Ever since leaving Southern Yu the last time, Fu Xi Yan had paid little attention to internal changes in the Spirit Sect. Hearing now that Ban Qing Yu had become the so-called Holy Maiden surprised him slightly. “What kind of position is Holy Maiden?”
From his limited experience, a Holy Maiden was usually a decorative mascot who did not actually manage anything. But Ban Qing Yu did not seem like the sort of person willing to become a mascot.
You Bai gave a vague answer. “Wu Xuan Yin returned and became Sect Leader again. Ban Qing Yu naturally had to step down from Acting Sect Leader and settle for something else.” His knowledge was shallow. Shake the bucket and it made noise, but pour it out and there was not much inside.
Fu Xi Yan quickly understood.
After the new-city incident, the Spirit Sect had suffered heavy losses. Ban Qing Yu’s “ascension” had failed, so naturally she no longer enjoyed her former uniquely special status. At the same time, Wu Xuan Yin wanted to use the young emperor’s power to reclaim the authority of Sect Leader, leaving the “Acting Sect Leader” no choice but to yield. The delicate title of “Holy Maiden” had therefore become Ban Qing Yu’s retreat, allowing her to avoid falling directly from Acting Sect Leader to an ordinary subordinate of the Sect Leader.
Fu Xi Yan asked, “Why is she going to Yuzhang?”
“To spread the teachings, give generously to the people, care for the elderly, aid the poor…” Seeing Fu Xi Yan’s expression change, You Bai immediately changed direction. “In truth, it is false benevolence, hypocrisy, and nothing but a performance.”
Fu Xi Yan said, “And the mission you mentioned?”
“Assassinate Ban Qing Yu!” You Bai deliberately said the words loudly and forcefully, filling them with righteous conviction.
Fu Xi Yan looked at him as though he were mentally unwell. Of course, this world did not really use that phrase, so perhaps “madman” was closer. It was not because Fu Xi Yan thought the task impossibly difficult. Rather… Prince Yue might dare hint at such a thing because Prince Yue truly knew who Fu Xi Yan was. But who exactly was You Bai? Did he know who Fu Xi Yan was? Where did he find the confidence to open his mouth and casually ask someone to assassinate a Martial King?
You Bai was not surprised by his lack of reaction. The first mission had only been bait to draw out the real proposal. He had always placed more hope in the next two. “If no such opportunity appears, then remain hidden in Yuzhang. The Territorial Security Office will cooperate from the shadows.”
Fu Xi Yan still looked uninterested.
“If neither of those works, then simply investigate why Ban Qing Yu is going to Yuzhang.”
You Bai remained convinced that the two were Northern Zhou covert agents. Otherwise the escort chief would not have handed him over to them at the end. He therefore actively planned on their behalf. “Yuzhang once belonged to Prince Yue. His Highness does not want another tragedy like the new city to happen there. No matter what you discover, even if you only confirm that everything is peaceful, the information will still be useful to Prince Yue.”
Fu Xi Yan’s expression changed slightly, becoming serious at last. Pei Yuan Jin suddenly said, “The Spirit Sect spent enormous effort and resources building the new city. Yuzhang has only just returned to Southern Yu.”
He was implying that You Bai was exaggerating the danger.
Now it was You Bai’s turn to change expression. Pei Yuan Jin rarely spoke, but whenever he did, he went straight to the heart of the matter. He had also directly saved You Bai’s life, so for both emotional and practical reasons, You Bai could not argue with him. He could only turn the point aside. “The Spirit Sect has endless ways of harming people. No one can predict them.”
Seeing Fu Xi Yan fall silent without giving an immediate answer, You Bai felt somewhat disappointed. He had hoped to use the opportunity to build a good relationship with the Territorial Security Office. But after spending so long with Fu Xi Yan and Pei Yuan Jin, he already understood their personalities and had never expected too much, so he stood to take his leave.
Fu Xi Yan casually escorted him to the door.
