NOVEL NEXT Chapter 330 - 329: Appointment!
Chapter 330: Chapter 329: Appointment!
Translator: 549690339
“Who’s talking about me behind my back?!”
The voice was childlike, yet seething with anger.
“Take this!”
The next second, a flame appeared out of nowhere, flying towards where Du Gang and others were standing.
The flame was purple, about the size of a basketball, but the temperature radiating from it was enough to make anyone’s heart skip a beat.
The air around the flame distorted, making a hissing sound as it passed.
“What? Run!”
Many people jumped and quickly retreated, some even falling to the ground in the process.
“What a temper!”
Huang Yu saw himself as a man of justice and wouldn’t let this flame harm others.
He raised his hand and emitted a faint cyan energy, which he then pushed forward.
” Whizz!”
A cyan palm print flew out, heading straight towards the flame.
“Boom!”
A loud explosion emanated, the epicenter glistening with hues of cyan and purple. It was quite the spectacle.
“Scram!”
In the meantime, everyone backed away, leaving space around Du Gang and Huang Yu.
“Who are these two guys daring to provoke Red Fire Kid!”
“They even blocked it, can’t believe they actually blocked Red Fire Kid’s flame!”
“I heard that Red Fire Kid’s flame is a Different Fire which his mother specially found for him from some small world!”
“That’s not the Different Fire!”
Someone shook his head, “I heard that Red Fire Kid’s Different Fire is the Bone Spirit Fire, which is completely white, but the flame just now was purple!”
There was a lot of buzzing around as many people were watching Du Gang and Huang Yu, curious about their identities.
“They’re from White Rainbow Manor!”
A young man with an air of a scholar identified Huang Yu’s affiliation.
“The most famous person from White Rainbow Manor is Huang Yu, who ranks 256th in the Human Ranking. The man here, who was able to block Red Fire Kid’s flame, is probably him!”
Although this scholar wasn’t very strong, he enjoyed reading and had studied a lot about young prodigies and the top warriors in the Human Ranking. He hadn’t thought he’d use this knowledge as soon as he arrived at the foot of the mountain.
“It’s actually him!”
“Looks like we’re in for a show, one is a former top hundred fighter, the other is a top two hundred contender, if they actually fight, wouldn’t it be…”
Someone got this far before his face suddenly changed.
“Retreat, retreat, careful not to get caught in the crossfire…”
Many were scared and quickly started pushing backward, for such a close range brawl between two top contenders, would they not be risking their lives unnecessarily?
“Stop!!”
From behind the stage, a voice full of righteousness echoed.
Suddenly, a figure appeared, walking on air as if on flat ground, weaving through the crowd and jumping into the center of the two combatants.
After both Red Fire Kid and Huang Yu had thrown a punch, they didn’t rush to attack again and were at a fierce staredown, but upon seeing someone intervene, they instantly looked over.
“I am the eldest disciple of the Jiuyang Villa, Yan Jingyun. Our master has set rules. If you wish to ascend the mountain, please respect the rules of the mansion, and refrain from unauthorized fights!”
The newcomer, a gallant man dressed in white and exceedingly handsome, stepped into the arena, bowed, and slowly said: “If you wish to fight, there will be opportunities once you ascend the mountain. You can fight as much as you want there, no one will stop you!”
Clearly, he was here to mediate!
Red Fire Kid was fuming, his brows shot up as he glared at Huang Yu: “Huang, you wait, once we’re on the mountain, you are in for a tough time!”
Huang Yu shrugged, rolling his eyes, “I won’t stoop to your level, kid!”
“Who did you call a child?”
Just as Red Fire Kid was about to suppress his anger, he flared up instantly. His long braid stood upright like a raging flame.
“Both of you, please calm down; let’s head up the mountain first!”
Elder Brother Yan Jingyun promptly stepped between them to mediate the situation.
While he wasn’t as powerful as either of them, if a fight really broke out, he had no way to stop it. His only means to negotiate was to remind them of the rules of the Jiuyang Villa.
“Hmph!”
“Hmph!”
Each of them huffed coldly, turned their heads aside, and pretended not to see each other.
“Where’s the one challenging me? Come up here if you dare!”
