An Jiu slowly raised her eyes to look at him.
Their gazes met, and Hua Rongjian froze. It was still that same cold, faintly murderous look, somewhat incongruous on such a delicate face—yet undeniably beautiful.
Against the backdrop of emerald bamboo on the brocade screen, her water-blue silk skirt fanned out across the sitting couch. She wore an ivory floral-patterned lined jacket with a single red plum embroidered on the collar, revealing the elegant curve of her neck and a glimpse of snow-white skin. Her raven-black hair was half tied up, her lovely face free of makeup.
Hua Rongjian cleared his throat. "I... I'm warning you, push me too far and I won't care if you're a woman!"
"Confirmed it yet?" An Jiu curled her lips, the light scoff from her nose sharper than any sarcastic remark.
The anger Hua Rongjian had just suppressed flared up again. In one swift stride, he grabbed An Jiu's collar and yanked her up.
But once he had her up, he hesitated to strike. Though he'd done plenty of shameless things outside, he'd never hit a woman before.
His hesitation cost him—his opponent showed no such restraint. Her fist swung out, landing solidly on his cheek.
A man who hits women is despicable, but a man hit by a woman is a coward! Hua Rongjian was thoroughly enraged now, forgetting entirely why he'd come in the first place. One hand gripped An Jiu's lapel while the other pinned down her right wrist.
An Jiu's dagger had already left its sheath in her left hand. Just as it was about to reach his ribs, she suddenly stopped and struck hard with the hilt instead.
With a grunt, Hua Rongjian released her collar to seize her other hand.
"Madam!" Yao Ye wanted to help, but the two were already tangled together on the couch, leaving no opening for the vase she held. She set it down and tried pulling them apart instead.
Initially, Hua Rongjian had only restrained An Jiu in self-defense, but when had An Jiu ever been at a disadvantage? Naturally, she fought back fiercely! Locked in this stalemate, neither yielded an inch, though both retained enough clarity to hold back from lethal force.
Outside, the moonlight was bright. Mo Sigui, judging it late, had only bought a jug of wine. After a brief riverside memorial for Qiu Ning Yu, he returned to the tavern.
Entering the main hall, he sensed an odd atmosphere and faint commotion from the second floor. Grabbing a waiter, he asked, "What's happening?"
"It's Hua Erlang fighting someone—heard it's a young lady inside! Ah, what a sin. Who knows how she offended him." The waiter caught himself gossiping and changed tack with a smile, "No need to worry, sir. Occasional disturbances are normal here. Won't affect you."
Mo Sigui nodded. "Do you know which room Lady Mei is in?"
"Mei Shi..." The waiter thought for a moment before suddenly paling. "Are you the Mei family's young master?"
"Yes." Seeing his reaction, Mo Sigui felt a pang of foreboding.
"Go quick!" The waiter smacked his forehead. "It's the Emerald Bamboo chamber. I completely forgot—that lady is from Mei family! The one I just said was fighting Hua Erlang..."
Before he could finish, Mo Sigui was already sprinting upstairs.
On the second floor, many guests hesitated to gather outside the chamber out of respect for the guards and Hua Rongjian's status, but they left their doors ajar, peering out curiously.The guards at the door were drenched in sweat, spotting Mo Sigui as if grasping a lifeline. "Young Master, they've been fighting inside for a while, but the mistress forbade us from entering."
After An Jiu survived the trials, the guards had subconsciously assumed her martial arts were formidable. Even though Hua Rongjian was a man, he was still an ordinary person without inner force and couldn’t possibly gain the upper hand against her. They were more worried that their mistress might go too far and accidentally kill the Hua Clan’s legitimate heir!
Mo Sigui kicked the door open and strode inside.
The room was in complete disarray. Mo Sigui saw An Jiu pinning a man in a blue brocade robe against the wall, one knee pressing into his abdomen, her right hand firmly gripping his neck, and her left hand clutching his wrist. The man wasn’t idle either—one hand was wrapped around An Jiu’s throat while the other struggled against her grip.
Both were red-faced and straining, while Yao Ye was busy tearing apart a cushion from the sitting platform to bind Hua Rongjian’s feet.
"Tsk tsk!" Mo Sigui sauntered over, examining their disheveled state as he lazily fanned himself. "What an eye-opening spectacle."
A faint fragrance wafted with the motion of Mo Sigui’s fan, and gradually, An Jiu, Hua Rongjian, and Yao Ye felt their strength drain away, their bodies going limp.
An Jiu had some resistance to such medicines and could still move slightly.
Mo Sigui snapped his fan shut with a crisp sound. "Young Master Hua, my apologies."
His medicine sapped one’s strength but didn’t render them fully unconscious.
Hua Rongjian asked, "Who are you?"
"I am Shi Si’s cousin," Mo Sigui replied. "I’ll give you the antidote, and you’ll leave on your own. Let’s set aside today’s matter for now, agreed?"
Hua Rongjian glanced at his torn clothes and readily agreed. "Fine."
Mo Sigui pulled out a handkerchief and waved it under Hua Rongjian’s nose.
After a moment, Hua Rongjian felt his mobility return. He shot a quick glance at An Jiu’s darkened expression, gave Mo Sigui a perfunctory bow, and strode out.
Hua Rongjian’s rowdy friends had been waiting outside. The moment they saw him emerge disheveled, they erupted into noisy cheers. One of them exclaimed, "I told you Rongjian could do it! Come on, pay up—a bet’s a bet!"
"Did you place a bet for me?" Hua Rongjian pressed a hand to the bruise on his face. "I put in serious effort here!"
"Of course, you’re counted as part of my side—"
The door was slightly ajar, and An Jiu could hear the laughter from the corridor, her expression growing even stormier.
Mo Sigui turned to close the window, then tapped the table with his fan, gleefully mocking, "How impressive! Our young lady has grown up and truly knows how to make a name for herself!"
As an experienced assassin, to have engaged in such a low-level brawl—it was enough to make the plants weep and the heavens blush in shame!
An Jiu turned her face away, silent.
Mo Sigui glanced around, righted a relatively intact stool, and lazily leaned against the table, curiosity piqued. "When did you and Hua the Second cross paths?"
He sighed inwardly—had An Jiu’s meridians not been completely ruined, she would never have resorted to such a crude fight.
"No grudges between us..." An Jiu mused. As for why they had started fighting, she genuinely couldn’t recall the reason now.
"It was Hua the Second who went too far, repeatedly harassing our mistress!" Yao Ye said indignantly."No way?" Mo Sigui said. "Hua Rongjian is a dissolute playboy who keeps over a hundred singing girls at home and often frequents brothels, yet he dislikes having wives or concubines, so he never touches respectable women."
Yao Ye exclaimed in surprise, "When he said he wanted to marry a wife, could it actually be true?" (To be continued...)
Note:
I've encountered some issues that still haven't been properly resolved, so this update won't come until late night again. My apologies. Life inevitably has its ups and downs, but Sleeve Paper has been facing rather too many obstacles lately—I'm starting to feel overwhelmed. Sigh! Between relationships, reality, and all sorts of other things, the constant frustrations and setbacks aren't enough to completely knock me down. After seeing so much tragic news, I don't feel my situation is particularly miserable, but it's really affecting my quality of life and mood. (To be continued...)
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