Une demi-vie de musique et de maquillage

Chapitre 2

She immediately realized it was him who was behind it. Tan Huan glared at him and continued to read, saying, "Likewise, you're childish too."

Wu Qingfeng's eyebrows shot up. "What did you say?!"

"You're always bullying girls younger than you, and this girl is your sister." Tan Huan calmly explained, "Calling you childish is already being very polite. I originally wanted to call you a bastard."

"You're from a brothel, after all. You have no sense of propriety!" Wu Qingfeng retorted sharply. "I've never considered someone like you as my sister! Do you even deserve to be my sister?"

Tan Huan raised an eyebrow, half confused and half amused, "Do I need qualifications to be a younger sister?" She thought for a moment, still not understanding, and immediately put her good habit of asking questions when she didn't understand, "What qualifications do I need?"

Wu Qingfeng felt he was talking to a brick wall. "At least she has to be a daughter born of a mother!" he thought.

"Brother, what are you arguing about again?" Wu Qingqiu jumped up from her seat and hopped over. "You and Tan Huan have a very good relationship. I'm so envious."

Tan Huan frowned. How could they have a good relationship?

Wu Qingfeng's face turned pale with anger. How could he have such an idiotic sister? "Which eye of yours saw that our relationship was good?"

“I saw it with both eyes.” Wu Qingqiu widened her eyes and grinned. “Brother, you’re always impatient when you talk to me, but you’ll talk nonstop when you’re talking to Tan Huan. Isn’t that a sign of liking her?”

Good heavens, spare him! How can you communicate with such an idiot? Wu Qingfeng stared at her, then could only remain silent.

"Tan Huan, I saw you staring at the chicken leg in my hand yesterday," Wu Qingqiu said with a smile as she clung to her. "How about it? Since you're my sister, I'll take you to the kitchen to sneak a bite."

Tan Huan looked slightly embarrassed. She turned her head to think for a moment, and her eyes met Wu Qingfeng's mocking gaze out of the corner of her eye. Suddenly, a thought struck her, and she immediately nodded, "Okay, let's go to the kitchen."

"Wow, that's great! Someone's doing bad things with me!" Wu Qingqiu grabbed Tan Huan's hand and walked out, completely ignoring the teacher who was still lecturing on the stage.

"Wait, are you pretending I don't exist?" Relying on his martial arts skills, Wu Qingfeng leaped and landed in front of them. "Your mother sent you to study, and you don't even finish your lessons?"

"You can continue listening if you want," Tan Huan said in a lukewarm tone, always with an air of composure. "Even if you don't want to listen, there's no need for you to meddle, is there?"

That brat is so annoying!

As a result, Wu Qingfeng followed them to the kitchen from a distance. Seeing the two girls eating with their faces and mouths covered in grease, he frowned in disgust and walked over. "Qingqiu, you are supposed to be the eldest daughter of the Wu family. How can you act like this ill-mannered brat?"

Wu Qingqiu blinked, looking like she didn't understand. She chewed and swallowed a mouthful of chicken, then asked, puzzled, "Huh?" What does that mean?

Wu Qingfeng was too lazy to waste words with her and walked straight up to Tan Huan. Seeing her indifferent attitude, he was suddenly enraged. He stretched out his leg and kicked, trying to kick the chicken leg that was in his way off.

Tan Huan turned her body to the side and actually avoided his attack.

Wu Qingfeng felt incredibly ashamed. He had studied martial arts with his father for over a year. His father praised his talent, predicting he would achieve great results in the Lingfeng Sword Tournament. But now, his attacks had been dodged twice by this brat, who hadn't learned any martial arts at all—just a skinny girl!

She glanced at him absentmindedly, then moved a distance away and continued to struggle with the chicken leg in her hand.

Wu Qingfeng's competitive spirit was ignited. Could he possibly fail to take down a little girl? He immediately flipped over and swept his leg across her body. Seeing the little brat about to jump away again, he used a grappling technique, his right arm passing under her armpit, his body shifting behind her, and pinning her hands behind her back. Wu Qingfeng said smugly, "Now you know how powerful I am, right? Remember to behave yourself when you see me in the future."

The chicken leg fell straight to the ground with a "thud," getting covered in dust.

Tan Huan's gaze followed the chicken leg. Although Wu Qingfeng's restraint prevented her from moving, she didn't feel any pain. Her eyes held disappointment and heartache. Sigh, it was a rare treat to eat a chicken leg, and that bastard had ruined it. She cursed him inwardly, but her face remained calm. "Let go."

Wu Qingfeng had originally intended to let go, but upon hearing her words, he immediately abandoned the idea. He snorted coldly and increased the strength in his hands. "You brat, how dare you order me around?"

