Chapter 193 My Young Master, Trapped in a Crisis
Madam Wen's whereabouts were unpredictable, and her lightness skill was superb. No one knew when she entered. She gently supported Li Xian with one hand and twirled the tail of the golden-scaled fish with the other. The fish fluttered a few times and then became docile again.
She said softly, "Good fish, come play in the water." She bent down and released it back into the water. The golden scales seemed real yet not real, seemingly illusory yet not illusory; though it had the body of a fish, it was not a fish or a beast.
Swimming freely in the water, golden light flashes everywhere.
But no matter how Jin Lin darted around, he was always within three feet of her feet, implying: "Even with Jin Lin's talent, how can he escape my grasp?"
Madam Wen glanced up and then at the old woman from the Cao family. With a flick of her sleeve, she released a burst of energy.
The old woman tried to resist with her whip, but it was too late. In an instant, she was pushed into the lake, leaving the boat beneath her feet empty.
Madam Wen drew her palm back and inhaled, causing the empty boat to slowly approach. She slightly raised her hand. Li Xian, already aware of her intention, supported Madam Wen's right hand and stepped into the boat first, guiding her inside.
The old woman fell into the water and sank. A second-realm martial artist would instantly perish upon entering the water, already facing immense danger. She remained calm and took something from her sleeve. It was a long, cylindrical object, through which her inner energy was channeled, shooting out an iron nail. At the end of the nail was attached a [silkworm thread].
Before long, the old woman scrambled onto the boat and stood with Cao Shuang.
"Are you alright?" Cao Shuang asked gravely. The old woman from the Cao family nodded, and was about to say "I'm alright" when suddenly her face turned bluish-purple, blood gushed from her mouth and nose, and she collapsed in the middle of the boat.
The elders of the Cao family paled, examining the old woman's pulse with shock, anger, and fear. Her liver and spleen were shattered; her injuries were extremely severe! They had no idea how or when she was injured!
Once Madam Wen made her move, she showed no mercy. The Cao family, the Yuwen family, the Lin family, the Chu family, Ou Yezi… were all intimidated by her imposing aura.
Lady Wen, dressed in white gauze, possessed gentle features, graceful charm, and an ethereal beauty. How could she possibly be the one who had cast the poison?
Zhou Shijie's mind went blank for a moment, his eyes darting around. His gaze was no longer in his own hands, it was fixed on the lady, and he thought, "Ah! It's her..." He even showed a look of infatuation.
Although he was deeply in love with Gu Nianjun, he was also delighted by her beauty and, without realizing it, had become infatuated with her and could not forget her.
Seeing Li Xian and Madam Wen standing so close together, Zhou Shijie wondered why ordinary men and women would stand so close. Their intimate behavior suggested something more… He couldn't help but ask, “Senior, this boy brought this upon himself. Why are you standing up for him?”
Madam Wen ignored him.
Li Xian asked, "Madam, what brings you here?"
Madam Wen gently patted his hand and said softly, "I had other important matters to attend to, but then I suddenly remembered that today is the Tianjiao Tower Banquet. So I rushed over to see what was going on, and unexpectedly found you being bullied, so naturally I had to speak up for you."
"Thank you, Madam," Li Xian said gratefully. However, she knew that Madam's words could not be entirely trusted.
Madam Wen asked, "You are all elders of the same clan and family. Don't you feel ashamed to bully my young master like this?"
"Ou Yezi...did you bully my young master just now too?"
She called out his name directly, without any politeness. Ou Yezi took half a step back, shook his head and said, "Your young man is full of vigor and talent, truly a prodigy. How could I dare to insult such a brilliant person? How could I dare to insult him? It's all a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding."
"Please don't mind, Madam."
Upon hearing the address "Young Master," Zhou Shijie's heart fluttered with envy: "These few calls of 'Young Master' are as sweet as honey. They touch the heart... If only you would call me that."
Madam Wen said, "Really? Little Fairy, tell me."
"I don't know if this Senior Ou Yezi has insulted me or not," Li Xian said. "He said something about my shallow fate, but my cultivation is too shallow to understand. I was just about to ask Senior Ou Yezi for guidance."
