Chapter 9

Zhao Ming sat by the stove in the small kitchen, gently fanning the flickering flames below. The air was filled with the aroma of medicine. He lifted the lid of the pot and peeked inside, seeing the crimson liquid, wondering what it would taste like when consumed.

Everyone in the residence knew that the Second Prince had a special fondness for the prisoner in the side chamber. As a result, even Zhao Ming, who was once the most inconspicuous servant in the residence, had his status elevated a bit, simply because he served by Xie Ye’s side.

Zhao Ming carried the medicine bowl and walked towards the room.

Xie Ye, draped in a robe, sat at the table, holding a spouted pot, leisurely tending to the flowers and plants. The arc of his raised wrist was particularly graceful. Li Jingci had finally given him a decent set of clothes.

From a distance, Zhao Ming saw him in a snow-white long robe, with dark cloud patterns reaching the ground, and a cyan belt cinching his waist. His slender and elegant figure made the simple attire look like a solitary, elegant pine in the frost and snow.

Zhao Ming swallowed hard for a moment, calmed his heart, and stepped forward slowly, placing the medicine bowl in front of Xie Ye. “It’s time to take your medicine.”

He found it difficult to address such an ethereal figure as “Brother Xie.”

Xie Ye didn’t mind, reaching out to take the medicine bowl and downing the red liquid in one go. The crimson of the medicine added a touch of color to his lips.

“Brother Zhao, please help me light the incense in the room. Judging by the time, His Highness should be arriving soon.” Xie Ye stood up from the table, his demeanor lazy and picturesque, as if he found Li Jingci’s nightly visits quite enjoyable, not considering it a humiliation at all.

If Zhao Ming hadn’t sat by the small window every night, hearing the man’s suppressed sobs and moans, he might have believed Xie Ye’s carefree and indulgent facade.

“Yes.” Zhao Ming quietly retreated.

Meanwhile, in the northwest desert.

The once glorious and eerie Mingyuan Pavilion was now reduced to ruins, with traces of weapons and fire everywhere. The setting sun looked like spilled blood, and in the distance, a solitary smoke column rose, slowly casting its shadow over the desert.

“Reporting to the Alliance Leader, there are no survivors in Mingyuan Pavilion, and we haven’t found the Pavilion Master’s body. It seems the news from the court is true; the Pavilion Master of Mingyuan Pavilion has indeed been executed by the Second Prince’s sword.” A disciple quickly emerged from the ruins, kneeling on one knee before the Alliance Leader, not daring to look up at his expression.

The current Martial Arts Alliance Leader was a tall and imposing man, dressed in white with silver armor, wearing a bamboo hairpin with a tinkling green jade bead at the end. His face was covered with a silver mask, concealing his eyes and nose, leaving only his bloodless thin lips tightly pressed in the wind and sand.

“Swish!” The Alliance Leader expressionlessly drew his long sword, its brilliance swirling, cutting through the air with a shower of sword light and flying sand.

“Keep searching. I want to see Xie Ye, the Pavilion Master of Mingyuan Pavilion, alive or dead.”

“Yes!!” The disciples received their orders and continued to search inside and outside Mingyuan Pavilion.

Most of the disciples who joined Mingyuan Pavilion were orphans or those who had been abandoned by their families, seeking quick success and shortcuts in their youth. Not to mention the Pavilion Master Xie Ye himself, who could be described as having lived a life of solitude and hardship.

The Alliance Leader’s face was mostly hidden under the mask, making it impossible for outsiders to discern his expression. They only felt that the Alliance Leader seemed to be in a bad mood tonight, his aura cold and somber. However, the Alliance Leader was known for not showing his emotions and never taking out his anger on his subordinates, so the surrounding disciples went about their tasks without paying much attention to it.

But there was always someone who didn’t know better and came forward to be annoying.

“Congratulations to the Alliance Leader! Using the court’s hand to completely eradicate Mingyuan Pavilion! Truly a cause for celebration!” A man with eyes like copper bells approached, bowing to the Alliance Leader.

The Alliance Leader didn’t turn to look at him, only gazing at the devastated Mingyuan Pavilion in silence, leaving others unsure of his thoughts.

The man waited for a long time without receiving a response, becoming puzzled and tentatively asking, “Alliance Leader?”

The Alliance Leader quietly waved his hand. “It’s nothing, I was just lost in thought.”

“Eradicating Mingyuan Pavilion makes me happy too.”

