The Shameless Leader and the Mysterious Miss Xiao

After the Zhaixing Pavilion members departed, Ye Di did not linger long at the inn.

After a brief rest, he took Xu Niantang and resumed their journey.

Stepping outside, he heard a patter of footsteps behind him.

Ye Di glanced back to see Ji Yuchang standing at the doorway, biting her lower lip, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

“Are you just leaving like this?”

‘Whose child is this?’ Ye Di mused inwardly.

He had no intention of engaging with her, and with Xu Niantang on his back, he walked towards the carriage parked at the street corner.

Ji Yuchang’s voice, brimming with indignation, called out from behind him.

“You teamed up with those people to injure my senior martial brothers and sisters, and now you’re just walking away without a single apology? I know you’re prideful, and you’re angry at me for seeing through you, but my senior martial siblings are innocent!”

“Young lady, you truly are something else,” Ye Di retorted. “You’re too deep into your role for me to even reason with you. I suppose it’s my bad luck to be a mere passerby caught in the gaze of a young mistress like you.”

He carefully settled Xu Niantang into the carriage, then firmly took his seat and grasped the reins.

Just as he was about to drive away, he seemed to recall something, turning his head to speak to Ji Yuchang.

“Oh, right…”

Ji Yuchang was still leaning against the doorframe, wiping away tears.

When she noticed Ye Di looking back at her, she assumed he was having a change of heart, regretting his earlier indifference.

A mix of triumph and grievance swelled within her.

Refusing to lower her guard, she merely averted her gaze and said coolly, “What do you want?”

Ye Di replied, “They were fighting in the inn earlier and broke quite a few things. They forgot to pay before they left. Since you’re a young mistress from an esteemed family, surely paying on their behalf wouldn’t be too difficult?”

Ji Yuchang’s eyes widened, and fresh tears began to well up.

“You only came back to say that?”

“Yes.”

Ye Di pondered for a moment, then added, “I didn’t finish my breakfast earlier, and I left two pan-fried buns. It seems like such a waste now. If it’s not too much trouble, could you bring them to me? I’ll pack them up to eat on the road…”

Ji Yuchang was so furious her voice nearly cracked.

“If I ever see you again, don’t expect me to forgive you!”

She spun around like a whirlwind, furiously pattering back into the inn.

Ye Di smiled and turned back.

‘This little sister’s impression of me must have hit rock bottom,’ he thought.

Some pampered young mistresses, accustomed to luxury, develop peculiar habits. The colder you treat them, the more intrigued and excited they become.

Push them away, and they cling even tighter.

However, such infatuation rarely lasts. Once the novelty wears off and their passion cools, they start finding fault with everything, then unceremoniously kick you aside.

Ye Di felt it best not to give her even a glimmer of hope.

He decided not to be too aloof, just exchanging a few casual words with her and watching her fume half to death, treating it as a civilized observation of a monkey. It was quite amusing.

Ye Di was genuinely a little afraid that she might actually come running back with the pan-fried buns, then pester him for ages.

He quickly cut off his thoughts, gripped the reins, and drove away.

****

The rest of the journey was uneventful, free from any disturbances.

Ye Di estimated the time was right and administered the second Nine-Turn Revival Dew to Xu Niantang.

This meant only seven days remained until the deadline.

Inside the carriage, Ye Di tucked the blanket around the young girl.

He gazed at her pale, bloodless face and closed eyes, then spoke aloud.

“Xu Niantang, are you getting revenge on me? Do you feel wronged because you secretly followed me for thousands of miles, enduring much hardship, and now it’s my turn to take care of you? I never asked you to follow me; you insisted on clinging to me.”

He rambled on for a while.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Xu Niantang’s long eyelashes tremble indignantly, as if in silent protest.

He took her cold, small hand again and said, “If you think I’m wrong, then wake up and tell me. What kind of skill is pretending to be asleep? I’m much better than you; I can even feign death.”

Xu Niantang, of course, did not respond.

Her soft, boneless hand lay gently in his, still delicate and smooth, yet lacking its usual warmth.

His gaze fell lower, settling on her clean, soft lips, like peony petals.

Ye Di recalled the fleeting touch he once experienced.

He scoffed, “Xu Niantang, you know nothing, yet you try to act like a hooligan. ‘All talk, no skill, but loves to play’ — that must be you, wouldn’t you agree?”

He found himself unable to continue speaking, so he squeezed his eyes shut and exited the carriage.

The sun still shone brightly overhead, making for excellent traveling weather.

After that, Ye Di rarely visited the young girl in the carriage.

He traveled day and night, arriving near Wangjiang Tower in just a few days.

This was the “large town ahead” that Elder Liu and the others had mentioned.

From the street, one could gaze upon the pointed-roof tower standing majestically by the river.

