Hua Chongyang thought to herself as she quietly approached; the person heard the noise and slowly turned to look at her.
Hua Chongyang was stunned when he saw his face.
What Ye Laoqi said is not an exaggeration at all.
Lan Wuxie was hailed as the most beautiful woman in the martial arts world not only for her stunningly beautiful face, but also for her charisma. The person before him, upon closer inspection, might at most have a face comparable to Lan Wuxie's, but his bearing surpassed Lan Wuxie's, especially his eyes.
This was the only pair of eyes Hua Chongyang had ever seen that were even more profound than Lan Wuxie's.
The only drawback is that this person seems a bit old.
With his back turned, it wasn't obvious, but turning around revealed a face that suggested he was only around thirty; however, a closer look revealed two tufts of white hair peeking out from his temples, their colors mottled among his black hair. The two sized each other up, and while Hua Chongyang was still in shock, the man smiled slightly and spoke:
"You're Lan Wuxie's woman?"
After saying that, he nodded slightly:
"No wonder."
His deep, mellow voice, his light tone, and his calm, deliberate manner conveyed no arrogance but rather an air of authority—it takes decades of experience to reach such a level.
Hua Chongyang remained calm, nodded slightly, and slowly said:
"I am the owner of a brothel, not anyone's person. Hua Chongyang has met Prince Ningjing."
Prince Ningjing, Situ Yebai.
Besides him, who else could command Situ Qingliu's personal bodyguard? Add to that his undeniable kingly demeanor.
It has long been said that Prince Ningjing, Situ Yebai, possessed unparalleled looks and bearing, and this is indeed no exaggeration.
Situ Yebai casually scattered the fish food in his hand, clapped his hands, turned around, and smiled:
"You're quite a clever girl. You should know why I'm here, right?"
"I'm afraid I can't guess Your Highness's purpose in coming."
"Lord Hua," Situ Yebai said calmly, his voice still clear and gentle, "don't you realize how ambitious Lan Wuxie is?"
"That's none of my business."
"What a convenient excuse, 'none of your business.'" Situ Yebai raised an eyebrow slightly. "Then tell me what is relevant to you. I wish to see Lan Wuxie. Could you please convey my request?"
"This is my fault. Young Master Situ also mentioned it, but recently the brothel and Lanying Palace have been at odds over the secret manual, so we haven't found any opportunity—"
She only cared about distancing herself from Lan Wuxie.
"It's not entirely your fault," Situ Yebai glanced at her. "I know a bit about Qingliu and your affairs. Asking you to convey his message to Lan Wuxie is naturally a bit difficult for you. That's why I came here personally."
"May I be so bold as to ask, why does Your Highness wish to see him?" Hua Chongyang asked sharply, "Is it a trap?"
After saying that, she immediately shook her head with a self-deprecating laugh:
"Look at the question I asked."
The Lan Ying Palace's power has expanded rapidly, gradually showing signs of dominating the martial arts world; coupled with Lan Wuxie's obvious opposition to the imperial court, what good could come of this meeting between the two sides except for a trap? It's unlikely that Situ Yebai would pat Lan Wuxie on the head and praise him, "You're such a clever kid, managing to stir up such a mess in the martial arts world."
Unexpectedly, Situ Yebai simply smiled and turned his gaze away:
"I just wanted to see him. Don't worry, I won't take this opportunity to harm him."
Hua Chongyang simply smiled:
"I will do my best to fulfill Your Highness's request. However, I must make one thing clear: my affair with Lan Wuxie, whether it was the brothel or myself, is in the past. Our interactions are now merely casual. Please forgive me if I fail to convey this message."
After seeing Situ Yebai off, Hua Chongyang went straight back to her room. On the way, she was stopped by numerous courtesans who asked her questions.
"I heard you met a man even more handsome than Lan Wuxie?"
"What exactly does he/she look like—masculine or feminine?"
"How big is his build? How long are his thighs? How big are his pecs? How slim is his waist? Does he look as good as the men in Bailu men's clothing?"
"Exactly! We're all tired of Lan Wuxie; it's time for something new to refresh things!"
"……"
Hua Chongyang fought his way to his small building, his clothes torn and disheveled. When he reached the door, he couldn't resist kicking it open and rushing inside.
"You've all gone too far! What's so interesting about an old man?"
As soon as she spoke, she noticed Lan Wuxie sitting at the table in the inner room, drinking tea. He looked up at her, said nothing, got up and helped her take off her outer robe, then asked her gently if she had eaten.
"I ate, I ate with them. What about you?"
"I don't feel hungry. Let me wash up first."
So they ordered hot water to be brought over.
The two had a tacit understanding that Hua Chongyang would always bathe first, followed by Lan Wuxie. So when Hua Chongyang finished bathing and sat on the wooden couch outside drying his hair, Lan Wuxie happened to come out wearing her inner robe, which was soaked from her long hair. Without saying a word, she took the wooden comb from the dressing table and began to comb Hua Chongyang's hair.
