Murong Longshui had not taken a single sip of water for three days and two nights. Since she could not shake off the pair of nuisances trailing her, she decided to enter a tavern in the heart of the city. She took a lump of gold from her small pouch and tossed it to the tavern servant, saying to keep the change, and ordered a lavish feast. She sat by the window, her generous spending and unusual stout figure drawing much attention. Not seeing that bastard from her window view, she was quite content to ignore the matter and indulged in eating meat heartily, while Lao E chewed slowly and delicately. Nearby diners whispered and gossiped, their words far from polite or reserved. Lao E, already burdened with frustration from the past three days, wanted to silently teach these rude people a lesson, but Murong Longshui gently shook her head. She took a large sip of unfamiliar liquor, held it in her mouth without swallowing, savoring its flavor slowly. From the corner of her eye, the bustling street remained lively, and even the common folk wore fine silks. Murong Longshui became momentarily lost in thought. After the end of the chaos of the Spring and Autumn Period under Liyang, the amount of silk and brocade obtained from Xishu, Nantang, and Dongyue totaled millions of bolts. In recent years, the Liyang Zhao clan had also relaxed regulations on clothing styles for commoners compared to the previous dynasties. Murong Longshui swallowed the liquor, pursed her lips, and murmured softly, “What a splendid scene of peace and prosperity.”
Less than five zhang away, behind a green brick wall, pedestrians were sparse. Xu Fengnian, wearing a marten fur hat, squatted at the corner, chewing a scallion pancake while muttering to himself. Without interrupting his speech, he raised his sleeve and, mimicking the manner of a minor squad leader issuing battlefield commands, gave orders to several floating swords before his eyes. With a flick of his finger, three of the swords darted swiftly along the wall, turned the corner, and in an instant pierced through the window of the tavern, aiming directly at Murong Longshui. Lao E lightly tapped the table, and a thin veil of white mist appeared between the swords and the princess. The three playful swords could not succeed and returned the way they came. No sooner had this batch departed than another arrived. This time, the three swords took sharp angles, dispersing quickly after entering the window. Lao E immediately tapped the table rapidly, and the swords came and went in a flash. The third wave arrived in an instant, persistently harassing Lao E, who was trying to remain hidden and was becoming increasingly overwhelmed. A few sharp-eyed diners noticed a hazy white mist and faint glowing lights near the window.
Murong Longshui slammed her bowl down heavily. Just moments after advising Lao E not to make a scene, she abruptly stood, smashed through the window frame, and sprinted away furiously, leaving the tavern patrons stunned. Could this woman actually be a hidden martial arts heroine? At the foot of the green wall, Xu Fengnian quickly stuffed the remaining half of his scallion pancake into his mouth and fled in a hurry. Murong Longshui stood in the alley, her fingers digging into the wall, crushing the bricks in her palm, her face turning stone-cold. Lao E, too, was exasperated by Xu Fengnian’s endless underhanded tricks but did not know how to comfort the young princess. The reason they did not pursue was because the boy’s sword manipulation was too skillful. Within ten zhang, the swords hovered precisely, silently lying in wait ahead like traps. Eight swords meant at least eight traps. Lao E muttered discontentedly, “It’s like chasing a dog that defecates randomly everywhere—you always have to worry about stepping in its mess. If you don’t chase it, it barks at you from behind. What a nuisance!”
Murong Longshui was amused by the vulgar analogy, her gloom somewhat dissipating. At the end of the alley, the boy, sensing that the two had no intention of pursuing, appeared again with a grin, leaning against the wall. After finishing his scallion pancake, he casually wiped his oily fingers on his marten hat and kindly reminded them, “You two divine old-young companions haven’t made up your minds yet, have you? Wait until I summon thousands of Beiliang iron cavalry—each of them spitting once would drown you. Be careful not to become a pair of doomed lovers, swimming in saliva, swimming and swimming…”
Murong Longshui glared at the bastard making a swimming motion and coldly sneered, “Don’t talk nonsense. At this moment, Zhuwang and Beiliang spies have become Zhao Gou’s thorns. No one dares to act rashly. If you could really mobilize a thousand cavalry from Beiliang here, I, Murong Longshui, won’t just surrender willingly—I’ll even be your servant girl.”
Xu Fengnian laughed loudly, “That’s what you said! If you dare, just wait. There’s a Taoist scripture in the Tingchao Pavilion that records the arcane art of summoning soldiers from scattered beans. Give me three days to master it. Then you can be my servant girl. By the way, the Wutong Courtyard is short of a sword-bearer girl. I think you’re tall and strong, and quite imposing. How about it?”
