At this moment, Li Lingyun looked extremely haggard. These past few days, he had been running around, contacting all the connections of the Diancang Sect in the capital, trying every possible means to find the Panlong Sword, but so far there has been no news and no substantial progress.

He hasn’t had a good night’s sleep for more than half a month because of this.

“Seventh Brother, what brings you here?” Li Lingyun frowned when he saw Qi Fei.

“Master, I have something important to report!” Qi Fei didn’t waste any words and directly recounted the whole story.

The Ninth Prince wanted to recruit the Diancang Sect into his ranks, so he arranged for Jia Yue, Du Ao and others to plot against Li Lingyun, causing him to lose the Panlong Sword and suffer a great loss of strength. He also made Gu Yinzhang and others unable to escape from the Jia Mansion. All of this left Li Lingyun stunned.

Xu Yuan, Xu Yi, and Qian Mu, who were standing to the side, looked completely stunned.

After saying that, Qi Fei let out a breath and said, “Master, we must hurry up and meet up with Master’s wife and the others, then leave the capital and rush back to Diancang Mountain…”

“Seventh Brother,” Li Lingyun interrupted him, “have you been seeing too many people these days, and some strange delusions have started to form in your mind?”

Qi Fei was slightly taken aback: “Master, this isn’t just wishful thinking, it’s real…”

“Alright!”

Li Lingyun waved his hand, “Jia Yue is a prominent figure in the capital. He has a good reputation in the business world and is quite generous. That’s fine. But Brother Du Ao and I have been friends for many years and call each other brothers. Why would he harm me? You must be prejudiced against the Danxia Sect because of your sword duel with Du Qingyuan last time…”

At this point, he suddenly stared at Qi Fei and said, “Last time you took it upon yourself to help Yu Yao fight Du Qingyuan with swords. Could it be that you have fallen for Yu Yao and therefore harbor hostility towards Du Qingyuan?”

“Master, you…I…” Qi Fei was speechless when he saw that his idea was so strange. For a moment, he had no idea how to persuade him.

“You and Yuyao are impossible!” Li Lingyun said sternly, then flicked his sleeve. “Alright, go back now!”

Qi Fei left the teahouse and walked step by step down the street, thinking to himself, “My master doesn’t believe me, this is troublesome…”

When Qi Fei returned to the Jia mansion, it was already past midnight. The sentries and guards were all drowsy, and Qi Fei easily slipped past them and returned to his room.

After dawn, everyone had breakfast and greeted each other.

Qi Fei and Gu Yinzhang exchanged a glance.

Before long, the two avoided Jia Yue and entered the room. Gu Yinzhang asked, “How is the situation?”

Qi Fei said, “I found my master at the teahouse last night, but he didn’t believe me! He even said that I…” He repeated Li Lingyun’s words.

Upon hearing this, Gu Yinzhang closed his eyes, and after a long while, he sighed and said, “I’ll go tonight.”

“No, Master’s wife, they’ve set up hidden sentries all around. I barely escaped last night; I was almost discovered. They’re too cunning,” Qi Fei said. “How about I go again tonight?”

Gu Yinzhang pondered for a moment, then picked up his pen and wrote a letter. He folded it, handed it to Qi Fei, and said calmly, “Give this to him. If he still doesn’t listen, then we’ll leave him alone.”

Qi Fei took the letter without checking its contents, carefully tucked it away from his body, and said, “Okay!”

Just then, a voice came from outside the door: “Is Young Master Qi here?”

Qi Fei and Gu Yinzhang hurriedly stepped out of the room, where they saw a guard from the Jia family saying, “Several disciples from the Danxia Sect have arrived and say they want to challenge Young Hero Qi.”

Qi Fei was stunned upon hearing this.

A moment later, Qi Fei, Gu Yinzhang, and the others arrived at the front courtyard of the Jia residence and met several disciples of the Danxia Sect. There were more than ten people in total, including Du Qingyuan and Zhang Jingzhu, whom they had met before.

This time, Zhang Jingzhu was the leader. Holding a long sword, he stepped forward, clasped his hands, and said, “Zhang Jingzhu, the eldest disciple of the Danxia Sect, has come to learn from Young Hero Qi’s superior skills! I hope Young Hero Qi will not hesitate to teach me!”

Just as Qi Fei was about to refuse, Jia Yue and Mei’er came out of the house. Jia Yue laughed and said, “Great! I didn’t expect to see so many talented young people gathered here today. Young hero Qi, why don’t you accept the challenge and let everyone broaden their horizons?”

Qi Fei gripped the sword at his waist.

At this moment, Du Qingyuan smiled at Li Yuyao and said, “Sister Yuyao, it’s been a long time.”

