Qin Ren gave a sly chuckle and whispered, "Big Brother, this mission is going to be tough!"
Qin Feng laughed. "You little rascal, this is a good opportunity! I don't believe that when you meet Lian Zhou Luo Er, you won't have any thoughts."
Qin Ren grinned lecherously. "Of course, I have thoughts! The girl has the figure, the looks, and her attitude... Heh, one word: cool! Any man would want to tame this fiery beauty!"
Qin Feng paused, then spoke seriously. "But Lian Zhou Luo Er is said to be quite clever. If you approach her with obvious intentions, she might see right through you."
Qin Ren smirked. "Then what should I do?"
Qin Feng's face darkened, and he said coldly, "We need to be ruthless."
Qin Ren's expression shifted slightly. He raised his right hand and made a chopping motion, "Then... shall we kill her?"
Qin Feng nodded, then shook his head. "Did I say to kill her? Besides, can you really do something so ruthless? What I mean is, you don't care about your reputation anyway. You could just make her yours, get her under your control. How does that sound?"
Qin Ren mocked, "Big Brother, aren't you the renowned hero of the righteous path? You came up with such a cruel idea! I'm such an upright and kind person, I swear I'll never tarnish the reputation of a pure woman!"
Qin Feng laughed coldly. "You little brat, don't try to act innocent. You think I don't know you? You're nothing but a hypocritical rogue. Stop pretending; you're a flower thief!"
Qin Ren smirked, "Ah, Big Brother knows me best. In this life, besides being a scoundrel, I have nothing else! Fine, I'll throw myself into the tiger's den and help you take care of Lian Zhou's young mistress!"
Qin Feng gave a wry smile. "You act so righteous, but deep down, I know how much you're dying to get your hands on her. You really know how to pretend, don't you?"
The brothers whispered to each other, while Xiao Xiang Yue and Liu Piao Piao stood aside, unable to hear their conversation. They could only watch as the two men chatted away, exchanging endless words, and exchanged a curious glance.
Soon, the food and wine were served. The two girls obediently poured wine and served the dishes to Qin Ren and Qin Feng, who ate and drank, continuing their conversation.
As they ate, Qin Feng casually remarked, "Old Three, I heard that Du Gu Hongjian of the Fen Yu Tower has issued a bounty on you. One of the four great hunters of the Jianghu Bureau, the cold-blooded, deadly Ji Wu Hua, has already set off with a group of experts to hunt you down. All the sects in Jiangnan have received the order, and some have already started sending people to search for you in Yun Province."
Qin Ren scoffed, "Du Gu Hongjian? What's he even worth? That Jianghu Bureau only exists because our Qin family didn't compete with him. Otherwise, how could he have become the head of it?"
Qin Feng nodded. "When you first entered the Jianghu, not many knew you. That's why Du Gu Hongjian dared issue the bounty. If he knew you were the third son of the Qin family, even if he had three hundred times the courage, he wouldn't dare do this. As for Ji Wu Hua, I'll take care of it for you. Fen Yu Tower has connections in the court, so we can't just act rashly. I'll go warn Du Gu Hongjian. Also, there's been a lot of movement in the black underworld recently. The leader of the Demon Sect, Xi Men Wu Di, is trying to unite all the underworld forces in the Great Qin Empire. Three major factions have already been absorbed by the Demon Sect. There are many white-path sects secretly in league with the Demon Sect, so be careful. After all, the Demon Sect won't show us any respect."
Qin Ren drank a sip of wine and said nonchalantly, "I know about that, no need to worry. Though my martial skills aren't top-notch, I'm an expert when it comes to running away. As for lightness skills, who in the world can outrun me? If something goes wrong, I'll just slip away—no one will catch me."
Qin Feng glanced at Xiao Xiang Yue and Liu Piao Piao and said, "You can run fast, but what about the women with you?"
