Da Tang Shuang Long Zhuan Volume 13 Chapter 10 part2

Seeing him coming back, Ba Fenghan laughed and said, "Let me see your face, I want to know if there is an additional palm print from Song San Xiaojie.”

Kou Zhong sat down across the table from Ba Fenghan; as if he was a tired and weary soldier he stared at Ba Fenghan first, and then turned his gaze at Xu Ziling's back before whining, "Just now I was in trouble outside that even Man Qing Yuan nearly collapsed, yet the two of you did not come out to lend a hand; so much for one lifetime two brothers. Ay! This is called ‘human feeling changes daily like the weather', the hypocrisy of the world.”

Ba Fenghan cackled and said, "Zhong Shao, did you really fight with your hands? If it was only duel of words, why must you need anybody else's help?”

With his back still facing Kou Zhong, Xu Ziling spoke coldly, "We were hoping they would make their move, so we deliberately did not go out, so that they would have no apprehension.”

Kou Zhong giggled and said, "I was just kidding. Uh! Where were we? Beauties are really no good, it's so easy for them to make us forget things.”

"Don't play dumb,” Ba Fenghan said, "Have you thought about the brilliant scheme to deal with Shangguan Long yet?”

Slapping his forehead, Kou Zhong put on an act, "Ah! Now I remembered!”

Suddenly sitting up straight, he thundered, "Shangguan Long, where are you? Zhu Yuyan chose you to be Yin Gui Pai's undercover agent in Luoyang, you ought to know a thing or two. If you dare, come out to fight to the death immediately!”

These words were pushed out by his spiraling energy, and immediately spread out to every nook and corner of the four three-story buildings of the Tingliu Pavilion.

Ba Fenghan and Xu Ziling also acted strange; it was as if they did not hear Kou Zhong's beyond-all-expectations words at all, they both maintained their original posture and facial expression.

Around the Tingliu Pavilion, all noises gradually died down. By the time Kou Zhong finished speaking the third sentence, it was ‘the crow and peacock made no sound', ‘they could hear the pin drop' kind of quietness.

Hundreds and thousands of eyes from all the rooms on the left and right, as well as the building across the garden, were looking at the direction of their room.

After a keyed-up and suffocating silence, a dignified, but with matchless gentleness and reservation, male voice came up from the floor beneath them, "Just for your super-annoying remark that made me want to throw up blood, I, Shangguan Long, will never let you off.”

Xu Ziling coldly spoke up, "There are three of us here, you can pick any one you wish. But this preferential treatment is only given to Yin Gui Pai demon, because each and every one of you is guilty and worthy of death.”

His voice spread far and wide without being overbearing, it was resounding but not sharp, and was clearly heard by each meeting participant's ear.

Kou Zhong's plan was indeed very brilliant; he exposed Shangguan Long's identity on the spot, so that nobody dared to interfere.

In this ‘riding a tiger and unable to get off' situation, Shangguan Long could only straighten his back and get out to fight.

Furthermore, Xu Ziling's words were as sharp as a sword. If he could not control himself and flare out in anger, it would be tantamount to indirect admission that everybody was Yin Gui Pai demon who was guilty and worthy of death.

Qu Ao's voice rang out from the same place. It was an ear-splitting laughter first, followed by a shout, "This is called traveling far and wide looking for you, only to find it easily here. Kou kid and Xu kid, come down together! It will save me from making my move twice, plus I could use some warming up before the actual battle.”

Qu Ao was worthy to be an old fox; just with a few words he managed to suppress the momentum they created earlier completely down.

Ba Fenghan cackled and said, "Qu Ao, you are mine, Ba Fenghan's. But don't you wish for preferential treatment like Shangguan Bangzhu, you won't get it!”

This remark was extremely harsh; a roar of laughter rose up from the four multi-storied buildings all around, greatly diluting the tense atmosphere [orig. with swords drawn and bows bent].

Even with his level of cultivation, Qu Ao still unable to curb his temper; he shouted angrily, "Ba Fenghan, if you leave Man Qing Yuan alive tonight, I, Qu Ao, will start writing my name backward.”

Again the crowd fell silent.

