When the flames on the master’s body disappeared completely, a heroic and handsome man landed on the ground.
He was adorned in a flexible, red armor made from rhino skin and had a fair complexion. Young Noble Flawless was the most handsome in the world, so there was a sizable gap between him and this youth. However, his eyes alone could seduce any woman in this world even though half of his face was hidden by the armor.
Feng Feiyun quickly got up from his chair and squinted: “Hongyan, you’re cross-dressing?”
“My name is Nangong Hongbi!” He arrogantly stated with both hands postured behind his back.
The two looked extremely alike but with completely different auras.
Feiyun asked: “Hongyan, you are playing dirty, you know?”
Hongbi changed his voice and turned his back towards Feng Feiyun: “Then do you want me to take off my clothes so that you can check whether I am male or female?”
“...” Feiyun was speechless.
“Feng Feiyun, the reason why I’m not killing you is because of my sister. She begged me not to do so because she’s unable to extricate herself from loving you… If this wasn’t the case, you would have died long ago.” A murderous aura came from Nangong Hongbi. Just a single strand of this aura caused the entire seven-floored pavilion to collapse in a few seconds.
The pillars and walls cracked with tiles all over the ground. This has become a scene of ruins.
Nangong Hongbi had left, leaving Feng Feiyun standing in the rubble. Snow fell on his face with a chilling bite. Who knows what he was thinking right now?
***
The end of the night ushered in a new day. The earth-shattering event that happened last night was talked about by all the cultivators in Radiance.
“Feng Daniu is really too much. He first captured Bi Xianxian and now kidnapped Lu Liwei and Su Xue in broad daylight? Last night was even worse. Three more beauties from the Senluo Temple have been captured by him, including the seventh lord, Wan Xiangcen.”
On the rough side of an old street were several cultivators from the Heavenly Cloud Prefecture discussing this subject.
“This has shocked the heretical schools. Experts from the previous generation have arrived at Radiance now.”
“There is something strange about this incident. Even if Feng Daniu is at the grand historical level, he alone can’t capture six beauties under the noses of so many heretical experts.”
“I heard some super experts of the Giant level from the heretical schools are flying here. Something big will definitely happen soon in Radiance.”
***
Cultivators came to Radiance and were in every nook and corner of the streets to talk about last night’s events. Many speculated that someone was behind all of this and things weren’t as simple as they appeared to be.
“Just what is Scholar Heaven Calculating plotting?” Feng Feiyun was deep in contemplation.
Whoever did the deed last night was not Feng Feiyun. It certainly had to be some top expert from the Wanxiang Pagoda. Their goal must not only be to capture the ten great beauties.
Even though he couldn’t guess the scholar’s plan, he could tell that it had something to do with the upcoming battle by the sacred lake.
Suddenly, the tune of a zither accompanied by a beautiful voice slowly resounded in the distance and swiftly approached him.
“Whoosh!” Feng Feiyun slightly trembled as his body turned into a shooting cloud to head towards the sound of the zither. His speed was unbelievable, even the cultivators on the street couldn’t catch a glimpse of his shadow.
A moment later, he came to a creek outside of Radiance. A girl dressed in white was plucking the zither’s strings. Her back was slender and moving with an aura of a goddess.
She gently lifted her finger and the zither naturally came down once Feng Feiyun was behind her.
“You are finally here, I thought I would never see you again!” Nangong Hongyan was wearing a white veil, only revealing her clear and pretty eyes. She stared at the green river with a shimmering teardrop in her eye.
Feiyun replied: “Didn’t we already meet last night?”
“Last night? You saw him?” She turned back with her hair fluttering in the wind and worry in her starry eyes.
Feng Feiyun looked at her familiar eyes, the prettiest in this world. However, they looked a bit distant at this moment.
“He is my older twin brother named Nangong Hongbi.” Tears filled her eyes. This delicate appearance would invoke sympathy from others.
Feng Feiyun responded with a smile: “What a coincidence! You also have a brother.”
She asked: “Why can’t I have one?”
“All right! We’ll suppose that you also have a brother named Hongbi. What I don’t understand is why a blood brother would offer his little sister as a gift to someone else?” He stared intensely into her eyes.
