Chapter 2: Severing Ties

This woman, unlike any other in the martial world, stands out. She is beautiful, but not in a seductive or alluring way. Instead, she is heroic, youthful, and effortlessly charming. Men adore her, and women admire her even more. If the men who love her are as numerous as mountains, the women who love her are as vast as the seas. Though a woman, she lives like a man—drinking strong wine, riding the fiercest horses, and most importantly, she is still the most captivating beauty in the world.

Outside the city of Chang’an, Chu Baige rode his horse, Chasing Wind, and caught up with a woman on a horse named Dark Cloud Treading Snow, slowly moving along the road.

“Why did you leave without saying goodbye?” he asked.

“You shouldn’t have come,” replied the woman on Dark Cloud Treading Snow.

Chu Baige was puzzled. “What?”

“I said—” she began, then suddenly smiled, spurred her horse, and galloped away, her voice trailing behind, “Take care!”

Chu Baige, left behind, was momentarily stunned. He heard the thunderous sound of hooves approaching. Turning, he saw several blood-red horses carrying men in brocade robes, each with an embroidered spring knife at their waist, charging towards him. The ground trembled under the weight of their hooves, and dust filled the air.

Chu Baige was terrified. His face turned pale with fear. He dared not spur his beloved horse further and ran for his life, shouting, “Shenfu, what have you done to provoke the Embroidered Spring Blade Guards¹?”

The Embroidered Spring Blade Guards, the emperor’s enforcers, investigate corrupt officials, arrest criminals, and have the authority to judge before trial. Ordinary people fear them, court officials fear them, and even the royal family fears them. Naturally, Chu Baige was terrified of them!

He cursed his parents for not giving him more legs to run faster with Chasing Wind.

Up ahead, Shenfu was only a diminishing silhouette. Hearing his cries, she responded nonchalantly, “If I said I didn’t do anything, would you believe me?”

Chu Baige’s voice cracked as he ran for his life. “What did you do?!”

Shenfu chuckled. “I made the same mistake anyone in this world might make.”

The murderous intent of the Embroidered Spring Blade Guards was now focused on Chu Baige. He was terrified.

“What mistake?” he whispered.

Could the Embroidered Spring Blade Guards be as ruthless as chasing down a concubine?

The horses of the Embroidered Spring Blade Guards were fast, and their riders were skilled. Chu Baige had no choice. He patted the mane of Chasing Wind, distressed, and said reluctantly, “My dear horse, you’ll have to stay in the stable of the Embroidered Spring Blade Guards for a few days. Once I find out what happened, I’ll come to rescue you, alright?”

“Surrender and you won’t be killed!” they shouted.

Chu Baige heard only the word “kill.” He leaped off his horse, jumping three feet high, and ran faster than the horse itself. As he ran, he shouted, “Take care of my Chasing Wind!”

…

While Chu Baige was being chased like a stray dog by the Embroidered Spring Blade Guards, Shenfu had already caught a chicken, wrapped it in lotus leaves and mud, and threw it into a fire pit. She lay on a tree branch, sleeping peacefully. If Chu Baige had a nose more sensitive than a dog’s, he would have smelled it and almost stumbled upon her.

He dug out the fragrant chicken from the fire, peeled off the mud and lotus leaves, revealing the golden, crispy chicken. The rich aroma filled his nostrils, and any resentment he felt towards Shenfu melted away in the fragrance.

He thought to himself, with Shenfu’s cooking skills, even if she weren’t a heroine, she could be a renowned chef.

“The drumsticks are mine,” the woman in the tree said.

Chu Baige was indignant. “Dream on! At most, I’ll give you the neck!”

He had been chased by the Embroidered Spring Blade Guards all day, and she wouldn’t even give him a drumstick. Was this fair?

“I was poisoned,” she said.

“Do you hear yourself?” he retorted.

Chu Baige paused, then tore off a drumstick and began to chew. “You can poison me if you want! If you do, you’ll never hear the latest serialized novels or the latest gossip from the martial world!”

He showed a bit of bravery and heroism, despite holding a drumstick.

“Hey,” Shenfu sighed, “at least give me two wings.”

In the end, Shenfu got the drumsticks. Chu Baige knew her well enough to understand that if she didn’t get the drumsticks today, she’d cause trouble for him tomorrow. For instance, when the Embroidered Spring Blade Guards caught up, his first thought wasn’t about what Shenfu had done, but what he might have done to offend her, leading to being chased by the Embroidered Spring Blade Guards.

He couldn’t figure it out. He didn’t understand. So, he had to catch up and ask Shenfu. Even if he died, he couldn’t die a fool.

Chu Baige asked. He thought he’d get an answer soon. Shenfu was the type to retaliate openly. She didn’t care if people thought she was petty. Women’s minds are naturally narrower than men’s.

Unexpectedly, today Shenfu was particularly melancholic, as if she had the worries of a young girl overnight. When she looked up at the sky, Chu Baige almost didn’t recognize her literary demeanor.

“Hey…” she sighed.

“Hey…” she sighed again.

