Chapter 21: Piracy to the End

  Not to mention others, even Lu Bing and Huang Di themselves did not expect that the elegant Dream would "pick" their own "card", the beautiful girl walked over with a lotus step, leading Lu Bing and the two towards the room.

  "Xiangyun, go and bring in two more people to replace them. Tell them not to make a racket anymore, or else they can all be kicked out. Those girls outside don't even know what they're doing, actually letting the guests feel so uneasy." A woman's voice came from behind the bead curtain, and the pretty young girl responded promptly, but Lu Biao and Huang Di were stunned on the spot, listening to this meaning that the voice just now was Meng Xueqing's. But this voice is too good to hear?

  Huang Di and Lu Bing sat in a chair, in a semi-vegetative state, without seeing the person first hearing the sound, the two had already been stunned. The ring of the jade pendant, the pearl curtain was lifted, and the beauty came out. Meng Xueqing floated out from behind the opened pearl curtain, wearing a white dress that was fresh and elegant, like a lotus flower that comes out of the mud without being stained, beautiful beyond compare. Meng Xueqing, like a dream, like snow, but not so cold and icy, just like a clear sky after a storm, giving people a glimpse of hope. This person should not be an ordinary mortal, must be a fairy.

  Huang Di, being older, reacted first and coughed lightly, nudging Lu Bing. Lu Bing and Huang Di stood up together, and Meng Xueqing looked at Lu Bing with a bright gaze, such a handsome man, with regular features but not a sickly bookworm look, exuding masculinity all over his body. Meng Xueqing couldn't help but blush, and this blush made her look even more shy and lovely. Huang Di felt hot all over and wanted to rush over immediately, but didn't want to ruin the beautiful scene, feeling torn between desire and protection.

  Huang Di clasped his fists and said, "Huang Mou has seen Mr. Meng." Meng Xueqing's eyes were still fixed on Lu Bing, who was standing there stupidly, then she slightly bowed to Huang Di, her movements elegant and refined, with a subtle charm that made Huang Di swallow hard and produce a loud gulping sound.

  Huang Di felt a bit embarrassed, but then he relaxed because Lu Bing was already speechless. Meng Xueqing said in a low voice: "Sir, what's wrong with you?"

  Lu Bing didn't even make a courtesy call, he just sighed and said: "Beautiful, beautiful." Meng Xueqing smiled with her mouth closed, she had never seen such a straightforward guest in Siji Hall before, so straightforward that it was like a rustic villager or a laborer on the street. But wasn't this the most genuine praise? Lu Bing's attire and the poem he wrote earlier proved that he was not an uneducated man. To Meng Xueqing, these words only made her feel that Lu Bing was a true and unpretentious man, an unusual man.

  Three people stood there, and there was nothing to say. Huang Di looked at Meng Xueqing, Meng Xueqing looked at Lu Biao, and Lu Biao's eyes were empty as he stared at Meng Xueqing who was close by. At this time, the girl named Xiangyun brought in two men again. Those two men desperately concealed their excitement and panic, compared to Lu Biao before, they seemed a bit more flustered.

  One of the men said, "I am Liu Ruofeng. I have met Mr. Meng before. After parting last time, I especially missed him. Today, I am honored to see him again. Let me introduce my brother, Yang Wei, to Mr. Meng."

  "In the lower Yang Wei saw Mr. Meng." Another girl boy clasped his fists and bowed, Huang Di had not said anything, but saw Lu Biao coming over, now they were almost unable to hold back their laughter, looking at this girl boy's appearance, it was actually quite good-looking, but somehow it looked like a gay bottom, no wonder he was called Yang Wei... anyway, this couldn't be laughed at, it was an issue of sexual orientation... Lu Biao kept reminding himself.

  Meng Xueqing couldn't help but look at Lu Bing with some curiosity, and Lu Bing coughed lightly a few times to suppress the laughter in his heart, saying: "Nothing, you don't need to mind me, I'm brain-damaged, haha, my sense of humor is a bit low, you guys go ahead and busy yourselves."

  "Uncouth people, humph." Liu Ruofeng let out a cold snort and looked at Meng Xueqing. Meng Xueqing led the crowd into the room, which was even more spacious inside. There were six chairs in the house, as well as a piano chair, which should be where Meng Xueqing sat. In other words, Meng Xueqing could see no more than six people at a time, and it seemed that she often received guests simultaneously, playing music, reciting poetry, and engaging in elegant activities.

  The four of them sat separately, and Yinger Xiangyun brought tea and pastries. After asking if there were any other instructions, she retreated to another room. Meng Xueqing said: "I still don't know your surname and name, sir?"

