Chapter 351: Mr. Yucang

Five riders raced across the grasslands. A Goldenwing descended from the sky, gliding after the galloping group. Old Six Xu reached out and caught it, removed the secret message, read it, then urged his horse forward and caught up with Guan Fangyi.

"Eldest Sister, the brothers keeping watch have sent word. Linghu Qiu and his two servants should already have been taken away by people from the court."

Guan Fangyi abruptly turned toward Niu Youdao.

"You had people stay behind just to wait for this news?"

Niu Youdao glanced over, but instead of answering her question, he said, "Send word to the brothers keeping watch. Two days from now, quietly leak a rumor saying that both Linghu Qiu and I were secretly detained by the court!"

Guan Fangyi asked, "What does that mean?"

Niu Youdao said gravely, "There are some things no one needs to understand too clearly. Knowing isn't always a good thing. If you want to return safely to Qingshan Commandery with me, just do as I say!"

That reminder made Guan Fangyi thoughtful. She nodded, then turned to Old Six Xu.

"Do as he says!"

"Yes, Eldest Sister!"

Old Six Xu reined in his horse at once, jumped down to handle the outgoing message, then would catch up afterward. Guan Fangyi, meanwhile, kept studying Niu Youdao with an odd look. Niu Youdao occasionally glanced around at their surroundings. By chance, his gaze met hers. He stared.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Guan Fangyi shook her head with feeling.

"I think I finally understand now."

"Understand what?"

"I finally understand why the court of the State of Yan failed to do anything to you even after you killed its envoy. You're so young. Where do all these crooked little schemes come from? One layer after another, one trap after another. You're making the hairs on my body stand up. I'm genuinely afraid that one day you'll sell me and I'll still be helping you count the money!"

"Are you praising me or cursing me?"

"What do you think?"

"At Shangqing Sect, the place where Dong Guo Haoran secluded himself in life was called Peach Blossom Spring. There was a thousand-year-old peach tree there, blooming through all four seasons without withering, brilliant as rosy clouds. It was beautiful. I stayed there for five years."

"I know. You were confined there for five years. Are you trying to say this is all because you never want to be imprisoned again? Excuses! A crooked mind is a crooked mind!"

"I once composed a poem in Peach Blossom Spring."

"Hm? You can write poetry too?"

Niu Youdao recited:

"In Peach Blossom Vale stands Peach Blossom Hermitage;
Beneath Peach Blossom Hermitage dwells a Peach Blossom Immortal.
The Peach Blossom Immortal plants peach trees,
And plucks peach blossoms to trade for wine.
Sober, he sits only before the flowers;
Drunk, he comes again to sleep beneath them.
Half sober, half drunk, day after day;
Flowers fall, flowers bloom, year after year.
I only wish to grow old and die amid flowers and wine,
Never to bow before carriages and horses..."

Uncle Chen and Shen Qiu, riding behind the two of them, both stared at him. Guan Fangyi stared too. The poem painted its scene so vividly that she could not help being drawn into its leisurely mood. She seemed to understand his meaning.

He was using the poem to express his own feelings, saying that all this scheming and risking his life was not what he truly wanted.

After thinking for a moment, she asked, "There should be another half to this poem. Don't stop halfway. Finish it!"

"That's all."

Niu Youdao shrugged.

"You're no fun at all!"

Guan Fangyi rolled her eyes. Niu Youdao shook his head and sighed.

"It was already like that. There really isn't any more."

For a while, only hoofbeats remained around them. Guan Fangyi fell silent, then murmured to herself:

"Sober, he sits only before the flowers;
Drunk, he comes again to sleep beneath them.
Half sober, half drunk, day after day;
Flowers fall, flowers bloom, year after year..."

Suddenly she called loudly to Niu Youdao, "If I get the chance, I absolutely have to see that Peach Blossom Spring. You have to take me there!"

Niu Youdao smiled but did not answer. Instead, he began chanting in a strange tune:

"I was once an idle man of Wolong Ridge,
With yin and yang as easy as turning my palm, I could hold qiankun secure..."

By evening, another part of the grasslands presented an entirely different scene. An official road coming from a distant place and stretching toward another distant place cut through one of the mountain ranges rarely seen on the grasslands.

Although almost anywhere on the grasslands could serve as a road, major official roads were deliberately repaired and leveled for fast passage by horses and carriages. Running as directly as possible from one place to another also shortened the distance. Wild geese flew in formation overhead. Along the official road through the mountains, five men likewise thundered forward on fine horses.

Just as they were about to leave the mountain range, a Goldenwing skimmed over the forest and flew straight toward the five riders. The man in front reached out and caught it. But when he opened the message tube on its leg, he found it empty. There was no message inside.

As he frowned, men to either side suddenly shouted, "Careful!"

The man snapped his head up. Five enormous flying mounts shot out from the rolling forest ahead, skimming just above the treetops. Fifteen figures launched from the backs of the five mounts.

Five disciples of Xuanbing Sect tore off their cloaks in midair, revealing gleaming battle armor beneath. The scales covering the armor shot outward like shuttles in a violent barrage. The five riders sprang from their saddles and shot into the air.

Neighing miserably, the five charging warhorses collapsed. The ground erupted beneath the storm of scales, dust flying everywhere. The fallen horses twitched in pools of blood, their bodies riddled through like sieves.

The scales that had buried themselves in the earth broke back out from below and shot skyward again. They gathered and intertwined like five silver dragons, pursuing the five men in the air. Five masses of flame exploded overhead and transformed into five firebirds, which beat their wings and charged at the fugitives.

