No matter how graceful and captivating West Lake might be by day, beneath the hazy moonlight of night it could reveal only a few traces of half-hidden, half-spoken charm. Unfortunately, Monk Shan had spent so many years as a monk that he had long since reached the realm of “form is emptiness.” West Lake’s silken, flirtatious glances might as well have been cast at a blind man.
West Lake was still as a mirror, but the lake within Monk Shan’s heart was nowhere near as calm.
Every extra moment he stood there added another measure to his frustration.
The wind at the end of winter was particularly merciless at night, sweeping the lakeside so clean that there was not another figure in sight. Monk Shan could not feel the cold, but he could certainly see desolation when it stood before him.
Only now did Monk Shan have to admit that he had fallen into Mo Xiao Ran’s trap yet again.
The laughable, lamentable part was that this proved Cheng He Cheng’s old judgment of him still applied perfectly even today.
When he first found Mo Xiao Ran, he had been certain General Da was not there and that Mo Xiao Ran was playing an Empty Fort Strategy.
Then, in his panic, he saw a straw raincoat flash past outside the door. His suspicious nature immediately took over, overturning his previous conclusion. He decided he had fallen into a trap jointly laid by Mo Xiao Ran and General Da and fled in haste.
But now, looking at the empty West Lake beneath an equally empty night, even someone slower than Monk Shan would have realized that the straw raincoat had absolutely not been General Da. Tonight, Mo Xiao Ran had still been playing the Empty Fort Strategy!
And the reason was probably that strand of soul Monk Shan had left on Mo Xiao Ran.
If Mo Xiao Ran had done nothing and simply chosen to flee, Monk Shan would have assumed there was an opening. Even if he had to chase him to the ends of the earth, he would have eliminated him.
Instead, after what happened tonight, Monk Shan’s momentum had collapsed and his resolve had begun to waver. Even if he caught up now, he might no longer have absolute confidence in killing him.
Monk Shan slowly calmed himself. Thinking of the box Mo Xiao Ran had intercepted midway, he frowned.
Had Mo Xiao Ran taken it by chance, or deliberately? If it was the former, so be it. But if it was the latter, then many of Monk Shan’s existing arrangements would be affected.
Among the four of “Shan-Mo-Da-Yan,” he could hardly be called intelligent. He ranked first only because he was the oldest. But he did have one good quality: he liked to think. Perhaps that was a common failing among suspicious people.
Because the box had been stolen, his thoughts gradually began to spread, from Southern Yu to Northern Zhou… and the more he thought, the deeper his brows drew together.
There was nothing left in Southern Yu worth watching. It was time to go back.
* * *
The last time Pei Yuan Jin and Fu Xi Yan returned from Southern Yu, their deeds of killing Guo Ju Ying and storming the imperial palace together had circulated through the jianghu for a long time. The heat of that old story had not yet faded before a new topic arrived.
Jianghu people lived, supposedly, beneath “all under Heaven” and upon the emperor’s land, yet many still carried a certain contempt for palace guards. Some of the more blindly arrogant even looked at the idea of storming a palace and thought, I could do that too.
As for Guo Ju Ying, Pei Yuan Jin and Fu Xi Yan had fought him two against one. Even though their combat strength had not been equal, some people still believed Pei Yuan Jin’s side had won by luck.
This time was different. The strength of the Taoshan brothers and Wu Xuan Yin needed no explanation. The three had challenged Pei Yuan Jin one after another in a revolving battle. Even if Pei Yuan Jin had received help from others, the glorious feat of killing all three left no room for criticism anywhere. Even those trapped at the bottom of a well now knew what color the sky was.
People used to say Martial King was a threshold, and once one entered Martial King, Heaven and Earth changed. Now the saying had changed. Pei Yuan Jin himself had become the threshold for Martial Kings. Or perhaps more accurately, Pei Yuan Jin chased Martial Kings down and hacked them apart.
