A Clash of Gods - Chapter 38

Chapter 38 Peach Blossom in the Wind
Yang Ning broke the leg bone of the Fifth Lord with one move, and didn’t stop punching the Sixth Lord in the head until he bled. Then he got up, readjusted his mourning dress, and went out.

Hearing the screams of the two persons in the mourning hall, Third Elder Lord hurriedly said, “Come to take a look inside.”

Someone by his side rushed in, and soon came out screaming, “It’s terrible. The leg of Fifth Lord was broken. And Sixth Lord… He didn’t look well either.”

Third Elder Lord was angry and anxious, shouting with rage, “Lift them to see the doctor. Hurry! Right now…”

Several people rushed into the mourning hall. They first lifted the Fifth Lord out, and then someone helped the Sixth Lord out of the door. When he saw that the forehead of the Sixth Lord was bleeding freely, Third Elder Lord was anxious and angry, “Who did it?” When he hurried out, he did not see Yang Ning beat them.

Yang Ning was next to him, saying, “It’s me!”

“You?” Third Elder Lord turned livid with rage, pointing at Yang Ning, “Even if your father is alive, he dare not act like this. Qi Ning, you are alienating yourself from the Qi family.”

Yang Ning rolled his eyes and said, “They want to destroy the mourning hall. My father just passed away, and he is yet to be buried. How can I allow them to commit all manner of evil in front of his remains? Not to mention them, even if some people of higher rank make trouble here, I will never leave the matter at that.”

He was outspoken, resorting to insinuation.

Third Elder Lord quavered and pointed at Yang Ning, his fingers trembling with anger, “Fine… Fine…” He turned around and shouted, “Let’s go. We will… We will wash our hands of the matter…” He led his men to leave angrily.

As soon as they left, the courtyard suddenly fell quite. Yang Ning sneered, and suddenly heard Gu Qinghan behind him made a sigh. She said, “Ning, although they are wrong… Well, after all, Third Elder Lord is an elder. You shouldn’t talk to him like that.”

“He even doesn’t respect himself,” Yang Ning spitted, “This group of guys are not here to help, but to cause trouble. Third Lady, can’t you see that? They want to bully you, but that’s just a daydream. As long as I am here, no one can hurt you.” He turned around, and saw that Gu Qinghan was beside him. She obviously heard his words, so there was gratification in her beautiful eyes. But she immediately frowned, “Well, what did you call me just now?”

“Ah?” Yang Ning was stunned, thinking that he must make a mistake. The title of Third Lady should be called by the servants in this mansion. Since he is the earl, he should not call her like this.

But he really didn’t know Gu Qinghan’s status in the Mansion of the Marquis of Honor. Although he could see that she was a dominant figure in this mansion, he could not tell whether she was the concubine of the Marquis of Honor Qi Jing.

Lady Qiong must be Qi Jing’s concubine. If Gu Qinghan was also Qi Jing’s concubine, it was likely that she arrived at this mansion later than Lady Qiong, because the servants here all called her “Third Lady”. And she should be inferior to Lady Qiong. But from what happened just now, Gu Qinghan did not seem to be humble when facing Lady Qiong. Both her manner and her words made people feel that her rank was higher than that of Lady Qiong. If they were both concubines, Gu Qinghan wouldn’t dare to treat Lady Qiong like this.

Yang Ning regretted that he hadn’t asked those guys as many questions as possible on the way to the capital.

He did not know the temperament of Qi Ning, and he only knew that the earl was not that smart. He was afraid that if he asked too much, Duan Canghai and others would suspect his identity.

Yang Ning didn’t have the slightest contempt for Duan Canghai, because this person could easily judge what had happened in the ancestral hall and even deduced that the killers were from the Black Sword Camp. Apart from insight, he must also have rich knowledge and experience.

Seeing that Yang Ning was in a trance, Gu Qinghan thought that he was attacked by his old illness again, so she said, “Don’t think too much. You can call me whatever you like. Third Auntie will leave the decision to you.”

Yang Ning thought that the earl actually called her “Third Auntie”. Although he was only sixteen or seventeen years old, his inner soul was not younger than Gu Qinghan. So he found it hard to call her “Third Auntie”.

“Third Lady. Your Excellency. I have arranged people to clean up the mourning hall,” A voice full of respect came from the side, “As for Lady Qiong, I have persuaded them to go back first.”

Yang Ning turned his head, and saw that the man who was speaking was exactly the fat man with a moustache. When he entered the mourning hall, this man once greeted him. Later, amidst the arguments, the man stood aside without saying a word.

“Haven’t you forgotten Steward Qiu after going out for a few days?” Gu Qinghan took Yang Ning’s hands and cast a glance in the distance. She saw that Qi Yu was supporting Lady Qiong at this time. Both of them looked at Qi Ning and her with resentful eyes, and then turned away.

Yang Ning ignored them. He looked at the Steward Qiu and asked directly, “You are Steward Qiu? They just bullied Third…Third Auntie, and why didn’t you speak for her?”

He spoke bluntly. Hearing his words, Steward Qiu thought that the earl was really a fool. He smiled obsequiously, “Your Excellency, although I am the steward in the mansion, in…in front of them I’m just a servant. I am not qualified to speak on that occasion.”

