Volume Two: The Bandits Here Chapter Eighty-Two: To That City of Horses and Saddles

He had been sitting on the cliff for three days, staring toward the northern lands.

And it had been exactly that long since the party with Gongsun Twelve had departed.

“Master, are you thinking of this humble one?” Lin Changtian sidled up and rested his head beneath Xu Yong’s chin, grinning slyly as he said, “You have no appetite, you neglect your work, and that frostbitten heart of yours—who has it finally been given to?”

As the saying goes, justice may arrive late, but gossip is always on time.

Xu Yong let out a long sigh, then laughed and cursed, “I’m utterly above reproach. What sort of capital do I have to win a girl’s affection? It’s only that what I did that day was far too frivolous, and I cannot help feeling uneasy about it.”

“In the end, isn’t it just that you can’t get past having done something lewd?” Lin Changtian shot him a sidelong glance, faintly disgusted. It seemed that a man as upright as himself truly was one of a kind under heaven—well, perhaps with Chen Ziliang added to the count.

“I don’t think so.” Xu Yong straightened up and pointed at the willow fluff drifting from the horizon. “Look, didn’t spring come quickly too? I’ve seen what is lovely, all that grace and charm, those delicate brows and willow sleeves—beautiful beyond words. A sight to make one gasp. But that is all; my heart never stirred.”

Lin Changtian stroked his chin and gave Xu Yong a strange look. “I get it now. So you like the passive sort. Isn’t that just lusting after a body?”

“That’s not what I mean.” Xu Yong lifted the waterskin hanging from Lin Changtian’s shoulder and slowly poured water around the tender sprouts. “Let me ask something private: in your view, what kind of woman is Gongsun Twelve?”

“If you mean her looks, then even if all the words in the world used to praise women were piled upon her, it would still be no exaggeration. But there is a certain spirit in that girl’s eyes—a stubbornness that breaks through the cocoon.”

Lin Changtian pointed at the new shoots pushing up from the ground as he spoke to Xu Yong.

“I think that beneath that spirit there is only gentleness.” Xu Yong finished watering and set the skin down. “Maybe she really is very kind.”

Lin Changtian stared blankly at the waterskin for a long while before finally saying, “You really do look good when you’re flattering someone. If the world were still in proper order, she’d probably be disgusted by you.”

Xu Yong blinked, then gave a string of cold laughs. “Changtian, if you someday marry a lovely bride, with the way you are now, I’m sure she’ll say something utterly heartfelt to you.”

“What?”

“Dear, it’s time to take your medicine.”

A chill wind swept down from the heavens. Lin Changtian shivered, and a woman’s face rose in his mind—by some wicked twist of fate, it was Yu Luo.

“Actually, this would suit Chen Ziliang best. If you asked him what he thought of Gongsun Twelve, that fool would surely answer...” Lin Changtian’s lips curled as he looked to Xu Yong, and the two of them laughed in unison: “That woman looks so frail and slight—could she withstand one punch from me?”

Their voices fell away, and the hearty laughter echoed through heaven and earth, sounding almost reckless.

“Still, there’s one serious thing I need to tell you. I’d always thought there was just some misunderstanding between you and her.” Having laughed enough, Lin Changtian got up from the ground and returned to his usual calm.

Xu Yong glanced at him, unsure what kind of “serious thing” might come from that mouth of his.

“Do you know why Ma Hui was willing to lower himself and seek peace with us? Qiu An is part of it, but more important is Gongsun Twelve.”

“Then by that logic, this northern tyrant is quite the fine father after all.”

“If Ma Hui were a good father, then this world would have no such thing as a man putting his pants back on and refusing to own up afterward. That bastard arranged for his daughter to marry one of his subordinates, though in the northern lands that sort of thing is hardly unusual. He has also sent us an invitation, so come with me for the trip.”

Xu Yong frowned and asked in suspicion, “Ma Hui is, after all, a warlord of the northern lands. Seeking peace on his own is one thing, but now he’s even sent us an invitation. There must be some hidden purpose.”

“You really are clever. Your attention wanders to the most unusual things. Gongsun Twelve is about to be married, and you don’t care about that at all—you’re fixated on Ma Hui instead.” Lin Changtian gave him a thumbs-up and clicked his tongue. “You said it yourself: Ma Hui is at least a northern warlord. If he truly committed such a despicable act, then the reputation he’s built over the years would likely turn to nothing overnight. But in the end, the courtesy he shows is really for Elder Liu’s sake.”

“Then I’ll accompany you after all, and I may as well apologize to the girl in person.” Xu Yong stood up and said no more, returning to his room to pack. He had always been swift and decisive.

Only the few articles of clothing he needed to bring were turned over and over in his hands for a very long time.

...

Lanterns blazed throughout Stable Horse City, and every face was lit with smiles, though whether those smiles were willing or not was hard to say.

The woman about to be married was Gongsun Twelve, and the one taking her as bride was a fierce general from the northern lands.

Liang Ji, the Eagle Tiger under Ma Hui.

This marriage was not held in high regard; curses and jeers could be heard repeatedly throughout the city.

Yet the one who became the target of all this was Gongsun Twelve.

As for the groom, he was naturally a proud dragon among men, a rare scholar-general in Ma Hui’s army, handsome in bearing, courteous and refined, the sort of man who made others feel as though bathed in a spring breeze.

