The young gentleman was taken aback by Ye Qingyun's words.
Then looked down at herself.
Oh!
She really had forgotten.
The young gentleman, a girl disguised as a man, immediately blushed faintly, though she did not take it too seriously.
"Whether I'm a man or a woman is irrelevant."
"What matters is that I want to keep listening to your story."
"As long as you tell it well and entertain me, I will reward you generously."
She spoke as though she were bestowing an enormous favor upon Ye Qingyun.
As though it would be downright improper if Ye Qingyun did not hurry to his knees and kowtow in gratitude.
Ye Qingyun wore an odd expression.
"Lady, I'm not a storyteller. If you want to hear stories, go listen at a teahouse."
With that, Ye Qingyun held the rabbit and made to leave with Damao.
"Stop!"
The young gentleman gave a cold shout.
The four servants behind her immediately surrounded him.
With someone in front, behind, and on either side, Ye Qingyun had no way out.
All four servants looked like vicious demons, and they deliberately clenched their fists, seemingly threatening Ye Qingyun.
They had already seen that Ye Qingyun was merely a mortal, without the slightest fluctuation of cultivation.
They could crush someone like him to death with a mere lift of their hands.
The rabbit in Ye Qingyun's arms shot Damao a meaningful look.
Damao was also shooting the rabbit meaningful looks.
A rabbit and a dog.
They seemed to be communicating.
"Should we make a move?"
"Let's see how things go."
"All right."
The rabbit remained docile, and Damao still looked lazy.
Their master, Ye Qingyun, however, went pale with fright at this display.
Weren't the people in this world supposed to be friendly?
How had he already run into bullies?
"Don't try anything. I have powerful backing."
Ye Qingyun spoke with complete seriousness.
The young gentleman smiled faintly.
"Do you know who I am?"
Ye Qingyun shook his head.
"It doesn't matter if you don't. Come back with me. I only want to hear you tell stories. I won't harm you."
"Take him away."
With that, the young gentleman waved her hand.
"Get moving."
All four servants glared at Ye Qingyun.
Ye Qingyun had no choice.
Alone and outmatched, he was better off not resisting.
And so.
Ye Qingyun followed them forward.
Before long, Ye Qingyun saw an extremely luxurious carriage.
A middle-aged man sat on the carriage, seemingly the driver.
"Young master, you're back."
Upon seeing the young gentleman, the middle-aged man immediately bowed.
"Mm. I brought back a storyteller. He can help relieve my boredom on the road."
The young gentleman immediately climbed into the carriage.
The middle-aged man glanced at Ye Qingyun, saw that he had no cultivation, and paid him no further attention.
"Get in."
The four servants pushed Ye Qingyun into the carriage.
"My dog!"
Ye Qingyun hastily spoke up.
"Forget about that dog."
One servant laughed loudly.
"No. I'll go with you, but my dog has to come too!"
This time, Ye Qingyun was firm and refused to give an inch.
"Let the dog aboard too."
The young gentleman's voice came from inside the carriage.
Only then did Damao climb aboard as well.
However, he could only lie outside the carriage, beside the middle-aged driver.
Ye Qingyun entered the carriage.
The young gentleman was sitting inside, leisurely eating grapes.
"You're a grown man. Why are you carrying a rabbit?"
The young gentleman glanced at the rabbit in Ye Qingyun's arms and could not help laughing.
The rabbit cursed inwardly.
If Lord Rabbit here didn't like keeping a low profile, I could squash every last one of you with a single slap.
"You're a girl. Why do you like parading around outside in men's clothes?"
Ye Qingyun spoke lightly.
Hearing this, the young gentleman looked at Ye Qingyun with some surprise.
She had not expected this frail-looking young man to have such a sharp tongue.
"Young master, we're about to set off."
The middle-aged driver's voice came from outside the carriage.
"Set off, then."
The young gentleman replied.
The carriage began moving.
Ye Qingyun looked puzzled.
"Where are you going?"
"You don't need to know."
"..."
Ye Qingyun thought to himself.
You dragged me aboard, and you won't even tell me where we're going?
What if you sell me off?
"You're not a bandit, are you?"
Ye Qingyun asked tentatively.
The young gentleman burst out laughing.
"If I were a bandit, you'd already be dead."
She wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, then drank a cup of tea to rinse her mouth.
"All right, continue telling The Legend of the Condor Heroes."
Ye Qingyun shook his head.
"If you won't tell me where we're going, I won't tell the story."
The young gentleman narrowed her eyes slightly.
"You dare bargain with me?"
Ye Qingyun wore the look of a man who would rather die than suffer humiliation.
"Fine. I can tell you."
"But once I do, I'm afraid I won't be able to spare your life."
With that, a dangerous look appeared on the young gentleman's face.
"Then you'd better not tell me."
Ye Qingyun hurriedly waved his hands.
At this moment, Ye Qingyun truly was weak, pitiful, and helpless.
"Heh. Good, you know what's good for you."
Ye Qingyun resumed telling The Legend of the Condor Heroes.
The young gentleman listened with rapt attention.
The carriage swayed along and soon left the marketplace.
Ye Qingyun glanced out the carriage window and realized they seemed to be heading east.
Floating Cloud Mountain, meanwhile, lay west of the marketplace.
That meant he was getting farther and farther from his home base.
If I'd known, I wouldn't have come down the mountain to wander around. What am I supposed to do now?
Ye Qingyun inwardly lamented his plight.
Soon, Ye Qingyun reached the part where Guo Jing and Huang Rong happened to meet Hong Qigong, and Hong Qigong taught Guo Jing the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms.
The young gentleman seemed particularly interested in this part of the story, sitting up straight and staring at Ye Qingyun without blinking.
She was utterly engrossed.
"Guo Jing is such a fool. How did he get so lucky as to receive instruction from an otherworldly master?"
The young gentleman could not help remarking.
Ye Qingyun paused briefly.
He said with a faint smile, "Although Guo Jing is slow-witted, he has a pure heart, treats others sincerely, and possesses a chivalrous spirit. Hong Qigong has a discerning eye for people, so things naturally fell into place between them, like water flowing into a channel."
The young gentleman nodded.
"You're right."
She could not help thinking of herself.
I wonder whether my journey to seek a master will go as smoothly as it did for Guo Jing in this story.
Before they knew it, the night had grown late.
The young gentleman was still full of vigor.
But Ye Qingyun could not take it anymore.
He was no cultivator. Every day, he needed to go to bed early and rise early.
Staying up like this soon left him a little dizzy.
"Lady, can you let me go?"
Ye Qingyun pleaded.
"No. And do I look that old? Why do you keep calling me lady?"
The young gentleman spoke with some displeasure.
Ye Qingyun looked miserable.
"Then let me rest for a while. I'm exhausted."
Seeing how sleepy Ye Qingyun looked, the young gentleman did not force him to continue.
"Fine. I'll allow you to sleep for a while, but behave yourself. Don't move around, or I'll chop off your hands and feet."
Ye Qingyun hurriedly leaned against the side and closed his eyes.
As he rested, he inwardly worked out how to escape.
Outside the carriage, however, the middle-aged driver's expression suddenly changed.
"Young miss, we seem to have encountered a demonic beast!"