The riverside was sunny and breezy. Merchant ships large and small docked at the wharves, then set off one after another for every corner of the South Sea and beyond.
Ye Jingtang stood outside the docks, arms folded, looking up at the riverside manor he had once smashed up. The old "Green Lotus Manor" plaque had been replaced with "Twin Blades Sect." Two lines flanked the gate-one blade to honor the bitter past, one blade to honor the fickleness of life. Every phrase pierced the heart, every word wept blood. One glance told him Yang Guan had written them himself.
Though it looked like some backwater martial sect, quite a crowd had come to pay their respects, including accomplished fighters drawn by its reputation. After all, few tough customers in the martial world could take Ye Jingtang's blade twice and remain alive and well.
Zhe Yunli was dressed as a pampered young lady, standing beside him with a small round fan. After studying it for a moment, she asked:
"Brother Jingtang, this fellow's swindling people with your name. Aren't you going to do anything?"
Ye Jingtang's lips curved. "He really did take two slashes, so it isn't exactly swindling. Besides, Yang Guan supplies medicinal ingredients to Red Flower House now. He handles the medicine merchants in Wu Prefecture. If I gave him a beating, wouldn't the medicine workshop grind to a halt?"
"Oh."
Zhe Yunli gently waved her fan. After gazing at the scenery for a while, she leaned sideways against Ye Jingtang's arm, whether because she was tired of standing or not, and asked:
"Brother Jingtang, why didn't you leave the palace until yesterday afternoon? What were you doing in there?"
In the palace, Ye Jingtang had naturally been playing the debauched ruler amid pools of wine and forests