Chapter 31: Disfigured

Sometime between their conversations, Second Madame's turn had arrived. Stepping forward, Second Madame enrolled for both Hua Mengshi and Hua Qiyue before submitting her own enrollment.

Beside them, the servants were having endless discussions. Hua Qiyue had begun receiving all kinds of sweeping looks from the crowd.

Hua Qiyue's lips curved slightly. Lv Xin's eyes widened in surprise as her innocent mind finally caught up. "First Miss… I think I finally understand…"

Hua Qiyue glanced nonchalantly at Second Madame's cheerful face. The woman looked as if she had just stumbled upon a good fortune that would only come once every millennium.

Of course, they had both assumed that she was about to die. Why would they not be happy?

"So that's Hua Qiyue, the First Miss of Hua's Mansion? Quite good looking, I suppose. Too bad she's a little retarded."

"I know, right? I hear she's weak, powerless, and totally useless. Why would she even enroll? Hah! I guess she's tired of living!"

"Tsk, tsk. Truly had no eye for danger at all. Doesn't know her own place. Can't believe she's enrolling! She's really done for."

Someone in the crowd had overheard the conversation between Second Madame and Hua Mengshi, which led to a round of laughter and sarcastic remarks.

"That's right. This worthless piece of thrash can't even get her Qi flowing smoothly, and yet she still wants to participate in the tournament. Looks like the Ji family's going to have to prepare a coffin!" came the snide voice of a woman. Hua Qiyue turned around slightly and eyed the source of the voice. It was a woman who was dressed lavishly. Her attire was a clear indication of her exceptional status.

Hua Qiyue did not know who the woman was. Noticing Hua Qiyue's stare, the woman began laughing arrogantly. "What are you looking at, huh, trash? Yeah, that's right, I'm talking about you! Remember my name well. It's Ouyang Liuer. Do you want a piece of me?"

Ouyang Liuer?

Hua Qiyue had heard of that name before. Ouyang Liuer was Minister Ouyang's precious daughter, a spoiled girl who had already started bossing people around since a young age. In the capital, she was notorious for being disrespectful and devious.

The number of people that Ouyang Liuer had pissed off was by no means less. But considering her father's position as a Minister, those bullied by her had no choice but to keep quiet.

Hua Qiyue smiled at Ouyang Liuer. "Ah, I see it's Miss Ouyang. I've heard so much about you!"

At Hua Qiyue's sudden display of poise and composure, the crowd gave each other sidelong glances.

According to the stories they had heard, Hua Qiyue was someone who lacked inner strength. But the Hua Qiyue before their eyes now was highly composed and in such good taste. Hua Qiyue had even responded to Ouyang Liuer's provocative insults with courtesy. She had shown no signs of fear or panic at all!

Only daughters of prominent families possessed this kind of disposition!

On the other hand, when compared to Hua Qiyue's composed and courteous behavior, Ouyang Liuer's arrogance had suddenly made her seem like the lesser of the two women.

Ouyang Liuer's expression alternated between flushed and pale. She laughed humorlessly. "Hua Qiyue, I can't believe you're brave enough to enroll in the tournament. Hahaha… your days are numbered!"

"Oh, wow. Could it be that Miss Ouyang is someone greater than Master Xuanji? She can even predict the number of days I have left! Impressive indeed!" Hua Qiyue was smiling like a flower as opposed to being angry at being insulted.

At Hua Qiyue's remark, the crowd began giving Ouyang Liuer the kind of look which, on the whole, could be deemed as contemptuous.

Master Xuanji was highly respected and admired by everyone in the capital. Hua Qiyue's comment had instantly invoked a comparison between Ouyang Liuer and Master Xuanji.

But how could this vulgar, disrespecful woman possibly be in the same league as the handsome and enigmatic Master Xuanji?

When Ouyang Liuer felt the strange looks from the crowd, she stomped her foot vehemently. Initially, she had been planning to show off in front of the crowd in order to win the admiration of the sons of government officials.

What she had not expected was to have herself ridiculed and rendered speechless by Hua Qiyue several times.

"Isn't Hua Qiyue someone who's weak and powerless?" Ouyang Liuer thought. "How could she be so eloquent like this? Are the legends just stories made up to tarnish Hua Qiyue's image?"

Ouyang Liuer stared daggers at Hua Qiyue, who was standing together with Hua Mengshi. It was as if flames would burst out of Ouyang Liuer's eyes any second. "Hua Qiyue," Ouyang Liuer thought, "just you wait… As long as I'm alive, I'll definitely make your life difficult!"

