Chapter 103: All in Favor! All Opposed!

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Ever since the incident, Su Bai had simply discarded his tattered clothes and changed back into his familiar attire.

Qin Feng hated him to the bone, so there was no way he could continue staying with him. With Shang Wenyi's permission, Su Bai became her personal page boy. Every day, he walked shoulder to shoulder with Qin Feng, occasionally making fun of him.

Whenever he saw the expression on Qin Feng's face—the look of a man yearning to kill him—Su Bai merely smiled calmly. Qin Feng could not understand how this sinister young man had managed to withstand the attacks of his spiritual sense, so he could only wait for another opportunity.

In truth, whenever he attacked Su Bai with his spiritual sense, the illusory spirit-serpent scales behind his black robes would grow violently restless. The scales stood on end, and the entire serpent's head seemed to go mad.

A summer night was a rare moment of leisure.

A cool breeze swept past. The dark clouds scattered across the sky, revealing sparkling stars in the black heavens, while a full moon hung high overhead.

Moonlight shone upon the dense bamboo forest below. From within came waves of mournful flute music. Following the sound, one would find a merchant caravan a thousand meters long resting in the bamboo grove.

At the very front of the caravan, a man and a woman sat facing each other atop a massive boulder. The man's robes fluttered in the breeze, and his brows were sharp, his eyes bright. The notes from his long flute sometimes surged forward like layers of ocean waves, and sometimes drifted down like snowflakes fluttering through the air.

The woman had vermilion lips, a fair complexion, bright eyes, and pearly teeth. She possessed the bearing of an immortal. Her skirt spread across the rock, while an ancient zither rested before her, her slender fingers plucking at its strings.

The flute and zither blended into one, their lingering melody and song captivating everyone who heard them.

Shang Wenyi grew increasingly curious as she watched the man before her. The mournful quality of his flute seemed to recount a past too painful to revisit.

Su Bai, however, merely turned his head toward the distance without sparing Shang Wenyi a glance.

“Five days already, and he still hasn’t made a move. Perhaps I misjudged Qin Feng. Maybe he’s simply attracted to Shang Wenyi.”

As Su Bai thought this, his gaze drifted toward Qin Feng.

The latter glared at him with an unfriendly expression, snorted coldly, and turned away.

When the duet ended, Su Bai tucked the bamboo flute into his belt and looked toward Shang Wenyi. He reached out and gently helped her to her feet, then leaped down from the boulder with the ancient zither strapped to his back.

Shang Wenyi was skilled enough in lightness kung fu; there was no need for him to pretend to be a gentleman.

Taking a scroll from his robes, he bowed and presented it to her, saying softly, “I am deeply grateful for your care over these past several days. I have nothing of value to offer, so I made a little painting instead. I hope you will not find it offensive.”

“Not at all.” Shang Wenyi smiled faintly and looked toward Xiaoqing. “Take it.”

Xiaoqing quickly walked over to Su Bai and accepted the scroll with both hands.

“It is late. Go back and rest,” Shang Wenyi said.

With light, graceful steps, she entered the carriage.

Outside, Su Bai exchanged a glance with Qin Feng. He shrugged, handed the ancient zither to another maid named Xiaobai, and then said quietly to Qin Feng, “Brother Qin, there may be some misunderstanding between us. Perhaps it will be cleared up after tomorrow.”

“Hm?” For some reason, Qin Feng’s face showed a trace of discomfort rather than anger or mockery.

Pretending not to notice, Su Bai continued, “I simply came here without any money and accepted a ride with your caravan. I will leave on my own before long, so I hope you will not take offense, Brother Qin.”

Qin Feng immediately realized that he had lost his composure. Hearing this, he merely gave a faint, cold laugh.

“What do I care? How long you stay is your own business.”

With that, he strode away without looking back.

…

By then, Shang Wenyi had removed her clothes and wore only a layer of pale gauze. Her faintly visible skin invited endless imaginings.

Looking at the scroll resting on the table, curiosity stirred within her, and she slowly opened it.

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The painting revealed a woman seated beside a stream, playing a zither. Lush vegetation flourished all around her, while brilliant flowers set off her beauty. She was shown in profile, her cheeks fair as snow, her appearance as lovely as that of a celestial maiden. A faint smile curved her lips, making her utterly enchanting.

In the blank space to the right was a short poem:

A gauze fan, white as an orchid bloom,
A slender waist adorned with a jade sash, dancing beneath the veil of heaven.
Surely she is an immortal maiden descended to the mortal world;
One backward glance, and her smile outshines the stars.

Painted by an unknown artist of the Great Ming. O_o o_O

When Shang Wenyi saw the signature at the end, she could not help bursting into laughter. She then savored the poem, murmuring softly, “Surely she is an immortal maiden descended to the mortal world; one backward glance, and her smile outshines the stars…”

Touching her pretty cheek, she revealed a faint smile identical to the one in the painting and whispered so softly that it was barely audible, “Thank you.”

…

“You little rascal, you aren’t actually trying to court that woman, are you?” Qu Qiuzhuo looked at Su Bai with an expression understood by both men and women alike.

Su Bai stared at her as though she were an idiot. “I only gave her a painting. Why are you making it so disgusting?”

“Oh, give me a break. These past few days, whenever you’ve had nothing else to do, you’ve been teasing her into laughter. Haven’t you noticed? Shang Wenyi looks at you every day with rosy cheeks and a smile on her face. That woman clearly likes your type. It probably won’t be long before she… heh heh heh.”

