Compendio de hombres apuestos en el mundo de las artes marciales

Capítulo 118

Yao Shu'er was taken aback, her red lips parted slightly, and after a long while, she suddenly burst out laughing, tears welling up in her large, watery eyes: "Yes, what doesn't he know?"

Li Linke is such a smart man, what is there that he doesn't know?

The usually talkative person remained silent. Finally, he raised his chin at Zhao Ting and Zhan Yun as a loud greeting, without helping them release their pressure points, and carried them in another direction: "This case has been reported to the Ministry of Justice. I will come to the government office to find you first thing tomorrow morning."

Although Yao Shu'er couldn't move her body, she kept talking, her cheeks flushed red as she cursed, "Put me down right now! Otherwise, I'll just chop you up when the pressure points are released! Do you hear me? Put me down..."

Zhou Yufei carried the woman faster and faster, his hand moving from her waist to her firm buttocks, giving her a hard slap. The woman immediately cursed even more fiercely: "Ah—! You bastard Zhou! I'll kill you and make sure you write your name backwards!"

Zhao Ting and Zhan Yun watched Zhou Yufei's increasingly icy back and shook their heads in unison. Duan Chen recalled what Xiao Changqing had said earlier, and the corners of his lips curled up slightly. This should be fierce enough, right?

Zhao Ting glanced at Duan Chen's clothes and pursed his lips: "Should we go back to the inn first?"

Duan Chen glanced down and shook his head. "It's nothing." He just looked a bit disheveled; he'd worn worse clothes before. Besides, it was getting late. If he fussed around any longer, he might as well skip dinner and have a midnight snack!

Zhan Yun reached out and brushed the hair off her head, his eyes smiling. "It's really true that you should buy another umbrella." The rain wasn't heavy, just a steady drizzle. If they walked through the rain like this, their clothes would definitely be half-soaked again. He and Zhao Ting were fine, but Duan Chen, being a woman, always had to be more careful to avoid catching a cold.

The three quickened their pace toward Shen Lei's noodle shop, and bought an umbrella for Duan Chen to hold on the way.

As soon as they entered the shop, a clear, apologetic female voice announced, "We're closing now, gentlemen. Please come back another day!" A woman in her late twenties smiled at the three as she wiped the tables. At the same time, a man emerged from behind the curtain, saying, "There are a few shops next door that are still open; you can go and try them..."

The man who came out was Shen Lei. Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly recognized the person and was taken aback for a moment. Then he broke into a big smile, strode forward, and pulled Duan Chen up: "Please come in quickly. Is it still raining outside? Little Duan, it's been quite a while since I've seen you. It must have been more than a year, right?"

As Shen Lei led the group to a table the woman had just wiped clean, he introduced them, somewhat incoherently: "Xiaozi, this is Xiao Duan, whom I mentioned to you. These two, uh... are Xiao Duan's friends, and they're also great people who helped find the murderer! This is my wife..."

The woman nodded hurriedly, smiled at the three men, and still looked somewhat shy: "Thank you for your help, gentlemen... My husband often mentions Young Master Duan to me."

Shen Lei chatted with Duan Chen for a while longer, then suddenly slapped his forehead: "Look at me, I've been so busy talking to you all. You came here to eat..." Shen Lei hurriedly stood up, rubbing his hands together as he smiled at the three of them: "Please wait a moment, the fried noodles will be ready soon. I'll have Xiaozi bring you the wine first, and you can have some snacks first, it'll be quick..."

Shen Lei's wife quickly brought over a tray, placed a few small dishes and two pots of Rose Wine on it, and smiled slightly at the three of them: "I've heard about Xiao Lian's matter from him, so we really need to have more of the three of you." The woman was clearly not a talkative person, and her eyes were slightly brimming with tears as she spoke. After finishing her sentence in a steady tone, she bowed to the three of them and went to the kitchen.

Zhao Ting drank three cups of wine in a row without saying a word, only smiling slightly, though his eyes betrayed a deep sense of melancholy. Zhan Yun sensed Zhao Ting's sentimentality and knew that anything he said at this moment would only make him more upset, so he simply continued drinking and eating. Duan Chen, though somewhat worried about the case, was in good spirits overall because of revisiting familiar places and reuniting with old friends.

Finally, a large platter of snow-white Yunying fried noodles was served, and the three of them buried their heads in their food, thoroughly enjoying it. The noodles were, of course, delicious, and the Rose Wine seemed even richer than last year; all three drank more than usual. Perhaps too much had happened in that one day; the same place, the same people, yet the feelings and the tastes had changed. The once fresh and carefree spirit, after years of settling, had brewed a bittersweet melancholy. Everything, both people and events, was different from Hangzhou a year ago.

Back at the inn, Duan Chen took a bath and changed into a brand-new moon-white long dress. The soft, flowing fabric, with its exceptionally loose neckline and cuffs, was specially chosen by Qin Qin before he left; it was especially comfortable to wear to bed. He left his hair untied, stood by the window, holding a teacup in one hand, gazing at the tranquil night outside, lost in thought.

When Zhan Yun pushed open the door and entered the room, he smelled a faint fragrance in the air, knowing that the person must have taken a bath. After bolting the door, he went behind the screen and saw that the bathtub had been filled with clean hot water, clearly prepared for him.

After testing the water temperature and finding a change of clothes, Zhan Yun had already bathed and cleaned herself in no time. She took a towel to wipe her body, changed into clean clothes, took out a medicine bottle from her clothes, and quietly walked behind Duan Chen, embracing him in her arms.

