It takes no effort to get it
Beihai is the largest armament port at the southern tip of the Chu Kingdom. Since Chu Yuan ascended the throne, although there has never been a naval battle, the number of naval forces has increased year by year, from the East China Sea to the South China Sea. When the wind rises, the black battle flags cover the sky and the sun is magnificent. Continuously, the loud and clear sound of horn echoing on time every morning can almost reach the other end of the world. It is precisely for this reason that in recent years, more and more businessmen have gone to Nanyang to do business. With such a strong national support behind them, they are naturally not afraid of being bullied by foreign countries.
And Guanhai City under Beihai became the most important trading port. Merchant ships loaded with porcelain and silk set sail and gradually disappeared in the rising sun. Chu Yuan was dressed in casual clothes, and sat at a small stall near the pier and ate a bowl of fish soup. The stall owner is a young man, carrying his kid behind his back, joking with his wife while doing business. Chu Yuan listens interestingly, and sat there for a while. It wasn’t until Sixi came to find him that he put down a piece of broken silver and stood up.
“Master.” Sixi held an umbrella in his hand, “It looks like it’s going to rain, so let’s go back early.”
“What about Senior Nan?” Chu Yuan asked.
“He is just ahead.” Sixi said, “The Southwest Mansion has opened a shop in Guanhai City, which specializes in collecting pearls caught in the deep sea. In the past few days, people from the mansion happened to come to collect the goods, so Master Nan said to go and have a look.”
“Pearl shop?” Chu Yuan said, “Let’s go, and have a look.”
Not far from the pier is a bustling street. The shops on both sides were crowded. Most of them were selling sea products and seafood, and there was a lingering fishy smell. However, Chu Yuan didn’t dislike it. He walked and went all the way, chatting with various shopkeepers, and finally stopped in front of a shop. He asked, “This one?”
“Yes.” Sixi said, “Master Nan should still be inside.”
Chu Yuan opened the curtain and walked in. There was no one to greet him, but there was a five or six-year-old kid sitting at the door playing with his fingers. Hearing some movement, he looked up curiously.
Seeing his cute pink face, Chu Yuan smiled and stretched out his hand: “Come here.”
The little kid stood up, and asked in a childish voice, “Who are you looking for?”
“We’re looking for Master Nan.” Chu Yuan squatted down, “What’s your name?”
“Xue Xiaoman”, the kid replied.
“Xiaoman?” Chu Yuan nodded, “You have a good name.”
“Master Nan is at the back.” The little kid stretched out his finger, “It’s time to eat, and mother is also at the back.”
Chu Yuan said: “Shall I take you to find your mother?”
“Okay.” The little kid was too lazy to walk, so he stretched out his hands to be hugged.
Chu Yuan picked him up, and just when he walked to the backyard, he heard Nan Moxie’s loud voice, and then a woman came from the other side. It was Jin Niang, who Zhao Wu had rescued from the back mountain. She had been busy working in the Southwest Mansion for the past few days. Aunt Jin felt distressed, so she asked her to collect pearls with the caravan, both to relax and hide away for a while.
“Mother.” Xiao Man stretched out his hand to call her.
Chu Yuan paused, and Eunuch Sixi also looked a little surprised.
“Your Majesty.” After seeing who it was, Jin Niang’s face instantly turned pale, her legs went weak and she knelt down.
Nan Moxie stopped into the courtyard gate with one foot inside. Seeing this scene, he asked in surprise: “Whats going on?”
“Take the child away first.” Chu Yuan handed Xiaoman to Sixi.
“Your Majesty, the child is innocent.” Jin Niang was worried. Kneeling she took trotted two steps forward.
Sixi covered Xiao Man’s eyes, and went at the front while coaxing him.
Upon seeing this, Jin Niang stood up and wanted to chase him, but Chu Yuan reached out to stop her. She turned around and saw Nan Moxie. She immediately felt like she had seen a saviour. She rushed forward and knelt down, “Master Nan.”
“You get up first, get up first and then talk about it. What’s going on?” Nan Moxie was confused and pulled her up.
“Of course, I have no problem with the child, no matter who his father is.” Chu Yuan said coldly, “Where is Chu Xiang?”
Nan Moxie was slightly surprised when he heard the words, Chu Xiang?
