Chapter Eleven: A Lonely Phoenix Like a Single Hairpin

to walk right in front of Fang Peng.The longsword sliced through the air in a clear arc, piercing his chest with precision and without a shred of hesitation."How do you repay kindness with gratitude"...Creak!

The window was casually shut.

The mournful song then ceased in the room, no longer soaring far.

A pretty and cute girl turned around, the silver bell on her wrist jingling softly, a smile blooming on her face: “These days, there's a ban on music in the city. If anyone is heard playing it, they'll get into trouble.”

She glanced at the courtesan embracing a pipa behind the screen and chided, "Who allowed you to sing at this time You'll be killed!"

The singer ceased playing, silent.

>

Not far from the window, sat a woman of delicate refinement. A hint of sorrow clouded her eyes, and her beauty seemed to wilt like a flower. Without a word spoken, she evoked my pity.

Upon hearing the sound, he said, "Miss Ling'er, please do not blame me. It was my unsteady heart that caused me to sing."

Xiangling looked at her, and her eyes immediately lit up with joy: "How could I blame you, Xiuzhang sister. You are so beautiful, everything you do is right."

Compared to her enthusiasm, Liu Xiuzhang was clearly much more indifferent, simply saying: “I shouldn’t have come to this place.”

Xiangling turned her body and sat beside her, tilting her head to look at her delicate features: "When you said 'this place,' did you mean Linzi, or the Sanfenxiangqi Building"

“None of you should have come.” said Liu Xiuzhang.

"No, no, no, that's all wrong." Xiang Linger shook her head again and again: "If it's about Linzi, why shouldn't you come This city of Linzi, three hundred miles in size, does it belong to the surname Yan Even if there's a grudge or resentment, it's not a reason. We are born into this world, we should be the ones people avoid, not the other way around."

Liu Xiuzhang remained silent.

Xiang Linger said again, “If you say about brothels... men go to them, women can't In this world, there are also quite a few who sell their bodies. You know, in the snow country, there are even dedicated male brothels”

"Speaking of this, she curled her lip: 'It's a pity that most are just for show and not good quality.'"

“I bear no grudge and have no resentment. I merely find myself saddened by the familiar sights before me. Why dwell on past pain” Liu Xiu Zhang said, “As for what you said about brothels… throughout history, some people frequent them, while others avoid them. Some engage in the buying and selling of flesh, while others remain untouched. It doesn’t discriminate between men and women; I am simply one of the latter. Miss Ling'er, you may be right, but we are different.”

Xiang Ling'er let out an "Oh" and said, "I understand."

“You’re saying you and we are on different paths.” She crossed her arms, resting them on the armrest, her chin propped up on her forearm. Her big, watery eyes blinked as she looked at Liu Xiuzhang: “But now only we can help you, what do you say, little beauty”

She was pretty and cute, and lively. Especially the smile that played on her lips, just right, made it hard to feel any ill will towards her.

While Liu Xiuzhang was a typical slender beauty, her figure was graceful and well-proportioned. Her waist was as thin as it could be grasped.

But she sat in the chair, and was by no means lonely.

A woman of such delicate and gentle demeanor, one would think she should be confined to the inner chambers, weeping before a mirror alone.

However, she now sat in the Three-Incense Pavilion of Linzi City, facing Xiang Linger, renowned for her beauty, with not a hint of timidity in her eyes.

"You're not helping me," she said softly. "You're investing in me. And it's not that only you can invest in me, it's just that I happened to be talking to you. This is just a business deal, very pure and very simple. If you didn't see the potential for profit, why would you have invited me here"

Xiangling slowly sat back down, putting away her playful expression and smiling slightly: "It's a pity that your Liu family doesn't seem to be a good investment. As far as I know, most of the people who invested in the Liufeng Liu family have already lost everything."

“What’s the same is…” Liu Xiuzhang said, “In Qi State, you three of the Xiangqi Lou aren't some weighty investors. The targets you could choose from aren't many.”

"You've persuaded me." Xiang Linger extended her index finger, lightly hooking it across her chin that was as smooth as gelatin.

