Chapter Sixty-One: The Handsome Young Lord Rescues the Ugly Maiden in Heroic Fashion

Li Yurang gently shook his folding fan and sighed with emotion, "This woman is truly extraordinary. The male spies we sent into the Crimson Robe Sect are placed under house arrest the moment they step inside, unable to send back a single scrap of intelligence. As for the female spies, half of them have defected to her side, while the remaining few can barely infiltrate the lower ranks, just scraping by. The precious few who manage to gain trust were caught by casting a wide net, yet the fish reeled in are pitifully few. To this day, none of them even know what martial arts they are practicing, nor who their master is. There are certain forbidden zones on Solitary Island that are strictly off-limits to ordinary disciples and accessible only to trusted confidants. Scarcely anyone knows who is actually worshipped at Bliss Mountain. Even the topographical map of Solitary Island we managed to smuggle back still has patches obscured by thick fog."

As he spoke, the tavern attendant, Wu Zhuyu, brought over the food and wine, causing Li Yurang to fall silent. Wu Zhuyu carefully placed the dishes on the table and poured wine for the two men. Her calloused hands trembled, and through a momentary lapse in concentration, she spilled some wine from the cup. The liquid splashed toward Li Yurang’s trousers. With lightning-fast reflexes, Li Yurang shifted backward chair and all, narrowly avoiding being soaked.

Flustered, Wu Zhuyu set down the wine pitcher, repeatedly bowing and clasping her hands together in endless apology. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Little Zhuyu didn't mean to do it!" Li Yurang stood up to steady Wu Zhuyu's hands, gesturing for her to stop bowing, and gently consoled her, "It's fine, a spill is just a spill. We can pour it ourselves. If you keep apologizing like this, the proprietor might see and scold you."

Wu Zhuyu’s expression twisted in distress, her hands tightly clenched. On the verge of tears, she could only do as Li Yurang instructed when he patted her shoulder and back, comforting her, "No one is going to do anything to you. There's no need to blame yourself. Off you go now, back to work." Wu Zhuyu lifted her gaze to look at this refined scholar. His face was immaculately clean, his dancing eyes brimming with tenderness, while the faint smile at the corners of his lips and the subtle fragrance he exuded left Wu Zhuyu utterly intoxicated. Stammering, Wu Zhuyu whispered, "I-I'm truly sorry," before wiping the table clean with a rag, stealing one last glance at Li Yurang, and hurrying off toward the kitchen.

In a secluded corner, Wu Zhuyu indulged in secret delight, closing her eyes and stamping her feet in glee. The other tavern attendant, who usually paid her little mind, shot her a look of utter disgust upon seeing this behavior and cursed under his breath, "Has her brain finally snapped? What is she hopping around for?" Unfazed, Wu Zhuyu muttered back softly behind the attendant's back, "Mind your own business, you wretched dwarf! Poor and ugly, yet you have the nerve to scold me." The attendant, failing to hear her, was already off tending to customers in the main hall.

Outwardly maintaining a composed expression, Wu Zhuyu was bursting with joy on the inside. She deliberately paced back and forth across the main hall, working with far more diligence than usual, while repeatedly casting stolen glances at Li Yurang and his companion. Striking various poses, she convinced herself that Li Yurang and Wu Yuqiu were secretly discussing her and stealing peeks in her direction.

At that moment, several burly men strode through the entrance, roaring for the tavern attendant the moment they crossed the threshold. As everyone else was busy, Wu Zhuyu hurriedly rushed over to greet them. The leader of the rough men took one look at Wu Zhuyu and snapped with bitter hostility, "What the hell? This wench is so hideous she looks like she was dug up from a graveyard! Proprietor, having her wait on customers—aren't you afraid your little tavern is going to go out of business?"

Intimidated by the men's fierce aura, the proprietor dared not utter a word. Taken aback by the unprovoked insult, Wu Zhuyu failed to react for a moment, yet still asked in her gentle voice, "Esteemed guests, what would you like to order?" The burly leader slumped into a vacant seat, gouged his ear with his little finger, and barked in a thick, raspy voice, "Can't you speak up? Dammit, you sound like a damn mosquito buzzing around! Get lost, send someone else."

Unable to save face, Wu Zhuyu’s expression hardened. Her complexion flushed and paled in turns, but lacking the courage to argue, she instantly turned and headed for the kitchen. Seeing this, the ruffian refused to let the matter drop and bellowed angrily, "Hey? Who do you think you're rolling your eyes at? Looking that atrocious and you still have the nerve to throw a tantrum!"

