Break This Slave's Leg

"That truly calls for congratulations."

Yunhe Commandery Princess set down the osmanthus cake in her hand, accepted the handkerchief offered by her maid, and wiped her fingers. Then she suddenly gave two light claps.

"I have something to give you as well."

The crisp applause echoed through the hall.

From behind the screen in the eastern hall, someone stepped out.

He was a young man who had come with the Commandery Princess, waiting outside the screen.

He wore a dark-brown short jacket, a cowhide belt around his waist, and a pair of thin-soled black boots.

He was not particularly tall, but he was exceedingly solidly built, with shoulders and back broad as a wall. His arms hung at his sides, and beneath his sleeves showed forearms knotted with bulging veins.

His features were unremarkable: a square face, thick brows, high cheekbones, and full lips. Yet his eyes were exceptionally sharp, their light-brown pupils like two polished flints. When he looked at others, there was an unconcealed wildness in his gaze.

He approached Yunhe Commandery Princess, dropped to one knee, and cupped his fists in salute. "Sun Ninghu greets the Commandery Princess and Young Lady."

His voice was low and resonant, as though it had been ground out from his chest.

Yunhe Commandery Princess waved a hand, signaling him to rise. Turning to Lin Longyue, she smiled. "He is the youngest Copper-Red Realm fighter in my residence. Not yet nineteen, he has already stepped into the Copper-Red Realm.

At the martial examination in the Capital Circuit before the New Year, he defeated seven men in a row, only to lose in the end. I took a liking to him and brought him into my residence."

As she spoke, she idly stroked the jade bangle on her wrist. "You and I are close, so I shall give him to you. Once your wagered duel with Chu Linzi is over, return him to me if he is still alive."

Lin Longyue's brows rose slightly. "Commandery Princess, how could I possibly accept this...?"

"What is there to refuse?" Yunhe Commandery Princess cut her off, her tone casual. "Your wagered duel with Chu Linzi is a major affair in Yuan River Prefecture.

If you lose, it will be the Baosu Marquis Residence that loses face."

She paused and glanced at Sun Ninghu, the corners of her lips lifting faintly. "Chu Linzi is a martial fanatic. The Copper-Red Realm martial men under her are all personally trained by her master, Zhaoyang Superior. They follow a hard and fierce path, and in direct combat, they are at their most savage. If you want to defeat her at the Crown Prince's Beast-Fighting Palace, the people in your residence alone will likely not be enough."

"This Sun Ninghu is precisely a fierce tiger." Yunhe Commandery Princess lifted her teacup and gently blew at the floating leaves. "The Crown Prince loves beast fights most. Since you and Chu Linzi are wagering a duel and settling who stands above whom at the Crown Prince's Beast-Fighting Palace, you need a savage beast.

He is your savage beast."

Sun Ninghu stood to one side with his hands at his sides, his expression unchanged.

When he heard the words "savage beast," not a ripple stirred in his eyes, as if he had long grown accustomed to such a name.

Lin Longyue's gaze rested on Sun Ninghu for several breaths before she nodded. "In that case, I thank the Commandery Princess."

Chen Lingxi stood by the door with his hands lowered and head bowed, as quiet as a wooden post.

Liu Zhu went in to announce him, and before long, she came back out and nodded at him.

He crossed the threshold and entered the eastern hall.

The charcoal fire in the hall burned brightly, filling the room with warmth.

Lin Longyue sat in the seat of honor. Today, she wore a goose-yellow jacket beneath a silver squirrel-fur vest. A red-gold, pearl-clasping hair ornament swayed from her coiffure. She seemed somewhat less aloof than usual, and somewhat more radiant.

On the small table beside her sat a small celadon vase, holding several early-blooming mountain peach branches, dew still clinging to their petals, along with several other flowers that set one another off charmingly.

It was the flower arrangement Chen Lingxi had sent over previously.

A smile rested on her face. It was not especially deep, yet it was more genuine than any smile Chen Lingxi had seen from her before.

Yunhe Commandery Princess sat in the guest seat, still wearing that languid air. One hand supported her chin, while the other held an osmanthus cake that she ate slowly, every unadorned movement carrying an air of nobility.

When she saw Chen Lingxi enter, she spoke lazily. "Slave, your opportunity has come."

Chen Lingxi walked into the center of the hall and bowed. "Official slave Chen Lingxi greets Young Lady and the Commandery Princess."

Lin Longyue waved a hand, telling him to rise. Her gaze settled on him, carrying a rare trace of gentleness. "The vase arrangement with locust branches you made was sent into Consort Chun's Mirror Palace. Her Ladyship was very pleased and specially had a female official from the Palace Protocol Bureau convey her praise."

She paused, a faint and barely perceptible pride in her voice. "After all these years in Yuan River Prefecture, this is the first time I have received praise from the palace."

Chen Lingxi lowered his head. "It was Young Lady's discerning eye. This official slave merely acted upon orders."

Having watched this little scene of harmonious master and servant, Yunhe Commandery Princess lightly clapped her hands and smiled. "Your luck is rather good, having a slave in your courtyard so skilled at flower arranging.

