***
Bai Yunsheng: “…………”
Bai Yunsheng: “………………”
The enraged Bai Yunsheng was completely dumbstruck.
In an instant, all the dangerous thoughts of revenge in his mind vanished, replaced by a deep confusion. For a moment, he truly could not understand what those words meant, and his face took on an almost vacant, idiotic expression.
Only after a long while did he suddenly shout, “You dare try to fool me?!”
Everything that had happened tonight was simply too outrageous. If word got out, he would lose all face!
But fortunately, Bai Yunsheng was extremely conceited. He had not brought anyone else with him tonight when meeting Chu Yingfeng here. Though Chu Yingfeng’s damned eyes had seen everything… his terrible popularity meant he had no one to spread it to…
As for the two people outside… Who would really take their word for it without proof?!
Yet the low, hoarse male voice outside rang out once more.
His voice was leisurely, carrying a teasing laugh.
“Surely a disciple of the Profound Heaven Sect knows that in this world there is such a thing as a Tracing Pearl, capable of replaying the movements of anyone within ten zhang of the pearl? Image and sound, all perfectly preserved.”
Of course Bai Yunsheng knew about it!
But the Tracing Pearl required Southern Pearls from the Merfolk Realm, Lunar Essence Marrow, and Styx Cinnabar as materials. Refining such a magical artifact was extraordinarily difficult, and even a fortune could not buy one! Even within the Profound Heaven Sect, this item was kept only in the Exquisite Grotto-Heaven, where magical artifacts were collected—for the obvious purpose of preventing theft.
How could a small city like Meishan possibly have such a thing?!
Bai Yunsheng said coldly, “You know quite a lot, but unfortunately, you can’t fool me!”
The person outside let out a long sigh. “As expected of a disciple of the Profound Heaven Sect. Indeed, you’re not easy to fool. In that case, you can come out and battle me for three hundred rounds.”
Bai Yunsheng: “…………”
A vein throbbed at Bai Yunsheng’s temple.
The person outside laughed. “Whether you believe me or not, tomorrow you’ll find out whether I have a Tracing Pearl.”
Bai Yunsheng remained where he was, holding his fan over himself. He stood perfectly still, practically like a statue.
Opposite him, Chu Yingfeng stood motionless as well, his arms folded around his sword. His dark eyes studied Bai Yunsheng’s current appearance, as though he found it quite interesting and wanted to look a little longer.
Bai Yunsheng: “…………”
Bai Yunsheng did not want to face Chu Yingfeng!
But even more than that, he could not turn his back on Chu Yingfeng. At least when facing him, he had a fan to cover his shame. If he turned his back on him, then wouldn’t that mean… uh…!
At last, Bai Yunsheng spoke. His voice sounded as though it had been squeezed out from between his clenched teeth.
“You… what do you want?!”
A crisp female voice rang out almost immediately. “Hand over every last bit of money on you!”
Bai Yunsheng flew into a rage. “You took even my underwear! Do you really think I have any money left to give you?!”
“Oh… I suppose that’s true…”
The female voice sounded rather disappointed.
But soon, she brightened again and declared righteously, “Then give me your fan!”
It looked like a jade-boned fan. It ought to fetch quite a bit of money, right?
Moonlight shone against the paper-covered window, revealing her silhouette. Her twin ponytails swayed back and forth. She was indeed so wicked that no one dared look at her for long.
Wenren Ying: “…………”
Wenren Ying was terrified that she would provoke Bai Yunsheng into making his eyes turn red and actually rushing out to battle them for three hundred rounds… If that happened, there would truly be no way to end things tonight.
He hurriedly clapped a hand over Wu Guanyue’s mouth to stop her from saying anything else, then patiently tried to persuade her. “Let’s not take the fan. It’s been contaminated by filthy things, Little… Little Yue.”
He had originally intended to call her Little Shopkeeper Wu, but just as the words reached his lips, he suddenly realized that doing so would reveal her identity. His mind short-circuited, and he called her Little Yue instead.
But the moment those two words left his mouth, he suddenly came back to his senses… Bai Yunsheng had already set his sights on them anyway. Besides, Little Shopkeeper Wu had just appeared before him. Whether her identity was exposed or not… what difference did it make now?