You Bai said earnestly, “Since you have already come this far, you must think about your future.”
The remark contained both selfish motive and genuine concern. They had entered Southern Yu together, crossed the river together, and entered Prince Yue’s territory together. If Fu Xi Yan gained an important position, You Bai would also have someone to rely on.
Putting himself in Fu Xi Yan’s place, You Bai thought the pair had only just suffered pursuit from Southern Yu and were now being asked to return to territory controlled by Southern Yu. Resistance was understandable. He therefore added, “I will be going to Rongcheng in a few days. If this truly does not suit you, I can look for another path for you after I arrive.”
Fu Xi Yan watched him leave, then turned back into the room with a grave expression. “Let’s make Gui Gui a skirt.”
Pei Yuan Jin: “…”
The leap in topic was so large that even his thoughts went blank for a moment. He forced himself to ignore the matter of their daughter wearing a skirt, which somehow managed to sound reasonable and ridiculous at the same time. “What about You Bai’s proposal?”
Fu Xi Yan said, “We’ve concealed our names and identities for so long precisely so we could prepare before fighting. This is not the best time.” The conditions, terrain, and people were all against them. Going to Rongcheng now would be like delivering sheep into a tiger’s mouth. Advancing without retreat and charging forward recklessly were not the same thing.
But Pei Yuan Jin said, “I want to go.”
Fu Xi Yan froze. Apparently… advancing without retreat and charging forward recklessly were twins from the same womb. He sighed inwardly, but answered without the slightest hesitation. “Then we’ll go.”
Pei Yuan Jin raised his brows, probably not expecting him to reverse course so quickly.
After entering the Dao, Fu Xi Yan understood how important state of mind was to a martial artist, especially now that Pei Yuan Jin’s true qi was sealed. If his state of mind fractured on top of that, it would truly be rain pouring through a leaking roof. Hesitating even half a moment would be disrespectful to their relationship!
His attitude became extremely positive. “Come to think of it, if we manage to kill Ban Qing Yu in circumstances this unfavorable to us, wouldn’t that mean finding a path to life inside a dead end?” It fit his own martial path perfectly.
Exactly how they would find that path, however, still required careful planning.
That afternoon, Fu Gui Gui put on the Liuxian skirt her father had specially ordered.
Elio’s Notes: A Liuxian skirt (留仙裙) is a traditional pleated skirt associated with the Zhao Feiyan legend. Putting one on a newly hatched bird is, naturally, Fu Xi Yan taking fatherhood very seriously.
The instant the skirt covered the tail, Fu Xi Yan felt as though his soul had been redeemed. He looked with satisfaction at his daughter’s sparsely feathered little head. “Good. Now only one end of you is ugly.”
Fu Gui Gui was extremely uncomfortable. She cried “aiya, aiya” in protest and kept trying to tug the skirt with her beak.
Fu Xi Yan warned from a safe distance, “Stop that. If you tear the skirt, your dad won’t want you anymore.”
Whether Fu Gui Gui understood or not, she suddenly turned her head toward Fu Xi Yan and opened her mouth pitifully. Her tail even lifted out from under the skirt.
Gooseflesh erupted over Fu Xi Yan. He told Pei Yuan Jin, “Maybe we should make a sleeve for her tail too. It’s cold. Her whole body is warm-blooded except that tail. It looks… cold and pitiful.”
Pei Yuan Jin: “…”
Fu Gui Gui ultimately did not end up wearing the tail sleeve her father thought she needed. This was not because her father had suddenly grown smarter and reflected on his ridiculous idea, but because her tail was too thin and the hastily made padded sleeve would not stay on.
Their complete immersion in parenting activities quickly exhausted the patience of the Territorial Security Office, which had been observing from the shadows. According to Yue Hu’s report, the pair were at most at the Mortal-Shedding Stage. That was enough to be called expert, but hardly enough to justify acting lofty under Prince Yue’s banner.