“…”

Su Bai took a long while to recover from those words. Then he regarded her with undisguised contempt. “According to the emotional progression of a normal woman, shouldn’t this be the point where you make me think about Gu Fanshuang? I never imagined you were this kind of腐—this kind of fangirl. Why are you encouraging me to get together with another woman?”

Qu Qiuzhuo only grew more excited and even began recounting some of her past experiences.

“Oh, I’ve seen this sort of thing in novels so many times. One man and—cough, cough, cough. I can’t say any more. If I do, the censors will reject it.”

Elsewhere, under cover of darkness, dozens of men dressed in black had gathered.

One of them spoke. “I know all of you serve different young masters. I summoned you here so that we could discuss how to proceed.”

“What are you supposed to be? What gives you the right to order us around?”

“Exactly! I’m a trusted aide under the Second Young Master. Since when does a nobody like you get to point fingers at us?”

Before Qin Feng could even get to the main point, the group had already dismissed him. Several men even insulted him and threatened to take his life.

Qin Feng merely smiled indifferently. Normally, Shang Wenyi was secretly protected by Shang Xingzhou, so there was rarely any need for Qin Feng to act. And whenever he did, his opponents were nothing more than insignificant underlings. That was why these people looked down on him.

“What are you laughing at, brat? Do you want this grandpa to teach you how to behave?”

Seeing that Qin Feng did not take them seriously in the slightest, the group grew even more furious at this man who clearly had no idea how close he was to death. From within the crowd, a broad, burly man hefted a wolf-toothed club five or six feet long onto his shoulder and began walking toward Qin Feng.

Each step landed with extraordinary weight. The thunderous stomping made everyone nearby wear expressions of gleeful anticipation.

They were all waiting for a show, as though the next instant would see the burly man crush Qin Feng beneath his foot.

Watching these men stand with their hands on their hips like spoiled tyrants while preparing to beat him, Qin Feng—already enraged by Su Bai—finally reached the limits of his patience.

His teeth ground audibly. In his fury, he actually began to laugh, though there was not the slightest hint of joy in the sound. Instead, it was chilling.

“You dogs really have grown accustomed to following your masters. The moment your master isn’t beside you, you forget to keep your fangs hidden. Now you even dare come forward and take a bite out of me.”

“Argh!”

The burly man carrying the wolf-toothed club roared furiously. Raising the iron weapon, which weighed several hundred pounds, he brought it crashing down. The force behind the blow seemed capable of bearing down with the weight of ten thousand mountains. Nothing appeared able to stop it.

“You’re courting death!”

Qin Feng’s sword-like eyes suddenly blazed. Reversing his grip on the long sword in his left hand, he drew it with a clear, ringing note that resounded in everyone’s ears.

In the next instant, the entire scene fell silent.

Everyone stood frozen in place, as though what they had just witnessed lay entirely beyond the limits of their understanding.

“So fast!”

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“What just happened?”

“There’s actually someone this terrifying in the caravan!”

“Brothers, he’s using cheats!”

…

Qin Feng pulled a wine flask from his waist and poured the liquor over the blade, washing away the bloodstains. Then he took a silk handkerchief from his robes and gently wiped the sword clean, gazing at it as tenderly as though it were his beloved.

“This guy is seriously twisted. I guess when you’ve been single too long, everything starts looking like your wife.”

Qin Feng’s five senses had long surpassed those of ordinary people, and he heard every word clearly. He shot the speaker a cold glare and gave a low snort.

“Hm? (‵▽′)ψ”

The man who had spoken was so frightened by that look that he immediately turned his head away and did not dare utter another word.

o((⊙﹏⊙))o.

“It seems none of you have any objections to what I am about to say. In that case, I shall graciously explain it. If anyone has a better idea, feel free to offer it. I will certainly give it serious consideration.”

Although Qin Feng spoke calmly and maintained an attitude entirely different from before, the corpse of the big man beside them was still warm. How could anyone possibly bring themselves to offer another opinion?

After the time it takes an incense stick to burn—

“I have finished speaking. Who approves, and who objects?”

“Me!”

The objection that was about to leave someone’s mouth was extinguished by a single glance from Qin Feng.

The man beside him immediately continued, “I support it!”

“This strategy is practically undetectable. It is truly meticulous, ingenious, brilliant, worthy of demons and ghosts—hey, don’t pull me! I haven’t finished yet.”

Just then, someone suddenly stepped forward and asked, “May I ask what you intend to do when the time comes, my lord?”

At those words, Qin Feng’s expression darkened until it seemed water might drip from it. Gritting his teeth, he said, “I will go and kill one of the people beside the young lady.”

…

Four days later.

Ever since the painting, Shang Wenyi had behaved somewhat unnaturally whenever she saw Su Bai, as though no one could guess what was on her mind. Su Bai acted as if he had noticed nothing and continued just as before, spending his days reading and meditating in cultivation.

Naturally, there was almost no one around whenever he cultivated. The method of practicing the Profound Ice Immortal Art was unusual, and he could not reveal it in front of outsiders.

At that moment, the thousand-meter-long caravan had entered a deep mountain ravine. Everything around them was so quiet and still, utterly unlike the noisy restlessness of summer. A strange silence hung over the entire caravan.

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