Call Me Rong'er

Seeing Lu Chen charge straight at her with a bamboo pole in hand, Huang Rong's lips curled slightly. A pleased glint surfaced in her bright, morning-star eyes.

Those who practiced martial arts needed courage.

A coward without any fire in their heart would achieve little even if given peerless divine arts. At best, they could become a proper Martial Artisan, but never a first-rate expert, much less a grandmaster.

Although Lu Chen's face was tense and his teeth clenched, making him look thoroughly nervous, when he saw her being chased by more than a dozen burly men, he still disembarked without hesitation to come to her aid. That alone showed his courage.

Those dozen-odd men were all armed. Although Lu Chen's bamboo pole was longer, he knew no martial arts. Even with a Long Weapon in hand, he could not bring out its power.

Yet he had still charged forward.

Eyes blazing, he strode forward in great strides, pressing ahead without hesitation, carrying the fierce air of a warrior determined to die on the battlefield, invincible with none but himself.

As they rushed toward each other, Lu Chen soon met Huang Rong. Without hesitation, he stepped forward, shielded her behind him, and faced the dozen or so menacing men with the bamboo pole in hand.

Lu Chen was extremely tense now, every nerve drawn tight. His eyes held only those thugs as he prepared to risk everything, completely forgetting that in this situation, compared with Huang Rong, he was the one who needed protection.

Lu Chen's instinctive gesture of protection made Huang Rong pause slightly. Then her eyes curved into crescents, and a gentle smile appeared on her face.

She immediately grabbed his arm and, without the slightest ceremony, dragged him behind her. She shoved the bundle into his arms, then lightly brushed his wrist with fingers as delicate as those playing a zither. Lu Chen's wrist went slightly numb, and the fingers gripping the bamboo pole involuntarily loosened.

Huang Rong smoothly snatched the bamboo pole away, swept and flicked it at the burly man in front. She easily knocked aside the steel saber in his hand, hooked his belt, and flung him backward. The man immediately flailed through the air and crashed into a companion behind him.

Then Huang Rong turned her head and gave Lu Chen a dazzling smile.

"I wasn't running because I couldn't beat them. I was only teasing them. Still, thank you. I'm very happy that you came to help me."

As soon as she finished speaking, she stepped lightly forward to meet the men still rushing after her.

Holding the bundle, Lu Chen stared blankly at Huang Rong.

He saw her thrust, jab, sweep, and hook, wielding the ten-foot bamboo pole like a great spear capable of breaking enemy formations. Not a single one of those broad-shouldered, powerfully built men, so sharply contrasted against Huang Rong's dainty figure, could withstand even a casual strike from her. Before they could get within several feet of her, she had already sent them howling in pain and rolling across the ground. The might of a Long Weapon was fully displayed in her hands.

In only a few moments, none of the dozen men remained standing. All of them lay on the ground, groaning.

Huang Rong shook the bamboo pole with both hands. Its shaft sprang and quivered with a whoosh, and the cast-iron pole head dipped like a phoenix nodding its head. With a crack, she struck the last man trying to rise, splitting his head open and sending him screaming face-first to the ground.

Only after seeing that no one dared rise again did Huang Rong smile in satisfaction and say brightly to Lu Chen,

"That's settled. Let's go back."

She tossed the bamboo pole into Lu Chen's hands and walked toward the little boat with light, cheerful steps.

Lu Chen carried the bamboo pole in one hand and the bundle in the other. Walking beside her, he glanced back at the men, who still did not dare get up, and asked curiously,

"Miss Huang, have you learned spear techniques?"

"Only a little. It wouldn't be useful against real experts. I can only use it to beat up little lackeys like these."

"That's still very impressive."

Lu Chen looked full of admiration. If it had been him, even with a long weapon, he definitely would not have been able to fend off so many thugs carrying sabers and clubs.

"Once your swordsmanship improves, you'll be able to deal with little lackeys who only know crude moves like these just as easily. Oh, right."

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

"You always call me Miss Huang. It sounds far too distant. From now on, just call me Rong'er."

This was Huang Rong's reward for Lu Chen bravely coming to her aid despite being scared stiff, even going so far as to shield her behind him.

Lu Chen paused slightly. Looking into Huang Rong's brilliant eyes, he could not help being affected by her sweet smile. He nodded with a smile.

"All right. I'll call you Rong'er from now on. But then again, Huang... Rong'er, why did you clash with those men?"

"Hmph. I went into town to buy toothbrushes and ready-made clothes. Two loafers saw that I was alone and actually came up to me with sweet talk, pestering me. Did they think I didn't know they wanted to abduct and sell me? So I broke their arms and legs on the spot. The people chasing me were their accomplices, nothing more than a gang of lowlife thugs."

Huang Rong spoke lightly, but Lu Chen knew that the two loafers whose limbs she had broken had probably suffered grave injuries. They likely would never stand again for the rest of their lives, and might not even be able to hold chopsticks steadily.

Huang Rong was no harmless little white rabbit.

She was friendly toward Lu Chen only because he was the "person from the immortal realm" she had personally fished out of the water, and because he posed absolutely no threat to her.

