The people blocking the road were four saber-bearing men, all dressed in black. They had put up a shade shelter by the roadside and set up barricades across the road. Merchants and travelers were lining up to pay the toll.
Ye Xingge took a brief look at their attire and recognized them as men from Black Dragon Island. Though the four were ordinary lackeys, if he refused to pay, the gang's enforcers would soon come over.
Not wanting to invite complications, Ye Xingge joined the line and tossed ten copper coins into the cash box. Come to think of it, that was fairly cheap.
But just as he was about to pass, a minor boss reclining by the roadside suddenly spotted the black cloth draped along his horse's flank and got up.
"Hold on, brother. What's that hanging back there?"
"Whoa~"
What hung behind Ye Xingge's horse was naturally the Divine Arm Crossbow. Its bow and stock had been taken apart and wrapped in black cloth, making it look more like a long case. He smiled and replied:
"Mountain goods. Best kept out of sight. Do me a favor and let me through, brother."
"Mountain goods?"
The minor boss picked up his saber, got to his feet, and circled the horse before looking at the wrapped weapon by Ye Xingge's waist.
"Brother, from your accent, you're from Yongzhou. Are there mountains over there?"
Seeing that the minor boss had grown suspicious, Ye Xingge drew out two taels of silver.
"Riding the waves, the Jiang family's son sails forth; with a keen blade and sword, he subdues the three rivers. There's no one under heaven who hasn't heard Island Master Jiang's name. Do you really think that, with my meager abilities, I'd dare break his rules at Forgetful River Mouth?"
Jiang Jinjiang, head of Black Dragon Island, ranked nineteenth in the Second Rank. Though he was beneath Mantanghong and the Flower Judge, he was clearly a formidable figure in his own right.
The minor boss glanced at the silver, thought for a moment, and took it after all.
"Good, as long as you know the rules. Otherwise, if you happened to drown in Dongyuan Lake, I'd only get a few slaps, but you'd lose your life, brother."
"Thanks for the warning, brother."
Ye Xingge cupped his hands and rode straight through the checkpoint without stopping. Less than five li farther on, he arrived at Lake Mouth Town.
The town was the gateway to Dongyuan Lake, and the area for dozens of li around was also known as Forgetful River Mouth. Large numbers of travelers heading north and south gathered there year-round, and traders moving goods between Western Shu and Later Zhou had to pass through it. It had even given rise to a black market like Dark Goods Wharf, famed throughout the north and south.
As the lake, its far shore barely visible, came into view, the sky began to darken.
Ye Xingge galloped to the outskirts of town and looked around. A thousand sails crowded the shore. Alongside merchant vessels from all over were official grain-transport ships. Merchants gathered in droves, and there was no shortage of jianghu martial artists either.
As he entered town, he even overheard some jianghu people chatting at a tea stall:
"With Yang Tuyan's lousy skills, how did he dare run off to Yongzhou to kill the emperor..."
"I heard Eight Pillars Hall was stirring things up behind the scenes. What proper Gold List expert would take on a job that's sure to get him killed..."
Ye Xingge realized that news from the day before yesterday had already reached Dongyuan Lake. He knew there wasn't much time left.
He urged his horse faster, rode through town to the Forgetful River Inn, and handed the horse to an attendant. With the long case on his back, he went upstairs and stopped outside a room.
Knock, knock~
Footsteps sounded inside, and the door opened from within, revealing Great Beauty.
With both her hands resting on the door, her heavy bosom was undoubtedly the focus of his view. She had changed into a dark red dress; it wasn't as bright and striking as when they first met, but it gave her a touch more mature poise.
Below was a willow-slender waist, in sharp contrast to her full bosom. Then the curve of her hips and buttocks suddenly swelled outward again, measuring at least three feet and three inches around. Paired with the dark red skirt, she looked like a fully ripened longevity peach...
?
Hongyu had only just arrived herself. She had been worried that her prospective match had spent two days on the road with little sleep, then rushed over as if carrying an urgent dispatch, leaving him too exhausted to walk.
Yet the moment she opened the door, she found that the brat didn't seem tired at all. He even had the leisure to look her figure over from front to back. Her face immediately filled with disgust!
Ye Xingge didn't keep staring. After a glance, he slipped past her into the room and set his things on the table.
"That outfit looks good. Pretty understated. I thought you'd wear a bright red dress and let the whole town know."
Hongyu thought the boy was good in every respect except that he deserved a beating. But she couldn't beat him yet, so she gave a soft huff, closed the door, and gestured behind the screen.
"There's water over there, with medicine in it to restore your muscles and bones. Recover quickly. It's almost dark, so let's get down to business early."
Though Ye Xingge had ridden on horseback, his legs had nearly given out after so long. He went behind the screen to get cleaned up.
Hongyu sat at the table, unwrapped the black cloth, and assembled the Divine Arm Crossbow.
Sitting on a round stool, the contrast between her waist and hips was even more striking from behind. The stool looked distinctly too small, giving off the strained impression that it could barely bear the load.
But that was definitely the stool's problem.
Great Beauty's proportions were quite perfect, her figure tall and slender without a trace of excess. Holding the crossbow stock in one hand, she deftly fitted the bow, spyglass, and string like a female boss assembling a gun, looking thoroughly imposing.
Click, click~
Ye Xingge watched for a few moments, shook his head with a smile, and shed his robes. He stepped into the warm water and let out a long sigh, feeling as if his whole body had come back to life. But before he'd had a moment to relax, he heard:
Whoosh~
A crossbow bolt flashing with cold light sailed over the screen and bathtub and buried itself nearly three inches into a roof beam.
