Fang Ruoxi leaned closer, feigning great interest, and asked, "Brothers, is it true that Tang Ye broke off the engagement?"
They both nodded at the same time.
One of them answered with absolute certainty, "Of course it's true. It happened more than a month ago. Everyone in the martial arts world knows about it. The Poison King..."
He was about to launch into another long and enthusiastic speech when he saw Fang Ruoxi already outside the window.
×××××××
Fang Ruoxi rushed back to Jinling day and night without stopping.
While rumors in the martial arts world shouldn't be taken at face value, they always have a reason. Given her father's temperament, it's highly unusual that no one has come looking for her for so long; it seems that Tang Ye's annulment of the engagement is very likely true.
Fang Ruoxi rushed along the way, and the more she thought about it, the angrier she became.
He broke off the engagement! He beat her to it! She should have broken off the engagement first! Why did she have to run away? What a blunder! How ridiculous! He's riddled with poison, yet he dares to spread rumors that she's promiscuous! This is intolerable!
×××××
She left in a hurry, unaware that shortly after she left the capital, two shops opened one after the other on the city's most bustling street: an arms shop specializing in rare and powerful weapons, and an elegant wine shop specializing in exquisite wines and delicacies. Overnight, these two shops became famous throughout the capital, attracting a constant stream of customers. She simply left too quickly to know this; otherwise, given her usual tastes, she would certainly have visited both shops.
Ten days later
Fang Ruoxi rushed back to Jinling, arriving close to midnight.
The Fang family was a prominent family in Nanjing, whose ancestors were mainly engaged in business, primarily in weapons and ranches.
The Fang family mansion was built according to the principles of the Five Elements and the Eight Trigrams, with traps and hidden weapons everywhere. Guards were stationed in every corner of the courtyard, making it extremely difficult to break in at night. However, for Fang Ruoxi, who had grown up there since childhood, it was all a piece of cake. The guards and night patrols were practically useless to her.
Under the cover of night, she made her way to a corner, and with a light leap, she jumped over the wall. Without touching the ground, she used the strength of her arms to climb between the corridors. After several twists and turns, she finally arrived at the roof of her sister Fang Ruowei's bedroom. Hanging upside down, she looked into the half-open window and saw that the lights inside were off, so her sister must have already gone to sleep.
The window was half-open, but she dared not push it open easily to go inside. She first used a silver needle to poke a corner of the window before carefully and tentatively pushing it open a little. Seeing that there was nothing amiss, she then pushed it open with all her might. But just then, the candlelight in the room suddenly lit up.
Fang Ruoxi immediately said softly, "Sister, it's me."
Someone inside asked in surprise, "Ruoxi?"
"Mm," Fang Ruoxi replied, then pushed open the window and climbed into the house.
Inside the house, Fang Ruowei saw that it was indeed her younger sister Ruoxi who entered. Her first words were, "You still know how to come back." Although her words were reproachful, her eyes were full of joyful concern.
Fang Ruoxi knew that her sister always had a sharp tongue but a soft heart, so she smiled and sat down to pour herself a cup of tea. Just as she was about to drink it, her sister snatched it away and scolded, "You're not allowed to drink overnight tea. Wait, I'll go get up tomorrow to boil water and make you some tea."
Upon hearing this, Fang Ruoxi leaned back in her chair with satisfaction and said in a fawning tone, "Sister is the best."
Looking at her younger sister's unconcerned and lazy demeanor, Fang Ruowei said with a half-smile, "I was fine before, but this time, I'm afraid you won't be!"
A single sentence reminded Fang Ruoxi, and she quickly sat up straight and asked, "Sister, is it true that Tang Du has broken off the engagement?" Ever since she learned about Tang Ye's character, Fang Ruoxi had been calling Tang Ye Tang Du.
Fang Ruowei naturally knew who Tang Du was, as her sister had mentioned, so she said, "It's true. We'll talk about it later. I'm going to get up now." With that, she put on her coat and went out the door.
A short while later, Fang Ruowei returned to the house and closed the doors and windows.
