Chapter 85 Part 2

 

The green falcon had just eaten its fill of meat and was only taking the heron as a plaything, circling and striking at it repeatedly. Its iron-hard beak landed blow after blow on the heron’s back and belly. Feathers flew wildly in the air, and droplets of blood occasionally spattered downward.

Soon, the heron was pecked all over its body and wailing non-stop. However, no matter how it tried to escape, it could not escape the encirclement of the falcon.

Chengping watched with great interest, looking up intently and cheering from time to time.

Just as the green falcon dived again and was about to peck at the eyes of the heron, Pei Xiaoyuan suddenly whistled. The green falcon received the command, hesitated, circled in the air for a moment, and finally flew back and landed on the same cluster of branches. The heron escaped death, fell several times in the air, but still flapped its bloody wings vigorously, and finally succeeded in flying again, staggering and disappearing from sight.

Chengping was still not satisfied, and said, “It’s his luck to meet you today.”

“The falcon is already full, why bother to torture a bird for fun. If you want excitement, follow me. Just now I saw a big buck running by, its horns were as tall as a horse, but I let it go. Why don’t we go look for it again and see how lucky we are today.” Pei Xiaoyuan sheathed his knife, stood up, and then called for Jinwuzhui and jumped onto its back.

Chengping became excited upon hearing this and immediately rode his horse to catch up with them. The green falcon also flew closely over their heads.

In the evening, after sunset, the two men followed the hoof prints and feces left by the big deer in the grass in the forest, and finally found it, but it ran into the dense forest and disappeared.

The terrain here was unlike the open plains, where one could simply ride a horse to chase and shoot arrows. The two dismounted and entered the dense forest, where bushes and wild grass reached almost waist-high. They chased the deer relying solely on their own strength, and finally, after a great effort and chasing for more than an hour, under the falcon’s guidance, they caught up to the buck, which had been driven to exhaustion and lay collapsed on the ground, its mouth foaming.

At this time, both of them were exhausted. They rested for a while before slowly recovering their strength.

Chengping let out a delight sound while panting, saying that it had been a long time since he felt such a boiling feeling like going to the battlefield, and then he jumped up from the ground.

The buck was too heavy to carry away in one piece, so he took off a leather water-bag that he used to hold wine, took out his dagger, walked to the deer, and drained a bag full of deer blood that gushed out. Then he cut off the deer’s lips, tail, one leg, and cut open the deer’s liver.

After taking the essence from the deer’s body, he kicked the deer’s body, cursed it as a good beast, and turned around and said, “Pei Er, I’ve heard that the Grand Emperorrefers to Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty once said that there are three great joys in a man’s life.”

“Peace under heaven, families prosperous and well-fed—this is the first joy. Game thriving in shallow grass, hunting conducted with propriety, arrows loosed without missing their mark—this is the second joy. Universal harmony across the six directions, celebrations in every region, music played and feasts held, with all enjoying peace and unity—this is the third joy!”

“I’ve never understood the benefits of so-called peace under heaven or universal harmony. I only hate that there are no battles to fight, leaving my bones idle and aching! But today, relying on nothing but our strength to bring down this great buck—now that, I’d say, is truly a great pleasure. Don’t you agree?”

The great emperor who had said this was an extraordinary man in both civil and military affairs.

“Would you truly feel satisfied if you just kept fighting endlessly?”

Pei Xiaoyuan asked rhetorically, stood up from the tree he had been leaning against to rest. He glanced upward at the sparse moonlight filtering through the dense canopy, then brought a whistle to his lips and blew a sharp, piercing note.

“Even in death, you’ll feed other creatures, so your death isn’t in vain. Don’t blame us! If there’s anyone to blame, blame yourself for not outrunning us.”

Chengping muttered, then burst into hearty laughter. The two men, carrying their spoils, began making their way out of the forest. Halfway back, they met his followers who had heard the whistle and leading the horse. Mounting up, the group rode beneath the faint moonlight, leaving the wood behind and returning to the vicinity of the palace.

The two of them had been hunting for half a day and were covered in mud and sweat. Pei Xiaoyuan was about to go to a nearby place with water to wash himself off, but Chengping smiled and said, “Don’t worry, come to my place!”

He led Pei Xiaoyuan to where he lived, and outside was a hot spring room.

There were dozens of hot springs of different sizes in Cangshan. This hot spring room was not big, but the spring flow was not small, gushing day and night, with steam rising.

Although it was not cold winter, it was still interesting to soak in hot springs in the hot summer. Moreover, the weather was getting cooler now, especially at night. At this moment, when the mountain breeze blew, the whole body felt quite cool. It was suitable to soak in hot springs to relieve fatigue.

Pei Xiaoyuan had been a soldier in the frontier since he was a teenager, and his eating and sleeping habits were no different from those of ordinary soldiers. Three years ago, he fought in Xifan. The battle was not going well at first, and then it dragged on into the cold winter. When it was the coldest, water poured outside the tent turned into ice, making it difficult to transport supplies. Being frozen was commonplace, and it was inevitable that he would have some old injuries from the cold. Now that he had gone down to the hot spring, he felt a warm current slowly seeping into his skin, stretching his joints, making him feeling quite comfortable.

“They all think this place is too far away and the palace is old, and they want to live closer to Qingrong Palace. But they don’t know how good it is to soak in hot springs in the summer. It just so happened that I picked up a bargain and don’t have to compete with others.

“Although I love battle, I really don’t want to set foot in a cold place like Xifan again in my life! Sometimes, when I recall those nights when snow fell suddenly and caught us unprepared, the men frozen alive by the lake into icy pillars, so brittle they broke in half with a single push—I feel as though the nightmare hasn’t left me, and I can’t even catch my breath.”

