Chapter 5

The Dragon Gate Inn welcomed a beauty of unparalleled charm, which became the second most significant news in Lingzhou City after the return of the Young Master from his travels.

People eager for a glimpse nearly wore out the inn’s threshold, making business thrive. Whenever the truly stunning beauty emerged from her room to dine, the inn would be packed with idlers eager to catch a glimpse. Initially, only young playboys participated, but later, wealthy merchants who were past their prime and could no longer perform in bed also came to admire her beauty, all agreeing that she was a feast for the eyes.

Gossips claimed that this young lady was even more captivating than Lingzhou’s top courtesan, Yu Youwei. Some gentlemen who had seen the world beyond Lingzhou also said they had never seen such a radiant woman in their lives. Talented scholars even spent large sums of money to secure good seats in the inn, sipping wine and sketching her on Xuan paper.

The beauty from out of town remained unperturbed, treating everyone as if they were invisible. She drank only the best aged huadiao wine from Lingzhou and ate slowly, but not with the coquettishness of a modest lady. Her unique charm was enhanced by the two knives of different lengths on the table, which deterred many ill-intentioned young men.

Who would believe that a well-bred young lady would travel alone and carry knives, and not just one but two?

The more extraordinary the flower, the harder it is to pluck. This is a realization that must be had by the sons of the gentry, a truth honed through years of mischief in the countryside. Just like the two princesses of the Beiliang王府, who would dare to look at them for a second without fearing the loss of their eyes?

The leader of the Lingzhou playboys, Young Master Xu, had long said: "We all come out to play, but it’s not as easy as the common folk think. There are rules and ways to follow, and we must live up to the heads on our shoulders. Our heads are not for defecation; that’s what our butts are for."

Therefore, when the Lingzhou playboys ventured into neighboring prefectures, they were especially proud and looked down on the local wealthy and noble young men, boasting about their family background, wealth, and brains.

Since the Young Master had returned to the city, the appearance of the beauty meant that the Young Master’s presence was not far behind.

The answer, however, was somewhat different from expectations. The admirable and detestable Young Master arrived three days later than everyone imagined, but he did come. Upon his arrival, everyone left the inn voluntarily. After all, who would dare to compete with the Young Master for a beauty or a courtesan without paying a bloody price?

Take, for example, the young master Tang from neighboring Dengzhou, whose father was a third-rank official and whose grandfather was a second-rank Guanglu Doctor in the imperial court. He had the audacity to compete with our Young Master for the courtesan Yu, and ended up returning to Dengzhou with a broken arm. His father, the governor of Dengzhou, personally went to apologize, but was not even allowed to enter the gates of the mansion. The Young Master simply said one word: "Get lost!"

The inn suddenly became empty, with few visitors, but the innkeeper still wore a fawning smile, presenting the best aged huadiao wine he had kept for years, claiming it was a bold gesture to welcome the Young Master.

Oh, dear father, the Young Master, who never paid a single coin for wine in the past, suddenly gave a five-thousand silver note as a tip.

The innkeeper quickly hid behind the counter, trembling hands holding the silver note. He was not worried that the Young Master was just being generous in front of the beauty, because once the silver left the Young Master’s pocket, it never returned, a true display of the Wang family’s grandeur.

In general, the people of Lingzhou City were indeed terrified of the Young Master, but after years of unruly behavior, no one had actually hanged themselves or jumped into the river.

For example, the young ladies who were "invited" into the Beiliang王府 later said that they were only shown the scenery and left behind some intimate items, at most a bit of fondling, but nothing more.

At first, no one believed them, but after a few beautiful virgins were examined after leaving the mansion, it was confirmed to be true. This made some promiscuous women secretly resent why the Young Master did not abduct them, wondering if their beauty was not enough.

Xu Fengnian sat across from the White Fox Face, personally opening the huadiao wine. The aroma instantly filled the air. He offered a bowl, but it was not accepted.

Xu Fengnian put it down and smiled wryly, saying, "Don’t worry, I’ve done the trick of drugging people before, but I know you are a powerful martial artist, so I won’t humiliate myself. I might have tried in the past, but today I only brought Old Huang, and I’m afraid you might hit me with Xiudong and Chunlei. Besides, I don’t have a preference for men, so what are you afraid of? Are you worried I’ll take your knives? That’s underestimating me, isn’t it?"

The White Fox Face smiled slightly and finally picked up the wine bowl, taking a gentle sip. These simple actions almost made Xu Fengnian, who had seen countless beauties, lose his composure, wishing he could beat his chest and ask the heavens why such a beauty was a man.

The White Fox Face’s voice was soft and pleasant, saying, "Someone who can casually give away the magic sect’s treasure, the 'Tongjin Bao Lu,' is indeed not the type to covet Xiudong and Chunlei."

Xu Fengnian added, "It’s not just ‘not the type,’ but ‘not at all.’”

During the five months from their accidental meeting to their reluctant acquaintance, the White Fox Face had been sparing with words, only slightly better than a mute, unlike today’s willingness to converse.

He remembered that the first words out of the White Fox Face’s mouth were a thunderbolt, "I am a man." Initially, Xu Fengnian did not believe it, but as they spent more time together, the experienced Young Master had to accept it.

The White Fox Face, though not talkative, always kept his word. For example, he said he would kill all the bandits on the road, and not leave a single one alive. He said he would escort Xu Fengnian to Lingzhou City after obtaining the secret manual, and even though he could have left, he still followed Xu Fengnian to Lingzhou.

Moreover, the White Fox Face did not seem like a woman. He drank like water and killed like picking up grass. Xu Fengnian trusted his intuition, which initially could not stand the White Fox Face’s condescending gaze, and declared, "I’m a young master, a playboy, not a beggar in your eyes!"