After Red Fire Kid turned around, he glared at the hundred-plus swordsmen in white robes before him, speaking with a menacing gaze.
Yan Jingyun’s lips twitched, and he quickly intercepted a naïve junior looking to take the stage for a competitive match, laughing, “Red Brother here ranks 98th in the Human Ranking. This competition is merely formal—just go ahead, Red Brother!”
As he finished speaking, Yan Jingyun quickly made way, directing the crowd of disciples to clear a path.
Although Red Fire Kid was small in stature, he was very satisfied to be referred to respectfully as ‘Brother Red.’ He nodded, and as he passed Yan Jingyun, he even stood on his toes to pat Yan’s shoulder.
“You’re alright, Brother Yan! Red Brother appreciates you!”
Having said this, he held his head high and swaggered through the crowd towards the top of the mountain.
Everyone who had witnessed this scene couldn’t help but laugh and shake their heads.
He’s just a child at heart and can be easily appeased.
Du Gang asked in a low voice, “Brother Huang, Red Fire Kid isn’t really that young, is he?”
It was impossible for someone ranked 98th in the Human Ranking to have achieved such cultivation in just a few years. In his opinion, Red Fire Kid must be far older than him, but his actions were undoubtedly childish.
Huang Yu shrugged, but he didn’t raise his voice. Instead, he lowered it, “Red ate a Dan medicine in his younger years that impaired his spiritual wisdom. He’s essentially been stuck at that level ever since. Otherwise, why would I put up with him?”
Although he said this, his behavior indicated that he didn’t want to further provoke Red Fire Kid here.
After all, Red Fire Kid was a formidable 98th-ranked expert on the Human Ranking. If Huang Yu ended up in a real fight with him, it was likely that he wouldn’t stand a chance; it would only be him losing face.
Du Gang just chuckled. He didn’t call Huang Yu out on it.
“What were you thinking earlier – wanting to go on the stage? Seriously, what were you thinking?”
Beside them, Yan Jingyun was berating the clueless junior disciple who had wanted to take the stage earlier, “You wanted to take on a top 100 master on the Human Ranking? With him in a rage, he might just burn you to ashes!”
The disciple in white finally realized the severity of the situation and was drenched in a cold sweat, thanking Yan Jingyun profusely.
After lecturing the junior for a while, Yan Jingyun remembered the other two standing there. He turned around, bowed slightly, and said, laughing, “Brother Huang, as a renowned master on the Human Ranking, there’s no need for you to take the stage. Please, continue up the mountain!”
Huang Yu immediately raised his head with pride, responding with a slight nod, a perfect imitation of a high-ranking martial artist.
Yan Jingyun had seen enough of these master’s behaviors to no longer be surprised. He didn’t say anything more but looked at Du Gang and smiled, “Since you’ve come with Brother Huang, you must be an outstanding figure as well. Naturally, you do not need to take the stage. Please, continue up the mountain!”
He had keen eyes, noticing the spiritual energy fluctuations around Du Gang and realized that Du too was a peak warrior, therefore, he didn’t make things difficult and even went against Huang Yu.
Upon hearing Yan Jingyun’s words, Huang Yu laughed loudly, evidently pleased. He turned to Du Gang, “Brother Du, let’s head up!”
Seeing the prospect of getting out of a fight, Du Gang nodded in agreement. He returned Yan Jingyun’s salutation, and together with Huang Yu, made his way past the crowd.
After they had left, Yan Jingyun spoke aloud to the many white-robed disciples, “Brothers, the top ranked masters are formidable, having passed the scrutiny of experts from all over the continent. If you come across any, let them pass to avoid any harm to yourself…”
Upon hearing these words, the white-robed disciples had no objections. They all bowed and replied in unison, “We will heed Brother Yan’s advice!”
It was apparent that the disciples of the Jiuyang Villa were well-disciplined.
Perhaps due to Yan Jingyun’s messages sent through the Message Jade Talisman, the white-robed figures that had been blocking the path on the mountainside and peak did not hinder them any further and allowed passage.
Du Gang and Huang Yu effortlessly reached the top of the mountain and entered the heart of Jiuyang Villa.
