Mo Xi arrived at just the right time; the three dishes on the table were steaming hot and fragrant.
Served in a large blue-and-white porcelain bowl is a fish head soup with winter plum blossoms. The snow-white tofu blends seamlessly with the thick, creamy broth, topped with a few small, honey-colored flowers. Next to it is a dish of stewed tofu with winter plum blossoms. The snow-white tofu cubes are garnished with vibrant green scallions, cilantro, and clusters of winter plum blossoms, creating a very pleasing color combination.
Mu Fengting ladled out a bowl of fragrant porridge and handed it to Mo Xi, saying, "This is plum blossom porridge. It's made by washing glutinous rice, cooking it until it's done, then adding clean white plums and fresh honey, and bringing it to a boil briefly. This porridge can soothe the liver, regulate qi, refresh the mind and improve eyesight, and stimulate appetite and relieve depression. If you have any worries, Miss, drinking this will immediately dispel them."
Mo Xi tasted it and found it indeed sweet and refreshing, so she gave Mu Fengting a sweet, approving smile. She thought to herself: If there's any trouble, it's Cheng Ying right now.
However, she never shared her feelings with others, so she said with a smile, "People say a gentleman stays away from the kitchen. Why do you do the opposite?" His words just now had a hint of self-praise, which showed that he liked cooking.
Mu Fengting scoffed, "The so-called 'gentleman keeps away from the kitchen' is merely a sentiment of not wanting to kill. The *Book of Rites* states, 'A gentleman keeps away from the kitchen, and does not personally handle anything that involves blood or flesh.' Mencius also said, 'A gentleman, regarding birds and animals, does not wish to see them die when he sees them alive, and cannot bear to eat their flesh when he hears their cries; therefore, a gentleman keeps away from the kitchen.' Jia Yi of the Han Dynasty, in his *New Book*, quoted Mencius, saying, 'Therefore, keeping away from the kitchen is the ultimate expression of benevolence.'" He paused, then scoffed, continuing, "These people all advocate 'a gentleman keeps away from the kitchen' as a virtue of benevolence in their writings, but I think this 'out of sight, out of mind' attitude is the most hypocritical and self-deceptive. If they're so capable, they should all become vegetarians." "Let others kill, reap the benefits, and gain a good reputation—what a clever scheme!"
Mo Xi nodded vigorously, almost considering Mu Fengting a close friend. She herself was a killer, and her employer simply didn't want to dirty her hands. Of all the professions in this world that involved killing, hers was the most cruel. She could never be a gentleman in this life.
Mu Fengting sighed again, "There are plenty of people in this world who deceive the world and steal fame. Do you know Mu Yanzhai's 'One Hundred Lectures on the Unorthodox Figures of the Martial World'?" He paused, then gave a self-deprecating smile and said, "Actually, apart from a few exceptions, most of the unorthodox figures in that book paid money."
Mo Xi exclaimed in surprise, "Ah! You mean these people spend money to buy fame?"
Mu Fengting said, “Exactly. Those who don’t spend money are the real famous figures in the martial arts world. It’s just that because many people admire them, we tell their stories to open up the market.” He paused, a self-deprecating smile on his lips, and said, “These people were already somewhat famous. After Mu Yanzhai promoted them everywhere, most of them really did become well-known figures in the martial arts world.”
Mo Xi thought to himself: Mu Fengting's insider revelation is incredibly powerful. Media moguls like Mu Yanzhai practically hold a monopoly in the industry, yet they make money by controlling public opinion. Indeed, "All the world's hustle and bustle is for profit."
Mu Fengting said, "Writing a book is the same, only the price is higher." He paused, then added, "However, for true hermit masters, Mu Yanzhai would beg them for exclusive inside information. Your martial arts skills are so good, you are truly a heroine. If you wish to write a book, I would be happy to oblige."
Mo Xi shook her head modestly and said, "I'm just a nobody, I'm nowhere near being a recluse or a master." But in her heart, she was thinking: Could it be that this guy took the initiative to approach her for this reason? He should have known how much martial arts he was capable of after just one meeting.
Seeing Mo Xi's immediate refusal, Mu Fengting launched into a long, persuasive speech: "Miss, if you become famous, the benefits will be immense. When you're out and about, people in the martial arts world will offer their full support because of your reputation. Many talented young men will admire you, and you might even find a good marriage partner. There are many famous young heroes in the martial arts world now, but famous female heroes are all from the older generation. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!" Mo Xi was speechless. He must have thought this was a marriage advertisement… However, considering his talkative nature and undeniable skill, she ignored him and let it go.
