Les bandits des montagnes sont en mouvement

Chapitre 9

Zhong Zhan quickened his pace to catch up with her, and asked in a low voice, "Hua Hua, what would you like to eat? It's our treat, consider it interest on the money we lent you..."

"Flower...flower..." She choked on her saliva and almost fell. Zhong Zhan quickly caught her and asked, puzzled, "What's wrong? It's dark now, there are no lights, you must be careful..."

"Thank you," she replied casually, but then immediately gritted her teeth and said, "No! You...you calling me that sounds really...very creative."

Zhong Zhan smiled and asked, "Did anyone call you that before?"

"No...no! You can call me 'Little Flower' or 'Ah Hua,' or even 'Miss Su' would be nice, so elegant!" Actually, there were still people in this world who called her "Hua Hua." One was her deceased father, and the other was Qin Shao. She had tried to correct him several times, but when that failed, she had to give up. One was already embarrassing enough; she absolutely couldn't let another one follow!

But Zhong Zhan just blinked and smiled warmly: "Since no one calls you that, it's fine for me to call you that."

"you……"

"Hua Hua... Hua Hua, ahahaha..." Young Master Miao was already doubled over with laughter, clutching his stomach. "Xiao Zhong, do you remember, when A Zi was ten years old, she had a little mongrel covered in mange, and her name was... her name was Hua Hua... ahahaha..."

"Hey, you surnamed Miao, watch out, you'll laugh yourself to death!" Su Xianhua kicked Miao Ruotan, who was laughing incessantly, angrily. She didn't want to pay any more attention to the two of them and walked out on her own, puffing out her cheeks.

Among the people who came to the Tortoiseshell Valley this time, there are many who became famous at a young age.

Of the five young masters, all but the Poison Prince of Southern Xinjiang were present. Representatives from the four manors—Jiangdong Zhuyun Manor, Luzhou Xueliu Family, and Chishui Xiwu Pavilion—were also sent. Although they were all from the younger generation, it was still a grand gathering of the martial arts world. Whether Madam Ji had set another challenge was important, but even more crucial was the networking and acquaintance among these future leaders of the martial arts world.

As Bai Nianchen chatted and laughed with the young masters and heroes, he recalled his father's words. His father's lifelong wish was to make the Bai family's Jade Unicorn Manor flourish and one day rival the four manors on the "Dragon Fang Ranking." He had devoted his entire life to this, and now that his father was old and his strength was waning, this heavy responsibility had fallen on his shoulders—and he, too, had such ambition and was determined to realize this grand plan!

He's still young, and he's sure to usher in a golden age for Jade Unicorn Manor. He's diligently practiced martial arts and studied various skills, determined not to fall behind in anything, and has finally reached this point…

However, upon entering the Dragon Fang Ranking, he discovered that the young masters who were on par with him were either from the Four Manors or scions of renowned families in the martial world. Compared to their family backgrounds, Jade Unicorn Manor, which had only gained some fame in the last decade, was practically nothing. He cautiously befriended them, trying his best to integrate into their lives… From now on, he would have to work even harder!

His turbulent thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a burst of hearty laughter. The indistinct word "Hua Hua" in the laughter made him frown. Looking up, he saw a figure flash across the stone steps leading out of the valley, carrying a large, long bundle that looked very familiar... However, the image only lasted for a moment, and the figure quickly disappeared into the crowd. It was too dark to see anything.

Could it be her? No, impossible! He knew her well; nothing but knives interested her, and she didn't like getting involved in crowds. It couldn't be her; he must have been mistaken!

B: Where to read books?

At midnight, the sound of a flute playing under the stars and moon gradually fills the air (1)

The figure in light-colored clothes swayed slightly, his hand sliding down to catch her fingers, the movement as smooth as flowing water, as natural and inevitable. His smile was as warm as the spring sun: "Huahua, don't fight anymore, getting angry all the time is bad for your health."

one

Three days passed quickly.

Su Xianhua hid behind a wild cherry tree by the river, watching the growing crowd in front of her with frustration—she had miscalculated! She thought that by arriving early and seeing the old fisherman, she could leave immediately, but the old fisherman broke his promise, saying "we'll meet again," and she had been waiting for more than an hour without seeing him. On the contrary, as the sun rose higher, more and more young swordsmen were waiting for Madam Ji in the valley, most of whom were familiar faces she had seen three days ago. It seemed that soon, someone like Jiangdong Situ or Bai Moumou would be arriving.

