Author's Note: Tomorrow's Monday again... I feel suicidal every Monday...
Another Village
No major event ever ends quietly. Even when the dust has settled and the overall situation is settled, there are always some minor, unresolved matters to be addressed.
The first people to arrive were Tang Xunzhen and Gu Huaibi. Tang Xunzhen's earnest calls, trembling and echoing, came from seven miles away: "Ah—Kou—Kou—"
Dou Akou came out upon hearing the voice, her eyes filled with tears: "Senior Sister!"
As soon as the two met, they were immediately engulfed in a sea of excitement, holding each other's hands, jumping and shouting, each gesturing wildly as they talked about their own stories.
Tang Xunzhen said, "Akou, you have no idea how worried I was about you!" Dou Akou said, "Senior sister, there's another secret room down there!" Tang Xunzhen asked, "Akou, is the baby alright?" Dou Akou said, "Senior sister, I found that medical book!"
The two women talked at length for half an hour, their conversation a jumble of nonsensical ideas. When they finally finished, their throats parched, and were able to sit down and have a proper talk, they suddenly realized they were speechless and had nothing left to say.
The two men, who had been left aside in silence, finally rediscovered their value.
Gu Huaibi brushed the foam off the tea, met Fu Jiuxin's eyes, and began to tell them everything they didn't know.
According to Gu Huaibi, after he and Tang Xunzhen rescued the martial arts practitioners who had been drugged underground, they immediately returned to the underground palace to help Dou Akou find Fu Jiuxin. However, as soon as they reached the entrance, they saw raging fire spreading along the overflowing stucco. The floor tiles were scorching hot from the flames, making it almost impossible to walk. This was bad enough, but because the underground passage was sealed and poorly ventilated, the fire made it both extremely hot and suffocating. Flames as tall as a person leaped throughout the passage, making it impossible to enter and rescue anyone.
Tang Xunzhen was still shaken when she heard this, and exclaimed, "Akou, I thought... I thought you and Mr. Fu were doomed. The fire was so big, and there were so many traps down there—you have no idea how worried I was about you!"
Dou Akou felt a little embarrassed. During the days that Tang Xunzhen was worried about her, she and Fu Jiuxin ate and drank well in that secret room, and apart from worrying about the child in her belly, they didn't have anything else to worry about.
Gu Huaibi patted Tang Xunzhen's hand reassuringly, then looked at Fu Jiuxin and said, "Brother Fu, you and Akou are indeed blessed with good fortune. In that situation, you were able to escape unscathed. It's just a pity that all the sects of our martial arts world gathered in Haohui City, investing so much manpower and resources, and this is the result..."
Gu Huaibi's head ached at the thought. The promised Chu Shi Sword and martial arts manuals were nowhere to be found. Instead, the exploration of the underground palace over the past few months had resulted in heavy losses for all the sects. He could practically see the repulsive faces of those sect leaders.
Dou Akou was displeased upon hearing this: "Senior brother, in those stone chambers outside the bronze gate, there were so many jewels, chests full of gold, silver and agate, and you carried them all up. Why are you still complaining that it's not enough!"
Dou Akou was furious. Those things should have belonged to her master in the first place. Even if neither she nor her master valued them, they were still theirs. Giving these things away to the various martial arts sects was already a show of leniency on their part; even if they hadn't given them away, no one could find fault with them. So, to her, Gu Huaibi's words sounded like he was getting a good deal and then complaining.
Gu Huaibi choked up. His obedient and adorable junior sister was now displaying the fierce protectiveness of a mother hen guarding her chicks, while the man she was protecting stood behind her with an indifferent expression. Gu Huaibi inexplicably felt a sense of melancholy, as if his daughter had grown up and was no longer under her mother's control.