When Fang Ruoxi saw her sister return, she couldn't contain her curiosity any longer and asked impatiently, "Sister, you know I'm an impatient person, so please tell me quickly."
Fang Ruowei glanced at her, then sat down unhurriedly. She said, "The whole martial arts world has heard about this. You've probably heard about it too. You ran away from your marriage. Although Father ordered his men to keep the news under wraps and only sent people to search for you secretly, someone leaked the information, and the Tang Clan found out. Tang Zhuoshan was furious about this and sent someone to annul your marriage to Tang Ye. This time, you really angered Father. He's said he'll never acknowledge you as his daughter again and will leave you to fend for yourself. This time, I'm afraid even I can't help you. You'd better figure it out yourself." After saying that, she gave her a look that said, "Go fend for yourself."
"You want her to figure it out? There's definitely nothing you can do." Fang Ruoxi lowered her head pitifully and said, "If only Mother were still here..."
Upon hearing this, Fang Ruowei showed a slight displeasure and said, "Stop torturing me with those words." It's always like this; whenever she does something wrong, her mother is brought up to remind her, as the older sister, of her responsibilities as a mother. Sigh! But she still had to say, "I can't help you this time. You'd better not let Father catch you, otherwise he might use the eighteen cruel tortures in the dungeon on you."
Upon hearing this, Fang Ruoxi looked pale and sickly.
Just then, footsteps approached from afar. The two fell silent. After a moment, someone knocked lightly on the door and called out from outside, "Miss, the tea and pastries have been brought to you."
Fang Ruowei said, "Put it outside the door, you should go back and rest first."
“Yes,” the maid Chuntian replied from outside the door.
Hearing the maid's footsteps fade into the distance, Fang Ruowei opened the door, brought her things inside, and then closed the door again.
Inside the room, the candlelight flickered. Fang Ruowei poured her younger sister a third cup of tea. Seeing her sister wolfing down pastries with both hands, she couldn't help but shake her head and say, "Why are you in such a mess? What did I teach you? When you're out in the world, you have to take care of yourself. Have you forgotten?"
"But Father always taught us that to be a female knight-errant, one must be a man of his word, chivalrous and righteous, loyal and devoted, willing to risk one's life for friends, and share their joys and sorrows. Sister also said that the most important thing for people in the martial arts world is loyalty and righteousness..." Fang Ruoxi mumbled incoherently with her mouth full of food, but before she could finish speaking, her sister interrupted her, Fang Ruowei, who scolded, "Pah! That's only when it's in your own interest! Let me tell you, no matter what, put yourself in the middle, and put everything else on the sidelines, understand?"
Fang Ruoxi took a sip of tea and said unhurriedly, "Oh...why didn't you say so earlier..."
Upon hearing this, Fang Ruowei's lips twitched slightly, and she sighed, "How could I have such a stupid sister like you..."
Fang Ruoxi raised the corners of her mouth slightly upon hearing this.
Fang Ruowei sighed, "Fine, you can kneel down and apologize to your father tomorrow."
"No," Fang Ruoxi shook her head in refusal.
"Then what do you want? Father is really angry this time. Be careful he doesn't really use his eighteen..." Fang Ruowei's words were interrupted by Fang Ruoxi's strange question: "Sister, I want to ask, are all men lustful?" Fang Ruoxi asked, trying to change the subject.
"Hmph, men are all the same, they're all shameless. When they see a beauty like you or me, they're naturally infatuated and obedient. If you tell him to pick a flower, he'd never dare to pick a weed." The topic was successfully diverted.
"But, sister, there are always some men who don't seem to be attracted by beauty, but I want to torment them. What should I do then?" Fang Ruoxi asked humbly.
Fang Ruowei snorted and said, "Do you know what the ultimate level of tormenting a man is?"
What is it?
"It's about making him fall in love with you."
"Fall in love with me?"
"Well, when the time comes, you can make him jump into the well, and he will never dare to jump into the river."
"Wow, that works so well!" I've learned something new.
※※※※※※※※※※※
“Of course.” Fang Ruowei nodded emphatically, then added, “However…”
"But what?"
"You think you can use this trick on someone like Tang Ye? I think you should save your breath." Fang Ruowei looked at her sister with a look of utter contempt.
