Chapter 150

Every day, a storyteller would perform in the teahouse, attracting many onlookers. The stories were mostly myths, folk tales, and legends of the martial arts world, which were very popular among the people.

“It is said that when the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiends were defeated, the Heavenly Gang Demon God prophesied before his death, ‘Three hundred years later, I will return, and at that time I will wash the entire world in blood’…”

The storyteller’s voice reached the ears of the crowd, and the audience frequently clapped their hands and cheered.

Qi Fei listened for a moment, then his gaze fell on the bearded man opposite him. After looking him up and down for a few moments, he couldn’t help but ask, “Uncle, are you a martial arts expert too?”

The man glanced at him and said indifferently, “I know a little bit of rudimentary kung fu.”

Qi Fei hurriedly said, “Uncle, you’re too modest. I see that your breathing is even and your energy channels are long. Your protective true energy is several feet thick, invisible and formless. You are already a top master in the martial arts world. I really didn’t expect to meet such a master so easily in a teahouse like this!”

“You’re not bad either,” the man said with a faint smile, taking a sip of tea.

Qi Fei said, “It’s alright. I, Qi the Hero, am going to become the ‘Number One Under Heaven’.” The man looked at him in surprise and laughed, “Young brother, you are quite innocent.”

Qi Fei said, “Uncle, you are also an outstanding person! May I ask which school or sect you belong to?”

The man said indifferently, “I have no sect or school, and I’m not interested in matters of the martial arts world. I’d rather talk about romance and nature.”

“Great! I like romance too!” Qi Fei chuckled. “You know the Wan Hua Lou in the capital, right? I have connections there, so you don’t have to pay for prostitutes.”

“The brothel, Wan Hua Lou…” The man seemed lost in memories, and after a long while he said, “It’s been so long since I’ve been there. Back then, I was a wanderer in the martial world, penniless… Alas!” He sighed as he spoke.

Qi Fei said, “That must be a very touching story.”

The man nodded: “Ten years ago, one winter, snow was falling heavily. That day, I wandered into the capital, starving and freezing, shivering at the entrance of the Wan Hua Brothel. Just as I was about to freeze to death, I decided to take a gamble. I pretended to be a wealthy customer and entered the Wan Hua Brothel, where I ate and drank to my heart’s content, and even had sex with one of the girls. But I ran away without paying… The girl’s name was Xiao Cui. I saw her waving at me from upstairs. I thought she must want me to pay. After eating and drinking my fill, I regained my strength, killed the two pimps who chased after me, and escaped…”

Qi Fei said, “Uncle is truly a man of character!”

The man sighed and continued, “Later, I met Xiao Cui again in Leizhou. By then, she was a completely different person… I learned from her that she didn’t want me to pay her, but rather wanted to help me. She saw that I was a hero in distress and intended to lend me a hand. Not only did she not want to take my money, she even sent someone to deliver silver to me. However, I killed the pimp she had sent to deliver the silver…”

Upon hearing this, Qi Fei was somewhat taken aback; this was truly a cruel twist of fate.

The man continued calmly, “Then Xiao Cui was kicked out of the brothel and had to pay a large sum of money. She ran around everywhere, selling herself to save money while trying to find me. I really didn’t understand why she was so determined to find me. Later, she finally met me in Leizhou, told me what had happened, and said she would follow me for life. At that time, I was filled with shame and indignation. To prevent this from getting out and making me lose face, I hardened my heart and killed Xiao Cui!”

“What?!” Qi Fei was stunned. He really didn’t expect this uncle to be this kind of person.

“Hehe.” The big man chuckled lightly. “Isn’t it surprising? That’s just the kind of person I am. How could I possibly be with a prostitute like her? She’s too naive. In particular, she doesn’t understand one thing: I, Long Zhanye, never make mistakes. To prove that I’m right, I have no choice but to kill her. Only in this way can I clear my name!”

“Uncle, you’re really… really a weirdo.” That was all Qi Fei could manage to stammer. “What’s your name?”

“Qi Fei”.

“I feel like I’ve heard that name somewhere before.” Long Zhanye thought seriously for a moment, then shook his head. Qi Fei asked, “Then, uncle, what brings you to the capital this time?”

Long Zhanye said, “Looking for someone.” “Looking for whom?”

