Squeaking like a small snail, crawling up the PK chart... finally crawled to 600 points... sweat... from now on, let's add more updates! For every additional 300 points, which is equivalent to everyone voting with 30 pink tickets, I'll add an update. What do you guys think? (*^__^*) Hehe...

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  At this time, the sunlight gradually faded, and there were more people on the road.

  The three of them stood together. One was a disheveled little girl, one was a young man in shabby clothes, and the other was a middle-aged man who looked like a wealthy gentleman. It was as strange as it could be. Not only did passersby point at them, but even passing carriages stopped to watch, becoming a scene that people would discuss over tea and after meals.

  Shen Muqing and Pang Debao watched as the red-clothed youth strode forward with big steps, soon turning a corner at the crossroads onto the road to Yao Wang Temple, where they no longer dared to shout loudly.

  Pang Debao helplessly stomped his foot and slowly accompanied Shen Muqing to the temple - there were many small stones on the road, and Shen Muqing had to carefully watch where he stepped.

  "I'm telling you, miss, our young master has helped you out a great deal!" Pang Debao said, seemingly chatting casually with Shen Muqing.

  "Really!" Shen Muqing smiled and said, "I don't even know what to call your family's young master yet!"

  "That's unnecessary!" Pang Debao laughed and said, "Leaving a name would be too common."

  Is it because leaving a name is too common, or are you afraid of something unexpected and want to be able to push everything clean?

  Shen Mu smiled faintly and chatted with him about everything under the sun.

  "Pan Guanjia's heroic and righteous behavior is truly admirable... I heard that the general manager's accent sounds like he's from Shanxi Province."

  "Haha... The young lady is indeed insightful... My ancestral home is from there. Which daughter of Mr. Shen is your family's daughter, and are there any other siblings?"

  What is he doing asking about this? However, Shen Zhen is also a high-ranking official in the Great Zhou Dynasty. If one has the heart to ask, it's not like they can't find out... There's no need to be so cautious and raise suspicions from Pang Debao. After all, the two are still on the same boat for now.

  Shen Mu Qing smiled and said: "Our family has only one daughter and one young master. The population is very simple."

  "Are both of them legitimate?"

  "The girl is born of the first wife, and the brother was raised under his stepmother's name."

  Pang De Bao nodded, a smile blooming on his face, then pulled out two silver coins from his sleeve and handed them to Shen Mu Qing: "This little miss, just a small token, for you to buy flowers to wear."

  Stillness is clarity of mind, untroubled by thoughts.

  Isn't there extra money in hand? Now it's good, and it's like changing magic, taking out a silver ingot in a short while.

  "How dare I let Mr. Pang's family be troubled with expenses." She looked very anxious and declined.

  Pang Debao stuffed the silver ingot into her hand: "Little sister, you must accept it... I still have something to ask of you..."

  Shen Mu Qing's eyes lit up, and the corners of his mouth slightly curled up.

  Indeed, those who offer their services without being asked are either cheats or thieves.

  She insisted on not accepting the silver: "Whatever the manager has, he can just order it directly. This way, isn't it humiliating me? I just don't know what the manager needs my help with."

  "It doesn't matter!" Pang Debao said in a very calm tone, "Our young master is studying at the Imperial Academy, and heard that Lin Jiu, the head of the Imperial Academy, is a protégé of Shen Dabo, the Minister of Revenue. He wants to ask your family's daughter to put in a good word for Zhang Shendabo's name tag."

  It's all about building relationships!

  "The young master and the steward are as close as brothers, and the master of the house knows this. It's not just a small name tag, even if it were a letter, it wouldn't be excessive." Shen Muqing smiled and said, "However, we didn't bring it with us when we went out... How about we wait until we return and have the steward send it to your residence? What do you think?"

  Pang Debo thought for a moment and smiled: "Elder sister's idea is perfect. However, we are still living in an inn and preparing to buy a house to settle down, but haven't decided on a specific location yet... I think, elder sister can send the name card to Xiangfa Silk Fabric Store in Wuyi Hutong, Jincheng District, we are familiar with the shopkeeper there.

  Shen Mu nodded calmly: "Don't worry, Director, I'll take care of it as soon as I get back."

  As they spoke, they arrived at the crossroads and turned left, where they saw a young man in red standing with his sword-shaped eyebrows raised and his arms crossed, waiting for them.

  "You're turtles!" he said coldly, then ordered Pond寶: "Give me the fur coat."

  Pang Debao handed the woolen package to the red-clothed youth in a daze. The red-clothed youth opened the woolen package, pulled out a book and ripped it into two with a "pop" from its spine.

  "Master, master, what's wrong with you? How can you vent your anger on books?" Pang Debao was so anxious that he didn't know what to do. "This is the one given by Fourth Master..."

  The boy in red didn't care, stretched his hand into Pong De Bao's pleated clothes: "Give me your handkerchief..."

  Pang Debao hadn't reacted yet when the red-clothed youth had already untied his towel, Pang Debao's face was completely red as he hurriedly used his hand to pull up his pants.

  The young man in red took out the white silk handkerchief from Pongde Bao's waist and tore it open with a "silk" sound, saying to Shen Muqing: "Sit down!"