Blessed with a fine face, a prominent family background, and countless military achievements, Liang Ji was naturally a prized catch.

As for the bride? A lowly concubine-born daughter? Or some fox-spirit slut? So wanton and shameless—who knows whom she’s trying to seduce! someone cursed, defending the man they had already chosen in their hearts.

Gongsun Twelve was in her inner chamber, leaning lazily by the window. She had not dressed herself with any care, only quietly watching the petty scheming in the city below. After a long while, still she remained silent.

She was very calm.

From the days when they had worked together, she had already seen through Liang Ji’s character.

Behind those same old praises lay a reality utterly at odds with the surface.

He fought for power and profit, seized merit greedily and acted rashly, shifted blame to others when trouble arose, and claimed all accomplishments as his own ability. And what was even more revolting was that one night he had come to pry at her chamber door, only to be sent flying out by Gongsun Twelve’s martial skill after a few blows.

But who would believe that story if she told it?

She would only be branded as a woman who had failed in seduction and now came to slander him.

It was much like a woman shouting in public that someone had harassed her—no matter how upright that person might normally be, in such a moment he would have no way to defend himself, for people are always eager to believe the prejudices already in their hearts.

And those prejudices are so often called justice.

Still, complaints and grievances were never Gongsun Twelve’s way.

She was writing letters, to her mother and to her maternal uncle.

Her mother was an ordinary woman, and yet so extraordinary.

One could speak of her virtues by the basketful, and her flaws for days and nights on end.

Mother and uncle had given Gongsun Twelve the best childhood, taught her many things, and all of it would remain woven through the freedom of her life.

A bird flying in the blue sky, unrestrained—only to have its wings nearly broken.

“Why should I marry you?” Gongsun Twelve murmured.

She traced her fingers over her clothing, from the chest lining to the hem of her skirt, then finally closed her hand around the spear. Steadfast and resolute.

But all of that soon turned into dejection. She still had people worth remembering; to cause trouble now would not be something a single life could repay.

She sighed and began idly teasing at her brows, taking it for the moment as a way to pass the time.

Someone beyond the mountains listened to the wind; the clamor remained the same, while the city’s clarity stood aloof and unreachable.

Outside Stable Horse City, some uninvited guests had arrived, and they were rather coarse.

“Can’t you at least have a little table manners? Though General Ma Hui has been generous enough to provide us with food and lodging at no cost, can’t you spare a thought for the old man’s sake? Every bite you swallow comes from the people’s fat and blood!” Lin Changtian loudly scolded Qi Yong and the others, though his words were somewhat muffled, for he had stuffed far too much food into his mouth.

Xu Yong was supporting Liu Qingshan, his mouth twitching for a long while. Fine then—so they had merely sent one invitation, and you brought more than a dozen beasts here to freeload, and that counts as easing General Ma Hui’s burden?

The people of Stable Horse City had never seen such a rough band of warriors. They stood watching Lin Changtian’s group as though observing a monkey show.

This was hardly surprising; the generals of Mount Si were all broad-backed and thick-limbed, like demons crawling up from underground. If one judged by size alone, there truly was not a single man under Ma Hui who could match wrists with this gang of killers.

After all, there was an old saying in Mount Si: any man under seven feet tall is basically disabled.

Liu Qingshan had once said that, mainly because he himself stood several inches above seven feet...

Lin Changtian felt utterly embarrassed. Traveling with such crude martial men was simply too humiliating. He bit viciously into the food he had bought at the market and smacked his lips. In truth, if one were to speak of the worst table manners among them, it was still their Mount Si commander.

The noise here drew Gongsun Twelve’s attention. She tilted her head and happened to meet Lin Changtian’s cursing party. Her lovely eyes trembled faintly, and surprise rose within them.

“What troupe was hired from where, with so many monkeys?” From so far away, Gongsun Twelve did not recognize who they were. She could not help but smile, and much of the gloom on her face dispersed.

Whether by coincidence or by mockery, when Xu Yong glanced this way, Gongsun Twelve happened to turn aside, lower her head, frown, and lean over the desk in a garment of pale cloth, sighing again and again.

How could one describe such sorrow in a single word?

...

Duo Zhaolin’s face had gone livid.

He had said before that he would meet Lin Changtian again someday, but he had never expected that day to come so soon.

“They... brought so much grain and money?” After scheming for a long while, he still clutched his chest and said bitterly, “Is Mount Si so poor that they have to come here to sponge off us? Strutting about in public and still thinking their ‘bearing’ isn’t enough?”

The attendant kneeling below the hall said with a wry smile, “That band of killers keeps claiming they are General Ma Hui’s honored guests, and they even have documents to prove it. Who would dare stop them? Along the way they were like village girls fresh into the city, wanting to buy everything they saw to take home as household goods, and they put all of it on the government’s account. That is why so much grain and money was spent. Those merchants are all piled up at the gate now. Please, take a look...”

“Enough, enough.” Duo Zhaolin waved his hand and said, “Their coming already shows an intent to submit. As for taking a little advantage, that is something we ought to let pass. After all, Mount Si’s ferocity is not to be trifled with. If spending these costs can keep them steady, then that is for the best. I only hope those killers do not cause any trouble during the wedding festivities!”

The attendant accepted the order, answered yes, and hurried off to placate the merchants, leaving Duo Zhaolin alone in the residence, staring blankly.

Yet in the end, this gifted man’s wish still came to nothing.