The most foolish in the world - Chapter 66
Seeing his bright eyes fixed on him, Gongye Bai knew he was up to no good again. Sure enough, he heard him reply, "Qingfeng's new book, the one about your love life called 'Better Not to Meet a Beauty,' was just finalized and published a couple of days ago. It's already sold out before it even hits the shelves. If you have any brothers, don't keep them to yourself. Let them out and attract attention, hehe."
A smile crept into Gongye Bai's eyes. "Do you not know whether I have brothers or not?"
Xie Dongfeng's eyes flashed, then he lowered them, muttered something under his breath, and muttered, "Tch, do you think we're that close?" As he spoke, he turned his head to the side, but bumped into the table leg. "Ouch!"
Gongye Bai had wanted to ask this for a long time: "Why are we hiding under the table?"
Xie Dongfeng, holding his head, replied casually, "Didn't you see there was a fight? What if I, a weak civil official, get accidentally injured?" He paused, then looked at the hand that suddenly reached towards his face, "What are you doing?"
After asking the question, Gongye Bai noticed several thin needles between his fingers, and a jolt of surprise shot through him. Remembering something, he looked around and realized that the table's four legs formed a barrier. Beyond this barrier lay a floor littered with wood chips, dust, broken bowls, and chopsticks. Ah, so this fellow, though a civil official, was a highly skilled martial artist. Hmph, a pretty boy who's both scholarly and martial—calling him a public enemy of men is an understatement.
Ignoring the envious and resentful gazes around him, Gongye Bai frowned slightly as he looked at the hidden weapon he had caught, a surge of anger rising within him. Such blatant recklessness amidst the bustling marketplace—what was this if not utter disregard for human life? Thankfully, the weapon wasn't poisoned. His gaze darkened, and with a flick of his wrist, several thin needles shot out, instantly felling the two combatants.
"Haha, we can collect the money now!" Xie Dongfeng was overjoyed at the sight and crawled out from under the table, completely unconcerned about the stares from the crowd.
Watching him confidently handle the aftermath, Gongye Bai's expression softened. Three dynasties had passed, the world had changed, yet this man remained exactly the same as he had been over a decade ago—how wonderful. Thinking of his new book, and then of the critically ill "Xie Yiren" as planned. After the Xiaoyao Teahouse reported that court officials were using Xie Yiren to make a big fuss, Xiao Fan should know she'd been tricked; swallowing her anger wasn't her style. Remembering the questions she'd asked him while gathering materials, she could foresee just how "exciting" that new book would be.
This guy is still treating Xiao Fan like a cash cow. He'll probably want to strangle her after he sees the book, right? Hmm, maybe he'll be the one who gets strangled?
Let it be chaotic. Many absurd things have happened during the Datong era. What difference does one more thing make?
Just as Gongye Bai was smiling meaningfully, across the street at the entrance of Huanxitian, Fan Qingbo and Feng Yan were discussing the same topic. The only difference was that their smiles were not relaxed at all.
"The book will be on the shelves in ten days, Xiao Fan, be careful when you go out then." That stingy fellow is even more petty than a woman.
"Mr. Feng, we're in the same boat." You, as the reviewer, can't escape it either.
"Hmm, I haven't had much inspiration lately, so I might as well travel around the world." Anyway, he didn't sign any indenture.
"Well, my husband and I are newlyweds, so we could go on a honeymoon or something." She had never been outside the capital before.
Feng Yan sighed, straightened the hem of his wide robe, and casually changed the subject: "I heard your family has been quite lively lately?"
Now it was Fan Qingbo's turn to sigh. She stood with her hands behind her back, gazing into the distance with a blank look in her eyes, a sorrowful face, and a weary back. "Don't you think those people who know martial arts have some kind of problem? They're actually staying at my house and won't leave. Just thinking about all those men and women around me eyeing my husband so covetously makes me feel so miserable."
Author's Note: Well, I've started working now, so I'll have to get up at 7 AM every day from now on, and I can't stay up all night writing anymore tat...
I finally managed to dabble in a chapter before leaving get off work. Sigh, the thought of having to write two more chapters makes me feel incredibly miserable.
P.S.: Due to recent issues with the anti-theft system, some readers are unable to access paid chapters. We apologize for the inconvenience. I'm from Dianbai (a Chinese online forum), and I'm also unsure how to fix the garbled text issue. Xiao Tu posted a solution, which I've highlighted; you can take a look. If it still doesn't work, you'll have to report the problem to the administrator via private message.
Thank you everyone for sticking with me =_= No one gave me negative reviews or accused me of scamming me or anything like that (other authors seem to have been treated that way)...
45. A familiar face appears as if an old friend has come.
"The emperor values heroes, and literature teaches you all. Of all other pursuits, only studying is noble..."
In the lecture hall, a scholar is teaching students to sing poems. The so-called singing is actually closer to chanting, reciting, and sighing. When it is low, it is like an ancient zither in an empty mountain, muffled and sorrowful, yet possessing a vastness; when it is high, it is like hanging up one's hat and sleeves, riding the wind and returning to the boundless clouds.
Such a beautiful sound, it's a pity no one appreciates it. The group of martial arts practitioners in the courtyard are busy grieving the fall of a master, grieving over and over again. Those who see the scholar for the first time think, "This guy is not second to none, not second to none," while those who have witnessed the scholar's character think, "This guy is still the same as always, still the same as always."
The only one who listened attentively was probably the young Miao woman.
She frowned, disdainfully saying, "You Central Plains people sing so whinyly, it's utterly boring! This is what singing is all about!" Without giving anyone a chance to stop her, she took a deep breath, head held high, and launched into a folk song: "The sun rises and shines on the Miao village, golden and silver flowers bloom everywhere, I don't love the golden and silver flowers, I only love my handsome brother~~~~"
The crowd stared at her silently, their faces disheveled, cold sweat dripping down their backs. Though she was beautiful and sang lovely, this wasn't the time for her to sing folk songs, was it?
The experts that the Seven Treasures Sect of Miao territory sends out each time are never quite normal...
This young woman, named Tao Jinjin, is said to have been a womanizer since her first sexual experience at the age of twelve. At twenty-two, she left her profession and married the leader of the Seven Treasures Sect. At twenty-three, she was divorced by her sect leader for attempting to murder her husband and usurp the throne, and was demoted from the head of the Wind Altar to a palanquin bearer. After seven years of hard work, she finally became the sect's top martial arts expert. This time, she is leading the sect leader to conquer the Central Plains martial arts world, aiming to become the best in the land.
Although the scholar ranked second, everyone knew that he never used his full strength in battle, often being defeated but never truly invincible. Years ago, at a martial arts tournament, the Golden Painter fought him and, although victorious, suffered greatly from the backlash of his internal energy for a month afterward, while the scholar remained unharmed. This demonstrates the unfathomable depth of his martial arts skills.
Therefore, there is a consensus in the martial arts world that only by defeating the Silver Scholar can one truly be considered the number one in the world.