Adorning Flowers by Night - Chapter 38
Chapter 38
After Lu Ruzhuo and Pei Yu left the room, Zhu Wuhua pulled her daughter aside and asked in a low, puzzled voice, "Haven't you always called her Aunt Lu? Why the sudden change to calling her Aunt?"
"Aunt Lu told me to call her that," Zhu Weirui giggled. She didn't understand either, but when an elder gave an order, how could a junior not obey?
"Lu Ruzhuo?" Zhu Wuhua's mind spun for a moment, and then she understood.
She snorted with laughter.
You've got some nerve, Lu Ruzhuo, using my daughter in your schemes.
Aren't you the master strategist? The one whose power shakes the Imperial Court? How have you failed to win over a young girl after all this time? Still resorting to these petty tricks I outgrew eight hundred years ago.
Haha, she had finally caught her in the act. She was definitely going to have a good laugh at her expense.
Sect Leader Zhu's cheerful laughter echoed from behind them.
Still stewing with jealousy, Pei Yu couldn't help but glance back. She wanted to ask Lu Ruzhuo what Sect Leader Zhu was laughing about, but the thought of Zhu Weirui calling Lu Ruzhuo "Aunt" made her swallow her words.
Pei Yu's pace quickened.
Lu Ruzhuo didn't speed up, maintaining her unhurried pace beside her.
"Senior Sister." Pei Yu stopped in front of a tree.
"Mm," Lu Ruzhuo replied lightly, just as she always did.
"Senior Sister!"
Lu Ruzhuo couldn't help but smile.
"I'm here."
Pei Yu turned to face her, grinding her teeth. She was suddenly overcome with the urge to pin her against the tree and kiss her fiercely, just to wipe that leisurely, cheerful expression off her face.
She restrained herself and asked, "What is your relationship with Sect Leader Zhu?"
Lu Ruzhuo answered, "We're friends who would die for each other."
That wasn't what Pei Yu really wanted to ask. "Then why does her daughter call you Aunt?"
"Because..." Lu Ruzhuo thought for a moment. "I don't know either? Maybe she thinks it sounds nice?"
Pei Yu said angrily, "I call her mother Aunt, so she should call my..."
"Your what?" Lu Ruzhuo stared into her eyes.
"My... the elder I call Aunt. She should use the same form of address as me and call her Aunt Lu!"
"You have a point. I'll speak to her about it later," Lu Ruzhuo nodded.
It was resolved just like that?
Pei Yu stood there, stunned.
Lu Ruzhuo reached out, pinched her chin, and noticed the slight redness around her eyes. She sighed softly. "It's not a big deal. Why are you so angry?"
"Why am I so angry..." Pei Yu subconsciously repeated her words.
That's right, why was she so angry? Did she already like Lu Ruzhuo so much that she couldn't even tolerate a simple form of address?
If Lu Ruzhuo didn't like her back, what would she do with the rest of her life?
Could she continue to stay by her side as if nothing had happened? Even if Lu Ruzhuo never married, could she bear to remain merely her junior?
"Lu Ruzhuo..." she murmured unconsciously, the sound almost inaudible. But the woman read her lips.
"What... what did you call me?" Lu Ruzhuo's heart soared with joy, and she grabbed Pei Yu's hand in excitement.
No, I have to make Lu Ruzhuo fall in love with me too.
"Senior Sister." Pei Yu snapped out of her daze. Seeing the delight on Lu Ruzhuo's face, she asked, puzzled, "What's wrong?"
Lu Ruzhuo: "..."
Does this person have the memory of a goldfish?
Lu Ruzhuo pinched her cheek, then flicked her sleeve and walked away.
Pei Yu clutched her stinging cheek and used her lightness skill to barely keep up with the person ahead.
In the end, Lu Ruzhuo didn't have the heart to be cruel. She turned a blind eye and let her follow, but seeing that Pei Yu was still upset, she maintained a distance of more than two steps between them.
The moment the Sect Leader of the Falling Blossoms Sect arrived in Chuzhou, she caused a huge stir at Wangxian Tower.