Monkey Fetching Objects
( ) And so we stayed in Shushan for a few more days. The climate here is truly unpredictable; even in the snowy season, it is often drizzling, and after the rain, there are wondrous sights of emerald clouds and crimson mist. However, the sunlight is very scarce; one can only go out for a short while each day.
Mo Xi had only been in this sacred mountain for a few days, but his swordsmanship had improved by leaps and bounds. Therefore, he felt quite at ease staying there.
These past few days she has developed a new habit: after practicing her sword, she goes to the Bixiao Pavilion to watch the monkeys play with the Taoist priests.
As luck would have it, after she finished practicing her swordplay that day, a small golden monkey with round, bright eyes darted in front of her, trying to jump up and grab her hair. Mo Xi reacted swiftly and naturally dodged it.
The little monkey was quite surprised when its first move failed. It stared wide-eyed, baring its teeth and making faces at her while chattering in protest.
A short while later, a group of about twenty monkeys, supporting the old and leading the young, led by a fierce-looking monkey king who was as big as an ape, leaped and bounded towards the Bixiao Pavilion. The first few quickly darted onto the roof ridge, swinging back and forth upside down from the eaves with one hand and scratching their ears and cheeks with the other. The rest rushed to the entrance of the hall, but perhaps having been chased away and suffered a loss before, they did not dare to go in. Instead, they roamed around on the half-moon platform in front of the hall, calling to their friends and chasing each other in play.
Mo Xi then realized that the little monkey with particularly round eyes had come to clear the way, acting as a "scout," a type of "reconnaissance post" essential in warfare during the era of cold weapons.
The monkeys in front of the hall were unusually active, while a monkey sat steadily on a branch in the distance, watching intently. Mo Xi guessed that this was just a "scout" responsible for lookout, surveillance, and warning.
Before long, the Taoist priests who were doing their morning prayers filed out of the hall in twos and threes. Two monkeys rushed up and pinned down a young Taoist priest, while another monkey, which had been waiting nearby, seized the opportunity to snatch the steaming glutinous rice ball from his hand.
Mo Xi watched with glee and laughed heartily. From then on, she came to watch the play every day.
Unexpectedly, as she watched a mother monkey carrying her baby leap across rooftops, an elderly man with white hair approached her and said, "Young lady, do not underestimate these monkeys. Long ago, a female pilgrim was abducted to the mountain by the Monkey King. People searched the mountain for two whole days before finding her. When she was found, her clothes were torn, and bad rumors spread. Fearing the gossip, she committed suicide." At this point, the old man sighed deeply, clearly feeling great pity and sympathy for the girl. He continued, "Even if you are skilled and daring, young lady, you must be careful of these monkeys teaming up to ambush you when you are alone."
Mo Xi cursed inwardly. In modern times, if she heard of a girl being raped, the condemnation wouldn't be directed at the perpetrators, but rather at the victim, who would be filled with righteous indignation. Here, the world had gone even further, with even monkeys stealing bandit chieftains' wives. Even if the monkey hadn't actually done anything, the girl was utterly innocent, and the world was far too cruel to her.
Seeing that the newcomer was not dressed as a Taoist priest, but rather possessed an air of otherworldly elegance and spoke with sincerity, she bowed deeply and said, "Is this venerable elder a senior master of the Shu Mountain Sect?" Although she had been somewhat distracted just now, the fact that she could only detect someone approaching at such close range meant that this person's martial arts were truly unfathomable, probably on par with He Qun.
The old man shook his head and laughed, "He's just a mountain dweller who has lived on this mountain for many years."
Seeing Mo Xi nod, the old man continued, “In previous years, many pilgrims with considerable martial arts skills came to Mount Shu for worship, unaware of the dangers. Whenever a monkey came up to steal their incense pouches for food, they would immediately drive it away and fight back. These people were ruthless, and after killing a monkey, they would all be surrounded and attacked by the monkey troop. In fact, the monkeys that come here to play every day are only the most mischievous few, and the monkey king personally leads them out of a sense of protection. There are countless monkeys in the mountains and forests. If a monkey is attacked, the whole troop will attack that person. Even if one has strong martial arts skills, it would be difficult to deal with the monkeys that are constantly being summoned from the mountains to reinforce them.” He paused, then added, “However, if you encounter a monkey attack, young lady, do not panic. To repel the monkey troop, you should first attack the monkey king. Do not hesitate to strike. If you accidentally kill the monkey king, the monkeys will not dare to retaliate, but will simply scatter and flee. In a few days, they will choose a new king.”
Mo Xi bowed deeply again and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Immortal Elder." He thought to himself: "As expected, when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. Alas, people always talk about playing with monkeys, but in Mount Shu, I'm destined to be played by monkeys."
