Song Zixing is a famous handsome man in Jiangnan. It is a pity that we were unable to see his true face today.
Fang Ruoxi found the town quite comfortable and decided to stay another night before leaving tomorrow.
At night, the crescent moon hung high and the stars filled the sky. Fang Ruoxi had slept for a long time in the afternoon, so she couldn't fall asleep at night. She climbed up to the roof and lay down to look at the stars. She felt a gentle breeze on her face and saw the shimmering waves of Taihu Lake in the distance. She couldn't help but feel the urge to play in the water.
Under the moonlight, she arrived at the shore of Taihu Lake. The water was calm, and trees stood all around. It was deserted and quiet. Fang Ruoxi looked up at the starry sky and felt great. She suddenly remembered the fun she had with her sister when they jumped into the water from a high place to step on the moon's reflection. She wanted to try it again.
She unbuttoned her clothes, took off her shoes and placed them on the bank. Wearing only her undergarments, she lightly stepped onto a tall tree on the bank, used her light-footed skill to leap up, spotted the crescent moon's reflection in the water, and jumped down.
As soon as she entered the water, she felt as if she had stepped on something, followed by a gurgling sound from underwater. Curious, she tried to dive down to investigate, but then felt as if her foot was tangled in seaweed, which she couldn't shake off. In a panic, she kicked and thrashed about, but just then, something grabbed her calf. Terrified, she kicked and flailed wildly without thinking. She quickly swam away from the spot and looked back. Suddenly, she saw a pair of hands emerge from the water, followed by half a head, a few coughs, and then a sudden sinking. Fang Ruoxi realized it was a person. She suddenly understood that she had stepped on a person. This thought filled her with horror. Then, she saw the person's hands slowly sink into the water; they were clearly drowning. She quickly swam over and dragged the person ashore.
Once ashore, she hurriedly put on her clothes, then looked at the man lying on the ground with a swollen belly and water dripping from his mouth. Somewhat at a loss, she first checked his pulse and breathed a sigh of relief; the man was still alive.
She looked around and then noticed several pieces of clothing hanging on a crooked tree not far away. Without a doubt, they must belong to this man. No wonder she didn't see the clothes when she came; otherwise, she wouldn't have gone into the water so rashly. Moreover, she hadn't thought there would be someone underwater. Alas, it was too late to say anything now. The most important thing was to save this person's life.
She wanted to press her hand on his chest, but seeing that he was a man and his upper body was bare, she hesitated and withdrew her hand, replacing it with her foot. But just as her foot was about to step on the man's chest, she pulled it back again. Looking at the clothes on the crooked tree, she suddenly had a brilliant idea!
She tied his feet with the man's belt, hung him upside down from the tree, and watched his body sway below, water dripping from the corner of his mouth. She couldn't help but think to herself, "He should be able to vomit up the water he swallowed."
She waited for a while longer, but the man still didn't wake up. Suddenly, she felt a sense of fear. If he died, it would be a disaster. With a heart full of unease, she fled.
Having already returned to the inn, Fang Ruoxi felt uneasy and turned back again.
Before she could even reach the scene, she heard someone shouting in the woods, "You little thief! How dare you humiliate me like this!" Then she heard a cracking sound, like a tree trunk breaking, followed by the thud of a heavy object falling to the ground.
Fang Ruoxi was startled and quickly jumped up a nearby tree. By the moonlight, she looked toward the source of the sound and saw that the crooked tree had fallen to the ground. The man who had just been hanging upside down on the tree was now dressed neatly. Looking at his back, she felt that he looked a little familiar. After thinking for a moment, she suddenly remembered someone: the officer who attacked the mountain stronghold this morning!
Under the moonlight, the man's back was tense, as if he were suppressing his anger. He clutched a crumpled piece of paper in his hand, but instead of throwing it away, he tucked it into his robes, seemingly lost in thought. Fang Ruoxi was puzzled. Suddenly remembering something, she quickly reached into her robes and broke out in a cold sweat. Oh no! The painting of Gongzi Yi choking her was gone.
That night, Song Zixing, with the same feelings as Fang Ruoxi, submerged himself in the waters of Taihu Lake, holding his breath and watching the crescent moon's illusory reflection in the water. After a long time, just as he was about to leap out of the water, something suddenly fell from the sky and stepped on his face, pressing him back down as he was about to jump out of the water.