Li Yuyao chuckled and said, “Long time no see.”

Her radiant smile made Du Qingyuan feel instantly relaxed, as if a warm sun and gentle breeze were caressing his face.

Du Qingyuan glanced at Qi Fei again, and seeing his nonchalant attitude, he couldn’t help but snort coldly and said, “Oh, young hero Qi, aren’t you supposed to have superb swordsmanship? What, you don’t dare to accept my senior brother’s challenge?”

At this moment, Qi Fei was thinking, why would these bastards come to the Jia Mansion at this time and challenge him in front of everyone? Could it be some kind of conspiracy? Or is it just to stall them?

Qi Fei is now basically certain that the other party’s plan is mainly aimed at Li Lingyun. First, they will weaken Li Lingyun, then disperse the Diancang Sect members, isolate Li Lingyun, and then use both soft and hard tactics on him. They will first try to persuade him to join the Nine Thousand Years’s command with gentle means. If that fails, they will definitely resort to violence in the end, and even wipe out the Diancang Sect, making this sect that does not obey them disappear from the martial arts world.

Qi Fei chuckled at Du Qingyuan’s sarcastic remarks and said, “I am indeed afraid, I’m so afraid. I’m so afraid that if I defeat your Danxia Sect’s senior brother, I’ll embarrass you. Tsk tsk, it’s really hard to be a person…”

Du Qingyuan sneered: “You’re only fit to carry my senior brother’s shoes!”

Qi Fei said, “How about this? A simple sword fight isn’t very interesting. How about we place some betting?”

Zhang Jingzhu coldly asked, “How do you want to compete?”

Qi Fei said, “If I win, you must treat me to a good meal at the best restaurant in the capital. If I lose, the same applies.”

Without a second thought, Zhang Jingzhu replied, “Okay!”

Jia Yue burst into laughter, exclaiming, “Brilliant, brilliant!” He pulled up a chair and sat down, looking like he was watching the spectacle.

Qi Fei drew his longsword and said, “Then let’s go!”

Zhang Jingzhu slowly drew his longsword, assumed a starting stance, and pointed the sword tip directly at Qi Fei’s face, sending a chill through him.

Qi Fei didn’t hesitate either. With a flick of his longsword, he launched an attack on Zhang Jingzhu with the move “Azure Dragon Emerging from the Water”.

“Well done!” Zhang Jingzhu shouted softly, his sword trembled, and he used the Danxia Sword Technique, which not only broke Qi Fei’s sword move, but also gave him the momentum to launch a counterattack.

The main reason Zhang Jingzhu and the others came here today was that Du Qingyuan wanted to see Li Yuyao and also wanted Zhang Jingzhu to teach Qi Fei a lesson. As the eldest disciple of the Danxia Sect, Zhang Jingzhu’s internal strength and swordsmanship had reached the level of a first-class master in the martial arts world. In the entire Danxia Sect, his strength far surpassed that of the other disciples, second only to the sect leader Du Ao. Even Li Huiyu, the second most important person in the Danxia Sect, could not defeat him in less than a few hundred moves.

Zhang Jingzhu even competed with Zhang Jian once, and was able to completely overpower Zhang Jian, forcing Zhang Jian to admit defeat.

Therefore, they had full confidence in Zhang Jingzhu. He could not possibly lose to Qi Fei, who was just a nobody. Could it be that Qi Fei’s martial arts skills were higher than his senior brother Zhang Jian’s?

The clanging sounds continued, and in the blink of an eye, Qi Fei and Zhang Jingzhu had already exchanged more than ten blows. The two exchanged blows, both agile, with superb internal strength and exquisite swordsmanship. For a time, they were evenly matched, with no clear winner.

This scene stunned everyone; no one had expected Qi Fei’s martial arts skills to be so remarkable.

After a few more moves, Zhang Jingzhu let out a low shout, loosened his grip on the long sword, and it flew out of his hand, spun in mid-air, circled behind Qi Fei, and slashed towards his neck!

“A sword that leaves the hand!”

Gu Yinzhang, who was watching the battle, turned pale and felt a tightness in his chest.

This “Disengaged Sword” is the most powerful move in the Danxia School’s swordsmanship. It is extremely difficult to master. Only Du Ao and Li Huiyu in the entire Danxia School have learned this move, yet Zhang Jingzhu has actually learned it.

Once this sword move is unleashed, although one is no longer armed, it also brings absolute killing intent to the opponent. The long sword spins, making it impossible to defend against!

This is practically the move that decides the outcome!

As soon as the sword was drawn, everyone stared wide-eyed, wanting to see what other tricks Qi Fei had to avoid it. If he couldn’t dodge it, he would either die or be seriously injured!

