When Xiang Qingniu returned to the Taoist temple, it was already dark. The rain, which had been held back all day, still hadn't fallen. Thick, dark clouds hung low in the sky, as if one could see a dragon god churning within them. There was no wind, making the weather extremely muggy. When Xiang Qingniu returned, his black Taoist robe was soaked through, as if it had been pulled from water; it could be wrung out and drip.
Qiu Yu had secretly discovered his presence, but he hadn't told the abbot, Master Xiao. He knew that old Taoist's temper all too well; in that old man's eyes, Taoists should never interfere in court affairs. They could passively accept the Emperor's assignments, but they absolutely could not actively provoke trouble.
If Master Xiao found out, Xiang Qingniu was certain he would be confined to the Taoist temple.
This Taoist temple was built during the reign of Emperor Taizong, making it much older than the Yiqi Temple on Qingle Mountain. However, His Majesty designated Yi Qi Temple as the sacred site of all Daoist sects, making this temple, no matter how old, a mere child in terms of seniority. Therefore, after the Daoists of Yi Qi Temple moved in, the disciples of this temple were extremely humble.
The abbot of this temple was Daoist Bai Sen, around sixty years old. He was a very modest person, always referring to himself as a disciple in front of Master Xiao. Therefore, he was naturally a generation lower than Xiang Qingniu, who was Master Xiao's only junior brother, and Master Xiao had to tolerate his temper.
Moreover, their master had once said that the great responsibility of the Daoist sect's prosperity ultimately rested on Xiang Qingniu's shoulders. He was the most talented of the four disciples, even more talented than the most outstanding second disciple. However, talent is unpredictable; although their master had said this more than once, years later, among the four disciples, Xiang Qingniu's cultivation was still the lowest.
The eldest brother, Xiao Yijiu, was now the leader of the Daoist sect, his status in the martial arts world unmatched. The third senior brother held a very high position in the palace. The second senior brother… he was an anomaly; heaven knows where he is now.
As Xiang Qingniu pushed open the door and entered the room, he began to undress. The Taoist robe did indeed give him a dignified air, but in this weather, wearing all black was unbearably hot. He froze halfway through, his face turning pale as he looked at the person sitting at the table drinking tea.
"You… how did you get here?"
The man at the table, dressed in brocade robes, said while drinking tea, "Even though I've left the sect, I'm still your third senior brother. Don't you feel it's impolite of you not to call me 'senior brother'?"
"Impolite my ass."
Xiang Qingniu tossed the Taoist robe aside and took off his undershirt. He soaked a towel in a basin, wrung it out, and began wiping away the sweat. With his movements, his white, flabby body jiggled. Especially those two mounds of flesh on her chest—even a young woman of sixteen might not be able to compare.
"You entered my room without greeting me. Was it my rudeness or yours? Don't think you can act high and mighty just because you're my senior. I've pulled the beard of that old man who's even more pretentious than you before."
He glanced at the man, wiping himself as he asked, "You're His Majesty's favorite, the Commander of the Imperial Guards. Someone of your status wouldn't come looking for me unless there's something wrong, right? Speak quickly if you have something to say. It's almost time for dinner, and I don't intend to keep you here."
This man was actually Luo Weiran, the Commander of the Imperial Guards!
Luo Weiran finished his cold tea, got up, walked to the door, looked outside, and closed the door.
"Are you planning to do something behind your senior's back?"
Luo Weiran asked in a low voice. "That's right!"
Xiang Qingniu said seriously, "I just borrowed fifty taels of silver from the Taoist temple's accountant. I plan to go to a brothel tonight. Since you know, I'll do my duty as a host. Tonight, I plan to deflower ten or eight courtesans. Fifty taels of silver certainly won't be enough. Will you pay the rest?"
Luo Weiran rolled her eyes at him and said, "Saying that already shows your ignorance. Deflowering ten or eight courtesans in Chang'an's brothels wouldn't cost less than ten thousand taels of silver. Fifty taels... do you think you can get ten or eight sows? Besides, with that fat body of yours... let alone ten, even two would break your back... oh right, you don't have a back, do you?"
Xiang Qingniu said angrily, "Spit it out if you have something to say, otherwise get lost."
"You can't take them away first thing tomorrow morning!"
Luo Weiran said abruptly, and Xiang Qingniu's face instantly turned extremely ugly. "What did you say?"
He asked, pursing his lips, his hands frozen in place.
"I am the Commander of the Imperial Guards. In Chang'an, few things I want to know can be kept from me. Professor Qiu of the Martial Arts Academy is indeed skilled, but without my secret help, could she have brought the item out? Could she have seen you? And you, thinking yourself clever, went to Fang Jie's shop to wait for Da Quan and the others? If you really think that, then you are truly an idiot."
In an instant, Xiang Qingniu no longer felt the heat.
His heart was cold, very cold.
He looked at this third senior brother, whom he no longer recognized, his eyes filled with wariness.
...
"Now that you know, I won't pretend to be stupid anymore."
Xiang Qingniu changed his clothes and sat down in front of Luo Weiran, saying seriously, "I must do this. I don't care what Fang Jie did wrong, but he's my friend, and his friend is my friend. Therefore, I can't ignore a friend's request. If you really intend to stop me, then from today onwards, our brotherhood is over."
"Bullshit!"
Luo Weiran glared at him and said, "When the hell have you ever considered me your senior brother?"
"Since you know Fang Jie is currently imprisoned in the secret dungeon of the Imperial Guards, you should understand that his crime is serious. His Majesty is watching this matter closely, and no one can get him out of prison. Not even his friends. The people stationed outside the Sanjin Marquis's residence are far away..." "There are more than you think. It's impossible for those few to slip away unnoticed! If you weren't my junior brother, I wouldn't bother reminding you. Right now, no one can touch Fang Jie and the others; anyone who does is offending His Majesty!"
