That feather!
Wasn’t this the very same kind of feather Jun Beiyue had once shown her, belonging to the young master of the Yu Shi?
The hawks circling overhead must be the Yu family’s most famous, and only, kept birds—the white-headed eagles.
Compared to birds summoned at random, these eagles were far more intelligent and loyal. Yu Xiao hadn’t summoned them at all—they had sensed their master was in danger and come flocking on their own. But without an order from Yu Xiao, they didn’t dare act rashly, simply circling overhead, crying out mournfully without end.
Ziqing glanced at Jiang Chen and saw the smug smile plastered across his face. Watching Yu Xiao keep spitting out wine only to force more down again and again, she finally couldn’t hold back any longer. Bang! She slammed the table and rose to her feet.
No wonder Bai Feiyao had picked this fight out of nowhere right from the start, specifically calling out Yu Xiao by name—this petty little schemer was helping Jiang Chen get his revenge!
They say a gentleman’s revenge is never too late, even after ten years.
But in truth, it’s the petty-minded who hold a grudge that long!
A gentleman’s revenge, if anything, is settled on the spot!
Seeing Ziqing rise, Bai Feiyao showed no surprise at all. The Yu Shi had always been on good terms with the Gu Shi, and had just openly sided with them earlier—of course the Gu Shi would have to step in and help.
If they didn’t, who would ever dare stand up to the Bai Shi’s face while cozying up to the Gu Shi in the future?
Getting revenge for Jiang Chen was one reason for Bai Feiyao’s move—drawing out Han Ziqing was the other. He couldn’t beat her in martial skill, but he had plenty of other methods at his disposal.
At this zither gathering, he intended not just to properly deal with Han Ziqing, but far more importantly—by the time this gathering ended, it would also mark the end of Jun Beiyue’s life!
If not, once the Gu family head invited the two Qin-Se Elders to come see Jun Beiyue tomorrow, wouldn’t everything he’d schemed for, for so long, simply crumble to nothing?
Everything had to be settled tonight, once and for all!
He glanced dismissively at Ziqing from the corner of his eye, gave a cold snort, and paid her no further attention.
What he wanted was for Han Ziqing to be forced into a passive position—otherwise, why would he have kept hounding Yu Xiao for so long?
But Ziqing’s gaze was sharp and cold, and she didn’t speak up right away.
Bai Feiyao wasn’t in any hurry either, waiting with abundant patience, thinking to himself—go on, Han Ziqing, speak up already!
Everyone else in this room could beg me all they wanted and it wouldn’t matter—only your plea would work. So beg, then.
Or better yet—challenge me. Once you challenge me, the rules will be set by me. And if you don’t like my rules, well, this young master simply won’t play along.
Bai Feiyao couldn’t hide the smugness on his face—the first time he’d ever waited with such patience. Ziqing took in that expression fully, her eyes narrowing, her thoughts utterly unreadable to anyone watching.
The two of them stared each other down in silence, and the surrounding crowd, forgetting all about Yu Xiao, turned their full attention onto the pair.
Of course the Gu Shi should stand up for the Yu Shi—that was only right and proper. Han Ziqing had already risen to her feet—why wasn’t she saying anything?
But while Ziqing appeared to be looking at Bai Feiyao, her gaze had actually been fixed on Yu Xiao the entire time.
She watched this man, foolishly stubborn to the very end, downing cup after cup only to spit it back out, and yet still pressing on, still refusing to concede, refusing to give up.
Finally, Ziqing stepped forward, walking straight past Bai Feiyao, brushing right past him. Only then did the smug Bai Feiyao—and indeed the entire hall—realize that Han Ziqing hadn’t so much as glanced at him at all!
Bai Feiyao’s face twisted with humiliated fury. He spun around sharply, about to demand an explanation, but held himself back. He had until this very evening—he could wait, could bear it, and see just what tricks Han Ziqing had up her sleeve.
This was a contest between him and Yu Xiao. If she wanted to interfere, she’d need his permission first—and there’d be a price to pay.
