Xiaoman slowly tucked the handkerchief back into her bosom. Then, she tilted her chin slightly, her eyes arching upwards at the corners. "Thank you for the compliment, but I refuse!"
Her demeanor was arrogant.
"Oh, you little imp!"
The burly man glared at her in anger. If not for her young age and his genuine attraction to her, he would have slapped her long ago to show her the harshness of the martial world.
"Heh heh, Kuang Dao, look at that. Even a mere girl looks down on you. If I were you, I'd slit my own throat and die, just to save face!"
A sneering cold laugh echoed from the front left. Nan Shiying looked up and saw a man with a sinister face and a sickly pale complexion. The skin beneath his lower eyelids had a soft, reddish hue, yet his voice was deep and hoarse, like the grating sound of wind-blown sand scraping against doors and windows, making one's scalp tingle.
His appearance and voice were incongruous, creating a bizarre and eerie sensation.
The burly man's gaze towards the effeminate man was filled with fierce hostility. He grabbed the long saber placed on the table and slammed it back down, cursing, "You pervert. If you're tired of being a man and want to be a woman, I'll make your wish come true right now."
The effeminate man's expression darkened, and he retaliated without yielding, "Kuang Dao, if you wish to die, I can also grant you that!"
"Heh~"
"You talk too big for your britches!"
Kuang Dao suddenly lunged, drawing his long saber and slashing towards the effeminate man.
The surrounding onlookers watched with cold detachment, some even discussing the fight with apparent interest. Kuang Dao practiced a hard, forceful martial art, while Wen Ren Feng, hailing from the Demonic Realm, was skilled in using his nine-section whip to counter hardness with softness. The whip was precisely Kuang Dao's nemesis. The outcome of their battle was still uncertain.
On the table to the left, a group of individuals clad in identical dark blue cotton robes had already started placing bets.
Wen Ren Feng drew his nine-section whip from his waist. The whip danced like a snake, coiling around Kuang Dao's saber. With a sharp tug, Kuang Dao's saber almost slipped from his grasp.
Kuang Dao's eyes narrowed. He forcefully pressed his wrist downwards, flipping the blade to catch a section of the nine-section whip. He then swung his saber upwards, attempting to use the upward momentum and the sharpness of the blade to break Wen Ren Feng's whip. However, Wen Ren Feng's nine-section whip was forged from profound iron, making it incredibly resilient. Their forces clashed, and neither could gain the upper hand.
Wen Ren Feng suddenly kicked the table, sending himself and the chair sliding backward. Kuang Dao felt the weight of his saber increase, and a powerful dragging force bore down on him.
Seeing this, Kuang Dao bent his knees, lowering his center of gravity. His feet seemed to dig into the ground, firmly anchoring him in place.
Outside the inn, someone tightened the reins, and a horse neighed. A carriage came to a steady stop.
A slender, fair hand lifted the carriage curtain, revealing a face as beautiful as a peach blossom. On this freezing winter day, the woman who alighted from the carriage wore only a thin gauze dress. After she stepped off, another woman, dressed in an identical gown and even more beautiful, followed her.
A total of four women, all stunningly beautiful though distinct in appearance, descended from the carriage.
The four beauties lined up outside the carriage. Two knelt on the ground, while the other two stood beside them. The woman closest to the carriage curtain raised her hand and pulled it aside.
"Welcome, young master!"
All four spoke in unison, their voices converging to create a pleasing harmony.
A young master in a green robe, with a face like jade, emerged from the carriage. He placed his hand on the nearest beauty, stepped on the back of one beauty with his left foot, and on the back of another with his right, using their backs as a springboard to slowly descend from the carriage.
Then, surrounded by the four beauties, he walked towards the inn.
The inn was filled with clamor, and the sounds of clashing weapons were incessant. The four beauties frowned and looked towards the young master standing in the center.
The man said nothing more, proceeding directly towards the table located in the very center of the hall.
He stopped beside the table but did not sit down.
One of the four beauties, a woman with a captivating mole beneath her eye, suddenly knitted her brows, a sharp glint flashing in her eyes. She lifted her gaze, casually picked a flower, and tossed it towards the two combatants.
The flower disintegrated in mid-air, turning into petals that pierced the air, creating a whistling, fierce wind.
Kuang Dao and Wen Ren Feng felt a sudden gust of wind from behind them. They simultaneously twisted their wrists, releasing the entwined weapons. Kuang Dao swung his saber to block the incoming "sharp objects," while Wen Ren Feng also wielded his nine-section whip. With a few crisp clinks, the flower petals embedded themselves into the side of Kuang Dao's saber. The petals aimed at Wen Ren Feng slipped through the gaps of his nine-section whip. Wen Ren Feng suddenly turned his head, and the petals cut his hair at the temples before embedding themselves into the wooden board behind him.
Nan Shiying raised an eyebrow and turned to look behind her.
As if pressed by the hand of God, the noisy sounds abruptly ceased. The surroundings became deathly silent, and everyone turned their gaze towards the direction from which the petals had come, only to see Gongzi Xun, who had appeared at some point.
Although Kuang Dao and Wen Ren Feng's expressions were grim, neither dared to question him.
Seeing the silence, the beauty with the mole beneath her eye sternly demanded, "Who is so ill-mannered as to occupy the young master's seat?"
Everyone instinctively looked towards Nan Shiying and Xiaoman.
Nan Shiying stood up and clasped her fists. "This humble one and my sister have just arrived here and are unaware of the rules. We beg your pardon, young lady and young master."
"Oh? Unaware of the rules?"
Another beauty let out a cold snort from her nose, looking at Nan Shiying as if she were already dead. "You think you can absolve yourself of responsibility with a mere claim of ignorance? How utterly laughable!"
Nan Shiying unclenched her fists, letting her hands hang naturally. She asked, "Then what do you propose?"
The woman replied, "Naturally, to chop off the part of your body that is resting on the seat!"
Nan Shiying pondered for a moment. "So, you mean to cut me in half at the waist?"
The woman did not answer, merely sneering.
Nan Shiying sighed. "Then there is nothing to discuss?"
Kuang Dao suddenly stepped forward, bowed to Gongzi Xun, and asked, "Young master, could you spare this young girl's life?"
Gongzi Xun, who had remained silent, glanced at Kuang Dao, a brilliant smile spreading across his lips.
Nan Shiying found the smile somewhat familiar. Xiaoman looked at the ridiculously dressed young master surrounded by four foolish lackeys, then looked up at her mistress.
She felt a surge of indignation at being offended. How dare this ridiculous young master possess the same smile as her mistress? He wasn't worthy!
"Mu Dan, kill her!"
Gongzi Xun still had not spoken, but the beauty with the mole beneath her eye, standing in front, suddenly pointed at Kuang Dao and issued a death warrant!