“That’s another story…” Long Zhanye exhaled, falling back into his memories. “Several years ago, I went to Kun Kingdom to seek out the exotic. I met a woman who was dressed in a black veil, and was incredibly beautiful. Especially her legs, which were encased in black stockings, were absolutely gorgeous. I had never seen such beautiful legs in my life…”

Upon hearing this, Qi Fei couldn’t help but show his respect: “Uncle, we’re kindred spirits!” “Oh?” Long Zhanye looked at him with surprise, “Young man, you also enjoy this kind of thing?” “That’s right.” Qi Fei nodded, “Uncle, please continue.”

Long Zhanye continued, “From the first moment I saw her, I knew she was the woman I was meant to be with all my life. So I launched my offensive, wanting her to marry me. But she didn’t agree. I knew good things often come with difficulties, but I wasn’t discouraged. I relentlessly pursued her, trying every possible means to get her, because she had to be my woman!”

At this moment, Qi Fei noticed that the other party’s eyes were somewhat crazed, his expression was extremely excited, and his eyes even flashed with a violent red light, like the ferocious light in the eyes of a wild beast.

Did the older man get her?

“No.” Long Zhanye shook his head and sighed. “She is very stubborn. She has a deep prejudice against me and does not agree to be with me. She has a strong personality, and I like her even more now. I originally wanted to force her, but there is a tigress in Kun Kingdom named Feng Liyao. She has a terrible temper. She said that if I dare to set foot in Kun Kingdom again, she will kill me… As the saying goes, a good man does not fight with a woman. In order to avoid conflict with Feng Liyao, I did not go to Kun Kingdom again, but I have been keeping a close eye on everything about my woman. Recently, I heard that she came to the capital, so I came here too.”

Qi Fei’s heart skipped a beat, and he asked, “Uncle, what’s her name?” Long Zhanye replied calmly, “Fang Huaxian.”

“Cough…” Qi Fei almost choked upon hearing this, coughing a few times, his face flushed slightly. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing…” Qi Fei wiped the water from the corner of his mouth. “I hope Uncle will have a smooth journey this time.”

“I hope so.” Long Zhanye sighed, then looked at Qi Fei, “Young brother, I feel a connection with you. Have you ever seen this before?”

“What?” Qi Fei looked up and saw Long Zhanye gently pull open his shirt to reveal a sallow chest with a large black tattoo on it. The tattoo depicted a tiger’s head with its mouth wide open, looking majestic and domineering.

“So it’s a tattoo, that’s really cool! I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere before, but I don’t remember where at all,” Qi Fei said, shaking his head.

Long Zhanye looked slightly disappointed after hearing this, then chuckled and said, “This isn’t a tattoo; it’s something you’re born with.” “That’s amazing?” Qi Fei asked in surprise.

“Not bad.” The moment Long Zhanye nodded, he suddenly made his move.

He instantly transformed his hand into a blur, growing three feet in length and appearing in front of Qi Fei’s chest. He ripped open Qi Fei’s shirt, looked at it, and found that there were indeed no tattoos. He shook his head and said, “There really aren’t any. What a pity, otherwise you would be my brother from now on, and I would definitely protect you.”

Qi Fei was surprised by his technique and speed, but he was also secretly shocked. This man’s movements were exactly the same as the techniques Xia Yushu had used that day!

Long Zhanye released his hand, but did not withdraw it. Instead, he slid his hand down Qi Fei’s arm and took his pulse. Qi Fei’s heart tightened, and his internal energy began to gather.

At this moment, Long Zhanye suddenly shuddered, involuntarily loosening his grip. He looked at Qi Fei with a surprised expression and said, “Strange, strange…”

“Uncle, what are you wondering about?” Qi Fei appeared quite composed regarding his actions just now.

Long Zhanye frowned and said, “Young brother, do you know that you have nine more meridians than ordinary people? This situation is truly unheard of.”

“Really? I don’t know.” Qi Fei thought for a moment, “But I was weak and sickly since childhood, and my meridians were damaged. It wasn’t until I was fourteen that they were repaired.”

“Oh…” Long Zhanye nodded. “You practice the Diancang Sect’s Taihe Gong, right?” “That’s right.”

“Actually, the ‘Compassionate Voyage Sutra’ of the Great Zen Temple is the world’s number one healing technique,” Long Zhanye said calmly. “I know…” Qi Fei certainly knew, but how easy was it to obtain?

“Your name is Qi Fei? I remember now… You’re the son of the Empress of Kun Kingdom?” Long Zhanye’s expression suddenly changed. Qi Fei replied, “That’s right.”

