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Capítulo 16

As soon as he looked up, he met several burning gazes—a mixture of infatuation, admiration, resentment, and jealousy.

Compared to the bustling crowd downstairs, there were fewer people upstairs, with only four tables of guests, making it naturally quieter. At the table directly opposite sat four people: two men and two women. The men were handsome, and the women were charming. Both were young, dressed in fine clothes, and it was clear at a glance that they came from wealthy families. Their intense gazes were directed at them from that table.

Ming Er ignored the stares, Ning Lang lowered his head to drink tea, while Lan Qi curled his lips and glanced between Ning Lang and Ming Er. He then opened his jade fan and said, "Second Young Master, look, there are two very beautiful girls across from us."

When Ming Er was called out, he had no choice but to put down his teacup, look up at the person opposite him, and then nod and say, "Seventh Young Master is right. The two young ladies are as graceful as willows and as beautiful as peach blossoms, which is quite rare."

Upon hearing this, the two girls opposite blushed and lowered their heads shyly and happily, while the two men snorted coldly and glared fiercely at Lan Qi and Ming Er.

Ignoring the hostile gazes of the two men, Lan Qi waved her jade fan with an elegant air, "Second Young Master, as the saying goes, 'A fair maiden is sought after by a gentleman.' You and I are both still unmarried, but now we happen to meet these two beautiful young ladies. Isn't this a case of 'a thousand-mile marriage tied by a single thread'? Why don't we each take one home?"

"Cough cough..." Ning Lang choked and coughed because he couldn't swallow his tea properly.

Ming Er's hand, which was holding the teacup, trembled almost imperceptibly. Then, a perfectly appropriate smile appeared on his face, carrying just the right amount of helplessness: "Seventh Young Master is indeed a romantic and amorous man."

"That's because the flowers are so beautiful." Lan Qi smiled, his eyes sparkling with charm, his gaze shifting back and forth between the two girls.

The two men's back-and-forth was rather abrupt, and the two girls couldn't help but look up at them with some embarrassment and annoyance. But as soon as their eyes met, their annoyance vanished, leaving only a mixture of shyness and sweetness. However, the two men beside them were completely furious.

"Bang!" The man in silver brocade slammed his hand on the table, stood up abruptly, and glared angrily at Lan Qi and Ming Er, "How dare you! How dare you speak so disrespectfully to your junior sister!"

"Second Young Master," Lan Qi called out, waving his fan.

"Hmm." Ming Er picked up his teacup and responded, then took a sip of tea.

Lan Qi pointed to the table opposite her with her jade fan and said, "Look at these two beautiful flowers, but next to them are two piles of stinking, pungent cow dung." She shook her head repeatedly, full of regret.

Cow dung? The tea that Ming Er was holding in his mouth no longer tasted good; he didn't know whether to swallow it or not.

"You?!" Another man in blue brocade robes slammed his fist on the table and stood up, glaring angrily. "Are you tired of living?!"

"Ning Lang." Ignoring the man's shouts, Lan Qi nodded to Ning Lang, who was engrossed in drinking his tea.

"Hmm?" Ning Lang looked up at him in confusion.

"You look so good in blue, so bright and handsome." Lan Qi nodded and praised, "But some people try to imitate you poorly, what a waste."

"Huh?" Although he heard Lan Qi's praise, Ning Lang did not blush this time. He looked at Lan Qi, who was smiling calmly, and then at the person opposite him... his anger was already blazing!

Ming Er shifted his gaze to the window, where he saw a tall, lush, green tree, which pleased him greatly. He then swallowed the tea in his mouth.

The man in blue was not about to back down from Lan Qi's provocation. He kicked aside his stool and strode over, standing in front of their table. Without saying a word, he looked down at Lan Qi, raised his palm, and then slammed it down on the table with great force, the wind from his palm whistling.

At that moment, Lan Qi was waving a jade fan in one hand and holding a teacup in the other, drinking tea with her head down, seemingly not looking at the person in front of her. Ning Lang, on the other hand, was holding a cup in both hands, staring blankly at the blue-clad man who had suddenly run to their table, not yet having reacted. Only Ming Er was putting his teacup on the table.

The palm and the teacup landed on the table at the same time.

When the palm struck, it made a loud thud.

The cup fell silently.

The table remained unmoved.