“Alright, alright… I’ll continue.” Gu Huaibi immediately changed the subject. “Let me talk about Xu Liren. When Xunzhen and I went up to rescue people, we couldn’t find them anymore. Xunzhen said he brought his guards and imperial carriage with him? We didn’t see any of them. I guess they probably left. At that time, protecting the emperor was the priority, so it’s not surprising that they left. In the following days, although we felt that you were probably in grave danger, we didn’t give up searching. The fire burned for almost a whole night. When it was almost extinguished, Pi Xiaoli led the disciples of Pangbo Hall down to blast open another entrance. We searched several roads, but we couldn’t find you. Later, we had no choice but to wait on the ground for a few days. Today, I heard from some junior brothers in Longfeng Town that two people who looked like you entered the town last night, so Xunzhen and I came here early this morning.”
Dou Akou was moved to tears, and holding Tang Xunzhen's hand, she called her "Senior Sister" repeatedly.
Mr. Fu remained completely still, only asking the crucial question: "Has Xu Liren really left?"
“Yes.” Gu Huaibi nodded. “We have been searching for you at the ruins of Haohui City for so many days, but we have not seen you return. You must have gone back to Ziwei Qingdu.”
Fu Jiuxin remained silent, his thoughts unreadable.
That night, Dou Akou warmly invited Tang Xunzhen and his companions to stay for dinner. She had intended to keep Tang Xunzhen for another night, feeling she had much more to say to her. Unfortunately, Gu Huaibi explained that there were many matters to attend to after the treasure hunt, including dealing with the wounded from various factions, distributing the treasure—which Dou Akou called "dividing the spoils"—and returning to Xilie Fort to handle miscellaneous matters. Reluctantly, Dou Akou had to let them go.
As Gu Huaibi and Tang Xunzhen left, it was as if they had rolled up their sleeves and taken away all the hustle and bustle and strife of the martial arts world. They were witnesses to Dou Akou's involvement in the martial arts world. When Dou Akou watched their backs disappear on the outskirts of Longfeng Town, she knew that the ups and downs of glory had finally passed. She and Fu Jiuxin were like two trees that had survived the storm and thunder, finally welcoming the warm spring sunshine.
Even though she and Fu Jiuxin had settled down in Longfeng Town, to outsiders, their family was just an ordinary one, no different from the millions of other residents in the town. However, they were currently living a somewhat frugal life.
The Dou family's property was confiscated, and Xu Liren's national treasury was significantly filled, but the Dou family faced considerable difficulties. Fu Jiuxin, being cautious, had created a false identity while working as the Dou family's accountant and deposited a considerable amount of silver notes for this fictitious person at a silver shop, in case of future changes.
His caution saved the Dou family when they fell on hard times. When Dou Jincai first arrived in Longfeng Town, he used this money to buy this courtyard. But as the saying goes, "sitting idle will eventually lead to poverty," and to support such a large family, the money was dwindling.
That very night, Dou Jincai summoned his entire family for a meeting. After much deliberation, the old man slapped his thigh and made a decision: open an embroidery workshop. He would clear out an empty room in the courtyard to use as an embroidery shop, and the concubines would first sew some embroidery to sell, making small profits but increasing sales volume. Once the business became well-known, they would then plan for expansion.
Dou Jincai was once just a farmer tending a peach orchard in the countryside. He started from scratch and rose to become a royal merchant supplying flowers and trees to the imperial palace. The hardships he endured along the way are beyond words. Now, over fifty years old and starting over again, he feels his heart is filled with passion and excitement, as if he has returned to his ambitious youth.
Dou Akou looked at her father thumping his chest with a smug expression and felt a little worried. She privately pulled Fu Jiuxin aside and asked, "Sir, do you think Father's idea is feasible? Longfeng Town is neither big nor small, and it has a few well-established businesses that have been in business for many years. Can we, as newcomers, compete with them?"
Fu Jiuxin, after all, saw further ahead than her: "You should trust your father's business acumen. Besides, when our family was still prosperous, what hadn't our aunts seen? They knew all about the fabrics, silks, and embroidery patterns bestowed upon them by the palace. But the embroidery workshops in this town that have been living off their family's wealth for generations might not know that... And even if we take a step back, don't we still have me?"
Of all Fu Jiuxin's long speech, Dou Akou only caught the last sentence. Her husband was omnipotent, especially when it came to managing the household and accounts, so she quickly forgot about it. After all, her most important task now was raising her child.