The old man had barely finished speaking when, without any visible movement, he had already floated away into the distance.
Mo Xi lost interest in watching the monkeys and headed home.
From afar, she could see Mu Fengting and Luo Heng standing under the eaves waiting for her. As she got closer, she noticed that their expressions were not normal.
Luo Heng's face showed a mixture of grief and anxiety, his hands clenched tightly. Mu Fengting, too, abandoned his usual leisurely demeanor, his expression turning solemn.
Mo Xi had a bad feeling.
As expected, Mu Fengting said to her as soon as he saw her, "Miss, Brother Luo has a favor to ask. I am having trouble deciding right now. I would like to ask you to discuss it with me. May I come inside and talk?"
Mo Xi sighed inwardly, thinking: Even if I said no, would you let me go... Oh well, I'll just listen for now.
Mo Xi looked noncommittal, but Mu Fengting had already followed her into the house. After a moment's hesitation, Luo Heng also followed.
This time, Mu Fengting did not overstep his bounds and only said to Luo Heng, "Brother Luo, please tell Miss Mu the whole story."
Luo Heng nodded, his expression unusually solemn. "This is what happened. I just learned that doing volunteer work at 'Jishantang' is also a form of cultivation, so all the disciples of Shushan are assigned to go down the mountain in rotation each month. I've been in the army for many years, and I've volunteered for at least a hundred people, so I can't get any information from them in a short time. Also, because 'Jishantang' takes in and helps so many people, and the turnover is so high, there's no roster or anything. I'm overwhelmed and don't know where to start. Although Headmaster Qu has already sent people to inquire among the disciples about those who have volunteered in recent years, he has found nothing. Although I'm very anxious, I can only wait on the mountain. These past few days, I've been wandering around Shushan with nothing to do, always thinking that if I'm blessed by heaven, I might really run into a Shushan disciple who remembers my wife. Who would have thought..." At this point, he turned to weeping, and for a moment, he choked up and couldn't speak.
Mo Xi thought to herself: "It's over. Could there really be something fishy going on with this 'Jishantang'?" But she wasn't some chivalrous woman who acted on behalf of heaven and roamed the martial world. If it came to punishing evil, she herself should be the first to be destroyed by righteous people in the name of justice…
Luo Heng barely managed to control his emotions and continued in a sorrowful voice, "Who would have thought that I would find a jade pendant on a disciple of Mount Shu, a pendant he had personally given to my wife before we parted? In my haste, I went up to ask him about it. But he insisted that it was his personal possession and that he had not obtained it from anyone else. However, he was evasive and resolutely refused to take it off his waist so that I could examine it closely. This was a parting gift from me, and my wife would surely cherish it greatly and would not have disposed of it carelessly. Will something happen to her..." At this point, he broke down in tears.
Mo Xi thought to himself that something was definitely amiss.
Seeing that Luo Heng was already sobbing uncontrollably, Mu Fengting added, "Brother Luo, this is a family heirloom jade, so you shouldn't be mistaken. Moreover, there is a line of words he personally carved on it: 'If I live, I will return; if I die, I will always long for you.' As long as we take the jade pendant from that person, we can verify it. However, this is something that this person always keeps on his person, so it will not be easy to take it from him without anyone noticing. We will need to plan carefully."
Mo Xi nodded. She thought to herself: If she were to act openly, Mu Fengting would be easily captured. However, doing so would alert him, and besides, she was on his turf; it was best not to make any rash moves. In Qu Yao's eyes, she had come with the two of them, and it was impossible to distance herself. Besides, weren't they just trying to drag her into this mess? Oh well, she'd meddle in this for now.
Mo Xi pondered for a moment and said, "Brother Luo, there's no need to think the worst. Your wife may still be well. It's possible that this person simply picked up the jade pendant and embezzled it. However, if you want to steal the jade pendant to examine it without arousing suspicion, I have an idea. You two, come closer."
framing someone
( ) The next day. Morning.
Mu Fengting, Mo Xi, and Luo Heng hid in the woods next to the Bixiao Pavilion, waiting for the person Luo Heng had mentioned to finish his morning prayers.
A moment later, the Shushan disciples dressed in Taoist robes stepped out of the hall. Mo Xi could clearly feel that Luo Heng's breathing had become more rapid beside him. Suddenly, he heard him say in a low voice, "It's that short, fat guy with the mustache! The jade pendant he was talking about is hanging on his waist."
Mo Xi and Mu Fengting both looked in the direction he pointed. Two Taoist priests were walking together, one short and stout, the other tall and thin. The short one was like a weight, the tall one like a stalk of wheat. They were the same two merchants they had seen at the Night Mooring Inn in Fengling Ferry!