El paisaje es como una pintura

Capítulo 21

Seeing the Blood Demon's sharp change in tone, Lu Feiran hurriedly knelt down: "This subordinate has absolutely no intention of deceiving the Palace Master! It's just that now that this subordinate has entered the Blood Lotus Palace, this subordinate is now a member of the Blood Lotus Palace. Everything in the past is like fleeting clouds, and neither people nor events have any connection with this subordinate! Therefore, this subordinate felt there was no need to bring it up. This subordinate is loyal to the Palace Master, heaven and earth can bear witness, and I hope the Palace Master will understand!"

"Alright, I was just saying. Get up!" As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Feiran felt a steady force lift him slowly from the ground until he was standing on his feet. What profound internal strength! Lu Feiran was secretly amazed, and his awe of the Blood Demon deepened even further.

"During my absence, has anything significant happened in the palace?" Blood Demon asked casually, stroking the smooth armrest.

"Reporting to the Palace Master, according to the palace spies, the Emperor seems to be furious about the Blood Lotus Palace's massacre of the Ouyang family. He has sent several messages by carrier pigeon to summon Chu Xuyao to the palace, seemingly wanting to join forces with Chu Xuyao to deal with our Blood Lotus Palace..." If the imperial court and the number one manor in the world join forces, then the Blood Lotus Palace is in grave danger! Thinking of this, Lu Feiran couldn't help but show a worried expression on his face.

Blood Demon scoffed dismissively. Chu Xuyao was least interested in getting involved in the affairs of the martial world, so as long as Blood Lotus Palace didn't provoke him, even if the emperor held a knife to his throat, he would still do as he pleased, ignoring all matters of the martial world! As for the imperial court, ha! The emperor and his uncle were busy fighting amongst themselves; where would they find the time to deal with Blood Lotus Palace? Let them make a scene; the more they stirred up trouble, the more beneficial it would be for Blood Lotus Palace's development! If necessary, Blood Demon wouldn't hesitate to add fuel to the fire…

Just as Blood Demon had predicted, when Chu Xuyao heard Dongfang Lie's plan to annihilate the Blood Lotus Palace, he coldly replied, "What does this have to do with me?"

Just moments ago, Dongfang Lie was burning with passion and ambition, but after hearing Chu Xuyao's words, he felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him from head to toe!

"Chu Xuyao! How could you stand by and watch someone die?! You're so heartless!" Dongfang Lie's long, beautiful fingers jabbed at the cold-blooded man opposite her, who was leisurely holding a teapot, as if she wanted to poke him a thousand holes!

After savoring the widow's peak tea newly presented from the Western Regions, Chu Xuyao put down his cup, folded his hands behind his head, and comfortably leaned back in the soft chair: "I have no interest in matters of the martial world! Besides, the Blood Lotus Palace is a notorious evil palace in the martial world! You're asking me to handle such a troublesome matter? Are you perhaps looking for an opportunity to get rid of me, and you actually want to destroy all the hard work I've put in over the years?"

"Destroyed in an instant? If you, Chu Xuyao, are so easily brought down, then I'll change my name!" Dongfang Lie slammed his fist on the table in a fit of rage, making the teapot and teacups rattle loudly. Chu Xuyao, oh Chu Xuyao, I've truly had the worst luck in my life, how could I have made such a terrible friend!

Chu Xuyao glanced indifferently at the emperor who was throwing a tantrum, then turned his head away, unmoved, still calmly crossing his legs and squinting his eyes, lost in thought.

Seeing that Chu Xuyao had automatically ignored his burning anger, Dongfang Lie felt that the difficulty of this task was increasing! Calm down, calm down. After so many years of friendship, Dongfang Lie knew his friend's personality better than anyone! This scoundrel was impervious to both soft and hard tactics, and he would absolutely not do anything without a benefit! Now it seemed he could only use his last trump card—bribery!

Approaching Chu Xuyao on the couch with a flattering smile, Dongfang Lie pouted her beautiful lips and said, "Hey, Xuyao, if you agree to help me eradicate that evil sect, then whatever reward you want after it's done, I'll give it to you. How about it?"

Chu Xuyao opened his eyes, glanced at him for a moment, and asked, "A reward? I would like to ask my Emperor, what kind of reward do you think I need? An official position? Would I, Chu Xuyao, care for that? Money? I have more money than I could spend in several lifetimes! Beauties? I have countless beauties in my harem... Tell me, do I need any more reward?"

