NOVPUB79: Chapter 49: Fierce Woman (Second Update)_2
79: Chapter 49: Fierce Woman (Second Update)_2
The slender man’s face turned ashen as he struggled to escape, but the woman’s foot pinned him down, rendering him immovable.
Ran Yan watched the brash woman, cracked a slight smile, and was about to retreat when suddenly there was a loud crash in the great hall, a porcelain bowl shattered before a middle-aged man, spilling liquor all over the floor, “What are you looking at, go home and look at your mother!”
The man’s gaze had been inappropriately wandering over her ample chest and hips from the very beginning, and, infuriated, the woman showed a hint of outlaw spirit.
Upon hearing such face-losing words, the middle-aged man immediately stood up, seething with anger.
Confronting a burly man seven feet tall, the middle-aged woman showed no fear, and with a swift motion, she pulled two one-foot-long blades from her sleeves and thrust them into the table before the burly man, silencing all the noise in the hall instantly.
The tension was palpable, ready to explode at the slightest touch.
The shape of a Tang Dynasty blade is similar to a sword, slender and straight with a sharp tip, very much like the Japanese katana.
The middle-aged man’s face paled at the sight of the buzzing blades on the table.
During the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty, martial prowess was highly esteemed, and nobles and the privileged could carry swords to show off their identity or elegance, while blades could only be wielded by the officials of the court.
“Shu Niang!”
Just when the atmosphere was at its most oppressive, a Servant in grey suddenly burst through the door, followed by seven or eight sturdy men, each with a long sword at his waist, exuding a fearsome aura.
The Servant saw the mess inside the room and the two blades stuck in the table, wiped the sweat off his forehead with a handkerchief with one hand, and with the other, he tried to pull the woman away, “Shu Niang, it’s time to go back!”
Shu Niang violently shook him off, her voice filled with rage, “Don’t pull me, wait till I castrate the one who dared to stealthily ogle me!
Back when I was mixing it up in Wagang Village swinging blades, he was still in his mother’s arms, sucking on milk!
When I was out there killing people, he was still fiddling with his balls in his drawers!
Dares to take advantage of me, if I don’t castrate him, it would dishonor my reputation!”
Wagang Village…
The middle-aged man stood frozen, not apologizing, thinking Shu Niang was provoking him, not realizing he had already been scared stiff.
“Let’s go!
Please, for the love of God, the master is looking for you!” the Servant shouted while pulling Shu Niang out with all his might.
Upon hearing the word “master,” Shu Niang’s expression softened, as if she feared him.
Reluctantly, she followed the Servant out, muttering, “He’s in his twenties now, doesn’t need to be breastfed, what does he want with me all the time…” 𝒏𝙤𝙫𝒑𝙪𝙗.𝙘𝒐𝙢
The Servant’s face darkened, as he said anxiously, “Sinful, sinful, you can say that to the master’s face when you get back, I didn’t hear anything…
not a single word!”
Ran Yan heard every word and couldn’t help but laugh out loud; this Shu Niang was indeed quite amusing.
“Judging by her age, she seems to be in her thirties, from the founding of the Tang Dynasty after the Sui Dynasty to the Zhenguan period, at least twenty-six or seven years have passed.
Could she really be from Wagang Village?” Ran Yunsheng wondered.
Ran Yan did not reply; Shu Niang had maintained her physique quite well, and her exact age was not evident.
However, her ambidexterity suggested a habitual use of dual blades.
The aura of murderous intent she emitted in that brief moment of brandishing the knife was spine-chilling, and although it was fleeting, Ran Yan felt a disconcerting sense of blood in the air.
The men who had come in with the Servant were busily getting things in order inside the hall: those who needed to collect swords did so, and those who needed to pay damages did that.
It was obvious they were accustomed to cleaning up such messes, handling everything with ease.
Seeing Ran Yan’s bright, floral smile, Ran Yunsheng’s mood became even more cheerful.
