Who Said My Wife Is A Demon! - Chapter 43

The little princess did not stay for long.

The Duke’s Palace was to hold a grand banquet the following day, and as a princess, she naturally had many affairs to attend to. This outing was a rare break in her busy schedule. After a brief conversation, she bid farewell first.

Yang Shifei watched the carriage depart without trying to hold her back.

Although the little princess was a close friend of Miss Luo and quite approachable, this was only their second meeting, so it wasn’t appropriate to chat for too long.

“It’s still early.”

The street was bustling with people. Yang Shifei glanced at the sky, noticing the overcast clouds but no sign of rain yet.

“Mengshang Pavilion isn’t far from here. Might as well go take a look.”

Yang Shifei put the sachets into his pocket and walked along the street.

Mengshang Pavilion was located on Northwest Long Street, one of the most prosperous areas in the East City. Merchants’ shops lined the streets, and he saw many wealthy youths walking together.

“Besides the East City clans, there are also many people from other cities and counties.”

Yang Shifei observed for a while before finding Mengshang Pavilion. The dignified and elegant building stood out prominently.

He walked up to the entrance and looked up, seeing that the pavilion had five stories, with bustling activity visible through the windows. The business seemed quite prosperous.

This pavilion sold poetry and paintings and was a refined gathering place for many literati and renowned figures.

As he got closer, he could hear the melodious sound of a zither and the soft singing of women from inside.

Yang Shifei straightened his clothes and walked in, curiously looking around.

The interior resembled a teahouse but displayed numerous paintings and calligraphy works. Scholars occasionally stopped to admire them. Women played the zither and recited poetry from the balconies, creating a serene atmosphere.

It seemed to be a very proper place.

Yang Shifei walked around the hall with interest, stopping to look at some paintings and calligraphy.

Although he couldn’t fully appreciate them, he could tell they were of high quality.

“…What a pity.”

Yang Shifei shook his head inwardly.

While he could quickly learn martial arts by absorbing the cold energy, it didn’t help him remember all the knowledge from modern society.

Otherwise, he could have imitated a few timeless poems or copied some famous paintings, which might have garnered admiration here.

However, considering he was in an era where martial prowess was highly esteemed and literati held lower status, it was just as well.

“—Sir, we meet again?”

A soft laugh suddenly came from beside him.

Yang Shifei paused and turned in surprise to see a handsome young man in a dark gold robe walking over, shaking a folding fan with a cheerful smile.

“Who are you?”

“…”

The young man’s smile froze slightly, annoyed: “Don’t you remember? We met on the street a few days ago. I even called out for you to stay and spar with me, but you turned and left with your female companion!”

“Oh, I remember now,” Yang Shifei said with a peculiar look in his eyes. “I’m still not interested in sparring.”

The young man’s eye twitched: “In such a refined place, I had no intention of engaging in a physical fight either.”

He sighed slightly and pointed to a nearby painting with his folded fan: “You were just muttering ‘what a pity’ earlier. Do you find something lacking in this ‘Scenic View of the Jiang River’ painting?”

“Misunderstanding. I was just looking around.”

“…” The young man was visibly frustrated. This person was impossible to communicate with.

“Then why did you come to Mengshang Pavilion?”

“I’m here to meet someone,” Yang Shifei replied casually. “Someone invited me here, and since I was passing by, I decided to wait here.”

The young man was momentarily stunned before giving Yang Shifei a meaningful look. “So, the hero who helped the authorities deal with Xiang Tianlin is you.”

Yang Shifei’s eyes flickered: “You’re the one who invited me?”

“Exactly,” the young man said, his arrogant smile returning. “Now, are you interested in sitting down for a chat?”

“Goodbye.”

Seeing Yang Shifei turn to leave after clasping his fists, the young man was stunned. He hurriedly stepped forward and grabbed Yang Shifei’s arm. “Hey! Aren’t you unreasonable? I didn’t provoke you. Why are you treating me like the plague?”

Yang Shifei’s expression was complex.

Dealing with this kind of fearless and naive young master wasn’t easy.

After a moment’s thought, he sighed reluctantly: “We don’t know each other. Why do you want to meet me?”

“I came to the East City to meet the famous heroes of the martial world and gain some experience,” the young man said with a smile, flicking open his fan. “Your exploits are impressive. Naturally, I want to get to know you.”

Yang Shifei was noncommittal: “And after getting to know me, what do you want to do?”

“…Ah.”

The young man was taken aback.

Usually, when he summoned martial artists and revealed his identity, they all bowed and scraped, eager to please.

But given Yang Shifei’s peculiar temperament, he was unsure. If he revealed his identity, would this guy run away even faster?

Clearing his throat, he hesitated: “How about…we spar?”

Yang Shifei’s eyes narrowed slightly. “You know I helped the authorities suppress Xiang Tianlin, and you still want to spar with me?”