Murong Longshui gritted her teeth and forced a smile, “Fine. Not only can you have me carry your sword, I can even carry your memorial tablet later.”
Xu Fengnian pretended to be angry, “Cursing me, huh? Hey, you old silkworm breeder, aren’t you going to discipline your wife? How can you be such a useless head of the house? You’ve lived so long, but all your years have gone to waste on a dog. You called me a dog dropping mess before, but when you and the princess were enjoying your lovey-dovey moments, was your dog tongue licking around and calling it romantic? I’ve heard you have a terrible reputation in Zhuwang, having abused and killed countless women. Now that you’re wandering the jianghu with this young princess at her prime, don’t even think about having ill intentions. Just live a decent life—that’s better than anything.”
The young Northern Yan princess, still a maiden, merely smiled at his words, but Lao E grew visibly agitated. Although Zhuwang was loyal only to the Empress, more precisely to the shadow chancellor Li Mibi behind the Empress, Murong Longshui’s status was particularly prestigious. When the master was humiliated, the servant deserved death. Moreover, the prince’s words were filled with vulgarities, splashing filth on both him and the princess. If the princess ever remembered this after returning to Northern Yan, how could Lao E not be terrified? Xu Fengnian was about to continue teasing the moth, but the arrival of the young girl made him hold back. His fluffy marten fur hat tilted askew on his head, he squatted beside her, slowly chewing a scallion pancake with beef slices. Obviously, this pancake was far more luxurious than Xu Fengnian’s. The money for the pancakes had been taken from a wallet Xu Fengnian had swiped on the street. Jia Jia chewed her pancake, licked her fingers, and seemed uncomfortable with the warm fur hat, tugging at it. But instead of straightening it, she only made it tilt from one side to the other. Lao E watched the temporary partners without a hint of amusement, only feeling wary and troubled. For the past few days, only Xu Fengnian had acted. Lao E was certain that once the girl recovered her senses and healed a little, the next strike of her hand might fall on him and the princess.
Lao E rubbed his red nose and smiled darkly, “Prince, I’ve heard that the Beiliang Princess was originally a sword immortaless. She fell ill and died young because she became pregnant with you, leading to the White RobeCase in the capital. I’ve also heard that your eldest sister, Xu Zhihu, married far away in the south and lived in sorrow, and your second sister, Xu Weixiong, wasn’t much better off, nearly dying at the hands of Chen Zhibao. In a few years, the old king will be replaced by a new one. Even if you finally become a feudal lord, you’ll end up alone, unable to share happiness. You’ll have to worry about the Northern Yan cavalry marching south while guarding against Liyang’s schemes. If I were you, I’d have gone mad long ago. Just think about it—without mentioning the Northern Yan forces preparing for war right at your bedside, there’s also the Zhao family emperor nursing a grudge, and the likes of Zhang Julu and Gu Jiantang watching coldly. Several feudal lords are eyeing you hungrily. Tell me, isn’t your life nothing but suffering?”
Xu Fengnian remained leaning against the wall, arms crossed, and sighed heavily, “Who says otherwise?”
Murong Longshui, never one to speak without shocking, said calmly, “Zhao Gou has long had our Northern Yan spies embedded at high levels. Many important figures in the capital know this is your final time wandering the jianghu. The battle outside Shenwu City may not be your last. If you keep playing cat and mouse with us, you might end up losing everything, allowing the Zhao emperor to reap the benefits. At that point, I won’t mind teaming up with Zhao Gou to leave your corpse behind in the jianghu. In short, both of us are now caught in a gamble—to bet whether the Zhao emperor and Liyang ministers have the courage to act. If I lose, the current stalemate remains unchanged. If you lose, your father and Beiliang’s twenty years of restraint and patience will have been for nothing. The reason I’m speaking openly like this is because I’ve never truly seen you as an irredeemable enemy. On the contrary, Xu Fengnian, I genuinely admire you. Among men, only Toba Pusa and Dong Zhuo have earned my sincere respect.”
Xu Fengnian replied carelessly, “Respect doesn’t count as true submission. Only when a woman’s body surrenders is it real submission.”
Murong Longshui ignored his flirtatious remark and calmly asked, “Are you determined to gamble with me?”
