Chapter 68#

Sour Thorns: Little Pei Goes to Enzhou (IX)#

Yuan Fang dashed into the mountain forest, chasing after the assailant ahead.

He scanned the surroundings with the sharp eyes of a hawk, taking in the terrain in an instant. With a flip, he used a large tree to his side as a springboard, then blocked the attacker with his dagger.

The assailant halted, meeting Yuan Fang’s gaze for a moment. Before he could react, his chest and abdomen were struck by an elbow.

He grunted in pain. Yuan Fang raised his leg, snapping the man’s shinbone, then wrapped an arm around his neck from behind with the dagger, demanding, “Who sent you—”

Before he could finish, Yuan Fang struck like lightning, grabbing the attacker’s jaw. With a sharp crack, he dislocated it, causing the poison hidden in the man’s mouth to spill out.

Yuan Fang knocked him unconscious and bent down to grab his leg, intending to drag him back for questioning. Suddenly, a chill ran down his back. He had no time to think—years of training and experience walking the line between life and death drove him to dodge the strike just in time.

A projectile whizzed past Yuan Fang and embedded itself deep into a nearby tree trunk. He glanced sideways, seeing the bark splinter as the weapon disappeared entirely into the wood.

The hole left behind by the projectile was tiny, like that of a round nail.

The very air seemed to still. Yuan Fang’s heart pounded wildly. Without hesitation, he turned and fled.

“Pei Xiting.”

Behind him came a man’s gentle voice, laced with laughter. But to Yuan Fang’s ears, it sent a wave of icy dread through his body. Goosebumps erupted all over his skin, making him shudder. His steps came to an abrupt halt.

The familiar sound of footsteps drew closer. The man stopped three paces behind Yuan Fang and said, “Turn around.”

Yuan Fang pressed his lips tightly together, his Adam’s apple bobbing. He then turned and looked up at the man. Fu Wei studied him leisurely for a moment. Yuan Fang lowered his head, knelt on one knee, and said hoarsely, “Hall Master.”

“So you still recognize me,” Fu Wei said, half-smiling. “Why run away when you saw me?”

In the past, Yuan Fang would have stayed silent no matter what. But after spending time by Pei Xiting’s side, he had learned a skill called sophistry.

“I didn’t know it was you, Hall Master. I thought there was a master-level assassin hiding in the forest. Fearing a fight would waste time, I decided to leave first.”

“Oh, really?” Fu Wei’s smile deepened. “So you were in a hurry to get back and protect Pei Xiting?”

Yuan Fang replied, “I take money for the job, so I should do it.”

“Fifty taels a month.” Fu Wei let out a light scoff. “You might as well go collect scrap.”

Yuan Fang disagreed. “You can’t earn fifty taels in ten or twenty years from collecting scrap.”

Fu Wei’s brow twitched slightly. “You’ve got some nerve now?”

If you can’t win, don’t force it. Bow your head when needed, or you’ll get beaten—Article number who-knows-what from Little Pei’s Daily Quotes echoed in his ears. Yuan Fang gave up on argument. “No, I don’t. It’s you, Hall Master, who has it.”

Fu Wei said, “Are you mocking me?”

Yuan Fang shook his head. “I wouldn’t dare. I’m not.”

“…” Fu Wei clicked his tongue. He thought to himself, This is the influence of bad company—tainted by Pei Xiting. Annoyed, he glanced at Yuan Fang. “Get up. Come with me.”

Yuan Fang pressed his lips and said, “Forgive me, Hall Master—”

Before he could finish, a whip split the air. Yuan Fang didn’t move, taking the blow squarely. The fabric on his shoulder tore, and flesh split open. He didn’t cry out in pain, only said quietly, “Please forgive me, Hall Master. I cannot go with you just yet. Grant me a little more time.”

“Two years, and you still haven’t had enough of your fun?” Fu Wei coiled his whip slowly, smiling. “Or have you forgotten where home is?”

Yuan Fang didn’t answer, but he heard the sound of a carriage approaching.

Fu Wei laughed as well. “Ah, your young master has come to save you.”

The carriage stopped. Pei Xiting pushed open the door and jumped down before Yu Shaoyun could set out the footstool. He hurried to Yuan Fang’s side, glanced at his shoulder, and took out a small medicine pouch, pouring the powder generously over the wound.

“…It’s a minor wound,” Yuan Fang said.

“It’s fine. I had some left anyway.” Pei Xiting then lifted his head to look at the man before him. He was slightly taken aback—such a gentle, jade-like figure, no one on the streets would ever associate him with the Xian Corridor.

