Chapter 42

Chapter 42: Hostility

When Mr. Tan made his rounds around the tables and returned to his new friends, he saw a group of people passing a jade hairpin back and forth in their hands.

First, Lu Qing used a handkerchief to cushion the hairpin and placed it in his wife’s hair to compare, saying, "Qing’e, Brother Qian’s hairpin is really beautiful."

Nie Qing’e smiled with her lips closed. "What, are you going to buy one for me?"

Lu Qing replied, "A gentleman does not take what others desire," then paused, "Brother Qian, would you be willing to part with it?"

Qian Gui scratched his head. "If it were anyone else, I would definitely not be willing. But for Brother Lu, of course, it’s easy to talk about!"

Beside them, Jun Tao chuckled, somewhat complaining. "Brother Lu, you’ve already bought her so many accessories. This hairpin was clearly the first thing I liked, and I was planning to buy it to give to Master."

Lu Qing raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You little one, you do have some filial piety."

Jun Tao proudly puffed up his chest. "Of course! Master’s birthday is coming soon. I had originally planned to buy him a good sword, but after thinking about it, no sword is better than Master’s ‘Baopu’ which he’s used for years. It’s better to consider something else."

Jun Yang interjected, "Alright, Ah Tao. Since Brother Lu saw it first, let’s look for something else."

Lu Qing quickly said, "No. It’s my duty to honor Qing’e’s Master as well..."

Bai Zhengliu glanced at Mei Yinghan, who had been silent, and asked, "Mei Brother? Why haven’t you said anything?"

Mei Yinghan sighed. "I was thinking that it’s been a long time since I’ve been to the Heavenly Mountain. When I return, I should buy something for the younger ones there."

Jun Tao instantly became alert. "What? So, Mei Brother is also going to compete with us?"

Mei Yinghan shook his head. "It’s not like that."

Qian Gui looked between them, then cleared his throat. "Alright. If you’ve made up your minds, just let me know—eh, Mr. Tan, when did you arrive?"

Mr. Tan smiled warmly. "How is the food? How is the drink? There are many people at home, so I really didn’t have the chance to properly entertain Brother Qian. I truly feel bad about it."

Qian Gui quickly responded, "Brother Tan, please don’t say that. We are so happy to be here for Young Master Wen’s full moon celebration."

Mr. Tan laughed heartily. "Today, everyone must eat well and drink well!"

The two exchanged pleasantries. During this time, Lu Qing once again wrapped the hairpin with his handkerchief. He seemed like he was going to return it to Qian Gui, but seeing Qian Gui and Mr. Tan laughing and talking, he instead placed the handkerchief on his chest, planning to give it back later.The entire scene was carefully observed by Mr. Tan. A smile played at the corners of his mouth, but whether that smile reached his eyes was something no one could tell.

That afternoon, as usual, the guests left after the banquet. Qiu Ge’er and Yu Niang, the married couple, also went inside early, only emerging when people were about to leave, to greet everyone alongside their father and uncles.

The man with the horse-face had originally blended into the crowd without standing out. But when everyone was outside, he was suddenly tapped on the shoulder.

The man with the horse-face turned around.

Bai Zhengliu was staring at his neck, feeling like, for a brief moment, the other party almost forgot to turn his body along with his head.

He suppressed the chilling thoughts in his mind, keeping a pleasant smile on his face as he said, “Brother Ma, those dice…”

The man with the horse-face was speechless. “Didn’t I already say? I’ll give them to you, all of them!”

Bai Zhengliu deliberately asked, “What about the gambling bowl?”

The man with the horse-face hesitated. Seeing this, Bai Zhengliu immediately smiled and took the gambling bowl from his sleeve, handing it back to him.

The man with the horse-face did not refuse, but still emphasized, “Don’t think that just because you’re giving me these, I can… What are you doing?!”

Bai Zhengliu casually retracted his hand from the other’s shoulder, feeling a slight regret in his heart, but his mouth remained calm. “There’s a leaf on your shoulder. I was just helping you remove it.”

