October 24th, the frosty day.
This day is the beginning of the month’s recess of the Shanhe Academy, and the day when Feng Jiu goes to an appointment with the sixth prince, Feng Chaonan.
The venue for the banquet was the Ling Yun Pavilion at Yun Sheng Peak outside the Divine Capital, the second tallest building in Northern Zhou, and the only one taller than it is the Qintian Supervisor, which specialises in stargazing and fortune telling.
The entire building is situated on top of Yunsheng Peak, where the clouds are visible from halfway up the mountain. This is the origin of the name of Ling Yun Pavilion, which towers above the clouds and is not on earth.
“Not afraid of the floating clouds, just because you are on the highest level.” Qing Yu stood alone on the top floor of Ling Yun Pavilion, looking out from the railing.
“Senior brother is so literate!” Han Wenxin came pacing from the back.
“You’re too kind, senior brother.” Qing Yu did not turn around, he knew that at this time in this Lingyun Pavilion, the only one who could call him senior brother was Han Wenxin.
This topmost floor of the Lingyun Pavilion had already been bagged by the Sixth Prince, Feng Chaonan, and only a total of five people were still on this floor now.
This banquet between Feng Jiu and Feng Chaonan, no matter what the inside story was, was on the surface just to catch up on family matters and deepen their brotherly bond.
“No talking about the affairs of the country and the world, just about your brotherhood and mine.” These were Feng Chaonan’s words when he met Feng Jiu, as if it was not him who confronted Feng Jiu in front of the academy twenty days ago.
When Emotional Friendship heard these words then, even though he was already as thick-skinned as a city wall, he still had to be willing to bow down. Just from this, Qing Yu was sure that Feng Chaonan’s chances of ascending to the throne were high. People with thick skin were always better at seizing fleeting opportunities than others.
What’s more, to be able to take over the top floor of the Lingyun Pavilion, his wealth and power were obvious.
Back to the subject, as we are talking about family matters, only two brothers, Feng Jiu and Feng Chaonan, are drinking and talking in the pavilion. Feng Chaonan is a good man, knowing that Feng Jiu usually keeps to himself, so he didn’t bring his retainers or a group of lackeys to show off, but only Han Wenxin and the eunuch called Xiao Li Zi.
The two brothers drank wine over small dishes and talked about the world as if they were just two good brothers who had not seen each other for a long time.
“With senior brother’s talent, he shouldn’t be so moderate.” Han Wenxin paced beside Qing Yu, looking out over the sea of clouds outside this building.
Han Wenxin’s words were a little uninformed, but Qing Yu knew that he was talking about the entrance exam. The verses he had just recited clearly did not match the level that Qing Yu had shown, living in Room C-3.
“A fool’s thousand thoughts will lead to one success. This poem, senior brother, is just an occasional achievement.”
Qing Yu’s gaze was like a sword as he turned to Han Wenxin’s smiling face, “But why are you acting like this, brother, when you have already cultivated your righteousness?”
“How can you say it’s a gesture, it’s ——” Han Wenxin stretched out his voice.
“Senior brother’s original heart ah ——,” abruptly, a palm from the broad sleeve of the robe poked out, attacking Qing Yu.
This strike was so sudden that even Qing Yu did not expect that Han Wenxin would make a sneak attack like this.
However, this was not enough to hurt Qing Yu.
Qing Yu’s right hand bounced up like a snake waiting for an opportunity to strike, and came after him, in a very strange and twisted angle, bypa*sing the frontal palm and snapping at Han Wenxin’s right pulse.
“This is not like the way of a scholar.” White true qi seeped from Han Wenxin’s palm, lingering like mist around his hand, and with a slight shock, the true qi impacted, forcing Qing Yu to withdraw his hand.
Qing Yu withdrew his Spiritual Snake Fist and turned his attack to the front, a cloud of white mist surrounding his entire hand, palm to palm.
“Then, senior brother will teach my teacher brother what is the way of a scholar.”
The two palms met and the two clashes of white mist were abruptly different performances.
Although Han Wenxin’s true qi was in the form of mist, the palm energy was solid and full of the unique power of the Confucian school’s Haozheng qi, which is unique to all laws and only Confucianism can survive.
On Qingyu’s side, the palm energy was cold and penetrating to the bone, eroding Han Wenxin’s palm.
“Good kung fu, senior brother!” Han Wenxin smiled and praised.
“No, it’s not as good as my brother’s!” Qing Yu also smiled in response.
The two men stood still, not moving a step, both with smiles on their faces and polite words on their lips, but their hands were exchanging palms and fists, not letting go of a single point.
The clouds around them were attracted, dispersed and broken by each other’s Qi.
The scattered clouds were incorporated into Qing Yu’s palm and condensed into cold water droplets, which shot towards Han Wenxin, who was only inches away.
Again, they were dispersed by Han Wenxin’s sunken palm, turning into icy mist that lingered around the two of them.
“Senior brother, take this palm from senior brother again.” Pure Hao Rang Zheng Qi condensed into a wisp of silk, wrapping Han Wenxin’s palm and slowly pushing it towards Qing Yu.
Vast, righteous, a mediocre pushing palm, hardened by Han Wenxin’s striking with the grace of a mountain swallowing a river.
This palm, very strong, was also very slow. With Qing Yu’s speed, he could have even flashed behind Han Wenxin and effectively given him a slap in the next instant. But Qing Yu did not do so, choosing instead to stand still and take the slap.
Qing Yu took a long breath and the icy mist that had been lingering between his palms dissipated, his palms became crystal clear, even the blue veins under his skin turned white, and he thrust out the same palm.
The two palms met for the first time without a sound. The extremely cold Xuan-ice energy wanted to freeze through the palm of the hand, but it was defeated head-on by the invincible Hao-liang Qi.
The intense cold backfired and froze Qing Yu’s palm to a bruise.
“Senior brother, you are very good.” Han Wenxin withdrew his right palm and smiled spontaneously. At this moment, he finally revealed the elegance that a Confucian disciple should have.
“Thank you for your guidance, senior brother.” Qing Yu’s face was expressionless as his palm retracted into his sleeve, covered by the sleeve of his robe.
“Creak.”
The sound of the portal opening rang out, and the two of them, Feng Jiu and Sixth Prince Feng Chaonan, walked out side by side, with an ebony box in Feng Jiu’s hand.
It could be seen that the two had a good talk, Feng Chaonan was all smiles, and Feng Jiu was also smiling (in Feng Chaonan’s eyes) in a rare moment.
“Senior brother, if you have any problems in the future, you can come to me.” Han Wenxin said.
After saying that, Han Wenxin left with Feng Chaonan who came out.
“Are you alright.” Feng Jiu asked as he ran at a brisk pace to Qing Yu’s side.
The two of them, Qing Yu and Han Wenxin, were exchanging blows with increasing noise, and the two drinking inside naturally noticed it. And judging from the fact that one of them was expressionless and the other had a smile on his face, it was clear who was losing out.
“Nothing.” Qing Yu poked out his right hand, which was hidden in his sleeve, and the blue and purple colour on it faded at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The Xuan Bing Power True Qi was originally mimicked by the Little Immortal Technique, so it could not devastate itself. What’s more, Qing Yu was so much Yang’s Sunflower Canon to begin with, how could he be injured by this cold Qi.
“You stayed your hand?” Feng Jiu asked.
“He also stayed ——“
