The First Sword of the Universe

Chapter 386 Duan Yu, numb, says: I
In the lobby where you could hear a pin drop.

Duan Yu looked bewildered, while Madam Zhong seemed dazed, and Xu Xingchen was watching the spectacle from the side.

At this moment, Xu Xingchen should not have spoken, much less uttered those disrespectful words to Madam Zhong.

However, not one to shy away from a good spectacle, he still blurted it out.

Boom!

It was like a thunderclap from a clear sky, immediately startling Duan Yu and Madam Zhong.

Duan Yu instinctively shouted, "That's impossible!"

Madam Zhong, blushing and with a pounding heart, shook her head and denied it, saying, "I...I didn't."

"That's good," Xu Xingchen said with a sigh of relief, then added fuel to the fire: "I heard from Brother Duan that he and your daughter Zhong Ling fell in love at first sight, and their love was so strong that they were bound together by fate and married."

Duan Yu stared dumbfounded as Xu Xingchen spouted nonsense, his already chaotic mind feeling as if it had been struck by a series of lightning bolts.

With each word Xu Xingchen spoke, her heart trembled.
He didn't react, but Madam Zhong did, and quite intensely.

"No! No, those two can't be together!" Madam Zhong's expression changed drastically, and the twisted look in her eyes made Duan Yu's heart pound with fear, as if an indescribable calamity was about to befall him.

Xu Xingchen's expression immediately turned serious, and like a straight man in a crosstalk performance, he immediately asked, "Why is that? They are about the same age, the man is handsome, and the woman is beautiful. They are simply a match made in heaven."

Duan Yu remained there, dumbfounded, his heart trembling.
Madam Zhong was also captivated by Xu Xingchen's rapid-fire words, her body trembling uncontrollably, her face changing from pale to green, her expression unpredictable and ever-changing.

Seeing that the young man in front of her was about to continue speaking, Madam Zhong could no longer remain silent and said loudly, "No, they absolutely cannot be together, because they are siblings."

Click!

Xu Xingchen seemed to hear the sound of someone's heart shattering. She glanced at Duan Yu, who was already petrified, then at Madam Zhong, who was panting heavily. Her face feigned blankness, then disbelief, and finally shock and horror.
Several expressions flowed and changed on his face, so vivid and natural, so lifelike, that one could fully feel the extent of his inner shock.

For a moment, the lobby fell silent again.

An awkward atmosphere hung in the air. Duan Yu and Madam Zhong's feelings were like the sea that had just been battered by a storm, turbulent and difficult to calm down for a long time.

Time passed, I don't know how much time went by.
A rough male voice suddenly came from outside: "Why was Jinxi'er killed out of the blue?"

The three people in the room were immediately startled and came to their senses.

Madam Zhong stood up and said in a low voice, "My husband is back. He has an extremely bad temper and is also very suspicious. Young Master Duan and this young master, you should go and hide in the back!"

Having just emerged from his petrified state, Duan Yu felt a wave of disbelief upon hearing the word "husband," and increasingly felt that what Xu Xingchen had told him outside was true.

The reason the valley master here hates the man surnamed Duan is because his father seduced the valley master's wife and even bore him a daughter.
Thinking about this, his mind went completely blank and he couldn't think straight anymore.

Faced with Madam Zhong's persuasion, Xu Xingchen shook his head and said, "Madam, there's no need to be nervous. Brother Duan is probably in a very chaotic state of mind right now and can't say much. Please listen to what I have to say!"

Madam Zhong originally intended to escort the two to the back, but when Xu Xingchen refused, she frowned.

Xu Xingchen reassured him, "I will not mention what just happened!"

Hearing a strange man's voice coming from inside, the man outside immediately shouted, "Who's in there?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the door was flung open, and a man rushed in.

The man was dressed in black, extremely tall and thin, but had a horse-like face, making him extremely ugly.

Upon seeing the three people and a jade statue in the room, he was taken aback for a moment, but quickly recovered and walked to Madam Zhong's side, calling out softly, "Madam."

Then he looked at the jade statue, and was stunned again when he saw its stunning beauty.

After a long while, he finally came to his senses, shifted his gaze to the other two men, and his voice became extremely fierce: "Who are you two? Why are you in my Valley of Ten Thousand Hatreds?"

Duan Yu was still completely bewildered and didn't react at all.

Under Madam Zhong's subtly worried gaze, Xu Xingchen rose, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "My surname is Xu, and my given name is Xingchen."

Then, pointing to Duan Yu beside him, he said, "This is my brother, surnamed Hua, given name Wuque."

"We, brothers, have come to tell you something."

As she spoke, Xu Xingchen recounted Zhong Ling's encounter with the Shennong Gang. Then, she took out a pair of embroidered shoes from the dazed Duan Yu's bosom as evidence.

When Madam Zhong saw her daughter's embroidered shoes, a worried look appeared on her face. She said, "This child, how come she gets into trouble as soon as she goes out?"

The man in black, Zhong Ling's stepfather and Madam Zhong's current husband, Zhong Wanchou, looked Xu Xingchen and Duan Yu up and down with a suspicious gaze, and asked bluntly, "You two, one of you is really surnamed Xu? And the other is surnamed Hua? Nobody here is surnamed Duan?" Madam Zhong retorted, "What do you mean? You still doubt me? Don't you?"

