Falsehood
Early winter had arrived, and the warm December light gently splashed on Xu Ning's face. Perhaps it was winter, but even on such a warm and sunny day, Xu Ning was still so cold that she kept rubbing her hands.
The weapon-grabbing competition arrived as planned, and warriors from all over the world came from far and wide to participate in the quest for a suitable weapon. Even if they were not as skilled as their opponents and returned empty-handed, it would not matter. Taking this opportunity to exchange martial arts skills with masters of various levels was a blessing. If they met by chance and had a good conversation, they could even make a few good friends.
"Next is a black gold long sword, unnamed yet. It was made by the owner of Wanqi Villa. The blade is made of polar black iron, with a gold outer layer. It is eight inches long and the blade is so sharp that it can cut silver thread. It took a total of 108 days to make.
The rules remain the same. Anyone interested can come forward at any time, but the competition will always be limited to two people per round, and then it will take turns. No hidden weapons may be used, and the fight will end when the opponent is defeated. The first person to fall off the platform and land on the ground loses. The winner will take the sword.
On the high platform, the person who just spoke was the second owner of Wanqi Villa, Li Jiangxin.
"Miss, this one is very suitable for the young master." A maid in lotus-colored clothes said happily to the woman wearing a plain-colored cape beside her.
"Don't be anxious, wait a moment." The woman sat upright in the pavilion, sipping tea carefully.
"I want this knife!" A strong man stepped on the ground and flew towards the platform.
"What a coincidence, I also like it." Compared with the strong man, the young man is lighter and his lightness skills are much better.
Then the two knights started competing on the stage.
The fatter and stronger man on the stage was defeated by the thinner one.
The young man moved with great agility, dodging with incredible speed. In the first half of the battle, he was on the defensive, and in the second half, he attacked, hitting the core of the warrior's every move. At this moment, the warrior was like a bird with its wings broken. The winner was already clear.
Soon, the strong man was knocked to the ground. He was so angry that he was defeated by a young boy.
Just as the young man was responding to the applause and cheers from the audience, a boomerang flew towards him.
Before the young man could react, the woman who had just been drinking tea flew over and knocked the hidden weapon back with her sword.
"Thank you, lady, for saving me!" The moment the woman flew past, the breeze blew up the thin mist, and Qu Yi vaguely saw the lower half of the woman's face.
The nose is slightly upturned, the jaw is square, and the chin is slightly rounded.
"Why is this guy using a hidden weapon? That's totally unsportsmanlike."
There was a sudden surge of doubts from the audience.
"This knife is perfect as a birthday gift for my brother." The woman in plain clothes drew her sword and attacked the warrior.
"You are just taking advantage of the situation."
"Yeah, you just came when he was already so badly injured."
The woman with the sword didn't care what the audience said.
The warrior was quickly knocked off the stage by the woman.
"Girl, you are still too young after all." The man took advantage of the woman's inattention and threw another hidden weapon.
"careful!"
Xu Ning and his group had just arrived and wandered around Wanqi Villa for a while before arriving at the martial arts arena.
Xu Ning calculated the time and it was almost time.
In the original book, Zhao Mingshang was nearly injured during a duel, but the original hero, Yuwen Xin, caught her and fell in love with her.
Xu Ning happened to be close by, so he jumped sideways and caught the woman who almost fell to the ground while bending down to avoid the hidden weapon.
The moment she caught it, a refreshing fragrance drifted into Xu Ning's nose, like a mountain spring flowing into her heart. The mist fell, and a pair of obsidian eyes caught Xu Ning's eye.
This is a beauty.
A handsome and beautiful woman.
She has a typical square face, square jaw, flat brow bones, sunken eye sockets, and especially her deep eyes, which seem to be able to read people's hearts.
This was Xu Ning’s first impression of Zhao Mingshang.
To be honest, this wasn't what Xu Ning had in mind. Although the original novel mentioned Zhao Mingshang as a beauty, Xu Ning had assumed that in a story about forced marriage and seizure, the heroine would be something like Little White Rabbit or Wanwan, but what she saw today was completely different.
