Chapter 091: Testing The Sword

In front of Qingyu Hall, everyone had already set up the wine and were drinking while playing drinking games.

Jiang Xuening, who had a rather average tolerance for alcohol, was coaxed into drinking a bit by Shen Zhiyi.

As soon as she drank, her cheeks turned a light red, making her look very attractive.

Shen Zhiyi couldn’t help but clap her hands and ask everyone, “Look, isn’t Ningning beautiful?”

Many of those present were Yan Lin’s friends, all young and spirited.

Earlier, they had refrained from looking at the girls due to propriety, but now, at Shen Zhiyi’s question, many of the young men, including Prince Yanping, sneaked glances at her. Some, whose romantic feelings had not yet awakened, blushed.

Only Yan Lin looked at her openly and seriously, smiling, “Beautiful.”

Jiang Xuening was speechless.

She had blushed from the alcohol, but now her cheeks turned even redder from those simple words, becoming a bright red that made her even more strikingly beautiful.

Everyone laughed and joked, drinking and talking as if they had forgotten everything, even their worries.

When Xiao Shu and the others arrived after a brief delay, this was the scene they saw.

Standing under the corridor, Xiao Shu stopped, and the other companions and a young man in luxurious clothes behind her also stopped.

Shen Zhiyi, who had just raised her glass to make Prince Yanping drink, looked up and saw the newcomers. She was first stunned, then smiled, “Ah Shu, you came too. Hey, isn’t this Xiao Ye? You came too.”

The young man behind Xiao Shu raised his chin slightly.

Hearing Shen Zhiyi call his name directly, he pursed his lips but, due to her high status as a princess, couldn’t get angry. He forced a smile and said, “Xiao Ye greets the Princess.”

Xiao Ye.

Hearing the name, Jiang Xuening turned to look.

The young man, about eighteen or nineteen years old, had features very similar to Xiao Shu’s. He wore an expensive sky-blue brocade robe, with many sachets and jade pendants hanging from his waist, and a long sword with a jeweled scabbard. Although he greeted others, he didn’t look at anyone, his expression quite arrogant.

This was now the heir of the Xiao family.

The son of Duke Xiao’s second wife, Xiao Shu’s full brother, rumored to be twins, highly praised in the capital. If nothing unexpected happened, he would soon be titled the heir of Duke Xiao, inheriting the vast Xiao family.

With such a noble status, it’s no wonder he was a bit arrogant.

However…

In two years, when Xiao Dingfei appears, if he can still be this arrogant and smile, that would be true skill.

Jiang Xuening withdrew her gaze.

Shen Zhiyi waved, “We’re playing drinking games and drinking. Join us.”

Xiao Shu bowed slightly, “It’s better to accept than to decline.”

Yan Lin watched quietly, neither speaking nor objecting.

Xiao Ye walked over and sat down carelessly, then glanced at the table and lightly curled his lips, “What kind of wine are we drinking?”

Prince Yanping naively replied, “Aged apricot blossom brew.”

Xiao Ye shook his head, “What’s so good about that?”

Everyone looked at him.

He had brought a gilded folding fan today and tapped it on the table, “If I had known you all would come so early to drink here, I would have brought our family’s purple gold jar for you. It’s the best wine from Jiangnan.”

Yan Lin smiled but said nothing.

Xiao Shu frowned and glanced at Xiao Ye.

Xiao Ye touched his nose, seeming to realize something, but his eyes still showed some disdain. He picked up the cup in front of him and said, “Of course, apricot blossom brew is also good, old wine, good wine, we can make do.”

Everyone had been enjoying themselves, but his words dampened the mood.

Who among them wasn’t from a noble family?

Even if the Xiao family was prominent, who didn’t have a few jars of good wine? If it weren’t for Yan Lin’s coming-of-age ceremony, they might have left immediately, not bothering with him.

In the end, it was Prince Yanping, the good-natured one, who noticed the change in atmosphere and quickly tried to smooth things over. He stood up with a cup of wine and raised it to Yan Lin, “Today is Yan Lin’s birthday. Since we rarely get together, let’s all toast him and celebrate his birthday, shall we?”

Shen Zhiyi immediately agreed, “Good!”

Everyone else had no objections and stood up with their cups, raising them to Yan Lin.

One said, “I wish the young master Yan happiness as vast as the East Sea…”

Yan Lin laughed, “Get out of here.”

Another pushed the first aside, “Let me, let me. Of course, it’s to be as constant as the moon, as rising as the sun, as…”

Yan Lin sighed, “Cliché.”

