Why should she dare to lecture her senior sister as an elder?
Huang Yuyao's initial awe at the woman's stunning beauty faded. She looked at the woman before her, standing tall, chin slightly raised, with a composed and indifferent expression that hinted at an unyielding nobility. She had never seen such an emotion on her senior sister. A surge of anger ignited within Huang Yuyao.
"Who do you think you are? My senior sister is called a celestial maiden by the heroes of the martial world not just because of her looks. When she traveled the jianghu, she practiced medicine, gave alms, and helped countless people. That's how she earned the title of celestial maiden. You keep telling my senior sister not to be limited by her beauty, to not be trapped by her heart. What about you? On what moral high ground do you stand to point fingers at my senior sister?"
"You are the one with only a beautiful shell. You are the one who uses beauty to win people over. You are the kind of person you describe. That's why you assume all women in this world are like you."
"You're all glib and cunning!"
Lv Yiyi's chest heaved with anger. She was the one who initiated the comparison of beauty, yet now she spoke as if she were the victim.
"You're blinded by lust!"
Huang Yuyao and Lv Yiyi argued furiously, while the onlookers watched with amusement.
"Hey, you're not going to reach a conclusion by arguing. Why don't we have Fairy Qi and this young lady have a competition right here? We can be the judges and then we'll know who's first and second!"
"Yeah, let's have a competition."
"Yunyi Hall is not skilled in martial arts, so it doesn't have to be a martial arts match. A talent competition would be fine too!"
"Yes, yes! I heard Fairy Qi is skilled in music. How about playing a piece right now for us to appreciate?" "Compete, compete!"
"Show us your talent!"
The patrons of the inn began to stir.
Lv Yiyi and Huang Yuyao both looked towards Nan Shiying and Dai Zhiqi.
Dai Zhiqi's expression turned somewhat unpleasant. A public competition? Playing a musical piece? Were these people treating her like a performer in a pleasure house?
Amidst the clamor, Nan Shiying stood up. Huang Yuyao's eyes flickered with disdain. Hmph, as expected, a mere pretty face, unable to discern the mockery and contempt in the words around her.
"Young lady!"
Dai Zhiqi called out to Nan Shiying, "Would you be willing to grace me with a drink?"
Although she was jealous of the other woman's beauty, jealous that she had stolen the spotlight that should have been hers, and felt like she had fallen into a mire after her inner darkness was exposed, people, especially women, were inherently at a disadvantage compared to men from birth. The reason Yunyi Hall only accepted women, apart from the background of the late former sect leader, was also to foster a sense of mutual support among women in the world.
Their conflict, who was right and who was wrong, was no longer important. Or rather, the argument itself had become trivial in the face of the crowd's uproar. For a woman to possess only beauty was not a blessing from heaven, but a curse.
Her eyes were filled with complex emotions, yet they were clear and bright at this moment.
Nan Shiying looked into her eyes, feeling a desire to smile, not out of mockery, but from genuine amusement.
"Alright!"
She added, "But please, Fairy, wait a moment."
Dai Zhiqi was slightly taken aback. She had actually prepared herself for refusal, or even mockery. She had even thought about how to dissuade the other woman from showcasing her talent publicly if she refused, or whether she should give up if it was impossible. But she hadn't expected the other woman to agree so readily, so readily that it made her feel as though the other woman had never intended to perform publicly in the first place.
"Senior Sister?"
Huang Yuyao called out to Dai Zhiqi, displeased.
If she was going to lose face, let her lose it. Why was she being stopped?
Dai Zhiqi turned and gave Huang Yuyao a deep look. She hadn't said anything, nor did her face show any anger, yet Huang Yuyao couldn't help but feel a sense of guilt.
"Sister Ying?"
Lv Yiyi ran forward and tugged at Nan Shiying's sleeve. Nan Shiying patted her hand, signaling her to be at ease.
She walked up to a bearded man and stopped. Her voice was gentle, even with a hint of a smile, "It was this hero who first suggested that Fairy Qi and I should have a competition in public?"
The man looked at the beauty standing so close and the envious gazes of the surrounding crowd. He felt as if he had taken a cold shower in the height of summer; every pore of his body felt incredibly refreshed. He laughed heartily, a smug look on his face, "It was me. Do you think my suggestion is quite reasonable, girl?"
"Yes!"
Nan Shiying nodded and pulled a hairpin from her bun.
"I have a dance called 'Rouge Blood.' Would you like to see it, sir?"
"Hahahaha, I couldn't ask for more."
The man's voice boomed like a bell. He made a gesture of invitation to Nan Shiying.
Dai Zhiqi opened her mouth. Huang Yuyao, on the other hand, straightened her back, which had been slightly hunched due to guilt. She pulled Dai Zhiqi and said with undisguised triumph, "Senior Sister, the other party is just a foolish person who can't even get on stage. You've already warned her, you've been as helpful as you could be. If she's eager to lose face, why should you stop her?"
Dai Zhiqi sighed. Fine.
She shook her head and sat down.
Lv Yiyi wanted to tug at the beautiful sister's sleeve again, but the old man beside her pulled her back.
"It's fine, just watch!"
The man said with a smile.
"But..."
It was like a eunuch being more anxious than the emperor. Lv Yiyi couldn't understand why the man had such a look of watching a play. Weren't they together?
Nan Shiying lightly flicked her sleeve. The flowing sleeves swept over the man's head. This simple movement alone drew loud cheers from the crowd.
The man clapped his hands.
"Hmm, it smells so good~"
He wrinkled his nose, sniffing the fragrance lingering in the air, a look of intoxication on his face. Nan Shiying smiled brightly. She flipped her wrist, and the hairpin she held lifted her sleeve, revealing her fair wrist. The man's breath hitched. The next moment, a piercing, bone-chilling pain engulfed the man. The hairpin penetrated his left cheek and exited the right. Nan Shiying's movements were incredibly swift, and the hairpin was thin, so not much blood seeped from the man's face.
Consumed by agony, the man's eyes threatened to burst. He grabbed the long saber on the table and slashed at Nan Shiying.
Nan Shiying released her grip on the hairpin. Her posture was graceful, like a startled swan, and she easily dodged the man's attack. Then, she extended her delicate hand, flicked her fingers, and the long saber was knocked flying from the man's grasp. With a tap of her toe, she leaped to the man's side, grabbed his arm, and twisted it forcefully. With a "crack," the sound of bone breaking was accompanied by the man's scream.
Breaking one of the man's arms was not enough. She broke his other arm as well and, pulling out two chopsticks, pinned the man's legs to the stool.
After finishing everything, she took a step back, surveyed the crowd, and smiled faintly, "A dance of 'Rouge Blood.' I hope everyone enjoyed it."