Fang Jie had been in a daze for the past two days. It seemed like all he did each day was run twenty or thirty miles following the carriages. His seemingly foolish behavior had initially been the subject of amusement by the girls at the Red Sleeve Pavilion, but it had eventually become their source of amusement.
As Fang Jie ran alongside the carriages, several beautiful women from the seven Red Sleeve Pavilion carriages ahead would lean out of their windows, waving pretty handkerchiefs and beckoning to him.
"Little Fang Jie, catch up with me, and I'll give you candy."
"Little Fang Jie, ignore her, catch up with my carriage, and come chat with me."
"Little Fang Jie, there are fun things in my carriage, catch up and you can play."
Fang Jie ran along, listening to these words, but never actually caught up, always maintaining the same distance, neither too close nor too far. He could just make out the pretty faces of the girls, and if someone waved to him, he would pretend to be naive and honest, always eliciting their silvery laughter.
They thought he was oblivious to romance, little did they know he was secretly staring intently at their breasts, which bounced with the carriage's swaying. He especially liked a girl named Muqiu in the red-sleeved pavilion; she seemed shy, and whenever other girls waved and teased Fang Jie, she would just smile with pursed lips.
She wasn't the prettiest, and she was quiet, but compared to the chattering girls, she was the most striking. Of course, the reason Fang Jie noticed her at a glance was because of her large breasts. This girl rarely got out of the carriage, unless they encountered a small river or lake along the way; otherwise, she never seemed bored staying in the carriage all day. From this, Fang Jie realized that she was a woman who loved water.
Women are inherently made of water, and if she loved water, her nature must be gentle and refined. Fang Jie had once arrogantly made such a conclusion, which the driver, Big Dog, scoffed at, while Mu Xiaoyao snorted coldly.
Fang Jie was looking for his own amusement, and the girls were looking for their own. The journey had been tedious enough; a little entertainment was welcome.
Since their encounter with the five hundred elite Right Guard infantrymen, they hadn't encountered any real danger in the past ten days. If there was anything exciting, it was that the other night, a pack of about six or seven Northwest wolves had attempted to raid the camp. Initially, the wolves were afraid of the fire, but later they mustered their courage and cautiously advanced. They finally got close to the camp, only to be scared away by Big Dog's howl as he disembarked.
Fang Jie and Mu Xiaoyao were unfazed, but the girls in the Red Sleeve Pavilion were startled. They had never seen anyone howl even worse than wolves. However, Big Dog's howl wasn't in vain; the girls' attitude towards this unremarkable and filthy man changed drastically.
Some people praised the large dog, saying it brought peace of mind even more than owning a mastiff. When the large dog heard this, it nearly rushed over and pulled down the young girl's pants to spank her. If Fang Jie hadn't stopped it, things might have really gotten out of hand. Of course, Fang Jie meant well; he kept saying, "Let me do the spanking!" The large dog, eventually silenced, lost its temper, and Fang Jie himself lost his nerve.
Mu Xiaoyao swayed her alluring waist and playfully perked up her round buttocks, provocatively telling Fang Jie, "If you really don't have the guts, you can practice first. Get some courage from Sister Xiaoyao. It's alright, Sister Xiaoyao will let you hit me, I promise I won't make a sound."
If Fang Jie hadn't known Mu Xiaoyao for fifteen years and understood her prowess, he might have impulsively charged at her with that firm, round bottom. Because he understood, he was spared a disaster. Mu Xiaoyao waited a while, seeing that Fang Jie didn't dare to come up and spank her, she said "boring" and turned to go back to sleep in the carriage. She still shamelessly exposed her long, white legs, giving Fang Jie's lecherous eyes a free ride.
On the thirty-sixth day after leaving Fan Gu, the caravan arrived at Mushan, the border between Shandong and Hexi Circuits. In terms of size, this mountain wouldn't even rank in the top twenty among the mountains within the Sui Dynasty, but its perilous and rugged terrain attracted many literati and poets, leaving countless poems and inscriptions in the Taoist temple halfway up the mountain.
Half of Mushan was within Shandong Circuit, and the other half within Hexi Circuit, a jointly administered area, but frankly, neither region bothered to manage it. If it weren't for the extremely strict jurisdictional divisions of the Sui Dynasty's circuits, the Shandong Circuit Governor Yuan Chongwu would have already ceded this half of the mountain to Hexi Circuit.
