The sun rose in the east, spilling its rosy light over the inn's back courtyard.
The kitchen fire was blazing. Wearing an apron, Ye Xingge stood at the stove, tossing a wok with a clatter as he skillfully prepared famous dishes from his previous life.
As the saying went, the way to a woman's heart was through her stomach.
To bring them closer and make it easier to get his hands on the wrist guards later, Ye Xingge had brought out his real skills. Rather than cook the same big-pot dishes for everyone, he tailored the meals to his guests.
The great beauty Luo was cold on the outside but seductive within, like an imperial consort. A faint, mistlike chill ran through her very bones, and she held a high position, so her tastes surely ran to official cuisine, where one could never be too particular about fine food or finely cut meat. For her, he made candied sweet potatoes, first-rank tofu, and three whites in fermented rice sauce...
Big Beauty was his second choice, at least, so he couldn't be perfunctory with her either. As the leader of the Mountains and Rivers Association, she lived with overbearing grandeur and had a look in her eyes that all but said, "I'm counting to three." She surely needed jianghu cuisine: hearty and bold, spicy, numbing, fresh, and fragrant, such as diced chicken with chilies, mapo tofu, and husband-and-wife lung slices...
Meanwhile, in the inn's main building not far away.
Hongyu sat in a room on the second floor. Although she hadn't shown herself, she was listening to the sounds from the kitchen, a slightly complicated look on her face.
As the current head of the Mountains and Rivers Association, she had regarded her master, Cloud and Rain Tower, as her idol and goal since childhood. For years, she had wanted to prove she could succeed her.
But she had never imagined that her master would suddenly give the divine weapon to Ye Xingge.
There was no such thing in the jianghu as someone wielding a divine weapon while remaining second-in-command. Passing down the divine weapon was the same as naming a successor. If Ye Xingge took over, what was she supposed to do? Become the sect leader's wife?
As for asking her to consider taking this boy as her husband, that was even more outrageous.
She was eighth in the second tier and the head of a leading power in the jianghu, after all. Her dowry was the entire Mountains and Rivers Association. She was qualified to be an empress or a crown princess.
Trying to match her with the young proprietor of an inn was no longer a matter of their families being mismatched. It was a gulf between immortals and mortals!
Sixty years from now, she would still be youthful, while this boy, if his luck was bad, might already have grass two meters high growing on his grave...
That was why, upon receiving the order, Hongyu had strongly suspected that Ye Xingge was her revered master's illegitimate son!
Apart from marrying the organization's finest successor to a foolish son to keep the family business intact, she couldn't think of any other reason her master would make such a bizarre arrangement.
Fortunately, after spending the night with him, Hongyu had found that Ye Xingge acted decisively and had courage and resolve. He wasn't without redeeming qualities.
Especially now that the boy had shown he was a good cook. The aroma of the food truly set her taste buds tingling!
Hongyu didn't consider herself a foodie, but she couldn't deny how wonderful it smelled.
If her master's order was impossible to defy and she couldn't avoid it, then the boy having a few likable qualities would be some consolation...
As Hongyu quietly mulled this over, perhaps feeling that Ye Xingge had done well, she offered him a rare bit of encouragement:
"Oh? I couldn't tell. For a grown man, you look pretty competent in the kitchen."
"Hm?"
Ye Xingge paused in the middle of stir-frying and glanced back at the second-floor window, looking like an air-conditioner repairman who had just been asked what he did for a living.
"Isn't that obvious? I run an inn. If I couldn't cook, would anyone come?"
"Hmph..."
On second thought, Hongyu supposed that was true.
Ye Xingge went on cooking. Seeing that Hongyu dared to speak, he figured the great beauty Luo probably couldn't hear them, so he quietly asked:
"I hear the Mountains and Rivers Association and the River-Spanning Pavilion are irreconcilable enemies. Now that you're injured, will they take advantage of your misfortune?"
From its name alone, one could tell that the River-Spanning Pavilion was a hegemon straddling both banks of the great river. It mainly dealt in shipping, moving goods among the three kingdoms, and also operated auction houses, assassin agencies, black markets, and so on.
The Mountains and Rivers Association, meanwhile, was an organization Cloud and Rain Tower had established twenty years ago, when the realm was in turmoil. At first, it financed rebel armies across the land. After Great Yan scattered those armies, it became a jianghu power and one of the Eight Great Sects of the Cang River.
The Eight Great Sects of the Cang River were the eight leading powers of Great Yan's southern jianghu. The Mountains and Rivers Association had originally been the strongest, but several years ago, Great Yan had launched a campaign to encircle and destroy Cloud and Rain Tower, while Han Nu'er of the River-Spanning Pavilion had seized the opportunity to attack her by stealth.
