Neuf chansons

Chapitre 30

Knowing that laughing like that was impolite to Xu Zhu, Li Yuxuan walked over and bowed deeply to him: "Li Yuxuan thanks Brother Xu Zhu for saving my life and for bestowing upon me divine skills."

Xu Zhu was completely dumbfounded: "No, no need, it was nothing, Lord Li, don't worry about it. Oh, I'm just glad you're alright."

Among Duan Yu's female companions were a few mischievous ones, such as Zhong Ling and Mu Wanqing. They suggested going out for a stroll, and Li Xinyun immediately asked Xiao Lei to take them out. It was clear that Li Xinyun was fond of Xiao Lei because of Duan Yu's love for his wife.

The remaining woman, bearing a resemblance to Li Xinyun in her features, sat demurely and quietly beside Duan Yu, smiling throughout. When Duan Yu introduced her earlier, he called her Miss Wang, and Li Yuxuan knew she was Wang Yuyan. She was truly a delicate, round figure, fair and rosy-white, translucent and captivating, making one want to take a bite. Truly a beauty of unparalleled grace and charm.

Li Yuxuan sighed, feeling less pressured when he was surrounded by men.

Prince Xin ordered people to prepare houses for them, and the group accepted the offer and settled in.

Zhan Zhao was originally a chivalrous hero who became famous at a young age. He had traveled the martial arts world since he was young. He only stayed by Bao Zheng's side because of Bao Zheng's kindness in recognizing his talent. He no longer had the freedom and carefree spirit he had when he roamed the martial arts world. When he met Xiao Feng, he was as warm as if he had met a relative. Xiao Feng had also heard of Zhan Zhao's great name and had always admired his integrity, selflessness, and dedication to the country and its people. The two hit it off immediately and talked about the martial arts world and national affairs. They had a great time talking.

Li Xinyun dragged Li Yuxuan out of the house and asked softly, "That idiot wasn't here to find a husband at all. What can you do?"

Li Yuxuan tapped her on the head: "Asking you about this, I never get involved in other people's relationships, hahaha, you handle your own affairs."

Li Xinyun made a miserable face: "There are only seven days left, and I'm still not sure what will happen. What if this idiot can't beat the others?"

Li Yuxuan rolled her eyes at her: "Can't you come up with another way? Go back and think about it yourself, instead of lingering here asking me questions. We'll be going back in a couple of days."

"No, the Emperor has asked Prince Xin to stay here to finish the martial arts contest for marriage before he leaves. Prince Xin has already agreed, so I need you to come back with me and help me think of a solution."

Li Yuxuan firmly refused to help her with this question. It wasn't that she was unwilling to help, but she didn't want to cause any more misunderstandings. Li Xinyun had been with him every day recently, which was already enough to cause misunderstandings. It didn't matter if her own people misunderstood, but it would be a big problem if the Xixia people misunderstood. She didn't want to be forced to take a bath in the Pacific Ocean.

Li Xinyun sighed and glared at her resentfully, "I'm going back now, I'll come back tomorrow."

Li Yuxuan waved his hand with a grin: "Go ahead, go ahead, I'll be waiting for your good news."

Not long after Li Xinyun left, a guard rushed in to report that Princess Xinyun was fighting with someone outside the inn. Li Yuxuan didn't take it seriously. The princess was known for her willful nature; after being turned away at his place, she would need to find a place to vent her frustration. So he waved his hand and said, "I know, let her go. Is she in any danger here?"

Just then, Xu Zhu, who was listening inside and getting bored, came out and asked, "What happened?"

The guard glanced at Li Yuxuan, who raised an eyebrow and said, "Speak!" It would be fun to let this kid play the hero and get to know Princess Xinyun; after all, she'd been bored to death. "Brother Xuzhu, it's perfect that you're out. I don't know kung fu and can't help, so why don't you come with me?"

Outside the inn, Li Xinyun was engaged in a fierce fight with a man. The man retreated step by step, while Li Xinyun pressed forward relentlessly. By the time Li Yuxuan and the others saw it, the man, probably frustrated by Li Xinyun's actions, was launching a fierce attack on him.

