Chapter 714
Martial Arts? Dance
martial arts?
Upon hearing the words of the Mountain God, Chen Shishi and Yan Xiaojiu were both startled at the same time. They then exchanged a glance, their eyes revealing a strange expression.
Xu Bo'an, seeing this, was very puzzled and subconsciously asked, "What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?"
As Xu Bo'an finished speaking, Chen Shishi and her brother suddenly knelt down and bowed deeply twice. Then they said earnestly, "Grandpa Mountain God, please forgive us. It was my brother and I who misled you. The 'martial arts' competition we were talking about was actually a dance performance, not martial arts. We hope you will understand."
Xu Bo'an was taken aback, but then realized that the "martial arts" competition that Chen Shishi was participating in was actually a "dance" competition, not a martial arts competition.
Xu Bo'an suddenly realized.
This makes sense. Chen Shishi was just a woman with a frail body. When Xu Bo'an used a handheld electric fan to blow on the bonsai world, Chen Shishi, in a moment of panic, hid inside the vase to avoid being blown away by the strong wind.
If she were truly a martial arts master, this level of defensive ability would be more than enough, and she wouldn't have made such a childish move.
Xu Bo'an chuckled and said, "It's alright, it's alright. I misunderstood. Now that you mention it, I understand. I was quite surprised, thinking that you, Chen Shishi, were actually a hidden martial arts master."
Chen Shishi said with a hint of embarrassment, "Grandpa Mountain God, you flatter me. I am a weak woman with no strength to even kill a chicken. I only know some useless romantic skills. I am not up to the task and cannot do much for you."
Xu Bo'an chuckled to himself, thinking to himself, "Chen Shishi, you keep calling yourself 'little lady,' but you're really being modest."
As the saying goes, even heroes have found it hard to resist the charms of a beautiful woman.
Throughout history, countless heroes and valiant men have fallen at the feet of beautiful women, and many powerful figures have been burdened by their charms.
If King You of Zhou hadn't been bewitched by Bao Si's smile, would he have become the laughingstock of the feudal lords who played with the beacon fires?
If Lü Bu hadn't been bewitched by Diao Chan's beauty, could he have so readily called someone else "father"?
If King Fuchai of Wu had not been so infatuated with Xi Shi's beauty, he would not have been swallowed up by Goujian's three thousand Yue soldiers.
If Pigsy hadn't coveted the beauty of the Moon Goddess, would he have risked his future as a rich and handsome man to become a pig?
If Ximen Qing hadn't been so obsessed with the wife of the eldest son, would he have given up his noble life as a Brahmin in his county and been wiped out by the second son of the Wu family?
Chen Shishi, you seem to have no idea of your own "power".
Sometimes, a person's strength is not reflected in their physical strength, but in their overall capabilities!
As Xu Bo'an was sighing, the old man Zhao Laoshuan next to him suddenly couldn't help but sneeze. He subconsciously raised his head slightly and let out a sneeze.
His movement subconsciously drew the attention of Chen Shishi and her brother, as well as Xu Bo'an.
That's normal, since people will instinctively glance over when they suddenly hear a noise in a quiet place.
Zhao Laoshuan realized his lapse in decorum; in such a quiet place, his actions were truly offensive.
Zhao Laoshuan hurriedly knelt down on the ground again, and said in a trembling voice, "Grandpa Mountain God, please forgive me. I was out of line and offended you. I am guilty, I am guilty!"
Xu Bo'an suddenly said, "Raise your head!"
Chen Shishi and her brother panicked upon hearing this. The Mountain God was usually a very kind person, so why did he sound a little angry now?
This was their loyal old steward, Chen Shishi couldn't bear it, so she kowtowed and spoke up for him, saying, "Grandpa Mountain God, Steward Zhao is our family's old steward, who has been loyal to our family for many years. I am also guilty in this matter, and I hope that Grandpa Mountain God will punish me as well."
"Who said I was going to punish him? Don't overthink it. Just wait quietly for me," Xu Bo'an said urgently.
Old Zhao thought he was going to be in trouble, and he shakily raised his head to await the wrath of the Mountain God. When he heard that the Mountain God was not punishing him, he felt a little relieved and exhaled a breath of stale air.
Xu Bo'an looked at Zhao Laoshuan's features and his expression became even more solemn.
Zhao Laoshuan remained prostrate on the ground, listening to the conversation between his master and the mountain god. He dared not get up, after all, he was not the main character, but merely a servant. Therefore, Xu Bo'an did not pay much attention to his appearance.