At least the Hexi Circuit had a small government office in a town at the foot of the mountain, while the Shandong Circuit didn't even have a single official in sight. The reason was simple: Mushan was not far from Xiangcheng, where the Hexi Circuit Governor's Office was located. Xiangcheng was the most famous place in Hexi Circuit. Not only was the Governor's Office there, but four or five out of ten of the many powerful and influential families in Hexi Circuit resided in Xiangcheng. Moreover, Xiangcheng was the capital of Longxi Prefecture.
It must be said that the Li family's mansion was located in Xiangcheng.
Since the previous patriarch, Li Luan, was enfeoffed as a Duke by the late emperor, the Li family's status in Longxi Prefecture was unparalleled. Even the Hexi Circuit Governor, Yang Xiuchen, had to address the Li family's patriarch as "Uncle." It should be noted that Yang Xiuchen was somehow connected to the Sui Dynasty's imperial family; his ancestor was one of the meritorious officials who followed Emperor Taizu of Sui in conquering the country, making him Emperor Taizu's cousin by seniority. After the fifth generation, there was no further blood relation.
Yang Xiuchen's ancestors were granted the title of Prince of the County for their official duties, but the position was not hereditary. After three to five generations, the family gradually declined. In this generation, Yang Xiuchen's position as Governor-General was the highest official position his family had held in nearly sixty years.
Mushan was 128 li from Xiangcheng, roughly the same length as Chang'an City running north-south.
There was still at least an hour before nightfall, but Madam Xi ordered the carriage to stop for a rest. Servants began setting up tents, choosing a location nestled against the mountain. These servants were not ordinary people; they chose a place that was easy to defend and difficult to attack. Although there were only a dozen or so people, their movements were swift and clean, indicating that most were of military background.
Mu Xiaoyao slept in the carriage. Fang Jie was too lazy to set up a tent, and Da Quan was even less inclined to do so; he could sleep anywhere. Fang Jie, on the other hand, always preferred to squeeze in with Mu Xiaoyao.
...
...
The climate in Hexi Road was much better than in Shandong Road, even though it was only separated by Mushan Mountain. The most enchanting scenery of this mountain is its two-tone landscape: the southern slopes are lush and green, while the northern slopes are covered in snow and ice.
Hexi Road is home to many wealthy and powerful families, and the mountain's scenery is quite captivating. Therefore, as soon as the weather warms up slightly, many young masters and ladies from aristocratic families come here to enjoy themselves. If they get too carried away and don't want to go home, the Taoist temple halfway up the mountain offers a good place to stay. It's clean, has hot water readily available, the food is delicious, and the prices are reasonable—it doesn't feel like a Taoist temple at all, but more like an inn.
Because of the large number of tourists, the arrival of so many beautiful women from Hongxiuzhao immediately attracted a crowd, especially the spoiled sons of wealthy families, who stared wide-eyed, barely moving. If it weren't for the dozen or so burly servants from Hongxiuzhao, who exuded an imposing aura, countless lecherous men would have already come up to strike up a conversation.
Even so, a few young men who considered themselves to be from prominent families still approached, deliberately trying to strike up a conversation. Each of them, clearly lacking in learning, insisted on feigning refinement, putting on airs and behaving hypocritically, which amused the girls of Hongxiuzhao, who pointed and commented on them.
This blatant behavior only made the young men more reluctant to leave.
Later, Xiaodingdian arrived with a message from Aunt Xi, telling the girls to behave themselves, otherwise, if they were abducted and taken into the mountains, Aunt Xi wouldn't be responsible if ten or eight took turns with them. Only then did the girls give up and return to their tents to rest.
Without the beauties, the young men suddenly lost interest.
It was at this moment that the still reluctant young men noticed a lone carriage not far from Hongxiuzhao's camp. Sitting in the carriage was a middle-aged man in an extremely rustic fur robe, exuding a rustic air, and looking by no means like a good person.
This wretched-looking man was one thing, but at least he sat obediently in the carriage. What the refined gentlemen found most intolerable was that a young man dressed in a dark blue cloth robe, though handsome, behaving in a utterly despicable manner, dared to urinate just a carriage away, no more than ten meters from the Red Sleeve Pavilion camp.
It was an insult to civility, an absolute disgrace.
While the young man's clothes weren't brocade, they were at least scholarly, indicating he was literate. How could he commit such a sordid act?