The man with the horse-face narrowed his eyes slightly. Seeing this, Bai Zhengliu was sure the other had already noticed that his true intention was not about the wine. However, the man with the horse-face did not say much more, only saying, “Alright, alright— you two kids,” he then called over Mei Yinghan, “when you’re guests at someone else’s house tonight, be careful, don’t disturb the host, understand?”

Bai Zhengliu froze for a moment, while Mei Yinghan’s gaze flickered, and he replied, “Thank you for the reminder, Brother.”

After that, the man with the horse-face walked deeper into the woods, while Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan turned back toward the Tan family.

Along the way, Bai Zhengliu patted his own shoulder and then patted Mei Yinghan’s shoulder.

Mei Yinghan allowed him to do so.

Bai Zhengliu sighed in frustration, “It doesn’t really feel like he’s made of straw. But the posture is different, so there’s bound to be a difference.”

But then, if the other person is walking properly, it wouldn’t be right for him to just pick him up, would it?Mei Yinghan comforted him: “There’s still a chance tonight, Brother Bai need not be in such a hurry.”

Bai Zhengliu narrowed his eyes slightly: “Tonight…” He smiled, “I almost forgot. Mei brother, you’re absolutely right.”

Mei Yinghan added, “What do you think about what Brother Ma said earlier?”

Bai Zhengliu replied, “The part where he told us not to go out?” He looked at Mei Yinghan, who nodded. “Whether Brother Ma is genuinely concerned or just pretending, we shouldn’t listen. Mr. Tan holds banquets every day, yet Brother Ma still thinks the inferior wine we brought is special. This shows that what’s presented at the Tan family’s feasts is not necessarily what they can truly enjoy.”

Mei Yinghan’s eyebrows twitched.

Bai Zhengliu continued, “We might have a few days of peace if we stay hidden in the house, but eventually, when the food runs out, we’ll be finished too.”

Mei Yinghan didn’t speak, but he raised his gaze, coincidentally meeting the sight of the Emei disciples quietly speaking together.

Nie Qing’e noticed the gaze and turned to look. Upon seeing Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan return, she immediately called out, “Bai Lang, Mei Lang are back—”

The Jun brothers quickly responded. Jun Yang asked, “Brother Bai said he was going to find that gambler to verify something. Has there been any result?”

Jun Tao added, “Earlier, Mr. Tan asked us to see his son, Wen Ge’er. Turns out he’s just a little child, sigh.”

Bai Zhengliu listened to these exchanges and responded one by one. Beside him, Mei Yinghan lowered his gaze, as if his eyes never lingered on Nie Qing’e.

That night, they again attended the Tan family's dinner as listeners.

From this, it seemed that no matter what Mr. Tan’s intentions were, he wasn’t in a rush. He kept Qiangu and the others at his home, then stopped paying them much attention.

Bai Zhengliu sat on the roof tiles, thinking: “It feels as if he’s certain, whether it’s Brother Qiangu or us, none of us will be able to escape…” At this moment, Mr. Tan was repeating the phrase “Meng family’s good daughter” again.

Bai Zhengliu peered down through the opened tiles. Perhaps having heard some new information, he looked at this family and began to notice something different from yesterday.

Yesterday, he had thought that Qiu Ge’er and Yu Niang’s relationship seemed somewhat distant, and Yu Niang wasn’t particularly close with his own family. But now, from Yu Niang’s expression, he could detect a hint of worry.

—Though she appeared troubled, she still paid considerable attention to her husband. When Tan Junqiu put down his chopsticks and coughed, Meng Yu Niang immediately reacted. However, with elders present, her concern wasn’t as obvious as when no one had noticed Tan Junqiu’s discomfort in the afternoon. She silently poured him more hot tea and then pushed the cup towards his side.

Tan Junqiu smiled at his wife. After smiling, he coughed again.