Upon entering the main gate, they were first greeted by a massive platform. The platform was teeming with people moving back and forth, creating a bustling scene.
Du Gang surveyed the scene and couldn’t help but exclaim, “All these people who’ve made it to the top of the mountain must indeed be high-level masters!”
“Haha!”
Huang Yu laughed heartily and nodded, saying, “Although it’s difficult for peak experts to emerge, there have been some over the years…”
However, the expected flattery did not come, and he sighed.
It seemed that Brother Du didn’t really understand social conventions either!
At this point, two people dressed in white approached and, after greeting, said, “Brothers, you must be tired from the journey. Why don’t you rest in your rooms first…”
Naturally, the two nodded in agreement and followed the two white-clad figures towards their accommodation.
The four of them crossed a platform, entered a courtyard gate, and after several twists and turns, finally arrived at two separate courtyards, each with its own room. They then parted ways.
“Brother Du, I’m going to rest in my room first. I need to let my family know I’m safe. We’ll catch up tomorrow!”
“Alright!”
The next day, as soon as Du Gang stepped out of his room, he heard from people passing by that Jiuyang Villa would not be choosing a son-in-law this month.
“Well, that’s normal. Given their situation, they should indeed wait for all potential suitors to arrive before carefully weighing their options.”
“Creak~!”
The door to the neighboring courtyard was pushed open, and Huang Yu walked out.
“Brother Du!”
“Brother Huang!”
The two exchanged pleasantries.
Huang Yu spoke first, “Brother Du, I may need to move from here!”
He apologized, “The young people from Tongyin Province have been relocated. I need to meet up with them…”
Du Gang smiled and nodded, “Of course, Brother Huang, do as you please!”
And so, the two bid each other farewell at the door of their rooms. Led by a white-clad swordsman, Huang Yu left.
After he left, Du Gang headed towards the platform.
Like the three passes below the mountain, the platform also had several arenas for people to use.
The people who came here were all young, robust, and full of energy. The several dozen arenas were all occupied.
“There’s a show at the thirteenth arena! A strong man ranked 993 on the Human Ranking has climbed onto the stage!”
Upon hearing this shout from somewhere in the crowd, everyone’s attention was instantly captured, and they all rushed toward the thirteenth arena.
Strong men from the Human Ranking were hardly seen on regular days, but here, they were relatively abundant.
Du Gang had only walked a short distance when he had already heard about several ranked fighters entering the arena to fight with others.
The Martial Arts Competition had not yet begun, but these young talents who had already arrived couldn’t wait to start fighting.
Not only those on the Human Ranking but all peak experts were eager to participate. This grand event was an excellent opportunity for them to make a name for themselves. Unlike Du Gang who was more laid back.
Practically every arena was surrounded by a crowd.
After looking around, Du Gang shook his head, showing no interest in the scene.
The fighting was monotonous, the actual purpose was to socialize and establish a reputation, which he found very dull.
After walking a few more steps, he finally spotted a white-clad swordsman walking by and hurriedly stopped him.
“Excuse me, can you tell me where Princess Zhang Xinyi is?”
The white-clothed swordsman smiled politely and said, “You’re very polite, but our young sister is currently in her boudoir and cannot receive guests…”
Du Gang smiled and said, “You’ve misunderstood. I know your younger sister. We’re friends…”
Before he could finish, a voice came from the side.
“I really do know your princess. We’re friends. Can you please send her a message for me?”
The white-clad swordsman standing before Du Gang smiled brightly, “Brother, you heard it too. These two days, the number of people claiming to know our young sister is no less than a thousand, possibly more. So please understand, one month from now, our young sister will naturally come out to meet guests!”
Du Gang fell silent for a moment, looking somewhat helplessly at the young man beside him who was swearing up and down that he knew Zhang Xinyi.
He had just happened to show up during the marriage proposal, and now it seemed as though he was in the same boat as these guys!
The white-robed swordsman in front of him quickly performed a respectful bow, “Senior brother, I have other matters to attend to, so I cannot accompany you…”
Before he could leave, Du Gang hurriedly stopped him.
“Junior brother, please wait!”
“Since I can’t meet her in person, could you maybe pass on a message to our junior sister on my behalf?”
