"Have you had enough of chatting, catching up, and sparring?" He raised his handsome phoenix eyes. "I tend to be in a bad mood when I'm hungry, and when I'm in a bad mood, I'm not in a good temper. Especially when someone interrupts me halfway through a meal, do you two want to be served at the table? I heard that human flesh char siu tastes pretty good. I'm tired of eating delicacies from land and sea every day, so it's nice to change things up today."
Disturbing Nangong Ling's meal is a major taboo, and I actually forgot about it! He's not joking; he might even personally take up a knife and slaughter the animal, killing it to his heart's content before skinning, removing tendons, deboning, and then cooking it up to eat... It's not like Nangong Ling can't do it!
Gemini An and I took several steps back at the same time. To be honest, I was actually afraid of dying and unwilling to die like this. Otherwise, I would have sacrificed myself when the Rong family was in trouble. Why would I need to take a slow poison? If I really wanted to die, a packet of mercury would have been enough. Why would I need to take a little bit every day?
"Um... Miss Yue is here, it's not good to see blood..." Gemini struggled in her death throes.
However, mentioning Yue Linghe is tantamount to bringing out a get-out-of-jail-free card, that much is true.
Nangong Ling raised her head and tugged at the gold brocade on her body. "Oh, if there's no blood, then let's steam a living person instead."
It seems the get-out-of-jail-free card is ineffective today; people really do have to rely on themselves.
"Neither is good."
He looked at me with a shifty gaze, and after a while, he chuckled softly.
"Then which one do you suggest?"
"How about cooking it on the spot?" I pointed to Gemini An, "You can choose whichever piece of meat you want, I'll chop it off and cook it for you right here."
As the saying goes, "It's better to die for a friend than for yourself," and besides, Gemini and I aren't exactly sworn brothers.
"Come on," he squinted. "You want to kill me by eating your cooking?"
You look down on me? I rarely cook, so I'm already being very lenient by not making you beg on your knees.
"Well, you really did come up with that idea." He glanced at the twins, who were already frozen stiff. "How can you eat something that's so hard? The flesh has gone bad."
"Do whatever you want, just don't try anything with me."
"You really don't care whether he lives or dies?"
I gave Gemini An a disgusted look. "He swindled me out of ten thousand taels of silver and hasn't paid it back yet. Who's going to pay me back now that he's dead?"
"...Oh, is that so? Fine, he'll live, but what about you?"
"Alright, I'll do anything to make up for the money for that table in Qiushui Pavilion, even if it costs me my life."
He smiled with satisfaction, turned around and said to Gemini Wei, "Let's continue eating."
Chapter 13
The delicacies before me are a feast for the eyes and the palate, but unfortunately, I can only look at them and not eat them.
I stood behind Yue Linghe and watched her for a while. She was well-behaved and clever, without the excessive shyness or reserve typical of young women. On the contrary, she was quite unrestrained at the dinner table. She seemed to know everything about the affairs of the martial arts world. Her rosy cheeks and bright eyes were neither coy nor lacking in cuteness. Overall, she was likable, as could be seen from the expressions of those people.
But she couldn't possibly be unaware of Nangong Ling's temperament and habits. She called me over halfway through the meal, saying she was worried I'd go hungry, but what was she really thinking? Was she really so confident I'd cause trouble the moment I arrived? Shuangzi An's appearance must have been an accident…
"Sister Lian, why don't you sit down and have something to eat? You haven't eaten anything all day."
Can't you just let me have some peace and quiet? I just narrowly escaped death, and now you want me to go through fire and water again?
"No, no, I wouldn't dare." I laughed, I laughed as hard as I could, "Master is master, and servant is servant."
"Hey, Brother Ziwei, listen to these words! They actually came from Miss Rong Si's mouth. Who would believe that?"
Gemini nodded in agreement.
"This is really strange. Even when the Rong family was ruined, this was not unusual."
My mouth twitched uncontrollably. No one could understand my regret; failing to nip the problem in the bud had led to this consequence. Furious, I turned to look at Qionghua's table, just in time to see her pop a shrimp into her mouth. A sudden wave of hunger washed over me. Sigh, when will this ever end…?
"Look, even when she's angry, she's quite unique. How many others can get a bit like her? How come someone with such a temper has such a beautiful face? So even if you don't kill her, it's good to keep her at home as a decoration."
You just wait, Jun Guan! One day I'll turn the tables... Pshaw! I'll make you pay!
"Isn't the second son of the Feng family still waiting to marry her?" Shuangziwei raised his eyelids and glanced at me.
