"Which one should we hit?" The servant was also stunned.
"Attack them both at once!"
"What?" The man in white's jaw dropped. He pointed at his own nose: "You want to hit me too?"
Xu Dade twitched his mustache and glared at him: "I'll hit you, I'll hit you, I'll hit you, I'll hit you no matter what..."
"..."
The man in white sighed sadly. This bully was so charming; he felt a pang of pity for her.
The servants were already in position, ready to throw a punch...
A moment later, the crowd opened their fingers covering their eyes. The servant was already squatting on the ground, covering his nose, unable to even make a sound, with blood gushing from his nose.
Sure enough, the one in white must be a great hero. Jinniang immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
Xu Dade wiped away his tears: "All of you, get up here!"
The man in white nimbly dodged left and right, avoiding the servants, and rushed straight to Xu Dade, muttering, "You bully are so uncouth! All you do is attack and shove. At least say something original, like chopping me into mincemeat or shredding me into powder. I'm only trying to be a chivalrous person today..."
The onlookers were stunned; this chivalrous man was so long-winded.
Just as the tragedy was turning into a farce, a loud, seductive cry from the madam suddenly rang out from inside the room.
"Miss Fang and Miss Cui have entered the hall!"
The crowd in the flower hall froze at the sound of her delicate cry, their heads turning in unison toward the open door to the courtesan's scepter on the second floor.
Two delicate, weak lotus feet stepped out, and every man's heart melted.
These were the two most beautiful courtesans of the Peerless Beauty Pavilion, Fang Yan Zui and Cui Sheng Han. One was passionate, the other aloof; one was glamorous, the other elegant, their beauty complementing each other perfectly. Cui Sheng Han, in particular, had a bare face, snow-white skin, and an aloof and proud demeanor.
The white-clad man, who was originally eloquent, immediately changed his disdainful gaze to a pleasing one upon seeing Cui Shenghan.
“Cui Sheng Han? What a beautiful name, such an elegant name.” His eyes were misty, and he sighed with a touch of sadness: “This woman should have been born in heaven, why did she fall to the mortal world?”
The little beggar on the ground suddenly started coughing violently.
Xu Dade still had two teardrops on his cheeks, his eyes staring straight at Cui Shenghan. He sniffed and said, "Let that cold beauty offer me a toast, and I'll let you off this time."
Cui Sheng glanced at him coldly and turned her head away: "A vulgar person like you is not worthy to speak to me."
"You..." Xu Dade looked like he was about to cry again, and rushed over to grab Cui Shenghan's hand. "I just want Miss Cui!"
His arm suddenly became as if bound by an iron clamp, rendering him unable to move. Before he could react, he had already been sent flying out of the Beauty Pavilion, landing heavily on the street.
“Miss Cui,” the man in white dusted off his clothes and looked at Cui Shenghan with a gentle expression, “I will go and teach that scoundrel a lesson for you. Please wait a moment.”
After saying this, he leaped out, and a pig-like scream echoed through the street as he walked away into the distance.
"Who is he? Who is he? Damn it, you're such a bully, an old man, do you want to die?" the man in white shouted in the street.
The little beggar on the ground started coughing again, as if he had tuberculosis.
In this world, being a bully is not a promising career.
A hint of unease flickered across Cui Shenghan's beautiful face. She smoothed her sleeves and sat down in the west pavilion without changing her expression.
A cacophony of discussion arose from the crowd.
"Something big has happened in the martial arts world recently. The young master in blue from Baili Prefecture is on his way to Hebei to carry out his chivalrous deeds, or perhaps he is in Luoyang right now, who knows..."
"No way? That person just now... was that the young man in blue?"
"Hmph, a young master in blue should be wearing blue, how could he possibly be wearing white? How vulgar, how vulgar."
"Hmph, who says a young man in blue can only wear blue? How shallow!"
"According to my years of dedicated research, the young master in blue has worn blue robes 314 times, white robes 198 times, and blue, black, yellow, and purple robes 65 times each..."
No one noticed that the dirty beggar on the ground slowly got up, walked out of the Exquisite Beauty Building, his eyes cold and clear.
The little beggar weaved through several narrow alleys and slipped into an empty alley. There he saw another person scratching his head and jumping around anxiously. When he saw the beggar come in, he rushed over to him.
"Wu'er...he didn't hurt you, did he?" It was also a little beggar.
Wu'er reached out and touched his slapped cheek: "It's alright." But the poor bully, he was utterly humiliated by the chivalrous man...
"That's good." The other person breathed a sigh of relief and carefully presented a heavy, red purse.
Wu'er smiled with relief: "The bully really did have a lot of money on him!"
The real purpose of this whole charade was to steal the bulging money pouch from Xu Dade's waist. Wu'er distracted Xu Dade and his servants, allowing the other little beggar to use his thieving skills to snatch the pouch.
"I, Shui You'er, am a legendary thief!" the thief boasted smugly.
"I've told you so many times, one should be humble." Shui Wu'er smiled with her eyes lowered.
"A legendary thief? You think you can be a master thief?" A strange shout suddenly broke through from behind.
Shui Wu'er suddenly turned around, cautiously looking at the uninvited guest who had arrived.
It was the white-clad man from the Peerless Beauty Pavilion! When did he start watching me and following me around?
"What are you up to?" Shui Wu'er took two steps back.
"What could I possibly want from you?" the man in white chuckled, his eyes darting around. "The saying goes, 'whoever sees it gets a share.' You've made a fortune, so I'll take half of it." He had already seen through the two beggars' trick, but he didn't expose them. The little beggar named Wu'er had a very interesting look in his eyes.
