He Yu let out a mental sigh.
That should settle “our” courtesy toward the young lady. The next thing to address is her companions. Why are her friends so… peculiar? They were oblivious to social etiquette. None of them had attempted to greet young master Dong or me. I don’t think they intentionally acted disrespectfully toward us. They… How should I put it into words? They were in their own world. Despite sitting at the same table as the young lady and talking with her just a moment before we interrupted, they were content with observing our conversation.
The boy with an untidy hairstyle is wearing an uniform of some sect that I don’t know. With his bang covering most of his eyes, it’s hard to tell what he is thinking. However, the few times I could see through that bang, I spotted a gaze that was innocent and childlike. It gives off the feeling that he didn’t understand what was going on.
The beautiful lady is… She is beautiful alright. More beautiful than any lady I had the honour to know. However, I feel very uneasy around her. The time she caught my gaze, it sent a chill down my spine. Young lady Dong and this lady may be exuding an aura of something far more superior than they appear to be, but they are fundamentally different. I am weak in the knees around lady Yun An because I feel the breathing sound of a colossal beast vibrating from her small stature. On the other hand, behind this mask of a pretty lady is an amalgamation of… something that is the opposite of normal. What would be the correct words? Ah! Yin and Yang. Lady Yun An is extreme Yang like a bright mountain that commands veneration, while the pretty lady is a dead forest full of Yin that all travellers steer clear from. In this extremity, they are similar. I wonder how they became… acquainted.
He Yu pushed his concern aside. At the moment, he felt it was more important to pay these acquaintances of Lady Dong some respect. They were sitting on the same table as her anyway.
“Young lady. Young man. It was such a discourteous thing for He Yu not paying attention to you before. I hope you two will forgive me.” They are just looking at me. What is this reaction? I should have asked young lady Dong to introduce me to them instead. “Ah. I haven’t introduced myself yet. I am He Yu, the third son of He clan. It’s my pleasure to see you.”
“I am Jia Hui. I don’t have a family name.”
A tone of naivety.
“Bei He Xuan.”
Bei clan? And one without a clan? What is with this combination?
“Young lady Dong.”
“Call me Yun An.”
I had to steal a look at young master Dong. Ah, shoot! Those are the eyes of disapproval. How protective are you, young master Dong? Should I call her by her name then? I get it that the rejected young master Dong would be irritated to have a man from another family be so intimate with her, but she demanded it.
“Certainly, lady Yun An.” Let me not check on young master Dong again. “Lady Yun An, how did you know these two… friends?”
“I saw them at the registration area.”
“You will fight, Yun An?” Young master Dong’s voice was full of surprise. Certainly there are sect disciples who just come here to observe the fight instead of participating. However, someone like lady Yun An is fully qualified to take part in. What took him aback?
“I will.” Lady Yun An replied.
“Yun An. Many strong fighters will attend the tournament.”
“Indeed. I hope to see their martial arts.”
“You don’t understand, Yun An. They are here for their pride and reputation. They wouldn’t go easy on you because you are a lady. It’s dangerous.”
“I wholly understand. Otherwise, I would have stayed and trained at the sect. This tournament is the perfect opportunity to have a real experience of what a fight is.”
“No. You don’t understand. This is not a spar. You-”
“If your intention is to discourage me, I advise you to keep it to yourself.”
Those are very strong words. I don’t need to look to know young master Dong is gritting his teeth inside. His servants though-
“Young lady. You are still young. You do not understand how the world works. It’s better that you take my master’s coun-”
“SUI REN!”
“I- I have overstepped my station. I beg your forgiveness.”
“Not to me!”
“I am sorry, young lady.”
“Yun An. I apologise on behalf of my servant. It was my fault for not being stricter with him.”
“It’s alright.”
That was a massive blunder. I don’t know if that was because of his pride or his loyalty, but he shouldn’t poke into their business in the first place. Anyway, I still haven’t gotten the answer.
“Jia Hui. Is it ok for me to call you by name?”
Jia Hui nodded.
“I-”
“Can I call you by name too?” Bei He Xuan interrupted.
Jia Hui turned to her, observing carefully, then gave a reluctant agreement.
“You can call me He Xuan too. Call me.”
“…” He paused for a long moment.
The entire time He Xuan’s mouth corners remain curved-up without change.
“He Xuan.”
“That is correct, Jia Hui. Can I become your friend?”
“Friend.”
“We can meet any time you want.”
He Yu felt an uncomfortable feeling down his spine. I don’t know why lady Bei showed so much interest in Jia Hui, but that was so creepy.
“You can be my friend.” Jia Hui replied.
“I love to hear that.”
“Will you be my friend too?” His question drew the attention of the main and the servant table onto Yun An. “Can I meet you anytime too?” He added.
What is with this development?
“Before that. Why did you follow me?”
This question of Yun An caused He Yu even more shock.
Wha- what? He followed lady Yun An? What does this mean?
“I want to know how you do it.”
“Do it?”
“What you did to the stone. My master said to use lots of qi if I want to break it. How did you do it without qi?”
