novelden Chapter 163 Losing to A-Shu was a Willing Commitment
Chapter 163 Losing to A-Shu was a Willing Commitment
The melodious sound of the zither drifts through the water, lotus leaves stretch out, and lotus flowers dot the landscape. Sunlight spills across the water, creating shimmering waves that reflect a dazzling light.
A warm breeze swept by, bringing a touch of coolness to the waterside pavilion built over a lotus pond.
Not far away, the white gauze curtains on the hexagonal pavilion were blown by the wind and scattered everywhere. Behind the screen behind the gauze curtains, a beautiful figure was gracefully turning the zither and plucking the strings.
As the gauze curtains rose and fell, the figure behind the screen appeared and disappeared, hazy and indistinct, like a lotus fairy that could be admired from afar but not touched!
Meanwhile, on the waterside pavilion...
Yantai was explaining the rules for the second round of the martial arts competition. He also brought over a box of lots for the three of them to draw. After they drew their lots, they could begin on their own.
"Tsk tsk! This young master Ji really plays a fine 'love' tune!"
As Xu Jingyun listened, she sensed something was off. The zither music was clearly a love song, so she muttered something sarcastic and casually picked up a bamboo stick.
Hearing Xu Jingyun's strange tone of praise, Lin Shu also listened carefully: the sound of the zither was like a mountain stream, melodious and gentle; it also contained delicate and restrained emotions.
He couldn't help but nod in agreement; the piece Ji Gong played was indeed a rare gem!
Seeing that Lin Shu actually nodded in agreement, Xu Jingyun felt a little uncomfortable. She glanced at the empty bamboo stick in Lin Shu's hand and walked straight to the already emptied waterside pavilion.
"Hurry up, don't waste my time." Xu Jingyun was already annoyed, and seeing Qi Min hesitating and looking at Lin Shu without stepping forward, she urged her impatiently.
Qi Min breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Xu Jingyun. Thankfully, it wasn't Lin Shu. She sized Xu Jingyun up and down, concluding she shouldn't be too strong. Confidently, she raised her head, fanning herself, and walked over.
"Don't worry, Miss Xu, I will show mercy..."
"boom……"
Before he could finish speaking, Xu Jingyun kicked him back several steps.
"Hiss..." Qi Min winced in pain. That damn Xu Jingyun really went all out! She wasn't even prepared and hadn't even been able to unleash her true strength!
So, hunching over, his right hand clutching his aching stomach from the kick, he picked up a folding fan with his left hand and pointed it at Xu Jingyun, saying:
"You...you attacked me from behind...you have no sportsmanship...! Wait till I give you my permission..."
"Snapped."
Before she could finish speaking, Xu Jingyun slammed her left wrist hard with the closed ribs of her fan, causing the fan to fall to the ground. The force was so great that Qi Min felt her left hand was definitely broken and she couldn't lift it at all.
Immediately forgetting her stomach, she quickly pulled out her right hand to support her unnaturally drooping left hand, screaming, "Ah... my hand!"
"Hmph! You dare point a finger at me? I'll beat you!" Xu Jingyun said, slowly approaching step by step. Qi Min was so frightened that she trembled and retreated repeatedly. Only when she had nowhere left to retreat did she dare to open one eye and look at the other side.
Upon closer inspection, Xu Jingyun stood before the fan that had just been dropped, raised her gold-embroidered leather boot, and stomped down hard, saying in a low voice:
"You dare use the same fan as me? You're not worthy!"
After saying that, he stared intently at Qi Min, and deliberately twisted his foot hard. With a 'crack', the fan was...shattered into pieces.
At that moment, Qi Min felt as if the other person's action was stepping on her head, which was extremely terrifying. Everyone around her involuntarily took a step back.
Qi Min opened and closed her mouth, but couldn't utter a single word for a long time. Although she would be punished by the First Princess for failing the task, it was far less terrifying than the person in front of her. So she mumbled something, intending to admit defeat:
"I...I admit it...uh..."
Unfortunately, Xu Jingyun didn't give her a chance at all, and directly stuffed a piece of cloth that she had somehow gotten her hands on into her mouth.
"I haven't finished venting my anger yet!" With that, Xu Jingyun grabbed Qi Min by the collar with her left hand, holding a fan in her left hand, and gave her a good beating...
Half an hour later, Xu Jingyun stood up, tossed her hair that was falling across her chest back, brushed her sleeves, and let out a long sigh of relief. Not bad! The pent-up frustration in her chest had indeed dissipated today.
Today, she already knew that the Grand Tutor's son was choosing a wife, and she had no interest in it.
But who knew that Lin Shu would also come? How could she sit still? That's why she rushed here without stopping!