Elio’s Notes: The joke plays on kǎn (坎), a “threshold” or difficult hurdle, and kǎn (砍), “to hack/chop.” Pei Yuan Jin has gone from being a Martial King hurdle to literally hacking Martial Kings.
Fu Xi Yan disembarked at Jiangcheng and was just about to find somewhere near the docks for a steaming bowl of hot dry noodles when he stepped through a restaurant door and happened to hear some customers discussing exactly this. He nearly burst out laughing.
He managed not to laugh because he restrained himself. The people speaking managed not to laugh because they were terrified.
Leaving aside Fu Xi Yan and Pei Yuan Jin’s looks, there were plenty of handsome people in the world. Not every handsome man had to be surnamed Fu or Pei. They could just as easily be surnamed Xue or Hua. But two exceptionally handsome men accompanied by a giant bird in a dress, a bird that also loved crying “aiya, aiya,” were one in ten thousand.
Fu Xi Yan looked helplessly around the restaurant, which had abruptly fallen silent, at the diners quietly shifting aside to make room, and waved. “I’m just coming in to have a look. Keep eating.”
The two men who had been chatting burst into tears. “We were wrong! Young Master Fu, please have mercy!”
Fu Xi Yan blinked. “Wrong about what?”
So he really was holding a grudge! The two men cried even harder. “Everything!”
Fu Xi Yan: “…”
Fu Xi Yan explained, “I wasn’t interrogating you just now. I was asking a question. You didn’t do anything wrong. I really don’t think you did.”
The two men assumed he was speaking sarcastically and immediately begged for mercy.
Fu Xi Yan said helplessly, “Stop crying. Fine, I was wrong, all right?”
The sobbing stopped instantly. The two exchanged a glance and wiped their tears. Just when Fu Xi Yan thought they had finally believed him, they started saying goodbye to each other.
“Actually, that knife wound on your butt when we passed Black Wind Stronghold last time? I accidentally cut you. I was afraid you’d blame me, so I never had the nerve to tell you.”
“Actually, I stole that banknote you lost. I owed money outside and didn’t dare tell my wife.”
“Actually…”
“Actually…”
The more Fu Xi Yan listened, the more wrong this felt. “Do you two want to come back with me?”
They had worked themselves into such enthusiasm confessing that when he interrupted, they turned toward him impatiently. “Go back for what?”
Fu Xi Yan said, “To turn yourselves in. You know who my father is, right?”
One of them asked uncertainly, “Lord Fu probably doesn’t have time to deal with little matters like this lately, does he?”
Fu Xi Yan asked, “Why not?”
The man said, “Isn’t Miss Fu getting married in the third month? I heard His Majesty specially permitted Lord Fu to accompany the bridal procession. He should already be on his way to Jiangling.”
Fu Xi Yan straightened abruptly. “Are you serious?”
The man pointed at everyone else. “If you don’t believe me, ask them.”
The people watching the spectacle all nodded in perfect unison when Fu Xi Yan looked over. A few quick-witted ones had already begun congratulating his sister, wishing her a happy marriage, a hundred years of harmony, and children soon.
Fu Xi Yan casually pulled out a small piece of silver and tossed it onto the table, then grabbed Pei Yuan Jin and headed outside. Jing Luo followed behind with Fu Gui Gui in his arms, and the group hurried toward the Fu residence in the city.
The shopkeeper picked up the silver in confusion and chased after them. “Young Master Fu, who is this money for?”
Without looking back, Fu Xi Yan called, “The noodles!”
…
The shopkeeper stared down at the silver in confusion. “But you never ordered any.”
Fu Xi Yan was already too rattled to remember that ever since walking into the restaurant, he had done nothing but stand there talking and had never ordered noodles at all.
Pei Yuan Jin turned Fu Xi Yan’s hand over and clasped it in his own, quietly comforting him. “Perhaps Liu Huan has already persuaded his family.”
Fu Xi Yan did not dare hope too much.
If Liu Tan Du truly had dealings with the Northern Alliance, how could a few words from Liu Huan possibly change his mind? And the man just now had said the emperor had agreed to let Fu Fu attend the wedding. That sounded extremely suspicious.
