"Ahem, no, not at all..." Murong Fu had just praised the beauty of Qin Hongmian and Gan Baobao and was about to claim the verses were composed by the two of them, when he saw Bao Butong finally unable to hold back from speaking out.
"What do you mean, 'not at all'? Do you think these two sisters are not beautiful?"
"Uh, no."
"Or do you think my description of the two sisters was inaccurate?"
"Uh, no."
"Third Brother Bao, I never expected you to be this kind of person, actually uttering lies against your conscience just because of Xiaocui!"
"Uh, no, not at all, Young Master..."
"How is it not? Are you afraid that if we tell Xiaocui later, you didn't object when I was praising another sister's beauty?" Murong Fu quickly cut him off with a barrage of words, terrified that Third Brother Bao's thoughtless remarks would ruin his image.
Strangely enough, ever since that day when Third Brother Bao had been rendered speechless with a beet-red face, the number of times he had to hold his tongue kept increasing. His large head, short neck, and blushing appearance never failed to put Murong Fu in a cheerful mood.
"Young Master, stop teasing Third Brother Bao," Feng Bo'e stepped in to smooth things over, afraid that Third Brother Bao might actually pop a blood vessel from holding it in.
Ever since that accidental discovery of Third Brother Bao smiling foolishly while saying goodbye to Xiaocui, Murong Fu had effectively gotten a grip on Third Brother Bao's weak spot.
That very day, the two of them had lingered together affectionately for a long time, and afterward, a bashful Xiaocui had retreated to the inner courtyard. Meanwhile, a grinning Murong Fu had blocked the path of Third Brother Bao, who was sniffing his own palm, making it exceptionally easy for Murong Fu to interrupt Third Brother Bao's "no, not at alls."
Today, the Young Master was showing off his brilliance in public, using poetry from Tang dynasty poets to hoodwink the pretty young ladies of Hundred Flowers Valley, and Third Brother Bao simply found it hard to control his instinct to object.
"Alas, I'm truly a fool. Xiaocui is still waiting for me, and yet I actually wanted to contradict the Young Master..." Third Brother Bao stood in silence, lowering his head with a crimson face to reflect on his actions.
Seeing that Third Brother Bao was no longer chiming in, Murong Fu turned his gaze back to the two lovely young ladies from Hundred Flowers Valley.
Although Qin Hongmian and Gan Baobao were only sixteen or seventeen years old, this was hardly their first time wandering the pugilistic world, and they had already carved out reputations for themselves as the "Rakshasa Blade" and the "Brisk Night-Ogress." The Master of Hundred Flowers Valley had sent them on this mission believing that the Murong Clan must have a foolproof plan to rid the world of this scourge, and while Qin Hongmian and Gan Baobao's martial arts skills were not quite among the very best in the martial world, they had reached the level of second-rate martial artists.
"I am endlessly grateful to the two sisters for coming to our aid. Before the two of you arrived, I was even afraid that Daoist Zhangxu wouldn't take the bait."
Pausing for a moment, Murong Fu continued, "Let alone Daoist Zhangxu, even I, who consider myself a man of upright character, might find it hard not to take the bait if I were in his shoes."
At these words, Gan Baobao didn't say much, merely gazing at Murong Fu with her beautiful eyes in a manner that was both coy and reproachful. Qin Hongmian asked with a hint of skepticism, "Would the Young Master please be more specific?"
"Ahem, the two sisters possess peerless beauty. If you were to disguise yourselves as newlywed sisters walking through a busy street to fetch a physician to save your consumptive husband, and have well-meaning people spread the news, how could Daoist Zhangxu possibly resist taking the bait once he lays eyes on you?"
"If the two sisters have reservations about this expedient measure, you could also disguise yourselves as my sisters, running about and gathering herbs for me as your younger brother."
"I wonder which of the two options the sisters prefer?"
"The second one!" Gan Baobao declared.
"Let's go with the first one after all." Ignoring Gan Baobao's preference, Qin Hongmian spoke up as if to settle the matter once and for all, her tone exceptionally resolute.
"Senior Sister~" Gan Baobao wanted to object, but saw Qin Hongmian wave her hand and continue.
"Before we came here, we also investigated Daoist Zhangxu. He is a man of extreme cruelty who specializes in defiling other men's wives and daughters, especially newlywed women."
"Since we are putting on a show, we must do it as securely as possible. People of the pugilistic world do not sweat minor details; how can we sacrifice a greater purpose for the sake of petty scruples?"
Qin Hongmian truly lived up to her moniker as the Rakshasa Blade, handling matters with decisive ruthlessness.
Gan Baobao pouted, looking as though she had something to say, but ultimately keeping it to herself.
Murong Fu had only come up with this idea on the spur of the moment. Originally, the role of the consumptive ghost was meant for Third Brother Bao, but upon meeting Qin Hongmian and Gan Baobao, there was no longer any room for Third Brother Bao to play the lead.
Third Brother Bao's face was flushed red, rendering him quite unable to object; he could only wonder why the Young Master had gone and rewritten the script. Feng Bo'e, on the other hand, had the corners of his mouth turned up in a slight smile, feeling that the Young Master acted like a seasoned veteran—he was learning fast!
Without further ado, Murong Fu finalized the plan with the two women. Finally, Murong Fu bade them farewell, asking the two beauties who had traveled from afar to go and rest.
Once Qin Hongmian and Gan Baobao entered the room, Gan Baobao had things to say.
"Senior Sister, the second option would have worked perfectly well. Given the beauty of you and me, how could that Daoist Zhangxu have any reason not to take the bait? Now look at us—we have to disguise ourselves as that little scoundrel's wives."
Seeing that Qin Hongmian made no reply, Gan Baobao continued, "Senior Sister, could it be that you've taken a fancy to that little scoundrel? And you just had to drag your junior sister into it as well."
Flustered, Qin Hongmian snapped back at once, "Nonsense! I'm clearly doing this to eliminate a scourge—yes, purely to eliminate a scourge. The way you looked at Young Master Murong was just like May royal jelly, sticky beyond belief. You're the one who's taken a fancy to that little scoundrel."
"Hmph, I did no such thing! And calling him 'Young Master Murong' besides—just to convince yourself, you said 'to eliminate a scourge' twice."
The two women began playfully tugging at each other amidst fits of laughter, instantly filling the room with a vibrant, spring-like atmosphere...