Thirty years have passed; the world has changed dramatically.
Jin Yidou stared at me a few more times before closing the box and handing it to Xiao Nuo, saying, "Then, Third Young Master, I'm too busy to deal with this here, so I'll trouble you to take this young lady to see the City Lord." Before leaving, he added, "Take a carriage."
"Okay." Xiao Nuo obediently led me out the door, and a soft voice came from behind:
"No way? He really is Young Master Xiao?"
"Old Master Xiao was a brave man throughout his life, and his two eldest sons were also outstanding individuals. I never expected that his youngest son would be so, so..." He stopped speaking and let out a long sigh.
I couldn't help but sigh. Long before we set off, my master had told me that Xiao Zuo had three sons. The eldest son, Xiao Mo, was handsome, gentle, and mature, and was known as Zhuge Liang. The second son, Xiao Jian, had extremely high swordsmanship, almost matching his father's, and was recognized by the martial arts world as one of the best young talents. Only this youngest son was a good-for-nothing who wandered around all day, was uneducated, and was forever like a child who would never grow up. No matter how he was raised, he would never amount to anything.
Master, oh Master, what kind of trouble have you arranged for me?
At that moment, the insignificant Third Young Master had already jumped onto the carriage, happily waving at me and shouting, "Sister, get in the carriage, I'll take you home."
I boarded the carriage as instructed, and the horses galloped swiftly, the scenery rushing past on both sides. Before long, we had left Baili Town. A strange peak rose abruptly by the roadside, and I looked up, exclaiming softly, "What's that?"
On the sheer cliff face, red murals are everywhere, their colors still vibrant despite the countless storms they have weathered. Beside these murals hang several dark brown coffins, numbering in the hundreds.
Xiao Nuo replied, "These are Bo people's hanging coffins, aren't they interesting? They're neither touching the sky nor the ground, giving you the feeling of 'the world is vast, yet I alone am suspended in this floating world.' I want to be buried like this when I die!"
"Bo people?"
"Yes, they are tribal people living deep in the mountains. My dad said their history may be even longer than ours."
"Have you seen them?"
“Of course. Although they don’t like to deal with the outside world, Baili City is an exception, because they need us to help them hang the coffins. Sister, you see, the lower ones are for ordinary people buried inside, and they are hung by disciples from Baili City; the highest ones are for the chieftains and priests of the Bo people buried inside, and my father hung them up himself. No one else can fly that high!”
I was secretly alarmed. The coffins he pointed to were perched a hundred feet off a cliff, and it was unlikely that they could fall from the top or climb up from the bottom. What kind of lightness skill would be required to do that? No wonder my master was so arrogant all his life, but he was particularly wary of Xiao Zuo.
Then, upon further reflection, he realized something was amiss and asked, "You just said they have a long history, but Baili City has only been established for a hundred years. How did they hang coffins before Baili City existed?"
Xiao Nuo pursed her lips and said, "That's right. Before Baili City existed, they all climbed the cliffs themselves to hang the coffins up there. But ever since they discovered that my ancestor, oh, Baili Wenming, could fly, those Bo people refused to go through all that trouble. Now, they don't even have a single person who can hang coffins anymore. Sigh, each generation is worse than the last... Sister, do you think people a few hundred years from now won't even be able to run?"
I shook my head to indicate that I hadn't thought about such a far-reaching question, but Xiao Nuo suddenly laughed and winked at me, saying, "I think those descendants will be very curious, and maybe a group of people will come to study how these hanging coffins were hung up, and who put them up... Haha, so funny!"
I smiled but didn't reply. Xiao Nuo, feeling bored, also fell silent. After a moment, unable to stay still, she took out the silk handkerchief from the brocade box and read aloud: "Raising a glass of thirty-year-old wine, I recall your handsome and radiant figure. Sending a message to my old friend, I wish you good health and longevity. Do you know, do you know, the purple dogwood is still there this autumn... It is a poem called 'Like a Dream'."
I raised my eyebrows. It seems that this Third Young Master is not as useless as I imagined; at least he is well-versed in poetry.
To everyone's surprise, he immediately revealed an extremely terrified expression and said, "It's over, it's over... If my mother sees this handkerchief, something terrible will happen. I never imagined that my father had a lover he's known for thirty years!"
I said calmly, "Not lovers."
"If they're not lovers, are they enemies?"
"It used to be."
Xiao Nuo grinned, revealing her teeth: "Sister is lying. Would the enemy write such tender words for you?"
Tender feelings? I shook my head, unwilling to discuss it further, and turned to look out the window.
