Chapter 8

However, just as Zhou Xingyun was hesitating whether to greet the two proud experts, something strange happened. Zhao Hua and Hu Dewei, as if possessed, walked towards Wei Suyao, their intentions unclear.

"Is there something you need?" Wei Suyao asked.

"Miss... Miss Wei, I am Hu Dewei, a disciple of Jian Shu Mountain. I have been ordered by my third senior brother to deliver this letter to you."

"Who is your third senior brother?"

"Senior brother he..." Hu Dewei and Zhao Hua glanced at Zhou Xingyun, hesitating to speak.

"Since he's here, why doesn't he hand the letter to me himself?" Wei Suyao frowned, seemingly displeased with Zhou Xingyun's lack of courtesy.

"Miss Wei, please don't be angry. Some things are hard to explain. I hope you will accept the letter; otherwise, my senior brother will blame us."

"I'm not angry." Wei Suyao took the letter casually, and Hu Dewei and Zhao Hua quickly thanked her and turned to leave, trembling.

The girl, the champion of the last 'Young Heroes Conference,' was indeed formidable. Zhao Hua and Hu Dewei felt immense pressure just standing and talking to her.

Wei Suyao watched the two retreat, sighing involuntarily. She felt she had messed things up again.

Unlike Xu Zijian, she had been seeking opportunities to meet disciples from various sects, but her serious demeanor made everyone wary...

She wasn't angry just now; she only wanted to understand what was going on. But she had frightened the two Jian Shu Mountain disciples into hurried apologies, which was truly frustrating.

Am I that scary? Wei Suyao asked herself, silently putting the letter in her bosom, planning to read it later.

"I was scared to death just now, Junior Brother Hu. When she frowned, I thought she was going to stab me with her sword."

"Actually, I think Miss Wei is quite beautiful. Look at her slender waist; she's even more graceful than Second Senior Sister."

"Unfortunately, her heroic and cold demeanor makes her unattainable for ordinary men."

"Right, a gentle and delicate beauty like Second Senior Sister is more suitable for us."

"Hehe, do you think she'll stab that rogue to death after reading the letter?"

"Let's wait and see."

Rumors in the martial world said that Wei Suyao was not only highly skilled but also cold and ruthless, having once castrated a lecherous man who dared to insult her. Zhao Hua and Hu Dewei, acting in concert, planned to use a frivolous love letter to frame Zhou Xingyun and ruin his engagement with Tang Yuanying.

Zhou Xingyun, seeing Zhao Hua and the others interacting with Wei Suyao, felt puzzled but didn't delve deeper, as he was soon distracted by something else...

Behind him, a commotion suddenly arose. Zhou Xingyun turned around and saw two familiar figures.

Xu Ziqian, accompanied by three handsome young men, entered the garden with grace and composure. Male disciples from various sects held their breath, captivated by her beauty.

Xu Ziqian, like the queen of all flowers, immediately became the center of attention. Female disciples seemed like flickering candles in the wind, even Tang Yuanying paled in comparison.

However, seeing Xu Ziqian chatting and laughing with the men beside her, Zhou Xingyun felt a deep, indescribable pain. Fortunately, Xu Ziqian didn't ignore him. When she noticed Zhou Xingyun standing under the white orchid tree, she immediately approached to greet him.

"Master Zhou, greetings."

"Ziqian, why are you here?"

"Watch your words, boy!"

"Master Li, please don't get upset. Master Zhou is a good friend of my daughter, and he is not being disrespectful to Xu Ziqian."

Xu Ziqian greeted him politely, but Zhou Xingyun's casual response naturally angered Li Tianhai and the others. In their eyes, addressing a lady by her name was extremely presumptuous, especially since Zhou Xingyun was known as a rogue.

Fortunately, Xu Ziqian defended him, or Li Tianhai would have seized the opportunity to show off his bravery in front of the beauty and teach the rogue a lesson.

However, many people were puzzled by Xu Ziqian's claim that Zhou Xingyun was her close friend. Li Tianhai, who knew Zhou Xingyun well, was dumbfounded, completely at a loss...

"Brother Tianhai."

"Miss Tang?"

Tang Yuanying ran over joyfully, but Li Tianhai's indifferent greeting made her feel cold.

"Tianhai, listen to me. When you proposed to me the other day, it was my father who rejected you without my consent. My father is here to celebrate the birthday today. If he sees you, he will surely approve of my choice..." Tang Yuanying whispered to Li Tianhai, guessing that he must have been upset after his proposal was rejected.

"Yuanying, today is Mr. Su's birthday. Let's discuss our matters later."

Li Tianhai didn't want Xu Ziqian to notice his relationship with Tang Yuanying, but he also didn't want to let go of the beautiful Tang Yuanying. He evaded the issue, planning to talk more in the future.

"First meeting, I am Han Feng. Greetings, Brother Zhou."

"Brother Han, greetings."

The handsome young man who had been chatting with Xu Ziqian approached politely. Zhou Xingyun, looking at the handsome and elegant Han Feng, felt jealous and couldn't help but curse him as a pretty boy.

If Xu Ziqian was the fairy admired by all the men present, Han Feng was undoubtedly the god admired by all the women. He was refined and graceful, truly a reincarnation of Pan An, the most handsome man in history.