Xu Fengnian extended one hand, clenched it, and shook his head with a smile, “It’s not really about gambling. Just like Beiliang believes only in cavalry and Beiliang blades, I only believe in what I’ve earned with my own hands.”
Murong Longshui’s lips curled into a cold smile, “Then let’s wait and see.”
She turned and left the alley. As Lao E was about to follow, Xu Fengnian said with a grin, “Two hundred and forty characters—I’ve memorized them all.”
Lao E’s throat moved slightly, and he spat a thick phlegm onto the ground, sneering at Xu Fengnian before striding away.
The girl uttered one word.
Xu Fengnian paid no heed to her interruption and curiously asked, “Where did your big cat go?”
Jia Jia squatted on the ground, silent as always, not responding to any of Xu Fengnian’s questions.
Xu Fengnian crouched down and helped her adjust her marten fur hat. She glared at him and deliberately tilted it back. Xu Fengnian rolled his eyes, stood up, and the two continued to tail “Ruhuasitieyu” and “Fengshenyulan,” the nicknames Xu Fengnian had given Murong Longshui and the old silkworm breeder two days ago. According to Xu Fengnian, this was called responding to hatred with virtue.
Passing a roadside stall, an old Confucian scholar was selling old books. A scroll with the words “Dian Gu Yu San Zi” ( The allusion of “Fish Three”) was placed upright, held down by a greenish toad-shaped copper paperweight. Seeing Xu Fengnian and the little girl pass by, the old scholar smiled and asked, “Young sir, won’t you take a look at the books? If you don’t have enough money, an old hairpin will do as payment.”
Xu Fengnian stopped, bent down, and stared at the scroll, asking, “Old sir, does this ‘Dian Gu Yu’ refer to the phrase ‘Ta Ji Yu’ (Tatting Fish)?”
The old scholar smiled and nodded, “Exactly. You are indeed well-versed.”
Xu Fengnian remained looking down, continuing, “Jia Jia Jia—homophonic with Jia ( A). Three Jias make San Jia ( Three A). Huang San Jia.”
The old scholar clicked his tongue, “You mean Huang Longshi? That name is ominous. Better not to speak of it.”
Xu Fengnian glanced at the expressionless little girl, then at the old scholar pretending to be mysterious, and took out a hairpin, gently placing it beside the paperweight, “Old sir, take her with you. No matter how ominous she is, she’s even more ominous by my side.”
The old scholar reached out to take the hairpin but was slapped on the back of his hand by the sunflower the girl held. He looked disappointed.
The old man chuckled, “I won’t take your hairpin for nothing. A certain old Immortal named Liu Haoshi has left the capital, bringing along a dog follower from the Dongyue Sword Pond. He’ll arrive in the city within half an hour.”
Xu Fengnian nodded and asked, “What about Sui Xiegǔ?”
The old man surprisingly answered candidly, “Still waiting. Two old men with a combined age of over two hundred, staring at each other like turtles and green beans, slowly wearing each other down. But in my opinion, even if his sword is sharpened to perfection, it still won’t be enough. Anything else you want to ask? Zhao Huangchao the turtle? Liu Songtao who’s gone mad? Or Deng Ta’a who rides a donkey backward while viewing the land? Or perhaps Luoyang who hunts people like deer?”
Xu Fengnian hesitated slightly and smiled, “No, forget it. You two better pack up and leave early.”
The old man smiled mysteriously, “You’re not afraid of death?”
Xu Fengnian helplessly replied, “As soon as you leave, I’ll run off too.”
The old man laughed heartily, “That’s the way to think.”
He stood up, his smile fading. He gently picked up the paperweight and tucked it under his arm, shook the scroll, and glanced sideways at Xu Fengnian, “She took on the fortune of Zhao Xuan Su from Longhu Mountain for you. The one who tied the bell must be the one to untie it. You’d better recover the Huangting quickly, or in three years… if she dies, I’ll break my principles and make sure both you and Beiliang suffer. You can’t die today—you can only die in three years. So I’ve called for a helper for you.”
The little girl left without hesitation, not looking back.
The old man walking beside her sighed, “So heartless—don’t even ask for the hairpin back.”
The little girl sniffled slightly.
The old man suddenly smiled, “That fur hat is nice. It looks cheerful.”
The little girl pulled the fluffy fur hat, which had only covered her forehead, down to hide her entire face.
Xu Fengnian stood still, watching the two disappear into the distance. Not long after, he turned his gaze to the opposite end of the street, where the white-clad Luoyang slowly approached.
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