Simply Trading

"Ah. You have heard? That was something that we had come up with, when I decided to get you to represent me on the Hunts in the Southern Woods. You have already shown that you are capable of dealing with the identification and retrieval of the more common herbs and plants thereabouts, so you are the best person for that task.

"Having you tied to Elder Xuan would grant you ... more protection, compared to being my potential son-in-law. Besides, you will likely be asked a lot of questions, if we were to tie you to Qingsong here. Everyone knows that she isn"t in good health. And that I am more concerned about that ... compared to finding a husband for her."

Ming Qingsong giggled as soon as he said that, and pointed a finger at Qin Feng"s stunned expression. He had barely arrived at the Elder"s home, and she hadn"t even managed to put the dishes that she had prepared for their dinner on the dining table when he started questioning Elder Ming. Which was enough to tell her just how worried he had been about the whole situation.

Needless to say, she had been warned about what her father, and Elder Xuan, were talking about in the Gardens. And that had obviously amused her, from the looks that she was giving him!

Qin Feng, on the other hand, was frowning at the father and daughter pair, and he didn"t bother to hide his anger at them either. Wasn"t this a little too much? How could they take such steps without warning him about it?

He had received a warm welcome earlier, when he arrived at Elder Ming"s house. Which did not surprise him greatly, considering that this was the second time that he was visiting the place. But Ming Qingsong"s giggles did warn him that there was something different now. Even Elder Ming seemed a little more attentive than he was before.

That was warning enough that there was something unusual taking place. Of course, he didn"t really have a chance to question the pair about it, since he was quickly dragged into the kitchen by Ming Qingsong. Ostensibly, he was supposed to be helping with her preparations for dinner, but he had the feeling that she was merely keeping him occupied so that her father could do something else, out of his sight.

But it was only after they were done, and had seated themselves about the dining table that Elder Ming finally brought up the topic that he had been dying to ask:

"Then ... he really intends to betroth his daughter to me?"

Ming Guanhe burst out laughing the moment those words left Qin Feng"s lips. And quickly shook his head at the younger man. "That is the story that we have deliberately let out into the open. I believe that there were quite a number of female disciples from the Rear Gardens about, when we were discussing your prospects. So it is very likely that the news have already made the rounds by now," the scarred man grinned.

Qin Feng"s mind had naturally gone blank the moment that he heard those words. Hadn"t he just told Lingxi off earlier, about drawing the wrong conclusions? Just what were these two old men doing? Since when had he wanted to become a son-in-law to either of them?

It was Ming Qingsong, however, who noticed his fl.u.s.tered state, and quickly waved at her father, as though urging him to get on with his tale. "You had best tell him the rest of it, father. Look at him! Qin Feng is already about to collapse on our floor and start foaming at the mouth! You and Elder Xuan are enjoying your little schemes a little too much!"

Ming Guanhe only chuckled after receiving the chiding at his daughter"s hands, prompting Qin Feng to consider her words more carefully. Little schemes? What was she talking about? What sort of schemes were the two Elders cooking up? And what did it have to do with him?

Then, all at once, it started to sink in. "You mean, all of this is false? It"s all fake? Elder Xuan isn"t determined to make me his son-in-law? And I don"t have to ... marry Xuan Mei?"

Elder Ming nodded at his guess, although he kept the wide grin on his face. Ming Qingsong, on the other hand, frowned at him at once. "You don"t have to sound so relieved. What is wrong with Elder Sister Xuan Mei? She is pretty and clever and kind. You should be thanking Heaven and Earth if you can get someone like her to marry you."

Qin Feng, who had already recovered somewhat, merely sneered back at the girl. "Unfortunately all of this is merely some sort of ploy, arranged by her father, isn"t it? So why are you blaming me for claiming the grapes are sour when I cannot even get to taste them?

"Besides, I am the one who is going to suffer all the pointing fingers and the meaningless gossip, when the truth is finally revealed. How am I supposed to pursue anyone else, once Elder Xuan is done with his scheme, and Xuan Mei casts me off? Won"t I end up the laughing stock in the whole Heaven Sword School?"

Elder Ming scowled as soon as he heard this, and shook his head at Qin Feng at once. "That is a rather short-sighted way of looking at the matter. Think about it. So long as Elder Xuan and his daughter do not reveal the truth about the matter, won"t you still be considered the future son-in-law of one of the most influential people on the Elders" Council?

"Surely you can see the benefits of that?"

For a moment, Qin Feng felt like shouting at the scar-faced old man, and venting his frustration. Then he controlled himself, and simply clamped his mouth shut. There was really no point in trying to reason with the idiot! Didn"t he know that all this attention would only make it more difficult for him to get his hands on the herbs and medicines that he needed? How was he supposed to sneak those precious items into the School, if everyone was watching him?

But the Elder seemed to be ignoring all of that, even as he sucked up to the more powerful, more influential Elder Xuan! Qin Feng could only sniff and sneer at Ming Guanhe at that. Let us see what you are going to do, when you realize that you have severed your own path later on!

That reminded him, however, of the original reason why he had come to make a report to the scarred Elder. And he quickly dipped his hand into his sleeve, pulling out the two herbs that he had just collected.

"Well, regardless of what Elder Xuan intends, I should hand these over to you, Elder Ming. It seems my last visit to the Southern Woods has resulted in some small success, when in comes to collecting the herbs that you need."

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