Pain shot through her hands and shoulders, and Tan Huan gasped in pain, but stubbornly refused to cry out or beg for mercy. "You're quite the domineering older brother, what else can you do besides bullying your sister?"

"I've said it several times, I've never considered you my sister!" Wu Qingfeng said sternly. "Your lowly status doesn't qualify you to be my sister!"

Indulging in pleasure in silence.

"If it weren't for the Wu family, you might have ended up as a prostitute!"

Tan Huan gritted his teeth and remained silent.

"Hmph, you really think you're the second young lady of the Wu family? You're not even as good as a maid!"

He humiliated her again and again, and even the most thick-skinned Tan Huan couldn't help but feel unhappy. This bastard! She struggled to break free, but to no avail. Bastard, he's just taking advantage of her youth! It's a pity she can't beat him. If only she could… Thinking of this, Tan Huan sighed dejectedly. No matter what, she couldn't beat him; that was a fact.

Wu Qingfeng keenly sensed her low spirits and became even more smug. He thought to himself, "Let's see if this brat dares to be arrogant in front of me again."

"My father is your father. Although I wasn't born to your mother, I still call her 'mother' now." A mocking glint flashed in Tan Huan's eyes. "Wu Qingfeng, who do you think you are? Do you think I'm begging to be your sister? Bah! Who cares? If it weren't for our parents' sake... Ah!" She screamed, a piercing pain shooting through her arm. Tan Huan glared at her angrily. "Bastard, hit me or kill me as you please, or just break my arm!"

Wu Qingfeng was so angry that veins throbbed on his forehead. He twisted her hand in the opposite direction, but he wouldn't dare break her arm. "Shut up! Do you believe I'll kick you out of the house?"

Hearing this, Tan Huan felt a slight fear. Having stayed at the Wu family for some time, although she knew she wasn't welcome there, she was well-fed and clothed, and she didn't want to go back to her old life. Tan Huan suddenly fell silent, her expression gradually calming, suppressing the anger in her eyes.

Why isn't this brat saying anything? Wu Qingfeng squinted at her, unable to fathom what she was thinking. Realizing he couldn't even see through a five-year-old, Wu Qingfeng felt a surge of humiliation. He released Tan Huan, took two steps to her, stomped hard on the chicken leg that had fallen to the ground, and glared at her. "You want to eat chicken legs, don't you?" he sneered, looking down at the filthy chicken leg. "You only deserve to eat this kind of dirty stuff!" With that, he strode away.

Tan Huan clenched her fists tightly, her lips moving. She looked down at the chicken leg on the ground, squatted down, and stared at it blankly, but ultimately didn't pick it up. "Wu Tan Huan, don't mind it. It's nothing serious." She told herself again and again, "Forget it, forget it, forget it, forget it." She wanted to stay in the Wu family; if she didn't forget this, she couldn't convince herself to continue acting as if nothing had happened.

Forget about it. Forget the unhappy things and remember the happy things. That's how you can be happy.

"Tan Huan," Wu Qingqiu finally spoke. She had been standing quietly the whole time, initially thinking her brother was just playing around with Tan Huan, but then she realized the atmosphere was strange. Unfortunately, she didn't dare speak, and even if she did, she wouldn't know what to say. In Wu Qingqiu's heart, her brother was far more important than her sister.

Tan Huan remained silent.

Wu Qingqiu slowly walked to her side and squatted down as well. "Tanhuan, are you angry?"

Tan Huan's gaze shifted to her, and he pursed his lips, remaining silent.

"I didn't expect you to get angry too." After spending the last few days together, Wu Qingqiu had always thought that Tan Huan was someone who would never get angry. Seeing her angry, even though she didn't say a word, Wu Qingqiu felt the temperature around her drop, feeling chilly, even more terrifying than when her father was angry.

"Tanhuan, everyone in the family puts up with your brother, so don't take it too seriously. Shall we continue playing?"

Forget it, forget it, forget it. Just pretend it was a mad dog biting people randomly! Self-suggestion is very effective, and the urge to indulge in pleasure gradually subsides. "Sorry, I'm tired, I'm going back to my room."

A hint of dejection crossed Wu Qingqiu's face. "Aren't you going to play anymore?"

Tan Huan stood up, staring blankly at Wu Qingqiu. Suddenly remembering something, she asked, "Qingqiu, do you know martial arts?"

Wu Qingqiu said blankly, "No." She shook her head, "Father said that girls don't need to learn martial arts."

That bastard! If she knew martial arts, she could beat him to a pulp! "Do you want to learn?" Tan Huan tempted her with words, "Knowing martial arts can make you very powerful."