Long Zhanye snorted coldly, stood up and said, “So it’s you. We are enemies, not friends! We don’t need to see each other again. You don’t need to call me brother. Considering we get along well, if we ever clash in the future, I can spare your life, but only once!”

With that, he turned and left.

“Uncle, uncle…” Qi Fei watched his departing figure, somewhat speechless. What a strange person.

Qi Fei paid the bill and left the teahouse.

…………

On Qinglong Street, inside a clothing store, several women were selecting clothes.

One of the women had a graceful figure and was as beautiful as a peach blossom. Her face was half-veiled, revealing her stunning beauty. She wore a pale yellow palace dress, and every gesture she made exuded a noble and elegant temperament, which was incomparable to that of an ordinary woman.

The other two women were also rare beauties. The three beautiful young women bought several sets of clothes and came out chatting and laughing. There were many palace maids and eunuchs standing at the door. When they saw the three of them come out, they hurriedly went forward to greet them.

These three women were Qi Tingqin, Xiangfei, and Yunfei, who had come out of the palace to buy clothes.

Qi Tingqin looked at the sun overhead; it seemed to be past 9 AM.

Just as she was about to get into the carriage, she suddenly stumbled and almost fell.

Her eyebrows furrowed slightly, her beautiful eyes flashed, and she summoned a palace maid beside her, who whispered a few words in her ear.

The palace maid nodded and entered the carriage.

Qi Tingqin smiled and said to Consort Xiang and Consort Yun, “My two sisters, you go ahead first, I’ll be right behind you.” “Sister, you’d better hurry, we need to get back for lunch,” Consort Xiang said with a smile.

“That’s right,” Consort Yun agreed. “Don’t worry.”

Qi Tingqin responded and watched the carriage leave.

It was absolutely unacceptable to let a noble concubine go shopping alone. When the eunuchs and maids were about to follow Qi Tingqin, they found that her figure suddenly flickered a few times and disappeared from the spot in an instant.

The three carriages had not gone far when Wang Hongyu led a group of men and blocked their way.

Consort Xiang and Consort Yun were puzzled, but Wang Hongyu didn’t explain. He went directly to Qi Tingqin’s carriage, bowed, and said, “Please, Consort Qi, come down and meet me!”

I called out three times, but no one responded.

Wang Hongyu grew impatient and abruptly lifted the curtain, only to see a palace maid sitting inside trembling. His expression changed, and he asked, “Where is Consort Qi?”

The palace maid said somewhat fearfully, “The Imperial Concubine didn’t get on the carriage; I don’t know where she went. She asked me to ride in her place for a while…”

“Damn it!” Wang Hongyu’s face darkened. He was now completely certain that Qi Tingqin was a spy planted by the Kun Kingdom in the Daqian court. He didn’t have time to reprimand these people; he turned around and said, “Consort Qi is a spy sent by the Kun Kingdom! Everyone, follow me and capture the spy—”

When Consort Xiang and Consort Yun heard this, they were all completely confused.

Wang Hongyu had already led a group of imperial guards away quickly, all of them exuding a fierce aura. The hooves of horses and the footsteps of men pounded on the streets, raising dust and causing the earth to tremble. The people on the street hurriedly took cover, fearing that they might bring bad luck upon themselves.

Qi Tingqin mingled in the crowd with light steps, like a fairy on water. With graceful movements, she quickly left Qinglong Street and headed towards the west of the city.

Just then, a loud hoofbeat came from ahead, and a group of people appeared in front of her, blocking her way. The leader was Wang Hongyu.

Qi Tingqin thought to herself, “This is troublesome.” At this moment, she regretted that she should have just flown over the rooftop, so that Wang Hongyu and the others would not have been able to catch up easily.

Looking back, she found that all around her, in every street and alley, imperial guards had emerged and surrounded her.

Wang Hongyu sat on horseback, holding a halberd, looking down at Qi Tingqin, and said coldly, “Where is Consort Qi going?”

Qi Tingqin stood gracefully in the middle of the street, calmly saying, “So it’s Your Highness the Crown Prince. I was just about to go buy something, why did you come here with so many people to block my way?”

Wang Hongyu chuckled: “Consort Qi, even now, are you still pretending? You’ve been infiltrating the palace as a spy all these years. Do you think you can hide forever?”