Ming Er calmly raised his eyes and looked at the man in blue. Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Pleasure of a Broken Hairpin (Part Two)

Updated: [2008-11-28 14:06:52.0]

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The man in blue's expression changed instantly, staring at Ming Er in utter shock. Lan Qi's provocative words had infuriated him, but as someone from a prestigious and upright family, he couldn't possibly resort to such a display of power. Judging from Lan Qi and Ming Er's appearance, he assumed they were just ordinary wealthy young masters. He had only intended to shatter the table with a single blow to intimidate them, but who knew… his palm struck, leaving the wooden table completely undamaged, while his own hand, from fingertips to palm to wrist, felt utterly numb! It wasn't just a tingling numbness; it was as if his entire body below the wrist no longer belonged to him!

"Senior brother?" The three people at the opposite table noticed the subtle tension and called out to each other.

"You..." The man in blue looked at Ming Er with suspicion. Who was he? That palm strike just now used half of his strength, which could have shattered the wooden table, but this man simply put down the cup and the power of his palm strike was completely neutralized.

"Young hero, my friend is always fond of joking. Today, seeing the two young ladies' beautiful faces, he was filled with admiration and thus made a few jokes. I hope you will forgive him." Ming Er smiled slightly at him, speaking gently and politely.

"I..." The man in blue couldn't bring himself to say anything harsh to Ming Er's pleasant smile.

Ming Er moved his head to look at the table opposite, "I hope the young lady and the young hero will be magnanimous and forgiving."

The three people nodded involuntarily when they were looked at by those empty, misty eyes.

"I apologize on behalf of my friend. Please have a cup of tea, young hero."

Ming Er poured another cup of tea and moved it to the blue-robed man's hand, which was resting on the table. The moment the cup touched his palm, the blue-robed man felt a warm current flow from his fingertips to his wrist, and instantly, his hand regained sensation. After a moment of stunned silence, he picked up the teacup and drank it all in one gulp. He then glared hatefully at Lan Qi, turned around, and walked back. He could faintly hear his junior sister scolding her senior brother in a low voice for being too reckless.

"Sigh..." Lan Qi sighed, fanning himself, "It's so rare to find something interesting in such a boring town."

Ming Er filled his teacup with water and said calmly, "As long as Seventh Young Master doesn't cause trouble for others, that's fine."

Lan Qi closed his fan and looked at Ming Er with a sense of melancholy and grievance: "Second Young Master, I believe in sharing joys with friends. Seeing such a beautiful woman in such a remote place, and meeting you and me, is just like the story of a talented scholar and a beautiful woman meeting on a road. It is a perfect opportunity to write a romantic tale. How can you ruin my good intentions?"

Ming Er glanced at Lan Qi and said, "This romantic affair is quite fitting for a romantic figure like Seventh Young Master. I will not compete for this reputation."

"Oh dear, we've traveled together all the way, so of course we should advance and retreat together in everything." Lan Qi opened her jade fan and looked at Ming Er with great sincerity.

"To act like this in front of an unmarried person, isn't Seventh Young Master being a bit too disrespectful?" Ming Er glanced at Ning Lang.

"Hmm?" Lan Qi was stopped by Ming's words and turned to look at Ning Lang.

Ning Lang felt a bit wronged when Ming Er looked at him, but when Lan Qi stared at him, he became extremely nervous.

"Ning Lang." Lan Qi called out, slowly moving closer to Ning Lang.

Ning Lang quickly leaned back and said before Lan Qi could speak, "I don't think they're bad people, so you..." He paused, then hesitated, unsure how to phrase it. He wanted to say, "Don't play tricks on them," but he was afraid of being too direct and offending Lan Qi.

"Oh?" Lan Qi blinked.

Ning Lang glanced at the four people opposite him. The senior brother was enthusiastically serving food to his junior sister, while the junior sister kept glancing over here from time to time. "Although he was very angry just now, he didn't hit you. He just slammed his fist on the table, so he's not a bad person. Besides, he was angry because he likes his junior sister very much. So... so don't be angry that he glared at you."

"You seem to know quite a bit." Lan Qi's emerald eyes darted around as she looked across at the other table, meeting her senior brother's resentful gaze. A faint smile appeared on her lips. "Do you like your junior sister... hehe..." That gentle laugh drew the attention of the other tables' guests. When they saw that enchanting face and those bewitching emerald eyes, a feeling of both heat and cold arose in their hearts.

"What...what do you want to do?" Ning Lang blurted out, a bad feeling rising in his heart.

"I've thought of something even more fun." Lan Qi laughed heartily.

