The next day at noon, Qiu Hen finished her lunch but dared not take a nap. She hurried to queue under the crooked willow tree.
When she arrived, she barely managed to be the eighth in line. If she had hesitated a bit longer, she might not have made it.
Qiu Hen stuck out her tongue. If she hadn’t made it, the young lady would probably scold her again.
Shen Mizi had a bad temper, cold and aloof, and Qiu Hen was quite afraid of her!
Qiu Hen waited for two hours before Duan Rong, who had transford into a fixture amidst the sunset, arrived beneath the crooked willow tree.
It was the first ti Qiu Hen had observed such an eccentric person so closely.
She saw Duan Rong thodically setting up the easel and then hanging the satchel from his shoulder on the tree...
Qiu Hen’s large eyes stared without blinking, twinkling with curiosity!
After arranging his things, Duan Rong took out so wedge-shaped tickets and distributed them one by one.
Qiu Hen had been standing for nearly two hours, and her calves were already sore.
However, the young lady had said she would co by 3 p.m.
Although a few little servants and maids had already taken their tickets and left, Qiu Hen still stood there, looking toward the street entrance...
Shen Mizi indeed left at exactly 3 p.m., genuinely curious about the painter’s skills. Was his reputation really as big as it seed?
As soon as Shen Mizi turned onto West Main Street from a nearby alley to the crooked willow, Qiu Hen spotted her at once.
Qiu Hen cheerfully waved and shouted, "Young lady," then dashed out of the queue and ran toward Shen Mizi...
Perhaps from standing too long, Qiu Hen’s legs had beco stiff. She didn’t notice initially, but after a few steps, she suddenly cramped.
Qiu Hen stumbled and fell to the ground!
The wedge-shaped ticket in her hand flew out, landing with a slap at the entrance of the Herbal Shop.
At that mont, a slightly plump woman with a well-shaped waist, dressed in a fresh green water-thed dress and holding a Yanling Saber, was passing the entrance of the Herbal Shop. Her hair was styled in a single topknot, with hair draped on both sides to give her face a slimr appearance.
She was just about to pass through the entrance when she noticed the wedge-shaped ticket fall from the sky and land at her feet with a slap.
The slightly plump woman was overjoyed and imdiately bent down to grab the ticket.
Qiu Hen, seeing her ticket picked up by soone else, ignored the spasmodic pain, struggled to her feet, and shouted, "That’s my ticket!"
The slightly plump woman, who had been unsuccessfully queueing for two days, would not let go once it was in her grasp. She retorted, "What do you an yours! Does it have your na on it? If you call out to it, will it answer you? How exactly is it yours?"
This was blatantly unreasonable!
Seeing that Qiu Hen was a slender young girl, she didn’t take her seriously at all!
Qiu Hen was enraged, her breath hitched, and her lips trembled. "You... rogue... that’s my ticket!"
"Who’s the rogue?" the slightly plump woman stepped forward defiantly and shouted, "Who’s the rogue? The ticket I picked, what’s it got to do with you?"
Qiu Hen, unable to suppress her anger and overwheld by the slightly plump woman’s blustering deanor, was on the verge of tears. "That’s the ticket I queued for! You... this is bullying!"
"Who can prove it’s the ticket you queued for?" the slightly plump woman aggressively questioned.
Qiu Hen rubbed her eyes and looked back.
The three people, one man and two won, waiting in line at the easel, all lowered their heads. Duan Rong had naturally noticed the commotion, but with two won arguing fiercely, he dared not intervene. His mind whirled, ready to suggest giving them an extra ticket to stop their squabble.
But before Duan Rong could speak, Shen Mizi had already arrived and stood in front of Qiu Hen. Without a word, she hissed and drew her long sword, angrily demanding, "The ticket! Hand it over!"
Duan Rong smiled wryly. This girl sure had a temper!
Seeing Shen Mizi’s arrival, Qiu Hen imdiately felt backed by a savior and pointed at the slightly plump woman, exclaiming, "Young lady, she took my ticket!"
The slightly plump woman, seeing Shen Mizi opposite her, was montarily stunned. This woman stood tall and straight like a sword, her presence sharp. The tassel of her long sword shimred like snow, its blade glead with a cold light, evidently an extraordinary weapon.
"She’s a practitioner..." The slightly plump woman’s eyelids lowered slightly, feeling so hesitation.
Seeing the slightly plump woman still unmoved, Shen Mizi coldly stated, "Either hand the ticket over yourself! Or I’ll take it and escort you to the governnt office! It’s your choice!"
The slightly plump woman, provoked by Shen Mizi’s arrogant attitude, felt a surge of anger. She looked over and found the maid behind Shen Mizi looking at her smugly.
Feeling irked, she sarcastically replied, "What did I do to deserve being taken to the governnt office? Since when did picking up a ticket beco a cri?"
"Didn’t your parents ever teach you? Taking without asking is stealing!"
"Who are you calling a thief?"
"You!"
The slightly plump woman erupted with rage, drew her Yanling Saber, and took a large step forward, slashing at Shen Mizi fiercely.
Shen Mizi sneered slightly, just hoping you would co at her.
Their blades and swords clashed, and they were instantly locked in combat.
Within two moves, the slightly plump woman was shocked. Her tiger mouth throbbed with pain, and on two or three occasions, the Yanling Saber in her hand almost flew off due to her opponent’s powerful Inner Breath!
The opponent’s Inner Breath was evidently much deeper, and her sword technique was more sophisticated and fierce!
The slightly plump woman retreated two steps in succession, while Shen Mizi shifted diagonally, thrusting her long sword from the side.
Seeing Shen Mizi’s fierce sword montum, the slightly plump woman could only raise her saber in defence. But Shen Mizi suddenly twisted her wrist, causing her long sword to swirl out a flower-like motion.
At the sound of a crisp "ding," the slightly plump woman’s Yanling Saber was swept away by Shen Mizi’s wrist-flowered sword, plunging diagonally into the street.
Seeing her strike successful, Shen Mizi pressed her hip and twisted her waist, delivering a horizontal kick that sent the slightly plump woman flying.
The slightly plump woman’s hefty body hit the ground with a thud, raising a cloud of dust near Duan Rong’s painting stall!
With anger smoldering in her heart, Shen Mizi had long planned to not only defeat this woman but also to humiliate her, standing up for her maid Qiu Hen.
Her maid could be scolded by her, but she would never let others bully her!
Almost as the woman hit the ground, Shen Mizi leapt forward with her sword at the ready.
Her initial thought was to point the sword at the slightly plump woman’s throat, forcing her to apologize to Qiu Hen.
Unexpectedly, when she landed in front of the woman, she stepped on a smooth pebble.
The pebble was originally quite large, but was coated with dust kicked up by the woman’s fall, blending almost seamlessly with the ground.
Shen Mizi intended to press her long sword at the woman’s throat, but just as she landed, her figure tilted, her sword poised to pierce the woman’s neck!
At the critical mont, Duan Rong suddenly jumped up, his left foot charged with Inner Breath pumped against the willow tree beside him, leveraging his power!
As the crooked willow swayed, Duan Rong leapt and pounced!
He embraced Shen Mizi’s shoulders with both hands, and their figures swirled chaotically together, both falling backward!
Miraculously, the sword’s tip only circled a shallow mark of blood on the slightly plump woman’s neck!
Yet the slightly plump woman’s face turned pale as a sheet, her expression struck with terror!
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