She really didn't want to see that Bai guy; she was afraid she wouldn't be able to control herself and would still want to chop him up. Without Zhong Zhan by her side today, she had to be extra careful to avoid doing something rash in a moment of impulse.

Since the three of them had dinner together that night, Su Xianhua hadn't seen Zhong Zhan and Miao Ruotan again. Firstly, because Miao Ruotan kept calling her "Huahua, Huahua," which was clearly a way of taking revenge; secondly, she was afraid that if she spent too much time with Zhong Zhan, he might remember what happened that day when he was drunk—and if he did, she wouldn't dare to see him again—that would be such a pity.

She rubbed her sore legs, leaned against a tree and sat down. After waiting for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, she heard people talking about "Fifth Young Master" and Jiangdong Situ from nearby. She dusted herself off and jumped up. She couldn't stay in this place any longer!

I can only apologize to the elderly; a wise person knows when to yield.

No matter how carefree she was, at this point she realized that the old fisherman who had suddenly disappeared at the gambling den entrance was not simple. Same time, same place—she couldn't believe he had no connection to Fei Hua Xiao Zhu. She had wanted to meet him and get some information out of him to satisfy her curiosity, but it seemed she wouldn't have the chance.

Holding onto the tree trunk, she carefully stepped on the stones of the riverbank, intending to sneak away from the back of the crowd. But after only a few steps, a flash of white light appeared before her eyes, and a fluffy ball of something rushed out from among the leaves, heading straight for her face. Without thinking, she reached out to swat it away, but the fluffy ball of white was surprisingly light and agile. With a slight leap, it dodged her hand and landed on top of her head.

She stared at the long, white, furry tail swaying back and forth in front of her, and was both amused and exasperated—it was actually a white-haired monkey!

It's not unusual to find monkeys in the deep mountains and forests, but this monkey was pure white, its fur was neatly trimmed, and there was a faint tinkling of bells in its ears, so it was probably no ignorant wild monkey. One should consider the owner before hunting a monkey, and although he didn't know who the owner was, those waiting here were either young masters from noble families or aristocratic youths; it was best not to offend them.

Su Xianhua grabbed the white monkey's tail and pulled hard, but the monkey's two front paws held on tightly to her hair bun, and its hind legs kept kicking her forehead, making annoying squeaking noises. After a few kicks, it made her already messy hair even messier.

Seeing that her gentle approach was ineffective, Su Xianhua immediately increased her grip, grabbing the monkey's furry back with one hand and squeezing its neck tightly. The monkey let out a shriek, its grip loosened, and she lifted it off the ground.

She held the monkey up to her eyes and saw it baring its teeth and looking hostile. She couldn't help but feel angry. She grabbed its long tail with one hand and was about to throw it far away when she suddenly heard a sharp shout: "You stinking woman, give me back Silverfire!"

Silverfire? Could it be referring to this monkey? That's quite a majestic name... Su Xianhua straightened the upside-down monkey and looked up. She saw a tall young woman standing under a wild cherry tree not far away. She looked to be about sixteen or seventeen years old, with a very regular oval face, a high nose, and rosy lips. She was a genuine beauty.

Unfortunately, the little beauty's expression was extremely fierce at the moment. Pointing at Su Xianhua with one finger and placing the other on her hip in a teapot shape, she angrily said, "You dare bully Yin Huo? I'll make you pay!"

At midnight, the sound of a flute playing under the stars and moon gradually fills the air (2)

So this was someone's young lady. Right now, anyone you grabbed in this valley could be a young master or young lady. Su Xianhua didn't want to cause trouble, so she silently endured it and put the monkey she was holding down. But the monkey didn't leave. It turned around and made a face at her, grinning strangely. Suddenly, it pounced forward and landed squarely on her face.

"You damn monkey, you dare mess with me? You're asking for trouble..." She finally lost her temper, grabbing Silverfire's paws with both hands, about to teach it a lesson, when a familiar, clear, cold voice rang in her ears: "Little Flower?"

She froze for a moment, then lost control of her strength. Although she managed to pry the two claws off, the sharp claws cut her forehead, leaving several bloody marks.

Suddenly, a large group of people appeared on the narrow riverbank, dressed in various brightly colored clothes. One of them, a woman in purple, was holding the hand of the tall girl from before and asking her something in a low voice. And beside her... beside her... the person dressed in white as snow and with hair as black as ink was none other than Bai Nianchen!