As for everyone else, if they showed even the slightest malice toward her, she would naturally let them learn the methods of the Daughter of the Eastern Heretic.

Come to think of it, with Huang Rong's beauty and charm, and at such a young age, she was bound to attract unwanted attention whenever she went out alone. The fact that she later disguised herself as a little beggar and smeared her face black with soot was probably an important reason as well.

After returning to the boat, Huang Rong decisively raised anchor and set sail.

She did not fear the local gangs, but the underhanded methods of criminal sects in the martial world were numerous. Even if they could not harm her, a nighttime attack would still be troublesome. If Lu Chen got hurt, that would be even worse.

So she did not plan to stay docked there overnight. She guided the little boat away from the pier and headed upstream along the Cao'e River. They traveled for more than an hour until the sky was completely dark, reaching a river bend where the forest onshore was deep, the grass thick, and no people could be seen. Only then did she drop anchor in shallow water.

After securing the boat, Huang Rong beckoned to Lu Chen again.

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

Lu Chen followed her into the cabin, accepted a set of fitted travel clothes that she took from the bundle, and went into the compartment where he had slept the previous night to change.

Although he had never worn ancient clothing before, the simple attire worn by wandering martial artists was not complicated. After studying it for a moment, Lu Chen figured out how to put it on.

He was soon dressed. He wrapped the long sash twice around his waist and tied it, then stepped out of the compartment. Huang Rong saw a young martial artist dressed in black, with a tall and straight bearing.

Huang Rong praised him with a giggle.

"Not bad, not bad. You look quite dashing. Once you grow your hair out and tie it in a topknot, then put on a bamboo hat and wear a long sword at your side, you'll be a magnificent young swordsman!"

Lu Chen smiled.

"It's because you have good taste, Rong'er. These clothes fit me perfectly."

Huang Rong was not modest at all. She smiled smugly.

"Of course. My eyes are measuring rulers. Hmm, you're still missing a bamboo hat and a sword. Once we reach Shaoxing Prefecture, I'll get them for you."

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

The feeling of being kept by a rich beauty grew even stronger. Amid his complicated feelings, Lu Chen could only silently resolve that when he took her to the Main World in the future, he would do everything possible to give her the best experience.

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

That night, Lu Chen was tireless once more, practicing without stopping.

Huang Rong had learned her lesson. Once he became immersed in sword practice, she did not stubbornly stay up with him. When sleepiness came, she called out to him, then went to wash up and rest.

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

After resting for a while, once his hands could move again, he used the bone-handled toothbrush Huang Rong had bought for him, along with toothpaste made from boiled medicinal herbs, to brush his teeth. Then he drew several buckets of clear river water to wash himself before returning to the cabin to rest.

Early the next morning.

Lu Chen, fully recovered, rose before Huang Rong again and carried the Wooden Sword to the bow to practice.

By the time Huang Rong emerged from the cabin, yawning, Lu Chen had already worked up a slight sweat on his forehead.

Huang Rong herself was playful by nature. When it came to the balance between exertion and rest in martial arts, she only had exertion followed by rest, rest, rest, rest, rest. Yet seeing Lu Chen train so diligently, she did not find him dull or boring. She stood to one side and watched with great interest for a while before calling him to breakfast.

After breakfast, Huang Rong told him,

"We'll reach Shaoxing Prefecture City today."

Lu Chen's eyes lit up.

"So I can learn the Maiden of Yue Sword today?"

Huang Rong nodded with a smile.

"If we're lucky, you can learn it today."

Lu Chen's eyes immediately filled with anticipation.

Huang Rong giggled again.

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

Lu Chen smiled.

"The songs I know are too different from the music you're familiar with. I'm afraid you won't be used to them."

In the Song Dynasty, leaving aside folk tunes and rustic ballads, both court banquet music and the songs of pleasure houses were sung to lyrics composed according to fixed tune patterns. Their musical styles were completely unlike the popular songs Lu Chen knew.

Moreover, Huang Rong's father was a great talent who could write poetry and compose lyrics, as well as a master of music. Huang Rong herself could sing too, so Lu Chen truly felt embarrassed to make a fool of himself before her.

But Huang Rong only smiled.

"It's all right. Just sing. I promise I won't laugh at you."

Lu Chen thought about it, then finally cleared his throat and began singing a song from his previous life.

"Laugh of the Jianghu, grudges gone, people clash, smiles hide blades... The mortal world laughs, laughs at loneliness, the heart aims too high, yet cannot reach..."

Although the lyrics and musical style were utterly different, music of sufficient quality could ignore the barriers of language and even culture and customs, striking directly at the heart and stirring resonance.

And this song, rich with the flavor of the martial world, was clearly an excellent one.

Huang Rong was young and open-minded, and Lu Chen's voice carried its own charm. Standing in this Condor Heroes World, he felt deeply moved by the moment and truly sang with the spirit of the jianghu. For a time, Huang Rong rested her cheek in her hand and stared at Lu Chen without blinking, utterly absorbed.

"Like flowers, yet not flowers; like mist, yet not mist. The surging river waters cannot be held back. A body filled with heroic ambition, iron pride, and unyielding bones—so it turns out heroes are lonely..."