"...Young Master, Young Master, my lady sent me to ask if the new book by the swordswoman Yan has been released?"

"...Uh, not yet. The printing house said it might take a couple more days."

"...They said a couple more days last time, and now they're saying a couple more days again. Why is it taking so long?"

"...They say the down-and-out scholar who writes the book is too lazy."

"...Oh, is that so... Then... the lady said she wants a box of rouge, this box here. Could you help deliver it, Young Master?"

"...You can just take it back."

"...I didn't bring any money, and besides, Young Master, the lady wants you to come over too, to sit upstairs, have some tea, and whatnot."

"...Xiao Die, look, I'm busy right now. How about I have my younger brother go with you?"

"...Hmph, no, you need him to watch the stall."

As night fell, the Yinyin Bridge Night Market bustled with people. Near the street entrance, by the sundry goods cart, a handsome young gentleman, impeccably dressed, was skillfully dealing with a pretty little maidservant from the Jin Bridge Quarter. The "younger brother Sun," who was reluctantly helping to watch the stall, was somewhat boredly observing the scene, though as the conversation progressed, the expression on his originally cute face gradually soured.

"What what what? What do you mean he goes and I watch the stall! Does sending rouge require a specific person? You stinky Xiao Die, look at you, your saliva is practically drooling. I bet if my Little Dragon went with you, he'd never come back! No way, if anyone's going, it's me! I'm going to drink tea! Let's go, let's go..."

Jumping out from beside "Brother Dragon" with her hands on her hips, she delivered a torrent of words, and the pretty maidservant opposite her also put her hands on her hips: "N-No, our tea is expensive."

"Expensive, and you still want someone to go! You black-hearted hag, is your business in the brothel bad, so you're trying to rip us off!"

"It's not expensive if Brother Dragon goes."

"Ah, you're saying it with such confidence! Why is that?"

"Because Brother Dragon is well-read and exceptionally talented; our lady considers him a friend. It's expensive if *you* go."

"Ah..."

The Jin Yin Bridge Night Market was divided into two sections. The Yinyin Bridge Quarter mostly offered relatively affordable food and sundry goods, while the Jin Bridge Quarter on the other end was more upscale, with several brothels located there. Although it wasn't the most decadent place in the city, it had produced several relatively famous courtesans. After Ning Ji and Qu Longjun came here to set up their stall, Qu Longjun, who was dressed elegantly and spoke with sophistication, quickly captured the hearts of some young ladies from respectable families, and conveniently swindled away a little money. Several brothel girls in the Jin Bridge Quarter who weren't short on cash also came here to get to know him, and since then, people occasionally came to bother them.

Like the pretty little maidservant, Miss Fen Die, in front of him. Having grown up in the brothel, she seemed innocent, but she was more than capable in a war of words. After she blatantly stated her double standard, Ning Ji didn't even know how to rebuke her.

"Hmph, then I'm going to drink tea too, let's go! I'm telling you, our rouge is expensive too!"

"Our lady won't have time for you!"

"Hmph, you open your doors for business, and you actually turn away customers? You're snobbish! Don't you know that the customer is always right!"

"We wouldn't even serve you if you paid more, so that's not snobbishness, we just don't like you..."

"#@￥%%￥&*(&%@%)…"

"Nyah nyah nyah..."

The end of the Yinyin Bridge Quarter was lively and bustling, and occasional small quarrels weren't considered anything strange. Even passersby enjoyed watching the spectacle. Ning Ji's appearance wasn't bad to begin with, and he looked cute when he smiled. Even when he wore a stern face, he was quite interesting. It was just that he hated being fawned over by women and didn't react well when he was approached, so the other party wouldn't give him a pleasant look either. Ordinary young ladies from respectable families might just stomp their feet in anger, but people in the game didn't like dealing with each other nicely, so they would often make Ning Ji so angry that he'd lose his temper.

The plump auntie next door had been a little scared for a few days after learning that the two young people knew martial arts and had overpowered Chen Hua of the Gui Tai Alliance, but after realizing that Ning Ji just had a foul mouth and didn't use force against ordinary people, she would also come out from time to time to mock him.

Ning Ji was young and arrogant, and had never been afraid of anything. He would often go back and forth, and after arguing for a long time, he had gained some insights: in an argument, as long as you don't admit defeat and keep going on and on, no one can say you've lost.

He was a man who had been on the battlefield. He had been younger in Chengdu and had taken all kinds of things quite seriously. Having seen so many things along the way, having seen the corpses of the unjustly killed covering the mountains and fields in Jiangnan, now arguing and spitting in the streets of Fuzhou had become the most casual thing, and sometimes he could even feel the vitality and preciousness of life, and a little bit of enjoyment in it.