"Amitabha!" Xu Zhu waved his robe, and without making a move, he forcefully inserted himself between the two. "Esteemed benefactor, a good man does not fight with a woman. Why do you want to fight this woman?"

When Li Xinyun saw Xu Zhu appear, her pretty face flushed slightly. She stopped attacking and ran to Li Yuxuan's side, saying, "This guy is the one who captured you and me that day. I don't know how he ended up here too."

"You didn't ask?"

"I didn't have time to ask. I was so angry when I saw him that I just whipped him."

Unlike Li Xinyun, the man didn't recognize Xu Zhu. He couldn't stop his final attack and struck Xu Zhu directly, but it felt like he'd only hit Xu Zhu's robe. The force in his hand was like a stone sinking into the sea. Startled, he took a step back. Knowing he'd encountered a master, he turned to leave.

"Wait!" Li Yuxuan quickly called out, "Xuzhu, don't let him leave yet." He walked down the steps and smiled slightly at the man, "Do you still recognize me, sir?"

The man remained silent.

“If you don’t answer, I’ll take that as an admission. Brother Xuzhu, could you please do me a favor and take this man to see Prince Xin? This man has some past grievances with the prince.”

Seeing that Xu Zhu was really going to obey, the man sneered, "It's not that I have a grudge against your prince, but that you want to settle a personal score! What happened last time was just a misunderstanding, and I also let you escape safely. If it weren't for me that night, would you have been able to escape?"

Li Yuxuan hated people who blatantly distorted the truth more than anything else, and he sneered, "Then shouldn't I thank this hero for saving my life? Please, hero, come inside so I can properly thank you."

The man glared at Li Yuxuan, his eyes blazing with fury: "You seduced my fiancée and made her change her mind. Shouldn't I seek revenge?"

Li Yuxuan looked at him with a smile: "Is that really so?"

"That's exactly right!"

"Hahahaha." Li Yuxuan laughed loudly: "It was indeed my fault for seducing someone's fiancée. Everyone, let's go and invite this benefactor inside for tea."

A large group of guards gathered around when they heard Li Yuxuan say this.

Seeing that he couldn't leave no matter what, the man raised his head and sneered, "Lord Li, there's no need for such politeness. I'll go in myself. Do you think I, a dignified Khitan prince, would be afraid of you?"

So close yet so far

Li Yuxuan spoke to the man, but his eyes were fixed on Li Xinyun as he laughed, "You are the legendary Khitan prince! No wonder you are so resentful towards me. It turns out you've been blinded by your own ignorance. You don't recognize Meng Gu's true face! Hahaha. Everyone, please invite the Dragon King Temple inside."

Li Yuxuan smiled smugly, while Xuzhu stared at her in astonishment. Li Xinyun knew that Li Yuxuan was going to stick with her, so she snorted and turned the back of her head on her.

Seeing Li Xinyun's shy and embarrassed expression, Li Yuxuan was in a good mood. He leaned closer and whispered in her ear, "Beautiful princess, aren't you going to see what will happen to your fiancé in my hands?" When Li Xinyun didn't answer, he continued to whisper in her ear, "Don't you want to see Menglang's wonderful performance later?"

Li Xinyun glanced at Xu Zhu, who was still in a daze, and said, "If you go and tease him, I'll never forgive you." When she saw the man who claimed to be a Khitan prince looking at them, she raised her voice two octaves and said, "We two will be together for all eternity, endlessly, forever."

After finishing his daze, Xu Zhu lowered his head and walked timidly to Li Yuxuan, asking hesitantly, "Lord Li, do you... do you also know Meng Gu?"

Li Yuxuan casually pinched Li Xinyun's waist: "Aunt Meng, isn't Aunt Meng the dream lover? I've always called my dream lover Aunt Meng."

Upon hearing this, Xu Zhu's expectant expression immediately turned into deep disappointment. Seeing this, Li Yuxuan regretted teasing the innocent little monk.

"Ahem." She coughed. "Actually, the word 'fate' is too mysterious. Sometimes, things that seem impossible to find are actually right in front of you, even if they're far away. What do you think, Princess? That's why there are sayings like 'Though we are close, we are worlds apart,' 'Those destined to meet will meet even if we are a thousand miles apart,' and 'Those not destined to meet will not meet even if we are face to face.' Amitabha! May Buddha have mercy." After saying that, she quickly turned around and ran into the inn, packing up the two clueless guys and leaving them together.