You Bai left that night. Before departing, he did not state the matter too definitively. He merely told them Fu Xi Yan and Pei Yuan Jin were still considering it.
Under strong internal pressure, the Director of the Territorial Security Office gave a final ultimatum. If Fu Xi Yan and Pei Yuan Jin stubbornly refused every mission and refused the test, then they would have to be invited to the Territorial Security Office for a proper conversation about Northern Zhou.
From the Director’s perspective, the three mission options he had given them covered every possibility.
If Fu Xi Yan sincerely wished to serve Prince Yue and wanted an opportunity to distinguish himself, he should attempt to “assassinate Ban Qing Yu.” Whether he succeeded was secondary. The attitude itself would make future cooperation easy.
If he merely wanted to go through the motions, he could visit Yuzhang, walk around casually, and return with something as simple as information about civilian life.
If sheer dumb luck let him stumble upon useful intelligence, that would be even better.
As for the hidden danger… a covert agent’s work was dangerous by definition. Besides, if he truly belonged to Northern Zhou’s spy network in Southern Yu, surely he could make use of the information available to him.
If he rejected even that, then it meant he had no desire to cooperate with Rongcheng.
That was why the Director had decided to impose a final deadline. Whatever public or private reason had brought the two here, once they became involved in Southern Yu’s civil war, they had to choose a clear position. Otherwise they would become an unstable variable.
Just as the Director hardened his heart, Fu Xi Yan agreed.
His acceptance disappointed many people who coveted the Red Peng, but the Director relaxed. One more friend was always better than one more enemy, especially when there were two of them.
Fu Xi Yan did, however, make a demand, and he made it with perfect righteousness. “You can’t expect a horse to run without feeding it grass.” He also insisted his request was not excessive. He only wanted thirty medicinal herbs.
For an organization that monitored everything happening throughout Prince Yue’s territory, finding thirty herbs truly should not have been excessive. The problem was that every one of the herbs on the list was something nobody had ever heard of.
“Jade-Marrow Lingzhi, Heavenly Spirit Fruit, Dragon-Scale Fruit…”
The city’s most famous physicians gathered together to study this dreamlike list and collectively frowned. They looked at one another for a long time before finally pushing an elderly physician forward to apologize. “Please forgive this old man’s limited knowledge. I truly have never heard of these medicinal herbs.”
The Director was annoyed. “Thirty herbs, and not one of you has heard of any?”
If he knew Ban Qing Yu, he would have realized Fu Xi Yan had used this exact trick before. The last time dated back to when Southern Yu’s spy network was still intact, scattered throughout Northern Zhou’s pawnshops and money houses, and Fu Xi Yan had gone around asking about The Great Shift of Heaven and Earth and Little Li Flying Dagger.
This time, Fu Xi Yan used the same strategy, mixing two of the three remaining Golden Origin Pill ingredients into the list.
One elderly doctor suddenly said, “I have heard my master mention this Riverbed Moon Begonia. It is said to be a flower that grows in mud at the bottom of a river. It resembles a begonia, never sees daylight, and absorbs only moon essence through the water. It can harmonize violent and chaotic true qi inside the body. It is useless to ordinary people, but for martial artists, especially those suffering from cultivation deviation, it is an exceptional tonic. The flower is extremely difficult to propagate. Even under identical conditions of time and place, a second blossom may never appear. A single petal could be worth ten thousand gold, and even then there might be none for sale.”
The Director had originally thought that if he could find even one item, it would be enough to shut Fu Xi Yan up. But after hearing “ten thousand gold for a single petal, with none necessarily available,” he immediately abandoned the thought.
That amount of money could hire a Martial King. A mere Mortal-Shedding expert could keep dreaming!
He sent the information back and only promised that the Territorial Security Office would keep watch for it. Beyond that, he offered nothing.