He believed that as long as his words could reach Zhang Xinyi, they would surely meet.
Then he would be able to get his hands on the Green Qinyin Stone!
The white-robed swordsman revealed a slight smile and nodded, “Of course, senior brother, please follow me.”
After talking, he led Du Gang off the platform and into a particularly large mansion.
The size of this mansion was almost half the size of the platform, and in the center of it, wooden plaques were hanging.
The white-robed swordsman chuckled, “Senior brother, this place functions as a message board; it’s open in the morning and closes at noon. Our junior sister will come here in the afternoon to take a look, if she happens to be taken in by anyone’s literary flair, she will grant them an audience…”
Upon hearing this, Du Gang took a closer look and sure enough, it was adorned with beautifully embellished poems and some amusing phrases.
Obviously, these were written by the many visitors, their goal coinciding with his – an advance meeting.
These people, in terms of strength, were not as good as the others. Aware of the hopelessness of succeeding through martial prowess, they put their focus on their literary skills.
“Listen, the flowers of the wind chime, the beautiful dream amid the sea of people, a melody of a person, a section of the stars…”
“Clouds long for clothes while flowers long for compliment, spring breeze brushes the railing, dew is thick. If not at the top of the group of jade mountains, we will meet under the moonlight of Yao Terrace.”
These people were using every trick in the book, whether it was their own work or not, they used it directly.
Looking at these wooden plaques, Du Gang pondered for a moment, then turned to the white-robed swordsman, “Will your junior sister really come here in the afternoon to read these?”
“Of course!”
The white-robed swordsman nodded and smiled, “This is something our junior sister specifically organized. Otherwise, this message board wouldn’t even exist…”
Specifically organized?
Du Gang paused, wondering if this woman had arranged this all for him, fearing he wouldn’t be able to contact her?
Thinking this, he shook his head, chuckling at his overthinking.
However, he took a step forward, picked up a blank wooden plaque, and used his hand as a pen to carve words in the air.
“Talented and articulate, nothing compares to dancing on a pirate ship under a Ferris wheel.”
After writing, he hung it up.
Some of the people who had already left their poetry saw a new message and quickly gathered around.
‘Talented and articulate, nothing compares to dancing on a pirate ship under a Ferris wheel?’ What kind of nonsense is this?”
A literati shook his head, “Really, anyone can write here!”
Another person added, “Indeed, in my opinion, Jiuyang Villa should have someone supervise this place, to prevent these riffraff from sullying the princess’s eyes!”
Du Gang didn’t pay them any mind and was about to leave when the two snide critics stopped him.
“Young man, can you explain what you wrote?”
Initially not intending to engage with them, but noticing that they wouldn’t let him go, Du Gang reluctantly turned around and said indifferently, “Why, should I share the private words between Zhang Xinyi and I with you?”
“How daring!”
The two men cried out in unison.
Despite not having the strongest abilities, those surrounding them had the strength of peak performers, having made their way onto the villa grounds. Naturally, they heard Du Gang’s words loud and clear, and they began to crowd around.
“This young man, you are bold, to slander the princess so blatantly. With your half-baked poetry skills, you dare claim that you know the princess?”
“Indeed, in my opinion, he should be thrown out directly…”
Upon hearing their words, Du Gang broke into a smile and said dismissively, “Believe it or not, this time tomorrow, Zhang Xinyi will invite me in.”
“Heh heh, invite you?”
“Are you daydreaming?”
At one side, a white-robed swordsman who noticed the conflict quickly stepped forward, saying, “Gentlemen, it’s getting late. They are closing the academy. Please move along.”
He had no intention of stopping these people from arguing, but rather, he didn’t want them to fight in the courtyard which he was responsible for.
Du Gang shrugged. He was not on the same wavelength with these people anyway, so why bother to trouble himself.
“Since they’re closing the academy, I’ll be on my way. I hope that at this time tomorrow, you’ll all still be here. Open your eyes wide, and watch closely!”
Having said that, he swiftly turned around and left the courtyard, leaving behind a group of infuriated talents.
“It makes me furious! Humph, tomorrow, I want to see his face swollen with my own eyes!”
