Chapter 130: Hard to return?

Before Feng Puzhi arrived, her voice carried in; in the moment He Leyong and Xie Qianbing were startled, she pulled the curtain aside and arrived before them. The two had never seen Feng Puzhi before, and just now they'd only heard her bell-like voice, and had assumed she was a middle-aged woman. Only once they truly saw her did they realise she was already in her seventies.

Feng Puzhi's figure was thin, and the clothing she wore, made of coarse hemp, had started fading from wash, and the collar of her inner robes, revealed at her neck, gave off the faint scent of honey locust. Though it was already a summer's day, she dressed in spring weather clothing, as if she couldn't sense the blazing heat of the moment. Her figure lacked any adornments except for the peach-wood hairpin that carelessly gathered her headful of silver hair.

"Shifu," Qin Anhe called out, and hurried over to stand at Feng Puzhi's side. Feng Puzhi didn't respond, merely meeting He Leyong's gaze.

The two were of a similar age, but on careful consideration, Feng Puzhi was a few years older. When He Leyong had disguised herself as a man to enter the imperial exams, she'd heard of Feng Puzhi's name; at the time, the influential families bragged at teahouses that they'd listened to Feng Puzhi's discussion of the Way, saying that, even if she were more talented, she was only a woman, and wasn't worth mentioning; Feng Puzhi had heard of stories of He Leyong while travelling among the common people as well, that she was a talent who'd earned a grade in the imperial examinations, but because she was a woman, she hadn't been able to become an official.

But now, things had changed; the Daoist who'd once been looked down on by others had long since exceeded folk tales, and those who beseeched her to speak on the Way were countless, and the lonely scholar who'd once not been able to become an official because she was a woman had accomplished great feats in the court and retired. Though today was the first time the two had met, they couldn't help but sigh in regret at the fleeting passage of time.

Feng Puzhi smiled, and spoke first. "I've looked forward to meet you for a long time."

He Leyong scoffed, not having the slightest intent to take Feng Puzhi's extended hand, and merely asked, "It's a rarity to hear Feng-daozhang to say such a thing; could it be that Feng Puzhi, poised and nearly divine, would like to ridicule me for the characters tattooed onto my face?"

At the time, when she'd been exposed, He Leyong's face had been inked with characters. Now, after all these decades, the ink had long since grown blurred from the flow of blood, and appeared even more shocking. Xie Qianbing, hearing this, startled, her spine straightening. She'd always known that these tattoos were an internal struggle of He Leyong's, and had never dared to mention them. She hadn't imagined that He Leyong herself would speak of them.

Feng Puzhi had long known that He Leyong's temper was terrible, and didn't grow angry, merely shifting closer. "He-daren, what do you mean? I feel, actually, that the particles on He-daren's face are more like glory than disgrace. If He-daren truly objects to them, I have a technique to help you get rid of them."

A bayonet striking cotton; He Leyong's expression grew somewhat contrite. Xie Qianbing hurried to speak, smoothing things over. "Laoshi was joking."

"I know; go on, sit." Feng Puzhi's face held no anger, but rather, she gestured the two into the hall to sit.

The sandalwood table had long since been laid out with a spread of dishes, and a maid raised a pot to pour tea, the faintly green-tinted wine swirling in the green-glazed cups; Chen Xun, smiling broadly, explained, "This is Honghailou's Green-Leafed Bamboo, which will soon be made available; please, Daren, gave a taste."

He Leyong raised her cup and took a small sip, her gaze sweeping across the table, and she suddenly smiled. "Chen-laoban, you're truly generous; this single platter of steamed shad costs almost two hundred liang, doesn't it."

"He-daren truly is knowledgeable," Chen Xun said as she placed a piece of fish into He Leyong's bowl, "the ships that carry it are thirty percent frozen; who would have imagined the texture is even better."

The table was arrayed with delicious delicacies, yet Xie Qianbing couldn't taste any of it. From the moment she'd sat down, Feng Puzhi had been staring fixedly at her, her eyes seeming to want to pierce her through. Suddenly, the sound of the cicadas halted, and Feng Puzhi set her chopsticks down as well, suddenly asking, "Are you about to travel far afield, Xie-daren?"