*********************
The incident happened suddenly. He swallowed some water and began to have difficulty breathing underwater. He tried to surface, but the person above him started kicking and stomping on him. He tried to fight back, but the person kicked him even harder, making him dizzy and his vision blurry. He swallowed even more water. When he finally had a chance to surface, he was already exhausted. He thought to himself that he was probably doomed, but he still struggled to surface, trying to win a chance at survival.
He eventually lost consciousness. He didn't know how much time had passed, but when he awoke, he found himself hanging upside down from a tree with his feet bound. This was the first time in his life he had been reduced to such a miserable state. He was filled with anger and hatred, but had nowhere to vent his frustration. Seeing that no one was around, he assumed the thief who had trampled him had already escaped. So he first untied his feet, jumped down from the tree, and rested for a while. Although he was still feeling unwell, he was no longer seriously injured. He then picked up his clothes from the shore and put them on. At this moment, he noticed a piece of white paper under his clothes. Curious, he picked it up and looked at it.
By the moonlight, he could roughly make out the scene in the painting: there were two men in the painting, one of whom was choking the other, who was struggling in his death throes. Without thinking too much, he assumed that the man from before had deliberately stayed behind to humiliate him. His anger burned fiercely, and he could no longer swallow this humiliation. He struck a nearby tree trunk with his palm, and the trunk fell down with a thud.
He secretly vowed to find the thief from tonight.
Fang Ruoxi remained hidden behind a tree, not showing herself. She had intended to steal the painting back while masked, but Song Zixing's martial arts skills were only slightly better than hers. Moreover, it seemed that Song Zixing hated her to the core, so she dared not go out and risk her life. Therefore, she could only hide quietly until Song Zixing left Taihu Lake, at which point she breathed a sigh of relief and returned to the inn.
That night, she tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. A hidden worry weighed heavily on her heart. Although the painting falling into Song Zixing's hands wasn't a major problem, it depicted Gongzi Yi and herself dressed as Hua Wuduo. If it were destroyed, that wouldn't be so bad, but to have it preserved as evidence was unsettling. There was something else she didn't want to admit: she really loved that painting. She couldn't explain why, but she just loved it. She desperately wanted it back, but now it seemed much more difficult. She had to think carefully about how to get it back.
Fang Ruoxi's first thought was to steal!
The next day, Fang Ruoxi found out where Song Zixing's army was stationed and learned that he would lead his troops back to Hangzhou the next day, so the only way to steal from him was tonight.
Tonight, the dark clouds obscuring the moon made it perfect for a theft. Fang Ruoxi, skilled and daring, ventured alone into Song Zixing's camp in her night clothes—a staple of martial arts—without making a sound. Avoiding the patrolling sentries, she searched for Song Zixing's tent. She had assumed the general's tent would be different, with at least one or two guards outside, but she was wrong. All the tents looked identical, making it impossible to distinguish one from another. Frustrated, Fang Ruoxi lamented that searching one by one would take until dawn. In desperation, she considered kidnapping a lone soldier, but just then, she saw a cloaked figure being led by a soldier towards a tent. Fang Ruoxi noticed a faint candlelight flickering inside this tent and secretly followed.
The man entered the tent, and shortly afterward, the soldier left.
Fang Ruoxi was secretly delighted and quietly approached the military tent, leaning in to listen intently.
Those who practice martial arts are naturally more perceptive than ordinary people, and she could clearly hear the sounds inside the tent from outside.
Inside the tent, a man said, "Uncle, please have some tea."
Then an old man said, "Leave it alone. Your uncle came to visit you late tonight because he has something to tell you in detail. Zixing, your father told you that you don't need to return to Hangzhou tomorrow. Go directly to the Fang family in Jinling to propose marriage to their second daughter, Fang Ruoxi."
Upon hearing this, Fang Ruoxi, who was outside the tent, perked up her ears and pressed them against the tent flap. She heard Song Zixing inside reply, "Uncle, what does Father mean by this?"
The old man inside smiled and said, "Zixing, your father has his own reasons."
"I don't understand why Father and Uncle would let me marry a woman who has been rejected by her fiancé and expelled from the family. Please enlighten me, Uncle."
The old man chuckled, “Zixing, do you know that the Fang family has no sons, only two daughters? The eldest daughter, Fang Ruowei, is betrothed to the eldest son of the richest family in the world, the Li family of Luoyang, and will be married off in the autumn. The second daughter, Fang Ruoxi, was betrothed to Tang Ye, the fourth young master of the Tang family in Sichuan, since childhood. She was supposed to marry after her sister Fang Ruowei, but unexpectedly, the second daughter Fang Ruoxi ran away from home because she did not want to marry Tang Ye. The Fang family kept this matter strictly confidential, but do you know who leaked it to the Tang family?”
