Une aura glaçante

Chapitre 10

Xue Beifan held his teacup and said, "Wang Bibo has countless women around him, so there must be some reason why he would take a liking to this girl."

Chonghua frowned. "You believe that it's not just someone who likes her, but someone with ulterior motives?"

"Aren't all women the same?" Xue Beifan smiled indifferently. "Either they're pleasing to the eye or they have a pleasing personality, but in the end, they're all human. A man like Wang Bibo wouldn't lose his composure for a woman."

Chonghua frowned, looking at him with some disdain, "You still stick to your old saying, 'It's okay to play around, but don't take it seriously,' huh? Be careful you don't miss out on true love."

"So what if you have a sincere heart?" Xue Beifan asked Chonghua with a smile. "It's just like how you treated Lou Xiaoyue, sending your sincere heart to someone to trample on?"

"Tsk." Chonghua rolled her eyes at him, her face hardening. "I'm not going to waste my breath on a heartless scoundrel like you."

"Hypocrisy and sincerity are just empty words. People's hearts are unpredictable and can change in an instant." Xue Beifan pointed to Hao Jinfeng, who was seriously eating his fifth bowl of wontons. "Either be like him, or be like me. In short, you can put people in your mouth and eyes, but don't put them in your heart." After saying that, he stood up and went to tease Yan Xiaodao in front of him with a grin.

Sure enough, a few words angered Xiaodao, and he threw a cup at him.

Chonghua pondered Xue Beifan's words and subconsciously glanced at Lou Xiaoyue at the bow of the boat. Xiaoyue happened to turn around as well, and their eyes met. Xiaoyue smiled at him, her eyes clear and undistracted, but Chonghua felt a pang of heartache. He could only return her smile, seemingly nonchalant.

...

As evening approached, the boat entered the area of Bibo Lake, where we could already see the willow-lined embankment and pedestrians.

Bibo Lake is located on the south bank of Pingjiang Prefecture, while the west bank is the famous Jiuzhulongtan, which is Wang Bibo's territory.

Jiuzhulongtan is actually a hillside with a waterfall cascading down, and nine round, deep pools along the way. The waterfall meanders like a giant silver dragon, hence the name.

Wang Bibo's mansion, called Bibo Villa, encircled the entire Jiuzhu Longtan area. The houses were built against the mountainside, with waterfalls flowing through them, making it very grand! Bibo Villa mainly operated money exchange, gambling den, rice shop and other profitable businesses. Its business covered major cities and counties in Jiangnan, and branches of Bibo Bank and Bibo Rice Shop could be seen everywhere, making it a place of great wealth and power.

Xiao Dao and his group disembarked on the south bank, intending to find an inn to stay in before discussing their next plan.

To everyone's surprise, they were immediately targeted as soon as they entered the city.

Xue Beifan glanced at the people following behind him and said to Xiao Dao, "Wang Bibo's spies should be everywhere in Pingjiang Prefecture. They probably already know you've arrived."

Xiao Dao snorted, "I expected it. Wang Bibo is sending people everywhere to arrest me."

"Outrageous!" Hao Jinfeng said sternly. "Don't be afraid, Miss Xiaodao. As long as you don't want to marry, Wang Bibo can't force you. I'll stand up for you!"

"Mmm!" Xiao Dao nodded happily. As expected of his older brother! Although he didn't say it out loud, he still took good care of him.

The group found an inn to eat at. As soon as Xue Beifan sat down, he advised Xiao Dao, "Wang Bibo has put a lot of effort into you. Don't keep her at arm's length."

Xiao Dao glared at him, "Whose side are you on?!"

Xue Beifan could only shrug and say, "Of course I'm on your side."

Xiao Dao caught his breath and said, "That's more like it."

Before he had eaten more than a few bites of food, he heard someone downstairs calling out, "Oh, Mr. Wang, what brings you to my humble shop?"

Chonghua served Xiaoyue some food, saying, "You came fast enough!"

At the same time, a slightly lazy voice came from downstairs, "I've booked this place. My future wife is upstairs. Let the irrelevant people eat somewhere else."

"Yes, yes!" the shopkeeper agreed meekly and began clearing the area.

Chonghua and Xue Beifan exchanged a glance and raised an eyebrow—that's domineering enough!

With a "snap," the chopsticks in Xiao Dao's hand snapped in two. He angrily shouted, "That dead Wang Bibo, he ruined my reputation!"

Xiaoyue was also somewhat displeased, "They're not even married yet, how can you say such nonsense?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a young man rushed upstairs. Before he was seen, his voice was heard: "Xiao Dao, did you miss me?"

