Chapter 339: Untitled

Guan Fangyi was unmoved. She lazily waved her round fan, looking left and right as though none of it concerned her.

"I'm rather particular about these things. This ship is too shabby. I'm not interested. You people can keep playing by yourselves. I'm leaving."

She turned as though to go. The richly dressed man's eyes narrowed sharply.

"Hongniang, are you joking?"

"Do I look like I'm joking?"

Guan Fangyi flipped her fingers. A pitch-black talisman appeared between them. The shadow of a sword was patterned across its surface, faint light flowing along the design. The richly dressed man was shocked.

"Heavenly Sword Talisman!"

He had never imagined this woman would actually carry such a lethal weapon.

At the words "Heavenly Sword Talisman," everyone surrounding her visibly reacted. Suspicion and alarm appeared on their faces. No one dared approach lightly anymore; instead, they all backed away a little.

Guan Fangyi gave an extraordinarily alluring cold smile.

"With a Heavenly Sword in hand, is it enough to kill you?"

The richly dressed man's face turned exceedingly ugly. Only now did he finally understand that the woman had played him. The hostage was gone, and he no longer had anything in hand with which to threaten her. He ground his teeth.

"You may have a Heavenly Sword, but a talisman can only be used once. There are so many of us. How many can you kill?"

Guan Fangyi scoffed.

"Do you think you're the first people to cause trouble for me since Fufang Garden opened? Surely you aren't naive enough to think I settled every problem with a single Heavenly Sword Talisman."

She hooked her round fan at her waist and flipped her other hand. Another black talisman appeared between her fingers, this one patterned with lightning and likewise carrying a faint flowing radiance.

"Mountain-Splitting Talisman!" someone cried out in surprise.

Guan Fangyi tossed that person a flirtatious glance, then twisted her fingers. The one Mountain-Splitting Talisman became three. Three had been stacked together. Quite a few faces around her twitched. Talismans were divided into four grades: purple for supreme-grade, black for high-grade, red for middle-grade, and yellow for low-grade. The reason for the different colors lay in the materials used to refine them.

Different materials were necessary because different talismans contained different amounts of power. If the energy of a supreme-grade talisman were stored in low-grade material, the vessel itself would be unable to endure it. Talismans were difficult to refine and therefore expensive.

Using one was quite literally burning money. Once used, it was gone. Ordinary people would not use them, and most could not afford to.

Someone with a little means might keep one on hand for self-defense, something to save his life at a critical moment. Yet the woman before them had produced an entire handful of high-grade talismans. The richly dressed man clenched both fists.

"Fufang Garden brokered the transaction. The buyer was cheated, and now you intend to simply walk away?"

Guan Fangyi said, "Spare me that nonsense! Hongniang's golden signboard has stood for all these years. It isn't something any stray gust of wind can knock down. If you have objections, go petition Misty Pavilion for arbitration. The sect leaders of Tianhuo Sect, Daqiu Sect, and Xuanbing Sect are all members of Misty Pavilion, and they're right here in Qi. Go find them! A pack of skulking rats like you—do you dare?"

The richly dressed man said, "Hongniang, even if you can get away today, what about later?"

"Without today, what later is there to talk about? I don't have time to play with you. I'm leaving! Whoever dares block this old lady gets blasted with a Mountain-Splitting Talisman!"

Having thrown down the threat, Guan Fangyi flashed into the air and swept away. Among the entire group, not one person dared stop her. They stared at one another, then simply watched her figure drift into the distance. The richly dressed man's face was dark with humiliation. He had thoroughly lost face today, and worse, he had no way to explain the failure to those above him.

He simply could not understand how this woman had managed to possess so many talismans without the slightest rumor ever leaking out. Then, in the next instant, he understood. If he were in her place, he probably would not tell anyone about what happened today either. It was far too humiliating.

"Send word immediately!" the richly dressed man suddenly shouted as he turned...

Inside a pavilion in Fufang Garden, Hongfu sat cold and elegant before a qin, her fingers drawing a slow stream of music from the strings. Hongxiu, seated nearby listening, suddenly turned her head. Seeing Niu Youdao and the others approaching, she hurriedly stood and saluted.

"Master Dao!"

The qin music stopped abruptly. Hongfu rose as well.

"Master Dao!"

"You were playing nicely. Why stop?" Niu Youdao entered the pavilion with a smile.

He still behaved the same as before, maintaining the appearance of a man greatly interested in the two women. He had to preserve that style. Hadn't that very pretense been the excuse that let him become entangled with Guan Fangyi in the first place? Until matters were resolved, his true relationship with Guan Fangyi could not be exposed. The moment Linghu Qiu's side realized Niu Youdao already knew their identities, the game would end.

Leaving everything else aside, Wei Chu remained a major threat. Niu Youdao still needed Xiaoyue Pavilion's hand to remove him. As long as Wei Chu remained alive, Niu Youdao would face enormous trouble throughout the State of Qi; even leaving the capital would be dangerous.

At present, apart from Xiaoyue Pavilion, Niu Youdao could not find anyone else with both the strength and the ability to get rid of Wei Chu.

Hongfu said, "Master Dao flatters me. There was a qin in the room, so I was only plucking at it for amusement."

Niu Youdao chuckled and let the subject pass.

"Has there been any news from Second Brother?"

Hongxiu said, "We received one message yesterday. He still hasn't found the people. Today's message will probably come somewhat later."

"Oh. Fine. Carry on with what you were doing. If news comes from Second Brother, remember to tell me."

"Yes!"

Niu Youdao turned and left the pavilion, leading Old Six Xu and the others away. He had only reached the courtyard entrance when Hongxiu hurried after him.