Meng Yu Niang: “…”She made a motion as if leaning forward, seemingly trying to move closer to her husband. Just at that moment, Meng Jia's eldest uncle shot her a glance. Meng Yu Niang immediately straightened her back, as though nothing had happened.

Bai Zhengliu took all of this in and then looked at Mei Yinghan, hesitating to speak.

Mei Yinghan noticed the odd expression on his face and asked, “Brother Bai?”

Bai Zhengliu sighed, “Mei brother, we really shouldn’t be sitting on the roof.”

Mei Yinghan was confused. He had always had a tacit understanding with the swordsman, but now he found it rare that he didn’t know what Bai Zhengliu was thinking.

Fortunately, Bai Zhengliu quickly gave an answer: “With just the two of us, unmarried and without any attachments, what could we observe? If it were Brother Qiangu, or even Senior Nie and Senior Lu, they would’ve noticed something long ago.”

Mei Yinghan was silent for a moment, then replied thoughtfully, “Brother Bai makes a valid point.”

Bai Zhengliu stroked his chin, “So now, what should we do?”

Mei Yinghan looked down, “Hmm, let’s invite Senior Nie and his wife to come over.”

Qiangu would not do. Leaving aside whether he had martial arts skills, just his physique was obviously not suited for being a gentleman on the roof.

They acted swiftly. Before long, Senior Nie and Senior Lu had heard about the swordsman and swordsman’s plans.

The two hesitated for a moment. Bai Zhengliu noticed and asked, “Seniors, is there something holding you back?”

Nie Qing’e said, “Our lightness skill is not as good as yours or Mei Lang’s. If those inside notice, it might be troublesome.”

Jun Tao was confused: “Senior Sister, you’re too modest. Though our Emei lightness skill may not compare to the Tian Mountain’s ‘Snow Without a Trace’, we should still be able to sneak onto a roof and listen without issue, right?”

Nie Qing’e: “…”

Jun Tao wanted to say something else, but Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan exchanged a look and then interrupted him, “In that case, let’s forget it.”

Jun Tao: “Ah? Why just forget it?”

He looked more confused. But at this point, Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan had already reluctantly turned to Qiangu.

Qiangu began to tremble again, “Uh, I really don’t know martial arts!”Bai Zhengliu sighed, “I know. Brother Qiangu, in that case, don’t go up on the roof, just knock and walk straight in.”

Qiangu let out a breath, “Oh, in that case….” He paused, then grew nervous again, “Are we really going?”

Bai Zhengliu casually said, “We still haven’t figured out what the situation at the Tan family is, but there’s not much food left.”

Nie Qing’e and Lu Qing’s expressions subtly changed as they heard this.

Qiangu didn’t notice. Seeing Bai Zhengliu’s clear attitude, he sighed, “Alright, I’ll go.”

Bai Zhengliu looked at him and smiled, “Brother Qiangu, don’t be nervous. We won’t let you walk into a tiger’s den alone. Of course, Mei brother and I will go with you.”

Qiangu finally relaxed, “Really? Alright, that’s good!”

In the end, it turned out that choosing a married man with children who had strong family ties was an incredibly wise decision.

Although they had only eaten half a meal, Qiangu had already noticed something that Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan had missed over the past two days.

“Tan Jiaqi obviously has hostility toward Meng Niangzi’s cousin.” He spoke while feeling puzzled, “Brother Bai, Brother Mei, don’t you think so? Or did I misread it?”

“No,” Bai Zhengliu shook his head and asked earnestly, “Brother Qiangu, please explain in more detail.”

Qiangu waved his hand, “There’s nothing much to explain. It’s just that look in Tan Jiaqi’s eyes. I’m very familiar with it! My wife, Liniang, was once the most famous beauty in the city when she was young. The men chasing after her were lined up from the north of the city to the south! A man of my humble status, being able to marry her, I put in a lot of effort… cough! When I saw my wife’s suitors, it was probably the same kind of look that Tan Jiaqi has when he looks at Meng’s young master.”