Chapter 149: Enemies Meet on a Narrow Path

Yongchang, following behind Yuwen Lingxi, sensed the unusual atmosphere between the two groups. His eyes darted back and forth before he bowed toward Qiao Bin, saying, "This servant pays his respects to your Highness."

The Prince of Nanping, understanding his intention, replied, "Rise."

The standoff was broken. Zhou Man blurted out toward An Ming, "So, you are An Ming!"

The remark drew dark lines across everyone's foreheads. It was a redundant question; who else but An Ming would wear a bronze fanged mask? Zhou Ziwen, trailing behind, wished he could crawl into a crack in the ground. His father was sometimes so embarrassing that he truly did not want to admit he was his son.

"Head of the Zhou family, that is indeed me." Yuwen Lingxi’s voice was neither servile nor overbearing, his tone sounding even deeper and more ethereal through the unique mask.

Yue Lingjun kept his gaze fixed on An Ming, getting straight to the point: "Hall Master An, I have some matters I wish to clarify."

"Young Master Yue, there is no need to ask. It was indeed I who abducted the young lady of your house. It was a situation of last resort; I hope you can be magnanimous." There was no point in denying it, and Yuwen Lingxi had no intention of doing so. He cupped his hands toward Yue Lingjun and the others.

Meng Chuchen’s expression shifted slightly as he looked at An Ming. Although he had guessed as much, he had not expected such a swift admission, especially given that the kill order from the Five Great Powers had yet to be rescinded.

"This matter involves confidential affairs of my Hall, and An Ming cannot provide a detailed explanation. I ask for your understanding, Young Master Yue." Yuwen Lingxi watched Yue Lingjun, who remained terrifyingly calm, his own voice devoid of any change.

Before Yue Lingjun could react, Zhou Man roared, "So it was you, you brat, who abducted my niece!" He rolled up his sleeves and prepared to charge, but was fortunately held back by Qiao Bin and Zhou Ziwen.

As if oblivious, Yuwen Lingxi kept his eyes fixed on Yue Lingjun. "The Rakshasa Hall will remember the favor owed to the Yue family."

Upon hearing this, even Yuwen Lingxi (Xiao) looked surprised, to say nothing of Zhou Man and Qiao Bin. Others might not realize the weight of a favor from the Rakshasa Hall, but they certainly did.

Yue Lingjun’s fists tightened, his voice laced with anger: "You should know that the Yue family does not care about such things."

Meng Chuchen also stared directly at An Ming, knowing that this statement had thoroughly enraged his eldest brother. In his brother’s heart, his younger sister was never a bargaining chip.

Yuwen Lingxi clearly realized this as well. A look of apology appeared in his eyes, and he said sincerely, "I did not mean to treat this as a transaction. This was truly my fault."

Hearing his elder brother speak this way, Yuwen Lingxi (Xiao) could not find the words to describe his shock. His brother was actually apologizing—the words were coming from his own lips, and the look in his eyes was one of genuine remorse. He felt as if he were meeting his brother for the first time. He also felt a sense of comfort; ever since he began spending time with his sister-in-law, his brother had started to smile, his words carried warmth, and his eyes were no longer uniformly cold.

Yongchang was also deeply shocked. As a servant of the Emperor, he knew about the disappearance of the Yue family’s young daughter, but he had never expected the culprit to be standing right before him—and to be the leader of a notorious assassin organization. It was a thorny situation. Today was the Retired Emperor’s birthday banquet, and he could not afford any mishaps.

Even though he knew it was not his place to speak, he said, "I believe there must be a misunderstanding between you all. Perhaps it would be better to go to the pavilion above to discuss this clearly."

Qiao Bin chimed in as a peacemaker, "Indeed, let us go up. There may be some misunderstanding."

"What kind of misunderstanding leads to dragging my niece off a cliff and leaving her to suffer for so many days?" Before Qiao Bin could stop him, Zhou Man broke free and swung his fist toward Yuwen Lingxi, only to be blocked by a white-clad figure. Zhou Man glared at Yuwen Lingxi (Xiao), who stood before him. "Nephew Yuwen, why are you stopping me? You should be teaching this damn Hall Master a lesson; Miss Yue is your fiancée!"

Yuwen Lingxi (Xiao) certainly knew that, and he was sure his brother would not have dodged the blow. But just because his brother was willing to take a beating did not mean he was willing to watch it happen, though he could not voice that reason.

"Uncle Zhou, this is not a suitable place to fight," Yuwen Lingxi (Xiao) said, maintaining a cool, detached tone.