Ou Yezi felt a chill run down his spine and awkwardly laughed, "It's like this. Nephew, you didn't hear the whole thing. I haven't finished yet. Fate and such are all just superstitious nonsense. If any of us martial artists believe in fate, it shows how incredibly foolish that person is. Their future achievements will also be limited."
"On the contrary, a young nephew like myself, with such lofty ambitions, dares to ask how high the sky is. One day I will surely reach the summit, ha...ha...ha."
Madam Wen lowered her eyes and said, "What a pity, what a pity. I do believe in fate. It seems I am the foolish person that Ou Yezi spoke of."
“But then again,” Ou Yezi said, “the idea of fate, upon closer examination, actually makes a lot of sense. I also believe in fate; fate is good, very good…”
As he spoke, he was already sweating profusely.
"May I ask who you are?" Cao Shuang asked.
Ou Yezi cursed, "You ignorant old fool, you haven't even heard of Lady Zhejian? Although she has been cultivating divine skills and has been in seclusion for many years, rarely showing her face and having faded from the martial world for a long time, you still have to remember the people on the Beauty Ranking for the rest of your life."
"Lady Broken Sword!"
The Cao, Lin, Yuwen, and Chu clans were all taken aback. These powerful clans of the prefecture held sway over the region, but rarely ventured out to travel. They had heard of Lady Zhejian's reputation many years ago, but had never met her.
The Lin family had the best chance of knowing about Madam Lin's existence; both Lin Guolong and Lin Aoshan knew of her. However, Lin Guolong's family held a very low status, practically invisible to the public. Lin Aoshan was busy with affairs, constantly on the go, and had long forgotten about her; since no one mentioned it, she wouldn't think of it either.
Although the Cao family had a history of conflict, Cao Yuan was unable to speak, suffering unbearable pain and confusion. The clan soldiers escorting Cao Yuan back to his residence, to prevent further scandal, had been killed early on. By a twist of fate, he also failed to recognize his wife.
"Young friend Li Xian is originally a virtuous disciple of Lady Zhejian," Lin Bei said with a smile.
"No wonder you are so powerful. I admire you. What happened just now was a misunderstanding. We had no intention of bullying young friend Li Xian. It's just that some people are impatient and their words are too harsh. I hope you won't misunderstand, Madam."
Ou Yezi said, "Haha, let's just let bygones be bygones. Let's discuss how to divide the golden carp."
Upon hearing that sharing the golden carp would bring great fortune, everyone's expressions softened.
The elders of the Cao family all looked at Cao Shuang. Cao Shuang pondered for a moment, weighing the implications: The Cao family had casually invited Li Xian and the person behind Li Xian at the banquet. The intention was revenge…
With the advantages of the prefectural city, besieging and capturing them would have been a piece of cake. But they misjudged their enemy and instead let the wolf into their house, gaining an even bigger share of the spoils.
The Cao family's actions in this matter were undeniably foolish and laughable. However, upon closer examination, it was unavoidable. Having ruled as a powerful family for so long, they inevitably became arrogant and lost their sense of reason. Their downfall was inevitable.
“What Young Master Zhou said just now makes perfect sense. Since Lady Zhejian is here, she must be destined to be with the Golden Scale.” Cao Shuang said, “The Golden Scale with a Pearl in its Mouth is one of the 106th in the Yellow Scale. Its most precious possession is the golden pearl in its mouth, which contains extremely rich magical energy.”
"Lady Wen's disciple has obtained the golden scales. Since that's the case, the most precious golden pearl will be taken by Lady Broken Sword. As for the remaining fish body and eyes, we five will divide them among ourselves. Does anyone have any objections?"
Ou Yezi stroked his beard and said, "These words are apt."
Lin, Chu, and Yuwen all said, "We have no objections."
Madam Wen smiled and said, "What Elder Cao said is indeed reasonable, but when I arrived, I seemed to vaguely hear the words that the previous agreement would no longer be valid. If I heard correctly, then the distribution should be reconsidered."
Madam Wen glanced at Zhou Shijie, pointed with her slender finger, and said, "This young man can be a witness."
“That’s right.” Zhou Shijie was greatly encouraged: “I said before that whoever seizes the golden scale will get the scale pearl. But the elders refused to listen, so it is reasonable for the previous agreement to be voided. Madam, if you want to redistribute it, it is appropriate in terms of both reason and sentiment.”