Even the color on Jin Niang’s lips turned pale. After a long time, she finally told the truth intermittently.
Jin Niang’s original name is Xue Ting’er, and she was a dancer in Liu’s mansion. Although her appearance was mediocre, her dancing postures were very graceful. Chu Xiang had a close personal relationship with Liu Jinde, and after several banquets, she was brought back to the palace as a matter of course. Xue Ting’er came from a humble background and was naturally not qualified to be a concubine. A few years later, Chu Xiang was exiled to Hainan. Originally, the female family members are exempted from crime, but she persisted in her obsession and followed him all the way to Hainan.
“In that case, why did you come back?” Chu Yuan asked.
Jin Niang said: “When we first reached Hainan, he appreciated me sincerely, which is considered to be very kind. He even took me with him when he escaped to sea. It’s just that when he arrived in a new place, life was better, but he instead became more and more violent, even…”
“Even what?” Chu Yuan asked.
“He even wanted to regain his power.” Jin Niang’s voice was hoarse, “I know that he is overconfident, and he can’t see the current situation clearly. He was praised by people every day, so he still had half the heart to live a good life.” Seeing that he was getting more and more crazy and that there was no cure, I ran away after giving birth to Xiaoman. I was not afraid of death, but I didn’t want my son to be implicated along with him.”
Chu Yuan said, “Where did you go after you left Hainan?”
Jin Niang shook her head: “I don’t know. The ship travelled through the vast white mist for many days, and sometimes I couldn’t even tell the difference between day and night. After arriving on the island, he didn’t allow me to walk around. The people there were dressed in extremely strange ways. There are many wizards wrapped in black cloaks.”
When Nan Moxie heard the words, his heart suddenly moved.
The vast white mist, black-robed wizard, everything seems to be consistent with the rumoured Feimian Kingdom.
Chu Yuan raised his lips but said nothing.
Tears welled up in Nan Moxie’s eyes, and he really wanted to slap his forehead hard, or slap himself twice. He had been looking for Tianchensha for so many years, but he never expected that there was a person present from the Feimian Kingdom in the Southwest Mansion. He doesn’t know whether to say fate tricks people, or to blame the apprentice for his hard life.
In the Lijing Kingdom of the South China Sea, Duan Baiyue was wiping the Xuanming Hantie in the inn when he saw Sikong Rui pushing the door open and coming in, holding a stack of washboards in his hand.
Duan Baiyue joked: “Want to take it back to kneel down?”
Sikong Rui’s face was full of disdain: “How could I kneel down on this thing?”
Duan Yao picked up: “Yes, one must kneel on nail boards.”
Duan Baiyue suppressed a smile. Sikong Rui couldn’t argue with two people with one mouth. He had no choice but to take the teapot and drink tea by himself: “Since we have made an excuse of doing business, we can’t do nothing. Lijing Kingdom specializes in producing all kinds of wooden furniture, bathtubs and tubs. I spent a long time choosing a washboard, but this one is the lightest.”
Duan Baiyue said: “Yao’er and I also inquired about some things.”
“Let’s listen to it.” Sikong Rui became interested.
“No one can tell where the people on Xingzhou Island come from, but there are some vague rumours.” Duan Baiyue said, “It is said that the ship comes from the north and has to pass through the vast white mist. If there are wind and waves during the voyage, the ship stores the dry food. If that is not enough, they use some herbs to exchange for daily necessities from the merchant ships passing through them.”
“The north, white mist, herbal medicine, a big place.” Sikong Rui clicked his tongue, “Except for the Feimian Kingdom, I can’t think of another one. It seems that you are lucky, even the heavens wants to help you. Otherwise why would that Chu Xiang not stay in other places, but pick this one.”
Duan Yao said: “How can we sneak in? My second brother and his people travelled on the sea for more than half a year, but they still couldn’t find the specific location of Feimian Kingdom. If it takes a day or two, we can hide under the bottom of the big ship and sneak ashore, but from here it will take at least several months to get to Feimian Kingdom, we can’t just hide there all the time.”
Sikong Rui said: “Let’s find an open and honest way to get involved.”
Duan Yao was puzzled.
Sikong Rui said: “There is a place in this city. It is said that its master has some relationship with Xingzhou.”
Duan Baiyue asked: “Where?”
