A Martial King was a Martial King, after all. Even after a night of being treated like prey by a ravenous wolf, Fu Xi Yan was full of energy again when the sun rose. But for once they did not have to hurry along the road, and nobody in the residence was urging them up, so he simply lingered in bed.
Pei Yuan Jin wanted to get up, but Fu Xi Yan held him back. Beneath the covers, his two feet were not behaving themselves either, kicking and fidgeting. Pei Yuan Jin raised an eyebrow. “Shall we keep at it day and night?”
Fu Xi Yan stared at him in shock, privately wondering what new indecent expression that was. He had learned his lesson, however, and did not dare say so aloud. Instead he changed the subject. “Right. The whole night has passed. I wonder what Wei Li Ming managed to find.”
Pei Yuan Jin held him close, narrowing his eyes contentedly as he enjoyed their peaceful moment.
Fu Xi Yan, however, was exceptionally talented at ruining the mood. He had only meant to change the subject, but his thoughts soon wandered far away. “I thought Mo Xiao Ran had been quiet so long because he was recuperating at home. Clearly I underestimated him. That great demon would rather get himself killed than stop courting disaster.”
Pei Yuan Jin stroked his arm. “The sudden invasion from the western frontier must be connected to him.”
The western frontier was filled with small states whose customs differed widely. An ordinary person would find it hard to unite them, but it was a different matter with Tong Fang Yu, the lord of the City of Ten Thousand Beasts, acting as an intermediary from her position in the west.
“Not just the western frontier, surely,” Fu Xi Yan said.
War on the western frontier alone could not shake Northern Zhou’s foundations. Only an offensive from three directions at once would force Northern Zhou to divide its attention and expose an opening. Hadn’t Qiu Xi Hong already been transferred away?
Pei Yuan Jin continued, “The emperor is taking advantage of the situation, putting himself in mortal danger in the hope of finding a way to survive.” With Qiu Xi Hong gone, there was no supreme expert left to defend Haojing. Its gates were effectively open. For the sake of the common people, Immortal Treasury Palace could not simply stand aside, especially after what had happened at New City.
Fu Xi Yan frowned slightly. “But it hasn’t been long since the Battle of New City.”
During the fighting against the Spiritual Cult and the experts who supported it, Pei Xiong Ji and the elders had suffered injuries of varying severity. Some were on the verge of breakthroughs, while others had taken the wrong path. Their fighting strength was greatly reduced. Even Pei Xiong Ji himself might have no idea how much they could still bring to bear. Mo Xiao Ran, meanwhile, had planned everything from the proposed relocation of the capital to the outbreak of war. He was sure to have come prepared. With one side deliberately calculating against the unsuspecting other, they had lost the initiative before the battle even began.
Pei Yuan Jin remembered the great battle at Luoshi. Shi Yi Ming, Jing Luo, and he had joined forces, yet Mo Xiao Ran had still managed to escape. More infuriating still, the body Mo Xiao Ran was using then had not even been his own. His cultivation was almost unfathomable.
Was he truly a Martial God? Or had he already broken free of the limits of Martial King and Martial God and reached the legendary Golden Core Stage?
An ordinary person confronted with such a possibility would inevitably hesitate to fight. Pei Yuan Jin, however, felt his fighting spirit soar. He wished he could challenge Mo Xiao Ran immediately. Perhaps that was the very opportunity he needed to break through his bottleneck.
While they talked, Fu Xi Yan’s hand was not particularly well behaved. His fingers kept tracing over Pei Yuan Jin’s abdominal muscles. Suddenly he went still, then withdrew his hand from under the covers with a perfectly blank expression.
Pei Yuan Jin gave him a meaningful look.
Fu Xi Yan declared solemnly, “As long as Mo Xiao Ran lives, the world will never know peace, and I won’t sleep soundly either! Mm. Diligence leads to mastery, while idleness leads to ruin. I’d better get up and practice.”
Pei Yuan Jin tightened his arms and drew him back into his embrace. “Practicing first thing in the morning is an excellent idea.”
