Chapter 73: Finally Getting a Bandit Alias
Chapter 73: Finally Getting a Bandit Alias
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After a long while of fussing, Lei Qing was again very eager to massage her shoulders to please her, saying, “Baobao, have you thought of one yet? Remember, it must be mighty, domineering, and it has to show off my handsome, elegant, and romantic appearance. Ideally, it should be the kind of name that makes enemies hear it and immediately lose their souls in fear, rolling on the floor in terror.”
“Stop talking nonsense. Do you still want to listen?” Li Baobao glared at him with her almond eyes. “A reputation is forged by your own actions. Otherwise, even if you carved ‘I am the God of Killing’ or ‘I am the God of Death’ on your forehead, others wouldn’t fear you; they would just think you’re an idiot.”
“That is very true. Please teach me, Miss Li,” Lei Qing said, looking guilty.
“Mm, your Lei Family has served in the military for generations. You must also want to be a general, right? Otherwise, you wouldn’t have gathered a bunch of bandits as your subordinates.” Li Baobao paused for a moment. “Since you want to show off your romantic charm, mightiness, and domineering air, how about calling yourself ‘Young General’?”
“Young General? Young General Lei Qing…” Lei Qing mumbled to himself for a few seconds, then suddenly looked shocked. “You… How do you know I am from the Tianlan Lei Family?”
“Do you think I’m as stupid as you are?” Li Baobao rolled her eyes impatiently. “Our Li Chamber of Commerce focuses most on business, and the most important thing in business is intelligence. Any family with some achievements, famous or not famous across the Pan-Continent, is recorded in our Chamber of Commerce. These are mandatory lessons I had to learn. Although your Lei Family is not as glorious and brilliant as in your ancestors’ time, it is still an old, traditional family power and has a deep-rooted influence in the Tianlan Empire’s military. I have seen a thick stack of documents about your family. I know you are good at using the Heavenly Thunder Fighting Secret Art, your surname is Lei, your accent has some traces of the Tianlan Imperial Capital, and you don’t look like a commoner. Moreover, you seem good at leading troops and fighting battles. Even if I were to guess with my toes, I could figure out your identity and background.”
“What do you mean by ‘seem good at leading troops and fighting battles’?” Lei Qing snorted disdainfully. “I have learned formation deployment and mastered various tactics and combat methods since I was young. How could people with a merchant background like you slander me? Didn’t your Iron-Armored Personal Guards get beaten so badly that they lost their souls and urine and feces by me leading a bunch of bandits?”
“That little bit of your military skill is only enough to bully a woman and merchant like me.” Li Baobao felt angry upon hearing this. “If you have the guts, go fight the famous commanders of the Free Alliance. Let’s see if they don’t beat you…” She couldn’t finish those words, so she changed the subject instead. “Hmph, you are a disciple from a glorious family, yet you ran to our Free Alliance to become a bandit leader. How impressive, really.”
Xiangling, watching from the side, felt that her young mistress was flirting with this man. She was terrified. Had her young mistress really fallen for this bandit leader? Oh my goodness, this was a mismatch of social status and family background! However, after hearing that the bandit leader was actually from the Lei Family of the Tianlan Empire, she breathed a sigh of relief. But in her heart, she was still praying. Oh Miss, Miss, please do not fall in love with this perverted surnamed Lei man. You must remember, you have a fiancé.
“You’re not that great either. Just now you mocked me for being uncultured. ‘Young General’ doesn’t sound nice, not majestic. How about ‘Jade-Faced Little White Dragon’? It is more heroic, domineering, and can fully reflect my handsome, elegant, and romantic side.” Lei Qing crossed his arms and sneered. “All that busywork for nothing.”
“No way. ‘Jade-Faced Little White Dragon’ is vulgar and boring. You must be called ‘Young General.’ ‘General’ shows your lofty aspirations, and ‘Young’ reveals your heroic and extraordinary nature, highlighting your youth and talent. Besides, your Lei Family has served in the military for generations and produced so many great generals. As a descendant, what is wrong with being called ‘Young General’?” Li Baobao pouted and stood her ground, seeming very persistent on this issue.
“As if I would let you make the decision for my alias?” Lei Qing sniffed in disagreement. “I want to call myself ‘Jade-Faced Little White Dragon,’ so what?”
