Chapter 82: Chapter 78: Regret

「Tingxue Pavilion, in the Huang Mansion’s Inner Courtyard.」

Xu Xiuhua was reclining on a concubine’s couch covered with a thick brocade mattress, a maid gently massaging her legs.

Xu Fang sat on an embroidered stool below her, holding a cup of hot tea. The aunt and niece chatted idly, mostly about trivial household matters and fashionable fabrics.

“Xiaofang, what did you think of those bolts of Yunjin Brocade that Brocade Square sent over the other day?”

Xu Xiuhua asked nonchalantly.

“The material is excellent, and the colors are perfect, but the patterns are a bit too complex.”

Xu Fang answered cautiously.

Xu Xiuhua’s gaze fell on Xu Fang’s downcast face. Her tone suddenly shifted, laced with worry. “Xiaofang, there are some things I, as your aunt, must remind you of.”

Xu Fang’s heart skipped a beat. She looked up. “Please, go on, Aunt.”

“The two of us might look glamorous here in the Huang Family, but in reality, our foundation is shallow.”

Xu Xiuhua’s tone was heavy. “I have no son to rely on, and you are here without any family ties. As long as the Patriarch is here, no one dares to slight us. But in a great house like this, it’s common for the tea to grow cold once a person is gone. After the Patriarch passes away, our lives… I’m afraid they will become difficult.”

Xu Fang’s fingers tightened slightly around her teacup.

How could she not know? This hidden worry was like a thin sheet of ice hanging over her head. It was fine when she didn’t think about it, but now that her aunt had pointed it out so directly, a chill instantly seeped into her heart.

Xu Xiuhua leaned forward slightly, her eyes holding a shrewd, calculating look as she lowered her voice. “The Young Master, Mingxuan, is the Patriarch’s choice for the next head of the family. He’s young, capable, and has a steady temperament. You… should find more opportunities to be around him. Find some excuse to ask about paintings and calligraphy, or even about the mansion’s miscellaneous affairs. Serve him tea, prepare his ink… you must make him remember you, make him have a good impression of you.”

Xu Fang’s heart sank, and a bitter feeling instantly spread through her.

’Get close to Young Master Huang Mingxuan? As if she hadn’t tried!’

But the Young Master’s gaze was cool and distant. His manners were impeccable, yet he always maintained an invisible barrier of aloofness.

She had tried to strike up a conversation a few times on the pretext of delivering snacks, but he was always either reading or handling business. He would dismiss her with a few indifferent words, his eyes never lingering on her for more than a moment.

The feeling of being completely ignored was more mortifying than any harsh word.

“Yes, Aunt. Fang’Er understands,” Xu Fang said, lowering her head to suppress the bitterness in her heart.

’What could she say? In this deep, secluded mansion, this was the only piece of driftwood they could grasp, the only seemingly viable plan.’

Just as they were speaking, a young maid with her hair in double buns came in, an unconcealed look of shock and a hint of excitement on her face.

She was Xu Fang’s personal maid.

“My Lady, Young Miss…”

Xiaocui curtsied, her voice low and urgent. “Something huge happened… at the Cyan Scale Association!”

“Oh?”

Xu Xiuhua lifted her eyelids lazily. “What sort of huge thing could have happened? Did some Martial Arts Hall get into a serious fight again?”

“No, My Lady!”

Xiaocui spoke rapidly, her eyes wide. “It’s the Zhou Institute! It’s that Chen Qing!”

Then, Xiaocui recounted what had happened at the Cyan Scale Association.

CLATTER!

The lid of the teacup in Xu Fang’s hand slipped and fell to the floor, shattering with a crisp sound.

Scalding tea splashed onto the hem of her dress, but she didn’t even notice. She was completely frozen, as if hit by an Immobilization Technique, her eyes fixed on Xiaocui in disbelief, her lovely mouth slightly agape.

The gentle tapping on Xu Xiuhua’s legs stopped abruptly, and her lazy expression vanished without a trace.

She shot upright, staring intently at Xiaocui. “What did you say? Chen Qing? Which Chen Qing? The one from Mute Bay?!”

“That’s him, My Lady!”

Xiaocui nodded vigorously, describing the news she’d heard with vivid detail. “It’s absolutely true! Many people saw it! First, he crippled that genius from the Songfeng Martial Arts Hall, Gao Sheng, in a single move—shattered his spine! Then… then even the Songfeng Martial Arts Hall’s head disciple, Qu Yaohui, was beaten so badly he was coughing up blood and sent flying off the platform! I heard his sternum caved in! They’re still trying to save him right now! The whole General Selection Platform is in an uproar! Everyone is saying a terrifying demon has emerged from the Zhou Institute!”

