Болезненный юноша, путешествующий во времена династии Сун

Глава 18

"Murong Songtao, the Imperial Eunuch has come from afar, carrying an imperial edict. Why don't you kneel to receive it? Are you preparing to defy the imperial decree?" Seeing that Murong Songtao remained silent for a long time, a middle-aged man in a golden official robe mounted a horse beside the eunuch and couldn't help but speak up. Mo Xibei, hidden in the crowd, heard someone say in a low voice, "It's him."

Mo Xibei didn't know who "it was actually him" referred to. She only knew that in the whole world, the only person now known as the Director of the Eastern Depot was Huang Jin, the powerful eunuch in the palace who was also the Grand Secretary of the Directorate of Ceremonial. However, she never expected that a eunuch would have such skills, able to shatter walls from a hundred feet away and even kill people invisibly.

The mere mention of the title "Director of the Eastern Depot" immediately evoked fear in most of the attendees. Since Huang Jin was present, it was likely that a large portion of his 60,000 elite guards had followed. Over the years, the Eastern Depot's guards had been active everywhere, establishing numerous prisons and surveillance facilities. From the actions of officials and important government documents to the daily lives of ordinary people, even the prices of basic necessities, everything was under their control. Another crucial task of the guards was apprehending criminals. Most of the guards were from the martial arts world, possessing exceptional skills. During arrests, they were known for their tight defenses, ruthless attacks, and relentless pursuit of their targets. Many of those present today were notorious bandits, all on the guards' blacklist. How could they not feel terrified?

"Gentlemen, I am here today purely on imperial orders to watch the martial arts tournament and to recruit talent for the court. Whatever you have done in the past, I will set aside for now for the sake of Alliance Leader Murong. As long as the martial arts tournament continues, the Imperial Guards will not make things difficult for you. So, please calm down." Huang Jin slightly raised his hand, signaling the person who had just spoken to step back. He then smiled and stared at Murong Songtao. After a pause, he asked, "Alliance Leader Murong, you should at least give me a heads-up."

"This humble subject receives the decree, long live the Emperor!" Murong Songtao clenched his fist slightly, then quickly released it, lifted his robes, and knelt down in the dust.

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!" More people knelt on the ground, worshipping the supreme imperial power.

The Emperor's decree was simple: he ordered Huang Jin to attend the martial arts tournament and to select suitable candidates for the Imperial Guard or the defense of Jiangnan. It sounded very grand and dignified, but no one failed to understand that this was actually a signal that the court was extending its reach into the martial arts world.

After Murong Songtao invited Huang Jin to take a seat, the martial arts competition resumed. Since Sun Hongliang was dead, the previous arena layout was broken, and everything was almost starting over. However, unlike the scene of everyone being eager to try the day before, now there were very few people on the field, and the competition had no highlights that could attract attention.

Mo Xibei remained standing behind Murong Songtao. At this moment, Huang Jin, bored with the arena, turned his attention to her, frequently turning his head to look at her.

Mo Xibei remained silent, keeping his eyes down and ignoring the doubts in others' eyes.

After lunch, Huang Jin suddenly said, "I haven't been active in the martial arts world for a long time, but I've heard the saying 'the new generation surpasses the old.' Why do I see that the young people on the stage these days aren't very willing to give their all? How about this, since it's a competition to determine the best, I'll throw out a suggestion and nominate someone to come up on stage so you can all spar with each other." As he spoke, he turned to the person he had brought with him, "Young Master Mu, you've been sitting here all morning, why don't you come down and stretch your legs?"

"The factory supervisor has given the order; how dare we disobey?" From the crowd, someone rose gracefully, their long, jet-black hair swaying gently in the air with each step. A similarly jet-black robe swept through the golden landscape, like a sharp blade neatly slicing a gold leaf in two. Mo Xibei couldn't see the person's face, because a dazzling silver metal mask, gleaming in the sunlight, completely covered the face. The exposed eyes were calm and serene, like the tranquil Lake Mochou in the height of summer—one moment peaceful and harmless, the next, perhaps accompanied by a dark cloud, a sudden and boundless storm brewing.

"Supervisor, swords have no eyes. I humbly request that you and Alliance Leader Murong bear witness. After the fight, we can all leave the rest to fate." Young Master Mu did not immediately step onto the arena. Instead, he stopped in front of the stands and raised his voice to make the suggestion.

“Young Master Mu, this martial arts competition emphasizes stopping short of a point being reached,” Murong Songtao frowned and immediately retorted.

