In truth, they were the ones pulling the strings behind Bian Weikang's current plight. The disreputable friends who had led him astray had all been planted by them. Their original plan had been to use Bian Weikang to gradually drag the sect master of Mount Wukang into the mire, then take control of Mount Wukang.
Who knew Bian Jixiong would act so decisively? He had expelled his own son from the sect outright and even severed their father-son relationship, leaving all their efforts wasted.
But they firmly believed one thing: a father-son bond could not be severed so completely that easily. Besides, Bian Jixiong's wife was still around, and Bian Weikang was her flesh and blood too. So they had adapted to the circumstances and nudged things down another path.
Seeing how decisive she was, Feng Chi sighed softly. "I'm just afraid your current identity will make things difficult, Holy Maiden. How could Bian Jixiong tolerate his son marrying a courtesan? Things will likely be very hard for you once you go there."
"Who said I was going to marry him?" Xiang Lan'er set down her comb and rose, turning to face her. "Do it."
Feng Chi gave a wry smile and apologized. "Holy Maiden, forgive me for what I'm about to do."
Once she had permission, she swung the whip in her hand, lashing the other woman again and again. She did not hold back on the force, whipping her until her hair was disheveled and whip marks marred her face. Only when she looked thoroughly bedraggled did Feng Chi stop.
Xiang Lan'er turned and examined herself in the mirror, then nodded slightly. "In a moment, go down first and give him a scolding. When you call for people to throw him out, I'll rush out and stand in front of him. I'll threaten to slit my own throat with a dagger and declare that I'll have no one but him, that I'll never give myself to anyone else."
Feng Chi put down the whip. "Of course, I won't agree easily. I'll keep trying to persuade you, compare Bian Weikang with Lü Taizhen, call you foolish, and so on."
Xiang Lan'er said, "A priceless treasure is easy to seek, but a devoted lover is hard to find. If I die, forget four hundred and fifty thousand-you won't get a single grain of gold dust... that should about do it."
Feng Chi nodded. "Mm. Faced with your threat to die, I'll have no choice but to take the four hundred and fifty thousand and let you both leave. Shall I go down now?"
But Xiang Lan'er sat back down before the mirror and looked at herself. "Let him sink a little deeper into despair first. We can't let him have me too easily."
Feng Chi burst out laughing. "Exactly. He needs to know how hard you were to obtain before he'll treasure you."
Downstairs, Wu Jinliang gradually lost interest in the tiresome spectacle at the entrance. His burning gaze settled on the girls leaning against the railings on the upper floors.
Just as he was about to slip away and enter Liyun Tower, a familiar, cheerful voice rang out. "I told you, if the big fellow came here, this would be his first stop. See? Not a step off course. Found him on the first try."
The voice was indeed familiar. Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang quickly looked around and saw two men dressed as attendants, wearing soft caps, standing on a set of steps. They waved cheerfully and called, "Chief, Jinliang, over here!"
Both men's eyes lit up. Those two were none other than their brothers who had left the Eastern Nine Plains a month or so before them.
They looked considerably older than Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang, and indeed they were. Both were in their forties.
The long-faced one was called Old Dong, and his darting eyes betrayed his cunning.
The broader-faced one was called Big Stone, because there had been another, younger man called Stone in the Eastern Nine Plains. Big Stone lived up to his name, looking much steadier.
Not expecting to run into old friends here, Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang excitedly left the crowd.
When they met outside the crowd, Old Dong and Big Stone even cupped their hands and bowed to Shi Chun with proper ceremony. Their movements were perfectly synchronized as they greeted him together. "Greetings, Chief."
They had acquired something of the air of men who had seen proper ceremony.
Clicking their tongues, Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang looked them up and down. They found the pair dressed like proper gentlemen, noticeably plumper and considerably fairer. Clearly, they had been living well.
But Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang soon froze. Embroidered in silver thread on the collars of Old Dong's and Big Stone's clothes was the character "bo." They recognized those uniforms. Weren't those Wangbo Tower's clothes?
Wu Jinliang pointed at the characters on their collars and asked in startled suspicion, "You two?"
Big Stone smiled. "After we got out, we were lucky enough to meet the proprietress. She recommended us for jobs at Wangbo Tower. Really, we have you to thank for it, Chief..." He suddenly stopped because Old Dong had quietly reached over and tugged the back of his clothes.
It was too late to hide it. Wu Jinliang's eyebrows had already shot up, and the great saber he had planted on the ground slowly rose. He gave a cold snort. "I wondered how the proprietress knew I'd been going around calling women Mother. So you two bastards sold me out!"
