Chapter 364: Bookworm and Bookworm

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Xu Fengnian learned that Li Hanlin, now promoted to Standard Bearer of the Elite Crossbowmen, had returned triumphantly from the border. Since Xu Fengnian himself was not at the prince's manor, he figured Li Hanlin might be at the new Governor-General's mansion in Lingzhou. So, Xu Fengnian took a slight detour to Lingzhou, a region even more elegant and romantic than Liangzhou. In the past, whenever Li Hanlin hosted their group of childhood friends and scoundrels in his territory, he never disappointed Xu Fengnian. They frequented the best brothels, drank the most expensive wine, dealt with the most arrogant dandies, and flirted with the prettiest courtesans. Xu Fengnian recalled that, apart from the rigid bookworm Yan Chiji, it was here that Kong Wuchi had his "first time." Afterward, the courtesan gave him a substantial red envelope, making Kong Wuchi blush deeply and moving him to tears. He almost wanted to marry the worldly woman, even hiring an eight-person sedan chair, until Li Hanlin painstakingly talked the "stubborn ox" out of such a foolish idea.

Xu Fengnian, with hair dyed black by Qingniao, rode on horseback.

Just as Xu Fengnian had meticulously studied the post roads, signal fires, and agricultural-nomadic practices when he entered Beimang, Xu Beizhi was equally attentive. He simply sighed, "Compared to Beimang, Beiliang is still too small. If its territory were a bit larger, for instance, if it could swiftly annex Xishu and Nanzhao..."

Xu Beizhi did not continue.

After reuniting with his younger brother Huang Man'er, Xu Fengnian did not speak much. The two brothers had spent more time apart than together over the years, and most of what needed to be said had already been communicated. Truly close individuals didn't require an abundance of seemingly fervent words. If they had met Li Hanlin, Xu Fengnian was sure his friend's first words would have been, "Brother Feng, Tiger Hill Tower, let's go!" Huang Man'er had clearly grown up considerably, his smiles becoming fewer, his silences more frequent, and occasionally a hint of resolve appearing between his brows. It was strange to note that Huang Man'er had never been close to their second elder sister, Xu Weixiong—perhaps because one was exceptionally intelligent and perceptive, while the other was simple-minded and lacked such keenness, preventing them from connecting. However, Huang Man'er was only somewhat familiar with his eldest sister, Xu Zhihu. From a young age, he had only truly connected with his older brother, Xu Fengnian, fearing neither heaven, earth, nor their father, only that his brother wouldn't take him along to play.

This time, when Huang Man'er descended from Longhu Mountain, he surprisingly knew to first visit his second elder sister at Shangyin Academy and even gifted her his beloved tiger-qilin. This greatly surprised and pleased Xu Fengnian.

Before even reaching Lingzhou's provincial capital, Xu Fengnian learned from casual conversations in teahouses and taverns that Li Hanlin, the "great scoundrel," had changed completely after supposedly having his brain trampled by a warhorse. He had genuinely earned immense military merits at the border, and this time, returning home in glory, he hadn't even visited a single brothel. He didn't even stay home for a few days before leaving with several military comrades for another location. This left the terrified common folk of Lingzhou exclaiming that they no longer understood the world. Of the four young noblemen of Beiliang, apart from the Crown Prince who remained a profligate, Yan Chiji, who originally possessed some talent, had become a relative of the Emperor and, thanks to Jin Lanting's resignation, had risen to the esteemed position of an Attendant Censor, though only a minor one, as a senior Attendant Censor with sufficient qualifications would naturally replace Jin Lanting. Kong Wuchi had joined the Imperial Guards. Now, even Li Hanlin, who had been limitlessly pampered by the Governor-General, had achieved great success. The people of Lingzhou felt both admiration and helplessness, wondering, "Are we truly going to let that incorrigible Crown Prince become our King of Beiliang in the future?"

Since Li Hanlin was not home, Xu Fengnian decided not to bother Lord Li, who had been promoted to a second-rank official, at the Governor-General's mansion. Besides, Li Fuzhen, who didn't even bother to scowl at him, was also there. Not meeting was better; meeting would be even more tedious.

The Fish-Dragon Gang was indeed within Lingzhou, not far away, but Xu Fengnian wasn't in the mood to flaunt his identity and wealth.

Beiliang evidently had many more dusty, traveling monks from other regions, most of whom could only lodge in small temples here and there, and many resorted to begging with alms bowls.

Xu Fengnian and his entourage traveled at an irregular pace along the wide post road leading to Beiliang's capital. Xu Fengnian branched off the post road at the border of the two provinces for more than ten li to stop his horses at Tingma Temple, a renowned temple far and wide.

The reason for such an unusual and obscure temple name was, according to local legend, that when the Xu family first entered Beiliang, Xu Xiao and the Princess Consort had stopped their horses here to enter the temple and offer incense.

It was not the first or fifteenth day of the month, and it was an unappealing midday, with the sun scorching hot. Consequently, there seemed to be more monks than pilgrims.

Tingma Temple's architecture featured towering, pointed roofs that reached into the clouds, with staggered eaves. When the wind blew, one could hear the tinkling of iron bells shaped like horses.

Before entering the temple, Xu Fengnian asked with a smile, "Do you believe in Buddhism?"

