Молодой господин бесстыден - Глава 20
"Brother Shu, if you don't want anything to happen to this young lady, then accept our challenge!"
And so, without any suspense, Fan Qingbo was taken hostage.
"No! Don't worry about me! You go quickly, I'm fine, you must not be threatened by him!"—This kind of melodramatic plot, which is most common in Fan Qingbo's works, is unlikely to happen at this moment.
In fact, the moment Fan Qingbo realized there was a sword resting on her left shoulder, the left side of her body froze completely, terrified that the slightest movement would cause her to collide with the blade. She tried to communicate with the white-clad man holding her hostage: "Sir, could you perhaps move your sword just an inch outwards? My neck is quite sensitive..."
The man in white kept his eyes fixed ahead, completely ignoring her.
When communication failed, Fan Qingbo had no choice but to stubbornly shout at the scholar, "Scholar, just accept their challenge."
But the scholar gently shook his head, looking puzzled. "I have already abandoned my martial arts and washed my hands of this world."
She felt a surge of anger and glared at him, saying, "I don't care if you've retired from the criminal world or not. I'm the one who's been dragged into this mess by you, I'm the one being held hostage. If anything happens to me, how will you compensate me!"
The martial arts heroes who were standing by initially disapproving of the white-clad man's actions were now astonished by Fan Qingbo.
Where have I ever seen a hostage so proactive in fighting for her rights? Shouldn't most women be righteous and determined to protect their men, or weak and pitiful, crying for help? With such an unconventional confidante, I wonder what the scholar with the silver pen thinks?
Everyone looked at the scholar, who appeared calm and composed, as if he were used to the woman's words and actions. He nodded to her and said, "Miss Fan, don't worry. This is trouble I caused. I will do my best to protect you."
Fan Qingbo and the other heroes' eyes lit up simultaneously. "You're willing to accept their challenge?"
The scholar was taken aback, seemingly not understanding why she would think of that, and quickly waved his hand, saying, "No, no." As he spoke, he dusted off his robes and straightened his wide sleeves, then bowed deeply to the man in white and said, "This gentleman is handsome and elegant, and must be a refined person. To resort to swords would be an insult to our culture. As the saying goes, a gentleman uses words, not fists, so let's reason things out."
Upon hearing this, the group of heroes nearly collapsed. They barely managed to stand by supporting each other, looking at each other in dismay, all drenched in cold sweat.
Fan Qingbo is about to cry again. Young Master Shu, Hero Shu, is there anyone more clueless than you? Someone challenged you to a duel, and you're trying to reason with them? You're not the second best in the world, you're clearly the most clueless!
As the sages say, "A virtuous person cherishes morality, and a benevolent person has no worries..."
As the eternal opening line, "As the sages have said," rang out, the scholar began his unstoppable grand speech on "the way of the gentleman." The few heroes of the martial arts world were all rough men, whose literacy was only enough to understand martial arts manuals. Now, hearing the endless, unique sutras uttered from his mouth, they felt their heads were about to explode, and they all covered their ears in despair.
The unfortunate Fan Qingbo and the white-clad man who held them hostage had no choice but to endure the torture because their hands were busy.
"...As the saying goes, a gentleman understands righteousness, while a petty person understands profit. Therefore, a gentleman can follow the right path, while a petty person is prone to straying from the right path. Miss Fan is a weak woman, and it is truly immoral for you to hold her hostage; I am but a scholar, powerless to even kill a chicken, and it is also unethical for you to relentlessly pressure me. As the sages also said, those who follow the right path receive much help, while those who stray from it receive little help..."
The scholar spoke eloquently and fluently, but Fan Qingbo listened with trepidation.
The sword at her neck, no longer able to withstand his endless chatter, began to tremble slightly. She carefully dodged the blade, then whispered to the white-clad man holding her hostage, "Great hero, are you sure you want to challenge this guy?"
The man in white froze, remaining silent.
She pressed on, "Even if you win a contest against an idiot like this, is it really something to be proud of?"
Those present were all among the top 100 martial arts masters in the world, and their hearing was naturally exceptional. Even though they covered their ears, Fan Qingbo's words still came through with a scholar's chanting-like voice, and they gradually developed the same doubts in their hearts.
Although the man in white still kept his eyes fixed ahead, his expression showed an unprecedented wavering.
