Martial Arts Crossover: It All Started with Hijacking Li Canghai

That was the direction of the Dali Kingdom. His face showed a hint of melancholy, a hint of resentment, and a touch of worry about the journey ahead.

After a long while, Ruan Xingzhu finally withdrew her gaze, sighed softly, and turned to look at the other person sitting in the room. The complex expression on her face was replaced by a gentle smile.

"My little niece, what do you think of that young master Qin who suddenly boarded the ship?"

A young girl dressed in a light blue silk robe sat quietly on a wooden chair made of epiphyllum. She looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years old. Her appearance was delicate and elegant, and her temperament was like a secluded orchid in a valley, light and pleasant. A crystal-clear jade flute hung diagonally at her waist, which added to her otherworldly air.

This woman is none other than Cheng Ying, the last disciple of Huang Yaoshi, the "Eastern Heretic" and master of Peach Blossom Island.

The Lu family and the Ruan family are old friends with some history.

Because Cheng Ying lost both her parents at a young age, Lu Liding was entrusted by Cheng Ying's parents to take care of her. Therefore, Cheng Ying has always lived in Lu Family Village. She and Lu Wushuang of the Lu family are cousins, so she is naturally considered a member of the Lu family. According to seniority and relationship, Cheng Ying should call Ruan Xingzhu "Aunt".

This time, after leaving Peach Blossom Island, she was heading to Lu Family Village in Jiangnan on business. Coincidentally, Ruan Xingzhu was also returning to the Great Song Dynasty, so she decided to travel with her on her merchant ship.

Upon hearing Ruan Xingzhu's question, Cheng Ying's beautiful eyes flashed with thought as she recalled the figure she had glimpsed behind the screen and the conversation she had overheard between the two. She slowly said, "Aunt, that Young Master Qin is no ordinary person."

Her voice was like a clear mountain spring, and anyone who heard it knew that she was a refined and cultured woman.

"Oh? How is it not simple?" Ruan Xingzhu asked with great interest. Her little niece's identity was not simple, and she wanted to see what she thought.

Cheng Ying put down her teacup and began to analyze, "Young Master Qin's aura is extremely calm. I deliberately concealed my presence behind the screen just now, but because I secretly glanced at him, his gaze subtly swept in my direction. Although he didn't say anything, I felt that he had actually noticed me."

Secondly, the fact that his footsteps landed silently demonstrates his extremely high level of lightness skill and his mastery of his own strength to a very subtle degree.

"The most important point," Cheng Ying paused, her tone becoming somewhat serious, "is that although he was polite and courteous throughout, I could sense that he didn't truly respect anyone on this ship. This wasn't arrogance, but rather a confidence stemming from his absolute strength. It's like... a tiger walking into a flock of sheep. The tiger might appear docile, but that's only because it's not angry, not because it actually wants to stay with the sheep."

As Huang Yaoshi's youngest disciple, Cheng Ying's vision and knowledge far surpassed those of her peers. She was not only proficient in the Five Elements, Eight Trigrams, and Qimen Dunjia, but also had an extremely keen perception of the aura and charm of martial arts masters.

The unintentional air Qin Han exuded might only make others think he had an extraordinary presence, but Cheng Ying could decipher something deeper from it.

Hearing Cheng Ying's insightful analysis, Ruan Xingzhu put down her teacup. "As expected of a disciple of Huang Yaoshi, one of the Five Greats of the Central Plains, the Eastern Heretic. He was able to analyze someone so thoroughly just by peeking from behind the screen."

Ruan Xingzhu spoke with great admiration. Huang Yaoshi was a man of both good and evil, and acted eccentrically, but his martial arts and talent were earth-shattering, and the disciples he taught were naturally not ordinary people either.

Cheng Ying blushed involuntarily when her aunt praised her, making her appear extremely shy. She lowered her head slightly and said softly, "Auntie, please don't tease me... Actually, actually, when I was looking at him, that person noticed me..."

After all, being caught peeping at others was quite embarrassing for Cheng Ying.

"We've been discovered?"

Ruan Xingzhu's smile froze slightly as she stared at Cheng Ying in surprise. She knew her own situation well; the rudimentary seductive skills she had practiced were unorthodox and unorthodox. As she aged and lost her youth, they might have some effect on ordinary men with weak willpower, but they were definitely not enough to attract a determined young man like Qin Han.

She accepted that her seductive skills hadn't worked; after all, time waits for no one, and she was almost forty, having already given birth to two daughters, so she was indeed no longer up to par in that regard.

But Cheng Ying is Huang Yaoshi's apprentice!

Although Cheng Ying was young, she had mastered Huang Yaoshi's teachings. She deliberately concealed her presence and aura, so that not only ordinary martial arts masters, but even innate masters who had converted internal energy into true qi might not be able to detect her easily.

Cheng Ying noticed Ruan Xingzhu's surprise and, after a moment's thought, explained, "Yes, Aunt. When you saw him off, he glanced at the screen as he left, and I knew he had already noticed me. But... but he didn't seem to mind; he just glanced at me briefly and left. I think he's not a bad person, otherwise..."

Otherwise, Cheng Ying didn't say what she was going to say, but Ruan Xingzhu understood what she meant.

In the martial arts world, masters are extremely protective of their privacy and safety. If they see someone spying on them in secret, a hot-tempered person might take immediate action!

Since Qin Han discovered Cheng Ying, he made no comment whatsoever, not even a warning. This magnanimity and broad-mindedness certainly doesn't seem like that of a narrow-minded villain.

After hearing Cheng Ying's explanation, Ruan Xingzhu felt a little relieved. Perhaps she was overthinking it. This kind of person didn't seem like an assassin arranged by Dao Baifeng at all.

He picked up his teacup, gently blew on the tea leaves floating on the surface, took a small sip, and sighed, "Sigh, I hope it's really as he says, just a simple case of hitchhiking."

Despite this, her gaze drifted out the window again. Everyone else thought that Princess Dao Baifeng of Dali was a kind and benevolent living bodhisattva who ate vegetarian food and chanted Buddhist scriptures, but only women like them who had had fleeting affairs with Duan Zhengchun knew how much jealousy and ruthlessness was hidden deep in that woman's heart.

Over the years, Dao Baifeng has never stopped wanting to kill these "love rivals," but she has never found a suitable opportunity to do so because of Duan Zhengchun and the reputation of the Zhennan Prince's Mansion.

Ruan Xingzhu had a premonition that even if Qin Han was alright, Dao Baifeng might still set up an ambush on her way back to Shu.

"I just hope that I can return to Sichuan safely this time..." Ruan Xingzhu prayed silently in her heart.