"What do you mean not suitable? I’m not asking you to fight!" Zhou Man struggled to break free from Yuwen Lingxi (Xiao)’s grip, praising, "Good lad, your skills are impressive." Then, his tone shifted: "Move aside."

Watching Yuwen Lingxi (Xiao) show no sign of yielding, Meng Chuchen interjected, "Head of the Zhou family, we are here to attend a birthday banquet today; it is indeed not the time for conflict."

Although Zhou Man was boorish, he was not entirely thoughtless. Reminded by Meng Chuchen, he realized he had been impulsive. He lowered his fist sullenly and said to An Ming, who stood on the high ground, "I will remember this for today."

Only then did Yuwen Lingxi (Xiao) step aside. Yongchang finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Qiao Bin spoke at the right moment: "Everyone, let us head to the pavilion."

However, the commotion had already drawn attention. Lian Yue, who was busy chasing butterflies with Qiao Ke, inadvertently heard the hushed whispers nearby: "So the one who abducted the Yue daughter was actually the Hall Master of the Rakshasa Hall. They almost came to blows just now."

"Indeed, it’s unbelievable. The Rakshasa Hall has met a tough opponent this time."

Lian Yue’s heart tightened. Ignoring the need for decorum, she rushed over to the two young men who had just passed by and asked, "What did you just say?"

The two young men in fine robes turned to see the woman standing amidst the flowers—clad in a cherry-red dress, with a slender figure and a stunning face, she looked like a fairy stepped out from the blossoms. Their eyes betrayed their awe, and they stood frozen, forgetting to answer.

They even doubted if they were dreaming, but when a figure in a python robe appeared, they regained their senses. Qiao Zhi subtly blocked their lingering gazes and said with displeasure, "Answer the question."

"We pay our respects to the Sixth Prince." Seeing it was Qiao Zhi, the two bowed quickly, secretly feeling regretful—how could such a beauty be with the Sixth Prince? It seemed they had no chance.

One of the sharper ones hurriedly said, "This official just passed by the Yujing Pavilion. It seems there is a conflict between the Yue and Zhou families and the Rakshasa Hall regarding the abduction of the Yue daughter."

Lian Yue understood the situation immediately. Pushing past Qiao Zhi, she asked anxiously, "Where is the Yujing Pavilion?"

The man who had spoken earlier, seeing Lian Yue appear before him again, managed to compose himself and pointed toward a pavilion on a rockery to the east. "It is that one."

Lian Yue followed his gaze, identified the target, leaped out of the flowerbeds, and surged forward using light kung fu. For a moment, she looked like a fairy in flight.

"Sister Yue'er, where are you going?"

"Little Aunt!"

Qiao Zhi turned to look at the calling Qiao Ke and Yaoyao. He said to Qiao Ke, "Your little aunt is fine. Take them to the Yujing Pavilion across the way, do you understand?"

Qiao Ke nodded repeatedly. Qiao Zhi turned and utilized his own light kung fu, chasing after Lian Yue.

The young men and women strolling through the Imperial Garden noticed their figures one after another.

Shen Yeqiu, sitting in the Qianqiu Pavilion, could not help but exclaim, "Isn't that Miss Yue and the Sixth Prince?" She then glanced cautiously at Shen Yemei, who was staring blankly at the departing figures, and said no more.

In the Wanchun Pavilion opposite, Zhuo Yuying spoke with admiration, "Excellent skills." Han Luyan watched the two figures chasing each other, stood up, and said to Mu Jinrong and Qiao Wanwu beside her, "Their direction is the Yujing Pavilion; let us go and see as well."

At this moment, a blue-clad figure stood by the water’s edge of the Taiye Pool in the Imperial Garden, glaring at the two figures moving further away. She gnashed her teeth and hissed, "Follow me, Princess!"

The commotion Lian Yue had caused was so great that those at the Yujing Pavilion naturally noticed. Yue Lingjun glanced with ill intent at An Ming’s fixated gaze.

He looked at Lian Yue, who was about to enter the pavilion, and asked helplessly, "What is it that has you in such a rush?"

Lian Yue scanned everyone in the pavilion. Seeing they were all sitting peacefully, she felt a sense of relief. Her eyes involuntarily met An Ming’s. She knew he was smiling at her, and her heart began to race uncontrollably once again.

Lian Yue reluctantly shifted her gaze to her brother and chided, "Big brother, I told you he saved my life. Why are you still making things difficult for him?" She failed to notice the flaw in her own words.

"You knew his identity all along, didn't you?"