When they returned to the Fu residence, two red lanterns bearing the double-happiness character swayed in the wind outside the main gate. Fu Xi Yan knocked. The gatekeeper lit up with joy the moment he saw him.
Fu Xi Yan asked, “Is my father here?”
The gatekeeper said, “Master escorted Second Young Miss to Jiangling. Madam is at home.”
That made the situation even stranger.
As a provincial official, Fu Fu ordinarily could not leave his post without permission. When Fu Xi Yan had married, Madam Fu had been the one to accompany him. Why had they switched this time?
The more Fu Xi Yan thought, the more uneasy he became, and the more uneasy he became, the faster he walked. He soon left the gatekeeper behind, used lightness skill, and raced all the way to the entrance of Madam Fu’s courtyard. Only there did he slow, reveal himself, greet the people in the courtyard, and wait for someone to announce him.
A moment later, someone came out and invited him and Pei Yuan Jin inside.
Jing Luo took Fu Gui Gui and, under the excuse of admiring the scenery, slowly followed the gatekeeper around the garden.
The room was dim, yet it was still obvious Madam Fu was not in good spirits. The last time she traveled to Mount Fujun, she had fallen ill on the way. Her health had barely improved before she threw herself into arranging Fu Xi Yan’s wedding. Then, because of Fu Xia Qing’s marriage, she had hurried back again without ever getting the chance to recover properly. Now that things had finally quieted down, every ache and illness seemed to emerge at once.
The senior maid quietly explained Madam Fu’s symptoms from the side.
Fu Xi Yan’s brows pulled tighter the more he listened.
Last time, Shou Nan Shan had obtained a Longevity Pill from the young Divine Physician, and Fu Xi Yan had given it to Fu Fu. It had worked well. If he had known this would happen, he should have asked for two more when the young Divine Physician came to Mount Fujun.
Seeing his worried expression, Madam Fu smiled faintly. “It’s only a minor illness. At my age, getting sick once in a while can even be a good thing. Better that than having every future illness become a serious one.”
Pei Yuan Jin said, “I’ll have Apothecary Jiang come down the mountain.”
Madam Fu waved a hand. “I’ve already improved quite a bit these past two days. I’m simply a little weak. Resting in bed will be enough. Go do whatever you need to do. Don’t worry about me.”
Fu Xi Yan used the Spirit-Sight Art to examine the color of her soul. Seeing that it was still full of vitality, he finally relaxed. “You’re still sick. Why did Dad leave by himself?”
Madam Fu said, “He went to escort Xia Qing to her wedding. If you leave now, you should still be able to catch them.”
Fu Xi Yan saw that her expression was normal, hesitated, then asked, “I wrote a letter before and had Xiao Sang bring it back. Did it arrive?”
Madam Fu was naturally intelligent and perceptive. The moment he suddenly mentioned a letter, she became alert. “A family letter? When did you send it? What did you write?”
One look at her reaction told Fu Xi Yan she probably had not seen it.
Either Xiao Sang had failed to deliver it, or Fu Fu had never shown it to her. Under normal circumstances, any change in their daughter’s marriage should have been discussed with the mistress of the household. But judging from Madam Fu’s complexion and the maid’s explanation, she had been seriously ill at the time. Fu Fu might have been afraid of disturbing her and handled it himself.
Thoughts flashed through Fu Xi Yan’s mind. “Mostly I was asking about Second Sister’s marriage and whether I could make it back in time to escort her. I didn’t expect Dad to go personally this time.”
Madam Fu said, “I originally intended to go. Who knew your father would apply to the emperor first without discussing it with me and insist on personally escorting her? Jiangcheng is so far from the capital that a round trip takes who knows how long. When exactly did he get this idea, and how did the timing work out so perfectly?”
It sounded like a complaint, but considered carefully, it seemed to hint that the imperial decree itself had arrived under suspicious circumstances.
Fu Xi Yan asked, “How long ago did they leave? Can I still catch up?”
