Chapter 4: The Master Actor

"Tang Ling, regardless of whether Tang Yan's cultivation core was destroyed, the fact that he harassed Miss Lin remains. Our City Lord's Manor in Yun City has always been impartial and fair, never favoring any single clan — but we will not tolerate provocation or insult from any clan either. The Tang Clan owes the City Lord's Manor an explanation! As for where Tang Yan is hiding, Tang Ling, stop playing games."

Inside the Tang Clan's main hall, a middle-aged man demanded loudly.

"Someone's looking for me?" A warm, unhurried voice drifted in as Tang Yan strolled into the hall. Instantly, every eye in the room fixed on him.

Old Master Tang glanced at his grandson, then at Uncle Mo standing helplessly behind Tang Yan. He shot Uncle Mo a silent questioning look; Uncle Mo quietly returned a look of resignation mixed with reassurance.

Things having come this far, Old Master Tang knew there was no point in hiding anything further. He let out a quiet sigh and began racking his mind for a way to protect his grandson.

Seven people had come — five men and two women. Two were dressed as City Lord's Manor guards, two as Miaodan Pavilion guards, and the remaining middle-aged man was Retainer Qin, Qin Changdao, a retainer of the City Lord's Manor.

Tang Yan studied Lin Dongxue carefully. Delicate brows, bright eyes, cherry lips tinged red — she was tall and slender, with hair as dark and lustrous as spilled ink. Standing there, she radiated an innate air of nobility.

Tang Yan sighed inwardly. She truly was breathtakingly beautiful — no wonder the previous Tang Yan had been reckless enough to harass her.

The woman standing beside her must be Wu Xuan from Miaodan Pavilion.

Wu Xuan's noble bearing was of a different kind from Lin Dongxue's — eyes like polished lacquer, teeth like white melon seeds, composed and gracious. She stood quietly, cool and understated, neither drawing attention nor fading into the background, yet impossible to ignore. She had all the hallmarks of a true lady of refinement.

"Miss Lin, Miss Wu Xuan — it's been a while." Tang Yan greeted the two women with a smile.

"Hardly 'a while,'" came Wu Xuan's cool reply. "I believe this is actually the first time I've met the First Young Master of the Tang Clan." She turned aside. "Mister Qin, now that Tang Yan is here, please state your purpose directly."

"Tang Yan, five days ago you attempted to assault Miss Lin in broad daylight, bringing disgrace upon the name of the City Lord's Manor. Do you plead guilty?" Retainer Qin pointed at Tang Yan and demanded.

Tang Yan leapt to his feet at once, jabbing a finger back at Qin Changdao and roaring: "What utter bullshit! I have lived my entire life with integrity and honor, upright and pure — how could I ever harass Miss Lin in the street? How dare you slander my reputation!"

Old Master Tang sucked in a sharp breath. Fuck — you call yourself upright and pure? Just hearing you say it makes my skin crawl. How do you even get those words out of your mouth?

Everyone else looked equally petrified, struck dumb on the spot. Yun City's number-one scoundrel — truly extraordinary the moment he opened his mouth.

"You… you dare curse at me?" Retainer Qin, as a retainer of the City Lord's Manor, held a position of great prestige. It had been so many years since anyone had dared insult him that he was momentarily stunned.

"When did I curse at you? You are the esteemed Retainer of the City Lord's Manor, a master of the Profound Realm — and I'm just an ordinary person whose cultivation core has been destroyed. Would I dare curse at you? I was merely pushing back. Miss Wu Xuan, I've often heard people speak of you as someone fair-minded and quick to stand up for the wronged. Tell me — is it right that someone powerful can berate a nobody like me, and yet the moment I say two words in reply, I'm guilty of insubordination?"

The Tang Clan members were stunned once again. Has this kid truly lost every shred of moral integrity?

Wu Xuan's brow furrowed slightly. She had long heard of Tang Yan's reputation as a scoundrel, but she hadn't expected him to be so sharp-tongued in person. She said evenly, "That may be so, but I cannot take your word alone. Let me ask you this — if you claim you had no intention of assaulting Dongxue that day, then why did you approach her with inappropriate words? And why did you try to grab her?"