Seeing Ziqing approach, Yu Xiao, right as another mouthful of wine was about to come spraying out, clamped a hand over his mouth instead, forcing it down with a look of sheer agony on his face. Drunk as he was, at least his stubborn refusal to lose held steady. He said earnestly, “Han Ziqing, I don’t need a woman to fight for me!”
Hearing this, Ziqing actually felt a small measure of relief. She didn’t know if anyone else had noticed, but Yu Xiao, at least, saw right through it all.
Bai Feiyao’s true target, in the end, was her.
“I wasn’t trying to fight for you. I just wanted to say—push on a little harder. It’s just one more jar. A grown man like you shouldn’t be beaten by that,” Ziqing said with a smile.
At this, both the Gu family head and the Yu family head couldn’t help feeling disappointed, and the crowd, who had been on the edge of their seats until now, deflated as well.
Did Han Ziqing really have no intention of stepping in to save him? What good was a single line of encouragement like that? Anyone could say that!
And yet, to Yu Xiao’s ears, that one sentence was exactly the kind of help he’d wanted most.
He let out a great roar. “Fine!”
With that, he seized the wine jar with both hands and began gulping it down at once. Perhaps that word of encouragement from Ziqing truly had worked its magic—or perhaps, having spat up so many times already, he’d had something of a rest in between.
This time, he didn’t spit any of it back out—he drained the entire jar, all the way down.
When the empty jar hit the ground with a thud, everyone was stunned. Even a flicker of admiration crossed Bai Feiyao’s eyes—this man really did have some spine.
But admiration was one thing—he never showed mercy. He sneered coldly. “Keep going, then!”
Yu Xiao took a deep breath, braced both hands on the table, and called out with spirited pride, “Fine!”—drawing a round of applause at once.
Only Ziqing, back in her seat, smiled helplessly. This Yu Xiao really was a fool.
Soon, the zither player began another piece. But no sooner had the first note sounded than a second stream of zither music suddenly rang out from Ziqing’s direction, followed by a sharp Qing!
What… what was going on?
Everyone, who had already given up on Ziqing, turned to look at her, only to see a zither resting on her table—strikingly similar to Xuanyuan Lige’s, plain and unadorned, yet radiating a nobility no lavishly ornamented zither could ever match.
“Consort Yao, is that the Wuzheng?”
Someone in the crowd suddenly called out, and at once the entire assembly of Liuxian Isle was stunned.
But what confused everyone most was—why was Han Ziqing playing the zither right now? What was she trying to do?
The zither player beside her had already stopped playing.
“Han Ziqing, what exactly do you mean by this?” Bai Feiyao finally demanded, unable to hold back.
Ziqing said nothing, her gaze fixed straight ahead. She smiled faintly at Yu Xiao, who felt strangely puzzled but couldn’t help thinking her smile was really quite lovely.
For a moment, murmurs spread through the crowd—but the two Qin-Se Elders’ attention was already entirely fixed on Ziqing’s Wuzheng, no longer sparing a thought for keeping order.
“That really is the Wuzheng.”
“Lige wasn’t lying to us—look at that girl’s hands, her posture—so much like Madam Ci back in the day!”
“So Lige really did find the one!”
…
The two Elders lowered their voices, but their excitement was unmistakable.
“Han Ziqing, don’t you see the drinking game is in progress? What are you disrupting things for?” Bai Feiyao demanded angrily. Why did this woman always manage to steal his thunder every time they shared a stage?
“You two carry on. I’m not touching you,” Ziqing said, perfectly at ease.
Bai Feiyao took a deep breath, thinking he couldn’t let her provoke him after all. “Zither player—continue!”
The zither player hurried to play, but the moment he began, Ziqing immediately joined in, and suddenly two melodies rang out at once.
A flash of coldness crossed Bai Feiyao’s eyes. Go ahead and disrupt things all you like, Han Ziqing—this young master doesn’t even need to listen closely; he’d know the tune at once.