“Crippled Gao Sheng in one move? Heavily injured Qu Yaohui?!”

Xu Fang murmured, losing her voice. Her face instantly turned pale, then was quickly flooded with a crimson blush of disbelief.

Her mind was buzzing. The image of a taciturn figure in shabby martial attire, drawing a Ten-Stone Bow on the field of the Martial Arts Examination, seemed to reappear before her eyes.

The overwhelming sense of absurdity and the powerful shock left her almost breathless.

’He actually… The carp has leaped over the Dragon Gate?!’

Xu Xiuhua’s reaction was more direct. All color drained from her well-maintained face, leaving only a deathly pallor of shock.

Every single word transformed into an invisible slap, striking her face with a sharp, burning pain.

’Regret? Perhaps a little.’

’But it was overwhelmed by incredible shock and a sense of absurdity, as if fate itself were mocking her.’

The fisherman’s boy she thought was only fit to be a Hospital Guard Leader had suddenly transformed into a monster capable of grievously wounding a famous Transmutation Force master!

The immense contrast made her feel as if she were in a dream.

The Warm Pavilion fell into a deathly silence.

Xu Xiuhua slowly leaned back against the soft pillows and waved her hand. “I understand. You may go. Do not… spread this matter around.”

“Yes, My Lady.”

Xiaocui quickly acknowledged the order and carefully retreated.

…

「Nuoxiang Pavilion, Huang Family Estate」

Outside, the early snow had not yet stopped, pattering against the window lattice with a soft rustle.

Patriarch Huang Chengzong of the Huang Family, a gaunt-faced middle-aged man with deep-set eyes, asked, “Master Shi, how are your two beloved disciples?”

Shi Wenshan’s expression was frighteningly dark. “Gao Sheng’s spine was shattered and his major tendons were severed. His life is ruined! Yaohui’s sternum is fractured and his internal organs are severely damaged. Although his life was saved, his foundation has been injured. It’s uncertain if he can ever return to his peak!”

’Gao Sheng was one thing, but Qu Yaohui was his head disciple, the one he valued most, his hope for a comfortable old age.’

Huang Chengzong took a sip of tea and said slowly, “Gao Sheng’s aptitude was good, but he was too arrogant and didn’t know how to hide his strength. Crippling Qin Lie during the Martial Arts Examination already backed Zhou Liang into a corner, and it also served as a warning to Chen Qing. This time, at the Cyan Scale Association, you sent him to provoke a newly advanced Transmutation Force master whose foundation was already stable. That was a miscalculation on your part. As for Qu Yaohui… his skills were inferior. There’s no one to blame but himself.”

Stung by Huang Chengzong’s calm but sharp words, Shi Wenshan’s face grew even uglier. His chest heaved, but he could not refute him.

“That Chen Qing.”

Huang Chengzong set down his teacup, frowning. “He truly surprised me. A son of fishermen from Mute Bay… to think he could break through to Transmutation Force in such a short time, and display such ruthless decisiveness and veteran combat prowess right after entering the realm…”

He paused, a flicker of cold light passing through his eyes. “A person like this, if he cannot be used by me, will become a grave threat. Especially now, with the ’Gaolin Commerce Association’ newly established and all the powers needing to be reshuffled.”

“Patriarch Huang, your meaning is?”

Shi Wenshan suppressed his anger, catching the deeper meaning in Huang Chengzong’s words.

“He ruined your disciples and cost you your dignity, which is a slap in the face to the Songfeng Martial Arts Hall. It also indirectly undermines the prestige of our association’s efforts to consolidate power.”

Huang Chengzong said indifferently, “This debt must naturally be settled. But how to settle it, and when, requires careful planning. After all, Zhou Liang is still alive.”

Shi Wenshan said nothing, merely listening quietly.

Huang Chengzong continued, “Zhou Liang has old grievances, your Songfeng Martial Arts Hall has a blood feud, and as for the County Soldier Camp… be patient, Master Shi.”

“The association is newly established; there are plenty of ’legitimate’ methods we can use. The most urgent matter right now is to stabilize the association’s situation. Don’t let today’s events affect our grand plan.”

Shi Wenshan took a deep breath, picked up the cup of tea before him that had long since cooled, and drained it in one gulp.

…

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