Tang Yan blinked, his expression the picture of innocence. "Miss Wu Xuan, you've misunderstood. There was more to that day than meets the eye."

"Then by all means explain yourself. I'd like to hear just how you plan to twist this around!" Lin Dongxue's expression was one of clear distaste. Though she had little personal acquaintance with Tang Yan, his reputation as a scoundrel had long preceded him — and his behavior toward her that day had left her with not a shred of goodwill toward him.

Tang Yan hesitated for a moment, as though steeling himself for a momentous decision. Then he raised his head abruptly, his gaze earnest and direct.

"Everyone in Yun City calls me a scoundrel — good-for-nothing, a plague on the city. But the truth is, I had no intention of disrespecting Miss Dongxue that day.

The story goes back nine years.

When I was seven, the City Lord brought Miss Dongxue out to enjoy a temple fair. I caught sight of her that day, and from that moment, she took root in my heart.

I thought it was just the foolishness of youth — but as the years passed, I found my longing for Miss Lin only grew deeper. And I came to realize that I had not a shred of talent for martial cultivation. No matter how hard I trained, I remained nothing more than an ordinary fighter. How could someone like me ever hope to earn Miss Lin's regard?"

"So I fell into despair, and I began living the life of a scoundrel — hoping that by making a spectacle of myself, I might at least catch Miss Lin's attention. But I only found that it made her despise me all the more. Then, five days ago, I finally found myself so close to Miss Lin again. I had a thousand things I wanted to say to her — but I was so overwhelmed with nerves that my thoughts fell into chaos, and that scene unfolded as it did."

"The truth is… the truth is, what I had wanted to do that day was give Miss Lin a poem. A poem I spent three years writing, revising it five thousand, two hundred and nine times before I was satisfied."

As he said this, Tang Yan's face actually flushed with a bashful, self-conscious expression.

Old Master Tang was dumbstruck. I've watched this little rascal for sixteen years, and this is the first time I've ever seen him blush? He can write poetry? And he revised it five thousand, two hundred and nine times? I have people watching over him day and night — how did I never know about any of this?

And yet, looking at the sincerity on the boy's face, it didn't seem like an act. Could it really be as he said — that all these years, tormented by unrequited feelings, he had lost his drive and eventually snapped, leading to that incident with Lin Dongxue?

Even Old Master Tang was taken in by this scoundrel's performance, to say nothing of everyone else — they were all left blinking in bewilderment, one after another.

Lin Dongxue, the person most directly involved, was especially affected. This was the first time anyone had ever been so boldly candid with her. Could what he said actually be true? Had she misjudged him? After all, she was a girl of only seventeen — at this moment, her heart was in quite a flutter.

Beside her, Wu Xuan's expression grew complicated. She had never dealt with Tang Yan personally; everything she knew of him came from rumors and hearsay.

Could it really be that all his terrible behavior had been a deliberate act — a desperate attempt to draw Lin Dongxue's attention?

Plenty of men admired her, but one as devoted as Tang Yan claimed to be — that was truly rare. For a fleeting moment, Wu Xuan found herself feeling just a little envious of Lin Dongxue.

But after that brief moment of reverie, the sharp-minded Wu Xuan quickly spotted the flaw. Her expression cooled as she replied, "What Young Master Tang has said is indeed moving and touching. You claim to have spent three years composing a poem — would you be willing to recite it for us, so everyone may judge for themselves?"

Though Tang Yan's performance had been superb, no one present was a fool. Hearing Wu Xuan's words, Retainer Qin also snapped back to his senses and let out a cold snort. "I'd advise you not to plagiarize someone else's verses. I began reading at the age of five and am now fifty-seven — I have read no fewer than ten thousand volumes. And the City Lord's Manor has no shortage of learned men. Even if I cannot place it, once I bring it back, someone will recognize it if it's stolen — and you will not be forgiven!"

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Edited by Fat Goose