Chapter 155: Sordid Business

The moment the two stepped out of the teahouse, they ran straight into a group of people, among whom was Xiang Bingfeng. She did not dare to provoke them outright, but instead leaned close to a young man in dark robes and whispered something. The dark-robed young man chuckled and said, "Is she that illegitimate daughter of the Yu family who made a secret lifelong pledge with her cousin only to end up marrying into the Ning family? It is such a waste for her to be matched with a fool from the Ning family; no wonder she is so resentful."

Sending Ning Mofe back into the teahouse, Yu Youwei, boiling with suppressed fury, drew her sword without hesitation. "I will give you two choices: slap your own face, or I will cut out your tongue."

"A fiery beauty! Exactly what this brother loves most!" The dark-robed young man's lecherous gaze darted wildly, and his hands were not slow either. With a flick, he cast a Fire Dragon spell, instantly conjuring a dragon-shaped wave of fire right before him, making the surrounding air feel as though it were burning.

The scorching heat waves pressed down oppressively. Just as the wall of fire rushed toward the crown of her head, Yu Youwei spun around gracefully. The Qingshuang Sword dragged a streak of azure light that slanted deeply into the ground, cracking the earth and leaving a deep fissure. Leveraging the momentum, she swept the Qingshuang Sword upward, and another flash of sword Qi wrapped around the fire dragon, dragging it straight into the cracked earth where it vanished without a trace.

Her attack having been neutralized so effortlessly, the dark-robed young man looked somewhat displeased. "Take another move from me!" he shouted loudly, and the crimson fire wave he conjured condensed into a cone-shaped physical entity.

As the fire cone took form, there was a momentary pause, as if time itself had frozen in place. Yu Youwei felt a sense of threat, and the Chiyan Sword began to hum softly, its sword spirit roaring in her mind: "Let me go teach this grandson a lesson, who the hell does he think he is!"

"Why use a butcher's knife to kill a chicken? The Qingshuang Sword is more than enough to deal with him," Yu Youwei thought to herself. Fortunately, this bit of flattery hit the mark, and the Chiyan Sword spirit fell silent, feeling rather pleased.

Within a split second, the fire cone shattered into thousands of hair-thin rays of light that burst forth, blanketing a five-meter radius around her with a brilliant, crystalline radiance. Ignoring the complaints of the Chiyan Sword spirit, she continued to rely on the Qingshuang Sword to face her opponent.

The straight blade of the Qingshuang Sword vibrated up and down rhythmically. The azure sword Qi rippled outward with a peculiar cadence, shimmering like water waves. When the fiery needles shot into the azure ripples, they acted as if sinking into fluffy cotton, rendering them entirely useless.

The dark-robed young man had never expected that his full-strength strike would accomplish nothing. Just as he was about to change his tactic, the azure sword shadows surged toward him like rolling waves. The chest of his dark outer robe was shattered into tiny fragments, and the flesh on his chest was torn open, exposing raw red meat as blood poured out profusely like a fountain. Overwhelmed by a wave of excruciating pain, he let out a howl like a wounded wolf: "Wretch, I'll grind your bones to dust!"

"You aren't even worthy!" Yu Youwei said dismissively. Standing there, she looked like a drawn sword still in its scabbard, sending a chill through everyone who looked at her.

"Let me try my hand!"

"Too arrogant!"

The people who had accompanied Xiang Bingfeng cried out one after another. Among them, a white-clad figure soared into the air with movements of the utmost agility. Even while still suspended mid-air, he had already raised his sword to thrust.

The sight of a person spinning and flying through the air like a bird suddenly touched a chord within Yu Youwei. The sharp look in her eyes vanished, replaced by pupils as calm and flat as a mirror's surface. As her opponent cleaved down with his sword, the Qingshuang Sword in her hand vibrated like waves, and the azure sword light flew out like water splashes—effortlessly deflecting the incoming blade aside and defusing the move with supreme ease.

The crowd of onlookers grew larger and larger, bursting into wave after wave of cheers.

"I suppose your reputation isn't entirely undeserved," the man in white said arrogantly before launching a full-scale assault. The sword Qi blazing from his weapon grew exponentially, refracting at angles that defied belief.

That streak of sword Qi was unrestrained and flamboyant, spanning the air like a magnificent rainbow. Yu Youwei's eyes narrowed involuntarily. The Qingshuang Sword thrust forward with exquisite lightness and speed, executing nearly a hundred strikes within the span of a breath; yet because every thrust followed the exact same angle, at first glance it looked like nothing more than a single strike.