Li Xinyun's ignorance stemmed from the fact that her Chinese was limited to everyday conversation; she had only a superficial understanding or no understanding of difficult idioms. Xu Zhu's ignorance lay in his feeling that Li Yuxuan's words were too profound, reaching the highest realm of enlightenment, like the Buddha's flower-offering smile. Amitabha, as the saying goes, "Bodhi is not a tree, nor is the mirror a stand; attachment breeds karmic obstacles, and karmic obstacles lead to Avici Hell..."

Seeing Xu Zhu staring at her with a strange expression, Li Xinyun assumed he had understood Li Yuxuan's words and recognized her. She lowered her head, smiled shyly, and was about to speak when she saw Xu Zhu let out a strange cry and run after Li Yuxuan.

Li Xinyun was startled and didn't know what was going on. Although she was a little annoyed, she still followed him over.

Seeing the commotion in the front courtyard, Prince Xin and Xiao Feng also came out. When the man saw Xiao Feng, his face lit up with joy, and he called out, "Great King Xiao!"

Xiao Feng was surprised: "Prince Xiao Hala, what are you doing here? What's going on?"

Upon seeing that the man was indeed a Khitan prince, Li Yuxuan chuckled, "Brother Xiao, he really is a prince! I thought he was just a swindler using the prince's name to deceive people, so I sent him here to see if he was real." He dusted off his robe, bowed and clasped his hands in a fist salute to the prince named Xiao Hala, saying, "Li Yuxuan was unaware of the real prince's arrival. For the sake of our Prince Xin's comfort, I have offended the prince. Please forgive me, Your Highness."

She knew that Prince Xin and everyone else were fully aware of the situation, but in diplomacy between nations, no matter how sordid or turbulent the undercurrents, it was essential to maintain a facade of harmony and not give the other side any leverage to their advantage.

Xiao Hala softened the lines on his face, feigning innocence and purity: "Lord Li is loyal and devoted, how could I blame him? It was I who, upon hearing that King Xiao was here, presumptuously came seeking him out. I was reckless."

Prince Xin laughed heartily, approached him, and took his hand: "With the presence of Hero Xiao, Prince Duan, and Your Highness today, our humble inn is truly honored!"

When Li Yuxuan heard him say "Your Highness," he pronounced it with a rolled "r" sound. A narcissistic person would recognize "Your Highness," but a non-narcissistic person would definitely hear it as "Woof."

Even if this person were to fake it, they could do it more convincingly than she could.

She turned to walk away, but Xu Zhu's magnified face suddenly appeared before her, startling her so much that she instinctively took a step back. Upon seeing Xu Zhu again, she looked at him with a devout expression: "Xu Zhu thanks Lord Li for his guidance, but I am still ignorant and have something I wish to ask you. Lord Li, could you please explain the Meng Gu you mentioned earlier in more detail? I am conflicted; this word is related to someone I cherish deeply. I wonder if Lord Li said it by coincidence or on purpose?"

Who said Xu Zhu was a fool? He was just pretending to be weak while actually being strong. He even understood such a profound question.

She smiled knowingly, "As for Meng Gu, it was both unintentional and intentional. This is a secret that cannot be revealed. If you are attentive, even the ends of the earth are within reach; if you are indifferent, even what is within reach is the ends of the earth."

"Then, Lord Li, could you tell me whether this Meng Gu is within reach or at the ends of the earth?" Her eyes were bright as she stared intently at Li Yuxuan's face.

Before Li Yuxuan could speak, a deep voice rang out from behind: "Young Master Xuzhu, both the near and the far are in your heart. If you want the near, you can reach it with a wave of your hand; if you want the far, you are helpless. Even if the person you long for is sitting next to you, they are still unattainable." It was Xu Qingzhi.

When Li Xinyun saw Xu Qingzhi appear, she immediately grabbed his sleeve and said, "Brother Xu, that brat is bullying people. Help me teach her a lesson."