Qin Anhe was so startled by these words she nearly knocked her wine cup over, but still she smiled, "Shifu, you've guessed correctly. During morning court, Qianbing said she intended to go on a diplomatic mission to Shejin, but her majesty didn't permit her."

Without blinking, Xie Qianbing steadied Qin Anhe's cup for her. "I just went to see her majesty, and she's already permitted it."

Qin Anhe, hearing this, was shocked, and turned her head to ask, "Then, Xu Shuqiao's younger sister?"

"She'll go with me."

The words seemed to steal all the sound in the room away; for some reason, no one spoke any further. Qin Anhe, puzzled, asked, "What are you doing going to such a cold place? To say nothing of the rough road there and back, and the sand and West wind. How could such a delicate scholar as you withstand it? It's over a month there and back at the least; won't you be skin and bones by the time you get back?"

Feng Puzhi's fingertips drummed against the table, and she said, "Over a month? The space between Xie-daren's brows is jet-black; she likely won't live to return."

Xie Qianbing hadn't even spoken when He Leyong said, her words full of threat. "Daozhang, speak carefully; Qianbing is a court official."

Xie Qianbing, hearing this, startled for a moment, and set down her chopsticks. "Daozhang, you must be teasing this junior?"

"I've never lied," Feng Puzhi's expression was solemn, and there was indignation between her brows. "Xie-daren, you'd best think it over carefully."

"I promised Jiwen," Xie Qianbing, flustered by Feng Puzhi's words, lowered her gaze, and when she spoke, it was faintly hesitant.

"Promised," Feng Puzhi scoffed, "I know what you promised her, but did she promise that she'd let you return alive?"

Hearing this, Xie Qianbing's eyes widened, and she looked at Feng Puzhi in disbelief. When she spoke again, her tone was resolute, and she said, "She's not that sort of person."

"Then, tell me, what sort of person is she?" Feng Puzhi retorted. "The King of Shejin has been gone from the capital for seven years; in these seven years, have you exchanged letters? A revolt is merely a momentary matter; one's heart is easily changed, and in the seven years that have passed, how can you guarantee that the King of Shejin has the same temperament as she did then?"

Xie Qianbing was used to eloquence and wit, and she'd been left tongue-tied by Feng Puzhi's questioning. She knew Feng Puzhi was talented at divining heavenly mysteries, and that she'd called her here today was most certainly because she'd divined something.

But things had come to this point, and even if they were stranger and more out of the ordinary, she still had to go. To say nothing of the fact that Xie Qianbing felt that, though seven years had passed, Liang Jiwen wouldn't turn into a ruthless demon, Xie Qianbing had only just requested Jiang Changbai's permission, and if she ran away on the brink of battle, it would be hard to explain to Jiang Changbai.

"You're not convinced, are you?" Feng Puzhi's gaze seemed to bore into one's heart, and seeing Xie Qianbing hadn't said anything for a long while, she spoke.

Xie Qianbing wasn't willing to lie, and as her elder, she wasn't willing to contradict Feng Puzhi either, she could only close her mouth and not make a sound. Feng Puzhi seemed to have expected this response of hers, and she raised a hand, patting Chen Xun's shoulder. "Go on, bring that thing out."

Chen Xun's expression was hesitant. "Daozhang, why don't we finish eating first?"

Feng Puzhi let out a grim laugh, and said, "We've spoken to such a point—how could we eat any further? If we don't bring it out, I fear Xie-daren and He-daren will leave."

Chen Xun had always respected Feng Puzhi, and hearing this, she didn't object any further. She leaned towards a maid's ear and said something, and the maid departed respectfully, and on returning, carried a brocade box, leading a small dog with her as well.

The dog was only around a year old, and it appeared to have a docile temperament, not presenting the slightest threat to anyone. But then a dozen or more fighters followed after, all bearing weapons, as if they were about to face a great foe.

Seeing this, Xie Qianbing's pupils expanded slightly, and she grew on guard, silently placing He Leyong behind her, and looked towards Qin Anhe. "Qin-daren, what do you mean by this?"

Of course Xie Qianbing knew that the person in charge here was likely Chen Xun or Feng Puzhi, but absolutely not Qin Anhe. But she was only familiar with Qin Anhe, and it was Qin Anhe who'd invited them today, and so she could only ask Qin Anhe.

Qin Anhe could only close her eyes, pained, and gesture with her chin to the courtyard. "Watch."

