Chapter 37: Monsters and Demons
The restaurant on the first floor is open, with fine wine and roasted meat, and the aroma is everywhere.
After days of hard riding, it was rare for him to have a proper meal, so Feng Yanyuan was the first to choose a table and sit down. Feng Jiu had already called for the serving of dishes, and ordered a jar of Xinfeng wine, two plates of five-spice beef, and some sunflower pickle soup.
As the food and wine were served, the restaurant, which had been deserted just now, was now packed. The owner and the waiter were delighted, responding with requests for more wine and busying themselves with serving the dishes.
Yun Yuan's eyes moved.
In the corner, four men who looked like woodcutters lowered their bamboo hats. Although their faces could not be seen clearly, one look at the four ring-shaped ghost-head scabbards on their waists and knew that they were the four evil spirits of the Ghost Head Gang.
There was a bald beggar lying against the right wall, with his sparse hair loose and a boneless whip wrapped around his waist. He was snoring like thunder. He must be the western leader of the Beggar Gang, "Xi Wu Gu".
The two gentlemen in brocade clothes sitting in front of him, wearing deep robes and wide belts, with the word "Xiao Yao" engraved on the scabbard of the left sword, should be Zuo Xiaoyao of Wuji Sect, and the one on the right with a flying knife hidden in his sleeve must be Wei Qianji.
Together with the "Qin Se Shuang Jiao" who were previously famous for their charm, this small place actually gathered nine heroes who were well-known in the martial arts world, and there were also many new faces who were eager to try.
At this moment, everyone's eyes were vaguely fixed on Feng Yanyuan.
Yun Yuan thought of the Wuliang List. But it only listed the Third Young Master's name, not his appearance. How could these wuxia people recognize him at first glance? Thinking back to the bandits they had encountered that day, it became even more puzzling. The Wuliang List wasn't an official gazette, so it wasn't surprising that renowned martial artists knew about it, but how could even ordinary bandits know so much about it?
Feng Jiu naturally noticed something strange and thought about asking, but the young master's expression was indifferent: "Let's eat first." He suppressed his doubts and focused on eating. With the entire room staring eagerly, and Young Master Yuan accompanied by an injured woman, he was in a dilemma. When he looked towards Yun Yuan, she was gone. He looked at the young master, who was looking at the counter—there, Yun Yuan was leisurely returning with a pot of freshly brewed tea from the owner.
"Why are you drinking tea at this hour?" Feng Jiu waited for her to get closer, lowering his voice and saying urgently, "Eat it quickly and leave."
Though the words were soft, who among them could miss them? For a moment, the room was filled with silence, save for the soft tinkling of knife rings and the trembling of sword tassels. Even Naxi Wugu's snoring abruptly ceased. The two beautiful women exchanged a smile, their eyes flickering with playful amusement.
The whole room was suddenly filled with murderous intent, like a taut bowstring.
Cold sweat broke out on Feng Jiu's palms, and his five fingers slowly closed around the hilt of the sword.
Yun Yuan, holding the teapot in her bare hands, slowly poured the tea into Feng Yanyuan's cup, then turned to Feng Jiu. The tea in the celadon cup was a clear, emerald green, and a wisp of mist curled up. She gently swirled her fingertips along the rim of the cup, and suddenly sighed, "This place really can't compare to the East China Sea."
Feng Yanyuan knew she had a role to play, and raised his eyebrows slightly: "Oh? What's the difference?"
"There are no snipe or clams, yet so many fishermen gather here."
Feng Yanyuan chuckled and drank tea from his cup.
As soon as these words were spoken, the hands grasping swords and knives all paused—who among them was not a shrewd man? The principle that the fisherman benefits from the quarrel between the snipe and the clam, now revealed, made everyone hesitate.
Several of the young, energetic ones had already changed their expressions. The "魍" demon from the Guitou Gang had been losing his composure, his ring-handled sword already half an inch from its sheath, but now he silently pulled it back. Xi Wugu had woken up at some point, his eyes gleaming coldly through his tousled hair. Zuo Xiaoyao and Wei Qianji exchanged glances, then raised their cups to their lips and sipped their warm wine.
Yun Yuan lowered her eyes to sip her tea, but her peripheral vision captured everyone's expressions. These jianghu warriors cherished their lives most—the more famous the masters, the less willing they were to stand out. Though the room was thick with murderous intent, it actually created a subtle counterbalance.
