A smile can topple a city

Chapter 13

"You've had a long and tiring journey, and you're making such a fuss just to get some sleep! If you keep bothering me, I'll pluck out every single hair on your head! I'll make you bald!"

Ye Xiao was stunned for a moment: "You didn't faint?"

"How could the two of them have knocked me unconscious?"

"Your eyes are clearly closed!"

"Do you sleep with your eyes open?"

"Her breath is faint!"

"I fell asleep..."

Ye Xiao was finally speechless and angrily prepared to leave.

Hearing Luo Qingcheng's unusually gentle voice behind him: "Ye Xiao."

My heart skipped a beat: "What?"

"What you just fed me, was it the Nine-Turn Rejuvenation Pill?"

"Good eye!"

"Do you know the Miraculous Healer Yama?"

"I have been to Tiangong Valley."

"The Seven Master Craftsmen are reclusive masters. Apart from the mask made by 'Peach Blossom Face,' which has a price tag, everything else is hard to come by. You have the jewelry box of 'Skillful Jade Granny,' and the Nine-Turn Resurrection Pill of 'Miraculous Yama.' Who exactly are you?" The gentle voice suddenly turned aggressive.

Ye Xiao rolled her eyes, thinking he had changed his personality, but he was still so suspicious: "I have defeated the Seven Masters of Heavenly Craftsmanship."

"What!" Luo Qingcheng exclaimed, losing his usual composure. "Back then, the Seven Masters of Heavenly Crafts established a rule that if anyone defeated them, they could ask each of them for one thing... But in all these decades, I've only heard of one person who has ever defeated them... Twenty years ago, Lu Mingfei, the Lord of Youming City, defeated the Seven Masters of Heavenly Crafts and asked them for seven things... Later, Youming City dominated the martial arts world and roamed freely, also with the help of those seven things... You... can defeat them?"

Ye Xiao smiled mysteriously: "In terms of martial arts, I'm definitely inferior, but I used a little trick and it worked!"

That night, Young Master Jin quietly arrived, fulfilled his promise, and exchanged the gold jewelry box for six thousand taels of silver.

The next day, the three of them bought a carriage and, like the other young masters, arrived at Langjing Manor with their heads held high. They stayed at Langjing Villa, which was not far from the manor.

At noon, Ye Xiao passed by the courtyard and saw Huang Tingfeng, dressed in white, leading a group of people toward him. Thinking of yesterday's conflict, he decided to be pragmatic and temporarily avoid the situation.

I quietly hid among the artificial rocks and heard a group of people approaching, their voices gradually becoming audible.

"...There's still no progress..."

"...Shen Rujun, that bastard! He actually dared to...steal...and fall into the hands of Youming City. This is terrible! Have you investigated his background yet?"

The group spoke in hushed tones and gradually walked away.

Ye Xiao turned away from the artificial rockery and followed them at a distance until he saw them enter a room in the corner of the courtyard.

As night fell, Huang Tingfeng followed his attendants into the room to discuss matters.

"...I heard that Shen Wan will also be at Langjing Manor this time...Young Master, you are naturally handsome and refined, and unparalleled in your charm...With just a little charm, you can easily win over that beauty Shen..." Fang Qin said somewhat obsequiously.

Huang Tingfeng smiled smugly.

"Although this idea is despicable, it is not without its effectiveness. We have sent many people to deal with the Shen family, but we have not obtained any information. Although Shen Wan is young, she is very tight-lipped... If you can find a way to get close to Shen Wan, you can firstly find out Shen Rujun's identity and background, and secondly, you can find out the whereabouts of that item..." Guo Qiwu said in a low voice.

Just as Huang Tingfeng was about to speak, he suddenly heard Guo Qiwu shout in a low voice: "Who!"

Dressed in black, Ye Xiao quietly climbed onto the beam like a cat. After finally finding a spot, he eavesdropped on a few words. Suddenly, he heard Guo Qiwu shout and a gust of wind swept over him.

Before I could think it through, I tried to dodge, and my whole body fell down...

Just as he was thinking of countless ways to deal with the situation, he suddenly felt a tightness around his waist. Huang Tingfeng's Chasing Sun Sword flashed brightly before his eyes, and he was already flying outside the window. The low shouts and cheers of the crowd had been left far behind.

"you……"

"Silence! I am your master!" The voice behind me was devoid of any warmth.

Ye Xiao snorted, but her mind raced: "You're not injured?"

Luo Qingcheng sneered sarcastically, "Your master is a peerless martial artist and an outstanding writer, how could he be easily injured?"

"Then you ate my Nine-Turn Rejuvenation Pill for nothing! It's all your fault for wearing a mask, which prevented me from judging the severity of your injuries! You filthy man! Give me back my medicine! I'm going to throw you into the alchemy furnace and refine the Nine-Turn Rejuvenation Pill again!"

Luo Qingcheng put Ye Xiao down and sniffed her twice. "You're the one who stinks! I don't even mind how smelly you are!"

"How do I stink!" Ye Xiao angrily pounced on him and hit him.

During the difficult dodge, Luo Qingcheng suddenly felt something hard pressing against his leg at Ye Xiao's waist.

A thought flashed through his mind: "Xiaoxiao, you were actually a man dressed as a woman?"

Ye Xiao was stunned: "What?"

"Hehe, it's hard, even harder than mine!" Luo Qingcheng reached out and pinched the thing with an evil hand, waiting for Ye Xiao to jump up in pain.