Now it was Dongfang Lie's turn to be speechless. Yes, it seemed he really had nothing to offer this prodigy as a reward! Damn it, why did he lack nothing? Why couldn't he seize upon his weakness? It was truly infuriating—

"Xuyao, for the sake of our years of friendship, please do me a good deed today and help me out! From now on, everything that belongs to me will be yours, and you can do whatever you want with my women! Even my Empress—yes, didn't you complain before that I kept her hidden away and wouldn't share her with you? I've decided to reluctantly part with her and send her to you tonight! Is that alright, Xuyao—"

"Empress?" Chu Xuyao pondered the word, as if he had thought of something. His expression gradually softened, and the corners of his lips began to unconsciously turn upward. "If she were a princess consort, I might consider it..."

"What...what did you say?!" Dongfang Lie's voice rose involuntarily, his tone revealing a slight anger that even he himself hadn't noticed.

Chu Xuyao, who was still immersed in his memories, did not notice Dongfang Lie's emotional fluctuations. He composed himself and replied casually, "It's nothing."

Suddenly, the once noisy bedroom fell silent. The two remained silent, and an awkward atmosphere filled the room.

Just then, the sound of Dongfang Yao crying and making a fuss came from outside the door, instantly breaking the awkward silence in the room.

"Brother... Waaah, you lied to me!! Waaah..."

"Ah? Heavens, Yao-di is here! What to do, what to do... Xu-yao, you absolutely mustn't tell anyone I'm here! Remember, don't let it slip!" After frantically instructing the clueless Chu Xu-yao, Dongfang Lie-huo rushed behind the screen, quickly crouching down and shrinking into a corner. Sigh, for an emperor to be so terrified by his foolish younger brother—how pathetic!

With a loud bang, Dongfang Yao, crying and shouting, kicked open the carved wooden door. After surveying the palace with murderous intent, her bloodshot eyes fixed on Chu Xuyao, who was lying on the bed in a daze: "Where is my royal brother? Tell me quickly, where is my royal brother hiding?!"

What on earth has this foolish prince gone mad about?! After staring at him in confusion for a while, Chu Xuyao thought for a moment and, unusually kind, decided to let Dongfang Lie go this time: "Your imperial brother seems to have gone towards the Chaofeng Palace..."

Before he could finish speaking, the foolish prince, brimming with resentment, roared towards Chaofeng Palace. Your Majesty, I'm truly sorry, if you must blame someone, blame your imperial cousin!

"Thank goodness, thank goodness..." As soon as Dongfang Yao left, Dongfang Lie patted his chest, looking like he had just escaped a disaster: "Luckily, this little rascal left, otherwise I would have been in big trouble! Thank goodness you have a conscience, Xu Yao. I was really worried that you, this cold-blooded monster, would betray me!"

"A cold-blooded monster? Hmm?" Chu Xuyao raised an eyebrow, the threat in his eyes was self-evident.

Upon seeing his posture, Dongfang Lie quickly waved his hand, "Just kidding, just kidding!"

"Aren't you going to explain to me what wrong you, as the imperial elder brother, have done that has caused your younger brother to come knocking on your door!"

"I haven't done anything wrong! It's all Liu Rongyue's fault! That night, she swore to me that she would never betray Yaodi! But what happened? Who would have thought that on that very night, this reckless woman, I don't know what she was thinking, actually left the city overnight and ran away from her husband! For two whole months, I've deployed officers along all the major roads to do everything I can to capture this runaway princess, but there's still no trace of her. To escape my pursuit, I have to say, this woman is quite capable! This is really tough on me. His wife died while I was here, and that stubborn Yaodi insists that I hid her. He comes every few days demanding her back, and when he sees me, he throws a tantrum, yelling, screaming, and rolling around on the ground. I'm almost driven crazy by him!" Dongfang Lie wore a bitter expression, his face full of helplessness.

The woman escaped? Chu Xuyao was utterly incredulous. In the Eastern Dynasty, abandoning one's husband was a serious crime! She was willing to abandon her noble status and prominent position, even willing to become a fugitive to escape. Why? Did she still harbor resentment towards this marriage? Did she still hate that she married a fool? No, that couldn't be right. She had feelings for Dongfang Yao, and Dongfang Yao also had feelings for her. They were a harmonious couple; she had no reason to run away! Chu Xuyao frowned, completely baffled.

