swept, and hooked, wielding the ten-foot bamboo pole like a spear breaching enemy lines. Those burly, muscular men—so starkly contrasting with Huang Rong's petite figure—none could withstand even a casual strike from her. From over ten feet away, they were sent howling in pain, rolling on the ground. The power of the "Long Weapon" was displayed to its fullest.

In just a short moment, not one of the dozen men remained standing; all lay groaning on the ground.

Huang Rong shook the bamboo pole with both hands; the shaft snapped taut, and the iron tip dipped like a phoenix nodding, cracking down with a smack on the last thug trying to rise, splitting his head open as he screamed and collapsed.

Seeing no one dared to get up, Huang Rong smiled in satisfaction and said to Lu Chen with a sweet grin:

"All done. Let's go back."

With that, she tossed the bamboo pole to Lu Chen and walked lightly and cheerfully toward the small boat.

Lu Chen, holding the bamboo pole in one hand and the bundle in the other, followed beside her. Glancing back at the thugs still afraid to rise, he asked curiously:

"Miss Huang, have you studied spear techniques?"

"Just a little. Useless against experts, only good for beating these small fries."

"That's still impressive."

Lu Chen looked genuinely admiring. As for himself, even with a long weapon, he was sure he couldn't hold off so many men with knives and clubs.

"Once you've practiced your swordsmanship well, you'll be able to handle these small fries who only know crude tricks too. Oh, right."

Huang Rong turned her head and smiled at Lu Chen again:

"Calling me 'Miss Huang' all the time sounds too distant. From now on, just call me Rong'er."

This was the reward for Lu Chen, who had been so nervous yet still bravely came to her aid and even shielded her.

Lu Chen paused for a moment, looking at Huang Rong's bright eyes, and couldn't help but be infected by her sweet smile. He nodded with a smile:

"Alright. I'll call you Rong'er from now on. Speaking of which, Huang... Rong'er, why did you clash with them?"

"Hmph, I went to the town shop to buy some toothbrushes and clothes. A couple of loafers saw me alone and came up to pester me with sweet talk. Did they think I didn't know they wanted to kidnap and sell me? So I broke their arms and legs on the spot. The ones chasing me were their accomplices—just a bunch of lowlife gang thugs."

Huang Rong said it lightly, but Lu Chen knew that the two loafers whose arms and legs she'd broken were probably badly injured—they might never stand again, and their hands might not even hold chopsticks properly.

Huang Rong was no harmless little white rabbit.

Sure, she was friendly to Lu Chen, but only because he was the "person from the celestial realm" she'd fished up herself and posed no threat to her.

As for others, if they showed her even a hint of malice, she'd make them know the methods of the Daughter of the Eastern Heretic.

That said, with Huang Rong's beauty and charm, and her young age, going out alone without a companion would naturally invite covetous eyes. Her later habit of disguising herself as a little beggar and smearing her face with coal ash was likely an important factor.

Back on the boat, Huang Rong decisively weighed anchor and set sail.

Though she wasn't afraid of the local gangs, the underworld had plenty of dirty tricks. Even if they couldn't touch her, a night raid would be annoying, and if Lu Chen got hurt, that would be even worse.

So she didn't plan to moor here overnight. She steered the small boat away from the dock, heading upstream along the Cao'e River. After sailing for about an hour until it was fully dark, they reached a river bend with dense woods and thick grass on the bank, utterly desolate, where she dropped anchor in the shallows.

After securing the boat, Huang Rong waved at Lu Chen:

"Come try on the clothes and see if they fit."

Lu Chen followed her into the cabin, took a set of short martial-arts attire she pulled from the bundle, and went to the compartment where he'd slept the night before to change.

Though he'd never worn ancient clothes, this kind of short outfit worn by wandering martial artists wasn't complicated. After a little figuring, Lu Chen knew how to put it on.

Soon he was dressed, wrapping the long belt twice around his waist and tying it. When he stepped out of the cabin, Huang Rong saw a black-clad, straight-backed young martial artist.

