He Lan Tianxia

Chapter 127: Shi Zhengong's skills astonished everyone; the master's wishes were changed t

Just when everyone thought it was nothing unusual, Prince Murong's hand suddenly began to spin rapidly back and forth, the pile of buns alternating up and down in various patterns, and then back and forth quickly between the doorway and the table, the entire courtroom instantly becoming a world of buns.

At this moment, Yan'er's eyes were filled with surprise. She looked at everything in disbelief and suddenly clapped her hands excitedly. "Amazing! I didn't know that Young Master Wang had such a great skill. Young Master Wang, I want to learn this too."

"Alright." Prince Murong glanced at his beloved concubine with affection, then reminded her, "Stand still, don't move. I'll show you an even bigger surprise."

Prince Murong twirled his hands, and the steamed bun spun several times in the air before splitting into two circles and spinning around his left and right hands. Not only was Yan'er pleasantly surprised, but the magistrate, his son, and the constables all gasped in amazement and clapped enthusiastically. Hong Xiuying watched quietly, her face expressionless, but inwardly she was filled with admiration. She thought to herself that this young master's martial arts skills far surpassed hers.

"Ah!" Yan'er suddenly shouted.

"Don't move!" Prince Murong shouted again. As he spoke, the pile of buns seemed to be strung together, spinning wildly around Yan'er under Prince Murong's control. Yan'er? She was trapped inside like a silkworm in a cocoon.

At this moment, everyone even forgot to applaud, their mouths agape in disbelief. Suddenly, Prince Murong flashed forward, swiftly encasing himself in the cocoon. The cocoon moved to the doorway with a few rustles, then stood upright in a straight line with a "thud," landing steadily at the entrance of the government office.

"Your Excellency, who has won this round?" Prince Murong asked loudly. "Your Excellency, Your Excellency..."

After being called several times, the magistrate finally came to his senses. He slammed his gavel: "I hereby declare that Young Master Wang is the winner of this round!"

Hong Xiuying was a straightforward person. She cupped her hands to Prince Murong and said, "Since Young Master Wang has won, please ask Young Master Wang to set the question first in the next round."

"Please, Miss Hong, go first," Prince Murong said, but his eyes were fixed on his beloved concubine, which greatly displeased Hong Xiuying. She didn't refuse and immediately replied:

"The sun shines on the incense burner, creating purple smoke; from afar, the waterfall hangs like a curtain before the river."

"Excellent!" After praising the flute, Prince Murong said nothing more, but instead took out the purple bamboo jade flute from his waist and began to play it with great emotion. He played for quite a while without stopping, leaving everyone present completely baffled, but no one dared to utter a sound. Only Hong Xiuying grew impatient. She stood in front of Prince Murong and spoke:

"Young Master Wang, are you unable to continue? Or are you using the sound of the flute to mask your inner turmoil?"

Prince Murong had never seen such an arrogant person before. He decided to teach Hong Xiuying a lesson and put her arrogance to a halt. So Prince Murong continued playing the flute.

Hong Xiuying stepped forward again, pressing him aggressively, "Well, Young Master Wang, you admit defeat this round, right?"

Prince Murong moved the purple jade flute aside and slowly said, "How do you know that I have lost, young lady?" After saying that, Prince Murong picked up the purple jade flute again and began to play.

Hong Xiuying grew impatient: "Young Master Wang, are you going to play these tunes all day before you can even get the next two lines out?"

At this moment, Prince Murong's flute music suddenly soared, sometimes like ten thousand horses galloping, sometimes like a torrent rushing down a thousand miles, sometimes like a mountain swallowing the river. At this moment, the steamed bun was forced to shatter into pieces by a force, flying everywhere.

Hong Xiuying frowned. She didn't know what the young master Wang wanted to do, but an overwhelming pressure seemed to be pressing down on her. Unconsciously, she drew her long whip and struck at the force. Prince Murong was secretly pleased, thinking that Hong Xiuying's reaction was quick enough to stop him. At this moment, he was even more determined to have Hong Xiuying as the abbess. The agreement was signed, but what if she ran away? Just as Prince Murong was distracted, Hong Xiuying's long whip struck.

