Free Web NovelChapter 240: Chapter 197: Unspoken Love
August 23rd, 1454, of the Imperial Calendar. The day seemed entirely ordinary. The south remained scorching hot, and the merchants who traveled between north and south year-round seemed to have grown accustomed to such weather. Letting the blazing sun beat down on their faces, they leaned against the carts pulled by Turtle Shell Beasts, squinting as if they were rather enjoying the sunlight. The carts hauled enormous insulated chests filled with all sorts of seafood.
These merchants toiled day in and day out. Though the work was exhausting, the profits were quite substantial. Crabs from the southern Sea Domain, for instance, could sell for several times their original price once transported to the Imperial Capital. For people like them, the life of the nobility—reaping rewards with almost no effort—was something they dared not even dream of.
"Uncle Wang, you all never have a moment to rest, always on the road year-round. Aren’t you tired?"
"Heh, of course we get tired." Boss Wang, a man approaching sixty with a full head of white hair, had a kind and gentle face. He spoke softly, "But it’s a livelihood. You see, this whole caravan, more than a hundred people, all rely on this to put food on the table! We don’t dare stop for a rest!"
Dressed like a farmer’s daughter, Feng Ling had even tied her beautiful hair into two rustic braids and wore a veil, looking every bit the part of a village girl.
It was the caravan’s boss, Uncle Wang, who had suggested she adopt this disguise. In Boss Wang’s eyes, the pretty young girl was clearly from a prominent family; dressed so flamboyantly, wasn’t she just asking for trouble?
Boss Wang was a kind-hearted man and hadn’t taken Feng Ling’s claim—"I can protect you if I join your caravan"—to heart. He simply saw her as a young girl who had run away from home. Once she grew tired of her little adventure, she would go home.
Her original outfit, however, was definitely a problem. Never mind outsiders; even the young men in his own caravan practically drooled at the sight of her. The caravan’s most powerful guard was merely a Tier One Great Sword Master, and that was the most Boss Wang could afford! If someone took notice of such an exquisitely beautiful girl and targeted her, Boss Wang knew he didn’t have the strength to protect her.
Feng Ling was quite reluctant at first, thinking, ’I’m already as strong as a Tier Two Demon Swordsman! I might not be considered powerful compared to those monsters at the Viscount’s Mansion, but in a place like this, who could possibly be my opponent?’
Later, however, she discovered it was actually quite fun to dress this way! Once she changed into the simple clothes of a village girl, the young men’s eyes grew even brighter!
Before she changed, Feng Ling had possessed a lofty, inviolable aura. Afterward, her identity instantly shifted from a noble princess to a pretty village girl. Consequently, the young men in the caravan all tried, intentionally or not, to get closer to Feng Ling. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
Feng Ling, however, couldn’t be bothered to pay them any mind. Unconsciously, a vague image would always surface in her mind, and whenever that image grew clear, she would desperately try to deny it.
’Impossible! How could I have fallen for him?’
There were many such Turtle Shell Beast transport caravans traveling to and fro on the official road, forming a long line from front to back. The reason for this was so they could look out for one another. They were all merchants who ran this route year-round and were familiar with each other; traveling together concentrated their strength, making it easier to deal with bandits or robbers should they appear.
After leaving Penzes City, Feng Ling, a girl who had never truly set foot in the Mortal World, made the embarrassing discovery that she didn’t have a single coin on her! In fact, Ye Zi had prepared some for her before she left, but Feng Ling had carelessly forgotten to take it. There was no way she could swallow her pride and go back for it now.
Besides, she had just killed three Demon Swordsmen; who knew if their allies were still in the city waiting for her? It was a good thing Feng Ling didn’t go back. Otherwise, if she had run into that Yu Guang, he certainly would not have let her go.
Feeling that her martial skills were more than sufficient, Feng Ling was suddenly reminded of the adventure stories she had read. Unfortunately, she didn’t encounter a real Adventurer’s Guild. She did, however, run into a few groups of men who coveted her beauty and wanted to take advantage of her; she beat them until they were crying for their mothers and sent them fleeing in disgrace. In the end, Feng Ling found Boss Wang’s caravan and bluntly offered to protect them. But what was there to protect? Feng Ling still remembered the strange look the caravan’s Great Sword Master bodyguard had given her. frёewebnoѵēl.com
Thankfully, Boss Wang had taken her in. Otherwise, the great heroine Feng Ling, a dignified Tier Two Demon Swordsman, would have probably been reduced to the tragic fate of becoming a highway robber.
A great cloud of dust suddenly rose from the official road ahead. A road paved with bluestone like this one wouldn’t kick up much dust unless something was moving at high speed. Therefore, anyone with experience knew what it meant: galloping horses!
Only two types of people dared to gallop wildly on the official roads. The first were the children of officials and nobles, showing off their fine clothes and spirited horses with a pretense of swagger. The second were official messengers. Like the merchant caravans, these messengers also traveled this road year-round, delivering the many decrees issued by the Empire to their various destinations.
Seeing that the large Turtle Shell Beast carts ahead had stopped, Boss Wang frowned slightly and said, "Looks like the Imperial Capital has issued another decree. What a large procession! Heh, maybe they’re promoting Viscount Ling Xiao! In my opinion, the title of Viscount is a bit too low for Lord Ling Xiao. Making him a Count wouldn’t be going too far!"
