Der Mond scheint hell über den leeren Bergen, und Blumen füllen den Himmel

Kapitel 34

Today, Shengxiang invited her friends and went down the mountain for drinks.

He is the kind of person who lives among crowds and is the center of attention. He is particularly energetic and persuasive, and people with weak willpower often follow him involuntarily with his every word and action.

He went, and so did Wan Yuyuedan. Regardless of how more domineering Wan Yuyuedan was than Sheng Xiang in nature, he was the kind of person easily swayed by Sheng Xiang. Because he was curious, he enjoyed watching Sheng Xiang act foolishly.

Rong Yin, however, was the kind of person who was not easily swayed, so he did not go.

He wanted to keep it to read Bi Qiuhan.

Bi Qiuhan has been avoiding people these past few days, and he looks much more haggard. Anyone who didn't know better would think he was lovesick, but Rong Yin knew he had something he wanted to say but didn't dare to.

Bi Qiuhan couldn't hide his feelings. He was different from Shengxiang and Wanyu Yuedan; those two were complete smiling tigers, capable of hiding daggers with a smile, but Bi Qiuhan couldn't. No matter how much more experience he had in the martial world than Wanyu Yuedan and Shengxiang, he was the kind of chivalrous person who couldn't bear to see others suffer.

In other words, he was actually very weak; he was afraid of other people's misfortunes.

Rong Yin's character also possesses a chivalrous spirit. However, he doesn't dwell on whether an individual receives justice; he considers the bigger picture. As long as those who receive justice far outnumber those who suffer, he considers his actions righteous. This is a broad kind of chivalry, while Bi Qiuhan's is a narrow kind. Therefore, Rong Yin can understand Bi Qiuhan's feelings. Knowing injustice and being unable to save someone is like watching someone die—perhaps the observer suffers even more than the one who dies.

"Bi Qiuhan." Rong Yin's arrogance was well-known in the martial arts world, and he rarely addressed people by their names. "What did Shengxiang say to you?"

Bi Qiuhan pondered for a moment and shook his head; he did not answer.

Rong Yin didn't ask any more questions, but just stared at Bi Qiuhan with his cold eyes, which made Bi Qiuhan's already troubled mood even more irritable. After staring for a while, Rong Yin left a sentence and went back to his room with his hands behind his back. He said, "Perhaps one day I will kill you with my own hands."

Bi Qiuhan's face turned even paler upon hearing this.

But he remained silent and said nothing.

At the foot of Wudang Mountain.

The tavern where Saint Xiang and the others were drinking.

The people at the table were drinking heavily, and there were very few who weren't drunk. One of them was Wan Yuyuedan, who could drink a thousand cups without getting drunk, and the other was the obedient young master Shengxiang, who only drank soup and didn't drink alcohol. He was more well-behaved than anyone else.

As the crowd erupted in a torrent of vulgarities they wouldn't normally dare to utter, the sound of horses' hooves approached from outside the tavern.

A lithe, tall horse, with a small bell hanging from its neck, was entering, its tinkling sound clearly indicating the arrival of a female guest.

But when she entered, everyone held their breath in silence—what a gentle and beautiful woman, dressed in a white dress embroidered with red carp, her mere presence in the spring twilight was breathtaking.

"The beautiful scenery of Lonely Mountain is bright and clear, and a gentle breeze ripples across the spring water." Fu Guan actually began to compose a poem. "What a good woman, what a good woman." As he spoke, he drank a cup of wine.

Shengxiang, only glancing at the carp on the other person's clothes, quietly asked Wanyu Yuedan, "Could this girl be Xiao Bi's sweetheart, Li Lingyan's sister, Li Shuangli?"

Wan Yuyue hummed in agreement and asked, "Is this young lady's surname...?"

Before he could finish speaking, Sheng Xiang slammed his hand on the table and shouted, "Bi Qiuhan!"

The woman was startled and abruptly stepped back, looking at Sheng Xiang with a pale face. Seeing that he was exquisitely handsome, her fear subsided slightly, but she still appeared timid and delicate. "You...you..." Seeing her so panicked, she could only be Bi Qiuhan's beloved Li Shuangli.

Shengxiang shook his head regretfully. "A spoiled flower, is this Xiao Bi's sweetheart? What a pity." He greeted them with a smile, "I am Bi Qiuhan's friend, and I am drinking here."

Only then did Wan Yuyuedan have a chance to finish her sentence: "Is the young lady surnamed Li?"

"I am Li Shuangli...and you are...who?" Li Shuangli bore no resemblance to her two brothers. Li Shiyu was handsome and ambitious, Li Lingyan was clever, cunning, and unpredictable, while Li Shuangli was beautiful but weak-willed—in Shengxiang's opinion, she was just a pretty face, a pampered young lady with no other skills than to show off her looks. From this, Shengxiang came to a conclusion: Li Chenglou must be very lecherous, and these three children definitely didn't have the same mother.

Wan Yuyue spoke to the beautiful woman, her smile becoming even more gentle and delicate. "My surname is Wan Yu, and I am Qiu Han's friend. Miss Li, there's no need to be nervous. We just happened to be drinking here. Miss Li, are you here to see Qiu Han? Why don't you come with us to Wudang Mountain later? We are familiar with the route, so it will be more convenient."