Qi Tingqin looked puzzled: “What are you talking about? I don’t understand. I need to see His Majesty…”

“Hmph, stop making excuses! If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t have suffered such a crushing defeat last time!” Wang Hongyu said coldly. “It was Father who ordered me to capture you! Dead or alive! Take him down—”

As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Hongyu swung his halberd, and with a whooshing sound, it brought down towards Qi Tingqin’s head with a sharp force!

At the same time, the imperial guards around them also made their moves, flying over together. Their weapons, such as swords, spears, and halberds, cut through the air, forming a net that enveloped Qi Tingqin from all directions!

Even in the face of this critical moment, Qi Tingqin remained calm. Facing the immense pressure, she took a deep breath, and her inner energy surged. Just as the weapon was about to strike her, a bright moon the size of a door appeared on her body, enveloping her entirely. She looked radiant and beautiful!

With a loud “bang,” the bright moon exploded, and the powerful energy spread outwards, causing the imperial guards all around to be forced back, including Wang Hongyu’s halberd.

It wasn’t that Qi Tingqin’s martial arts skills had reached the point where she could fight against ten thousand men, but rather that the space was limited, and there were only about a dozen people who could directly attack Qi Tingqin.

In that instant, Wang Hongyu felt a powerful force of recoil surge through his arm and into his body. He pulled on the reins, and his numb arm almost lost its grip on the halberd.

“Bright Moon Flying Phoenix! Qi Tingqin, what else do you have to say?!” Wang Hongyu sneered repeatedly. Now that the other party had been completely exposed, he had to take her down today.

However, he did not expect Qi Tingqin’s martial arts skills to be so high. Even if she were at the Innate Realm, she would be one of the best, probably no less than Wei Dongxiang.

The veil on Qi Tingqin’s face was blown off by the force of the previous exchange, revealing a stunningly beautiful face. The imperial guards around her stared intently at her pretty face, their eyes gleaming with the predatory light of wolves hunting for prey, and they kept swallowing hard.

“Sigh…” Qi Tingqin sighed, “You are all born of human parents and have lived in the palace together for so many years. I don’t want you to die here. Let’s stop now. Hongyu, I watched you grow up. You, Hongfei, and Wanru have a very good relationship. I really don’t want to be your enemy.”

Wang Hongyu snorted coldly, tightened his grip on the halberd, and said angrily, “I will call you ‘Mother’ one last time. Although I admit that you are perfect and deeply respected by me, you are a spy sent by the Kun Kingdom, who has ruined my career for so many years. I will never let you go!”

Qi Tingqin said gently, “We each serve our own masters. I understand your feelings and your choice. But Hongyu… you really can’t beat me. You should step aside.”

“Oh, Consort Qi, you have quite the nerve. Then let me ask you, who can defeat you?” A sharp female voice rang out.

Qi Tingqin glanced over and saw several women emerge from the crowd. The woman in the lead was dressed in a golden phoenix robe and adorned with jewels. She was an ordinary-looking woman, who looked to be in her forties or fifties. She had thin lips, sharp eyes, and a very mean appearance.

“Empress Bai.” Qi Tingqin’s eyes narrowed. This person was Empress Bai Cuilan of the Great Gan Dynasty, and also Wang Hongyu’s birth mother.

Beside Bai Cuilan were three women and two young girls. Two of them were wearing crescent-white monk robes and were middle-aged nuns who looked to be only in their thirties or forties. The nun on the left had delicate features, a plump figure, and bright eyes. She exuded a gentle and peaceful aura that made people feel like they were bathed in a spring breeze. She was Master Suyin of Cuiwei Nunnery.

Beside Abbess Suyin stood a young nun with her hair still intact, who was none other than Abbess Suyin’s disciple, Miaoyu.

The other nun was also beautiful, with arched eyebrows, bright eyes, a fair oval face, a full bust under her monk’s robe, a high, pert bottom below her slender waist, and an alluring hourglass figure. Yet, she exuded an otherworldly and refined air.

This person was the Snow Mountain Goddess, and standing beside her was a beautiful young girl, Princess Wang Wanru of the Great Gan Dynasty.

Finally, there was a woman who looked to be in her forties or fifties. Her hair was a bit grayish-black, with white streaks. Her face was still beautiful, and her skin was smooth and fair. There were only some faint crow’s feet at the corners of her eyes. Her expression was indifferent. She was wearing a red dress that accentuated her stunning figure.

These people were empty-handed, but no one doubted their skills.