A Clash of Gods - Chapter 211

Chapter 211 Mrs. Tian

As Butler Tian said, the Tian family’s mansion was not far away.

After they walked to the street corner, they turned to the south and then went to another street. Soon they saw a large courtyard with cyan bricks, red tiles and a big brown door.

Although the Tian family was famous for dealing with medicinal materials in the capital, after all, it was not an official’s family, and they didn’t dare to use a conspicuous red door.

Dozens of people followed them to the door of the Tian family, and several servants were waiting at the door. Obviously they had got the news. Seeing that Butler Tian led Qi Ning here, the servants hurriedly invited him into the mansion. Butler Tian could see that Duan Canghai and Ximen Zhanying were Qi Ning’s companions, so he invited them in, too.

The dozens of people who followed them and came to watch a show certainly couldn’t enter the mansion, so all of them complained.

Although the Tian family’s mansion was not small, compared with the mansion of the Marquis of Honor, it was much inferior in the scale and scenery inside, but it was much better than the ordinary wealthy family’s mansion.

There were mottled tree shadows in the courtyard, and a big tree that three or four people could surround jointly was in the lawn. There were not as many servants in this mansion as those in the mansion of the Marquis of Honor. When they walked to the parlor along the path made of bluestone, they saw several manservants and maids on the way, who whispered to one another and chuckled from time to time after seeing Qi Ning.

When they reached the parlor, Butler Tian asked Qi Ning and his two companions to sit down. Then somebody served tea in an instant. Butler Tian stated, “Master Qi, please have a seat and wait a moment. I am going to report to Madam.” He cupped his hands and left.

Duan Canghai picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea. Then he frowned slightly and looked around before saying, “The Tian family is a famous wealthy family. Why is their tea so ordinary?”

Ximen Zhanying glanced at Duan Canghai and didn’t say anything.

Qi Ning picked up the teacup and took a look at it. The tea looked ordinary. He had drunk a lot of high-quality tea these days and could distinguish the quality. He knew that Duan Canghai was right, and the tea in the Tian family’s mansion was ordinary indeed.

However, he didn’t come to drink tea but wanted to see what the secret gift was. Moreover, he intended to tease Ximen Zhanying purposely.

“Zhanying, thanks a lot.” Qi Ning smiled. “If you didn’t make me go to the stage, I wouldn’t get one hundred taels of silver, and there is a secret gift later. If I don’t like it, I can give it to you.”

Ximen Zhanying didn’t expect everything that happened today. Hearing Qi Ning’s provocation, she felt that her face was burning, but she was still unyielding. “You are opportunistic and didn’t win in an aboveboard way.”

“You are wrong.” Qi Ning put down the teacup. “What isn’t aboveboard? I defeated the big guy under the watchful eyes of all people and used the simplest and most straightforward way. Was it wrong? Zhanying, I am really surprised. Don’t you practice martial arts crisply?” He rolled his eyes and laughed. “I understand it. Girls pay attention to gaudy skills which are not practical…”

“Who said that?” Ximen Zhanying furrowed her beautiful brows immediately. “Didn’t you just defeat an imprudent hothead? Why are you so complacent?”

“So you can defeat him within three movements, too?” Qi Ning intentionally opened his eyes wide. “I really haven’t seen it. How about this? If you are free tonight, let’s find a place with nobody around and compete with each other. If you are capable, we will do it for many rounds. I am afraid that you will ask me for mercy before sustaining yourself for a while. I am quite brave.”

Duan Canghai instantly felt that the marquis’s words were weird. After he thought for a while, he understood the hidden meaning and couldn’t help but laugh.

Ximen Zhanying didn’t take it seriously, but as she heard Duan Canghai’s laughter, she felt the obscenity in those words. She suddenly got up and drew her broadsword with a crack. She frowned and expressed harshly, “Qi, I am tolerant to you several times, but you reach out for a yard after taking an inch. Believe it or not, I can kill you at one blow.”

Duan Canghai thought that the marquis had gone too far. Although this girl was bad-tempered, she was Divine Marquis Ximen Wuhen’s daughter anyway. It was fine if he joked with her, but it was improper as he molested Divine Marquis’s daughter. So he got up and smiled. “Miss Ximen, don’t misunderstand it. Marquis didn’t mean anything else but wanted to compete with you on martial arts. He is powerful in martial arts, and your martial skills are wonderful. It’s human nature that a great master wants to compete with and learn from another great master after seeing him. Please don’t get mad.”

Qi Ning shrugged and looked at Ximen Zhanying who was exasperated, pretending to be innocent. “Zhanying, did I say something wrong to make you so angry? Did you misunderstand it? So you get me wrong?” He looked as if lost in thought and then added, “I didn’t say anything wrong. I just said that we should compete on martial arts in a place with nobody around.” His eyes lit up suddenly as if he thought of something, and he chuckled. “Oh, I get it. Did you… Aha, kid, how can you think about something like that? Did you think that I would…with you…Aha…I am not flirtatious. You are really… Alas, it makes me feel shy.”