Ye Di parked the carriage by the roadside, intending to find an inn to settle the young girl.

Suddenly, several people approached him.

The leader was a burly man dressed in coarse cloth.

Upon seeing Ye Di, he cupped his fist from afar and bowed.

“May I ask if you are the mysterious young hero who composed the latter half of ‘Phoenix Perching on Wutong,’ who is dashing and elegant, unfathomably powerful, a notorious flirt, and who intends to go to Wangjiang Tower?”

Ye Di was taken aback.

“Uh… that would be me.”

With such a string of troublesome, bizarre, and slightly defamatory titles, he could only assume it was the Zhaixing Pavilion members from before.

Upon hearing this, the burly man rejoiced.

“That’s excellent! Elder Zhai and the others regretted leaving in a hurry and forgot to ask for your esteemed name, so they instructed me to look for a young hero driving a carriage, one who appears exceptionally valiant, and to inquire…”

Ye Di realized this man wasn’t merely flattering him.

His face was filled with genuine sincerity, like a child who had just seen a hero from a storybook. This made Ye Di’s old face flush, feeling a touch embarrassed.

“Not at all, you flatter me. Is the ‘Elder Zhai’ you speak of the esteemed old gentleman with whom I had a brief encounter at the inn, and whose guqin skills are superb?”

The burly man immediately said, “Indeed. Elder Zhai also said, ‘If the young hero mentions anything about the guqin, be sure to gloss over it. I am old and thin-skinned, and dare not make a fool of myself before an expert.'”

Ye Di chuckled. “Not at all, Elder Zhai’s guqin skills are truly divine. I merely took advantage of a lucky coincidence.”

“Regardless,” the burly man continued, “Elder Zhai said that the young hero is an honored guest and must be received with utmost care.”

Having said this, the burly man turned.

“This is not the place to talk. Please follow me, young hero. We have already prepared a banquet to welcome you.”

Ye Di saw that his expression did not seem feigned, so there was likely no trap.

He nodded. “Then I shall follow you in my carriage.”

He re-seated himself in the carriage and followed the burly man through several streets.

Ahead, a large open space appeared, with a splendid, elaborately decorated restaurant standing by the roadside.

A large crowd had gathered at the entrance, their voices a clamor.

The burly man, seeing the crowd was too dense to pass through, shouted loudly, “Hey, what are you all doing blocking the way here?”

The crowd was circled around two individuals, whose blades and swords flashed as they sparred.

Everyone was engrossed in the fight and ignored him, with only one or two responding sparsely, “They’re choosing a leader!”

The burly man bellowed, “What? I don’t understand, what leader?”

Another person spoke up, “This brother, you must be out of touch with the latest happenings in the martial world. These people have come from all corners of the land, answering Alliance Leader Fang’s call to head to Luoyang to eliminate evil and uphold justice!”

The burly man roared, “Speak more clearly! What evil, what justice?”

The person found the burly man too crude and initially didn’t want to bother.

However, seeing his eyes wide with a terrifying expression, they reluctantly replied, “What else could it be? Naturally, it’s the Zhaixing Pavilion. They’ve committed many evil deeds and are infamous throughout the martial world…”

Upon hearing this, the burly man immediately turned to Ye Di.

“Young hero, for some reason, my temper is particularly fiery today. I must beat up a few ruffians to vent my anger. I’m going in!”

Ye Di, however, gently raised a hand to stop him.

“Brother, you get so angry hearing ill spoken of the Zhaixing Pavilion. Could it be that those hosting this banquet for me are indeed from the Zhaixing Pavilion?”

The burly man was simple-minded and didn’t grasp the implication immediately.

Now that his cover was blown, his eyes widened, and sweat poured down his face.

Before they set out, Elder Zhai had repeatedly instructed him to be utterly respectful to this young hero, to meet all his demands, but under no circumstances to reveal their identity.

‘This young hero guessed it immediately,’ the burly man thought, ‘he’s terrifyingly intelligent.’

He stammered in defense, “No, that… the Zhaixing Pavilion…”

At that moment, bursts of cheers erupted from the center of the crowd.

Both men looked over, seeing one person lying on the ground, bruised and swollen, while the other raised a fist the size of a vinegar pot and shouted triumphantly.

Someone remarked, “It seems the position of leader must go to the Young Master of Nanyang Boxing Manor.”

Another added, “Young Master Feng’s boxing realm has now reached the ‘Upper-C’ rank. Only with him as leader will everyone be convinced.”

The martial arts realms of boxing and kicking were still categorized into five ranks for easy correspondence.

The armor and protective gear manufactured by Mo Shu Pavilion also had five grades: ‘A, B, C, D, E’.

To simplify matters, the martial world categorized them by physical strength: one who could dent E-grade armor with a single punch had an E-grade boxing realm; one who could dent D-grade armor had a D-grade realm, and so on.

