Der Mond scheint hell über den leeren Bergen, und Blumen füllen den Himmel

Kapitel 8

Nan Ge wasn't as easily fooled as Bi Qiuhan. He closed his eyes and said, "No."

Shengxiang's eyes darted around, and she pulled something out of her sleeve and shone it. "It's because you wouldn't get up."

Nan Ge suddenly smelled sulfur, opened her eyes and saw him holding a tinderbox, and was shocked, "What are you doing?"

Saint Incense declared, "If you don't get off, I'll set this bed on fire, and nobody will be able to sleep on it."

"You're insane! You'll burn the carriage down with you..."

"Who told you not to get down? If the carriage burns down, it'll be your fault."

"The carriage burning is a minor matter, but aren't you in danger yourself?" Nan Ge began to understand why Bi Qiuhan didn't ride in the carriage.

“You’re the one who caused my death,” Shengxiang said. “I’ll haunt you even as a ghost.”

"What and what..." Nan Ge smiled bitterly, then casually flicked her sleeve and got out of bed. She sat cross-legged on the floor, closed her eyes, and said, "From now on, you can do whatever you want. I won't stoop to your level."

"Mmm...I'm going to sleep." Shengxiang cheered and jumped onto the bed, victoriously hugging the thin quilt and falling asleep.

This person… Nan Ge smiled bitterly, how could it be like this?

"Nephew Bi, are we going to Luoyang as originally planned?" The old man in black and Bi Qiuhan in the other carriage naturally had no idea what was going on in Shengxiang's carriage. Even if they were killed, they would never guess that the young master of Shengxiang had almost set the carriage on fire.

Bi Qiuhan, dressed in blue, pulled on the reins and led the horse, saying in a deep voice, "No, we will go straight down the Han River to Junshan and Dongting Lake."

The old man in black smiled calmly, "Nephew Bi is as cautious as ever. You've been spreading the word since last night that the Nange people are in our hands, haven't you?"

Bi Qiuhan was much more composed and experienced when he wasn't with Shengxiang. He nodded, without a trace of arrogance on his face. "The news has already been released and will be known to everyone in about five days. But I don't want to cause any more trouble before we reach Junshan. After all, our target is only Li Lingyan, not anyone else."

“But didn’t you agree to meet Palace Master Ling in Luoyang? If we go straight down the Han River, Palace Master Ling will be waiting in vain in Luoyang.” The old man in black smiled slightly. “You have always respected Palace Master Ling.”

Aside from being left speechless by Shengxiang's antics, Bi Qiuhan rarely smiled. At this moment, he smiled slightly and said, "Of course... Senior Weng, do you know who is sitting in the other carriage?"

The old man in black was none other than "Soul Chaser" Weng Laoliu, renowned in the martial arts world for his telepathic tracking skills. Upon hearing this, he was shocked. "Could it be that the person sitting in the other carriage is...?"

Bi Qiuhan nodded with a smile, "Exactly."

The other carriage carried the Palace Master of Biluo Palace, one of the two great labyrinths of the martial world. Even though Weng Laoliu had been famous for over thirty years, he couldn't help but change color. Bi Qiuhan was already so remarkable as a disciple of Biluo Palace, so one could only imagine what kind of person the Palace Master of Biluo Palace must be. "I didn't expect that the Li Ling Banquet Blood Sacrifice Meeting would actually alarm the Palace Master. This is the first time the Palace Master of Biluo Palace has left the palace in thirty years."

Bi Qiuhan smiled slightly again, "It's not necessarily all because of Li Lingyan's affair." He didn't say what else was on his mind.

