“A chance to speak on behalf of the people?”
Hearing these words, Si Kongyue’s heart skipped a beat, a sudden sense of foreboding welling up inside her.
It wasn’t that there was anything wrong with the phrase “speak on behalf of the people,” but rather…
Even though this was their first meeting, she could tell at a glance that the Gu Wangchen before her was a good-for-nothing dandy with not a trace of cultivation to his name.
Would the “speaking for the people” in someone like him’s mouth possibly mean what it should?
She wanted to refuse, but catching a glimpse of the crowd beneath the bridge out of the corner of her eye, and remembering the bold claims she’d just made, she forced herself to swallow down that sliver of worry and gritted her teeth, asking:
“Let’s hear it.”
Gu Wangchen slowly walked up to her, his drowsy peach blossom eyes sweeping her up and down for a moment, before he smiled and said, “It’s simple. This Young Master is fishing here today, but unfortunately, it seems the fish in this river don’t have much respect for me.”
“So,” he walked to the bridge’s edge, beckoned Si Kongyue over, and pointed at the calm, undisturbed water, “you’ll serve me at my side until I catch a fish.”
“What do you mean, Gu?” Si Kongyue’s brows arched sharply as she questioned, “You want me to be your servant girl? Let me tell you—”
“Stop, hold it right there,” Gu Wangchen cut her off, a trace of distaste in his voice. “You, my servant girl?”
He turned his head and looked behind him, only to see An Li pulling out a little notebook and scribbling something inside. He couldn’t help but ask, “Xiao Li?”
“Ah, Y-Young Master?”
An Li’s shoulders jumped, and she stuffed the notebook into her bosom so fast that Gu Wangchen wondered if he was seeing things.
Not thinking too much about it, he pulled An Li into his embrace and looked back at Si Kongyue, sneering, “Look at yourself, all dirty and disheveled.”
“Now look at my Xiao Li. Do you really think you’re fit to be my servant?”
“Y-Young Master~” An Li lowered her slender neck, cheeks blushing as she replied sweetly.
“You!”
Si Kongyue clenched her delicate fists, wanting to retort but not knowing what to say, and could only grind her pearly teeth in frustration.
Did this guy just call her dirty and disheveled?
She’d clearly washed up before leaving the inn this morning!
If she was dirty and disheveled, what about those tenant farmers she’d passed along the way, digging for food in the fields?
Rolling in the mud?
“Don’t believe me?” Gu Wangchen could instantly read her refusal from her face. He pulled out a Copper Mirror and waved it in front of her. “See for yourself.”
Whoosh—
Si Kongyue snatched the Copper Mirror from his hand, lowered her eyes to gaze at her reflection.
It seemed… there really was some dirt on her face?
She immediately turned her back, took a cleaning cloth from her pack, and used the Copper Mirror to wipe her face, brushing aside her bangs as she cleaned.
After tidying up her hair, she turned around and returned the Copper Mirror. “Here, take it back.”
But Gu Wangchen didn’t reach for it. Instead, he flicked his sleeve, looking at her in distaste. “Tsk, that mirror’s ruined. You keep it.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? Are you looking down on me?”
“Enough talk. If you want Ba Bridge unsealed soon, get over here and serve this Young Master while I fish.”
Watching Gu Wangchen turn back to the reclining chair, Si Kongyue wanted to return the Copper Mirror to the maid An Li, but after being refused a second time, she could only pout in resignation.
After hesitating a moment, she tucked it into her bosom and hurried over to Gu Wangchen’s side.
She’d just treat this as an advance payment. After all, she didn’t have a mirror she could carry with her yet.
Thinking of this, her posture straightened with pride.
“What do you want me to do?”
“See that bait?” Gu Wangchen casually pointed at the red food paste in the wooden box by his feet and ordered, “Roll it into balls the size of Meatballs, then throw them into the spot I cast my rod—bait the area for me.”
“Meatball-sized? Isn’t that a waste?”
Si Kongyue immediately thought of the Hotpot Lion’s Head she loved most at Jian Sect. Normally, if she wasn’t cultivating that day, just five Lion’s Heads and two big bowls of rice at lunch would fill her up.
Would those fish… really be able to eat even one?
Thinking of this, she unconsciously swallowed, pursed her lips, and forced herself not to dwell on those steaming, sauce-covered, scallion-sprinkled braised Lion’s Heads.
Ugh, once she got her money back, she was going to eat the best Lion’s Heads at the finest restaurant in Sheng’an City!
“What are you standing there for? Hurry up and do what I said!”
“I know, I know, why are you so fierce.” Snapping out of her reverie, Si Kongyue clicked her tongue, rolled up her sleeves to reveal a sliver of her fair wrist, and started kneading the bait in the wooden box.
“Here, done.”
In less than half a quarter of an hour, she’d finished making all the bait and held it out to Gu Wangchen. “How’s that? Not bad, right?”
Gu Wangchen glanced over and said coldly, “Who told you to make them that big?”
“Didn’t you say the size of Lion’s Heads?”
“Lion’s Heads? Are your ears on your backside?” Gu Wangchen furrowed his brows and shook his head. “I said Meatballs, the kind in soup.”
“Ah… ah?”
After a moment of dumbfoundedness, Si Kongyue finally realized she’d misunderstood.
“What are you spacing out for? Do it over!”
“Oh…”
Knowing she was in the wrong, Si Kongyue didn’t argue this time and quietly squatted down to redo the bait.