However, the Mo Shu Pavilion’s top-grade ‘A’ items, such as the Celestial Silk Treasure Robe and the True Martial Armor, were impervious to blades, spears, water, and fire, and could not be harmed in the slightest by human force.

Therefore, similar to the [Sword Master] realm, an A-grade boxing realm largely existed only in legends, never witnessed by anyone.

Seeing everyone’s praise, Young Master Feng of Nanyang Boxing Manor couldn’t help but beam with joy.

He glanced around, repeatedly cupping his fists and bowing respectfully, “I’ve made a fool of myself, I’ve made a fool of myself.”

The person he had defeated had actually fought several matches beforehand, exhausting a great deal of his stamina.

Young Master Feng had preserved his strength, seized this opportunity to challenge him, and thus won the match with ease.

Young Master Feng was initially a bit self-conscious, fearing others might emulate his tactics. However, seeing the crowd’s continuous agreement and flattery, they seemed to unanimously approve of him temporarily leading them.

Young Master Feng’s face was radiant, and a sense of pride spontaneously arose within his heart.

Just then, a clear, delicate girl’s voice rang out from beyond the crowd.

“He has already fought several matches, and you, full of vigor, took advantage of his weariness. Of course, you could win. If you were to brazenly assume this leadership position, it would be utterly shameless.”

The crowd was startled, just as they were about to look towards the source of the voice.

A slender, emerald-clad figure flew through the air like a swallow.

A gentle breeze ruffled her skirt and hair, like willow branches swaying in the wind.

She landed lightly on the empty ground in the center of the crowd, then turned her head to glance at Young Master Feng.

She spoke with a crisp voice, “My Miss Xiao said she despises people like you the most. Therefore, I’ve come to cut you down a peg.”

Upon hearing this, Ye Di frowned, thinking, ‘Miss Xiao? Could she be referring to Xiao Wushang’s daughter, the current Zhaixing Pavilion Master?’

The onlookers commented, “Where did this little girl come from? Go away, don’t cause trouble!”

“We’re doing serious business here, little brat. Go home to your parents!”

The green-clad girl pulled down her eyelid with a finger, stuck out her tongue, and made a face.

“Too bad, what this young lady is doing right now is also serious business.”

Her movements were incredibly swift, and she suddenly closed in on Young Master Feng.

Before Young Master Feng could react, the green-clad girl was already upon him.

A shock ran through him. To defend himself, he immediately threw a punch.

However, he was somewhat hesitant, fearing he might injure the delicate young girl. His punch was restrained, using only three-tenths of his strength.

The green-clad girl saw that he wasn’t using his full power, frowned delicately, and said, “That’s what you get for looking down on me!”

With a twist of her slender waist, she arched backward, like a newly sprouted willow bending in the wind.

After dodging the punch, the green-clad girl sprang upright like a rebound, swiftly darting three fingers towards his ribs.

Young Master Feng never expected the girl to be so incredibly fast.

His whole body went numb, and with a dull thud, he stiffly toppled forward onto the ground.

The green-clad girl hopped a small distance away, afraid of being crushed by Young Master Feng.

She pouted her rosy lips, then smoothed down her skirt before saying, “He looked impressive, but he’s just a silver-plated spearhead—not fun at all!”

Witnessing this bizarre turn of events, everyone was momentarily stunned.

In their shock, they forgot to speak, and a profound silence fell over the area.

At that moment, another gentle and serene female voice echoed from a distance.

“Chanjuan, these are all benevolent individuals who have followed Alliance Leader Fang to Luoyang to eliminate the demonic cult. Do not be rude.”

Upon hearing this, the green-clad girl quickly turned, her expression joyful, her eyes sparkling.

“Miss Xiao, you’re here!”

Ye Di, hearing the words “Miss Xiao,” also looked in that direction.

A gentle and graceful young woman was approaching, her expression serene.

She wore a green smoke-gauze dress, a red mark adorned her brow, and her dark hair cascaded like a waterfall to her waist, with a jade hairpin obliquely tucked into its ends.

Ye Di watched her from his carriage.

She noticed Ye Di’s gaze, tilted her head, and immediately offered him a graceful smile, a shallow dimple forming at the corner of her lips.

Her lips did not move, yet a voice sounded in his ear.

“Young hero, you must be weary from your journey. Please rest for a moment first.”

Ye Di saw the young woman’s eyes, clear and sparkling, gazing at him without a blink.

He knew she was using a “sound transmission into secrecy” technique to prevent others from overhearing.

Judging by her attire and demeanor, she must come from a prominent family.

Since the green-clad girl called her “Miss Xiao,” his conjecture was surely correct.

As she had personally condescended to greet him, Ye Di also used the “sound transmission into secrecy” technique to reply.

“Then I thank you, young lady.”