Since Her Ladyship the Consort likes it, simply have this slave arrange more flowers. Send a vase to the Mirror Palace every few days. Given time, Her Ladyship will naturally remember you."

Lin Longyue nodded in agreement, her gaze falling on Chen Lingxi. "Did you hear that? From now on, send one flower arrangement every five days. The designs must be novel, their meanings ingenious. There must not be the slightest negligence."

Chen Lingxi accepted the order.

Just as Lin Longyue was about to speak, a burst of hurried footsteps suddenly sounded from outside.

Liu Que from the West Courtyard hurried into the eastern hall.

He went to Lin Longyue's side, bent down, and whispered a few words into her ear.

His voice was exceedingly soft, and it seemed he had deliberately suppressed it with his vital energy.

Chen Lingxi stood too far away to hear clearly. He only vaguely caught words such as "prefecture yamen," "Chu Linzi," and "questioning."

As Lin Longyue listened, her brows gradually furrowed. The joy on her face faded somewhat, replaced by a scrutinizing look.

She waved a hand. Liu Que straightened and withdrew to one side.

Lin Longyue's gaze fell upon Chen Lingxi, her cool eyes lingering on his face for a moment.

"Chen Lingxi." Her voice was not loud, but it carried an authority that allowed no evasion. "When you went to report at the prefectural yamen today, did you encounter anyone?"

Chen Lingxi's heart stirred, but his expression did not change. Lowering his head, he answered, "In reply to Young Lady, when this official slave went to report at the prefectural yamen today, I did indeed see a young lady arrive on horseback. She carried herself with extraordinary bearing and had many attendants at her side.

This official slave did not know who she was. I merely glanced at her from afar before going to handle my own affairs."

He paused, then added, "This official slave is lowly in status and did not dare inquire casually after a noble person's name."

Lin Longyue did not speak immediately. She only stared at him for several breaths.

Her gaze was icy, yet Chen Lingxi remained standing with lowered hands, his breathing steady.

Yunhe Commandery Princess set down her teacup and gave Lin Longyue a curious look. "What is it? Could a slave reporting to the prefectural yamen really cause some sort of trouble?"

Lin Longyue withdrew her gaze, lifted her teacup, and took a sip before speaking unhurriedly. "Someone at the prefectural yamen reported to me that the eldest daughter of the Prefecture Lord had specifically wanted this slave of mine to serve in her courtyard. Only after discovering that Chen Lingxi was a slave of my marquis residence did she let the matter drop."

Her tone was calm, as though she were discussing some utterly insignificant trifle.

Yet Yunhe Commandery Princess's brows lifted.

"Chu Linzi?" She set down the pastry in her hand, amusement flashing in her eyes. "She actually took a fancy to a slave? Now that is interesting."

Tilting her head, she thought for a moment, then suddenly laughed. "Chu Linzi is a martial fanatic. The cultivation art she practices is the Sun-Seeking True Art passed down by her master, Zhaori Superior.

That art is formidable in slaughter, and it has another ability—it can perceive the strength or weakness of another's vital energy and blood.

Your slave was noticed by Chu Linzi at a glance, and she wanted to claim him for herself. Tell me, what do you suppose Chu Linzi saw in him?"

The hand holding Lin Longyue's teacup paused slightly.

She set the cup down, and her gaze returned to Chen Lingxi. Within those cool eyes was a trace of investigation that had not been there before.

She suddenly recalled something.

That day, Jiang Yuan had examined everyone's bones outside the eastern hall of the West Courtyard and said before them all, "This Chen Lingxi's innate frame surpasses everyone else in the courtyard by far. He is excellent material."

Naturally, she remembered it now, but... only a dozen or so days had passed. Even counting from when she had given Chen Lingxi a cultivation art, it had been less than two months.

No matter how good an official slave's innate frame was, what could he possibly cultivate in two months?

Yet Chu Linzi's actions now caused doubts to rise in her heart.

Who was Chu Linzi?

The eldest daughter of the Yuan River Prefecture Lord, Zhaori Superior's personal disciple, a martial genius of the Silver Bone Realm, valued by the Crown Prince.

Anyone who could catch her eye was surely no ordinary person.

Lin Longyue's gaze swept back and forth over Chen Lingxi several times.

The youth stood in the hall with his back straight and his breath long and even. Though his complexion was pale, it held the luster of jade rather than a sickly whiteness.

He stood there as immovable as a mountain, his aura so calm and steady that he did not seem like an official slave who had only practiced martial arts for a little over a month.

Lin Longyue's brows drew together faintly.

She found that she could not quite see through him.

Naturally, Yunhe Commandery Princess noticed the change in Lin Longyue as well.

She raised her teacup and took a slow sip, then suddenly gave a soft chuckle.

The laugh was not loud, yet the air in the hall immediately tightened.

"Breaking one leg presumably will not affect his flower arranging or vase setting." Yunhe Commandery Princess set down her teacup, speaking as casually as if she were discussing what dishes to eat today. "Sun Ninghu, break one of his legs."

She paused, her gaze passing over the rim of her teacup to settle on Chen Lingxi. The smile at her lips deepened slightly.

"Slave, I permit you to resist."