Eldest senior brother was still the most handsome

In the southeast of the capital, where the Xiang River flowed past, Li Ziye held a brush in a courtyard that was not particularly spacious and wrote out the score of Guangling Melody in crooked strokes.

"Fine calligraphy!"

After writing it out from memory, Li Ziye looked at his masterpiece on the stone table and could not help offering his own appraisal.

Beside him, Yu Qingxuan looked at the score. Paying no attention to the crooked, tadpole-like writing, she read through it carefully, and shock gradually appeared on her beautiful face.

Guangling Melody!

To think such a breathtaking score existed in the world.

Waves surged in Yu Qingxuan's eyes, impossible to suppress.

The artistry of this piece was so profound that, once it emerged, no other score in the world could possibly rival it.

If it spread, who knew how many musical masters would go mad over it!

Beside her, Li Ziye watched the shock on her face, feeling deeply satisfied.

Now this was how it was supposed to work!

He was the plane's own darling son. How could he possibly lose to some Huo Liner or Bai Wangyu?

Could they write Guangling Melody? Could they recite Tang poetry and Song lyrics? Could they pick up the soap... pfft, invent soap?

"Young Master Li."

After a long while, Yu Qingxuan came back to herself and said with a complicated expression, "I cannot accept this Guangling Melody. This score is worth a fortune. Having seen it with my own eyes, I already have no regrets."

"Don't stand on ceremony, Miss Yu. I said I would give it to you, and I will."

Li Ziye picked up the score and pressed it into her hands, grinning. "Besides, we're already friends. Why fuss over these things? Unless you refuse to accept a nouveau riche like me as a friend."

"No."

Yu Qingxuan paused. Seeing his firm attitude, she could not help sighing softly. She bowed gracefully and said, "Then thank you for your generous gift, Young Master Li."

"That's more like it."

Li Ziye smiled in satisfaction. "Miss Yu, since we're already friends, don't call me Young Master Li. It sounds so distant. Just call me Ziye."

"Zi... Ziye."

Yu Qingxuan called his name, finding it very awkward.

"Qingxuan."

Li Ziye climbed straight up the pole she offered, his face full of smiles. "Do you exercise here by the Xiang River every morning?"

"Yes."

Yu Qingxuan nodded gently. "I was in poor health as a child, and the doctor recommended more exercise, so I've kept the habit ever since."

"What a coincidence. I practice my sword every morning too. Why don't we practice together?" Li Ziye suggested.

"Is Li Garden very close to here?" Yu Qingxuan asked in puzzlement.

"Very close."

Li Ziye grinned.

Extremely close. Both were in Great Shang's capital.

One in the east, one in the west. Run a horse to death, and it would only take an hour.

"All right."

Yu Qingxuan did not suspect anything. After some thought, she nodded in agreement.

Since Young Master Li could write a score as peerless through the ages as Guangling Melody, his talent was clearly astonishing. If there was anything she did not understand, she could ask him.

A breeze brushed through the courtyard, lifting a strand of hair beside Yu Qingxuan's ear. A faint fragrance drifted into Li Ziye's nose, refreshing his heart and soul.

Then Li Ziye instinctively took a deep, forceful sniff.

Brazen, nakedly roguish behavior!

Yu Qingxuan froze, then quickly recovered, her face instantly flushing crimson.

Neither of them spoke, and the atmosphere grew somewhat intimate.

"You lecher, come out here!"

Just then, an urgent voice rang out again outside the courtyard, breaking the tender atmosphere between them.

Li Ziye was instantly furious!

Couldn't he pick his moment?

Couldn't he see this young master was making friends?

Outside the courtyard, a group arrived carrying clubs and sticks. At their head was none other than Wu Duoduo, heir to the Prince of East Lin, whom Li Ziye had just beaten.

At this moment, Wu Duoduo's face was full of anxiety, terrified that the fairy of his dreams might be bullied.

Yu Qingxuan came to the courtyard entrance. Seeing the gathering outside, she frowned slightly, displeasure showing on her face. "Your Highness, what are you doing?"

"Fairy Qingxuan, I came to save you! Has that lecher bullied you?" Wu Duoduo asked urgently.

Behind Yu Qingxuan, Li Ziye walked out. Looking at the youth before him, he grinned. "Heir to the Prince of East Lin, haven't you heard lately? There was another martial prince's heir looking for trouble just like you, and I beat him up! His name seemed to be... what was it? Chen Yifei."

"Your Highness!"

Behind Wu Duoduo, a young man's expression changed at those words. He hurried forward and whispered, "He's Li Ziye, the one from Yuzhou City."

"Li Ziye?"