Pei Xiting clasped his hands. “Hall Master Fu, I’ve long heard of your name.”

“And I, scribe Pei, have heard yours loud and clear.” Fu Wei nodded with a smile. “May I ask where you heard of me?”

“From Yuan Fang, naturally,” Pei Xiting replied. “He occasionally mentions you, Hall Master. He says you two grew up together, bound as master and servant, but with flesh and blood intertwined, life and death entrusted to one another.”

Did I say that? Yuan Fang wondered silently.

“Oh, really?” Fu Wei glanced at the meek Yuan Fang, his smile cryptic. “But I don’t think he’s the type to say such things.”

“What’s said to your face and what’s said behind your back are different, of course. Saying such things to your face would be embarrassing, but telling others about it isn’t so cheesy—it’s just opening his heart.” Pei Xiting smiled. “Surely, Hall Master, you don’t doubt his loyalty and sincerity toward you?”

Fu Wei looked at Pei Xiting, smiling without a word.

Pei Xiting felt no guilt. “I know that Yuan Fang left home privately and roamed outside for two years. You must be both angry and worried, Hall Master. Now that you’ve found him, you want to take him home immediately. But he has been with me, and I haven’t mistreated him or treated him like a mere servant. We haven’t known each other long, but we’ve become friends. Can you, Hall Master, keep him trapped at home forever, never allowing him to go out and make friends?”

He stepped forward until he stood before Fu Wei, lowering his voice. “Yuan Fang was away for two years—not because he didn’t miss you, but because he was afraid of being caught. So he dared not go back to see you. Home may be good, but the world is vast. Wanting to fly outward isn’t wrong. As long as home is in his heart, he will always return to you.”

Fu Wei glanced at the carriage not far away, then smiled at Pei Xiting. “Is this how you coax Fuchuan?”

To call Zong Suiyang by his courtesy name, he truly must be an old friend. Did Zong Suiyang used to sit up all night chatting and drinking with Fu Wei under the moon?

A sour taste rose from the root of Pei Xiting’s tongue. He shot Fu Wei a look, not realizing his gaze carried thorns of its own.

Fu Wei saw it clearly and laughed softly. “It seems you should amend what you said to me and use it to coax yourself first.”

Pei Xiting didn’t deny it. “It’s been a long time since you’ve seen His Highness, hasn’t it? Since you’re here in Enzhou, why not stay a few more days and catch up with him?”

“So you can take the chance to persuade me?” Fu Wei saw through him.

Pei Xiting raised an eyebrow slightly, then turned and walked to Yuan Fang. He helped him to his feet and gestured for Fu Wei to board the carriage.

Fu Wei glanced at Yuan Fang once more but said nothing more, walking unhurriedly to the carriage and stepping onto the footstool.

As soon as he entered, Fu Wei met Zong Suiyang’s cool gaze. “Oh, am I interrupting something between you two?”

Zong Suiyang said nothing.

“If you hadn’t let him come meddle in my affairs, I wouldn’t have the chance to interrupt,” Fu Wei said with a smile as he sat down.

Pei Xiting crawled into the carriage. Yuan Fang closed the door behind him. Yu Shaoyun whistled, and two shadow guards flipped down from the trees, taking the unconscious assassin away.

Yu Shaoyun grabbed the reins. The carriage turned and rolled steadily back along the same route.

No one spoke inside. Fu Wei seemed lost in thought; Zong Suiyang’s expression was unreadable. Pei Xiting looked at both of them, then yawned, leaned sideways, and lay down.

Before falling asleep, he made sure to remind them, “Your Highness, if I’m still fast asleep when we arrive, please don’t wake me. And I’d appreciate it if you two could get out quietly. Thanks for your cooperation.”

Without waiting for an answer, he closed his eyes peacefully.

Fu Wei: “…”

He turned to look at the crown prince, only to see the man staring at Pei Xiting with a gaze that held unmistakable softness.

Pei Xiting had been up late the night before, tossing and turning over lovesick thoughts. He hadn’t fallen asleep until the middle of the night. This morning, he’d gotten up early and run all the way here, tumbling and getting beaten—it had tired him out. Now, as soon as he touched the soft cushion and inhaled the faint tea fragrance, drowsiness set in. Half-awake, he felt something heavy being draped over him. He fumbled around, tugged at the extra blanket, and sank into a deep sleep.

Zong Suiyang reached out to untie Pei Xiting’s hair ribbon. As he withdrew his hand, he couldn’t resist stroking that face. Then he wound the ribbon twice around his wrist and placed it on the tea table.

“Caressing people while they’re asleep,” Fu Wei murmured. “That’s not the behavior of a gentleman.”