“Hey, you’re quite arrogant,” the young man said, his eyes wide. “I checked carefully just now. You have no internal energy, just a warrior in the body tempering stage. What’s with the attitude?”

Yang Shifei raised an eyebrow. This person could discern his situation with just a touch on his arm?

“Just because I admire your courage, I kindly wanted to give you some pointers.” The handsome youth crossed his arms and huffed. “You’re a big man, why fuss so much? A little sparring won’t make you lose any flesh.”

“Fine, right here?”

“Of course not. I’m not interested in showing off my skills in public.”

The refined young man smiled again and gestured behind him, “Let’s go to the backyard of the Mengshang Pavilion. It’s spacious enough to practice.”

Yang Shifei looked slightly curious, “Can anyone enter the backyard of the Mengshang Pavilion?”

“I own this place.”

“…”

Yang Shifei muttered to himself. Why did these rich kids all love to open shops? Did they have too much money to spend?

Following the handsome youth, he soon entered the somewhat deserted courtyard of the pavilion.

As the other had said, the place was spacious, with artificial hills and greenery arranged around, giving it a poetic charm.

“How about it?”

Looking back, the handsome young man smiled, “I’ve opened a Mengshang Pavilion in every provincial city, and I personally designed the layout of the backyards. Do you find it charming?”

“It’s quite nice,” Yang Shifei sincerely praised. “May I know your name, little brother?”

“Just call me Liang Xin.”

Stepping back a few paces, Liang Xin smirked, “Let me tell you first, I’m quite accomplished in martial arts. Feel free to use your best moves, and I’ll give you some pointers later.”

With that, he assumed a stance, “Ready to give it a try?”

Yang Shifei flexed his muscles and also took up a stance.

In the next moment, Liang Xin moved swiftly.

Sharp palm winds came at him, and Yang Shifei dodged slightly, evading several strikes before seizing an opportunity to lightly tap Liang Xin’s wrist.

“Ouch!”

Liang Xin cried out in pain, clutching his wrist.

Yang Shifei stepped back, his expression strange.

Judging by this person’s internal energy and momentum, he should have reached the Yuan Gathering stage in internal cultivation . But his punches were weak and powerless, much weaker than Li Xiaolin, the leader of the Feilin Gang.

If they were to fight, the winner could be determined within ten moves.

“You…you’re so fast!”

Liang Xin turned around, biting his lip, “I underestimated you. You’re really good!”

Yang Shifei coughed lightly, “Don’t mention it.”

“Let’s go again!” Liang Xin rubbed his wrist, assuming a fighting stance again with a hint of defiance, “Let me figure out what martial art you’re using and then let me crack it!”

The young man suddenly dashed forward, palms and fists pounding out.

Yang Shifei dodged left and right, occasionally raising his arm to block, his gaze casually sweeping over, comprehending all of his opponent’s movements and tactics.

The two sides exchanged blows for dozens of rounds, and as the young man was knocked down by a palm to the shoulder and stumbled to the ground, the fight ended once again.

…

On the fourth floor of the Mengshang Pavilion, in a quaint little room.

A middle-aged maid, dressed in a robe and carrying a sword, had just put down her luggage when she heard the noise. She came to the window to take a look.

Watching the constantly moving figures of the two people in the courtyard, she couldn’t help but show a strange expression.

“Xiu Feng, who’s sparring downstairs?” Behind the folding screen, came a voice of a woman, light and coquettish.

“Reporting to the mistress, it seems to be the Ninth Prince sparring with a martial artist from the town.”

“The Ninth Prince?”

The woman behind the screen seemed pensive, “It is said that this prince has good cultivation and extraordinary memory and insight, able to discern and recognize moves. It seems that he’s taking advantage of the turmoil caused by Sacred Martial Stone to practice martial arts with the people of Jianghu?”

The maid with the sword turned back to the screen and walked to a charming beauty.

This woman was wrapped in a white-golden robe, her graceful figure vaguely visible. Her dark hair was tied into two long braids that hung down to her towering valley, with bangs covering half of her face, but the half-exposed face was charming and graceful, with peach-blossom eyes bright and enticing, exuding a captivating charm.

“Mistress, you misunderstood,” the maid’s tone was slightly subtle, “The Ninth Prince is not bullying the martial artists, but rather, he is being beaten down. Now he’s rolling around on the ground.”

“Oh?”

The woman put down the scroll in her hand, quite curious, “Really?”

As she spoke, a cry of pain came from downstairs.

The woman’s lips curled slightly, as if she had thought of something amusing, and she got up and walked to the window.

Looking down, she saw Liang Xin being lifted up by a strange man, his head knocked a few times, shouting’hero, spare me’ miserably, as if he was about to cry.

“This young man…”

The woman originally wanted to see the joke, but after careful observation for a while, a hint of strangeness flashed in her eyes.