Chapter 324: The Wind Rises Suddenly, the Whole City is Covered in Frost (Requesting Monthly Tickets)

Chapter 324: A Gust of Wind, Frost Spreads Through the City (Seeking Monthly Votes)

A man clad entirely in black, wearing a bronze mask with an ancient design, its edges tarnished with patches of verdigris and rust.

The only eyes visible were slightly mocking, crystal-clear and bright, reflecting Liu Hong and his son.

Liu Tao'ye regained his composure, standing up, drawing his long sword from his waist, pointing it directly at him: "Who are you? Dare to intrude upon the Liu family!"

Looking back, Liu Hong's demeanor shifted from his previous solemnity, revealing a hint of surprise in his eyes, with a touch of complexity.

A mix of disarray, panic, relief, and a sense of resolution.

The stranger glanced at Liu Tao'ye, sneering: "They say a tiger father has no cub, but I think that's not necessarily true."

His gaze fell upon Liu Hong, "What do you say, Lord Liu?"

Liu Tao'ye was about to speak further when Liu Hong suddenly interjected: "My child, remember what I said—leave now."

"Father, but he—"

"He is an old friend of mine, and has nothing to do with you—leave!"

Seeing Liu Hong's stern expression, Liu Tao'ye paused, glanced at the masked figure, then quickly sheathed his sword and departed.

Though he harbored many doubts, after so many years under Liu Hong's guidance, he too understood that something significant had occurred.

They would wait until they left here, then seek another opportunity to investigate the situation in Shu Zhou.

The masked man made no move to block, waiting until Liu Tao'ye was far gone, then sat across from Liu Hong.

"Lord Liu is a wise man, surely aware how difficult it is for me to come here."

Liu Hong nodded, his voice tinged with bitterness: "I have no other desires, only to ask that you let the dog have a chance at life."

The man smiled and shook his head: "Lord Liu, we've known each other for years—you must know my nature."

"As the Emperor commands, that's how I shall act."

Liu Hong inhaled deeply, his demeanor and bearing gradually restored.

He remained the governor of Shu Zhou.

"Song Jinian, no need to beat around the bush—tell me, what did that man want you to do in Shu Zhou?"

Song Jinian smiled and bowed: "This is the Liu Hong I know, Lord Liu."

"Even if you don't speak, whatever the Emperor has ordered me to do, I will do it."

After a slight pause, Song Jinian's gaze grew serious.

"The Emperor hasn't said much, but your actions here have caused too much trouble—he can't protect you anymore."

"Trouble?"

Liu Hong's lips curled coldly, mocking the emperor's regard: "Heh, he truly thinks highly of me."

"Whether he thinks highly of you is his affair."

"I only have one question—do you still want your eldest son to leave Shu Zhou alive?"

"Yes," Liu Hong replied plainly, adding, "And I hope he can stay by your side."

"Me?"

Song Jinian pointed to himself, surprised: "Lord Liu, have you gone mad?"

"A nameless man like me, making your son follow me—wouldn't that ruin his future?"

Liu Hong shook his head, wanting his son to preserve the last thread of the Liu family's bloodline in Jingzhou: "I only ask that he preserve the last thread of the Liu family's bloodline in Jingzhou."

"Oh? How can you be so certain the Liu family will be in trouble?"

"If the Liu family is in trouble, with that man's strength, they couldn't protect me, nor would they let me live to face execution."

Song Jinian chuckled, saying, "Too bad."

"Losing a great general such as yourself, I offer a word of regret on behalf of the Master."

After a moment's consideration, he still refrained from giving a promise. "Whether your eldest son can remain by my side is not for you to decide, nor is it for me."

Liu Hong understood that he referred to the "Master" and nodded. Having composed his thoughts, he recounted the recent events in Shuzhou from beginning to end, omitting nothing.

"...The plague had only just begun to spread tonight when the Xiao family made their move, even producing a prescription to cure it. It must have been the handiwork of Liu Wu."

Song Jinjian’s eyes gleamed slightly. "If that is so, then this 'Dragon-Tiger' does indeed possess some considerable skill."

Liu Hong gave a low murmur of assent, pointing toward a chest resting upon the stone bench nearby.

"More than that, the merchants of the Jizhou Trading Firm were outwitted by him into parting with a million dan of grain, receiving nothing in return but a heap of waste paper."

Song Jinjian glanced at the counterfeit silver notes within the chest and broke into a sudden, rueful laugh. "Your defeat was not undeserved."

"From Lyu Jiunan to Asutai, then to Du Cang and the Five Poisons Sect, and even including the Jizhou Trading Firm—he has schemes that outmaneuvered them all."

"It is no wonder that a plot you harbored for so long should end so disastrously in your hands."

Liu Hong refilled both their cups with wine. Without clinking them together, he took a solitary sip.

"It was fate, and it was the times."