  Lu Biao pointed to himself and asked, "Me?" Meng Xueqing nodded, Lu Biao reported his name, and then heard Meng Xueqing say: "Mr. Lu's previous poem was done wonderfully, with a unique and ingenious way of chanting plum blossoms, which I had never heard before. At first, it sounded a bit crude, but after careful consideration, it has endless aftertastes. You must be a great talent, Mr. Lu. I hope you will give me more guidance in the future."

  "How dare I, how dare I." Lu Bing said with a fist in his hand, his face unconsciously showing a bit of embarrassment, after all, he had plagiarized someone else's poem, although it was our great leader, but, ahem, this wasn't quite right either.

  Yang Wei snorted: "Cut it out, this poem is obviously plagiarized from someone else's. And as for Brother Huang's poem, it's crude and unrefined, clearly just a shallow poem."

  Huang Di's eyebrows shot up, and he let out a deep breath. If it weren't for Dream Xueqing being there, Huang Di would have probably smashed his chair on him. This one breath from Huang Di was so powerful that the atmosphere in the room dropped to an extreme low. Such a strong aura made even Lu Bing feel a little intimidated. This Huang Di was definitely not just some ordinary vendor.

  Yang Wei took a few steps back in fright, Lu Bing was originally startled by his words, could it be that this guy had also crossed over? Later, after thinking about it, he felt it wasn't very likely, listening to the way he spoke didn't sound like it, so he asked: "You say I'm plagiarizing others, do you have any evidence?"

  "That's right, but what evidence is there? Don't be so quick to accuse others, Yang Gongzi, this isn't the behavior of a gentleman." Meng Xueqing said, Lu Biao nodded his head in gratitude despite feeling guilty.

  Yang Wei was taken aback and said, "This poem is in my family's ancestral literary collection, I've seen it before, so don't think you can deceive me." Yang Wei looked at Lu Bing with an air of righteousness, speaking with conviction, his expression a testament to his character: a defender of justice.

  At this moment, Yang Wei is no longer a sissy or a little slave, but a righteous and dignified gentleman. He is so righteous that even Lu Bing becomes a bit confused, wondering if he has misremembered something. This isn't the great leader Chairman Mao's poem, Lu Bing suddenly comes to his senses and points at Yang Wei, shouting loudly: "I'm wrong, it's Yue Buqun!"

  "What nonsense are you spouting, Liu Yu Feng said disdainfully."

  Lu Biao smiled and replied, "Actually, Brother Yang is right, this poem was indeed written by your ancestor." Huang Di, Meng Xue, and Liu Ruo Feng were all extremely surprised, looking at Lu Biao and then at Yang Wei. Lu Biao's frank admission even made Yang Wei suspicious. Lu Biao continued, "This was something your ancestor had just sat down to write in the outer room, and then Dream Master invited him over."

  Huang Di burst out laughing, Meng Xueqing also smiled slightly, Yang Wei's face turned blue and purple, he fiercely swung his sleeve and sat down to drink tea. Meng Xueqing also smiled with pursed lips, Liu Ruofeng glared at Lu Bing fiercely, Lu Bing chuckled and sat down to drink tea too, if Yang Wei dared to shout loudly, Lu Bing would definitely hit him with the teacup.

  Meng Xueqing said, "Alright alright, everyone is here to have fun, I'll play a tune for you." As she sat down beside the guqin, the beautiful sound of the zither filled the room, lingering in the air for three days without fading away.

  After listening, Lu Bing only felt that it was very pleasant and immersive in the music, but didn't know what this song was called. He just felt very familiar, as if he had heard it on some TV show, when Liu Ruofeng said: "What a great 'Plum Blossom Three Movements'! With this ancient qin melody, how many talented heroes will be captivated by your pomegranate skirt?"

  Liu Ruofeng looked at Lu Bing with disdain, and Meng Xueqing said: "Everyone also presents a song, so I can learn from it."

  "Liu Mou didn't hold back anymore." Liu Ruofeng walked to the guqin, his fingers moving back and forth like a white-haired qin demon, playing a piece of "High Mountain Flowing Water". To be honest, Liu Ruofeng played it really well. If not for that flat face of his, Lu Bing would have called out in praise.

  Yang Wei made a deadpan expression, humming as he hugged the pipa beside him and played an inexplicable tune. When he finished, he even used his fake fingernails to stroke his hair, almost making Lu Bing and Huang Di vomit. Liu Ruofeng and Yang Wei looked at Lu and Huang, and Huang Di smiled: "I'll do it."