Madam Fu said, “Two days. You can ask your eldest brother. He should know the schedule for the bridal procession.”
Fu Xi Yan raised a brow. “Big Brother didn’t go?”
Madam Fu’s face brightened. “Your sister-in-law is pregnant and needs someone beside her. Oh, and your Third Brother didn’t go either. He said he needed to observe mourning for his teacher and worried it would clash with the wedding.” At that, she paused and gave Fu Xi Yan a meaningful look.
Fu Xi Yan nodded to show he understood.
Clearly, there were many hidden complications behind Fu Xia Qing’s marriage. Madam Fu had suffered a serious illness and lacked energy. Her sons and daughter-in-law were still at home, and she was about to have a grandchild. If Fu Fu was determined to conceal certain things, she had not pressed too hard. Now that Fu Xi Yan had returned, she naturally handed all those unanswered questions over to him to worry about.
Fu Xi Yan left the courtyard and turned to look for Fu Li An, only to find Fu Li An already waiting outside. When he saw them, he said nothing and led them straight back to his study.
The moment the door closed, he said directly, “Go to Jiangling and find Father as quickly as possible.”
Fu Xi Yan asked, “What exactly happened? Did Xiao Sang deliver my letter?”
Fu Li An said, “He did. Father read it and originally intended to cancel the engagement, but before he could send the letter out, an imperial decree and a secret edict arrived together.”
These days, just hearing the word emperor gave Fu Xi Yan a headache. “What does he want now?”
Fu Li An said, “Officially, he is praising you for your last attempt to kill the Southern Yu emperor, calling you loyal, courageous, and devoted to your sovereign. He therefore granted Xia Qing the title of County Princess and specially permitted Father to escort her to Jiangling for the wedding.”
Hearing that excuse, Fu Xi Yan felt like he had an entire stomachful of seafood ready to spray out.
Fu Li An continued, “In reality, he wants Father and Second Uncle to coordinate from inside and outside and strip Liu Tan Du of his military authority.”
Fu Xi Yan said, “Liu Tan Du has controlled the southern border for years. How could Father and Second Uncle possibly do that by themselves?”
Fu Li An said, “Lu Qing went with Father too.”
Fu Xi Yan: “…”
That old bastard Wang Yu had planned this beautifully!
With Lu Qing there, the Immortal Treasury Palace would never stand by and watch the Fu family come to harm. Wang Yu could borrow someone else’s strength to do his fighting and seize the Liu family’s military power at the lowest possible cost.
But Fu Xi Yan could hardly tell Fu Fu to disobey an imperial order.
When Northern Zhou was founded, the Fu ancestor had been among those who fought to establish the realm. The title Count Yongfeng had been bought with his ancestor’s life. Fu Xi Yan could not simply tell Fu Fu to throw it away.
Besides, if the Fu family abandoned officialdom entirely, how would the whole household support itself in the future? The Fu family had no particular talent for martial cultivation or immortal cultivation. Were generations of them supposed to depend on the Heaven-and-Earth Mirror and the Immortal Treasury Palace forever?
Fu Xi Yan asked, “Do you know why His Majesty made this decision?”
Fu Li An said, “Perhaps exactly what you suspected. Liu Tan Du’s collusion with the Northern Alliance may have been discovered.”
That was certainly possible.
Fu Xi Yan sighed. At this point, no matter the reason, he would have to be dragged into the conflict along with Fu Fu. He gathered himself and smiled at Fu Li An. “Congratulations, Big Brother. You’ll be a father soon too.”
Fu Li An shook his head. “The good news is fake.”
“What?”
“The original decree required me to go with Father. Father refused, so he used the pregnancy as an excuse to leave me behind,” Fu Li An said calmly.
He had been married for years without a child. If he and his wife had not loved each other deeply, and if his mother had not respected his wishes, he would probably have been forced to take a concubine long ago. But no one knew how much longer that respect could last.
He was the legitimate eldest son and would inherit the title. Remaining childless indefinitely was simply not an option.
