Chapter 138: I am on the mountain, and you go to Jiangnan

The Two Zen Temple’s scripture pavilion held countless classics, comprising sixteen continuous buildings. Yet, there were still many rare and ancient texts that couldn't be stored. Although not a forbidden area, it lacked designated spots for burning incense, and pilgrims, despite being in a sacred Buddhist place, did not dare to wander freely. Consequently, this area was sparsely populated, with only some temple monks hurrying by, either borrowing or returning books.

Therefore, the three individuals present today stood out remarkably. A woman, appearing to be a young madam, was pinching the ear of a young monk clad in a special lecturer's kasaya. The madam chattered incessantly, and the poor young monk, with his ear twisted, endured her scolding. Even when he encountered other monks from the temple, he still had to bow and exchange polite greetings. Among those monks were many highly accomplished elders of the 'Hui' generation, all in their sixties or seventies. When they saw this young monk, who often lectured them, they would respectfully put their palms together in salute. However, seeing this scene, the old monks would look down, as if observing nothing. As for the junior monks in the temple, the more timid ones would blush and grin at the young madam and the girl behind the monk. The bolder ones would stop and walk a few steps with them, calling out "Shiniang," more often trying to get close to the girl, who was about their age. Unfortunately, the young girl was aloof and, when annoyed, glared furiously, "Go away, go away! Why are so many bald heads gathering in broad daylight, lighting lamps for whom to see?"

The young monks scattered with laughter, not forgetting to turn back and steal a few glances at the girl.

The young madam, who had been forcefully twisting the young monk's ear, said huffily, "Nanbei, you're so loyal! If I hadn't sent our daughter out, how long would it have taken you to reveal your master's whereabouts? Tell me, what is your master doing in the scripture pavilion? Did he receive another love letter from some vixen from down the mountain this time?!"

The young monk, forced to walk on tiptoes, said with a bitter face, "Shiniang, there truly aren't any! Master is genuinely studying Buddhist scriptures. Which time, these past few years, when the abbot gave me those letters, didn't I immediately hand them over to you, Shiniang?"

The young madam chuckled, "Nonsense! Which time wasn't it intercepted by Dongxi first, with you two brats secretly peeking? What's so good to see? It's just circuitous expressions of admiration, affection, and longing. These women, don't they know shame, talking about love with a monk?!"

These three, of course, were Dongxi the girl, the clumsy young monk Ben Nanbei, and the Two Zen Temple's very famous "tigress" Shiniang.

Dongxi finally stepped in to advocate for fairness, "Mom, you even married a monk."

The young madam was very kind and pleasant towards her daughter. She tightened her grip on the ear, but turned her head and said softly, "My dear daughter, how can that be the same? Your mom here is embodying 'If I don't go to hell, who will?' It's enough that your father harmed just one woman, your mom."

Ben Nanbei quickly expressed his loyalty, saying, "Shiniang is supremely virtuous, with immeasurable merits!"

After hearing the flattery, the young madam not only didn't let go but twisted again, snickering, "Well, well, Nanbei, you're becoming more and more cunning like your master! Two trips down the mountain and you've already learned the art of 'trimming your sails to the wind,' have you? This is intolerable! Daughter, be careful in the future."

The young monk was on the verge of tears. He thought, "It's over, I'll probably have to eat half a bowl of rice for every meal for the next half month. Ah, never mind. I'll just consider the saved money as for Dongxi to buy pretty clothes when she goes down the mountain."

Upon reaching a scripture building, the young madam finally released the young monk. With a furious shout, no less than a Buddhist lion's roar, she yelled, "Li Dangxin!"

The young monk timidly said, "Shiniang, Master said monks don't speak their names, and Taoists don't speak their age."

The young madam ignored him. Dongxi said impatiently, "Shut up."

No sooner had the young madam shouted than, with a whoosh, a white-robed monk darted out of the majestic pavilion in a scrambling manner, coming before the young madam. He chuckled, "Wife, are you tired from walking? Shall I massage your legs?"

If an outsider had been present, they would surely have thought that, given the woman's domineering behavior displayed throughout the journey, she would have given the white-robed monk a good scolding before stopping. But upon seeing her own husband, she said softly, "Not tired, just haven't seen you for several days, I miss you a little."

The white-robed monk, whose real name was Li Dangxin, smiled captivatingly and said nothing."Since she is here, there is no Zen in the world."

Miss Dongxi walked away, shaking her head with an old-fashioned air, and the clumsy young monk Ben Nanbei followed behind her, quietly asking, "Want to play chess?"

Miss Dongxi, who was pondering which abbot to visit for fruits to satisfy her craving, frowned, "Aren't you supposed to lecture those old monks of the 'Shi' generation on that 'Sudden and Gradual Enlightenment' text?"

