The scripture pavilion of Liangchan Temple, composed of sixteen continuous buildings, houses countless Buddhist classics. However, many rare and unique texts still cannot find a place here. Though not a forbidden area, there are no places to burn incense, and thus pilgrims dare not wander about freely in this sacred place. Consequently, this area remains sparsely visited, with only monks from the temple coming and going in haste, either borrowing or returning books. Therefore, today’s trio of visitors stood out particularly. A woman who looked like a young matron was pulling the ear of a small novice monk draped in a special preacher’s robe. The woman kept scolding him nonstop, while the poor little monk endured the ear-pulling reprimand. Still, he would stop to greet and exchange pleasantries with fellow monks he encountered. Among those monks were venerable masters of the Hui generation, elderly men in their sixties and seventies, who would respectfully bow their hands upon seeing this young monk who often taught them. Yet, upon witnessing this scene, the elder monks averted their eyes, pretending not to see anything. As for the younger monks in the temple, those with less courage would blush and smile at the girl behind the monk and the young woman, while the bolder ones would stop and walk a few steps alongside them, calling out “Master’s Wife,” or attempt to chat with the girl of their own age. Unfortunately, the girl showed little interest and, growing annoyed, glared angrily and snapped, “Shoo, shoo! Who needs so many bald heads lighting up the place in broad daylight?”
The young monks scattered with laughter, not forgetting to sneak glances at the girl.
The young woman, still pulling the monk’s ear in irritation, said angrily, “Nanbei, you’re supposed to be loyal! If it weren’t for your master’s daughter stepping in, how long would it take you to expose your master? Tell me, what is your master hiding in the scripture pavilion for? Has he received love letters from another fox spirit from the mountains again?”
The small monk, forced to walk on tiptoes, frowned and said, “Mistress, really, Master is truly studying the sutras. Haven’t I always handed over those letters to you as soon as the great master gives them to me?”
The young woman laughed, “Nonsense! Every time, those letters are intercepted first by those two little brats, and you two sneak a peek? What’s so interesting about them? They’re just roundabout expressions of admiration, love, and longing. These women don’t even know shame, falling in love with a monk!”
The trio, of course, were the girl Dongxi, the novice monk Bennanbei, and the very famous “tigress” mistress of Liangchan Temple.
Dongxi finally spoke up in protest, “Mom, you married a monk too.”
The young woman, treating her daughter with unusual gentleness, increased the force on the monk’s ear but turned to her daughter with a soft voice, saying, “My dear, it’s not the same. I’m sacrificing myself for the greater good. Your father corrupting me is enough.”
Bennanbei quickly showed his loyalty, “Mistress, you are truly virtuous and have boundless merit!”
Far from loosening her grip upon hearing the flattery, the young woman pinched even harder, smirking, “Good for you, Nanbei, becoming as slick and cunning as your master. You’ve gone down the mountain twice and already learned how to change your tune with the wind? This won’t do! My dear, watch out for him.”
The little monk was on the verge of tears.
Well, he’d probably be getting only half a bowl of rice for every meal for the next two weeks.
Sigh, well, perhaps he could save up the spare coins to buy Dongxi some nice clothes when she goes down the mountain.
Arriving at one of the scripture pavilions, the young woman finally released the monk and shouted furiously, rivaling the lion’s roar of the Buddha’s teachings, “Li Dangxin!”
The small monk timidly said, “Mistress, Master said monks shouldn’t mention their names or age.”
The young woman ignored him, and Dongxi snapped, “Shut up.”
As soon as she finished shouting, a white-robed monk emerged from the tall pavilion in a flustered manner, rushing to the young woman with a smile, saying, “Dear, are you tired? Let me massage your legs.”
If an outsider were present, they would certainly believe that this woman, who had shown such ferocity along the way, would surely give the white-robed monk a good scolding before she was done. But upon seeing her man, she softened and said gently, “I’m not tired. I just haven’t seen you for a few days and missed you a little.”
The white-robed monk, originally named Li Dangxin, smiled enchantingly but said nothing.
With her presence, there was no Zen in the world.
Dongxi walked away shaking her head in an old-fashioned manner, while the novice monk Bennanbei followed her, whispering, “Shall we go play Go?”
Dongxi frowned as she thought about where to find some fruit from the abbots to satisfy her craving and said, “Aren’t you supposed to give a lecture to the old monks of the Shi generation about the gradual and sudden enlightenment?”