Remembering how happy Madam Fu had looked, Fu Xi Yan asked cautiously, “You hid this from Mother?”
Fu Li An said, “Her health improved as soon as she heard the news. Father said we should explain the truth after he returns.”
Losing something after believing you had it was more painful than never having it at all.
Seeing Fu Li An’s troubled expression, Fu Xi Yan hurriedly pushed Pei Yuan Jin forward. “We came back too suddenly this time, so Apothecary Jiang never got to examine Sister-in-law. Apothecary Jiang’s medical skill is practically divine. Difficult and complicated cases are his specialty!”
Pei Yuan Jin looked at him speechlessly, as if asking whether Apothecary Jiang himself knew about this advertising slogan.
Fu Xi Yan grinned and even patted his shoulder. “Right?”
What could Pei Yuan Jin say? This was his own wife. Was he supposed to undermine him in public?
“Yes.” He cleared his throat. “My mother also had great difficulty having me.”
That last sentence actually had nothing to do with Jiang Xiu. But in this context, it naturally made it sound as though Jiang Xiu possessed considerable skill in matters of fertility as well. Fu Li An finally smiled. “Thank you.”
Fu Xi Yan asked again about Fu Fu’s plan for this mission, but unfortunately Fu Li An did not know much. He only said, “I heard His Majesty and the Noble Consort are specially sending people to attend the wedding as a display of imperial favor.”
Fu Xi Yan thought: More like a weasel paying New Year’s respects to a chicken. Nothing good ever comes of that.
Fu Xi Yan asked, “If we chase them now, can we still catch up?”
Fu Li An said, “Father left two days ago. A bridal procession with musicians and all that noise never travels quickly. With your martial arts, even if you sleep tonight and leave tomorrow, you can still catch them before Jiangling. Besides, once they reach Jiangling, they’ll rest for two days. Xia Qing should be married from the residence Second Uncle purchased there.”
Only then did Fu Xi Yan relax.
They had spent quite a while in the study. Fu Li An’s wife, Madam Gu, heard that her younger brother-in-law had returned and came looking for them. Fu Chen Xing came with her.
After several months apart, Fu Chen Xing had shot up another little stretch, but his eyes were still bright and innocent. When he saw Fu Xi Yan, they lit up.
Unfortunately, at this moment, his beloved Fourth Brother had eyes only for his eldest sister-in-law.
Madam Gu blushed under Fu Xi Yan’s stare at her stomach and finally could not help saying, “Younger Brother?”
“Hm?”
“Hm?”
They answered in unison. Both younger brothers-in-law, Fu Xi Yan and Fu Chen Xing, looked at her at the same time.
Madam Gu said, “Younger Brother only just returned. Why don’t you go wash up and change first?”
Fu Xi Yan suddenly cupped his hands. “Congratulations, Sister-in-law.”
Madam Gu froze, then looked down sadly. “Your Big Brother hasn’t told you yet? Actually, I…”
Fu Li An hurried over and put an arm around her. “I already told him everything.”
Fu Xi Yan said, “Big Brother told me everything. Now it’s my turn to tell Big Brother and Sister-in-law something. Congratulations, Sister-in-law!”
Fu Li An and Madam Gu looked at each other, both completely bewildered.
Unwilling to remain a supporting character, Fu Chen Xing asked with precocious solemnity, “What is there to congratulate?”
Fu Xi Yan pinched his cheek. “Naturally… we’re going to be uncles!”
Fu Chen Xing knew nothing about the fake pregnancy and said with the gravity of a tiny adult, “Fourth Brother, you’re always running around outside. You’re the only one who doesn’t know. Everyone in the residence already knows.”
Fu Li An stared at Fu Xi Yan in disbelief. “You… you know medicine?”
Fu Xi Yan smiled.
He did not know medicine, but he did know the Spirit-Sight Art. He could see a tiny new soul inside Madam Gu’s belly. Judging by its size, it had probably only been there for one or two months.