She continued to fan the flames: "I've heard that the 'Stunning Swan Swordsman' Qin Ziyu's 'Stunning Swan Sword Technique' is unparalleled in the world, ranking third on the Weapon Ranking. The top two on the Weapon Ranking are a Golden Pen and a Silver Pen. Just think about it, you also wield a sword. If you defeat the 'Stunning Swan Swordsman,' you'll become the number one swordsman in the world. Wouldn't that be more glorious and meaningful than defeating the Silver Pen?"
The man in white struggled even more on his face.
At this moment, the scholar's incessant lecturing continued: "A gentleman has things he will and will not do. Even if you, brother, do not adhere to the principles of a gentleman, you should at least consider the code of the martial world. Even thieves have their code, let alone you, brother, who is a chivalrous knight-errant. A chivalrous knight-errant should help the weak and punish the strong, how can he harm innocent people for his own selfish reasons? Even sages have said..."
On one side, Fan Qingbo's seductive words echoed, while on the other, the scholar's persistent, incessant nagging rang in his ears, exploding in his mind. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, he roared to the sky and pointed his sword at the source of the noise: "Shut up! Stop nagging! I'm leaving! I'm leaving, okay?!"
With a few leaps, the white-clad man, his expression frantic and his steps disordered, disappeared from everyone's sight.
With no external force holding him back, Fan Qingbo collapsed to the ground.
Before the scholar could even process what was happening, he instinctively uttered his final concluding remark: "In conclusion, my friend, you should lay down your butcher's knife and become a Buddha on the spot..."
He blinked, realizing that the person he was trying to reason with had already fled without a fight, so he put his hands together and said with great satisfaction, "Excellent, excellent, Brother in white is indeed a virtuous person. Although you have occasionally made mistakes, as the saying goes, to know your mistakes and correct them is the greatest virtue."
Suddenly remembering something, he turned to face the other heroes of the martial world and smiled slightly. The heroes trembled, their faces showing fear.
He began to tidy his clothes slowly, his wide sleeves fluttering, and bowed deeply to them. When he looked up again, he found that almost all the heroes had vanished into thin air, leaving only a man in gray.
"Huh, where is everyone else?" The scholar looked around blankly and asked the man in gray.
It was early summer, yet this gray-clad man was wearing a cloak and gloves, exuding an eerie aura.
“Those people left because they didn’t want to discuss philosophy with you.” The gray-clad man’s voice was flat, like the sound of a erhu string that hadn’t been lubricated in a long time, hoarse and suppressed.
The scholar gave a regretful "Oh," and then asked, "So, sir, you've stayed to discuss philosophy with me?"
The man in gray paused for a moment, then let out a strange laugh and said, "I'm not here to challenge you."
The scholar looked at him with some doubt, thought for a moment, and then suddenly realized, "You're here to bathe too? I've already finished washing and I'll be leaving soon, brother, please." As he spoke, his eyes flickered, and he glanced shyly at Fan Qingbo not far away. Fan Qingbo shuddered at his gaze, wrinkled his nose, and glared back at him.
This time, the man in gray did not answer him, but instead asked, "Have you really crippled yourself?"
The scholar nodded helplessly, "Why do you always refuse to believe me? I am truly tired of fighting and killing, and I have truly crippled myself. I swear, if I am lying, may I die a horrible death."
Upon hearing this, the gray-clad man's murky eyes, hidden beneath the hood of his cloak, suddenly gleamed, and a twisted smile spread across his face.
"Hey, you arrogant scholar with the silver pen, you've finally met your match!"
He chuckled, clapping his gloved hands in the air. Suddenly, four more people appeared on the other side of the mountain. They carried something that seemed to come flying through the air. As they drew closer, it became clear that it was a coffin!
"Seeking revenge!" These three words flashed through Fan Qingbo's mind, and she immediately decided to flee the scene of the murder. But as soon as she got up, her knees buckled and she collapsed.
"Miss Fan, are you alright?" The scholar was alarmed when he saw this and tried to help her up, but he too was weak and collapsed to the ground.
"Hahaha! What do you two think of Guiguzi's unique Tendon-Softening Powder?"
The gray-clad man pulled down the hood of his cloak, revealing a scarred and hideous face. He leaned closer to the scholar and said, "Hmph! You became famous in Ghost Valley by fighting a hundred men single-handedly? You severed the tendons of the beautiful ghost with a silver pen and escaped unscathed? You're quite something, Silver Scholar!" He finished speaking through gritted teeth.