Chapter Ninety: The Blood-Stained Mo Saber (1)

The Favorable Winds Trading House was the largest grain merchant north of the river, traveling between the lands south of the river, the southern mountains, the Huai region, and the northern territories, with immense strength behind it. In these troubled times, small merchant groups could only band together for safety; only the Favorable Winds caravan had the means to maintain a powerful guard and move boldly along the trade roads.

Though Kong Sheng and his party of four had set out more than half an hour earlier than Li Xuan’s caravan, the road was buried in snow and the horses could not run. They had no choice but to lead them on foot. After an entire morning, they had covered less than twenty li. And while they were stopping at a roadside wineshop for a midday meal, the caravan behind them unexpectedly caught up.

By then the sky had long since cleared. A red sun hung high overhead, and the cutting wind had died away, yet the air continued to grow colder.

The four sat around a table in the open-front wineshop, each holding a bowl of hot wine and chewing on cold, hard flatbread. As Kong Sheng watched one heavily laden cart after another pass by in an unbroken stream, with the caravan’s banners standing thick and fluttering, a strange light flickered across his face.

Its vast scale was not what truly caught his attention. The real point was this: if one looked carefully, it was easy to see that the distance between the carts was perfectly even. The drivers and the guards escorting the wagons were all lean and capable. Their pace was neither hurried nor sluggish, their formation orderly and unbroken. Plainly, they moved under unified command and long discipline.

Mu Changfeng watched the winding caravan advance and said in a lowered voice, “Young master, they move with measure in both advance and retreat, and their guards are extremely capable. I fear this is no ordinary merchant train.”

Kong Sheng murmured assent and nodded.

Wu Xian laughed. “Brother Mu, what nonsense. A caravan of this size could never belong to some common trading house. By the look of it, they’re hauling grain. These merchants are shrewd indeed—buying grain in the rich lands south of the river and selling it here in the war-ravaged north. They’re bound to make a killing.”

The corner of Mu Changfeng’s mouth twitched as he said coldly, “Deputy Wu, what do you understand? There are too many guards, and weapons are hidden among the convoy. Their obedience is absolute. That alone is enough to show—”

Before he could finish, Kong Sheng stopped him with a glance.

Some things were better left understood than spoken aloud. When one was abroad, careless words could easily bring needless trouble.

Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that this was no ordinary caravan. The guards and drivers alike did not resemble common hired hands. Every one of them wore a grave expression. They moved in near silence, with unmistakable order and method.

Stung by the rebuke, Wu Xian wanted to flare up, but he did not dare openly challenge Mu Changfeng, and could only swallow the insult. Mu Changfeng was a swordsman of superb skill; offending him would lead to nothing pleasant.

Wu Jie tugged at his elder brother’s sleeve and handed him a stiff, coarse flatbread. In a low voice he said, “Brother, eat. Fill your stomach so we can keep moving.”

Wu Xian took the bread and glanced at his usually taciturn younger brother. Gloomily lowering his head, he bit into it with savage force and wolfed it down.

Holding his steaming bowl of wine, Kong Sheng drank in small sips, while the corner of his eye remained fixed on the slowly advancing caravan. A faint, shifting gleam lingered in his gaze.

At that moment, he noticed a luxurious carriage mixed into the convoy. Its horses had been unhitched, and four or five sturdy servants were pushing it hard from behind. It sped swiftly over the snow, soon passing most of the grain wagons and coming from the far end of the official road to stop nearby.

It was the private carriage of Li Xuan, the finely dressed youth.

A trace of gravity and vigilance rose in Kong Sheng’s heart. He had already suspected that this so-called young master, a woman in disguise, was no ordinary person. Now that he saw she was the owner of this grand, secretive, and rather ominous caravan, how could he not become even more wary?

The carriage stopped by the roadside near the wineshop. Li Xuan, wrapped in a fur cloak, sprang down and waved to his attendant, Li An, behind him. Li An immediately raised a red triangular flag high and waved it three times in the air.

The convoy did not halt. It continued to stretch forward in an endless line, pressing two deep ruts into the snowy road, the wheels creaking on without pause.

“So we meet again, Brother Kong. What a coincidence. Our caravan is also bound north for Shou Province. Since our destination is the same, why not travel together?” Li Xuan smiled warmly and extended a most earnest invitation.

Kong Sheng smiled but said nothing. He merely cupped his hands toward Li Xuan in greeting. Inwardly he thought that there was only this one official road to Shou Province, and with the snow making travel difficult, neither side could pull far ahead of the other. Whether they wished it or not, they were already going the same way.

Li Xuan did not enter the wineshop. His servant Li An quickly directed two maidservants to carry down a red sandalwood table and a cushioned couch from the carriage, setting them atop the thick snow. They also brought over a brazier with a lively fire burning in it.

A few delicate refreshments were then arranged.

Li Xuan beckoned to Kong Sheng. “Brother Kong, come share a cup of warm wine with me.”

Kong Sheng shook his head. “Many thanks for your generosity, Young Master Li, but I have already eaten and drunk my fill, and rested enough as well. I am about to set out again, so I will not trouble you further.”

Li Xuan’s expression changed slightly after being refused again and again. Proud to the core, lofty beyond measure, and accustomed to having his every word obeyed, he would never have shown such patience had he not taken a liking to Kong Sheng and conceived the intention of drawing him to his side.

He thought to himself: What an ungrateful wretch. If I had not seen that you are gifted in both letters and arms, and intended to recruit you into service in the Pengcheng army, how would I tolerate this? If you dared show me such disrespect otherwise, you would already have been sentenced to thirty blows and dragged away for punishment.

Li Xuan was inwardly humiliated and angered; even the two beautiful maidservants attending behind him were secretly startled. They knew their master’s temperament better than anyone. This was a supreme noble before whom no one dared offend. For this man to defy him so openly was surely something their master would not swallow lightly.

The two maidservants quickly exchanged a glance, then obediently knelt. One carefully poured Li Xuan a cup of hot wine, while the other, quick-witted and perceptive, began gently massaging his shoulders, as if hoping through such tender little acts of service to soothe their master’s rising temper.

Wu Xian and Wu Jie went to fetch the horses. Kong Sheng also rose and signaled Mu Changfeng to settle the account with the wineshop keeper, preparing to depart. Li Xuan watched coldly from where he sat, saying nothing and making no move to stop them, though a flash of chill light passed through his bright eyes.

His master had been slighted, and as a servant, Li An naturally felt disgraced as well. At last he could not contain his fury. Striding forward two paces, he pointed at Kong Sheng and shouted angrily, “My young master invited you out of kindness, and yet you dare act so insolently. You truly don’t know how to appreciate a favor!”

Li An’s sudden roar immediately drew the attention of more attendants and guards serving nearby. Several men with unfriendly expressions strode over, and the atmosphere at once turned tense.

Mu Changfeng’s face changed. He stopped where he was, wheeled around sharply, and rested a hand on the hilt at his waist. Stern and fearless, he swept his gaze over Li Xuan’s retinue, especially the swaggering, overbearing lackey at their head—Li An.