Xu Ning looked around but didn't see anyone who looked like Yuwen Xin as described in the original book.
That’s not right. He should have come. Did I remember the node wrong?
"The competition is over. This sword belongs to this girl."
"Thank you." The woman stood up and put her veil back on, then thanked Xu Ning who was holding her.
"Thank you both very much. I'll give you my permission." Zhao Mingshang walked onto the martial arts stage and saluted with his fists.
"Sister..." Xu Ning found the right moment and moved forward.
"My name is Qu Yi. You were so heroic just now! Thank you so much for saving me. May I ask your name?" The young man who was rescued by Zhao Mingshang just now asked her as soon as he saw her coming down.
"Why are you everywhere?" Xu Ning was asked first.
Qu Yi heard the familiar voice and turned around to see a familiar face.
The girl frowned, as if expressing her dissatisfaction with the person in front of her.
Xu Lian saw the person coming and nodded.
"How strange! I've clearly never seen this young man before, yet he looks very familiar."
"Second brother, ignore him." Xu Ning and Xu Lian whispered quietly.
"Second Senior Brother Xu, you are actually recovered? Congratulations." Qu Yi had a smile on his face, sincerely congratulating him.
"How dare you treat my young lady..."
The woman smiled brightly and raised her hand slightly, signaling the maid to shut up.
"Sir, you are so kind! You are quite skilled. Thank you for letting me get this sword today. Otherwise, I might not have been able to obtain it."
"Thank you for saving me, little girl. My last name is Zhao Mingshang. Judging from my appearance, I should be a beautiful young lady. I am a few years older than you. If you don't mind, you can call me Sister Mingshang." Zhao Mingshang peeled off the veil and answered the two people seriously.
He was neither hurried nor slow, neither arrogant nor impatient, and was generous and decent. Even though he had just exchanged blows with a strong man.
She is worthy of being the eldest daughter of the Shangshu family.
Xu Ning took the opportunity to introduce the two people behind him.
When she got to Tang Xixu, Xu Ning wanted to say his real name, but Tang Xixu gave her a look, so she could only change her words to "He is Tang...Tan Miao."
It's okay to meet each other. We will recognize each other eventually.
"It turns out to be Master Tan and Master Xu. I have heard of your great names for a long time, and today I am fortunate to meet you. Meeting is fate. It is almost the hour of You, and I will be your host today. How about having dinner together?" Zhao Mingshang no longer concealed himself, took off his veil, and invited you warmly.
Several people followed Zhao Mingshang to the guesthouse set up specially for visitors at Wanqi Villa.
"I'm warning you, stay away from Sister Mingchang." Xu Ning and Qu Yi followed behind in small steps.
"I won't, I won't, lululu." Qu Yi actually stuck his tongue out at her? He's already in his twenties.
"Xu Ning, walk faster. Even a turtle can walk faster than you." The young man who was originally walking in front became a little impatient when he heard the two people fighting behind him.
"Oh, here you are." Xu Ning heard Tang Xixu calling her, and followed the young man who slowed down his pace.
"What did you just say? What turtle? I am such a beautiful young lady, and you actually compared me to a turtle?" Xu Ning finally reacted.
"Tang! Xi! Xu!" The woman looked like she was about to explode.
Xu Ning wanted to hit him, but he couldn't, so he had to give up with his clenched fists.
The woman didn't want to pay attention to him and just walked forward.
The corners of Tang Xixu's lips were almost curled up at this moment.
"You are such a fool. You knew she would take it seriously." Xu Lian, who was standing beside him, couldn't help but make fun of Tang Xixu when he saw Xu Ning leaving angrily.
The young man suppressed his lips, shook his head, and laughed at himself.
The elegant room on the second floor is Lanfeng Pavilion.
"Please feel free to order as you like." Zhao Mingchang was very generous and let everyone order as they pleased.
"I heard that the chefs at Wanqi Villa have excellent cooking skills, no worse than those in the imperial palace. Today I can finally feast on a feast." Qu Yi was very satisfied with this.
"I heard your sister's last name is Zhao. Your every move is dignified and proper, not like someone from the underworld. May I ask who your sister is?"
