Chapter 215 Why did I see Jiang Muyun again at the Three Passes?

Lou Cangyu glanced sideways at Guan Ye, his dark eyes fixed on Feng Shisan on the bench. Upon recognizing Lou Cangyu, Feng Shisan roared and was about to jump up when the quick-thinking bailiffs restrained him.

"Lou Cangyu!" Feng Shisan's eyes blazed with fury, he wanted nothing more than to devour him alive. "It was you, you killed Xiao Ma, you killed Xiao Ma, I'm going to kill you, I'm going to kill you!"

Lou Cangyu leaned close to Feng Shisan's furiously distorted face, a contemptuous smirk playing on his lips. "Traitorous villain, deserving of death. He refused to live, choosing instead to destroy his own path. He wanted to be a hero, a paragon of virtue. Killing him is fulfilling his wish. Feng Shisan..." Lou Cangyu remembered something, a mocking laugh escaping his throat. "Wait, you said your name is... Feng Jian? You have a name too. I thought you were just some nobody, someone whose name wouldn't even be engraved on your tombstone."

"Lou Cangyu!" Feng Shisan roared in a deathly voice, "I'm going to kill you, I'm going to kill you! Let me go, I'll duel you with my sword, I'm going to kill you!"

"It's laughable that you're still so stupid even now." Lou Cangyu dusted off his clothes and turned away. "You haven't passed three trials yet, and now you're backing down? Kill me? Wait until you pass those three trials, then let's see if you can withstand my sword."

Lou Cangyu pulled the stick from the constable's hand, weighed it in his hand, and disdainfully tossed it aside. "This man doesn't respect the prefectural government or the magistrate. His words are insolent and arrogant. He needs to be taught a lesson to appease public anger. I'll give him thirty strokes of the rod, sir. What do you say?"

Seeing that the newcomer was wearing the black armor of the Eagle Guard, the prefect dared not say no and nodded to indicate that he could. Lou Cangyu raised the sword in his hand and waved it at the crowd, "Then I will use my sword as a club to teach this madman a lesson."

"Lou Cangyu, good indeed, Lou Cangyu." Feng Shisan laughed maniacally, "You're a spineless coward, and your sword is soft too. Come on, if I can't beat your Grandpa Feng to death, you're a coward."

Lou Cangyu gathered his strength and swung his heavy sword down, tearing flesh and causing a horrifying sound that terrified all who heard it. Before anyone could recover, he continued to swing his sword in rapid succession, splattering blood everywhere.

“Come on, come on!” Feng Shisan shouted, showing no sign of backing down. “Put more force into it, Lou Cangyu, Lou family’s little stone, is that all the strength you have? Hahahaha, it’s like tickling an itch, have you not eaten?”

Lou Cangyu was furious and roared even louder. Feng Shisan shouted even louder, "Little Stone, do you remember when we were on Canglang Island, you always beat Xiao Ma in sword duels? All of Xiao Ma's injuries were thanks to you. But why did you become his defeated opponent when we went to test swordsmanship before the Emperor? Xiao Ma disdained to compete with you. He could defeat you with just a flick of his finger. How did it feel to have a sword to your neck?"

"Shut up!"

“You told us your name is Cangyu, and you’re even ashamed to mention your surname Lou to others. Under the furnace, the workshop owner exposed you, saying you’re Lou Cangyu, Lou’s little stone. Hahaha, you have Lou family blood in your veins, your father and grandfather were upright and strong, yet you’re so cowardly that you don’t even dare to acknowledge your own ancestors. It’s hilarious, absolutely hilarious.”

"Shut up!" Lou Cangyu trembled all over, and his wrist twitched, almost causing the sword hilt to slip from his grasp.

Feng Shisan, having witnessed this, licked his lips and said, "During the sword-testing in the inner workshop, you broke the Lingbo Terrace with your sword. It was a great disgrace. You swore an oath that if your sword broke, you would die. Why didn't you die? Why didn't you go and die? What face do you have to live in this world? If I were you, I would have already slit my throat by now."

"Feng Shisan," Lou Cangyu said, waving his sword wildly, "say one more word and I'll kill you."

Feng Shisan's big eyes shone brightly, as if he could no longer feel the pain, or perhaps he was so happy at the moment that he wanted to enjoy it even more. "Do you still remember Jiang Muyun?"

—Jiang Muyun… Lou Cangyu stood there, stunned.

Jiang Muyun… Guan Ye’s heart skipped a beat.

“She’s really beautiful.” Feng Shisan deliberately stared intently at Lou Cangyu’s dazed face. “You said those words. You just said them and then you tied her up. Lou Cangyu, you admired her, yet you’re so eager to ruin her. You’re the one who sent Jiang Muyun on her way.”

