Chapter Nine: A Drastic Change in Temperament-Reencarnação em um roteiro de vingança: ainda bem que eu não sou uma pessoa boa(Onde está o meu peixinho seco?)

"Uh... well..." The waiter’s eyes darted nervously, as if harboring some unspeakable secret.

"So, about this money..."

Wan Qi Yue pretended to retrieve the silver, but the waiter quickly interjected, "No, no, no! I’ll tell you, Young Master Ling is here, in a private room on the third floor with Xinghua."

Wan Qi Yue frowned. "Xinghua?"

The waiter replied, "She’s one of the girls here; they all go by flower names."

"Oh, I see."

"Let me ask you," Wan Qi Yue inquired cautiously, "what kind of man is this Young Master Ling?"

To her surprise, the question nearly made the waiter drop to his knees in shock.

Stammering, he said, "I-I dare not casually judge Young Master Ling."

Wan Qi Yue placed a handful of gleaming silver into the waiter’s hand. "No need to be afraid. I’m not here to trap you. My younger sister is quite fond of Young Master Ling, and as her brother, I’m worried. I just want to make sure. Speak frankly—I won’t tell anyone."

"Really?" The waiter looked doubtful.

"Of course. Do you think I’d lie?"

Seeing the waiter still hesitant, Wan Qi Yue produced a few more silver pieces from his sleeve and pressed them into his hand.

The waiter’s face brightened with joy, but seeing Wan Qi Yue’s earnest expression, he hesitated, then shook his head.

"Alright, young master. I can see you truly care for your sister, so I must warn you: keep your sister far away from him. That Ling Gongcheng is no good man," he whispered.

"Oh? Do tell."

"Have you not heard about the recent troubles at the Wan Qi estate?"

An aunt nearby, overhearing the gossip, quickly shuffled over to sit facing Wan Qi Yue.

Before the waiter could finish, she interjected, "Ah, that second young lady has had such misfortune: her mother just passed away, then she was rejected by the Ling family, only to have her own younger sister take her place. If it were me, I wouldn’t want to live..."

"The Ling family really isn’t a good household..."

An elder on the side couldn’t help but chime in to refute, proving even the ancients loved their gossip.

"The Ling family isn’t like that," he said.

Wan Qi Yue frowned. "Why are you so sure?"

"My elder brother is the steward for the Situ family. Naturally, I know some of the truth."

***

"The Young Master Ling and the second young lady were childhood sweethearts. The broken engagement has hidden reasons."

Wan Qi Yue, seeing the elder’s confident tone, invited him to sit at his table and had the waiter bring another pot of tea.

"Not long ago, he was sent to the border and was thought unlikely to return alive, which is why the engagement was broken."

"But given the second young lady’s nature, she surely wouldn’t accept that, so they devised a story that he was to marry her younger sister instead, hoping to make her give up."

"Though he survived, he was gravely wounded. After barely pulling through, rumors say the second young lady was nearly harmed by her own sister."

The elder sighed, eyes full of regret.

"Still, it’s probably for the best she didn’t marry him..."

"Sir, isn’t that contradictory?" Wan Qi Yue asked, puzzled.

The elder pursed his lips, disdain evident. "Since a few months ago, Young Master Ling has been frequenting the pleasure quarters every day, his temperament completely changed."

He pointed toward the direction upstairs where Gongcheng Ling resided and recounted more details, allowing Wan Qi Yue to piece together the story.

But was Ling really a changed rake, or was he putting on an act to deceive someone?

Before Wan Qi Yue could ponder further, a commotion erupted outside the upstairs private room.

She moved to the railing and looked toward the source.

At each end of the corridor stood guards wielding long swords.

A young woman holding a pipa stepped out and bowed to those inside—surely the Xinghua the waiter mentioned.

Xinghua was strikingly beautiful and charming; not only men but women would find her enchanting.

Soon after, a young master emerged from inside, wearing a pale blue embroidered silk robe adorned with subtle cloud and crane patterns.

His hair was casually pinned up with a simple hairpin; his cold, refined features exuded an elegant aura.

Wan Qi Yue quickly wiped the drool that had unconsciously slipped down—so this was Gongcheng Ling.

Honestly, no matter how she looked at him, he hardly seemed like the debauched rake they described.

What topic could she use to strike up a conversation...

Gongcheng Ling’s eyes held a searching look as he stared at the departing Xinghua. Just as he was about to turn away—

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"—countless plum blossom-shaped darts flew out in all directions on the third floor, causing others to scatter in panic.

The nearby guards quickly drew their swords, stepping in front of Gongcheng Ling to block the darts, eyes wary as they watched above.

"No matter, stand down," he said calmly.

With long, graceful hands, he effortlessly pulled the darts deeply embedded in the doorframe, examined them front and back, then smiled faintly, as if realizing the sender’s intent.

He called out upstairs:

"Since you’ve come, why so timid?"

Suddenly, silence fell, starkly contrasting with the previous lively scene, as if no one had ever been here.

A gust of wind swept through, stirring countless fallen leaves and filling the air with a faint metallic scent.

Then a figure appeared, clad in a dark green brocade robe, an ancient jade piece fastened at his waist, stepping on the leaves with measured grace.

His eyes were sharp and penetrating; every movement exuded composure, all betraying his noble status.

He looked down on Gongcheng Ling and spoke slowly, "My dear brother, what kind of words are those?"

Upon recognizing the newcomer, Gongcheng Ling bowed his head slightly and clasped his hands respectfully.

"So it’s you, big brother. I thought it was some assassin group again."

Gongcheng Zhan stretched and laughed heartily.

"My dear brother, long time no see—still as humorous as ever."

"I was just worried about your safety when traveling and was testing you. But the dog by your side is impressive, actually capable of blocking my plum blossom darts."

Though joking, Gongcheng Zhan’s expression darkened.

By the end, he was grinding his teeth, as if lamenting something deeply.

"The humor lies with you, big brother. We just met last month, didn’t we?"

Feigning ignorance, Gongcheng Zhan replied, "Oh? Then you must be mistaken. I have been in seclusion on the mountain for months, only just returning today."

Gongcheng Ling laughed, "Looks like my eyes deceived me. Probably because I missed you so much that I saw things wrongly."

Gongcheng Zhan beckoned him up to the fourth floor.

The once silent tavern suddenly burst back into lively chatter, as if the earlier tension had never occurred.

Upstairs, Gongcheng Zhan had already prepared food and wine, awaiting his dear brother’s arrival.

The large table was adorned with eight pots of wine, each vessel different in shape.

A pair of eagle-like eyes fixed intently on Gongcheng Ling, searching for any hint of weakness on his face.

Yet Gongcheng Ling’s eyes shone brightly as if he had just discovered treasure upon seeing the wine.