Ein Reisender, der alle Himmel und unzählige Welten durchquert

Kapitel 32

"You...we...why did you..." Qi Zang stared at Lan Qi, his face deathly pale. Was it just because of the conflict at the restaurant that day? Was that why he was playing such a vicious trick on her?

“Because…” Lan Qi covered her lips with a jade fan, smiled gently, and her green eyes sparkled with the allure of the mortal world and the beauty of the three realms. “I am a demon. If a demon does something that makes others suffer, wouldn’t that be a disgrace to the name?”

"Just because of that?" Shi Ruyun asked in a trembling voice.

"Little beauty, do you think there's something else?" Lan Qi tilted his head to look at her. "Oh, right, there's another reason. It's because I like you, so I want to break you up with your Senior Brother Qi."

"Is that so?" Shi Ruyun's face turned deathly pale instantly.

"Of course, I have always been fond of beautiful women, especially such a rare beauty as you, little beauty." Lan Qi's voice was extremely gentle. "If you don't want to follow me, my senior brother and junior sister can go home and you marry me and I can live a happy life together. That would be great too. I will definitely congratulate you and give you a gift."

The four exchanged a glance, then quickly looked away, their faces deathly pale.

"Everyone makes mistakes, so why are you being so ruthless?" Qiu Zhuqing, who had been silent all along, stared intently at Lan Qi.

The four of them grew up together, childhood sweethearts. The eldest brother and the third sister were in love, and she and the second brother were also in love. They pledged their lives to each other and vowed to grow old together. They could have lived a loving and harmonious life. But because they wanted to venture into the martial world and witness the grand gathering at Yingshan, they left their sect and encountered the calamity of their lives.

It's all because of their own infatuation.

The senior brothers were infatuated with the incomparably beautiful woman in purple from that day, while she and the senior sister admired the elegant, ethereal young man in blue. This divided affection betrayed their original feelings for each other, but such feelings were only human. The four of them tacitly kept quiet, wanting to forget what happened at the foot of Mount Meng, and to continue their loving relationship as senior and junior brothers and sisters… But he was determined to expose this betrayal and ugliness, so that they could no longer ignore it or deceive themselves!

Why did he do that? They were practically strangers...

Is Bi Yao really so cold-blooded, ruthless, and cruel? Is that why everyone in the martial arts world fears her?

Their slim chance was thus lost!

Is this the punishment for their disloyalty and greed?

"Because the most disgusting thing in the world is betrayal," Lan Qi said softly.

Qiu Zhuqing smiled bitterly, didn't look at his senior brothers and sisters again, and turned to leave without looking back.

Qi Zang, Shi Rufeng, and Shi Ruyun looked at Lan Qi with complicated expressions, a mixture of resentment, hatred, fear, and... feelings they couldn't even describe. They turned and left in different directions.

The veil of beauty that was once believed to last forever has been cruelly torn away, revealing the ugly and greedy true nature of everyone involved. How can we pretend nothing happened and go back to the way things were?

And this person, Lan Qishao, delivered the deepest and most ruthless blow to their initial, most beautiful relationship, a blow they could never forget!

"Sigh, I've done another bad thing. It's so satisfying." Lan Qi waved her jade fan and gazed at the vast sky and white clouds. "What's the point of being so easily betrayed and given up?" Nothing in this world is permanent. Often, what is most beautiful and important becomes the ugliest and most worthless in the blink of an eye. So... let's expose everything. Despair and pain are at least real, while false beauty is the most disgusting.

Upstairs, Feng Yi's eyes stared intently at Lan Qi, who was smiling suavely downstairs, his expression a mixture of pleasure and...ruthlessness.

As if sensing the gaze, Lan Qi raised her head, somewhat surprised, then smiled and waved her fan, "Truly, life is full of unexpected encounters." With a light touch of her toes, she leaped up, landing on the window railing like a swallow. With a twist of her waist, she flew through the window and landed lightly on the ground. The guests upstairs were all astonished to see someone fly in through the window, and when they saw clearly, they were instantly stunned.