His cold gaze fell on her face with a probing look. She suddenly realized that she must look terrible right now, with her hair all messy and her face covered in dirt from the monkey's paws... This was the worst possible farewell ever!

She had imagined returning to him as a valiant and revered female knight-errant. Then, she could point her finger at him and hurl insults, coldly declaring, "Bai Nianchen, draw your sword, let's have a duel!"... It wasn't like this at all... So sudden, she couldn't utter any cool or ruthless words. She was powerless, her mind blank, only able to watch helplessly as the woman in purple turned to her, softly asking, "Nianchen, who is she?"

She was beautiful. Although her face resembled that of the willful girl from before, she was more delicate and slender, with skin so white it was almost translucent. Her small, perfect features were beyond description, and her eyes were like pools of autumn water, shimmering and captivating.

Is this Situ Diyin, the eldest daughter of the Situ family? This is Situ Diyin...

Su Xianhua opened her mouth, but no sound came out—this was truly a tragic encounter. Was there anyone in the world more unlucky and humiliated than her?

Bai Nianchen's eyes narrowed, and he replied briefly, "An old acquaintance." He then glanced at the stunned Su Xianhua and said coldly, "What brings you here?"

"I...I was just passing by..."

She really wanted to slap herself!

"Just passing by?" Bai Nianchen took a step forward and said sarcastically, "You've come at just the right time. I thought you were tired of your knife and wanted to switch to a different weapon."

Situ Diyin, who was standing to the side, finally understood. Her beautiful eyes flickered, and she said softly, "So you are Chief Su of Black Wind Stronghold. I heard that you and Nianchen are friends. You came here because of him, right?"

Her voice was melodious and enchanting, but to Su Xianhua, it hurt more than a slap in the face. What?

"I heard"? What do you mean by "I came here for him"? Would the dignified leader of Black Wind Stronghold be such a boring woman who chases after a faithless man everywhere?

Just as she was about to speak, the girl next to Situ Diyin rushed over in a few steps, snatched away the white monkey Yin Huo, who was still half-hanging on her, and her crisp, sharp voice hurt her ears: "Give Yin Huo back to me! What do you want? Ugly hag, you're actually chasing after a man in such an indecent way, you shameless thing!"

"Ugly freak," "shameless"... were they talking about her? These words were like salt rubbed into a wound, causing spasms of pain. Around her—his eyes, her eyes, and the eyes of those drawn by this conflict... all eyes clearly expressed approval and mockery. She felt as if she had been shoved into a dark river, the water submerging her head, making it impossible to breathe.

"No fighting...we can't fight here!" Despite the inner voice screaming this, her body acted instinctively. After a brief moment of distraction, her hand was already on the hilt of the knife. The soft "click" and the sharp look in her eyes made the second young lady of the Situ family, who had been holding her head high, take a step back. She gripped her sister's hand tightly and stammered, "You...what do you want to do?"

At midnight, the sound of a flute playing under the stars and moon can be heard (3)

Situ Diyin did not comfort her sister, because Bai Nianchen had already stepped forward and stood in front of them, her slender fingers tightly gripping the hilt of the "Returning Wind" sword at her waist, clearly indicating that she would immediately retaliate as soon as she made a move.

Su Xianhua heard her own heavy breathing, and her temples throbbed with pain. She could clearly hear the gloating laughter of those around her… Go ahead and hit him, one slash would be satisfying! Who cares about this Jiangdong Situ? She, Su Xianhua, wasn't someone to be insulted so easily…

Good heavens, someone please calm her down!

Just as the situation reached a stalemate, a heavy gurgling sound suddenly came from not far away, immediately drowning out the tense atmosphere on this small stretch of riverbank.

The crowd had no time to watch the spectacle anymore, because the gates of Feihua Xiaozhu had finally opened.

Before long, only a handful of people remained on the narrow riverbank, including Su Xianhua, Bai Nianchen, and the Situ sisters. Su Xianhua finally let out a long breath, gently pushed the blade shut with her thumb, and closed it again. Bai Nianchen glanced at her and said indifferently, "Xiao Hua, don't follow me anymore."

Su Xianhua suddenly looked up: "I wasn't with you!"

Bai Nianchen, however, did not believe it. He put his hands behind his back and said, "I made myself perfectly clear that day. Considering that we had some friendship when we were young, I hope you will not bother my life again in the future."

She felt a pang of bitterness in her heart, her mind buzzing, and without thinking, she blurted out, "Do you still consider our childhood friendship as a friendship? In your eyes, am I just a toy you can throw away at will? Young Master Bai, you're too..."