“Didn’t Duan Canghai speak?” Yang Ning said angrily, “You are the steward, so your rank in this mansion should be higher than that of Duan Canghai. Why didn’t you dare to come forward?”

Steward Qiu looked quite embarrassed. Gu Qinghan said, “Steward Qiu, arrange people to clean up the mourning hall first. You still need to visit Third Elder Lord. After all, this matter is very important. They won’t really give us a free hand. I am a woman, so it is not convenient for me to visit him. Our earl comes back now, but the Dowager still doesn’t know about this. I’ll take the earl to see her first.”

Steward Qiu immediately said, “Third Lady, please rest assured. I will settle everything properly.”

Gu Qinghan then said to Yang Ning, “Ning, let’s go to visit the Dowager!”

Gu Qinghan’s hand was as white as snow and as smooth as porcelain. Her hand was so soft that it didn’t seem to have bones, and it was comfortable to touch. If there was no one around, Yang Ning would really hold her hand all the time. However, there were many servants in the mansion. He felt a bit strange with his hand being held by a woman in this way, so he pulled his hand free gently. Gu Qinghan was stunned. But she had a brilliant mind, so she immediately understood. She gave a bright and charming smile, and said softly, “Ning has grown up. Are you shy now?”

Yang Ning thought that he was thick-skinned. If there was no one else, he would not even feel shameful to kiss and hug her. He was just afraid that she would be shy. But there were so many people in this mansion, so he felt that he would not be that awe-inspiring if his hand was taken by a woman.

Gu Qinghan did not say anything, and just led the way. Yang Ning followed her. The sunset was still on the horizon. The sunlight penetrated through the branches and leaves, casting dappled shades.

Yang Ning followed Gu Qinghan. He looked at the beautiful image of her, feeling that she was really delicate and charming.

Her flamboyant and delicate figure was not concealed by the mourning dress. She was more charming and graceful when she was walking, because her moves added a dynamic charm to her lovely figure. She was as appealing as a beautiful peach blossom under the setting sun.

In the soft breeze, a faint fragrance rose from Gu Qinghan and assailed his nose. It was refreshing and he was tantalized. Yang Ning knew that Gu Qinghan did not wear makeup, so it was impossible for her to dab herself with scent. So the fragrance probably came from her body. She was a real beauty, and even her body fragrance was so intoxicating.

Yang Ning admitted that he wasn’t an upright gentleman and he got no qualms about this. After all, he was an imposter. He had no relationship with the Mansion of the Marquis of Honor, let alone the beautiful young woman in front of him. Nonetheless, it was improper to stare at her ass all the time, because there were servants passing by from time to time. It would be a disgraceful thing if they found that he was staring at the ass of the Third Lady without blinking.

He looked around to observe the layout of this mansion.

The Mansion of the Marquis of Honor was indeed designed for the nobility. It was magnificent and spacious. The pavilions, terraces and towers here were all exquisite and beautiful. Beside the rockery meandered a brook with a bridge over it. The long corridor seemed to have no end. Even if the doors in this mansion were meticulously designed. These doors were in the shape of arch, hexagon, or circle. Yang Ning thought that the whole mansion at least covered an area of thousands of square meters. If this mansion was in his age, it would worth a gold mine. It was just that the mansion now was decorated with white mourning cloth everywhere and was full of melancholy.

After passing through several courtyards and a long corridor, a small square courtyard appeared before his eyes. It was abnormally quiet all round. Gu Qinghan pushed the door open and walked in. She looked back at Yang Ning, and said lightly, “Ning, when you see the Dowager, don’t talk too much. She is sad now, so you can’t make her sadder.”

“Third Auntie, don’t worry, I don’t talk nonsense.” Yang Ning giggled at the beauty before him. Gu Qinghan slightly nodded. Both of them entered the courtyard. Yang Ning saw two pipal trees. The vines hung down from the wall. When the breeze puffed, the willowy vines would slightly sway and send forth a faint fragrance. It mixed with the body fragrance of Gu Qinghan, making him feel relaxed and happy.

After pushing the door open and entering the house, Yang Ning immediately smelled a scent of sandalwood. The room was quite dim. Yang Ning saw a statue of Buddha enshrined in the middle of the house. A hunchbacked figure stood with her back to the door. Gu Qinghan walked to her, motioning Yang Ning to close the door. Yang Ning close the door, and heard Gu Qinghan said softly, “Dowager, the earl is back!”

Yang Ning looked at the hunchbacked figure which was huddled up, thinking that she was the Dowager in the Mansion of the Marquis of Honor. Seeing that Gu Qinghan was beckoning for him, he approached and stood behind that figure. She was really an old lady, wearing a piece of black gauze, and was motionless like a statue.

There was a dead silence in the house. After a while, he heard the old lady said, “Take off your upper garment!”

Yang Ning and Gu Qinghan were both startled, and looked at each other. Gu Qinghan approached the dowager and said softly, “Dowager, it’s the earl. The ear is back!”

“Take off your upper garment!” The old lady repeated.

Yang Ning frowned, thinking that the old lady was really weird. Her grandson came back, but she didn’t seem to be joyful. At the very least, she should hold his hands and chatter about him for a while. But she was quite strange. Before he could say anything, she just let him take off his clothes. What had she gotten up in her sleeve?