"I don't care!"
Xiang Qingniu retorted sharply, "You know I've always been this way. Once I've made up my mind, no one can dissuade me, not even you, not even my second senior brother. I will definitely save them; whether you stop me or not is up to you. At worst, I'll just take off this Taoist robe and run away. The world is vast; where can't Master Xiang find refuge? If all else fails, I'll search the world for my second senior brother."
"Put this matter aside for now."
Luo Weiran said, "I know where my second senior brother is."
"Where?!"
Hearing this, Xiang Qingniu suddenly stood up, looking directly into Luo Weiran's eyes and asking urgently. "Sit down and listen to me."
Luo Weiran gestured to a chair, poured a cup of cold tea, and handed it to Xiang Qingniu. "I can tell you, but you must promise not to act impulsively. Second Senior Brother's whereabouts are still top secret; it must not be revealed to anyone except a select few. I've already taken the risk; don't cause me trouble."
"Second Senior Brother, ever since you donned this official robe of the court, you've become increasingly despised."
Xiang Qingniu downed the cold tea in one gulp: "Tell me quickly!"
"On the Great Grasslands."
"The Great Grasslands?"
Xiang Qingniu was taken aback, then his expression changed: "He actually went to the Mongol Yuan Dynasty alone to cause trouble for those bald monks? Damn it, such a good thing and he didn't even take me! No, I have to leave now; if I'm late, won't he have killed all those bald monks and left me with nothing?"
"Sit down!"
Luo Weiran grabbed the chair... Xiang Qingniu pulled him back, looking at him coldly and saying, "I know you respect your second senior brother the most. You even listen to him more than Master. Of the four of us brothers, you and your second senior brother are the closest. But do you really understand your second senior brother? Do you even know who he is?"
Xiang Qingniu replied matter-of-factly, "He is my second senior brother, Xiang Qingzheng!"
"That's right, he is your second senior brother, Xiang Qingzheng, and also my second senior brother, Xiang Qingzheng… but he has another identity, which I've never told you."
"What other identity?"
"He is the Prince Zhong of the Great Sui Dynasty, the seventh brother of the current Emperor. He used the name Xiang Qingzheng when he was cultivating in the sect, but his real name is Yang Qi. If he hadn't found me eleven years ago and asked me to protect His Majesty, I wouldn't have known he was actually royalty! A prince! And His Majesty's most trusted and valued younger brother!"
Hearing this, Xiang Qingniu was somewhat stunned. He glanced at Luo Weiran, remained silent for a long while, then smiled bitterly and said, "Why did you make up this story?"
"This isn't a story."
Luo Weiran said earnestly, "Your most respected second senior brother, Xiang Qingzheng, is actually the person you know the least. There are many things you don't know about him, like going to the Great Grasslands… this is the second time. You want to save Fang Jie's friends, and before I stop you, I must explain the matter of your second senior brother to you. Once you understand the reasons, perhaps I won't stop you, and you won't think about saving them anymore."
He paused, looking into Xiang Qingniu's eyes, and said, "You know that eleven years ago I left the sect for Chang'an, put on official robes, and never left this magnificent city. You've always said I'm vain, greedy, and ugly. I've never explained to you that eleven years ago, I suddenly left the sect to become a guard by His Majesty's side precisely because of my second senior brother..." "As entrusted to me."
"Eleven years ago, my second senior brother left Chang'an alone for the west. He first returned to the sect and found me, asking me to go to Chang'an to guard His Majesty's side. He said my eldest senior brother had other important duties and couldn't be in two places at once. And he knew your temperament too well, so this matter could only be entrusted to me. After hearing what he said, I set off immediately without hesitation. Because he was not only the second senior brother you respected, but also the second senior brother I respected. I obeyed whatever he said."
Luo Weiran sighed and said, "My biggest regret is that I didn't ask him what he was going to do back then. It wasn't until he went on a killing spree on the grasslands that I understood what kind of burden I had taken from my second senior brother's shoulders. I've worn the flying fish robe for eleven years, but I'm still your third senior brother. Everyone says I'm His Majesty's loyal dog, but I'm just following my second senior brother's instructions."
"Eleven years ago, why did he go to the grasslands?"
Xiang Qingniu asked after a long pause. "Naturally, he went to kill."
Luo Weiran said, "At that time, His Majesty had just ascended the throne, and the foundation of the nation was unstable. The Mongol Yuan dynasty mobilized experts to infiltrate the Sui dynasty and assassinate His Majesty. General Li Yuanshan, who was guarding the northwest, learned of this and quickly sent word to Chang'an. My second senior brother, upon learning of this, immediately set off westward. Along the way, he gathered martial arts masters and fought a bloody battle against the Mongol Yuan forces in the Fangu area of northwest Sui, slaughtering all the Mongol Yuan experts. But my second senior brother did not return; instead, he continued westward, heading straight for the Great Snowy Mountains."
He paused, somewhat lost in thought, and said, "He never returned until… Fang Jie arrived in Chang'an, and I learned of my second senior brother's whereabouts again."
"What does this have to do with Fang Jie?"
Xiang Qingniu asked.
"Perhaps… Fang Jie can truly be considered my second senior brother's successor?"
Luo Weiran shook his head, his eyes filled with confusion. "I don't know what my second senior brother did to Fang Jie in Fan Gu, but I do know... he must have used some heaven-defying methods to turn Fang Jie from a good-for-nothing into a genius. Just based on that alone, it might not be wrong to regard Fang Jie as his successor."