According to those present at Wangxian Tower, Sect Leader Zhu merely played a single tune, yet it inflicted internal injuries on all the martial artists present. Even the scholars who knew no martial arts claimed it was like experiencing a beautiful dream, something truly magical.
"The ability to injure people with the sound of a zither means Sect Leader Zhu's martial arts must have reached the pinnacle of mastery!"
"I heard that back in the day, the Lingxiao Island Lord played a single tune on his xiao that caused the Demon Sect to lose a hundred men, and the Altar Master of the Azure Blood Altar coughed up blood on the spot. By that measure, Sect Leader Zhu's skills are truly on par with the Island Lord's."
"But for Sect Leader Zhu to act so wantonly, doesn't that violate the code of chivalry?"
"Hmph, a woman after all. Petty and can't handle the big stage." The moment the man said this, a silk ribbon lashed out and slapped him resoundingly across the face.
The man clutched his swollen face and looked over. The attacker was a woman in black robes, a nine-section whip hanging from her waist. A long scar ran from between her eyebrows to her earlobe; one glance told you she was not someone to be trifled with.
"The next time I hear such words, it won't be just a slap," the woman in black said coldly before turning to leave.
The man who had spoken felt deeply wronged.
A man beside him fanned himself and said, "My friend, that was your mistake. Insulting women in public, you can't blame the heroines of the Jianghu for not being polite to you."
The man wanted to say, "She's just a woman," but as he looked around, he saw that two or three out of every ten martial artists, whether sitting at stalls or walking the streets, were women.
Shouldn't women be at home, serving their husbands, raising children, and managing the household?
Since when did so many women start roaming the Jianghu?
The man was dumbfounded.
The man with the fan squinted at the heroines passing by and remarked with a sigh, "My friend, times have changed."
Tang Family Villa.
When Tang Yue heard the news of Sect Leader Zhu of the Falling Blossoms Sect's arrival, he was startled. He immediately went back to his room, changed his clothes, and prepared to pay her a formal visit.
The mistress of the villa, Duan Xianmo, stopped him. "What are you doing?"
Tang Yue said, "I'm going to visit Sect Leader Zhu."
Duan Xianmo rolled her eyes. "She came to Chuzhou but didn't come to Tang Family Villa. Don't you have a clue why?"
Tang Yue smiled. "Of course I have a clue. It's because Villa Master Xie is here. She dislikes him, so naturally, she wouldn't want to be under the same roof. But while Sect Leader Zhu may be angry with Villa Master Xie, as the host, I cannot neglect my courtesies."
Duan Xianmo said, "Spare me your high-sounding excuses. Sect Leader Zhu isn't like you hypocritical, stinking men who are one way to a person's face and another behind their back, laughing and talking one day and stabbing them the next."
Villa Master Tang, caught in the crossfire: "..."
Duan Xianmo's eyes narrowed. "Am I wrong? You call Xie Xuanzhi 'brother' in the front hall during the day, then curse him to death with me at night. Isn't that hypocrisy?"
Tang Yue said, "You're right, my lady. But I can't just tear off all pretenses with Villa Master Xie. As the villa master, I must consider the bigger picture."
"Haha." Duan Xianmo laughed out loud, pointing at him. "This is exactly what I'm talking about. The hypocrisy of you men."
"My lady..."
"Today, Xie Xuanzhi is a titan of the martial world, his prestige as solid as a mountain, so you call him brother. If tomorrow he becomes a stray dog that everyone wants to beat, you'll join your martial brethren to condemn him. That's your 'bigger picture': it's all about benefits!"
Tang Yue's expression soured.
"My lady!" His tone softened. "Are you in a bad mood today?"
Duan Xianmo was indeed in a bad mood. While Xie Xuanzhi was in seclusion, she had just gone to visit Mrs. Xie. The poor woman was in the bloom of her youth, not much older than her own Tang Chun, yet she had fallen into the hands of a demon and was on the verge of withering away.