The events in Haohui City seemed to have ended quietly. Dou Akou firmly believed that they had escaped because of the protection of Fu Jiuxin's mother, so she insisted on going to her grave to pay her respects.
Fu Jiuxin readily agreed. The two prepared a basket of cold food, along with candles and paper money, and set off to offer sacrifices, treading through the lush green grass of the mountain. It was evening, and the weather, typical of July and August, had just been rained on. The mountain air was refreshing, and a cool breeze was pleasant. Dou Akou was content with her current life, finding even the dewdrops clinging to the grass beautiful.
Since Fu Jiuxin came to Longfeng Town, Fu's mother's grave has been taken care of and is no longer the desolate and overgrown place it used to be. Dou Akou was about to kneel down and kowtow, but Fu Jiuxin stopped her. He took off his clothes, folded them several times, and used them as a mat on the ground before helping Dou Akou kneel down, still holding her body with one hand.
Dou Akou was performing the kowtow ceremony, while Fu Jiuxin casually placed his hands on her shoulders, his gaze fixed on the stone tablet not far away. That stone tablet had stood in front of Fu's mother's grave for fifteen years. When Fu's mother was buried, Fu Jiuxin was young and could not afford a lavish funeral. The neighbors pooled their money to provide a simple coffin, but this tombstone had been prepared by Fu's mother before she died, so there was no need for her to worry about it.
Fu Jiuxin had never suspected anything before, but now that he saw the stele, he was a little puzzled as to why his mother had prepared a stele instead of a coffin for him before she passed away.
He stared at the tombstone for a long time, then suddenly released Dou Akou and walked solemnly towards the tomb. Dou Akou was chanting a prayer when she noticed Fu Jiuxin's unusual behavior, and immediately stood up and followed behind him in confusion.
Fu Jiuxin felt around the edge of the stone tablet for a while. Dou Akou, with her sharp eyes, noticed a small protruding corner behind the stone tablet. Fu Jiuxin obviously noticed it as well. He felt down along the corner and said in a deep voice, "Something is sealed inside."
While Dou Akou was still searching for usable tools, Fu Jiuxin had already drawn her sword and gently tapped along the veins that stretched down the horn. The sound of metal scraping against stone was teeth-grinding. After a few taps, the stone tablet could not withstand the sharpness of the golden sword and cracked open. Pieces of stone chips peeled off, revealing something.
Chu Shi Xian
Seeing what was revealed, Dou Akou was so surprised that she couldn't speak. Even Fu Jiuxin, who was usually aloof, showed a slight look of surprise.
Behind the stone tablet, inside the chipped stone shell, there was a shallow, man-made indentation, within which lay a sword. The scabbard was covered with a layer of gray stone powder, almost blending into the stone tablet without close inspection. The protruding corner that Fu Jiuxin saw was actually the hilt of the sword.
Fu Jiuxin used force to pull the sword out of the groove, causing some dust to fall. He brushed away the gray stone powder on the scabbard, gradually revealing the scabbard's original color and patterns.
This is a very ancient sword. The bronze scabbard is engraved with intricate dark blue patterns, but apart from that, there is not a single superfluous decoration. However, at first glance, it does not seem shabby, but rather has a sense of weight and desolation.
Fu Jiuxin drew his sword, and with a clear, clanging sound, a straight, cold line of light shot out, its brilliance dazzling and so captivating that one dared not look directly at it. Even after the entire sword was drawn, the faint sound of a dragon's roar could still be heard.
Dou Akou quickly looked away, and Fu Jiuxin moved a few steps to the side, into the shade of a tree. The light reflected from the sword gradually dimmed, revealing its true form.
It was a sword over two feet long, with an extremely thin blade without a single nick or nick. The blade itself was a dark, deep bluish-gray, exuding the menacing aura of a cold weapon.
Fu Jiuxin stood alone under the shade of flowers, sword in one hand. His temperament complemented the sword perfectly. He was clearly surrounded by the bright and colorful summer sun, but Dou Akou suddenly felt as if winter snow was falling in an instant, chilling her to the bone.