Chapter 406: Chapter 406: Leaving with Pride
Huang Xiaolong followed the elderly man in the Tang suit.

In fact, Huang Xiaolong was rather curious about Ying Aoshan, who was extremely mysterious. What he was even more curious about was whether the Ghost King’s maid, Ying Kexin, was an ancestor of this ancient martial arts family, the Ying family.

The Sun family members were all wildly excited.

Huang Xiaolong had won the favor of Ying Aoshan. As a result, the Sun family felt as if they would collectively ascend to heaven when a single man attains nirvana.

Sun Wei did not feel particularly jealous, she just watched Huang Xiaolong leave with the adoring eyes of a little girl watching an undefeated hero.

At this time, Wei Feiyang and the members of the Wei family all bore deep resentment. Especially Wei Feiyang, his eyes glued to Huang Xiaolong’s back. His eyes were filled with hatred and killing intent. If looks could kill, Huang Xiaolong would have been brutally executed long ago.

“Kid, I will remember you!” Wei Feiyang gritted his teeth and stared ferociously at the Sun family members. When he saw Sun Wei, a greed that he couldn’t conceal flickered in his eyes. He muttered to himself, ‘Stinking youngster, since you’ve taken Miss Ying Aoshan’s first place, then I’ll have fun with this woman by your side! Such a beautiful virgin suits my taste perfectly!’

Wei Feiyang was highly ambitious. In recent years, he had endeavored to hone his qin skills in hopes of impressing Ying Aoshan and vault himself to new heights. Now that he was utterly defeated by Huang Xiaolong in music, he could not tolerate the defeat and was determined to retaliate against Huang Xiaolong!

“Let’s go!” Wei Feiyang led his people away. “No matter how exceptional your qin skills are, one punch is all it takes to kill you! Watch it!”

…

Following the elderly man in the Tang suit, Huang Xiaolong walked through a dense bamboo grove and arrived at a small house.

The interior of the house was very simple, with tables, chairs, and beds all made of bamboo. A painting of black ink bamboo hung on the wall, characterized by swift brush strokes and a soaring perspective. A zither and a bamboo flute were placed on the table.

At this time, a young woman in her early twenties was sitting by the wooden table. Huang Xiaolong was astonished by her beauty at first glance!

She was wearing a light yellow dress draped with a cloak of cloud patterns on silver-grey ground, a hibiscus crown, a five-colored flower pattern skirt, a five-colored fan, and mud gold shoes. Her tall slender body, tiny waist, graceful neck, white skin, and shimmering glossy complexion all magnified her exquisite charm. Her eyes were deep and black, and when she glanced around, they sparkled with a water-like luster.

She was indeed a rare beauty.

Her outfit resembled a Hanfu, but there were certain discrepancies.

“Young Master, Aoshan’s ancestors were from the royalty of the Qin Dynasty. Therefore, she usually prefers wearing period-style clothing to commemorate her ancestors. Hopefully, you don’t find it too abrupt.” The young woman looked at Huang Xiaolong carefully. In her eyes, there was a deep admiration she couldn’t hide. Traces of tears had not yet dried on her delicate face. Evidently, Huang Xiaolong’s rendition of ‘A Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix’ had moved her to tears.

This was Ying Aoshan, an exceptionally beautiful woman with an ancient charm. She was not the ugly monster that Huang Xiaolong had presumed.

Moreover, Huang Xiaolong discovered that Ying Aoshan’s features bore a resemblance to the Ghost King Ying Kexin!

“Young Master, please take a seat.” The elderly man in the Tang suit beckoned Huang Xiaolong to sit opposite Ying Aoshan and poured him a cup of clear green tea from a ceramic tea pot, saying, “Please enjoy the tea.”

“May I ask the esteemed name of the young master?” Ying Aoshan asked sweetly.

Despite the fragile appearance of this young woman, Huang Xiaolong saw from one glance that she was a martial arts Grandmaster. She had consolidated 15 channels of True Qi, making her stronger than the elderly man in the Tang suit and surpassing Yan Pianpian of the Yan family by far.

“Oh… How come you people from the top ten ancient martial arts families talk like people from ancient times?” Huang Xiaolong laughed, then took a sip of his tea. “I am Huang Xiaolong. I came along with the Sun family from Binhai to Jiangnan City this time. It’s said that Miss Ying Aoshan will be the referee for the Jiangnan City boxing tournament this year?”

Ying Aoshan did not expect Huang Xiaolong to be so straightforward. She paused for a moment before nodding. “Yes, this year, on behalf of the Ying family, I am hosting the annual boxing match in Jiangnan City. However, the referee is not me, but Uncle Yun.”

“The Sun family of Binhai? Ah, the Sun family, who inherited Sun Bin’s boxing style.” The elderly man in the Tang suit, who was referred to as “Uncle Yun” by Ying Aoshan, showed a hint of disdain. After pondering for a moment, he said with a smile, “Young Master Huang, rest assured that within the confines of the rules, I will afford the Sun family from Binhai, the greatest consideration.”

“Oh, consideration? No need for that. When the time comes, I will represent the Sun family in the boxing match. None of the opponents will stand a chance against me, I don’t need any special treatment.” Huang Xiaolong replied as a matter of fact.