The carriage had somehow entered a dense bamboo forest. Looking around, one could see lush bamboo swaying in the wind on both sides, its tall, dark branches reaching for the horizon. It seemed to cover tens of thousands of acres. Being there felt like being surrounded by a green ocean, and one couldn't tell when it would end... Could Baili City be located near this bamboo sea? If so, the founders had chosen such a beautiful place, close to the remote mountains and forests, to ensure both picturesque scenery and safety and seclusion.
In a flash, an idea popped into my head—a city on water, named Baili—could this "water" not refer to lakes or seas, but to a bamboo forest?
I am not one to make wild guesses, but although Baili City is no longer as mysterious as it used to be, its exact location is still the biggest secret in the martial arts world... Such secretive behavior makes anyone curious.
Just then, the driver suddenly announced loudly, "According to city regulations, the following section of the road is not convenient for sightseeing. Please close your windows."
"I'll do it, I'll do it." Xiao Nuo closed the carriage window, and the light inside the carriage suddenly dimmed. I reached out and lightly tapped the carriage wall. This carriage was actually made of refined iron. If something unexpected happened and someone locked it from the outside, wouldn't we have no way to escape?
And so, Xiao Nuo and I remained in complete darkness, only feeling the car sway slightly. After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, it came to a gentle stop.
The carriage door opened from the outside, revealing that it had stopped in front of the main hall of a mansion. A voice slowly drifted in: "Welcome home, Third Young Master. Ah Bu, help the young master change his clothes; Ah Xu, help the young master change his shoes; Ah Bian, comb the young master's hair; Ah Xin, wash the young master's hands." As he spoke, a hand pulled him out of the carriage, and four servants in blue robes surrounded him, but they could only see the clothes, not the servants themselves.
A-bu-a-xu-a-bian-a-xin—"Don't change your heart?" This strange name was obviously given by Madam Xiao. No wonder Master often said that when it comes to being quirky and clever, no one in the world can compare to that Miss Gong.
In no time, the servants dispersed, and Xiao Nuo's appearance had transformed from a waiter into that of a noble young master. An elderly man in his sixties, dressed in purple robes, approached, looked him up and down, and nodded, saying, "Hmm, you should be able to see the madam now." He then turned and reached out to the four servants in blue robes, saying, "Give it to me."
Each of the four servants obediently handed over a small piece of silver.
Xiao Nuo asked curiously, "Uncle Cai, are we getting paid today? Didn't you used to pay them? Why are they paying you today?"
The old man in the purple robe, Uncle Cai, replied respectfully, "Young Master, this is not wages, but gambling money."
"Gambling money?"
"This old servant made a bet with 'Don't Change Your Heart' and the others to see how long the Third Young Master can remain a waiter this time. This old servant bets that you will return today."
Xiao Nuo immediately put on a very ashamed look and said to the four slaves who were not allowed to change their minds, "Because I'm taking this sister home, so... you must bet that I can do it for three whole days, right?"
“Reporting to the Third Young Master,” Uncle Cai interrupted him, “they are betting that you would return last night.”
"..."
Uncle Cai turned his gaze to me: "Does this young lady wish to see the city lord? The city lord has distinguished guests at the moment and cannot see you."
Xiao Nuo asked, "What distinguished guest?"
"Oh, this distinguished guest has a long story to tell. He is the adopted son of the former leader of the martial arts alliance, but in reality, he is the nephew, because the leader had no children, so his sister was adopted by him. Speaking of that sister of the leader, Third Young Master, have you ever heard the saying, 'A peerless beauty, whose smile can topple the martial arts world'? That's her. Of course, the prototype of that saying is Lady Li of Emperor Wu of Han. Li Yangyang was indeed a clever woman, but unfortunately, she was outmaneuvered and ultimately couldn't outwit Wei Zifu..."
Then I listened to him talk about Wei Zifu, Wu Zetian, and then about the son of Crown Prince Hong, and from there he began to discuss his views on the matter of being fond of men. Finally he concluded: "That young master Cheng Biming is the number one person in the martial arts world who is famous for being fond of men."
I finally had a chance to speak and said, "Then may I pay my respects to the city lord's wife?"
"Sure, I'll take you!" Before Uncle Cai could speak, Xiao Nuo grabbed me and dashed out of the flower hall.
"Third Young Master, Third Young Master..." came the call from behind. "Why don't you ask where my wife is? How would you know where my wife is if you don't ask me? How can you take that girl there if you don't know where my wife is... Oh well, never mind, I'll tell you myself. Can you still hear me? My wife is in the dining room."