She suddenly stopped talking, realizing that she had said something she shouldn't have.

Sure enough, she saw a flash of shock and embarrassment in Bai Nianchen's eyes, as well as a chilling sneer on Situ Diyin's lips.

Su Xianhua, Su Xianhua, when will you ever calm down? ... Qin Shao has been admonishing her for so many years, why is it that she still makes mistakes at crucial moments!

The air froze instantly, ready to explode at any moment. They didn't even hear the loud commotion that suddenly broke out below the suspended building not far away.

Bai Nianchen said coldly, "Chief Su, where did you hear these words?"

He no longer called her "Xiao Hua," but instead used this slightly unfamiliar term. Hearing this, Su Xianhua felt sweat slowly seeping from her forehead.

Suddenly, a loud shout rang out from the crowd, growing louder as it approached: "Sister Su, Sister Su Xianhua, I see you! Where are you?"

Su Xianhua turned around in astonishment, only to see the crowd below the hanging tower automatically split into two lines, with a woman in pink fluttering towards them like a butterfly. If she remembered correctly, this...this...this face, is it Duan Ruhua?

Oh my god, it's Duan Ruhua!

Duan Ruhua rushed to her and stopped in front of her, looking her up and down, seemingly quite unsure of her current appearance. She tentatively reached out to brush aside the stray strands of hair in front of her eyes, then suddenly clapped her hands and turned back to call out from afar.

"Found her! Found her! She's here!"

Su Xianhua looked at her in confusion. Had she missed something good because she was so focused on resolving her personal grudges?

Her gaze swept past the large group of bewildered young elites, landing on the high platform of the suspended building. There stood a woman in pink, dressed exactly like Coral from three days prior, on the spacious pavilion built of fine nanmu beams. Beside her stood a figure in black with a cold, stern gaze… was it Cheng Hongxiao?

Looking at Duan Ruhua beside her, her gauze dress with embroidered ribbons fluttered and her long skirt trailed on the ground; she was also wearing the same pink palace dress!

Su Xianhua vaguely understood, but Duan Ruhua had already led her forward by the hand. She seemed very happy and shouted loudly at the platform, "Sister Pearl, this is the one who truly found me. I have found her. Please, Sister and Madam, reconsider!"

"Ruhua, you..."

"I'm from Feihua Xiaozhu!" Duan Ruhua grinned at her, a mischievous smile tinged with apology. "Madam is my mentor, but I'm still a beginner and haven't learned any kung fu yet. This time, the Sword Saint had some requests, so Madam entrusted this matter to me… Sister Su, you're a kind person, please don't be angry that I lied to you!"

At midnight, the sound of a flute playing under the stars and moon could be heard. (4)

Not angry? No, she was furious! The thing she hated most in her life was being lied to. There was still a case to settle, and bringing up that word now would only provoke her. But she didn't have time to lash out, because Cheng Hongxiao had already swooped down from the platform, landing lightly in front of them with a few leaps.

"What...what do you want to do? You big liar, do you want to...kill me to silence me?" Upon seeing him, the junior disciple of Feihua Xiaozhu immediately stepped forward and stood in front of Su Xianhua, but he was clearly not confident enough, and his arms were trembling slightly.

Su Xianhua gently pulled away those slender arms, turned around and stood in front of Duan Ruhua, glaring warily at Cheng Hongxiao. Judging from the situation, just as the girl named Pearl was about to announce the next question, Duan Ruhua, one of the parties involved and Duan Wenzheng's beloved daughter, jumped in just in time, pointing out that Cheng Hongxiao was not the one who took her away, and that the person who solved the question was someone else!

Given Cheng Hongxiao's personality, being rejected in front of everyone could very well lead her to snap her junior disciple's head in the next moment.

Su Xianhua raised her chin: "Hey, don't bully weak women!"

To everyone's surprise, Cheng Hongxiao, who should have been angry, suddenly smiled at her—a smile so beautiful and deadly that it made the warm spring sun pale in comparison, and even melted the solid ice.

What's going on with this person? That seductive smile... they must be up to no good!

He smiled and said, "Miss Ruhua, you may have misunderstood. This young lady and I already know each other."

Duan Ruhua rubbed her eyes, which were wide open from staring, and coughed, saying, "What do you mean? I don't understand."

"Don't you understand..." He lowered his head slightly, leaned close to Su Xianhua's ear, and whispered softly, "Miss Su, I have a few questions for you. You just need to answer yes or no..."