Zong Suiyang said, “What has a gentleman to do with me? I’m not one.”

Fu Wei smiled. “Well, when he’s awake, how come I don’t see you making any moves?”

Zong Suiyang paused, then glanced sideways at Fu Wei.

Fu Wei immediately surrendered. “I know, I talk too much.”

“Others are trying to sleep, and you’re chattering away,” Zong Suiyang quoted from Little Pei’s manual. “Do you have no decency?”

Fu Wei managed to parse the meaning of “decency” in this context and said, “Did you learn that from him? Doesn’t sound like your style.”

Pei Xiting indeed often said things that were unconventional, requiring a bit of thought to understand. Zong Suiyang didn’t deny it. “Shut up.”

Fu Wei mimed sealing his lips. After a moment, a thought struck him. “Ah, by the way, I saw someone up on the mountain earlier.”

Zong Suiyang asked, “Who?”

“I don’t know. Wearing a veiled hat. But today, aside from the Enzhou camp, the people from Lord Zong’s household, and us, who else could it be?” Fu Wei smiled. “You wanted to cast a long line to catch a big fish, so I didn’t act.”

“That group was targeting Pei Xiting, so they deliberately lured Yuan Fang away,” Zong Suiyang said, glancing at Pei Xiting. This reckless fool had used the situation to his advantage, but in reality, he was trying to lure him out.

Fu Wei looked thoughtful. “Could it be because of Breaking the Rainstorm?”

“Unlikely,” Zong Suiyang said.

“In any case, your heart’s treasure has long been watched,” Fu Wei sighed. “No wonder you sent out all the Knot agents. Strange, though—why didn’t the Knot appear to protect Pei Xiting today?”

His gaze passed over Zong Suiyang’s hand, wrapped in a cloth bandage, and he teased, “Suffering an injury to win sympathy? Not bad, not bad. Our crown prince is learning—using strategy to win a beauty’s pity.”

Zong Suiyang was unimpressed. “This is hardly a trick to win sympathy.”

“To us, it’s indeed nothing serious. But your heart’s treasure is different—he’s not one of us. Seeing you bloody, he’s bound to feel sorry for you,” Fu Wei said.

Zong Suiyang looked at Pei Xiting’s sleeping face. The man had felt sorry for him—eyes wide with fury and concern, as if he wanted nothing more than to punch him yet held back, carefully bandaging his wound.

This small injury had yielded extraordinary value. Zong Suiyang was in a good mood. He reached out to stroke Pei Xiting’s cheek, but Pei Xiting, mistaking it for a mosquito, slapped his hand away.

Zong Suiyang didn’t mind. He withdrew his hand gracefully.

If he’s like this now, what will happen when he actually gets his hands on him? Fu Wei found it amusing. “Ah, by the way, he seems to be jealous of us.”

Zong Suiyang asked in confusion, “What’s the difference between that and swallowing poison?”

Fu Wei clicked his tongue. “I haven’t provoked you. Could you stop verbally attacking me? I was very gracious to you just now, so show a little respect.”

Zong Suiyang shook his head slightly. “When?”

“Earlier. He was looking at me with thorns in his eyes—all because of you.” Fu Wei’s smile turned wry. “Does he think we had something going on before?”

“I’d rather lose both legs,” Zong Suiyang said flatly.

Fu Wei gave a cold laugh. “Fine. If I ever listen to you pour out your heart again or give you advice, I’m a pig.”

Zong Suiyang didn’t say “You do look like one,” and he truly didn’t want to lose his “strategist.” “So disappear quickly, then.”

“I’d love to disappear quickly, but you’re not cooperating. How can I vanish?” Fu Wei turned his head to glance out the window and said lazily, “Your scribe Pei has invited me to stay a few more days to catch up with you. I’m following his arrangements. Aren’t you happy about that?”

Fu Wei sighed in feigned difficulty. “Then I suppose I’ll have to bid him farewell when he wakes up.”

Zong Suiyang said, “What can he do about it?”

Fu Wei retorted, “Don’t be a stubborn duck with a hard beak. From what I can see, you haven’t thrown even a sliver of the crown prince’s airs at him.”

Zong Suiyang: “.”

That sleep was deep. When Pei Xiting woke, only a single candle flickered in the room. He sat up and peeked outside—the window was already dark, and this wasn’t the room at the guild hall.

Pei Xiting called out in a trembling voice, “Fang… Fang… Fang…”

Fang didn’t come. Instead, Zong Suiyang stepped around from behind the screen and gave him a bland look. “Calling for your soul?”