He had just finished retracting the bamboo curtain when someone knocked at the door.
Ran Yunsheng signaled the Servant to open the door and then returned to his place to sit down next to Ran Yan.
As soon as the door to the private room opened, a handsome man dressed in light blue finery charged towards Ran Yan and anxiously asked, “Seventeenth Lady, do you really want to call off the engagement?”
Ran Yan was startled by the sudden intrusion but, upon a clearer look, recognized it was Qin Silang.
He appeared much more haggard than he had been a few days ago, reeking of alcohol, no longer exuding his usual clean and handsome charm.
His eyes were fixed on her threateningly, as if should she answer ‘yes’, he’d be ready to perish along with her in that very moment.
“Who are you?” Ran Yunsheng’s expression turned cold.
With a slight gesture of his hand, four robust men appeared from nowhere, their presence no less imposing than Shu Niang’s group had been earlier.
Qin Musheng turned to Ran Yunsheng, and upon seeing his handsome face, paused for a moment, taken aback, only to then confront him with a burst of anger, “Are you calling off our engagement for this hermaphrodite demon?”
Ran Yan’s displeasure flared up instantly as she replied coldly, “Watch your words!
In what way is my brother hermaphroditic or demonic?
Qin Silang, please think before you speak!”
Ran Yunsheng tasted bitterness in his mouth but felt an aching, warm sensation in his heart.
In the past, when people spoke ill of him to his face, he had chosen to ignore it, but today, his sister, whom he had always protected, stood up for him.
“Ran Shilang?” Qin Musheng paused, his tipsiness abruptly clearing up upon realizing Ran Yan’s unfriendly gaze.
He quickly stammered, “I’m sorry, I…
jealousy clouded my judgment just now, and I misspoke.
Ayan, I didn’t mean it intentionally.”
Everyone in Suzhou City knew what kind of person Qin Musheng was.
Though prone to temper tantrums, he always showed infinite tolerance towards beautiful women.
He was willing to go to great lengths to please a beauty, squandering a fortune to pursue Qi Liuniang and even trampling on his own dignity to do so.
When the Noble Ladies made fun of him, he never lost his temper.
Ran Yan had summed up his philosophy: As long as it’s a beautiful woman, everything can be forgiven.
Ran Yan had been repulsed by him from the start, originally begrudgingly giving him a chance because of the betrothal.
Now that the Ran Family seemed to have called off the engagement, she would be a fool not to sever all ties immediately.
“The engagement was decided by my father, and I did not oppose it.
Now that he has called it off, I still won’t oppose it.” Ran Yan made her stance very clear: if you have any issues, go to Ran Wen; it has nothing to do with me.
This statement also clarified the whole situation for Ran Yunsheng, whose immediate anger flared up.
Qin Silang had been frequenting brothels since he was fourteen or fifteen, and had tangled with plenty of good women in his early years—he probably even had a son raised in secret by now.
With the status of the Ran Family and Seventeenth Lady’s talents and beauty, she could be matched with any fine gentleman; there was absolutely no need to waste her on such a person!
Without a doubt, this must have been that Gao Shi’s idea!
“Qin Silang, now that my uncle has called off the engagement, please stop pestering Ayan.
It’s unseemly,” Ran Yunsheng said, his usually gentle voice sounding rather cold and harsh.
Qin Musheng scoffed, seething with resentment, “Looked down upon?
Who in Suzhou City doesn’t look down on me now?
If it weren’t for my father still holding the position of an Upper Assistant, they would likely step on my head!
It’s all the damn Yin Family’s scheme, Yin Miaomiao hates me; it must have been her doing!”
Qin Musheng attributed others’ contempt entirely to scheming.
On the surface, indeed, since the death of Han Shan, everyone had been avoiding him like a plague.
However, little did they realize the disdain had long been rooted deep in their hearts; it was all brought about by his own wrongdoings.
Ran Yan only focused on the last part, frowning slightly, “Miaomiao hates you, why?”