Wu Guanyue: O-O
Wu Guanyue’s eyes widened. She abruptly turned her head and looked up at Wenren Ying.
Moonlight shone against the paper-covered window, casting the silent silhouettes of the two of them as they stared at each other.
“…Ahem.”
After they had gazed at each other for quite some time, the evil conical-hat man gave an ambiguous cough and somewhat awkwardly reached up to press down on his hat.
Bai Yunsheng: “…………”
Chu Yingfeng: “…………”
Chu Yingfeng suddenly remembered that afternoon when he had played Cat Mario.
For some inexplicable reason, Bai Yunsheng felt as though he had become a toy for the two people outside…
Bai Yunsheng: “…………”
A gigantic cross-shaped bulging vein appeared on Bai Yunsheng’s forehead.
Fortunately, the two of them did not keep making eyes at each other for long. The adulterer spoke up. “Since that’s the case, we won’t disturb you two any longer.”
Bai Yunsheng: “…………?!!!”
Who was disturbing whom here?!
Were they not the ones who were impatient to find somewhere to sneak off and fool around—ah, no, that was not the point right now—
“Wait! Give me the Tracing Pearl!”
The conical-hat man slung the twin-tailed girl over his back. Then he soared into the air, riding the wind. Only his lazy voice remained in the night sky, along with an object that came spinning through the window.
“The Tracing Pearl is here. Young Master Bai, take good care of it!”
Bai Yunsheng stretched out his arm and snatched up the “Tracing Pearl.”
It was not a Tracing Pearl at all. It was clearly just a scrap of paper.
On the paper was a drawing of a turtle. The turtle’s mouth was crooked, its eyes askew, and it looked so idiotic that it seemed on the verge of drooling. One hand even clutched a turtle shell, shielding the area between its legs…
Bai Yunsheng: “…………”
Bai Yunsheng: “………………”
Veins bulged across the back of Bai Yunsheng’s hand. He clenched the scrap of paper so tightly that it was completely shredded!
Meanwhile, Chu Yingfeng had already leaped into action!
When he flew out, it was like an arrow fired from the Divine Mechanism Pavilion—he shot forward in a straight line!
Beneath the moonlight, atop the roof ridge, Chu Yingfeng’s sword flashed into motion!
Wenren Ying was rolling his wrists.
After leaping onto this stretch of roof, he had gently set Wu Guanyue down to one side, casually patted Wuyun on the head, and then begun stretching his wrists and regulating his breathing—
Then he drew his blade!
The blade-light condensed into a single line, and the sound of the wind turned razor-sharp!
In an instant, the black-clad swordsman and the conical-hat saber wielder were locked in combat atop the roof ridge.
The black-clad swordsman’s wrist gave a slight twist, and the treasured sword in his hand burst into ten thousand points of dazzling light. Amid the raging wind and driving rain of sword-light, however, the radiance suddenly shifted, with a thread of blade-light concealed within it.
Wenren Ying’s expression did not change. Amid the torrential rain of sword-light, he intercepted that single streak of saber-light!
Yet the saber-light abruptly transformed, becoming two curved hooks like crescent moons—
The weapon in Chu Yingfeng’s hand suddenly changed from a three-inch-seven-long treasured sword into a pair of double hooks!
Chu Yingfeng possessed a metal spiritual root, so the Kunwu Sword in his hand could transform at will into any of the eighteen types of weapons, allowing him to wield whatever he pleased!
The hook was an especially unusual weapon. Across the entire Nine Provinces, there were not many people who knew how to use it. Its technique lay in hooking and warding with one hook in each hand, making it exceptionally difficult to control. At this moment, Chu Yingfeng used the hook in his right hand to catch Wenren Ying’s long saber, while the hook in his left hand flashed out its edge and drove straight toward Wenren Ying’s centerline.
Wenren Ying’s foot shot up high, striking Chu Yingfeng’s crescent hook dead-on.
At the same moment, the hand gripping his saber went slack. The blade flashed through several dazzling flourishes in midair before dropping neatly back into his hand, his fingers firm and his knuckles sharply defined.
The two men crossed paths and came to a stop a short distance apart.
Chu Yingfeng stood where he was, quietly gazing at Wu Guanyue.