The so-called beauty
Outside the dining room.
Youzhu Yourou Xuan—Feng Chenxi looked up at the plaque above her head and thought to herself: Another strange name, it must have been given by Madam Xiao.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Nuo said smugly from the side, "Isn't this a good name? I came up with it. A long time ago, there was a very clever man named Wang Dong. Because his family was so poor that all he had left was a bamboo grove, he named his courtyard 'Youzhu Wurouxuan' (meaning 'Hall of Bamboo Without Meat'). I really like this name, but my family is much richer than his, so..."
Before he could finish speaking, a gust of wind blew by, bringing a wonderful fragrance. He sniffed it twice, and a look of excitement suddenly appeared on his face. He shouted "Mother!" and rushed into the room like a gust of wind.
Feng Chenxi had no choice but to follow.
Crossing the threshold carved with exquisite patterns, passing the screen painted with a picture of a beautiful woman chasing fireflies, and walking past a row of antique shelves filled with antique objects, as the fragrance grew stronger, Feng Chenxi saw a woman.
A woman sits at a velvet-covered octagonal table, delicately sipping her porridge with her little finger adorned with red nail polish.
At a glance, Feng Chenxi knew that this person must be Xiao Zuo's beloved wife, Gong Feicui, the eldest daughter of the Gong family—besides her, there was no other woman in the world who dressed so luxuriously and splendidly even when eating breakfast.
No wonder Master kept saying: Wherever there are people, Gong Feicui will dress up exquisitely and gracefully.
Just as Feng Chenxi was about to step forward to pay her respects, Xiao Nuo rushed over excitedly, grabbing Gong Feicui's sleeve and exclaiming, "Mother! Mother! Your peacock feather brocade dress is so beautiful! Paired with this apricot gold thread skirt, it's simply perfect! Let me look at the ornaments... Wow, they're double heart-shaped handkerchiefs! Mother, you really know how to dress! But, wouldn't it be even better with a jade pendant?"
At this point, he suddenly fell silent, his gaze fixed on Gong Feicui's head. After staring for a long time, he suddenly beamed and said, "The Huan Yun Bun! Mother, you've styled your hair in the Huan Yun Bun! I knew it! Only a tasteless woman like the Empress would wear a Hundred Flowers Bun with a Purple-Gold Phoenix Robe... Three years ago in the capital, I saw that old woman dare to dress like that and come out to receive the people's worship. I still feel angry when I think about it now."
"Forget it, son, taste is something you're born with." Gong Feicui touched her hair smugly. "Come on, help your mother take a look at these shoes..." As she spoke, she stopped eating, stretched out her legs, pulled open the skirt covering her feet, revealing a pair of exquisitely crafted little boots, as if she didn't even see a living person standing next to her.
Of course, she wasn't truly blind to Feng Chenxi. Although she was nearly fifty, she had sharp eyes and could tell at a glance that this young girl possessed martial arts skills, and that her skills were quite impressive.
She deliberately ignored it, precisely because of this.
Over the years, countless martial arts practitioners have wanted to visit Xiao Zuo. Although most of them were turned away by Jin Yidou in Baili Town, she still managed to meet two or three people every day. She simply didn't have the energy to deal with them all.
She pretended not to see it, but Xiao Nuo had truly forgotten about Feng Chenxi—his attention was completely drawn to his mother's shoes.
“Red phoenix flower boots? Mother, I think the apricot gold thread skirt goes better with the cross-strap shoes.”
"Really?" Gong Feicui stood on her tiptoes, looked left and right, and frowned. "It seems so... What if I were wearing a light blue dress?"
"Oh, in that case, you would..."
And so, the mother and son started talking about a pair of shoes, then moved on to the matching of clothes and accessories, and then to the matching of clothes and hairstyles. They chatted enthusiastically, one after the other, and no outsiders could get a word in edgewise.
Feng Chenxi was neither annoyed nor annoyed, and stood quietly to the side. Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around and saw that Uncle Cai had followed her.
Seeing the mother and son chatting happily, he put on a nonchalant expression and said to Feng Chenxi, "Miss, I think you should go to the side hall to rest for a while. My third young master may not be good at much else, but he is an expert when it comes to dressing up. Every time Madam talks to him, it takes at least the time it takes to eat a meal."
Feng Chenxi nodded calmly and followed him to the side hall to sit down. After waiting for a while, she gradually heard that the conversation between the mother and son outside was coming to an end, when suddenly a strange man's voice interrupted: "Third brother is back? You little rascal, what's so fun about being a waiter? You've been loafing around all day."
