Strong Winds Return Home

If he was “very impressive,” then there must be some other rewards. So Liu Xian’an loosened his shoulders, neck, and back for him again, and this time his technique was much more gentle and considerate. Liang Shu felt that the fatigue he had accumulated in recent days seemed to be relieved altogether. He reached out and pulled the man into his arms: “Shall I massage you too?”

“Okay.” Liu Xian’an lowered his head and pointed at the back of his neck. “Here.”

The shoulders wrapped in pajamas were white and thin. The poems said that a beauty was like a plum blossom frozen in spring snow. If this was true, then Liang Shu was not willing to touch this thin body made of ice and snow too hard, and only massaged his muscles lightly, asking: “You eat and sleep all day long, so why haven’t I seen you grow more flesh?”

“I don’t eat much.” Liu Xian’an drew in a breath. “Go to the left.”

Liang Shu did as he said and bent his index finger, and within a few strokes, the person in his arms shrank into a ball. He struggled to run, but Liang Shu refused to let him go, grabbing his arm with one hand and his ankle with another. “Be obedient, don’t move.”

It was impossible not to move. Liu Xian’an was so grieved that tears were about to flow out, and his pajamas were rubbed so that the belt was loose. Liang Shu’s gaze slipped down the open neckline and thoroughly appreciated the light pink cherry blossoms. His grip became lighter, embracing that slender waist, and he lowered his head to kiss his cheek.

The promised massage turned into a pair of young lovers rubbing each other’s ears and temples. Liu Xian’an wrapped his arms around his shoulders and lay on the bed with a smile, the tips of their noses rubbing against each other. They kissed intimately for a while, and in the gaps between kisses, Liu Xian’an didn’t know what went through his mind, but he tilted his head with a laugh again, and couldn’t stop. He laughed so much that Liang Shu also became amused and hugged him tightly, asking: “What are you so happy about? Tell me.”

“It’s nothing,” Liu Xian’an said. “I just feel that this is very good.”

Liang Shu pressed the other’s moist lower lip with his thumb and rubbed it for a moment. He also felt that this was very good. In the past, his entire body was engulfed by the thirty thousand-li long desert wind, and the moon shone down on the powerful army in Liangzhou. He had thought he would be lonely and cold forever, and never thought that such a lazy sleeping immortal would be waiting at this corner of his life. He smiled and squeezed him, then kissed him lovingly and affectionately. The kiss caused Liu Xian’an to start to hide again, and only then did he calm down. The two fell asleep together.

A-Ning in the next room craned his neck to look two or three times. He didn’t wait for the young master to come back, but waited until the lights in His Royal Highness Xiao Wang’s room were all extinguished, then sighed deeply and worriedly. Alas, such a lack of etiquette.

But Second Young Master Liu didn’t care about etiquette or impoliteness. He felt that he had never slept on such a soft and comfortable bed, so he stayed there until noon the next day as a matter of course, and was finally woken up by A-Ning’s forceful push.

“Young Master!” He said, “You’ve overslept!”

Liu Xian’an was forcefully pulled up by him. He yawned for a moment, then looked around and asked: “The prince has left?”

“His Highness left early in the morning. Everyone should be in the study right now.” A-Ning shook his clothes out. “Stretch out your hands.”

Liu Xian’an reluctantly put on his clothes, but after putting them on, he fell straight back and persevered in not moving, too lazy to wash up. A-Ning had a lot of experience at this point. He folded his arms and stood beside the bed, saying: “The prince said that he would wait for the young master to have a meal together.”

“……” Sure enough, Liu Xian’an immediately sat up. “Where?”

The dining area in the front courtyard.

It was rare to have such a sunny day in winter, so Liang Shu instructed someone to set up a dining table in the courtyard along with a steaming hot pot of cured pork with sweet glutinous rice and fresh, sweet mushrooms dried in summer. Gao Lin took a sip of the soup and said to Ku You: “Hey, this tastes really fresh, what a good thing. Pack a bag for me when I go.”

“They’re just ordinary mushrooms,” Ku You said. “They are sold everywhere in the Southwest. If you want them, let alone a bag, a cartload would not cost you much. But don’t buy them yourself, I’ll do it. Otherwise, if you meet a profiteer, they will mix in poisonous mushrooms and sell them as good mushrooms, and I fear you will eat them and then have to search for the villain everywhere.”

Gao Lin was caught off guard, and almost choked on his soup. Liu Xian’an patted his back twice and said: “I’ve read records of these in books. In the early years, many wizards used poisonous mushrooms to extract toxins and used them to pretend to be gods and ghosts to entrap people. Are there still such incidents now?”

“There are, but most of them happen in remote villages and towns. In slightly more prosperous places, people no longer believe in these things.” Ku You said, “The government’s years of hard work are still evident, but the hateful cult is pervasive. Often, when one hole is filled in, they start causing trouble in other places.”

For example, the so-called “Baifu Buddha Mother” was just a stone statue, but now she had been reborn into this world as a girl. Ku You continued to speak to everyone about the cult. Liang Shu took a pork rib that was cooked until it was crispy, removed the hard bone, and left the meat in the bowl. After letting it cool down, he pushed the bowl in front of Liu Xian’an: “Don’t focus on these stories, eat.”

Ku You was shocked by this set of smooth, caring movements. He hadn’t become accustomed to this sort of big scene yet. Gao Lin just patted his shoulder with the attitude of someone who had seen the world. This is nothing, really. There will be more such behavior from the prince in the future, and you will get used to it gradually.

. . . . . .

