Chapter 156: The Seven-Day Decree
Sanhelou.
He may not be the center of attention, but he is undoubtedly a young man who commands respect and is frail yet strong as a pine tree. He lifts the curtain with one hand and steps down from the carriage.
Even a hundred-foot-tall building would pale in comparison to him; this is the kind of grandeur that can only be cultivated at the highest point. Even Su Mengzhen in his youth would be astonished if he saw him now. Yes, his illness has worsened like a river flowing downwards, but beyond that, his steps have not been hindered. With a will that is both fiery and icy, there are few in the world whom he can still look at on equal terms, and even fewer who can look down upon him.
People may judge a person based on their illness, but illness is not everything, and they will never become Su Mengzhen.
The carriage coming from the opposite direction also stopped. Su Mengzhen looked to the side and saw Lei Sun.
In his youth, Lei Sun was a hot-tempered and impulsive man. He was prone to rashness, but it was this very drive that allowed him to build his initial empire. Now, however, he has become the complete opposite, a man who is both patient and shrewd. His dark eyes turned to Su Mengzhen, a glint of light in them that seemed to have no substance.
Was there a murderous aura? Perhaps. The next second, they withdrew their gazes and stepped into the building almost simultaneously.
Only after the two figures had entered the entrance of Sanhelou did another person get off the carriage. First came a woman in a blue skirt, without any patterns, extremely simple and capable. Then came a beautiful woman who looked like a royal concubine, with a cold face and disdainful eyes. After getting off the carriage, she didn't walk away immediately, but reached into the carriage and took the hand of another girl.
Slowly, always looking listless, as if he was about to fall asleep any minute, Xie Huailing's eyelids were drooping, actually pulled down by Bai Feifei.
She really wanted to talk to Bai Feifei and complain about getting up too early, but flirting with Bai Feifei in front of Su Mengzhen in the carriage today was too risky, and she absolutely couldn't do it, so she held back until now. She wanted to yawn again, but that was interrupted. Bai Feifei used her strength well, and Xie Huailing landed steadily on the ground. The next second, she was thrown aside and then glared at.
Footsteps could be heard from the opposite side. The only person who could be in the same carriage as Lei Sun was Di Feijing. The young man lowered his head and eyes, his hands resting on his sides.
The three of them didn't even exchange a glance. This was Bai Feifei's first time meeting Di Feijing, and she didn't have a very good impression of him. She gave the young man a critical look and strode forward without looking back.
Just like Su Mengzhen and Lei Sun, Di Feijing followed. Xie Huailing, however, did not follow. She deliberately lagged behind Bai Feifei by one step, and because of their different paces, she was quickly left completely behind.
Xie Huailing's identity is special. She doesn't have a clear position in Jin Feng Xi Yu Lou. To be precise, she is Su Mengzhen's personal strategist and the de facto second-in-command. But when it comes to titles, she is willing to give them to Bai Feifei and walk behind with ease, and no one can say anything wrong with that.
Actually, she didn't have to come today. It was only because Lei Sun specified in his letter that Xie Huailing had to be present during the negotiations that she got up early and came here.
That old codger, he's truly an old thief who doesn't die.
She hadn't gone to bed early last night. To prepare all the plans in advance so that everything could proceed as usual even if she wasn't there, she had stayed up all night. As a result, even in this place where the pressure was so palpable, she was so sleepy that she could barely lift her head. Xie Huailing felt as if her eyelids weighed a ton. She tried to perk herself up by thinking about the storybook she hadn't finished reading yesterday, but before she knew it, she was cursing the unethical writer of the storybook, predicting that it would probably end up being a terrible mess.
Once she reached the corridor, the hot wind roused her slightly, and she was able to open her eyes.
That's because she's almost cooked.
The room door was tightly closed. Su Mengzhen and Lei Sun took their seats, and the negotiations, which were essentially a declaration of war, were now complete. Xie Huailing gripped the wooden railing and leaned against it. The first thing she saw when she looked down was a dense mass of heads, like dark clouds pressing down on the city, making it impossible to breathe freely.
She looked again, towards the direction of the Golden Wind and Drizzle Pavilion. The eaves that flew into the clouds were themselves a red-sleeved knife.
.
Su Mengzhen and Lei Sun had met many times, but this time was different from all the previous ones.
Every encounter before existed for the sake of this meeting today; this meeting today is for the sake of the last meeting in the future.
“Master Su is young and promising. It seems that even my dim old eyes can see people clearly. I’m not so old that I can’t see anything at all,” Lei Sun said with a smile.
He was referring to the marriage arrangement between Su Mengzhen and Lei Chun years ago. Su Mengzhen spoke in a deep voice, unbothered by the self-proclaimed elder tone in his words, and simply said, "In a few years, things will probably be different. Master Lei knows he is getting old, so it would be better for him to retire."