“You may not believe it, but there really are such coincidences in the world. I just found out about it.” Sikong Rui said, “There is a place in this city called Xiao Fei Luan1.”
Duan Baiyue was dumbfounded, “Jing Liuhui?”
“He is delivered to your door by himself.” Sikong Rui said, “Before you tie him back and hand him over to Jing Liutian, maybe he can be of some use.”
Duan Baiyue nodded: “Okay.”
The buildings in Lijing Kingdom all have the characteristics of southern China. Only Xiao Fei Luan, located in the busy city, has green walls, gray tiles, carved wooden windows, and has the charm of the South China Sea. Dachu’s Fei Luan House is well-known, and it is said that the master of Small Fei Luan is the younger brother of the owner of Fei Luan House. Naturally, the business can’t differ much.
Jing Liuhui was lying on the couch, watching the dancers perform in front of him, feeling quite happy and romantic. This place is thousands of miles away from Da Chu, so he naturally won’t worry about being visited by his brother. Thus, he doesn’t shy away from using the Fei Luan Tower sign. A large amount of money comes in every day, and no one cares about the east or west2, and he is as happy as a god.
The servant ran upstairs and said that he has a guest seeking to meet him.
Jing Liuhui sat up and waved to the dancer to step aside for now.
Sikong Rui opened the door and came in, followed by a man wearing a silver mask.
“Two guests.” Jing Liuhui said, “Do you want to find out some information?”
“Exactly.” Sikong Rui said respectfully, “Excuse us.”
“That’s easy to discuss.” Jing Liuhui smiled and called the servants to serve tea, “I wonder what do you want to inquire about?”
“To be honest, it’s not me, but this brother.” Sikong Rui said, “He has left his hometown now, and he wants to find a business that can make money. He heard that Master Jing has many connections here, so we boldly came forward to ask.”
“There are so many jobs from which you can make money, it’s too general.” Jing Liuhui shook his head, “At least tell me what kind of job you want to do, and I’ll tell you if it’s convenient for you to find one.”
Sikong Rui: “We have also inquired for a while, and small businesses are too slow to get money, so we don’t like them. But recently, there are many large merchant ships carrying logs of wood to Xingzhou Island, which seems to be a good business. I wonder if we can get a share of the pie?”
“You want to do business in Xingzhou?” Jing Liuhui shook his head, “Absolutely impossible.”
Duan Baiyue asked: “Why?”
“The master on Xingzhou Island does not accept deals from strangers, let alone from Chu people.” Jing Liuhui said.
Sikong Rui said: “The Dachu merchants are very powerful, why are they unwilling to do business with them?”
Jing Liuhui shook his head: “I cannot elaborate on this.”
“Is there really no room for further negotiation?” Sikong Rui said, “The master of Xingzhou Island doesn’t like Dachu, and my brother here was also betrayed by Da Chu to the point that he can’t even return back. But he still has his integrity and refuses to depend on me for making a living. So he came to Nanyang without hesitation, and wanted to rely on himself to regain his self worth and strength. He has as much capital as required to do the business, and he is very good at martial arts. He is also a first-class master in the Central Plains martial arts, let alone fearing pirates.”
“Being good at martial arts?” Jing Liuhui became interested, “How good is he?”
Duan Baiyue said: “I can fight one against a hundred.”
Jing Liuhui shook his head: “Your excellency, you are not among those in the Jianghu rankings.”
Duan Baiyue said: “You can judge the level of my martial arts skills by just trying and testing out. It is always more convincing than a piece of paper.”
Jing Liuhui asked again: “Why are you wearing a mask?”
Sikong Rui said from the side: “He was framed and his appearance was completely ruined. It is a sad past so please don’t talk about it.”
Jing Liuhui thought for a moment and said: “I’m afraid I won’t be able to do business, but I have another job here, which is also related to Xingzhou Island. And if it is done well, the money will be no less than the log business.”
“Seriously?” Sikong Rui asked happily, “I wonder what job is it?”
Jing Liu Hui said: “Teaching.”
“Teaching is good.” Sikong Rui clapped his hands and asked again, “But my brother’s skills are not light. What should he do if he kills someone?”
“If a person can be beaten to death during military training, he is trash. So it doesn’t matter if a few trash die.” Jing Liuhui said, “But before that, I want to test Your Excellency’s martial art skills first.”
