Recueil des beaux hommes du monde des arts martiaux

Chapitre 39

The two had already gone quite a distance in the blink of an eye, only to tossing a string of copper coins across the air, which the master hurriedly caught. He counted them as he walked inside, and was stopped again as he passed Fan Qingbo's table. "May I ask, Master, what kind of place is this Linglong Pavilion?"

The master stuffed the money into his pocket and replied with a smile, "It's from the most famous school in the martial arts world that makes traps and hidden weapons."

"What does that scholar want with the pavilion master?"

"Miss, you may not know this, but Master Ye Wuxin has a nickname: 'Master Craftsman.' It's said that the silver pen that the Silver Scholar used was made by him. That's all I know, all from the tea server at the Xiaoyao Tea House. That's all I know, heh."

"Oh, thank you, master."

Fan Qingbo wiped his mouth, put down a few copper coins, gave the noodle stall a grateful smile, and then left the stall thoughtfully.

From the day I saw her arm, to her disappearance, to the rumors of her return, and then to the Linglong Pavilion—there must be some connection. Could it be… that this bookworm was so frightened by her that he lost his mind and returned to the martial world? No, that doesn't make sense. Wait, the Linglong Pavilion, hidden weapons, the silver pen… Could it be that the bookworm was so scared by her that he ran to find outside help, preparing to improve his weapons to subdue the demon?!

While this possibility is a bit ridiculous, at least it makes sense, especially considering the scholar's amazing thought process...

Good heavens, should she start preparing to run away?

Thinking it over, and just to be on the safe side, Fan Qingbo decisively decided to go home and pack his bags.

She mustered the same energy she used to run the 1500m at the inter-school sports meet, her legs sprinting like the wind, panting and running, finally arriving back at Qingmofang. Just as she reached the entrance of Huaxiang Alley, she sensed something amiss. In broad daylight, there wasn't a soul in sight?

Uneasy, she continued walking back. Reaching the end of the alley, she saw the scholar's gate wide open in the distance, and her heart skipped a beat. Looking at her own door, she noticed something unusual—was there a lantern-hanging ritual for exorcising demons in this timeline?

"ah--"

A piercing scream erupted from inside the house. Her heart skipped a beat—it was a relapse! What was happening? Did the scholar think that those experiencing a relapse were monsters like her? No! Absolutely not! Forgetting the danger any longer, Fan Qingbo rushed inside, heading towards the source of the scream, her voice trembling as she cried out, "No, it has nothing to do with a relapse—"

Author's Note: A short parody skit is included as a bonus.

Jie Dongfeng: I'm a real man! A pure one!

Gongye Bai: ...

Xie Dongfeng: Why aren't you saying anything?

Gongye Bai: Facts often don't need to be emphasized. Look at me, I never tell people I'm a man.

Jie Dongfeng: ...

Gongye Bai: Don't worry, I won't mind even if you're a woman.

Jie Dongfeng: Get lost, you gays! Even if you're as beautiful as a flower and pitiful as a pitiful sight, you can't charm this straight man!

Gongye Bai chuckled softly: Do you really think I'm as beautiful as a flower?

Jie Dongfeng shuddered from the electric shock and silently turned his head: Dear readers, actually this person, (﹁ ﹁ )σ, is the one who is actually a woman disguised as a man...

26

26. This scholar is worth more than a thousand pieces of gold...

What's the current situation?

Despite Fan Bing's wailing and clinging to her leg, Fan Qingbo's mind went blank as she looked at the room full of her relatives. The anticipated massacre did not occur; instead, she rushed into the room to find it in complete disarray, filled with boxes and chests.

"Master, I'm so glad you're back! These people are so mean! They broke into a private residence and tried to force a woman into prostitution! Waaah..."

Forced into prostitution? Sold Fan Bing to be a male prostitute? Which brothel had the audacity to take him in?

"Little sister, you're finally back! Come and see, which of these two pieces of cloth do you like?"

"Xiao Fan, look at this one in my hand, this one is good!"

Sister-in-law Chen and Fifth Sister, each holding a piece of cloth, chattered away, the bright red color making her dizzy.

"I don't want either of them! Humph!" Fan Bing bared his teeth and yelled back at the two of them.

"Oh, you're reluctant to leave your master, aren't you? Be good, be good, men should marry when they're of age and women should marry when they're of age, you can't resist."

Seeing the people in the room laughing and Fan Bing looking furious, Fan Qingbo's expression turned strange. She pulled Fan Bing, who was kneeling on the ground clinging to her legs, to her feet and shielded him behind her, frowning as she said, "What's going on? If you want to sell Fan Bing, shouldn't you ask me first? Shouldn't I be the one to decide the price?"

Pfft, hahaha...

The neighbors inside laughed even harder. Fan Bing tugged at her sleeve, "It's not about selling me, it's about selling you."

"Shouldn't you have asked me first before selling me?" Fan Qingbo glared, hands on her hips, then realized something was wrong. "Sell me? Sell me to whom?"

"Give it to the teacher!" everyone said in unison.

Following everyone's gaze, she saw the man she had been trying to ignore since entering the room, yet couldn't—the scholar who had been missing for many days. He was still dressed in his scholar's robes, but looked somewhat travel-worn, with a blush on his handsome, refined face. When he saw her looking at him, he suddenly seemed flustered, then, as if remembering something, he abruptly reached into his robes.

Is that gesture of drawing a weapon?

She was startled and quickly pulled Fan Bing in front of her to shield her, completely forgetting that just a moment ago she was shouting, "It has nothing to do with the illness."

The scholar took out a folded document from his bosom, looked at her with eyes as clear as water, shimmering with gentle ripples, stepped forward, and presented it with both hands.

"What is this?" It doesn't look like a hidden weapon... How come this idiot has reverted to his original form? Has he forgotten what we saw that day?

The scholar glanced at her quickly, then lowered his head shyly. "A letter of engagement."

"A letter of appointment? What letter of appointment? Your private school is hiring?" Fan Qingbo peeked out from behind Fan Bing suspiciously, took the letter of appointment, and said while opening it, "As the most sought-after manager in the capital, I am very valuable. What is the salary level of your private school? Does it have insurance or retirement benefits? Vacation—good heavens, what is this!"

The document was like a hot potato to her, which she tossed out, and the scholar quickly caught it. "It's a betrothal letter." Seeing that she still looked confused, he added, "It's a betrothal letter. As for the betrothal gifts, I've already given them to Sister-in-law Chen."

Betrothal gifts... betrothal letter... gift certificate...

"Don't play dumb, you brat! The teacher is performing a grand ceremony."

Sister-in-law Chen pinched her arm, finally waking her up. This was the legendary Three Letters and Six Rites!