The Pretty Boy Knows Martial Arts

After entering this body, she occasionally performed actions that defied human biomechanics— Hua Rongyue was trying to reason with herself not to be overly shocked. After all, she was already used to it.

Hua Rongyue's physical reactions were swift, but Doctor Qi and Wan Fulián's eyesight couldn't keep up with her and Xiao Han's speed. Both of them thought Hua Rongyue had been crushed underneath.

"Hua Rongyue! Hua Rongyue!" Hua Rongyue heard Doctor Qi shouting hoarsely for her.

"Hua Rongyue—!"

When the dust settled, she saw Doctor Qi rush into the shattered remains of the counter and frantically start searching. The counter was actually quite large, with the back lined with the typical small drawers found in traditional medicine shops, each labeled with the name of a herb, occupying an entire wall.

The counter was so massive that it almost completely blocked the cabinet wall, leaving only a half-body-sized entrance. Given the size of the counter, even if someone were buried underneath, it would be hard to tell.

Moreover, the counter was made of solid wood— there were no composite boards in this era. If someone were crushed underneath, they wouldn't die, but they'd certainly suffer internal injuries.

Doctor Qi, red-faced and straining with all his might, still couldn't move it. As he struggled to lift the counter, Doctor Qi kept shouting, probably thinking Hua Rongyue was trapped underneath and unable to make a sound.

His face was full of anxiety. Wan Fulián, on the other hand, had collapsed to the ground in shock. Surprisingly, the calmest person in the scene was Xiao Han, who had been the most agitated moments ago.

After throwing that punch, he felt something was off. An indescribable sense of danger had simultaneously arisen in his heart. After delivering the blow, Xiao Han didn't rush to Wan Fulián but instead stood motionless, sensing that something was amiss.

But where was this unease coming from? Just as he was puzzling over it, a sudden chill ran down his spine, and he abruptly looked up. He locked eyes with a pair of pitch-black eyes.

"Stop searching, Doctor Qi. I'm here."

Hua Rongyue slowly found her balance from her upside-down position, then performed a graceful flip and landed lightly. She moved like a feather. When Xiao Han heard Hua Rongyue's voice coming from above, his entire body froze.

It wasn't until she landed that he seemed to snap out of it. Hua Rongyue landed on the ruins of the counter, appearing spotless, not a speck of dust on her.

Her hair was perfectly neat, cascading down her back in a clean, smooth flow. She was completely unharmed, her clothes as tidy and fitted as ever. After landing, she stood with her back to Xiao Han and the others.

At that moment, Doctor Qi and the others were utterly dumbfounded. To be honest, Yi Linglong truly had a physique blessed by the heavens— a Bug in the system, so to speak.

One of Hua Rongyue's shocking discoveries after transmigrating was that Yi Linglong could perform almost any action imaginable. If it were anyone else hanging upside down on a rooftop like Hua Rongyue just had, their brain would have long been flooded with blood, their face distorted.

But for Hua Rongyue, it was as effortless as walking on flat ground. Her expression remained as calm as ever, even slightly serene. With Yi Linglong's innate talent, maintaining a poised and composed demeanor at all times would have been easy.

So why did she choose to place herself in the circumstances dictated by her original fate? Even though the timing was completely inappropriate, as Hua Rongyue stood with her back to the group, her mind wandered to the fragments of memory she had glimpsed last night in Yi Linglong's recollections...

"Yi Linglong! You demon!" A man dressed in flowing white robes, exuding the aura of a chivalrous hero, stood before Yi Linglong. From Hua Rongyue's perspective, the man was essentially cursing her, yet she felt no anger.

Based on her experience, Yi Linglong was undoubtedly dressed in an ostentatious outfit again. Hua Rongyue's peripheral vision caught sight of Yi Linglong's attire today— it was decent, a marked improvement from the last time.

This time, Yi Linglong had finally abandoned the rainbow color scheme... Opting instead for a simple red-and-green combination.

"Ha-ha—" Yi Linglong's laughter was sharp and grating, making Hua Rongyue feel deeply uncomfortable. Hua Rongyue had used Yi Linglong's voice to speak before, and to her, it was actually a very pleasant sound— a slightly low tone due to years of pretending to be a man during her voice-changing period.

The voice often reminded Hua Rongyue of cellos, or things like coffee, tobacco, and ancient books. Yet, in her final moments, Yi Linglong had always used a shrill, piercing voice that sounded like a eunuch's.

Couldn't Yi Linglong speak in her natural voice? Though her voice wasn't as delicate or tender as other women’s, it had a unique charm. Why did she insist on producing such a grating sound?

Because she was controlled by Tianyi Tower, forced to play a role molded by others. Even in such a repressive life, she desperately hoped the man she loved could see her true self... Even if that true self had been twisted into something grotesque by the repression.

Hua Rongyue couldn't quite understand this. Just as she couldn't fully grasp Yi Linglong's overly passionate and all-consuming emotions.

