"Hehe, then thank you. Don't worry, once this is done, I'll definitely treat you to a feast of delicacies from land and sea, and find you a respectable job so you won't have to wander around anymore."
As she spoke, Ouyang Ye reached out and plucked a strand of hair from Gu Qingfeng's head, then plucked one of her own. She tied the two strands together, waved her hand to cast a spiritual art, and immediately the two strands transformed into two rings as fine as hair.
"Here, wear it on your hand. This way we can secretly communicate with each other. Just follow my commands when the time comes."
Gu Qingfeng took one of the hair-strand rings, feeling rather surprised, and laughed, "You've thought this through quite thoroughly."
"Remember not to speak carelessly when the time comes. Just follow my instructions. Do whatever I tell you to do, otherwise we'll be exposed and that would be terrible. Alright, stop talking and put on the ring quickly. They're coming."
Gu Qingfeng examined the hair-strand ring, smiled, and put it on his index finger. At that moment, a woman's voice came from behind.
"Oh, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me earlier. Isn't this Junior Sister Ouyang?"
Ye Hui didn't look very old, appearing to be in her early twenties, but her attire and makeup were extremely mature. Moreover, the various accessories she wore were truly numerous—a blue jadeite necklace around her neck, four bracelets on her wrists, and a full five or six rings on her fingers. Heavily made-up, she swayed her hips as she walked, looking less like a cultivation disciple from a sect and more like a flirtatious woman from the pleasure quarters.
"I just heard from Li Sen that the Young Lord Chiyan you fell in love with at first sight has finally appeared. Is it true?"
Ouyang Ye ignored her, but Ye Hui continued speaking on her own, rudely sitting down opposite them. She glanced at Gu Qingfeng and couldn't help covering her mouth as she giggled.
"Ye Hui! What are you laughing at!"
Ouyang Ye detested this woman before her eyes, detested her to the extreme. Every time she saw Ye Hui, she felt an urge to kill.
"Is this guy the Dragon Among Men, Young Lord Chiyan, you were talking about? Him? Hehehe... This is really laughable, hehehe..." Ye Hui sat on the chair, fiddling with the rings on her fingers while examining Gu Qingfeng with a smile, her words filled with mockery.
"I say, Junior Sister Ouyang, the Young Lord Chiyan you described is a Dragon Among Men proficient in all ten arts of the immortal path. Even if you wanted to find someone to impersonate him, you should at least find someone presentable, right? Not necessarily dashingly handsome, but at least tall and handsome, no? I really don't know what you were thinking, finding someone with no presence, no spirit like this to impersonate the Young Lord Chiyan you fabricated."
"Fabricated? That's really funny, Senior Sister Ye Hui. If you haven't heard of Young Lord Chiyan's great name, it just shows how little you know."
Ouyang Ye sneered disdainfully. "Impersonate? Sorry, Senior Sister Ye Hui, the one sitting right in front of you is Young Lord Chiyan himself."
The two women started bickering the moment they met. Ye Hui was clearly not someone easy to deal with, either sneering or mocking. Ouyang Ye didn't back down either. Even though it was clearly fake, she spoke without blushing or panting, not the least bit guilty. Her proud gaze and confident tone made it seem as if the person sitting beside her really was Young Lord Chiyan. Gu Qingfeng couldn't help but admire—this little girl's acting skills were truly impressive.
"Junior Sister Ouyang, stop putting on an act. Aren't you just jealous that Senior Brother Yun Hong and I have become cultivation partners? That's why you fabricated a fake cultivation partner for yourself, hehe... It's really laughable..."
"Me, jealous of you?" Ouyang Ye acted as if she had heard the funniest joke in the world, laughing almost maniacally. Then she glared at Ye Hui and snorted coldly, "Please, Senior Sister Ye Hui, don't forget that Senior Brother Yun Hong was pursuing me from the start. It was because I ignored him that he became your cultivation partner. And you say I'm jealous? You really know how to tell jokes..."
"You!" Perhaps Ouyang Ye's words had struck a nerve, causing Ye Hui's face to darken suddenly.
Beside them, Gu Qingfeng continued to sit leisurely in his chair, taking occasional sips of his wine. Listening to the two women bicker made him shake his head, thinking how messy the private lives of young people these days were.
Just then, a commotion suddenly arose in the hall. Gu Qingfeng looked over. The cause of the commotion seemed to be a man. The man appeared to be around thirty years old, dressed in a white robe, looking tall and graceful. He seemed quite famous, as many young men and women in the hall cast admiring glances his way when he appeared. The man, appearing gentle and refined, greeted everyone.
Beside him was another young man. Gu Qingfeng recognized him—it was Li Sen.
"Hehe, Senior Brother Yun Hong, over here."
Ye Hui stood up and waved. The man in white and Li Sen walked over. Perhaps intentionally wanting everyone to know that the musical arts genius Yun Hong was her cultivation partner, when Yun Hong approached, Ye Hui naturally pulled him to her side and linked arms with him.
"Junior Sister Ouyang, we meet again..."
Ouyang Ye nodded and asked, "Senior Brother Yun Hong, there are so many seats in the hall. Why sit here?"
