Тhе littlе boy tilted his hеаd and thought fоr a momеnt. "Nо, but..."
"Sinсе thеrе isn't, pleаse lead the way, уоung sir." Hаn Yan hаd nо раtienсе tо соntinue gоing in circles with him. If раssersbу saw them, it would bе troublesоme.
Thе bоу hеsitаtеd fоr a while bеfоre rеluсtаntly sаying, "Fоllоw me inside."
Наn Yan smilеd. "Young sir, don't worrу. When you sее уour mаster, just tell him my sistеr аnd I insistеd on соming in оursеlvеs."
Тhe bоу blushed. Тhis girl was shаrp—she hаd seеn right thrоugh his thоughts. His mаstеr hаd а strange and striсt temper. If he saw thаt he had brought sеveral girls intо the mаrtiаl arts hаll and got angry, who knew how he would be punished. He couldn't help but steal a glance at Han Yan, meeting her smiling gaze directly. His face flushed even redder, and he lowered his head, hurrying ahead.
Ji Lan whispered, "Miss, are we really going in? This martial arts hall is full of men."
"Don't be afraid," Han Yan said. "It's the same principle as the Imperial Academy—it's just a place for learning. What does gender have to do with it? Besides, there must be maidservants attending to things in the martial arts hall, and there might even be women practicing martial arts."
As if to confirm her words, a clear, crisp laugh suddenly came from ahead. "Brother Yu, you lost again!"
Han Yan was taken aback and had just stopped walking when the other side seemed to have noticed them. Immediately after, an unfamiliar female voice rang out, "Who are you?"
Han Yan looked up. At some point, a lovely young girl had appeared before them. She looked no more than thirteen or fourteen years old, dressed in lightweight martial attire. Han Yan had already noticed that her clothes were made of expensive gold-threaded satin. Though they appeared unremarkable, they were incredibly valuable. Such wealth—could she be from the royal family?
While pondering this, the boy in front of them spoke up. "Princess Yunni."
Princess Yunni—the very Princess Yunni whom the current emperor doted on most?
Over there, Princess Yunni asked curiously, "Little Li, are these newly bought maidservants?"
Little Li quickly waved his hands. "Your Highness, these young ladies are here to see Master Wu."
"To see Master Wu? I didn't know the Shunchang Martial Arts Hall had a rule about accepting female disciples?" A frivolous, low male voice suddenly sounded, and a man in red robes stepped out from behind Princess Yunni.
Han Yan followed Yunni's gaze and couldn't help but feel her eyes twitch—this man was breathtakingly beautiful!
A loose-fitting crimson silk robe hung loosely on his body, revealing collarbones finer than a woman's, yet it didn't feel frivolous. Instead, it carried an indescribable air of ease and charm. Looking up, she saw an even more stunning face—"eyes like autumn water, bones like jade," a phrase originally used to describe women, yet it fit him perfectly. The man's thin lips curved slightly, and his peach blossom eyes, curved like crescent moons, looked over. "What are your names, young ladies?"
Though he addressed all three, his gaze was fixed on Han Yan. Han Yan felt somewhat uncomfortable under his stare and, ignoring Princess Yunni's presence, simply stopped smiling and replied coolly, "My surname is Ni, given name Daye."
The man in red curled his lips into an ambiguous smile. "Miss Ni?"
Han Yan frowned. Judging by the man's attire and his relationship with Princess Yunni, he was likely a young master from some prominent family in the capital. This trip had been a secret escape, and it couldn't be known to outsiders. There was a scrutinizing quality to this man's gaze—if her identity were discovered, it would be disastrous. Besides, it was best to avoid getting involved with such people.Helian Yu saw Han Yan lost in thought, completely ignoring his deliberate display, and felt a pang of discomfort. Which young lady in the capital wouldn’t lose her composure upon seeing him? Yet this one before him was different. Though dressed in plain, ordinary clothes, she carried an air of distinction. The two maidservants flanking her, protective and attentive, seemed to be in her service. A thought struck him—could she be a young lady from a prominent family? But visiting a martial arts school alone to seek out a martial arts master was rather unconventional, hardly the behavior of a well-bred young lady.
