The 15th Chapter

Lu Sheng was instantly speechless, his face flushing and paling.

Chang'an said, "Are you Lu Sheng, one of the Young Three Heroes from Lu Family Manor? Do you have anything to say?"

Lu Sheng's expression turned serious. "I challenge you to a duel! Three days from now, at Green Willow Manor, I will set up a ring for a fair fight between us. Do you dare accept?"

Chang'an looked surprised. "What is this all about?"

Lu Sheng said earnestly, "My elder brother, Lu Dong, was defeated by you back then, and he has always regretted it. Although you are now disgraced, I can still give you a fair chance to fight me. I must prove to the martial arts world that the younger generation of my Lu Family Manor is no less than you, Ning Family's Chang'an. Not only are we not inferior, but we are stronger!"

Chang'an sighed. "Lu Dong would never do this."

Miao Suyi sneered, "Lu Sheng, what right do you have to offer Brother Ning a fair chance? Who do you think you are? You're just a scoundrel kicking a man when he's down."

Lu Sheng said in a deep voice, "Miss Miao, I, Lu Sheng, have no intention of offending you. Please be quiet. Ning Family's Chang'an, do you dare accept the challenge?"

Chang'an smiled faintly. "My power has been restored. Are you sure you want to fight me?!"

A murmur went through the crowd.

Lu Sheng sighed. "It seems you have indeed cultivated a Demonic Art, to recover your power so quickly. We people of the martial arts world, who uphold justice, have no reason to back down. Three days from now, at Green Willow Manor. I'll be waiting. Goodbye!"

As soon as Lu Sheng finished speaking, he turned and strode away.

Chang'an and Miao Suyi ignored the crowd's chatter and walked straight upstairs.

On the stairs, Chang'an sighed, "Suyi, Lu Sheng truly has deep feelings for you!"

Miao Suyi snorted. "I don't care for the admiration of people like him! I find him disgusting just to look at. He's chasing fame and fortune, unworthy of the title 'Young Three Heroes'."

Chang'an said, "Lu Sheng isn't a bad person, but he is indeed too narrow-minded and annoying. Foolish Lu Sheng, why are you jealous of me for no reason and causing me trouble?"

Miao Suyi stuck out her tongue and said playfully, "Brother Ning, who do you think is prettier, Sister Yu Fu or Sister Ruyan?"

Chang'an replied, "I think Suyi is prettier!"

Miao Suyi giggled, slung her arms around Chang'an's shoulders, and swayed.

Chang'an's nose twitched. "Suyi, do you smell that aroma?"

Miao Suyi's nostrils flared, and she nodded repeatedly. "I do! Sister Ruyan is so good to you. If I came alone, I wouldn't get to enjoy such a feast!"

Chang'an teased, "That's because your eating habits are too wild, and Sister Ruyan can't stand it!"

As they spoke, they reached the upper floor. An old woman was waiting there. Seeing them arrive, she hobbled over and said, "Miss has arranged rooms for you two. She's busy in the kitchen right now!"

The wine and the proprietress of Spring Breeze Tower were famous, but they couldn't be called the best in the world.

What made Spring Breeze Tower truly unparalleled was a dish – Mo River Zither Fish, a delicacy that only Liu Ruyan could create. Anyone who tasted Mo River Zither Fish would never forget its aroma for the rest of their lives. Chang'an visited Spring Breeze Tower once every year, and he would always beg Liu Ruyan to make him a Mo River Zither Fish to satisfy his craving. Liu Ruyan made this dish only a handful of times a year. Therefore, not many people knew about it, and even fewer had the fortune to taste it.

When Liu Ruyan appeared with a plate of fragrant Mo River Zither Fish, Chang'an and Miao Suyi's eyes widened.

Liu Ruyan smiled faintly. "Little fatty, come here so Sister can get a good look at you, you great demon!"

Miao Suyi chirped, "Brother Ning, we are truly blessed. Suyi gets to feast, and Brother Ning gets to enjoy the company of a beauty."

Liu Ruyan pulled Chang'an close and sat him beside her, gazing at him tenderly. Sometimes, in front of Liu Ruyan, Chang'an didn't feel like he was with a peerless beauty considered a goddess by the heroes of the martial arts world. He felt a sense of closeness, like a child to a mother, which was very strange. Liu Ruyan always treated him like a child, and a particularly mischievous one at that. Chang'an felt helpless but also enjoyed it.

Miao Suyi ate heartily without regard for her image, while watching Chang'an with a peculiar smile.

Liu Ruyan frowned. "I just sewed you a new outfit. It must fit perfectly!"

Chang'an laughed. "Sister knew I'd become a big fatty?"

Liu Ruyan slowly poured a cup of wine. "Fat people should be a bit cuter!" She handed the cup to Chang'an and then said seriously, "You shouldn't have agreed to fight Lu Sheng!"

Chang'an drank the wine in one gulp and said with a bitter smile, "I'm bound to offend the Lu Family Manor sooner or later!"

Liu Ruyan's finely arched eyebrows twitched. "What do you mean?"

Chang'an replied, "To save Yu Fu! You know her grandfather won't act easily."

Liu Ruyan's brow furrowed in annoyance. "Did he make any more unreasonable demands on you?"

Miao Suyi chimed in, "Grandfather really didn't want to act. Brother Chang'an even knelt down to beg him!" Suyi's eyes reddened as she said this.

Liu Ruyan's expression turned cold and stern. "What? Who has the right to make Chang'an kneel?!"