When it was Xiao Shu’s turn, she pondered for a moment, raised her cup, and looked at Yan Lin, “I’m also cliché. I wish the young master Yan many more days like this, year after year.”

Many more days like this, year after year.

To others, this was a wish for Yan Lin’s long life.

However, to Jiang Xuening, Xiao Shu’s words sounded particularly harsh. The moment she heard Xiao Shu say those words, her expression changed abruptly, and her gaze became sharper as she looked at Xiao Shu. Xiao Shu had a faint smile on her lips, as if she had genuinely meant what she said.

Jiang Xuening couldn’t tell if Xiao Shu was being sincere or had ulterior motives.

Yan Lin, sitting opposite Jiang Xuening, also looked up at Xiao Shu upon hearing her words. His expression remained unchanged, displaying a maturity beyond his years. He even thanked her, “To receive a congratulation from Miss Xiao is something I will remember for a long time.”

Xiao Shu replied, “You’re too kind.”

Yan Lin then turned to Jiang Xuening, his previously indifferent gaze softening, and asked, “What about you? What will you wish for me?”

Jiang Xuening hadn’t expected Yan Lin to call on her. She had thought that with so many people present, she could just blend in with the crowd and not have to say anything.

Now, with Yan Lin’s attention on her, everyone else looked at her as well.

She opened her mouth, but her mind went blank.

Seeing her slender fingers holding the wine cup in a daze, not knowing what to say, Yan Lin smiled and reached out to gently clink his cup with hers, saying, “If you can’t think of anything, let me wish for you instead.”

Jiang Xuening stared at him in a daze.

The young man looked at her seriously and said, “May the bright moon always accompany you, the gentle breeze always be with you, and may all worries be dispelled, and all difficulties be overcome.”

With that, he tilted his head back and drank the wine in his cup.

Everyone cheered and drank their wine together.

Jiang Xuening was a moment slower.

When Yan Lin put down his cup and looked at her, she felt her heart swell with the strong wine, and she too tilted her head back and drank her wine. Her eyes sparkled brightly, making her look even more beautiful.

Today, Yan Lin was the host, and everyone talked to him and drank with him.

Xiao Ye, from the Duke Xiao’s mansion, considered himself no less in status than Yan Lin, but since sitting down, no one had paid him any attention. Feeling increasingly frustrated, he put down his cup and stood up, looking around the courtyard of Qingyu Hall.

He saw the sword box that Jiang Xuening had given to Yan Lin earlier.

Curious, he picked up the sword and looked at it in the sunlight, shaking his head, “This sword looks too simple and heavy. People say swords should be light and agile. How did such a sword end up in the Marquis’s residence?”

Yan Lin, who had been talking to someone, turned his head, his gaze cooling.

Even Shen Zhiyi frowned.

Yan Lin walked over and said, “Some swords are light and agile, while others are heavy and solid. Different swords, different paths. Please return the sword to me, Xiao Ye.”

He then took the sword from Xiao Ye’s hand.

Xiao Ye, hearing his calm words, felt completely disregarded. Having been pampered all his life, he didn’t know what restraint was. He sneered, “My sword was taught by the famous swordsman Master Liu Xie in the capital. Are you saying he is wrong?”

A wanderer’s sword and a general’s sword are not the same.

But Yan Lin didn’t want to explain, “If you say it’s right, then it’s right.”

This only made Xiao Ye feel more slighted. His suppressed arrogance and dissatisfaction erupted. Seeing Yan Lin bending to put the sword back in the box, he pressed his hand to his waist and drew his jeweled sword!

The light, agile blade flashed and pressed against Yan Lin’s sword!

He laughed, “Why hurry to hide the sword? I heard your swordsmanship was taught by Marquis Yan himself, and Master Liu Xie praised it. Since we have the chance today, may I ask for a lesson?”

Xiao Ye’s sword was long, narrow, and somewhat flexible.

Yan Lin’s sword was three fingers wide, with a blade forged from meteorite iron, giving it a dark blue sheen.

Still in the posture of putting the sword back in the box, Yan Lin lowered his head and saw his reflection in Xiao Ye’s bright blade.

Anger, killing intent, coldness.

His brow moved slightly, his wrist shook, and without changing his expression, he lifted his sword, shaking Xiao Ye’s sword back, almost knocking it out of his hand!

Xiao Ye was caught off guard and shocked.

Yan Lin held his sword with the tip pointing diagonally to the ground. The heavy sword that Jiang Xuening had struggled to hold seemed weightless in his hand. He smiled, “I wouldn’t dare call it a lesson. If Xiao Yei wants to test swords, a friendly match is harmless.”