It was only because of that sneeze that Xu Bo'an subconsciously glanced at Zhao Laoshuan.
But upon that glance, Xu Bo'an instantly sensed something was amiss.
Xu Bo'an possesses the divine skill of "Fude Divination Scripture" and also has some subconscious intuition, making him somewhat sensitive to these unusual situations.
In that brief glance, Xu Bo'an suddenly noticed that Zhao Laoshuan was filled with a heavy aura of death. Upon closer inspection, he saw that Zhao Laoshuan's forehead was extremely dark, which was definitely a sign of impending doom!
Seeing this situation, Xu Bo'an subconsciously thought about whether Zhao Laoshuan's misfortune, as a servant of Chen Shishi's family, would affect Chen Shishi and her brother Yan Xiaojiu.
Thinking of this, Xu Bo'an simply used the "Fortune and Virtue Divination Scripture" to perform it on Zhao Laoshuan and the siblings Chen Shishi and Yan Xiaojiu one by one.
After a series of divinations, Xu Bo'an finally understood the origin of this calamity.
Zhao Laoshuan was killed by villains while trying to protect the news of the siblings!
This is a loyal servant!
"Chen Shishi, let me ask you, is there a Juxiangfang in your Cangnan area?" Xu Bo'an asked.
Upon hearing the question from the Mountain God, Chen Shishi was clearly taken aback, and then nodded with a slightly trembling voice, saying, "Juxiangfang is all over the entire Dajing area, and naturally there is one here in Cangnan Road as well."
Seeing the change in Chen Shishi's tone, Xu Bo'an said meaningfully, "It seems... you already understand what I'm going to say?"
Chen Shishi nodded, looking somewhat flustered, and said, "This humble woman understands."
Seeing her older sister's unusual expression, Yan Xiaojiu anxiously said, "Sister, what does Grandpa Mountain God mean? Stop playing games with me, just tell me!"
Before Chen Shishi could speak, the voice of the Mountain God came again, saying, "Yan Xiaojiu, when your sister participated in the dance competition to win this Akhal-Teke horse, did you ever think that her outstanding performance would attract the attention of Juxiangfang?"
Yan Xiaojiu's eyes widened instantly upon hearing this. He wasn't stupid; he understood the implications of the Mountain God's words.
Chen Shishi learned most of her poetry, songs, dances, calligraphy, painting, and chess skills from Juxiangfang, and naturally, her dance moves also bear the imprint of Juxiangfang.
Her outstanding performance in the dance competition naturally attracted a lot of attention, and this matter would most likely reach Juxiangfang.
Juxiangfang had been searching for the suddenly missing courtesan Chen Shishi by all means. Now that she has appeared here, will Juxiangfang let her go?
In other words, even if Chen Shishi's dance skills were a meticulously choreographed new dance with no trace of Juxiangfang's dance techniques, how could people in the industry like Juxiangfang not pay attention to her when she won the top prize here?
In this situation, once Juxiangfang sets its sights on Chen Shishi, a simple investigation will easily reveal her identity.
In the end, the result will definitely be the same.
Thinking of this, Yan Xiaojiu felt a chill run down her spine.
Although his skills were quite remarkable compared to ordinary people, and his martial arts were considered high, even the strongest fists can't fight against many hands. Besides, the Juxiangfang business was so successful that it must have had experts in charge.
It's wishful thinking for the two of them, siblings and siblings, to fight against the enormous power of Juxiangfang!
Yan Xiaojiu was immediately filled with fear. He subconsciously glanced at his sister. They were in the shadows, and he was confident that he could fool his sister. But now that they were exposed to Juxiangfang's sight, how easy would it be to hide and survive any longer?
Yan Xiaojiu suddenly kowtowed repeatedly to the Mountain God Grandfather Xu Bo'an, begging, "Mountain God Grandfather, save me! I beg you, Mountain God Grandfather, save me! It was I who encouraged my sister to participate in the dance competition. I didn't think so much at the time. It was my oversight that caused this disaster. My sister is innocent. I hope you, Mountain God Grandfather, will save my sister's life."
Xu Bo'an was a kind person, and besides, the siblings were offering him the Ferghana horse in order to obtain it, so Xu Bo'an naturally couldn't bear to stand idly by.
Xu Bo'an wanted to protect Chen Shishi from being harmed by Juxiangfang, so he didn't have any ideas for the time being.
