The knock on his door came after nightfall, after everyone had eaten and returned to their rooms. Qin Feng had avoided meeting the others for the meal, and claimed that he was still in the midst of recuperating. Something that surprised no one. Most likely, they were thinking that he was still sulking over the events that morning.Yet, who would have guessed that he was actually waiting for a guest. One that everyone only knew too well:
Xu Yanzhi!
She did not show up until in was completely dark. Probably so that no one could tell that she had arrived in the place. And she did not seem too perturbed that he was expecting her, and simply strode into his room without any apparent care. No doubt, she had no worries that he would attempt to trap her within. Or try anything really foolish.
After all, both of them were more than aware that her martial cultivation was so far beyond him that it would take her no more than a move or two to utterly destroy him.
The young woman was dressed in night-movement clothes, body-hugging and dark. And was wearing a mask which she removed, the moment that she entered his room. To find Qin Feng waiting for her, seated at the small table in the room.
Qin Feng merely smiled, and gestured for her to take a seat across from him at the parlor table that had been laid out in front of his narrow bed. This wasn"t the best room available in the tavern, of course. So the fittings were probably less than up to her standards. At least, that was the impression that he got from her derisive sniff, as she moved towards him.
So long as she was willing to sit, and to talk, he reminded himself. As nodded as she took another of the three stools that had been laid out about the table. Then his smile at Xu Yanzhi broadened, as he nodded at her, seeming encouraging her to state her business.
It was a cruel trick. An old merchant trick. Whoever spoke first under such circ.u.mstances would generally be accepted as having taken a subordinate position in the bargaining that was to follow. And Qin Feng was determined that it wouldn"t be him.
After all, he was not so desperate to learn more of the martial art that he had used earlier, during his fight against her earlier, on the stage.
An occurrence that the young woman from the Snow Swallow Palace clearly remembered, given the awful expression that she was wearing on her face. Nor did she attempt to avoid it. Instead, she straightened her back, and directly asked him for his intentions:
"I will not waste your time, Qin Feng. What do you wish from us, from the Snow Swallow Palace, in return for those missing stances of the White Jade Beauty Hands? Name your price."
"Oh? You think I am willing to sell those two additional lost movements to you? After what you did to me in the Arena today? Whatever gave you that impression? I had merely waited you to come here because I was curious with regards to who is pulling the strings behind this ... attempt to accept of yet another disciple from the Yuan Family. I thought you might be willing to share that information."
"As if!"
Xu Yanzhi scoffed at him, as though he was making a joke. But she recovered quickly, when he glared back at her, making it clear that he was not in the mood to share a laugh with her. And that he was still chafing from her act earlier. Which was enough to make her blush, as if she was remembering all the words that she had used.
"Oh, very well. I"ll tell you:
"You know that the Yuan sisters have a particular trait that makes them extremely suitable for learning the Arts of our Snow Swallow Palace. The elder sister had that ability, and so does the younger. That is why our Snow Swallow Palace wants them. That"s all. There is no plot and no deception here," she told him frankly.
"Ah! That particular trait seems to have been pa.s.sed down to both sisters, it seems. Little wonder then, that you are so intent on s.n.a.t.c.hing up the two of them. But that is a rather short-sighted way of dealing with such matters, if you don"t mind me pointing it out."
"Oh? Why do you say that?"
Qin Feng smiled, and directed his gaze up to the roof above him. He had already known about the Elder from the Snow Swallow Palace who had taken up position up on top of the same. That look of his was only to show Xu Yanzhi that he knew. And the young woman"s simple nod was sufficient to tell him that she was aware that he was aware that someone else was present.
And surely listening in. No doubt she had her own reasons for eavesdropping, instead of simply barging in on her junior"s so-called negotiations.
So he chuckled again, and made his reply to her last question. "Because if you s.n.a.t.c.h her up too, that would mean that neither of them would be in a position to have any children. Thus, you are simply preventing her from bearing any future offspring. Offspring who may bear that same trait that your Sect desires. Isn"t that like harvesting all the bamboo in a garden, before any of them can throw up shoots? Wouldn"t that be stopping your Snow Swallow Palace from recruiting similarly exceptional children in the future?"
Xu Yanzhi blinked. And her face took on a more thoughtful expression. Clearly she had not been expecting him to be throwing out farming anecdotes. Which served to encourage Qin Feng to toss the next part of his spiel out. This was something that affected Du Yan, after all. And he had promised, more or less, to help the brawny fellow with his trouble. The man was making a sword for him, after all.
"In any case, you have already lost her. If you were wise enough to consider the future of your Sect, you should bring Yuan Qianyi back to visit, and to repair her relationship with Du Yan and her sister. Perhaps to wish them well, for their marriage? That would help them to form a better impression of her and your Sect, and so make things easier, if their children should really inherit her Silver Frost Meridians.
"That is, if you intend to recruit them into your Snow Swallow Palace in the future. So long as Yuan Qianyi can get a niece from their marriage, and bring her into the Palace ... Well, I think that would be more advantageous. Don"t you agree? Especially if she is willing to go along to you with her aunt?"
"You make it sound as if it is a certainty, that her children would inherit her traits. There is a possibility that they would grow as tall, and as large as Du Yan instead. Or that she might only bear males."
Qin Feng chuckled as he nodded back at her. "That is true. I have been a farmer before so I am definitely aware of that possibility, of losing my breeding stock. But that is just something that you will have to risk, won"t you? For the sake of future crops?"
He used those words to convey his meaning, and forced her - as well as the unidentified listener on his roof! He had to force the two of them to consider the possibilities. That was the only way to keep them from trying more of their tricks in the future.
Of course, since Yuan Qianlei was already close to sixteen years of age already, it would be a rather simple thing to convince her to marry Du Yan immediately. Once she loses her virginity to him, and is properly his wife, that should make her a lot less attractive to the Snow Swallow Palace. Wouldn"t it?
Xu Yanzhi sniffed again, but did not bother to reply. No doubt, she was leaving it up to the other woman to make up her mind about the matter. So instead, she tossed something out at Qin Feng thereafter.
Something that he had been expecting ever since she appeared at his doorstep that night!
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"That is something that does not concern us directly. Unlike the matter of our White Jade Beauty Hands. What were those two new stances that you had used earlier? Especially the one that had trapped my attack against you?"
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