Deep within Jiuyang Villa.
Zhang Youwei, the white-robed God King, was enjoying a family meal with his daughter Zhang Xinyi, looking no different from an ordinary man.
There was no hint of his usual aura about him. He seemed just like a normal old man chatting leisurely with his daughter.
“Xinyi, according to your description, Du Gang’s talent and intelligence are unparalleled. If you could team up with him, you should be able to safely complete future tasks…”
Zhang Xinyi sighed, “There’s another fairy-like beauty by his side. How would he team-up with me?”
Zhang Youwei showed a smile, “What, have you taken a liking to him?”
Zhang Xinyi rolled her eyes, saying irritably: “Dad, here you go again, I am just speaking the truth!”
“Ha ha ha!”
Zhang Youwei laughed while looking at his daughter’s embarrassed expression. He asked, “Do you know anything about his background?”
Zhang Xinyi shook her head, “I don’t know. I didn’t ask. I don’t know whether he is from the Southern Wilderness or not!”
“Nevertheless, I promised to give him the Green Qinyin Stone. If he wants it, he will surely come to find me …”
As she said this, she worriedly asked: “Dad, do you think Xueming duo would fall for it?”
Zhang Youwei’s eyes chilled, saying: “They certainly will. If they want to get rid of me, they have to act before your matchmaking announcement, otherwise they will lose their chance!”
Zhang Xinyi looked hesitant, “But what if they haven’t come after a month?”
Zhang Youwei laughed, “Don’t worry, you are my only daughter. If they don’t bite, I will abandon Jiuyang Villa and leave Southern Wilderness with you…”
Zhang Xinyi still looked a bit worried, “Dad, I fear that other forces will disagree. After all, you openly solicit a match for me. If in the end you don’t, won’t they feel like they’ve been played?”
“It doesn’t matter!”
Zhang Youwei casually said, “Even if we play them once, the ones we played would only be God Spirit Level juniors. Being a God King myself, who dares to pester me?”
Ah!
Zhang Xinyi sighed, regretting her suggestion.
It now seemed too much. If the proud sons of heaven from all over, found out they had been tricked, what will their forces think of Jiuyang Villa?
She didn’t know!
These years, her father had already undergone so much, causing her some guilt.
If the Xueming duo don’t come, I will really become a bait then!
When she suggested this fake plan, she did consider actually going through with it. It was only to help her father bear the burden.
She just hoped that there would be an appropriate person among the second-rate powers!
In the afternoon, a maidservant comes to remind, “Miss, it’s time to visit the message board!”
Zhang Xinyi immediately stood up, “Father, let’s stop here for today, I need to go to the message board!”
Zhang Youwei shook his head, smiling, “Who leaves a message the day after it was posted? It’s been just a day, even if Du Gang wants to come, it’ll take several days, no?”
Zhang Xinyi shook her head, “No, what if he happens to be near here? I need to do as I said!”
Having said that, she gave a bow and left the courtyard with her maids.
Watching her figure from behind, Zhang Youwei sighed.
Zhang Xinyi might not have admitted it, but he knew that his daughter was smitten with Du Gang.
Even though they only met once and interacted briefly, it was love at first sight!
“Just like when I first met her mother. It was also love at first sight. The only difference is that we were into each other back then, while Xinyi is trapped in one-sided love …”
“Sigh!”
He sighed heavily, completely resembling an ordinary father, without any hint of being a God King.
Zhang Xinyi harboring things in mind finally arrived at the message board and started reviewing it.
She examined each message thoroughly, looking from the left to right. It wasn’t because she was truly interested in the skills of these talents, but she hoped to find a possible message left by Du Gang.
By halfway, she hadn’t found any trace of him which caused her to sigh.
“Perhaps, it’s just as father said, he must need several days to travel here from another place …”
Suddenly, she paused, her gaze fixated on one message.
After examining it several times, she slowly extended her slender hand to take the piece of wood, holding it carefully.
“Listening to you recite the Nine Streams, it’s vast like Kunlun’s split. The excellent kite silently brushes the sky, startling the fish in the stream when it splashes.”
Brushing the sky?
There was a light in her eyes. Could this be a code Du Gang left for me?
