Where is Meng Yuxiu?

"I watched him and his men enter Wenxiang Pavilion, on the second floor."

The streets were already shrouded in a gray night, and the Wenxiang Pavilion, the venue for the prefect's poetry gathering, was even more crowded than before. The entrance was bustling with activity, and the interior was almost full of people. Those who had come to watch the excitement stood on the opposite side of the street or at the street corner, looking over with curiosity and listening to the lively sounds inside, whispering among themselves.

Amidst the crowd, in the shadows of the lanterns hanging high around them, a few people were whispering amongst themselves. Their conversation blended into the surrounding noise and went unnoticed.

A tall man leaned against a wall, looking at the Wenxiang Pavilion where red lanterns hung high and music and laughter wafted out along with the fluttering red gauze. Standing in the shadows, his facial features appeared even more defined, with a high nose and deep-set eyes. He did not have the appearance of a person from the Central Plains, and his speech carried a foreign accent: "He would come to a place like this?"

Meng Yuxiu fought with the barbarians for several years. In order to kill him, the barbarians investigated him thoroughly, trying to find some weakness in him from his birth and life. However, Meng Yuxiu was neither greedy for money nor lustful.

The man with deep-set eyes looked at the Wenxiang Pavilion, which was surrounded by ambiguous red lanterns and laughter, and said, "I've been investigating him for so many years, guess what I've found out?"

The subordinate asked, "What?"

"Meng Yuxiu has no weaknesses." Although he was an enemy, there was no hatred in his tone when he mentioned Meng Yuxiu; on the contrary, there was a hint of admiration. "He is a respectable opponent."

Meng Yuxiu's powerful and outstanding military capabilities led to their defeat on the battlefield. This formidable enemy made them realize the incompetence of their own tribe. What was most frightening was Meng Yuxiu's unwavering loyalty to the Yun Kingdom.

It's not scary to have an outstanding general; what's scary is a general who dedicates himself to the cause and is truly prepared to fight for the country and its people, even to the point of dying on the battlefield.

So the man finished speaking calmly, a sharp, cold light flashing in his amber eyes: "It is also a disaster for our Northern tribes. His life must be in our hands."

"Are we going to make our move here? But then we won't be able to find it..."

The man raised his hand to stop his subordinate, and calmly said, "I've already said that Meng Yuxiu has no weaknesses. This is still the Central Plains. It's wishful thinking to think that we can take his life here. The timing isn't right. We're here to find someone, and we'll leave once we find him."

It is rare to remain calm amidst hatred, which is why he dared to come here alone.

Those eagle-like eyes coldly gazed at the decadent buildings ahead, and said, "Since Meng Yuxiu has come here, he must have his purpose. We need to know why he came here."

"I heard it's because of the most beautiful courtesan here."

"Oh?" A hint of interest appeared in the man's eyes. "Even heroes can't resist the charms of a beautiful woman, is that really true?"

"As far as I know, Meng Yuxiu's falling out with the prefect here is also because of this white tea tonight."

"Heh, interesting. Let's go in and see what kind of woman Meng Yuxiu is paying attention to."

Inside the Wenxiang Pavilion.

Upon hearing Chun Tao's words, Chang Lili raised an eyebrow, but without looking at the man beside her, continued to ask, "What does this have to do with him?"

Chun Tao then told Chang Lili in detail and with great enthusiasm what happened back then, saying, "At that time, General Meng's army had just returned to the capital and was temporarily staying in Duanzhou. General Meng was a kind person. Although he was invincible on the battlefield, he was a soft-hearted person. When he heard that the prefect was here, he sent someone to smash the sedan chair that the prefect had parked at the gate, and sent his own people to the prefect's house. I don't know what they said, but the prefect stopped bothering Sister Baicha."

"How do you know it was Meng Yuxiu who helped? What if he was one of his men?"

"There's no mistake, it must be General Meng. Sister Baicha still has one of his gold belts, which was bestowed by His Majesty! Sister Baicha has been waiting for the general to come again, but the general is busy with military affairs, traveling between the northern border and the capital, and hardly ever stops here. Sister Baicha is afraid of damaging the general's reputation, so she forbids us from telling anyone about this. But even if we did, no one would believe us."

Chuntao said sadly, "I don't know if I'll ever get to see the general again."

Chang Lili took a sip of wine and said, "None of you have ever met Meng Yuxiu?"

"That's a great general, how could we ordinary people possibly see him? Poor Sister Baicha can only see the moon's reflection in the water now."

Perhaps out of sympathy for her friend's plight, or perhaps thinking of herself, Chun Tao poured them drinks and then fell silent as she looked at the lively crowd below, unaware of the silent exchange between the two people next to her.

Chang Lili glared at Meng Yuxiu, her cold, smiling eyes seeming to say, "You just wait!"

Meng Yuxiu rubbed his temples and silently shook his head at her.

"Who are you kidding! I've been waiting for you for so many years!"

Meng Yuxiu shrugged, indicating that he was also unaware of the matter.

Chang Lili took a deep breath, drank the wine in her glass, and said softly, "Perhaps even the general himself doesn't know that he won the heart of a beauty back then."

"I think the general knows, otherwise where did Sister Baicha's gold belt come from?"

yes!

Chang Lili immediately glared angrily at Meng Yuxiu!

This person has never given me anything, yet he gave someone else a belt!

belt!

Chang Lili clenched her jaw tightly, stood up and said, "I'm going to the restroom."

Do you want me to show you the way?

"No need, I'll ask around. Maybe I'll even see that White Tea girl!"

Chang Lili gritted her teeth and threw down those words, then picked up her fan and walked out.

Once she left, the room fell silent, with only sounds coming from downstairs and the clinking of the beaded curtain as Chang Lili swung it aside.

Seeing that Meng Yuxiu was sitting upright, Chuntao crawled over to him, poured him some wine, and said, "Young master, the poetry recital is about to begin. Won't you go and watch?"

“A vulgar person like you wouldn’t understand those things.” Meng Yuxiu said expressionlessly, his eyes fixed straight ahead. Chun Tao lowered her head, seemingly racking her brains for a topic to discuss.

The guests who come here are just looking for fun. It's not unusual for someone like Chang Lili to find a girl to listen to stories. But Meng Yuxiu is an anomaly. He neither drinks nor listens to stories, nor touches any girls.

The silence in the room lasted for a while, then the poetry gathering downstairs began. Apparently, the girl who seemed to be talking nonsense had appeared, and a round of applause rang out from downstairs.

A faint sound suddenly broke the silence in the room—the sound of a cold, sharp object cutting through the air. The dagger that Chun Tao had just pulled out fell to the ground, and the unsheathed Meng Li sword was held against her neck. Meng Yuxiu looked over indifferently: "Who sent you?"