“Hey, I think what Young Master Mu said is right. When it comes to martial arts, everyone should use their strengths. If you are only worried about the dangers of swords and blades and are afraid of accidentally hurting your opponent, you will inevitably be timid and unable to show your true skills. What’s the point of the martial arts competition then?” Huang Jin nodded, interrupting Murong Songtao’s next words, and said directly, “Just as Young Master Mu said, let’s begin.”

The arena, which no longer adhered to the rule of stopping at the point of contact, quickly became a killing field.

The first to challenge Young Master Mu was Li Huazhi, a disciple of the Kongtong Sect. On the arena, his pair of judge's pens danced wildly, each stroke aimed at Young Master Mu's vital points. Young Master Mu, however, only dodged and did not retaliate. It wasn't until he had just finished his seventy-two moves of the judge's pen technique that he suddenly reached out from the shadow of the pens. With a crisp "crack," he grabbed Li Huazhi's right wrist and crushed it with a light touch.

Mo Xibei felt he couldn't describe this Young Master Mu's skills. He didn't seem to have any fancy moves, but every move he made was a killing blow, and each killing blow was aimed at the most unexpected spot. So, he only needed one move to injure or kill someone. One move was enough. Mo Xibei surmised that if he were on the stage, he would inevitably end up injured. It was just unbelievable that the Eastern Depot would hire and send someone like this to interfere in the martial arts world.

After an afternoon of competition, Young Master Mu won ten consecutive matches.

"It's getting late, and the factory supervisor has come from afar. Why don't you rest early? There's no need to rush the competition today." Although Murong Songtao's expression didn't change, the veins on his hands, which had been resting on his knees, were bulging. After Young Master Mu won the tenth match, he hurriedly stepped forward to stop him.

Volume One: Ten Years of Wandering the Jianghu, Chapter Thirty-Six

"Very well then." Huang Jin didn't object, but simply raised his hands gently, looking at them again and again in the sunset. That feeling... Mo Xibei thought, Huang Jin must really know how to appreciate his plump, fair hands with firm skin. If he had been more meticulous in his preparations for this trip, or if his ship hadn't been blown to pieces, then perhaps he could have sold him his rose moisturizing hand cream, made with a modern formula and ancient techniques, at a very good price.

Perhaps sensing Mo Xibei's gaze, Huang Jin suddenly said as he stood up, "In the end, time waits for no one. No matter how carefully you preserve some things, it's useless. When it's time to let go, letting go will save you trouble."

Mo Xibei dismissed these words, but Murong Songtao's expression changed slightly.

That evening, Murong Songtao hosted a banquet at his residence, ostensibly to welcome Huang Jin. The dishes were exquisite, but the guests seemed distracted.

Huang Jin only brought Young Master Mu, who had participated in the afternoon's arena, along with two Jinyiwei generals and a personal eunuch to the banquet. The troops he brought this time, in addition to the several hundred Jinyiwei and Imperial Guards that Mo Xibei and the others had seen that afternoon, also included six thousand elite cavalry, all of whom were camped outside the Murong residence. The pretext was to avoid disturbing the people, but in reality, the camp's formation had already completely surrounded the Murong residence.

"Your Excellency has come from afar, and I, Murong Songtao, have nothing to offer in return but simple wine and vegetarian dishes. I hope you will not find them offensive." With the dishes laid out, Murong Songtao rose to pour wine. He had roamed the martial world for decades, always treated with deference; this was the first time he had ever been so obsequious. He glanced coldly at the sneer on Huang Jin's lips, feeling only anger and powerlessness. The six major sects had sent almost all their elites to this gathering, and now they were all trapped here. If anything went wrong, the martial world would be turned upside down. "This is the truth: the poor cannot fight the rich, and the rich cannot fight the officials. It's not cowardice, it's just that I have too many concerns," Murong Songtao said, drinking a cup of bitter wine to console himself.

"I've heard that Young Master Mo has several lucrative businesses in Jiangnan. I never imagined that you, at such a young age, would possess such amazing skills. May I ask where Young Master Mo is from?" Huang Jin paid little attention to Murong Songtao, and after trying a few more dishes, suddenly turned the conversation to Mo Xibei.

At this moment, Mo Xibei was also at the table, directly opposite Young Master Mu. When Huang Jin asked her question, she was staring intently at the other person's chopsticks, trying to see how such a small hole in the metal mask, which had left room for the mouth and nose, could satisfy a person's basic need to eat.

"Bei'er, I'm asking you where you're from." Seeing that Mo Xibei ignored Huang Jin's words, Murong Songtao quickly kicked him lightly.

"Reporting to the factory supervisor, I have been wandering since childhood and have long forgotten the location of my hometown. Alas, I am truly ashamed before my ancestors," Mo Xibei replied with a look of trepidation.

