FRGNM -Chapter 123 A Different Drum and Bell

“Drunk or not, we’ll only know once we spar…”

Before Fang Xu could finish, the person still in Luo Mingyu’s arms twisted her body in a strange motion, pressing down on his back. “Your strength hasn’t fully recovered. Don’t let him see through it. I’ll handle this.”

Those few words warmed Luo Mingyu’s heart—but the woman before him was drunk, barely able to stand. How could she spar with Fang Xu? If sober, with her unusual movements, she might have been able to hold her own.

But Luo Mingyu had once again underestimated her.

The casually standing woman curled her hand forward. “Come on. Losing isn’t shameful. If I lose, Luo Mingyu steps in, how’s that?”

Fang Xu’s eyes gleamed. Even though the woman had just played that intense music, in his mind, she was still useless—unable to use fighting energy at all!

Her fighting energy was forcibly sealed. If she tried to break through, she would fall into the formation. Luo Mingyu’s fighting energy was partially gone—this had to be tested.

A woman who couldn’t use fighting energy? One strike, and he could…

He swung his fist as her figure dashed toward him. But the drunk woman only hiccupped, showing no defensive stance.

“Ruoxi! Grand Imperial Ancestor, this is too risky!” Nangong Mo’s heart jumped. He immediately rose, eyes on the woman atop the hall.

Ye Ningfeng also stood, shaking his head. “Your Highness, according to Duan Yun Kingdom’s rules, when two parties spar, no one else may intervene.”

Fang Xu’s fist neared, but the unsteady, swaying woman smiled faintly. Her right foot shifted backward, and her soft body leaned diagonally, avoiding the blow. Her hazy eyes stayed on him, and her seemingly slow hands twisted like swimming snakes around his wrist, pulling—but due to her drunkenness, she couldn’t move him.

Fang Xu’s expression darkened. Despite her holding his wrist, he pulled it sharply backward. But she calmly stepped forward, letting her weight press almost entirely onto him.

Unable to dodge, Fang Xu was struck by his own momentum, attacking wildly, yet no matter how fast he moved, he could not hit the woman before him.

Veins bulging on his forehead, Fang Xu was furious. He hadn’t expected that without fighting energy, he couldn’t even hit a woman.

The woman stood casually, slowly raising her hand. Hiccupping, she laughed: “This is our version of Drunken Fist—using softness to overcome hardness, blended with Tai Chi moves. You can’t hit me…”

Bang!

A lightning-fast punch landed on her abdomen.

Luo Mingyu’s face darkened, fingers tightening around the wine cup.

But the drunk woman only bent forward slightly, catching the punch with hands on her stomach. Twisting leisurely, she trapped the arm between her legs, lightly twisting it with her hands.

Crack…

The sharp sound of bone breaking echoed through the hall. Everyone there held their breath. The famously skilled Fang Xu could not handle a woman, and worse—he seemed terrified of the formation, not daring to use fighting energy. Everyone knew Fang Xu was famed as the strongest formation master on the Dragon Walk Continent.

“My hand!” Fang Xu shouted in panic, nearly forcing his fighting energy, yanking his right hand back. Crack! The dislocated wrist snapped back into place.

The drunk woman instinctively toppled into Luo Mingyu’s arms, nuzzling his face intimately, smiling faintly. “How did I do? Not bad, right? Any rewards?”

“What do you think?” Luo Mingyu gently patted her small backside, glancing at Fang Xu. “Young Master Fang, you’d better stick to formations. Combat clearly isn’t your specialty.”

Cradling her in his arms, Luo Mingyu said nothing more and exited the hall.

The others murmured quietly, glancing at Fang Xu with different expressions. Who would have thought—the continent’s greatest formation master… could be beaten so easily by a woman?

Fang Xu’s face darkened further. He bowed stiffly. “I lack skill. No more words, Your Majesty, I take my leave.”