Soon, she carried a box full of Meatball-sized bait and asked, “This time it’s okay, right?”
“Hurry up and bait the area, quit dawdling.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Si Kongyue gathered her True Qi, slapped the box, and the “Meatballs” inside leapt up on command.
“Go—”
She waved both hands, guiding the bait into the air with her True Qi, aiming for the spot Gu Wangchen cast his rod, and unleashed her power.
Boom… Crackle…
White spray erupted as the whole box of bait landed precisely in the designated spot.
When she was done, she clapped the dust from her hands, put them on her hips, and asked, “How’s that?”
“……” Gu Wangchen said nothing, just glanced at her and sighed in exasperation.
“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean? I did exactly what you asked, so why aren’t you satisfied?”
“Have you ever fished? Or even seen anyone fish?”
Gu Wangchen crossed his legs, leaned back in the reclining chair, hands folded behind his head, and said helplessly, “With all that commotion, you’ve scared away all the fish. How am I supposed to catch any?”
“Why didn’t you say so earlier?”
“How was I supposed to know you didn’t even know that much?”
“I, I…” Si Kongyue opened her mouth, but didn’t know how to argue back. She could only stand there and fume silently.
The two of them fell silent.
A quarter hour, two, half an hour…
Still no fish on the hook.
Watching the crowd under the bridge grow ever larger, Si Kongyue grew anxious.
Why hadn’t he caught a fish yet? She’d already promised the people under the bridge, and it was nearly the hour of Wei…
And as her senior sisters who’d trained in Sheng’an City had said, by the hour of Wei, Ci’en Hall’s Zhai Fan would be gone!
Since getting up this morning, she hadn’t had a single hot meal!
Thinking of this, she spoke up at once, “Gu, as long as you get a fish, that’s all you want, right?”
“That’s right. Why?”
“You said it yourself!”
With that, she drew her sword, vaulted over the stone railings at the bridge’s edge, and leapt down.
Bang—!
A pillar of white water shot up around the rod’s spot. A nimble figure skipped across the waves, swept up several fish with her sword as they burst from the river, and, having finished, leapt back under the bridge.
Climbing up from the south end of Ba Bridge once more, Si Kongyue wrung out her sleeves, stamped her feet to shake off the water, and tossed three fat grass carp, strung together, into the fish basket with a slap.
“Done. Can Ba Bridge be unsealed now?”
Bang— Crackle…
At the same time, the third firework rose from the direction of Zhaoxiang Mansion.
Gu Wangchen turned his head slightly to look at An Li. Upon confirming the target had been brought back to his Wangchen Pavilion, he didn’t bother arguing with this Feng Aotian, waving his hand and saying:
“Fine, whatever, you look like a drowned chicken… ruined my mood.”
“I did all this to catch fish for you!”
For some reason, hearing the slight disdain in Gu Wangchen’s tone made Si Kongyue’s anger surge again.
She’d never met anyone so shameless!
“Xiao Li, Aliu, drive the carriage, let’s go home.”
But Gu Wangchen paid her no mind, ignored her words, and leisurely climbed into his luxurious carriage with his maid and guard.
“Hey, your fish…” Si Kongyue hefted the fish basket, calling after him.
“They’re all yours.” Gu Wangchen lifted the beaded curtain and waved to her.
With a long whinny from the five Dragonblood Fiery-Mane horses, the carriage swiftly left Ba Bridge and disappeared through Sheng’an City’s eastern gate.
“This guy…”
Si Kongyue looked down at the wriggling fish in her basket, hesitated for a moment, then slung it over her back. Ignoring her rumbling stomach, she quickened her pace toward Sheng’an City’s east gate.
She had to hurry to Ci’en Hall and grab some Zhai Fan!
[Successfully obstructed Si Kongyue and seized the Messenger.]
[World Trajectory altered, Heaven’s Mandate Reversal.]
[Heaven’s Mandate Value +100]
[Heaven’s Mandate Value: -99→1]
[Note: Current Heaven’s Mandate Value is positive, Minimum Cultivation Standard met (Current Cultivation Efficiency: 101%).]
Staring at the already-closed and shuttered Ci’en Hall, Si Kongyue stood rooted to the spot, her mouth hanging open wide enough to fit an egg.
She forcibly composed herself and turned to a bald Sha Mi in an earthen-yellow monk’s robe who was tidying up, asking, “Master, is there any Zhai Fan left for today…?”
“This Shi Zhu, today’s Zhai Fan at Ci’en Hall has already been distributed.” The little Sha Mi stopped what he was doing, pressed his palms together, and bowed slightly.
“Do you… need…”
“No, it’s fine, I was just asking, just asking.”
Si Kongyue glanced at the pots and bowls that had long been cleaned and packed away. Not wanting the Chi En Hall Monk to open a new pot just for her, she waved her hand and trudged off, utterly dejected.
It was all that Gu’s fault!
If he hadn’t insisted on fishing, she’d have eaten Zhai Fan by now!
Fish?
Si Kongyue suddenly remembered she still had three fish on her back.
She pulled a plump grass carp from the basket, glanced around to make sure no one was watching, and brought it to her mouth.
Should be fine, right? Just something to fill her belly for now. Master always said, the best thing about river fish was their freshness!
Thinking this, she didn’t hesitate any longer. She bit right into the pale fish belly.
“Awu… ptooey ptooey—”
The girl immediately spat out the mouthful of fish, her face flushing red, and coughed twice.
“So many bones?!”