Chapter 3

Chang'an gritted his teeth. "I can't break through again. My inner strength was scattered by someone..." Back then, a small part of why he had risked his life fleeing down the mountain was because Yang Qingling had beaten fear into him. Yang Taiyi taught him martial arts, while Yang Qingling served as his sparring partner. He would never forget those hellish days. His childhood had been drenched in blood.

Yang Qingling gave a cold snort, paced two steps, and cursed, "Useless trash."

Neither Chang'an nor Yu Fu spoke. Yang Qingling actually cared deeply for them and was fiercely protective of his own. He was merely cold on the outside and warm within; every other sentence out of his mouth was a scolding, but that was simply his nature.

Sure enough, after his curse, Yang Qingling fixed his eyes on Chang'an. "Tell me. What sort of person beat you into this state?"

Chang'an recounted, from beginning to end, what had happened in his battle with Lu Jing. Yang Qingling grew more alarmed the longer he listened, until his two white brows had drawn together. Then, unexpectedly, he said, "You will settle this matter yourself. Where you were stabbed, strike back there. Dragon Yang Sect produced a piece of trash like this—you needn't fear those old fools. Lu Jing must still be beaten, and you must not show the slightest fear, understand?!"

Chang'an nodded, bitterness filling his heart. Grandpa seemed to have forgotten that all his inner strength had been crippled. How could he possibly defeat Lu Jing?! Besides, he had lost the Dragon Head Sword that Grandpa had forged with his own hands. He had utterly disgraced Grandpa.

Yang Qingling did not mention a single word about that Dragon Head Sword, which had taken five full years to forge.

Chang'an's heart trembled with unease.

Yang Qingling turned around. "Come with me. I have something for you!"

Chang'an and Bai Fu silently followed behind him. They had no idea what Grandpa intended to give them. Though they were curious, they did not dare ask. The two quietly clasped hands and followed in matching steps, feeling that their hot-tempered Thunder God Grandpa was rather different today.

Without a word, Yang Qingling entered the inner room of the three mud-brick houses. He stopped before a black-lacquered pearwood chest carved with floral patterns and fitted with a bronze lock. Carefully opening it, he took out a sandalwood box inlaid with gold and jade from the very back and handed it to Chang'an. A bleak look crossed his face. "These are your parents' belongings. It is time you looked at them."

Chang'an started. His hands could not help trembling as he slowly opened the box and saw its contents: a jade pendant, a jade hairpin, and a key. A red cord hung from the jade pendant. Its hollow-carved patterns were antique in style and exquisitely wrought, with the character "Ning" in the middle—Chang'an's surname. The key was exceptionally delicate, its teeth uneven and intricate, clearly the work of a master craftsman. Last was the jade hairpin, adorned with a pearl flower that glittered and shone, breathtakingly beautiful.

For a moment, Chang'an's heart surged like raging tides, and he could not speak. Countless thoughts filled his mind, yet all were tangled into a chaotic mess. He could only gently close the box, hold it to his chest, and look at Yang Qingling.

Yang Qingling's gaze flickered, as if memories had been stirred within him as well. He said vaguely, "Your father was named Ning Shengdao. He excelled with the sword and traveled the martial world with a Dragon Head Sword in hand, rarely meeting an equal. Your mother was named Li Mingshu, an extraordinary woman of her generation in the martial world. She understood every martial art under heaven and possessed vast knowledge and an iron memory. Remember these two names. Also, you have relatives in Longyuan Province—your father's blood brother, your own uncle, Ning Maodao. He took over your father's estate. It is not that I do not wish to keep you this time! You must go there. Your parents left some things for you there. And the vengeance of your parents must also be investigated from there. Go. Leave now!"

As Yang Qingling spoke, he seemed to have already grown tired of Chang'an.

Upon hearing this, Yu Fu anxiously said, "Grandpa, how can Chang'an handle this? You cannot drive him away at once."

In an instant, Yang Qingling seemed to have aged greatly. His back bent slightly as he looked at Yu Fu and said earnestly, "What is there in staying on the mountain for an entire lifetime? What young eagle never leaves its nest? Without martial power, he is like a fledgling with broken wings. So long as he endures, no matter how high the sky, he can still fly into it. Fu'er, you are always protecting this boy. It will do him no good!"

Yu Fu kept shaking her head. "No, Grandpa. I want to go with Chang'an!"

Yang Qingling's face darkened, while Yu Fu and Chang'an wore equally resolute expressions. Instinctively, they clenched each other's hands and stubbornly held their ground. After a long, long while, the old man heavily swept out his arm, turned his back to them, and roared, "Go, all of you go, get out of here..." The roof tiles shattered one after another, and in the blink of an eye, half of them had broken apart.

Chang'an and Yu Fu exchanged a glance, then raced all the way down the mountain.

Not long after they left, Yang Taiyi silently appeared beside Yang Qingling on the mountaintop. With a long sigh, he said, "How could you let Chang'an leave at such a time?" Chang'an had no few enemies. There was no one in the martial world untouched by grudges and entanglements.

Yang Qingling said, "Ning Maodao is done for. He was poisoned not long ago and cannot hold on much longer. If Chang'an does not go now, everything may be too late. Who exactly killed Ning Shengdao back then? Many secrets lie in Ning Maodao's mouth, and they must be uncovered. Moreover, the things Ning Shengdao left behind cannot fall into another's hands. Someone can no longer hold back... Sigh! I never expected Yu Fu to truly fall for this boy. Foolish girl, foolish boy—how could their days ahead have even a moment's peace?!"