Wu Qingqiu thought for a moment, nodded, and then said anxiously, "But what if Father refuses..."

"It's alright." Tan Huan narrowed her eyes. "We can learn it secretly."

If she doesn't know martial arts, she'll be bullied by that bastard Wu Qingfeng for the rest of her life. Hmph, there's a long road ahead, we'll see.

Of course, although Tan Huan was indignant in her heart, her face remained calm as always, with a slight smile on her lips, waiting for Wu Qingqiu's answer.

Wu Qingqiu tilted her head and thought for a moment, while the little white rabbit walked into the trap without any suspicion. "Okay."

If she went to learn martial arts alone, she might get scolded or even beaten. She knew no one in her family would go easy on her. But with Wu Qingqiu by her side, it would be different; she might actually be able to learn martial arts smoothly.

Tan Huan dragged Wu Qingqiu along to secretly watch Wu Qingfeng practice martial arts. Wu Canyang stood by, instructing and carefully observing his son's progress, when he immediately heard discordant sounds. He turned his head slightly, catching a glimpse of the two girls hiding in the bushes. "Sigh," Wu Canyang sighed inwardly. "Why are these two girls getting involved? Oh well, let them do what they want, as long as they don't disturb Qingfeng's practice."

Tan Huan grabbed Wu Qingqiu's hand and whispered in her ear, "Let's climb a little closer to take a look."

Wu Qingqiu nodded and said, "We can just ask Father to teach us martial arts." She looked at the two people in the courtyard and asked in confusion, "It looks very difficult. We can't learn anything just by watching."

Tan Huan watched intently for a while, memorizing each move. Hmm, it doesn't seem too difficult. She should be able to do those moves, right? Is this martial arts? She tried to practice with small movements, but felt she wasn't strong enough.

A hook punch, a sweeping kick, a leap, and a sword strike as he leaps into the air.

Tan Huan rested her chin on her hand, thinking, "That idiot Wu Qingfeng only ever does these few moves, and he actually has to do them several times in a row? He still can't do them smoothly even after several tries, he's hopelessly stupid. But then again, his movements are quite powerful, unlike me, who can't hurt anyone even if I use the same moves."

"Greedy Pleasure, Greedy Pleasure, Greedy Pleasure." Wu Qingqiu called out several times without getting a response. Suddenly forgetting her hiding place, she stood up abruptly, put her hands on her hips, and angrily said, "Greedy Pleasure, did you even hear me?"

Tan Huan was startled, turned his head, and realized he had been so engrossed in watching that he hadn't heard a thing.

This immediately revealed their whereabouts. Wu Canyang could no longer pretend he hadn't seen anything. Wu Qingfeng also stopped what he was doing, his beautiful eyes coldly fixed on Tan Huan, without saying a word.

Wu Canyang asked, "What are you doing here?"

He bowed his head and remained silent, indulging in pleasure.

Wu Qingqiu stepped forward, fidgeting with her hands, and said hesitantly, "Father, we want to learn martial arts with my brother."

Wu Canyang sighed, "Why should a girl learn martial arts? You should just focus on your studies. Be good, don't disturb your brother's martial arts practice."

Wu Qingfeng stared intently at Tan Huan, then suddenly sneered, "Qingqiu, do you really want to learn martial arts? Or were you just persuaded by someone?"

Tan Huan slowly raised her eyes to meet Wu Qingfeng's gaze, her eyes bright and clear.

Wu Qingfeng walked up to her, raised an eyebrow, and said, "Wu Tanhuan, do you want to learn martial arts to take revenge on me?"

Tan Huan glanced at him, then at her father, and stared at Wu Qingfeng. "Have you done anything that requires my revenge?"

"What's with all this talk about revenge at such a young age? Don't you know you're siblings?" Wu Canyang said helplessly, glancing at Tan Huan with annoyance. "Hurry up and come with Qingqiu. What's the point of learning martial arts? Just stay in your room."

Tan Huan refused to leave, stubbornly standing to one side with her eyes half-lowered. "Father, I want to learn martial arts."

Wu Canyang snorted, "Tanhuan, did you instigate Qingqiu to come along? You want Qingqiu to take the blame for you?" At only five years old, she already has such cunning; this child's character is indeed not good enough. He grew increasingly dissatisfied with his daughter.

"No, I wanted to learn it myself." Wu Qingqiu said, seemingly unaware of what was going on. "Tan Huan didn't say anything either."

“Father, let them learn a little. It’s good for them to learn self-defense.” Wu Qingfeng unexpectedly spoke up. “They are, after all, surnamed Wu. Girls should at least be able to protect themselves.”

