Chapter 2: The Beauty with Thorns

  The woman looked to be twenty-four or five, wearing a bright red dress with small flower petals embroidered on it. Her hair was casually tied up in a loose bun, with a green hairpin inserted at an angle, giving off a sense of carelessness yet also being quite elegant. Her almond-shaped eyes and peach-like face were complemented by her plump breasts and slender waist, making her figure extremely voluptuous.

  Zhao Xian's eyes lit up, and he stepped down from the stone bridge, picked up the bundle of cloth on the ground, walked to the red-clad woman's side, and politely said: "Miss, Zhao has never met you before, why do you speak hurtful words as soon as we meet?"

  As he walked in, his eyes naturally fell on the face of the woman in red, with a complexion as white as jade and delicate as a crystal, truly a beauty. With Zhao Xian's experienced eyes for appreciating beauty, he could pick out her flaws, but unfortunately, she had an air of worldliness about her, and no matter how he looked at her, she didn't seem like a proper lady. It was true that Jiangnan produced many beauties, but most were subtle and refined, whereas women who dared to show their true nature on their faces were extremely rare.

  The woman in red saw Zhao Xian constantly gazing at her, and a hint of thin anger appeared between her eyebrows. She glared fiercely at Zhao Xian and said in a crisp voice: "You look simple and honest, but I didn't expect you to be so wicked. Teasing a scholar may be fun, but there are old men, women, and children on the street. Such 'obscene' words falling into their ears are not elegant."

  "Good heavens! What the young lady said is quite wrong!"

  Zhao Xian thought this woman was quite interesting, and he had the intention of teasing her. He put on a serious expression and said: "I, Zhao Xian, discussing poetry and painting with Brother Li Ya, is an elegant matter, why did it become obscene and vulgar language when it came to Miss?"

  "Can such filthy words be considered poetry?" The woman in red was extremely dissatisfied, humming softly, and even the pearl flowers on her head shook twice. She had just been standing by the street, and Li Ya's words were clearly audible, really couldn't understand, a serious and proper scholar, why would he foolishly read such "disgusting" two sentences

  The woman in red didn't see the note with her own eyes, so it's normal to mishear, but now she's saying 'obscene' and 'vulgar', Zhao Xian doesn't believe she doesn't understand what this 'obscene language' means. This woman isn't even blushing and leaving, instead she dares to come up and argue, isn't she looking for trouble?

  For those who came to provoke him, Zhao Xian would not show mercy. He put on a serious expression, picked up the paper strip thrown down by Li Ya, handed it to the red-clothed woman, and frowned: "Who knows what disease Brother Li has contracted, actually saying such mad words? This poem of mine is a heart-wrenching work, absolutely without any impropriety. If you don't believe me, Miss can take a look for yourself."

  The woman in red looked disbelieving, if these two sentences of poetry were fine, then Li Ya saying those humiliating words, wasn't she possessed by a demon?

  When Zhao Xian handed the "tainted" note to her, the red-clothed woman was unwilling, but Zhao Xian's expression didn't seem fake. She still raised her slender hand to take it over, and glanced at it from a distance, as if it were a snake or scorpion.

  But with a glance, the disgust on the woman's face disappeared, replaced by a hint of puzzlement. She took the paper closer, using both hands to unfold it carefully and read it softly: "Sleeping in the grass hut, closing the door... huh huh huh..."

  The woman in red was obviously much more agile than Li Ya, and with prior warning, she reacted instantly, her face flushing bright red like blood. She hastily threw the note far away, but even so, half of what she wanted to say had already been spoken, still those same words. Her slender body trembled with rage, her silver teeth clenched tightly.

  Zhao's heart skipped a beat, and he revealed a meaningful smile. This woman was indeed interesting, so easily deceived.

  "Shameless!" The red-clad woman rebuked loudly, her almond-shaped eyes wide with anger as she glared at Zhao Xian. Her eyes were both angry and embarrassed, and even her chest shook slightly, the beauty's slight anger had a unique flavor to it.

  Zhao Xian curled his lips in disdain. This woman, if she can't move then she's shameless and indecent. If you can 'instantly understand' these two lines of poetry, I don't believe you wouldn't understand the meaning behind them.

  Miss, Zhao has explained himself once and again, but you keep speaking hurtful words. I'd like to ask, where is the vulgarity in these two lines of good poetry?

  "The woman in red suddenly became furious, her face flushing bright red as she glared fiercely at Zhao Xian, as if she wanted to devour him alive."

  The woman in red couldn't get down from the stage, and Zhao Xian also felt that it was a bit too much. This woman just thought it wasn't good for her image, so she spoke up to remind him, her original intention was good, and Zhao Xian didn't have any dislike towards her. Now that he had forced her into this state, he also felt it was excessive, so he chuckled and wanted to let the matter drop.

  It was unexpected that the woman in red saw Zhao Xian's 'smug' smile, and her eyes flashed with a hint of coldness, thinking that Zhao Xian was intentionally making fun of her. In her haste, she lightly tapped her right hand on her slender waist, and with a 'whooshing' sound, a silver light flashed, and a three-foot-long blade suddenly popped out. In an instant, the sword was straight, its blade emitting a faint silvery glow, about two fingers wide, covered in cloud patterns, and it turned out to be an exceptionally fine soft sword.