There's no need for anyone to speak calmly; everyone's wondering if a fight might break out right here.
Lei Sun was not angry. He was long past that age and occasionally felt that others were too young. There were advantages to being old. His old age often helped him to carry out his schemes. He said, "Retirement has its advantages. Just like Su Louzhu, he should have focused on treating his illness as soon as possible. Why suffer through it?"
A faint smell of gunpowder mixed with a faint smell of blood lingered. Neither of them sat down or drank tea.
Lei Sun suddenly exhaled, seemingly with regret: "Like Lei Gun in my hall, once he knew that his right arm was crippled and that he would be accompanied by disability for the rest of his life, he focused on healing his injured legs. This way, he did not lose the big picture for the small thing."
"Losing the small and losing the big, neither is of much significance." His eyes were like lightning, yet also like cold fire. Su Mengzhen said, he had his own style of rebuttal, "Even if he recovers, he will break them all."
Then came a silence of unfathomable meaning. Lei Sun looked at this young man, whom he had watched grow up, and wondered if he regretted not ending him in the beginning. They didn't care about Lei Gun or Bai Feifei's name appearing. They hadn't come for those things. Everything was just the beginning. If the fuel had been gathered, no matter when the fire started, it would burn like a raging inferno.
When things are peaceful, one should not look at the government first; if the government is unstable, then the people and the countryside will also be in turmoil.
"It's been eight years since Master Su took over as the leader, hasn't it?" With a touch of emotion, Lei Sun raised his head and said, "The Golden Wind and Fine Rain Pavilion has grown from an ordinary force to one that shares the Jianghu with the Six and a Half Hall, with countless talented people under its command. It's quite an achievement. We've fought countless times."
Su Mengzhen said, "If you can't count them all, there's no need to count them anymore."
Lei Sun nodded, showing no sign of negotiation, and said, "It's time for a winner to emerge."
His eyes were already cloudy, like the murky haze of twilight: "The imperial court is investigating Fu Zongshu's death, but there are no leads yet. However, in about half a month, things should become clear."
“Then let’s make it seven days,” Su Mengzhen replied decisively.
Lei Sun shook his head, rejecting his proposal: "Seven days is too short; we might not be able to decide the outcome. How about ten days?"
Su Mengzhen saw that Lei Sun had nothing to offer him, so he remained unmoved and firmly stated, "Seven days is seven days. Jin Feng Xi Yu Lou will only count it as seven days."
Lei Sun smiled again, seemingly in resignation. The wrinkles on his face smoothed out, yet it still resembled a piece of tree bark damp with water: "Very well, seven days it is, then it's a seven-day limit. But since you've decided on the timeframe, I'll set the exact date. From which day onwards, it will be seven days..."
It was precisely the tacit understanding between the adversaries that allowed them to speak before the words were even finished, their beauty radiant and poignant, their silence a response to the question.
.
Bai Feifei couldn't hold back any longer and slapped Xie Huailing on the back.
Xie Huailing finally stood up and cried out, "Ouch, ouch!" But it backfired. After standing up, she immediately lay back down. Her mouth, which had been holding back her words, opened as well: "Feifei, you hit me so hard."
"Serves you right, I'm being kind by not kicking you." Bai Feifei practically rolled her eyes at her.
"I feel like I'm hurt, it really hurts." Xie Huailing pouted pitifully.
Bai Feifei remained unmoved: "Serves you right."
She didn't rub Xie Huailing's back, and just let Xie Huailing talk: "But I'm really sleepy. Can we do this? You see, we can't finish talking in a short time. I'll go find an empty room, draw the curtains, and take a nap."
"Dream on."
“If you don’t get enough sleep at night, you’ll dream all day. So what do you do?” Since Di Feijing should be on the other side of this floor anyway, and he might hear her, Xie Huailing said, “Why don’t we both run out to the West Wing of Waiting Moon? That way I won’t want to sleep.”
"..." Bai Feifei probably wanted to say something like "Stop disgusting me" or "Do you think Su Mengzhen is dead?", but what she finally said was, "Are you ever going to stop? Can't you give people a break?"
Xie Huailing shrugged, stating bluntly, "He won't die if I leave him here alone. He's already in his twenties. Besides, no matter what, they'll definitely set a deadline. Even if a fight breaks out, I'll just be a burden here."
She didn't think Su Mengzhen was dead; she thought everyone was dead: "I'd better leave first, at least I can save some people."
"The person is gone, but you're dead too," Bai Feifei said calmly. "Shaman didn't come with you, so no one will follow you wherever you go today. Behave yourself."
Xie Huailing had already taken two steps toward the stairs. She was about to say something when Bai Feifei suddenly changed her expression and attitude, trying to urge her on. Xie Huailing immediately understood.
