Blind to what is right before one's eyes

From a distance, they saw that the man at the front was none other than their master, the Wolf Lord He Jiuqu. Behind him followed the eldest of the Seven Wolves of Hedong, the Celestial Wolf, He Yilang.

The Lecherous Wolf was overjoyed at the sight, thinking, “With the Wolf Lord and the eldest here, there’s no way we can’t deal with these two girls now.”

Miss Nine also felt a jolt of surprise upon seeing He Jiuqu. She could guess his identity and knew that in the renowned “Register of Masters,” He Jiuqu was ranked somewhere between the twentieth and thirtieth positions. It seemed that to defeat him would require significant effort.

He Jiuqu, upon seeing Miss Nine, was equally astonished. Though he did not know her personally, he could infer her identity from her martial prowess. There were only a handful of women in the Central Plains martial world with such skill. He shouted, “Stop!” At his command, the Wolves of Hedong immediately reined in their horses and drew back.

He Jiuqu rode forward and addressed Miss Nine, “Young lady, are you perhaps the Ninth Miss of the Long family from Luoyang?”

She was taken aback by his question. “That’s right,” she replied.

He Jiuqu promptly dismounted and said, “So it is Miss Nine! I must apologize for my incompetence in failing to control my subordinates, which has led to this misunderstanding with you. I beg your forgiveness.”

His words left Miss Nine momentarily stunned. She had never heard that He Jiuqu and his Seven Wolves of Hedong had joined the Long family.

He Jiuqu hurried to explain, “Miss Nine, here is what happened. Half a month ago, Hero Long Wei agreed to let us join the Long family, making us his subordinates. My men did not recognize you as Miss Nine of the Long family, which caused this misunderstanding. Truly, it is like the floodwaters invading the Dragon King’s temple—a case of kin not recognizing kin.”

The truth was that half a month earlier, Long Wei had sent people to exert both hard and soft pressure, forcing He Jiuqu to pledge allegiance to the Long family. He Jiuqu’s strength was far from enough to oppose the mighty Long family. Once the Long family agreed to pay them twenty thousand taels of silver each year, they agreed to serve the Longs and do their bidding.

After the Seven Wolves of Hedong had pledged themselves to the Long family, they believed they had found a powerful protector and became all the more reckless. They did not know Miss Nine, nor did they realize that the Ruyi Tavern in Xianyang belonged to her, which led to various misunderstandings.

Long Wei had originally intended to notify Miss Nine and tell her that the Seven Wolves of Hedong were now part of the Long family. However, Long Wei’s wife harbored a strong dislike for Miss Nine and thought there was no need to inform her just yet. After all, Miss Nine would be returning home for the New Year soon, so a few days’ ignorance would make no difference. Thus, Miss Nine remained unaware that the Seven Wolves of Hedong had already joined the Long family.

Having understood the situation, Miss Nine sighed inwardly. She felt even more estranged from her own family—the Longs had made such a significant decision and yet had not bothered to inform her for half a month. Clearly, they did not value or trust her.

He Jiuqu, seeing Miss Nine still lost in thought, assumed she was about to blame them. He quickly said to his men, “Come here and pay your respects to Miss Long Nine. Ask her forgiveness.”

The Wolves of Hedong, upon learning that this formidable woman was the Ninth Miss of the Long family, were filled with fear and hastily bowed, saying, “We were presumptuous, Miss. Please forgive us.” In their hearts, though, they thought, No wonder this woman is so formidable—her reputation is well deserved.

He Jiuqu pleaded on the side, “Miss Nine, since they did not recognize you, please forgive them this time.”

Miss Nine gave them a cold glance and said, “He Erlang, you’ve behaved wickedly for long enough. If you weren’t always up to no good, this misunderstanding wouldn’t have happened. He Jiuqu, see to it that you discipline them well. If they do not mend their ways, don’t blame me for showing no mercy next time.”

He Jiuqu hurriedly replied, “Thank you for your mercy, Miss. I will make sure to discipline them properly.” The Wolves of Hedong echoed, “We will certainly reform ourselves from now on,” though their words belied their true intentions.

Miss Nine knew it was impossible to expect these savage wolves of Hedong to truly reform, but there was nothing more she could do. They had already apologized and made it clear they were now serving the Long family—what else could she demand?

Miss Nine tossed the “Ghost Claw” to the ground and retreated into her carriage. The coachman set the carriage in motion, and it slowly moved ahead. On the banks of the Yellow River, only the groans of the wounded henchmen of the Hedong Wolves remained.

He Jiuqu, watching Miss Nine’s carriage fade into the distance, cursed his men, “And you call yourselves veterans of the martial world! You didn’t even figure out who you were up against before trying to act tough. Do you have a death wish? Did you really think you could block one of the Three Swords of the Long family—Blazing Sun, Cold Moon, and Frozen Star? Don’t even dream of it. You all know that Miss Nine of the Long family is the Cold Moon Sword, ranked seventh in Lady Hundred Flowers’ ‘Register of Famous Flowers’ as the Soul of the Osmanthus. The women in that register are either terrifyingly skilled in martial arts or have powerful families backing them. Not one of them can be offended. Anyone who dares cross them must be tired of living.”

He Erlang, rubbing his bruised nose, whispered to the one beside him, “We didn’t know this Cold Moon Sword by sight. If we had, we wouldn’t have dared to offend her. We, the Wolves of Hedong, have been thoroughly beaten. I wonder if I can ever learn to be as skilled as you?”

At this moment, little Yun’er began to realize that mastering martial arts was far more complicated than she had once imagined, and her confidence began to waver.

Miss Nine smiled and said, “Yun’er, if you sincerely wish to learn, of course you can. Don’t you always think of yourself as clever?”

Yun’er blushed slightly, but deep inside she was happy to hear this.

After the fierce battle with the Wolves of Hedong, Miss Nine was feeling somewhat weary. Moreover, she felt she needed to give serious thought to the matter of the Wolves joining the Long family. So she closed her eyes to think.

Just then, the coachman said, “Miss, there is another woman in white blocking the road ahead.”

Miss Nine paid it little mind and said casually, “Xiaojing, go and see what’s going on.”