"Before tonight, I harbored many grievances against his Lordship, and so I intended to wager my life in one final struggle. Yet, the entire board is lost."

Song Jinjian drained his cup. As he set it down, his hand paused, and he sighed with deep emotion. "You are not the only one."

"The failure of this plot carries profoundly far-reaching consequences. The Master is nursing a severe headache over this very matter."

"But since things have come to this pass, even his venerable self can do nothing but exert his utmost to salvage the situation."

Liu Hong fell into a brief silence. After finishing his own wine, he inquired, "When will the Imperial Decree arrive?"

"In three to five days at the earliest; eleven or twelve at the latest."

"Ten days... I fear the Xiao family will not brook such a delay."

"The Xiao family?"

Song Jinjian shook his head, uttering a heavy sigh. "The greatest trouble lies precisely with the Xiao family."

"Originally, according to the Master's calculations, the Xiao family was to be utterly erased from Shuzhou after this affair, leaving the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Dingyuan Army open for contention."

Liu Hong nodded in grim silence. "Now that the Xiao family has slipped the noose, I fear it will be difficult to doom them to death a second time."

Song Jinjian cast a sideways glance at him. "Not necessarily."

"Oh? Does that Lord still hold further designs?"

"Forgive me, Master Liu, but Song does not know either. And yet..."

"And yet, there is one matter I can disclose to you—the Emperor desires to be a sovereign whose majesty eclipses a thousand generations, and his fondest wish is to march south and subdue the barbarians."

"And what of the north?"

"Those savages have been campaigned against by successive dynasties; how could the Emperor hold them in any regard?"

Understanding dawned within Liu Hong's heart. "In that case, I may depart on my journey with a tranquil mind."

Song Jinjian paused, then poured another two cups of wine. Raising his cup with both hands in a gesture of respect, he said, "Rest assured, Master Liu. The Master will certainly not forget your arduous labors."

Liu Hong returned the toast with a cup of his own. "Thus, I entrust my boy to your care, Mr. Song."

Song Jinjian looked at him, maintaining his silence for a brief moment before nodding. "I shall give it a trial."

He then continued, "Liu Taoyao possesses some measure of quick wit and intelligence, but your second son..."

Before he could finish, Liu Hong lowered his head slightly. "Let him journey to the Yellow Springs together with this old man."

Hearing this, Song Jinjian knew that the man had already made his choice.

"Before coming here, the Master instructed me to act as circumstances dictated, which was perhaps to underestimate you, Master Liu." "Speak, then. Aside from Liu Taoyao, what unfulfilled wishes do you leave behind? If it lies within my power, I shall certainly fulfill them on your behalf."

Upon hearing these words, Liu Hong initially intended to shake his head in refusal, but a certain person suddenly leaped into his mind.

"If it is convenient for you, take Liu Zhaoxue along to serve by your side as well."

"Oh? The daughter of the first branch?"

"Indeed. Zhaoxue is intelligent; she will certainly not disappoint you."

Song Jinjian fixed a deep, searching look upon him, then smiled and accepted the charge. "It is nothing more than adding another pair of chopsticks to the table."

Liu Hong remained silent, offering no reply.

Seeing this, Song Jinjian said no more. He rose, clapped a hand upon the man's shoulder, and walked outward.

"Very well, it is time for Song to attend to proper matters. If I have offended you in any way, I beg your indulgence, Master Liu."

"Please, suit yourself..."

Before long.

The blue-robed guards within and without the Liu estate silently changed their guise, along with the maidservants and the menservants.

From the inner chambers to the outer gates, not a soul escaped the transition.

Though Liu Hong did not witness it with his own eyes, he reasoned that it must be so.

A person who had outlived his usefulness was worth less than a dog.

To say nothing of those who were born to be dogs in the first place?

Liu Hong looked at the cold, sliced meat upon the table. Lifting his chopsticks, he placed two morsels into his mouth and chewed slowly, a distinct sense of a hero in his twilight years washing over him.

He understood perfectly well that with Song Jinjian’s arrival in Shuzhou, both he and the Liu family of Jingzhou were left with no path of retreat.

Even if that great Lord did not strike, he could not escape death all the same.

It was merely a matter of sooner or later.

Was he unreconciled to this fate?

Naturally, Liu Hong was unreconciled.

He reflected carefully upon the past, yet he did not feel he had misstepped at any single juncture.

Each matter, piece by piece, had unfolded precisely according to his designs.

And yet, the outcome was thoroughly unsatisfactory.

"Had it not been for the 'Dragon-Tiger,' the Xiao family would have been doomed beyond redemption."

"The 'Dragon-Tiger' Liu Wu... this old man shall await you beneath the Nine Springs!"

Right at that moment, Liu Taofang came rushing to the edge of the pavilion, crying out with a countenance full of terror, "Father, Father, something terrible has happened."

