Chapter 22 In the Dream, Zhang Yuanhan is a genuine madman...
"What did you say?" Zhang Yuanhan asked in surprise upon hearing the servant's words, "People died? How many died? How did they die?"
He asked quickly and urgently, and the servant couldn't catch on, but still managed to reply haltingly: "Nearly ten people died, all of them bleeding to death after their tendons in their hands and feet were severed."
Zhang Yuanhan stared wide-eyed, finding it absurd that such a cruel method of killing was to bleed a person alive and torture them to death.
Who would do this, and what is their purpose?
-
On the Moon-Gazing Cliff, the soft, radiant red dust lingered an inch before the man's heart, without venturing any further.
The moonlight lost its brightness, becoming hazy and dim, like a wisp of smoke swirling around Zhou Ziheng and his companion.
The broken goose knife lying to the side resembled a goose with a broken wing. The man looked at the broken goose that didn't belong to him and said bitterly, "Why didn't you kill me?"
Zhou Ziheng withdrew from the mortal world, and the red line disappeared into the sword sheath, its brilliance fading.
His expression was calm, and his tone was indifferent: "I want to kill Xu Yi, not you."
The man remained silent, picking up the broken goose as if picking up his own absurd and dramatic life.
So many years have passed, the fire has burned away the hatred, but it cannot burn away the love in the eyes of a pair of parents for their child.
"Xu Yi" has become a code name, a mask. Xu Yi ruined the first half of his life, but "Xu Yi" also brought him a new life.
"There's no need to bear that disgusting name, Xu Yi." Zhou Ziheng's eyes flashed with disgust. He had achieved his goal for the night and didn't want to linger on Wangyue Cliff any longer. He turned and left, his cold words fading into the distance.
"If Zhang Yuanqian had known that you were running away under the mask of Xu Yi, taking other people's mistakes as your own, he probably wouldn't have saved you back then."
The man held the Broken Goose Blade in his hand, which, in the moonlight, resembled a wild goose quietly watching him.
Zhou Ziheng felt a strong sense of incongruity the moment he saw "Xu Yi".
He seemed to have no memory of himself at all, nor did he know the person "Zhou Ziheng".
He mentioned "half a sword technique" many times, so why did "Xu Yi" still seem completely unaware of it?
Back then, Xu Yi went up the sacred mountain and entered the Sword Tomb in order to bring back half of the sword technique hidden in the Sword Tomb.
Unfortunately, he lacked the skills and ability to help Xu Jianchun, who was unable and unqualified to do so. That's why he went to the Holy Mountain several times, hoping that Lin Youbie could make an exception for Xu Yi, or at the very least, that Zhou Ziheng could bring back half of the sword technique for Xu Yi.
Unfortunately, Xu Yi angered Zhou Ziheng and Lin Youbie, so he had to enter the Sword Tomb alone and returned empty-handed.
Zhou Ziheng didn't know whether Xu Yi was incapable of bringing back the other half of the sword technique, or whether the Broken Goose Saber Technique was simply not in the Sword Tomb.
But in any case, that arrogant young master had already died in the fire.
The person in front of me is just a "cuckoo occupying the nest".
Zhou Ziheng reflected on the story with a calm expression, slightly moved by the man's tale.
He thought that perhaps he could understand why Lin Youbie encouraged him to make more friends and see more of the world.
Unfortunately, it was too late.
Zhou Ziheng stood alone, the hazy moonlight elongating his shadow. Amidst the faint rustling sound, he slowly stopped.
A gentle breeze was blowing, and the silence was so profound that the sound of a distant waterfall could be heard. Yet, in the stillness of the night, Zhou Ziheng heard another breath.
Zhou Ziheng slowed his breathing, and he slowly withdrew from the mortal world.
"You've come but haven't shown yourself; it seems you have grand ambitions." Zhou Ziheng stood with his sword in hand, staring at the figure hanging upside down from the tree like a bat, his expression serious.
The other party had no intention of making a move. Seeing that Zhou Ziheng had noticed him, he chuckled softly and nimbly landed from the tree, like a light and cunning black cat: "So perceptive."
It turned out to be a woman.
Unfortunately, the woman was backlit, so Zhou Ziheng couldn't see her face clearly. He could only judge from her figure that she must be a woman with excellent agility. She was wearing a fitted night outfit that accentuated her strong calves and waist.
A formidable opponent.
