Chapter 80

"Little niece, why are you here?" Nangong Lin looked at Nangong Ling, who was behind Zhong Wen, in surprise.

"Nephew, could it be that you didn't know this is my master's sect?" Nangong Ling replied casually, her tone devoid of any reverence.

Nangong Lin was taken aback for a moment, then a look of realization appeared on his face. He had indeed heard that this niece, the esteemed young lady of the Nangong family, had joined a third-rate sect, and at the time, he had even mocked her in his heart.

Nangong Ling reached out to take the contract, scanned it with her beautiful eyes, and looked at Nangong Lin with a smile that was not quite a smile. "Nephew, the assets of the second branch in this contract seem to be incomplete."

Nangong Lin: "..."

If it weren't for the presence of Shangguan Junyi, he might have burst out in a tirade against this traitorous niece.

Nangong Ling ignored her uncle's resentful gaze and said to herself, "We are a prestigious family in the capital, so we must have the demeanor of a prestigious family. Since you said you would bet all the assets of the second branch, please include those brothels and gambling dens as well, don't leave anything out, to avoid being ridiculed later."

"Niece, you're right. I was momentarily negligent. Thank you for reminding me," Nangong Lin said with a dry laugh. He was somewhat wary of this exceptionally intelligent niece.

Moreover, Shangguan Junyi's eyes, filled with tenderness, often glanced at him, full of resentment and hope, which softened his heart and made his waist feel hot. He gritted his teeth and added more content to the contract.

The spirit pattern on the contract glowed white and then gradually dimmed, indicating that the bet had been established.

"Mr. Zhong, please guide me!" With the matter settled, Nangong Lin's mood calmed down. He raised his right hand, and a metal-framed folding fan slid out of his sleeve. The fan was made of silk, with several characters that Zhong Wen did not recognize written on it.

The weapon of this Nangong second master was actually a fan. He was already handsome, and now, holding the exquisite folding fan and gently waving it, he looked even more elegant and graceful.

Zhong Wen's face was full of arrogance, and he used the jade-bone fan in his hand as a weapon: "Rest assured, since you are a relative of Nangong Sister, I won't take your life."

Nangong Lin, who had always been respected, had never been disrespected by anyone except his father and elder brother. How could he tolerate Zhong Wen's arrogant attitude? Although he wanted to show his gentlemanly demeanor in front of Shangguan Junyi and not attack a young man first, his fan couldn't help but tremble slightly.

"Come on, I'll let you have three moves." Seeing that Nangong Lin didn't move, Zhong Wen became even more arrogant, assuming the posture of a supreme expert.

More people gathered at the gate. Liu Qiqi, Zheng Yueying, Leng Wushuang, and a few other maids were attracted by the noise and came to watch. The little girl even brought a stool to sit on, munching on a melon while watching, a typical onlooker.

"Since you don't want to make the first move, be careful!" Seeing that Zhong Wen still had his left hand behind his back and was waving the fan with his right hand, maintaining the demeanor of a high-level expert without any intention of attacking, Nangong Lin finally couldn't hold back and launched the first attack.

He put away the fan, emitting a powerful aura at the peak of the Earth Wheel level. Using the fan as a sword, he performed a high-level sword technique. The fan bone whistled through the air, aiming straight for Zhong Wen's face.

"Oh, what a powerful fan!" Zhong Wen, who didn't expect Nangong Lin's attack to be so fierce, was momentarily at a loss, let out a shrill scream, and rolled to the side, barely avoiding Nangong Lin's powerful strike.

Seeing Zhong Wen's狼狈 (embarrassed) state, Nangong Lin's eyes showed disdain. He opened the fan with a "swish" and casually waved it, sending several sharp wind blades toward Zhong Wen, who was still rolling on the ground. Although he hadn't reached the Heaven Wheel level where spirit energy could take form, he managed to injure from a distance using a gold-level spirit technique.

Zhong Wen let out a strange cry, rolled twice, and narrowly avoided the wind blades. Nangong Lin's follow-up attacks came in rapid succession. He wielded the folding fan, opening and closing it, stabbing and pointing, with fluid movements, graceful posture, and agile steps. From a distance, he looked like a celestial being descended from heaven, exuding elegance and beauty.

In contrast, Zhong Wen was crawling and rolling on the ground, sometimes performing a graceful dive, sometimes a lazy roll. His oversized robe, which didn't fit him, was covered in mud and dust, making him look ridiculous. However, every time Nangong Lin thought he was about to hit, Zhong Wen would escape in a very embarrassing manner, just by a hair's breadth.

This kid is quite agile!

Nangong Lin increased his speed, although he looked down on Zhong Wen, he had to admit that his reflexes were extraordinary.

