Meister der Mehrdeutigkeit

Kapitel 10

Xiao Xiao stumbled back two steps before finally regaining her balance, only to see Shi Le'er waving at her with a smile. Xiao Xiao forced herself to go inside, her smile stiff.

Shi Le'er stood up, tiptoed, and patted the little shoulder, "I really didn't expect you to be so capable, little lady!"

Her legs went weak. "Lord Shi... Lord Shi... that was... that was completely an accident... I would never dare to covet the Third Young Master..."

Shi Le'er smiled innocently, "Hehe, so what if I covet him?" She sat down at the table, "Actually, Brother Wenxi is a top-notch choice in terms of martial arts and character, and his looks and talent are one in a million..."

A cold sweat broke out on Xiaoxiao's forehead.

"...He'll be the next lord of Hero's Fortress, his future is limitless," Shi Le'er said, becoming increasingly excited.

“Lord Shi, my status is lowly, I dare not presume to presume to be your friend…” Xiao Xiao began.

"Ah, we're all江湖儿女 (jianghu children), we don't concern ourselves with trifles," Shi Le'er said earnestly. "As long as we're mutually attracted, what do family background and social status matter? Besides, you're now a resident of Taiping City, so naturally I'll help you!"

After Shi Le'er finished speaking, she clapped her hands lightly.

Six maids came running in response.

"Come, help Miss Zuo get dressed up properly," Shi Le'er instructed.

"Yes." The six maids immediately lifted Xiaoxiao up and retreated to the dressing table.

"Lord of the city... Xiao Xiao knows she was wrong! Please let me go..." Xiao Xiao's pitiful cry came.

Yue Huaijiang was shocked and stammered, "Le...Le'er...is this the right thing to do?"

Shi Le'er picked up the tea in front of her, took a sip, and smiled slyly. "Hmph, I'm just doing you a favor. If Wenxi falls for someone else, I'll have even more excuse to cancel the marriage. Hehehe... It's his own choice, so don't blame me~"

Yue Huaijiang and Xia Yun both felt a chill, but they also clasped their hands in a fist and said, "The city lord is wise."

Zuo Xiaoxiao heard everything clearly, and she was truly on the verge of tears. Yes, she wanted to seduce a powerful and influential young man so that she could complete her wicked deeds as soon as possible, but the current situation was completely different.

Showing off one's talent

After being thoroughly tormented for an hour, Shi Le'er finally stopped, satisfied, and began planning her next move. Poor Xiao Xiao, her head adorned with jewels, could barely turn her head. Before leaving, Shi Le'er remarked, "Clothes make the man, and gold makes the Buddha." These jewels absolutely could not be removed; she couldn't let the vain Hero's Fortress look down on her.

Xiao Xiao was on the verge of tears. How could Shi Le'er, the city lord of Taiping City, be so obsessed with wealth? And does being covered in jewels mean you're rich? What? He could be a jeweler... Besides, walking around like that is just asking to be robbed.

She sighed, reaching up to touch the pearl hairpin in her hair. Agate… how much would it be worth if she sold it? Poor her, a poor woman, wearing such precious things on her head—it's torture! Alas, if she really set her sights on these jewels, Shi Le'er certainly wouldn't let her off easily.

That's fate. She was destined to be poor...

She stood up stiffly from the chair, her long, flowing gown making it difficult for her to even take a step. She reached up to wipe the rouge from her face; the heavy makeup was making her feel suffocated.

It was dusk, and she was hungry. Although Hero's Castle was hosting a banquet for its guests, in her current state, her neck would probably break before she even reached Yuexiang Pavilion. Since she was staying at a wealthy household, she might as well enjoy herself and call a maid to bring her food.

As soon as she opened the door, she met a pair of beautiful eyes.

"Miss Zuo." The newcomer was a maid named Zhao Yan. She smiled gently, her voice soft and melodious. Coupled with her delicate and charming appearance, she was quite pleasing. However, the sharpness hidden in her eyes was truly chilling.

She nodded stiffly.

Zhao Yan smiled and asked, "Is the young lady going out?"

"No..." Xiao Xiao swallowed hard. "Excuse me, sister, I... I just wanted to ask if you could bring the food to my room..."

Zhao Yan nodded, "This servant will bring it to you right away."

"Thank you..." Xiao Xiao finished speaking and was about to close the door. Unexpectedly, Zhao Yan reached out and blocked the door.

“Miss Zuo…” Zhao Yan said with a smile.

"Is there... anything else?" Xiaoxiao asked timidly.

“Miss Zuo…” Zhao Yan frowned slightly, “You should know that Hero's Fortress is a major sect in the martial arts world, with a noble status…”

Before Xiaoxiao could finish listening, she immediately interjected, "I know, I know! I'm just a wandering singer, of lowly status and of questionable appearance. Someone like me would be struck by lightning if I dared to presume upon the Third Young Master! I would never dare to pester the Third Young Master! From today onwards, I will definitely stay away, pretend not to see you, and forget you in the martial world! Sister, you can rest assured!" Xiaoxiao spoke righteously and resolutely.

