Fairies Are Fierce

Chapter 3: Innate Beauty is Hard to Abandon

The hand rose and the knife fell, the movement was too fast.

Even the surrounding people couldn't see clearly what had happened until now.

They only noticed that after the terrifying sword strike from Cui Shanying, there was a bloody hole in his waist and abdomen.

And that young man in the green clothes, still in his original position, seemed like he hadn't even lifted a hand.

Cui Shanying's face turned red. He leaped back to the top of the carriage, blood flowing from his waist, and pointed his sword at Zuo Lingquan in shock and anger.

"Who exactly are you?"

The constables around were also shocked.

"What a fast knife!"

"Young hero..."

"Oh no, how could you hurt Lord Cui?"

...

Zuo Lingquan stood still in the rain, ignoring the commotion around him. After waiting for a moment, he raised his Zhan Gang sword and used his thumb to wipe the blood off the blade.

"Cui, could it be that my knife missed its mark?"

The constables heard this and suddenly realized. They turned their eyes to Cui Shanying, who stood on the sedan with a powerful aura, and frowned.

The Zhan Gang sword was poisonous, capable of blocking the circulation of qi and blood in the meridians. It was something provided by the court specifically to deal with cultivators and strange beasts.

Cui Shanying had been stabbed in the waist, but he was still full of energy and clearly not showing signs of blocked qi and blood. That could only mean that the sword was indeed a fake.

Thinking of this, the constables looked at the swords in their hands with suspicion. After all, this was a matter of life and death.

The incident happened suddenly, and Cui Shanying was completely unprepared. With nearly a hundred people watching, including officials from the court, pretending to be weak and falling to the ground was obviously a cover-up. He could only glare at Zuo Lingquan and grit his teeth.

"This sword is indeed useless. I will definitely inquire with my superiors. I am a Lingtai Lang of the Qintian Observatory, a court-appointed official. Drawing a sword against a court official in the street is tantamount to rebellion! You have a lot of nerve. Arrest him for me."

Although Lingtai Lang was only a seventh-grade idle position, he was a genuine official and had the background of Qihuang Valley, so his status in the capital was high.

Stabbing Cui Shanying in the street, the constables around couldn't pretend they hadn't seen it, but Zuo Lingquan had helped them earlier, so they were in a difficult position for a while.

Old Zhang quickly intervened and tried to mediate the situation.

"Lord Cui, calm down. This young hero was also impulsive for a moment. As a high-ranking expert of Qihuang Valley, with vast Divine Abilities, this strike probably won't cause any serious harm..."

Although Cui Shanying had been stabbed in the waist, and although it didn't affect any vital organs, how could he be fine when a white knife went in and a red knife came out? He angrily said,

"What are you all standing there for? This young man is audacious and committed a violent act in the street. With so many people and ordinary citizens present, do you want to pervert justice?"

When Zuo Lingquan heard that they wanted to arrest him, he had a thought and figured out how to avoid the selection of the husband of the princess.

Not only did he not show any signs of backing down, but he also raised his sword and pointed it at Cui Shanying, assuming the appearance of a rebellious wanderer.

"Are you trying to catch me?"

"Hey, young hero..."

The constables and the common people were all anxious.

Blood was flowing from Cui Shanying's stomach, and he was openly threatened. He was so angry that his veins bulged, and he urged the constables with his sword, saying, "Arrest him! Do you want to watch him kill me on the street?"

Although the constables were grateful for Zuo Lingquan's help, his actions at this moment were too excessive. They had no choice but to turn the tables and signal to Zuo Lingquan not to resist, otherwise it would not end well.

Zuo Lingquan had no intention of resisting, so he put away his official sword and prepared to surrender.

However, at this critical moment, a voice suddenly came from the street, saying, "Stop!"

Everyone turned their heads and saw dozens of guards running quickly from the street, with a carriage in front of them, hanging a wooden sign with the character 'Zuo'.

The capital city was under the feet of the emperor, and nobles and officials could be seen everywhere. The constables recognized this carriage as the one belonging to Left Han Chou, the Minister of Rites.

The Minister of Rites was a third-grade official, not considered top-tier in the capital city, but compared to ordinary constables, he was a true high-ranking court official.

Old Zhang and Fang Zheng saw the situation and quickly signaled the common people to step back, and they greeted with a bow.