Han Yan bowed to Princess Yunni and said in a steady voice, “I have urgent matters to attend to, Your Highness. Please allow me to take my leave.”
Princess Yunni nodded, signaling Xiao Li to escort Han Yan and her companions away. She couldn’t help but feel that this young woman was unlike the usual sheltered ladies of noble households. At the very least, those young ladies would have been utterly captivated by Brother Yu, their eyes practically popping out. This one, however, seemed eager to leave as soon as possible, not even sparing Brother Yu a glance as she departed.
Helian Yu hadn’t expected Han Yan to leave so abruptly, and she had only bowed to Yunni. For a moment, he couldn’t believe his eyes. Never in his life had he been so coldly disregarded by a woman. He stood there, stunned and speechless.
Shortly after Han Yan left, a man in a blue robe emerged from behind the flower terrace. Seeing Yunni and Helian Yu standing there in a daze, he asked calmly, “What happened?”
As soon as Helian Yu saw him, he sprang up. “Brother Fu, I just encountered an interesting woman. Could you help me find out which family she belongs to in the capital?”
“Why not find out yourself?”
At these words, Helian Yu’s handsome face fell, and he looked at him pitifully. “A few days ago, Lady Li, the wife of Grand Secretary Li, brought her daughter to our residence as a guest. I didn’t know she was the Li family’s young lady and said something inappropriate. My father punished me by forbidding me from leaving the estate. If it weren’t for Yunni coming to see me today, I’d still be under house arrest. Now, every move I make is watched—how could I possibly investigate on my own?”
Yunni couldn’t help but think, “Said something inappropriate? More likely, he flirted with her again.” This cousin of hers had always been unrestrained by propriety. While it didn’t matter much among them, outsiders didn’t appreciate it. Grand Secretary Li was a rigid man, and if his daughter had been flirted with, he would have been furious. It was fortunate he hadn’t urged the censors to impeach Helian’s father for failing to discipline his son properly.
“How did she provoke you?” Fu Yunxi looked at him, knowing full well what his friend was scheming without even having to think.
“That young lady wasn’t tempted by Brother Yu’s good looks!” Yunni couldn’t resist chiming in, then burst into laughter.
“Little girl, if you enjoy teasing me so much, I won’t bring you out to play next time,” Helian Yu said coolly, shooting her a glance.
Yunni stuck out her tongue at him. “Fine, don’t bring me. I’ll go play with Brother Yun instead.”
Helian Yu’s mind was still fixated on the young woman from earlier. He looked at Fu Yunxi and said, “Yunxi, you must help me with this. If you find out who that girl is, I’ll give you the painting by Master Guiguzi in my room.”
“Does she have any distinguishing features?” Fu Yunxi asked.
“She said her name is Ni Da Ye.” As soon as the words left his mouth, he noticed Fu Yunxi’s strange expression. “What’s wrong? Did you think of something?”
“Ni… Da… Ye?” Fu Yunxi repeated, looking at him.
Helian Yu nodded eagerly.Fu Yunxi sighed, unable to resist rubbing his forehead. This friend of his usually seemed quite clever, so how could he not realize he was being played for a fool at a time like this?
What "Ni Daiye"? Clearly, it was "Your Grandpa."
Han Yan followed behind Xiao Li and inadvertently caught sight of Ji Lan's flushed face. After a moment of surprise, he finally understood. The red-robed man from earlier was exceptionally handsome—even someone as composed as Shu Hong had been somewhat dazed—so he must have some notable background. After a brief pause, Han Yan asked Xiao Li, "Young sir, do you happen to know the background of that gentleman from earlier?"
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