A Leaderless Flock - Part Two (Newly Revised)
The following morning, Canghai Sword Manor was still asleep.
As dusk fell, the woman, holding the horse's reins, looked at Li Zizhan with concern and asked, "Master, are you really going alone?"
“Madam, a demoness is already a major threat to me, and now the sword bones of Yijian Mountain are also mingling with this person.”
Li Zizhan sighed, "Qian'er was lucky to escape with her life. I am uneasy. We must unite with the North as soon as possible to stop the Liuli Palace from growing stronger, otherwise more and more people will be harmed."
"Can Bai Jie be trusted?"
"Don't worry, Bai Jie is not a bloodthirsty person. I think the most likely reason he wrote to me is to discuss the matter of the Glazed Palace," Li Zizhan reassured him.
As they were talking, a slender figure peeked out from the doorway and quickly ran to Li Zizhan's side.
"Father, take me with you," Lee Na-kyung said, looking up and blinking. She was completely devoid of the imposing presence she had displayed in the main hall yesterday.
"Be good, take good care of your brother, and wait for Dad to come back." Li Zizhan patted her head and said lovingly. He then gently stroked Li Nagyeong's lower eyelid with his thumb and asked worriedly, "Does it still hurt?"
"It doesn't hurt anymore," Lee Na-kyung said obediently, shaking her head.
Lee Na-kyung pressed her face against the horse's face and murmured, "Pili Pili, please take good care of my father."
Li Zizhan looked at his wife and children with reluctance, nodded as if making a decision, and said, "Madam, Najiong, wait for me to come back."
The mother and daughter also raised their heads and looked into his eyes with deep affection.
Li Zizhan exerted force with both legs, and the horse neighed loudly, galloping off towards the dawn in the east.
The mother and daughter, one tall and one short, one fat and one thin, stood against the rising sun, watching Li Zizhan until he and his horse disappeared below the horizon.
*
Longting Town is indeed a good meeting place. It belongs to neither the Northern Sword Sect nor the Southern Sword Sect.
Bai Jie had a very high opinion of himself, believing that he, a roughneck, had done a pretty good job this time, and that there was some finesse involved.
"Even those ink-loving swordsmen from the South couldn't find any fault with it."
Longting Town isn't some aloof, secluded place. It's just that, from a purely practical standpoint, it's too remote and too poor, so neither the Northern nor the Southern sword sects are willing to take it over.
Bai Jie arrived at the agreed location ahead of time; he didn't like keeping others waiting. Leading his horse, he looked around the town and unconsciously curled his lip, thinking to himself, "No wonder they say even the people from the Glazed Palace don't want to come to Longting Town."
"I've chosen such a lawless area with such sincerity, Old Man Li should come, right?" Bai Jie muttered to himself.
Ahead stood a thatched hut with a tattered flag stuck on its roof. The flag fluttered in the wind, and the character "面" (miàn, meaning "face") on it was clearly drawn with charcoal. The simple strokes were crooked and broken, and the colors varied in shade.
Bai Jie led his horse and strode forward.
*
Pei Jiangxi scooped a strand of noodle from the pot and gently shook the wooden chopsticks. The slender noodle wrapped neatly around the chopsticks, circle after circle.
The noodles are ready.
The chopsticks were submerged in the alkaline water once more, and when they were lifted up again, the noodles hung heavily on Pei Jiangxi's index finger, swaying in the wind like tassels, their bright spots sparkling.
The noodles curled up and slid down the side of the bowl to the bottom, covering the seasonings that had been placed there beforehand, while the white lard slowly melted in the heat.
Pei Jiangxi picked up the large ladle from the stove, scooped up a spoonful of pale yellow alkaline water, and poured it into the porcelain bowl.
The steaming noodles were quickly served to the shop's second customer of the day. This man had his sleeves and trousers rolled up high, revealing not only his worn-out cloth shoes but also clumps of dried mud clinging to the insteps of his feet. He looked at the watermarks of sweat dripping onto the ground, breathing heavily but evenly.
The man picked up the round bowl with both hands, his fingers, covered in black mud, plunging into the soup. He looked up and drank the soup in one gulp.
The man put down the bowl of noodles and looked up. It was undoubtedly Wang Boyu.
Glancing at the sweat-drenched Wang Boyu, Pei Jiangxi couldn't help but admire the young man's honesty. She had only asked him to disguise himself as a farmer eating noodles, but he hadn't expected him to actually roll up his sleeves and go to the fields to do farm work all morning.
“It’s good to be motivated, but lies that are too focused on being true are more likely to have flaws,” Pei Jiangxi sighed inwardly.
