Chapter 17
In the warm spring season, the flowers in Yangzhou slowly sprout branches, and the flower buds are like unlit lamps, waiting for a flame to ignite them in the light morning rain.
As dawn broke and a sliver of light appeared on the horizon, the cool air still lingered around the moss-covered city walls of Yangzhou, and then the sun quietly peeked out.
Yangzhou is located in Jiangnan, next to the water towns and gardens. Most of the people who came here to settle down were migrants from Chang'an and Luoyang.
It wasn't just the war that caused a few people to be displaced; most of them were also there because the area was close to the Seven Showers Manor and the Hidden Sword Villa, where they could learn martial arts and often help each other out. The city not only had everything from clothing and weapons, but also, apart from the Jiangnan Ye Family Merchants, many small households and ordinary people bought houses and land here to earn a little money and make a living.
In the martial arts world, it is common for chivalrous individuals to come to the city gates seeking to defeat you with high rewards, but these are often just friendships between gentlemen, and more often they make friends through martial arts.
Outside the gate, another great hero from Chunyang Palace wanted to compete with the general of Tiance Mansion. However, with so many people surrounding the city gate, Ye Min had to squeeze through the crowd, stepping on each other as he entered the city.
He finally reached the moat, only to find his clothes torn and wrinkled, his hair ornament askew, and even his sleeves accidentally stepped on. The guards of Yangzhou couldn't help but smirk at his disheveled state.
Once inside the city, the first thing he did was find a tailor and get some clothes.
He had come to pick up his newly made clothes, but when the tailor saw him, he thought he was there to rob him again and was so frightened that he took out pots and pans from the house.
They went into the inner room and changed into their clothes one by one. The clothes were still a bright golden yellow, but with added embroidery on the back of the collar, the front of the chest, and the hem. The fabric had also been changed to brocade and silk, making them more comfortable to wear. The deep robe was changed to yellow, the inner garment to black, and the top to white.
She tied her hair up and even changed the style of her hair ornament. Ye Min looked at herself in the bronze mirror next to her, put on gloves, put on her jade pendant, and examined herself.
She looks quite presentable. Well, mainly because she's good-looking.
After leaving the tailor shop and returning to the city, looking at the sea of people, he suddenly didn't know where to go again.
The matter of the jade pendant ended after Jiang Chengfeng appeared. Suddenly, nothing could be found. It was obvious that they had tampered with it. Now, life at the villa continued day after day, and this sudden free time was like a sudden rainstorm, leaving him without an umbrella, unsure how to cope.
Standing by the roadside, just walking, he was suddenly pushed from behind. Fortunately, he was steady and only leaned forward for a moment before pulling back.
He turned around and saw a little girl dressed in Miao ethnic clothing lying at his feet, her body covered in wounds, as if she had just survived a catastrophe. He was about to help her up when a large group of people, shouting, rushed towards them from afar.
"Are you alright?" He reached out to help the girl up.
The little girl barely managed to lift her head, then turned around and saw a group of figures rushing towards her. She quickly scrambled to her feet, grabbed Ye Min's arm, and forced him to kneel down.
Ye Min was taken aback. What was going on?
When she grabbed him, he saw her face. She was alluring and passionate, with captivating eyes. Two shades of purple in her eyes extended to the corners, like a bottle of fine red wine that had been brewed for many years. One sip and you would be immersed in its mellow fragrance.
"Girl...you..."
"Shut up! Move again and I'll cut your tongue out!" the girl commanded, shouting at him sternly.
By the time he came to his senses, he was already being choked and forced to kneel on the ground, his arms restrained. The surrounding crowd immediately scattered upon seeing this, and the people dressed in Night-Slaying White immediately surrounded him.
Before he could even realize his predicament, a man dressed in black walked out, pointing a knife at the girl behind him.
"Witch, surrender now!"
The little girl behind her spoke, her voice hoarse and terrifying, as if her throat had been slit. It was like a spider crawling into your brain through your ear, sending chills down his spine.
"Hmph... This is Yangzhou City. Look at the people around you. Do you dare to kill me here?"
"You have bewitched people and harmed the innocent; your crimes are unforgivable!"
The little girl laughed loudly, then dug her five fingers into Ye Min's neck, causing him excruciating pain.
"Hahahaha! What an unforgivable crime! You two beasts, every one of you has blood on your hands and has taken lives, and you still have the nerve to say that I harmed the innocent? What a joke!"
Before the man in black could speak, the little girl behind him tightened her grip on the back of his neck, making his face turn red and his eyes seem to pop out of their sockets.
He just went out to get some clothes, but he was taken hostage and threatened with death. He really didn't know if he had drunk too much yesterday and hadn't consulted the fortune teller, Yu Banxian, or asked about the almanac to see which day was auspicious for going out.
Throughout the entire ordeal, Ye Min did not retaliate. He only felt that this person was very familiar, as if he had seen him once before, but he was not sure if he really knew him.
"Clouds rise and form the sea."
Suddenly, a huge sound field appeared beneath his feet, encircling Ye Min. The melody slowly dissipated from his side, like willows sprouting new buds, lush and green, healing all his weakness.
Everyone present was stunned, staring at the suddenly appearing sound range, and could only look at each other in bewilderment.