Fu Xi Yan: “…”
That’s not the sort of practice I meant, dear!
…
Order with care, darling! We’re completely out of stock!
Lou Bai Zhan had known before arriving that he was an uninvited guest. He had not expected his timing to be quite so perfect. In fact, just as he reached the gates of the Fu residence, Fu Xi Yan and Pei Yuan Jin had finished another three hundred rounds of battle. By the time he sat in the reception hall sipping tea, the two men were hurrying over to meet him.
When they appeared, however, neither showed the slightest trace of haste.
Lou Bai Zhan greeted them enthusiastically. “When I first met Brother Fu, I immediately felt we were old friends. Who could have imagined that a chance encounter would let me form a connection with one of the great pillars of today’s martial world?”
Fu Xi Yan laughed as he approached. “It’s been so long. I’ve missed you terribly. Please, say more.”
Lou Bai Zhan blinked, then nodded. “If Brother Fu doesn’t mind me chattering, shall I tell you how I’ve been? I originally intended to accompany the Third Prince to Luoyang, but my mother fell ill just before we departed, so I missed the chance. Later Father tried to find me a position in the Ministry of War, but there was no opportunity. Sigh. I’m already so old and have accomplished nothing.”
Fu Xi Yan was rather puzzled. Even in an age of privilege, did imperial relatives and nobles have trouble finding work? He said, “I saw your elder brother yesterday. I heard he’s going to the western frontier tomorrow.”
Lou Bai Zhan nodded. “With Elder Brother going to the battlefield, I have all the more reason to stay home and attend to our parents.”
Fu Xi Yan understood at once. One brother would go to war, while the other remained to safeguard the family line.
Noticing that Pei Yuan Jin was seated silently nearby, Lou Bai Zhan enthusiastically introduced himself and continued, “I’ve admired Brother Pei’s reputation for years. You might not believe this, but the person I admired most as a child was Senior Pei of Immortal Treasury Palace. I even tried to run away from home to become his disciple. Unfortunately, they caught me before I made it out of the front gate and left me starving in the ancestral hall for an entire night.”
…
Fu Xi Yan remarked, “People usually don’t eat while they’re asleep, do they?”
Lou Bai Zhan laughed. “I was a fat child. How could I possibly go without food?”
…
“What a coincidence,” Fu Xi Yan said. “I was fat too.” And I didn’t eat.
“That’s different,” Lou Bai Zhan said. “Brother Fu’s figure could never conceal your magnificent bearing!”
Fu Xi Yan: “…” When I asked you to say more, this was exactly the kind of ‘more’ I meant.
Having fully demonstrated his gift for socializing, Lou Bai Zhan finally got to the point. “Actually, my elder brother instructed me to come before he left. With the earl and Commander Fu both away from Haojing, we younger people have no choice but to keep one another informed about what is happening at court.”
The implication was that Count Yongfeng and Count Le’an were on friendly terms.
Fu Xi Yan was surprised, but not entirely. Fu Fu had kept a low profile in Haojing, but Fu Xi Yan knew very well that neither his father nor his uncle was an easy man to deal with.
To Fu Xi Yan, however, Lou Bai Zhan’s offer was timely assistance. What he needed most was news from Haojing. Of course, he could not rule out the possibility that Emperor Jianhong had instructed Lou Bai Zhan to come.
Either way, this was another source of information.
Fu Xi Yan said, “Northern Zhou is fighting on three fronts. Things can’t be peaceful at court.”
“You’re telling me! Father comes home every day and sighs as soon as he steps in. Grandmother gets so annoyed that she calls him an ‘unlucky wretch’ behind his back. The greatest controversy at court these past two days is His Majesty appointing the Marquis Guangxin to oversee Yanzhou, replacing the Prince of Pingluo. Elder Brother said you went to the palace to see His Majesty yesterday, as soon as you returned? Whatever you do, don’t bring this up.”
Fu Xi Yan had not planned to mention it anyway, but Lou Bai Zhan’s solemn warning made him curious. “Why?”