The White Fox Face responded with a chilling statement, "I don’t lie, but I don’t like being lied to. If you lie to me, I’ll kill you in Lingzhou and place the 'Tongjin Bao Lu' on your corpse."

Xu Fengnian thought the White Fox Face was a madman, a madman of unparalleled beauty, a madman of unparalleled beauty with unfathomable martial arts skills and a fondness for knives.

The key was that he was a man.

Xu Fengnian’s heart was broken.

It was agreed that he would find the world’s most beautiful woman for the simple-minded Old Huang. If she were a woman, it would be a simple matter, and even the top ten martial artists in the world would have to yield.

Now, he only hoped to meet the well-known beauty before his younger brother came down the mountain, hoping that the four women known as the world’s top beauties would live up to their names. One for his brother, two for himself, and the last one for the entire martial world to fight over.

The White Fox Face held a wine bowl in one hand and caressed the Xiudong knife with the other.

The Xiudong knife, one of the nine short weapons in the eighteen weapons, was considered the best among the short weapons. Swordsmen, being clever, did not argue about the best short weapon, instead claiming the title of the king of weapons.

The Xiudong knife was three feet and two inches long, with a handle of two and a half inches, exquisitely crafted, more beautiful than the simple Chunlei. It suited the Young Master’s taste, and when he traveled in Lingzhou, he liked to choose a beautiful sword from the armory to wear. He estimated the Xiudong knife to weigh about two pounds, but the White Fox Face once revealed that it weighed ten pounds and nine ounces when in a good mood.

Xu Fengnian had no major virtues, but being born in the Beiliang王府, he had seen the world and believed the White Fox Face immediately. As for the narrow and short Chunlei knife, which had never been unsheathed, the White Fox Face had never mentioned it, which was a minor regret for Xu Fengnian.

Xu Fengnian raised his cup, "I toast to you."

The White Fox Face subtly turned his head, a very slight angle, but Xu Fengnian knew it was a sign of inquiry, so he smiled and answered, "Not to thank you for bringing me back to Lingzhou. That’s not a favor; giving you half of the 'Tongjin Bao Lu' makes us even. But you let me confirm that there are indeed solitary experts who can take on a hundred bandits. Otherwise, my three years of hardship would have been in vain."

The White Fox Face maintained that angle, and Xu Fengnian, who could remember things almost perfectly, was not stupid and explained again, "Whether you believe it or not, I have to tell you that there are definitely experts like you in the mansion, and not just one or two. But no one has ever shown their skills in front of me, probably because Xu Xiao instructed them. This led me to always doubt whether the feats of flying over eaves and walking on snow without leaving a trace were just exaggerations."

The White Fox Face lowered his head and took a sip of wine.

Xu Fengnian smiled, "Tell me, what do you want me to do when I come to find you?"

The White Fox Face, known as the world’s most beautiful man, broke his silence with a smile and said straightforwardly, "I want to enter the Tiaochao Pavilion and read half of the world’s martial arts secrets."

Xu Fengnian was taken aback, "What do you want to do? Isn’t learning martial arts boring and uninteresting? I refused to learn martial arts when I was young, practicing in the cold of winter and the heat of summer, with no time to rest. It’s much more comfortable to be a playboy."

The White Fox Face’s lips curled slightly, saying nothing, clearly indicating that they had different goals.

Xu Fengnian frowned, "Just to become the world’s top martial artist?"

The White Fox Face looked at the Chunlei knife on the table and shook his head slightly.

Xu Fengnian pursued, "Is it because you couldn’t win a woman and decided to become stronger?"

The White Fox Face gave Xu Fengnian a strange look, as if looking at a fool.

Xu Fengnian was at a loss and decided to drink in silence, not forgetting to ask the innkeeper to warm two pots of the best and most expensive huangjiu for Old Huang, who only loved huangjiu. Old Huang, a strange man with a strange temperament, was like the White Fox Face, but why wasn’t Old Huang a martial arts expert like the White Fox Face? Thinking about this, Xu Fengnian drank even more.

The White Fox Face slowly said, "I want to kill four people."

Xu Fengnian was stunned, "With your exceptional skills, it’s still difficult?"

The White Fox Face’s eyes became strange again, and Xu Fengnian immediately realized he had been foolish, saying, "Alright, then they must be among the top ten martial artists in the world."

The White Fox Face looked out the window, his expression melancholy, like a clear autumn day, "Not quite. Two are first-rank experts, among the top ten you mentioned. The other two are even stronger, but half of them are not from your Liyang dynasty."

Xu Fengnian slapped his thigh, "White Fox Face, you’re amazing, I like you."

Accidentally revealing a secret, Xu Fengnian thought it was not good, but the beauty known as the White Fox Face only smiled slightly, seemingly not disliking it and finding it interesting.

Xu Fengnian tentatively asked, "The Tiaochao Pavilion is not easy to enter. Since I can remember, almost every year, so-called martial heroes have tried to enter, only to be thrown into the wilderness, and I have seen it happen several times, with gruesome deaths. But I can promise you that if you enter the mansion, I will help you read one book at a time until you finish. If, and I say if, Xu Xiao agrees, you can stay in the Tiaochao Pavilion. The only condition is that you don’t mind the zombie-like guardians, hey, they’re not as handsome and witty as me."

The White Fox Face’s narrow, almond-shaped eyes sparkled, looking straight at Xu Fengnian, implying, "Xu Beggar, what are your conditions?"

Xu Fengnian nervously said, "Just one condition, tell me your name."

The White Fox Face tilted his head, thought for a moment, and softly said, "Nangong Pushe."

...

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Note: Nangong Pushe (ye, pronounced in the fourth tone.)

{Piaotian Literature}