"Forget it, forget it, let's not talk about this anymore!" The thought of still having no news of that woman filled him with inexplicable irritation. Approaching Chu Xuyao again, Dongfang Lie brought up the previous topic: "Xuyao, I'll ask you one last time, are you really not going to help me?"

With a shrug, Chu Xuyao's meaning was clear: he couldn't help her.

"I knew you'd be so heartless! Fine, I won't help then... Oh, by the way! I heard the other day that the son-in-law of the Murong family in Bucheng, what was his name again... Oh, A'luo! Yes, that's right, A'luo! I heard that he used some strange skill on the dueling platform to make Blood Lotus Palace Master Blood Demon cough up blood and scavenge his teeth on the ground in the blink of an eye, and almost die young. Is that true or not?"

"Rumors are bound to be exaggerated, but the fact that the guy named Aro did defeat the Blood Demon has spread throughout the martial arts world."

"Good! That's good! Truly, heroes have emerged from among the young since ancient times. Xu Yao, since you are unwilling to deal with the Blood Lotus Palace, I will not force you. However, I beg you to do me a favor: go to the outskirts of the city and make sure to bring this young man into my camp! Such talent should not be allowed to be buried in the dust!"

Very well, Chu Xuyao was also eager to see who this young man, who was rumored to be so extraordinary, really was!

Volume One: Pear Blossom Courtyard Under the Melting Moon, Chapter Twenty-Eight: Murong's Son-in-Law

When Rongyue saw the huge stack of account sheets in the accounting room, her little brain went blank!

"Dad... you're kidding, right?" Asking her to look at the bills is like asking her to die! You have to understand, she can't read a single word; she's a complete illiterate!

Seeing Rongyue hesitate and seem to want to back out, Master Murong was so angry that his snow-white beard stood on end: "Are you kidding me? Who has the time to joke! As the son-in-law of the Murong family, if you can't even keep a basic account, how can you manage the Murong family's hundreds of shops!"

"What? You're in charge of a shop! Hundreds of shops at that?! Why?! I don't want it!" In front of Master Murong, Rongyue simply craned her neck, facing the blue sky in protest. This cunning old man actually dared to scheme against her! Outrageous! Why should he dump this exhausting burden onto her frail shoulders? No way! No way!

"You don't want it?! If you don't want it, who will?!" Master Murong felt like his lungs were about to explode with anger. Just listen to her tone! What kind of attitude was that! Did she think his Murong family's shop was some kind of rags and worn-out shoes? Look at the look of disgust on her face, as if he had forced a mess on her!

"Isn't it because I have you, Dad!"

"What about after Dad passes away?"

"Hey, why think so far ahead? That's still a long way off! Your father is protected by auspicious clouds and purple aura, he'll surely enjoy boundless blessings and longevity! You'll live to be a hundred years old, and without your guidance, how dare the King of Hell invite you?" Seeing that Master Murong's expression softened slightly, Rongyue continued with a playful grin, "Father, your son-in-law once heard a saying, 'An old steed in its stall still aspires to gallop a thousand miles; a hero in his twilight years still cherishes lofty ambitions!' So, your son-in-law thinks that while your health is still so robust, you should properly manage the Murong family's business, not just abandon it like that, that would be an unwise decision! Only if you have perseverance, willpower, persistence, and the courage to expand, perhaps, in your lifetime, the Murong family's business can flourish under your leadership, and perhaps even expand to the entire Eastern Dynasty! Then, you'll become a commercial tycoon of the Eastern Dynasty!"

Rongyue glanced furtively at the pensive Master Murong, then secretly moved her feet away until she was dozens of meters away from him. With a sly grin, she called out to Master Murong in the distance, "Father, Yuyan seems to have something to tell me, so I'm leaving now! You can take your time looking at the accounts..." With that, she vanished in a flash.

Only then did Master Murong realize he had fallen for Rongyue's trick. He stood behind her, fuming, glaring, and stamping his feet, yelling, "You come back here! Come back here! You unfilial son-in-law!!"

To explain how Rongyue became the son-in-law of the Murong family, we have to start from the day of the martial arts competition.