At the name, Wu Duoduo shuddered. The person who had beaten King Xuanwu's heir?

After a brief shock, Wu Duoduo suppressed his fear. "Don't be afraid of him. We have more people!"

"Why bother?"

Li Ziye's smile grew even brighter. "Actually, Chen Yifei brought more people than you!"

He could fight a whole crowd of small fry at this level by himself.

He could not beat martial artists, but surely he could beat these idle wastrels?

"Oh, Wu Duoduo, you're here too!"

Just as Li Ziye was preparing to perform another heroic feat of fighting a crowd alone, an exceptionally grating voice rang out nearby, several times more detestable than Wu Duoduo's.

A young man dressed in fine silk and brocade came into view, walking over with a folding fan in hand. A sinister look flashed across his pale, depleted face. Behind him followed two men in gold-embroidered robes, their presence far from ordinary.

"Chen Yifei!"

Wu Duoduo's expression shifted slightly at the sight of the newcomer. Why had he come too?

At this moment, Li Ziye's expression also grew grave. His gaze, however, was not on Chen Yifei, but on the two men behind him.

Experts!

"Li Ziye, we meet again!"

Chen Yifei glanced at everyone present, then shifted his gaze to the youth ahead and spoke coolly.

"Heir to King Xuanwu, you really are a haunting ghost that won't go away."

Li Ziye's expression turned cold. "It seems the lessons I gave you the last two times weren't enough."

"Heh!"

Chen Yifei closed his folding fan and sneered. "Who teaches whom a lesson today remains to be seen."

With that, Chen Yifei looked toward Wu Duoduo. "Heir to the Prince of East Lin, from the look of things, you seem to have a grudge against Li Ziye too. Why don't we join forces?"

"No need."

Wu Duoduo glanced at the two men behind Chen Yifei, shook his head, and refused. "I won't interfere in your grievances."

With that, Wu Duoduo turned, preparing to leave with his people.

"Be careful."

In front of the courtyard, as Wu Duoduo passed Li Ziye, his lips moved, and he warned in a low voice, "Those two are King Xuanwu's Embroidered Robe Guards. They're very strong."

"Thank you."

Li Ziye's expression tightened slightly, and he nodded in quiet acknowledgment.

This heir to the Prince of East Lin was not quite so detestable after all.

Even among wastrels, there were differences.

At least he was far more upright and open than Chen Yifei, who was likewise a martial prince's heir.

Chen Yifei watched the departing heir to the Prince of East Lin with disdain and paid him no further attention. Looking at the youth ahead, who had occupied his thoughts for days, he said coldly, "Li Ziye, if I don't cripple you today, I'll take your surname!"

"I don't have a son as old as you!"

Li Ziye answered in a low voice, secretly circulating the true essence within his body, ready to strike at any moment.

It looked as though there would be trouble today. King Xuanwu's Embroidered Robe Guards were all at least experts at the late stage of the First Realm. If there were only one, he could barely manage, but with two here, he had little hope of winning.

But he could not retreat.

"Young Master Li."

Beside Li Ziye, tension flashed across Yu Qingxuan's face. Her slender hands clenched tightly, and a thin sheen of sweat appeared on her face.

"Qingxuan, step back!"

Li Ziye spoke softly, then stepped forward, shielding Yu Qingxuan behind him.

Joking around in ordinary times was one thing. If he still failed to step forward at a moment like this, he would not even qualify as a man.

"Still trying to play the hero at a time like this."

Chen Yifei sneered. "Don't worry. Once I've crippled you, I'll take this courtesan off your hands and savor her slowly!"

Yu Qingxuan trembled. Panic flashed through her beautiful eyes, and she instinctively caught the hem of the youth's clothes before her.

"What are you waiting for? Attack!"

Chen Yifei looked at the two men behind him and ordered coldly.

"Yes, Your Highness!"

The two Embroidered Robe Guards exchanged a glance, then stepped forward.

In an instant, powerful true Qi surged around them. The divine repositories in their chests rumbled, fully revealing their cultivation at the late stage of the First Realm.

Seeing this, Li Ziye narrowed his eyes slightly. The divine repository in his chest also began to resonate, releasing an unending stream of true Qi. Yet the gap in their cultivation was so obvious.

The Flying Immortal Art did not emphasize cultivation to begin with. Added to that, Li Ziye had opened only one meridian, making his cultivation speed movingly slow. Even now, he remained at the early stage of the First Realm.

For the first time, Li Ziye deeply felt the pressure of lagging behind others in cultivation!

He needed strength, powerful strength.

Otherwise, he could not even protect the people beside him.

The next moment, the two Embroidered Robe Guards moved, their figures incredibly swift as they charged forward in an instant.

