Martial arts mastery? But I'm just a spoiled brat!

晋省

The evenings in the ancient city in September are no longer hot like in summer, and the occasional breeze can even bring a touch of coolness.

Perhaps it was approaching lunchtime, but the faint sour smell of vinegar wafted through the air, causing many small vendors pushing wheelbarrows in front of the towering Dingsheng Building to subtly tighten their belts.

In a nearby open space, a row of rickshaw pullers dressed in coarse cloth shorts took off the towels from their shoulders and tied them around their waists.

Their eyes were all fixed on the entrance of Dingshenglou, waiting for the group of out-of-town merchants who had gathered together. As soon as the out-of-town merchants waved, they would rush forward to pick up their passengers.

The doors of Dingshenglou, which had been tightly closed, opened, and a waiter came out holding a sign. After placing the sign at the entrance, the waiter turned back without even looking at the customers. The doors then closed again, and the sign read "Tickets Sold Out".

However, the waiter's attitude and the words on the signboard made the people waiting at the door unable to hold back any longer.

"What's going on with this theater? It's only time for tickets to be sold out?"

"Yes, we've heard that Dingsheng Tower has the most complete and extensive repertoire of operas, and that famous actors from other places often come to perform, so we made a special trip to listen to their performances..."

"That's right, I've been waiting here without even having time to eat, and now you're doing this? Isn't this just bullying an honest person...?"

Several merchants dressed in long silk gowns and wearing melon-shaped hats surrounded the signboard, discussing it louder and louder.

"You must be from out of town. Don't you know that VIPs book out the entire theater at Dingsheng Tower every fifteenth of the month?"

The commotion didn't cause the doors of Dingshenglou to reopen, but it did attract a teenager who was carrying a wooden box filled with various packages of cigarettes.

"A big shot? Who is it? Such a grand entrance, booking out the entire theater just to see a play!"

Upon hearing this, the merchants immediately fell silent, and some began to inquire about the young man selling cigarettes.

The boy remained silent, but smiled and lifted the wooden box containing cigarettes in front of his chest.

"Give me a box of Wutaishan liquor!"

These merchants were all very shrewd. As soon as they saw the boy's appearance, they knew what he meant. One of them took out a banknote and handed it over.

"Okay~"

The boy's face immediately lit up with a smile upon seeing the money. He reached out and took the banknotes, then took a pack of cigarettes from the wooden box and handed it over. At the same time, he began explaining things to the merchants:

"Who else could it be? Of course, it's the third young master of the Yan family! Everyone in Taiyuan knows that the third young master loves listening to new operas and doesn't like being disturbed. He books out the entire Dingsheng Tower on the fifteenth of every month, rain or shine!"

"The third young master of the Yan family?"

"Yan Qing?"

"Oh, it's him. No wonder..."

The name of the Yan family is known to everyone in Shanxi Province. Even businessmen from other places know that the third young master of the Yan family is Yan Qing.

However, they dared not discuss it too much, except for one person who couldn't keep his mouth shut and blurted out:

"Is that the third young master of the Yan family, who suffers from a terminal illness that prevents him from practicing martial arts, yet is also a womanizer?"

Upon hearing this, everyone else's expressions changed drastically. They all pulled their hats down low, looked around, and then jogged away.

Even the boy selling cigarettes, upon hearing this, immediately closed the wooden box containing the cigarettes, then ran into an alley and disappeared without looking back.

Upon seeing this, the rickshaw drivers quickly stepped forward to prepare to pick up passengers.

Today, the Celestial Empire is corrupt, warlords are fighting each other in various places, and foreigners' powerful ships and cannons are stirring up trouble in ports such as Tianjin and Shanghai.

The reason why Shanxi Province was able to develop in an orderly manner in this chaotic world was entirely due to the fact that the Yan family controlled more than 200,000 elite troops, which were the best-equipped and most complete main force.

Throughout Shanxi Province, everyone knew that Yan Fengqi of the Yan family held sway over both military and political affairs, earning him the title of "King of Shanxi." Yan Qing, the third young master of the Yan family, was a womanizer and a useless person who couldn't learn martial arts, yet he was the most favored by this "King of Shanxi."

So even if someone mentions it unintentionally, these people will flee the place, fearing that it will bring about their annihilation.

Leaving aside the merchants' fear, the Dingsheng Building was brightly lit, and Yue Opera actors on the stage were performing the classic Yue Opera piece "Farewell My Concubine" with great effort.

The once packed stands of Dingshenglou were now completely empty, with only a set of tables and chairs in the center of the first floor, on which lay fruits and snacks rarely seen by ordinary people.

Beside the table was a large armchair, on which a person was lying as if he had no bones.

The man looked to be about twenty years old, and his appearance was not bad, but he was pale and slumped in his chair, his eyes half-closed as he watched the opera on stage. He looked like a sick cat, without any of the energy of a young man.

And this person was none other than Yan Qing, the third young master of the Yan family, who had booked the entire theater to watch the play today.

Two graceful women were squatting beside Yan Qing. One of them picked up a grape from the table, carefully peeled and deseeded it before putting it to her lips, while the other woman gently massaged her shoulders and back.

Behind the three stood an elderly man who looked like a steward. The old man seemed quite interested in the performance on the stage, humming a tune softly and tapping his fingers on the back of his hand to keep time.

At this moment, the performance of "Farewell My Concubine" on the stage was at its climax. The old man playing the King of Chu was standing on the stage, while the young woman playing Consort Yu was wielding two swords, the blades of which seemed to have been sharpened, exuding a chilling aura.

The four musicians on the side of the stands played increasingly faster and faster gongs and drums, which added a lot of color to the sword dance.

"Whoosh!!"

Suddenly, with a soft sound, the long sword in the green-clad man's hand flew out of his hand, turning into a cold light and flying straight down from the stands, its tip pointing directly at Yan Qing, who was slumped in his chair.

As the longsword flew out, the performance on stage came to an abrupt end. The old man, the young woman, and four musicians on stage followed the longsword and leaped down from the stands, heading straight for Yan Qing.

As the longsword drew near, Yan Qing seemed oblivious, still slumped in his chair, his eyes slightly narrowed as he watched everything, as if still immersed in the sword dance he had just witnessed.

But the woman who had fed him the grapes suddenly reached out and tapped the back of the flying sword with two precise fingers.

"clang!!"

When the slender fingers met the iron sword, the sound of metal clashing was produced.

After deflecting the longsword, the woman did not stop. Instead, she stood up and stepped forward, facing the four musicians who came from the side door.

The woman who had been massaging Yan Qing's shoulders suddenly appeared, and with a swift motion from her thigh, a short knife appeared in her hand, which she used to directly confront the "Overlord" and "Consort Yu".

"The intelligence was correct; they are all masters of internal energy cultivation. Junior sister! Go and kill that traitor's son!!"

Upon seeing the girl wielding a short sword approaching, "Overlord" shouted and resolutely stepped forward, blocking the girl and creating an opportunity for his junior sister "Yu Ji".