“Calling for food.” Pei Xiting pushed himself up on the edge of the bed and sat cross-legged. “I’m hungry. I only had one bowl of congee today.”

Zong Suiyang called Yu Shaoyun in and said, “Serve the meal.”

Yu Shaoyun acknowledged and withdrew quietly.

Pei Xiting stretched, put his legs down, and slipped on his shoes. “How did I get transported here? I didn’t feel a thing.”

Zong Suiyang said, “You slept like a log. Even thunder couldn’t move you. Naturally, you felt nothing.”

“You didn’t answer my question, and now you’re verbally attacking me?” Pei Xiting stepped into his shoes, walked over to Zong Suiyang, and bent down to look at his hand—already medicated and properly bandaged.

Pei Xiting pressed his lips together. When he straightened up, his face was deliberately cold. “Had to show off, didn’t you? Does it hurt?”

Zong Suiyang knew what “showing off” meant. He inferred the mockery and said, “I wasn’t showing off.”

Yes, perhaps this injury meant nothing to His Highness Zong Suiyang. But getting hurt for oneself and getting hurt for someone else were different. Pei Xiting couldn’t bear to keep up the cold face. “People are made of flesh, not steel. Bleed as little as possible. Don’t treat your body like it’s nothing. Wait until you’re old and gray—you’ll know the consequences.”

Zong Suiyang followed Pei Xiting around the screen and sat down at the round table outside. “So you understand that principle, do you?”

Feeling guilty, Pei Xiting’s voice weakened, and he fell silent.

Soon, guards brought in the dishes and arranged them: milk-braised fish, scallion vinegar chicken, lychee pork kidneys, pan-fried tofu, sugar-marinated eggplant, and pork rib soup.

All of Pei Xiting’s favorites. He immediately picked up his chopsticks. “I won’t stand on ceremony.”

Zong Suiyang nodded. “When have you ever? Eat. There’s more if you want.”

“No need to be so polite. I’m not a pig.” Pei Xiting took a bite of the fish and blinked. “Hey, this tastes exactly like the one from the mutton stall?”

Zong Suiyang said, “This dish was made by their chef, so naturally it’s the same. The scallion vinegar chicken, lychee kidneys, and sugar eggplant are from Chunhui Tower. The tofu was fried by Shaoyun.”

Pei Xiting grinned. “Oh? Captain Yu can cook too?”

“In the early years, when we traveled a lot, he picked up a few tricks—all dishes he liked himself,” Zong Suiyang said. “He made them for me to eat.”

Pei Xiting laughed. “So Your Highness is the taste-testing lab rat?”

Zong Suiyang said, “Indeed. Thanks to my tastings, his skills improved rapidly.”

Pei Xiting quickly grabbed a piece of tofu, savored it carefully, and nodded. “Delicious. Rich but not greasy, very fragrant. You eat too. Can you really eat just by looking at me?”

A beauty pleasing to the eye was indeed enough to go with the meal. Zong Suiyang said nothing, simply picked up his chopsticks.

Once he started eating, he didn’t initiate conversation. They ate quietly until Pei Xiting was about fifteen-tenths full. He leaned back in his chair, sprawled out like a corpse.

Yu Shaoyun brought hot tea and said to Pei Xiting, “There’s a lantern festival in the city tonight. Would you like to go take a look, Scribe Pei?”

Zong Suiyang glanced at Yu Shaoyun but remained silent.

Pei Xiting thanked him, tapped the tea lid thoughtfully, and said, “Today doesn’t seem to be a festival day, does it?”

“Lantern festivals are common in the city, but Squire Xu of the northern district recently acquired a son-in-law. He’s hosting a lantern festival tonight to invite everyone to watch his daughter and son-in-law boat on the lake—a good omen. It’s at Green Wave Lake in the north. Very lively,” Yu Shaoyun said.

Pei Xiting went “Ah” and suddenly remembered something. “Squire Xu of the north? The one whose family line was dying out, who prayed to the gods and took concubines madly but couldn’t get a child until he got a magic pill and one of his concubines got pregnant?”

Yu Shaoyun said, “That’s the one.”

“So, shall we go check it out?” Pei Xiting’s voice rose at the end.

Yu Shaoyun smiled. “Let’s go check it out.”

Pei Xiting drank his tea, then turned to tidy up in the inner room.

Yu Shaoyun looked at Zong Suiyang, winking and making faces.

Zong Suiyang shook his head slightly, but he didn’t express any displeasure at Yu Shaoyun’s initiative.

Yu Shaoyun shook his head inwardly with smug satisfaction: I’m truly the tapeworm in His Highness’s gut!