"The Junshan Dongting Lake Gathering will be attended by both my nephew Bi and the Palace Master Ling. I've also heard that the White-Haired Couple and the Floating Clouds will be there, along with Jiangnan Feng, the Master of Jiangnan Manor; Han Yun, the First Flute Player; Elder Nan, the old leader of the alliance who has been in seclusion for decades; Zen Master Kongyuan of the Shaolin Temple's Arhat Hall; Daoist Qingjing of Wudang; Young Master Wen, 'Wind and Snow Lotus Robe'; the Twin Beauties of Lingzhou; and the Four Friends of Qilian..." Old Man Weng sighed. "This Li Ling Banquet has attracted quite a few people. I've even heard that the legendary most beautiful woman in the world will come to see the excitement."

“There’s another person coming,” Bi Qiuhan said simply.

"Who?" Old Liu Weng asked with interest. For Bi Qiuhan to mention him specifically, he must be an important person.

“Tianyan,” Bi Qiuhan said slowly. “Although this person has only occasionally shown his face in the martial arts world in the past six months, he is definitely a figure of importance.” His eyes were deep. “I have met him once. Tianyan Yuxiu is a one-armed man who is extremely observant and knowledgeable. His martial arts skills are also quite formidable…” He pondered for a moment and then added, “Not only formidable, but even worthy of being called ‘highly skilled.’ If he were present at the Junshan Gathering, he would have a better chance of dealing with Li Lingyan.”

Bi Qiuhan never flattered anyone, so if he spoke so highly of "Heavenly Eye" Yu Xiu, there must be some merit in him. Old Man Weng sighed, "Regardless of the outcome, such a grand gathering of the martial world won't happen again for a hundred years. But Nephew Bi," he sighed again, "I truly don't understand why you brought that Prime Minister's son with you. If something goes wrong, how could the Prime Minister's mansion let us off so easily? Nephew Bi is the organizer of this gathering; it's unwise of you to invite such trouble."

Bi Qiuhan gave a rare wry smile and shook his head. "That young master... Senior Weng, the further away you are from him, the better." He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. "It's best not to object to anything he says, lest we do something we can't even imagine."

It was rare to see Bi Qiuhan so helpless. Old Man Weng laughed heartily, "If my old eyes are not deceiving, I seem to have seen that young master bring a rabbit into the carriage. Is that young master of the Prime Minister a spoiled brat—the kind who doesn't know the immensity of heaven and earth?"

“He didn’t just bring a rabbit,” Bi Qiuhan muttered to himself, “He also brought a box of clothes—about thirty sets, four pairs of shoes and socks, a stove, quilts and blankets, and three cans of tea…and even two strings of dried ham…”

Old Man Weng chuckled, "Does he think he's on a tour or the emperor is going on a southern tour? These days, rich young masters..."

Bi Qiuhan gets a headache whenever Shengxiang is mentioned. "Do you know why he brought that ham here?"

Old Man Weng guessed: "To go with drinks?"

“Feed the rabbits…” Bi Qiuhan groaned, not knowing what to do, and shook his head. “He also has a clay pot, saying he wants to wait until he goes out in the wild to fish and cook fish soup… I really don’t know what to do with that young master.”

"Haha, even when wielding a formidable enemy, Nephew Bi rarely experiences such troubles." Old Man Weng smiled. "It seems that young master is indeed extraordinary. I must see him for myself first thing tomorrow morning."

The next day, they had to abandon the carriages and board the boat. Early in the morning, the three carriages stopped at the Xie Niang Ferry crossing on the Han River. It was only just getting light. Because Nan Ge's release from prison had gone more smoothly than expected, they had arrived a little early to wait for the boat.

With a creak, the sixth man in black got out of the car first. Bi Qiuhan jumped onto the roof of the car, looked around for a while, and only after confirming that everything was alright did he call out, "Brother Nan, come out."

Nan Ge lifted the carriage curtain and leaped down, landing on a rock by the riverbank with a flick of her sleeve. She took a long breath. Suddenly, a long howl pierced the clouds, as if releasing the pent-up frustration of half a year in prison, the sound echoing across the surrounding fields.