It's probably meant to project an air of dominance.

But Liu Xiuzhang only frowned and looked at her.

Xiang Ling'er awkwardly retracted her fingers and dryly smiled, saying, "I was too forward."

Here is the translation of your text:

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“I'm very short on time now, the Liu family is very short on time... I believe you are too.” Liu Xiuzhang said softly: “Don’t do things that are meaningless.”

She got up. "Well, let's stop here for today."

Here's the translation:

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Xiang Ling'er twirled a strand of hair with her finger: “We haven't even talked about anything yet!”

“You want to leave a rabbit hole in the Eastern Region, or even relocate your headquarters here... Qi State at least cannot shake its head. We already have clear intentions for cooperation, don't we” Liu Xiuzhang asked back.

xiang ling'er sweetly smiled: "It's a pity that my younger sister mei Yue isn't here... I think you two would get along very well."

Liu Xiuzhang only said, "There will be a chance to see each other."

Then he turned and walked out.

The door opened and closed, people came and went.

No matter who, when, or what, it is often repeated again and again.

Not until Liu Xiuzhang's footsteps had faded far away did the singing girl behind the screen speak, explaining, "It is true that Miss Liu requested to hear this tune, 'Chai Tou Feng,' so I played it. It was not intentional defiance of Linzi's current ban."

"It's fine." Xiangling waved her hand, the bells on her wrist jingling. She giggled and said, "She just wants to test the strength of my Sanfenxianglou. If she can't even handle this, then there's no need for a partnership."

She sat gracefully, reclining her head against the back of the chair: "Poor as a solitary phoenix ornament, all alone."

>

Close your eyes gently and whisper, "One more song. I want to hear... Eighteen Strokes."

The figure behind the screen paused, ultimately lacking the courage to angrily smash the pipa.

Thus, the strings vibrated, and the shadows danced.

Hardships without, joy within.

The funeral for Jiang Wuqi lasted for three days.

The past three days have been no different for Jiang Wang, nothing more than closed-door cultivation.

>

>For Chong Xuan now... the difference isn't big.

This fat man had no intention of returning to Xia Shan Biefu. He simply moved into Jiang Wang's mansion. Every day, he went to the mansion of Duke Bo望 early in the morning to greet the old duke, cultivating their relationship. After having some tea together, he would slip back home and close the door to practice martial arts with the Fourteenth… practicing everything.

It is said that: "Looking at ginger as a mirror can cure laziness."

During one of his travels, Chong Xuan Chu Liang happened to pass by. Chong Xuan Sheng pulled him aside and pointed out some aspects of cultivation. In the process of casually crushing Chong Xuan Sheng, he asked his plump nephew why he didn't live in the Hou Mansion, and Chong Xuan Sheng answered just like that.

Jiang Wang really wanted to say: "Then why don't you practice with me!"

Of course, he despised Chongxuan's victory and went all out to get pointers from Chongxuan Chuliang.

All worldly affairs are like dust, but cultivation should always come first.

Compared to combat skills, Jiang Wang's focus now is more on Taoist research, mainly "Dragon and Tiger".

All eight winds come from all eight directions.

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All eight winds are as follows: The East wind is called Ming Shu Feng; the Southeast wind is called Qing Ming Feng; the South wind is called Jing Feng; the Southwest wind is called Liang Feng; the West wind is called Kai He Feng; the Northwest wind is called Bu Zhou Feng; the North wind is called Guang Mo Feng; and the Northeast wind is called Rong Feng.

Among these eight winds, Jing Feng's divine powers were already familiar to Jiang Wang. He had also seen the whirlwind of breath mimicking Ming Shu Feng. The most powerful wind, Bu Zhou Feng, was a divine power he controlled deeply.

He used the power of the Feng as his foundation, supplemented by various Daoist techniques of the Eight Winds that Zheng Xuan helped him gather. In a very short period of time, he completed the process of shaping the Eight Winds.

> The step of "using eight winds as tigers" is completely within our grasp. Let me know if you have any other content you'd like me to translate!