Huang Rong grinned and praised:

"Not bad, not bad—you look quite spirited. Once you grow your hair out and tie it in a bun, wear a bamboo hat, and carry a longsword, you'll be a dashing young sword hero!"

Lu Chen smiled.

"It's Rong'er who has good taste—this outfit fits me just right."

Huang Rong didn't stand on ceremony, grinning smugly:

"Isn't that so? My eyes are a ruler, after all. Mm, still missing a bamboo hat and a sword. Once we reach Shaoxing Prefecture, I'll get you fitted with those."

Eating her food, wearing her clothes, using her things...

The feeling of being kept by a wealthy beauty grew even stronger. Lu Chen's mood was mixed, but he could only silently resolve that when he took her to the Main World to play, he'd do his utmost to give her the best experience possible.

Next, Huang Rong made a simple dinner. After sharing it with Lu Chen and resting a bit, she began guiding him in sword practice again.

Tonight, Lu Chen trained tirelessly once more, never stopping.

Huang Rong had learned her lesson, though. After he got absorbed in his sword practice, she didn't force herself to stay awake. When drowsiness hit, she called out a goodbye, then went to wash up and rest on her own.

Lu Chen kept practicing until midnight, only stopping when his arms could barely lift.

After a short rest, once his hands could move again, he used the bone-handled toothbrush Huang Rong had bought him, paired with toothpaste made from boiled medicinal herbs, to brush his teeth. Then he drew a few buckets of clean water from the river to rinse off, and returned to his cabin to rest.

The next morning.

Lu Chen, fully recovered, got up before Huang Rong again, picked up the Wooden Sword, and went to the bow to practice.

When Huang Rong stepped out of the cabin with a yawn, Lu Chen was already sweating slightly on his forehead.

Huang Rong was naturally playful by nature; the principle of tension and release in martial arts was, for her, all release and no tension. But seeing Lu Chen train so diligently, she didn't find him dull or boring. She stood to the side, watching with keen interest for a while, before calling him to breakfast.

After breakfast, Huang Rong told him:

"Today we'll reach Shaoxing Prefecture City."

Lu Chen's eyes lit up:

"So, I'll get to learn the Maiden of Yue Sword today?"

Huang Rong nodded with a smile:

"If we're lucky, we'll learn it today."

Lu Chen's eyes were instantly full of anticipation.

Huang Rong giggled again:

"Since you're so happy, sing a song from the celestial realm to celebrate."

Lu Chen chuckled:

"The songs I know are too different from the ones you're familiar with. I'm afraid you won't enjoy them."

In the Song Dynasty, aside from vulgar folk tunes, whether it was court banquet music or brothel ballads, everything was sung by filling in lyrics to fixed ci-poetry patterns. The style of those lyrics and melodies was completely different from the pop music Lu Chen knew.

And since Huang Rong's father was a talented scholar who could write poetry and lyrics, as well as a master of music, and Huang Rong herself could sing, Lu Chen felt too embarrassed to show off in front of her.

But Huang Rong just laughed:

"It's fine, just sing. I promise I won't laugh at you."

Lu Chen thought it over, then finally cleared his throat and sang a song from his past life.

"Jianghu laughs, grudges fade, people clash, smiles hide blades... Red dust laughs, laughs at loneliness, heart too high, can't reach..."

Though the style of lyrics and melody was completely different, truly excellent music can transcend barriers of language, culture, and customs, striking the heart and stirring resonance.

And this song, steeped in the flavor of the jianghu, was clearly an excellent piece.

Coupled with Huang Rong's youth and strong receptivity, plus the charm of Lu Chen's voice, and being immersed in this Condor Heroes World with heartfelt emotion, he truly sang out a bit of jianghu spirit. For a moment, Huang Rong rested her cheek on her hand, staring fixedly at Lu Chen, already lost in the song.

"Seeming like flowers yet not flowers, mist yet not mist, the surging river cannot hold back, a body of heroic spirit and iron pride—turns out heroes are lonely..."

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