"I didn't...I didn't..." Lou Cangyu shook his head, "I didn't send her on her way, I didn't...Jiang Muyun isn't dead, Jiang Muyun isn't dead...It wasn't me, it wasn't me..."

"Hahahaha." Feng Shisan laughed even louder. "If Jiang Muyun isn't dead, then you've been deceived by women time and time again. Jiang Muyun, Wushuang... Hahahaha Lou Cangyu, you don't deserve to live? If I were you, I'd be ashamed to death even if I didn't slit my throat."

Lou Cangyu seemed to have lost his soul, and the sword in his hand had lost its strength. He swung it wildly at Feng Shisan, but missed several times. Lou Cangyu suddenly came to his senses and was about to muster his strength again when Guan Ye rushed forward and blocked his sword that was about to fall.

"Thirty strokes of the rod are enough," Guan Ye shouted. "Lou Cangyu, that's enough."

Lou Cangyu pushed Guan Ye away, gritted his teeth and swung his sword down again. Mu Chenbi's sword hilt slid out and struck his wrist. Lou Cangyu dodged with a backhand. Mu Chenbi dodged and punched him straight in the chest, then turned and stood in front of Guan Ye and Feng Shisan.

Lou Cangyu pressed his hand to his chest, about to open his mouth, but when he looked at the familiar Ajiu in front of him, he vaguely felt that something was wrong.

"My lord," Mu Chenbi turned away from Lou Cangyu, "the thirty blows of the 'deterrence rod' have been completed, there's no reason to continue, is there? Does this first test count as passed?"

"Fine... fine," the prefect replied, lacking much confidence.

"Alright!" The surrounding crowd cheered for Feng Shisan.

After hurling all his insults, Feng Shisan realized his buttocks and legs were throbbing with pain. Seeing everyone cheering for him, he quickly clasped his hands in thanks.

Guan Ye sniffed; there was a burnt smell. She saw that a two-zhang-long path of glowing red charcoal had been laid out in the courtyard of the government office. Guan Ye's palms were sweating. When she was blacksmithing, even a spark would hurt for half a day. Walking on charcoal... could Feng Shisan's feet handle it?

"Help me up," Feng Shisan called to Guan Ye and Mu Chenbi.

Mu Chenbi helped him up and whispered, "Can you still hold on?"

"What nonsense are you spouting?" Feng Shisan had long forgotten whether the person in front of him was a prince or a boy. "As long as I have a breath left, I am your Grandpa Feng. Come on, just come on."

Feng Shisan took off his shoes and socks. Taking advantage of his current high spirits, he was determined to go all out. Feng Shisan steadied himself and stared blankly at the sizzling charcoal fire. It wasn't fear, but a thought flashed through Feng Shisan's mind: would his hooves be roasted by the time he finished walking this road?

"Thirteenth Young Master," Guan Ye said in a low voice, "The charcoal will get hotter and hotter as it burns. When forging iron and swords, the heat and timing are the most important. Once you take a step, don't look back. Just keep running straight ahead."

Feng Shisan suddenly realized, "As long as I run fast enough, the charcoal fire can't catch me."

Before he could finish speaking, Feng Shisan raised his fists, hissed softly, and paused in mid-air. Just when everyone thought he was too afraid to step down, Feng Shisan landed with lightning speed on his left foot and quickly lifted his right foot, running like a whirlwind across the sparkling charcoal path.

"My goodness, he runs so fast!" someone exclaimed, pointing at Feng Shisan who had disappeared in an instant.

Mu Chenbi was already waiting at the end. He steadily picked up Feng Shisan's stumbling body. Feng Shisan rubbed the black ash off his feet, raised one eye and squinted at it, "Hey, it's not cooked through."

Mu Chenbi glanced at Guan Ye on the other end and smiled, "No one understands fire better than Guan Ye."

Feng Shisan looked at Guan Ye from afar and nodded fiercely at her. Guan Ye let out a sigh of relief. After seeing the meaningful glances from these people, Lou Cangyu understood and glared at Guan Ye, the veins on the back of his hand holding the sword bulging.

If he could, Lou Cangyu really wanted to draw his sword and kill them, but Feng Shisan's drumming had alarmed the entire imperial city, and the court and the public would surely know about it within half a day. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Lou Cangyu could only let them do as they pleased. The only thing he could think of was that Feng Shisan would die in the Three Passes, and once he was dead, there would be no one to hear his grievances.

But Feng Shisan had already passed two trials. The disciplinary rod and the charcoal fire road hadn't killed him; instead, they made him seem like he'd been injected with adrenaline, rolling on a bed of nails... Feng Shisan was made of steel and had an imposing aura; he might not be unable to do it.

“Feng Jian.” The prefect was also impressed by the young man who had passed two tests. “The nail board is ten meters long, and each nail is two inches long. They are all made of fine steel, sharp and hard. The Great Jin Criminal Records show that quite a few people have died on this nail board. You can still regret it now… It’s not too late.”