Xiao Ye’s face immediately darkened.

Confident in his training from a famous teacher, he looked down on Yan Lin, who had learned from a rough warrior. Seeing the princess and noble youths present, he wanted to show off his skills. Without thinking, he shouted, “Good! Watch my sword!”

As he spoke, he moved with his sword.

Everyone was startled by their sudden duel.

Jiang Xuening also stood up from her seat.

Shen Zhiyi, on the other hand, was excited, “This is going to be fun!”

Yan Lin didn’t move his feet, just lowered his gaze and sidestepped, avoiding the sword.

The long sword brushed past his shoulder.

Xiao Ye frowned and tried to strike again, but Yan Lin’s heavy sword turned, the weighty blade drawing an arc and striking Xiao Ye’s sword. Sparks seemed to fly, and the force almost knocked Xiao Ye’s sword from his hand. He quickly drew back to steady himself.

Embarrassed by the initial exchange, Xiao Ye’s face turned even darker.

Gritting his teeth, Xiao Ye lifted his long sword and used the dazzling moves taught by his master. However, Yan Lin, once he started attacking, always struck the vital points.

“Clang!”

“Clang!”

“Clang!”

…

Yan Lin, dressed in a deep blue brocade robe, moved with the force of the wind. Initially, he gave Xiao Ye some face, wanting to gauge his skill. But after a few moves, he realized Xiao Ye was all show, having learned only the basics and thinking too highly of himself. Yan Lin’s strikes became heavier.

Each strike was faster and heavier than the last!

Xiao Ye felt his hands go numb, unable to stand his ground. Yan Lin, with one hand behind his back, advanced leisurely, each strike forcing Xiao Ye back until he was under the cherry tree!

“Zheng!”

A sharp sound rang out.

Yan Lin, expressionless, struck Xiao Ye’s wrist with his heavy sword, then flicked it, sending Xiao Ye’s light, agile sword flying from his hand!

It landed on the stone steps with a clatter.

The onlookers gasped.

Xiao Ye’s face turned red and then green.

Yan Lin had given him no face at all!

Yan Lin had trained diligently with his father since childhood. Though a noble youth, he could hold his own against the best soldiers in the Tongzhou and Fengtai camps. His training focused on practicality and directness.

On the battlefield, failing to defeat the enemy meant death.

This made his swordsmanship particularly fierce and cold, with a weight that struck fear.

After disarming Xiao Ye, Yan Lin turned his wrist, holding the sword with both hands, his expression unchanged. He stood tall and saluted, “Thank you for letting me win.”

Xiao Ye’s hand was still numb. He gritted his teeth, “You!”

Yan Lin’s eyes turned frosty, the earlier coldness fully revealed, with a sharpness rare among noble youths, “What?”

Xiao Ye stared at him for a moment, then stepped back, sneering, “Fine, a brute’s skills are limited.”

Shen Zhiyi immediately stepped forward, glaring at him, “What did you say?”

Yan Lin, however, did not get angry. He looked Xiao Ye up and down and smiled faintly, “If the young master Dingfei were here, he wouldn’t be such a waste.”

Young master Dingfei…

Few in the capital remembered this name.

But the secrets of the Xiao and Yan families were still whispered: Xiao Shu and Xiao Ye were born of the second wife, while the original heir was the son of the first wife, the sister of Marquis Yongyi and Yan Lin’s aunt. If not for young master Dingfei’s untimely death twenty years ago, leading to the first wife’s return to the Marquis’s residence, there would have been no place for the second wife and Xiao Ye. He might not have even been born.

Yan Lin’s seemingly calm words carried great weight.

Everyone’s eyes turned to the Xiao siblings.

Xiao Ye hadn’t expected Yan Lin to bring this up without warning.

His face changed, and he was about to explode in anger.

At the critical moment, Xiao Shu snapped, “Shut up!”

Xiao Ye froze, glaring, but said nothing.

Xiao Shu stepped forward, trying to remain calm, though her face was pale. She bowed to Yan Lin, “My brother was reckless and spoke carelessly, causing offense. I apologize on his behalf. I have heard that young master Dingfei was exceptionally talented, but it has been nearly twenty years. My father still mourns. The past is gone, and old matters are hard to chase. Why bring it up today and be so aggressive?”

Yan Lin looked at Xiao Shu, then walked to the railing, placing the cold, sharp sword back into the box. He said lightly, “Yes, the past is gone, and old matters are hard to chase. If such a person were still alive, it would be terrifying. How many would be anxious, unable to sleep at night?”