While combing her hair, she began to ask:
"I wanted to wait for you to have dinner together, but Qinghua told me about the person you met tonight—"
"Yes. There's a visitor."
Hua Chongyang seemed somewhat absent-minded.
Should we convey Situ Yebai's message to him? If so, how should we begin?
Kelan Wuxie held her hair and immediately started a conversation:
"Qinghua said, 'The guest has an extraordinary appearance and a distinguished air.'"
"Transcendent? Ah, I suppose so, a dragon among men."
How could a man like Situ Yebai be vulgar? But the question is, when did Ye Laoqi become so refined that he would use a word like "refined"?
As a result, Lan Wuxie stopped using the wooden comb in her hand, her fingers slowly moving up the ends of Hua Chongyang's hair, gently touching the back of his neck:
"A dragon among men? It seems Chongyang greatly admires this person."
After a moment's hesitation, Hua Chongyang frowned slightly:
"I wouldn't say I dislike him—tonight's guest is Prince Ningjing, Situ Yebai. It's the first time I've met someone like him. Even though I was extremely wary of him, I couldn't help but eventually fall in love with him."
"Completely convinced?" Lan Wuxie paused, putting down the comb in her hand. "What did he say to you?"
"...He said he wanted to meet you." Hua Chongyang turned his head, looked at Lan Wuxie's calm expression, and then breathed a sigh of relief before adding, "I didn't expect Prince Ningjing to be so young; he looks like he's only just reached middle age."
"I don't want to see him," Lan Wuxie replied softly, then gathered Hua Chongyang's long hair and tied it into a knot. "From now on, you shouldn't see him either."
78. Background
Hua Chongyang clearly sensed Lan Wuxie's feelings for Situ Yebai.
Lan Wuxie was not someone who easily showed her emotions, especially not in her words and expressions. In public, she had noticed that Lan Wuxie was calm and composed in her words and actions, and she rarely showed her joy or anger.
Another indication is that Lan Wuxie never made any demands on her.
Even though he knew Situ Qingliu liked her, he never said anything like "stay away from him" to her. Everything seemed normal on the surface, but behind the scenes, he ordered assassins to kill Situ Qingliu. He also never asked Hua Chongyang to tell him his whereabouts, but wherever Hua Chongyang went, he was almost always followed by people from Lanying Palace.
As it turned out, Situ Yebai was indeed no pushover. Just as Lan Wuxie was instructing Hua Chongyang, Ye Laoqi was already knocking on the door.
"OP."
Hua Chongyang sat up abruptly from the edge of the couch:
"Seventh Brother? What's up?"
As soon as the door opened, Ye Laoqi immediately turned his back:
"I didn't come here to peep. It's just that there are people downstairs who insist on seeing Master Lan."
"Who is it?" Hua Chongyang asked curiously, turning to look at Lan Wuxie. Lan Wuxie then slowly rose from the edge of the bed and walked to the dressing table:
"It's probably Situ Yebai."
Old Seven Ye turned around immediately, his eyes filled with admiration:
"As expected of Pavilion Master Lan!"
Lan Wuxie picked up a handkerchief from the table without looking up and casually wiped the wooden comb in her hand.
"What did he say?"
"If Pavilion Master Lan doesn't see him, then he will... he will..."
"Just what?"
"Then demolish the brothel."
Hua Chongyang was the first to rush downstairs.
Even though Situ Yebai was extremely refined when he met her, for some reason, she felt that Situ Yebai was someone who would do anything to achieve his goals. So, ignoring Lan Wuxie's advice, she hastily tied her hair into a men's style, put it on, and ran downstairs.
As it turned out, Situ Yebai was sitting there drinking tea, the candlelight in the corner casting shadows on his eyes, faintly revealing their deep color. Upon seeing Hua Chongyang, he put down his teacup, turned his face, and smiled:
"Master Hua."
"Your Highness," Hua Chongyang said bluntly, "what you're doing is far too rude."
Situ Yebai remained calm and composed.
"Extraordinary matters require extraordinary measures; please understand, brothel owner. I only wish to see Lan Wuxie."
He's not here.
After she finished speaking, Situ Yebai's gaze fell on what was behind her. She turned around and saw Lan Wuxie coming down the stairs.
...The feeling of being sabotaged is awful.
Hua Chongyang simply turned his face away.
But at this moment, Situ Yebai suddenly whispered a sentence:
"Master Hua, how is your young master doing today?"
Hua Chongyang suddenly looked up.
Situ Yebai smiled calmly, his gaze fixed on Lan Wuxie who was approaching. His thin lips moved slightly.
"Lan Wuxie's child. People in the martial arts world are probably all interested in how Lan Wuxie behaves as a father."
Hua Chongyang's expression changed immediately.
The matter couldn't be clearer: Situ Yebai was blackmailing him.