"Regret?" Feng Shisan almost laughed out loud, spreading his arms to show the magistrate and everyone else his blood-stained body. "I've come this far by the skin of my teeth, and there's only one last hurdle left. You want me to turn around and leave? My lord, you must be joking."

If the prefect had previously been somewhat timid and hesitant, seeing the young man's passion before him moved him deeply. He lowered his head and sighed, "You are covered in wounds, but you've only managed to hold on until now by sheer willpower. I see you as a man of courage, so I kindly offered you some advice. If you were to die on the nails, I wouldn't care. The people outside would just be watching the spectacle, having something to talk about for a few more days. You're so young, why..." The prefect lowered his voice, "...causing pain to your loved ones and joy to your enemies."

Feng Shisan lowered his eyes and chuckled softly, "Things have come to this point, we have no way to retreat. Let me go on, so that we can all survive."

Guan Ye bent down to look at the nail board that had been laid out. The magistrate was right. This thing was made of fine steel, and the nails were long and hard. If a person lay down, the long nails would be driven into the bone. If they rolled up, they would be dragged with blood and flesh. Let alone ten meters... No matter how strong Feng Shisan was, he probably couldn't withstand more than half of them.

Guan Ye knew that Feng Shisan would fight to the death, but... how could the living accept trading one's life for another? They had already lost Xiao Ma, and they couldn't afford to lose anyone else.

“Guan Ye…” Mu Chenbi noticed Guan Ye’s worry, “Why don’t you let me…”

"Let me think, let me...think." Seeing Guan Ye's furrowed brows, Mu Chenbi knew that Guan Ye always had this expression when she was thinking. He believed that Guan Ye had a way, and even if she had reached the end of her rope, she would find a way out.

"Refined steel...refined steel..." Guan Ye murmured to herself. Black iron, forged through countless refinements, becomes steel. The swords in the inner workshop were forged by Wushuang from refined steel... The Flowing Gold Sword of Xingguo Workshop...if it weren't for Wushuang's Kunwu Stone trick, the Flowing Gold Sword would never have broken under the refined steel sword...Kunwu Stone...Kunwu Stone can break diamond sand...it must also be the nemesis of refined steel, Kunwu Stone..."

Guan Ye's eyes suddenly brightened and then dimmed again. Kunwu Stone, right now... who would be carrying Kunwu Stone?

Guan Ye turned to look at Mu Chenbi, and suddenly reached out to touch his chest. Mu Chenbi didn't know what she wanted to do, so he tensed up and let her grope him. After a while, Mu Chenbi vaguely realized what she was looking for and blushed, saying, "What are you looking for on me? This... is Ajiu's clothes."

Guan Ye withdrew her hand as if touched by a needle. She was consumed by anxiety. Before her stood Mu Chenbi, disguised as A Jiu; the clothes he wore, the sword he held—everything belonged to A Jiu. The Kunwu Stone… should also be on A Jiu. Guan Ye glanced again at the gruesome nail-studded board. Could it be… that Feng Shisan would truly perish here?

"—The Second Prince has arrived!"

"—Second Prince? Which Second Prince?"

A murmur arose among the crowd. The magistrate looked suspiciously at the gate of the government office. Guan Ye and Mu Chenbi followed his gaze and saw Mu Lexiu dressed in a black satin robe, followed by more than ten guards in brocade robes. He looked languid and, upon seeing the scene before him, a hint of disgust flickered in his eyelashes.

Mu Chenbi, unaware of his brother's purpose, noticed the prefect's skepticism about the title "Second Prince" and whispered, "How many Second Princes are there in Rongdu? This man exudes nobility, and he's followed by imperial guards. Don't you know who he is?"

The prefect suddenly realized what was happening and quickly stepped forward, kneeling down with a thud and bowing his head, "This humble servant greets Your Highness the Second Prince." Lou Cangyu recognized the Second Prince and felt somewhat uneasy, so he quickly knelt down as well.

The surrounding people were confused. Seeing that the officials had knelt down, they all knelt down as well. In the huge government office, only Mu Chenbi and Guan Ye stood there awkwardly. Feng Shisan, who was half-fallen, heard the commotion and opened his weak eyes to glance at Mu Lexiu. Before he could see her face clearly, he was about to close his eyes again to continue to rest and gather his strength when Mu Lexiu moved his body slightly. A girl wrapped in white mink fur appeared behind him. The girl had an unparalleled face and cold eyes. When Feng Shisan saw her face, even the scars all over his body trembled.

"Jiang Muyun..." Feng Shisan's teeth trembled. "I'm not dead yet, how come I've seen Jiang Muyun again?"

"It's Wushuang." The winter wind whipped up Guan Yan's fiery red robes, echoing Wushuang's snow-white down.