  "What's wrong?" Shen Muqing was puzzled, and his tone of voice inadvertently provoked the red-clothed youth. He glared at Shen Muqing fiercely: "I've been waiting for you in the temple, I'm afraid it'll be dark before you arrive... Sit down, tie this book to your feet, use it as a cushion to walk, and hurry up to the temple."

  "Ah!" Shen Muqing opened his mouth but was speechless for a long time, unable to utter a word.

  The boy in red clothes looked at her with a "you're an idiot" gaze, and with a "slap", he threw the torn book and towel to her feet, impatiently saying: "Hurry up, do you want me to help you tie it or not?"

  She was as calm and clear as if she had just woken up from a dream, like drinking a bowl of iced lotus root soup on a sweltering summer day. She smiled and thanked him, then sat down on the green stone slab by the road and tied the book to her feet according to the red-clothed boy's instructions, making a pair of one-of-a-kind shoes.

  Walking is still inconvenient, but at least it's not like just now, as if dancing among steel nails.

  ******

  The boy in red walked at the front with a straight back, Shen Mu Qing followed closely behind him with slow and steady steps, Pang De Bao held a bundle of wool in one hand and his pants in the other as he trailed behind them. The three people entered the Medicine King Temple which had its doors wide open.

  The temple was quiet and deserted, with no one in sight. The side halls on either side of the main hall were dimly lit, as if there were many people inside.

  This scene is too bizarre.

  The boy in red also felt something was amiss.

  He pointed to a giant tree as thick as a man's hug beside the temple gate and said, "You two hide behind the tree and wait for me. I'll go take a look at what's going on!"

  Shen Muqing had seen his methods before and thought this arrangement was the most reasonable, but Pang Debao was worried: "Young Master, let me go instead..."

  "Where are you going?" The young man in red laughed, "You can just lift your pants and not hang them, this kind of thing, still has to be seen by me!" As he spoke, a few more smug expressions appeared on his face.

  Pang De's face turned even redder, and he hung his head to one side, muttering something under his breath. He led Shen Muqing to sit down on a rock at the foot of the tree.

  The boy in red took a deep breath and strolled leisurely towards the main hall.

  Perhaps due to excessive tension, Shen Muqing's gaze remained fixed on the young man's figure, and gradually, she discovered some differences.

  The young man's footsteps were extremely light and nimble, his movements clean and effortless, as if he was floating on clouds and flowing like water.

  Shen Muqing suddenly realized: this red-clothed youth who was less than twenty years old was a high-ranking martial artist!

  The young man in red arrived at the front of the main hall, looking around and saying: "My mother told me to visit ninety-nine temples, burn nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine sticks of incense, scatter nine million nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine copper coins... why can't I see even half a monk? What about my incense money?" His tone was very soft, but it made people hear him very clearly.

  It's unclear whether it was the content of the red-clothed youth's words that piqued their interest or the noise they made, but immediately two monks emerged from the hall. Upon seeing the red-clothed youth, both of them forced a smile. One of them said, "Young donor, are you here to donate incense money? You can do it right here." He then pointed to the donation box on the altar in the main hall.

  The boy in red showed a curious expression like a child and looked around, confused, saying: "Right here?"

  Two monks nodded in unison.

  The young man in red listened, took out two silver ingots from his waist bag, and said: "When I came, my mother told me to worship Huangdi and Yandi..."

  Two monks stared intently at the silver ingot in the young man's hand, their voices somewhat absent-minded as they said: "The Medicine King Temple, of course we're going to worship the Medicine King..."

  The boy in red hastily put the silver back into his bag and muttered, "You must be cheating me... There's no one ahead... Everyone must have gone to the rear hall... I'll go take a look too..."

  The two monks were shocked and hastily said: "We have a merit ceremony in the rear hall today, sir. You can just throw your incense money in the front hall!"

  The young man in red was furious: "Are you afraid I won't be able to pay?"

  The two monks hastily explained: "No, no. We are afraid that rough people will bump into you."

  Shen Muqing listened intently to the young man and the two monks' nonsense, while Pang Debao beside her suddenly said, "What are these two monks up to?" Shen Muqing thought Pang Debao was referring to the monks in the temple, her eyes still fixed on the young man's figure, but she replied, "What do you mean? Do they want money? Don't think that just because they're monks, they're really detached from worldly desires... Our family donates 50 taels of silver for incense oil to the Medicine King Temple every year. And yet, these monks still come to our door begging for alms from time to time. If it weren't for our simple household and strict rules, these monks would be even more frequent visitors."

  "I'm talking about those monks!" Pang Debao listened carefully as Shen Muqing finished speaking, then pointed to the side.

  Shen Mu Qing turned her head to take a look, and it was actually the abbot of Yao Wang Temple accompanied by two or three attendants.

  Their faces were solemn, and they hurriedly went from the side door to the main gate. The host then came out with a servant and an attendant, while the other two closed the large gate.

  The "creaking" sound startled the red-robed young man who was talking to two monks in the main hall. He looked over in surprise, and the two monks also discovered the red-robed young man. They exchanged a glance, then hastily ran towards the main hall.