Ming Er's brow twitched almost imperceptibly. What a scourge!

After the three finished their meal, they returned to the inn. Lan Qi and Ming Er said they were a little tired and went back to their rooms to rest, while Ning Lang went to Yuwen Luo's room to talk to him.

Before he could even knock, the door opened, and Yuwen strode out, his face showing a hint of anger, before heading straight back to his own room next door.

Seeing Yuwen Luo sitting in the room, Ning Lang closed the door, walked over and sat down beside him, asking, "Brother, what's wrong with Brother Yuwen?"

Yuwen Luo stretched and said, "He said he's setting off tomorrow and doesn't want to travel with the Second Young Master and the Seventh Young Master."

"Huh?" Ning Lang asked in surprise. "Why? You agreed?"

"Of course I didn't agree. He's not fully recovered yet, and he's made countless enemies. What if they come looking for revenge on the way? Wouldn't I have to die with him?" Yuwen Luo shrank his neck. "As for the reason, well, it's all because of that mere reputation."

"Huh?" Ning Lang asked, puzzled.

Yuwen Luo picked up the teapot on the table, poured two cups of tea, and then said, "Do you know that there was a saying about the 'Four Gentlemen' at the end of the previous dynasty?"

“I know that.” Ning Lang nodded.

Yuwen Luo raised an eyebrow at him and said, "Even you know about it. It seems that the 'Fourth Young Master' is indeed famous throughout the ages."

"They did it for the sake of the world, and the world will naturally remember them." Ning Lang felt a sense of reverence when he thought of the ancients from more than a hundred years ago.

“Yes.” Yuwen Luo nodded in deep agreement. “The dynasty built the most vast and powerful empire in history for its founding emperor. Yu Wuyuan helped him pacify the world but did not seek fame or fortune and left alone. Feng Lanxi and Feng Xi are two people with two identities. The former gave up the throne and half of the world for the sake of the common people, while the latter unified the martial arts world and brought a century of peace. Such people are indeed rare and truly admirable.”

"What does Brother Yuwen's anger have to do with them?" Ning Lang asked, puzzled.

“It’s all because of the title ‘Four Young Masters’,” Yuwen Luo said dismissively. “Perhaps out of respect for their predecessors, the martial arts world has always loved to select the so-called ‘Four Young Masters of the Martial Arts World’ from among the outstanding younger generation. The eldest son of the Hua family, Tao Luomei Hongming, the third master of the Lie family, Lie Chifeng, and my elder brother were once ranked as the ‘Four Young Masters of the Martial Arts World.’ But in the past two years, the second young master of the Ming family and the seventh young master of the Lan family have appeared in the martial arts world and their reputations have risen. So the ‘Four Young Masters’ were re-ranked. But these busybodies only selected the second young master, the seventh young master, and the third master of the Lie family, excluding everyone else. They said that none of them were as good as these three and could not be ranked with them. So they would rather leave one out than not select the ‘Three Young Masters of the Martial Arts World’! Alas…” Yuwen Luo sighed heavily. “How can my elder brother not be angry and resentful about such a thing? Moreover, he is such a proud person. So how could he have a good face towards the second young master and the seventh young master, and how could he accept their kindness and travel with them?”

“This…” Ning Lang thought for a moment. Given Yuwen’s personality, this was indeed an embarrassing situation. “Then what should we do? Is Brother Yuwen going to set off alone tomorrow?”

“Heh…no.” Yuwen Luo smiled slyly. “As the saying goes, it’s better to provoke than to invite. I just said, ‘Is Big Brother afraid of Second Young Master and Seventh Young Master?’ and he obediently agreed to go to Yingshan together.”

"So easy?" Ning Lang was astonished. Even the powerful Yuwen brother listened to his elder brother.

"And I said, if he doesn't travel with me, I'll announce his injury to the martial arts world, hahaha..." Yuwen Luo laughed triumphantly, "If the whole martial arts world knew that he was indebted to the Second Young Master and the Seventh Young Master, I guess he would rather hang himself."

"He's your older brother, if you do this... what will he do..."

Yuwen Luo glared at Ning Lang, "He's bullied me since I was a kid!" The implication was that it was nothing for him to take a little revenge on him now that he was injured.

“Uh…” Ning Lang was speechless, only thinking to himself: How come I’ve never been bullied by my senior brothers since I was a child? If Lan Qi heard this, she would probably reply: That’s because you didn’t even know you were being bullied.

