Logo
Home

Chapter 130: Eight Forks

Princess Jing'an watched as a hulking man, likely weighing over four hundred pounds, tumbled out of a luxurious carriage. He howled as if his world had ended, then rolled towards a carriage that the heir apparent was not actually occupying. Poor Jiang Ni reluctantly pulled back the curtain and timidly stated, "He's not in this carriage."

The man's robust howling paused only briefly before piercing their eardrums once more. He scrambled and rolled towards the carriage behind them, completely unconcerned that his expensive brocade robes were getting covered in mud. With a sudden thud, he dropped to his knees in the road, instantly creating two indentations beneath him. His eyes swimming with tears, he disregarded his snot and tears, simply wailing heartbrokenly.

If such an odd display had come from a woman, Princess Jing'an might have grudgingly accepted it. But this trembling mass of flesh screaming on the ground was truly horrifying.

She was startled, her face instantly paling. She remembered who this fat man was: Lu Qiu'er, the most notorious and outrageous figure in Beiliang. No one, man or woman, who fell into his hands didn't wish for death. Princess Jing'an instinctively retreated further and further, no longer finding anything remotely comical, only feeling a chill spread through her entire body. Sword God Li, meanwhile, picked at his earwax, seemingly oblivious.

The true master, Xu Fengnian, stepped out of the carriage and jumped down. As if accustomed to it, he said blandly, "Chubby Chu, stop howling. Don't you have the slightest decorum of a third-rank General of the Left and Right Oxen Guard?"

Chu Lushan, whose infamous reputation far surpassed that of the heir apparent, remained on his knees, sobbing. "Lu Qiu'er messed things up this time," he wailed. "I truly have no face to return to Beiliang and see the Great General!"

Xu Fengnian tapped Chu Lushan's swollen cheek with his embroidered winter saber scabbard. "Don't play pathetic with me here," he said impatiently. "Save some energy to stir up trouble in Xiangfan later."

Chu Lushan, whose eyes were almost lost in his rolls of fat, opened them to mere slits. He wobbled to his feet, still hunched over before straightening up, and smiled chillingly. "Your Highness can rest completely assured. Allow Lu Qiu'er to stay a few more days in Qingzhou. I must truly 'bring blessings' to this region to properly 'repay' this Prince Jing'an."

Having said this, he turned to face the heir apparent. Instantly, his face transformed into a harmless, garishly bright smile, like a cow-dung flower. He circled Xu Fengnian once, then carefully kneaded his arm. "Good, good," he sighed in relief, "it's a blessing Your Highness is unharmed! Otherwise, Lu Qiu'er would be ten thousand times dead and still couldn't atone for it!"

Xu Fengnian said softly, "Pranks are pranks, but don't delay serious matters."

The fat man, whose hands reached past his knees and whose earlobes were as large as a Buddha's, chuckled. "Lu Qiu'er can't accomplish any great feats or glorious deeds," he said, "but he's naturally proficient at the unsavory little things."

Princess Jing'an watched the two men, so disparate in appearance, converse. Though their interaction seemed mild, her palms were already slick with sweat. Originally, everything she knew about Beiliang was hearsay; even tales of horrific atrocities felt less real when they didn't directly concern her. But after arriving at Lushui, she realized that almost no one from Beiliang was normal: the Beiliang heir apparent who wielded a saber, the green-clad maid who used a spear, the old sage in sheepskin who used a sword, a hundred light cavalry guards, and now this fat man before her.

Princess Pei Nanwei had heard rumors while at the royal manor some time ago that this man, upon arriving in Qingzhou, had brutalized several beautiful noblewomen. One of them, when sent back alive to her family, was reportedly left in an unimaginable state. It was also rumored that a young, fair-skinned noblewoman was abducted from the street into a carriage, and less than half an incense stick later, her disheveled corpse was thrown out of the carriage at the end of the road. Not a single official, high or low, in Qingzhou, who were usually protective of their own, dared to speak up or interfere.

Xu Fengnian said expressionlessly, "You can go back. There's nothing for you here for now."

Chu Lushan looked troubled, his demeanor surprisingly coy, like a young maiden, which made Princess Pei Nanwei, who was secretly glancing over, feel both nauseated and terrified.

Xu Fengnian chuckled and patted the cheek of this very official third-rank military general. "I truly don't know how you managed to grow several hundred pounds," he teased.

Chu Lushan chuckled. His peripheral vision caught sight of Princess Jing'an, and perhaps recognizing her identity, he naturally regarded her as the heir apparent's rightful plaything. The fat man, a notorious womanizer, had no lewdness in his eyes, only a certain unreadable depth. Princess Pei's heart almost shattered; her limbs turning to jelly, she slipped into the carriage, daring not to watch any longer.

Chu Lushan looked reluctant. "Your Highness," he said, "is Lu Qiu'er going back already?"