Whoosh! He swung the saber to smack them.
Neither of them seemed inclined to meekly await death. They sprang away like coiled springs and fled, with Wu Jinliang chasing them everywhere, saber in hand. The spectacle drew plenty of attention. They dared to fight here?
Places where people lived together generally had rules.
"Jinliang, you can't fight here! You'll get arrested! Chief, stop him..." Old Dong yelped as he ran.
Fortunately, the saber in Wu Jinliang's hand was genuinely heavy, which made chasing people rather difficult.
Shi Chun still had business with the pair, so he immediately called out to stop him. "Jinliang, we have serious business."
Only then did Wu Jinliang stop. He planted his great saber on the ground and pointed at the two men, cursing, "You heartless, ungrateful wretches! First, buy Spring and me a set of clothes each to make up for it."
Big Stone immediately agreed. "We will."
Old Dong nodded repeatedly too. "Absolutely. And we'll treat you to a good meal."
Shi Chun beckoned them over and asked, "Did Wangbo Tower's delivery men tell you we'd arrived?"
Old Dong said, "Yes. Che Si, the man leading them, mentioned it in passing when he saw us. As soon as we heard, we asked for time off and came looking for you. Chief, I'm so glad to see you finally out." As he spoke, a moist gleam shone in the corners of his eyes.
There was a trace of bittersweetness in Big Stone's smile too. He nodded vigorously, looking genuinely happy.
Moved though they were, they certainly hadn't hesitated when it came time to sell out a brother.
Shi Chun knew their ways all too well. "Where are the others?"
Both shook their heads. Big Stone said, "They all went off to find their own futures. We don't know where. You said it yourself-we're used to fighting and killing. If we stayed together after getting out, numbers would embolden us, and we wouldn't be able to resist getting into trouble. Didn't you tell everyone to find honest work and live out the rest of their lives in peace? They all scattered."
Thinking of those men's voices, faces, and smiles, even the indignant Wu Jinliang fell silent.
Shi Chun sighed with feeling, but soon gathered himself and asked the pair, "There's a chance to strike it rich. Want a share?"
At the mention of riches, all three, Wu Jinliang included, pricked up their ears. Instinctively falling into an old habit, they huddled close to hear what their chief had to say.
"I need forty thousand gold, right now, immediately. Can you get it for me as quickly as possible?"
Big Stone said, "We don't have that much money. What do you need so much for?"
Shi Chun said, "Never mind that. I'm only asking whether you have a way to get it. I guarantee I'll pay you back double within three days. I might even be able to double it for you today."
None of the three doubted his ability to rake things in, and they trusted his promise too.
Old Dong said to Big Stone, "Then we'll have to borrow it from the tower."
Big Stone frowned. "The tower pays us three hundred gold a month each. Combined, that's only a little over seven thousand a year. Can we really get five or six years' wages in advance?"
"I have an idea we can try." Old Dong pulled Big Stone along and left, telling Shi Chun as he went, "Chief, wait here. We'll be right back."
Decisive. Shi Chun gave him a thumbs-up.
Beside him, Wu Jinliang muttered, "Why do I feel like Old Dong's being a little too obliging?"
Shi Chun said, "Something is a bit off. Never mind him, as long as he gets the money first. We're still ten thousand short. Let's pool ours. Give me four thousand."
Fifty thousand? Wu Jinliang instantly caught on. He turned toward the crowd, pointed at it, and asked with wide eyes, "You're not planning to help him scrape together that fifty thousand, are you? How the hell are you going to get rich from that? Didn't you hear them? He's been expelled from the sect. He can't repay it. I'm not giving you anything." He clutched his bundle tightly.
Shi Chun couldn't be bothered with him and went to sit on a stone platform nearby to rest.
Wu Jinliang soon realized something. If he contributed four thousand, that left six thousand, which meant Spring would have to empty his coffers. That fellow wasn't in the habit of taking a loss. He immediately sidled over and struck up a conversation. "Didn't you hear them? Lü Taizhen isn't someone to mess with. You'll get into trouble fighting him over a woman."
Shi Chun crossed one leg over the other and asked in puzzlement, "Why would I fight him over his woman? Fighting him when I know I can't afford to offend him-am I sick in the head? He wants the woman, I want the money. Buying her from Liyun Tower would cost him five hundred thousand. I'll get her out of Liyun Tower and sell her to him for just two hundred thousand. What difference does it make who he buys her from?"