Xu Beizhi shook his head. "Most monks in temples are actually infatuated men and women who claim to have seen through the world, but they are far from it. Especially in large temples with flourishing incense, there are few truly virtuous and eminent monks. I don't believe in Buddhism, nor do I believe in Taoism. I remember the *Madhyama Agama Sutra* states that a venerable monk lived for eighty years without ever seeing a woman's face. I've also been to the Buddhist grottoes outside Dunhuang City and saw murals depicting various Jataka tales, like cutting one's flesh to feed a tiger or sacrificing one's life to feed an eagle. To me, such states are truly unattainable. I've also visited Taoist temples outside the Tianmen of the Daode Sect and read scriptures, but none stirred many emotions in me. My grandfather used to say that an old monk speaking Buddhist Dharma with a mouth full of wine, a novice courtesan earning money to buy *Huangting* scriptures, and a child secretly applying rouge to their face—such disregard for convention is what's truly valuable. Among the Three Teachings, Confucianism has relatively fewer rigid rules, and I think it suits me better."

Xu Fengnian smiled, "So, are you going in to offer incense or not?"

Xu Beizhi calmly replied, "It doesn't prevent me from offering incense and worshipping Buddha."

After entering, Xu Beizhi moved away from Xu Fengnian and his group, offering incense and bowing in four directions by himself.

As he bowed his head, the scholar's face showed a hint of sadness.

Bodhisattvas fear the cause, while ordinary people fear the result.

Leaving the temple, Xu Fengnian saw dozens of pilgrims gathered, pointing and whispering. He initially ignored them, but Qingniao tugged his sleeve, drawing his attention to a familiar slender back by a roadside tea stall. Beside her stood a tall, graceful figure, a scholar in a green gown whose face was obscured. Legend had it that Tingma Temple was extremely effective for praying for good marriages, so it was frequently visited by unmarried young men and women. During spring outings, it would be bustling with noise and thick with incense smoke. Xu Fengnian paused briefly and learned from the onlookers that when the scholar bought water, he handed an old man a book, claiming the young master had an extraordinary physique and offering to sell it to him for a meager three taels of silver. This was a common extortion trick used by local idlers and rogues, hiring an elderly person to half-swindle, half-beg for money. Usually, giving them a few copper coins would suffice to avoid trouble, as these ruffians wouldn't dare make a big scene and generally had small appetites. However, this scholar was likely too proud, possessing both arrogance and integrity. Not only did he say something that put the rogue in an awkward position (like threatening to report them to officials), but he also threw the tattered manual to the ground. This enraged a dozen local thugs nearby who were waiting to collect money. They swarmed him, rolling up their sleeves, ready to fight. From Xu Fengnian's perspective, this was the most exciting part of the show. When the ruffians spotted the beautiful girl beside the young scholar, their words turned vulgar. True to his unyielding spirit, and despite the saying that scholars are useless, this handsome scholar actually took the initiative, landing a punch directly on a burly man's nose. What followed was an unavoidable beating from a dozen people. If the girl hadn't shielded him by lying on the ground, he would likely have been bedridden for days before he could walk again.

Perhaps fearing a real investigation by the authorities, the ruffians, after their satisfying beating, cursed and dispersed like birds and beasts.

Having seen enough of the spectacle, Xu Fengnian chuckled, dismissed it, and quietly said, "Let's go."

Xu Beizhi frowned. "These idlers are so brazen?"

Xu Fengnian suppressed a smile and said, "Where can you find good people among idlers? Aren't ruffians supposed to bully the weak, fear the strong, and oppress men and women? But didn't you really see through it?"

Xu Beizhi immediately understood, laughing self-deprecatingly, "I see. It's against common sense that the ruffians, who were supposedly after money, didn't rummage through his purse after beating him, and not a single one took advantage of the situation by groping the girl. Was this a setup concocted by the scholar and the rogues?"

After mounting his horse, Xu Fengnian said, "This trick? I got tired of it when I was thirteen or fourteen. I remember I first used it with a popular courtesan in Liangzhou, but she saw through it immediately; she just didn't expose me. Naturally, it's not like this young lady, who was crying heartbrokenly, wishing she could pledge herself to him."

Xu Beizhi shook his head helplessly.

Xu Fengnian calmly stated, "What you might not believe, though, is that the girl is the daughter of Li Gongde, the Governor-General of Beiliang. As for that scholar, he made a huge profit this time. Spending less than ten taels of silver was more useful than composing three hundred famous poems."

Xu Beizhi looked back at the woman helping the scholar stand up, indeed she was crying beautifully ("like a pear blossom bathed in rain"). Xu Beizhi chuckled softly, "You're not going to expose them? Aren't you good friends with Li Hanlin? You've known her for years too."

Xu Fengnian said with self-deprecating humor, "That would be too detrimental to my good karma, forcibly separating a perfectly matched talented scholar and beautiful lady right in front of the Bodhisattva."

Xu Beizhi rode his horse over to Qingniao and asked for some silver notes. Seeing that her young master was merely curious and had no intention of refusing, Qingniao handed Xu Beizhi a stack of notes. Xu Beizhi then rode off, intercepting the ruffians in the distance, giving them the silver notes, and exchanging a few words.

After that, the scholar truly received a solid, thorough beating.

Xu Fengnian rode alongside Xu Beizhi and asked, "What did you say?"

Xu Beizhi chuckled, "I told them I was Li Hanlin's henchman, and that Young Master Li had long disliked that fellow, so he asked me to invite these brave men to give him a good beating."

Xu Fengnian nodded. "That explanation is truly watertight. The ruffians could beat him without any worries, and even if that scholar gains some official status through the Li family's influence, he wouldn't dare complain if he found out your explanation afterwards. Paying money to have someone beat yourself up—that's truly humiliating. Aren't you mischievous?"

Qingniao smiled knowingly.

Xu Beizhi calmly remarked, "From ancient times, scholars have always been best at 'killing' other scholars."

After riding for a moment, Xu Beizhi suddenly felt a touch of regret and asked, "Did I give them too much money, over three hundred taels of silver?"

Xu Fengnian burst into laughter, pointing his horsewhip at the scholar who held far more mischief than the "benevolent" one. He was truly starting to appreciate Xu Beizhi.

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