Li Ziye stamped down, just about to activate the Flying Immortal Formula, when he suddenly paused and looked west.

Whoosh!

At that very moment, Sword Qi soared into the sky in the distance. An ancient sword flew through the air, its vast righteous Qi sweeping across three hundred feet.

With a clang, the ancient sword struck the ground, directly blasting the two Embroidered Robe Guards away.

Under Li Ziye's and Chen Yifei's shocked gazes, a young man in white Confucian robes approached from afar, each step steady. His features were handsome, his expression tranquil, and the vast righteous Qi enveloping him was powerful and keen.

In short, one word: handsome!

Watching Bai Wangyu's entrance, Li Ziye nearly burst into tears.

You've hogged all the showing off!

Bai Wangyu covered the thousand feet in the blink of an eye. His seemingly unhurried steps were astonishingly fast.

"Brother Li, are you all right?" Bai Wangyu asked with concern as he looked at the youth before him.

"I'm fine."

Li Ziye answered through gritted teeth, then asked in some puzzlement, "How did you know I was here?"

"Miss Li told me. She said you might be in danger and asked me to bring you back," Bai Wangyu replied.

"Sister Youwei?"

Li Ziye paused, then understood.

The Li Residence had quite a few eyes and ears in the capital. Sister Youwei must have noticed something unusual about King Xuanwu's heir and sent Little Red Riding Hood over.

"Bai Wangyu!"

In front of the courtyard, Chen Yifei looked at the Confucian School's eldest senior brother, who had appeared to disrupt things, and demanded angrily, "Are you going to oppose King Xuanwu's Residence too?"

"Oppose?"

A strange look appeared on Bai Wangyu's face. He pulled the Taiyi Sword from the ground, turned, and asked, "Is that very serious?"

Hearing this, Li Ziye nearly wept rivers of tears.

Sheer dominance spilling everywhere!

Comparing yourself to others could anger you to death. How could Little Red Riding Hood be so handsome?

"You!"

Chen Yifei's chest tightened with anger. He wanted to lash out, but did not dare.

The person before him was the Confucian School's eldest senior brother, a man of exalted status and considerable cultivation. The two Embroidered Robe Guards he had brought were no match for him.

"Let's go!"

A wise man did not suffer an immediate loss. Forcing down his fury, Chen Yifei barked the order, then turned and left.

The two Embroidered Robe Guards followed without a word, not daring to linger another moment.

"Your Highness, remember to ask King Xuanwu when you get back whether he'll let you take my surname, Li!"

In front of the courtyard, Li Ziye watched the three retreating figures leave in disarray and called out to provoke them.

Turn around. Come on, turn around, and let Little Red Riding Hood finish you off!

Ten paces away, Chen Yifei stumbled. His fists clenched, and after drawing a deep breath, he strode away.

If he did not avenge this grudge, he swore he was no man!

Seeing this, Li Ziye felt rather disappointed. Why hadn't he turned around?

Having sent King Xuanwu's heir packing, Li Ziye and Bai Wangyu did not linger either. After bidding Yu Qingxuan farewell, they headed together toward Li Garden in the west of the city.

"Old Bai."

On the way back, after remaining quiet for a long while, Li Ziye spoke.

"Hmm?"

Bai Wangyu answered.

"I want to meet the Head of the Confucians."

Li Ziye spoke softly. Only by meeting the Head of the Confucians could he learn his fairy master's whereabouts.

His fairy master had come to the capital to obtain a king of medicines for him, and only by obtaining this king of medicines could he rebuild his second meridian in the shortest possible time.

If he wanted to grow stronger, he had to open all eight meridians as soon as possible. Otherwise, he would face situations like today's again.

The waters of the capital ran too deep. Just King Xuanwu's heir had been this much trouble-what if King Xuanwu himself had struck today?

He would not always be so lucky as to have a benefactor like Little Red Riding Hood come to his rescue.

His fate could not remain in other people's hands forever!

Living off others was no long-term solution, after all.

After hearing his words, Bai Wangyu's expression grew slightly grave. "It's very difficult to meet the Head of the Confucians."

"I know. That's why I hope you can help, Brother Bai."

Li Ziye said calmly, "As long as I can meet the Head of the Confucians, I'm willing to pay any price!"

Bai Wangyu fell silent. After a long while, he nodded and said, "I'll return to the Imperial Academy and plead with Venerable Law Confucian to pass on your message. But I can't guarantee whether you'll ultimately be able to meet the Head of the Confucians."

"That's enough. Thank you!"

Li Ziye gazed into the distance, both hands clenched tightly, as he replied.