At such times, Qu Longjun would often avoid it with a smile in her eyes. She neither participated nor smoothed things over, and only after the argument had subsided would she lightly go back to peddling the goods at the stall. A seasoned pro like Xiao Die from the brothel would also become a little embarrassed because of the argument, and would often buy something and leave, to show that "I'm just unhappy with him, but I'm not targeting you, Brother Long."

After Ning Ji finished arguing with the plump auntie on the other side and came back to accuse her of "not helping either side," she would secretly tell Ning Ji how much silver she had scammed from them in this deal.

Ning Ji would be happy, and would take the money to the market to "live it up."

Since the two of them traveled south, Ning Ji had made money by robbing people along the way, and Qu Longjun had made money by "robbing" people in Fuzhou. They had already earned a considerable fortune, and although they didn't know what to do with it yet, they could feel a little sense of accomplishment when they occasionally counted it.

Apart from the slight accident caused by the appearance of Zuo Xingzhou, the night market life in Fuzhou was just noisy and ordinary. At the end of the night, the two of them packed up and went home, tallied the day's income, and summarized the tips for scamming people. The mornings were often spent exercising and doing housework; in the afternoons, they would occasionally go out for a stroll to buy goods, or stay at home on the cool bed listening to Qu Longjun reading the purchased vernacular stories. When at home, Qu Longjun often wore a simple and lightweight gray linen dress. She liked to be cool and revealed her slender feet under the skirt, and she didn't avoid Ning Ji at all.

After staying longer, one would find that Fuzhou today actually had its own special and novel ecosystem.

Because of the entry of outsiders, the originally old territory was undergoing waves of transformation and conflict at the bottom. A large number of refugees entered here, wanting to earn a living for themselves. Local forces and foreign forces quarreled from time to time. All kinds of food became more varied, and the culture and sayings were also becoming more colorful. The stories of talented scholars and beautiful ladies, and wealthy families, were no longer the only entertainment. People began to talk about down-and-out clans and began to yearn for knights more...

Just like in the brothels of the Jin Bridge Quarter, what the ladies were most interested in was no longer wealthy and powerful families, but rather the Dragon Aotian played by Qu Longjun - this kind of young man who came from out of town, had a handsome appearance and spoke with sophistication, was even more curious: people guessed that this kind of person was mostly a son of a large family from out of town, who had come to Fujian because the Southern Dynasty had fallen, but with such demeanor, he would soar sooner or later.

And with the advancement of the imperial court's reforms, there were indeed many foreign talents who had been promoted and had the opportunity to stand out. As for more people, of course, they still had to fight their way out in the marketplace.

The atmosphere at the bottom of society was anxious and fiery, but it was just like Lin'an more than ten years ago. Even though most people experienced bumps and setbacks, they would always leave behind stories and legends that seemed richer than in peaceful times.

And being in it, both Qu Longjun and Ning Ji actually had their own feelings and growth. The bits and pieces learned from Wen Shoubin back then, to the marketplace now, Qu Longjun could gradually understand some of the principles, allowing her to handle all kinds of things with ease. As for Ning Ji, he also became quiet in all kinds of quarrels.

Chen Hua of the Gui Tai Alliance occasionally brought some news from the pugilistic world, and after hearing it often, it would become ordinary.

However, just like the turning points that life often encounters, there are always some accidents that will appear at unexpected times.

Looking back, they had only had a peaceful May in Fuzhou...

On May 28th, after arguing with someone, Ning Ji went to a nearby stall to slack off. After eating a bowl of ice jelly at the Xiang family, when he came out, he found that a group of people were standing in front of his cart. They didn't look like the floating petals that "Dragon Aotian" usually attracted, but a group of pugilists like Chen Hua.

The leader was clasping his fist and greeting Qu Longjun. As for Qu Longjun, she followed what he had taught her, and after paying a little attention, she put her hands behind her back and took on the posture of an expert to deal with him.

Ning Ji passed through the crowd and quickly approached them.

During these days in Fuzhou, they had not caused any trouble. The small minion Chen Hua of the nearby Gui Tai Alliance had also been taught a lesson, so he thought that there would be no problem setting up a stall here, so Ning Ji could walk away. At this time, he didn't know what this group of people wanted from Qu Longjun. He was anxious, and his figure came in large strides like a phantom. His pace seemed slow, but it was actually very fast. Some people didn't even feel anything, and their bodies were moved to the side by him.