"Oh? Is that so? What a pity. I thought you had met someone from my hometown because you spoke with a slight Hanzhong accent." Huang Jin said with a hint of regret.

"So the factory supervisor is from Hanzhong." Mo Xibei smiled, her expression calm, seemingly uninterested and merely agreeing to make a joke. But her heart was in turmoil. The Prince of Xing's mansion was in Hanzhong, and she had also studied under a master there. Her accent had changed a lot over the years after being influenced by the warm and gentle Jiangnan region. At least, very few people she had met in recent years had mentioned her hometown as soon as she opened her mouth.

"Actually, my family wasn't born in Hanzhong. However, in order to serve the Emperor, we lived in the former princely residence for more than ten years. Hanzhong is a good place. Young Master Mo might as well visit it in the future." Huang Jin smiled, which made it seem to others that the current head of the Eastern Depot, who now held sway over the entire court, was showing great favor to Mo Xibei.

This meal was more boring than ever before. Mo Xibei was annoyed to find that even his favorite Luoyang Yan Cai (a type of Chinese dish) tasted terrible. The young master Mu, who came with Huang Jin, was even more abrupt. He didn't touch his chopsticks at all from beginning to end, and naturally, he didn't drink any wine or tea either.

When the event was finally over, Huang Jin naturally returned to his tent and continued to oversee the area outside the Murong residence, while Mo Xibei was invited to the study by someone sent by Murong Songtao.

At the door of the study, Murong Lianyun happened to walk over. When he saw Mo Xibei, his eyes were filled with joy mixed with a bit of sorrow.

Murong Songtao was sitting alone in his study. When Mo Xibei and Murong Lianyun knocked on the door and entered, he was wrapping something nearly a foot long in a piece of red silk. Although he couldn't see it clearly, Mo Xibei felt that the thing looked like a short knife.

"Father, is there something you need us for?" Murong Lianyun had also heard about what happened during the day, but she still walked over to Murong Songtao's side as usual, reaching out to tug at his sleeve and acting coquettishly.

"You silly child, you're about to get married, and you're still like this. Aren't you afraid people will laugh at you?" Murong Songtao smiled, gently patted his daughter's hand, and then turned to Mo Xibei and said, "Bei'er, I called you here to ask what your plans are after you get married, and where you plan to settle down?"

"I want to live with Father," Murong Lianyun said quickly. "I'm not going anywhere else."

“Nonsense, how can you not go anywhere after getting married?” Murong Songtao frowned, and after saying this, he still looked at Mo Xibei. “I hope you will take Lianyun back to Jiangnan. What do you think?”

“Of course.” Mo Xibei guessed that Murong Songtao must have a reason for coming to see her today, but her intuition told her that things were definitely not as simple as they seemed.

“Yun’er has been spoiled by me, so you’ll have to be more tolerant of her in the future.” Murong Songtao seemed quite melancholy as he patted his daughter’s hand that was tugging at his sleeve. “I originally planned to hold your wedding after the martial arts tournament, but now it’s going to be delayed for a few days. Do you know why the Eastern Depot’s secret police have come this time?”

"I don't know," Mo Xibei shook his head.

"Isn't it that their people also want to be the leader of the martial arts alliance? Everyone's saying that now. Rongrong said she's heard it from many people." Murong Lianyun bent down to look at her father's expression, then looked at Mo Xibei. "Father, what do you know? Tell me, people are getting anxious."

"Silly child, if your father knew, would he still be sitting here?" Murong Songtao chuckled. "The martial world isn't as simple as you imagine. Too many things can't be explained by mere grudges. It's best if you two stay out of martial world affairs. You should also keep an eye on Yun'er and prevent her from constantly thinking about traveling the martial world." As he spoke, Murong Songtao seemed to subconsciously glance at the package on the table, his tone filled with emotion...

"Father..." Murong Lianyun stomped his foot in dissatisfaction when he heard the topic turn to him again, but Murong Songtao waved his hand and said, "Stop bothering your father here. Go out and look at your dowry. Hmm, Bei'er, stay for a while."

After Murong Lianyun left, Murong Songtao remained silent for a long time, seemingly pondering what to say and how to say it. Only when a series of chaotic footsteps approached from outside did he frown and mutter, "They won't let anyone have a moment's peace." Then, as if having made up his mind, he quickly said to Mo Xibei, "Your marriage to Lianyun may not be able to take place as scheduled, but in the future, no matter what happens, please protect her."

Volume One: Ten Years of Wandering the Jianghu, Chapter Thirty-Seven