Fang Ruoxi swallowed hard, putting on an expression that said, "Sure enough, my sister saw right through me. You're really amazing, sister."
Fang Ruowei, brimming with self-satisfaction, lectured her younger sister, "Tang Ye is a cold-blooded and ruthless man. In his eyes, human life is as cheap as an ant. He doesn't treat people as human beings, let alone fall in love with anyone. So this trick definitely won't work on him, and you shouldn't hold onto any illusions. Besides, your actions have already made him hate you to the core. If you appear in front of him, it's like a lamb entering a tiger's den, courting death. Moreover, he's covered in poison. You'd probably lose your life before you even get within half a foot of him, let alone make him fall in love with you. However, if you could become his human test subject... perhaps he would cherish you more."
"What?!" Fang Ruoxi looked at her sister with a hint of horror. A test subject? She suddenly thought of Gongzi Yi, the first test subject for Gongzi Qi's detoxification, covered in needles, foaming at the mouth, and convulsing. Her face turned pale. However, after a moment, she put on a righteous and awe-inspiring expression and said firmly, "But, sister, have you ever thought that Tang Du's defamation of my reputation is defamation of our Fang family? His annulment of my engagement is a sign of disrespect for our Fang family. Bullying me is a small matter, but his disrespect for our Fang family is a big deal. How can I swallow this insult? I must stand up for the Fang family..."
"Pah... You deserve it!" Fang Ruowei suddenly interrupted her, startling Fang Ruoxi, who had been standing tall and righteous, into a wilted eggplant in an instant. She could only droop her head and listen to the scolding: "This time, you were the one who ran away from the wedding first, giving others something to talk about. It was you! You ruined, tarnished, trampled, and insulted the reputation of our entire Fang family!"
Fang Ruoxi lowered her head even further, and after a long while, she whispered, "Sister, I've been traveling for ten days and ten nights straight, and I haven't rested much on the road. I'm so tired now..."
Then, Fang Ruowei sighed helplessly and said, "Then what are you still babbling about here? Go to bed and sleep!"
"Yes, sister." Fang Ruoxi accepted the order, looked up and gave her sister a bright smile, then turned around and jumped onto the bed, pulled the blanket over her stomach casually, and fell asleep with her head turned to the side.
Seeing this, Fang Ruowei sighed again, walked to the bedside, looked at her sister who had already fallen asleep, and couldn't help but frown. She didn't wash up, didn't take off her clothes, and didn't even take off her shoes. Sigh... it seems she is really exhausted.
Fang Ruowei sat down on the edge of the bed, carefully took off Fang Ruoxi's shoes, tucked her in, and sighed inwardly: "Little sister, actually, I think it's a blessing for you that you can't marry Tang Ye. The Tang family is too complicated, and I've always worried you wouldn't be able to adapt. Tang Ye isn't suitable for you either. His initiative to annul the engagement isn't necessarily a bad thing. Although Father is angry at your willful behavior, his anger will eventually pass. Moreover, Father's attitude this time was strange. He didn't immediately order you to be brought back and punished because of Tang Ye's annulment; instead, he only said to let you fend for yourself and then nothing more. Outsiders are saying you've been expelled from the family, but to me, it seems Father intends to let you go. But, little sister, you're too naive, unaware of the wickedness of the world. I was really worried you'd be bullied while you were all alone out there. But now it seems you're doing quite well; it was all just my overthinking."
××××××××
The next morning, Fang Ruowei, reclining on the soft couch, saw that her younger sister Ruoxi was still fast asleep, so she went out first. But when she returned to the room with breakfast, she found it empty. On the table was a note that read: "Sister, since Father has told me to fend for myself outside, I will obey his wishes. I will come back to see you. Don't worry! Your younger sister."
Fang Ruowei put down the letter, looked at the breakfast she had brought, sighed softly, and said, "Even if you're going to leave, at least eat breakfast and take some money before you go. Sigh, when will you ever grow up?"
××××
Fang Ruoxi left home, ate something casually on the street, and then rode her horse south.