Pei Xiting quickly finished tidying up. When he came out, Zong Suiyang had already put on the plain, unremarkable fake face again.

Zong Suiyang set down his teacup, rose, and walked out. Pei Xiting followed. Once outside, he put on his veiled hat—after all, he still had a fake identity tied to Yuan Fang.

Outside, Pei Xiting looked around. “Where’s Yuan Fang?”

“He went to the Li residence to see Mei Xiu. What’s the matter?” Zong Suiyang turned to face Pei Xiting. “Missing him?”

Hearing the sour aftertaste in those words, Pei Xiting raised an eyebrow slightly. “Is that not allowed?”

Objectively speaking, there was indeed nothing wrong with it. Pei Xiting could miss whoever he wanted. But His Highness Zong Suiyang’s mood was no longer objective. He looked away expressionlessly and said, “Suit yourself.”

“Then why did Your Highness ask?” Pei Xiting blinked innocently. “Just making conversation?”

Zong Suiyang didn’t want to engage anymore, but shutting up felt like admitting defeat. “I can speak whenever I want. Do I need your permission?”

“I didn’t say that. Your Highness certainly can speak anytime, from morning till night, if you wish. But you asked me a question just now, didn’t you?” Pei Xiting chuckled softly. “It seems I don’t know you well enough. I never imagined you were the kind of person who would ask someone a question without any real interest in the answer.”

Every time Pei Xiting added that soft “didn’t you” at the end of his sentence, it was contradictory—both alluring and irritating, both irritating and alluring.

Zong Suiyang turned to look at Pei Xiting. Their eyes met. Pei Xiting blinked innocently, a smile crinkling the corners of his eyes, looking every bit the heart-stealer.

This little devil. Zong Suiyang gritted his teeth inwardly, but his face remained still. He even smiled. “You really don’t know me well enough yet.”

Sensing a dangerous undertone, Pei Xiting’s expression shifted. He shot a wary glance at the man named Zong, then turned to look at Yu Shaoyun standing behind him. Weighing the odds quietly, he instantly became docile, speaking gently, “Your Highness, shall we go down now?”

Zong Suiyang let out an almost imperceptible snort and turned toward the stairs. Pei Xiting fell into step. “By the way, did you interrogate that man? Why did he want to kill me?”

“We interrogated him, but he was just a hired assassin. He doesn’t know the client’s identity,” Zong Suiyang said before Yu Shaoyun could answer.

Yu Shaoyun nodded approvingly behind him. Good, good. His Highness is learning to cut off his subordinate and create more chances to talk to Scribe Pei. Good, good.

Pei Xiting, unaware of Captain Yu’s thoughts, simply said, “Oh. Well, never mind. He wants to kill me—if he fails once, there’ll be a second time. Eventually, he’ll show himself.”

Zong Suiyang said, “You’re quite calm about it.”

Pei Xiting followed Zong Suiyang into the carriage. Only after he sat down did he reply, “What else can I do? Pray to the gods every day and tape ‘Don’t kill me! Don’t kill me!’ on my forehead? I think… hmm, what’s this cold thing?”

Pei Xiting reached behind his back, grabbed the cold object, and brought it up to his eyes. Instantly, he froze solid, turning into a living statue.

At that moment, a hand reached over from the side, gently tickling the little black snake’s chin with a fingertip. “Don’t be afraid. Let go.”

Pei Xiting quickly released his grip. The little black snake slithered across the back of his hand, coiled around Zong Suiyang’s finger, and then wound around his wrist.

Pei Xiting stared at the snake, then looked up at Zong Suiyang, genuinely incredulous. “You put a snake on my butt to bite me? How can you be so shameless?”

“…” Zong Suiyang defended himself, “I wouldn’t let it bite your… butt.”

Pei Xiting didn’t believe him. “Then where did it come from? Don’t tell me you didn’t know—you two clearly know each other. I’m going to report you to the authorities. This calls for compensation. I want damages for emotional distress.”

“Its father is Fu Buzhi.” Zong Suiyang tapped the snake’s head. “Hall Master Fu has money.”

Pei Xiting rubbed his chin. I’ll demand a thousand taels. Then I can buy that small courtyard on Lanyin Street.

But Hall Master Fu didn’t seem like an easy person to shake down. Pei Xiting’s eyes darted. He coughed in a deliberately frail tone. “Though I deserve compensation, and Hall Master Fu should take responsibility for his snake’s crime, I still feel uneasy. It would be wonderful if there were a wise, impartial, righteous judge here to plead my case.”

Then he let out a mournful sigh.

He rolled his eyes, shooting a sly glance sideways. Zong Suiyang’s lips curved slightly. “Understood.”