Zhao Yan smiled and said, "It's best that you understand, Miss."

"Understood, understood!" Xiao Xiao replied repeatedly.

"Are you from Taiping City, young lady?" Zhao Yan asked again.

Xiao Xiao shook her head, then thought it didn't make sense, and nodded again, "It is now."

"..."

Zhao Yan wanted to ask more, but then she saw Yue Huaijiang run over from the corridor and grab Xiao Xiao's arm. "Come with me to the front hall."

Little Xiao, unaware of what was going on, was helplessly dragged along.

Zhao Yan glanced at it, then followed.

The front hall was already packed with people. Standing inside was a burly man, longsword in hand, standing imposingly. Most astonishingly, however, were the broken pieces of weapons scattered around his feet.

Seeing Xiaoxiao walk in, the man sneered, "Hmph. All of you have broken your weapons with my sword, and you still don't believe this is a famous weapon of the Qi family? Now you've brought in a delicate woman to argue? What a joke!"

Hearing this, Xiao Xiao immediately guessed what had happened. Tsk, the Qi family's military prowess is renowned throughout the land. With such fame comes the inevitable forgeries. So, Shi Le'er was dragging her along just to have her appraised...

"Although the weapon in your hand can shatter gold and break stone, and cut iron like mud, there are many famous weapons in the world, but none can be falsely claimed to be from the Qi family. At the Hero's Fortress Fair, there can be no fakes." It was Shi Le'er who spoke, and she said leisurely, "It just so happens that I have an appraiser of Qi family weapons in Taiping City. He can tell whether they are real or fake at a glance." She turned to Xiao Xiao, "Sister, I'm leaving it to you."

Xiao Xiao sighed inwardly. She looked around. Good heavens. Those seated to her left and right were all from prominent sects in the martial arts world. And seated in the main seat were not only Hall Master Fang, but also Wei Ying, the third young master of Hero's Fortress. At this moment, was it better to see through their facade, or to remain silent? Tsk… she was caught in a dilemma…

Xiao Xiao thought for a moment, then steeled herself and walked up to the burly man, timidly reaching out her hand, "Great...Great hero, may I borrow your weapon?"

The burly man snorted and disdainfully handed over the weapon.

Xiao Xiao carefully took the sword and weighed it in her hand. She then examined it closely, noticing a small character faintly engraved on the bottom of the blade: Qi.

Xiao Xiao blinked and said, "Uh... this is not a Qi family weapon."

These words shocked everyone in the room. The burly man was even more furious, snatched the longsword from the woman, and said, "You ignorant little wench! Go back to your room and embroider!"

Shi Le'er laughed, "Sister, words alone are not enough. You say this isn't a Qi family weapon, but do you have any evidence?"

Xiao Xiao's legs had already gone weak from looking at the burly man's murderous gaze, but when Shi Le'er spoke, she could only stammer, "Uh... By the time of Emperor Huizong, the Qi family possessed a total of 1,372 famous weapons. The Qi family had always valued sabers over swords, and they only forged five swords. Among them, the longsword 'Wind's Whisper' was kept by the Yue Lan Sword Sect, the twin swords 'Winged Together' belonged to the Jiang couple, the heavy sword 'Hundred Refinements' was buried in Taihu Lake, 'Azure God' is now treasured by the royal family, and the remaining short sword 'Fountain'... has now been acquired by Taiping City..." Xiao Xiao finished in one breath, "Great hero, the one in your hand is clearly not one of the five swords, is it?"

The burly man looked puzzled. He glanced at the longsword in his hand and said, "You yourself said it was during the reign of Emperor Huizong. The descendant of the Qi family is still alive. How do you know he didn't forge the sword?!"

"Please don't be angry..." Xiao Xiao smiled apologetically. "The Qi family does indeed still have successors. And the inscription on this sword is a privilege of the sect leader... However, the current sect leader of the Qi family is named Qi Han. It is said that he has an eccentric temperament and once announced to the world that he would only forge swords... Have you not heard of this, hero?"

The burly man's face turned deathly pale instantly. He looked at the longsword in his hand and suddenly laughed, "Hahaha, there's another possibility... This one in my hand is the 'Nine Emperors' Divine Weapon'!"

The hall immediately erupted in commotion because of those words.

Xiao Xiao was also startled. These "Nine Emperors' Divine Weapons" were the pinnacle of the Qi family's weaponry, and some even said that the nine weapons contained divine power. "He who possesses the Nine Emperors' Weapons will rule the world" was a well-known saying in the martial arts world. In the past, when Emperor Huizong was on the throne, he also sent many people to search for these "Nine Emperors' Divine Weapons," but they returned empty-handed. Of course, some people said that these "Nine Emperors' Divine Weapons" were just a legend and not to be believed. However, even today, there are still people in the martial arts world who are obsessed with them.