Even that small piece of information was extremely useful to Fu Xi Yan. Yu Yu Er had once been willing to steal a fake Harmonized Yang Pill for the sake of two medicinal ingredients. That alone showed how rare spiritual medicines were. Even the son of an Immortal Treasury Palace elder could not resist the temptation.
Still, Fu Xi Yan had no intention of letting the Director off that easily. He told the messenger, “We have seen the Director’s sincerity. Let this information serve as the deposit. Once I complete the mission, I’ll come collect the Riverbed Moon Begonia.” He unilaterally finalized the transaction.
When the Director heard this, he laughed from sheer anger and sent another message. “Ask him which mission.”
The messenger became increasingly impatient at having to run back and forth, and his tone grew sharp when he relayed the question.
Fu Xi Yan remained perfectly composed. “Naturally, the mission the Director assigned.”
The Director’s first reaction was anger, assuming Fu Xi Yan was answering nonsense with nonsense. But after turning the words over carefully, he realized they contained quite a lot. He had offered three missions, all of which counted as assignments. By phrasing it that way, Fu Xi Yan had included all three.
The other two were simple enough, but… assassinating Ban Qing Yu?
The Director straightened. “If they can kill Ban Qing Yu, then I guarantee I’ll find the Riverbed Moon Begonia!”
He was not boasting. Rongcheng had prepared many trump cards for use against the Southern Yu court, but when it came to abnormal existences such as Martial Gods and Martial Kings, they had very few good answers. If Fu Xi Yan and Pei Yuan Jin truly eliminated one of the Spirit Sect’s highest combat powers, then as long as the herb existed somewhere in the world, the Director would dig three feet into the earth and sift every river until he found it.
Fu Xi Yan had already intended to go to Yuzhang. The Riverbed Moon Begonia was simply an unexpected bonus. He immediately agreed. “Deal!”
Since they had accepted the mission to kill Ban Qing Yu, the Territorial Security Office became much more enthusiastic in its cooperation. It arranged their identities for entering Yuzhang, the route they would use, contacts after arrival, and every other detail. The Office even proactively asked whether Fu Xi Yan needed anything else.
Fu Xi Yan thought for a moment and gestured with his hands. “A longer bird skirt. Sew a narrow inner pocket at the back.” Something that could hold the tail inside.
When Fu Gui Gui changed into the new skirt and her tail could swish left and right without escaping the fabric, Fu Xi Yan felt the whole world become beautiful.
“Aiya! Aiya!”
Held down at the bedside by Pei Yuan Jin, Fu Gui Gui vented her fury for the entire night. When Fu Xi Yan got up the next morning, the Red Peng was so angry that her eyes had opened. They were bright red, though it was impossible to tell whether they were red from rage, red from staying awake all night, or simply naturally that color.
Before her eyes opened, Fu Gui Gui had at least possessed a certain foolish cuteness. Once she could see the world, she transformed completely into an irritable little destroyer. She banged bowls and tables during meals, thrashed her tail and kicked people while being dressed, and if Fu Xi Yan showed disgust and moved farther away, she would flap her wings and charge into him, headbutting his stomach. Then she would stare at him with round red eyes, as though asking, Why haven’t you fallen beneath my pomegranate skirt?
Elio’s Notes: “To fall beneath someone’s pomegranate skirt” (拜倒在石榴裙下) is an idiom for being captivated by a woman. Fu Gui Gui has apparently embraced the expression with alarming confidence.
Fu Xi Yan: “…I miss my tiger son.”
Pei Yuan Jin said, “This one is actually yours by blood.” That vanity was so extreme there probably was not a third creature in Heaven or Earth capable of matching it.
Fu Xi Yan thought for a moment. “Then who does the tiger son take after, with that refusal to bathe?”
Pei Yuan Jin: “…”
A two-choice question failed to receive a definite answer, so Fu Xi Yan solved it at the root.
“Sons really are all picked up from garbage heaps.”