Qin Ren paused, thinking for a moment. It was true—he could escape easily, but how would he manage with two women in tow?
Qin Feng continued, "I need to return to the family estate for a bit. If you want, I can take these two back with me."
Qin Ren looked at Xiao Xiang Yue and Liu Piao Piao and asked, "Yue'er, Piao Piao, would you like to go with my big brother to the family estate?"
Xiao Xiang Yue shook her head. "Third Young Master, I only want to follow you."
Liu Piao Piao also said, "Qin Gege, Piao Piao only wants to stay with you."
Qin Ren spread his hands and gave Qin Feng a wry smile. "Look at that. They refuse to leave me. Damn, my charm is limitless!"
Qin Feng laughed and cursed, "You little brat, stop boasting. Fine, since they don't want to come with me, I won't force them. But I have to say, you're not much of a flower thief. The true flower thief moves through a garden without leaving a trace. You, on the other hand, are completely entangled with women—how can you call yourself the top flower thief?"
Qin Ren retorted, "Big Brother, how can you say that? You're not getting any younger, and yet you don't even have a woman by your side. How would you know what a proper flower thief should do? By the way, Big Brother, you've been in the Jianghu for so many years, you must have encountered plenty of beautiful women. Why haven't you found a wife?"
Qin Feng chuckled. "I haven't met anyone particularly intriguing. Besides, as a swordsman, how can I be distracted by love? That would only hinder my pursuit of the sword path."
Qin Ren shook his head. "Big Brother, you're wrong. A sword without love is merely a killing tool. To reach the highest level of swordsmanship, you can't be heartless. Only when you are true to your emotions can you truly master the sword."
Qin Feng's eyes brightened. His swordsmanship was known to be unmatched, but there were always talented people in the world. He had reached a bottleneck, unable to progress further. Hearing Qin Ren's words was like opening a new door to him. He eagerly asked, "Old Three, I never knew you understood the sword. Tell me more about this principle!"
In truth, Qin Ren didn't understand swordsmanship at all—he understood "scoundrel-ship" better. But having read many martial arts novels in his past life, he knew a lot about the principles behind various martial arts techniques. He pretended to sound wise and asked, "Big Brother, let me ask you, why do you practice the sword?"
Qin Feng answered firmly, "At first, to kill; then, to protect life; finally, to seek the path!"
Qin Ren nodded. "Let's start with killing. Big Brother, have you ever heard of 'no move is stronger than any move'?"
Qin Feng shook his head in confusion. "A sword move is to bring out the maximum power of the sword, how can no move have any power?"
Qin Ren waved a fan dramatically, "You see, with a sword move, there's a trace. Others can follow that trace and counter it. But the point of practicing all these moves is to kill, right? If one move can kill, why do you need all the others?" He went on to explain the philosophy behind "the Unbeaten Sword," a martial art technique he had seen in novels, and Qin Feng listened, confused at first, but gradually his mind began to clear.
Qin Ren took his time eating and drinking, giving Qin Feng space to process. Eventually, Qin Feng's eyes grew sharper, and he seemed to have an epiphany.
"Old Three, you're a genius!" Qin Feng laughed heartily, his usual cold demeanor melting away. He raised his glass. "Old Three, thank you for shedding light on the sword path. I owe you one!"
The two brothers clinked glasses and drank in silence for a moment before Qin Ren spoke up again.
"Big Brother, now that we've talked about swords, tell me, what kind of woman do you want? Let me keep an eye out for you."
Qin Feng's face softened, and he gazed out the window, lost in thought. "My dream woman must have long, shiny black hair."
Qin Ren chimed in, "Black hair is the sign of health."
Qin Feng continued, "Her appearance isn't as important as her eyes."
Qin Ren added, "A pair of speaking eyes will always make a man's heart ache."
Qin Feng nodded. "Her figure must be perfect."
Qin Ren teased, "For the next generation, of course."
Qin Feng sighed, "