When he got close to the stall, he crossed in from the side, and seeing that the leader who was greeting her was still stepping closer to Qu Longjun, he reached out and grabbed the other party's throat.

At this time, there were about seven or eight different-sized, tall, short, fat, and thin green forest people in front of the cart. Led by the leader, they all had fierce looks, and it seemed that they were not easy to mess with. But Ning Ji's appearance was so fast, and he almost directly isolated Qu Longjun from this group of people. He wasn't tall, but he reached out and grabbed the throat of the leader.

Everyone's eyes flashed, and they saw the leader kneeling down like a chicken with a thump.

A lean man in front, who was also rarely wearing a thin cloak in the hot weather, reacted the fastest. He moved his hands towards his chest, wanting to draw his knife, but the next moment, he was kicked away by Ning Ji, splashing the sewage from the side of the road.

Qu Longjun straightened her chest in the back and raised her chin.

Ning Ji's gaze finally had time to look at the people in front of him. He had received professional training, and after this look, he found something wrong. He had seen a man in the crowd, and the boss who was being grabbed tightly in front of him.

But at the moment, there was no need to let go. He swept his fierce gaze over everyone.

And in the crowd, one of the men had already waved his hands: "Don't do it! Don't do it! Young Master Sun, we..."

"I recognize you," Ning Ji said coldly.

The other party's expression relaxed: "That's right, that's..."

"You, you are that what's-his-name..."

"I, I... This humble one, that... Pushing Mountain Blade, Pushing Mountain Blade Meng Biao, Young Master Sun, Brother Long, we've met in Pucheng..."

"Hmm."

Ning Ji's gaze swept over him, and then over the lean man on the ground who was being choked by him. This person was Yu Hezhang, a local tyrant who had given him travel expenses in Pucheng County.

It seemed that the flood washed the Dragon King Temple...

The other party's face was red from being choked, and he gently patted the back of Ning Ji's hand, but Ning Ji was unmoved, until Qu Longjun stretched out her hand from behind and said gently: "Don't do this, Chief Yu and the others are just here to say hello."

Only then did he let go of his hand. He opened his fingers in the air, staring at the faces of several green forest people in front of him with resentment, and grinding his teeth.

"Sorry," Ning Ji said, "We brothers have a lot of enemies. I told you the first time that you shouldn't get too close when you talk, or you'll die... Chief Yu, is that right?"

He was fierce, and a group of people were indeed afraid of him. Yu Hezhang on the ground coughed and nodded repeatedly: "That's right, that's right, brothers, don't mess around, we're all friends."

Qu Longjun said loudly in the back: "Chief Yu, I'm sorry, my brother is a bit straightforward."

Ning Ji strode through the crowd and walked to the man in the cloak who had been kicked away, and bent down: "Are you dead?" Then he reached out and pulled the other party up, patted the dirty water on his body, and then disdainfully wiped it on himself, and then pointed at the other party: "If you want revenge, you can come at any time."

The man struggled to make a smile on his face: "Young Hero's martial arts are superb, Cui has learned it. Too far behind, no need for revenge."

"Sit next to you."

Qu Longjun gestured to the rice cake stall on the side, and for a while everyone went over there and sat down.

Half a street was filled with the atmosphere of a black gang brawl. The fat auntie holding the rice paste spoon was trembling, until Qu Longjun went over and comforted her in a kind tone, and gave her some copper coins, and only then did the other party calm down a little and began to prepare food for the two "big bosses"...

Qu Longjun and Ning Ji sat down at the table, and Yu Hezhang let go of his hand that was rubbing his neck.

When the two sides met in Pucheng County earlier, this person spoke eloquently and seemed to be a local tyrant who occupied the initiative, but after the brief exchange of hands, he seemed to understand the difference between the two sides. He did not get angry but smiled on his face, and repeatedly clasped his hands.

"I knew long ago that the two young heroes were from a family with a long history and had superb martial arts, but I never thought that they would have such a realm. Yu's eyes have been opened, Yu's eyes have been opened. It is Yu's lifelong honor to know the two of you."

Ning Ji raised his hand and said: "Then you have seen mine, if you have seen my big brother's, people are already..."

Before he finished speaking, Qu Longjun had already pressed his hand.

"Okay, a little bit of fighting and killing skills, talking about it everywhere..." Her words were gentle, gentle, and elegant, and then she looked at Yu Hezhang: "By the way, I haven't had time to ask yet, how did Chief Yu get here, could it be... you saw that our brothers took the travel expenses and didn't do anything, so you came to ask us for it?"

(End of this chapter)