By the time that they were led to their guest house, Qin Feng was already plotting his next move. He had not expected Xu Yanzhi to come to meet him on arrival, but he would work that into his plan. As for the reactions of the other disciples ... That should be sufficient to help spread the news in the Snow Swallow Palace.In such an insular place, there should be hardly anything else to talk about. And gossip about a powerful, and wildly popular disciple like Xu Yanzhi? She should be the centre of all their attention. Which is why he would have to do this very carefully.
He didn"t want to draw in any of those idiot fangirls who were always following her about, and so cause trouble for himself.
Besides that, the Elders in the Snow Swallow Palace would also be paying attention to him and his antics. So he would have to watch himself with them as well. Luckily for him, Xu Yanzhi was the one who had initiated the physical contact between them earlier. And before all the eyes of the Snow Swallow Palace disciples that were lurking about.
So he should be in the clear with regards to that.
That being said, Qin Feng knew that he would have to behave a little cooler towards her. For the moment, at least. He still had to locate Xuan Mei, who was supposed to owe him an explanation, with regards to how she had "abandoned" him back at the Heaven Sword School. How he was going to manage matters with her would also have a part to play with his so-called infatuation.
Hence, he would have to be very careful with his public image, from then on. Since everyone was concentrating on him, didn"t that mean that he would have to play up his heartbreak when he finally gets to play out his grand farewell to Xuan Mei? That was one "performance" that had to be perfect, if he was to capture the attention, and the favour, of the rest of the girls in the Sect.
Which would look exceptional, if Xu Yanzhi were to come up to comfort him after his loss!
Ah! If only he could manipulate that!
But Qin Feng wasn"t too bothered if that detail did not work out. For now, he would have to concentrate on finding Xuan Mei, so that the "first act" of his little play could go on!
*
"Do you think you will be able to find that girl that you have been searching for, Brother Liushui? Now that you are here, you should have some idea where she is, don"t you?"
Lin Liushui sighed, and turned to show a sad face to the Second Ducal Prince, Li Changhai, as he swept his hand out, to encompa.s.s all of the Snow Swallow Palace grounds that he could see from his room"s balcony.
"I had thought that I would be able to find her in a moment. But it seems I shall have to put in a good bit more effort. I can only hope that Brother Qin Feng has better luck than I do, seeking out his woman.
"Or should I say, his "other" woman."
The two men were standing in Lin Liushui"s guest room, enjoying the evening breeze. They had been shown their rooms after Qin Feng"s little display at the entrance to the Snow Swallow Palace, and largely left alone after that. Which was a particularly painful experience for Lin Liushui.
From the look on his face, he had been expecting at least one or two of the girls to remain, and to try to initiate some conversation with him. However, his hopes were dashed when all of those escorting him and the Second Ducal Prince had run off immediately. Apparently, they were anxious to discuss what had happened between Xu Yanzhi and her apparent "lover", at the Front Gates!
Which was certainly not what he had expected, when he arrived there at the Snow Swallow Palace. Were all of the girls there so caught up in those fantasy-like romances that they have been reading that they were unable to recognise true "handsome-ness" in front of them?
Li Changhai, on the other hand, seemed to be more concerned regarding the condition of their younger companion. And said so too:
"He seems to be a little less quiet, when it comes to the women. But I sense that he is only making an effort, now that he is in the Snow Swallow Palace. Do you think it has something to do with that young woman that he is looking for? The one that had abandoned him?"
"You mean, the one that he claimed had abandoned him? We only have his word for it, you know? And I have had some experience in these matters. Thinking about what he has told us so far, it is possible that she had been planning this move of hers for a good while, before she actually left. Otherwise, why did she coax him to take on that particular mission? Wasn"t it so that she could make her escape?"
Li Changhai scowled at the handsome fellow"s words. As though he was unsure if they had come from Lin Liushui"s true feelings, or if they were just his way of protesting his abandonment by the ladies of the Snow Swallow Mountain Palace.
With Lin Liushui, it was rather hard to tell at times.
"Then there is no chance for him to win her back then?"
"I didn"t say that. But if I were him, I would not be too bothered if she threw me off. After all, I have someone like Xu Yanzhi waiting for my attentions already. If I were him, that is.
"At least with her, I wouldn"t be worried that a rival would suddenly show up on my doorstep. She has already shown how deeply she cares about him, hasn"t she?"
Li Changhai grunted, and gave the handsome fellow a shrug in reply. It seemed he was right; Lin Liushui was merely venting. He must be really taking the earlier abandonment by those disciples a little harder than he had thought.
Then the gallant sighed again, and waved his hand through the air again.
"But who knows what Brother Qin Feng is likely to do? He has always been able to surprise us with his actions. We should just let him work things out his way."
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