Realizing something, the little girl immediately released Ye Min and took a few steps back. She took out the Gu flute from behind her back and was about to put it to her lips when suddenly her expression turned terrified, and a green light like a venomous snake emanated from her body, coiling around her and tightening its grip.
As soon as Ye Min looked up, a figure flew overhead, dressed in a green ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), with snow-white hair, and holding a guqin (a seven-stringed zither) that emitted a dazzling crimson light. The figure landed lightly with its back to Ye Min.
Alulingyi walked to his side, helped him up, and checked the wound on his neck.
"Ah Lu?" Ye Min exclaimed in surprise, but dared not turn around, the pain from her wound piercing her bones.
"Don't move. It's a poison."
Ah Lu took the curved knife from his back, and the tip of the knife accurately sliced open his skin, drawing blood. A small black worm slowly slid out along the flowing blood.
The Miao girl was taken aback when she saw this person. The next second, she held the Gu flute to her lips, and the flute's sound echoed faintly. Those who heard it felt as if a hand was reaching into their mouth, grabbing their internal organs and pulling them out.
Yang Yuan seemed not to hear. Calmly, she placed the long zither in front of her, played it with her hands over her body, and channeled her inner energy. Instantly, green strings appeared in front of her, transforming into sharp blades that rushed towards the girl.
The music was like an invisible sword, piercing straight into the girl's abdomen. She merely frowned, thinking it was a test, and continued playing the Gu flute. But not long after, under the influence of the music, obvious cracks began to appear on her body, and blood slowly flowed out.
The Yin-based internal energy of the Changge Sect, while not causing immediate harm, gradually erodes your strength. Yang Yuan knew that the techniques she used were also internal energy cultivation methods. However, this flute music was quite different from the Five Poisons Technique, and for a time she couldn't find a breakthrough.
The girl endured the pain, raised her flute, clasped her hands together, and a purple halo appeared in front of her, corroding the air. She stared at Yang Yuan, pushed her hand back, and launched this attack at Yang Yuan.
Yang Yuan remained in the same spot, still playing music, her head bowed, her face hidden from view.
"Watch out!" Ye Min shouted from behind.
Yang Yuan met the attack head-on, the purple aura enveloping her completely, like a worm slowly gnawing at her skin and swallowing her whole.
Ye Min gripped his light sword, but A Lu stopped him and shook her head.
"She's fine."
Ye Min turned his head, and Yang Yuan, who had been corroded, immediately turned to ash and disappeared into the air.
He and the Miao woman immediately began searching for her.
Suddenly, the woman looked up in shock, staring wide-eyed at Ye Min and the others. Her eyes shone with a wild light, her lips curved into a smile, as if two wisps of purple allure lingered in her eyes, her gaze seeming to hold a thousand thoughts she wanted to tell someone.
“She’s over there.” A-Lu pointed, and Yang Yuan appeared behind the Miao girl, her hand resting on her zither, her eyes calm and still.
"Die."
The sword was drawn from its sheath, its tip pressed against the heart; with a little force, it could pierce through.
Ye Min closed his eyes, not wanting to see the girl covered in blood.
"Wait!"
Suddenly, a voice came from the crowd, and Ye Min's heart, which had been in his throat, finally settled. The sparse onlookers quickly ran away, and the people dressed in Night Slash White sheathed their swords and made way.
A little girl in a long blue dress walked out of the crowd. Her black hair was tied up in two braids with blue ribbons, hanging down her back. Her face was snow-white, her lips were as red as flowers, and her black eyes seemed to hold a thousand stars.
She walked up to the girl, bowed to Yang Yuan, and said:
“Young lady, stop. Killing this man will only sully your sword. Yangzhou is a quiet place, not one to be stained with blood. If you two are just having a friendly spar, the city gate is a good place. Fighting in front of so many people will not only lower your reputation, but also make it difficult for other shops to do business. With everyone here, please give me, Liang, some face.”
Yang Yuan stared at her for a long time, but neither of them made any further moves.
The sword was sheathed within the zither.
This was Yang Yuan's compromise.
Before the crowd could reconcile, the Miao woman, quick-witted and agile, leaped away and fled.
Upon seeing this, the person dressed in the white Night Slash outfit immediately gave chase.
Yang Yuan and the woman in blue looked at each other, ignoring the restless crowd.
A-Lu and Ye-Min walked to her side, looking at the woman in blue, and remained silent.
The woman in blue approached and smiled at the crowd.
"Thank you for your kind offer, young lady," the girl said. "Seeing that you two look travel-worn, you must have been on a long journey. Why don't you come to my residence for a visit? Consider it a welcome meal to wash away the dust of your journey."
A-Lu looked at Yang Yuan, who remained expressionless and slung the zither behind her back.
"May I ask, young lady, which family do you manage? We are newcomers here, please forgive us for what happened earlier," said A-Lu.
The girl looked at him and smiled gently.
“My father is Liang Yu, a third-rank official in charge of the Imperial Treasury, and I am Liang Siqing, the eldest daughter of the Liang family.”
She glanced at Ye Min, who was clutching his neck, and smiled gently.
"I see that you are injured, young master. Why don't we go there? There is a doctor in the manor who can treat your wounds."
Yang Yuan, who had been silent until now, looked at her and bowed before Ye Min could speak:
"In that case, I'm sorry to have bothered you."
Ye Min watched Yang Yuan's retreating figure, wondering what she was planning.
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