The man, naturally simple-minded, didn’t think much of it and laughed heartily. “It’s all thanks to the Alliance Leader’s leadership that we could work together to send Mingyuan Pavilion to its doom!”

Everyone chimed in, their laughter echoing in the boundless desert, carried far by the wind and sand, drifting towards the sky.

The Martial Arts Alliance Leader said no more. He was always this cold and indifferent, never speaking much to anyone, spending his days with only his sword for company, never seen having close interactions with anyone, let alone forming bonds.

He held the long sword in his arms, stepping into the inner chamber of Mingyuan Pavilion, easily finding the small courtyard where Xie Ye once lived. The green bamboo in the courtyard had long been destroyed, now piled messily in the corner.

Xie Ye’s room was wide open, the interior in disarray, with blackened blood on the walls forming beads, barely hanging there.

The Alliance Leader traced the sword marks and bloodstains with his eyes, then closed them, almost able to imagine the scene of that person being pinned to the wall with a sword.

This elegant bamboo house was arranged for Xie Ye by him back then.

When Xie Ye first became the Pavilion Master of Mingyuan Pavilion, he had used too much force when beating the old Pavilion Master, lying injured and sick on the bamboo bed, groaning.

Seeing the Alliance Leader come, he smiled with squinted eyes, waving his hand carelessly. “It’s nothing, just a few holes from that old bastard. I’ll be fine in a couple of days.”

The memories, like a sword dipped in honey, pierced through the years and space, stabbing the Alliance Leader’s heart.

…

The Martial Arts Alliance Leader’s surname was Pei, given name Xuanming. He was the only son of the current National Protector General Pei Jun, inheriting his father’s title, and was a disciple of the top martial artist Fu Zhaochuan, a true prodigy.

He trained with his master in the mansion until he was fifteen, enduring the harsh winters and scorching summers without slacking, becoming exceptionally skilled at a young age, standing out among the young nobles in the capital.

His master, Fu Zhaochuan, was greatly comforted by his disciple’s achievements, but keeping him sheltered in the capital wasn’t ideal. So, he requested the General to let him take Xuanming to participate in the martial arts tournament of that year, to gain experience and see the world.

This would not only improve his martial arts but also broaden his horizons, ensuring he wouldn’t become a general who ignored worldly matters in the future.

Thus, Pei Jun agreed, and the next day, Pei Xuanming packed his bags and left with his master.

On the first day out of the capital, while his master went out to feed the horses, he was alone in the inn and encountered a thief.

The thief, in tattered clothes and looking like he hadn’t eaten in a long time, saw Pei Xuanming’s luxurious attire and extraordinary demeanor, and his greed was aroused. He dashed through the courtyard, snatching Pei Xuanming’s money pouch and running off.

Given Pei Xuanming’s martial skills, catching him would have been a simple matter, but seeing the thief’s pitiful state, he felt compassion and let him take it.

The thief hadn’t run far when he collided with a figure. A flash of a blade, and blood splattered. The thief’s arm was sliced open by the knife, tears and blood flying, leaving a gruesome scene.

The thief screamed in agony, “My hand! My hand!”

Pei Xuanming was shocked. Despite his years of martial training, he had never witnessed such brutality. Looking up, he saw a handsome young man in a narrow-sleeved silver robe, holding a dagger in one hand and a jug of wine in the other, casually standing on a table in the inn.

“I’m in a bad mood today, and you chose today to be a thief and ran into me. It’s just your bad luck.” The young man raised his hand, retrieving the money pouch from the thief’s waist and tossing it to Pei Xuanming.

“Yours, take it.”

He was extremely good-looking, with skin as white as snow, sharp and elegant features, and a hint of innocent cruelty in his gaze, sending chills down one’s spine.

Pei Xuanming silently put away the money pouch, his face stern as he looked at the young man. With a “clang,” his sword was drawn, pointing directly at the young man’s back.

“Injure someone, pay compensation. Kill someone, pay with your life. You injured him for no reason, and today you must give this young brother an explanation before you can leave!”

Pei Xuanming spoke with righteous indignation, his face full of integrity.

The young man, Xie Ye, turned his head in amazement, meeting Pei Xuanming’s gaze, seemingly encountering such a righteous and peculiar person for the first time.

After a long pause, he finally uttered, “Huh?”

The two stood facing each other in the chaotic inn, with the thief wailing in pain on the ground and the crowd exclaiming in surprise.

That was the scene when Pei Xuanming first met Xie Ye in his life.