Just as Shangguan Tou was about to follow, He Chunluo came over and started talking to him with a smile in her eyes.
The moon was bright and the wind was gentle that night, and the evening breeze swept across the painted bridge and the pond.
What should have been a wonderful night was disrupted, leaving me feeling irritable.
83
Soon, more and more people joined the martial arts competition in the courtyard. Hua Yijian once again elegantly knocked the sword of the Niangyue Manor Master away, then cupped his hands and said that he would let the younger generation show their skills. After saying this, he handed his precious sword, Gan'a, to Xuezhi. Xuezhi accepted the sword generously, and with the poise of a palace master that she had been trained in since childhood, she swung the sword once, then greeted those around her with swords and asked for their guidance.
Men showed tenderness and pity for women, while women were filled with trepidation.
The first person to come up was an unknown female disciple of the Emei Sect. The biggest difference between this female disciple and the others was her beautiful face. However, her beautiful face was adorned with a cold, icy smile.
Although she knew it was just a friendly competition, the long hours of hard work and her own identity constantly reminded Xuezhi: she had to win.
After making two moves and giving way to two others, Xuezhi quickly figured out her opponent's martial arts skills.
Xuezhi knew the Emei Sect disliked her. However, confident of victory, she acted relatively gently. Unexpectedly, her gentleness only fueled the other party's aggressiveness. If it weren't for Feng Zi's birthday banquet, Xuezhi would have thought this woman wanted to kill her.
The sword's edge grazed Xuezhi's face several times in a row.
The opponent seemed to have no regard for the image of the Emei Sect, and his moves were ruthless and almost insane.
In the end, Xuezhi knocked her sword away.
She fell heavily to the ground, her eyes quickly welling up with tears. Then she stood up, wiped away her tears, and retreated into the crowd.
Everyone was baffled by the scene.
Xuezhi was about to ask her what was going on when someone suddenly appeared in front of her.
Shangguan Tou tapped his palm lightly with the handle of his fan and said with a smile, "How about I have a little spar with Palace Master Xue?"
Unable to vent her anger, Xuezhi raised the Gan'a sword high above her head and declared, "I couldn't ask for more!"
Situ Xuetian waved his snow fan, relaxed and said, "This duel is going to be interesting. Guess who will win?"
Hua Yijian said, "It's hard to guess; the two should be evenly matched."
"Wrong. Look—"
Before she could finish speaking, Xuezhi had already brandished her Gan'a sword, thrusting it at Shangguan Tou with a flurry of attacks. Shangguan Tou dodged left and right, easily avoiding all her attacks.
Hua Yijian hesitated and asked, "This... which school does her swordsmanship belong to?"
"I guess this is called 'Hate-Slaying Sword'."
"The Sword of Hatred?"
"Sesame seeds."
At first, Shangguan Tou's folding fan was purely decorative, essentially making him fight unarmed. Xue Zhi's eyes were red, and her sword trembled wildly in the moonlight, like a venomous snake with its fangs removed, completely devoid of any threat. After only a few moves, Xue Zhi calmed down, shook her head, and prepared to fight back properly. But Shangguan Tou had already gained the upper hand. He suddenly opened his folding fan, and with a few backhand twists and turns, he spun around Xue Zhi, making her dizzy.
Hua Yijian said, "So what?"
“‘First-Class Sesame Fan’,” Situ Xuetian said with a smile, “and it’s sesame-flavored.”
At this moment, Shangguan Tou's fan suddenly flew out of his hand and closed in mid-air. Shangguan Tou reached out and caught it. The fan handle spun rapidly in the air and struck Xue Zhi's arm. It wasn't a big hit, but the sword in Xue Zhi's hand suddenly trembled and fell to the ground with a clang.
As soon as Xuezhi took a step forward, a fan handle was pressed down on her neck.
She looked at Shangguan Tou and said through gritted teeth, "Thank you for your guidance."
Shangguan Tou picked up the Gan'a sword, held it with both hands, and placed it back in Xuezhi's hands: "Thank you for your kind offer."
Xuezhi grabbed her sword and left.
Shangguan Tou didn't linger; after gesturing, he immediately withdrew.
She returned the sword to Hua Yijian. Hua Yijian had intended to ask her about the earlier duel, but seeing her sour face, he remained silent. Xuezhi had only taken a few steps when a woman stopped her. Upon closer inspection, it was the Emei female disciple she had just fought. The female disciple smiled and said softly:
"Palace Master Xue, do you know why Shangguan Tou fought you just now?"
Xuezhi thought for a moment and said, "I don't know."
"Everyone knows that Shangguan Tou only fights people for women. Just like many years ago at the Weapon Ranking Tournament, he challenged Mu Yuan for Lin Fengzi." The female disciple's lips curled up slightly as she leaned close to Xuezhi's ear and said, "Just like now, you hurt me."
Xuezhi wanted to say that this had nothing to do with her, but her curiosity was too much to bear: "For Lin Fengzi?"
“Chong Xuezhi, your androgynous father killed your uncle back then. I should have avenged him long ago, but now my martial arts are no match for yours—”
Before she could finish speaking, Xuezhi had already slapped her across the face!
“If you say another bad word about my father, you will die right here.”
"My martial arts skills are inferior to yours, yet I managed to steal your man." The female disciple covered her face and said with a faint smile, "Regardless of whether you end up with him or not, he once belonged to me. Don't you feel very sad?"