Chengping’s eyes, which had always been fearless, now revealed a hint of lingering fear.

“But fortunately, it’s all over. I’ve had nothing to do recently, so I come here every day to soak in the water. When I come out, I have no worries at all. I can fall asleep as soon as I lie down and close my eyes.”

Chengping leaned comfortably against the eaves of the pool and sighed contentedly. Then, he looked around and shook his head: “But I heard that the best hot spring palace here has white jade lotus carvings and aragonite paving. It’s so big that you can sail inside. Truly beyond our imagination.”

He sighed deeply again, this time filled with regret.

“What a pity, such a good place is not something both of us can enter at will. If I can get a chance one day, I will go there and have some fun, then I will die without regrets!”

As he spoke, he glanced at Pei Xiaoyuan. Seeing that he closed his eyes and did not respond through the mist, he changed the subject.

“Didn’t the princess hold a Tailao Banquet during the day? I heard that after the banquet, she also prepared delicacies, such as fried lotus root and lotus leaf drink soaked in honey, to relieve the greasy taste. We may not have the fortune to indulge in the jade-built hot spring palace or taste the princess’s delicacies, but we can certainly replicate a roasted feast of our own.

“The princess offered a Taolao feast, but tonight I’ll treat you to a venison banquet! Feasting while soaking in the hot springs—now that’s a delight!”

He was in a good mood, so he immediately called in his servants and gave them some instructions. Shortly after, the servants brought in a lit brazier and grilling rack, along with a table laden with venison and deer liver, setting it all by the edge of the hot spring.

Chengping sent the people away, jumped up from the pool, put on some clothes, and personally roasted venison and deer liver, sprinkled dried magnolia, pepper, perilla, cinnamon, and scallion, and the aroma was fragrant. He then poured out the wine mixed with deer blood and invited Pei Xiaoyuan to drink with him, saying that it was very enjoyable.

Deer blood was already strong in nature, and with the help of alcohol and the hot air in the hot spring room, both of them were soon sweating and looked quite drunk.

“Pei Er, what are your plans for tomorrow’s grand archery ceremony?”

Pei Xiaoyuan, who was sitting behind the table, suddenly heard Chengping asking a question in a leisurely voice.

He raised his eyes and saw Chengping with disheveled hair, lying on the ground beside the pool, holding a cup of deer blood wine in his hand, glancing at him with a half-smile.

“Tomorrow’s grand archery is nominally for His Majesty to select candidates for sacrificial ceremony, but everyone knows that this is for His Majesty to choose suitor for the princess. All the young soldiers of each guard are now betting on who will become the Qilin man in the end.”

“I heard that most people are betting on Lantai now. In his Xiao Guard, the betting money has even reached a hundred gold coins.”

Pei Xiaoyuan continued to remain silent.

Chengping poured the remaining wine in his cup into the hot spring pool. The crimson liquid swirled and twisted with the flowing hot water, forming fleeting shapes before gradually fading away, disappearing entirely. He then turned over and sat up, strode barefoot over to Pei Xiaoyuan. Leaning in abruptly, he pressed down towards him, his bright, piercing eyes locking onto Pei Xiaoyuan’s as he declared, “I’m not delusional—I know the princess is someone I can never hope to marry.

“Pei Er, if you are interested in competing, I will naturally help you.

“But tomorrow, if you don’t come, I will find a way. Even if I have to use any means, I will suppress Hedu and Yuwen Zhi and let Lantai win!”

“Xifan is not a habitable place, and Hedu is even more boorish. He has no wife, but I heard that he has countless beauties around him, and he’s even more lustful than me. How can he be worthy of the princess? As for Yuwen Zhi, he is just a brat! Compared to him, Lantai is the best choice. And, to be honest…”

He paused, staring at his friend.

“Excuse me for being frank, but sometimes I even feel that Lantai is more suitable for the princess than you to be her husband!

“So, it’s up to you!

“Come tomorrow and I will help you.

“If you don’t come…

“I will help Lantai!”

Finally, Chengping said word by word.

Pei Xiaoyuan staggered out of the hot spring room, his footsteps unsteady, wandering aimlessly through the grounds of the palace under the deep night sky. He had no idea how far he had walked when he found himself by the lakeshore, a chill autumn breeze sweeping across the water and hitting him full in the face. The cold wind pierced through him, causing his pores to tighten and his stomach to churn violently, nearly forcing him to vomit up the venison roast and deer-blood wine. The sound startled several night patrol guards under the Jinwu Guard. Recognizing him as they approached, they relaxed slightly. But as they observed him more closely, noting his pale and weakened state—far from his usual composure—the guards exchanged uneasy glances. Remembering the reluctant bets they had recently placed on him, they looked at each other, and hurriedly surrounded him to inquired about his health.

Pei Xiaoyuan waved his hand to show that he was fine. After sending away the worried-looking Jinwu guards, he slowly stood up and looked around. Only then did he realize that the place where he was standing was the lakeside where she had entertained Lady Buyeo during the day.

Baoguang Pavillion was just ahead.

What surprised him even more was that at this time, he saw her still here?

A female figure with a cloak wrapped around her shoulders was standing alone in a corner of the corridor by the lake, facing the lake quietly, as if waiting for someone.

Pei Xiaoyuan initially thought he was drunk and his eyes were blurry, but after calming himself down and looking again, he discovered that it was indeed her.

His heartbeat skipped a beat.

Not wanting her to notice that he was nearby, he was about to turn around and leave.

It’s so late, who is she waiting for?

He hesitated, and slowly, his pace slowed down again.

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