Luqi covered her lips and chuckled softly, "As expected of the Third Young Master Feng, even his maidservants are so sharp-tongued." Her eyes suddenly fell on the scars on Yun Yuan's wrist and neck. "Oh, how could such a beauty get injured while being by your side?"
Yun Yuan gently stroked the red marks on her wrist from the whip wound she had received that day and said with a smile, "You'll know when you come to visit me tonight as promised, young master." A mischievous glint crossed the corner of her eye. "It's late at night, so don't make too much noise."
Feng Jiu was picking up some food with his chopsticks when he was startled by the words, his face flushing. What was this girl talking about? He stole a glance at Feng Yanyuan, only to see that he was still calmly drinking his tea, but there was a barely perceptible frown between his brows.
Luqi's smile faltered slightly. "What nonsense are you talking about, little girl?"
Yun Yuan suddenly smiled, "How could you go back on your word, lady? I heard it clearly just now—" She suddenly turned to the young boy in green who was carrying the roasted meat, "Did this young man hear it too? The lady in the apricot-red shirt said she wanted to 'sleep in the upper room' with my young master."
The little boy was only about twelve or thirteen years old. He nodded innocently when he heard the words, his face flushed as he glanced at Luqi, but was startled by the other's sharp eyes and retreated in panic.
"It's strange," Yun Yuan said, her slender fingers circling the teacup, feigning confusion. "Just now, the lady said she wanted to sleep with me, so why are you hiding so far away now?"
Luqi's face stiffened slightly. "You are a little girl with little experience. It was just a few jokes, but you still remember them."
Yun Yuan chuckled, "Ah, I'm not the only little girl who takes the heroine's words seriously."
She glanced at the four evildoers from the Ghost Head Gang sitting at the table in the corner. She had seen clearly earlier that the two girls, who had been about to approach Feng Yanyuan, immediately shrank back when they saw the four evildoers step into the room, hiding behind the table nearest the window, clearly ready to escape at any moment.
She tapped the teacup with her fingertips. "I heard that back then, the four heroes of the demons and monsters also believed the heroine's 'joke'."
"Zheng——" The sound of a knife suddenly rang out.
In the corner, four woodcutters suddenly looked up, and eight cold rays of light shot out from under their bamboo hats. The leading "Chi" slammed the table and stood up: "Little girl, explain your words clearly!"
Luqi's expression suddenly changed. With a flick of her wide sleeves, she pointed at Yunyuan and sternly shouted, "You lowly slave! You must have seen our master favoring someone else, so you're stirring up trouble here!" Turning to the four swordsmen, she had a pitiful expression on her face. "My four brothers are such great men! How could they believe the nonsense of a slave?"
Yun Yuan took a sip of tea slowly. "Is that nonsense? Think about it—last December, when we were dividing the spoils and facing each other with swords..." She raised her eyes and chuckled softly. "Who was your confidante by your side?"
The four rugged faces froze simultaneously.
That night, they nearly killed each other over a box of missing treasures. Although they later reluctantly worked together under the mediation of the gang leader, they no longer had the tacit understanding they once had. At this moment, eight eyes widened as wide as copper bells and stared at Luqi in unison.
At that time, Luqi had secretly colluded with four different people, and finally escaped unscathed by saying "the gang leader won't tolerate it" and "we'll be separated by the rivers and lakes." The four evildoers were fooled into fighting each other, and they all protected their beloved women tightly, so who could have imagined that it was the same person?
Many people in the martial arts world knew about this matter, but it was a thin window paper, but no one broke it, and they just watched these four people make a fool of themselves for a year. If Feng Yanyuan was not so popular now, these four evildoers and the two beauties would not have met on a narrow road.
"Bitch!" The demon was the first to attack. The moment the ring-handled sword was unsheathed with a clang, Shuangjiao had already turned over and jumped out of the window.
The four evildoers were so furious that they didn't care about the Third Young Master Feng anymore. They immediately drew their swords and rushed out. The four dark shadows roared and chased after them. Suddenly, bursts of curses like ghosts and wolves howled in the desolate night.
Feng Yanyuan paused holding the cup, and a smile flashed in his eyes.
A feud took away six people, but there were still half of the heroes in the house. We were outnumbered and it was still troublesome.
"Shopkeeper, has the room been occupied now?" Feng Yanyuan suddenly spoke.
The shop owner was already pale with fear. Upon hearing this, he hurriedly held out the room card and said, "Yes, yes! Please go ahead, sir..."
Feng Yanyuan calmly stood up and took the room card. The crowd of jianghu froze in place like clay sculptures or wooden carvings. Although each of them had a fierce look in their eyes, no one dared to start a fight.