The only remaining issue was understanding how to utilize the vast resources of Tongtianhai, represented by the "dragon" in the dragon and tiger imagery. After direct guidance from Xiu Yuan, this crucial problem has now been resolved.

After the divine presence manifested, all under heaven was interconnected. The Yunshen Temple directly governed the four realms and five mansions, also suppressing the human world's four seas.

Jiang Wang has yet to ascend and become a deity, thus he hasn't achieved dominion over all four seas of the mortal realm. However, under Xiu Yuan's guidance, he can leverage his formidable soul power to preemptively establish influence over the vast Heavenly Sea.

>

Finally, on this day, I have preliminarily completed this Daoist art passed down from Old Yang.

Their friendship was so deep, Jiang Wang couldn't help but share the good news with his dearest friend as soon as possible, and see if there was an opportunity to try it out.

When I ran into the Chongxuan Victory Courtyard, this fat man was drinking porridge.

A pair of chubby hands, a small white jade bowl, drinking noisily.

>

Here, after finishing a bowl, the other side immediately passes over another one. The porridge is clear and shiny, with an aroma that is truly intoxicating, making your mouth water.

It has to be said, Chongxuan Sheng's move into the Jiang Residence was welcomed by the servants.

In the past, Manager Xie really wanted to live up to the standard of a third-rank official from another household. However, Master Jiang, their employer, was quite frugal. The money allocated for household expenses was simply insufficient to achieve his goal.

After Chong Xuan Sheng prepared for his permanent residence, the living standards of all the people in the Jiang household rose at a visible speed.

>

After all, Xie Guantang didn't know about Jiang Jueye's hardship. Jiang Jueye wasn't really stingy, he was just used to living off what he earned each day and didn't have much money to spare.

He was also quite concerned about the living conditions at Jiang's residence and had long been thinking about when to invite Brother Yan Xian to stay for a while. He wanted to entertain his friend in his own home as a sign of sincerity. If Brother Yan Xian was dissatisfied with the living environment and wanted to make some adjustments, he would also agree with pain, giving his dearest friend enough freedom.

It's a pity that Xie Ping didn't know about all this hard work...

"What are we having" Jiang Wangming feigned ignorance.

Zhong Xuan didn't even look up and said, "Go pour your own."

Jiang Wang let out a disdainful snort, ready to speak, but after sniffing the air, she held it back.

It's fine to have a bowl of porridge first and then talk about Taoism.

He strolled nonchalantly to the tiger-patterned sand pot, reportedly bought at a high price from Dinglou. As he ladled the porridge, he casually remarked, "Speaking of cooking porridge, I actually have some experience. Once, I discussed it with the Prince…"

"By the way," Zhong Xuansheng suddenly interrupted, "I heard some news related to you. My cousin has already taken the second place on the Haixun Rankings for October."

Speaking of it, this Di Hai Lou is also pitiful.

Before the Yellow River Gathering, Ji Zhao went to the Illusory Realm to practice gunplay. He casually set a new record for the top of the Hai Xun List, clearly intending to suppress Hai Lou, and he did just that...

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That record wasn't broken until the next month by Chen Zhitao.

This time, Chong Xuan sailed out and once again effortlessly claimed the top spot on the deputy list.

The Haixun List, used by the Zhenhai Alliance to unite the hearts of the people on the nearby islands, unexpectedly became a tool for Qi State's prodigies to gain fame. It wasn't until after the Qi State prodigy left and stopped participating that the young geniuses at Diaohailou were able to vie for a place on the list.

Though the people united in their fight against the sea tribe, it is curious who leads them.

This was undoubtedly a blow to the newly formed Zhenhai Alliance.

Cooking skills are ultimately trivial matters. Since Chongxuan was talking about overseas affairs, Master Jiang sat down and casually said: "With Chongxuan's abilities, it wouldn't be surprising if he took first place... So, is he going back to Linzi"

Zhong Xuan nodded lightly: "He gave up the Star Moon battlefield and went to sea specifically. There must be more to it than that Even getting first place on the deputy list is only comparable to your achievements at the time. Although his maritime experience surpasses yours by a lot, you achieved this when you were just within the inner sect."

