Fu Bo was only hearing the story secondhand and couldn't get a clear answer after asking around for a long time. Hua Chongyang had no choice but to ask around on the street, and he finally heard the news at a breakfast stall: only Rong Zaisheng's family died at Lake Moon Villa last night, and the others were not involved.
In addition, Rong Chenfei is the only surviving member of the Rong family of Lake Moon Manor.
To kill sixteen people undetected right under the noses of several sects like Wudang and Shaolin, how high must one's martial arts skills be?
...Or was it actually done by someone living in Lake Moon Villa?
Hua Chongyang sat at the breakfast stall for a while, but lost his appetite. After getting up, he went straight to the brothel.
Ye Qinghua was still fast asleep in bed. Hua Chongyang lifted the bed curtains, looked at Ye Qinghua sprawled out on the bed with drool around her mouth, sighed, and really didn't think she could know anything about this matter, but still reached out and gently patted Ye Qinghua's face:
"Blue and white porcelain, blue and white porcelain!"
"……Um?"
"Get up, get up, I have something to ask you."
"……Um."
Hua Chongyang raised an eyebrow, then reached out and yanked the blanket off Ye Qinghua: "Wake up!"
Ye Qinghua barely opened her eyes, glanced at Hua Chongyang, then closed them again, and snorted:
"What, coming to borrow money from me again?"
"...Get up first."
"So arrogant when you're asking for money," Ye Qinghua lazily sat up, casually grabbed a robe and put it on, rolling her eyes at Hua Chongyang. "In my twenty years in the business, I've never seen anyone like you."
Hua Chongyang cleared his throat and lowered his voice: "Did you know that Rong Zaisheng's entire family was killed last night?"
"...What?" Ye Qinghua stopped abruptly, turned around, and wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth. "Fairy Brother's whole family is dead?"
Ye Qinghua had no idea.
Since she's acting like she doesn't know, either she genuinely doesn't know, or she knows but can't say. Which of the two possibilities is more likely?
Hua Chongyang pondered this in secret.
"How did you die?"
"I heard he was killed with a sharp weapon." Hua Chongyang frowned. "Lake Moon Manor also houses people from Wudang, Shaolin, and several other sects, but not a single person heard a sound last night."
"...Is that so?" Ye Qinghua's eyes widened slightly, then she slowly turned around. "Then he must be a master."
"Haven't you heard anything about it?"
"Me?" Ye Qinghua walked lazily to the dressing table, leaned forward to the mirror, and casually looked at her face. "What a joke. I just heard the news, what could I possibly know? Sigh, your fairy godmother is going to be heartbroken now, so pitiful, tsk tsk!"
Hua Chongyang sighed: "Brother Rong, this is it—"
"Yes, your immortal brother is now," Ye Qinghua glanced back at Hua Chongyang, her eyelids twitching, her lips curving into a smile, and her eyebrows raised, "he absolutely has to marry Ji Feixiang."
"……"
"First, they were childhood sweethearts; second, their family backgrounds were similar; third, with Rong Zaisheng dead, he would definitely be eager to find a backer, so isn't Ji Chong the best choice?"
"……"
Seeing that Hua Chongyang was sitting silently at the table, Ye Qinghua lifted her skirt and walked over to her, whispering gossipyly:
"...Hua Chongyang."
"Um?"
Hua Chongyang glanced at her sideways. Based on experience, when Ye Qinghua showed this expression, it usually meant she—
"You still like Rong Chenfei?"
"……"
"It doesn't matter if you don't admit it, I just think you'd better give up on him. Do you know what Ji Feixiang's biggest advantage is compared to you?" Ye Qinghua raised an eyebrow, looking at Hua Chongyang with pity, and concluded, "Her biggest advantage is, at the very least, that she looks like a woman."
"……"
"The bare minimum for a non-homosexual man is that he would never marry a man. Especially considering Ji Feixiang has a father like Ji Chong. For Rong Chenfei to marry you, he'd have to be completely out of his mind."
Ye Qinghua spoke with great enthusiasm, spitting everywhere as she spoke.
Hua Chongyang slightly raised his eyes, and one of his raised eyebrows also lifted up.
Everyone has self-respect. How could Ye Qinghua say something like that? Does she think she's a dead pig that doesn't fear boiling water?
Before she could even speak or make a move, Ye Qinghua had already nimbly taken three steps back, cautiously offering a fawning smile:
"Alright, alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Whatever. Anyway, your 'fairy brother' has been sheltered by his father for so long, his good days are probably over. When you're in the world of martial arts, you're bound to get hurt! It's time for him to experience the realities of life."
Hua Chongyang's eyebrows slowly returned to their original position, and he cleared his throat again:
"Qinghua, there's something I need to tell you—"
"What?"
"Last night, I was poisoned at Banlianzui and then passed out," she said, looking at Ye Qinghua, "until I just woke up."
Hua Chongyang had imagined many possible reactions from various species of Qinghua upon hearing this news, but none of them were like this—
Ye Qinghua stared at her for a moment, then stepped closer and grabbed her collar with both hands, tearing it open with a "rip".
With her snow-white skin exposed to the sunlight, Hua Chongyang was stunned for a moment, then covered her chest and jumped away with a "whoosh":
"What are you doing?!"
"Let's see if you've been devoured alive!" Ye Qinghua glared at her fiercely, then loosened her grip. "Very good. No scratches, no hickeys. Does your back ache?"
"...Your head is sore!"
"What are you shy about!" Ye Qinghua suddenly raised her hand and jabbed Hua Chongyang's forehead with her index finger, gritting her teeth as she said, "I'm telling you, stay away from that place! Did a dog eat your brain?!"
