Chapter 59, Part Two...

Chapter 59, Part Two

Even the smallest gesture of kindness from someone who has been consistently ignored is considered extraordinary by Gongzi Yu. Ling Hao's casual reminder, in his eyes, represents a potential thaw in their relationship. Therefore, he is very happy, extremely happy.

Ling Hao caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of her eye, and felt a little strange. She immediately stood up straight and looked away from him. She had actually felt a moment of weakness just now; how strange. It must be because he looked exactly like Mingyue, and that's why she couldn't bear to hurt him. That must be it.

After convincing herself, Ling Hao turned her gaze to the unfamiliar man in blue. He was slender and handsome, and a single note on his flute was enough to render the bandits powerless. This must be him.

Seeing that all the bandits had fallen, the man in blue put away his flute. He landed with a somersault, standing in front of the two women. He focused his gaze on the woman with the more distinctive attire, "From the Feng family?"

The woman nodded, stepped forward, and curtsied, saying, "This humble woman greets the chivalrous gentleman and thanks him for saving my life."

"It's only natural for close family friends to be like this." The man in blue remained calm, and even though the person thanking him was a beautiful woman, his tone did not soften in the slightest.

The woman from the Feng family merely smiled slightly before walking up to Ling Hao and bowing. "Feng Heng thanks you for saving my life, heroine. I am deeply grateful. Please leave your name, heroine, and I will repay you in the future."

"No need, it's just a small matter." Ling Hao waved his hand. "Besides, you'll be fine without me." The man in blue was quite skilled in martial arts; dealing with those bandits was a piece of cake for him.

He shouldn't be called a man in blue; he should be addressed as Huang Yaoshi. With his appearance, martial arts skills, and entrance, Ling Hao immediately guessed his identity; otherwise, she wouldn't have known not to use her internal energy to resist his flute playing.

The "Azure Sea Tide Melody," one of Huang Yaoshi's most famous works, is affected more and more when one uses internal energy to resist it. However, this does not mean that one is unaffected without internal energy. It's just that today Huang Yaoshi is saving someone, and that person doesn't know martial arts, so his flute playing is different. Otherwise, even without internal energy, one would still be affected.

The woman before him identified herself as Feng Heng, further confirming the man in blue's identity. Ling Hao couldn't help but wonder if this was the beginning of a connection between Huang Yaoshi and Feng Heng. However, the two seemed rather indifferent to each other, even appearing somewhat aloof, and their families should have known each other before.

Ah, things feel a bit complicated. My head feels a little itchy, like it's about to grow a head. If Huang Yaoshi and Feng Heng weren't there, she would definitely touch her head. But now, to maintain her image, she can only endure it.

“It’s different.” Feng Heng shook her head.

Seeing her insistence, Ling Hao smiled and said, "My name is Ling Hao."

Huang Yaoshi walked over, his gaze fixed on Ling Hao, and then he clasped his hands in greeting, saying, "I am Huang Yaoshi."

He had barely finished speaking when he felt a gaze fixed intently on him, a gaze that was clearly hostile. Huang Yaoshi glanced at the source of the gaze and scoffed inwardly. Just a fool tormented by love, utterly uninteresting.

Huang Yaoshi, who looked down on others, never imagined that he would one day be troubled by love, and willingly so.

At this moment, Huang Yaoshi didn't care about Gongzi Yu, only feeling that he was superfluous. He also didn't care about Feng Heng, only helping her because she was a member of the Feng family. He only valued Ling Hao, saying, "Your swordsmanship is quite good, so I hope to have the opportunity to spar with you."

In his haste to save lives, he hadn't paid much attention to others, but he had witnessed Ling Hao's swordplay in crippling the bandits. Truly worthy of being a successor of the Dugu Nine Swords, his swordsmanship was fierce, making one want to fight him. Unfortunately, the current situation wasn't suitable. Huang Yaoshi wasn't without regret, but he still needed to settle Feng Heng; the timing wasn't right.

"Island Master Huang's flute playing is truly admirable. If given the chance, I would indeed like to exchange a few blows with him," Ling Hao replied with a smile. She now knew two of the Five Great Masters of the Ages.

Huang Yaoshi was somewhat surprised, "Does your lady know me?"

“I’m friends with Chief Hong,” Ling Hao replied. Actually, she was downplaying the issue. While she and Hong Qigong were indeed friends, it didn’t mean she knew Huang Yaoshi through Hong Qigong. She simply said it this way to make people think that way.

She couldn't very well say that she knew Huang Yaoshi from books or various movies and TV shows; even the most foolish person wouldn't say that.

Gongzi Yu, who knew all of Gongzi Mingyue's memories, glanced at Ling Hao. He hadn't forgotten that Hong Qigong. His men had already reported back that it was Hong Qigong who rescued Yang Xiao. At the time, Gongzi Mingyue had become friends with Ling Hao and was traveling with her. Because Yang Xiao had gone to the border, she let him go.

However, in Gongzi Yu's view, Gongzi Mingyue was being too soft-hearted. If it were him, he would have made sure Yang Xiao died without a burial place, and Hong Qigong would also pay the price. But... Gongzi Yu then turned his gaze back to Ling Hao.

She disliked innocent killing, and she also claimed to be friends with Hong Qigong. If he were to intervene, unless he could keep it a secret from her forever, their current harmony would be impossible to maintain. Gongzi Yu couldn't guarantee he could keep it a secret forever, so he had no choice but to temporarily refrain from further action.

Hearing her speak of Hong Qigong with such familiarity, Gongzi Yu felt a pang of sadness. Everyone else received her kind words, but not him. His eyes were filled with sorrow.

Huang Yaoshi, who had been ignoring him since the beginning, couldn't help but glance at him, as could Feng Heng.

Linghao, on the other hand, is probably so used to the bright moon that she is completely unaware of it.

After exchanging pleasantries, the group split up to deal with the immediate matters. The bodies of the bandits—all killed by Huang Yaoshi's flute music—had to be disposed of, as did the bodies of the Feng family's guards and servants.

The group split up, with one member going to inform the authorities, while Huang Yaoshi took the silver to find someone nearby to bury the Feng family members, along with Feng Heng and her maid.

Originally, it should have been Ling Hao who accompanied Feng Heng, since they were both women. However, Feng Heng was feeling anxious and uneasy at the moment, and only Huang Yaoshi, with whom she had a close family relationship, could make her feel at ease.

Linghao originally thought that reporting to the authorities would be a simple matter, since she had done so before. However, she did not expect that this time the authorities would ignore her, accuse her of talking nonsense, and prepare to kick her out.

Ling Hao didn't react, but Gongzi Yu stepped forward and kicked the insolent county magistrate away. "Summon your superior to see me." He held a token in his hand.

The minor officials, who had initially paid no attention, immediately changed their expressions upon seeing the token, bowing and scraping. They begged for leniency, asked for forgiveness for their neglect, and hurried inside to find the county magistrate.

The scene before him left Ling Hao feeling somewhat dazed and bewildered.

Ah, this, suddenly I feel like I've become a Celestial Dragon, isn't that alright?

A note from the author:

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Linghao: I've never seen anything like this before!