Even though he knew nobody else was nearby, Lou Bai Zhan lowered his voice. “Yulin Town fell because there was a traitor inside. The traitor kept insisting that Prince Longnan wasn’t dead, that he had returned, and that His Majesty had taken the throne illegitimately.”
Fu Xi Yan lowered his voice too. “What does that have to do with the Marquis Guangxin replacing the Prince of Pingluo?”
Lou Bai Zhan spoke even more quietly. “Because the Prince of Pingluo stated quite clearly in his memorial that Prince Longnan really was alive. When Yulin Town fell, the frontier troops had no time to withdraw. They say Prince Longnan held up the Northern Alliance army, giving the Prince of Pingluo time to rally the remaining soldiers, strengthen their defenses, and clear the surrounding countryside of supplies.”
“Is that information reliable?” Fu Xi Yan asked.
“Absolutely. The Prince of Pingluo said favorable things about Prince Longnan in his memorial, which is precisely why he was transferred to Youzhou. Officially, he is defending against Mengwu. In truth, His Majesty fears he and Prince Longnan may be… secretly conspiring together.”
Fu Xi Yan blinked. “If I remember correctly, wasn’t the Prince of Pingluo one of Wang… one of His Majesty’s most loyal supporters back then?”
“That’s why he was only transferred away from Yanzhou.”
After sorting through the logic, Fu Xi Yan realized it all came down to Wang Yu’s fear of Prince Longnan outweighing his trust in the Prince of Pingluo.
He asked, “If Prince Longnan really is alive, what does His Majesty plan to do?”
“I’m afraid only the Marquis Guangxin knows. After all, this is a feud between brothers. Even if His Majesty gave an order, it would certainly be a secret edict.”
Fu Xi Yan found himself almost admiring Wang Yu. Everything was a tangled mess, yet the man could still sit calmly with his fishing line in the water, waiting for Fu Xi Yan to ‘think it through.’
Lou Bai Zhan said, “That’s all my news. Does Brother Fu have anything to share?” Since they were exchanging information, each side should naturally give as well as take.
“I do have one thing,” Fu Xi Yan said.
“Oh?” Lou Bai Zhan leaned closer expectantly.
“The Prince of Pingluo reached Youzhou in time and drove back the Mengwu army.”
“I already know that.”
“You do?”
“Actually…” Lou Bai Zhan hesitated, then decided not to beat around the bush. “We want to know why His Majesty summoned you two back.” Lou Wu Zai had reported the previous day that Cen Bao En had brought them back from Yanmen Pass. Count Le’an had taken a great interest in the reason. Lou Bai Zhan claimed to have been sent by Lou Wu Zai, but the person who had really instructed him to come was Count Le’an.
Jincheng, guarded by Duke Haixi; Yanzhou, guarded by the Marquis Guangxin; Youzhou, where the Prince of Pingluo was stationed… None looked likely to fall. Haojing, far behind the lines, ought to be perfectly safe. Experts such as Fu Xi Yan and Pei Yuan Jin would be far more useful on a frontier engulfed in war. Calling them back to Haojing seemed a complete waste.
Fu Xi Yan said, “Do you know why I went north in the first place? His Majesty sent me to investigate. I didn’t understand why he was in such a hurry to call me back, but now that you’ve mentioned Prince Longnan, I think I know.”
Lou Bai Zhan exclaimed, “Prince Longnan really isn’t dead?”
Fu Xi Yan said, “Wen Hong Xuan and Zhang Zu Rui have fallen out.”
Lou Bai Zhan paused, then drew a very theatrical breath. “That’s extremely important news too!”
Fu Xi Yan nodded. “Yes, yes. Very important.”
Lou Bai Zhan wanted to ask more, but Fu Xi Yan had no intention of revealing too much. After all, before the claim that Haojing itself was a formation had been confirmed, saying even a word about it would sound like a deliberate attempt to stir up trouble. Fortunately, Wei Li Ming arrived just then, and Lou Bai Zhan tactfully rose to take his leave.