Old Man Weng frowned. This Young Master Nan was far too nonchalant. Bi Qiuhan had been extremely careful for his safety, yet he seemed completely oblivious. If anyone heard this, all of Bi Qiuhan's efforts to change course on the Han River would be in vain. Last night, in the pitch-black prison, he hadn't been able to clearly see what this scion of a prestigious family looked like. Today, however, Nan Ge was dashing and handsome, truly debonair. He was sizing up Nan Ge, who appeared to be around thirty-two or thirty-three, slightly older than Bi Qiuhan. Bi Qiuhan certainly didn't possess Nan Ge's dashing good looks, but Old Man Weng secretly thought that if he had a daughter, she would definitely marry Bi Qiuhan; that was the man he could rely on.

"It sounds awful—" A sleepy voice came from inside the carriage. A head popped out of the window, and a hand weakly stretched out. "Hey, you surnamed Nan, stop yelling. It sounds awful and is so noisy..."

Old Man Weng was delighted. Before he could even get a good look at this young master who could be called the best in the world, another chuckle reached his ears. "Clap clap," someone clapped, "Good skill."

The third carriage alighted from, also carrying a young man in a blue robe, almost white. He had delicate, refined features, was not tall, and appeared to be about seventeen or eighteen years old, with a soft voice. This person was actually the Palace Master of Biluo Palace, the one Bi Qiuhan treated with such utmost respect? The other three pairs of eyes present stared wide-eyed, their pupils almost popping out of their sockets. Nan Ge was the first to speak, asking, "And you are—"

Although the boy in the blue shirt was young and frail, with a delicate and fragile innocence, his expression was very relaxed. His gentle laughter was extremely comforting, making people unconsciously relax, as if all the fatigue in their bodies was slowly dissipating from their pores with his unhurried tone, and they fell into an incomparably warm and comfortable space, only wanting to hear him say a few more words, "My surname is Wanyu, and my given name is Shuanghuai Yuedan."

"This is Palace Master Wanyu of Biluo Palace," Bi Qiuhan introduced, then bowed to the blue-robed youth who was ten years younger than him, and solemnly said, "This disciple greets Palace Master."

Wan Yuyue's smile completely dispelled any awkwardness. "You don't need to be so formal in public." He nodded and smiled at Weng Laoliu and Nan Ge without any airs. "Greetings, Senior Weng. Greetings, Young Master Nan."

"What is Wanyu's surname?" the ignored person on the carriage interrupted in a muffled voice. "What is Yuedan's name? Why isn't it called Jidan (Egg)? How can someone have such a strange name?" The person who interrupted could only be Shengxiang.

Wan Yuyuedan wasn't angry. He genuinely hadn't seen a fourth person present. He turned apologetically with a smile, "The ancients called evaluating people 'Yuedan Ping.' I think my late father meant it to evaluate all the people in the world, so I didn't consider that it sounds rather strange." He took a step forward, "Excuse me, my eyesight isn't good, I can't see this young master clearly..."

Upon hearing this, Old Man Weng was once again taken aback. Nan Ge frowned. Such a young child was actually half-blind? It was a wonder he had such clear, beautiful eyes with distinct black and white. "You can't see?"

“Hmm… I can’t see very clearly.” Wan Yuyue didn’t seem bothered by his inability to see clearly. “That’s why I didn’t practice martial arts. I’ve had poor eyesight since I was a child, which has caused a lot of trouble for everyone.”

The Palace Master of Biluo Palace doesn't know martial arts? Nan Ge and Weng Lao Liu looked at each other, shook their heads with wry smiles, "Then the Palace Master shouldn't be going into danger alone."

Although Wan Yuyuedan is young, there are already fine wrinkles at the corners of her eyes when she smiles. The wrinkles don't make her look old, but rather give her a comfortable and beautiful gentleness. "Hmm... I also say that, but Qiuhan always says I should go out and see a doctor to check my eyes."