Chapter 254: with translation of chapter title

Propose marriage?

Duan Yu's heart skipped a beat.

"Not bad." Niu Dingtian glanced at him, his fingertip lightly tapping the table as he said, "Children's marriages ultimately must follow parental orders and the matchmaker's words. Given your family status, Young Master Duan, as long as your father personally takes charge, the marriage will likely succeed."

After saying that, Niu Dingtian said nothing more, merely sipping his drink.

He naturally wasn't acting out of good intentions, seeking to bring about Duan Yu and Wang Yuyan's marriage.

Duan Yu is the son of Duan Zhengchun, the Prince Zhen'nan of the Dali Kingdom.

And Duan Zhengchun, by nature licentious, had an affair with Wang Yuyan's mother, Li Qingluo, in his youth; consequently, Li Qingluo eventually married someone else while carrying his child.

Therefore, Wang Yuyan's biological father is Duan Zhengchun.

And even more shocking, Duan Yu is not Duan Zhengchun's biological son.

However, aside from myself and Duan Yu's mother, Dao Bai Feng, no one else in the world knows this. This marriage could not be arranged if it went through Duan Zhengchun; the only purpose is to lure him to the Manor of Myriad Blossoms.

After all, letting him walk into the trap himself is better than me going to Dali to forcefully request it.

But Miss Wang's thoughts are entirely on Young Master Murong; this… this isn't right, is it?

Duan Yu said hesitantly, his face both moved and torn.

As the saying goes, "A gentleman helps others achieve perfection, not taking what they love." Although he loved deeply, he also did not wish to go against the sage's teachings.

Niu Dingtian saw this, slowly set down his cup, and chuckled: "Miss Wang is merely young and infatuated; having never met any other men since childhood, she naturally thinks her cousin is the best."

However, once a woman has a child, her thoughts naturally turn entirely to the child—think of your mother, Young Master Duan; don't you understand?

His spiel was utterly without psychological pressure; saying it also counts as helping Duan Yu free himself sooner.

A dream in the southern bough must end; life, if like a dream, is all empty.

Although Duan Yu and Wang Yuyan are not blood siblings, their fathers are paternal cousins, so they ultimately share a common great-grandfather.

Duan Yu's face still showed hesitation.

In his turmoil, his mind flashed at times to Wang Yuyan's tearful questioning on their wedding night, and at other times to the two of them surrounded by descendants under a melon trellis.

For a long time.

Still no decision.

Niu Dingtian sighed and said, "Looks like I've played the villain for nothing. Since Young Master Duan has reservations, if I don't go to hell, who will? Upon returning from the Gathering of Virtues Manor, I will discuss the wedding date with Lady Wang."

Having said that, he took out a silver ingot, placed it on the table, and rose to leave.

Duan Yu started, quickly rose to pursue, shouting, "Young Master Niu, no! You already have Miss A Bi! I've decided—I'll write to my father right now!"

In the end, he still couldn't resist the temptation to spend his life with the Fairy Sister.

Upon returning to the inn, he immediately wrote a letter and sent it express to Dali.

As for the content, he didn't mention which maiden; he only said that he met his beloved at Tai Lake in Wuxi, that he would marry no one else in this life, and hoped his father would promptly prepare generous gifts to come and meet him.

Regarding this, Wang Yuyan was completely unaware; after her shame and anger subsided, she also frequently avoided Niu Dingtian these past two days.

Sometimes she wanted to go find Duan Yu to talk, but that Young Master Duan, who constantly clung to her side, seemed to be avoiding her, intentionally or not.

As the instigator, Niu Dingtian either helped A Zhu circulate her qi to warm her wound, or simply stayed all day at the inn to recover his strength.

Two days later.

A Zhu's condition had also stabilized; Niu Dingtian made preparations, sent a letter to the Manor of Myriad Blossoms reporting safety, and with five people, one horse, and one carriage, they left Wuxi heading toward Henan Prefecture.

……

That night, the outskirts of Xinyang City.

The moon hung high in the vast sky; a bright, silver-like disk illuminated the ancient road of Xinyang, its light as thin as mist.

Only the sound of hurried hooves from afar could be heard; two riders swiftly appeared on the ancient road, one ahead of the other, panickedly galloping toward the Small Mirror Lake.

Not long after, a thin, elongated black shadow suddenly flew through the air, lightly tapping the tips of the green bamboo branches; after a few leaps, it closed the distance with the riders ahead by several zhang.

As he waved his arms, the black shadow drew nearer, letting out a gleeful yet lewd laugh.