"That stubborn calf has quite the temper, still not giving up?" Jun Guan held his jade porcelain bowl and tea spoon, slowly sipping the medicine.
"The second young master of the Feng family is known for his stubborn temper. Just two months ago, he even came to the Nangong family to demand someone back," Yue Linghe said softly.
"Hmph, Miss Rong's romantic escapades are no less than the number of people she has offended."
"Yes, yes, and there's also He Xiuqi, the Medicine King of Yanxing Mountain." Shuang Zi'an felt it wasn't chaotic enough, and with a mouthful of meat, he didn't forget to add fuel to the fire.
"The Medicine King?" Yue Linghe asked. "Isn't that an old man who's over a hundred years old? And aren't people in the martial arts world calling him the Medicine Monster, one of the Eight Eccentrics of the Martial Arts World?"
“Miss Yue has also been misled by rumors. How can He Xiuqi be considered an old man? He’s just taking advantage of people to get them to address him respectfully.” Shuang Zi’an picked up another large, fatty piece of Dongpo pork. “He Xiuqi is called the Medicine Monster for two reasons. First, because of his eccentric temper. When people ask him to come down the mountain to save someone, he has to decide whether he likes the person or not. If he doesn’t like the person, he’ll just add another dose of poison and send them to the King of Hell. Second, because he either doesn’t come down the mountain at all, or he always disguises himself and never shows his true face.”
"But the name of the Medicine King has been widely known in the martial arts world for a long time, at least seventy or eighty years, if not a hundred years. It's just a matter of disguise..."
"His master became famous first, and that kid reaped the benefits later. But this kid is indeed quite skilled with medicine. If you think he's a decrepit old man, you've fallen for his trick. He's probably only twenty-three years old by now. Rong Lian went up Yanxing Mountain back then just to see his face. She stayed for a month or so, and I don't know what happened, but afterwards, whenever Rong Lian looked for him, he not only opened the mountain to let her pass, but also personally came down the mountain without hesitation if Rong Lian wanted to save someone. So, this romantic affair..."
"You're crazy! He Xiuqi has a wife too!"
"Hey, you finally couldn't hold it in anymore?" Gemini's smile was particularly irritating. "You think I don't know about his wife? I was just wondering how someone with such a strange temper could listen to you, so I went up the mountain to check. I was really shocked when I saw her. That wife is a drug addict!"
"You mean Miss Wan from Jingyan Sect?" Shuangziwei asked, frowning.
"Well, that incident caused quite a stir. Didn't Master Wan kneel at the foot of the mountain for three days and three nights to save his son? Later, He Xiuqi said he wanted to exchange his life for another, so Master Wan sent his daughter away. As a result, this lovely young lady became He Xiuqi's test subject. As for calling her his wife, that was something Master Wan said. Anyway, He Xiuqi neither said yes nor no. He had to get some face back for the Jingyan Sect."
"How do you know all this so clearly?" Jun Guan leaned forward slightly, also very curious.
"Because he is Bai Xiaosheng's disciple, he can also tell you how many concubines the martial arts alliance leader has, how many courtesan lovers he has, and which one is his favorite..."
I watched Gemini's face gradually turn pale, and the more I talked, the more I wanted to laugh.
"Brother, so this is what you meant by going out to cultivate?"
Gemini An's expression changed; he was choked.
"Bai Xiaosheng, isn't he dead?"
"How could that be? I saw him survive He Xiuqi's clutches with my own eyes."
I went along with the answer, smiling, but suddenly felt that something was wrong, though I couldn't quite put my finger on it.
"Rong Lian, the only person I want to kill is you who dares to save me."
I know what's wrong. That weird voice hasn't come out yet, so I forgot about it!
“Feng Moru, He Xiuqi, Bai Xiaosheng… we have a lot of accounts to settle.”
Chapter 14
Actually, I could have easily ignored Bai Xiaosheng's life or death, but the man, barely clinging to life and on the verge of death, kept muttering Nangong Ling's name before his final struggle, which piqued my interest. When I asked him what happened to Nangong Ling, he just glared at me with a trembling mouth. I got angry and started slapping him, but he passed out after only a few blows. So, with utter helplessness, I packed him up and sent him to Yanxing Mountain, forcing He Xiuqi to rescue him, wasting over two months of my time waiting for Bai Xiaosheng to wake up.
