Fairies Are Fierce

Chapter 8: You're Finished, I'm Telling You!

Repeating day after day, the two people in the rain continued to confront each other for half an hour.

The woman in black was very stubborn, never showing any softness from beginning to end. She would scold, threaten, and even become hysterical, but she never said the word "submit".

Zuo Lingquan also refused to give in. He spoke with reason and principle, but when faced with someone who couldn't accept defeat and was being unreasonable, he had to teach the other person what "martial virtue" meant. Otherwise, it would never end. He couldn't be the one to apologize first, could he?

When two people clash in temperament, neither is willing to back down, but it's also impossible for this to continue forever.

The woman in black was at a disadvantage, being controlled by someone. After being punished many times, she gradually stopped struggling and speaking. She just lay on Zuo Lingquan's leg, gritting her teeth, her breathing becoming rapid.

Zuo Lingquan couldn't continue like this either. Seeing that the other party had stopped struggling, he said softly,

"When you fight someone one-on-one, you have to be able to win and lose gracefully. Otherwise, if someone can defeat you, they can kill you. Fortunately, you encountered me. If you act like this in the martial world, you won't survive for three days. If you stop struggling, I'll consider it as you admitting defeat and let you go. If you still want to continue, we can do so. Let's see who will suffer more."

The woman in black, still lying on Zuo Lingquan's leg, didn't respond at all. She just took a deep breath.

Seeing this, Zuo Lingquan released his grip.

The woman in black jumped up like a startled rabbit, ignoring the burning pain on her back, and turned to pick up her sword from the ground.

Zuo Lingquan frowned and grasped the hilt of his sword.

Even the most stubborn person wouldn't willingly offer themselves to be beaten. The woman in black was full of shame and humiliation in her eyes, but she didn't attack Zuo Lingquan again. Instead, she walked quickly towards the exit of the alley, holding her sword, and said coldly,

"Just you wait."

Zuo Lingquan stood up, sheathed his sword, and patted his robe.

"If you can't remember anything other than holding a grudge, then you shouldn't practice martial arts anymore. It's easy to die young. If you're not convinced, come find me for a one-on-one fight anytime. If you reason with me, I'll reason with you."

"Spit—shameless."

The woman in black was so angry that she couldn't stand it. She kicked a piece of broken brick towards Zuo Lingquan and quickly ran away, as if afraid of being caught.

Zuo Lingquan dodged the broken brick and didn't bother to pursue her.

However, as he watched the woman gradually disappear, Zuo Lingquan suddenly remembered something important and called out from a distance,

"By the way, you said that as long as I can last for a cup of tea, you'll introduce me to Qihuang Valley. Are those words still valid?"

The woman in black, who had already walked far away, suddenly stopped her footsteps. It was clear that she wanted to turn around and curse at him.

But as the one in the superior position, one must act according to their words. Even though the other party was shameless, she couldn't stoop to their level.

After hesitating for a moment, the woman in black reached for her waist and took out a jade pendant, then threw it back to Zuo Lingquan.

"Take this jade pendant to Qihuang Valley, someone will take you in. Also, today's matter won't end like this. Just you wait. I will make you understand the trouble you've caused with those few strikes."

Zuo Lingquan received the jade pendant, which had a round shape with a green bamboo engraved on the front and a 'Wu' character on the back. It was likely an identification token that she carried with her, still retaining some warmth. He rubbed it twice, smiled, and clasped his fists in a salute:

"Thank you, Senior Long. If Senior Long is really angry, I'll stand here and let Senior Long hit me back. We're all family, there's no need to be so angry."

Hit me back?

The black-clad woman endured the pain behind her and thought about the scene when she hit Zuo Lingquan...

Unbearable to look at!

"Spit—shameless thief, you're dead, I'm telling you..."

The black-clad woman turned around and spat, then disappeared heavily at the end of the alley.