In the afternoon, the scoundrel named Wang Quan from the neighboring village was brought back to Garrison City. Seeing the soldiers with long swords all over the city, he was so frightened that he wet his pants first, and before being interrogated, he took the initiative to speak up and reveal everything about the Baifu Sect. He raised his head and swore: “My lord, I don’t believe in this stuff, not even half of it!”

Ku You said: “But how did I hear that you are running all over the place, being extremely diligent in developing your recruitment business?”

Wang Quan admitted with a bitter expression: “Yes, that is because there is money to be made, and it is settled on a per capita basis.” And the salary was not low. So this scoundrel pretended to believe wholeheartedly, seemingly pious, but it was all for business behind the scenes.

“Who is your superior?”

“Zhang Magan, but he died of illness a while ago. When he was dying, I went to collect my debts.”

“What debts?”

“I have recruited many people to join the congregation, and according to the agreement, he had to pay me, ah. But I went late, and when I got to the door, I found out that he was dying, unable to speak. His family was clamoring to report to the government authorities, so I had no choice but to leave.”

Wang Quan didn’t know who Zhang Magan’s superior was. Like Qiu Cheng, he could only speak of Raven City and a jade business. However, he provided a new clue that Qiu Cheng hadn’t known. This time, the place where the believers would pay homage was on a dangerous peak called White Crown.

Liu Xian’an had also heard about this mountain. It was one of the highest mountains in the Southwest, and was also one of the few mountaintops that had snow in winter. When the sun shone, the entire mountain looked pure and radiant, which was really suitable for someone pretending to be a god. But there were almost no access paths, and even martial arts masters needed to exert effort to climb the mountain. It would be very difficult for ordinary people to manage it.

“It’s still horrible weather right now,” Gao Lin said. “Even if you are tired from climbing, you can’t rest. If you sit for a while, you will likely be stiffened by the cold mountain wind.”

“This is the way the Baifu Sect accurately screens out everyone but fools,” Liang Shu said. “Otherwise, if the location was set at a restaurant in the city, everyone could join the fun and have a drink, so how could it highlight their fanaticism and loyalty to the saint? In my estimation, it is for the same reason that they change the set time back and forth and play around with the believers. They screen out those with brains and good dispositions, and the ones left behind are the puppets they want most of all.”

“The White Crown is near Raven City.” Liu Xian’an asked, “Shall we go as well?”

“We’ll go.” Liang Shu said, “Let’s go meet that Holy Maiden of the Baifu Sect.”

. . . . . .

Raven City was farther south than Garrison City, and the weather was naturally warmer. Liu Xian’an didn’t even need to wrap up in a fur cloak, and had also lost his cotton coat. He sat in the carriage with a heater in his hands, watching the bustling crowds outside the window.

In the twelfth lunar month, the spirit of the New Year was already very strong. Unlike Baihe City with its white walls and black tiles, the New Year here was much more colorful. From time to time, a stall owner sang a few lines of folk songs, and the proprietress at the inn also stood at the door to join in. But she stopped singing midway and wiped her hands on her apron, going forward to welcome the guests: “Will these masters be staying at the inn?”

“Yes.” Gao Lin tossed her a piece of silver. “My young master prefers quiet, so he’ll take the whole establishment.”

“Ah, then there is nothing that can be done.” The proprietress was apologetic. “My inn is nearly full, and it’s even a squeeze to get an upper room.”

Gao Lin asked: “Then where else is there?”

“It’s the same for other establishments, I don’t talk nonsense about business.” The proprietress said, “There have been more people in Raven City recently, so there are more customers.”

“Why are there so many people?” Gao Lin pretended to be puzzled. “It’s almost New Year’s Eve. We are Northerners and can’t make it back. Could that be the case for the other guests as well?”

“Who knows, it’s hard to say.” The proprietress said, “Are you still unwilling to stay here? My shop is the cleanest and most comfortable in the city.”

“We’ll stay.” Gao Lin smiled. “We’ll take the rest of the guest rooms.”

Everyone had changed their appearances before entering the city. Even A-Ning had a pinched pair of droopy eyes, and if  the First Young Master and Third Young Lady saw him, they wouldn’t be able to recognize him. Liu Xian’an sat in the guest room and carefully looked himself over in the mirror. “This time the face isn’t too bad.”

Liang Shu was amused: “Listen to what you’re saying. You sound like an evil spirit who came out of the mountains and stole someone’s good-looking face.”

“If the evil spirit had the prince’s disguise technique, I fear there would be no need to snatch one.” Liu Xian’an set down the mirror. “Come on, let’s go for a stroll.”

“Are you hungry or what? You’re so diligent.” Liang Shu staggered as he was dragged out by him. The two of them walked down the street. It was past lunchtime, and only a few stalls hadn’t closed yet.

“Do you want to eat rose wine cake?”

“Yes.”

The boss was watching the fire in the stove. When he saw two more customers standing in front of the stall, he quickly stood up and waved his hands, saying: “Not selling, not selling, this is the last pot.”

Liang Shu asked: “Why aren’t you selling the last pot?”

“It was ordered by the customers at the tea house, and they said they will come down to pick it up once it is steamed.”

Liang Shu followed the direction he was pointing and turned around. He saw a table of people sitting at a table on the second floor of the teahouse, and they were also looking this way.

“Never mind, let’s go eat something else.” Liu Xian’an grabbed Liang Shu’s sleeve and walked to the other side of the alley.

In the teahouse, a maid said bitterly: “Looking at their backs, they seem like such handsome and unrestrained young masters. I never thought that when they turned around, their faces would be so ordinary.”

Wumeng Yunle set down the teacup in her hand. She was also wearing a disguise mask, and asked: “Are they here to see me too?”

“Coming to Raven City at this time, there are nine out of ten chances that they are.” The maid said, “If the Miss is curious, I will go back and check the list.”