She was no longer short of money. Although she hadn't received the two hundred taels of silver that day, the money she had earned from Young Master Yi earlier was enough for her to live on for a long time. She had already exchanged the money for silver notes from the largest money exchange in the country, Jin Hui Tong Bao, and carried them with her. She also carried some loose silver for convenience.
To avoid unnecessary trouble on the road, she changed her mask and disguised herself as an extremely ordinary person, sometimes dressed as a woman and sometimes as a man, depending on her preference at the time.
She had long heard that Suzhou and Hangzhou were beautiful places and longed to visit them. Her father used to forbid her from going out alone, but now that she was free and had money, she decided to go and enjoy herself to the fullest.
Along the way, Fang Ruoxi strolled along, enjoying the scenery, eating well, and staying in comfortable accommodations, having a wonderful time. But being alone, she inevitably felt bored at times. Whenever she had a moment of leisure, she would think of the lively academy life she used to lead, and of Gongzi Yi and the others. Although she was still annoyed by their peeping that night, she couldn't help but miss them. Fortunately, although she had left in a hurry that day, she hadn't forgotten to take the two paintings that Gongzi Yi had drawn. One was a view of Qifeng Mountain, and the other was of herself and Gongzi Yi. She always carried them with her, and would occasionally take them out to look at them, which would make her laugh involuntarily. Thinking of the miserable state she had caused Gongzi Yi to foam at the mouth and then kick him unconscious, she no longer blamed him for peeping that night. She really wanted to sneak back to Qifeng Mountain to take a look sometime.
Occasionally, she would hear people in the martial arts world mention that Tang Ye had broken off their engagement and ruined her reputation. Every time she heard it, she resented Tang Ye more. Over time, her resentment grew deeper and deeper, and she secretly made a decision: "Tang Poison, how dare you break off the engagement before me? I didn't take you seriously before, but now I really want to see who you are. How about I visit you when I travel all the way to Shu?"
Along the way, with nothing to do, she would occasionally, when in a good mood, pretend to be a peerless swordsman, jumping in to help those in need, earning admiring and adoring glances, and sometimes even getting a basket of eggs or potatoes to satisfy her chivalrous fantasies. However, she didn't jump in for everything. Sometimes, if she saw that the other side had more people and was not easy to bully, she would take a detour. After all, her sister had warned her: "Keep yourself in the middle, and the others on the sides." She always remembered that advice clearly. Besides, these days, people always pick on the weak; she understood that principle.
That day, she arrived at Cangshu Town on the east bank of Taihu Lake and planned to rest there for the night. She overheard the townspeople saying that recently, the troops of the Jiangnan Governor's Office were stationed at the foot of Qionglong Mountain, not far from here, and that they would attack the mountain early the next morning to wipe out the bandits of Qionglong Mountain in one fell swoop.
Upon hearing this, Fang Ruoxi's interest was piqued. She definitely wanted to see the government troops annihilating the bandits. Moreover, the general leading the troops of the Governor-General of Jiangnan must be from the Song family. She wondered who it would be. She'd heard that the Song family had a son named Zixing, a highly skilled martial artist and a renowned beauty in Jiangnan. She wondered if he had come. She wondered how handsome Song Zixing would be? Would he be even more beautiful than Gongzi Qi?
Romantic Encounters in the Martial World
The next morning, before dawn, Fang Ruoxi got up and headed to Qionglong Mountain. When she passed the foot of the mountain, she saw many soldiers, about a hundred of them, standing guard at the foot of the mountain, as if waiting for orders.
Fang Ruoxi first tied the horse up in the shadows, and then, taking advantage of the darkness, used her light-footed skills to climb up the mountain.
Before reaching the halfway point, she saw the bandits' first gate. She concealed herself, finding a good spot to wait for the government troops to attack the stronghold. As dawn broke, she suddenly heard a horn sound from below. Fang Ruoxi perked up, hiding behind a boulder, her hair covered with weeds, only her eyes darting out. Noticing the faint arrowheads on the bandits' gate, she waited anxiously.