Xuezhi suppressed her anger and said patiently, "I don't know where you heard that I have something going on with Shangguan Tou, but I want to say that I have absolutely nothing to do with him. So, you don't need to tell me about your private affairs." After saying that, she walked past her.
The female disciple then said, "If you don't care about me, shouldn't you care about Lin Fengzi?"
There are many boring people in this world, so they like to do even more boring things to prove that they are not boring.
Xuezhi didn't argue with her and quickly walked into the hall, returning to the banquet.
84
At the banquet, almost everyone who was seated was slouching. A group of women gathered around the window, chatting and drinking tea, while also waiting for their husbands or fellow disciples. Xuezhi had never known how to interact with women, so she simply found a corner to sit down.
But soon, one of the women waved to Xue Zhi: "Palace Mistress Xue, come quickly."
Xuezhi looked left and right, and finally pointed to herself: "Are you calling me?"
"Of course it's you, come here quickly."
Xuezhi was rarely paid attention to by women who weren't from the same sect, so she was immediately excited and rushed over. Sure enough, apart from Liu Hua and a few other young female disciples, most of the people standing there were the sect leader's wife and the gang leader's wives and concubines.
Xuezhi smiled and asked, "What is it?"
"It's nothing important, but is it wrong to chat with a beautiful woman?"
"No, no."
"Speaking of which, Palace Master Xue is truly a rare guest of Lingjian Manor," a lady said with a smile. "Moreover, Palace Master Xue has a very straightforward personality. No matter what people say, she insists on coming here. We all admire her very much."
Xuezhi was a little confused: "I don't understand."
"Hehe, she really is a young girl." The speaker was Bai Manman, Fengcheng's concubine. "Although we don't quite understand the thoughts of young girls nowadays, we are all experienced women and can understand that women also have their own difficulties."
Xuezhi was completely confused.
Another lady said, "Actually, my husband has had affairs with several women, but I really turn a blind eye. Madam Bai does a good job in this respect too; she can tolerate everything."
Xuezhi was still completely confused.
Bai Manman sighed, "Alas, I'm too shy to do what little girls do. They have that kind of drive, but I don't. I'm just getting old."
Xuezhi was still completely confused.
"Don't talk nonsense, you're still young and beautiful." The lady who started the conversation pushed Bai Manman's hand, and the hot tea in Bai Manman's hand suddenly spilled onto Xuezhi.
Xuezhi gasped and took a step back, but her snow-white dress was now completely stained with brown tea stains.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to." Even so, the person just stood there, doing nothing.
"It's alright, it's alright." Xuezhi waved her hands repeatedly and hurriedly wiped her clothes with her hands. "It'll be fine after wiping."
At this moment, Liu Hua took out a handkerchief and wiped Xue Zhi's face, saying, "Palace Mistress Xue must be tired. Go and rest for a while."
Before Xuezhi could speak, the lady continued to hold Bai Manman's hand and said softly:
"I guess Master Feng is only temporarily infatuated with beauty. After all, in this world, for every vixen who falls, a thousand more will rise. Madam Bai just needs to keep to her duty and be a virtuous woman, ah."
Bai Manman cried, "I'm not reconciled either, but those girls are so open-minded, and their husbands are too... sob..."
Xuezhi vaguely understood something and stopped wiping her clothes: "Madam Bai, I have met with Sect Leader Feng no more than five times."
The lady said, "He only slept with me six times, right?"
"How is that possible!"
"Why not? Chonghuo Palace is declining day by day. How can it survive without finding a backer? But if you have any compassion, you shouldn't bully Madam Bai like this anymore."
"I told you, I didn't!" Xuezhi stood up straight. "Master Feng is an elder to me, and I would never do such a thing!"
"Senior? Ha, the senior in bed?"
"Disgusting!" Xuezhi clenched her fists and said fiercely, "Say that again and I'll hit you!"
"Go ahead and hit me," the woman provocatively said. "Let everyone know that you're not only a shameless vixen, but also an ill-mannered shrew!"
Xuezhi was furious and blurted out, "Only you guys care! I don't care at all! If I'm going to find someone, I'll find a handsome young man with good skills. I have absolutely no interest in old men like that!"
Xuezhi knew that her impulsiveness was always leading her into a vicious cycle. But she couldn't change it.
"Of course we believe you. Didn't you try to find Young Master Xia back then?" the lady said with a coquettish smile. "However, he didn't want you. He wanted Miss Liu, who is a hundred times more beautiful than you."
"Stop talking," Liu Hua said softly. "I don't want to get involved in your conflict."
"I wonder how many young men you lowered your standards to pursue after that. Unfortunately, none of them were interested in you. Sigh, when I was your age, I was already married."
"I am single, that's true, but that's no excuse for you to talk nonsense!"
"And you? All you can do is sleep with your senior."
"I didn't!" Xuezhi trembled with anger.
Bai Manman said, "Fine, you didn't. Then if you're so capable, say, 'I, Chong Xuezhi, swear to heaven on the honor of Chong Lian, that I am a virgin and have never slept with a man.' If you say it, we'll believe you."
Xuezhi opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.
"Can't say anything now, huh?" Bai Manman sneered. "What are you pretending to be so high and mighty for?"
At that moment, a voice came from behind them:
"She's not pretending to be aloof, she's just shy."
A group of people turned their heads away.
Shangguan Tou approached with a smile, stood beside Xue Zhi, and looked at her with tender eyes: "Zhi'er, why don't you tell them about us?"