Ye Xiao jumped up with a loud yelp and pulled something out of his clothes: "You...you want to steal my golden pestle!"

"What... a pestle?" Luo Qingcheng suddenly felt dizzy, looking at the short stick in front of him, which was faintly glowing with golden light under the moonlight.

"My weapon, the Golden Mace. Made of pure gold... You thief!"

"I don't……"

"Still denying it! Look! The evidence is irrefutable!" Ye Xiao raised the stick menacingly, on which were clearly imprinted Luo Qingcheng's five finger marks, so clear that there was no way to deny it!

Luo Qingcheng stammered in pain, and when he heard Ye Xiao's next sentence, he wished he could disappear into the ground.

"You said it was harder than yours, do you have one too?"

"Uh... someone's coming..." Luo Qingcheng quickly picked up Ye Xiao and continued running, avoiding this awkward question.

When they reached the door, they put Ye Xiao down.

"How come you happened to be there just now?" Ye Xiao asked in a low voice.

"...Just happened to be passing by. What are you doing here?"

"I just happened to be passing by." Ye Xiao glared at him and went inside.

"You've come to the wrong room! This is... Xiao Xun's room..." Luo Qingcheng shouted anxiously at the door.

Ye Xiao ignored him, walked straight to the bedside, and picked up Xiao Xun.

"Even the beautiful Shen Wan is here."

"Then... what does that have to do with me?" Xiao Xun, who was sleeping soundly, was very unhappy.

"You need to find a way to get close to her... to get some information from her. Shen Rujun's matter may be more complicated than it appears on the surface."

"oh?"

"I have faith in you! You're naturally a bit clumsy and honest, which makes you approachable. With just a little charm, Shen Meiren definitely won't be able to resist you..."

"Boss, are you praising me?"

Ye Xiao finally smiled and said, "Qingcheng is looking for a son-in-law, and we can only rely on you for this. Miss Shen's family has suffered a sudden misfortune, and she is already pitiful. You should comfort her and, while you're at it, make sure that scoundrel Huang Tingfeng doesn't bully her."

"That's only right." Xiao Xun nodded.

When Ye Xiao went out, she was surprised to see Luo Qingcheng still there.

"You're spying on us!" The voice was already laced with gritted teeth.

"I... need to talk to you."

"What is it! Speak!"

“I want to work with you… My idea won this marriage contest. It’s very important to me…”

"Oh?" Ye Xiao wasn't pleased. "Aren't you as handsome as Pan An? Don't you want to help?"

"I cannot reveal my true colors at Langjing Manor!"

"Why? Because the Martial Arts Alliance has appeared? Do you really have a grudge against them in the past?"

"Just tell me, will you help me or not!"

Ye Xiao took a deep breath: "Of course! Second brother!"

Volume Two: Autumn Colors

The debut of the marriage recruitment fair

In the early morning, the clear lake water stretches to the horizon, and some small, white, crystal-clear flowers bloom on the surface, resembling lotus flowers but smaller, scattered sparsely, spreading not far from the shore.

The Biluo Pavilion by the water is as magnificent as a palace, with its carved beams and painted rafters.

Yuan Ruxuan was born into wealth and privilege. Although he was only fifty years old, he was very well-maintained. His fair face was almost wrinkle-free, and his chiseled figure had no excess fat.

Wearing a black, narrow-sleeved robe embroidered with gold tiger patterns, he looked even more energetic.

Sitting in the center seat, he gently waved his hand, and a burly man in black rushed to the door, calling out in a clear, drawn-out voice, "The Langjing Manor Marriage Proposal Ceremony begins today! Gentlemen, please enter the hall in turn."

The arrogant young men in brocade robes filed in, their servants holding up their visiting cards.

"Young Master Chen from Yong'an has arrived..."

"The Flower Prince of Qingzhou has arrived..."

The well-trained guards loudly announced the arrival of the young masters, welcoming them one by one into the Biluo Pavilion.

Yuan Ruxuan frowned slightly, leaned back in his chair, and scrutinized each of the figures who entered without saying a word.

The arrogant young masters, who were always self-assured and confident of victory, suddenly felt inferior upon entering this extremely luxurious pavilion. Seeing the serious and unsmiling Master Yuan, they gradually felt a chill in their hearts and lost confidence in their marriage proposal. They felt uneasy and began to feel anxious.

But then a servant announced, "Young Master Huang Tingfeng of the Martial Alliance has arrived..."

Yuan Ruxuan bowed slightly, looking at the slowly approaching figure, dressed in flowing white robes, tall and upright, with an extraordinary bearing.

"I have long admired Miss Yuan's elegance and grace. Today, I have brought thousands of people from the Martial Alliance to Langjing Manor with our sincere devotion to propose marriage..." Huang Tingfeng spoke these words in his melodious voice, neither humble nor arrogant, neither hurried nor slow.

Yuan Ruxuan frowned almost imperceptibly, then quickly ordered someone to prepare a seat for Huang Tingfeng. "Nephew, how is your father doing lately? He has been saying he wants to come to the manor for a chat!"

“My father is preoccupied with many affairs and cannot attend to matters. Knowing that Master Yuan cherishes swords, he specially instructed me to present him with the Chasing Sun Sword… Please accept it, Master Yuan!” Huang Tingfeng smiled gently, his answer impeccable.

Yuan Ruxuan nodded slightly and continued looking towards the door.

Basically, everyone who was supposed to come came, and many of them were exactly as he had predicted.