After bidding farewell to Second Madame and Hua Mengshi, Hua Qiyue got on the carriage with Lv Xin and headed back to the mansion.

In the carriage, Hua Qiyue parted the blinds slightly to look out the window. Brilliant sunshine streaked in from the parted blinds, though the light felt surprisingly refreshing due to the presence of the wind. The wind would whisk away every last drop of the sweltering heat from the one's heart.

As July neared, the weather grew warmer and warmer.

With pursed lips, Hua Qiyue gazed at the approaching Dong Hai Restaurant. She felt a sudden twinge in her heart.

She thought she could no longer feel emotions. But now, as she encountered things familiar to her, she would still feel something.

Hua Qiyue shifted her eyes slightly and looked up towards the second floor of the building. She caught sight of a familiar figure almost instantly.

Tremors shook Hua Qiyue's body. Unconsciously, her hands clenched into fists with her long nails digging into the meat of her palms.

Hua Qiyue's eyes met a pair of familiar, dark eyes, which held a look of surprise. Standing in that balcony was none another than Zhou Zhicheng, who was dressed in green. He was still as handsome and alluring as he had been in the past. Zhou Zhicheng had seen Hua Qiyue and was stunned by her beauty too.

Hua Qiyue beauty was akin to white lilies in a pond or the plum blossoms found in snowy mountains. Her entire appearance radiated pride and dignity.

Before, Hua Qiyue had been too weak and cowardly. She had never gone out much. Her weakness had overshadowed her beauty, which was why she had always been neglected by others.

Now that she had self-confidence, she had caught the eyes of Zhou Zhicheng, a man who thought she was a beautiful goddess who had descended on the mortal realm from the sky. Zhou Zhicheng had deemed her temperament as exceptional!

All of a sudden, Hua Qiyue's lips curved into a restrained smile. She pulled her hand away, letting the blinds fell back together. The blinds now formed a barrier between both of their lines of sight.

Hua Qiyue's palm was drenched in sweat. Hatred surged in her heart in waves. She would not be moved by that handsome face ever again.

On the balcony, Zhou Zhicheng was still staring dumbly at the carriage, which was already traveling further and further away from where he stood.

"Butler Wu… that carriage," Zhou Zhicheng said as he tore his gaze away from the carriage, "which mansion does it belong to?" He was now looking at Butler Wu, who was standing beside him.

Many people in the capital would often come to Dong Hai Restaurant for meals, so Butler Wu was a highly knowledgable person who knew lots of people.

Butler Wu glanced at the carriage that carried Hua Qiyue. He went blank for a moment. Although he had not seen this type of carriage before, he had noticed Hua's Mansion's emblem on the back of the carriage. "That carriage probably belongs to Hua's Mansion."

Zhou Zhicheng had met Hua Mengshi and Hua Xiaoyi before. After all, these daughters from prominent families were mostly good-for-nothings who only knew about eating. Hence, they were frequenters of Dong Hai Restaurant.

"I see…" A slight feeling of sadness formed in Zhou Zhicheng's heart. That carriage most likely belonged to Hua Qiyue, Hua's Mansion's legitimate daughter. But he was already betrothed to the Princess, so his days as a womanizer had long since come to an end. "That's really too bad…" he thought.

"Young master, you're due for a visit to Hua's Mansion in twelve days. What gifts should we prepare?" The matter had suddenly come to Butler Wu's mind.

Zhou Zhicheng narrowed his eyes as he watched the carriage, which had just vanished around a bend. Amorous feelings rose within Zhou Zhicheng. Having noticed Zhou Zhicheng's demeanor, Butler Wu lowered his voice and reminded. "Young master, Princess Huizhen… is a jealous woman…"

Zhou Zhicheng was instantly alarmed. Butler Wu was right. Princess Huizhen was indeed a jealous woman. After Rong Qiyue's death, all the female servants in the house were tortured. They were either disfigured or made blind.

Zhou Zhicheng knew who was behind the tortures, of course. He just did not want to be caught up in it.

"Well, then I guess any gift will do. Just double the amount of the usual gifts. That way, both us and Hua's mansion will look better." Zhou Zhicheng had snapped out of it. Just moments ago, he had been about to ask Butler Wu to find out the type of things that Hua Qiyue liked before deciding on a gift to bring during his visit. He had changed in mind immediately after Butler Wu's reminder.