“Who wrote this message?”
She had left some people here specifically to keep track of who left each message.
A servant quickly walked out, “Miss, it was left by Mo Hanzhong of the Mo family from the Dragon Dive State …”
Mo Hanzhong?
She sighed, casually rehanging the message, and continued to browse.
In no time, she paused again and picked up a piece of wood.
“Having meals in the heat of summer will bring up high spirit, like the hawk in the sky. Among the carriage, the treasure belt is yellow; there is a small team with oily emerald banners.”
When she finished reading, a servant quickly said, “Miss, this was left by Li Youxing from the Holy Confucian Academy!”
Li Youxing?
Zhang Xinyi shook her head and continued to look.
She didn’t see any obvious signals until she was almost at the end of the message board.
“It seems there really is nothing…”
She shook her head, turned around, and planned to return to her room.
“Miss, aren’t you going to look at the last one?”
“No need!”
Zhang Xinyi waved her hand and walked forward.
After taking two steps, she paused, recalling the conversation with her father.
She sighed, “Sigh, I came all the way to see them all, the last one should also be looked at, just in case I miss it!”
Saying so, she returned to the message board and looked up at the last message.
“Though a heart is embroidered with great talent, it’s not as good as dancing on a pirate ship under the Ferris wheel.”
Dancing on a pirate ship under the Ferris wheel?
Zhang Xinyi’s heart pounded a little and her pupils flashed with excitement. She quickly asked, “Who wrote this?”
The servant quickly replied, “Miss, the person who engraved this message is a freelance cultivator named Du Gang. We don’t know where he is from, but he came up the mountain with Huang Yu, who ranks 256th on the Human Ranking of White Rainbow Manor!”
Du Gang!
He really did come!
Joy registering on Zhang Xinyi’s face, she inquired, “White Rainbow Manor? Is he from White Rainbow Manor?”
The servant hesitated slightly upon hearing this, but after a while, he stepped up quickly and uttered, “Miss, I heard from the guys downstairs that Du Gang did not come along with Huang Yu, they separated shortly after ascending the mountain…”
“Not together?”
Zhang Xinyi was taken aback, but she soon broke into a laugh, “Doesn’t matter, the person I was looking for has been found!”
After finishing her statement, she raised her foot, intending to head outside.
“Miss, you mustn’t go out!”
The servant girls swiftly stopped her in unison, “Did you forget your father’s instruction? You’re not supposed to show your face this month…”
Ensuring she stays out of sight, as far as the servants were concerned, was for propriety’s sake.
The real reason, however, was for her protection. After all, with one God King and one quasi-God King from Xuan Ming, stealthy ambushes weren’t off the table. Unless Zhang Xinyi remained within the courtyard, there was a real chance they could succeed!
She hesitated for a while, but eventually restrained herself from proceeding.
Du Gang could be met with the following day, there was no need to rush into seeing him today.
Otherwise, if the Xuan Ming elders were actually lurking around, her reckless behavior might bring misfortune to Zhang Youwei.
With this in mind, she turned around and headed back to her courtyard, engrossed in her thoughts.
“How should I present myself before him tomorrow?”
“What should our conversation be like tomorrow?”
Little did she know, her nervousness was extremely out of character!
The next day, Du Gang had a wholesome sleep until broad daylight.
It has been a while since he had slept so soundly. Since fleeing from the Ancient City, he had no time to sleep.
This time, knowing no one would be after him, he dozed off unintentionally and overslept until noon.
“Ah, it’s already noon. I wonder if admission to the courtyard with the message board is closed!”
He got up and decided to head there. Since he had nothing better to do, there wouldn’t be any harm in checking if they hadn’t closed yet?!
Zhang Xinyi was anxiously waiting in her boudoir, adjacent to the courtyard with the message board.
“Why isn’t he here yet?”
“Little Sakura, has he arrived?”
Little Sakura chuckled lightly, “Miss, it’s only been a few minutes and you’ve already asked me seven or eight times. Is Du Gang your dream lover?!”
“Nonsense!”