"Big brother!" Xiao Nuo protested, but his tone was full of dependence and affection. "I'm seventeen now, you're not allowed to call me a brat anymore!"
It turned out to be Xiao Mo, Feng Chenxi thought to herself.
The side hall had windows on all four sides, and a refreshing autumn breeze blew in, lifting the curtain at the entrance. She glanced up and saw a smiling young man standing in the main hall, just as her master had described: handsome and refined. However, his eyes held a sharp, restrained glint, clearly indicating a profound level of martial arts skill—something her master hadn't mentioned.
Could it be that the second son, Xiao Jian, is so famous that everyone has overlooked the fact that the eldest son of the Xiao family is also a martial arts master?
Regardless, compared to the boss alone, Xiao Nuo has no redeeming qualities whatsoever.
As soon as Xiao Mo entered the inner hall, he sensed someone in the side hall. However, just like his mother, he assumed it was another martial arts practitioner seeking an audience with his father. So he simply pretended not to know and didn't even ask. Instead, he teased his younger brother, saying, "You're just a little devil, why can't people call you that? Hey, kid, do you know what you missed when you were working as a waiter?"
"What? Big brother, tell me quickly!"
"Your winding stream pavilion..." Xiao Mo drawled, "is finished."
"Really!" Xiao Nuo exclaimed in surprise, "Then you should quickly go and ask Brother Zi'ang out..."
“We made plans yesterday. Not only did we invite Zi'ang, but also Little Wine Immortal and the others!” Xiao Mo glanced at his younger brother. “We put wine cups in the trough, and whoever the water carried them to had to compose a poem… Oh my, we had so much fun.”
"How could you do this? Why didn't you wait for me?" Xiao Nuo was so frustrated that she almost cried.
"Regretting it now, huh? Who told you to insist on becoming a waiter? If you're ever this willful again, I won't wait for you when there's something fun to do." Xiao Nuo glared at him, took out a stack of soft silk from her bosom, and handed it over, saying, "Alright, stop looking so sad. Here, these are the poems you wrote that day. I've memorized them all. Take a look."
Xiao Nuo quickly took it, glanced at it briefly, and then smiled and said, "Big brother, I think this time Brother Zi'ang's poem has surpassed yours."
"Oh, how do you know?" Xiao Mo leaned closer, and the two brothers began a heated discussion.
Feng Chenxi heard everything clearly in the side hall and couldn't help but wonder: Xiao Nuo acts like a child in every way, how could he be so proficient in poetry?
Just then, Uncle Cai came in with a cup of tea and said, "Miss, please have some tea. My third young master may not be good at much else, but he is an expert in poetry and literature. Every time he chats with the eldest young master, it takes at least half an hour."
"Nothing else works? I see the Third Young Master discussing poetry and prose with eloquence and unique insights. Why does the Wealthy Lord say such a thing?"
"Alas." Uncle Cai sighed, his brow furrowed with worry. "Miss, you don't know. My third young master is truly a headache. I remember when Madam was pregnant with him, the fish in the manor's fishpond died one after another in mysterious ways, and finally, they were all dead within a month. That's quite an oddity... Oh, speaking of oddities, there are even stranger ones..."
He began to speak at length, from the death of the goldfish to the sudden appearance of a red flower on a white camellia branch, and then cited at least three more such phenomena to illustrate that Xiao Nuo was born different from ordinary people. As for how he was different from ordinary people, he gave at least three more examples. For example, when Xiao Nuo was eight years old, he could imitate Wu Daozi's paintings so well that they were indistinguishable from the originals, but he still did not know that the difference between ink and water was just an inkstone; another example was that Xiao Nuo could perform the most complex arithmetic when he was ten years old, but he still could not understand that rice and porridge were actually the same thing.
Just as he was explaining this example of rice and porridge, Uncle Cai suddenly stopped rambling on and hurriedly said to Feng Chenxi, "Miss, please wait a moment," before rushing out to Gong Feicui and saying, "Madam, you haven't drunk much porridge. This old servant will have someone bring you a fresh serving."
Gong Feicui waved her hand lazily and said, "No need, I can't stop eating, otherwise I'll lose my appetite."
"I see... Well then, the city lord just sent someone to ask how much breakfast you had. The person is still waiting outside. This old servant will go and report back now, so as not to send anyone else on the way."
“Uncle Cai is back—” Gong Feicui’s eyes darted around a couple of times. “Ah, that’s strange. Why do I feel hungry again as we’re talking about it… Yu Cui, have someone bring me a bowl of porridge.”