After a long silence in the tent, Song Zixing finally said, "Could it be you, Uncle?"
"Zixing is indeed impressive, just like your uncle," the old man laughed.
Upon hearing this, Fang Ruoxi, who was outside the tent, couldn't help but think to herself: "Old man, well done, thank you!"
The old man continued, “I leaked this news to the Tang family. The Tang family members are all extremely arrogant, especially Tang Ye. I predicted that Tang Ye would discard Fang Ruoxi like trash once he knew she didn’t want to marry him. I wasn’t wrong; the Tang family indeed broke off the engagement. Nephew, now that the Emperor is on his deathbed and the Crown Prince is young and not born to Empress Liu, the Liu family is currently very powerful and has long harbored rebellious intentions. We should also plan ahead for ourselves. Although the Fang family is of merchant origin, their weapons shops and ranches are all over the country. Once the world is in chaos, the Fang family can provide us with a large number of excellent weapons and warhorses. If we don’t act first, someone else will. Not to mention, the Li family of Luoyang, whom Fang Ruowei is marrying into, is the richest family in the world. If Fang Zhengyang agrees to a marriage alliance with our Song family, Zixing, with the strength of the Fang family of Jinling, the Li family of Luoyang, and our Song family, no matter what great changes occur in the world in the future, they will all be under our control.”
Fang Ruoxi, standing outside the tent, was greatly shocked upon hearing this. She thought to herself, "I never imagined I was so useful. It seems I'll have to treat myself better from now on. But, trying to use me? Not so easy!"
At this moment, Song Zixing suddenly said from inside the room, "Uncle, I think it's not the right time to go to Jinling to propose marriage."
"Why?" the old man asked.
Hearing this from outside the tent, Fang Ruoxi thought to herself: "You're a smart guy. If you dare to propose marriage, I'll make sure you never see the sun rise over Jinling. I'll kill you on the way..."
At this moment, Song Zixing replied, "Fang Zhengyang has already expelled his second daughter, so how can I propose marriage to him? That's one reason. Secondly, I heard from my uncle that many people want to marry the two daughters of the Fang family, but Fang Zhengyang has expelled them from the house at this time and doesn't care about them anymore. This matter seems quite suspicious. My uncle also said that the Fang family can provide a large amount of weapons and warhorses. Back then, Emperor Shengzu was able to unify the world precisely with the support of the Fang family. Although no one from the Fang family has ever held an official position in the court, their status is special and they cannot be easily won over. Uncle, I think that although the emperor is currently ill, he has not yet passed away. It is not advisable to rush into this matter or expose ourselves too early. We need to observe for a while and make a decision before taking action."
"Haha..." After hearing these words, the old man suddenly laughed loudly. Fang Ruoxi, who was outside the tent, was puzzled by the sound. She heard the old man say, "Good! Good! Before coming here, your father and I discussed this, and this is exactly what we wanted to say. Your uncle just wanted to ask for your thoughts. Zixing, you have thought things through very well. Your uncle is very pleased. Alas, it is a pity that none of my sons are capable. Your father and I are at ease entrusting the Song family to you in the future!"
"Thank you for your trust, Uncle," Song Zixing replied respectfully.
The old man continued, "Zixing, your uncle came here tonight for another matter, which is also the main reason why your uncle rushed back from the capital."
Song Zixing said solemnly, "Uncle, please speak."
Inside the tent, the old man whispered something to Song Zixing.
Outside the tent, Fang Ruoxi tried hard to listen, but could only vaguely hear a few indistinct words such as "Song family" and "court".
After a long pause, the old man suddenly exclaimed in surprise and asked, "Zixing, where did you get this painting?"
A painting? Upon hearing this, Fang Ruoxi outside the tent realized, "Oh right, I came to steal a painting, how did I become an eavesdropper?"
Just then, someone behind them shouted, "Who goes there?"
Oops, we've been found out.
I'm scared of you.
If Fang Ruoxi hadn't run fast enough that day, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Why do I say that? Because in the days that followed, Fang Ruoxi encountered several events that made her truly realize just how cold-blooded, ruthless, unreasonable, bullying, annoying, and detestable Song Zixing really was…
Last night, her attempt to steal the painting failed, leaving her with no other options. Furthermore, the conversation she overheard last night left her with some lingering concerns. Although Fang Ruoxi was troubled by this incident, she was helpless and abandoned her plan to steal the painting back. Early the next morning, she rode away from Cangshu Town, heading towards Hangzhou.