I couldn't wait for him to recover any longer, so I grabbed the man who had just woken up and asked him what was wrong with Nangong Ling. Who knew that this all-knowing scholar was really useless; he fainted again after I pulled him like that. He Xiuqi even said that I didn't know my own strength. It was already good enough that someone who had been seriously injured by Nangong Ling could be saved. If I continued to mess with him like this, someone who wasn't dead to begin with would be killed. I had no choice but to obediently wait for him to recover, but another month and a half passed.
In short, it took me four months to find out what Bai Xiaosheng was muttering on his deathbed. It turns out that the idiot, who called himself the "Know-It-All of Jianghu," didn't know anything about the strange tales of Nangong Ling, the young master of the Nangong family. He had been investigating openly and secretly for many years but couldn't dig anything out. With the bet with his apprentice fast approaching, he was afraid of being laughed at by his apprentice if he couldn't find anything. So he took a risk and broke into the Nangong family compound at night, a place he wouldn't dare to enter even if he had seventeen or eighteen lives. Who knew he would end up in Yue Linghe's courtyard? Nangong Ling happened to be there too. Before he could even mourn his terrible luck, Nangong Ling struck him with a palm strike from a distance. Fortunately, he was good at footwork and escaped quickly enough to run to the vicinity of Yanwu Fort with what was probably half his life left. That's when I encountered him and he miraculously survived.
When I heard that, I almost wanted to finish him off with a sword so he'd really go to the underworld. I thought that villain Nangong Ling had finally died from choking on his food, choking on his water, or going mad from practicing his martial arts. Turns out he's perfectly fine, making me waste four whole months on Yanxing Mountain! Luckily, Bai Xiaosheng is lucky, because He Xiuqi absolutely forbade me from killing anyone on his land, otherwise he'd keep me from leaving the mountain. He should be grateful he didn't go crazy after four months on his barren Yanxing Mountain, but I couldn't defend myself against his incredibly skilled use of herbs and medicines, and there was also his Bagua formation on the mountain, so Bai Xiaosheng should really thank me for saving him twice. However, I did learn quite a few interesting things from him, like the fact that Shuangzi An was his unofficial disciple.
"I don't want to mention or pursue the matter of Feng Moru. But what about those four months on Yanxing Mountain? Didn't you go to Yanwu Fortress?"
"I changed my plans because I met Bai Xiaosheng on the way. Why didn't your scouts report this to you?" Come to think of it, it makes no sense that he only found out now that I saved Bai Xiaosheng.
"No." Nangong Ling narrowed her eyes; the more beautiful her smile, the more terrifying it was.
I took a breath. His spies were actually problematic! This is interesting.
"You choose."
"What?"
"How do I accept the punishment?"
"You're kidding me, something that happened so long ago..." His expression changed slightly, and I almost bit my tongue. "Fine, fine, whatever you say."
His phoenix eyes flickered slightly, and he pursed his lips gently. "Good girl, go and eat the food on the table."
I looked at him in surprise. He nodded, his attitude very gentle, but it made me break out in a cold sweat.
"Haven't you eaten all day? Hurry up and eat something, otherwise how will you have the strength to be punished?"
You knew Nangong Ling wasn't that kind-hearted. He always gives you a piece of candy first and then whips you. He feels justified in doing so, and no matter how wronged you feel, you have no reason to protest.
When you're in a bad mood, eating tastes like chewing wax. The craving you felt while watching them eat vanishes completely, and with a pair of chilling eyes staring at you, how can you possibly eat?
"Alright, I'm full. If you're going to punish me, then do it quickly."
He leaned back on the soft couch, his golden brocade robe making him appear elegant and noble. When he smiled, there was always a touch of nonchalant languor, a beauty that was intoxicating. His phoenix eyes sparkled with a captivating light, their shape flowing like water, brimming with alluring charm, enough to steal one's soul in an instant.
"What, these dishes don't suit your taste, Miss Rong?" He glanced at the dishes on the table that had only been partially touched.
"No, I'm full, really full." I nodded to show that I was telling the truth, but actually I just felt that if I ate any more, I might lose most of my soul. But I would never say that out loud.
He got off the bed and walked over. After stopping in front of me, he bent down and pulled a gold-threaded handkerchief from his robe with his slender hand...
Without a doubt, Nangong Ling is wiping my mouth, and with a gentle touch, as if she were wiping a very precious and fragile piece of porcelain.
Fortunately, I've gotten used to his occasional erratic behavior, although it still makes me feel uneasy.
"Now that we're full, let's begin."
He pulled me out, casually tossing a fine gold-threaded handkerchief onto the table.