Ximen Zhanying had tried her best to endure it for a long time. Now she finally couldn’t stand it anymore. She yelled in a sweet voice and walked forward, waving her broadsword to cut Qi Ning’s head.

Duan Canghai turned pale suddenly and strode out, raising his hand to grab Ximen Zhanying’s wrist, while Qi Ning was prepared. When she waved her broadsword to stab him, Qi Ning slanted and rolled, jumping away from the chair. Ximen Zhanying was so angry that her pretty face was pale but blushed. He shouted, “Ximen Zhanying, are you serious?”

“I will kill you, such a goat today.” Ximen Zhanying still wanted to walk forward, while Duan Canghai grabbed her arm and asked harshly, “Ximen Zhanying, do you know the consequence if your father knows your behavior?”

Ximen Zhanying was stunned. At this time, Butler Tian walked in with a big smile. Seeing that she had a sword in her hand, he was astonished and asked in fear, “Lady…what are you going to do?”

“Nothing.” Qi Ning smiled. “Butler Tian, are you going to take me to see the secret gift?”

Butler Tian replied in a hurry, “Master Qi, please follow me.” Then he talked to Duan Canghai and Ximen Zhanying, “Please wait here.”

Duan Canghai looked at Qi Ning, and the latter stated, “Duan Canghai, teach her a lesson. She is impolite and don’t respect others.” He followed Butler Tian out of the parlor and came to a quieter hall. Butler Tian asked Qi Ning to have a seat and stated with a smile, “Madam will come soon.”

At the moment, they heard footsteps, and a mature and beautiful figure walked in. Qi Ning glanced at her, to see that she had a smile and looked gentle, dressed in luxurious clothes, so he knew that it was Mrs. Tian.

Qi Ning had learnt from Duan Canghai that it was said that Mrs. Tian was beautiful. Now he saw her and knew that she was more than beautiful.

Mrs. Tian was extremely gorgeous, with arched eyebrows, long eyelashes, a small ruddy mouth as well as tender and smooth skin. She was well maintained, with a halo on her face and a graceful figure. She was a young woman in her thirties at most, with an S-shaped figure and charm of a mature woman.

Butler Tian retreated to one side and spoke to the woman. “Madam, this is the winner of the competition, Master Qi.”

Qi Ning thought that it was a pity that such a beautiful and charming woman was a widow, but this woman managed the Tian Family’s Medicine Shop after her husband passed away, and it was difficult for her, so he admired her. He got up and cupped his hands, greeting with a smile, “Madam, nice to see you.”

Mrs. Tian smiled like flowers and twisted her waist, coming over. She circled around Qi Ning and looked him up and down, as if looking at a commodity.

Qi Ning felt uncomfortable as such a mature and nice-looking woman stared at him. He forced a smile. “Madam…what can I do for you?”

“Is your family name Qi?” Mrs. Tian’s voice was soft, sweet, clear and pleasant, like water and a song. She was beautiful, and with her voice, people felt comfortable and fresh.

“Right.” Qi Ning smiled. “I have heard that you prepared a secret gift, so I am curious and specially came to have a look.”

Mrs. Tian made a circle and finally stood in front of Qi Ning, smiling. “Yes, I did prepare a secret gift. Don’t restrain yourself. Sit down and talk with me.” She turned to Butler Tian. “Go and make tea.”

Butler Tian answered and then left.

Mrs. Tian sat in the chair next to Qi Ning and asked with a smile, “Master Qi, I still don’t know your name. Are you living in the capital?”

Her voice was soft and pleasant, and her smile was gentle. Now she was close to Qi Ning, and he could smell the light fragrance from her body. He looked at her and found that her skin was tender and fair like jade with elasticity. She was about thirty years old, but there was no wrinkle on her face, and she was quite well maintained. The most conspicuous was a red beauty mark in the corner of her left brows, and it made the mature and attractive face more fascinating although it was not big.

“Yes, I live in the capital.” Yang Ning nodded. “My name is Qi Ning.”

“Qi Ning?” Mrs. Tian smiled. “This name is nice.”

Nobody knew whether she didn’t know the name of the Marquis of Honor or had never expected that this man was the Marquis of Honor, and she didn’t change her emotion. She kept looking Qi Ning up and down from the beginning, and her bright eyes even showed satisfaction.

Qi Ning had once lived a life with many beauties around, and he could guess some of the women’s intentions. Mrs. Tian stared at him from the beginning with a sweet smile all the time, and an ordinary man might have palpitations after seeing that and think that this beautiful woman must fall for him, but he acutely felt that Mrs. Tian might be satisfied with him, yet she didn’t love him.

“Madam, what is the secret gift?” Although it was a happy thing to sit with a nice-looking woman, Qi Ning still felt restless as she stared at him all the time as if looking at a commodity.

Mrs. Tian rolled her pretty eyes and thought for a moment, seeming to considerate something. After a while, she asked, “Master Qi, do you have a wife at home? Are you married?”

Qi Ning was stunned and shook his head. “No, I am…still unmarried.”

Mrs. Tian said joyfully, “You are unmarried? Then…it is great. I just want a young man like you.” Her attractive eyes lit up, and obviously she was very happy.