"I chopped it down," Han Feng said casually. "I wanted to attend this jewelry exhibition, but I didn't have an invitation, so I had to steal it from him."
I stepped back and bowed respectfully, saying, "Please come in."
"So you can come in now?" His voice carried a hint of provocation. "You're not going to hold me accountable for cutting off your big customer's leg?"
“His revenge will be taken by the Hai family, but the Gong family—” I raised my eyes and met his gaze, “we only see the posters, not the people.”
Han Feng stared at me, his eyes growing deep. After a long while, a wicked smile curled at the corner of his lips. "Very good, I like this rule." With that, he turned to go inside.
Just then, a voice suddenly rang out: "I don't like it."
My heart skipped a beat—she came out.
Turning around, I saw a young girl gracefully approaching from the other end of the jade stone path. She wore a light green silk dress with a hundred flowers in full bloom, a light yellow shawl with silver cloud patterns draped over her shoulders, and a belt with pearls and gold stitching around her waist. Rows of necklaces adorned her, and her movements were radiant with light and color.
If the maids on either side were Luyi, she would be a peach blossom blooming amidst Luyi, brightening the entire spring.
Gong Feicui—the jewel among jewels, the pearl among pearls, the sole successor of the fourth generation of the Gong family, and my current young master.
My gaze met her eyes, and in an instant, I was startled and fell to the ground.
Volume 1, Chapter 1: The Grand Gathering in Luoyang (2)
Section Two: The Heir
My gaze met Feng Qiansu's in mid-air, and it seemed like only a moment before she lowered her eyes.
When she lowered her head halfway, I suddenly called out, "Sister Qiansu."
She had no choice but to look up at me again.
I stopped talking.
—Don't look away when we make eye contact.
That's what I wanted to say, and she clearly understood.
Looking at Feng Qiansu's pale face, I said softly, "You've really had a hard day. You're not feeling well, so let me do it. You should go and rest for a while."
As he said this, he stopped on the jade path, stroked the sparkling gemstone on his ring, and smiled faintly.
There are some things you know you don't need to do, but you still have to say them, otherwise you're seen as inconsiderate of your servants and lack the demeanor of a master. This is like how I can call Feng Qiansu "elder sister," but she can never call me "younger sister"—it's just a common rule in wealthy families.
Feng Qiansu immediately declined my offer, even though she knew better than anyone that I had no intention of personally greeting the guests. She still sincerely thanked me for my consideration.
This small act of cooperation played a significant role, at least making that dirty-looking guy named Han Feng restrain his arrogant gaze towards me.
"You're the successor to the Gong family?" I heard him ask me in a grating voice. "You won't let me in?"
I said calmly, "You can come in."
Han Feng was taken aback and said, "Didn't you say..."
“I said I didn’t like the rule,” I smiled at him, “but I didn’t say you couldn’t come in.”
Han Feng smiled and said, "Then I'll come in." As he stepped in, he cautiously scanned his surroundings.
"Welcome, welcome." I smiled and extended my hand. "Where is your invitation?"
Han Feng stopped, and Zhong Ruo handed him a jade leaf.
I took the invitation and slowly examined it over and over for a long time. I even wiped away a stain on it with a silk handkerchief, then casually tossed the handkerchief aside before calling out, "Sister Qiansu."
The silk scarf fluttered along the ground, drifting to Feng Qiansu's feet and coming to a stop. Perhaps because she was standing in the wind, the hem of her skirt was stained with dust, which made the silk scarf appear even more pristine white.
Feng Qiansu lowered her head, staring at the silk handkerchief as if she were mesmerized. When she heard me call her name, she looked up and asked, "Young Miss?"
I pointed a finger at Han Feng and asked, "Who is he?"
Feng Qiansu said, "Wang Feng is from Datong, Shanxi. He is twenty-eight years old. He lost his father at the age of three and his mother at the age of five. Later, he was taken in as a disciple by the famous Tianshan Sect master, Aoxue Tianjun. Six years ago, he was expelled from the Tianshan Sect for raping his senior sister. He fled to the Central Plains and worked as an assassin. His current name is Han Feng, nicknamed Blood Wolf. He is ranked fifteenth on the assassin list."
I hummed in agreement and slowly turned my gaze to Han Feng.
Han Feng's face turned grim, and after a long pause, he said, "There was a remarkable man in the Central Plains martial arts world who knew every detail of what had happened in the martial arts world over the past two hundred years by heart, yet he died mysteriously more than a decade ago for unknown reasons, and his young daughter has also disappeared without a trace..."
There was no reaction from the fibroblast.
Han Feng continued, "I remember that extraordinary person was named Feng Li, but I don't know if I'm mistaken?"
There was still no response from the fibroblast.
Han Feng was about to ask another question when I suddenly spoke up: "Your original surname was Wang, but you later changed it to Han. Am I mistaken?"
Han Feng did not deny it.
I held up the invitation in my hand and said to him in a very cultured and polite manner, "I'm really sorry, but I don't see the character '王' (Wang) or '寒' (Han) on this invitation. Please show me your own invitation, otherwise, please leave."
Han Feng looked at me with a strange expression and slowly asked, "You've gone through all this trouble just to show that this invitation isn't for me?"
"I'm a reasonable person," I said with a smile.