“You…” Shui You’er was about to rush forward angrily, but was stopped by Shui Wu’er.
This person possesses extraordinary skills and is no ordinary individual.
"Let's give him half," Shui Wu'er said.
"Why?" Shui You'er shouted angrily.
"You have a son, be good."
"……oh."
The man in white raised an eyebrow in surprise when he saw that Shui Wu'er had silenced Shui You'er with a single, casual remark. After a moment, he laughed and said, "Young brother, you're so generous! Just for that, I'll use half the money to treat you to another visit to the Beauty Pavilion. How about it? Consider it making friends."
"It's still the sheep that pays the bill..." Shui You'er muttered discontentedly.
The man in white smiled and cupped his hands in greeting: "My name is Bai Can."
Having witnessed Bai Can's skills, the waiter at Jueshelou didn't dare to argue with him and could only let him bring in two ragged beggars.
As soon as they took their seats, the madam announced, "Next up is our Miss Cui Shenghan, who will perform a song called 'Cicada Enters Autumn'."
The clear, melodious sound of the zither drifted over, moving everyone present. In an instant, the noisy Jueshe Tower became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Bai Can's body trembled slightly, and his gaze instantly became long, as if trying to pierce through the bamboo curtain of the western pavilion.
"Brother Bai, you're doomed. You've fallen for her." Shui You'er sighed while gnawing on a chicken leg.
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Bai Can laughed and scolded, "A beauty that is unparalleled in the world can be shared by all."
"I think it should be 'A fair maiden is sought after by a gentleman'?"
Bai Can exclaimed in surprise, "You little beggar, you actually have some knowledge!"
Shui You'er wiped her mouth: "What's the big deal? It's all because of Wu'er's teachings..." Before she finished speaking, another chicken leg appeared in her mouth.
Shui Wu'er grinned, revealing her teeth: "Hurry up and eat, stop talking nonsense."
Bai Can glanced at Shui Wu'er and tugged at the corner of his lips.
Shui Wu'er lowered her head, knowing in her heart: it was him, there was no mistake.
Summer nights are carefree, drunk and stealing hearts. Ranked fourth in "The Record of Male Beauties in the Martial World," yet number one among the most romantic types, the legendary thief Bai Can truly lives up to his reputation.
Meanwhile, the waiter brought over two silver ingots, his tongue trembling, "Sir, my lady Cui sent word that one ingot is for this young man to calm his nerves and relieve his pain, and the other is... is for you as a fee for your services, sir. We're even now..."
Shui You'er chuckled, while Shui Wu'er sighed softly, "So it turns out the falling flowers are willing, but the flowing water is heartless."
Bai Can's face paled. He had been incredibly popular with women, relying on his handsome face, but today he had run into a snag with Cui Shenghan. He grabbed the silver and expressionlessly picked up the soup bowl.
A few loud laughs interrupted from the side: "Kid, when it comes to womanizing, you're still too green."
It turned out to be an old man with gray hair and beard sitting at the next table, dressed in a shabby manner, even worse than Bai Can.
Bai Can retorted irritably, "Then you old geezer are just an indecent old man."
The old man, however, was not offended: "That's right, I am an old lecher."
Bai Can spat and ignored the old man.
He pondered for a moment, then burst into laughter as if he had just figured something out: "Miss Cui is indeed secretly in love with me, otherwise she wouldn't have used two ingots of silver to attract my attention."
"Uh..." Shui You'er was very doubtful. "Brother Bai, are you sure?"
“Brother Bai… well… perhaps Miss Cui is just a little blind and can’t quite grasp your extraordinary charm yet…” Shui Wu’er expressed her opinion with difficulty.
Bai Can gave a charming wink: "A girl's thoughts are nothing more than saying one thing and meaning another. How could I not know that? Besides, with a character like Bai Can, what woman could resist my charm?" He paused, then added, "Don't call me Brother Bai anymore, it sounds too formal. From now on, just call me Old Bai!"
Shui Wu'er chuckled. A handsome young swordsman? The number one playboy in the martial world? This guy's just a naive and enthusiastic young man, isn't he?
Chapter One: The Man in Green Robes in the Peerless Beauty Pavilion (Part Two)
Bai Can was naturally cheerful and extravagant, while Shui You'er loved to have fun, so the two hit it off immediately. What was even more commendable was that Bai Can completely disregarded the difference in their social status, only hoping to make friends all over the world, even if it meant being persistent and nagging. The three of them stayed at the Jueshe Tower for several days.
However, on the fourth day, something terrible happened.
"Jinniang! Jinniang!" A waiter tumbled and scrambled into the Jueshe Tower, falling flat on his face. When he looked up, he saw the gold-embroidered hem of the head housekeeper's skirt.
"Young Master Xu was stabbed yesterday...stabbed to death behind their rockery. When they found him, his body was already rotting!"
Jinniang was startled: "Which Young Master Xu?"
"And the other one, the one who caused trouble here a few days ago!"
"Do you know who did it?"
"The authorities are investigating! It's said to have been done by a martial arts master."
Jinniang's eyes darted around, a bad feeling creeping into her heart. With Xu Dade dead, the yamen would definitely suspect Jueshelou first, and she was afraid... She frowned and glared at Bai Can, who was swaying his head and listening to the music.
Bai Can noticed that everyone in the room was staring at him intently, and he couldn't help but ask in surprise, "What are they doing?"
Shui Wu'er said, "They suspect that you killed Xu Dade."
"What?!" Bai Can shouted. Was this for real? If he really wanted to kill that bully, he would have done it long ago. Why wait until today?