Ne vous appuyez pas contre la rambarde ouest pour profiter pleinement de l'automne clair - Chapitre 18
After an incense stick had burned, Rongyue was happily eating two large meat buns. She had pawned four sets of men's clothing for three taels of silver; that should be enough for a month or two! But what about after that month? Without money, what would she eat, wear, and where would she live?
If she's broke, she needs to make money, but what can she do? Embroidery? Kill her! Cooking? Maybe she'd feed pigs! Be a maid? Why should she be expected to serve others like a slave? Sing, dance, become a geisha? People would probably think she's there to cause trouble! Sigh, so what can she actually do? In other words, what else can she do besides kill? Yes, all she knows is killing; she's completely clueless about everything else! I really wish someone would come and ask her to kill someone right now!
Without realizing it, I touched the needle in my sleeve. I hadn't used it for months, and I didn't even know if it had spun properly! Sigh, life is hard, and making a living is even harder!
Volume One: Pear Blossom Courtyard Under the Melting Moon, Chapter Twenty-Four: Blood Demon
The July sun blazed fiercely. Rongyue wiped the sweat from her forehead, rolled her eyes a few times, and leaned weakly on the large bronze sword that symbolized the gatekeeper, muttering under her breath, "What kind of awful weather is this!"
"Ah Jian, stand up straight! If Butler Murong sees you, he'll fine you for your wages!" Niu Ada, who was also on guard duty with her, stood up straight and held a heavy iron sword weighing several kilograms, and solemnly reminded Rong Yue.
Sigh, money, money, money again! She's helpless whenever money is mentioned. Even if she complains about money with no other choice, she still has to stand guard at the door with her sword! When you're under someone else's roof, you have to bow your head!
Lazily straightening her back, Rongyue stared blankly at the noisy crowd in the Murong mansion. Boring! She had originally thought the martial arts contest for marriage would be interesting, so she had 'humbled' herself to become a lowly gatekeeper. This way, she could earn money and watch the excitement—entertainment and money at the same time, why not?
Seeing it for myself, I realized this martial arts contest for marriage was utterly boring! On a large circular platform of about fifty square meters, two muscular men first introduced themselves, then exchanged pleasantries, before finally drawing their swords and engaging in combat. A crowd below either cheered, joined in the commotion, or gestured and offered unsolicited advice. At first glance, it seemed alright, quite entertaining. But after this spectacle repeated itself for seven days, the initial excitement turned to utter boredom. Sigh, the ancients were so inflexible! Couldn't they have come up with something different? Why did they have to repeat the same thing every day? It was so tedious!
Looking up again at Master Murong, who was watching from the second floor, his brows were tightly furrowed, making it unclear whether he was dissatisfied with the contestants or with the martial arts contest itself. He seemed to sigh deeply, took a large gulp of strong liquor, swallowed it with difficulty, closed his eyes, and began to immerse himself in his own sorrow…
Only when a loud "clang!" of a gong rang out from the stage did Master Murong slowly open his brown eyelids, his shrewd old eyes fixed on the peacocks on the stage.
Butler Murong grasped the left hand of the final victor and took a large step forward: "I will count to three. If no one comes forward to challenge, then Shangguan Hong, the eldest son of the Shangguan family, will be the Murong family's son-in-law! One, two..."
The people on and off the stage waited for a long time, but Butler Murong didn't call out "three." They looked up in surprise and were horrified to find that Butler Murong was still in the same position as when he counted "two," as if frozen in place, completely motionless. Shangguan Hong was also extremely surprised and gently nudged him, but to his surprise, Butler Murong fell straight down to the ground like a kite with a broken string.
"Blood, Blood Lotus!!!" The bolder people approached Steward Murong, and when they saw the blood-red lotus on his forehead, their eyes widened in terror, and they screamed and retreated repeatedly.
This scream acted like a fuse, instantly igniting the entire arena. Everyone drew their swords in horror, their faces filled with fear, and some of the more timid ones even ran towards the door.
Huh? What's wrong? What happened? As if she had just woken up, Rongyue rubbed her sore eyelids, staring blankly at the dark mass of people rushing towards her...
She quickly shifted to the side, making way for the people rushing forward recklessly. Watching the horde of people frantically break down the door, Rongyue's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets in shock! Good heavens, what was going on? Were there evil spirits chasing after them?
I glanced suspiciously behind them, but there was nothing there! How strange, has the world gone mad?
Suddenly, a strong wind swept across the flat ground, blowing sand, gravel, and rubble everywhere. The sand and dust stung people's faces and blocked the crowd's path.
"Trying to run? Without my, Blood Demon's, orders, who dares to run! Go back to where you came from! The last one will die!" No one could clearly see where or when the man outside the door, clad in a blood-red robe, wearing a blood-red mask, with crimson eyes and wildly flowing hair, came from. He seemed to have arrived on the wind; after the wind subsided, he suddenly stood before them.
A few seconds later, the crowd, having recovered, rushed towards her again like madmen, but this time they weren't going out, they were going inside!
In the blink of an eye, the huge basket of people that had been crowding outside the door was gone! Except, of course, for the unlucky fellow that the man who called himself the Blood Demon was carrying.
"My lord... have mercy..." The man being held trembled violently, stammering as he begged the Blood Demon for mercy.
Before he could finish pleading for mercy, the Blood Demon slammed his fist on the top of his head, and his body arced through the air like a parabola before crashing heavily to the ground ten meters away.