"What brings you here? Surely you don't just want to admire the moon with me?" Zhou Ziheng joked, but he didn't dare to relax. His previous sparring with "Xu Yi" had already left him somewhat exhausted. If he were to face another troublesome woman, he would have to fight to the death to win.
The woman smiled, her voice exceptionally melodious, like the strings of a harp playing in the quiet night: "Why not enjoy the moon?"
"Don't be nervous, I'm not here to kill you. You can't die now."
"So I really did come to invite you to admire the moon." In the night, the moonlight illuminated the woman's eyes. She spoke casually, but Zhou Ziheng dared not be careless.
Zhou Ziheng's gaze swept over the woman's empty hands, and he raised an eyebrow.
They came empty-handed?
Zhou Ziheng smiled smugly and slowly released his hand from the scabbard.
"It is my honor to enjoy the moon with a beautiful woman."
As he spoke, he smoothed his high ponytail and turned to the woman, extending an invitation: "Shall we go to Moon Gazing Cliff, or perhaps to the more distant Flying Terrace Waterfall?"
The woman was completely taken aback by Zhou Ziheng's reaction. She remained silent for a moment, then looked into the distance, her gaze slowly gliding over the high mountains.
Although the purpose of this trip was only to prevent Zhou Ziheng from returning to the Zhang family, enjoying the moon together... doesn't seem to interfere with anything else?
Thinking this, the woman pondered, "Moon Gazing Cliff... Xu Yi should still be there, right? Since it's just the two of us enjoying the moon, I naturally don't want anyone else to disturb us."
The woman smiled, her expression like a wisp of smoke in the darkness.
"As for Feitai Waterfall... that requires crossing mountains to reach Liyang Valley, which I naturally don't want to go to."
She suddenly moved closer to Zhou Ziheng, silently, like the wind, her words as light as the wind: "I do know a place that's different from others, it just depends on whether you dare to come."
Zhou Ziheng tucked the red dust into his belt, its crimson light drawing a beautiful line in the darkness:
"What is there to be afraid of?"
"There's nothing in this world that I, Zhou Ziheng, wouldn't dare to do!"
...
On the other side, Zhang's family was in complete chaos.
Zhang Yuanqian was extremely busy, his face so gloomy it could drip water. The change came too suddenly; he hadn't had time to make any preparations before he learned that almost all of his servants had died and his distant relatives had scattered and fled.
Zhang Yuanhan found Zhang Yuanqian in the magnificent and extravagant Zhuiying Sanyun Pavilion.
His elder brother held a letter in his hand, which looked like it had been read countless times, yet he still refused to put it down, as if he wanted to see a hole through it.
“Brother,” Zhang Yuanhan asked softly, “How is everything at home? Father…”
Zhang Yuanqian knew his younger brother all too well. What he really wanted to ask wasn't "How is everything at home?", but "Where is our father?"
He carefully put the letter away, slowly turned his head, and gave Zhang Yuanhan a reassuring smile: "Don't be afraid, I've already killed him."
Despite hearing such arrogant and treasonous words, Zhang Yuanhan felt genuinely relieved.
The two brothers laughed at each other, as if they weren't discussing some rebellious or outrageous theory, but rather a topic like what to eat for supper.
“He’s finally dead…” Zhang Yuanhan murmured, even on this blood-red night, he could feel genuinely happy. “He’s finally dead!”
Zhang Yuanqian told the other party what he most wanted to know, and after a while, he got to the important matter at hand: "The Zhang family's situation is not very good, and I'm sure you know the current predicament. My suggestion is still..."
He paused, ignoring Zhang Yuanhan's increasingly cold gaze, and continued, "I suggest you leave as soon as possible."
The feeling of happiness vanished too quickly, and Zhang Yuanhan's face darkened in an instant.
In the shadows, his face was even more terrifying than Zhang Yuanqian's.
"What do you mean by this, brother?"
He knew perfectly well that Zhang Yuanqian meant well and wanted him to live out the rest of his life in peace.
But Zhang Yuanhan had been pretending for far too long, so long that he was starting to forget he was a madman.
Madmen are irrational and ungrateful.
So he was about to question whether Zhang Yuanqian had already planned to monopolize the Zhang family and enjoy all the power, but before he could speak, an uninvited guest suddenly knocked on the Zhang family's door.
The newcomer was dressed in fine clothes, with a flying fish embroidered in gold thread on the chest and waves woven from black, gold and red threads on the hem.
