Legend of Fu Yao

“Ah!” A series of painful cries exploded before the death of four or five men. Laughing, Zhan Beiye dragged his sword along as he walked away.

However, in the trap behind him, rose a figure that soundlessly jabbed his sword toward Zhan Beiye’s back.

Gu Linfeng had stripped off his golden armor in a second and kicked a corpse down, effectively using it as a stepping stone to exit the trap.

Without turning his head, Zhan Beiye clapped his wider than usual sword onto the ground, causing leaves and dust to roll up with a big gust of wind. Gu Lingfeng’s eyes narrowed as he sucked in a breath, subconsciously stepping back. Suddenly, he felt a sharp blast of wind being generated amid the gust, and it was coming for him at full speed and without a sound.

Gu Lingfeng was an experienced combatant and could immediately sense the dangers of it. He bent his body, nimbly grabbing an approaching subordinate to use as a meat shield. In the next moment, he felt a warm, fishy liquid splattering onto his face.

Seeing that his defense had worked, Gu Lingfeng let out a breath of relief. He heard a peal of soft laughter, which sounded like the collision of ice and jade. Carrying a slight contemptuous snicker, the laughter faded away.

Gu Lingfeng opened his eyes, tossing his man’s body onto the ground, replaying the laughter in his head and becoming increasingly furious. He turned around to look at his other men, roaring, “What are you looking at? Chase!”

The golden troop eyed him with a strange expression, and as Gu Lingfeng was about to continue ripping them apart, he felt a stiffness overtake his shoulder area. Reaching out, he felt a piece of meat dropping.

Gu Lingfeng’s face changed. He didn’t know when, but his shoulder was already charred by the time he turned his head to the side for a look. Immediately understanding that he had fallen for the enemy’s trap, he pulled his sword out. In a flash, the big bloody piece of meat on his shoulder flew out.

“Half of you make chase and the other half shall return with me to recuperate!” Gu Lingfeng ordered with thick hatred as he held onto his shoulder. Eyes set deep into the dense forest, he shouted, “I remember your voice! I’ll repay you twofold when the time comes.”

“Aish, this stupid fish. Why can’t I get it?” Meng Fuyao cursed, holding onto the hem of her trousers while standing by a creek and attempting to stab a fish with a tree branch. “I have wasted 180 graceful jabs for nothing.”

The group had traversed a whole day, eventually coming to a higher mountain to rest in the evening. Ji Yu and his men had gone hunting, and since Meng Fuyao wasn’t one to sit around she had decided to catch some fishes, but to no avail, apparently.

Lord Yuan Bao steadied himself on a rock and waited eagerly as Meng Fuyao executed her move for the hundredth and eightieth time.

Zhan Beiye leaned against the mountain rocks while chewing on a blade of sweet grass and ogling at Meng Fuyao’s snow-white and slender calves and ankles. Upon being detected for the umpteenth time, he was splashed with a generous amount of water, the beads landing all over his body.

Wiping them off and spitting out the grass blade, he strode over. Meng Fuyao assumed a fighting pose, but Zhan Beiye simply snatched her makeshift fork and said, “These fishes are our local product. Extremely slippery. You can’t catch them.”

“Go put on your shoes. The weather in the mountains is chilly in the mornings and at night. Don’t catch a cold.”

It was then that Meng Fuyao understood his intention. Surprised and momentarily at a loss, she absentmindedly went to put on her shoes while observing as he stuck the fork into the water and stirred it. No longer able to breathe, the fishes made their way to the surface, instantly being caught by the waiting man. Some of them leaped onto the rocks, and Lord Yuan Bao even held one down with his claw before turning toward her and throwing an arrogant smirk.

“So this is what ‘mixing the water to catch the fish’ literally means? You’re a prince yourself, so why are you so familiar with living in the wild?” asked Meng Fuyao in shock.

“When warring with Moluo Tribe, I even led an army into their land. With 3,000 men we pursued their leader in the mountains to the point where he chose to end his own life,” Zhan Beiye smiled, revealing his pearly white teeth, “We had no provisions and food. Driven by hunger, we caught a snake and shared it. Things like catching wild chickens, rabbits and fishes… we have all done them. My men were all tired, and there was no reason to expect them to serve me.”

“Now I understand why the title of golden leader only belongs to you,” Meng Fuyao stated as she started a fire, fanning the flames while and adding more branches. She continued with a smile, “A leader who fills a trap with his men and uses his men as shields will never, ever reach the people’s expectations.”

“He has pitted himself against me his whole life, but all this time, I have only treated him as a fart,” Zhan Beiye laughed, “How stinky.”

Meng Fuyao burst into laughter, stopping midway to grab some leaves and branches to feed the fire. Staring at the flames, she sat in silence, her eyes glistening like a pair of crystal beads.

“Be careful!”