Duan Baiyue nodded: “Okay.”
Jing Liuhui said: “After all this discussion, I still don’t know how to address you two?”
“No problem.” Sikong Rui said, “I am Sikong Rui, the young master of Wangxi Reef. This is my sworn brother. I won’t mention his previous name. Now that he is as good as being reborn, we naturally have to choose a new one, which speaks for itself. My lord can just call him Wang Fugui3.”
Jing Liuhui was choked, and after a moment he said: “Brother Wang.”
Duan Baiyue was extremely calm: “My lord.”
Sikong Rui held his hands beside him and smiled sincerely.
The agreed date was three days later. When Duan Baiyue and Sikong Rui went there, Jing Liuhui had already arrived first, and there was a person standing next to him, it was Chu Xiang.
“Your Excellency is the master of Xingzhou?” Sikong Rui praised, “You are truly a man of honour. My brother will follow Your Excellency in the future. I hope you will give him more support.”
“I am flattered.” Chu Xiang smiled, “As long as he is a capable person, it will be difficult for you to suffer by my side.”
Duan Baiyue asked: “Who do you want me to compete with?”
“It’s not about competing with others.” Chu Xiang pressed a big stone beside him, and a gap slowly opened in the ground.
Sikong Rui asked Jing Liuhui in a low voice: “Does he need to compete with ghosts?” He has to go underground.
“You’ll know after you go and see it.” Jing Liuhui smiled unfathomably.
Duan Baiyue jumped down, and the soles of his feet touched the ground in a moment, which was not too high.
The other people also jumped into the dark room. The walls were illuminated with pearls. The light was very dim, but they could still see clearly that in the open space in front, there were more than a dozen nine-foot bronze figures lined up neatly.
It is the Eight Desolation Formation.
===========================================================
As usual, if there are any mistakes or errors, please contact me and I’ll rectify it. If anyone is willing to help in translation who knows Mandarin, you are more than welcome to assist. In that case as well, please email me.
==========================================================
Notes:
Small Fei Luan ↩︎ care about east or west meaning care about anything if it is legitimate or not ↩︎ means “very rich prince” ↩︎
It takes no effort to get it
Beihai is the largest armament port at the southern tip of the Chu Kingdom. Since Chu Yuan ascended the throne, although there has never been a naval battle, the number of naval forces has increased year by year, from the East China Sea to the South China Sea. When the wind rises, the black battle flags cover the sky and the sun is magnificent. Continuously, the loud and clear sound of horn echoing on time every morning can almost reach the other end of the world. It is precisely for this reason that in recent years, more and more businessmen have gone to Nanyang to do business. With such a strong national support behind them, they are naturally not afraid of being bullied by foreign countries.
And Guanhai City under Beihai became the most important trading port. Merchant ships loaded with porcelain and silk set sail and gradually disappeared in the rising sun. Chu Yuan was dressed in casual clothes, and sat at a small stall near the pier and ate a bowl of fish soup. The stall owner is a young man, carrying his kid behind his back, joking with his wife while doing business. Chu Yuan listens interestingly, and sat there for a while. It wasn’t until Sixi came to find him that he put down a piece of broken silver and stood up.
“Master.” Sixi held an umbrella in his hand, “It looks like it’s going to rain, so let’s go back early.”
“What about Senior Nan?” Chu Yuan asked.
“He is just ahead.” Sixi said, “The Southwest Mansion has opened a shop in Guanhai City, which specializes in collecting pearls caught in the deep sea. In the past few days, people from the mansion happened to come to collect the goods, so Master Nan said to go and have a look.”
“Pearl shop?” Chu Yuan said, “Let’s go, and have a look.”
Not far from the pier is a bustling street. The shops on both sides were crowded. Most of them were selling sea products and seafood, and there was a lingering fishy smell. However, Chu Yuan didn’t dislike it. He walked and went all the way, chatting with various shopkeepers, and finally stopped in front of a shop. He asked, “This one?”
“Yes.” Sixi said, “Master Nan should still be inside.”
Chu Yuan opened the curtain and walked in. There was no one to greet him, but there was a five or six-year-old kid sitting at the door playing with his fingers. Hearing some movement, he looked up curiously.
Seeing his cute pink face, Chu Yuan smiled and stretched out his hand: “Come here.”