When the overlapping sword Qi multiplied in power and collided with the rainbow-like blade energy, it scattered like subterranean water erupting from the fissures of a rock. A brilliant azure radiance flared up, enveloping the two combatants and causing the onlookers to hastily retreat into the distance.

"Youwei!" Suddenly unable to see his wife anymore, Ning Mofe shouted in a panic and tried to rush forward.

Just as he lifted his foot, four figures dressed in black emerged around Ning Mofe. One of them grabbed him while another said, "Young Madam is fine."

Ignoring the sudden appearance of the men in black, Baili Feiyan stood there holding a plate of melon seeds, cracking them open with her teeth as she said, "Your wife is a cat with nine lives; she won't die. That eighth-grade syndrome patient is more than likely going to be chopped into little pieces by her."

Unable to comprehend such profound remarks, Ning Mofe asked, "Youwei won't die, right?"

"Mhm, bad weeds last a long time; she hasn't even lived through a tenth of her lifespan yet."

"Are you scolding Youwei?"

"Oh, I was praising her."

"You're lying!" Ning Mofe rebuked angrily. He furrowed his brows and shot Baili Feiyan a very serious look, then walked out of the teahouse to show that he was drawing a clear line between them, causing her to burst into a fit of fluttering, bell-like laughter.

The crisp sound of two swords clashing rang out, and two figures landed. The man was disheveled, and his white robes were torn in multiple places, clearly having suffered quite a heavy loss.

Yu Youwei, on the other hand, looked far more leisurely. She drifted over to Ning Mofe's side and landed gracefully, the Qingshuang Sword pointing diagonally into the sky. Her cool, detached gaze fell upon the man in white, though it was as if she were looking at nothing at all. She said coldly, "Shall we continue fighting, or do you yield?"

"We yield!" the man in white said through gritted teeth, his complexion even paler than his white garments.

The dark-robed young man glared at Yu Youwei with eyes burning with rage, his teeth grinding together audibly.

Fighting was strictly forbidden on the streets of the imperial capital. Although this ban usually existed in name only, now that the brawl was drawing to a close, the capital's City Guard had no choice but to show their faces. With a sound of thunderous, dense hoofbeats, a troop of brightly armored City Guards appeared at the intersection of Yuhuai Street.

"No matter which dimension you're in, the police always arrive fashionably late," Baili Feiyan remarked with a sigh.

After issuing some routine warnings, the City Guard withdrew.

Yu Youwei took Ning Mofe by the hand and left Yuhuai Street as well. Upon returning to the Ning residence and entering the Jing'an Hall, Ning Mofe saw the strange expressions on his grandmother's and eldest sister-in-law's faces. His smile froze on his lips; letting go of Yu Youwei's hand, he slumped over the table and said unhappily, "Are you guys angry too?"

Lady Liu immediately took the tea poured by a maidservant and handed it over personally: "Fourth Brother, is there anyone else who is angry?"

The Old Lady asked pointedly, "Mofe, tell Grandmother, who would dare to be angry in front of you?"

"Youwei is very angry. I asked her, and she said she was fine, but I know she's angry." As he spoke, teardrops clung to Ning Mofe's eyelashes, and his thin lips turned downward in a pout.

"Very well, to think she even dares to give Mofe a cold look!" The Old Lady laughed out of extreme anger, her sharp gaze fixing on Yu Youwei with none of the warmth she had shown when the young couple came to pay their respects that morning.

Lady Liu stood with her head bowed, staring at the white magnolia flowers embroidered on her sleeves, while inwardly she was blooming with joy.

Yu Youwei could no longer remain silent. "Grandmother, Youwei did not want some filthy words to pollute Mofe's ears. Furthermore, given his pure and childlike heart, it would be difficult for him to comprehend such sordid schemes. That is why Youwei did not offer a detailed explanation; it was by no means giving Mofe a cold look."

"You knew those were filthy words, yet you feel no shame whatsoever!" the Old Lady said indignantly. Had it not been for Lady Liu's prior remarks paving the way, she might have felt a sense of relief at Yu Youwei's words; instead, she now felt an immense disgust toward her.

Glancing indifferently at Lady Liu, who stood silent like a clay figurine, Yu Youwei was somewhat surprised that Liu had not smoothed things over to display her own virtue. After a brief moment of reflection, she realized that the person who had gone to the Old Lady to complain and stir up trouble must have been this virtuous-seeming eldest sister-in-law. However, if Lady Liu thought she could scheme against her, her cultivation level was still far from enough!