She had been suppressing her jealousy, and Qi Min just happened to walk right into her trap.
Having vented her anger, Xu Jingyun bent down and pulled the burlap out of Qi Min's mouth, throwing it aside. A front tooth also fell out with it.
She raised an eyebrow and casually used her folding fan to lift the other person's trembling chin: "Tsk tsk, how pitiful, all your teeth are gone! Will you still dare to...?"
Before she could finish speaking, Qi Min had already spontaneously shaken her head: "I wouldn't dare..."
Xu Jingyun nodded in satisfaction, turned her head to look into Lin Shu's eyes, and teased meaningfully, "Yes! That's more like it! Otherwise, I would feel sorry for her if she were punished!"
Qi Min: "..." Are you a devil? Look at all these injuries I have, they're all thanks to you!
Everyone: "..." They silently moved further away from this pervert.
Only Lin Shu understood her hidden meaning; she knew without a doubt that these words were probably directed at her! Seeing that she seemed to have regained some of the carefree attitude she had when they first met, well… that was truly a bit perverted!
Xu Jingyun undoubtedly won this round, and next up is Xu Jingyun vs. Lin Shu.
Xu Jingyun stood in the hall, her right hand holding a fan to her chin, and her left hand reaching out towards Lin Shu, her slender index finger gently hooking her fingers.
If a man were to do this, it would certainly be considered provocative; but since Xu Jingyun is dressed as a woman, and a ruthless one at that, this action seems more like a challenge.
Everyone looked at Lin Shu, who had no expression, with pity.
Lin Shu stepped forward as invited, and Xu Jingyun unfolded her folding fan first, then used it to strike Lin Shu's neck. Lin Shu leaned back and dodged the attack.
Then she grabbed Xu Jingyun's hand holding the folding fan. Seeing this, Xu Jingyun quickly flipped the fan in her hand and moved it to her other hand. She leaned against the hand that Lin Shu was holding...
Hexagonal pavilion.
Seeing the two evenly matched fighters, Ji Wan couldn't help but ask, "Little brother, aren't you afraid Lin Shu will lose? I think that guy surnamed Xu is quite formidable!"
Ji Heng didn't answer, or rather, he didn't hear it, but upon closer listening, he could tell that the zither music he played was off-key.
Inside the waterside pavilion, Lin Shu and the other woman were also talking quietly.
Of course, most of the accounts were told by Angela Hui.
"Oh! Ah Shu~, did the ever-successful Young Master Ji play the 'Love' song wrong?" Xu Jingyun naturally noticed the mistake in Ji Heng's piano playing. Following the force of their exchange, she leaned closer to Lin Shu and whispered.
Lin Shu frowned and didn't answer. She didn't realize that although a gentleman should also study music among the Six Arts, she wasn't proficient in it.
Xu Jingyun continued, somewhat jealously, "Tsk tsk tsk! What a beautiful 'Flowing Water and Soulmate'! As the saying goes, 'High mountains and flowing water meet a soulmate,' but is this Young Master Ji meeting a soulmate, or is it you, Lin Shu?"
But seeing Ah Shu's 'bride-stealing' today, she must also be hoping to win the handsome man's heart! Alas! How heartless she is, completely forgetting about me!
"Don't talk nonsense." Lin Shu said, then slapped him in the chest, trying to create distance between them.
"Ugh..." Xu Jingyun clutched her chest and let out a muffled groan, her face instantly turning pale.
Lin Shu frowned and unconsciously took half a step forward. She hadn't hit hard, so why?
Xu Jingyun looked up and saw the worry on Lin Shu's cold face, a worry that even Lin Shu herself probably didn't realize. She smiled weakly and decisively admitted defeat: "I admit defeat!"
No one understood why Xu Jingyun suddenly admitted defeat when the two were fighting so well and were clearly evenly matched.
Xu Jingyun, however, seemed quite pleased with her loss. She took a few steps closer to Lin Shu's ear and said with a smile, "I'm willing to lose to A-Shu!"
The warm breath brushed against his ear, and Lin Shu's pupils flickered, his thoughts unreadable. This time, he didn't back down, but instead, with a blank expression on his handsome face, he asked dryly, "Are you alright?"
Xu Jingyun's smile deepened. She shook her head, pointed to the small patch of blood that had begun to seep from her chest, and said lazily in a nasal voice:
"It's nothing, but Ah Shu injured you, so Ah Shu has to take responsibility!"
Lin Shu looked in the direction he was pointing, and suddenly remembered the sword she had used to stab him half a month ago. Her throat tightened, and after a long while, she uttered a cold word:
"Ah."
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