Chapter 142: Wu Hong, the Conquering Presence Among Women

Chapter 142: Wu Hong, the Irresistible Heartthrob

Huang Ling dressed Wu Hong with the utmost gentleness, entirely shedding her notorious persona as the freezing, aloof beauty known to others.

With an air of quiet confidence, she linked her arm through Wu Hong's, and the two stepped out of the bedchamber together.

"My lady―Master Huang has asked you to come to the main hall for something!" A maidservant, upon seeing the pair emerge, hurried over to report.

"Understood! You may withdraw." Huang Ling's voice reverted to its usual chill. The maidservant cast a stealthy glance at Wu Hong, instantly blushing with a racing heart.

At that moment, Wu Hong looked vastly different from the bedraggled state he had been in when Huang Ling rescued him the previous day. His tall, well-proportioned physique, glossy black hair cascading over his shoulders, and the radiantly sunny, faint smile on his face left the young maiden completely dazzled and bewitched.

The reason why all those maidservants had reacted so aggressively upon catching sight of Wu Hong naked yesterday was twofold: first, the innate aura radiating from his body cast a spell over women, leading the household maids to mistake him for some lewd bandit from the Beggars' Sect.

That was why they acted that way, though back then, covered in grime, his features had been indistinguishable! But now, having changed into fresh clothes and revealing his true face, Wu Hong immediately caused the maidservant who stole a peek to flush a deep crimson, thinking to herself, *So that's why the young lady spent the night with this handsome young gentleman... they really are a perfect match. His charm is simply too captivating!*

The maidservant's heart hammered against her ribs, entirely ensnared by the invisible aura emanating from Wu Hong.

This was something Wu Hong could not control. With all his martial arts cultivation currently wiped clean from his memory, he had no idea how to regulate his inner qi. Consequently, the Fixed Light Joy manual's innate technique operated of its own accord. Even when women were not present—let alone when they were—it functioned spontaneously.

Naturally, its allure to the opposite sex was immensely powerful.

However, the subtle flushes and fleeting expressions of the maid who had served Huang Ling for years did not escape Huang Ling’s notice, drawing a silent sigh from the young mistress's heart.

*Ah—how did I fall for a man like this? Wherever he goes, he looks like a walking disaster for women! Even though he means no harm, if a young maiden throws herself at him, can he possibly resist?*

*Will he end up acting as wildly with others as he did last night...?*

As these restless thoughts swirled, Huang Ling grew somewhat irritated and snapped, "Xiaolan, why haven't you left yet? What are you standing there daydreaming for?"

There was a distinct edge of anger in Huang Ling's voice.

The rules of the Huang estate were exceedingly strict. Startled out of her trance, the maid snapped back to reality, yet she still stole one last lingering, reluctant glance at Wu Hong as she departed.

Abandoning all decorum, Huang Ling pressed her fair, jade-like hand to her forehead. "Good heavens! If you were an actual bandit of the pugilistic world, who knows how many women you would drive to willingly betray everything and ruin themselves for you?"

Her words were feather-light, yet Wu Hong caught them clearly and asked on the spot, "What kind of profession is a lewd bandit? Is it a good one?"

Huang Ling was rendered utterly speechless, thinking to herself, *Before your memories return, I had better guide you properly.*

While the former Wu Hong would have been thoroughly familiar with every inch of the Huang estate, as Huang Ling led him toward Huang Hu's reception hall, Wu Hong looked upon everything around him with wide-eyed curiosity.

With no other choice, Huang Ling patiently explained every single thing to him, piece by piece.

As the two walked through the estate, they occasionally crossed paths with various servants. All the maidservants concentrated their attention entirely on Wu Hong; basking in the faint, mysterious aura he emitted, they lost themselves in turbulent thoughts, their faces flushed and hearts pounding.

Some of the male servants, on the other hand, wore expressions of resentment. Huang Ling had once been the goddess of their dreams! Yet after the events of last night, all their cherished fantasies had been utterly shattered.

Observing Huang Ling's slightly awkward gait, these daydreaming manservants—who had secretly worshipped the frost goddess—felt like they wanted to die on the spot.

Yet, upon catching sight of Wu Hong's appearance, these very same manservants were instantly humbled, consumed by an overwhelming sense of inferiority.

After all, Huang Ling had always been fiercely aloof and intensely conservative. Subjected to so many strange and probing gazes, she began to feel somewhat unnatural.

"Sister Ling, what's wrong with everyone? Why do they all look a bit odd? Their blood circulation is sometimes racing and sometimes sluggish—it's as if they've all fallen ill! Should we find a doctor to examine them?"

Wu Hong's perception was preternaturally acute; he could sense the physical condition and even the exact pulse rate of every single person down to the finest detail.

Seeing Wu Hong's utterly nonchalant expression, Huang Ling's heart instantly settled. *What is wrong with me? I belong to him now! What does it matter if their gazes are strange? I am who I am! Why should I care about the opinions of others?*

Regaining her composure, Huang Ling replied, "Brother Hong, they are indeed a bit abnormal. We really should have a physician take a good look at them."