“Fine, fine. Very persistent, very manly.” Li Baobao crossed her arms and gave a cold laugh. “You probably heard about the Li Family’s promotional abilities. Unless you kill me with one sword, as long as I, Li Baobao, have a breath in me, I will spread the name of your ‘Serpent-like Lei Qing’ across the entire Pan-Continent. No, no, how could I forget the overseas regions? The Li Family does business overseas there. Rest assured, I will make you famous throughout the four seas and awe-inspiring in the eight directions. Everyone will sing praises that the Lei Family produced a Serpent-like Lei Qing.”
“This move is too vicious!” Lei Qing felt a cold shiver down his spine at the thought of that consequence. How could he live with dignity in this world? If he went out to pick up girls and introduced himself, all those pretty young women and charming widows would laugh themselves to death. How was he supposed to live?
“Vicious?” Li Baobao lifted her chin slightly, looking somewhat smug. “I almost forgot. While promoting your name, I also have to explain the origin of the ‘Serpent’ nickname to others. If you have the ability, kill me with one sword, so I won’t exhaust myself to ruin your reputation.”
Lei Qing shivered repeatedly. If it really came to that, life would be unbearable. His face turned ruthless. “Fine, you’re powerful, you’re vicious. But I, Lei Qing, am not a pushover either. I won’t kill you; instead, I’ll imprison you here and make you my permanent fortress wife for life. You can taste the power of my ‘Jade-Faced Little White Dragon’ every day. Let’s see how you can spread the word then.”
“Fine, fine. This Miss is also going all out. Anyway, once I entered this perverted bandit’s den, I didn’t plan to leave alive.” Li Baobao’s face also turned ruthless. She raised her voice and called out in a coquettish tone: “Oh, Head Bandit Lei, why are you only at this…”
Lei Qing quickly darted forward, covering her mouth desperately. He was sweating profusely and said, “Oh Grandma, lower your voice. Don’t shout randomly or ruin my reputation.”
“Wu wu, Soft-legged Tiger, Serpent-like Snake, all look but no use.” Li Baobao was indeed going all out. Even with her mouth covered, she could still mumblingly say these words.
“Alright, alright. I yield to you. Let it be ‘Young General’.” Lei Qing looked bitter, thinking to himself how he had attracted such a person. He shook his head helplessly. “But, my ambitions are far-reaching. A title of ‘Young General’ is really not enough to show off my tough life.”
Li Baobao’s eyes lit up slightly. Having lofty ambitions was a good thing. She broke free from Lei Qing’s hand. Her tone improved a lot and became gentle as she comforted him. “You can use it as a temporary alias anyway. Many people spend their whole lives, and as their status and identity rise, they still get new nicknames. Just like the Ice Sword Saint of the Moon Cold Palace. He didn’t have the title of Sword Saint from birth.”
Ice Sword Saint.
Leng Yuewu.
Hearing this name, Lei Qing suddenly froze, and his expression became serious. That incident had passed for one or two months, but to Lei Qing, it felt as if it had happened just yesterday. It was almost like a bizarre dream.
That graceful figure, her aura as a Fairy who seemed untouched by worldly affairs, her unparalleled cold beauty and fierce passion like flames. It was like an indelible brand, deeply engraved in the depths of his soul.
Knowing there was a huge gap between the two of them and that there would absolutely be no future, Lei Qing still couldn’t help but think of her.
But then again, Leng Yuewu was truly, without a doubt, the most outstanding woman Lei Qing had been with in this life, and also the one he could not forget most.
“Hey, hey.” Li Baobao waved her slender white hand in front of his face, looking somewhat dissatisfied. “What are you daydreaming about? Why does your face look solemn and heavy one moment, and lecherous and wandering the next? Oh my, you wouldn’t be stupid enough to fall head over heels for a Goddess you’ve never even met, vowing to protect her, just like those idiots, would you? Wake up, be realistic. She is the Palace Master of the Moon Cold Palace, a Sword Saint, a supreme powerhouse of the Pan-Continent. She could poke you to death with one finger.”
“Slap!”
Lei Qing tiredly slapped her hand away, saying impatiently, “I’m not that bored. And, she couldn’t kill me with one finger. She, uh, never mind. I will become a Sword Saint sooner or later. I won’t let people look down on me.”
…