Zuo Lingquan sighed secretly, knowing that there was no chance of hiding in the bureau for a couple of days.

The carriage stopped on the street full of ruins, and the curtain was lifted. A middle-aged man with a kind and wealthy appearance walked out. He was wearing a purple official robe and had a silver fish bag hanging from his waist. He was Left Han Chou, the Minister of Rites, and also Zuo Lingquan's uncle.

After getting off the carriage, Left Han Chou glanced at the crowded street and saw Zuo Lingquan holding a sword in the middle of the street, with Cui Shanying covered in blood on the carriage. His expression changed slightly, knowing that his nephew had caused trouble.

No matter what the matter was, the first thing to do was to clear the scene, otherwise it would be difficult to handle with so many onlookers.

Before greeting Left Han Chou, he looked at the surrounding crowd and said in a firm tone, "A ferocious beast is causing trouble. How can we let the common people gather on the street? Disperse!"

The constables immediately followed the order and quickly dispersed the surrounding crowd.

Cui Shanying saw Left Han Chou clearing the scene and guessed that this young swordsman was related to him. The anger on his face subsided slightly, and he said unhappily, "Minister Left, this person openly attacked a court official on the street. It's not a small matter."

After getting off the carriage, Left Han Chou walked to Cui Shanying's side, holding up his robe and looking up. A look of admiration appeared on his face as he praised, "Brother Cui, you are truly brave. You risked your life and suffered serious injuries to protect the people of Linhe District from the ferocious beast. You are a pillar of the country. I will definitely report this to the emperor tomorrow and ask for recognition for your achievements."

Today, there was a flaw in the execution of the Slashing Gang's plan. Cui Shanying was already in the wrong, and if it escalated to the court, the final outcome would probably be a severe punishment for both sides.

Seeing Left Han Chou's words, Cui Shanying couldn't lose face, so he decided to let bygones be bygones and also seek compensation.

However, Zuo Lingquan, who was standing on the street, really wanted to spend a couple of days in jail to avoid the upcoming selection of the son-in-law. He spoke seriously at this moment, "Uncle, I was the one who stabbed him with this sword. I saw this Cui guy lying through his teeth, so..."

"Lingquan!!"

Zuo Hanchou was almost infuriated by these words.

Cui Shanying's face turned pale, and blood was seeping from his stomach. He raised his sword and pointed it at Zuo Lingquan, clearly wanting to curse at him.

After giving his nephew a glare, Zuo Hanchou turned to look at Cui Shanying with a smile.

"Lingquan is young and doesn't speak seriously. May I ask Brother Cui what exactly happened just now?"

While speaking, Zuo Hanchou also blinked his eyes.

Cui Shanying was so angry that he wanted to stab Zuo Lingquan with his sword. But in the capital, it was not good to lower one's head or raise one's eyes. It was not good for everyone to damage their relationship, and the medical expenses would definitely be greatly reduced.

Cui Shanying gritted his teeth for a long time, finally put away his long sword, and said coldly,

"It was an accident just now. I slipped and fell on Lingquan's nephew's knife while killing the ferocious beast. I apologize for embarrassing Left Minister. I'll take my leave."

After saying that, he jumped off the sedan chair and walked away.

Zuo Hanchou smiled and raised his hand to bid farewell.

"Brother Cui, take care and recover well. I will personally visit you another day."

Cui Shanying covered his stomach and remained silent, disappearing into the rain.

After Zuo Hanchou saw Cui Shanying off, he turned his head and looked at the many constables.

"Brother Cui made it very clear just now. Today, all of you worked together with Lingquan and Brother Cui to kill the ferocious beast and protect the people. I will definitely report to the emperor. The heroes who sacrificed for the country will not be treated unfairly by the court. Everyone, tidy up the surroundings and disperse."

"Thank you, Minister!"

The constables present naturally didn't say much. After saluting, they began to clean up the remains...

---

Night fell.

In Donghua City, the sound of thunder did not affect the hustle and bustle of the city. In this land of elegance and prosperity, the streets were filled with revelry.

On the south bank of Mingde Bridge, in the residence of Left Minister Zuo Hanchou, the lights were on.