When Tang Yuanying saw Han Feng, her beautiful face flushed with a rosy blush, her affectionate gaze making Li Tianhai and Zhou Xingyun feel extremely uncomfortable.

"This Master Han is another finalist in the 'Literary Gathering.'"

"Nice to meet you."

Xu Ziqian introduced him with a smile, while Zhou Xingyun responded perfunctorily. If not for Xu Ziqian's sake, he would have replied, "What's it got to do with me?"

"Yesterday, Miss Xu and I had a brief conversation at the New Moon Tower. She spoke highly of Master Zhou's profound knowledge and talent. It is truly an honor to meet you today, Master Zhou."

"Brother Han, you flatter me." Zhou Xingyun was puzzled, not knowing what Xu Ziqian had said to Han Feng, which made him look at him with such expectation.

However, Han Feng's words, "Miss Xu spoke of Master Zhou in every sentence," made Zhou Xingyun feel quite pleased.

"Gentlemen, let's go to the pavilion by the lake and have a detailed discussion."

Xu Ziqian, the daughter of the governor of Fucheng, had brought a letter from her father to celebrate Mr. Su's birthday. Mr. Su was naturally delighted to welcome her. However, Xu Ziqian was not a martial artist, and her presence at Mr. Su's birthday celebration was clearly for Zhou Xingyun.

Led by the talented lady of Fucheng, Zhou Xingyun and Han Feng went to the pavilion by the Mirror Lake. Li Tianhai and other disciples from various sects, who had previously ignored Zhou Xingyun, felt awkward and didn't dare to approach the three.

At this moment, Zhou Xingyun noticed an interesting scene. Tang Yuanying and Li Tianhai were both standing by the lake, but neither was looking at the other. The former gazed affectionately at Han Feng, while the latter stared dreamily at Xu Ziqian.

It seemed that the vows and arranged marriage of the young couple were about to dissolve. For Zhou Xingyun, this was a rare piece of good news.

"Master Zhou, your knowledge of geography is extensive, even extending to the distant lands beyond the Western Regions. Master Han has many questions he wishes to ask you."

"You've never been to those distant lands. How do you know they exist?"

"To be honest, my father's library has some records. Foreign merchants once crossed the ocean to visit our Tang Dynasty. Their craftsmanship was highly appreciated by the founding emperor, 'True Martial King.' After hearing Miss Xu's explanation yesterday, I was eager to meet Master Zhou."

Yesterday, Xu Ziqian had spoken eloquently at the New Moon Tower, sharing many novel ideas that aligned with his knowledge from ancient books. Han Feng hoped Zhou Xingyun could provide a more detailed explanation of the current world situation, especially the distant lands beyond the ocean.

"Miss Xu, Brother Han, everything I said before was just speculation. Please don't take it seriously."

Zhou Xingyun was nervous, fearing that his recent boasts to Xu Ziqian, which were baseless and irresponsible, would backfire. He never expected to have an innocent victim so soon. If his mother found out he had misled people, she would surely beat him with a bamboo stick.

"Master Zhou, there's no need to worry. Whether your speculations are correct or not, Xu Ziqian will make her own judgment. Besides, we are just discussing knowledge. Please feel free to speak your mind."

Xu Ziqian laid out paper, ink, and a brush on the stone table, clearly prepared to take notes on Zhou Xingyun's teachings.

"I..." Zhou Xingyun opened his mouth but found it hard to start, as his geographical knowledge had become hazy, like an article he had memorized ten years ago, knowing the story but not the details.

Fortunately, just as Zhou Xingyun was at a loss, Xu Zijian, a disciple of Leshan Sect, walked over, interrupting their conversation.

"Senior... Junior Brother Han, why are you here alone? Where are the guards?"

"Senior Brother Xu, are you also here for Mr. Su's birthday celebration?"

"Yes, I'll go inform my master."

"Senior Brother, there's no need to make a fuss. This matter doesn't require the attention of Senior Uncle."

Han Feng seemed to be a person of some importance, as even the stern Xu Zijian treated him with respect. Indeed, Xu Zijian's intervention gave Zhou Xingyun an excuse to back out...

"Miss Xu, Brother Han, there are too many people around here. It's not suitable for a deep discussion. My unique insights might cause controversy, so let's talk another day."

"Why don't we go to the New Moon Tower for tea and discussion after the birthday celebration?" Xu Ziqian insisted, her strong desire for knowledge driving her to dig deeper, determined to extract all the knowledge from Zhou Xingyun's mind.

"Do you spend all your time outside? Doesn't your father care?"

"Oh, Master Zhou, you who advocate 'women can hold up half the sky,' how can you have such an unequal view?"

"I am a commoner, bound by the world. Miss Xu, please be careful."

The saying 'beauty is a source of trouble' is not wrong. These past two days, Xu Ziqian had made Zhou Xingyun's life difficult. Her questions were becoming more sophisticated, and sometimes he didn't know how to answer.

In Zhou Xingyun's heart, Xu Ziqian was the true genius, far superior to him, a fraud. Therefore... Mother was right; one should not mislead others with false theories.