At that moment, among the dozens of people present, only Gu Yinzhang, Li Yuyao, and Mei’er felt their palms sweating and were all on tenterhooks.

Qi Fei suddenly lowered his body and squatted down. He wasn’t very tall to begin with, and with this squat, Zhang Jingzhu’s sword missed its target and flew back into his hand with a “whoosh”.

At this moment, Qi Fei pushed off with both feet, his body sprang up, and he quickly pounced on Zhang Jingzhu, thrusting his long sword with the move “Azure Dragon Raises Its Head”.

Zhang Jingzhu had just sheathed his longsword and hadn’t even had a chance to grip it properly, let alone use a new sword move, when he was already unable to parry the sword. Qi Fei’s longsword was directly placed against his neck.

“You flatter me,” Qi Fei said with a smile.

“You…” Zhang Jingzhu gripped the long sword in his hand, his body trembling slightly with excitement. He glared at him and said, “You’re too short. The way you dodged my sword just now was cheating. The match just now doesn’t count!”

Li Yuyao’s voice rang out: “Hehe… How funny, losing and still refusing to admit defeat, is this the style of the Danxia Sect disciples? It seems I need to seriously consider this marriage…”

Du Qingyuan hurriedly said, “Sister Yuyao, it’s not like that. Every member of my Danxia Sect is a hero. Please don’t misunderstand! Senior Brother, let it go this time, but next time we will make sure he doesn’t get away with it!”

Zhang Jingzhu’s face turned a deep purple, he snorted coldly, and turned to leave.

Qi Fei quickly said, “Hey, we agreed at the beginning that if you lost, you had to treat me to a big meal at the best restaurant in the capital. Why are you going back on your word now?”

Du Qingyuan sneered, “I’ll give you a hundred taels of silver. Go find a restaurant and eat at your leisure!”

Qi Fei said, “No, I want you to clear the way for me and lead me there!”

“you……”

“What? You want to back out?”

“Come with me!”

After saying that, Du Qingyuan led the Danxia Sect disciples toward the door.

At this moment, Qi Fei turned around, looked at Gu Yinzhang, and said, “Master’s wife, I’m going out for a bit. Don’t worry, I’ll bring back any leftovers for you to eat.”

He then said to Jia Yue, “Mr. Jia, I’m going out for a bit.”

Jia Yue narrowed his eyes, a sharp glint shooting out from between them, and glanced at Qi Fei a few times.

Qi Fei hurriedly said, “I mainly thought that the dishes I made last time didn’t quite suit Mr. Jia’s taste, so I planned to go to the best restaurant in the capital to taste them, improve my cooking skills, and then cook another meal for Mr. Jia when I got back.”

“Haha…” Jia Yue laughed and said, “No problem, eat well and have a good meal.”

Qi Fei cupped his hands in greeting and followed Du Qingyuan out of the Jia residence.

Walking down the street, Du Qingyuan and the others glared angrily at Qi Fei. Seeing his relaxed and smug expression, as if he had gotten the better deal, they wanted nothing more than to beat him up.

Arriving at the entrance of a restaurant, Du Qingyuan asked, “How is this restaurant?”

Qi Fei glanced at it and said, “It doesn’t look very good to me. Do you have anything of a higher standard?”

A Danxia Sect disciple angrily retorted, “Do you still intend to go to the Wan Hua Lou?”

Upon hearing this, Qi Fei laughed and said, “Wan Hua Lou, then Wan Hua Lou it is!”

“You… shameless!”

“Wan Hua Lou, let’s go!” Qi Fei walked ahead with a nonchalant air.

Du Qingyuan and the others gritted their teeth in hatred. Given the bet they had just made, and the fact that so many people had witnessed it, they, as disciples of prestigious sects, had no choice but to keep their promise. Otherwise, how could they face the world of martial arts in the future?

Wanhualou was the largest brothel in the capital, offering lavish meals and girls to accompany guests, providing an unparalleled luxury that was most favored by the capital’s high-ranking officials and nobles. Ordinary people simply could not afford it.

Qi Fei naturally couldn’t afford it either, so he was very happy to be able to rip off these people.

He planned to have a meal and drinks at Wanhualou before going to Li Lingyun to get things done. This was the purpose of his contest with Zhang Jingzhu: to go out openly and honestly, leaving Jia Yue speechless.

Upon entering the brothel, the madam warmly greeted them. Qi Fei immediately shouted, “Please give me the best private room, and bring over your best girls. I’m not short of money!”