After glancing at the entrance to the town, Pei Jiangxi glanced at the first guest of the day and thought to herself, "But you probably don't have the energy to pay attention to these things."
Heat waves rose from the ground, distorting the landscape.
Li Zizhan, with one hand on the sword at his waist, appeared slowly and steadily from the heatwave, alone on horseback.
Bai Jie lifted the bowl, tilted his head back, and gulped down the last of the noodles and soup. He tapped the rim of the bowl with his chopsticks to shake off any remaining bits of food, then neatly placed them on the bowl.
Carrying his sword, Bai Jie stepped out of the pavilion and greeted loudly and excitedly, "It's been a long time, Master Li!"
*
"How have you been, young hero?" Looking at the tall and upright young man, Li Zizhan couldn't help but smile with satisfaction.
From a distance, Li Zizhan reined in his horse and said, "Although I live deep in the mountains, I have long heard about your unification of the north."
"These are all just stories. They're just empty titles, not to be believed." Bai Jie shook his head. "I'm only temporarily in charge. In the future, someone capable will have to take charge."
“The plaque bestowed by His Majesty, ‘Northern Plains Polar Star,’ is certainly not an empty name.” Li Zizhan laughed, then sighed, “It’s a pity I couldn’t bring you back to Canghai Sword Manor back then; my daughter was not fortunate enough to receive such a gift.”
Bai Jie hurriedly cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty's favor is too much; I am ashamed."
“I also feel very sorry about what happened to you, Miss.” Bai Jie looked at Li Zizhan sincerely and said, “But as you know, I am a Buddhist and went to Xinyuan Temple to draw lots that year.”
Bai Jie hesitated for a moment, then continued, "I also sincerely want to meet you, Miss, but unfortunately my luck with the divination is not very good."
Li Zizhan waved his hand and said, "Never mind, marriage between men and women is preordained by nature, it's just that you two are not destined for each other."
Bai Jie stepped forward, stroked the horse's mane, and called out, "Pili, it's been a long time."
As if in response, the horse let out a low neigh.
As they spoke, Bai Jie took the reins and led the horse toward the noodle shop.
"Tell me, what do those old men in the north mean? What conditions do they want from you?" Li Zizhan asked, watching the figure being led away by a rope.
“The seniors are usually very decisive, so there weren’t any special instructions given this time,” Bai Jie replied calmly.
As if remembering something, Bai Jie said, "He also gave a brief explanation."
After a brief silence, Li Zizhan's eyes sharpened.
"It's entirely up to me to decide," Bai Jie said succinctly and forcefully.
"It's entirely up to you."
"Yes, that's what my seniors told me."
"So what do you think?" Li Zizhan asked.
"The Northern and Southern Sword Sects should unite against a common enemy. Regardless of past grievances or prejudices, we should now stand together against the Glazed Palace," Bai Jie replied resolutely. He continued to focus on leading Li Zizhan's horse, turning his head without looking back.
"And what about you?" Li Zizhan said, "You invited me here, surely not to give me such a grand speech."
Li Zizhan patted the back of 'Thunderbolt's' neck, and the horse stopped moving forward.
Bai Jie also loosened the reins and strolled forward, putting some distance between himself and Li Zizhan.
After walking about ten steps, Bai Jie turned around, holding his sword and clasping his hands in a fist salute.
Li Zizhan immediately understood what he meant.
The overwhelming sword intent instantly surged outwards from the two of them, and the air dropped to freezing point.
In the stagnant air, the sword intents of the two gradually took shape. With each clash of their sword intents, the frost on the ground thickened.
Large amounts of steam billowed from 'Thunderbolt's' mouth and nostrils. White mist swirled around him, as if he were arriving on cloud nine. For every step Thunderbolt took forward, White Mist retreated a step.
As the two drew closer to the noodle shop, Bai Jie's sword intent domain continued to be compressed.
"How long are you going to restrain your sword intent?" Li Zizhan asked loudly.
Before Bai Jie could answer, Li Zizhan raised his hand, and a sword intent shot straight towards the noodle shop.
Bai Jie was shocked to see this and hurriedly drew his sword, unleashing a sword intent that collided with Li Zizhan's sword intent and dissipated.
Distracted, Bai Jie was forced to retreat four steps before regaining his footing.
"What are you doing?" Bai Jie suddenly lost his previous gentleness and respect, and asked with some anger.
“If your companions still need you to spare your attention to protect them,” Li Zizhan replied, “then I don’t understand the point of bringing them here.”
What are you saying?
Li Zizhan stroked his beard and said, "I understand."
"Young friend, since you've come all this way, why not come out and meet me?" Li Zizhan said slowly, looking at the pavilion.
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