He could guess the strength of Juxiangfang; naturally, they wouldn't give up on Chen Shishi, the runaway courtesan, so easily.
I can't just do nothing all day long, just watch over these two siblings and be ready to protect them at any time, can I?
Wouldn't that make him their bodyguard?
And most importantly, you still have to do your own thing.
Even if he could use the Fortune Telling Scripture to predict the situation of Chen Shishi being harmed by Juxiangfang, after he resolved the first crisis, the other experiences Chen Shishi would face later would also change.
I can't possibly use the Fortune Telling Sutra to predict Chen Shishi's fortune every day. That would require a lot of free time.
To resolve this matter once and for all, we must first capture the leader. Xu Bo'an was confident that he could take down the person in charge of Juxiangfang, but he couldn't contact the boss behind Juxiangfang for the time being, and he didn't even know who the other party was!
Therefore, the strategy of "capturing the king first" cannot be achieved in a short period of time.
For now, both defense and proactive attacks are too troublesome, unless we hide Chen Shishi and her brother so that Juxiangfang's forces cannot find them, then we can be considered safe.
But where should we hide them?
The most reliable place is naturally Kaoshan Village, as it is their own territory, making it easier to observe, and the people in Kaoshan Village are relatively more reliable.
However, Juxiangfang's power is too great. Hiding Chen Shishi in Kaoshan Village might bring great disaster to Kaoshan Village as well, and could even lead to its annihilation.
Similarly, although it was indeed convenient for Xu Bo'an to observe Kaoshan Village, it was impossible for him to keep track of every minute of changes in Kaoshan Village. Therefore, hiding Chen Shishi in Kaoshan Village was still too risky.
Or what? Hide Chen Shishi with Yan Shouyi? Anyway, Yan Shouyi and his men are planning a rebellion, so they probably don't care about Juxiangfang's retaliation, right?
However, Xu Bo'an quickly dismissed the idea. After all, although he trusted Yan Shouyi's loyalty, Yan Shouyi's side had become a mixed bag with its growing number of people during this period. It would be inconvenient and unsafe for a beautiful woman like Chen Shishi to be hidden among men.
Alternatively, hide Chen Shishi and her brother together in a forest or a mountain temple in Yushan.
This method sounds plausible, but their lives would be incredibly dull and miserable—a living, breathing version of Robinson Crusoe in the mountains! Any normal person who has experienced human society would want to live a life of survival in the mountains.
Moreover, not only is there a lack of food and clothing in the mountains, but who knows if there are wild beasts or poisonous insects, so it's really not safe at all.
After much thought, Xu Bo'an had no good ideas, so it seemed he could only take it one step at a time.
Let's help them avoid the disaster that's right in front of them first.
Thinking about what he had just divined using the "Fortune and Virtue Divination Scripture," Xu Bo'an edited his words and said, "It's like this, just now I noticed that Zhao Laoshuan's forehead was dark."
Then, I calculated with my fingers and discovered that Zhao Laoshuan was doomed because he was being pressured by the people of Juxiangfang to inquire about the situation of you and your brother. Zhao Laoshuan refused to yield and was killed by the people of Juxiangfang.
Although this matter has not yet occurred, there is no doubt about Zhao Laoshuan's loyalty to you two siblings; you two must treat him well.
Upon hearing the words of the Mountain God, Yan Xiaojiu and Chen Shishi looked at Zhao Laoshuan with gratitude and said to the statue of the Mountain God, "Mountain God, from now on, my brother and I will treat Uncle Zhao as an elder and will never fail Uncle Zhao's selfless kindness."
Zhao Laoshuan hurriedly said, "Young master and young lady are right. This is what this old man should do. One should be loyal to the emperor when one eats his food. I have eaten the master's food for half my life and have been fortunate to be valued by the master. I have enjoyed a lot of happiness in the first half of my life. I must repay this kindness."
Xu Bo'an looked at the grateful expressions of the group with satisfaction and nodded slightly.
Xu Bo'an's years of teaching experience have instilled in him the belief that people must always have a grateful heart for society to develop better. Therefore, he has always paid great attention to positive things.
After all, Xu Bo'an was very satisfied with his country in the real world. If he could simply copy the management model of his country in the real world, the lives of the people under his rule would certainly not be bad. In such an open-book exam, copying would never lead to any mistakes.
real world!
Thinking of the real world he lived in, Xu Bo'an suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
Yes, how come I didn't think of that? (End of Chapter)