  "Dare to tease me? I'll chop you to death, you little scoundrel!"

  The woman in red clothes was like blood, her sword energy was like a rainbow. The gentle charm of just now had disappeared, and she turned into an angry and embarrassed appearance. Her waist moved slightly, and the red skirt fluttered, drifting among the snowflakes. The sharp blade in her hand was like the god of death, directly aimed at Zhao Xian's throat.

  The woman in red clothes started to move with a martial arts stance, her slender and curvaceous figure was prominent, her buttocks were round and plump, without needing to touch, one could feel the fiery elasticity, under anger, her pretty face flushed with two touches of red, the beauty's thin anger added a few more points of charm.

  But at the critical moment, Zhao Xian didn't have the mood to continue admiring her. He was shocked and thought to himself: "Is this woman crazy? She can't even finish two sentences before pulling out a knife, her temper is even more explosive than mine."

  The woman in red leapt over a dozen feet, her footsteps seeming to flutter, but her figure was extremely stable. Even the pearl flowers on her head only slightly swayed, and at a glance, it was clear that she was a highly skilled martial artist who often beheaded people with her blade. Zhao Xian didn't even have time to dodge.

  After Zhao Xian came to this place, he had also thought about learning martial arts, but his sister and teacher, Hua Yu, refused to teach him. He was only good at bullying a group of children in the south city, but when it came to dealing with this red-clothed woman, he was far from being her match.

  The woman in red, with a sword as swift as an arrow, blinked her eyes and arrived near Zhao Xian. The cold intent in her beautiful eyes remained, but she couldn't kill someone on the street. The laws of Da Liang were impartial to men and women. Seeing Zhao Xian's shocked expression, her eyes showed a hint of relief. She let out a cold hum, lowered her sword, and changed its direction to point at Zhao Xian's shoulder, intending to teach him a lesson before letting him off.

  The woman in red changed her target, and Zhao Xian was still greatly shocked. His shoulder was also made of flesh, and cutting anywhere would hurt. In his heart, he couldn't help but think: 'This woman has such a large chest, how can she be so short-tempered? Just because of a joke, is it necessary to cut someone with a knife?'

  Opening his mouth to negotiate was clearly impossible, so Zhao hastily picked up the sack and prepared to throw it at the woman.

  The canvas bag was filled with iron materials, and the grocery store would recycle old ironware. Zhao Xian, being an ironsmith, would often come to purchase some raw materials when he had nothing else to do. This canvas bag weighed several dozen kilograms, and he had been forging iron for many years, so his strength was immense. If he were to use all his might, the woman would definitely not be able to withstand it.

  However, the cloth bag was filled with small items like broken vegetable knives and rotten awls. If they were to hit that woman, the consequences would be disastrous. She might lose an arm or a leg, or at the very least, be disfigured.

  Thus, Zhao Xian couldn't help but feel embarrassed.

  Smash it or not?

  Zhao Xian thought about it and hesitated for a moment. At first, he had made a joke that was too extreme, which led to this woman going crazy. If he were to cripple her because of this, it would be too excessive. Who knows, he might even get into trouble with the law. But what if this crazy woman really killed herself?

  Zhao Xian hadn't even had time to think clearly before the sword was already in front of him. This time, even if he wanted to dodge, there was no chance.

  Zhao Xian was a tall and robust man, with a strong physique. As the famous doctor of Changzhou, he had been stabbed by a sword, but he wouldn't die so easily. A man without scars is not a good one, so Zhao Xian...

  He threw down the bundle and turned around to run away, not forgetting to mock: "That crazy woman is coming, I'm not playing with you anymore!"

  "You stinky little brat, how dare you scold me!" The red-clothed woman's anger was uncontrollable, her eyes grew even colder, and she wouldn't let Zhao Xian off so easily. Her embroidered shoes tapped lightly on the wet bluestone, and with a burst of speed, she chased after him once again.

  The woman in red clothes with a fierce and intimidating appearance, caused passersby to dodge one after another. Most women from Jiangnan are gentle, but who has seen such a bold and heroic woman? It must be the eldest young lady of that general's family, otherwise, how could she have such excellent martial arts skills?

  Of course, there were also several young men who lingered around the wine houses and tea houses, swallowing their saliva as they gazed at that enchanting figure. The gentle and delicate charm was naturally accompanied by fiery passion. Each to their own, some men had a certain queen complex hidden in their hearts.

  Although Zhao Xian was running with all his might, his movements were always a bit slow. The red-clothed woman caught up to him in just a few strides, her sword flashing in the light as she stabbed down at him without any mercy.

  Zhao Xian's successive teasing had thoroughly ignited the red-clothed woman's anger, and this sword was a real and actual move.

  This crazy woman, don't fall into my hands again, otherwise...

  Zhao Xian hadn't even had time to think clearly before the long sword was already at his back, a piercing chill that made all the hairs on his body stand on end. This one sword was impossible to avoid, and he could only grit his teeth and close his eyes...