The folding fan opened with a "swish," and it was about to hit Zhong Wen's neck. Nangong Lin was delighted, channeling all his spirit energy into the fan, planning to take the life of this young dandy. He was confident that even if he angered the people of the Floating Flower Palace, Shangguan Junyi, a Heaven Wheel expert, would protect him.

However, Zhong Wen, who seemed to be in a desperate situation, suddenly did a forward roll, passing under Nangong Lin's arm, in a posture that was as awkward as it could be.

"Hold it!"

Nangong Lin, who was determined to land the blow, was frustrated. Just as he was about to pursue, Zhong Wen suddenly shouted.

"What, do you want to admit defeat?" Nangong Lin sneered.

Zhong Wen adjusted his tilted scholar's hat with his left hand, inserted the folding fan into his waist, and then flipped his hands, revealing several items.

"Isn't the Nangong family a prestigious family in the capital? Why did you only bring this much spirit crystal when you went out?" Zhong Wen pouted, looking at the spirit crystal ticket in his hand. He had once specifically asked the little girl about the characters of the Great Dry, and recognized the number "two hundred" on the ticket.

Nangong Lin was taken aback, reached into his pocket, and his face changed dramatically: "Did you steal my things?"

Zhong Wen took out a white handkerchief, sniffed it, and said, "It smells good."

He then handed the handkerchief to Shangguan Mingyue, pointing to the three characters in the lower right corner: "Yue'er, my eyesight is poor. Can you tell me what's written here?"

Shangguan Mingyue gave him a cold look and said irritably, "It says 'Sima Rou.'"

"Sima Rou, sounds like a beauty," Zhong Wen said with a smile, looking at Nangong Lin, "Is she your lover?"

"Shameless brat, give it back to me!" Nangong Lin, in a panic, no longer cared about his image, shouted and lunged at Zhong Wen.

However, Zhong Wen, who had been rolling on the ground, suddenly seemed to transform. His steps were graceful, and his movements were agile. No matter how Nangong Lin attacked, he couldn't get close to him.

At this moment, a piece of paper appeared in Zhong Wen's hand. When Nangong Lin saw it, his face turned pale, and cold sweat appeared on his forehead.

This was the message sent by his brother, Nangong Tianxing, via a messenger bird. To please Sima Rou, he had not destroyed the message after reading it, but it had been stolen by Zhong Wen's nimble hands.

Zhong Wen suddenly darted in front of Shangguan Junyi, handed her the paper, and asked with a smile, "My dear, what's written on this paper? Read it for me."

Shangguan Junyi smoothed her hair, took the paper, and glanced at it, sighing, "This is a letter from the head of the Nangong family to this Nangong second master, saying that to form an alliance with the Shangguan family, he should sacrifice his appearance to seduce me."

After saying this, she looked at Nangong Lin with a complex expression, feeling a bit disappointed but not too sad.

"Junyi, listen to my explanation!" Nangong Lin said anxiously.

"Wait until the duel is over, then you can explain," Zhong Wen suddenly appeared in front of him.

"Get out of the way!" Nangong Lin, no longer caring about the duel, only wanted to weave lies to salvage Shangguan Junyi's impression of him.

"Bang!"

With a loud noise, Zhong Wen's fist hit Nangong Lin's right cheek.

Nangong Lin felt his head buzz, his face burning with pain. He touched it and found it slightly swollen. Used to relying on his looks, he was instantly furious and waved his fan rapidly. "Brat, you're asking for it!"

"Bang!"

His move missed again, and his left cheek was hit by Zhong Wen's heavy punch.

"Ah, you're dead!"

The burning sensation on both cheeks and Shangguan Junyi's disappointed gaze made him lose his mind. He wildly waved his fan, but his movements were no longer precise.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Nangong Lin felt that every time his fan was about to touch Zhong Wen, it was deflected by an unknown force, and then he would be hit in the face.

Zhong Wen's intention was clear. He didn't harm Nangong Lin's body, only his face, and the force of his punches was not too strong, only enough to disfigure him without causing serious injury.

Let you be more handsome than me! Let you be more handsome than me!

I'll give you a left hook, a right hook, and a warning that those who anger me are in danger!

With each punch, Zhong Wen silently cursed, unable to suppress his jealousy of this middle-aged handsome man.

Zhong Wen, after all, was also at the Earth Wheel level. Although he held back, after so many punches, Nangong Lin was dizzy, his steps unsteady, and his face swollen like a pig's, with tears and snot mixed together, no longer looking like a graceful young master or a flower saint.

How pitiful!

Even Shangguan Mingyue, who hated him to the bone, felt a bit of sympathy.

"Bang!"

Another punch to the face, and Nangong Lin finally couldn't hold on. He fell backward with a "thud," his head dizzy, and it took a long time for him to regain his senses.