"Young man, you truly are a man of both literary and martial talents, and your understanding of things is remarkably insightful." Madam Wen's tone turned cold as she admonished, "Little Fairy, in this respect, you are inferior."
Li Xian said, "I will remember your teachings, Madam." But in his heart he thought, "Zhou Shijie changes his tune so quickly, I am no match for him. Madam is beautiful, eloquent, and powerful. She has already taken control of the situation."
He was inexperienced and had learned many habits from his wife. But he didn't adopt them blindly.
"Lady Broken Sword, what do you want?" Marquis Yuwen asked.
“Elder, you’re too kind,” Madam Wen said with a light smile. “‘Sword-Breaking Lady’ is just a name given haphazardly by busybodies in the martial world. How could Cai Chang, a frail woman, possibly break someone else’s sword? What Cai Chang did was simply to reason with you all.”
"However, since this elder has asked, I will share my opinion. If you disagree, you may raise your concerns."
"Cai Chang believes that the Golden Scale is a treasure of heaven and earth, and its whereabouts should not be decided by humans, but should be allowed to choose its own master."
"The golden carp will belong to whoever it chooses as its master, and no one else may touch it."
Ou Yezi's expression changed; such methods sounded so familiar. Only their roles and positions had changed.
Lin Bei knew that Madam Wen intended to "take it all for herself." He immediately prepared a speech, saying, "Madam, I think something is amiss." Halfway through his sentence, he suddenly felt his mouth go numb and a metallic taste gushed out. He raised his hand to touch it and found blood dripping down his face; half of his chin had been sliced off.
Madam Wen smiled and said, "I am but a woman with limited knowledge. If you all have better suggestions, please feel free to offer them."
After a moment of silence, the elders of each clan exchanged glances, their eyes meeting, all thinking in unison: "This Madam Wen is determined to take it all for herself, and it's hard to change that. Although she's formidable, this is the territory of the prefectural city. As long as things are handled properly, why should we be afraid of her?"
“I agree,” said Marquis Yuwen. “I agree with what you said, but I suggest we spread out so that Jinlin can observe more easily.”
Madam Wen gave him a meaningful look and smiled, "Brother Yuwen's words make some sense. Let's all disperse and begin!"
She raised her hand and sent it flying. The golden scales leaped out and landed in a wide part of the lake. The group then dispersed in their boats.
Golden scales darted about, shimmering with golden light.
Li Xian, oar in hand, rowed the light boat. Reaching the western side of the lake, Madam Wen, seeing the lush lake flowers and their unique charm, said, "This is the place."
The ship came to a stop, and Madam Wen said, "You have revealed your perfect form. The golden carp will naturally choose you as its master, so why compete with others?"
Upon hearing this, Li Xian circulated his Qi throughout his body. The red mole between his eyebrows shimmered, and his aura became ethereal and extraordinary.
The fish thrashed and frolicked in the Golden Scale Lake. Suddenly sensing something, it swam quickly towards them, leaped out of the water, and jumped into Li Xian's arms.
Madam Wen exclaimed with delight, "Excellent, truly a talent of exceptional ability!"
Those who acquire the golden scales and choose their masters are truly gifted. The golden scales are treasures nurtured by heaven and earth, which love to feed on the talents of exceptional individuals and will actively choose their masters.
However, Madam Wen was not certain whether Li Xian could attract Jin Lin, or whether he possessed Jin Lin's talent. If he did, that would be ideal. If not, she had other ways to obtain Jin Lin.
Madam Wen said, "Little Fairy, let's go."
"Wait!" Marquis Yuwen said in a booming voice, "Are you determined to keep the golden carp all to yourself?!"
Now that he was far enough away from his wife to be safe, he felt even more confident.
“A golden carp chooses its master; how can it be said to monopolize something?” Madam Wen asked.
"snort."
From another direction, Cao Shuang said from afar, "Lady Zhejian, we were already being generous by letting you take the Scale Pearl. Since you've taken our kindness for granted, don't blame us for being impolite. It's true that we are no match for you, but you will pay the price for bullying us like this!"
He finished speaking.
The many soldiers who had been hiding among the onlookers revealed themselves, holding bows and arrows, aiming at the center of the lake.
A thousand arrows are poised to strike!
(End of this chapter)
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