Butler Wu nodded in satisfaction. The young master had the ability to rise quickly among the official ranks. Being the servant of such a man would surely be advantageous.

When Hua Qiyue arrived at the mansion, she saw Hua Xiaoyi at the corridor entertaining birds. When Hua Xiaoyi noticed Hua Qiyue's presence, her lips pulled into a cold and mocking smile

"Big sister, I heard you've enrolled in the tournament."

Hua Xiaoyi's female servants looked at each other nervously, though they did not have the courage to stop their mistress.

Third Madame had ordered them to keep an eye on Hua Xiaoyi and prevent her from any forms of mischief.

Now that they had run into Hua Qiyue, they felt overwhelming fear. Still, they did not dare stop their mistress from her fun.

"Of course. Didn't you go as well?" Hua Qiyue smiled casually, though her brows betrayed small signs of uneasiness.

Hua Xiaoyi released a mocking laugh. "Of course I enrolled. I asked my servant to do it for me. But if a weakling like you is so eager to die, then I have nothing to say. Tsk, tsk. Big sis, you're really such a fool! Born worthless, and yet you still want to join the tournament. Hahaha…"

Near the end of her speech, Hua Xiaoyi was acting with sheer impudence. She laughed impudently, completely unbefitting of the comportment that any daughter of a prominent family should have.

Hua Qiyue glanced at the other woman casually. Then, she noticed the tea that one of Hua Xiaoyi's servant girls was carrying. The tea looked hot, as if it had just been made.

The servant girl's name was Duo Er. From her memories, Hua Qiyue knew that Duo Er was an obedient servant who always did Hua Xiaoyi's bidding. In the past, Duo Er used to torture Hua Qiyue on Hua Xiaoyi's orders.

The worst instance of that was when Duo Er had tricked Hua Qiyue to an old well at the mansion's backyard before pushing her down the well. After Hua Qiyue had fallen into the well, Duo Er had even tossed a giant piece of rock down the well.

Luckily, the rock had hit only Hua Qiyue's feet. Duo Er had not been satisfied with how things had turned out, so she had reported what had happened to Hua Xiaoyi. Hua Xiaoyi had immediately issued her a new order. This time, Duo Er was asked to pour an entire basin of hot water into the well.

Back then, Hua Qiyue had protected her head with both hands, so only her back and hands were scalded.

Such inhumane and immortal deeds, yet Hua Xiaoyi was entirely capable of them!

Now, the time had come for revenge!

Hua Qiyue smiled coldly and moved her finger. A strand of invisible spiritual energy emerged from her fingers and shot towards Duo Er. Duo Er's body shook and her eyes became dazed. All of a sudden, Duo Er poured the hot tea that she had been carrying straight into Hua Xiaoyi's face!

Other than Hua Qiyue, everyone else present was stupefied. Having seen what had just happened, Third Madame and an entourage of servants rushed over. Each of them was scared out of their wits!

"Argh!"

"Yi Er!"

The ensuing sound was a combination of screams of horror and ear-piercing shrieks. Hua Xiaoyi felt as if the tea was burning her entire face to a crisp!

Duo Er stood there as if in a trance. All of a sudden, she turned around and ran. Third Madame's face turned savage with all her teeth bared. "Catch Duo Er!" She yelled in a high-pitched voice. "That b*tch… she dares hurt my child!"

The family servant, who had just returned, reacted instantly and caught Duo Er.

Hua Xiaoyi knelt on the floor. She covered her face with both hands and started wailing. "Ah, ah… my face. My face…"

Third Madame was so startled that her face had turned bloodless. She rushed towards Hua Xiaoyi, pulling the younger woman to her feet. "Quick, quick, get the doctor. Quickly…"

Hua Qiyue no longer cared to stay and watch. She ambled forward casually and went on her way. Lv Xin snapped back to reality and realized that her palms had been sweating. Lv Xin did not know why Duo Er would suddenly pour the hot tea onto Hua Xiaoyi, though she had to admit that the need for vengeance within her had been fulfilled.

Duo Er and her kind were responsible for much of the bullying that Lv Xin had experienced in the past.

The long corridor had turned into a mess. On the other hand, the Cuihua Court was all silent. "Looks like Tianci's taking a nap," Hua Qiyue thought.

Hua Qiyue stepped into the main hall. All of a sudden, she went stock still. In front of her, stood a man in green clothes. A slow breeze entered the hall, causing the man's clothes to billow.