The candlelight in the hall was dim, and suddenly one of them went out with a puff, and blue smoke rose up.
Suddenly a cold light broke through the air!
Feng Yanyuan leaned slightly, and the flying knife pierced the mahogany counter with a thud, splitting the heavy surface in two. The old man who was trembling behind the counter fell to the ground in fear and crawled back to the inner room using his hands and feet.
The three of them turned around and saw that the one who attacked was actually a little boy with several flying knives flying between his fingers in his left hand.
"These cowards can tolerate it, but I can't!" The child's innocent face showed a ferocious smile, "It's all because of this stinky woman's talkativeness!"
Before he finished speaking, the second flying knife was already heading straight for Yun Yuan's face!
Feng Yanyuan flipped his hand in his sleeve, and the knife fell into his palm like a young swallow returning to its nest. He turned his head and smiled at Yun Yuan, raising his eyebrows: "Stinky bitch?"
Before Yun Yuan could frown, she saw the flying knife in his hand spinning away. After hearing a few "ding ding" sounds, all the spinning flying knives in the boy's hands flew out of his hands and were neatly nailed on the beam above his head, with the handles still trembling.
Such a quick movement! She couldn't even see how he threw the knife.
Feng Yanyuan chuckled: "Young Master, although you are still young, your flying knife technique is quite methodical."
The little boy lost his weapon and spat in anger. He suddenly flew into the air and rushed forward. But Feng Yanyuan only reached out with one hand and held him tightly like an eagle catching its chick. The boy's face flushed red and he kicked wildly: "Let me go!"
"As you wish."
Feng Yanyuan calmly let go, and the child was unable to stop in time, and hit the table with a "bang", and immediately grimaced in pain.
This seemingly ordinary exchange of blows terrified everyone present. Feng Yanyuan employed no elaborate techniques; his flying knife piercing the rafters was effortless, and his restraint of the child resembled an elder disciplining a mischievous child. Yet, the child's internal energy radiated forth, his aura surging, a testament to his true mastery. Yet, the Third Young Master Feng defeated his opponent with a carefree air, his cultivation truly unfathomable.
The boy leaped back to his feet, about to fight again, but suddenly paused. His youthful face revealed a touch of maturity. He bowed and said, "Today I know the rumors are true. I'm Mei Xiaolong, and I've learned a lot!" Though his voice was childish, his words were full of chivalrous grace. "Young Master, you're the first person who can easily break my flying knife, subdue me with a single blow, and even make me stumble."
Feng Yanyuan returned the greeting with a smile, saying, "Young Master Mei has achieved such accomplishments at such a young age. He will surely become a great man in the future."
Just as he was about to turn and leave, Mei Xiaolong suddenly darted in front of him, dropped to his knees with a thump, and pleaded in a childish voice, "Young Master, wait a minute! My father, Mei Jiumang, taught me martial arts, but the other day he said he would no longer teach me, ordering me to travel the world and find someone I can truly respect as a disciple. Over the past few months, you've been the only one who has truly convinced me. Would you accept me as your disciple?"
The little child looked up, his tender face full of anticipation.
Feng Yanyuan raised his eyebrows slightly when he heard this: "So it's the son of Master Mei."
"Exactly!" Mei Xiaolong's face flushed with excitement. "If you're willing to take me in, I'll take care of these scumbags!"
He's young, but he speaks so arrogantly. Yun Yuan couldn't help but chuckle.
But while the boy's tone was arrogant, his words were not empty. Mei Jiumang was a contemporary master worthy of competing against Yue Nancang. Everyone in the hall gasped at the mention of "Mei Jiumang"—not because they were afraid of the boy, but because his father was truly formidable.
"What are you laughing at, you bitch!" Mei Xiaolong suddenly glared at Yun Yuan.
Feng Yanyuan didn't want to get involved, but seeing that the child disliked Yun Yuan, he became interested and said gently, "In that case, you can come to the Feng family to chat some other day."
Mei Xiaolong was overjoyed when he heard this, and immediately bent down to pay his respects to the master.
Feng Yanyuan smiled and leaned over to help.
The little boy's shoulder blades suddenly trembled, and three flying knives shot out from behind him!
Feng Yanyuan turned suddenly!
There was a loud "bang" and the rafters on the roof fell down, smashing the table to pieces.
Everyone looked up and saw three flying knives with cold gleams stuck on the roof beams, and the blades were still trembling.
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