The little kid stood up, and asked in a childish voice, “Who are you looking for?”
“We’re looking for Master Nan.” Chu Yuan squatted down, “What’s your name?”
“Xue Xiaoman”, the kid replied.
“Xiaoman?” Chu Yuan nodded, “You have a good name.”
“Master Nan is at the back.” The little kid stretched out his finger, “It’s time to eat, and mother is also at the back.”
Chu Yuan said: “Shall I take you to find your mother?”
“Okay.” The little kid was too lazy to walk, so he stretched out his hands to be hugged.
Chu Yuan picked him up, and just when he walked to the backyard, he heard Nan Moxie’s loud voice, and then a woman came from the other side. It was Jin Niang, who Zhao Wu had rescued from the back mountain. She had been busy working in the Southwest Mansion for the past few days. Aunt Jin felt distressed, so she asked her to collect pearls with the caravan, both to relax and hide away for a while.
“Mother.” Xiao Man stretched out his hand to call her.
Chu Yuan paused, and Eunuch Sixi also looked a little surprised.
“Your Majesty.” After seeing who it was, Jin Niang’s face instantly turned pale, her legs went weak and she knelt down.
Nan Moxie stopped into the courtyard gate with one foot inside. Seeing this scene, he asked in surprise: “Whats going on?”
“Take the child away first.” Chu Yuan handed Xiaoman to Sixi.
“Your Majesty, the child is innocent.” Jin Niang was worried. Kneeling she took trotted two steps forward.
Sixi covered Xiao Man’s eyes, and went at the front while coaxing him.
Upon seeing this, Jin Niang stood up and wanted to chase him, but Chu Yuan reached out to stop her. She turned around and saw Nan Moxie. She immediately felt like she had seen a saviour. She rushed forward and knelt down, “Master Nan.”
“You get up first, get up first and then talk about it. What’s going on?” Nan Moxie was confused and pulled her up.
“Of course, I have no problem with the child, no matter who his father is.” Chu Yuan said coldly, “Where is Chu Xiang?”
Nan Moxie was slightly surprised when he heard the words, Chu Xiang?
Even the color on Jin Niang’s lips turned pale. After a long time, she finally told the truth intermittently.
Jin Niang’s original name is Xue Ting’er, and she was a dancer in Liu’s mansion. Although her appearance was mediocre, her dancing postures were very graceful. Chu Xiang had a close personal relationship with Liu Jinde, and after several banquets, she was brought back to the palace as a matter of course. Xue Ting’er came from a humble background and was naturally not qualified to be a concubine. A few years later, Chu Xiang was exiled to Hainan. Originally, the female family members are exempted from crime, but she persisted in her obsession and followed him all the way to Hainan.
“In that case, why did you come back?” Chu Yuan asked.
Jin Niang said: “When we first reached Hainan, he appreciated me sincerely, which is considered to be very kind. He even took me with him when he escaped to sea. It’s just that when he arrived in a new place, life was better, but he instead became more and more violent, even…”
“Even what?” Chu Yuan asked.
“He even wanted to regain his power.” Jin Niang’s voice was hoarse, “I know that he is overconfident, and he can’t see the current situation clearly. He was praised by people every day, so he still had half the heart to live a good life.” Seeing that he was getting more and more crazy and that there was no cure, I ran away after giving birth to Xiaoman. I was not afraid of death, but I didn’t want my son to be implicated along with him.”
Chu Yuan said, “Where did you go after you left Hainan?”
Jin Niang shook her head: “I don’t know. The ship travelled through the vast white mist for many days, and sometimes I couldn’t even tell the difference between day and night. After arriving on the island, he didn’t allow me to walk around. The people there were dressed in extremely strange ways. There are many wizards wrapped in black cloaks.”
When Nan Moxie heard the words, his heart suddenly moved.
The vast white mist, black-robed wizard, everything seems to be consistent with the rumoured Feimian Kingdom.
Chu Yuan raised his lips but said nothing.
Tears welled up in Nan Moxie’s eyes, and he really wanted to slap his forehead hard, or slap himself twice. He had been looking for Tianchensha for so many years, but he never expected that there was a person present from the Feimian Kingdom in the Southwest Mansion. He doesn’t know whether to say fate tricks people, or to blame the apprentice for his hard life.