Wu Zhuyu stopped in her tracks, half-turning with the intent to hurl an insult back, but tears sprang to her eyes before the words could form. Her mouth worked uselessly for a long moment, her speech choked and sluggish, until she finally managed to choke out, "W-What did I ever do to you people? Why are you—why are you cursing at me like this?" With that, she broke down into uncontrollable sobs.

Witnessing this scene, Wu Yuqiu gripped his Mind-Piercing Brush and made to step forward, but Li Yurang pressed down on the brush, lowering his voice to dissuade him. "Family rules dictate we must not meddle in idle affairs. Do you wish to break the commandments?" Left with no choice, Wu Yuqiu settled back into his seat, though his eyes remained fixed on the ruffian with unconcealed resentment, while Li Yurang lowered his head and resumed drinking.

The burly man caught the tail end of Wu Zhuyu's mutterings, though he failed to make out the words. Assuming she was cursing him, he instantly flew into a towering rage. Being cursed at by others was one thing, but to be insulted by a lowly serving girl was entirely intolerable, fueling his fury even further. He stepped forward, raised his hand, and delivered a vicious slap across Wu Zhuyu's face. The impact sent Wu Zhuyu spinning sideways, crashing into a nearby table and turning it over. The patrons drinking nearby scattered rapidly, retreating to the walls to watch the spectacle.

Wu Zhuyu collapsed sideways onto the floor, clutching her cheek with one hand, and shrilly demanded, "What on earth are you people doing?" The burly man pointed at her and cursed, "You offended my eyes with your ugliness! What of it if I hit you?"

Clenching her teeth with a venomous glare in her eyes, Wu Zhuyu scrambled instantly to her feet. Crouched halfway, she crossed her arms and lunged forward to strike the ruffian. Had there been hidden poisoned barbs along her forearms, the maneuver might have possessed some cleverness, but Wu Zhuyu wielded no weapons whatsoever yet executed such a form, twisting clumsily and loosely. Consequently, the burly man sent her flying with two punches, crashing her down beneath the table shared by Li Yurang and Wu Yuqiu. Li Yurang glanced at Wu Yuqiu, secretly astonished. Although the young girl's movements were somewhat deformed, he could still recognize them, prompting both men to sigh in unison: "Mantis Saber? Nether Wolf Gate?" Just as Wu Yuqiu looked on in bewilderment, he saw Li Yurang unfurl his black-gold fan, stand up, and bend down to help Wu Zhuyu to her feet.

The group of ruffians stood in a row, staring triumphantly at Wu Zhuyu. Seeing a white-robed scholar come to her aid, they sneered derisively, "Poor scholar, don't go poking your nose into other people's business. Hurry back to your books."

Lightly shaking his folding fan, Li Yurang stepped forward and stopped right in front of the burly leader. Without a word, he simply smiled. Baffled by the gesture, the ruffian flew into a rage. "What are you staring at? Looking for a beating?" With that, he threw a punch straight at Li Yurang's face. Li Yurang sidestepped with effortless ease, then swept his fan sideways to strike the man's ribs. The surrounding cohorts instantly felt a wave of radiating force as the burly leader was sent flying backward, his heavy frame crashing hard onto the ground. Meanwhile, Li Yurang leisurely twirled his fan and smiled as he spoke, "I'm terribly sorry, but family rules forbid meddling in idle affairs. However, since you struck me first, this can hardly be counted as breaking our precepts."

Seeing their leader brought down, the remaining cohorts instantly raised their fists and lunged at Li Yurang. Li Yurang caught a fist in each hand, swept his fan across their chests, and triggered a row of short blades concealed within the ribs of the fan. With cries of agony, clean gashes were carved across their chests as blood instantly surged forth. Li Yurang leaned sideways to avoid the spray of blood, then delivered a swift kick that sent the men sprawling.

Twisting around, Li Yurang closed his fan and slid the casing back, unleashing a thin blade that zipped toward their midsections. Hissing in pain, the ruffians leaped backward, clutching their bellies and wailing. The last remaining attacker threw a punch, but his momentum had already dissolved. Li Yurang turned and stood firm, watching with an amused smile as the fist closed in on his face. At the very last second, Li Yurang struck the man's elbow joint with his closed fan. With a force so overwhelming that a crisp *crack* echoed through the room, the man's arm bent unnaturally as the bone snapped, his features twisting in agonizing pain. Seizing the momentum, Li Yurang flicked his fan upward to strike the man squarely on the forehead. Expecting nothing more than a casual swat, the man felt the impact of the fan, only to be struck by a sudden, thunderous concussion that momentarily snuffed out his consciousness, making him realize just how unfathomable the inner strength of this seemingly fragile scholar truly was.