Bennanbei looked at the hot weather and noticed Dongxi’s hair clinging tightly to her cheeks, feeling a bit heartache, and said, “We still have an hour. Why don’t we find a shady place to cool off?”
Dongxi just absentmindedly said, “Why hasn’t Xu Fengnian come to our temple yet?”
Bennanbei smiled brightly, revealing his white teeth, and volunteered, “Why don’t I ask my master to let me go down the mountain to find Xu Fengnian? I can show him the way.”
Dongxi didn’t say anything but turned to look at this Bennanbei. Sigh, a few years ago, Bennanbei was still half a head shorter than her. How did he grow so tall all of a sudden? Sitting on the railing of the shaded corridor under the eaves of one of the scripture pavilions, she rested her cheek in her hand and said, “Bennanbei, you’re so clumsy. What will you do if I’m not around you anymore?”
Although Bennanbei was always called clumsy by the three of them, in reality, it was he who took care of these lazy people. Yet he just thought about it seriously, his expression more solemn than when the old monks of the Shi generation asked him about the meanings of the sutras. As if he finally figured it out, he smiled and said, “It’s okay. As long as you’re happy, look at your master and mistress, how loving they are. You will be like that too in the future. Don’t worry, Dongxi. A monk doesn’t lie. I promise. I will definitely give you a box of the best and most expensive face powder. I guess I can afford some relics by then.”
Dongxi turned her head and slapped Bennanbei’s bald head, saying, “You really want to become a Buddha and burn relics, how stupid!”
Bennanbei smiled foolishly.
He really was quite foolish.
※※※
After leaving Qingzhou, he rode nonstop straight toward Jiangnan Circuit. Prince Xu finally refrained from causing any trouble, and no loyal officials willing to sacrifice their lives for their beliefs emerged to confront him. No martial heroes seeking fame by risking their lives blocked his path either. Mainly, Xu Fengnian, besides collecting geographical records along the way, had no time for sightseeing, and the entire Yuzhou Province passed without incident.
During these days, they rarely stayed in the bustling marketplaces of large cities, either camping in remote wilderness or staying in private houses of former Beiliang Army comrades outside the cities. Every night, they saw the azure light piercing the stars Dou and Niu. The prince always left in neat attire and returned covered in dust and tattered clothes. The position of the Princess of Jing’an in the group was somewhat awkward. After the prince learned that she was skilled in painting, he had her accompany Wei Shuyang and Yu Youwei to draw the patterns of the Red Armor of the Four Symbols, as compensation, sparing her from doing menial chores usually assigned to servants. Now Princess Pei wore simple wooden hairpins and plain cotton clothes. Far from diminishing her beauty as one of the most beautiful women in the The Rouge Ranking (a beauty ranking), she gained an elegant charm that could never be seen when she wore elaborate court attire.
Leaving Qingzhou, passing through Yuzhou and reaching Yangzhou, from beginning to end, from opulence to hardship, Princess Pei showed remarkable composure without attempting to escape. This was probably also related to the strict march of the Fengzi Camp cavalry.
After passing the Tangsong Prefecture, which marked the border between Qingzhou and Yangzhou, only the Xiongbao Prefecture separated them from the Huting Prefecture in Jiangnan Circuit. In the carriage, Prince Xu lifted the curtain. Unlike Liangyong, here they followed local customs, replacing the locust trees along the post roads with willows. At a glance, the gentle greenery was pleasing to the eyes. However, although the scenery of Jiangnan was picturesque, the local people were gentle and refined, far less fierce and martial than the people of the barren Beiliang region. In Liangzhou, even women were skilled in horseback riding and archery. In the Prince’s Mansion (Prince’s Mansion), besides the swordswoman Xu Weixiong, who was exceptional, Xu Zhihu was also proficient in archery and horseback riding. A few years ago, it was said that a daughter of a Beiliang official married into Jiangnan. When she and her husband were traveling and encountered bandits, the man hid and wept bitterly, while she herself took out her sword and fought, becoming a laughingstock.
Xu Fengnian lowered the curtain, smirking, “The six arts of a gentleman, the men here probably can’t even match the women of Beiliang in archery and charioteering. How ridiculous. This prince wants to see these Jiangnan moral gentlemen who claim to be the best in the world at literary pursuits!”