Kou Zhong laughed aloud and said, "This is really strange. Last time you, Old Qu, fighting one-on-one, did not have enough power to fix Fenghan Xiong, why now you suddenly have the power? Is it because writing your name backward will give you a fresh feeling? But now is still not your, laoxiong's turn to fight, because just now in a finger-guessing game I beat Ba Fenghan. Therefore, Shangguan Bangzhu ought to draw the straw first.”

Qu Ao was speechless, which made other people aware that the rumor that Qu Ao has indeed never won against Ba Fenghan was confirmed to be true. Therefore, without anybody needed to mention it, the shock in his heart was conceivable.

It should be noted that although Qu Ao's prestige was still below that of ‘Wu Zun' [Revered Martial Art] Bi Xuan, whose name dominated the area outside the country, but the difference was very little.

On the other hand, although Ba Fenghan was an outstanding figure whose name soared like a comet within the Wulin world inside and outside the Central Plains in recent years, he was, after all, only an up-and coming youngster.

It would be difficult to compare him with Qu Ao, a figure of great-scholar-respected-for-learning-and-integrity level, who had made his name for several decades.

Therefore, when Kou Zhong said that while fighting one-on-one he was going all-out yet still failed to put Ba Fenghan in order, the sensation he created would set the world on fire.

This moment Qu Ao was compelled to suffer in silence; if he denied it, he would be speaking big, but if he did not deny it, he did not know where to hang his face.

Fu Zhen's grating voice came from the neighboring room on the same third floor, "Qu Laoshi pities you being young and inexperienced; therefore, he let the three of you off, yet you don't know how to be grateful. It is extremely ridiculous.”

Astounded, Kou Zhong replied, "Fu Laoshi, your invisibility skill must be ten thousand times more superior than your tracking-of-missing-people skill; otherwise, how come with Old Qu and Old Ba, two men's level of cultivation, they still did not know that you were spying upon them nearby? Even such a subtle situation like ‘being young and inexperience', you were able to see clearly to the finest detail [orig. seeing clearly the downy feather of autumn, an idiom from Mencius]. Whoever dares not to submit to you?”

The sound circled around the vast empty space surrounding the four multi-storied buildings and the empty air above the fishpond garden area, which immediately triggered another wave of roaring laughter.

Naturally there were also people who worried for Kou Zhong, three people, who were offending many different powers all at once, which was definitely not a fun thing to do.

Bu Fu Zhen was immediately silenced.

He could not say that he was really spying on them, could he? But if he said ‘no', he had no qualification whatsoever to make the remark he had just said.

A burst on intense applause came from the room on the opposite end of the building, and then Liu Heita's voice was heard, "Well said. I, Liu Heita, have a question, however, which is why did Kou Xiong believe that Shangguan Bangzhu's other secret identity was to be Yin Gui Pai demon?”

The Tingliu Pavilion fell silent again.

Before Kou Zhong had the chance to answer, Shangguan Long interjected, "Clear is clear; if hereby someone came to slander me, don't blame me, Shangguan Long, for not showing mercy.”

From a room on the third floor of the building to the left came a cold snort, followed by someone said with a sneer, "Since ‘clear is clear', why afraid someone will say it?”

Kou Zhong clapped his hands and said with a laugh, "Now that is indeed well said. May I ask this friend's honorable surname and great given name? I want to see if Shangguan Bangzhu will dare to look for you to give you a hard time.”

The man laughed aloud and said, "I am Xing Yifei, Fu Qian Wangzi's [prince/son of a king] Captain of the Vanguard Regimen. I have arrived one step ahead of him. Shangguan Bangzhu, please do not forget.”

The crowd immediately booed.

A buzzing noise arose, just like tidal waves going up and down.

Just by looking at the heroic spirit of Fu Qian's subordinate, his own power and prestige could be clearly seen.

While Shangguan Long was put on the spot, Kou Zhong issued another challenge, "Before Miss Shang's performing troupe beat the gong to open their show, would Shangguan Bangzhu be interested in playing one round with Xiaodi, to relieve the noble guests on the four sides' boredom?”

A tender and sweet female voice cheerfully said, "That was very pleasant to listen to. Kou Zhong, you are the best at stirring up my delight!”

The crowd rose up in another uproar.

In this era, although the barbarian's wind was blowing to the east and the general mood was much more open, but a girl blatantly reveal her affection under public event where several hundred people gathered, was still universally shocking.

Chapter end