Dozens of beautiful maidservants hid in the corners of the corridor, secretly peeking in the direction of the study, whispering softly:

"The Seventh Young Master is so handsome, much more handsome than our young master..."

"Shh, don't let the young master hear, he'll explode..."

...

The study was dimly lit. At the window, a young man in green stood with his hands behind his back, enjoying the night view of the courtyard where the rain fell on the banana trees.

In the rainy night, one could faintly hear the words of Left Minister Zuo Hanchou:

"What a talent! I arranged a boat for you to enter the capital as a son-in-law, but you didn't take it and insisted on traveling alone. Fine, since you're here, you started killing people on the street as soon as you arrived in the capital. Do you think this is Qinghe County? This is the capital, under the feet of the emperor..."

In the study, Zuo Hanchou changed into his regular clothes, pacing back and forth in front of the desk with his hands behind his back, filled with frustration and not knowing where to start.

Zuo Hanchou served as an official in the capital, and the journey was long. He only returned home two or three times in over a decade.

When he was young, he saw Zuo Lingquan, who left a smart and knowledgeable impression. Compared to his own foolish son, he wished he could adopt Zuo Lingquan.

This time, when the Princess Consort was selecting a husband, Zuo Hanchou held high hopes that Zuo Lingquan would make a remarkable appearance when the young masters from various families showed up.

But he didn't expect that as soon as Zuo Lingquan arrived in the capital, he would give him such a big surprise.

If he had been even half a step late today, Zuo Lingquan would have been thrown into prison, becoming a laughingstock known to everyone. Even if he could be rescued, what kind of husband would he be selected as?

"You used to be such a well-behaved child, quiet and sensible. Among the younger generation of the Zuo family, I always thought you would have a bright future. But now, I don't know how your father taught you..." Zuo Hanchou kept talking incessantly.

Zuo Lingquan stood by the window, facing his nagging uncle with a relaxed expression. After listening to the nagging for a while, he turned around and spoke up.

"The incident today was initiated by Cui Shanying's rudeness. I didn't kill anyone, I just wanted to verify the authenticity of the Zhan Gang Blade."

Zuo Hanchou sat down behind the desk and slammed the table.

"Do you need to stab someone to verify its authenticity? The day after tomorrow, the Princess Consort will select a husband. You came to the capital to become a husband, but if you cause trouble, do you think the Princess Consort will go to the prison to select you?"

Zuo Lingquan did have that intention, but he couldn't say it directly in front of his elders. He sat down across from the desk, shook his head, and sighed.

"Uncle, being a husband is not easy, especially the Princess Consort's husband. Moreover, those who come to snatch the position are as numerous as crucian carp crossing the river. I may not necessarily be chosen."

Zuo Hanchou naturally knew that being a husband was not easy, especially the Princess Consort's husband. He said seriously,

"Whether you are chosen or not is the Princess Consort's decision. It's not for us to consider. What we should consider is whether we want to or not."

Zuo Lingquan answered cleanly and decisively,

"I don't want to."

"You have to think about it even if you don't want to."

Zuo Hanchou pointed to the towering city walls of the imperial city.

"The Emperor is young, and the Princess Consort is acting as regent. In essence, it is the matter of our Great Dan Dynasty. It is all decided by the Princess Consort. Now, according to the ritual, all the noble families in the world are desperately trying to get in. Can our Zuo family not go?"

Zuo Lingquan picked up his teacup and took a sip. "My Zuo family does have some land, but it is not considered a prominent family. It only has some influence in the four southern counties..."

Zuo Hanchou waved his hand and leaned back in his chair, speaking with great emphasis,

"But you, Uncle, are an official in the capital. Now that the Princess Consort is acting as regent, she is already subject to criticism from the royal family. There are also many dissenting voices in the court, but who dares to openly voice their objections?

Wanting to be a husband, in essence, is also a way to show loyalty and prove that you want to be on the same boat as the Princess Consort. The young masters from the noble families in the court have all gone, but our Zuo family, claiming to be noble and looking down on it, what does that mean? Am I, Zuo Hanchou, looking down on the Princess Consort?"

Zuo Lingquan finally understood this time—it was about taking sides. He thought for a moment,

"I am the seventh in line in my family. There are still four or five unmarried sons in the Zuo family. Why am I chosen first..."

"Who told you that you are handsome?"

(End of this chapter)