Xu Fengnian hummed noncommittally. Chu Lushan hesitated, then muttered, "Your Highness has grown thinner; Lu Qiu'er wishes he could cut some off himself for you." Only then did he return to his carriage, looking back every few steps, leading away his brave personal guards, who were like tigers, leopards, and jackals.

As he passed by Ning Emei, who wielded a great halberd, he muttered under his breath, "Useless trash. Are you still one of the Beiliang Four Fangs? You're nothing!"

Although Ning Emei thoroughly despised the conduct of the Great General's adopted son, he maintained a clear distinction between public and private matters, and held no contempt for Chu Lushan's illustrious military achievements, accumulated bit by bit during the Qiuguo War. Hearing the cold, nagging remark, he merely offered a wry smile, without any rebuttal. Xu Fengnian was too lazy to bother with such trivial matters. He entered the carriage, which felt a bit cramped. He kicked out the two poor young Kui beasts that had curled up at his feet. Poor Princess Pei recoiled, pressing herself against Jiang Ni, who was already huddled in the corner, not forgetting to offer a sheepish smile. Jiang Ni had never harbored hostility towards pretty women, especially if they weren't allied with the heir apparent, which made her happy, so she politely returned a smile.

Xu Fengnian said coldly, "You two go to the other carriage. Princess Pei, you'll clean the stains there. Don't forget to fetch water yourself."

Princess Pei Nanwei didn't quibble over this matter. Instead, she asked, "Aren't you afraid of retribution for associating with someone like Chu Lushan?"

Xu Fengnian sat closer to Qingniao and said without lifting his head, "Yu Youwei, go tell Ning Emei to inform Chu Lushan that Princess Pei wants to have a long, philosophical talk about morality and righteousness with him all night."

Princess Pei bit her lip, her eyes filled with equal parts hatred and fear as she stared intently at Xu Fengnian's profile. Yu Youwei was the first to leave the carriage. Princess Pei, fearing Yu Youwei would actually go and have Lu Qiu'er stopped, hurriedly followed her. Seeing that Yu Youwei had no intention of actually pushing her into the fire pit, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief. However, when she pulled back the curtain and saw the entire carriage stained with blood, and the pungent smell of blood assailing her nostrils, she froze on the spot. Did she really have to obey his orders and do the work of a servant? Yu Youwei, with the Wu Meiniang doll still stained with Xu Fengnian's blood in her arms, said softly, "Everything has a first time, Princess Jing'an. Just being alive is enough. Come, I'll take you to the waterhole."

Xu Fengnian continued to sit quietly, gently holding one of Qingniao's hands the entire time.

Under the cover of night, on Chu Lushan's side, the General of the Left and Right Oxen Guard, who sat like a small mountain inside his carriage, had his eyes narrowed to slits. In his hand was a secret report he had already received, densely packed with information about Prince Jing'an's manor, no matter how trivial or significant. Even the fact that Prince Zhao Xun secretly kept a "canary" resembling Princess Jing'an was recorded, only lacking the specific address.

Chu Lushan put down the secret report and clasped his hands over his stomach, fingers intertwined.

It's hard to believe that this fat man, whose military career was known for its cruelty, was once jokingly called "Chu Eight-Forks" by Li Yishan of Tide-Listening Pavilion. This wasn't a derogatory term but rather a high compliment to Chu Lushan's talent. Li Yishan himself stated that Chu Lushan had a brilliant mind, was skilled in short odes, excelled at official rhymes, and could compose a rhyme in eight hand gestures. Generally, among the quick-witted scholars, composing a poem in just a few steps was considered a great skill. But this man, infamous for his depravity, could compose poetry and lyrics with eight hand gestures, and do so remarkably well. This assessment came directly from Li Yishan, so there was naturally no exaggeration.

Xu Fengnian didn't believe it at first, but later had no choice but to. Once, he asked Lu Qiu'er directly why he hadn't sought official recognition through this talent back then. Unexpectedly, the fat man chuckled and said that for a man to compose "boudoir verses" would be an insult to his manhood.

Who could have imagined that the foremost talent in both literary and martial arts within the Beiliang army was Lu Qiu'er, known only for his brutal reputation?

Chu Lushan lightly gestured with his intertwined fingers a few times. Each time he gestured, he named a person.

There was Zhao Xun, Prince Jing'an's eldest legitimate son, as well as several other sons. After eight gestures, not a single one was missed. He even included several high-ranking Qingzhou officials who were closely associated with Prince Jing'an's manor.

Lu Qiu'er opened his eyes, smiling like a Maitreya Buddha, and said, "Have you fellows prepared yourselves?"

Back to novel Sword Snow Stride
COMMENT
Write Novel
Qingshan

16045 · 0 · 43

Beyond the Divine States

12167 · 0 · 24

Dragon Prince Yuan

32437 · 0 · 25

Library of Heaven’s Path

52028 · 0 · 22

Journey to the West

2616 · 0 · 20

Keyboard Immortal

59231 · 0 · 24