Winter in the south arrived later than in the north, but once it came, it came swiftly. The streets of Yuzhang had been filled with people wearing single layers only the day before. Today, many had already put on thin padded jackets, rubbing their hands together and breathing out white mist.
The charcoal business was excellent. Several loads had sold in a single morning. From this alone, it was clear that the shadow of war over the city was gradually fading. The people were no longer living in fear that tomorrow might never come and had begun seriously planning for the days ahead.
Fu Xi Yan and Pei Yuan Jin entered through Yuzhang’s gates at just such a time.
Yuzhang was newly retaken territory, and the court had not yet filled all its official posts. The person currently controlling the entire city was Dragon-Tiger General Feng Huai Gu, who had captured it. According to information from the Territorial Security Office, refugees displaced by the fighting had gradually been resettled. The war had remained war without descending into total chaos, which was good news. Yet when Fu Xi Yan and Pei Yuan Jin heard that the Spirit Sect’s Holy Maiden had played a key role in this, unease remained.
For someone like Ban Qing Yu to personally do good deeds, there had to be some benefit she wanted in return.
Building popular support among the common people was itself a benefit.
Fu Xi Yan had guessed as much before, but Pei Yuan Jin shook his head.
At the time, Fu Xi Yan had not understood what was wrong with the idea. Later, watching Pei Yuan Jin enter the gate with a posture and bearing completely unlike everyone around him, realization suddenly struck.
Fu Xi Yan thought popular support mattered because his previous life contained so many famous sayings about it: Water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn it. The people are most important, the state comes next, and the ruler is least important. Ban Qing Yu, however, had grown up in a world where martial artists stood above everyone else and their word was law. Why would she spend effort winning over ordinary people who offered no benefit whatsoever to her martial future?
Pei Yuan Jin had understood immediately because his background resembled Ban Qing Yu’s.
Fu Xi Yan said sourly, “Come to think of it, you and Ban Qing Yu really are a perfect match in terms of family status.”
Pei Yuan Jin said, “Mm.”
Fu Xi Yan stared at him in disbelief. “You actually said mm?”
Pei Yuan Jin said, “You and I are a match made by Heaven.”
Fu Xi Yan’s mood shot from the valley straight to the summit, although his mouth remained stubborn. “Hmph. Are we?”
Pei Yuan Jin said, “If Heaven had not arranged it, how could there have been so many coincidences?”
Fu Xi Yan carefully thought back over the chain of events that had brought them together. Zhao Tong Qu had colluded with the Ghostshadow Organization. Yu Yu Er had privately stolen medicine. Song Qi Yun had used Tang Gong. Tang Gong had tried to sell his daughter for advancement and, when that failed, wanted to use Fu Xi Yan as a scapegoat. Mo Xiao Ran had planted Taotie Gu in Jin Yuan Xiu. Fu Xi Yan’s soul had, through a freak accident, been reborn into Jin Yuan Xiu’s womb, attracting the Earth Mirror. The Earth Mirror had neutralized the Harmonized Yang Pill… If any link in the chain had gone wrong, he and Pei Yuan Jin might have passed each other by completely.
He summed it up. “Looking carefully, it was all bad people causing trouble, and we turned disaster into fortune. That proves Heaven has eyes and evil can’t defeat righteousness!”
He had felt vaguely anxious about this trip, but after analyzing their entire history, he suddenly felt as though cause and effect truly existed somewhere beyond sight. Surely that elusive “one” left outside Heaven’s reckoning belonged to the good side.
Elio’s Notes: “The elusive one” (遁去的一) alludes to the traditional idea that while Heaven’s workings account for forty-nine parts, one remains outside the fixed pattern, leaving a sliver of possibility that cannot be completely predetermined.
Seeing him relax, Pei Yuan Jin stopped speaking.
After entering Yuzhang, they did not immediately find lodging or ask about Ban Qing Yu. Instead, they went to a pawnshop.
After repeated fighting, Yuzhang’s pawnshop business was booming. Many civilians had brought household possessions to pawn just to survive their present difficulties. Fu Xi Yan even had to wait in line outside for a while.