Zhong Wanchou's fierce gaze shifted back to Madam Zhong, immediately softening into a warm, gentle expression: "Madam, you've misunderstood. I was just afraid that the man surnamed Duan wouldn't give up and would disturb our peaceful life. Madam, please don't be angry, okay?"

After scratching his head and trying to comfort Madam Zhong for a long time, Zhong Wanchou finally turned around and looked at Xu Xingchen and Duan Yu again.

Perhaps it was because neither of the two men had the surname "Duan" that he was less likely to go berserk.

He frowned and said, "I have four distinguished friends who have come from afar and need to go and greet them, so I cannot go to the Shennong Gang; as for my wife, she will not leave the valley."

Xu Xingchen immediately said, "Since Valley Master Zhong is too busy, why not give the antidote for the Lightning Sable to the two of us? We can go to the Shennong Gang to rescue Miss Zhong and also have the Shennong Gang cure my brother of the intestinal poison."

Zhong Wanchou flashed and appeared beside Duan Yu, placing his large, well-defined hand on Duan Yu's shoulder and probing into his body with his inner force to examine him.

"Your brother, with his loose bones and no internal strength, has never practiced martial arts?" Soon, a solemn expression appeared on Zhong Wanchou's face: "You really didn't lie to me. He has indeed been poisoned by a very potent poison. If it cannot be neutralized in a short time, he may very well die."

Madam Zhong's expression changed slightly, and she said in a low voice, "What...what should we do?"

I don't know what she meant by that. Was she worried about one of them? Or perhaps both?

Zhong Wanchou assumed that his wife was worried about their daughter, so he said, "Madam, don't worry. I'll go get the antidote for the Lightning Sable and have the two of them take it to the Shennong Gang to rescue Ling'er."

After saying that, he rushed out of the house.

Madam Zhong glanced at a servant guarding the door and said, "We hope that the two young masters can rescue Ling'er. My husband and I will be eternally grateful!"

As she said this, her eyes inadvertently glanced at Duan Yu beside her.

Xu Xingchen said earnestly, "Don't worry, Madam Zhong, we will definitely bring Miss Zhong back!"

Madam Zhong continued, "If that Sikong Xuan refuses to release her, then he should reveal our names; my husband is the legendary Horse King Zhong Wanchou, who once roamed the martial world; and I am Gan Baobao, with a less-than-pleasant nickname, Pretty Night Demon; if he dares to lay a finger on our daughter, don't blame us for being ruthless!"

"Not bad!" Zhong Wanchou returned to the house, handed a porcelain bottle to Xu Xingchen, gave him instructions on how to use it, then clasped his hands and said a few polite words, before instructing the servant guarding the door to escort the two out of the valley.

Xu Xingchen hoisted the jade statue onto his shoulder, a move that finally brought Duan Yu to his senses. Duan Yu quickly stepped in front of him, anxiously saying, "Brother Xu, please be careful! Don't let the fairy sister bump into or hurt herself!"

Seeing Duan Yu's infatuated appearance, Madam Zhong seemed to recall some fond memories from the past, and her expression became somewhat dazed.

Zhong Wanchou laughed heartily and said, "This kid is just like me, equally infatuated!"

Upon hearing this, Duan Yu's arm trembled, and he dared not look at Zhong Wanchou. He hurriedly caught up with Xu Xingchen.

Led by the servant, the two left Wanchou Valley, but not through the original route they had taken; instead, they were on the north side.

Upon reaching the outside of the valley, the servant stopped and bowed to Xu Xingchen and Duan Yu, saying, "Before leaving, Madam asked me to relay a message: if we cannot rescue Miss from the Shennong Gang, perhaps we can ask Young Master Hua's father for help!"

Having said that, he turned and went back.

Xu Xingchen and Duan Yu exchanged glances, both understanding the meaning behind Madam Zhong's words.

After walking quietly for several miles, Duan Yu gradually suppressed his shock and embarrassment, and looked up to ask, "Brother Xu, do you know anything about my father's youth?"

Xu Xingchen said, "I've heard some of it."

Duan Yu then asked, "Is my father really a womanizer?"

Xu Xingchen laughed and said, "Your father is the Prince of Zhennan of Dali Kingdom. He holds a high position and great power, is highly skilled in martial arts, and is handsome and dashing. He is also extremely amorous, so it's normal for him to have several women."

"But...but..." Duan Yu wanted to refute, but didn't know where to begin. His expression was incredibly complicated.

Xu Xingchen continued teasingly, "Alright, stop thinking about it. Let's hurry back and rescue your half-sister! If that doesn't work, we'll have to go to Dali City to ask your father for help!"

"Brother Xu, you're too much... sigh." Duan Yu didn't know how to respond and could only lower his head and follow behind.

By this time, it was completely dark, the stars twinkled and shone, and the moonlight shone through the branches of the trees, casting its glow on the forest floor.

As they walked, the two came to the vicinity of a courtyard. They were surprised that there were still people living there, but they did not have any intention of disturbing them.

Xu Xingchen glanced at the dozen or so shadows outside the courtyard, assuming they were just guards of the courtyard's owner, and didn't think much of it.

However, even if you don't seek out trouble, trouble will still come looking for you.

A voice suddenly rang out from the shadows: "Why does that jade statue that boy is carrying on his shoulder look exactly like the lady?"

(End of this chapter)