The sudden turn of events left everyone stunned. Chen Changfeng's face blanched as he pointed at Xu Yanwen. "You... you..."
"You what?" Xu Yanwen transformed from a refined young gentleman into a snarling tyrant. He grabbed Chen Changfeng by the collar and slapped him back and forth seventeen or eighteen times, then kept his feet moving, kicking and booting Chen Changfeng's two underlings right out of the shop. Finally, with a wave of his hand, he hurled Chen Changfeng outside.
Even while flying through the air, Chen Changfeng shouted, "Senior Brother, spare me! I didn't mean it that way! I know who you are now..."
"Don't be ridiculous. It's too late to know that now," Xu Yanwen said disdainfully.
He turned to look at Ning Ye and furrowed his brow, clearly startled by his ugliness. "What about you? Do you know who I am?"
Ning Ye said coldly, "Young Master Xiao, Xu Yanwen, disciple of Ancestor Moyin. You joined last year and reached the peak of the Cang Xiang Realm in just a year and a half, mastering the Soul-Drunken Flute. A half-step Hualun Realm genius, an outstanding prodigy of the Divine Palace. Ning Ye greets Senior Brother Xu."
Xu Yanwen laughed heartily. "That's more like it. You may be ugly, but you know how to talk. Very good. I like you."
Chen Changfeng had crawled back inside and was shouting in terror, "Greetings, Senior Brother Xu! I offended you, Senior Brother. Please forgive me!"
How could he not panic?
Ancestor Moyin was one of the Five Ancestors, ranked among the Twelve Heavenly Stars of the Divine Palace, and a mighty figure of the Immaculate Realm. His standing was far higher than Master Wubei's.
Xu Yanwen was gifted in music and had been famous from a young age. He had entered the Black and White Divine Palace without even taking part in the trial competition—Ancestor Moyin had personally sought him out as a disciple.
For that reason, Xu Yanwen could be considered the model of a young genius in the Black and White Divine Palace. As for Ning Ye, although he had performed brilliantly in the Trial Killing Field and made rapid progress in the Talisman Dao, he had yet to reach the level of a genius.
And now, as Xu Yanwen made his move, a crowd of female cultivators appeared outside. They clasped their hands to their chests, their cheeks flushed pink, each wearing the lovestruck expression of a girl swooning over a handsome man.
Seeing Chen Changfeng like this, Xu Yanwen didn't hold it against him. He waved a hand. "Forget it, forget it. Get lost."
Chen Changfeng scrambled up as if pardoned by the heavens and fled in disgrace. But just before leaving, he glanced back, his gaze settling on Ning Ye with boundless malice.
Ning Ye's heart stirred. He knew this fellow probably wouldn't let the matter rest and would come looking for trouble again.
"This fellow probably won't let the matter rest. He'll come looking for trouble again."
Xu Yanwen said, echoing Ning Ye's unspoken thoughts perfectly.
Ning Ye was slightly taken aback and looked at Xu Yanwen.
Seeing his reaction, Xu Yanwen laughed. "What? Are you scared?"
Ning Ye countered, "Do I look scared to you?"
Xu Yanwen studied him seriously, then shook his head. "You're so ugly, I can't tell."
"..." You really know how to talk.
Ning Ye didn't want to deal with him. He lowered his head and said, "I was ugly to begin with, so I won't trouble you any longer, Senior Brother."
With that, he headed outside.
"Quite an interesting fellow. What a pity he's a little ugly." Xu Yanwen twirled his jade flute in a smooth circle, drawing another wave of cheers from outside.
......
To Ning Ye, Xu Yanwen was like a white crane soaring through the highest heavens, far above him, while he was someone who lived in the dark underworld. They were destined to have nothing to do with each other.
And yet, fate was always so strange.
That afternoon, after Ning Ye returned to his little house, Xu Yanwen showed up.
As soon as he entered, Xu Yanwen frowned. "Your little house is far too shabby. Zhang Liekuang doesn't treat you very well, does he?"
Ning Ye wasn't surprised he would say that. If Xu Yanwen had tracked him down, he must have already made inquiries about him.
But Ning Ye's blank expression seemed to displease Xu Yanwen. "Aren't you going to ask how I found out?"
"You must have asked around. Since you found me here, you probably asked the people at the shop about me. But what I don't understand is, why are you looking for me?"
Xu Yanwen laughed. "Meeting means fate. Since we're fated to meet, we should meet more often."