Zuo Lingquan's mouth curled up as he weighed the jade pendant in his hand, satisfied, and walked towards a distant tavern.

As for how the black-clad woman would retaliate against him, Zuo Lingquan wasn't worried. The fact that she gave him the jade pendant meant that she still followed the rules, she just had a bit of a temper. At worst, when she entered the Qihuang Valley in the future, she would be bullied by the senior sister and sent to clean the toilets.

A real man can bend and stretch, the greater the suffering, the higher the person. As long as he can embark on the path of longevity, what's a little bullying?

However, when Zuo Lingquan thought about the selection of the future consort in two days, he sighed secretly.

If he really got chosen, his dream of practicing freely would definitely be ruined.

At this moment, all he could do was hope that the princess was blind and didn't fancy him, otherwise, he would have wasted the great opportunity he encountered today...

---

The night was deep, even the gambling houses on the small street were quiet, leaving only the sounds of laughter and joy in the romantic alley.

The door of the Tang family tavern was tightly closed. Zuo Lingquan came to the front door and picked up the oiled paper umbrella leaning against the door. He knew that Tang Jingruo wouldn't dare to sleep, so he knocked on the door.

Dong dong—

There was some movement behind the door, as if someone was secretly picking up a kitchen knife.

Seeing this, Zuo Lingquan half-jokingly said, "Sister Tang, the ferocious beast has been scared away, no need to worry."

Hearing Zuo Lingquan's voice, footsteps sounded in the hall. Soon, the door opened, and Tang Jingruo cautiously peeked through the crack in the door, her eyes showing a hint of nervousness.

"Lord Zuo, are you injured?"

"I'm not injured. Sister Tang, go to bed early, remember to close the doors and windows. I'll go home first, take care."

After speaking, he handed the money for the wine to Tang Jingruo.

Tang Jingruo still had lingering fears from the events of the day, not to mention the appearance of the 'ferocious beast' just now. The ferocious beast appeared and disappeared without warning, she, a woman living here, what good would it do to just close the door?

Looking at the one hundred taels of silver notes handed over by Zuo Lingquan, Tang Jingruo's eyes showed some anxiety. She felt embarrassed to ask Zuo Lingquan to stay and keep watch for her. After hesitating for a moment, she stammered, "Sir, you helped the neighbors get rid of the harm, how can you not even have a cup of tea? Um... why don't you come in and rest for a while, and leave when the rain subsides?"

Zuo Lingquan could tell from Tang Jingrong's expression that she was scared. After thinking for a moment, he stepped into the tavern:

"Then I'll trouble Sister Tang. It's getting late, so you should rest first. I'll leave when the rain stops and make sure to close the door for you."

There were customers in the shop, so Tang Jingrong couldn't just run back to the backyard to sleep, nor could she dare to sleep. She fetched a jug of wine and placed it on the table, then handed a towel to Zuo Lingquan.

Zuo Lingquan dried himself off and sat by the window, drinking his wine. He didn't stare at Tang Jingrong, but instead gazed into the distance at the sky above the imperial city, contemplating his future plans.

Tang Jingrong sat by the warm wine stove, looking around and not knowing what to say. She was also afraid that Zuo Lingquan would leave, so her expression was quite awkward.

Zuo Lingquan didn't have much to say either, and the two of them remained silent for a long time. Suddenly, Zuo Lingquan heard a few bird calls and the sound of birds flying around in the backyard.

Chirp chirp—

Zuo Lingquan glanced over and couldn't see anything due to the curtain blocking his view, so he asked casually:

"Sister Tang, do you keep birds?"

Tang Jingrong was at a loss for words but quickly smiled and replied:

"Yes, in the past, when I was drying rice, a foolish bird would come every day to steal some. Over time, it refused to leave, so I started keeping it as a pet to pass the time. It's probably awake now and calling for me since it noticed I'm not here."

Zuo Lingquan nodded. "It's not easy to live alone, having a pet for company is nice."