Thus, the group moved to the courtyard. From a distance, they watched as the fighters took a small wooden tablet from the brocade box the maid was holding, and then held the small dog's mouth open, feeding it to it. After only a few moments, the previously docile dog transformed, the fur on its body standing up, its back arched, as if it was about to attack at any moment.

"This…" Xie Qianbing was about to ask, but the dog moved.

The tranquil courtyard sounded with barks in an instant, and the dog launched itself at a fighter like an arrow. The fighter hurried to retreat and dodge, but a wound had appeared on their hand. The tall, sturdy fighters, carrying a sharp weapon, grew weaker before this small dog's vigour, and it was only through strength of numbers that they barely managed to constrain the dog.

The bafflement in Xie Qianbing's mind grew deeper, but this time, she didn't ask another question, and only watched intently.

The next moment, the dog struggled free of the fighters' grasp, rushing at the people at a distance. When the dog grew closer, Feng Puzhi waved her hand lightly, and a gale of wind forced the dog to retreat. The fighters chased after it once more, but this time, the fighters' blades immediately lopped off the dog's front leg.

Blood fountained forth, and all about, the scent of blood grew heavy. But even so, the dog continued tearing at things as if it couldn't feel the slightest bit of pain, until all its limbs had been severed and its blood had run dry.

In the end, the fighters were covered in blood, and it wasn't clear if it was human blood or dog blood. The leader sliced the small dog's stomach open, and, after wiping the wooden token clean, placed it back in the brocade box. The maid carried the brocade box to them, the wooden token still giving off the heavy scent of blood.

Xie Qianbing couldn't bear the scent, and, covering her mouth, nearly retched. Only after she'd recovered a bit did she look at Chen Xun, and ask, "Zhangguide, what's this?"

"On their return from the border, Honghailou's caravan encountered a band of bandits, " Chen Xun, largely unwilling to smell the scent of blood either, waved a hand to make the maid take the brocade box far away, "a few of them held up my entire caravan, and in the end, only a few of the dozens survived."

Chen Xun, having spoken halfway, ordered the cleaning maids to clean the courtyard, and only then continued. "The bandits seemed to not may any mind to life or death, nor feel pain; they still attacked after having lost their arms, and only grew still after losing all their limbs. By chance, one of the survivors of the caravan was brave, and cut one of them open, and found this in their stomach."

Feng Puzhi added, aptly, "I've only seen such sigils on the ancient texts from our path's founder; they're said to be able to turn people into monsters who know no fatigue, only fighting tooth and nail, and the average person isn't their match."

"What do you mean?"

"The Shejin of now, I fear, is intentionally creating such monsters."

Qin Anhe's casual words struck Xie Qianbing's heart like a hammer, and Xie Qianbing retorted almost instinctively, "That's impossible, Jiwen isn't that sort of person."

"I told you just now," Feng Puzhi's words were resolute, "one's heart changes easily. Xie-daren, you can't bear the scent of blood, so how could you be said to be the match of such things that are neither human nor ghost? It would be best to listen to me, and remain in the capital."

It seemed as if Xie Qianbing had collapsed under such a tremendous piece of information, and she nearly fell over backwards; Qin Anhe rushed to support her, and urged, "My Shifu's never lied; anyway, her majesty isn't willing to let you go, so why must you bear such a hardship? How good it would be to remain in the capital and calmly continue in your position as Minister of Rites."

Xie Qianbing's expression was stupefied, and only after a long while did she raise her hands to clasp them towards the other three. "Many thanks for your warnings; I have matters at my residence, and won't bother you any further."

Having finished speaking, she was about to leave, and after a short while, He Leyong followed after. But Feng Puzhi came before her to stop her first, and said to He Leyong, "He-daren, if you ever grow tired of the marks on your face, you may come find me; someday, I'll reside here permanently."

He Leyong bowed slightly in thanks, and then left along with Xie Qianbing. Qin Anhe looked at Feng Puzhi, somewhat puzzled. "He-daren's temper is so awful; why must Shifu help her?"

But Feng Puzhi merely sighed. "If she'd been born a few decades later, then she'd most certainly not have such a terrible temper. They're all pitiable, is all; if I can help them, I'll do so."

Once she finished speaking, she looked at Chen Xun, and said, "Come with me."

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