Yang Taiyi wore a grave expression. "It seems we two old men cannot interfere in this matter. The agreement from back then cannot be broken. It is not bad for Yu Fu to follow Chang'an either. They are childhood sweethearts. Old brother, what is there left for you to regret? The more you meddle in young people's affairs, the more likely it is to backfire. Let nature take its course! With children this good, what more could you ask for?"

Chang'an was desperately short of money. After his battle with Lu Jing, healing his injuries had not only drained all his savings but also left him deeply in debt. With his current skills, he was likely not even a match for a second-rate martial artist. Besides, he had become fat, and few people would recognize him.

On the dirt road outside Lan You Village, Chang'an opened the box again. He tucked the key and jade pendant into his clothes, keeping them close to his body. Then he held the jade hairpin in his hand and examined it again and again. The more he looked, the more he liked it. The entire hairpin was crystal clear, exquisitely crafted without the slightest flaw, as though formed by nature itself. Together with its pearl flower, it shone brilliantly. In Chang'an's judgment, it was worth a fortune.

Chang'an looked at the graceful, quiet Yu Fu beside him and softly asked, "Fu'er, are you truly willing to come with me and suffer hardships?"

Yu Fu blinked and shook her head. "There will be no hardships! I just don't trust you to be alone."

Chang'an gave a bitter smile. "If one day I wanted to marry you, would you be willing?"

Yu Fu's eyes shone like snow. Looking at Chang'an, she smiled gently. "You have asked me that from childhood until now. Fu'er has answered you countless times. Did you never remember? This time, I don't want to say it!"

Chang'an sighed softly and gently pinned the jade hairpin into Yu Fu's hair. He reached out and adjusted it. The pearl flower swayed, radiant and dazzling, complementing Yu Fu's beauty perfectly. Chang'an seized Yu Fu's soft hand, clasping both their hands tightly as he said firmly, "Other than you and me, do not let a third person touch this hairpin!"

Yu Fu nodded, her cheeks faintly flushed.

Suddenly, a deep and resonant bellow rang out. Chang'an froze when he heard it, then said in astonishment, "Green Ox? How did my Green Ox come back?!" He hurriedly quickened his pace and sprinted ahead. Moments later, he saw the incomparably sturdy Green Ox charging toward him, his four hooves pounding like thunder.

Green Ox truly possessed spiritual intelligence. Upon reaching Chang'an, he stopped and dropped to his knees on all four hooves. At first glance, Chang'an saw the blood on Green Ox's horns. He climbed onto Green Ox's back, his expression grave. "Fu'er, I fear something happened to Erhu. Green Ox, take me there quickly!" With a tap of her toes, Yu Fu also landed atop Green Ox's back and leaned into Chang'an's embrace. Green Ox took off at a gallop again, as swift as any fine steed.

Along the dirt road, a rider on a Green Ox sped away, raising dust behind him.

Only when they reached the edge of a dense forest thirty li away did Green Ox stop. Chang'an and Yu Fu immediately smelled a piercing stench of blood. In the wild grass at the forest's edge, they saw the corpses of Liu Xuanfeng and Old Liu. Each had a huge hole in his chest, clearly pierced to death by Green Ox's horns. Yu Fu suddenly said, "Chang'an, look. There is a patch of black qi in their eyes. They must have been poisoned."

Chang'an leaned closer to inspect them. Sure enough, he saw hazy black blotches within Liu Xuanfeng's and Old Liu's pupils. Their deaths had indeed been caused by poison. They had likely died only recently. Their blood had already clotted into dark purple masses, yet the bloody smell had not changed and the bodies had not begun to rot. Chang'an judged, "It seems these two had only just led Green Ox away and taken Erhu when someone poisoned them. But the poison did not kill them immediately. They struggled all the way here, and only after they had become utterly weak did Green Ox gore them to death. They have not been dead long! Where exactly did Erhu go? Who was the poisoner? It seems our plans to go to Longyuan Province must be delayed. We must find Erhu first."

Yu Fu obediently nodded.

The two climbed onto Green Ox and hurriedly left, returning to the main road.

At dusk that day, as the lanterns first lit. Along the Rouge River, painted pleasure boats and flower barges filled the air with the unceasing sounds of drums, zithers, reed pipes, and flutes. A rider on a Green Ox slowly entered the gates of Danyang City and headed straight for Yongan Pawnshop. Danyang City was the capital of Qingshan Prefecture, a city that never slept. Because of the Rouge River, it had countless singers and courtesans; how many wandering heroes and gifted scholars lingered there, drunk amid beds of flowers. Upon the flower boats of the Rouge River, beautiful women spread their famed names far and wide. Every flower boat and every brothel was a gold-devouring den, where spending a thousand gold on a single spring night was commonplace.

Chang'an and Yu Fu entered the highly reputable Yongan Pawnshop and saw a fat shopkeeper clacking away at his abacus. The shopkeeper's body was a mass of flesh, while shrewd light flashed wildly in his rat-like eyes. Seeing customers enter, he burst into laughter and warmly greeted them, "So it is Ning Family's Chang'an. Attendant, hurry and bring tea—Longyuan Daughter Tea."

Longyuan Daughter Tea was fine tea, the finest of teas.

As he spoke, the shopkeeper had already come out from behind the counter and warmly invited Chang'an and Yu Fu to sit at a customer table. An attendant had already served the tea and respectfully withdrawn. Only then did the fat shopkeeper chuckle. "What fine item have you brought this time?"

Chang'an said calmly, "Shopkeeper Wang, let us not discuss pawn business yet. There are some things I wish to ask you first. With how well-informed you are, you surely know."