Upon hearing this, Tan Huan suddenly looked up, staring at him in shock. Could it be? This bastard actually spoke up for her?

Wu Qingfeng looked at her with a half-smile. No need to be too grateful, Wu Tanhuan, I'll give you this chance to see if you have the ability to take revenge!

Wu Canyang thought it made some sense. Although girls didn't have to inherit the family business, it would be good for them to learn a few self-defense techniques. He nodded and said, "Qingqiu, Tanhuan, come here. I'll teach you some of the Wu family's internal martial arts techniques first."

"That's awesome!" Wu Qingqiu jumped up immediately.

Tan Huan smiled and said, "Mm."

“Your energy channels are not yet open, so it may be a bit difficult for you to practice. Qingfeng’s achievements today are the result of more than a year of hard work. Moreover, Qingfeng is exceptionally talented, one in a hundred, so he learns relatively quickly,” Wu Canyang said. “I will tell you the mental cultivation method and incantation. From now on, practice it silently several times a day, understand?”

"Yes, I know." Wu Qingqiu nodded like a chick pecking at rice.

Tan Huan nodded, thinking to herself, "Does Wu Qingfeng look that good? I don't think so. Does it mean I'll have to train for several more years to surpass him?"

Some people are geniuses through hard work, while others are born geniuses. Wu Tanhuan undoubtedly belongs to the latter. It's common knowledge that most martial arts masters who achieve fame in the martial arts world possess some natural talent, which, combined with diligent practice, leads to their later success. Therefore, once a martial arts family discovers a talented child, they immediately focus on nurturing them, hoping their child will shine brightly in the future Lingfeng Sword Tournament and win the championship.

As Wu Canyang said, Wu Qingfeng was indeed a talent one in a hundred, or even one in a thousand. He himself was also quite ambitious and diligent, and naturally practiced martial arts with ease, which pleased Wu Canyang greatly. Because the family was small, Wu Canyang was worried that the essence of the Wu family's martial arts would be difficult to pass on, but seeing his son's outstanding performance and the possibility of him winning a prize in the Lingfeng Sword Tournament in the future, he couldn't wait to teach him everything. Talented and hardworking, that's how so-called masters are made.

However, indulging in pleasure is different.

Some talents appear only once every few hundred or even thousands of years—they are extremely rare, almost impossible to find. However, we cannot say they do not exist. They do not belong to the realm of common sense; they are anomalies.

What you've studied for years, they can master in just a few dozen days, or even a few days. What you've memorized for hours, they can remember after hearing it once. What you've spent a lifetime researching, they can master in ten years or less.

In the current martial arts world, the most skilled martial artist is not Pei Gumo, the leader of the martial arts alliance, but Baili Liushang, the master of the heretical Zhengyang Palace. Pei Gumo is nearly fifty years old and only married in his forties. Before that, he devoted himself to the study of martial arts, eventually becoming one of the top masters in the martial arts world. Baili Liushang has taken a completely different path.

The name Baili Liushang was so despicable that everyone in the martial arts world wanted to kill him, yet no one had the ability to do so. Everyone called him a despicable, cunning, bloodthirsty, and ruthless man. However, no one could deny that he was a martial arts genius.

If Pei Gumo's achievements were half due to hard work, then Baili Liushang's were only one-tenth of that. Baili Liushang became famous in the martial world at fifteen, single-handedly defeating five of the greatest masters without a single defeat. Of course, some in the righteous sects argue that Pei Gumo, the Alliance Leader, hadn't yet emerged from seclusion at that time, and if he had intervened, the outcome would have been uncertain. However, five years have passed since he single-handedly defeated the five masters, and still no one has dared to destroy the Zhengyang Palace.

Tan Huan's martial arts talent is no less than Baili Liushang's, and may even surpass him by a few points. The emergence of two geniuses in the same era is neither a blessing nor a curse.

After returning to her room, Tan Huan silently recited the mantra, sat cross-legged, and felt her breath flowing exceptionally smoothly within her body. Time passed in a flash, and when she opened her eyes, it was already pitch black, the entire courtyard was quiet, and everyone was asleep. She didn't feel sleepy at all, jumping up and down, feeling very relaxed.

Tan Huan was filled with wonder and excitement, unable to sleep. She memorized all the moves she had seen during the day and practiced them in her room without making a single mistake. "Too easy," she said with a smile. "It's a pity I don't have a sword."

Her father would naturally not buy her a sword. After a brief moment of disappointment, Tan Huan quickly rallied. She imagined herself holding a sword and practiced the moves again, executing them flawlessly with her palm as a sword, her movements powerful and imposing.