"Brother." Lan Qi called softly to Feng Yi, then turned her gaze to Ming Er, her tone slightly sarcastic, "Second Young Master, when did you become so close to my brother that you even arranged to dine together?"

"How could I not admire someone as talented as Brother Fengyi?" Ming Er smiled faintly.

"Oh?" Lan Qi looked at Feng Yi with a hint of resentment and said with a sense of grievance, "Brother would rather eat with a stranger than pay attention to his younger brother."

Feng Yi looked at him with dark eyes, her gaze filled with a helpless pain, "...Yin Yin".

The call startled Lan Qi for a moment, but only for a second. He raised an eyebrow and smiled, "I haven't eaten yet. How about eating with your brother?"

“Mm.” Feng Yi nodded.

Lan Qi sat down, lifting her robes, but her green eyes turned to Ming Er. "Second Young Master, Senior Qiu was among the first to set sail. Why didn't you go with her? Wouldn't Miss Qiu be disappointed if she knew?"

Ming Er picked up the teapot and poured Lan Qi a cup of tea, then looked up and smiled elegantly, saying, "Isn't Ming Er's reason the same as Seventh Young Master's reason?"

Lan Qi chuckled upon hearing this, a bright light flashing in her emerald eyes, before letting out a long sigh. "What should I do, Second Young Master? I'm finding myself liking you more and more. There's really no one in this world who understands me as well as you do."

Upon hearing this, Ming Er looked at Lan Qi with misty eyes, "Isn't this what true friends should be like?"

"A confidant?" Lan Qi raised an eyebrow, then smiled and said, "Second Young Master, how about we have a little 'sharing of peaches and sleeves'? That would be even closer, and it would definitely make the whole world look at us with admiration. What a fun thing to do!"

"Pfft!" Feng Yi sprayed all the tea he had in his mouth onto the table.

"Is your brother alright?" Lan Qi patted him with concern.

Feng Yi waved his hand repeatedly.

"Sharing a peach and cutting a sleeve?" Ming Eryi remained nonchalant. "Seventh Young Master possesses both Yin and Yang qualities. How about Seventh Young Master becomes Seventh Miss, and I will marry him in a proper ceremony?"

"Oh dear, Second Young Master, isn't this a betrayal of Miss Qiu?" Lan Qiyu tapped the table with her fan. "I hate fickle people who can't keep their promises the most."

"Huh?" Ming Er asked in confusion, "When did I make any promise to Miss Qiu?"

"No?" Lan Qi frowned, puzzled. "Wasn't the Second Young Master and Miss Qiu composing poems and exchanging clothes on that day a sign that they were betrothed?"

Ming Er smiled and said, "Miss Qiu is exceptionally beautiful and talented, and any man would admire her. However, marriage requires the words of a matchmaker and the consent of parents. How could I dare to act rashly?"

"Oh!" Lan Qi tapped her jade fan as if suddenly realizing something. "Thinking about it carefully, the Second Young Master did not mention marriage that day. I guess he thought you two were a perfect match and considered you a couple in his heart."

Ming Er smiled faintly again and said, "Speaking of this promise, doesn't Seventh Young Master have a marriage contract? Yet he speaks and acts like this, isn't that also a betrayal?"

Lan Qi waved his jade fan and said nonchalantly and matter-of-factly, "I am called a 'demon,' and demons are those who do unjust things, commit illegal acts, break promises, and bring disaster to the country and its people. So what does it matter if I break a small engagement?"

These words startled Ming Er, who then said after a moment, "Seventh Young Master is a man of jade, why should he belittle himself like this?"

Lan Qi shook his jade fan and his head, "I enjoy being a demon, so why would I belittle myself? Besides..." His green eyes fixed on Ming Er, he laughed heartily, "Promises are meant to be broken!"

In that instant, Ming Er saw a trace of heart-wrenching, hopeless pain in that wicked smile and in the depths of those unfathomable blue eyes. His gaze shifted to Feng Yi, whose dark eyes were filled with a gloomy gloom. Ah… this was the dead end, this was the Achilles' heel! No matter how hard one tried to hide it, it couldn't be concealed!