“Oh! Sir, no problem, please come in—” The madam, with thick makeup on her face and a pungent fragrance, enthusiastically led Qi Fei and the others into a private room on the second floor.

Soon, the madam had a table of fine wine and delicacies brought over. Every dish was exquisite, and the wine was the most expensive kind. Du Qingyuan and the others were furious, their fists clenched, wishing they could devour Qi Fei.

Du Qingyuan glared fiercely at Qi Fei and said, “You trash… Eat, eat slowly, I’ll eat you to death! I’ll make you pay for this sooner or later!”

The madam was unaware of their relationship and found it all quite strange. However, seeing that they were holding long swords, she could tell they were people from the martial arts world and not to be trifled with, so she didn’t ask any further questions.

Qi Fei chuckled and said, “Why don’t you all sit down and have something to eat?”

“Hmph!” Du Qingyuan turned his head away, not wanting to see him at all.

“Why hasn’t the girl arrived yet?” Qi Fei asked the madam.

The madam seemed a little anxious. She said, “I’m sorry, gentlemen, because it’s daytime, there aren’t many girls on duty, and they’re all virgins. They only sell themselves at night. Do you gentlemen need any virgins?”

A “qingguanren” is a prostitute who sells her art but not her body.

Qi Fei said, “Okay, just one is fine. Remember, the most expensive one!”

The madam went out, but quickly returned, smiling broadly. “Sir, you’re truly blessed! What a coincidence! Our top courtesan, the cold beauty, has just gotten up. I’ll invite her over right away!”

Qi Fei didn’t react much when he heard the words “Cold Beauty,” but Du Qingyuan and the others were all shocked. One of the disciples exclaimed in surprise, “Cold Beauty? It’s actually the top courtesan of Wan Hua Lou, the three-time winner of the title of the most beautiful courtesan in the capital?”

The other disciples were also moved, their eyes shining with joy and anticipation.

Du Qingyuan clenched his fists even tighter, because it meant he was about to suffer a huge loss. The price for the cold beauty to perform was outrageously high!

Qi Fei asked with a puzzled look, “Cold beauty? Is she very famous?”

“Even the cold beauty doesn’t know.”

“country bumpkin…”

“You’ve never seen the world before.”

The disciples all sneered, their expressions filled with utter contempt.

Before long, a woman dressed in a snow-white gauze dress walked gracefully towards them, holding a pipa in her arms. Her movements were graceful and charming, with an indescribable beauty. However, her face was covered by a white veil, so her appearance could not be seen, and it was unknown whether she was beautiful or not.

Not only Qi Fei, but everyone, including Du Qingyuan, turned their attention to the newcomer, staring intently at her.

Qi Fei scanned the newcomer and found that the woman had an extremely alluring figure. Her breasts were full and high, her buttocks were plump and perky, and her waist was exceptionally slender. Her figure did not resemble that of a young woman at all, but rather that of a mature woman who had given birth. She was full of allure to the opposite sex. Not to mention the opposite sex, even a woman herself would surely fall in love at first sight.

“Leng Ning greets all guests.” The cold beauty gave a curtsy to everyone, her voice clear and melodious.

“This voice seems familiar; it sounds familiar,” Qi Fei thought to himself.

At this moment, the cold beauty had already begun to play a piece of music. Du Qingyuan and the others listened intently, their faces showing rapt attention. They were clearly completely captivated by the sound of the cold beauty’s pipa.

Qi Fei ignored her and looked at the woman in front of him. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. Yes, this cold beauty’s voice was eight or nine parts similar to Mei’er’s. No wonder it sounded familiar.

“Not only are their voices similar, but their figures also seem…”

Thinking of this, he suddenly said, “Stop!”

The cold beauty stopped abruptly, looked at Qi Fei, and asked, “Young master, what are your orders?”

When Du Qingyuan and the others saw that he had interrupted the cold beauty, they all looked displeased and glared at him fiercely.

Qi Fei said, “It doesn’t sound good, it doesn’t sound good! You’d better stop playing. Could you take off your veil and let this old man see if you’re pretty?”

“This…” The cold beauty was clearly somewhat displeased.

Du Qingyuan angrily retorted, “You shameless scoundrel! The Cold Beauty’s pipa playing is unparalleled, and you dare to say she plays it badly?! Are you deaf?”

“If I say it doesn’t sound good, then it doesn’t sound good!” With that, Qi Fei stood up and walked up to the cold beauty, reaching out to grab her face and trying to remove her veil.

Unexpectedly, the grab missed its target. The cold beauty moved gracefully backward, avoiding Qi Fei’s grab.

Qi Fei’s expression changed slightly. This woman knew martial arts, and her martial arts skills were extremely high, especially her internal energy!