Her words were loud enough to pierce through the noise of the crowd, and to draw the ears of the guards in front of the door. One of them, who was carrying a rather large axe, seemed surprised when he turned away from the Second Ducal Prince to face her. And waved for the rest of the guards to hold their ground rather than to press their attack.
Ye Honghua continued to wear a smile as she dismounted, although with a little less grace than Qin Feng had hoped for. But the way that she swaggered over to the front of the Su Family Residence made up for that. The hubris that she had wrapped around herself was thick enough to hide all of her inadequacies.
"Go tell my cousin, Su Qin, that I am here in response to her cry for help. And that I have brought Young Master Qin Feng - an alchemist, mind you! I have not put myself through all the trouble of inviting him here just so that you worthless scoundrels can drive him and his Protectors away.
"It will be on your heads if the Su Family suffers any humiliation today!"
The guards who were there to keep the enemies from storming the gates looked at each other in confusion as soon as they heard her make that declaration. But fortunately for them, the ruckus had been sufficient to bring those who were holding greater responsibilities to the front door. One of them, dressed in a fashion that looked consistent with a housekeeper of some sort - to Qin Feng's eyes, at least. He was the one who stepped forward to give the woman a cautious bow.
Ye Honghua merely sniffed, as one of the cleverer guards relayed what she had said earlier. Which seemed to be enough to make the newcomer look at Qin Feng's party with a different expression on his face. One that held what looked like a trace of hope!
Hence it was no surprise that the housekeeper was quick to give Ye Honghua a second, more respectful bow, in response to her words. And hurried to invite her and her party inside the Residence. Just as Ye Honghua was similarly quick to invite Qin Feng in a rather exaggerated manner, to precede her. He, of course, simply yawned and stretched himself as he strode inside. And quickly ran his eyes over the people that the Su Family had sent out earlier.
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The guards were next to worthless, as he had expected. None of them were capable of standing up to one of his simple blows, much less anything that Lin Liushui or Li Changhai could throw at them. All they were good for were intimidating the locals and nothing more.
So it was little wonder that this Su Family was throwing all of their hopes on the Snow Swallow Palace. And clinging onto that thread of a chance, that the Palace would send someone to help them against these fellows claiming to be from the Wuyang Lin Family.
The same Snow Swallow Palace disciples who were busy playing the part of his servants, as they hurried through the gate into the Su Family home.
Of course, once they were within the Su Residence, there was no longer any need to bother with such a charade. All of the young women seemed to sag in relief, as they smiled at one another. Still, Ye Honghua seemed particularly anxious, when she turned to Qin Feng.
"What now? We have managed to enter the Su Family home but this has also made it clear to our opponents that the Su Family, and Su Qing, has gotten additional help.
"Doesn't that mean that our enemy will strike at us now? Before we can prepare?"
"That is only true if the Su Family is their target. But as Brother Qin Feng had already mentioned, they will do nothing, if the ones that they wish to deal with is actually your Snow Swallow Palace. So long as the Palace has not made any obvious moves, they are unlikely to respond to any changes to the situation here."
Ye Honghua turned nodded at Lin Liushui's words, as the latter fanned himself in his usual haughty manner. Qin Feng quietly rolled his eyes at the handsome man, as the gallant preened himself with his usual smile on his lips. Lin Liushui had clearly suffered quite a bit, from having to play his role as a strategist along the way there. Well, it was not as though the gallant was not basking in the attention of the other Snow Swallow Palace disciples, during the journey.
But any discussion of further plans was quickly interrupted by the arrival of a woman about Ye Honghua's age. And from the way that she rushed at the same, and clung onto the Snow Swallow Palace disciple's hands, it seemed clear that this was the Su Qing that Ye Honghua had mentioned earlier.
She was about the same age as Ye Honghua, in her early twenties. But her hair was neatly bundled up like a proper married woman, and the rich garments on her body were a match for Ye Honghua's disguise. Qin Feng had the impression that she was a more grounded person than the Snow Swallow Palace disciple who had journeyed to Chestnut Town with him though.
This Su Qing seemed a lot more settled, and more responsible than the quarrelsome girl.
Perhaps that had come from being married? And from her responsibilities in the family?
Ye Honghua quickly spoke a few words with the newcomer, before directing her attention to the young man beside her. And the woman let go of Ye Honghua's hands when so prompted, and turned to give Qin Feng a curtsy, with a bright red face. "I apologize for my lack of manners, Young Master Qin. And beg your forgiveness. My thanks for helping to bring Elder Sister Ye to my family home this way."
Qin Feng was waiting for just that opening, so he did not waste any time with any formalities and went straight for the kill. He had been very patient already, he thought. And he did not wish to encumber himself with any more of this polite nonsense!
"No, no. There is no need for such courtesy. I am merely trying to keep matters from escalating. After all, your Su Family is facing people who may not be who they seem. I have it on good authority that the Lin Family is not involved in this matter. And that all of this is merely a move by other miscreants to forment a disagreement between you and that Wuyang Lin Family.
"Hence, I have come to help you out in this trifling matter. If you are willing to trust me, that is," he finished with a proud sniff, as though he considered the whole matter a little beneath him.
The woman's look of wide-eyed shock made it clear that she had not considered such a ploy by her enemies. Which hinted that she would need some convincing, with regards to that point. Which Qin Feng was not ready to discuss, standing in an inner courtyard like that. So he sighed to himself, and threw out something that he was certain that would distract her:
"I will tell you first, that I am only doing this because of Xu Yanzhi, of the Snow Swallow Palace. Otherwise, I would not be bothered to take a hand in this issue at all."
"Xu Yanzhi? You are ... pursuing Xu Yanzhi?"
Ye Honghua giggled as she tugged at Su Qing's sleeves, and nodded at Qin Feng as soon as the other woman turned to face her. "I think I had better let you know that Young Master Qin Feng here is actively pursuing our Fairy of the Sword. So you should know just how to repay him for his kindness after all of this is over.
"I think you should be able to get your cousins to write to your shifu as well? To help him with his chase? From what I have heard from the Main Sect, Senior Disciple Sister Xu has been talking about him to everyone that she knows! So I doubt that she would be displeased!"
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