Cloud and Rain Tower had been hard-pressed to fight so many experts single-handedly and had already been driven into a desperate situation. Unexpectedly, however, she had produced the Filth-Severing Whip, then broken through the encirclement and vanished without a trace, leaving the Mountains and Rivers Association in the hands of her senior disciple, Mantanghong.
Mantanghong's strength was not to be underestimated, but she certainly lacked Cloud and Rain Tower's influence and had found it difficult to contend with the River-Spanning Pavilion. Over the years, much of her territory had been eaten away, and now that something had happened to Mantanghong herself, it was no surprise that the River-Spanning Pavilion would exploit the opening.
Hongyu's brows showed a trace of worry at his words, though her tone remained domineering:
"As long as my master hasn't ridden a crane west, the River-Spanning Pavilion can't destroy my Mountains and Rivers Association. At most, they can play a few petty tricks. Once you've finished dealing with this, you can help your big sister smash up their turf and seize their docks. Think of it as training."
"With my meager abilities, how am I supposed to take on the River-Spanning Pavilion?"
"Don't worry. Your big sister has plans of her own."
"Is that so?"
Ye Xingge was skeptical.
The two of them chatted idly for a while, and the sky outside grew bright.
Ye Xingge finished preparing the food and carried it upstairs to Luo Xuanqing's door.
"Lord Luo, the food is ready."
"Come in."
Creak.
Ye Xingge pushed the door open with his shoulder and looked up to see the great beauty Luo seated at the dressing table by the window, her arms raised as she pinned up her hair before the mirror.
Below her lovely shoulders was a waist with enticing curves. From the side of her ribs, he could even see the outline of her full, D-cup bosom. Farther down was a large green peach on the low bench, filling it so completely that it seemed ready to spill over the edges...
Good heavens...
What a slender branch bearing such enormous fruit...
Ye Xingge felt that her figure was a close match for Big Beauty's. After a casual glance, he set the tray on the table.
"These are all specialties of the inn. They're a little different from the official cuisine in the capital, so I don't know if they'll suit your tastes, my lord..."
The big black cat with the chubby face had already poked its head out from beside the table and was staring fixedly at the dishes, which looked and smelled delicious.
"Meow, meow, meow~~"
Luo Xuanqing finished her hair and rose to sit at the table. Seeing the four or five exquisite dishes, all pleasing to the eye and nose, she looked surprised. She picked up a winter bamboo shoot from the three whites in fermented rice sauce, placed it between her red lips, and chewed slowly. Her eyes lit up.
"Oh! What skill! You're a match for the imperial chefs in the palace. If you went to the imperial kitchen, I'm afraid you'd become its head in half a year."
"Huh?"
A certain part of Ye Xingge went cold.
"You flatter me, my lord. How could I compare with an imperial chef?"
"Hehe."
Luo Xuanqing picked out some slices of fish for the black cat and gestured toward a seat.
"Sit down. I have a few things to ask you."
Ye Xingge still had to bring Big Beauty her food, but it was hard to refuse Luo Xuanqing's invitation, so he sat down and helped with the chopsticks and wine.
"What can I do for you, Lord Luo?"
Luo Xuanqing gave the black cat some shredded meat and glanced toward the door.
"Who's staying across the hall? I haven't seen them come out since last night..."
?
Ye Xingge's heart skipped a beat. He blinked.
"Um... she's an auntie on her way to visit relatives in Hedong. The Yong River's been sealed off, hasn't it? She can't get across, so she's staying here for the time being. She's a timid woman, and with officers all over outside, how would she dare go running around?"
Luo Xuanqing had only asked casually. Smiling, she said:
"It's all right. Say a word to her later. Tell her the authorities aren't bandits and carry out their duties impartially, so she can come and go as usual. We don't want her holding it in when nature calls and getting into trouble, only for Ruan Jinyu to submit a complaint against me over it..."
Ye Xingge thought the great beauty was truly approachable.
"Mm... all right. But ordinary folk are afraid of getting into trouble. It's only natural for them to keep out of your way, my lord."
"I'm not the King of Hell. Why would I punish someone for no reason?"
As Luo Xuanqing spoke, she picked up a slice of fish with her chopsticks, put it in a bowl, and handed it to Ye Xingge.
"You were out all night and probably haven't had a drop to drink. Have something to eat too. In private, there's no need to keep calling me 'my lord.' Just call me Auntie Luo."
"Auntie?"
Ye Xingge gave the grand consort in blue before him a brief appraisal.
"Uh... I'm afraid that wouldn't be quite appropriate. You look about the same age as me, Lord Luo. How about I take the liberty of calling you Sister Luo?"
Luo Xuanqing blinked, a meaningful look in her eyes.
"Uncle and auntie are terms for elders, but a sister isn't necessarily related to you at all. You aren't having improper thoughts, are you, boy?"
"Oh, you're joking, my lord. How would I dare? Then I'll call you Sister Luo?"