"I have my reasons!"
"Your considerations? Your considerations are worthless!" Ye Qinghua slammed her hand on the table and roared back at Hua Chongyang, "I've lived for thirty-seven years! I've slept with more men than you've ever seen! Do you even know what kind of man he is—"
She stopped speaking, panting, and her expression suddenly calmed down:
"Chongyang, you've been by my side for nearly ten years, and you've never taken my words for granted. Why did you still go even though I told you not to?"
Hua Chongyang was slightly taken aback.
Ye Qinghua, a brothel owner with a minor reputation in the martial arts world, was never one to feign elegance. From the first day Hua Chongyang met her, the impression she left on him was that of a slick madam, holding a crane feather fan, sitting comfortably on a soft couch behind a vermilion curtain, with her legs crossed, her dark eyebrows raised, and her face showing the smooth talk of a slick madam who could say whatever she wanted to anyone, never showing any panic in the face of trouble.
Anything that could anger Ye Qinghua was no small matter.
Ye Qinghua approached her with a worried and fearful expression, raised her hand to pinch her chin, stared into her eyes, and slowly whispered:
"You haven't fallen for that guy from 'Half-Drunk', have you?"
"no."
"Why go again if not?"
"I just wanted to go—" A slight tightness gripped his chest, unsure whether it was from discomfort or the poison taking effect. Hua Chongyang gritted his teeth and lowered his voice, "...to inquire about Lan Ying Palace."
Ye Qinghua suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, let go of her hand, and sat back down at the table:
"Why bother? What's there to care about in a place like Lan Ying Palace!"
Hua Chongyang remained silent, rubbing his jaw which had just been pinched sore, and slowly said:
"Qinghua, actually, the poison I was given last night has been neutralized."
Ye Qinghua raised an eyebrow.
Hua Chongyang extended his wrist: "Try it."
Ye Qinghua's fair fingers, adorned with nail polish, paused for a moment on her wrist before she withdrew them, her expression finally settling into composure.
"...Your pulse is stable. Do you remember taking any antidote?"
"...I don't know, I fainted at the time."
"It's good that you've been detoxified. Remember this from now on: stay away from that place," Ye Qinghua's gaze sharpened, her voice suddenly turning cold, "as far away as possible. Chongyang, the world of martial arts is treacherous; you can't easily see through it."
10. Rong Chenfei
It was nearly noon when Hua Chongyang came out of Ye Qinghua's room. The brothel owner, Ye Qinghua, and the other girls in the brothel always strictly adhered to the rule: "No outsiders enter before dark, no one leaves their room before noon, and no one leaves their bed curtains before lunch." Therefore, the brothel was still quiet at this time. Hua Chongyang strolled leisurely down the stairs from the third floor, yawned on the second floor, and then abruptly stopped when he caught sight of his reflection in the frosted glass screen opposite the stairs on the second floor.
She was taller than most girls, her clothes were darker than most girls', and her hair was messier than most girls', so she looked less like a girl than most girls... or rather, more like a man than many men.
Before each time she went to the brothel to deceive people, Ye Qinghua would always repeatedly instruct her: "Don't keep your shoulders too flat! Sway your waist when you walk! Sway your waist! Do you have a copper hammer or something on your waist? Don't rush onto the stage like you're putting out a fire! One step of yours is equivalent to three steps for other girls!"
...
Clearly, she does look like a man.
Just as Ye Qinghua casually concluded while cracking melon seeds, sipping Longjing tea, and rolling her eyes: You, Hua Chongyang, can pretend to be polite, calm, composed, and promising, but you can't pretend to be gentle; all this time, I've wasted so much time on you. If I had known it would be like this, I would have preferred to find a man to impersonate this courtesan.
Rong Chenfei is going to marry Ji Feixiang...
These words were like a ruthless and powerful hand, mercilessly tearing out the weed that had always grown in Hua Chongyang's heart.
"Rong Chenfei would only marry you if he were bewitched..."
These words, without a doubt, added insult to injury to Hua Chongyang's already empty and wounded heart, making things even worse.
But Hua Chongyang, though heartbroken, still straightened his back and strode down the stairs, his gray shirt billowing.
What she wanted to be was not a whiny, spoiled young lady.
Just as he reached the door, a figure suddenly appeared from the third floor. It was Ye Qinghua, dressed in a long, light red robe, leaning halfway out from the third-floor railing, waving a handkerchief and calling out to Hua Chongyang:
"Hey! Don't forget to come tomorrow night! Remember me, I need you!"
"……"
As Hua Chongyang walked along the path toward the back door, he unexpectedly saw someone.
The world is full of coincidences; she never imagined she would see this person at the back entrance of a brothel.
Wearing an inconspicuous blue satin cloak, his handsome face was thin, with long eyebrows and bright eyes. Even though his expression was solemn and his lips were habitually gentle, Hua Chongyang looked again and again before he dared to confirm that the person walking into the brothel through the back door with his face slightly lowered was Rong Chenfei.
...What is he doing here? Why is Rong Chenfei still in contact with Ye Qinghua?
Suddenly, Hua Chongyang recalled Ye Qinghua's words: "The world of martial arts is treacherous, and you can't easily see through it."
Feeling upset, Hua Chongyang walked out and unexpectedly saw someone at the dilapidated entrance of the Flower Garden.
The sun shone brightly, illuminating the dilapidated alleyway covered in bluish-gray moss. Standing at the gate was a tall, slender figure, a white robe beneath a sapphire blue cloak, and a white jade hairpin adorning his hair. Turning around at the sound of footsteps, Hua Chongyang immediately recognized him as the renowned Prince Jing, Situ Qingliu: