Strong Winds Return Home

Liu Xian’an was unable to get any rose wine cakes, so he went to eat a bowl of rice noodles with chicken soup. Halfway through the meal, he saw that other diners were adding spice to their bowls, so he curiously asked the boss for a small spoonful. However, after taking a sip of the soup, it was so hot that he crouched on the ground and coughed for a long time, his ears sore and buzzing.

Liang Shu got up and went to buy fresh flower soup for him. When he brought it back, the proprietress was complaining about the boss, saying, the city has been full of foreign guests recently, how many of them can stand your ancestral spicy oil? He also hadn’t warned the guests, and put the jar away quickly.

The boss was quick to curry favor. Liu Xian’an dizzily drank the sweet soup, not caring to listen to what the people next to him were saying. When he finally recovered, Liang Shu had already paid for the meal, and took him by the wrist to walk to the opposite side of the street: “Do you want to eat iced fruit?”

“Don’t want to.” Liu Xian’an said, “Just now, I seemed to hear the proprietress talk about Nanyang?”

“She said that Raven City was also lively in previous years, but most of them were merchants from Nanyang. This year, there are many people from the Central Plains.” Liang Shu said, “They are the same as us, claiming to be going to Cuili City to view the jade.”

“The Central Plains are thousands of li away, and it is almost the first month of the new year, which is a time for family reunions, but there is such a large number of believers in the city.” Liu Xian’an said, “It seems that the scale of this pilgrimage is not small.”

While talking, the two walked into a teahouse, which was the best place to inquire about news. It was very lively, and even a table had to be fought for. It was just that the group of guests who sat down earlier clearly didn’t welcome Liang Shu and Liu Xian’an. They put their legs sideways on the empty stools and continued to eat melon seeds with their heads down.

“Guests, this…..” The attendant rubbed his hands with a troubled expression. 

Liang Shu glanced at the people at the table, but didn’t care, and said to Liu Xian’an: “Let’s go over there and see if there are any more vacant tables.”

After speaking, and without waiting for the attendant to reply, he strode toward the window. Liu Xian’an jogged to keep up. The two asked around at every table, but they couldn’t find a place and only received blank stares. At such a time, His Royal Highness Xiao Wang showed an unprecedented good temper. Even when he was driven away, he did not get angry, and even had a half-smile on his face.

And this half-smile didn’t disappear until the two of them left the teahouse and entered a deserted alley, where it was replaced by the gloom of coming rain. Although Liu Xian’an was clever and insightful, he didn’t understand what his intentions were this time, so he carefully asked: “What is it, is there something wrong with that teahouse?”

“There’s nothing wrong with the teahouse, it’s the people inside the teahouse who are the problem.” Liang Shu said, “Most of them were wearing masks.”

Liu Xian’an was surprised to hear this: “Those were their faces after putting on a disguise?”

Liang Shu nodded: “Yes.”

Liu Xian’an felt a bit of a chill down his spine. The human skin masks were not frightening. What was frightening was the conspiracy behind the masks. There was only one reason to cover the face, and that was to avoid being recognized by others. Ordinary people in the surrounding villages and towns obviously didn’t have such a need, and even if they did, it was difficult to find such realistic masks.

This meant that the believers who came to Raven City were not ordinary people. They at least already had a certain status or reputation, or else there would be no need to go to such trouble.

The tentacles of the Baifu Sect were not only touching the border of the north, but were also touching the upper layers. Liang Shu waved his hand to summon a group of guards, and ordered them to go into the city to collect information. Everyone took their orders and left, and only one remained where he was to say: “Your Highness, just now on the street, I seemed to see an acquaintance of ours. Although he was also wearing a mask, his voice was very distinguishable.”

Liang Shu asked: “Who?”

. . . . . .

The teenager tossed two cheap walnuts in his hands, rising and falling as he juggled. Little children followed behind him in a long line, clapping and cheering unceasingly, which made the boy feel proud. He turned his head and grinned, but he looked so strange and stiff that the onlookers ran away in fright, thinking that he was an evil, soulless boy — there were often such legends in these parts.

The boy didn’t care about being rejected, and continued to toss walnuts and hum all the way back to the inn, but he refused to rest honestly. As soon as he tore the mask from his face, this person immediately jumped out the window like a monkey, tumbled over, and swish, leaped up. Clinging to the wooden beams with his hands and swinging slightly, he stuffed himself into a narrow corner at the end that connected two guest rooms.

This action was done in one movement, without attracting anyone’s attention. He carefully put his ear close to the wall, attempting to eavesdrop on the people in the room, but could only capture a few extremely vague words. In order to hear more clearly, he continued to press against the wall, but he miscalculated slightly with his hands and grasped two bamboo slats on the wall with a click, which immediately aroused the vigilance of the people in the room.

“Who is it!”

The young man tried to run in a panic, but before he could use his qinggong martial arts and escape on light feet, an external force grasped his neckline and he flew up into the building – into his own room.

Knock-knock-knock! The door was knocked hard three times. “Young Master Chang, are you in the room?”

“……Yes, cough, I’m here.” Chang Xiaoqiu was still in shock, and swallowed dryly before saying louder, “I’m sleeping, what is it?”

“It’s nothing.” The footsteps at the door quickly vanished.

Liu Xian’an poured a cup of tea and handed it to Chang Xiaoqiu: “Drink?”

Chang Xiaoqiu looked at the gleaming dagger at his neck. Do you think I can drink?

He didn’t recognize Liang Shu and Liu Xian’an. Still panicking, he pretended to be calm and said in a low voice: “Can you put the knife down first?”

“No,” Liang Shu said. “Tell me, what are you doing in Raven City?”

Chang Xiaoqiu said without hesitation: “Buying jade.”

Liang Shu laughed with a pfft: “We’re already using this excuse. Why don’t you think up a new one?”

Chang Xiaoqiu said stubbornly: “I’m here to buy jade, what, is this not allowed? Who are you guys!”

“When buying jade, why bother to listen in someone else’s corner like a thief?” Liang Shu said, “If you don’t tell me, I’ll send you to the officials.”

“You have no evidence, I won’t admit anything!” As Chang Xiaoqiu said this, his body suddenly slid down like a loach, but he still couldn’t escape. He was swept over by Liang Shu’s leg so hard that he fell down face first.

Liu Xian’an urgently reminded: “His leg is still injured!”

Liang Shu carried him back again: “Sit down!”

Chang Xiaoqiu was stunned for a moment. There were not many people who knew that his leg had been injured, and he quickly ran through the list in his mind. First, he stared at Liu Xian’an to identify him carefully, then turned his head abruptly and held his breath as he stared at Liang Shu. His face flushed red, and he uttered a hesitant sentence after a long moment: “……Y-Your Highness?”

Liang Shu raised his eyebrows slightly.

“Your Highness!” Chang Xiaoqiu was overjoyed to meet the number one hero in his heart in this dilapidated place. He was so excited that he couldn’t speak, and didn’t care about etiquette. His eyes widened and he moved closer. “Is it really you?” Before Liang Shu could respond, tears welled up in the other’s eyes, and he hiccuped in his excitement.

Liu Xian’an: “…….”

Liang Shu said: “Now let’s talk, ba. Why are you here?”

“If I didn’t come, my father would.” Chang Xiaoqiu said, “It’s a bit complicated to talk about.”

In short, after being betrayed by He Rao, Chang Wanli was devastated and depressed. He didn’t even care much about the business of the Escort Bureau, and spent all day long tinkering with something. Chang Xiaoqiu didn’t take it to heart at first, but one time, he inadvertently discovered that a strange-looking statue was enshrined in their Buddhist hall.

“My father…..he is not a Buddhist.” Chang Xiaoqiu didn’t finish his sentence. He felt that his father previously was almost entirely interested in money and desire, but now he knocked on temple blocks and chanted scriptures in such a strange way, and there were gradually problems with the Escort Bureau’s accounts. Money had disappeared. He didn’t know where it went, and didn’t ask. 

“It’s like he’s been possessed by an evil spirit.” Chang Xiaoqiu said, “I went to investigate secretly with Uncle Chang, and finally discovered that he had been lured by others to believe in some rubbish. Not only does he offer money and incense on time, but he also offers a cup of his own blood every now and then.”

Liang Shu: “Since you discovered this, why didn’t you report it to the officials?”

“Because my dad couldn’t stop bleeding and knocked himself out.” Chang Xiaoqiu said, “He’s so ill, and his mind isn’t clear. I’m afraid that if he is taken to prison, he’ll die. Just when I was losing my temper, the liar who dragged my father into the cult coaxed him by saying that he could see the Holy Maiden of Baifu as long as he donated a pot of gold.”

“Your father agreed?”

“He agreed. He struggled to set out on the road and couldn’t be stopped, so I gave him a bit of weakening powder,” Chang Xiaoqiu said.

Chang Wanli was paralyzed in bed, unable to get up for some time. No matter how unwilling he was, he could only agree for his son to go to Raven City and meet the saint in his stead. Chang Xiaoqiu pretended to be well-behaved and honest. His father just nodded to everything he said, and left all the affairs of the Escort Bureau to Chang Xiaohan. Chang Xiaoqiu followed the cultists all the way south, planning to get in with this big group.

Liang Shu asked: “How big is it?”

Chang Xiaoqiu was full of youthful enthusiasm: “Big enough to die with that fucking saint!”

Liang Shu said: “Based on your skills, I fear you will give away your head for nothing.”

Chang Xiaoqiu blushed: “Then I must understand clearly what sort of tricks they are playing.”

“Who is the person who brought you south?”

“The head of Dawn’s Gate, Zhao Xiang. My father was brought into the Baifu Sect by him.” Chang Xiaoqiu said, “He is very suspicious and shrewd, so he never trusted me. Even if I acted the whole time, drew blood like my dad, and chanted mantras for a long time, he didn’t intend to lead me to the saint at all, and just told me to wait at the inn. I suspect that the reason this person agreed to take me south was all for the pot of gold.”

“You just went to listen in his corner?”

“Yes,” Chang Xiaoqiu said. “After that surnamed Zhang arrived in Raven City, he secretly met with many people. His status in the Baifu Sect is really not low, and people visit him all day long. It seems he is going out to a banquet tonight.”

Liang Shu smiled: “If he can’t let you meet the Holy Baifu Maiden, he’ll have to bring you to one dinner, right? Otherwise that pot of gold would be for nothing.”

“…….” Chang Xiaoqiu was silent for a moment. In fact, he felt that according to the extent of his unpopularity along the journey, he might not even be able to make it to this meal, but now that these words were spoken by His Royal Highness Xiao Wang, could he disappoint him?

Impossible!

So Cheng Xiaoqiu clenched his fists fiercely: “Okay, I’ll try!”