The five men hacked wildly with their swords in midair, sending fierce sword qi slashing in every direction to fend off the attackers. The incoming firebirds spat out balls of flame one after another, bombarding the air in bursts of fire.

Yet the countless razor-edged scales were the truly lethal part. They came from every direction. Under the combined assault of the five firebirds, the escaping men were thrown into chaos, and streaks of blood already sprayed from wounds opening across their bodies.

One man finally forced his way out of the killing net of scales and tried to dive into the forest below. A deep shout rang out:

"The sword emerges like a mountain, its force breaks a thousand jun!"

A mighty sword aura appeared, so solid it was almost tangible, crashing toward him like a gigantic pillar. The man twisted desperately, but there was nowhere to evade. He held his sword horizontally in both hands and pushed forward to block.

Boom!

Force exploded in every direction. The man was blasted away on the spot. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he fell from the sky, smashed into the ground, and began convulsing.

Elsewhere in the air, a fleeing Goldenwing was overtaken by a raptor. One claw lashed out and seized it cleanly. The Goldenwing gave a miserable cry in midair... The sudden battle came quickly and ended just as quickly. The five great flying mounts circling overhead beat their wings and descended one after another. While the victors were cleaning up the battlefield, a caravan appeared around the bend in the road ahead.

Five large carriages, each drawn by four horses abreast, were escorted by dozens of people. The whole procession stopped at the intersection and looked over the aftermath of the fighting. Several disciples from the three major sects stepped forward.

"Who are you?"

Beside the lead carriage, one rider turned his horse toward the window and reported through the hanging curtain.

"Sir, they are disciples of Daqiu Sect, Xuanbing Sect, and Tianhuo Sect."

A calm "Mm" came from inside.

The man who had reported immediately dismounted and lifted the carriage curtain. A fair-skinned man sat upright within. He rose, took several steps forward, ducked through the doorway, and stood quietly on the carriage shaft, looking down at the disciples blocking the road.

He wore clean white robes with a refined scholarly air. Deep lines marked the corners of his eyes. His gaze was calm and profound, silver threaded through his hair and beard. Tall and imposing, he carried an easy dignity that made it obvious at a glance he was no ordinary man. Several disciples among the three sects froze when they saw him. They knew who he was. They quickly summoned their companions, formed a row, and saluted together.

"Disciples of Daqiu Sect, Xuanbing Sect, and Tianhuo Sect greet Mr. Yucang!"

Every one of them was respectful and proper, not daring to show the slightest discourtesy. They had no choice but to be respectful. Never mind them—even the sect leaders of the three major sects treated this man courteously when they met him. Mr. Yucang ranked fifth on the Golden Core Ranking.

He was also an eminent scholar of broad learning and a master of military strategy. Generals in nearly every state had studied under him, and even Huyan Wuhen, Supreme General of the State of Qi, had once visited him to receive instruction.

When the States of Jin, Wei, and Qi had gone to war, he had personally stepped forward to mediate between the three states. His prestige across the various realms was considerable. What people praised most about Mr. Yucang, however, was his peerless sense of loyalty and obligation.

After his sworn brother died of illness, leaving behind a widow and orphan, Mr. Yucang had kept them with him and cared for them ever since.

It was said that whenever he met his widowed sister-in-law, another person always had to be present to avoid suspicion. When speaking with her, he never raised his head to look at her directly. People admired his propriety.

This was a man who could discuss the realm with sovereigns in the halls of court, yet sit as an equal among sect leaders in the mountains and debate the Dao. It was said he spent much of the year traveling through the various states with a group of disciples. The disciples of the three major sects of the State of Qi had never expected to encounter him here. Mr. Yucang raised one hand, indicating there was no need for ceremony.

Then he gestured toward the wreckage left by the battle.

"What are you doing here?"

A disciple of Daqiu Sect replied, "We were ordered to capture fugitives. May I ask where Mr. Yucang is headed?"

Mr. Yucang said, "I was on my way to spend some time in the Qi capital. I didn't expect to run into you handling official business. If we're in the way, we can turn around and take another route."

The Daqiu Sect disciple hurriedly said, "No need, no need. We're the ones who disturbed you, Sir. The matter is already settled. Please continue on your way. There's no need to make a detour!"

He immediately called to his companions. The disciples from the three sects moved quickly, clearing the dead horses from the road and using spiritual power to smooth away the pits and gouges blasted into the ground. The five-carriage procession started forward again. The disciples of the three sects stood respectfully by the roadside and saluted as it passed. The curtains on both sides of the lead carriage had been tied up. Mr. Yucang sat within and glanced obliquely through the window.

His gaze swept over the five gravely wounded men gasping on the ground, then over the birdcage seized by the three sects with its Goldenwing inside. The five enormous flying mounts were even harder to ignore. The guards riding beside the carriages only gave them indifferent glances. No one seemed to take the scene particularly seriously. Only after the caravan had gone far into the distance did the disciples of the three sects lower their hands. A few of them could not resist talking.

"Do you think the widow and orphan are inside one of those five carriages?"

"Probably. I heard Mr. Yucang brings them everywhere and personally looks after them."

"Are all those guards his disciples?"

"Some are. Some I haven't seen before. Judging by their ages, probably not."

"Why are you worrying about that? Move faster. Let's finish what we're doing first."

The caravan emerged from the mountains and once more entered the boundless grasslands. The setting sun bathed the procession in light. Inside the lead carriage, Mr. Yucang extended one hand through the window.

His long, elegant fingers met the wind, glowing hazily golden beneath the sunset as they lightly tapped against the window frame...

[End of Chapter 351]