The servants who had been sneaking glances felt a jolt of pure terror. They all realized they were prying too much. The hierarchy of the Huang estate was ironclad, and its rules were brutally strict. To offend the young lady like this was practically courting death!

The cleverer servants broke out in a cold sweat soaking through their garments and instantly threw themselves back into their duties with utmost dedication, though their hearts remained in turmoil.

Once Huang Ling cleared her hurdle of doubt, her mood turned delightfully light, and she no longer cared what anyone else thought. As long as he held her in his heart, what did the opinions of outsiders matter?

The two arrived at Huang Hu's reception hall—the very same room where Wu Hong had once performed the legendary art of carving an ox with the precision of Pao Ding.

Huang Hu sat with a blank expression, flanked by a few attendants.

"All of you, withdraw." Huang Ling dismissed the servants directly. Though their faces showed unnatural hesitation as they looked between Huang Ling and Wu Hong, a master's command was absolute. Helplessly, they bowed and retreated.

Huang Hu unhurriedly picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip.

Seeing that Huang Hu remained silent, Huang Ling suddenly declared, "Brother, I am going to marry Wu Hong."

"What? Pfft—" Half a mouthful of tea sprayed directly from Huang Hu's mouth, startled out of him by his sister's announcement.

"Brother, what's wrong with you? The blood flow in your body is running rather abnormally! So many people in the Huang estate have come down with this strange sickness today, it's truly baffling."

Wu Hong addressed Huang Hu as "brother" just as Huang Ling did.

With a sudden bound, Huang Hu leaped out of his chair as if a nail had been driven into his seat. His expression shifting dramatically, he pointed at Wu Hong and shouted, "You brat—Wu Hong, Lord Prince Wuwei, are you playing dumb for real, or just pretending?!"

Huang Hu stood on the verge of explosive rage. Wu Hong had taken his sister's virtue yet could stand there making such casual jokes; how could Huang Hu not be furious?

"Brother, don't blame him. He really has lost some of his memories."

"Sister! Don't let yourself be fooled by this former young lord! I know his tricks all too well from the past. Back in Bianjing City, relying on this talent of his that ordinary men could never hope to master, who knows how many young maidens' hearts he swindled?"

Finding it hard to accept that the sister who usually took his side was speaking up for Wu Hong, Huang Hu dredged up the scandalous history of Wu Hong's flamboyant past, intent on waking Huang Ling up.

"Brother, what kind of person he truly is, don't you know? Later on, he..."

Huang Ling hastily recounted Wu Hong's legendary exploits in the martial world, hoping to wash away his past blemishes.

"Sister! With a background as sensitive as his, he's bound to bring instability to the Huang estate sooner or later! Besides, what you said isn't the whole story either. Don't forget the messy entanglements between him and that foster sister of his!"

Huang Hu immediately brought up the affair between Wu Songran and Wu Hong.

Huang Ling fell abruptly silent, unable to utter another word as Huang Hu's remarks struck like a thorn in her heart.

"Sister Ling, what are you two talking about? Are you discussing my past?" Wu Hong's intellect had not diminished with his memory loss. He instantly realized they were discussing his bygone days.

Yet Wu Hong had not the slightest recollection of any of it.

Upon hearing Wu Hong, Huang Ling said, "Brother, you see? He has lost his memories and remembers nothing of the past. Right now, in his heart, there is only me."

"Sigh—you foolish girl, I truly don't know what to say to you. Ever since our Huang estate got mixed up with this brat, we were nearly wiped out entirely! If we didn't still possess some hidden strength, the two of us would likely have been reduced to piles of bleached bones by now. Have you forgotten all of that?"

Huang Hu brought to light certain secrets that even the former Wu Hong had never known.

It turned out that after Wu Hong was originally escorted away from Huangyun Town, the Heavenly Slaughter organization had secretly dispatched experts to rescue him. Who would have guessed that the Silver-Armored General of that time was overwhelmingly powerful, leading to the failure of the rescue mission?

Only later, upon hearing that Wu Hong had successfully escaped, did the brother and sister finally set down their heavy, anxious hearts.

Who could have predicted that Steward Zhao—who had all along been keeping watch over Manman—discovered these secrets and reported them to the authorities? Initially, Huang Hu had scoffed at the notion, holding it in utter disdain since the Huang estate's ultimate backing was the Heavenly Slaughter organization.

Little did they know that the child Manman, whom Steward Zhao had been guarding, possessed a token that revealed to Emperor Yang Guang of the time that Manman was an imperial prince living in exile.

Once this matter came to light, Steward Zhao rode the wave of Manman's royal status to sudden prominence! Armed with the backing of the Great Qian imperial court, the ambitious Steward Zhao had constantly sought to eliminate the Huang siblings.

To avoid exposing the Heavenly Slaughter organization hidden behind them, Huang Hu and his sister Huang Ling had no choice but to vanish into the pugilistic underworld, remaining fugitives wanted by the imperial court ever since.