Everyone exchanged glances and secretly gasped – Wang Bibo truly lived up to his reputation as a handsome man; his face alone could make countless girls blush!

This man was about the same age as Xue Beifan, with strikingly handsome features—almost too good-looking for a man. He wore a white brocade robe embroidered with silver-threaded landscapes, over which he wore a black gauze long gown, and a black belt inlaid with gold and eight treasures at his waist. He was not only wealthy but also quite elegant.

He went upstairs, looking at Xiaodao with a smile, like a cat seeing a fat mouse. Xiaodao, on the other hand, had a wrinkled face, as if he had seen a plague god.

Wang Bibo naturally noticed the person sitting at the same table as Xiao Dao. Somewhat surprised, she scanned the room and finally fixed her gaze on Xue Beifan.

After a moment of staring at each other, Wang Bibo smiled, found a table opposite him, sat down, crossed his legs and leaned against the edge of the table, pointed at Xiaodao with his chopsticks, and said, "Xiaodao, the world is dangerous, don't let bad guys trick you."

Xue Beifan reached out and picked up a piece of food from the small bowl, nodding, "Indeed, the world is dangerous, and villains are everywhere."

Chonghua shook his head inwardly—good! Bad people have met bad people.

Xiao Dao held his rice bowl and ate, thinking to himself, "Who cares? They're all scoundrels. Killing any of them would be doing the people a favor!"

[Playing along]

Wang Bibo suddenly appeared and immediately clashed with Xue Beifan.

After a brief standoff, Wang Bibo squinted and tapped the knife, as if beckoning a kitten, "Zuo Zuo, come to your husband's side."

Xiao Dao grabbed Xue Beifan's arm and shooed him away like a dog, saying, "Go away, my sweetheart is here."

Chonghua looked at Xue Beifan with amusement—this rival in love was now truly confirmed.

Sure enough, Wang Bibo's gaze drifted to Xue Beifan again.

Xue Beifan casually reached out and grabbed Xiao Dao, who immediately stabbed him in the back, glaring at him and saying, "Keep your hands to yourself, don't take advantage of me."

Xue Beifan smiled helplessly at Wang Bibo, but the subtle provocation in his smile was unbearable.

Wang Bibo pulled out a mortgage deed from his pocket. "It's in black and white. Her master has mortgaged her to me as my wife. You can refuse, but you'll have to pay back ten thousand taels of debt!"

Xue Beifan looked at Xiao Dao with admiration—"Wow, you're quite valuable! Little Golden Pig!"

Xiao Dao stomped on his foot viciously.

Wang Bibo saw it clearly; Xiao Dao and Xue Beifan were very close, seemingly even flirting, and he felt a vague displeasure.

Chonghua advised, "Since Xiaodao doesn't want to marry, we can't force her. Besides, her master has no right to pawn her to you."

"Exactly!" Hao Jinfeng said righteously, "The buying and selling of people is forbidden!"

“But Xiao Dao left her handprint on the contract.” Wang Bibo slowly pointed to a dark handprint on the contract. “She voluntarily paid off her master’s debt.”

Everyone turned to look at Xiao Dao, who slammed his fist on the table. "I was framed!"

“Words are no proof.” Wang Bibo pressed on, “I acted in accordance with the contract, and I was right both legally and morally.”

"Wouldn't it be enough to just return the ten thousand taels of silver to you?"

Everyone was startled and looked at Lou Xiaoyue, who had spoken.

Xiao Dao tugged at Xiao Yue's sleeve, looking miserable, "I wouldn't run away from this marriage even if I had ten thousand taels of silver."

Xiaoyue took out ten 1,000-tael silver notes from her bosom and gave them to Xiaodao, saying, "Here you go."

...

Everyone fell silent... After a long while, they asked Xiaoyue in unison, "Where did you get so much money?"

"The pocket money given by the young master."

Xue Beifan was stunned for a long time before he came to his senses and grinned at Chonghua, "You don't seem to have much of a chance of winning!"

Chonghua sighed and rubbed his forehead in exasperation.

Xiao Dao was also very surprised, "Shen Xinghai gave you so much money? I thought he was withholding your wages."

"Young Master gives me one hundred taels a month to buy things, and I save it since I don't want anything," Xiaoyue said honestly.

Xiao Dao was moved to tears, "You're giving me your savings of over ten years to pay off your debts? What will you do in the future?"

Seeing her pitiful state, Xiaoyue stuffed the silver notes into her hand. "Don't worry. Besides pocket money, you also get wages and monthly pay. The young master will also give you money during festivals. It's enough for you."