Unfortunately, the sound was faster than her changing expression; the clash of swords shook the entire Sanhe Building!
The fight between Su Mengzhen and Lei Sun far surpassed the level of ordinary first-rate masters sparring. Bai Feifei pushed Xie Huailing away, saying, "Go!"
Xie Huailing was pushed directly to the stairwell. To say she had expected it wouldn't be entirely true. Listening to the sounds of fighting that were about to shatter the walls, she felt a pang of unease. She had said she disliked these martial arts masters with extraordinary strength; even if this was a legal building, she would still demolish it as an illegal structure.
Now that's bad. The noise is so loud, people down below probably heard it too, and if they start fighting, there'll be no way for her to escape.
Forget it, let's find somewhere to stay. Even if it's Su Mengzhen, we can't completely dismantle it. We'll wait for him to finish beating her and then come to rescue her.
Even with this attitude of ignoring everything that concerns her, Xie Huailing lifted her skirt and tried to run down the stairs by touching the handrail. But as soon as she took a step, the entire staircase disappeared from her sight, and she couldn't help but notice the young man a few steps away, who was as elusive as a ghost.
So this is where it stayed, alone and forlorn, much like a dying white crane, its eyes wandering alone in the light and shadow, like a branch of withered snow.
But Xie Huailing didn't stop. The clanging of swords filled the entire building; anyone with ears could hear it. She continued downstairs, seemingly about to walk past the young man. Before they could even brush past each other, the young man reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her towards him, his knuckles almost searing her hand.
They remained motionless, as if they were dead.
Xie Huailing then stopped, tilted her head slightly, her eyes revealing a deep and shallow depth, not letting him see clearly, and said, "So, Master Di was here. You were waiting for me on purpose, weren't you?"
She tried to pull her hand back inch by inch, but she could already hear the sounds of fighting downstairs, dense as a net, with lives as the thread. She drawled, "But at a time like this, don't even think about capturing me. Your master might be fighting two against one. You should worry about him."
After saying that, Xie Huailing pulled hard, but Di Feijing had no intention of letting go. He didn't pinch her hard, didn't say a word, but held her tightly, pulling her to his side, so that he could see her with his head down, and only then could he feel a wisp of fragrance in his arms.
But isn't it absurd to search for fragrance in a sea of blood?
At this crucial moment, Xie Huailing refused to believe that any man's love could completely cloud his judgment, nor did she condone anyone's absurdity. She recalled Lei Sun's handwriting, which specifically requested her presence—things she already knew before coming. Therefore, she was determined not to fall into the hands of the Six and a Half Hall: "Let go! Don't let me leave! Let me guess, what orders did Chief Hall Master Lei give you? Are you waiting for me, then kidnapping me, or taking me away?"
She had already grasped the outline of "Tianyun Five-Flower Cotton". In terms of martial arts, she was indeed no match for Di Feijing. At this critical moment, it seemed that she had indeed become his prey. However, she said, "What a coincidence, I was also waiting for you."
Di Fei gripped her wrist tighter, groping for her skin. His pale, weak face lowered as he tried to think about her plan, but his gaze would immediately fall into her eyes.
Xie Huailing said, "You heard it too, I want someone to go on a date with me. This doesn't count as disobeying Chief Lei's orders, and it's like you're taking me away. So, please, Di Feijing, come with me, okay?"
He seemed to be caught in some kind of predicament, when the earth-shaking battle knocked on the door. The grudges from past lives were as sticky as ink, so sticky that he could not move. The nearest sound of swords could not be distinguished as whether it was Hongxiu or not.
Her smile was soft and gentle on her clean face: "Let's go play for seven days. Anyway, you promised me and have been waiting for me—let's run away together."
Let's cast aside all these deep-seated hatreds, irreconcilable differences, life-and-death separations, and unrequited love.
This was the first smile she showed him, an expression he thought he would never see. She lowered her eyebrows, and a gentle blush spread across her face, a radiant, romantic smile. It was as if she could smile like this.
Outside, the sky was bright with daylight. Although the fighting had already begun, with swords flashing in the sun and blood flowing like a spring, and the battle seemed endless, there was still a clear blue mirror reflecting off the distant alleyway, which had been trembling with fear from the fighting, making it seem like a paradise. No one knew when the Song Dynasty had ended, or what the Jianghu (martial arts world) was like.
How wonderful it would be if everything that trapped him never existed, if he could escape briefly, forget briefly, even if a few days could feel like years, and if he could consider it as a life on the run with her.
Then the "Heavenly Cloud Five-Flower Cotton" was pressed against his waist, causing a sharp, piercing pain. It wasn't really a seduction; he had no choice.
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