Seeing that Wan Yuyuedan spoke politely and gently, and that she looked kind and harmless, Li Shuangli blushed slightly and replied softly, "I'm here to see Qiu Han... Thank you, young master."

Shengxiang tapped the table in dissatisfaction. "Hey, I'm a young master too. Why don't you thank me? I was the one who found you first..." He didn't even look at Li Shuangli, who was startled and turned pale again as he spoke.

Wan Yuyue pulled him aside, interrupting him, and said with a smile, "Miss Li, please have something to eat first, and we will put the bill on your behalf."

"Hey! Why should I treat her to a meal if she doesn't thank me?" Sheng Xiang punched Wan Yuyuedan. "You're quite good at using my money to do favors!"

Wan Yuyuedan still smiled, "The blade on my elbow will pop out and cut your wrist..." Before he could finish his sentence, Shengxiang had already pulled back her hand faster than she had thrown a punch, and glared at him unhappily, "You're ruthless! One day I will strip you naked and remove all the mechanisms on your body, and then let's see if you can still be so arrogant!"

"Ah... then let's talk about it when I take a shower," Wan Yuyue replied patiently.

"Fine! Next time you're taking a shower, I'll set fire to the outside of the bathroom! No, I'll tear down the bathroom and let everyone see!"

"Hahaha..." The bickering between the two made the half-drunk and half-awake crowd burst into laughter. Some laughed so hard that they choked and coughed desperately, while others were still chugging their drinks. Drinking free alcohol was really—awesome!

Li Shuangli timidly ordered two small dishes, secretly observing the gossiping crowd upstairs with curiosity. She had never seen such江湖人 (jianghu people) before. She had seen dashing men, charming men, and even men like Ling Yan who easily won over women, but not the man upstairs who spouted nonsense like a spoiled brat, or that strange man who appeared gentle and polite yet was constantly at odds with the young master next to him… She had followed Bi Qiuhan for over a year. Qiuhan was exceptionally serious, meticulous in his manners, and rarely smiled. She admired his chivalrous spirit, his upright character, and even his bravery and courage in the face of adversity. But… Qiuhan was a fool who didn't understand people's hearts and couldn't be considerate. Suddenly, a wave of loneliness and bewilderment washed over her. She stared blankly at the table of dishes, unable to eat, lost in thought, not even knowing what she was thinking.

“Hey, A-Wan, you’re in big trouble.” Sheng Xiang looked at Li Shuangli with amusement. “This girl seems to have a crush on you. I’m warning you, Xiao Bi is a fool, don’t bully him, his sweetheart. This girl is so young, she doesn’t understand how terrible people can be… She’s at most your age, only eighteen, right? Don’t you dare deceive a young girl’s feelings, or I’ll tell everyone you have Zhang Guo Lao’s treasure map, and you’ll be hunted down to death.”

Wan Yuyue's wrinkles at the corners of her eyes smoothed out slightly. "I've told you before, I've already liked other girls."

"You've liked someone before... That means you can like someone again," Shengxiang whispered mysteriously in Wanyu Yuedan's ear. "Don't tell me you're a Casanova who only likes one person in your life, or I'll throw up everything I ate tonight."

“Hmm…” Wan Yuyue blinked, “Go ahead and throw up.”

Shengxiang was taken aback. "What do you mean?"

"I'm a Casanova who only loves one person in my entire life," Wan Yuyuedan said fearlessly, with a sly smile.

Sheng Xiang then pulled out a folding fan from his sleeve and tapped it towards Wan Yuyuedan's head. "How dare you talk about something like this so loudly? It's shameful for a man not to be a womanizer." He stopped just before the fan struck Wan Yuyuedan's head with a soft "ding," as something on Wan Yuyuedan's body was aroused, narrowly missing Sheng Xiang's fan. Sheng Xiang smugly snapped the fan open. "This fan of mine is worth thirty taels of silver. You broke it, so you have to pay me back with an identical one. Also, this is someone else's territory. You littered and damaged the walls. If the boss comes looking for trouble later, you'll be left to wash the dishes. I won't be responsible."

Wan Yuyue smiled gently and said, "I will deny it."

Shengxiang stared at him with wide, surprised eyes. After a while, he burst into laughter, "Cough cough... What a ruthless move! Awan, you're getting more and more into my style."

The two boys were bickering and joking endlessly upstairs. Sheng Xiang clearly had the upper hand, but Wan Yu Yue Dan was equally impressive. The others continued drinking, paying little attention to what the two teenagers were rambling about. Downstairs, Li Shuangli sat quietly, listening intently to the argument. Her pretty face flushed slightly, and she smiled occasionally. She probably never even imagined that anyone would argue about such topics with her.

Just then, there was a "click" at the hotel entrance, and another guest arrived.

The person entered as if a snowstorm had swept through the May weather, the doors on both sides opening and closing with a "click". The person was about forty years old, a long robe swaying on his thin shoulders, as if the robe was simply hanging on his broad shoulders.