"Seventh Young Master said he hates people who are fickle and can't keep their promises. Does that mean he hates himself too?" Ming Er sighed and looked at Lan Qi with great tenderness.

Lan Qi smiled casually, her reply being both subtle and clear: "Yes."

Yes.

These words, though spoken softly, were like an invisible, sharp knife, piercing the heart of the Phoenix Descendant, causing him to bleed profusely and suffer unbearable pain!

Ming Er glanced at Feng Yi's face, which had instantly lost its vitality, and the undisguised pain in her eyes. Then he looked at Lan Qi, who still held her jade fan with an air of nonchalance, and smiled slightly. These two were born together, and their fates were intertwined, weren't they? If one were to perish, would it mean the death of both?

He picked up the teapot and refilled Lan Qi and Feng Yi's empty cups with tea. He looked up and met Lan Qi's gaze. They smiled knowingly at each other.

"What a coincidence, you're here too."

A cheerful voice rang out, and the three turned their heads to see Yuwen Luo, Ning Lang, Ren Qi, Xie Mo, and Song Gen standing at the top of the stairs on the second floor.

So Lan Qi sighed once again, "Oh dear, what a small world!"

After exchanging greetings, none of them had eaten lunch yet, so they decided to sit together at the eight-person table. Lan Qi, Ming Er, and Feng Yi had already taken their seats on opposite sides. Xie Mo and Song Gen, assessing the situation, quickly took their seats opposite Lan Qi. Ren Qi sat on Feng Yi's side, and Yuwen Luo sat on Ming Er's side. Ning Lang was left with Lan Qi, his only consolation being that his senior brother was sitting to his right, which made him feel a little more at ease.

Lan Qi looked at Ning Lang beside her, who was being careful and trying to keep his distance, and couldn't help but feel a little itchy. She softly called out in a long voice, "Ning... Lang..."

Upon hearing the sound, Ning Lang sprang to his feet, staring wide-eyed at Lan Qi with extreme vigilance, as if he would immediately leap away at the slightest disturbance.

Lan Qi shuddered at his reaction. "Ning Lang, I've heard that Fu Man Lou's 'Golden Soup Wine' is quite good. How about we have a toast together later?"

Ning Lang's face flushed red, and he involuntarily moved to the side, his eyes pleadingly looking at his senior brother opposite him.

Xie Mo and Song Gen looked at Ning Lang, whose face was flushed, and sighed that the treasure of Qianbi Mountain had been discovered by someone else. They then looked at Lan Qi, assessed each other's strength, and lamented that they might never be able to play like they used to again. So they naturally ignored Ning Lang's pleading look.

"Is it good, Ning Lang?" Lan Qi asked softly, leaning closer to Ning Lang.

After his senior brother didn't react for a while, he turned to his sworn brother, Ning Lang, who looked at Yuwen Luo pitifully. It seemed that no matter what he said, it would ultimately become a joke in front of Lan Qi, so, elder brother, please tell him how to answer Lan Qi.

XIV. A Terrifying Dream (Part 2)

"Ning Lang, why don't you look at me?" Lan Qi stretched out her hand, using her jade fan to lift Ning Lang's cheek and turn his face towards her. "I am much more handsome than Brother Yuwen."

"You...you...I...I..." Ning Lang stammered as soon as his eyes met Lan Qi's.

“Speaking of which, Seventh Young Master and Second Young Master, you were both in the second batch to set sail.” Yuwen Luo was truly righteous.

"Hmm." Ming Er nodded and gracefully poured tea into the teacups in front of each person.

"There's still some time before we set sail. What are your plans for the future?" Yuwen Luo's fingertips twitched, as if he wanted to pull out paper and pen from his pocket.

"Nothing's wrong for now," Ming Er said with a faint smile.

"Where is Seventh Young Master?" Yuwen Luo turned his gaze to Lan Qi.

"As for me..." Lan Qi smiled meaningfully, "I'm going to Huazhou to visit an old friend."

"Oh." Yuwen Luo then looked at Ren Qi, who was quietly drinking tea to the side. "Senior Brother Ren, you were among the first to set sail, weren't you?"