Lan Qi didn't leave her room that afternoon.

As dusk approached, Ning Lang and Yuwen Luo, who had rested for half a day, stepped out of their room to stretch their limbs. They saw Yuwen Yi sitting by the railing in front of the long corridor, gazing at the green mountains bathed in the setting sun. The two couldn't help but walk over. Another door opened beside them, and Ming Er emerged. Seeing the three of them, he smiled slightly, said nothing, and stood together by the railing. Bathed in the crimson glow of the setting sun, they watched the green mountains tinged with the last rays of light, listened to the birdsong returning to their nests—a scene of profound tranquility and harmony.

With a creak, another door opened, and the group turned around. What had been a somber early autumn sunset had suddenly transformed into a scene of springtime, with thousands of purple peonies in full bloom, their beauty boundless.

"Oh, they're all here."

The voice was extremely soft and clear, yet carried a captivating allure; the faint smile instantly outshone the brilliance of the sunset. Many years later, all of them could clearly recall this scene, the purple dress, the emerald eyes, and the incomparably radiant figure bathed in the crimson sunlight.

“You…you’ve turned into a woman again.” Ning Lang stared wide-eyed at Lan Qi, who stood tall and graceful in a deep purple dress, like a purple peony.

Yuwen Luo looked at Lan Qi warily, then at his brother beside him, fearing that she might have come up with some new idea to punish his brother. Fortunately, Lan Qi did not notice them, and his brother quickly turned back after glancing at her, looking at the green mountains outside the building, as if he had not seen Lan Qi at all.

Ming Er remained calm, looked Lan Qi up and down, and said, "Seventh Young Master is indeed blessed by heaven, possessing both Yin and Yang in one body."

"Alas, how can I compare to the Second Young Master's celestial being-banished body?" Lan Qi smiled faintly as usual, tapping her jade fan in her palm as she slowly walked towards the corridor railing. Her figure was slender, her steps light, yet her elegance was multifaceted. Turning her head, her emerald eyes fell on Ning Lang, "Ning Lang, do you like me like this?"

Ning Lang's heart skipped a beat, and his face instantly turned red. "I...I..."

Lan Qi unfurled her jade fan, slowly moving it up from her chin to cover her lips, nose, and half her face, leaving only her bewitching blue eyes, enhanced by her purple robes, fixed intently on Ning Lang. She softly asked, "Do you like it?"

For a moment, his soul seemed to be captivated by those emerald eyes. Ning Lang stared at her intently and said, "I like it."

Sigh! Yuwen Luo looked at Ning Lang and sighed heavily in his heart, but hoped... his gaze shifted to the incomparably beautiful woman, hoping that she could have a bit of pity.

"Hmm, I like your answer too." Lan Qi looked up and smiled, then turned to Ming Er with her emerald eyes. "Second Young Master, look how beautiful the sunset is! Why don't we go for a walk?"

Ming Er raised an eyebrow in surprise, then smiled calmly and said, "If Seventh Young Master has such refined tastes, then so be it. I, a mere commoner, will not disturb your enjoyment."

"Isn't the Second Young Master going?" Lan Qi turned his head.

“I will not go,” Ming Er replied politely and decisively.

"The journey to Yingshan is long indeed." Lan Qi shook her jade fan with a sigh, her blue eyes shimmering with a hint of eeriness as she looked at Ming Er with a meaningful gaze. "I wonder if you still have the leisure to appreciate the sunset."

Upon hearing this, Ming Er's smile froze slightly, then he slowly nodded and said, "Yes, Seventh Young Master's words make a lot of sense. Since such a beautiful scene is rare, let's go and see the twilight of Mengshan together."

"The Second Young Master is indeed sensible and perceptive." Lan Qi tapped her jade fan against her palm, expressing her admiration.

"That was also due to Seventh Young Master's refined taste," Ming Er said with utmost humility.

"Then let's go." Lan Qi nodded in satisfaction and led the way. After taking two steps, she suddenly stopped and turned back, saying, "Second Young Master, Lan Qi is clearly a woman. You always call me 'Seventh Young Master,' which will cause misunderstandings. Why don't you call me..." Her green eyes glanced at Ning Lang, and she said slowly, "How about calling me 'Yinyin'?" Without waiting for a reply, she strode away, ignoring the expressions of the people behind her.

Yuwen stood with his back turned, his appearance unknown, while Yuwen Luo stared in astonishment at the departing purple figure.