Therefore, several righteous young men immediately felt this matter couldn't be ignored. Having such a young man among a group of celestial beauties was like defecating next to a pure white lotus—utterly disgusting.
Thus, the somewhat well-known Cui Gongzi of Xiangcheng could no longer tolerate it. He led four or five servants over quickly, his face menacing.
Fang Jie, who had just pulled down his pants and was halfway through urinating, saw the group approaching menacingly and immediately understood what was happening. He couldn't help but shake his head and smile.
But just as he was enjoying his urination, he couldn't stop.
"Where did this filthy little thief come from? How dare you do such a despicable thing in this beautiful place?! Over there are a group of celestial beauties, and you... urinate here, it's an insult to civilization! Shameless! Scoundrel!"
Young Master Cui stopped four or five steps away from Fang Jie, coldly scrutinizing him as he spoke. Fang Jie had just finished urinating, and, shaking his penis, chuckled, "Young master, don't you need to urinate?"
Young Master Cui was already furious, and seeing Fang Jie disregard him and shake his penis made him even angrier. When he saw that Fang Jie's penis was two sizes larger than his own, he was enraged to the extreme. How could a boy who looked only fifteen or sixteen years old be so big? It was utterly outrageous!
"Your speech is even more vulgar! I don't know where you came from, you mountain bumpkin! This Mushan is not a place for you to run wild! Get lost, I don't want to see you again! If you don't comply..."
Young Master Cui was interrupted by Fang Jie halfway through his sentence: "If you don't comply, you'll have your men beat me into a pig's head, won't you? This young master... judging from your refined taste and attire, you must have an extraordinary background, and you are undoubtedly a man of great wisdom and learning. Not only are your appearance first-rate, but your character must also be first-rate. How could a refined person like you do such a vulgar thing as ordering your followers to beat someone?"
These words startled Young Master Cui, who felt a surge of smugness.
"You do have some discernment. Since you can see that I am not a commoner, what are you waiting for? Go away, lest you get hurt, young man."
His tone became much more polite, clearly Fang Jie's flattery had a considerable effect.
"This young master appears to be a very upright person; I sincerely admire him."
Fang Jie pulled up his trousers, straightened his clothes, and clasped his hands in a fist salute, saying, "My name is Shang Guohen. I have traveled from Hedong Road, and it is my good fortune to meet you, young master. May I ask your honorable name?"
"Cui Lueshang."
"Oh my, your name has the character 'Shang' in it, and so does mine! What a coincidence!"
Fang Jie leaned closer and said, "This is truly rare. Your criticism just now was absolutely correct; I sincerely admire you. However…"
His mysterious expression and hesitant words startled Cui Lueshang, who subconsciously asked… "But what?"
Fang Jie lowered his voice and said, "Young Master is an upright man, so it's better not to say."
"Tell me, isn't it awkward to only say half of it?"
"Sigh... Since Young Master wants to know, then I'll tell you... Young Master, think about it carefully..."
Fang Jie lowered his voice and said, "There's a bunch of beauties over there. Wouldn't it be very enjoyable to urinate on them so close up?"
"Ah? This... is extremely inappropriate!"
Cui Lueshang said somewhat embarrassedly, "How can a scholar do such a thing..."
"Try it?"
Fang Jie chuckled and said.
"No, I'm a scholar who has studied the classics."
"Try it?"
"How can you do such a shameless thing?"
"Try it?"
"If word gets out, how will I, Cui Lueshang, face anyone in Xiangcheng?"
"Try it?"
"Uh... alright, I'll try it, but you mustn't tell anyone."
"Don't worry!"
Cui Lueshang blushed, gritted his teeth, and slipped behind the carriage. He lifted his brocade robe, pulled down his trousers, and prepared to urinate in the direction of the Red Sleeve Pavilion camp—the most exciting thing he'd ever done. It was his own fault for being so weak; his manhood actually got hard.
Fang Jie chuckled and winked at Daquan. Daquan understood, nodded, and suddenly jumped off the carriage, whipping the nag's rump. The nag, in pain, bolted forward.
Daquan shouted hoarsely, "Oh no! The horse's spooked!"
This shout immediately drew the attention of the people from the Red Sleeve Pavilion. A refined-looking fellow was seen leaning on his hard, erect member, looking lewdly at Hongxiuzhao...