That sedan chair girl wasn't her either.
Across the street, at an old lady's pancake stall, a chubby girl with her back to the street was enjoying a hearty bowl of hot and spicy soup while munching on a pancake.
...Naturally, it wasn't her either.
At the main gate of the Rong Mansion in Luoyang, next to the imposing stone lions, leaned a dusty little beggar. She wore a tattered little hat askew, her face was covered with black marks, and in front of her was a chipped incense burner, exactly the same as the one in the abandoned City God Temple in the north of the city.
This...it's her, it's her.
She was expressionless and very upright. No beggar sat like her, her back ramrod straight, exuding a kind of aloof and proud air, like a scholar.
Of course, this is just her feeling good about herself.
She abandoned Shui You'er at Chuxiu Manor on purpose. In these times, survival was difficult, and it was truly remarkable that someone as impulsive and naive as Shui You'er had survived this long. Looking back, when she thought Shui You'er had perished at Yuwen Hongying's hands, amidst her grief, she also felt a sense of relief. She no longer needed to go to great lengths to protect him, nor did she need to shield him from the world's cruelty. If Shui You'er had stayed with her, given his injuries, he probably wouldn't have lasted three days. Entrusting him to the kind young masters of the Baili family was better than him suffering with her. If she remembered correctly, Qin Qiyun was merely a severely injured, amnesiac man picked up by the young master in blue, yet he received the care and love of everyone in the Baili household and was now capable of handling things independently.
Indeed, from the moment she left Chuxiu Manor, she resolved never to see Shui You'er again. Her words to the young man in blue were merely an excuse to extricate herself.
She slept for several days beneath the shrine of the City God. She thought she had bled out of her body, but unexpectedly, she slowly awoke. So she swallowed the rotten chicken offered before the shrine and climbed onto an oxcart bound for Luoyang.
Since Heaven had decided to torment her, it naturally wouldn't let her die easily.
Amidst the bustling crowds, no one noticed her, though occasionally a few coins would slip through her fingers.
Luoyang is indeed a very prosperous place. She thought to herself.
Suddenly, a pair of boots appeared in front of her. They were made of sheepskin with gold trim and the uppers were very clean. The owner must be a show-off.
She looked up from the boots and saw a man in a green robe, with curved eyebrows and peach blossom eyes. In short, he was very handsome, and looked very familiar.
She lowered her head, refusing to continue admiring the view.
The man in the emerald green robe lifted it and sat down beside her.
"It's you again." Making conversation.
She didn't say anything.
The man in the green shirt continued, "How come I see you everywhere? Are you following me?"
She mentally spat out a "Pah!"
The man in the green robe glanced at her face and smiled: "To see a man as beautiful and handsome as me even once in a lifetime is a blessing for you."
Her fingers trembled slightly. This was already the third time they'd met this month! He was like a persistent ghost… Besides, she'd seen far more handsome men before.
The man in green patted her shoulder: "Poor child, Luoyang is no peaceful place these days. You've come at the wrong time. Come, come, tell me your story again." He took out a copper coin and put it into her small incense burner.
She glanced at the copper coin and said slowly, "The little beggar is a descendant of the Divine Martial General. His father was an official in the court, but was framed by a villain and imprisoned. His mother was a woman of unparalleled beauty, but was taken as a concubine by the villain and committed suicide. The little beggar was rescued by a hermit and mastered unparalleled martial arts. After growing up, he returned to the capital and killed the villain to avenge his parents. Unfortunately, the villain was surrounded by many experts, and the little beggar failed to avenge his parents and was instead framed, losing all his martial arts skills. Thus, he was left all alone and wandered from place to place."
The man was silent for a moment, then burst into laughter.
“Little beggar, last time you said your father was a talented scholar from Jiangnan and your mother was a famous courtesan. The time before that you said your father was a nobleman and your mother was a beautiful woman from the mountains. You’re getting more and more original… That’s what I like about you.”
She looked down and saw the man laughing as he took out a bright red handkerchief to wipe his hands—the very hand that had just patted her.
Like my ass.
The man in the green robe wiped his hands, took out a silver ingot from his pocket, and held out his palm in front of her: "Little beggar, if you beg me properly, this silver ingot is yours."
She shook her head: "A little beggar doesn't ask for help."
The green-clad man spat out with seductive eyes, "Liar! What beggar doesn't ask for help?"