"Master Dao, please wait!"

The group stopped. Niu Youdao turned.

"Something else?"

Hongxiu hesitated.

"Master Dao, could we speak somewhere private?"

Her gaze flicked toward Old Six Xu and the others. Niu Youdao understood. He turned to them.

"Wait here."

Old Six Xu said, "The Proprietor said..."

"Aiya, it's fine." Niu Youdao knew what he meant and waved him off. He pointed toward the pavilion. "We're only going over there to exchange a few words."

Putting a little distance between himself and the guards was harmless. He did not believe Hongxiu and Hongfu would dare attack him in full view of everyone inside the Qi capital. Neither woman was a suicide operative, nor the sort of person suited to being one. The three returned to the pavilion. Niu Youdao sat. Hongxiu hurried to pour tea for him. He waved it away.

"What is it that requires all this secrecy?"

The two women exchanged a glance, both seemingly hesitant. Niu Youdao found it strange.

"Whatever it is, say it."

At last Hongfu spoke, her expression still cool and unreadable.

"Master Dao, in truth, no one wants to spend her entire life as a servant."

Niu Youdao froze. What was that supposed to mean?

"What are you trying to say?"

Hongxiu said, "Master Dao, we've followed Sir for almost twenty years. When Sir bought us all those years ago, he promised that after ten years he would return our indentures and give us our freedom. But twenty years have passed in the blink of an eye, and Sir still shows no intention of doing so."

Niu Youdao muttered inwardly. What were these two women playing at? His eyes moved between them.

He probed, "You want me to speak for you? Ask Second Brother to return your indentures?"

Hongfu said, "We sisters know how Master Dao feels about us. If Master Dao is willing to plead for us, then we sisters are willing too."

Niu Youdao looked suspicious.

"Willing to do what?"

Hongfu said, "We sisters are willing to serve Master Dao together once. Master Dao can rest assured. So long as you speak for us, whether the matter succeeds or fails, neither of us will bear any resentment."

Niu Youdao finally understood.

He understood exactly what they meant by being "willing."

His expression instantly became wonderfully animated. Inside, however, his heart lurched. In that very instant, he knew. After dragging things out for so long, Linghu Qiu's side had finally decided to move against him. If he had known nothing about their background, that would have been one thing.

But knowing exactly who these two women were, and then hearing them say something like this, made their story obvious nonsense. Their words instantly connected everything that had happened before in his mind. Linghu Qiu had left. Then one of Guan Fangyi's people had suddenly gotten into trouble. Guan Fangyi had gone out too. Then came the qin music. He had followed the sound here. Now the two women asked him to plead for them and offered their bodies in return.

Once the whole chain came together in his mind, a chill crawled down Niu Youdao's spine. Everything had been designed step by step for one purpose: to create an opportunity for these two women to strike. Now he finally understood why Linghu Qiu had delayed moving against Wei Chu for so long. There had still been a chance to move against Niu Youdao himself. Linghu Qiu had merely been waiting for the right opportunity.

There was no reason to invite the trouble of dealing with Wei Chu if he could avoid it.

Seduction!

Niu Youdao had never imagined they would actually use seduction against him. What worried him now was Guan Fangyi. The other side had clearly prepared this for a long time. They needed both time and space for the two women to act. Could Guan Fangyi really return safely from this trip?

"Heh, heh. Would that really be appropriate?" Niu Youdao rubbed his hands together, a lecherous grin on his face as his eyes roamed over the two women. He looked like a lustful rogue who could hardly wait.

Pervert!

Both women nearly cursed him aloud at the same time. They were already planning to let him discover afterward what it meant to beg for life and be denied, beg for death and be refused.

Hongfu said calmly, "If Master Dao doesn't believe us, we sisters can give ourselves to you first."

Niu Youdao chuckled.

"Well... aiya, you two won't go talking nonsense to Second Brother afterward, will you?"

"We won't. My sister and I will wait for you inside the room first." Hongfu dipped into a half-curtsy.

Hongxiu followed with one of her own. Then the two turned and left together. Niu Youdao kept chuckling happily until their figures disappeared. The smile vanished from his face at once. He strode quickly over to Old Six Xu and the others.

"Gather every capable fighter in Fufang Garden immediately. Go reinforce Hongniang at once!"

Old Six Xu said, "Sir is worrying too much. The Proprietor isn't so easy to deal with."

Niu Youdao hooked an arm straight around his neck, pulled his ear close, and whispered urgently.

"The people making the move are from Xiaoyue Pavilion. Hongniang is in danger. Go!"

At the words "Xiaoyue Pavilion," Old Six Xu was shocked.

He nodded quickly.

"All right. We'll go immediately! But if we leave, what about Sir?"

"Saving Hongniang comes first. Take every capable fighter you can. Leave only a few people here for me. It's inconvenient to fight openly inside the capital. Prepare a flask of poisoned wine for me immediately..."

Niu Youdao rapidly gave him a series of instructions. At this point, he could no longer care whether his knowledge of their identities became exposed. He was afraid it was already too late on Guan Fangyi's side.

If Guan Fangyi had already fallen into their hands, all he could do was play along with their scheme, seize Hongxiu and Hongfu, and hope to use them as hostages in exchange for her. He could only hope there was still time to save her. Old Six Xu roughly understood.

To save Hongniang, Niu Youdao wanted him to take away all of Fufang Garden's strongest people while Niu Youdao himself remained behind to take the risk. Old Six Xu pressed his lips together, visibly moved. He cupped his hands and bowed deeply.

"Take care!"

Then he turned and hurried away. There truly was no time left to waste.

[End of Chapter 339]