The young monk, seeing the hot weather and how Dongxi's wisps of hair at her temples were tightly stuck to her cheeks, felt a little heartache, and said, "There's still an hour. How about we find a place to cool off?"

Dongxi, however, only said distractedly, "Why hasn't Xu Fengnian come to play at our temple yet?"

The young monk smiled brightly, revealing a set of white teeth, and volunteered, "How about I tell Master and go down the mountain to find Xu Fengnian? I could guide him here?"

Dongxi didn't speak, but just turned to look at this clumsy Nanbei. "Sigh, a few years ago, Ben Nanbei was still half a head shorter than me. How did he suddenly grow so tall?" She walked to the cool outer corridor under the eaves of a scripture pavilion, sat on the railing, and propped her chin on her hand, saying, "Clumsy Nanbei, you're so clumsy. What will you do if I'm not by your side in the future?"

Although Ben Nanbei was constantly called clumsy by this family of three, he actually seemed to be the one taking care of these three lazy people. Yet, he just thought about this question very seriously, with an expression on his face more solemn than when the eighty- or ninety-year-old 'Shi' generation old monks in the temple asked him about ambiguities in Buddhist scriptures. He seemed to have finally figured it out, and chuckled, "It's fine! As long as you're happy, that's all that matters. Look at Master and Shiniang, how loving they are. You'll definitely be like that in the future too. Dongxi, don't worry, a monk doesn't lie. I keep my word. In the future, I'll definitely give you a box of the best and most expensive rouge. And sarira, I can probably afford that too."

Miss Dongxi turned her head and slapped the young monk's bald head, "You really want to become a Buddha and produce sarira, you clumsy oaf?!"

Ben Nanbei gave a silly smile.He was indeed quite clumsy.

After leaving Qingzhou, they hastened directly towards Jiangnan Road. His Royal Highness the Young Master finally stopped causing trouble; no loyal officials jumped out to challenge him to their deaths, and no Jianghu heroes risking their lives for fame blocked their path. Mainly, besides requesting some local gazetteers along the way, Xu Fengnian didn't bother with sightseeing. The entire Yuzhou was traversed without incident.

During these days, they rarely stayed in bustling city centers, either camping in desolate wilderness or staying in private residences outside cities belonging to former Beiliang army subordinates. Everyone saw the "Green Aura" piercing the constellation of "Dipper and Ox" every night. His Royal Highness the Young Master would often depart in neat attire, but return covered in dust and barely clothed. Jing'an Princess Consort, whose status in the entourage seemed awkward, was discovered by His Royal Highness the Young Master to be proficient in painting. He then assigned her to draw the patterns for the Talisman Armored Red Figures along with Wei Shuyang and Yu Youwei. As compensation, she no longer had to do menial chores like servants and maids. Now, Princess Consort Pei, dressed in extremely simple wooden hairpins and cloth clothes, not only did not diminish her charm as a "Rouge List" beauty, but instead added a touch of elegance that one would never see when she wore phoenix coronets and embroidered robes.

Passing through Qingzhou, then Yuzhou, and arriving in Yangshou, from beginning to end, Jing'an Princess Consort, who had fallen from golden splendor into muddy dust, showed remarkable composure and did not attempt to escape. This was probably also related to the strict marching discipline of the Phoenix Cavalry Camp.

After passing through Tangsong Commandery, which bordered Qing and Yangshou, they were only one Xiongbao Commandery away from Hutian Commandery in Jiangnan Road. Inside the carriage, His Royal Highness the Young Master lifted the curtain. Unlike Liang and Yong, here they adapted to local customs; the post roads had replaced pagoda trees with willows. At a glance, the entire view was filled with refreshing and gentle green. However, while the Jiangnan scenery was picturesque, and different lands nurtured different people, the local customs were ultimately far less fierce and martial than those of Beiliang, a barren land. In Liangzhou, even women were skilled in horsemanship and archery. In the princely mansion, not to mention Xu Weixiong, who was exceptionally skilled in swordsmanship, Xu Zhihu could also be proficient in archery and horsemanship. It was said that a few years ago, a woman from a Beiliang official family married into Jiangnan. While traveling with her husband, they encountered a group of bandits. The man hid and wept uncontrollably, but she herself bravely stepped forward and drew her saber, becoming a humorous anecdote.

Xu Fengnian lowered the curtain, with a sneer, "Gentlemen's Six Arts — I estimate the men here are not even as good as our Beiliang women in archery and charioteering. Ridiculous. This young master truly wants to witness these so-called 'gentlemen of virtue' from Jiangnan, who claim their literary and artistic skills are first-rate under heaven!"