She nodded: "Little beggar is wrong. Little beggar doesn't ask for help from anyone, not even from you. You're not human, you're a monster."
The man's smile vanished, replaced by a sinister snort: "I'm very busy, I can't waste any more time with you, see you later."
He turned and left, his green robe standing out conspicuously in the crowd.
She glanced at the small incense burner in front of her and sighed.
He casually stole all the fruits of my labor that morning.
Damn it.
The little beggar Shui Wu'er was confident that she could be without desires, but her stomach could not.
Therefore, it was not her fault that she fainted from hunger at the gate of the Rong family mansion, nor was it her fault that she was rescued and brought into the mansion by the kind-hearted young lady of the Rong family.
A major event has recently taken place in Luoyang. Rong Jufeng, the eldest son of the Rong family, is hosting a banquet at his residence, inviting all the handsome men from the "Records of Male Beauties in the Martial World" to choose a husband for his sister, Rong Qiurui. Famous courtesans from Luoyang will also be performing dances at the event.
It was called the "Seventeen Young Masters Banquet," but it was really just a banquet for handsome men.
Rong Jufeng was a renowned righteous young hero in the martial arts world. He came from a wealthy family and possessed superb martial arts skills. His only regret was that his younger sister was sickly and ill, and no medicine could cure her. Ever since he took over the Rong family business, he had been dedicated to finding doctors and medicines, hoping to cure his sister's illness.
"Our young lady is so kind-hearted. If she sees any injured cats or dogs on the road, she can't bear it and insists on bringing them back to the manor," a maid from the Rong family murmured to her.
"Yes, yes, yes." Shui Wu'er nodded humbly, as if pounding garlic.
“Our young lady is truly a celestial being. I think even the young master in blue from the Baili family might not be worthy of her.”
"Not good enough, of course not good enough."
Rong Qiurui was indeed a beautiful woman of refined elegance, delicate and charming, yet with a surprisingly pure heart. When Shui Wu'er first saw her, he was momentarily stunned, thinking she was a fairy from the water.
Rong Qiurui was also very popular, and many beautiful female warriors from other families, all of whom were her close friends, were also present at this grand event. Of course, it's hard to say how many of these female warriors were there specifically for "The Record of Male Beauties in the Martial World".
"Qiu Rui, why did you take in a beggar here? He's so dirty and an eyesore!"
"Exactly! We're supposed to be discussing poetry and literature. How can she possibly be in the mood if she's just standing here like this!"
Shui Wu'er nearly choked. They were discussing poetry and songs...
Rong Qiurui explained with difficulty, "He fainted from hunger on the street today, he's so pitiful."
A clean-cut and dignified young female knight-errant fanned herself vigorously under her nose with her slender hand, her face full of disgust: "Go away, get out of here. Someone as lowly as you doesn't deserve to stay under the same roof as us."
“This…” Rong Qiurui was at a loss and looked apologetically at Shui Wu’er.
Shui Wu'er felt a pang of pity for the beautiful woman. To avoid embarrassing her, she said quite consciously, "Miss, please don't be embarrassed. I'll find a corner to stay in right now, and I promise you won't have to see me or be bothered by me."
She snatched a piece of pork hock when no one was looking, found a small, inconspicuous corner in the hall, and nibbled on it.
"This pork hock is so greasy," she frowned.
Why did Rong Jufeng gather this group of handsome men? Was he really going to find a suitable husband for his sister? Shui Wu'er's eyes darted around, but she didn't think so.
Rong Qiurui is already twenty-three years old, well past the age of marriage. If Rong Jufeng really wanted to choose a son-in-law, he should have done so long ago. Why wait until today? Besides, she had noticed the way Rong Jufeng looked at Rong Qiurui, and it was definitely not just the look of an older brother looking at his younger sister.
The list of handsome men in "The Record of Male Beauties in the Martial World" has indeed been filled, but the four men at the front of the line are nowhere to be seen.
The boundless spring colors vex the green-clad figure, the lingering winter snow departs from the jade-eyed one, a cool autumn meets the bright moon, a summer night's carefree intoxication steals the heart. These stories respectively tell of Baili Qingyi of Baili Prefecture, Yin Bitong, the top assassin of the assassination organization "Traceless," Qiao Fenglang, the leader of the Qiao Gang, and the elusive thief Zhi Xiaoyao. Yin Bitong and Zhi Xiaoyao are both figures who rarely appear in public, their appearances determined only by rumors.
