Volume 1, Chapter 2: The Changes in the Exhibition (3)
Section Three: Please Set Off
I finished giving instructions and explanations within half an hour, and then turned back to my room while they went down to prepare.
The room was quiet, and few people came here because they were afraid—not of my scolding, but of accidentally coming into contact with some poison and losing their lives.
On a sandalwood shelf as tall as the wall, there were hundreds of identical bottles. My gaze swept over them, and my expression softened inexplicably.
I remember three years ago, after Gao Xiaotian, known as "Flying Soul Blade," was poisoned by me, his younger brother, who was known as the world's number one thief, came to my room that very night. But when he pushed open the door and saw this shelf of bottles, he was dumbfounded.
No one but myself can tell which are poisons and which are antidotes.
So that night, I gracefully appeared before the dumbfounded master thief and kindly suggested that he might as well steal a little of everything to study slowly. The master thief smiled wryly and said, "Ziyu Xiangman, Ziyu Xiangman, you are really a very clever person."
I'm not stupid; at least I know that secrecy doesn't equal safety. So I'll leave these bottles openly in the room, and you can take them as you please, as long as you're not afraid.
So what if you're born with a deficiency that prevents you from practicing martial arts? With these things, you can still roam the world freely.
The world? Ha... I turned my head to look at the embroidery frame by the window, where black characters were clearly visible on the white silk:
"The sun and moon seem to rise from within it; the starry sky seems to emanate from within it."
It was Cao Cao again, with his poem "Watching the Sea," exuding an air of unparalleled elegance and pride.
The last line, "How fortunate I am! Let me sing to express my aspirations," is missing, but that's alright. I can continue when I return. I believe that when I come back, I will have the same enthusiasm and passion, and when I finish embroidering it then, it will surely be even more perfect.
This is a new piece of calligraphy I've embroidered, and it will be the last piece I ever embroider. From now on, I will never touch an embroidery needle again.
They're right. I, Feng Xiansu, shouldn't be a woman sitting and embroidering.
"Steward Feng, everything is ready. The young lady orders us to depart immediately," came the report from outside the door.
"Understood." I turned around and carefully took a bottle from the sandalwood shelf. The bottle was smooth and clean, and in my eyes, it was more lovely than any other bottle. This was because it contained the most potent and magical poison I had developed over the past ten years, which I had never used in front of anyone. But I knew that it would soon become famous throughout the world.
happy.
Its name is Kaixin (Happy).
Since it can open your heart, it can also take your life.
As I stepped outside, fifty elite cavalrymen were already lined up, occupying half the long street, their imposing presence awe-inspiring. Steward Zhong Ruo was waiting by the carriage. I walked over and said, "I'm leaving everything here to you."
He bowed his head: "Please rest assured, Steward."
At this moment, Gong Feicui appeared at the door surrounded by her maids. I immediately went forward to help her into the carriage, accompanied by two maids, Jin Zhao and Yu Cui.
As I closed the car door and turned around, I saw Baili Chenfeng and Xiao Zuo arriving together. Baili Chenfeng hesitated for a moment when he saw that I was not sitting with Gong Feicui, and finally said, "I heard that Steward Feng is not in good health?"
I smiled and said, "It's not great, but you can ride a horse."
Baili Chenfeng remained silent for a moment, then turned around and led his Chasing Sun horse over: "You ride this one."
Huh? I was quite surprised.
"It's very stable."
I thought about it and felt there was no need to refuse his kindness, so I said thank you. But as soon as I got close to the black horse, it suddenly raised its hoof and neighed loudly, which startled me so much that I quickly stepped back and said with a wry smile, "It seems that it is very bothered by the poison I used yesterday."
Baili Chenfeng pulled on the reins, patted Zhui Ri on the back, whispered something in its ear, and then turned to me and said, "Again."
"Really?" I raised an eyebrow. "I don't want to be thrown off. You know I don't know martial arts."
"No, let's get on the horse."
Seeing how certain he was, I stepped forward again. This time, Zhui Ri stood obediently without any resistance. Bai Li Chen Feng handed me the reins once I was settled: "Don't worry, it listens to me."
I pulled on the reins and tried to walk a few steps. Sure enough, it felt like walking on flat ground. It truly deserves to be called a famous steed of all time.
Turning my head, I saw Xiao Zuo watching me with a half-smile. Suddenly, my heart skipped a beat, and a strange feeling began to rise within me. When I looked at Baili Chenfeng again, my eyes held a hint of inquiry.
However, he didn't say much, put on a straw hat, rode another horse, and rode alongside Xiao Zuo.
Perhaps I was overthinking it. Lending me the horse was merely out of a sense of duty, nothing more, and certainly not in a way that could be considered solicitous. I thought to myself, when suddenly the carriage door opened and Gong Feicui waved to me.
"What are your orders, young lady?"
Gong Feicui looked at me without glancing to the side and said, "Go ask the guide how many days it will take to get to Baili City."
"The guide?" I paused, wondering if she meant Xiao Zuo. I chuckled. It was precisely because she disliked Xiao Zuo that this young lady had stormed off early that day in the flower hall, unaware of our agreed-upon route. Now she was asking me to inquire—truly a pair of sworn enemies!
I looked at Xiao Zuo, and surprisingly, he didn't even look at Gong Feicui. Instead, he turned to me and said, "This journey will take at least twenty days, and at most a month. Chief Steward Feng, you are not in good health, unlike those who take the carriage and seek comfort. Please be careful along the way."
I smiled wryly and remained silent, when I saw Gong Feicui's pretty face suddenly turn serious. She said, "How could it take so long? Someone really can't change their bad habits; they just lie all the time!"
Xiao Zuo wasn't annoyed. He leisurely swung his foot pedal and said calmly, "Chen Feng, what's your opinion?"
Baili Chenfeng said, "I'm afraid it will take a month and a half."
"What?" Gong Feicui almost jumped up, stunned for a long time before saying, "It will take so many days to get there. By the time we arrive, your city lord's corpse will already be..."
Before she could finish speaking, Baili Chenfeng replied, "Please rest assured, Miss Gong, there is a Thousand-Year-Old Ice Palace in the city that can preserve the body from decay."