Zhang Xinyi denied insistently, “I owe him a favor and have promised to repay it. So, it just happened that he came at this time and I had no other way to contact him except this way. If I don’t meet him at the first opportunity, wouldn’t he misunderstand that I’m unwilling to pay my debt?”
Little Sakura laughed softly while covering her mouth, her eyes brimming with amusement.
At that moment, the courtyard with the message board was bustling with excitement.
“It’s already past noon and the courtyard isn’t closed yet! Do you think Princess Xinyi will show up?”
“There’s a real possibility!”
Many scholars stirred excitedly, standing on their toes to take a glimpse deep into the courtyard.
Unfortunately, every courtyard was safeguarded by a restriction forbidding anyone to peek.
Du Gang arrived at the courtyard in a carefree manner, stepping in to find a group of people gathered at the front.
“Fortunately, the courtyard is still open. I’m quite lucky!”
He merrily strode forward, trying to see what the crowd was up to.
At that moment, someone noticed him, turned around, and sneered “What brings you here?”
“You dare to show up?!”
Hearing this, several people turned around recognizing him immediately.
“Isn’t this the same guy who boasted around yesterday?”
“Haha, did you really show up?”
“I thought you had claimed that Princess Xinyi would summon you? Why are you still here?”
The crowd overlooked that the moment Du Gang revealed himself, the eyes of a servant behind the message board lit up as he dashed back quickly.
“Miss, he’s here! He’s here!”
The moment the servant stepped inside, he announced with enthusiasm.
Startled by the sudden announcement, Zhang Xinyi shot up, knocking the chair she was seated on to the ground.
Overjoyed, she asked eagerly, “Did Du Gang arrive? Is it him?”
“Yes, it’s Mr. Du Gang who had left the wooden slip!”
Zhang Xinyi immediately sprung up to head outside, but after taking two steps, she seemed to remember something and stopped in her tracks.
She turned to look at Little Sakura and commanded, “Little Sakura, please go and invite Mr. Du Gang.”
Little Sakura giggled and nodded, “Yes, Miss. I’ll invite your dream lover right away.”
“You little rascal!”
Zhang Xinyi scolded with annoyance, “When you go out, do not blabber nonsense. I won’t spare you if you do!”
Little Sakura chuckled, “Miss, don’t worry, I won’t give it away!”
Having said that, she left the room.
Zhang Xinyi, in the meantime, started taking deep breaths to calm her pounding heart and activated her martial power to restore her flushed cheeks back to normal.
“He’s here! He’s here!”
Several people were in the middle of castigating Du Gang when they suddenly heard a loud shout, quickly looked in that direction, and saw a servant girl gracefully making her way out.
“That servant girl, judging by her getup, is likely Princess Xinyi’s maid. Maybe she saw my poem and decided to invite me to continue our discussion?”
“Rubbish, clearly, she saw my poetic verses and decided to invite me!”
“Haha, you all are just small fries. It’s clear that she’s here to invite me…”
Everyone present straightened their clothes, acting like they would be invited in at any moment.
Little Sakura was indeed a maid, but she had considerable martial power and carried an imposing appearance — a bit less than Zhang Xinyi but fairing well against anyone else; by the standards of the outside world, she would be considered a fairy.
If it weren’t for her maid attire, everyone would have mistaken her for Zhang Xinyi.
“Mother, even the maid is this beautiful, just how breath-taking is Princess Xinyi…”
A number of people started fantasizing about Zhang Xinyi’s appearance after seeing Little Sakura’s looks.
Finally, under the scrutiny of the crowd, Little Sakura reached the center stage, gently turned her head toward Du Gang,
“Master Du Gang, my lady has sent for you!”
“What?!”
A chorus of surprised exclamations rang out.
Everyone looked at Du Gang in disbelief, wondering if they had heard wrong.
Those who had been mocking Du Gang yesterday were especially stunned, as if they had been struck dumb.
Du Gang grinned at the corner of his lips, his gaze teasing as it swept over the critics, “Tsk, tsk, tsk! Isn’t it funny how someone was bragging about Princess Xinyi being their friend? Are you that person?”
After saying that, he swaggered behind Little Sakura and strode into the courtyard, leaving behind a bunch of stupefied scholars who couldn’t regain their senses for a long time.