In the moonlight, it could faintly be seen as none other than Yun Zhonghe, who had besieged Niu Dingtian in the apricot grove before.

Hearing the laughter, the woman leading the charge on horseback turned her head in alarm; seeing she was about to catch up to the person behind her, she suddenly raised her arm and fired, with two swishing sounds, two crossbow bolts.

Yun Zhonghe's figure paused slightly; he raised his iron claw to block, producing two clear tings, and sparks flew in the moonlight.

Mu Wanqing shouted urgently: "Mother, let's fight this lecher to the death!"

The woman was indeed Mu Wanqing; the beautiful lady behind her was her mother, the "Asura Blade" Qin Hongmian.

Qin Hongmian knew she and her daughter were no match; she gritted her teeth and drew the twin blades at her waist.

"Waner, you go first!"

"Your father is at that scoundrel's Small Mirror Lake; just go forward and cross the stone bridge!"

In the midst of shouting, feeling a sudden strong wind from behind, Qin Hongmian's heart jolted; she bent her waist backward, and as she just touched the horse's back, she fiercely slashed her twin blades at Yun Zhonghe's lower body.

Having endured his incessant verbal humiliation all along, only by cutting this root of calamity could she quell her hatred.

Yun Zhonghe was greatly startled.

His body stalled, he hastily raised his iron claw to block, but due to carelessness, the sharp blade still slit a small opening in his garments below the waist.

"You slut! You don't know your place; wait till I've had my fun, then I'll torture you slowly!"

In his loud angry shout, Yun Zhonghe's iron claw firmly pressed down on the twin blades, while his other hand reached for Qin Hongmian's chest.

"Swish!"

"Swish!"

Seeing that chicken-claw-like left hand about to tear off her clothing, she heard a tearing sound; Mu Wanqing turned, raised her arm, and two more crossbow bolts shot out.

Yun Zhonghe slightly turned his head; one bolt whizzed past his cheek, then he raised his iron claw to block the other; Qin Hongmian had also broken free, swiftly straightened her waist, and rode away on horseback.

The stone bridge lay just ahead, the lights by the lakeside faintly visible.

Yun Zhonghe's face turned fierce; he was about to resume the chase when a long roar suddenly came from the bamboo grove, followed by a loud, metallic-sounding laugh: "Hahaha, Old Fourth, you brat, have you been playing with women too much? You can't even catch two ladies!"

Before his words faded, someone had already rushed past Yun Zhonghe, grabbing a pair of crocodile‑beak shears, and charged toward the lights.

Charging forward, he let out a long whistle: "You Duan bastard! Grandfather Yue Lao San has arrived—come out quickly and kneel for mercy!"

"For your son's sake, I might still spare your life!"

With that long whistle, he exerted his full strength; it was like the tide swiftly receding, wave after wave gradually advancing then receding, then the surging waves grew mighty and fierce, in an instant sweeping across the entire Small Mirror Lake.

As soon as Mu Wanqing and Qin Hongmian crossed the stone bridge, the whistle startled the people and horses into chaos; both horses reared up, lifting their hooves, and began to spin at the bridge's edge.

Hearing the commotion, several figures darted swiftly from the direction of the lights.

When the rider came into view, one of them—a middle‑aged man with a carefree bearing and loose robes—his gaze lingered; without paying any heed to Yue Lao San, who stood akimbo on the stone bridge, he exclaimed in delight toward Qin Hongmian:

"Ah Mian! How did you come? I haven't seen you in years—do you know how much I've missed you?"

Behind him were four more, like attendants and guards; beside him stood a burly man who was none other than Xiao Feng, who had once left the Apricot Forest.

Before Qin Hongmian could reply, two more people rushed over.

One wore an embroidered pink gauze dress, a lovely lady; the other had a delicate face, big sparkling eyes, and an air of cleverness—a purple‑clad girl of about fifteen or sixteen.

His gaze fell on the lovely lady and the purple‑clad girl; Qin Hongmian's myriad tender feelings vanished instantly, and she coldly said to the middle‑aged man: "I've come to see how happily you, Prince Duan, are living here!"

The middle‑aged man was none other than Prince Zhen Nan of Dali, Duan Zhengchun; hearing this, a flicker of embarrassment crossed his face, and he was about to speak when Mu Wanqing glanced at the purple‑clad girl and suddenly said: "Mother, Father has no conscience—you've seen it yourself—let's go, hurry to find Brother Niu."

"Father?"

Everyone's faces showed surprise, and they all turned their gazes to Duan Zhengchun.