Inside the carriage, besides Qingniao, the maid whose health had improved, the one reading was Princess Pei instead of Jiang Ni. It seemed that Xiaoniren had been sulking with the prince recently and hadn’t even done her money-making work, barely speaking for days. This hard work was thus taken over by Princess Pei. Coming from a top scholarly family, she had been immersed in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting since childhood. When she read, her voice was like pearls falling on a jade plate, quite pleasant to hear. The prince liked to stare at her cherry lips while she read. Fortunately, he just looked and didn’t touch her, or Princess Pei might have had to play the role of a chaste and virtuous woman, even biting her tongue to commit suicide.
In the past two days, Princess Pei had been reading “The First Snow,” which was much smoother compared to the secret texts from the previous days. However, she could clearly sense that after entering Yangzhou, this Beiliang prince had an underlying air of arrogance and malevolence. Just like when he mentioned the term “moral gentlemen,” he gripped his sword with both hands, exuding a killing intent so strong that even she, who knew nothing of martial arts, felt a chill run through her body.
Xu Fengnian turned to Qingniao, his expression softening, and leaned forward to help her tuck a strand of black hair behind her ear, smiling, “Don’t worry, in another ten days or so, you’ll be able to walk again.”
Leaning against the carriage wall, Qingniao whispered softly, “I heard from Old Sword Sage that the young master used both Longhushan Golden Elixirs on me.”
Xu Fengnian flicked her smooth forehead with his finger, teasing, “Waste? Who the hell told you it was a waste? Let them step forward, and I’ll cut them ten or eight times!”
Qingniao looked up, her eyes red but silent.
Xu Fengnian stretched his hands to cover his mouth and nose, making a pig face, and in a muffled voice, told a playful joke from “The First Snow,” “Senior Brother, Senior Brother, bad news! The master has been captured by a demon again. Senior Brother, Senior Brother, bad news! The female demon has been tricked back by the master again.”
Qingniao laughed through her tears, tightly gripping her skirt with both hands.
Seeing her mood improve, Xu Fengnian finally let go, smiling, “Two Longhushan Golden Elixirs aren’t worth much money. This prince has plenty of silver, gold, and property. Who cares about this?”
Qingniao said softly, “But these elixirs can’t be bought with money.”
Xu Fengnian reached out and pinched Qingniao’s cheek, gently twisting it, scolding, “Thinking too much again? I’ll just marry you off to any wandering swordsman. This prince doesn’t care if he’s ugly or not. Are you scared?”
Qingniao, known for her coldness in the Wutong Courtyard, rarely smiled sweetly, “Not scared.”
Xu Fengnian pretended to be annoyed, making a move to hit her, “This prince even used my ultimate move, and you’re still not scared? What should I do now!”
Qingniao smiled softly, “Any wandering swordsman, I’ll just kill them with one spear.”
Princess Pei Nanwei listened to the conversation between master and servant, feeling a chill. During these days, she had only been able to talk with Yu Youwei and the old Taoist priest, drawing the patterns of the Red Armor of the Four Symbols. From their conversations, she learned a little about the terror of the Red Armor warriors. And the girl in green, who had been severely injured by Wang Mingyin but still defeated the Red Armor puppet, wielded her spear with such might that she couldn’t imagine how a delicate woman could learn such a powerful spear technique.
Seeing Princess Pei lost in thought and forgetting to read, Xu Fengnian tapped her thigh with the sheath of his Xiuwinter sword. Princess Pei felt a sharp pain in her thigh but dared only to glare angrily, continuing to read with more forceful pronunciation. Xu Fengnian helped Qingniao lie down to rest. The driver, Yang Qingfeng, said in a low voice, “Your Highness, there are three carriages blocking the crossroads ahead.”
Xu Fengnian raised an eyebrow, “Does this need to be said? Tell the leading officer, Yuan, to crash through.”
Princess Pei immediately heard a commotion outside, with people cursing in the Yangzhou dialect, followed by screams of pain. Without needing to imagine, those Yangzhou people must have suffered a heavy loss, instantly silenced. The prince’s carriage continued forward without any hindrance. Xu Fengnian sneered, “The scholars outside Beiliang say we are uncivilized and have bad customs, that we only have a stick in our pants besides the stick in our pants. Damn them, this prince will show these bastards that they don’t even have a stick!”
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