Ning Ye said, "If Young Master Xiao takes a stroll around the market, he'll probably find hundreds, even thousands, of people he's fated to meet."
"That depends on fate. I don't feel a connection with just anyone."
"Young Master is a white crane beneath the heavens, while Ning Ye is only an ant in the underworld. The difference between us is like heaven and earth. I doubt we have much fate between us."
"You can't put it that way."
Seeing that Ning Ye wasn't offering him a seat, Xu Yanwen simply found one himself and sat down. "Chen Changfeng has a grudge against you. His family has some influence, and he has a few supporters in the Divine Palace. If he comes after you, you might not be able to hold him off. Most importantly, Zhang Liekuang doesn't seem to care much about you either. The Seven Kill Blade is an unreliable thigh to cling to. Aren't you going to find a few more?"
As he spoke, he tapped his own leg with his jade flute.
What the hell?
What was wrong with him?
Ning Ye couldn't make sense of it.
Young Master Xiao was something of a celebrity in the Black and White Divine Palace. He had powerful backing, formidable strength, and a handsome face. Why would he suddenly come looking for Ning Ye, chat with him, and ask him to cling to his thigh?
Could he be...
At the thought, Ning Ye couldn't help shivering.
Seeing his reaction, Xu Yanwen realized what he was thinking and hurriedly said, "Don't get the wrong idea! I, Xu Yanwen, like girls, and young, beautiful, celestial beauties at that. Besides, even if I did like men, there's no way I'd like an ugly ghost like you."
Hearing that, Ning Ye relaxed.
Right. With his current appearance, he'd be unwanted no matter what his sexual orientation was.
But if that was the case, why had Xu Yanwen come all the way here to find him?
Seeing the strange look in his eyes, Xu Yanwen grew anxious too. "I don't actually need you to do much. Just come out with me now and then when I need you to."
Ning Ye took a deep breath. "Ning Ye is busy cultivating and has no time to wander around."
"It wouldn't be a waste of your time. I can pay you spirit stones," Xu Yanwen said hurriedly.
Even with his sharp mind, Ning Ye couldn't figure out what Xu Yanwen was up to. So he drew a long breath and said, "If Young Master Xiao doesn't explain things clearly, I'll have no choice but to show you the door."
Xu Yanwen knew that being so vague was indeed inappropriate.
He had no choice but to explain. "It's really nothing much. You know, the Black and White Divine Palace is teeming with geniuses. But in my eyes, there's only one person who can stand alongside me."
There was only one person who could stand alongside him? That was quite a boast, wasn't it?
Not even counting the older generation of geniuses, there were several among the younger generation who were better than him, weren't there?
Still, Ning Ye played along. "Senior Brother He Yuansheng, the Headmaster's son?"
"Why bring him up?" Xu Yanwen nearly jumped to his feet.
"Then Heartbreak Woman, the disciple of the Hand of the Chess Player, Wen Xinyu?"
"Wrong." Xu Yanwen shook his head.
"Feng Yuyan, daughter of the Black Warden, Feng Donglin?"
"Wrong again. It's not a woman," Xu Yanwen continued to deny.
"Then it must be Zhong Rihan, the Great Elder's disciple, the Ice Soul Yang Pole Hand."
"Not him either." Xu Yanwen grew flustered and sprang to his feet. "It's not cultivation or immortal arts. It's his face! His face!"
He pointed at his own face as he cried out.
Seeing him like this, Ning Ye finally understood. "Yang Ziqiu, the Zither Scholar?"
"Exactly, him!" Xu Yanwen smacked his flute against his palm, his face filled with indignation. "How dare he vie with me for the title of the Black and White Divine Palace's most handsome man? He's even competing with me for Fairy Niaohua. Who does he think he is?"
Xu Yanwen had left Ning Ye's thoughts in a tangle. "But what does that have to do with me?"
"It has everything to do with you!" Xu Yanwen cried. "You have to know that beauty needs a foil. As the saying goes, you don't know good merchandise until you see it, and the only way to tell what's good is to compare. With an unrivaled ugly man like you by my side, everyone who sees you will feel my handsome elegance all the more. It also accords with the Black and White Divine Palace's Dao of Yin and Yang: yin and yang complement each other, beauty and ugliness set each other off, and only then will my peerless splendor stand out like a crane among chickens."
After hearing Xu Yanwen's speech, Ning Ye was stunned.
So you were looking for a stepping-stone?
Before you continue