"To be honest, living alone is fine. The neighbors are all good people, and no one bothers me. As long as there are no ferocious beasts causing trouble, life is pretty good."

Tang Jingrong said this, but her expression clearly showed some unease. Her eyes reflected the faint light of the small stove, carrying a hint of sadness. She didn't want to talk about this matter anymore and changed the topic:

"I heard that the selection of the consort will take place the day after tomorrow. How does one choose a consort? Is it like choosing a flower girl, standing on a platform for the princess to pick?"

Zuo Lingquan held his wine bowl and thought about it. It was indeed similar:

"More or less. A group of people gather together and compete with each other. The most outstanding person becomes the consort."

"What do they compete in? Playing the piano and singing?"

"Things like horseback riding and archery competitions."

"But it's not like they're testing for the top martial artist. Why do they need to compete in horseback riding and archery?"

Zuo Lingquan drank some wine, perhaps feeling a bit tipsy, and casually replied:

"These are all tests of physical strength. The consort doesn't hold any important position, their only duty is to serve the princess. As the saying goes: Only the ox that works hard will not ruin... ruin... ruin..."

At this point, Zuo Lingquan suddenly realized that he had gone off track and felt a bit embarrassed. He lifted his wine bowl and took a sip to cover it up.

Tang Jingrong, running a tavern in the bustling Linqiao District, had naturally heard this saying and understood its meaning.

This kid really knows a lot...

Her eyebrows furrowed slightly, her eyes filled with surprise and curiosity. She turned around, facing away from Zuo Lingquan as she fiddled with the stove. She knowingly asked, "What do you mean?"

"Well, it's nothing. It's just that the husband must have good health and not die early, leaving the princess widowed," Zuo Lingquan explained casually, feeling embarrassed to continue making things up. He looked out the window at the rain curtain.

After experiencing this little incident, Tang Jingrong didn't feel like talking anymore. She stared blankly at the stove, not knowing what she was thinking.

The night grew late, and the two of them remained silent, causing the tavern to become quiet once again.

Tang Jingrong initially leaned against the table next to the stove, gradually nodding off until her head rested on the table.

Zuo Lingquan was not an immortal who never slept. He sat by the window, thinking about going to Qihuang Valley tomorrow. He didn't know when drowsiness struck, and he also ended up lying on the table.

In a daze, they only felt that in the blink of an eye, there was some noise outside.

"Buns..."

"Selling coal..."

"Hey? Are you done yet..."

Zuo Lingquan suddenly woke up, looked towards the window, and realized that it was already getting bright outside.

Turning his head, Tang Jingrong was still sleeping soundly next to the small table by the stove.

Perhaps feeling uncomfortable sleeping like that, Tang Jingrong changed her position, facing away from him. From behind, her narrow shoulders and round hips, wider than her shoulders, created a scene that was very suggestive.

"..."

As the saying goes, "A gentleman does not take advantage of someone in a dark room." Zuo Lingquan quickly averted his unintentional gaze.

He didn't wake up Tang Jingrong, but instead used a wine cup to hold down the silver ticket. He stood up quietly, closed the window, and then closed the door from the outside.

It was February, and the rain had stopped. Although it was not yet fully bright, there were already some pedestrians on the small street.

After closing the tavern door, Zuo Lingquan tidied his clothes a bit and turned around to leave.

However, just as he took a few steps, he suddenly noticed a middle-aged woman standing outside a bun shop at the end of the street, holding a steamer and staring at him intently.

Zuo Lingquan noticed her gaze and looked up. The woman turned and went back into the shop.

Zuo Lingquan felt puzzled, but he was a handsome man, and being stared at on the street was not uncommon. He didn't pay much attention to it and quickly left Linhe Lane, heading towards Qihuang Valley, thirty miles away from the capital.

————

PS: No mention of the court, purely a cultivation world, a world of swordsmen.

(End of this chapter)