Starting With The Martial Arts Holy Fire Order

Chapter 006 – You’re Not Even a Man

“Sigh, why am I even telling you this?

Qingyang, I still don’t know the names of these herbs.

Come on, teach me!”

Ling Yihan ignored Dai Qisi, continuing to study the herbs in his hand.

Dai Qisi, seeing this, huffed coldly and walked away.

Watching from nearby, Fan Yao felt even more frustrated.

He’d been trying so hard to get close to Dai Qisi, yet Ling Yihan dismissed her despite her friendliness.

The more Fan Yao thought about it, the more annoyed he became.

“Brother Ling, why did you make Sister Dai Qisi leave?

It’s rare for her to approach anyone so warmly, especially since she’s usually cold to other men.

Why did you treat her like that?” Hu Qingyang asked, clearly puzzled.

Ling Yihan replied nonchalantly,

“It’s simple.

I’m not that familiar with her, so why waste my breath on pointless chatter?”

Hu Qingyang couldn’t help but laugh.

“You really don’t know how lucky you are.

So many young men in the cult would do anything just to make her smile,

yet you responded with such indifference.

What’s going on in your head?”

Ling Yihan stretched lazily.

“My thoughts are simple: eat well, sleep well, and train hard.

I couldn’t care less about other trivial things.”

“I don’t believe you!

Don’t you want to marry a beautiful girl someday?

Unless you’re not a man!” Hu Qingyang teased.

“Look at Right Messenger Fan over there—his eyes go wide every time he sees Sister Dai Qisi, but sadly, the feeling isn’t mutual.

Still, I think you’d have a good chance if you pursued her.

It’s obvious she treats you differently from other men.”

Ling Yihan shook his head with a smile.

“Forget it! I’m not interested in her at all.

As for marrying someone, if you can’t find anyone to marry you,

I might step up and do it as a friend… out of loyalty.”

Hearing this, Hu Qingyang blushed and lightly punched his shoulder with her delicate fist.

“Get out of here! I’m not the one who can’t get married!

Though I may not be as beautiful as Sister Dai Qisi, I’m still attractive enough.

There are plenty of men lining up for me from Butterfly Valley all the way to Bright Peak…”

Ling Yihan couldn’t help but laugh.

“Who would’ve thought that Miss Hu, the skilled healer, is also a master braggart?

I think you should change your name from Hu Qingyang to Hu Blowhard.”

“Ha! You’re the one who’s full of hot air!” she retorted, suddenly recalling something.

“Oh, and I haven’t settled accounts with you yet!

Why did you deceive me?”

Curious, Ling Yihan asked,

“What did I lie about?”

Hu Qingyang stared at him, annoyed.

“You took advantage of me!”

“Uh… you can eat too much, but don’t talk recklessly.

When did I take advantage of you?

If someone hears, they might think we… did something scandalous.”

“You… you’re clearly younger than me.

Why didn’t you tell me earlier?

You made me call you Brother Ling all this time.

Do you know how unfair that is?” Hu Qingyang huffed.

Ling Yihan shook his head, smiling.

“You never asked.

Besides, I didn’t force you to call me that.”

Unyielding, Hu Qingyang said,

“I don’t care.

You have to call me ‘Sister’ from now on, or I won’t let you off.”

“No way.

You’re only a year older than me, and besides, anyone seeing us standing together would think we’re siblings, not sister and brother.”

“No, you have to call me ‘Sister’…

or I’ll tell everyone you bullied me.”

“Bullied you?

Fine, if you insist, I’ll do it right now.”

“Haha, you wouldn’t dare!

You’re not even a man…”

At this, Ling Yihan’s eyes narrowed with a mischievous grin.

“You don’t get to decide that.”

He quickly leaned forward and planted a kiss on her lips, then used his light-footed skills to dart away.

Stunned by the kiss, Hu Qingyang stood there, completely blank, her mind racing.

It took her a moment to process what had happened.

“He… he kissed me!

No man has ever done that to me before…

Ling… Yihan… you scoundrel!

Don’t you run away…”

Mortified, she chased after him in the direction he had fled.

Later, Hu Qingyang told Madam Yang about the day’s events, omitting only the part where Ling Yihan had kissed her.

Learning that Fan Yao had feelings for Dai Qisi, Madam Yang decided to play matchmaker and discussed the matter with Yang Dingtian, who was more than willing to help Fan Yao pursue the clever and beautiful Dai Qisi.

One day, as Dai Qisi practiced her swordplay in her courtyard, Yang Dingtian and his wife entered.

Watching her skillful sword moves, Yang Dingtian clapped and praised,

“Well done! Excellent technique!”

“Greetings to the Cult Master and Madam!” Dai Qisi quickly sheathed her sword and greeted them with a smile.

Yang Dingtian nodded.

“Dai Qisi, you’ve been on Bright Peak for a while now.

Have you gotten used to life here?”

“With such a vast peak and so many interesting places to explore, how could I not feel at home?

Thank you, Cult Master and Madam, for your kindness,” Dai Qisi replied warmly.

Madam Yang smiled slightly.

“Good.

I was worried you’d feel homesick, so I had Persian dishes prepared for you to remind you of home.”

Dai Qisi’s eyes sparkled.

“Thank you for your thoughtfulness, Madam!”

“Oh, that reminds me,” Yang Dingtian interjected.

“Madam, didn’t you have something to say to Dai Qisi?”

Madam Yang smiled knowingly.

“Yes.

Dai Qisi, what do you think of Right Messenger Fan?”

Without thinking too much, Dai Qisi responded naturally,

“Right Messenger Fan is a talented and exceptional martial artist, certainly a rare talent.”

Hearing this, Yang Dingtian smiled with satisfaction.

“Good eye!”

Madam Yang beamed.

“With his talents, he’d make an ideal husband.

The Cult Master and I would be honored to arrange a match between you two.

What do you think?”

Upon hearing this, Dai Qisi’s expression shifted, and she immediately declined.

“I won’t marry Right Messenger Fan.”

“Oh! So, is there someone else you’re interested in?

Could it be that young man, Ling Yihan?”

Madam Yang suddenly recalled that Hu Qingyang had mentioned Dai Qisi being fond of Ling Yihan, so she assumed this was the case.

At the mention of Ling Yihan, Dai Qisi felt a slight stir in her heart, but she quickly composed herself and replied,

“Thank you, Cult Master and Madam, for your kindness, but I’ve never thought about marriage…”