Xu Qingzhi's gaze swept across Li Yuxuan's face: "Isn't it Lord Li himself who is struggling with the issue of being so close yet so far? How did it get dragged into Young Master Xuzhu's affairs?"

"I won't get hung up on what 'close yet far' means. What's mine, I won't give up; what's not mine, I'll never force. In my heart, the so-called 'close yet far' is just a matter of time." He paused, looking at Xu Qingzhi's face, and smiled, "However, I do understand what you mean by 'close yet far.' You are well-read, with a heart full of passion to save the world. A true man should naturally hope to use his knowledge and leave a lasting legacy. He should never abandon his ideals for love. So, whether it's close or far, it's all petty sentimentality, not the behavior of a true man. Am I right, brother?"

Xu Qingzhi turned his back to her, gazing at the sky without speaking. Li Yuxuan didn't know why she had spoken so harshly. Wasn't she just hoping that Xu Qingzhi could realize his ambitions and live up to his talent? She definitely needed to find an opportunity to change her habit of always speaking before thinking.

Xu Zhu, standing to the side, replied earnestly, "No, no. The most important thing for a man in this world is to be with the person he loves and longs for, and to live happily. Otherwise, even if he lives for hundreds of years, it would be a wasted life."

Another person clapped and came out of the room: "Third brother is absolutely right. If you can't be with the one you love, then living is just being a walking corpse. What's the point of life?"

Xu Zhu called out, "Second Brother!"

Li Yuxuan laughed and said, "The words 'love' are something only idle young masters like you would do. A true man takes the world as his responsibility, worries about the world's troubles before enjoying its pleasures. How could he have time for tender feelings and sweet nothings? Therefore, those who achieve great things will not talk about love. Like Yu the Great, who passed his home three times without entering while controlling the floods; Liu Bang, who was ruthless, seized the Han dynasty; and Xiang Yu, who was sentimental, died a violent death at the Wujiang River. Tsk tsk, so many lessons from the past. I need to learn more from them."

Xu Qingzhi sneered, "Once you finish learning, Xiang Yu will be so angry he'll come back to life. With your looks, how could you possibly learn to worry about the world's troubles before anyone else?"

Li Yuxuan knew he had said the wrong thing before, and he used those words to make Xu Qingzhi laugh. Seeing Xu Qingzhi mocking him, he didn't care and continued to chuckle: "You're wrong. I just want to follow the example of monks. Form is emptiness and emptiness is form. It's much more noble than not talking about love and only knowing how to make babies by drawing the curtains."

"Hmm, hmm." Xu Qingzhi coughed lightly twice. Li Yuxuan snapped out of his daze and looked at Xu Zhu, who was blushing bright red. He'd been cooked again; poor thing, this was definitely an accidental injury. "I was just using an analogy, not talking about monks. Uh, it has nothing to do with you, you're not a monk anymore. Uh, I was just proving what you said..."

Xu Zhu rubbed his head: "It's okay, I don't care. I like your point of view."

So, true friends are forged through conversation. Look, now Xu Zhu and Duan Yu, after listening to her eloquent speech, are full of praise for her. The three of them, in high spirits, immediately became sworn brothers and went out for drinks, leaving Li Xinyun and Xu Qingzhi gritting their teeth. If their inner grumbling could be heard, Li Yuxuan would probably have been thoroughly humiliated by the two of them by now.

However, Li Xinyun was secretly delighted after hearing Xu Zhu's words, knowing that the brat was ultimately trying to get Xu Zhu to reveal his true feelings. Xu Qingzhi didn't know whether Li Yuxuan's words were sincere or sarcastic; even a kind word sounded different coming from her mouth.

Li Xinyun knew that Xu Qingzhi was just as resourceful as Li Yuxuan. Seeing them leave, she immediately looked at Xu Qingzhi with a smile and said, "Brother Xu, I need your help with something."

"What's up?"

"Help me think of a way..." Lower your head, and don't say anything more.

Xu Qingzhi understood: "This is easy to handle. Young Master Xuzhu is a good man, worthy of entrusting one's life to. Let's go have a drink and talk about it while we go."

