"This one is aware of the ... unhappiness between my father and yourself, Brother Feng. But you should know that it was part of a test, that he had set up for me. Unfortunately, he had offended you as a result of that. For that, I can only apologize."The Ducal Prince bowed again, this time in a graver, more respectful manner. Qin Feng, who could not really be bothered by the so-called insult from the Duke in the first place, simply waved the whole matter aside.
"That is not important. So long as you have no complaints, I am certainly not going to make trouble for the Duke. Of course, what sort of trouble can I make? I am merely a wanderer."
And a penniless one at that, he groaned to himself, although he was careful not to let that show on his face. It would be interesting to see what sort of enticement these three fellows were going to be throwing at him, to entice him to join this little treasure hunt of theirs.
Given his paucity of funds, that was the more important question.
Of course, he was not about to say so. Qin Feng did have some pride, and asking flat out for money was something rather embarra.s.sing for him, to tell the truth. He would prefer it if Li Changhai proposed it first. That way, he could graciously accept it, without any complications.
Unfortunately, things did not go as he had planned.
"Since Brother Feng has already indicated that he does not wish to return to the Duke"s Palace, perhaps we can adjourn to the Whispering Falls Teahouse to continue our discussion? The atmosphere is better there, and we are less likely to be interrupted."
The Second Ducal Prince, who was already smiling due to the acceptance of his apology on his behalf of his father, nodded gratefully at Lin Liushui, who had made the suggestion. And bowed again to Qin Feng.
"Have no worry, Brother Feng. I have not forgotten that you are still displeased with my father"s att.i.tude when you last met him, and shall not insist that we head back to the Palace. We shall meet outside the same in the future, to discuss what needs to be done to prepare for our trip. It shall not be taking place in a hurry too. You might have heard that my father"s birthday is fast approaching, and I must remain here in Yanyun for that particular occasion."
He almost groaned as soon as he heard that. "No, no, no! Offer me a room at your father"s Palace again! And offer me spending gold and silver as well! Can"t you tell that I am skint?" He wanted to roar at the Prince. But somehow, he managed to remain seated, with nary a sign of his utter despair showing on his face, for all that his heart was sinking.
Didn"t they know that he already owed the inn more than he could pay?
To be honest, he would not have refused, if the Second Ducal Prince had invited back into the Ducal Palace, to discuss this whole matter. And he would have worked it into the conversation somehow, to get the n.o.ble fellow to pay off his bills and bring his things back into his former guesthouse there. There would have been plenty of opportunities for him to drop hints, once they were engaged in some "long, meaningful conversation".
Why did Li Changhai have to be so b.l.o.o.d.y polite, and offer to send him back to his inn instead?
But since the offer was already made, it was too late for him do anything about it. So what could he do but plaster a polite smile on his face, and walk out of the restuarant together with the Second Ducal Prince, with Du Yan and Lin Liushui following closely behind them?
Suddenly Qin Feng froze, right at the entrance of the restuarant, as he felt a sharp wind descending upon him. Looking to his side, he saw a figure dressed entirely in black, and wearing a similar mask of black cloth over the lower half of his face, rushing at him.
But was he the target of the attack? Qin Feng knew that it was unlikely. Instead, the Second Ducal Prince, standing to his right, was the more obvious target. So he reached out his hand, and caught Li Changhai by his elbow, and yanking him back behind himself.
His hand was already jerking the Second Ducal Prince back, when he realised that the black-garbed fellow"s trajectory had not changed at all. Did that mean that the target was him, and not the Prince? But how could that be? But by then, it was already too late for him to use any of his movement techniques to escape!
So he simply threw out the first move that crossed his mind:
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[White Jade Hands: Eclipse the Moon!]
The palm that he pressed out in front of him met with the large fist that was completely covered with the cloud of bluish qi. Then the head-sized ball of qi exploded, tossing Qin Feng back. A stab of power flooded his left palm and worked its way up to his shoulder before it dissipated. Which was enough to send waves of pain through the meridians in his left arm.
He was outcla.s.sed! And by a good measure at that!
Yet, for all that his cultivation level was lacking, when compared against the black-garbed a.s.sa.s.sin, his White Jade Hands was clearly a superior martial art. Why else would the a.s.sailant fall back, and shake his own right hand as if it was in pain? That was the unique feature of that particular Eclipse the Moon stance. When used offensively, it drew on all of Qin Feng"s qi and slammed it into the enemy.
If used defensively, however, it drew on the qi invested into the initial attack as well, and hurled that back at the a.s.sailant! That was the unique property of the White Jade Hands Martial Style, and Qin Feng had relied on it often enough to be confident in the same.
However, it was clear that his cultivation was still a little lacking. The black-garbed fellow"s attack was too strong, too powerful, and he could not turn even half of that initial outpouring of qi back against the initiator. The most that he could manage was about thirty percent, and he had to take on the remaining power, which had probably resulted in his left arm meridians taking a beating!
But the sheer fact that the a.s.sailant was able to overpower him like this, and that he could recognise the martial art that he had just received did not escape Qin Feng. The strong, metallic aura that swept over his arms was a familiar one, and he felt a surge of blood rush up to his throat. At once, he blurted out the impression that he had got from their brief, sharp clash:
"Zhou Jinhu! You are Zhou Jinhu!"
* * *