Within a single incense stick’s time, a man in light blue entered, smiling, followed by a man in black with a half mask concealing one side of his face.

“Apologies for my tardiness. Congratulations to the Nanning King. A small gift, please accept it.” With a gesture, Fang Xu produced a small box, purple fighting energy trailing behind it as it entered the hall.

The fighting energy trembled, nearly dropping the box. Observing from outside, someone raised an eyebrow, whispering: “A formation has been set up. Duan Yun’s defenses are strong… I dislike entering areas without fighting energy. Let’s break it.”

He pointed his index finger forward; a drop of blood fell onto the formation. Crack… Something seemed to shatter. The purple energy dragged the small box into the hall.

The visible formation dissolved instantly. Everyone inhaled sharply. Breaking formations so easily—no wonder he was the continent’s top formation master.

“Young Master Fang, earlier you—?”

“Oh? You mean him? He’s from Qiongyu Immortal Island. By now, he should be tailing the Xie King…”

What a lively woman. Seeing her vomit, Luo Mingyu frowned, almost tossing her into the bath. She drank one cup, yet expelled so much.

“Murong Ming… Murong Ming…” She muttered in the pool, hands grasping for something ahead.

A slap on her small rear. “Quiet! Where’s this Murong Ming? Do you like that old man?”

“N-no…” Sloshed with alcohol, she stared ahead, dazed. “I want… I want the marriage contract in his hands. I want to destroy it. Hic…”

Luo Mingyu was pleased. At least she understood the useless contract should be destroyed. Had it been up to him, he’d have taken it from Murong Ming and destroyed it himself.

“I want to know who my parents are… who they are…” She clutched Luo Mingyu’s robe, turning sleepy eyes on him. “Tell me. You know them, right? Who are they? Where are they?”

“I don’t know.” Frowning, Luo Mingyu wrapped the utterly drunk woman in a bath towel and carried her to the room.

Like an octopus, Ling Ruoxi clung tightly to him, shaking her head. “No… I can’t… Let me go back… X-Project… X-Project needs me… Luoyue, Chen Hai… wait for me…”

“What X-Project? Nonsense. You’ve had too much to drink,” Luo Mingyu said, patting her face and prying her hands apart.

The mischievous woman didn’t know what she was doing, still clinging to him, trying to pull him outside.

Her firm chest pressed against him. He raised an eyebrow, a sly smile forming. Luo Mingyu laid her gently on the bed, looking down at her. “What are you trying to do?”

“Heavy…” Feeling the weight, Ling Ruoxi murmured weakly, pushing against him.

Heavy? Luo Mingyu loosened his grip, ready to release her. But she suddenly rolled, the bath towel tearing, curling herself like a sleeping mermaid.

Her black hair cascaded over her back; her fair skin shone like snow-white lotus. A faint fragrance, like the pond’s blossoms, lingered irresistibly.

Feeling his body heat, Luo Mingyu knew he couldn’t look any longer. He reached for the blanket to cover her.

But the sleeping woman moved, kicking off the towel and curling herself even tighter.

Her eyes darkened, flames of desire rising. Luo Mingyu’s Adam’s apple moved. No thought for anything else—he grabbed his clothing and leapt onto the bed.

Like a tiger pouncing, he held her slender waist, pulling her close. She slightly parted her lips, breath scented with lingering alcohol.

Ignoring everything else, he kissed her passionately, sweeping her lips with fervor, making her silver hair flutter as she gasped.

Her hazy eyes stared ahead. Her upturned phoenix eyes were mesmerizing, cheeks flushed pink.

His wandering hands sent shivers through her. She tensed her muscles instinctively, clutching his arms, letting out soft moans.

Those faint moans made him tense, eager to take her then and there. But she wasn’t fully awake—forcing her would only hurt her.

“Luo… Luo Mingyu…”

She felt like a puddle of mud, completely drunk, her mind foggy, her consciousness flying far away…