The shopkeeper asked, “What are you pawning?”
“A bird.” Fu Xi Yan pushed Fu Gui Gui forward. Fu Gui Gui stretched her neck around, looking left and right without the slightest idea that she was being used as a door-knocker.
The shopkeeper lifted his eyelids, not particularly surprised. “Living things can only be sold outright.”
Fu Xi Yan pretended to sigh. “Then outright it is. The important thing is the price.”
The shopkeeper said, “We’ll price it like a chicken. I’ll get a scale and weigh it…”
“This is a Red Peng!” Fu Xi Yan said “anxiously.” “A rare bird almost impossible to find in this world! How can you compare it to common chickens and ducks?”
The shopkeeper’s heart stirred when he heard “Red Peng,” but his face remained unchanged. “Then what price do you want?”
Fu Xi Yan raised one hand.
“Five taels of silver?” The shopkeeper deliberately frowned. “At that price, I’m afraid I’ll have to ask the owner…”
“Fifty thousand taels of gold! Not one tael less!” Fu Xi Yan infused a little true qi into his voice and shouted.
The shopkeeper jumped, his blood and qi churning in his chest. He had no idea the reaction came from true qi and assumed Fu Xi Yan’s outrageous demand had literally infuriated him. He sneered, “You’ve got grease clogging your heart. A scraggly mongrel bird, and you dare demand that price!”
Fu Xi Yan had originally only been acting, but hearing this genuinely annoyed him. A parent was allowed to call his own ugly child ugly. Outsiders were not.
He said, “I thought pawnshop keepers were supposed to be knowledgeable. Who knew there were ignorant fools like you? Forget it. I’ll find a real expert to appraise this bird!”
The shopkeeper’s heart tightened when he saw Fu Xi Yan turn to leave. Could that bald-headed bird really be the legendary Red Peng? After all, birds that large were indeed uncommon.
Then he thought again. Fifty thousand taels of gold was far beyond anything he had authority to decide. Whether it was a Red Peng or not, there was nothing wrong with being cautious. Besides, the customer had left on his own. The shopkeeper had not thrown him out. Even if the owner asked later, he could hardly be blamed.
That was what he told himself. Yet no matter how much business he conducted afterward, the ugly bird remained stuck in his thoughts.
He was not the only one. Fu Xi Yan’s shout of “Fifty thousand taels of gold! Not one tael less!” had attracted many eyes. Not long after he left the pawnshop, quite a few people began trailing behind.
Fu Xi Yan pretended not to notice. He took Pei Yuan Jin to several inns and finally chose the cheapest one.
Once inside the room, Fu Xi Yan closed the door, opened the window, and stood within looking down at the street. People came and went below. How many were government watchers? How many were Spirit Sect agents?
He closed the window again and smiled. “Who do you think will knock first, the government or the Spirit Sect?”
Pei Yuan Jin took out a book he had conveniently acquired from the Territorial Security Office and read with complete calm. “The Spirit Sect.”
As a newly captured city, Yuzhang was filled with watchers placed by Feng Huai Gu. News that a Red Peng had appeared in a pawnshop also reached his desk almost immediately.
Feng Huai Gu had little interest in rare birds such as the Red Peng. He trusted his own military methods and had no particular use for such auxiliary tricks. But…
His military adviser suggested, “His Majesty’s wedding is approaching. If the Red Peng were presented as a congratulatory gift, General, you would certainly gain face.” The emperor was the highest person beneath Heaven. Naturally he ought to possess the rarest things beneath Heaven.
Feng Huai Gu thought about it and found the reasoning sound. “But fifty thousand taels of gold…”
He could grit his teeth and bear fifty thousand taels of silver. Gold? Selling him would not raise enough.
The adviser smiled. “General Feng governs Yuzhang. Your word carries enormous weight. Why must real gold and silver be involved?”