As luck would have it, just as Fang Ruoxi was riding her horse slowly along the official road, she happened to encounter Song Zixing leading his troops. The soldiers were jogging along, while Song Zixing rode his horse among them.
Fang Ruoxi, who was walking ahead, turned around upon hearing the sound and quickly spurred her horse to the side of the road, intending to wait for them to pass before continuing.
This morning, the sunlight was bright, and it was the first time she had ever looked at Song Zixing so openly. The night Song Zixing drowned, she hadn't really looked closely at him; she only knew he was a man, and nothing else. Besides, he didn't look very good in his disheveled state at the time.
Now, this can be considered the first time Fang Ruoxi has truly looked at Song Zixing.
She looked up...
The morning sunlight is as soft as a light veil, gentle and with a poetic elegance.
He was dressed in blue, his eyes like stars, his expression aloof, like a pure orchid on the other side of the river, elegant and untouched by worldly dust.
Fang Ruoxi was stunned at first glance.
Fang Ruoxi couldn't reconcile this man with the one she had kicked unconscious at Taihu Lake that night. Remembering that night, with his bare upper body, Fang Ruoxi felt a surge of heat. She fanned herself with her hand, saying, "The weather is getting hotter and hotter; it's already this hot so early in the morning."
The official road was lined with trees on both sides, a place teeming with birds. Just as the soldiers passed Fang Ruoxi, a flock of birds flew across the road at incredible speed. At that moment, a clump of bird droppings fell from the sky, hitting Fang Ruoxi squarely. Fang Ruoxi reacted quickly, recognizing the droppings as bird droppings. Naturally, she didn't try to block them, and since her horse was already by the roadside, dodging would have meant falling into the ditch behind her. In desperation, she could only unleash a palm strike, deflecting the droppings outwards. But... Just then, Song Zixing rode by. The bird droppings, unable to discern direction or people, tumbled through the air and flew towards Song Zixing. Just as Fang Ruoxi noticed and was about to warn him, before she could even utter a sound, Song Zixing had already sensed the unidentified object flying towards him. Suddenly, he flicked his sleeve, and then, he saw a soft, black and white object stuck to the nose of his lieutenant, who was riding behind him. It was the bird droppings. The lieutenant instinctively reached out and touched it, then looked at it and his face turned pale.
Song Zixing saw it too, his lips twitching slightly before tightening again. He suddenly looked at Fang Ruoxi by the roadside, as if she were the one who had planted the bird droppings. Fang Ruoxi innocently pointed to the sky, indicating to Song Zixing that the "weapon" was actually planted by a bird, not her. Song Zixing looked at her; her eyes, seemingly cold, concealed a wisdom and composure unlike anyone else's. For some reason, Fang Ruoxi suddenly felt a little shy. The lieutenant, unaware of what was happening, followed Fang Ruoxi's finger and looked at the sky, then glared at her with fierce eyes. Fang Ruoxi, seeing this, quickly looked up and exclaimed, "Where are the birds? There was clearly a flock just now..." She hurriedly searched around. But just then, the lieutenant, yelling, thrust his spear at her. She felt so wronged... Glancing at the many soldiers before her, she didn't say a word, spurred her horse and fled, shouting, "It wasn't me, it was the birds!"
Just as the lieutenant was about to spur his horse to give chase, Song Zixing called out in a deep voice, "Wu Zheng, come back."
Although the deputy general Wu Zheng was furious, upon hearing the sound, he lowered his horse, suppressed his anger, and retreated behind Song Zixing, not continuing the pursuit.
Song Zixing didn't even glance at the man and horse that had already gone far away. He simply shouted to the soldiers who had stopped, "Keep going!"
The officers and soldiers replied in unison, "Yes!"
The men and horses continued their march forward.
The city of Hangzhou is bustling with people, a truly vibrant and lively place.
Fang Ruoxi has been dressing up as a dashing and talented scholar these days, wandering around and having a great time.
That noon, Fang Ruoxi was hungry and decided to go to Fenglai Restaurant, the most famous restaurant in Hangzhou, to have some exquisite dishes. Unexpectedly, she ran into Wu Zheng and his group of people who were out drinking. Coincidentally, the two entered at the same time, and when they looked up, they were face to face.
Because Fang Ruoxi was dressed the same as the previous two days, Wu Zheng recognized her at a glance. This time, Fang Ruoxi was not so lucky to escape, because the gate was blocked by Wu Zheng. Wu Zheng was a martial artist with a rude tongue. The two got into a fight after a few words.