Zhan Beiye reached his hand out to snatch the branch she was about to pick up. The cracking sound broke the silence and snapped her out of her daze. Turning to the source of the sound, she noticed that the “branch” was actually a poisonous snake. It had a flat head, was ash-brown in color and had faint green spots that helped it blend into the pile of leaves. Perfect camouflage.

Zhan Beiye tossed the dead snake away and pulled her hand toward him to inspect it. “Did you get hurt? Why are you so careless?”

His tone was strange, and he anxiously flipped her hand about. The glow of the fire lit up his face, making the fine beads of sweat on his forehead visible. This man before he was a warrior and a leader in battle, yet here he was, so frightened by a snake.

Meng Fuyao’s heart tightened as guilt washed over her. She shrank her hand back and forced a smile out. “I’m fine, I’m fine.”

“Fuyao,” he called out while looking at her. “I passed by Yaocheng and heard that Tie Cheng had followed you. Why isn’t he here?”

“I sent him on another mission,” she answered slowly. “He will catch up when it’s completed.”

“What could possibly be more important than protecting you?” Zhan Beiye questioned without signs of relaxing. “He does not seem like the sort to be willing to leave your side.”

“I ordered him to,” she explained simply before turning around.

“Why?” he questioned again, refusing to leave it as it is.

“No why!” she exclaimed, no longer able to contain herself. “I like it!”

Zhan Beiye remained silent and calm. Seeing him look at her got her feeling guilty immediately. She sucked in a breath before rambling, “Oh, sorry, I am a little tired and lost it.”

“You’re unhappy, Fuyao,” Zhan Beiye stated. “From the moment I saw you at the cliff, I knew something was off. What is happening?”

Meng Fuyao opened her mouth and closed it. ‘What happened? Nothing, just… I met someone and as long as she exists they will meet sooner or later. Nothing bad about meeting earlier, though.’

She sighed, wondering how an aggressive man like him could actually be so delicate. What she did not know was that his care and concern was a limited edition. For example, Ya Lanzhu would never get a taste of it.

But what was the point in her confiding in him? That would only add to his already troubled heart.

“It’s about him, isn’t it?” Meng Fuyao remained quiet, but Zhan Beiye had already answered with a tinge of loneliness in his voice, despite the smile on his face. “Only he is able to cause such a disruption to your behavior.”

Meng Fuyao’s her jumped. She looked up at him and saw that he was focusing on roasting the fish. Sensing her gaze, he laughed. “Why are you looking at me? Afraid I’ll get hurt? I’m happy enough that you have that thought.”

“It’s not that!” Meng Fuyao raised her voice as if to prove herself. “I’ve said this before, and I’ll repeat this. I do not have any weird feelings toward any of you. What I hope for the most, is for you guys to go on your way and I on mine.”

“It is us who have strange feelings toward you,” he smiled cheerily. “Knowing that it is a rejection for him as well makes me feel better. Aye, Fuyao, you have rejected us both, so make sure you don’t change your mind, or I won’t let you off.”

“That’s enough.” Meng Fuyao let out a helpless laugh. After some thought, she added, “I sent Tie Cheng to escort the Lotus Princess back to Zhongzhou. Bumped into her group and happened to rescue her from a group of bandits.”

“Buddha Lotus?” Zhan Beiye frowned. “Feng Jingfan? The youngest 14th princess? Known to be born with a lotus in her mouth?”

“You know her too?” asked Meng Fuyao, before it occurred to her that if the princess was Zhangsun Wuji’s wife-to-be, why wasn’t a royal member of Tiansha Nation aware of it?

“Not really, but I have heard of her,” he responded slowly. “Why is she heading there?”

Meng Fuyao bit her lips, hesitating but eventually sharing what she knew. “Said she’s Zhangsun Wuji’s wife-to-be, and she is heading there to visit.”

“Wife-to-be?” Zhan Beiye repeated, eyes widening and almost dropping his fish into the fire. “Why hasn’t anyone mention… ah, not right.”

“What’s wrong?” asked Meng Fuyao, evidently nervous.

“Now that you have mentioned it, I do remember him getting into an engagement when he was a teen, and a painting containing military strategies was given to her. No other news came after. But if he was really in an engagement, he should have been married a long time ago. Why has that not happened?”

Suddenly, he flew into a rage. “What a man he is! Vowing to take care of you when he has a wife. What is his motive?”

Meng Fuyao kept quiet, and Lord Yuan Bao poked his head out before scuttling to stand in between them. He slapped his chest and bum, pointing here and there while squeaking out loud. The duo stared at him, not understanding what intense emotions he was trying to express. Realizing that he wasn’t getting his point across, he shot his tiny head toward the sky in exasperation. His biscuit box came to mind for sure, but he had unfortunately finished them. Anxious, he started plucking the hair on his bum to form the word “no.”

Massaging his bum, Meng Fuyao said, “When you’re finally done it’s going to be a new day and your bum will be bald. Forget it, it’s not worth the trouble.”