In the Lijing Kingdom of the South China Sea, Duan Baiyue was wiping the Xuanming Hantie in the inn when he saw Sikong Rui pushing the door open and coming in, holding a stack of washboards in his hand.
Duan Baiyue joked: “Want to take it back to kneel down?”
Sikong Rui’s face was full of disdain: “How could I kneel down on this thing?”
Duan Yao picked up: “Yes, one must kneel on nail boards.”
Duan Baiyue suppressed a smile. Sikong Rui couldn’t argue with two people with one mouth. He had no choice but to take the teapot and drink tea by himself: “Since we have made an excuse of doing business, we can’t do nothing. Lijing Kingdom specializes in producing all kinds of wooden furniture, bathtubs and tubs. I spent a long time choosing a washboard, but this one is the lightest.”
Duan Baiyue said: “Yao’er and I also inquired about some things.”
“Let’s listen to it.” Sikong Rui became interested.
“No one can tell where the people on Xingzhou Island come from, but there are some vague rumours.” Duan Baiyue said, “It is said that the ship comes from the north and has to pass through the vast white mist. If there are wind and waves during the voyage, the ship stores the dry food. If that is not enough, they use some herbs to exchange for daily necessities from the merchant ships passing through them.”
“The north, white mist, herbal medicine, a big place.” Sikong Rui clicked his tongue, “Except for the Feimian Kingdom, I can’t think of another one. It seems that you are lucky, even the heavens wants to help you. Otherwise why would that Chu Xiang not stay in other places, but pick this one.”
Duan Yao said: “How can we sneak in? My second brother and his people travelled on the sea for more than half a year, but they still couldn’t find the specific location of Feimian Kingdom. If it takes a day or two, we can hide under the bottom of the big ship and sneak ashore, but from here it will take at least several months to get to Feimian Kingdom, we can’t just hide there all the time.”
Sikong Rui said: “Let’s find an open and honest way to get involved.”
Duan Yao was puzzled.
Sikong Rui said: “There is a place in this city. It is said that its master has some relationship with Xingzhou.”
Duan Baiyue asked: “Where?”
“You may not believe it, but there really are such coincidences in the world. I just found out about it.” Sikong Rui said, “There is a place in this city called Xiao Fei Luan1.”
Duan Baiyue was dumbfounded, “Jing Liuhui?”
“He is delivered to your door by himself.” Sikong Rui said, “Before you tie him back and hand him over to Jing Liutian, maybe he can be of some use.”
Duan Baiyue nodded: “Okay.”
The buildings in Lijing Kingdom all have the characteristics of southern China. Only Xiao Fei Luan, located in the busy city, has green walls, gray tiles, carved wooden windows, and has the charm of the South China Sea. Dachu’s Fei Luan House is well-known, and it is said that the master of Small Fei Luan is the younger brother of the owner of Fei Luan House. Naturally, the business can’t differ much.
Jing Liuhui was lying on the couch, watching the dancers perform in front of him, feeling quite happy and romantic. This place is thousands of miles away from Da Chu, so he naturally won’t worry about being visited by his brother. Thus, he doesn’t shy away from using the Fei Luan Tower sign. A large amount of money comes in every day, and no one cares about the east or west2, and he is as happy as a god.
The servant ran upstairs and said that he has a guest seeking to meet him.
Jing Liuhui sat up and waved to the dancer to step aside for now.
Sikong Rui opened the door and came in, followed by a man wearing a silver mask.
“Two guests.” Jing Liuhui said, “Do you want to find out some information?”
“Exactly.” Sikong Rui said respectfully, “Excuse us.”
“That’s easy to discuss.” Jing Liuhui smiled and called the servants to serve tea, “I wonder what do you want to inquire about?”
“To be honest, it’s not me, but this brother.” Sikong Rui said, “He has left his hometown now, and he wants to find a business that can make money. He heard that Master Jing has many connections here, so we boldly came forward to ask.”
“There are so many jobs from which you can make money, it’s too general.” Jing Liuhui shook his head, “At least tell me what kind of job you want to do, and I’ll tell you if it’s convenient for you to find one.”
Sikong Rui: “We have also inquired for a while, and small businesses are too slow to get money, so we don’t like them. But recently, there are many large merchant ships carrying logs of wood to Xingzhou Island, which seems to be a good business. I wonder if we can get a share of the pie?”