While applying some ointment to the red marks on her cheek, Zhan Yun tilted his head and asked with a gentle smile, "What are you thinking about?"

Duan Chen pondered the case for a while, then went through all the events of the day in his mind, and felt a little sentimental: "I just think that things are good as they are now."

Without discussing personal matters or details, simply remarking that it was good was indeed something only Duan Chen would say. Zhan Yun chuckled upon hearing this, took her wrist, applied some medicine to the whip marks on her palm, and kissed her forehead: "Aside from these injuries, I think everything else is fine." Even though times have changed and the world has shifted, even though many people and events have been worn away beyond recognition over the years, as long as the two of them can rely on each other like this, it is already good enough.

Author's Note: There will be an update this Thursday at 9 AM!

104

Chapter Eight Seeking Advice • Teahouse...

The next morning, as everyone was sitting in the hall drinking tea, Zhou Yufei, dressed in a light blue long robe with dark brocade patterns, holding a folding fan to shield his forehead, hurriedly strode into the room.

Tao Hanzhi leaned forward slightly, glanced at the sky outside, and feigned ignorance, sighing, "Is it because I'm getting old that my eyesight is failing? It looks like it's cloudy today..."

Li Qinglan stroked his beard and nodded, asking with a serious expression, "Is Young Master Zhou feeling unwell? Otherwise, why would you be covering half your face with a fan so early in the morning?"

Zhou Yufei sat down beside Jiang Cheng, his fingers trembling slightly, his jawline clenched tightly. Under the curious and puzzled gazes of the crowd, Lord Zhou took a deep breath, slowly lowered his folding fan, and without looking up, sighed softly before the crowd could burst into laughter, "Laugh, laugh..."

Last night, that girl showed no mercy, punching him right in the eye socket. At midnight, it was only slightly bruised, but by morning it was swollen all over, a deep purple bruise that won't heal for at least ten days. He has important things to do during the day; he can't carry a fan everywhere he goes to hide it. Let everyone laugh their fill now, so they won't gang up on him when they're outside.

The room was completely silent.

Zhou Yufei's eyelids twitched, and he slowly raised his head, meeting Zhan Yun's slightly surprised gaze. Looking to the side, he saw Zhao Ting's eyebrows raised high. Immediately afterward, Tao Hanzhi couldn't help but burst into laughter, followed by everyone else. Even Duan Chen raised the corners of his lips, a faint smile playing on his lips.

Zhou Yufei took a deep breath, slowly closed his eyes, and wore a pained expression that said, "I knew this would happen."

Jiang Cheng kindly handed over a cup of tea. Across from him, Zhan Yun cleared his throat twice, his eyes crinkling as he suppressed a laugh and asked, "Has the medicine been applied?"

Seeing Zhou Yufei shake his head dejectedly, Zhan Yun took out a medicine bottle from his pocket and threw it to him, his gentle voice filled with laughter: "I have more, you can take this bottle and use it."

As they spoke, the group stood up and bowed to Li Qinglan and Tao Hanzhi to say goodbye.

The original plan was to wait for Zhou Yufei to arrive, go to the coroner's office first, and then investigate the situation near the alley where the case occurred yesterday. Who knew that not only did he arrive quite early, but he was also exceptionally amusing and entertaining. Originally, the government office was shrouded in gloom and gloom early in the morning because of the case, but now it was filled with laughter and cheerful conversation. Apart from Lord Zhou himself, everyone else was laughing heartily.

After examining the body, the four headed east of the city. Zhou Yufei walked beside Zhao Ting as usual, but unlike before, she was not as flamboyant or flirtatious. Her face was particularly serious, and even her gait was solemn to the point of being heavy.

Zhao Ting didn't turn his head, but his tone clearly carried a smile: "Judging from this, last night's fight was quite exciting, wasn't it?"

On the other side, Zhan Yun gently replied while fanning himself with a folding fan: "Yi Ran finds it sweet."

Zhao Ting smiled, his dark eyes crinkling, and nodded in agreement: "I can see that."

Zhou Yufei's face grew increasingly grim amidst the two men's alternating cold and warm laughter and mockery, as if he were challenging the heavens themselves. Surprisingly, he didn't retort, simply walking silently to the side. Duan Chen glanced at Zhan Yun and gently shook his head. Zhan Yun also sensed something was wrong, giving Zhao Ting a wink while asking softly, "Yiran, are you alright?"

Zhou Yufei pursed his lips and shook his head. After a long while, he sighed in a low voice, "This young master has truly failed this time..."

The other three weren't surprised by this. Zhao Ting sighed inwardly, patted him on the shoulder, while Zhan Yun said gently, "After playing around for so many years, it's time for you to settle down!"

Zhou Yufei turned his head and glanced at the three of them. Despite the black eye, the aggrieved look in his eyes was clearly visible: "But she doesn't want to be with me..." He had finally been serious for once, but the girl didn't take that night seriously. She always found him annoying, and every time she saw him, she would speak ill of him, hit him, and treat him with disgust and disdain.

Zhan Yun smiled slightly and said, "Take it slow." Although seeing Zhou Yufei suffer a setback was quite pleasant, Zhan Yun's words came from her own experience. In such matters, the one who gets caught up first always suffers more. The key is to be patient and take it slowly in order to have any chance of success.