Liu Hong’s expression remained unaltered. "Sit down before you speak."

How could Liu Taofang find the composure to sit? In a panicked tone, he said, "Father, a grave matter has truly occurred in the manor."

"Just now, the maidservants in my courtyard were all replaced. I—I do not recognize a single one of them..."

Liu Hong raised a hand to cut him short. "It was by this old man's command that they were changed."

Liu Taofang froze, his features relaxing as he sat across from his father, asking in bewilderment:

"Father, why did you suddenly change all the servants? You frightened me to death."

Liu Hong offered no explanation, merely commanding him to pour the wine.

Liu Tao-fang did not hesitate at all, poured him a cup of wine, then poured himself another and drank it down with a satisfied sigh.

“Father, when I saw your brother leading men away in haste, what could it have been?”

“A plague has broken out in the city. I sent him to the prefecture to assist for a time.”

“Oh, oh? The plague—how… how…”

Before Liu Tao-fang could finish his question, he froze at the table, his eyes going black as night, and blood seeped from every pore.

In but two breaths, he fell silent forever.

Liu Hong watched him quietly, his skin trembling slightly, as if unsure whether to weep or smile.

After a long pause, he finished the wine, rose, and walked outside.

Whether due to the pale moonlight or something else, his hair had turned silver-white.

A faint melody drifted through the air.

“Once a torch burned red, the wind rose, frost spread across the city, the horse bells rang…”

Song Jin-jian emerged from the corner, silently watching him disappear around the bend.

“Liu Wu…”

“Dare to spoil my lord’s affairs, you’re finished!”

…

At the witching hour, before dawn, the city’s clamor continued.

The people dared not venture outside.

The magistrates knocked on doors, occasionally pinning a red seal to a household.

The wandering guests, though in a hurry, had some confidence in their martial skills.

Yet they dared not roam freely, squeezing into taverns and inns, cursing the heavens.

“What strange things are happening.”

“Since I arrived in Shu, not a single day has been peaceful.”

“Who knows? Bandits, barbarians, rising prices, plague, refugees… Could it be the White Deer again, granting a golden letter?”

“Damn it, it must be him! Definitely!”

“Stop babbling! No White Deer in sight—how could it be him?”

“How could it not be? We came for a reason!”

“The White…”

Somebody started the tale, and soon it spread through the city:

The White Deer had secretly come to Shu, granting a golden letter to someone near death, causing all this chaos.

Many believed it.

Liu Zhao-xue was among them.

She suddenly recalled the golden letter she’d received outside the East Market, and increasingly felt the one who cast the reading was the White Deer.

“Golden jade as bones, orchid and fragrance as heart…”

“The phoenix is pure, drinks no morning dew, eats no cultivated herbs, thus having a high perspective, prone to loneliness.”

The letter wasn’t expensive, and Liu Zhao-xue felt her own isolation, not fitting into Liu’s family in Jingzhou or the lands of Shu.

She didn’t think she was the one spoken of in the rumors.

But one person was—Ling’er.

Liu Zhao-xue thought of these things, scanning the courtyard of Xinlin Pavilion on Nanzhai Street, seeing no trace of Ling’er.

Just as she was about to search further, she noticed a few figures in mountain garb outside the pharmacy.

There, not far away, was the Ling’er she sought, of the Five Poisons Sect.

Yet it was clear: the servant girl who’d often flouted her mistress’s orders was now utterly silent.

Liu Zhao-xue widened her eyes, covering her mouth, frozen in shock.

Mountain folk had come to avenge her!

Pei Ze sensed her gaze, glanced sideways, and with a cruel smile, turned and left.

In Shu, when mountain people acted, no one dared to stop them.

Not even those in the authorities dared to speak up at this time.

After waiting for them to fade away, Liu Zhao-xue regained her senses, quickly gathered her belongings, and rushed back home.

Just as she finished packing, a hoarse voice called, “Liu Zhao-xue?”

“You…”

Before Liu Zhao-xue could react, she felt a pain in her neck and collapsed.

“You’re lucky. From now on, stay by my side.”

The voice faded, and the room grew empty, save for a faint light from the east.

Not quite clear, not quite warm.

…

Two days later.

Chen Yi slowly “awoke,” weakly calling out, “Xiao Di, Xiao Di…”

The Xiao Di lying by the window, startled awake by Chen Yi’s voice, sprang to her feet and ran outside.

“The master is awake! The master is awake!”

Chen Yi glanced back at her, blinking, muttering to himself.

I’ll never wake up again, or my ears will be ruined by your chatter.

Thanks to this fake illness, I got to spy on Xiao Di’s secrets.

“The ‘Biography of the Second Uncle of Wuhou Mansion’—what a ridiculous name. Even the Light Boat Master’s version would’ve sufficed…”

(Chapter End)