Yi Linglong was someone who loved deeply, perhaps even willing to descend into madness for love. But Hua Rongyue felt she would never let herself be tormented to such an extent for the sake of a relationship. Why distort oneself for love?

Twisted to the point of losing one's sense of self— such a beautiful person reduced to such disgrace, such misery. Hua Rongyue had witnessed it all firsthand in Yi Linglong's memories, like a waking nightmare.

— So, if time allowed, she would always compose herself, presenting the most poised version of herself to the world.

At first, it was merely a method to create distance, but gradually, it became a way to remind herself to stay vigilant.

By now, it had become second nature.

Whether it was back when she was hunted by both the righteous and the wicked in Tianyi Tower, or at this very moment.

Doctor Qi and Wan Fulián had been frozen in shock for quite some time, but this time it was different from when they thought Hua Rongyue had died. Hua Rongyue stood amidst the ruins of the counter, still with her back to them. Xiao Han, however, was tense, like a taut string.

He stared at Hua Rongyue, who had exposed her back to him, but he didn't dare to rush forward recklessly as he had before. Even though leaving one's back exposed is the greatest taboo for people of the martial world, Hua Rongyue seemed entirely unguarded at this moment.

Because, truth be told, even he had been stunned earlier. This situation was far from what he had anticipated.

Xiao Han realized that Hua Rongyue genuinely possessed martial arts skills— and not just any skills, but ones of a very high level. Despite his own abilities, he hadn't been able to discern Hua Rongyue's movements just now.

As the young master of the Pingxi Escort Agency, Xiao Han's knowledge of martial arts was extensive, and his talent was exceptional. As the sole heir of the Xiao family, he had been pampered since childhood, exposed to at least half of the martial arts in the jianghu.

But when it came to this pretty boy before him, Xiao Han couldn't gauge his depth at all. If he had to say something, he could only comment on Hua Rongyue's landing posture.

— That lightness skill was extraordinary, a very advanced form of qinggong.

In the martial world, [lightness skill] is divided into various levels of proficiency. The [lightness skill] taught at the Pingxi Escort Agency was already considered top-tier, but compared to this one, it was like heaven and earth. Although [lightness skill] is important in the martial world, few people truly delve into mastering it to the extreme— it takes too much time and effort, unless absolutely necessary. Based on his experience, those who truly dedicate themselves to perfecting this skill are usually people who live on the edge, licking blood off the blade.

At this moment, Xiao Han was cursing furiously in his heart. What the hell? Wasn’t he just an ordinary pretty boy? Why did someone like this suddenly show up at Baicao Hall? What exactly is this kid’s purpose for coming here?

And the most important thing— would Xiao Lian be in danger?

Hua Rongyue snapped out of her memories and turned her head. She glanced at Doctor Qi and Wan Fulián, who were standing there dumbfounded, then at Xiao Han, who looked as tense as a husky that had just had its home torn apart. Casually, she picked up the curved blade from the Western Regions that Wan Fulián had just placed to the side.

The feeling of the blade in her hand was heavy— it wasn’t the one Hua Rongyue was used to wielding. Hua Rongyue had a dagger, black-handled with a double-edged blade, very light, one of Yi Linglong’s signature items. People in the martial world all knew that seeing the dagger was akin to seeing its owner.

When she escaped from Tianyi Tower, she had been afraid of drawing attention, so she had casually tossed it on the ground. Who knows who picked it up afterward?

This blade wasn’t as handy as Hua Rongyue’s previous one. After all, holding something heavy is definitely more tiring than holding something light. If it were for an assassination, she’d probably have to maintain the posture of holding the blade for an entire day. Yi Linglong’s dagger was famous throughout the world; there wasn’t another blade lighter than it anywhere.

Although this blade was heavier, it would probably hurt more when swung at someone, delivering a stronger impact. It would likely land with a satisfying “thud-thud-thud.” Hua Rongyue was particularly fond of the large gemstone embedded in the hilt; she figured the blade’s weight was mostly due to this gem.

She was preparing to use the hilt to give that wolf cub across from her a good beating.

When Hua Rongyue walked toward Xiao Han, he was already bristling.

— But to his credit, he didn’t dodge.

Hua Rongyue glanced at him and thought, Oh, so Wan Fulián is watching from the side. No wonder he didn’t dodge— how humiliating would that be? But this works out perfectly.

She noticed Xiao Han’s body growing increasingly tense and thought to herself, If I don’t give this brat a good thrashing today, he’ll never change his spoiled young master attitude. Time for a veteran to teach him what the true ways of the martial world are.

Just as Hua Rongyue was about to raise the hilt and land the first strike on his thick-skinned backside, a fan suddenly flew in from a distance, knocking her blade off course and causing her first strike to miss.

Xiao Han jumped three feet into the air, springing up from the ground in an instant. Hua Rongyue was momentarily stunned by the unexpected interruption. She turned to see who had thrown the fan, only to lock eyes with the one person she least wanted to see.

Yan Sheng stood alone at the doorway, quietly observing the room. His stern face, as always, made it impossible to discern what he was thinking.