When Zhang Yuanqian saw the man, he was confronting Uncle Chen, insisting on bringing the embroidered spring knife into the Zhang family compound.
Uncle Chen repeatedly asked him to put down his weapon, but the man looked displeased and impatiently pointed at the embroidered spring knife, as if he was about to cut off Uncle Chen's annoying tongue at any moment.
"Uncle Chen, please let our distinguished guest in." Zhang Yuanqian called out to Uncle Chen in a low voice. The man removed his hand from the hilt of his knife, smiled slightly, and gave Uncle Chen a gloomy smile.
Zhang Yuanqian felt as if the scars on his face had been scorched by fire, and they began to throb with pain. He couldn't muster a pleasant expression: "Xiao Shan, what's wrong now?"
The newcomer was none other than Xiao Shan, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard stationed in Zhuanglan.
The imperial court was unwilling to relinquish such a lucrative piece of the Zhuanglan trade route, yet it could not shake the Zhang family's dominant position in Zhuanglan. The court's dispatch of its most trusted Imperial Guards to Zhuanglan was also intended to suppress and balance the power, as Xiao Shan and Zhang Yuanqian were sworn enemies.
When Xiao Shan first arrived in Zhuanglan, he used the pretext that the imperial court was interested in cooperation to kidnap Zhang Yuanqian. In the end, Zhang's father compromised and agreed to let the imperial court establish its own port in Zhuanglan, which was how Zhang's eldest son was brought back.
The scars on Zhang Yuanqian's face were left from that time.
Therefore, his gaze toward Xiao Shan at this moment was far from friendly. If he were not afraid of the court's wrath, he would have already torn this damned Xiao Shan to pieces. He would not tolerate such arrogance from him!
Xiao Shan examined the scars on Zhang Yuanqian's face as if admiring a work of art. As expected, he saw that the other man's face darkened even more before he burst into laughter: "I heard that the Zhang family was in trouble. Yuanqian and I are close friends, so I came to help."
Zhang Yuanqian glanced behind Xiao Shan and asked, "Are you alone?"
Xiao Shan nodded calmly: "I'm alone."
Many thoughts flashed through Zhang Yuanqian's mind.
He had wanted to kill Xiao Shan for a long time, but the Embroidered Uniform Guard could not easily make a move. Now that Xiao Shan had entered the Zhang family alone, he could kill Xiao Shan and pretend that he was "accidentally injured" in the Zhang family's rebellion, so as to report back to the court.
Thinking this, Zhang Yuanqian revealed a subtle smile and cupped his hands to welcome Xiao Shan in.
Xiao Shan didn't move. He drew his embroidered spring knife, seemingly admiring its sharpness, and after threatening for a long time, he deliberately said, "Oh, by the way. That person issued an ultimatum: either the Zhang family pays an extra 10% in taxes, or..."
“In the future, Zhang will change her name to Wen.”
The Zhang family's taxes have always been in order; they have worked diligently and conscientiously every year without ever making a mistake. Even so, because Zhuang Lan is located on the very periphery of the Wen Dynasty, and they do business with other countries, they are always suspected by that person.
Paying an extra 10% may seem like a small matter, but who knows if they'll agree to it today and then ask for another 10% tomorrow? Besides, why should Zhang have to pay more?
Zhang Yuanqian remained relatively calm, but Zhang Yuanhan beside him already showed a look of disdain.
He didn't say whether it was good or bad, but continued to invite Xiao Shan inside, while the murderous intent in his heart reached its peak.
Zhang's father was sincere and willing to feign compliance with the imperial court, but the hot-blooded and ruthless young Zhang Yuanqian was not.
Now that most of the Zhang family's affairs are in his hands, and Zhang's father has died tonight, from now on, the eldest son will truly be in charge of the Zhang family!
With both old and new grudges, Zhang Yuanqian's scars throbbed with pain. Faced with Xiao Shan's self-destructive act, how could he let him leave?
Standing beside his brother, Zhang Yuanhan's gaze swept over Xiao Shan's effeminate and gloomy face, and a bold idea suddenly popped into his mind.
Xiao Shan's arrival seemed like a variable for the Zhang brothers, but it was also an opportunity.
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The author says: A sigh for fleeting moments, like a spark in a stone, or a dream.
From Su Shi's "Xingxiangzi: Expressing My Feelings"
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