"What else could he possibly do Crush the outer sect disciples outside the Fishing Sea Tower It wouldn't make much sense. He already proved himself to be among the strongest outer sect disciples on the Viewing River Terrace… The sea clan" Jiang Wang stopped stirring her jade spoon: "He couldn't possibly want to challenge the Sea Clan prince, could he"

"Who knows" Chongxuan said, "I only know that with his pride, he would not want to come back if his grand entrance couldn't overshadow your glory at the time."

Jiang Wang said softly, "His genius is right there, how could he not be proud"

Zhonghuan smiled: “Before, you were in the Nei Fu and he was in the Wai Lou, having nothing to do with each other. Now that you’ve also established Xing Lou, both of you are vying for who is the number one pride of Qi Guo… It’s all a big commotion! You don't belittle him, and you even praise him”

“I didn’t praise him,” Jiang said calmly. “I just stated the facts.”

Zhonghuan Sheng couldn't help but roll her eyes at him: "I just find it annoying that you act like this old man. Can't you just say a few words to comfort me instead of scolding him in front of me"

>

Jiang Wang said slowly, "Comfort is fundamentally a deceptive thing. You are too intelligent to be easily fooled."

"Which book is it from" Chongxuan Sheng asked.

Jiang Wang froze instantly.

He subconsciously quoted the phrase, which came from the book Jiang Wuqi had given him.

When Emperor Qi Wu was involved with the Empress Dowager of Ming, he said this!

“Uh, I've been reading a lot lately, I forgot.” He lowered his head and drank the porridge.

Zhong Xuan didn't mind at all. While enjoying Shi Fourteen's service of adding porridge, he casually asked: "By the way, what did Eleventh Highness give you I haven't heard you mention it."

Jiang Wang slurped down half a bowl of porridge before mumbling, "A single character."

Zhong Xuan glanced at him: "You're nervous over just a single character"

"What am I nervous about" Jiang Wang raised her head, looking completely bewildered. "I'm not."

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Zhong Xuan glanced at him with suspicion, but after thinking about Jiang Wuqi's kind of person, perhaps there were some inconvenient secrets that couldn't be made public. It wasn't appropriate to ask further questions. He turned away and said, "Well, I wonder if your relationship is this good."

While they were chatting, the steward walked to the gate of the courtyard: "Master, Zheng Shangming, son of the magistrate Zheng from the Inspectorate, has come to visit, accompanied by Lin Youxie, deputy magistrate of the Inspectorate."

Jiang Wang pushed the bowl of porridge and stood up: "What did you want to talk about"

The butler shook his head. “No.”

As Jiang Wang greeted him from outside, he instructed, "From now on, when Master Zheng comes, there's no need to announce his arrival. Just invite him in directly."

"After some thought, he added: “Deputy Commissioner Lin’s words still need to be relayed. It's best to clarify his intentions before passing them on.”

As I stepped out of the hospital door, I happened to see Zheng Shangming and Lin Youxie standing not far away.

Especially Lin Youxie, his eyes were deep and distant...

"Haha." Zheng Shangming probably said that to ease the awkwardness, and chuckled, "Brother Jiang, your house is really nice!"

"Zheng brother is too kind..." Jiang Wang was also polite: "Lord Lin, come this way! Quickly, have someone bring tea. Get my good tea, it's for honored guests."

Xie Guanjia walked skillfully into Chongxuan Shengyuan again... Did Old Master Jiang have any good tea

>

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“No need.” Lin Youxie cut him off with an impassive face, and said in a businesslike tone: “The reason we came to visit is that we have a case and want Captain Jiang to help us solve it.”

Jiang Wang suddenly had a bad feeling: "What kind of case"

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"Feng Gu is dead."

Lin Youxie said those four words very calmly.rted and contorted by him, yet it resulted in a powerful outcome.A colossal force of suction frantically tore at everything.Let me know if you have any other text you'd like me to translate!His glutto...