This mountain stronghold was strategically located, easy to defend and difficult to attack. Now, the government troops below had openly told the bandits, "We're coming to attack you, so get ready!" The government troops had already lost the initiative. If they were to openly attack again, they would likely not return. Fang Ruoxi sighed inwardly, looking at the arrows faintly swaying on the gate and the nearby cliff face. Just as she thought this, she heard government troops rushing up the mountain, shouting as if they wanted the bandits to know they were coming. Fang Ruoxi felt a pang of regret; it seemed the Song family was out of options.
Just then, chaotic sounds of fighting erupted from within the mountain stronghold. Fang Ruoxi wondered to herself, "Could it be that the bandits have turned on each other at such a crucial moment? They're so disunited; they're clearly a motley crew." As Fang Ruoxi was lost in thought, government troops rushed up the mountain and began ramming the gate with wooden stakes. The arrows that had been faintly visible on the gate and the surrounding cliffs had all disappeared. After a while, the gate was finally breached by the government troops. Fang Ruoxi immediately saw a man standing at the gate, sword drawn, his back gleaming with murderous intent. Several corpses lay around him, all severed at the waist, their deaths gruesome. Some severed upper bodies were still twitching at his feet, blood flowing everywhere. Yet, the man's white robe remained spotless. Just from his back, Fang Ruoxi sensed that this man was extraordinary, except for his cruelty.
He kept his back to the gate. Just as Fang Ruoxi was wide-eyed and ready to witness his stunning turn, she saw the man suddenly swing his knife forward and shout, "Kill! Leave no one alive!"
Upon hearing this, the soldiers were filled with righteous indignation and, after a flurry of attacks, the remaining bandits were quickly wiped out. They then charged toward the second checkpoint of the stronghold.
At this moment, Fang Ruoxi, who was hiding behind the boulder, also quietly followed.
The second checkpoint was even more treacherous. The bandits, seeing the soldiers approaching, used their high ground to unleash a hail of arrows. The young master was at the forefront. With a simple wave of his arm, all the soldiers behind him immediately stopped their advance. Just then, the arrows were close enough that he suddenly gathered his strength and leaped into the air, slashing down several arrows coming at him with his sword. He then used the cliffs on both sides to leap away, instantly rushing into the bandits' lair. Fang Ruoxi was impressed by his skillful use of lightness skill and couldn't help but admire him.
Half a day later, the second checkpoint was also breached by the government troops. The bandits were defeated and had already lost their composure. Meanwhile, the government troops advanced unstoppably and rushed straight into the bandits' lair.
Inside, a chaotic battle raged. The surrounding cliffs were steep and offered no cover, so Fang Ruoxi could only peek from afar and could no longer get close. She found it boring, and now that the outcome was decided, there was nothing left to see. Although she wanted to see what the white-robed young man looked like, she was not about to risk her life just to see what a man looked like. So, without hesitation, she secretly left Qionglong Mountain.
On her way back, she passed by Taihu Lake. She stood on the shore and gazed into the distance. All she could see were the vast, distant mountains and the boundless, clear waters of Taihu Lake. Fishing boats dotted the lake, bobbing on the waves. Having just witnessed a bloody battle, the sight of such tranquil beauty calmed her mind and cleared away all her worries. She couldn't help but sigh, "It's still good to be alive."
Having gotten up too early that morning, she hadn't eaten much and was now ravenously hungry. She returned to Cangshu Town, found something to eat, and filled her stomach. As she strolled leisurely, government officials at the street corner began banging gongs and shouting, "The Qionglong Mountain bandits have been wiped out! The Qionglong Mountain bandits have been wiped out!"
Upon hearing this, the people on the road all beamed with joy and cheered.
A passerby exclaimed happily, "The bandits of Qionglong Mountain have finally been wiped out. This is truly a blessing for the people!"
Another commoner praised, "This young master Song is truly remarkable; indeed, heroes emerge from among the young."
Everyone agreed.
Young Master Song? Upon hearing this, Fang Ruoxi thought to herself: Could it be that the one who led the troops to attack the mountain bandits this morning was indeed Young Master Song, Song Zixing? After seeing him today, I can see that his skills are indeed remarkable. No wonder my father often mentions him.