In less than a single exchange, the group of burly men had all been severely injured by Li Yurang, left sitting or lying on the floor in groaning misery. Scrambling back to his feet, the leader saw that he and his brothers still drew breath and frantically dragged, hauled, and cursed them into fleeing the scene.

The tavern patrons, who had retreated to the base of the walls merely to watch the commotion, stood paralyzed in stunned shock at the sight of flying blood.

Bleeding from the corner of her mouth, Wu Zhuyu stood to the side, gazing blankly at Li Yurang's display of martial prowess. Undaunted and unhurried, every single movement he made possessed an innate elegance, his gestures effortless and fluid. Though slender in build, he had casually incapacitated a group of brawny thugs in passing, deepening her profound infatuation beyond measure.

At that moment, the tavern proprietor crawled tremblingly out from beneath the counter. Seeing that the ruffians had scattered, he finally dared to stand and soothe the patrons in the hall. The customers returned to their seats, buzzing with discussion about the recent brawl and heaping unstinted praise upon Li Yurang's martial skills.

Wu Zhuyu watched as Li Yurang, his handsome features graced with a breeze-like smile, walked toward her step by step. Her heart hammered wildly, her cheeks flushed with heat, and she stood rooted to the spot in utter bewilderment. Reaching Wu Zhuyu, Li Yurang raised a hand to cup her chin, inspected her swollen face, and asked softly, "How are you holding up?" Her body turning weak, Wu Zhuyu gazed in a daze into the eyes that had drawn so close to her own, then wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand, whispering in secret delight, "Little Zhuyu took a few hits, but—it's nothing serious."

"You might not be in serious trouble, but *I* certainly am!" The tavern proprietor rushed over in a fury, storming up to Wu Zhuyu and snapping, "Ugly girl, didn't I tell you that you couldn't stay here? Look at the trouble you've brought upon us! I took pity on you and let you stay to work for a couple of days out of the goodness of my heart, but this simply won't do anymore. Be on your way now; a small business like mine can't withstand this kind of tossing about."

Panicked, Wu Zhuyu pleaded, "Proprietor, I even covered my face, yet they still cursed me! This isn't Little Zhuyu's fault. If I don't work here, where else can I possibly go? Please, have mercy on me."

Ignoring their exchange, Li Yurang returned to his seat where Wu Yuqiu sat quietly drinking alone. Hearing the proprietor demand compensation from Wu Zhuyu, Wu Yuqiu interjected, "Proprietor, I will pay for the broken tables, chairs, cups, and plates."

After offering profuse expressions of gratitude, the proprietor turned back to Wu Zhuyu with a troubled look. "You won't have to pay for the damages, but I still cannot keep you here. Lass, you'd better leave." Realizing there was no turning back, Wu Zhuyu said dejectedly, "Very well. Thank you for taking care of me, Proprietor." With that, she turned to face Li Yurang and Wu Yuqiu seated at the adjacent table, offered a cupped-fist salute of gratitude, and wiped away her tears as she prepared to leave.

From behind her, Li Yurang's voice rang out: "Where are you planning to go?" Wu Zhuyu spun around in a hurry, stammering, "Ah? Me? Little Zhuyu has nowhere to go; I suppose I'll just wander outside."

With an inviting smile, Li Yurang gestured, "Sit down for a moment. Let's have a chat." Feeling conflicted yet ecstatic within, Wu Zhuyu shuffled over and took a seat at the same table with Li Yurang and Wu Yuqiu.

Wu Yuqiu felt a deep sense of curiosity toward this strange, ugly girl who kept uttering his name. He cast a glance at Li Yurang, who turned his gaze to Wu Zhuyu and asked, "Where is your family?" Lowering her head, Wu Zhuyu began nervously picking at her fingers and sighed, "My mother was murdered long ago, and my father—I have no idea where my father is."

Vast webs of suspicion clouded Li Yurang's mind. Recognizing that the technique Wu Zhuyu had deployed originated from the Nether Wolf Gate, he sensed the young girl must undoubtedly possess some connection to the sect, and thus pursued the questioning further: "How could you possibly have no idea where your own father is?"