“You want to do business in Xingzhou?” Jing Liuhui shook his head, “Absolutely impossible.”
Duan Baiyue asked: “Why?”
“The master on Xingzhou Island does not accept deals from strangers, let alone from Chu people.” Jing Liuhui said.
Sikong Rui said: “The Dachu merchants are very powerful, why are they unwilling to do business with them?”
Jing Liuhui shook his head: “I cannot elaborate on this.”
“Is there really no room for further negotiation?” Sikong Rui said, “The master of Xingzhou Island doesn’t like Dachu, and my brother here was also betrayed by Da Chu to the point that he can’t even return back. But he still has his integrity and refuses to depend on me for making a living. So he came to Nanyang without hesitation, and wanted to rely on himself to regain his self worth and strength. He has as much capital as required to do the business, and he is very good at martial arts. He is also a first-class master in the Central Plains martial arts, let alone fearing pirates.”
“Being good at martial arts?” Jing Liuhui became interested, “How good is he?”
Duan Baiyue said: “I can fight one against a hundred.”
Jing Liuhui shook his head: “Your excellency, you are not among those in the Jianghu rankings.”
Duan Baiyue said: “You can judge the level of my martial arts skills by just trying and testing out. It is always more convincing than a piece of paper.”
Jing Liuhui asked again: “Why are you wearing a mask?”
Sikong Rui said from the side: “He was framed and his appearance was completely ruined. It is a sad past so please don’t talk about it.”
Jing Liuhui thought for a moment and said: “I’m afraid I won’t be able to do business, but I have another job here, which is also related to Xingzhou Island. And if it is done well, the money will be no less than the log business.”
“Seriously?” Sikong Rui asked happily, “I wonder what job is it?”
Jing Liu Hui said: “Teaching.”
“Teaching is good.” Sikong Rui clapped his hands and asked again, “But my brother’s skills are not light. What should he do if he kills someone?”
“If a person can be beaten to death during military training, he is trash. So it doesn’t matter if a few trash die.” Jing Liuhui said, “But before that, I want to test Your Excellency’s martial art skills first.”
Duan Baiyue nodded: “Okay.”
Jing Liuhui said: “After all this discussion, I still don’t know how to address you two?”
“No problem.” Sikong Rui said, “I am Sikong Rui, the young master of Wangxi Reef. This is my sworn brother. I won’t mention his previous name. Now that he is as good as being reborn, we naturally have to choose a new one, which speaks for itself. My lord can just call him Wang Fugui3.”
Jing Liuhui was choked, and after a moment he said: “Brother Wang.”
Duan Baiyue was extremely calm: “My lord.”
Sikong Rui held his hands beside him and smiled sincerely.
The agreed date was three days later. When Duan Baiyue and Sikong Rui went there, Jing Liuhui had already arrived first, and there was a person standing next to him, it was Chu Xiang.
“Your Excellency is the master of Xingzhou?” Sikong Rui praised, “You are truly a man of honour. My brother will follow Your Excellency in the future. I hope you will give him more support.”
“I am flattered.” Chu Xiang smiled, “As long as he is a capable person, it will be difficult for you to suffer by my side.”
Duan Baiyue asked: “Who do you want me to compete with?”
“It’s not about competing with others.” Chu Xiang pressed a big stone beside him, and a gap slowly opened in the ground.
Sikong Rui asked Jing Liuhui in a low voice: “Does he need to compete with ghosts?” He has to go underground.
“You’ll know after you go and see it.” Jing Liuhui smiled unfathomably.
Duan Baiyue jumped down, and the soles of his feet touched the ground in a moment, which was not too high.
The other people also jumped into the dark room. The walls were illuminated with pearls. The light was very dim, but they could still see clearly that in the open space in front, there were more than a dozen nine-foot bronze figures lined up neatly.
It is the Eight Desolation Formation.
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As usual, if there are any mistakes or errors, please contact me and I’ll rectify it. If anyone is willing to help in translation who knows Mandarin, you are more than welcome to assist. In that case as well, please email me.
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Notes:
Small Fei Luan ↩︎ care about east or west meaning care about anything if it is legitimate or not ↩︎ means “very rich prince” ↩︎