“Hongbi is not human. Others are merely tools in his eyes, including his own little sister.” Hongyan bit her lips and accidentally slipped on the ground. Her feeble appearance looked as if she didn’t have the strength to get up.
Feiyun clenched his fists so tightly that they issued cracking sounds. He wanted to go forward to help her and wipe off her tears.
A man who watches a woman he likes cry was definitely not a good man.
However, he didn’t take the next step. He looked at the sky and asked: “You are saying that Su Yun lied to me?”
“Su Yun? He is also a victim as Hongbi is trying to obtain the five divine garments. As one of the eight older Grand Historical Geniuses, someone of his level doesn’t need to lie.” She stared at him with a painful gaze that hid her bitterness. Even someone with a heart of stone couldn’t help but feel pity for her.
She was such a woman, someone capable of inadvertently influencing others’ emotions.
“If he is not lying, then doesn’t that mean you are?” Feiyun was quite heartless at this moment.
Hongyan asked: “What did he tell you?”
“He said you were the mysterious master.” Feiyun revealed it without hiding anything.
Hongyan replied: “He naturally wouldn’t lie, but he got the wrong person.”
“He mistook Hongbi for Hongyan?” Feiyun was suspicious.
Hongyan elaborated: “That must be it. You know that Su Yun is the number one playboy in this world, only women can get into his sight. A person like him mistaking a man for a woman is quite normal.”
Feiyun was still glaring at her eyes.
She spoke again: “We are good friends, right?”
Feiyun answered: “Of course.”
Hongyan asked: “Did you also think Hongbi was me?”
Feiyun nodded.
“See, even a friend like you has mistaken us. What does that say about Su Yun?” She stared at him with a tinge of indignation as if she had been wronged.
Feiyun felt that in front of Hongyan, even if he was on the reasonable side, it wouldn’t last for long.
Feiyun chuckled: “Then according to you, Su Yun got the wrong person?”
“I don’t hate him for mistaking us, I am only mad at you for wrongfully accusing me.” Hongyan’s tears seemed to be coming from her eyes endlessly. This scene would drown all spectators in grief.
How many men wouldn’t feel as if their heart was being cut while looking at most beautiful woman crying?
Feng Feiyun stood far away and didn’t retort. To reason against a woman was too difficult. Moreover, she also came prepared.
He deeply exhaled and asked: “You led me here with your song to tell me this?”
Hongyan shook her head: “To be honest, I didn’t want to see you either. Back at the Apricot Manor, I already knew that Feng Daniu was you. You have tricked everyone, including the princess, but not me. However, I didn’t wish to see you so I could only run away again.”
Feiyun asked: “Why do you not want to see me?”
“Because I can sense that there is another woman in your heart. I don’t know who she is, but I am only a courtesan, so how can I compare to her? Thus I am afraid, afraid of falling in too deep and end up alone and heartbroken.”
“Then why did you bring me here today?”
“Because I’m afraid that my brother will kill you. As long as you can be fine, I won’t be afraid of anything even if the one hurt in the future is me.”
“Is that so?” He smiled.
She responded: “Can there be any other reason?”
He shook his head. Sometimes, pretending to be a fool was better than scrutinizing for the truth.
Despite the frigid winter, it couldn’t freeze the steady stream.
Feiyun went forward and squatted down in front of her. He gently took her into his warm embrace. The two of them sat by the creek and watched the current and snowflakes all over the sky.
“Do you want to know who she is?” He gently caressed her shoulder while hugging her even tighter.
“Do you want to tell me?” She buried her head into his chest while speaking as quietly as a buzzing mosquito.
Feng Feiyun mused for a moment before telling her about Shui Yueting’s story. However, Feng Feiyun was changed to Feng Feiyun while Shui Yueting was replaced by Dongfang Jingyue. In the story, he didn’t die to Yueting and was only seriously wounded by Jingyue. [1]
He naturally couldn’t tell her that he was the clan master of the demon phoenix race and had fused with Young Master Feng’s soul. She wouldn’t believe him anyway, so he had to change the contents.
Even though the name was changed, it was still the same story and couldn’t be considered as him lying to her. Alas, Miss Dongfang would never expect to have a new enemy out of nowhere. This was the start of her future troubles.
[1] The first Feng means Phoenix, the second Feng means Wind, his current name.