"Miss Xu has a very sharp eye. I am indeed not a gangster. I am the legitimate daughter of the current Minister of Revenue. My younger brother's birthday is in half a month. He likes the knives made by Senior Li very much. So I came here to find a birthday gift for him." The woman smiled calmly, without any hairpin on her bun.
What an elegant rose.
"I didn't expect that she was the daughter of Minister Zhao. I'm so sorry, so sorry." Qu Yi stood up and clasped his fists to express his apology.
"Mr. Qu, you are too polite."
When Xu Ning saw Qu Yi wanted to sit next to Zhao Mingshang, he quickly sat down.
"Don't you think it's too crowded?" Qu Yi's teeth were almost broken.
"I think it's just right. Why don't you sit across from me?"
Qu Yi looked annoyed, but still sat next to Tang Xixu.
The two were speechless. When they had met more than half a month ago, Qu Yi had been familiar with the two men, but he had never been able to get along with this Mr. Tan. In Qu Yi's eyes, this man always acted like he owed him money.
Zhao Mingchang slowly put down his bowl and chopsticks, and wiped his lips with a handkerchief. "Just now, I vaguely heard Miss Xu call Mr. Tan Tangxi Xu. What a coincidence! I once had an old friend named Tangxi Xu. But he died in the chaos ten years ago. If he were still alive, he would be the same age as Mr. Tan."
After the woman finished speaking, she looked at Tang Xixu meaningfully.
Xu Ning buried her head in eating silently. She could already feel the young man's gaze on her.
"Ten years ago? I was only twelve then. I only remember one thing: the defeat in Ye County.
The Battle of Ye County that year truly shocked the imperial court. The commander-in-chief, General Mo Wenqing, led 40,000 soldiers, 20,000 of whom were elite, to confront the Jin State near the border of Ye County. At the time, the Jin State had only deployed 20,000 troops. Common sense would have dictated victory, but for unknown reasons, General Mo, who had never been defeated, not only failed but was killed on the spot. "Qu Yi's voice grew increasingly melancholic as he spoke," he said.
"Didn't Your Majesty conduct a thorough investigation into this matter back then?" Xu Ning didn't believe that such an important battle would just end like that.
"We've checked, from ninth-rank captain to general, and there's nothing suspicious."
"Mr. Qu is right. I was only eleven or twelve years old at that time. During that period, every time my father came home, I would often hear him sighing because of this incident.
There were even rumors in the capital that the old general's invincibility in recent years was due to his collusion with the enemy and his agreement with them, putting on a show every year for the man in the palace to watch. Zhao Mingchang wasn't afraid of saying the wrong thing, just to goad the young man.
"After this incident, the court was reshuffled. The current Marquis of Nanyang was promoted at that time." Xu Lian also added.
"Your Majesty brought General Mo's wife and children back to the capital overnight in order to investigate the matter. However, as fate would have it, the whole family encountered robbers on the way back to the capital and all died. Your Majesty was furious and temporarily borrowed martial artists to wipe out the bandits. After that, Your Majesty ordered no one to discuss the matter, and the matter was left unresolved." Qu Yi continued.
Only then did Xu Ning discover that Tang Xixu actually had this life story. The original book only briefly mentioned it: "When he was young, his family was broken up and he was left wandering the world, living alone."
"There are so many people named Tang Xixu in this world, not to mention that General Mo's surname is Mo. Even if my name is Tang Xixu, even the surname doesn't match. Miss Zhao, you'd better not make up stories." The young man, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke.
Xu Ning saw that Tang Xixu's face was calm, without any ripples in his expression, and he even laughed at himself at the end of his words.
"The Qin Garden of Wanqi Villa has long been famous in the world. You may have the honor to see it today. Please enjoy your meal. I will leave first and say goodbye." Zhao Mingshang did not answer Tang Xixu's words. The maid tidied her clothes and left.
If that's the case, then my task will be very difficult.
After about a cup of tea, Xu Ning went to the servant's room, and when he came back, Tang Xixu was gone.
[Ding! Unlocked side quest card. Quest difficulty is medium.]
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