"Hehe, am I not welcome?" Yun Hong smiled faintly, then looked at Gu Qingfeng beside him and said, "I heard from Junior Brother Li Sen that the Young Lord Chiyan, whose name is known but whose person is rarely seen, has also come. So I wanted to meet him. Moreover, I'm very curious to know just who this Young Lord Chiyan is who made Junior Sister Ouyang fall for him at first sight."
Beside him, Ye Hui poured fine wine for Yun Hong and laughed, "Senior Brother, don't you know that Young Lord Chiyan was fabricated by Junior Sister Ouyang from the start? She's afraid we won't believe her, so she deliberately found someone to impersonate him today, hehe! Senior Brother, now you know what the Junior Sister Ouyang you once fancied is really like, right?"
"Senior Sister Ye Hui, watch your mouth. And I repeat, he is the Young Lord Chiyan I fell in love with at first sight."
Ouyang Ye's mood was clearly starting to sour, and she was increasingly feeling that this whole thing had been a mistake from the beginning. If she hadn't told Li Sen that this guy was Young Lord Chiyan in the first place, then nothing would have happened. Even though that annoying creature Ye Hui kept questioning, she couldn't find any solid evidence. As long as Ouyang Ye insisted that Young Lord Chiyan existed, there was nothing Ye Hui could say.
But! But why did my brain overheat back then and make me claim this guy was Young Lord Chiyan! Damn it! What do I do now? What if that annoying creature Ye Hui asks this guy to prove he's Young Lord Chiyan later? How will we handle that then! What a headache! What should I do? Why did I have to pick this guy of all people to impersonate him? Remembering that this guy is still a Foundation Establishment failure, Ouyang Ye regretted it to the core of her being.
What to do? I can only brace myself and stubbornly persist! I absolutely cannot let this be exposed! And I must not show any flaws!
Thinking this, Ouyang Ye steeled her heart, forced a smile, and also sat beside Gu Qingfeng, linking arms with him. She said with a smile, "Qingfeng, let me introduce you. You've met Li Sen, right? This woman is called Ye Hui. This one is Yun Hong. They, like me, are disciples of Yunxia Sect."
"Qingfeng? Hehe! Junior Sister Ouyang." Ye Hui had been fiddling with her rings there, taking them off and putting them on, sometimes stretching out her hand to deliberately show them off. She laughed, "I remember very clearly that you said he was Young Lord Chiyan."
"That's right! Young Lord Chiyan is just his Daoist title. His surname is Gu, given name Qingfeng. Is that not allowed?"
"Heh, Junior Sister Ouyang, you're still stubbornly refusing to admit it even now... hehe! I..." Just as Ye Hui was about to say something, Yun Hong, sitting beside her, smiled and said, "Since Junior Sister Ouyang says this gentleman is Young Lord Chiyan, then he must be. I believe Junior Sister Ouyang's words."
Ye Hui seemed not to have expected Yun Hong to say this. Just as she was about to speak, Yun Hong waved his hand to cut her off, then looked at Gu Qingfeng, a hint of playful mockery curling at the corner of his mouth.
"I heard from Junior Sister Ouyang Ye that Young Lord Chiyan possesses heaven-defying talent, unparalleled comprehension, and is hailed as a Dragon Among Men."
Gu Qingfeng appeared quite relaxed and at ease, having been that way from start to finish—always crossing his legs, eating spirit fruits, sipping wine. When Yun Hong inquired, Ouyang Ye's secret voice transmission immediately sounded in his ear: Hey, you're not a Foundation Establishment failure now, you're a Dragon Among Men. So you need to be proud, very aloof, very arrogant, very cold and aloof. Your tone when answering must be forceful!
Alright. Gu Qingfeng found it truly amusing in his heart. Since the little girl said so, he could only comply. He straightened his chest, poured himself a cup of fine wine, looked at Yun Hong, deliberately put on an arrogant posture, raised his chin, acting as if he were second only to the heavens, and challenged, "I am the Young Lord Chiyan hailed as a Dragon Among Men. So what? You have a problem with that?"
Good! Just like that! Keep it up! Keep being arrogant!
Ouyang Ye cast him an appreciative glance.
"Oh?" Yun Hong picked up a cup of fine wine, brought it to his lips, and said with a faint smile, "I heard you have dabbled in all ten arts of the immortal path, especially music, where you excel. I wonder if I might seek some instruction."
"Instruction?" Gu Qingfeng replied with a smile, "No problem. Instruct away."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Ouyang Ye's secret voice transmission sounded in his ear: Damn it! How could you agree? He's clearly testing you!
Gu Qingfeng also responded via secret voice transmission: Didn't you tell me to be a bit more arrogant, a bit more domineering?
I told you to be a bit more arrogant, not to agree to everything casually! Damn it, if we're exposed later and they reveal you're an impostor, I'll have no face left to see anyone!
Relax, it's just instruction in music. I'm an expert in this area. I won't be exposed.
Expert my foot! I'm completely screwed because of you this time! What should I do? Should I take this guy and retreat quickly? No! That won't do! If we leave now, wouldn't that be admitting guilt without being accused? That annoying creature Ye Hui would definitely... Oh heavens! If we don't leave, what should we do? Once Yun Hong starts instructing in music later, we'll definitely be exposed! What to do!
Ouyang Ye was practically going crazy, on the verge of a breakdown, and so regretful she wanted to strangle herself!