  Huang Di played a piece called "General's Order" on the guqin, and it was clear that he wasn't very proficient in music. There was a part where he forgot the notes, which made those two cheap people snicker secretly. Huang Di didn't panic, but instead suddenly strummed wildly, and amidst the chaos, there was an air of grandeur that left everyone stunned. Huang Di had transformed into a great general leading thousands of horses and soldiers, with an aura that couldn't be faked. Lu Bing's mind was already made up - this Huang Di must have come from a big background, he was a great general who excelled at battle, had led troops to fight tough battles, and had definitely killed people before!

  The general's order was played, and it may be said that this is no longer the original melody, but it is even more majestic, making people's hearts surge like they have arrived at the forefront of two armies with golden armor and iron horses. Meng Xueqing took the lead in calling out "good", and the crowd finally came to their senses, even Yang Wei, who was pretending, couldn't help but nod his head.

  Since it's hard to live with Huang Di, the duo pointed their spearhead at Lu Bing. Meng Xueqing admired Lu Bing's masculine aura, but that was external. Just now, Huang Di's introverted temperament burst out, instantly making Lu Bing lose his absolute advantage, leaving only that handsome face. Meng Xueqing asked: "What instrument does Master Lu need?"

  Lu Biao was somewhat stunned and said: "Is there a guitar? Cough, cough, it's destined to be no, even the pipa won't do, ah, I'm so worried......" Yang Wei laughed and said: "If it can't be done, just say it can't be done, don't make up new words to deceive people."

  "Ah, ah, do you have a flute? A transverse flute, a short flute." Lu Bing suddenly remembered, and decided to take the plagiarism all the way, those little Japanese have learned so much from us, heh heh, today Old Man Lu will also come and plagiarize some of your cultural points for himself.

  Everyone here is naturally equipped with musical instruments. Lu Bing held the flute and said, "This is my own creation, called 'The Original Scenery of My Hometown', let everyone see it." Right, Master Yang, you can't say that this was also created by your ancestors, or I'll really recognize you as a descendant. As he spoke, he began to play the flute. In his previous life, Lu Bing was in the drum and horn team, so naturally, he knew how to play the flute. Later, when he played folk flutes, it was also effortless. The classic TV series is those old tvb versions of Jin Yong's works, which often used this melody. This song is melodious and has a deep meaning, yet it is fresh and elegant with a hint of heroic spirit.

  Meng Xueqing was stunned, everyone was stunned. Where did such a good melody come from? At first, when it was said that Lu Bing created it himself, people didn't have too much expectation, but now they were shocked to the extreme. After a brief moment, Yang Wei was the first to react, letting out a cold snort and turning around to leave. He walked to the door, turned around and pointed at Lu Bing, saying: "You wait for me."

  Liu Ruofeng hurriedly chased after him and said, "Brother Yang, Brother Yang, don't lose your dignity!" Yang Wei ignored Liu Ruofeng's advice and shook off his hand, quickly leaving. Liu Ruofeng looked at the three people in the house with an embarrassed face. Huang Di said, "Let's go out and beat him up."

  "Let him go."

  Liu Ruofeng walked back and saluted Meng Xueqing, then paused for a moment before turning to Lu Bing and Huang Di, cupping his fists in greeting: "It's my fault, this friend of mine has no sense of propriety. I know you two gentlemen are not afraid of trouble, but Yang Wei's uncle is the commander of the Five Cities Military Command, so he will definitely bring people to seek revenge soon. Please, both of you, avoid him for now, after all, we common folk shouldn't contend with officials."

  Lu Bing suddenly felt that Liu Ruofeng was not as annoying as before, at least he still belonged to the category of having a conscience. However, Huang Di leaned back in his chair and said, "Let them come, I don't believe in evil spirits. One comes, I'll fight one."

  It's often seen that among the elegant and talented, there are scenes of verbal sparring and one-upmanship. But where has anyone ever seen a situation escalate to a brawl in under half an hour due to jealousy? It's really quite frightening. "Why don't you all just calm down for now, or else things might get out of hand and someone will end up getting hurt."

  "It's all right, I'll send you off. If we're really being chased, I believe Yang Wei won't make things too difficult for you considering my relationship with him." Liu Ruofeng said, Lu Bing secretly smiled to himself thinking that these people were so clueless about human relationships and social norms, if they ran away like this, how would the men save face.

  Just as he was about to give Huang Di a way out, footsteps sounded loudly from the rooftop above, and someone outside said in a low voice, "Master Huang, isn't it time for you to come with us?"

  Huang Di's body shook, he slapped the table and stood up, picked up a heavy chair and threw it out violently.