"Hmph."
Luo Xuanqing didn't object. She raised her cup and drained it, then gestured at the table.
"You made so much, I can't possibly finish it. Plenty of people on the frontier don't have enough to eat these days. We mustn't waste food."
"Understood. I'll go get another pot of rice, and bring that auntie next door some breakfast while I'm at it."
With that, Ye Xingge wasted no time. He went downstairs first and returned to the back courtyard, then carried a tray to the room opposite Luo Xuanqing's.
"Honored guest, breakfast is ready. Would you like something to eat?"
"All right, bring it in."
It was still the voice of a gentle young matron.
After making sure nothing was amiss across the hall, Ye Xingge pushed the door open and entered.
Hongyu was still sitting back in her chair with one leg crossed over the other, carrying herself like a mob boss.
But when she saw the assortment of dishes Ye Xingge was carrying, her fair throat moved involuntarily. She looked away.
Tch. Little foodie...
With a hint of mockery in his eyes, Ye Xingge went to the table and set down the tray, then returned to the room next door.
Luo Xuanqing had heard nothing unusual. She gestured for Ye Xingge to sit and continued:
"I just said I'd give you a special reward. What do you want?"
"Uh..."
Ye Xingge needed Yang Tuyan's wrist guards, but they hadn't even caught him yet, so he couldn't say so now.
"How about you owe me one for now, and we talk about it after this is over? I used to run errands for the county yamen quite often. Maybe I can earn some more merit."
Luo Xuanqing nodded slightly.
"That's fine. But when you're out handling things, being willing to risk your life isn't enough if you don't have real skills. Your cultivation is already first-rate among people your age, but your internal cultivation is too rudimentary. Learn an orthodox cultivation art and combine it with those moves of yours, and your strength can rise another level."
A hundred flowers bloomed in the jianghu, and the various internal cultivation methods were too numerous to count. Among the finest were the martial arts that the major sects kept tucked away at the bottom of their chests.
For example, the Great Yan court's Mizong Six Harmonies, the Later Zhou court's Mizong Form and Intent, and the Twelve Stances Art of Western Shu's Dragon Flower Cult.
As for the cultivation arts of the first-tier old devils, those belonged to the immortal grade. Each formed a school of its own, and ordinary people would scarcely ever see them.
As a street-level martial artist, Ye Xingge had previously learned only the methods taught in martial arts schools. It was hard for him to encounter orthodox jianghu martial arts, so he asked:
"Sister Luo, will you let me borrow a cultivation manual?"
Luo Xuanqing half rose, fetched a booklet from the dressing table, and placed it before Ye Xingge.
"This is the Eight Pillars Hall's Eight Extremes Gang-Piercing Force. Your fighting style is fierce and forceful, with wide, sweeping movements, so it suits you well. Make do with it for now. An outer-sect art has a low ceiling. If you want to break into the top three tiers of the Gold List, you'll need an inner-sect manual and insights of your own."
It was Ye Xingge's first time seeing a manual from a great and powerful sect. His expression grew more solemn, and he accepted it with both hands.
"Thank you, Sister Luo."
"Hmph."
Luo Xuanqing propped her cheek on one hand and raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Just thanking me with words?"
"Hm?"
Ye Xingge thought the great beauty was indeed interesting, but he quickly understood what she meant. He promptly put down the manual and earnestly took on the role of a male companion, serving her food, pouring her wine, and keeping her entertained. He even praised the cat until it rewarded him with two fish bones...
As they exchanged cups, Ye Xingge also waited for Chen Xuance to return with good news.
Chen Xuance was evidently efficient. Before they had finished eating, the sound of hooves came from the street.
Clip-clop, clip-clop...
Ye Xingge knew his chance to show off before others was coming. He calmly kept the woman and cat company at the meal as he waited, and soon a call came from the passage outside.
"Lord Luo?"
Ye Xingge hurried to his feet and opened the door, greeting him warmly.
"You're back, Lord Chen?"
Luo Xuanqing put down her chopsticks and asked:
"How did it go?"
Chen Xuance looked rather dejected. He sighed.
"We were too late. Zhang Shunyuan had already been killed to silence him."
Ye Xingge wasn't surprised in the least, but he still knitted his brows.
"Does that mean the trail's gone cold?"
"Yes."
Chen Xuance sighed. "He died before nightfall yesterday. Too much time has passed; there's simply no way to find the killer. I led a team to search every nook and cranny of his study, but we didn't find a single clue..."
"Hm?!"
Ye Xingge had only asked for form's sake. Hearing this, he couldn't help being taken aback.
No way, Lord Chen. You don't look blind!
That sheet of paper was so big, tucked inside the account book. How could you not find it?
Could I have overestimated the Heaven-Observing Pavilion's professional competence? Did they treat it as scrap paper...
Surely not...
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