Yue Lao San originally intended to strike directly, but seeing the situation he couldn't help bursting into laughter: "You Duan family bastard, your martial arts are no good—I didn't expect your talent for bearing daughters to be so formidable, hahaha, my master, Yue Lao San's teacher deserves to gain another sister-in-law!"

Laughing and laughing, he suddenly slapped the shoulder of the approaching Yun Zhonghe and said angrily:

"You damn old fourth! One of them is my master's sister, the other is my master's sister's mother—if you defile them, where would I, Yue Lao San, put my face?!"

Yun Zhonghe, caught off guard, was made to stagger by the slap, and he shouted:

"Third brother, what madness is this! Eldest brother and Second Sister will be here soon—first we must kill the Duan!"

This shout startled everyone awake; Duan Zhengchun's gaze also involuntarily withdrew from Mu Wanqing's face and turned to Xiao Feng beside him.

Xiao Feng, seeing this, gave a slight nod.

He had originally come here following the trail of the great villain; the misunderstanding had already been cleared up, so he could not stand by and let his sworn brother's family come to harm.

And this is also why Duan Zhengchun dared to reveal himself immediately upon hearing the commotion.

Indeed.

Not long after, a woman in red robes, holding an infant, floated over from afar.

As soon as her front foot landed on the bridge, a green-robed man with a corpse-like face, leaning on two thin iron rods, swooped over from behind.

They were none other than Ye Erniang and Duan Yanqing of the Four Evils.

"Ah Mian, come with me!"

Duan Zhengchun hurried forward, pulling Qin Hongmian and Mu Wanqing off their horses.

Qin Hongmian had originally wanted to give him a cold stare, but she couldn't resist her lover's tenderness; she only pretended to struggle twice, then honestly took her daughter's hand and followed close beside him.

Ye Erniang, holding the infant, glanced askance at this scene and smiled coquettishly: "Duan Zhengchun, every time I see you, you're always with several charming, handsome ladies—your romantic fortune is truly not shallow."

Qin Hongmian was about to retort, but Duan Zhengchun gently pulled her behind him, then smiled at Ye Erniang and said: "Ye Erniang, you too are quite charming and handsome; I wonder which gentleman could possess such romantic fortune—I, Duan, would like to make your acquaintance properly."

Upon hearing this, Ye Erniang's expression shifted slightly, and a cold flash involuntarily passed through her eyes.

"Honeyed words, shameless—you have lost all face of the Duan clan of Dali!"

Duan Yanqing gave a slight cold smile, and a low, muffled sound issued from his abdomen.

Saying this, his gaze slowly fell upon Xiao Feng, his eyes hiding a hint of apprehension.

A few days earlier, because this person had abducted members of the Beggars' Guild in the Apricot Forest, he had stormed alone into Tianning Temple—what formidable strength! He had deeply felt it, never expecting to encounter him again today.

"Duan Yanqing!"

"Ye Erniang!"

"Yue Lao San, Yun Zhonghe!"

Xiao Feng also wasted no words, named the four individuals, then strode forward directly and said in a deep voice:

"That day Xiao Feng left in haste and still hadn't received your esteemed techniques! Tonight let's settle old scores—you four come at me together!"

As he spoke, his arms suddenly spread, and amidst a low dragon's roar, a mighty domineering aura burst forth from his body.

"Damn it!"

"What's so great about this dog bastard? Whether you're Qiao Feng or Xiao Feng, the eldest may fear you, but I, Yue Lao San, do not!"

Seeing Duan Yanqing remain silent, Yue Lao San felt he had lost momentum, picked up his crocodile-mouth shears, and cursed as he charged at Xiao Feng.

Duan Yanqing was startled and shouted sternly:

"Old Three, stop!!"

But it was already too late to intercept.

Only saw Yue Lao San's figure not yet halfway through his charge when the surrounding aura suddenly trembled; a tremendous force erupted and instantly exploded from his body.

Xiao Feng, who now hates most being called a bastard, unleashed this move with incredible speed and no mercy; Yue Lao San immediately spat a mouthful of blood and flew backward straight into the Little Mirror Lake.

Seeing this power, not only Duan Yanqing and his two companions were shocked, but even the Dali retinue beside Duan Zhengchun were startled and changed color.

The name Qiao Feng resounds throughout the world—"North Qiao Feng, South Murong"—no one in the martial arts world is unaware of it. But only now did everyone truly grasp the weight of that reputation.

Gazing at that figure beneath the full moon, with long arms raised high and a shape like a ferocious beast, the surroundings fell into utter silence.

After a long while,

then came an extremely weak voice from the lake: "You… you schemed against me…" (End of chapter)