Fu Li An did not dare take this lightly. He immediately sent for a physician, then worried one physician might misdiagnose her and summoned several more. Of five physicians, only two detected a pregnancy pulse, showing that the child truly was still too young for the pulse to be obvious.
For Fu Li An, two physicians plus Fu Xi Yan made the matter absolutely certain.
Usually steady and restrained, he could not stop himself from smiling like a child once the news was confirmed. Madam Gu burst into tears of joy and sobbed uncontrollably.
Only Fu Chen Xing remained puzzled. He could not understand why everyone was taking something they had already celebrated once and celebrating it all over again, acting as though they had heard the news for the first time.
When Madam Fu heard the news, there was certainly nothing unwelcome about having a grandchild, so Fu Li An took the opportunity to tell her the truth.
Madam Fu blamed him for hiding it from her, but once she learned there really was a child, she accepted the situation emotionally very quickly. Still, the phrase “Father told me to” ultimately exposed a crack in the story.
“What exactly did Fu Fu go there to do?” she demanded sharply.
It was rare to see the usually watertight Fu Li An make a mistake. Fu Xi Yan tactfully grabbed Fu Chen Xing and slipped outside so they would not interrupt Madam Fu while she educated her eldest son.
As they walked, Fu Chen Xing looked up at him every few steps. After this happened enough times, Fu Xi Yan could not resist asking, “What are you looking at?”
Fu Chen Xing said, “You. Before, every time Dad hit you, Big Brother would take me away to hide. I never thought this time you’d be the one taking me away.”
Fu Xi Yan: “…”
Fu Xi Yan said, “What’s so surprising about that? Your Fourth Brother has a different status now.”
Fu Chen Xing nodded. “I know.”
Fu Xi Yan smiled. “Oh?”
He was already prepared. Once Fu Chen Xing said, You’re the Heaven-and-Earth Mirror Master, Fu Xi Yan would modestly explain that this was merely one small step in his life and even greater achievements awaited him in the future.
Fu Chen Xing said, “You already married out. You belong to someone else’s family now.”
Fu Xi Yan: “…”
Fu Xi Yan asked, “Who told you that?”
Fu Chen Xing was startled by his expression. “My classmate. He… he really envies you. You got to ride in a big red bridal sedan. He said even his family’s sedan wasn’t that pretty!” He attended a private school in Jiangcheng that specifically enrolled the children of officials.
Fu Xi Yan: “…”
Fu Xi Yan turned toward Pei Yuan Jin, who had been walking silently behind them as though pretending he did not exist, pointed at him, and said, “Repeat after me. Fourth Sister-in-law!”
Fu Chen Xing shook his head awkwardly. “That’s wrong.”
“What’s wrong?”
“You’re Fourth Brother. How could he be your Fourth Sister-in-law? You should call him Wife!”
Fu Xi Yan thought about it seriously. “You’re right.”
He smiled at Pei Yuan Jin and called, “Wife.”
Pei Yuan Jin raised a brow.
Fu Chen Xing immediately followed obediently. “F-Fourth Sister-in-law.”
Fu Xi Yan could not help laughing. “Four times four is sixteen, you know.”
Elio’s Notes: Fu Chen Xing stutters on “Fourth Sister-in-law” (四、四嫂), giving Fu Xi Yan the opening for a childish “four times four equals sixteen” joke.
That evening, even Fu Dong Wen, who had been refusing visitors, attended the welcome-home banquet.
Seeing that Fu Dong Wen seemed in reasonably good spirits, Fu Xi Yan relaxed somewhat. After the banquet, he used digestion as an excuse to walk with him for a while.
Fu Dong Wen said, “I’m organizing the academy headmaster’s writings from before his death.”
Seeing that he did not want to say more, Fu Xi Yan simply said, “Take care of yourself.”
Fu Dong Wen said, “I don’t need to storm imperial palaces or kill Martial Kings and Martial Gods, so it would be rather difficult not to take care of myself.”
Fu Xi Yan: “…”
Mm. Personal sacrifice had confirmed it. Third Brother was still the same person who never needed anyone to worry about him.