The days passed by in this lively and bustling manner. Li Xinyun rarely appeared at the inn these days, and the Khitan prince, who had only visited once, had not reappeared. Xu Zhu taught Li Yuxuan some mental techniques for mastering and cultivating the Beiming Divine Art, and also taught her a few moves of the Tianshan Plum Blossom Hand. Fortunately, Xu Zhu's martial arts were originally created by the Tianshan Child Granny, and were of the Yin and Yang style, so Li Yuxuan found them easy to learn. With such a master guiding her, she was naturally overjoyed and extremely attentive.

Having experienced so many ups and downs along the way, her reverence for kung fu has now reached a new level, evolving from initial indifference and envy to a blatant, yearning. Having such a wonderful teacher as Xu Zhu has moved her to the point where she has never worked so hard in her entire life.

However, although the teacher was good, her teaching experience was obviously lacking. Fortunately, her student was smart and could apply what she learned to other situations, and the two worked together quite well.

The day of the martial arts contest to choose a husband arrived quickly. Early in the morning, they were escorted into the palace by palace officials and taken to the Lanbing Pavilion, which had been specially prepared for the contest. Li Yuxuan saw that the pavilion was decorated with colorful flowers and willows, and filled with the lively sounds of people. Many others had already arrived, and the arrival of their group of handsome men and beautiful women caused quite a stir.

Li Yuxuan leisurely found a seat and sat down; she was there to watch the show.

Deep affection and loyalty

In fact, this group of people were all there to watch the show. A certain fake monk, unaware of the truth, was leisurely strolling around, looking at the furnishings in the room, with an indifferent expression that seemed to say, "It's none of my business."

Most people were speculating about the Western Xia princess's beauty and intentions.

About half an hour later, Li Yuxuan saw Xiaolei come out. When she saw them, she smiled slightly and then said loudly, "The princess is waiting for you in the study. Please follow me."

After speaking, she led everyone towards the back door of Lanbing Pavilion. After exiting the back door, they hadn't walked far when they came to a snow-covered mountain peak. Xiaolei stopped in front of a cliff, turned back and smiled, ignoring everyone's astonishment, and said to the bottom of the cliff: "Since it's agreed that this is a martial arts contest to choose a husband, martial arts skills are unavoidable. Below this cliff is the princess's study, but this cliff is over a thousand feet deep, and below is the bottom of Helan Mountain. If you fall down, you will surely be reduced to ashes. If anyone thinks their lightness skill is not up to par, please don't participate."

After speaking, she retreated to Xu Qingzhi's side: "The princess said that Young Master Xu is a distinguished guest, and instructed me to escort you there." She smiled, "Please close your eyes, Young Master." She reached out and hugged Xu Qingzhi's waist, ignoring the protesting gazes of the crowd, walked to the edge of the cliff, and jumped down. Her green dress fluttered as she glided sideways towards a mountainside. A moment later, a clear voice rang out: "Distinguished guests, please follow my route down!"

Figures of all kinds immediately floated up from below the cliff. Most of those who could get here were royal families and nobles from various countries. Noble sons, in addition to being proficient in many languages, were generally skilled in both literature and martial arts. Even a playboy like Duan Yu, who only knew how to pick up girls, had at least learned a bit of the Six Meridian Divine Sword.

Of course, some people didn't dare to go down, shaking their heads and sighing as they looked at the cliff. Prince Xin looked at Li Yuxuan and asked, "Shall we go down?"

Duan Yu looked at her and said, "Let's go down!" He reached out, picked up Wang Yuyan, and jumped down first. Seeing Duan Yu jump down, Xu Zhu followed suit.

Prince Xin picked up Li Yuxuan and jumped down, with Zhan Zhao following closely behind.

The mountain wall, which was not far down, had been carved out into an exceptionally spacious hall. Inside the hall, red candles were lit, and the four walls were covered with red silk and various calligraphy and paintings, creating a festive atmosphere.

Inside, wine and various pastries were laid out, and a beautiful palace maid stood beside each eight-immortal table. Everyone who went down was invited to sit down at one of the eight-immortal tables. Li Yuxuan didn't know what method Li Xinyun had come up with, and when he looked for Xu Qingzhi again, both he and Xiaolei had disappeared without a trace.

This kid was actually treated like an honored guest. No wonder I haven't seen him around much these past few days; it turns out he's become Li Xinyun's strategist.