291 Xuan Mei 2

Li Changhai was a little surprised to hear that question, but Xu Qinghua's bright smile seemed to assure him that she was no up to any tricks. So he smiled back, and shrugged at her. "Both of them? Either one? I am just a little annoyed that the two of them had abandoned me in favour of their women. Although I probably should have known that this would happen.

"They have crossed a great distance, and went through many difficulties, just to get here. And for what? To meet with their women again. So I probably shouldn't kick up a fuss about this. After all, it is clear how important they are to the two of them."

Xu Qinghua hid her giggle behind her sleeve. That was enough of a resemblence to Xu Yanzhi that the Second Ducal Prince was reminded that the younger girl was her Senior Disciple Sister. Which brought a smile to his lips as well.

"Perhaps you can give me the girl's name then. So that I can help you ... help them, I mean, in their search. There are a great number of disciples here. Especially in the Outer Palace. Only those who show a significant promise are allowed to enter the Inner Court.

"If she as done so, it might be difficult for her to meet with them though."

The Second Ducal Prince was surprised to hear that. "Why is that? I thought that you are allowed to move freely, once your skills have been tested and found adequate. At least, that was what I had heard from the other girls. When we were down in Chestnut Town."

"If you are referring to Senior Disciple Sister Xu Yanzhi and myself, that would be correct. But we are not Inner Court Disciples. We are the Personal Disciples of our shifu, so you might say that we are a little higher in the pecking order," Xu Qinghua answered with a self-mocking smile, "So we are given a little more leeway in our personal dealings."

"Ah."

Xu Qinghua laughed again. This time, Li Changhai guessed, at his somewhat obvious disappointment. He had rather hoped to learn more about the girls. But the way that she had answered that question just now made it rather clear that it was not something that she wished to share.

"But I believe that we were talking about your two friends' objectives for coming here. I find it rather surprising, that the two of them are similarly afflicted by the same problem. That their beloved women have both joined the Snow Swallow Palace? What were the chances of that?" she laughed.

"I only know that they are both searching high and low for the girls. Lin Liushui should have met his girl in the North, since he said that he had followed her South to my father's Duchy. Before he lost sight of her altogether.

"As for Qin Feng, I believe that he said something about her being a Senior of his, back in the Heavenly Sword Sect."

"Ah!"

"Chores?"

Xu Qinghua smiled fetchingly, as she pointed a finger at some girls who were rushing along the path with a huge bundle of clothes in their arms. "We have to be self-sufficient, so the Outer Court Disciples are all assigned specific chores to handle. The Elders call it a way to calm their spirits. But I think it is just one of those administrative details has to be handled. And who better to do this than the Outer Court Disciples?

"The younger ones cannot practice their martial skills for too long, and the chores help them to build up their strength and endurance. Just one of the usual tricks that all Sects use, I believe."

Li Changhai nodded back. "It is the same with our armies. The most junior men handle the more commonplace duties, while the more senior, more advanced recruits are allowed to train in more difficult tactics and weapon skills. This allows us to better manage their time. So that those with less endurance learn better discipline."

Then he gave out a soft laugh, as he remembered his own time in the training wing. He wasn't given a rank, since he had snuck in there himself. In the end he had been tormented for days!

"You sound like you have seen that particular phase of their training yourself. And very closely too," Xu Qinghua told him, grinning, "This was from your own experience, was it?"

"Very much so," he laughed again.

Then the woman stopped, and waved at a trio of buildings standing a short distance away. "There it is. We are here. If all goes well, we should be able to find Xuan Mei, and deal with the knot in your Brother's heart."

But she looked up with a frown on her face, when she saw one of the disciples running towards her with a look of anger on her face. Which she assured Li Changhai that it didn't have anything to do with his presence with a quick smile in his direction. However, she did stop that disciple, to ask what had happened.

"That vile old man has come again, and he brought gifts as if he is proposing a marriage. And he has insisted that Sister Xuan Mei meets with him at once. Senior Sister Xu Yanzhi has brought Xuan Mei away to the Bamboo Grove while the Elders are trying to stall him."

"Xuan Mei? She is being proposed to? By whom?"

The disciple who had just shared her news looked at the Second Ducal Prince in surprise. Which reminded him that she probably didn't know how he knew that name at all. But Xu Qinghua smiled at the girl, and waved her on her way. Before turning to him to explain.

"You might have heard the story, about how Qin Feng had been engaged to Xuan Mei when she was back in the Heavenly Sword School. Well, it was precisely to avoid the attentions of this vile scoundrel, Chang Chenzhang. He is from the Alchemists' Brotherhood, which has a very bad reputation here in the Yang Kingdom.

"It appears that he has tracked down Xuan Mei, and is trying to get her to marry him again. And it seems he is determined to have his way, and is forcing our Elders to crush him, if he continues to press his case."

* * *