After a long pause, he said, “Thank you.”
Wu Guanyue: “…………”
Wu Guanyue: “…………?”
Was this how he expressed his gratitude—by picking a fight with Brother Wenren?
But when she checked Chu Yingfeng’s affection meter, it had actually gone up…
At that very moment, Chu Yingfeng’s affection had risen all the way to three hearts. That meant that, in his mind, the two of them could genuinely be considered friends now.
Chu Yingfeng flicked his twin hooks, and they transformed back into a sword, which he slid into its sheath.
He asked only, “Was it you who took down the Seven-Treasure Pine?”
Wu Guanyue nodded.
Chu Yingfeng said, “Good. I’ll handle this for you.”
Wu Guanyue: “How are you going to handle it?”
Chu Yingfeng: “…………”
Whenever he encountered a difficult question, Chu Yingfeng stopped talking.
A tangled-knot bubble, symbolizing a muddled mind, appeared above the black-clad swordsman’s head.
As expected! This guy really was a natural airhead!
He looked cool as he took the matter upon himself, but in reality, he didn’t have the slightest idea what to do!
Wu Guanyue: stare.jpg
The black-clad swordsman’s expression did not change. His handsome face remained as cold as snowdrifts… yet a string of awkward cold-sweat bubbles kept popping up above his head.
Chu Yingfeng said coldly, “You needn’t concern yourself with it.”
Wenren Ying struggled not to laugh. “All right, all right… Solutions are meant to be discussed. Why don’t we head back to the inn and think carefully about how to deal with Bai Yunsheng?”
Wu Guanyue: “Mm-hm!”
Wu Guanyue was naturally all for it. Chu Yingfeng also thought it was a good idea, but he was used to keeping to himself. When he saw Wu Guanyue walking side by side with Wenren Ying, a string of ellipsis bubbles appeared above his head.
Then he suddenly rode the wind away, leaving not even a silhouette behind.
Moonlight spilled across the street, illuminating the tall and short figures of the two people walking along it.
Hugging Wuyun, Wu Guanyue sighed. “He’s such a strange person… Why did he have to fight you, Brother Wenren?”
Wenren Ying pressed down on the brim of his bamboo hat and drawled lazily, “A person like him gets itchy all over if he doesn’t get some fresh air every day… It’s nothing to worry about. Neither of us was really taking it seriously just now.”
Wu Guanyue sank into deep thought. After a long while, she said, “Hmm… Pay attention to your grooming… Is that what you mean?”
Wenren Ying: “?”
What did she mean by “grooming”?
Before he could ask, Wu Guanyue had already moved on to her next question.
“Brother Wenren! Brother Wenren! Why do you always wear that hat?”
Wenren Ying said, “Because I like wearing it.”
“Then won’t the part of your forehead sticking out from beneath the hat be dark, while the part underneath is pale?”
Wenren Ying: “…………”
“I want to see what you look like when you take off your hat!”
Wu Guanyue’s twin ponytails swayed back and forth as she made this perfectly reasonable request.
“Meow! Meow! Meow!”
Wuyun voiced its enthusiastic agreement.
Wenren Ying: “…If I refuse, are you going to—”
…tear my clothes off like you did to Bai Yunsheng today?
He cut himself off halfway through, because he realized that if he actually said it aloud, he might only be giving Wu Guanyue ideas.
Wu Guanyue: “Hmm? Going to what?”
Wenren Ying let out a long sigh. “…Nothing.”
He reached out and caught the brim of his hat. After taking two long, deep breaths, he slowly removed it, lowering his head to gaze at her.
They were a pair of… deep, melancholy eyes.
His features were actually rather stern overall, giving him an unapproachable air… But his eyes seemed to hold the gentle starlight of this very night.
Wu Guanyue: O-O
Wu Guanyue suddenly took a step backward.
Then she abruptly turned around, facing away from Wenren Ying, and murmured as though nothing had happened, “Wu Guanyue never became emperor in her entire life because she could never forget those melancholy eyes of Wenren Ying…” (*)
Wenren Ying: “…………”
Wenren Ying: “…………?”
What did she mean by “became emperor”? What was she talking about?
(*): Quoted from Yi Zhongtian’s Lecture Room. Here we go.