The fight spread from the restaurant to the main street, and then from the southwest to the northwest. Along the way, people scattered and hid. Some people recognized Wu Zheng and cheered him on from the sidelines.
Wu Zheng was fierce, and Fang Ruoxi couldn't gain the upper hand for a while. However, after a few moves, Fang Ruoxi realized that although Wu Zheng was strong and his fist and foot skills seemed solid and powerful at first glance, his martial arts moves were extremely ordinary. Fang Ruoxi smiled and finally waited for Wu Zheng to show an opening. She pointed a finger at Wu Zheng's laughing point, but at that moment, a palm wind swept across Fang Ruoxi's cheek. She narrowly dodged it, and then she heard a loud voice say, "I'll come and learn from your martial arts."
Fang Ruoxi steadied herself and looked towards the person who made the sound. Upon seeing it, she realized it was Song Zixing.
At this moment, Song Zixing's palm strike was already upon them.
Song Zixing's palm strikes were relentless and powerful, putting Fang Ruoxi under immense pressure. She had no choice but to proceed cautiously, parrying each move as it came. Since they were currently on a main street with onlookers, they were hesitant to use weapons for fear of accidentally injuring others. The narrow street prevented them from fighting freely. As their battle intensified, they spotted a high platform in the distance. Using their lightness skills, they leaped onto it. The platform was spacious, allowing their fight to become even more intense and evenly matched.
After fifty moves, Song Zixing suddenly said, "Young master, if you lose to me today, you must apologize to my deputy general Wu Zheng for what happened last time."
Fang Ruoxi dodged the palm strike and said, "Alright, although what happened last time wasn't my fault—it was the bird that made the poop, and you were the one who threw that bird poop at his nose—if I lose today, I'm willing to take the blame for this fabricated crime and apologize to him."
Fang Ruoxi implied that she hadn't made the bird droppings, nor had she flung them onto Wu Zheng's nose; it was clearly the bird's and his fault. Yet, he was being unreasonable, unfairly pinning this fabricated accusation on her, which she resented. However, if she lost the fight, she was willing to accept the blame and apologize.
Song Zixing naturally understood the sarcasm in her words and immediately let out a cold snort. He swiftly swung a palm at Fang Ruoxi, who immediately gathered all her inner strength to meet the attack head-on. With a loud thud, the two were forced back and each took a side.
Fang Ruoxi felt a surge of breath and almost couldn't suppress the turmoil in her chest. She looked up at Song Zixing and saw that his expression remained unchanged and his breathing was steady. Fang Ruoxi knew that she had lost and couldn't help but lower her head in sadness.
This was the first time she had lost a one-on-one fight since her debut. Although she was unhappy, she still planned to apologize to Wu Zheng in the audience as promised and settle the matter.
Just then, a heavily made-up old woman waving a red handkerchief suddenly rushed onto the stage, grabbed Song Zixing's sleeve, and said, "Oh my, isn't this General Song? This old woman thought she was seeing things. If you had known that General Song was interested in Miss Zhou, you could have just gone to his residence to propose marriage. Why did you have to come here to hold a martial arts contest to find a husband?"
A martial arts contest to find a husband? Fang Ruoxi and Song Zixing were both taken aback when they heard this. Fang Ruoxi looked up first and saw a large red silk banner hanging above her with the words "Martial Arts Contest to Find a Husband" written on it!
Fang Ruoxi's gaze swept over the old woman who was still clinging to Song Zixing's sleeve, chattering incessantly. Just as Song Zixing was about to break free in frustration, Fang Ruoxi suddenly straightened her back, looking like a strong and magnanimous man, and loudly proclaimed to everyone present, "Young Master Song, I concede! Although my admiration for the Second Miss Zhou is no less than yours, since this is a martial arts contest for marriage, a loss is a loss. I congratulate Young Master Song on winning the beauty's heart. Farewell!" With that, without another word, she leaped forward like an arrow.
×××××××××××××
Fang Ruoxi's sudden remark caused an uproar among the onlookers. The old woman's eyes lit up instantly, and she grabbed Song Zixing's sleeve as if it were a gold bar, refusing to let go. However, Song Zixing shook her off and broke free, chasing after Fang Ruoxi like an arrow.
When the old woman saw that she had returned empty-handed, she chased after him relentlessly, shouting, "General Song, when are you going to the Zhou residence to propose marriage?"
Naturally, no one answered this question.
Wu Zheng also chased after them, but his lightness skill was far inferior to Fang Ruoxi and Song Zixing's. Before he even reached the street corner, the two figures in front of him disappeared.