Huang Xiaolong knew that Uncle Yun looked down upon the Sun family. Yet, he didn’t care because he was certain that with him present, the Sun family were destined to be the ultimate winners in this year’s boxing match.

Upon hearing this, Uncle Yun and Ying Aoshan looked at each other.

Both of them were ancient martial arts Grandmasters, so their insights were particularly keen. In their eyes, Huang Xiaolong didn’t look like a Grandmaster who had cultivated True Qi.

Furthermore, Huang Xiaolong’s physique seemed weaker than the average martial artist.

A mere youth, this frail, dared to declare that he would dominate the martial arts platform in Jiangnan City – that’s a bit too self-conceited!

‘Could it be… this youth, while merely excelling in his lute performance and ordinary in other aspects, enjoys boasting and is only superficially impressive?’ Involuntarily, Uncle Yun appreciates and respects Huang Xiaolong a little less.

In the eyes of a martial artist, authentic martial power is the most important. Those who revel in unrealistic braggadocio are downright reprehensible.

Without any change in his demeanor, Uncle Yun cautioned, “Young Master Huang, I heard that there will be Grandmasters who have condensed True Qi participating in this year’s martial arts contest …you must not be complacent.”

“There’s nothing special about Grandmasters,” Huang Xiaolong replied matter-of-factly.

“What!” Uncle Yun was finally a little annoyed, “Young master, one should be modest and humble. There’s always someone better out there!”

Uncle Yun was candid out of gratitude for Huang Xiaolong. As they say, frankness may not be pleasing to the ear. With Huang Xiaolong’s kind of attitude, it would be easy to invite life-threatening trouble on the martial arts stage.

At this point, even Miss Ying Aoshan was somewhat disgruntled.

Both she and Uncle Yun were Grandmasters who inherited genuine ancient martial arts. For Huang Xiaolong to spew such rhetoric in front of them, he truly had no idea of his own limits.

“Young Master Huang, let’s have lunch together,” Miss Ying Aoshan’s enthusiasm waned a little. She was originally interested in learning about Huang Xiaolong’s lute skills, but seeing his arrogance, her interest diminished.

She clapped her hands, and immediately, several charming girls, also dressed in Qin Dynasty attires, carried trays and brought dishes with tempting aroma and placed them on the table.

Huang Xiaolong was not foolish, he could tell that Ying Aoshan and Uncle Yun had developed some resentment towards him.

‘Heh heh, you thought, having a meal with me should make me feel honoured? Hahaha~~~ That’s hilarious… In fact, it is quite the opposite. You should be the ones feeling grateful that I agreed to dine with you, as it’s like your ancestors’ graves are emitting green smoke!’

‘It’s very likely that your ancestors had even been a maid by my side… What’s there to show off?’

“Miss Ying Aoshan, Uncle Yun, it seems… you look down on me…” Huang Xiaolong said with a smirk, then staring at Ying Aoshan, “You are on the verge of death, and yet you are unaware. Luckily, you’ve met me. I can save you…”

“What?” Both Ying Aoshan and Uncle Yun shuddered.

The next second, Uncle Yun’s aura permeated around him, his face turning ashen. “Young Master Huang, I owe you a debt of gratitude for your instruction on the lute, which helped me break through the martial arts barrier. But now, you insult Miss Aoshan to her face… There are plenty of bold characters in the world, yet, Young Master Huang, it’s quite inappropriate for you to be so insolent in front of my Mistress!”

Ying Aoshan’s pretty face turned frosty, she asked flatly, “Young Master Huang, what do you mean by this?”

Ying Aoshan, achieving the 15th level of True Qi as an ancient martial arts Grandmaster, was virtually immune to all illnesses. Even poison couldn’t harm her.

How could Huang Xiaolong claim that she was going to die soon? Was this not beyond absurd?

“Hahahahahaha~~~” Huang Xiaolong stood up. “Here, do this: later, get an empty bowl, fill it with water, and spit a mouthful of saliva into it. If your saliva sinks, it means your life will be short. If the saliva floats to the top, it means I was wrong. Also, put a few soybeans in your mouth, then spit them out after half a minute. If the soybeans have swollen and their hulls have fallen off, that also means you are close to death. On the contrary, if the soybeans neither rot nor hull, then it implies that my eyes have deceived me.”

“Well, I will leave first. I am not particularly interested in your meal. If you want to save your life, remember to find me… Hahahahaha~~~” Having said that, Huang Xiaolong walked away.

“Young Master Huang! You are too presumptuous!” Uncle Yun was really angry now.

No one had ever dared to be so rude to the Ying family in all these years.

If it were not for Huang Xiaolong’s favor towards him, he would have certainly taught Huang Xiaolong a lesson.

“Let it go, Uncle Yun. I think this Young Master Huang is not as simple as he seems,” Ying Aoshan contemplated, then said to a beautiful girl, “Bring me a bowl of clear water and prepare a few fresh soybeans.”

“Miss, do you really believe him?” Uncle Yun seemed helpless.

“There’s no harm in trying,” Ying Aoshan replied with a smile.