If Rong Jufeng could really invite any one of these four people, that would truly be a great honor for the Rong family.
Seated at the head of the table, Rong Jufeng clapped his hands, and two stunningly beautiful courtesans stepped aside. One held a zither, the other a red silk handkerchief, and they sang and danced, a truly pleasing sight. "Truly, the king changes hands every two months," he thought. "The top courtesan in Luoyang has changed so much in just two months?"
Shui Wu'er glanced around the hall and let out a soft "Hmm." The man in the emerald green robes was indeed seated there, though his attire was...quite different, yet she recognized him. This man exuded an eerie aura; it was very strange. What was his purpose in dressing like this?
The moment her thought crossed her mind, things changed in the hall!
The martial arts figures who had been laughing and joking moments before suddenly froze, collapsing onto the table. A large number of them lay sprawled across the hall, except for the Rong siblings and the Rong family guards, whose expressions remained unchanged.
Meanwhile, the courtesans in the hall continued to sing, dance, and play instruments, completely oblivious to the fact that the singing girls were still there.
Among the crowd, a few with slightly higher internal energy cultivation pointed tremblingly at Rong Jufeng:
"You...you drugged the drink?"
Rong Jufeng smiled and bowed: "Please don't be nervous, everyone. I've only hosted this banquet to borrow something from you all."
Shui Wu'er broke out in a cold sweat. If borrowing something required using poison to harm someone, then it was probably something no one would be willing to lend.
The handsome man, sweating profusely, forced a smile and said, "Young Master Rong has always acted with integrity and uprightness. Why are you resorting to such petty tricks now? You... what do you need to borrow? Just say the word, and we'll lend you whatever we can."
The second handsome man's face twisted into a ferocious grin: "You surnamed Rong! Kill me if you want, no need for further words! I'll be a hero again in twenty years!"
Hey, they didn't say they were going to kill him, why is he in such a hurry?
Rong Jufeng said calmly, "I have no intention of taking your lives. What I want is just a drop or two of your heart's blood."
He carried the knife and walked towards the handsome man first.
The handsome man broke out in a cold sweat: "Young Master Rong, please be gentle, please be gentle..."
Shui Wu'er huddled in the corner, too afraid to move. Why did she always encounter such bloody scenes? She wasn't a member of the martial arts world at all; was it really so hard to be a law-abiding beggar?
This group of martial arts practitioners are always fighting and killing each other, either vying for martial arts manuals or seizing rare treasures. Why can they always find a way to shed blood?
At that moment, a deep voice sounded in her ear: "Are you squeamish about blood?"
"Huh?" She opened her fingers from her eyes and met a pair of gray eyes, gray with a hint of green. She suddenly understood why he always wore a bright green robe; it concealed the light green in his pupils.
Chapter Three: The Swing Inside the Wall, the Path Outside (Part Two)
“It’s really hard to get used to you not being green anymore…” Shui Wu’er murmured, staring intently at him.
The other person looked herself over and laughed, saying, "Don't you think I look even more stunning like this?"
He was wrapped in a deep red gauze robe with wide sleeves, and underneath, a small black bodice with red peonies was faintly visible, as beautiful as peach blossoms.
Shui Wu'er frowned and tilted her head, saying, "It's just that her shoulders are a bit broad." She reached out and pinched her breasts, which were covered by a small tube top, without any restraint.
It feels so realistic! Her eyes widened in shock. "It's not made of pears!"
The other person glanced at her from head to toe with a charming look: "I used the finest red persimmons, so they naturally feel good."
Shui Wu'er remained silent, only feeling boundless respect rising within her.
The man dressed as a woman smoothed his temples and looked into the hall. This ruthless young hero Rong hadn't even noticed that one of the singing and dancing girls was missing, leaving only one playing the zither, who was slumped over the instrument, her beautiful face pressed against the strings like a bamboo curtain.
"What do you think Rong Jufeng wants the blood of these handsome men for?" he asked in a low voice.
Shui Wu'er was taken aback: "I'm not a martial artist, how would I know?" She thought for a moment, then said, "Perhaps he's a leech demon in disguise, born to suck human blood?"
Upon hearing this, the other person burst into laughter: "Little beggar, you are a very interesting fellow."
Shui Wu'er snorted.
The person smiled and moved gracefully towards Rongju Peak.
"Young Master Rong, I am truly curious how you intend to resolve this matter."
He regained his masculine voice, mellow and clear, which was quite incongruous with his charming appearance.