"Mm." Ren Qi nodded.

Yuwen Luo looked around, unsure which side to take. His gaze shifted, landing on Ming Er, who was leisurely sipping tea beside him. An idea struck him, and he made a quick decision. "Seventh Young Master, which old friend are you visiting? Anyway, we can go to Yingzhou via Huazhou. I'm new to the martial world and want to broaden my horizons. Why don't you take me along? I promise I won't cause you any trouble. I can even help you with small things, like keeping accounts, copying books, or keeping you company..."

Lan Qi glanced at Yuwen Luo with her emerald eyes, "Alright."

Wow! He agreed so easily! Yuwen Luo was overjoyed and looked at Ming Er with a smile and great anticipation. "Second Young Master, since you don't have anything to do anyway, why don't you come with us? It'll be more lively with more people."

Upon hearing this, Ming Er turned to look at Yuwen Luo, and seeing the expectant look on his face, he hesitated.

“Brother Ming, you and Seventh Young Master get along so well, you must have a lot to talk about along the way. It’s always more fun to travel together than to travel alone. Besides, I have a lot to ask you.” Yuwen Luo said, puffing out his tongue.

Ming Er smiled and looked at Lan Qi, "Won't this cause trouble for Seventh Young Master?"

Lan Qi's green eyes flickered, and she smiled, saying, "Not at all. With the Second Young Master traveling with us, we certainly won't be lonely on this journey."

Yuwen Luo inwardly praised himself and then said, "Ning Lang, why don't you come with me?" Who knows what these two might do on the way? Considering his martial arts skills, it would be better to have a bodyguard.

"I..." Ning Lang thought that if he went with Lan Qi, he would inevitably be teased and pranked. So he looked at Ren Qi, wanting to go with his senior brother, but his determination seemed not so firm, and he was stunned for a moment.

“Of course Ning Lang will travel the same way as this unmarried man.” Lan Qi looked at Ning Lang with her bright blue eyes.

“Then Ning Lang will come along too.” Yuwen Luo made the decision, then looked at Feng Yi, “Brother Feng, what about you? Are you coming with us too?” There seemed to be many secrets between him and the Seventh Young Master. If he were to bring him along, hehe… with Yuwen Luo’s abilities, he would definitely uncover these secrets.

“I need to go with my master,” Feng Yi replied, but his eyes were on Lan Qi, who was looking at Ning Lang with a smile.

"Oh, I see." Yuwen Luo had no choice but to turn his gaze to Xie Mo and Song Gen, who had remained silent. "Where are my two senior brothers?"

Xie Mo raised his head and smiled, "I have always followed the lead of my senior brother."

Song Gen lowered his eyes and continued to sip his tea. "My martial arts skills are lacking, and I have never dared to leave my senior brother's side."

Aside from swordsmanship, these two are far superior to Ren Qi. Yuwen Luo made up his mind and said no more. In any case, Ming Er and Lan Qi were already on the same side, and this was his ultimate goal.

"Junior Brother, I'm not worried about you traveling with the Second Young Master and the Seventh Young Master. Just take good care of yourself and don't cause them any trouble," Ren Qi carefully instructed his junior brother. He actually wanted his junior brother to come with him, as he would feel more at ease under his protection. But... looking at Lan Qi, he was afraid that if he opened his mouth, who knew what terrifying things the Seventh Young Master Lan might do next. He decided against it and would wait until they found the Holy Decree before taking his junior brother to their uncle and aunt to ask what was going on with this marriage agreement.

"Yes." Ning Lang nodded. "Senior Brother, you should also be careful."

Ren Qi smiled and affectionately patted his junior brother's head. "When I come back, I'll teach you the 'Broken Flute and Cloud Song' move from the 'Azure Mountain Sword'."

"Okay." Ning Lang grinned, clearly delighted, his eyes bright and his smile pure.

Lan Qi stared, momentarily lost in thought, then lowered her eyes and smiled. In a few days, that smile wouldn't be there anymore, would it?

Just then, the food and wine were ready, and the waiter brought them over one dish after another, so the group stopped talking.