Chang'an put down his wine cup. "I was asking for a favor. Circumstances forced my hand. I'd sacrifice anything for Yu Fu!"

Liu Ruyan sighed, "Such a romantic!" She poured him another cup of wine and said softly, "And then?"

Chang'an recounted, "Later, a Young Woman helped me, but she asked me to kill three people. She was the one who wanted Miao Yaowang to act." Chang'an told her the whole story.

Liu Ruyan asked curiously, "Do you know her background?"

Chang'an shook his head.

Liu Ruyan looked at Miao Suyi. Miao Suyi also shook her head. "Grandfather only said she was an honored guest! We waited a whole morning to welcome that woman. If Brother Ning hadn't arrived at that time, I don't think Grandfather would have acted. Grandfather holds that woman in very high regard!"

Liu Ruyan fell into thought, even forgetting to pour Chang'an more wine.

After a long while, Liu Ruyan suddenly said, "Were the three people she wanted you to kill among them Lu Qingzi of the Lu Family Manor?"

Chang'an replied, "Indeed, Lu Qingzi, the foremost of the Lu Family's Three Heroes. Sister, do you know her identity?"

Liu Ruyan said, "I only know she should be from Mandarin Duck Lake, but I can't guess her identity. The only place I can think of that could make Miao Chengfeng owe a favor is Mandarin Duck Lake. Miao Chengfeng has a complex and very hidden connection with Mandarin Duck Lake. The people of Mandarin Duck Lake, especially the women, are very terrifying. Chang'an, you must listen to Sister and be very careful. It's best not to interact with them too much!"

Chang'an nodded. "Thank you for the warning, Sister."

The three of them drank from noon until the evening.

When Chang'an slowly woke up, it was already late at night. He found himself lying in Liu Ruyan's embrace, immediately smelling a delicate, orchid-like fragrance, feeling soft and yielding.

Miao Suyi was gone.

As soon as Chang'an woke up, Liu Ruyan had already noticed. She said softly, "You're awake!"

Chang'an moved, wanting to sit up, but found Liu Ruyan's arms holding him very tightly. He struggled a bit but saw no sign of Liu Ruyan loosening her grip, so he gave up. He rested his head on Liu Ruyan's soft chest and asked, "Where is Suyi?"

Liu Ruyan replied, "Suyi has already returned to her room. She was drunk."

Chang'an asked, "Sister, why aren't you drunk?"

Liu Ruyan narrowed her eyes slightly and said, "Sister never gets drunk at night. I might get drunk during the day, but never at night. And I only get truly drunk when I want to get drunk!"

Chang'an asked curiously, "Why?"

He knew that with advanced Qi Gong or Yuan Gong cultivation, one could expel alcohol directly from the body, drinking as if drinking water and never getting drunk. However, Chang'an believed Liu Ruyan's words were far from that simple.

Liu Ruyan said softly, "Do you want to hear?"

Chang'an replied, "As long as Sister tells me, I will listen carefully."

Liu Ruyan fell silent, cradling Chang'an and gently rocking him. After a long while, she said, "I used to have a younger brother. I always liked to hold him like this. He was very mischievous and naughty, and also timid. We depended on each other. He was always bullied. Every time he came back after being beaten, crying, I only needed to hold him and comfort him, and he would stop crying soon after. Back then, he was very afraid of the dark and couldn't sleep at night. Only when I held him would he fall asleep. At that time, our lives were very hard. Mother worked as a long-term laborer in a rich family, relying on her meager wages to support my brother and me. In my memory, when Father was still alive, Mother always liked to drink. In her free time, I always saw Father and Mother drinking together. But after Father's unfortunate death, Mother suddenly became cold and rarely smiled. She didn't touch alcohol, only drinking a cup when visiting Father's grave, just one cup. After drinking that cup, she would cry loudly! That's when I knew Mother loved Father very much. If it weren't for my brother and me, she wouldn't have wanted to live alone in this world. When my brother was eight years old, Father had been dead for four years. On New Year's Eve that year, Mother got drunk. She suddenly drank a lot of alcohol, and made me drink a lot too. That night, both Mother and I were drunk. I knew nothing until I woke up the next day and found my brother sitting blankly by the door, his eyes vacant. Mother's body was hanging in the house. Mother had hanged herself. My brother was trembling all over and could no longer speak. He couldn't sleep at night without me accompanying him, but he happened to see his mother commit suicide and was scared silly. The next day, several people came to our house and gave us a large sum of money. I knew something secret must have happened. They looked at my mother's body and only sighed, constantly sighing. Mother was truly beautiful. Even though she worked hard all day, her beauty was first-class in my hometown. During the years she was a widow, people often came with ill intentions. Mother always stayed indoors. She would not remarry, betraying Father. Later I found out that on the eve of New Year's Eve that year, Mother was defiled. She felt she could no longer live and committed suicide. One day, my brother suddenly told me he saw Mother. It had been more than half a year since Mother died then. I was very scared. My brother talked nonsense more and more often. That autumn, not long after the harvest, people were burning straw in the fields everywhere. I took my brother for a walk. My brother suddenly told me he saw Mother and Father, and said they had come to pick him up. My brother suddenly broke free from me and ran into the fire. By the time I rescued him, it was too late to save him. I could only watch my brother die. I regret so much that I got drunk at that time. If I hadn't been drunk, my brother wouldn't have been so scared and mentally confused, and would not have suffered misfortune later. Sister is truly not a good sister..."