Ветер и дым

Глава 2

The excruciating pain he had imagined did not come; only a chill crept into his skin. Fei Yunzi was unaware that he had been poisoned with the "infertility-inducing" poison. Seeing that he had been spared, he felt as if he were in a dream.

The man with the jade belt and pearl crown stopped looking at Fei Yunzi, released Yue Shenhong's pressure points, and said, "Come with me, or we'll miss the birthday banquet."

Yue Shenhong was hoping to have someone accompany her, so she quickly agreed, leaped onto her horse, and the man said, "Sit tight."

Yue Shenhong knew that this divine steed was incredibly fast when it ran, so she grabbed his clothes with both hands and he suddenly shouted, "Hey, hey, don't wrinkle my clothes! Just hug me if you want!"

Yue Shenhong's face flushed. The horse had already galloped off. The early spring mountain wind was biting, and she still felt a chill on her body. She didn't care about anything else and hugged him from behind.

The horse galloped swiftly, and soon entered Chengdu. Yue Shenhong dismounted at the Qingcheng Sect branch first. "Thank you for saving my life, young master. May I ask your name?"

The man raised his whip, watching the clouds on the horizon swallow the last rays of sunlight, as dusk descended upon the entire city of Chengdu. His face showed anxiety. He quickly threw out three words: "Tang Qiefang!" The whip had already fallen, and the horse turned the corner and quickly disappeared.

Chapter Four

Tang Qiefang.

In the martial arts world, there are many ways to become famous. Some rely on swordsmanship, some on medical skills, some on divination, and some even on infamy. But no one has become famous as easily as he has.

He gained fame through his seniority.

The fact that the head of the Tang Clan calls him "Uncle" means that most people in the world should call him "Grand Uncle." Even the teachers in the martial arts academy and the masters on Mount Wudang would respectfully address him as "Senior."

Yue Shenhong never expected that the person who saved her was actually a master of the "Qie" generation from the Tang Clan.

Upon hearing this, Yue Tong was both surprised and delighted. "He really said he was Tang Qiefang?" Still somewhat skeptical, and fearing someone might be impersonating him, she pressed further, "Is he around twenty years old and covered in jewels?"

Yue Shenhong nodded, "Although she wasn't covered in jewels, she was indeed much more glamorous than the average person."

Overjoyed, Yue Tong brought birthday gifts and thank-you gifts, along with his daughter, to the Tang Clan.

The Tang Clan has always been known for its hidden weapons and poisons, which seem to have made it as mysterious and terrifying as these two things in people's minds. Therefore, everyone who comes to the Tang Clan is somewhat surprised.

No matter how you look at it, this is just an ordinary courtyard house, only a bit bigger, more exquisite, and with more roads, making it easier for people to feel dizzy and get lost.

The Kun generation disciples led the Yuezhi father and daughter through the gate. After passing through the side hall, they entered the main hall, followed by the main hall. Then, endless rows of houses unfolded before their eyes, stretching as far as the eye could see.

Most of those who came were renowned figures and rising stars in the martial arts world, almost gathering all the famous people in the Jianghu. Yue Tong greeted everyone, then led his daughter through the many pavilions under the candlelight, saying, "Hong'er, the Tang Clan patriarch trusts Seventh Uncle the most. If he can say a few words, your brother's matter will be mostly settled. His residence is just ahead. Go in and have a proper conversation."

There was a courtyard in front of me, and even before I entered the courtyard, I could feel the dazzling red light.

The courtyard was now filled with red lanterns—hanging from the eaves, the treetops, and even the beams. A man was bending over to light a lantern on the ground. In the warm red light, his jeweled attire shone brightly. He wore a white jade belt around his waist, inlaid with thumb-sized, perfectly round pearls. His hair was now adorned with a different jeweled crown, even more ornate than the one he wore during the day, with delicate, curtain-like jeweled ribbons hanging down, almost as long as his black hair.

She was indeed dressed in magnificent attire, adorned with jewels from head to toe. Her crimson moon-red outfit during the day had already seemed excessively extravagant, but compared to this, it was like a firefly compared to the bright moon.

Hearing the noise, Tang Qiefang, who was lighting a lamp, turned around with a hint of surprise on his face. At that moment, the light in his eyes was no less than the brilliance of the pearls on his body. However, when his gaze fell on the Yue family father and daughter, his pearl-like eyes dimmed and returned to normal.

Yue Tong rushed forward, clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, and addressed him as "Uncle." Yue Shen Hong solemnly thanked him for saving her life and presented him with a gift of gratitude.

Tang Qiefang smiled and said, "Yuetong, you're getting more and more polite as you get older. Saving your daughter was just a small favor. Besides, it's thanks to your daughter's intelligence that she told me her identity and purpose as soon as she saw me; otherwise, I wouldn't have bothered with your business."

After chatting for a while, the father and daughter were about to take their leave when Tang Qiefang said, "Xiao Shenhong, please stay." Xiang Yuetong smiled and said, "I'm feeling rather bored, so I'll leave your daughter here to keep this old man company."

Chapter Five

Yue Tong smiled and readily agreed.

Tang Qiefang handed the tinderbox in her hand to Yue Shenhong, "Light the rest of the lanterns for me."

Is there any significance to lighting so many lanterns?

"Because as of today, someone has lived for 6,935 days, so we need to light 6,935 lanterns." Tang Qiefang casually found a step to sit on, leaned against the pillar in front of the step, and said lazily.

"More than six thousand lanterns?" Yue Shenhong was somewhat surprised. "So many?"

"There are only 935 here; the other 6,000 are in the Listening to the Water Pavilion."

A gust of cold wind nearly extinguished the tinder in Yue Shenhong's hand. Tang Qiefang's voice was low and somewhat indistinct, "With such a cold wind, if they don't come back now, they must be freezing."

"Spring has arrived, and the weather shouldn't be too cold anymore."

"But for some people, early spring is still terribly cold."

"Is Uncle referring to your patriarch? Is he someone who is very sensitive to the cold?"

"Hmm, he was a frozen cat in his past life." Suddenly, he glared at me. "Don't call me grand-uncle."

Yue Shenhong was taken aback. His wide-eyed expression was so childish that it was hard to associate him with his seniority.

"Being called 'uncle' by you all will surely make me die young! Even if I don't die young, I'll definitely age very quickly!"

"Then, senior—"

Tang Qiefang suddenly asked, "How old are you?"

"nineteen."

“He’s the same age as me—so I’m only three years older than you, how can I be considered a senior? We’re clearly friendly peers!” Tang Qiefang’s expression was also very friendly. “From now on, just call me by my name.”

The corner of Yue Shenhong's eye twitched involuntarily. "My father calls you Uncle... How can I call you by your name?"

“I find it amusing that your father calls me Uncle-Grandpa. But you calling me Grand-Uncle-Grandpa clearly distances yourself from me.” He narrowed his eyes at her, a rather frivolous smile on his face. “Don’t you know that besides clothes and jewelry, there’s something else I really like?”

"What?"

“My beauty,” Tang Qiefang said with a grin, “a beauty like you is standing in front of me, yet you keep calling me Uncle. Doesn’t that make me age a hundred years in an instant? This feeling is just awful.”

As he spoke, his eyes kept glancing outside. Yue Shenhong could tell he was clearly preoccupied, merely using words to pass the time. Even knowing he was just saying it casually, her face still flushed slightly. Suddenly, his gaze fixed on her, and a glint of light flashed before her eyes. Tang Qiefang, who had been sitting on the stone steps, had sprung towards the courtyard gate like a phantom, laughing loudly, "Good heavens, still not frozen to death—"