After exchanging dozens of blows, Hong Xiuying suddenly pulled back her whip, the end of which locked onto Prince Murong's throat: "Young Master, you have lost."

Throughout the contest between Prince Murong and Hong Xiuying, Prince Murong played the flute. When Hong Xiuying's long whip struck his throat, the flute music on her lips abruptly stopped, followed by a soft sound behind her.

Prince Murong put the flute back into his sleeve, a move so elegant that not only Yan'er thought it was incredibly cool, but Hong Xiuying was also stunned for a moment.

"Your Excellency, who has won this round?" Prince Murong shouted loudly to the magistrate behind him.

As if waking from a dream, the magistrate slammed his gavel and loudly announced, "Young Master Wang wins the second round!"

"What?!" Hong Xiuying was furious. She pulled the whip away from Prince Murong's neck, then flicked the end to wrap around the county magistrate's neck: "Do you even know how to write the word 'fairness'?"

The magistrate's legs went weak, but his mind remained clear. He shouted, "A bet's a bet! Hong Xiuying, how dare you defy your superiors?"

"Am I defying my superiors?"

"If you don't believe me, just look back and you'll see."

Hong Xiuying turned back, half-believing and half-doubting, only to see the pile of buns turn into bun fragments scattered on the ground, and the bun fragments on the ground just happened to form two lines of poetry:

The waterfall plunges three thousand feet.

It seems as if the Milky Way has fallen from the ninth heaven.

Hong Xiuying stood there for a full half-cup of tea's time, completely bewildered.

She lost! Utterly and completely, without a doubt. She raised her head, re-examining the man who had captivated her at first sight—he was so unfathomable. She was indignant; the women beside him seemed less skilled than her in martial arts, so how could she be allowed to stay by his side?

“Miss Hong, a gentleman’s word is his bond,” Prince Murong reminded Hong Xiuying.

Before Hong Xiuying could answer, Prince Murong flicked a colorful ribbon at the magistrate's desk, startling him so much that a bead of sweat appeared on his forehead.

"Read it." Prince Murong threw out another word.

The magistrate unfurled the colorful silk and read aloud: "To ensure the peace and tranquility of the people, I hereby appoint Hong Xiuying as the abbess of Anqiao Temple, a lay disciple, to inherit and promote the martial arts spirit of Anqiao Temple and to bless the people of the county with a peaceful and happy life. Furthermore, Miss Hong Xiuying and the magistrate's son, Zhong Ziqi, are a perfect match, deeply in love, and blessed by heaven. They wish to form a bond of marriage and will choose a date to tie the knot."

When did Young Master Wang write this? His writing is superb, but it seems unrealistic. What nonsense about mutual affection and a desire to marry—what rubbish! My son wouldn't even deign to look down on such an arrogant person.

Just as the magistrate was about to say something, Zhong Ziqi stepped forward and bowed to Hong Xiuying, saying, "Miss Hong's martial arts are superb, and I admire her greatly. If you would be so kind as to grant me your favor, I would like to marry you."

Before Hong Xiuying could utter a sound, the magistrate slammed his gavel and roared, "Qi'er, what are you doing? She doesn't like you, and you can't control her. In short, she's not right for you."

"Who said he can't control me?" The magistrate's words seemed to provoke Hong Xiuying, and she suddenly retorted loudly.

"What? Isn't this a joke? You've been relentlessly pursuing Young Master Wang, and now you've set your sights on my son?" The magistrate was furious. His son had even expressed his desire to marry him. Sigh! What a mess.

“Young Master Wang, I am willing to be your concubine.” Hong Xiuying suddenly blurted out another sentence.

Just as the atmosphere was heating up, a constable rushed in from outside, shouting in a panic: "Sir, something terrible has happened! That abbot has kidnapped a child who came to register for martial arts lessons, and he's challenging him outside the yamen."