“Hey…” she sighed once more.

Before Chu Baige went mad, she finally spoke, “I said, you shouldn’t have come.”

Chu Baige’s face darkened. “Why shouldn’t I have come?”

Shenfu said, “The Embroidered Spring Blade Guards are always behind you. If you hadn’t come to me, they wouldn’t have come out.”

Chu Baige was stunned.

“I abide by the law, I’m a knight, I draw my sword to help when the road is unjust. What have you done to make someone as pure and innocent as me a target for the Embroidered Spring Blade Guards?”

Shenfu sneered, “If you’re pure and innocent, when the Embroidered Spring Blade Guards come, you should believe that the innocent will remain innocent, and the guilty will be exposed. If you haven’t done anything wrong, the Embroidered Spring Blade Guards won’t wrong a good person or let a bad person go.”

Chu Baige blushed. “How can a scholar’s work be considered bad? I just wrote a few books…”

Hearing Shenfu’s sneer, he suddenly realized, “No, you tricked me. The Embroidered Spring Blade Guards are after you, so they’re watching me!”

Shenfu admitted, “Yes.”

“What on earth did you do?”

“I told you, I just made a mistake that everyone in the world would make.”

“What mistake?”

“I slept with their eldest princess.”

The chicken in Chu Baige’s hand suddenly lost its flavor.

“What did you say?”

Shenfu said, “I slept with their eldest princess.”

Chu Baige felt his neck turn. “Say it again?”

Shenfu wondered, “When did you become deaf?”

“The eldest princess? The legendary, unparalleled beauty who defeated five ministers and raised the first three thousand faces?”

“If there’s only one princess in Zhao, then I didn’t sleep with the wrong person.”

“Shenfu.”

“Yes?”

“Let’s die.”

“Get lost!”

Chu Baige slumped to the ground, like a salted fish that had lost its dream.

“Why did you mess with that devil?”

“I told you, I just made a mistake that everyone would make.”

“Who would make this mistake if they’re normal?”

Shenfu didn’t like hearing this. She sat up from the tree and asked, “Let me ask you, do you like beautiful women?”

Chu Baige replied, “Of course I do.”

“Is the princess the number one beauty in the world?”

“Yes.”

“If a beauty undresses and stands before you, can you guarantee you’ll be as virtuous as Liu Xiahui?”

“I can’t.”

Shenfu concluded, “There you have it. I just made a mistake that everyone in the world would make.”

“But you’re a woman!” Chu Baige exclaimed.

“Why can’t women make mistakes? There are female flower thieves too! Have you forgotten that you almost suffered last time? If I hadn’t arrived in time, you would have lost your innocence.”

Chu Baige covered his face. “Please don’t mention it!”

That was the darkest moment of his life.

“The princess is beautiful, but she’s also a thorny rose.”

“I like challenging things.”

“Shenfu.”

“Yes?”

“Let’s sever our ties.”

“The Embroidered Spring Blade Guards won’t acknowledge it.”

Shenfu slept until midnight and heard a woeful sound. She thought it was a wolf howling, but it came from beneath the tree.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“I’m crying,” Chu Baige replied.

“Why are you crying?”

“I’m mourning my tragic fate.”

Whenever he thought about being on the Embroidered Spring Blade Guards’ blacklist, he felt an unending sorrow.

“Oh, it’s fine, then keep crying.”

“As a friend, shouldn’t you comfort me?” Chu Baige asked.

Shenfu replied, “…Haven’t we already severed our ties?”

“The severed ties that the Embroidered Spring Blade Guards don’t recognize don’t count.”

“This is the first time I’ve heard of martial artists acting according to the Embroidered Spring Blade Guards.”

“If you hadn’t provoked the eldest princess, I would have been innocent with the Embroidered Spring Blade Guards, and there would be nothing to worry about.”

“I shouldn’t have run away from home in the first place.”

“If I hadn’t run away, I wouldn’t have encountered a flower thief.”

“If I hadn’t met the flower thief, I wouldn’t have been saved by you and become your friend.”

“If I hadn’t been your friend, I wouldn’t be chased by the Embroidered Spring Blade Guards.”

Shenfu said, “You should keep crying.”

“What did you say?”

“Hurry up and cry, I’m afraid you won’t even have the chance to cry in the future.”

Chu Baige protested, “…Do you hear yourself?”

“I’m pretty sure I’m speaking human language, but I’m not so sure you can understand it.”

Chu Baige cut off a corner of his robe and threw it up. Shenfu tossed it back to him.

“The severed ties that the Embroidered Spring Blade Guards don’t recognize don’t count.”

—

Author’s Note: Starting a new story, sisters! This tale… shouldn’t be too long. It’s mainly to fulfill my dream of writing martial arts. Thanks to everyone who supported me from 2020-02-19 to 2020-02-20. Special thanks to those who voted and provided nutrient solutions. Your support means a lot, and I’ll keep working hard!

TL notes :

1. CN: Xiu Chun Dao > Embroidered Spring Blade Guards ↩︎