Duan Xianmo snapped, "Yes, I am. And I'm here to advise you not to go and defile Sect Leader Zhu's presence!"
"My lady!"
Watching Duan Xianmo's angry retreating back, Tang Yue's hands slowly fell to his sides.
He stood in the room, looking down in thought. Sect Leader Zhu was not one to be bound by etiquette. Their friendship wasn't deep, and a personal visit might displease her or even result in him being turned away at the door, which would be a great loss of face. If he didn't go, it would be neither a credit nor a fault. Sect Leader Zhu's reputation in the Jianghu was middling, and her wanton behavior this time had already displeased some of their martial brethren. Even if he didn't go, others wouldn't accuse him of being rude. Instead, they would turn their criticism back to Zhu Wuhua and her inappropriate actions.
Having thought it through, Tang Yue changed out of his fresh clothes and sent a messenger to Zhu Wuhua's private courtyard. The message said that she should feel free to command him if she needed anything, thus fulfilling his duties as a host. This way, he observed the proper courtesies without inviting gossip.
Zhu Wuhua was Xie Xuanzhi's strongest rival in the current contest for the position of Martial Arts Alliance Leader.
Therefore, even though he was in seclusion, he had given orders to be informed immediately of any news concerning her.
Three days before the conference, Xie Xuanzhi sat cross-legged, facing the sky. His internal energy circulated through his body for forty-nine major cycles. His true qi flowed, widening his meridians bit by bit at an imperceptible speed.
For a martial artist at Xie Xuanzhi's level, improvement was no longer measured in realms or steps. Even an inch of progress was a monumental breakthrough.
This time, Xie Xuanzhi felt that his power, which had been stagnant for several years, was showing signs of a breakthrough.
Could it really be because of that secret technique?
Although Xie Xuanzhi was immersed in martial arts and single-mindedly sought to become the supreme master of the martial world, he was not a reckless fool. He knew there might be something strange about the Demon Sect's techniques. So, after making a pill from a child's heart blood, he didn't take it immediately. Instead, he summoned his disciple, Hu Yan.
Hu Yan was his personal disciple. Rescued from the Demon Sect at the age of three, he was deeply grateful to Xie Xuanzhi and obeyed his every word.
"Hu Yan, take this medicine."
Hu Yan took the pill from his master's hand. It was crimson, as deep a red as fresh blood. Without a single question, Hu Yan tilted his head back and swallowed it.
Xie Xuanzhi then handed him a new scroll containing a martial arts technique.
"This is a new technique I created during my last seclusion. Start practicing it today and let me see your progress."
"Thank you, Master!"
"You are not to breathe a word of this to anyone else."
"Yes, Master."
Xie Xuanzhi observed him for ten days. He saw that Hu Yan's martial arts improved by leaps and bounds in a short time, to the point where none of his martial brothers were his match. Hu Yan was extremely grateful to Xie Xuanzhi and practiced even more diligently.
If he had the time, Xie Xuanzhi wouldn't have minded observing him for a year or two. But the emergence of that unknown expert who had injured him, as well as the impending Martial Arts Conference, meant he could wait no longer.
He prepared an antidote pill and took one of the medicine pills himself. He felt no discomfort on the first day, and only on the second did he secretly begin practicing the new technique.
Now, after only three days, the barrier that had stalled his progress was already showing signs of loosening.
Xie Xuanzhi exhaled a long breath and opened his eyes. A sharp light gathered in them, like a flash of lightning.
The Demon Sect actually possesses such a powerful technique? Doesn't that mean the martial world of the Central Plains will soon face a catastrophe?
Fortunately, I have now mastered this technique as well. Even if the Demon Sect Leader, Yin Lan, comes to kill me herself, I am confident I can fight her!
"Villa Master." Since Hu Yan was practicing the new technique every day, the disciple guarding the door had been replaced. The voice from outside spoke respectfully, "Feng Bo requests an audience."
Xie Xuanzhi lowered his legs, stood up from the bed, and took a purple robe from the rack, draping it over his shoulders.
"Let him in."
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