"Fuck!"
Ye Xingge jolted and turned his head.
"What are you doing?"
Hongyu had one foot on the stool, supporting the Divine Arm Crossbow with her knee and left arm. She looked rather imposing as she lifted her eyes from the sight.
"I wasn't aiming at you. I was just testing its power."
Ye Xingge thought Great Beauty was still petty and held grudges, and that she had deliberately frightened him. But he said nothing, taking his waist token from his clothes.
"Where are we meeting later?"
Hongyu had already contacted the Mountains and Rivers Association's informants on her way over. She now dismantled the crossbow's bow and continued fitting the included reinforcing limbs inside.
"The abandoned shipyard at the river mouth. There's no one there today, and the terrain is good. We'll set up our ambush before we notify him."
Seeing that Tail Fire Tiger hadn't replied, Ye Xingge put the jade token down again.
"What exactly are you planning?"
Hongyu blinked, turned around, and explained the astonishing strategy she had spent the day devising:
"According to the Mountains and Rivers Association's inquiries, the Gold-Chasing Gentleman has been committing crimes around Dongyuan Lake lately, and he's been using Tail Fire Tiger to fence the stolen goods..."
Ye Xingge listened quietly and soon sorted out her thinking.
The Gold-Chasing Gentleman used Tail Fire Tiger to fence stolen goods, but the Return to Origin Cult was no pushover and would surely want to rob a fellow crook.
The Gold-Chasing Gentleman was no fledgling either. Most likely, the two sides dealt through intermediaries and never met face-to-face.
The Mountains and Rivers Association hadn't uncovered Tail Fire Tiger's true identity. They had only made a rough guess from the movement of the stolen goods that Tail Fire Tiger was somewhere around Forgetful River Mouth.
Ye Xingge had already arranged to meet Tail Fire Tiger. As long as he caught Tail Fire Tiger, he would have a chance to track down the Gold-Chasing Gentleman.
The Gold-Chasing Gentleman had been committing crimes frequently of late. With Great Beauty's experience and discernment as the "eighth in the Second Rank," they would have a chance to succeed once they found him.
Even if they found no clues to the Gold-Chasing Gentleman, the Return to Origin Cult wanted to rob a fellow crook, so Tail Fire Tiger wouldn't be its only member here. They could use the token again and repeat the trick to lure out and kill other senior members.
Even if none of that worked out, after killing Tail Fire Tiger, the Mountains and Rivers Association's informants could make use of what was at hand and find a wanted criminal for him to kill. Either way, he could complete the assessment...
Having listened carefully, Ye Xingge felt the arrangement really was fairly sound. After some thought, he asked:
"The Gold-Chasing Gentleman has already climbed into the Third Rank, and the other members of the Seven Mansions of the Azure Dragon are all Second- and Third-Rank powerhouses. Can I beat them?"
Hongyu held up the Divine Arm Crossbow, her gaze full of confidence.
"With me keeping watch, no one below the top ten in the Second Rank could possibly discover you in advance. You'll be hidden while they're out in the open, and you can use the Ravine-Leaping Tiger to ambush them. Won't killing a few small fry be easy?
"Even if you can't kill them, we can just leave. Once we're out of Yongzhou Prefecture, we'll be in the jianghu's territory. Finding a few wanted criminals will be child's play."
Ye Xingge nodded slightly and asked another question.
"Are you sure you know how to give a massage?"
At that, Hongyu put on a thoroughly professional air.
"It's just loosening muscles and getting the blood flowing. Haven't you heard of the Mountains and Rivers Association's Nine Transformations of the Cloud Dragon? Dragon-spine grasping is one of its specialties."
Dragon grasping...
Ye Xingge knew the Nine Transformations of the Cloud Dragon. It was his mother-in-law's ultimate technique from the Cloud and Rain Tower, an immortal-grade cultivation art. Great Beauty Luo had been sealed by the thing, but he really hadn't known it could be used for anything else.
Seeing that his limbs had recovered nicely, Ye Xingge got up, dried himself, and carefully rebandaged his chest. He put on his robes and stepped out from behind the screen.
"Then would you like to give it a try, Sister Yu'er?"
Hongyu said no more. She set the assembled Divine Arm Crossbow on the table, rose, and walked over, rolling up her sleeves to reveal fair, soft hands and forearms. Her long, slender fingers were exceptionally beautiful.
Ye Xingge looked at the top-notch masseuse's sizzling figure. Half convinced, half doubtful, he flopped down on the pillow.
But Great Beauty showed none of a professional masseuse's service-minded attitude. She was more like an old master at a traditional medicine clinic. She shoved his shoulder, flipping him over, then hooked her five fingers like an eagle's talons into his back and ran them down along the knobby bones of his spine.
Crack-crack-crack~
"Hiss~"
Ye Xingge drew a sharp breath and sprang up like a carp flipping out of water.
"Damn... That's dragon-spine grasping? You just grab it that hard?"
Hongyu couldn't beat her prospective match and had suffered plenty of offenses these past few days. Now that she had every right to act as his masseuse, why would she hold back? With a serious look, she pressed Ye Xingge down and continued kneading his muscles and working his back.
"What else? How did you think I'd grasp it?"
"I..."
Ye Xingge never should have had any illusions about Great Beauty, but he had to admit that her technique really was professional.
After a few rounds, his bones, which had felt ready to fall apart, felt as though they had been forcibly pieced back together. His whole body felt much more comfortable, and it was even quite pleasurable...
Was this admiration...?