This man's martial arts are truly bizarre! The instant he struck that person's crown, she clearly saw a bewitching and alluring blood lotus flower appear on that person's forehead!
With a cruel sneer, Blood Demon strode over the high threshold of the Murong Mansion and headed towards the martial arts arena.
Could it be that even the heavens find this martial arts contest for marriage too boring, so they specially sent a Blood Demon to stir things up and add some fun to the dull martial arts competition?
The previous stuffiness and boredom vanished instantly. Rongyue's eyes lit up as she stared intently at the blood demon, not blinking an eye, afraid of missing a single exciting moment. Good heavens, a blood demon suddenly appeared out of nowhere! This was too exciting! Being able to feast her eyes on this extraordinary spectacle, hehe, it seemed her days of guard duty hadn't been in vain! Worth it, absolutely worth it!
Seeing that the situation was not right, Old Master Murong quickly flew downstairs and respectfully clasped his hands in a fist salute to the Blood Demon: "I have long admired the name of the Palace Master of Blood Lotus Palace. Meeting you today, I can see that your reputation is well-deserved! However, I have no connection with the affairs of the martial world. May I ask what brings you here, Palace Master?"
He gave Old Master Murong a cold, sidelong glance, his tone as sharp as an icy blade: "Is your daughter named Yu Yan?"
How did he know Yu Yan? Old Master Murong's heart skipped a beat, and a bad premonition welled up in his heart.
"Indeed. I wonder..."
"Let her out!"
"Palace Master, my daughter has always been unwell..." Before Master Murong could finish speaking, he swallowed his words back under the Blood Demon's eerie, cold gaze.
The Blood Demon's eyes flashed with a fierce light, his expression ruthless and gloomy, and his whole body exuded an aura of death: "Don't make me say it a second time!"
After all, Master Murong was a man who had weathered many storms; what twists and turns hadn't he experienced? Quickly regaining his composure, he clasped his hands in a fist salute to the Blood Demon once more, his tone firm and steady: "If the Palace Master cannot provide me with a satisfactory reason, then please forgive this old man for being unable to comply!"
"Reason? Hmph, didn't you have a martial arts contest to find a bride? I, Blood Demon, am here on behalf of my brother to join in the fun and win back a beauty. Is that a good reason?"
"Why didn't the Palace Master's brother come?"
"He's ill! Can't I fight in his place?" The Blood Demon glanced at him coldly, and Master Murong suddenly felt as if he were being stared at by a venomous snake.
Pretending to casually wipe the cold sweat from his forehead, Master Murong said with difficulty, "This...this is probably..."
"It has to be done!" Without allowing any objection, the Blood Demon arrogantly and domineeringly interrupted Master Murong's refusal. Scanning the various expressions on the faces of the crowd below, he smirked wickedly: "Since it's a martial arts contest to choose a husband, then we must follow the rules, lest the world accuse me of usurping a wife through trickery and give us Blood Lotus Palace a hard time. Oh, by the way, which young master won the last round of the competition?"
Upon hearing this, Shangguan Hong, who had been beaming with joy not long ago, turned ashen-faced as if he had received a death sentence. Like someone having an epileptic seizure, his hands flailing wildly, his eyes wide with terror, he cried out, "No, no, no, I...I...I surrender...I won't compete, I lost..."
"How can we not compete! Wouldn't that give people something to say, that our Blood Lotus Palace is bullying us?"
"Palace Master, spare my life! I'll kowtow to you, kowtow to you..." At this moment, Shangguan Hong had lost all the refined demeanor expected of a young master from a noble family. Faced with death, a person's first thought is how to survive. Shangguan Hong scrambled to his knees at the Blood Demon's feet in a disheveled state and began to kowtow to him repeatedly.
Upon seeing this, the Blood Demon began to laugh loudly, his domineering aura emanating from his very bones inspiring awe in all who beheld him.
This man is truly the epitome of masculinity! Wild, ruthless, vicious, arrogant, domineering—the charm and wildness of men are displayed to the fullest! If he so desired, few women in this world could resist his unique masculine allure! But such a man is also dangerous! Men with this temperament are often quite obsessive, prone to extremes, and easily driven to madness! He can be mad in love and mad in hate; those who provoke him will likely face utter ruin!
Rongyue, from afar at the gate, glanced at the man on the platform, nodding and shaking her head occasionally, silently making a comprehensive assessment of him in her mind. Little did Rongyue know, a pair of old eyes on the platform had been watching her ever since she swiftly turned aside amidst the throng, and fate had begun its agonizing process…
Volume One: Pear Blossom Courtyard Under the Melting Moon, Chapter Twenty-Five: Before the Duel
"Get lost! I'll spare you for now since I'm in a good mood!" He kicked Shangguan Hong, who was lying at his feet, aside, and his arrogant demeanor soared: "Anyone else who's not satisfied, feel free to jump onto the stage! I'll definitely keep you company to the very end!"
Unconvinced? Who dares to be unconvinced? In the martial arts world today, who doesn't know that the Blood Lotus Palace Master, Blood Demon, possesses unparalleled evil skills, is elusive and unpredictable, and few in the martial arts world can withstand even ten moves from him! Blood Demon is also ruthless, vicious, cruel, and bloodthirsty. His demonic blood-red eyes inspire fear and lead many to believe he is a reincarnation of a demon, a demon reborn! Tell me, which daring, reckless individual would dare to provoke a demon?