Xiao Xiao glanced at the sword and frowned slightly. Her master had once said in a desolate tone: the Nine Emperors' Divine Weapons must never reappear in the world.

Although she didn't understand the deeper meaning, she knew that her master's words were absolutely correct.

Her small brow furrowed slightly, and she turned to walk towards Shi Le'er.

Shi Le'er looked up at her, slightly puzzled.

"Lord, may I borrow your sword?" Xiao Xiao reached out and drew the sword from Shi Le'er's arms.

Shi Le'er was startled and stood frozen in place.

Xiao Xiao spun around and drew her sword. The blade flashed, like the rising moon, its light shimmering. Without hesitation, Xiao Xiao slashed at the longsword in the burly man's hand.

The burly man had no idea that Xiao Xiao would pull such a move, and was caught off guard. With a clang, the longsword snapped in two.

The burly man gripped the broken sword in his hand, utterly astonished.

A flash of silver light appeared, and Xiao Xiao sheathed her sword, a slight smile in her eyes. But that smile vanished instantly, and her expression turned timid. She spoke, "Great hero... you saw it too. A true Nine Emperor Divine Weapon wouldn't break so easily, would it..."

The burly man finally came to his senses. He gripped the broken sword, his whole body trembling with rage.

"You—" The burly man's gaze fell on the sword in her hand, "What kind of demonic weapon is that?!"

Xiao Xiao looked completely innocent. "The 'Fei' of the Qi Family Five Swords... Great hero..." Xiao Xiao looked at the broken sword on the ground and said, "Actually, your sword can already be called a divine weapon. Why be so fixated on the name 'Qi Family'?"

The burly man's eyes widened, and he roared, "Bullshit! You broke my weapon, I'll make you pay with your life!"

Before he finished speaking, the burly man attacked, each move made with all his might, exuding murderous intent.

Xiao Xiao dodged immediately, the broken sword narrowly missing her clothes, a sight that sent chills down everyone's spine. As she dodged, Xiao Xiao screamed, "Help!!! Murder!!!"

Just as Yue Huaijiang was about to make a move, Shi Le'er reached out and stopped him.

The burly man attacked a few times, then sensed something was amiss. Her small dodges were extremely clumsy, but each time, his sword could only graze her clothes; from beginning to end, he didn't even manage to harm a single hair on her head.

Little Xiao darted around, inwardly groaning. How heartless! She had screamed so desperately, yet no one came to her aid! What kind of world is this?! This is supposed to be Hero's Fortress, but it's not safe at all!

She was trying to avoid it, but unexpectedly, her skirt was too long, making it difficult for her to walk. She stumbled and was about to fall.

Suddenly, a gust of wind came. The next moment, she was caught in someone's arms.

She raised her eyes slightly and saw Wei Ying, the third young master of Hero's Fortress.

He held Zuo Xiaoxiao in his left arm and with his right hand, he shook the long sword out of the burly man's hand.

"He dared to cause trouble with counterfeit goods in my Hero's Fortress and even lay a hand on someone. He's got some nerve," Wei Ying said. "Men, throw him out!"

Master Fang immediately stepped forward, "Third Young Master, this person has offended Hero's Fortress; he cannot be let off easily..."

“I said kick him out,” Wei Ying repeated, her tone icy.

Master Fang said no more and instructed his disciples to do as he was told.

Wei Ying released her grip, looked at Xiao Xiao, and laughed, "I didn't expect that besides singing, you also have the ability to appraise weapons."

She nodded with a dry laugh.

"Brother Wenxi!" Shi Le'er suddenly shouted, "You hugged another girl right in front of me?!"

Everyone in the hall was shocked. Xiao Xiao froze on the spot, unable to move for a long time.

Shi Le'er rushed over, separating Xiao Xiao and Wei Ying, stamping her feet with tears in her eyes, and shouted, "Do you still consider me your fiancée?! Wei Wenxi, I will never speak to you again in this lifetime!"

After shouting, she cried and rushed out the door. Yue Huaijiang and Xia Yun immediately followed.

Wei Ying snorted coldly and ignored her.

Xiao Xiao wanted to cry but had no tears, knowing that something was wrong. She raised her head slightly and saw the maid Zhao Yan. Her eyes were still sharp as knives, and the cold light was even more intense than the "Fo" in Xiao Xiao's hand.

Xiao Xiao immediately stepped back from Wei Ying's side and said in a trembling voice, "I will remember the Third Young Master's life-saving grace! I'll take my leave first!"

After she finished speaking, she rushed out of the hall as if she were flying.

Ignoring the heavy headdress and the cumbersome skirt, she ran to the guest room, only to find Shi Le'er standing at the door, smiling at her.