Xiao Dao stared blankly for a long time, then grabbed Xiao Yue and shook her, "I wronged Shen Xinghai, he's a good person! Xiao Yue, does the Shen family need anyone? Take me in!"

"What are you going to take?!" Wang Bibo rolled his eyes. "If you want it, I'll give you mountains of gold and silver! Ten thousand taels is nothing."

Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Dao threw a teapot at him. "You dare say the money my sister gave me was worthless? Wang Bibo, you money-grubbing good-for-nothing!"

Wang Bibo also lost his temper, "You dare to call me a good-for-nothing? I own a house and land, I have everything I want, and countless girls in the world would love to marry into my family, you ungrateful brat!"

"I just can't stand you, you sissy, that pretty boy with those peach blossom eyes!" Xiao Dao shoved the silver back at Xiao Yue. "I won't give you ten thousand taels, you're just trying to renege on your debt! I'd rather marry a pig or a dog than marry you, you'll be so angry!"

"You..." Wang Bibo's face was already quite pale, which made the sharp-tongued Yan Xiaodao even paler with anger. "You really think I can't handle you?!"

"Afraid of you?"

"This Pingjiang Prefecture is all mine. You think you can leave now that you've come?" Wang Bibo said smugly. "Yan Xiaodao, forget about it. You won't escape my grasp no matter where you are in the world!"

As he was making harsh remarks, suddenly, with a "whoosh," Wang Bibo instinctively turned his head to the side, and a dagger grazed his face.

Xiaoyue's face showed murderous intent as she held a dagger in her hand, coldly staring at Wang Bibo.

"Wow." Wang Bibo touched his cheek. This woman had such cold eyes.

Seeing that the situation was getting out of hand, Chonghua coughed, interrupting the awkward atmosphere, "Using force is the worst thing to do, it will damage harmony. We are all people of the martial arts world, let's settle our affairs within the martial arts world, so as not to become a laughing stock."

Wang Bibo knew that Xue Beifan, Chonghua, and Hao Jinfeng were all renowned figures in the martial arts world, and that the woman in black also seemed to possess high martial arts skills, so he wouldn't have an advantage in a direct fight. Besides, Yan Xiaodao was incredibly stubborn, so he decided to use strategy rather than force her. He asked, "Brother Chong, what are your thoughts?"

"How about we make a bet?" Chonghua suggested. "The stakes are 10,000 taels. If you win, Xiaodao is yours, and I'll give you another 10,000 taels. If we win, Xiaodao's master's debts will be wiped clean, and of course, the engagement will be null and void."

"How do we gamble?" Wang Bibo seemed somewhat interested.

Chonghua looked at Xue Beifan, his expression conveying the message: "Next, it's your turn."

“Well, how about you play one round, I play one round, and Xiaodao plays one round? Best two out of three, both literary and martial arts are acceptable,” Xue Beifan suggested.

"Sure." Wang Bibo was a straightforward person.

So everyone looked at Xiao Dao.

The knife thief was annoyed, thinking to himself, "You all only remembered me after you'd already made your decisions, but this method isn't bad either. It's settled then!"

Once the deal was settled, Wang Bibo smiled and said, "Since you've come from afar, I should at least do my best to be a good host. After you finish your meal, how about you stay at Bibo Villa?"

The group was on their way to the Nine Pearl Dragon Pool to search for the Five Dragon Bone Diagrams, so they were naturally eager to get their hands on it and readily agreed.

"I'll be waiting for you at Bibo Manor," Wang Bibo instructed the waiter. "This meal is on me, treat me well!" With that, he went downstairs and left. As he left, he glanced at Xiaodao, smiled, and appeared brimming with confidence.

As soon as the person left, Xiao Dao quickly asked Xue Beifan, "How are you planning to gamble? Are you confident? We absolutely can't let him win!"

"Don't worry, I can certainly do what I promised you. What about what you promised me?"

“It’s just the Five Dragon Bone Diagrams.” Xiao Dao rested his chin on his hand, picking up some food with one hand. “The Nine Pearl Dragon Pool is full of traps to protect a treasure vault within the pool. Wang Bibo is incredibly wealthy, so there must be some very valuable treasures in the vault. It’s quite possible that the Five Dragon Bone Diagrams are hidden there as well.”

"Nine Pearl Dragon Pool is famous throughout the world. Can you get in?" Chonghua asked Xiaodao with some concern. "It is said that the traps and mechanisms there are extremely dangerous, and one wrong move could cost you your life."

Xiao Dao snorted indifferently, "It's nothing special."