Liu Piaopiao's seductive song had captivated the entire audience, leaving them spellbound and utterly enthralled. It wasn't just Wu Han who wished to invite her for a drink; Murong Tai of the Murong Clan, Wen Huayu of the Bingxuan Sect, and even Luo Jinheng of the Spirit-Capital Sect all harbored the same desire.
It was simply that Wu Han had beaten them to it.
In his attempt to flatter Liu Piaopiao, Wu Han first invoked the name of the Chixiao King, then knelt in a formal salute. In everyone's mind, Liu Piaopiao should not have refused him. After all, this was the Crimson-Letter Manor, and Wu Han was the son of the Great Manor Lord. Even if she didn't give Wu Han face, she should at least give face to the Crimson-Letter Sect.
Yet, to everyone's astonishment, Liu Piaopiao refused.
Not only did she refuse, she even said she would be accompanying her sweetheart today?
Truly, a single stone cast into a thousand waves.
No one had expected Liu Piaopiao to say such a thing. In everyone's memory, they had never heard that Liu Piaopiao, the enchanting songstress renowned throughout the Great Northwest Territory, had a sweetheart.
Was it just a flimsy excuse to reject Wu Han?
"Young Lady Liu, even if you won't give me this face," Wu Han's handsome face darkened, a cold sneer playing on his lips, "there's no need to use such a far-fetched reason to reject me. I've never heard that Young Lady Liu has any sweetheart."
"Just because you haven't heard of it doesn't mean this young lady doesn't have one..." Liu Piaopiao descended from the high platform, smiling faintly. "Can't it be love at first sight?"
Hmm?
That sounded strange.
Wu Han asked, "So you're saying Young Lady Liu's sweetheart is here in the manor?"
"Of course."
That single word, "of course," sent a shockwave through the entire hall. Everyone seemed to be searching for the man Liu Piaopiao spoke of, all eager to see just what kind of extraordinary man could make the enchanting songstress of the Great Northwest fall in love at first sight.
After scanning the room, they found no one particularly suspicious. Then, all eyes fell on Liu Piaopiao as she walked slowly toward the western side of the tavern. Her alluring legs were faintly visible through the slit in her red dress, and her graceful figure was enough to stir wild fantasies.
She walked until she stopped before the innermost table on the west side.
Only one person sat at that table—a man in white robes, a youth who looked clean and tidy but lacked any vibrant vitality. He sat leaning against the wall, one leg crossed over the other, his head tilted slightly, eyes narrowed, a playful smile hanging at the corner of his mouth.
It was him!
Gu Qingfeng!
Was it possible?
Could Gu Qingfeng be Liu Piaopiao's sweetheart?
Just as everyone was puzzling over this, Liu Piaopiao made a move that left them all dumbfounded. She actually...
She actually sat directly on Gu Qingfeng's lap, hooked her arms around his neck, and asked in an intimate, soft voice, "Young Master, have you missed me..."
Witnessing this scene, everyone was stunned.
If Liu Piaopiao's earlier statement about accompanying her sweetheart had been like a stone cast into a thousand waves in their hearts, then her sitting in that white-robed man's embrace now was practically an earth-shattering tsunami, leaving everyone utterly shocked and rooted to the spot.
Luo Jinheng of the Spirit-Capital Sect.
Wen Huayu of the Bingxuan Sect.
Murong Tai of the Murong Clan and the others—their faces all turned ashen with a mix of shock, fury, envy, and hatred.
If even they were like this, Wu Han's expression was beyond ugly. His originally handsome face was now deathly pale, his eyes wide with a mixture of humiliation and rage, murderous intent boiling within him.
Liu Piaopiao's earlier refusal had already made him lose face somewhat. Now, sitting in another man's embrace made him feel utterly disgraced. Especially since that man's status and position were far beneath his own. This was something he could not accept, and absolutely could not endure.
Wu Han took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the fury in his heart, and said in a low, tense voice, "Young Lady Liu, is he the one you fell in love with at first sight?"
"Of course."
Liu Piaopiao, still hooked around Gu Qingfeng's neck and completely nestled in his embrace, poured a cup of wine. Without even glancing at Wu Han, she replied nonchalantly, "Is that not allowed?"
"What gives him the right!"
"What gives him the right...
Nothing gives him the right...
This young lady likes him, is that not allowed?"
Liu Piaopiao held the wine cup to Gu Qingfeng's lips and said softly, "Young Master, come, have a drink..." To be honest, when Liu Piaopiao had earlier said she wanted to bewitch him as part of their bet, Gu Qingfeng thought it would be a private matter later. He hadn't expected this woman to suddenly pull such a move in front of everyone.
Looking at Liu Piaopiao nestled in his arms, Gu Qingfeng didn't refuse. Not only did he not refuse, he even wrapped an arm around her slender waist, giving her pert bottom a pinch in passing. He took the wine cup and drained it in one gulp.
This scene was truly scandalous.
Because everyone had clearly seen Gu Qingfeng give Liu Piaopiao's rear a firm squeeze just now. If he wasn't her sweetheart, how would he dare to do that?
Would Liu Piaopiao allow it?
It was real!
This guy actually...
He actually was Liu Piaopiao's sweetheart!
Heavens!
Wait?
Wasn't this guy a disciple of the Yunxia Sect?
According to rumors, didn't he fall in love at first sight with Ouyang Ye, Second Master Hai's niece?
How...
How had he now become Liu Piaopiao's love-at-first-sight sweetheart?
The crowd whispered amongst themselves. Perhaps their whispers reached Liu Piaopiao's ears. Still hooked around Gu Qingfeng's neck, she asked with a teasing smile, "Young Master, while I was away, have you been fooling around behind my back?"
"Isn't it normal for a man to have three wives and four concubines?"
"True."
Liu Piaopiao poured another cup of wine and said playfully, "For a man as charming as you, Young Master, having three wives and four concubines is certainly normal...
As long as..." As she spoke, she brought this cup of wine to Gu Qingfeng's lips again. Her eyes had already turned a deep crimson, the smile at her lips growing even more pronounced, and her voice became bone-meltingly soft as she said, "As long as you don't forget about me..."
Too intimate!
Too scandalous!
*Smash!*
Wu Han could endure it no longer. He slammed the table beside him, shattering it to pieces. Rage burned within him, his face livid, his breathing heavy.
Perhaps sensing Wu Han's intent to act, the Hunchbacked Elder, who had been standing silently to the side, stepped forward. Bowing his head, he transmitted a secret message: "Young Master, do not act rashly. That lad holds the Lunar Seed we need. Moreover, the Nine-Hua Alliance and the Bingxuan Sect both want to seize the Lunar Seed from him under the pretext of revenge. The Manor Lord said we must protect him first. Tomorrow, the Manor Lord will take action personally."
"But!"
Wu Han glared at the intimate scene between Liu Piaopiao and Gu Qingfeng on the western side of the tavern, gnashing his teeth in fury, his anger uncontrollable.
"The Lunar Seed is too important to us, Young Master. You must not lose the greater goal for a minor grievance. Moreover, we cannot let Old Sen and Second Master Hai know about this matter, otherwise...
it will become even more troublesome...
So today, no matter what, we must protect him first."
After a pause, the Hunchbacked Elder added, "Once tomorrow has passed, you can deal with that lad however you wish...
As for that Liu Piaopiao...
Naturally, she won't escape your grasp either."