Inside the carriage, apart from Qingniao, the maid whose health had improved, it was Jing'an Princess Consort who was reading, not Jiang Ni. It seemed that little Mud Doll had been sulking with His Royal Highness the Young Master lately, not even doing the important task of making money, and hadn't spoken a word for days. This arduous task was taken over by Princess Consort Pei. She originally came from a top aristocratic family, and from a young age, she had been immersed in Qin, Chess, Calligraphy, and Painting. When she read, her lips parted slightly, her voice as melodious as "large pearls and small pearls falling onto a jade plate," quite pleasant to the ear. His Royal Highness the Young Master loved to stare at her cherry-red lips when she read. Fortunately, while he looked, he no longer made any physical advances. Otherwise, Jing'an Princess Consort might have acted as a virtuous martyr, performing a tongue-biting suicide.

Princess Consort Pei had been reading "First Snowfall" these past two days, which was much more agreeable than the secret manuals and martial arts texts from previous days. However, she could clearly feel that after entering Yangshou, this Young Master of Beiliang subtly exuded a rebellious and fierce aura. For instance, when he spoke the four words "gentlemen of virtue," his hands gripped his saber, radiating strong killing intent, to the extent that even an outsider like her, who didn't understand martial arts, felt a chill run through her body.

Xu Fengnian turned to face Qingniao, his expression softening considerably. He leaned over to help her tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, smiling gently, "Don't worry, in another ten days or half a month, you'll be able to walk."

Qingniao, leaning against the carriage wall, lowered her head and said softly, "I heard from the Old Sword God that Young Master squandered both Dragon Tiger Mountain elixirs on this humble maid."

Xu Fengnian flicked her smooth forehead with his finger, teasingly, "Squandered? Who the hell told you it was squandered? Step forward, and see if I don't chop him ten or eight times!"

Qingniao looked up, her eyes red, and said nothing.

Xu Fengnian spread his mouth and nose with his hands, making a pig-faced funny face, and said in a muffled voice a witty joke from "First Snowfall," "Senior Brother, Senior Brother, oh no, Master has been captured by a demon again! Senior Brother, Senior Brother, oh no, the female demon has been tricked back by Master!"

Qingniao laughed through her tears, her hands tightly gripping her skirt.

Seeing that her mood had improved, Xu Fengnian finally released his hands and said happily, "Two Dragon Tiger Mountain elixirs aren't worth much money anyway! This young master simply has a lot of silver, a lot of gold, and a lot of family property. Would I care about such a thing?"

Qingniao said softly, "But these elixirs cannot be bought with money."

Xu Fengnian reached out and pinched Qingniao's cheek, twisting it gently, and admonished, "If you keep overthinking things, I'll just find some wandering swordsman and marry you off to him, and I won't care if he's ugly or not. Are you scared?"

Qingniao, known for being the coldest-natured in Wutongyuan, gave a rare sweet smile, "Not scared."

Xu Fengnian feigned annoyance, making a gesture as if to hit her, "I've even used my trump card, and you're not scared of this? What am I to do!"

Qingniao chuckled softly, "Any wandering swordsman, I'll just stab them to death with one spear."

Pei Nanwei listened to the conversation between the master and servant and felt a chill run down her spine. During these days, while drawing diagrams with Yu Youwei, the only person she could talk to, and the old Daoist priest of Nine Dou Rice, she had learned a little about the terror of these Talisman Armored Red Figures. And the green-clad maid before her, who had only been severely injured by Wang Mingyin but hadn't lost to the Red Armored Puppet, wielded a spear with such might. She couldn't imagine how a woman with such a slender physique could have learned such a supremely strong and fierce spear technique.

Xu Fengnian saw Jing'an Princess Consort staring blankly, having forgotten to read. He picked up his Xiu Dong saber sheath and slapped it on her thigh. Princess Consort Pei's thigh stung fiercely. She only dared to glare at him angrily, continuing to read with resentment, enunciating her words much more heavily. Xu Fengnian helped Qingniao lie down to rest. Yang Qingfeng, who was driving the carriage, said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, three carriages are cutting us off at the crossroads."

Xu Fengnian raised an eyebrow, "Is that even necessary to say? Tell Commandant Yuan, who is leading the way, to crash into them."

Princess Consort Pei immediately heard a commotion outside — people and horses scattering, chickens flying and dogs jumping. Some people were cursing in a Yangshou accent, followed by gasps of agony. She didn't need to think to know that the people from Yangshou had suffered a silent and terrible loss, and instantly fell silent. The carriage carrying His Royal Highness the Young Master continued forward without obstruction. Xu Fengnian sneered coldly, "The scholars outside Beiliang say our culture is crude and our customs vulgar, that we are nothing but unrefined brutes. Damn them, on this trip, this young master will show these bastards that they don't even amount to a brute!"