The next day, the two of them bought a great deal of food in the city.
The supplies they bought would be enough to feed the Changfeng Escort Agency for nearly half a year.
Having learned from their last encounter with an enemy, Meng Qingshan also bought plenty of medicine and lime in case they needed them.
Li Qingzhu went to the kitchen to prepare the provisions Meng Qingshan would need for his journey.
Meng Qingshan took the opportunity to deal with the tiger's carcass, then turned Gou Sheng'er over...
Now it was Li Xiaoyao.
When Li Xiaoyao heard that Meng Qingshan was going to teach him the Changfeng Escort Agency's secret art, the Long Wind Heart Method, his eyes immediately blazed with excitement.
As soon as the lessons began, Meng Qingshan realized that the kid's comprehension really was astonishing.
To teach him the circulation path of True Qi in the Long Wind Heart Method, Meng Qingshan planted only a wisp of True Qi in his body and guided him through one Small Heavenly Circuit. The kid grasped the essentials in no time.
During his second practice, he displayed even more astonishing talent. He completed the entire process without any guidance from Meng Qingshan, circulating the Small Heavenly Circuit with ease.
Meng Qingshan stared in utter amazement. He couldn't help thinking, Now that I think about it, naming this kid Li Xiaoyao wasn't an insult to the name after all.
The next day, Meng Qingshan made a special visit to the County Office.
The county magistrate was surprised to see him. He had assumed Meng Qingshan had already finished handling his affairs and would be taking up his post today.
Meng Qingshan briefly explained the situation to the magistrate. He promised to return to Jade Mountain City and formally take up the post in a month, and asked him to look after the Changfeng Escort Agency in the meantime.
The magistrate readily agreed and laid out a grand banquet to send Meng Qingshan off. Just as Meng Qingshan was about to leave, he had his secretary give him a token, explaining that it would allow him to enter and leave the County Office freely.
As night fell.
Meng Qingshan finally returned to the Changfeng Escort Agency.
Li Qingzhu was carrying a tiger bone, carefully roasted after the meat had been removed, over to the stone mill.
Seeing her, Meng Qingshan immediately went over to help.
The two worked together in perfect sync: one turned the mill while the other gathered the bone powder that spilled out.
Holding a small brush, Li Qingzhu asked softly, "Cousin, about how long will you be gone?"
The mill came to a halt. Meng Qingshan answered steadily, his gaze resolute. "A month!"
As he spoke, Meng Qingshan reached out and gently took Li Qingzhu's hand. "Don't worry, Cousin. In my heart, you're the most important person in the world to me, too. I'll definitely be back in a month."
At his words, a blush immediately spread across Li Qingzhu's face, reaching all the way to her ears.
A little flustered, she replied, "Where... did you learn to say such cheesy things?"
Her voice was soft, but it brimmed with shyness and anticipation.
Looking at her flushed cheeks, Meng Qingshan felt warmth well up inside him.
The night grew darker. Moonlight filtered through the clouds and fell upon them, draping them in a silver veil.
Li Qingzhu suddenly bit her lip and urged him quietly, "It's getting late. We should hurry and grind these tiger bones."
At her words, Meng Qingshan immediately picked up the pace and returned to his work.
Li Qingzhu carefully gathered the bone powder as it came out of the mill.
At last, after every tiger bone had been carefully ground into powder, Li Qingzhu seemed to momentarily forget the sadness of Meng Qingshan's imminent departure.
Her eyes bright with joy, she said softly, "Cousin, with this bone powder and the medicinal ingredients we bought today, I'll be able to make you some Tiger Bone Wine to enjoy when you come back!"
The morning two days later.
Meng Qingshan packed his bags, put on a bamboo rain hat to shield himself from the sun and rain, and led a seasoned old horse from the stable, one that had been on escort journeys for years.
Everyone from the escort agency came out to see him off.
Li Xiaoyao was the first to break the heavy silence. "Senior Brother, when will you be back?"
Meng Qingshan replied, "There's no need to worry, my fellow junior brothers. I'll be back within a month at most."
Uncle Kui's injuries had yet to heal, but he insisted on coming. Looking at Meng Qingshan, he urged him with concern, "Qingshan, be careful out there!"
Meng Qingshan nodded. "Don't worry, Uncle Kui. I'll be careful!"
Then he took a long look at Li Qingzhu.
He placed the token the county magistrate had given him the day before in his cousin's hands and murmured, "Cousin, while I'm away, try not to go out too much.
"If you really run into trouble you can't handle, go to the County Office. I'm still useful to them, so I expect they'll help you for my sake."
Li Qingzhu didn't say anything. She only nodded, tears welling in her eyes.
After giving her his instructions, Meng Qingshan turned and was about to mount his horse when a force gently tugged at the hem of his robe.
He looked back and saw that his cousin had caught hold of his sleeve.
"Cousin!" she called softly, holding out a jade-green wine gourd for him to take.
"When Father used to go on escort journeys, I always filled this gourd with wine for him. Cousin, I'm giving it to you now. If you ever..."
The young woman paused for a moment.
Then, with a trace of shyness, she added softly, "If you miss home, have a drink."
Warmth filled Meng Qingshan's heart as he accepted the wine gourd from his cousin.
Before you continue