When the violent storm arose, Tie Ci was just about to board her carriage.
Suddenly she saw dust rolling across the ground. Looking up, black clouds filled the sky, scattered by the wind.
In an instant, the sound of wind filled her eardrums. Pedestrians throughout the street hurried to take shelter. Through the suddenly chaotic view, Tie Ci saw a cart loaded with heavy goods parked by the roadside being blown by the wind, rolling down the slope ahead.
At the bottom of the slope, a child’s sugar figurine had been blown away by the wind, and he chased after it to pick it up.
Behind him, maids and servants ran after him. Looking up, they saw the cart rumbling down toward them, their screams almost tearing people’s eardrums.
The wind was too strong, with screaming everywhere. The child paid no attention, concentrating on picking up his sugar figurine.
The cart was right upon him.
Tie Ci’s figure flashed.
The next instant she appeared in front of the cart, grabbing one side of the cart’s shaft.
The other side of the shaft had also been grabbed by someone else.
Wooden crates tumbled down from the cart, and both of them each extended an arm to block them.
A young lady rushed over and swept the terrified child away in her arms.
Still shaken and wanting to express her thanks, she turned around only to see the man blocking the crates reaching over to hook the fingers of the person on the other side.
Young lady: …The spirit of never forgetting to flirt no matter when or where is truly commendable.
Tie Ci glanced at Murong Yi’s restless fingers trying to hook onto hers, wordlessly flicking them away with her finger.
She pushed the cart backward, and it crashed to the ground with a boom.
Murong Yi sighed regretfully.
The cart owner who came running over thanked them profusely. Tie Ci only said: “Don’t park loaded carts on slopes in the future.” She also ordered someone to help him park the cart in a safe place and urged him to take shelter from the wind.
Half a sugar figurine was suddenly extended toward her mouth, and a child’s voice said sweetly: “Thank you, big brother. Big brother, eat some candy.”
Tie Ci smiled and actually took a gentle bite, helped the child put on his hood properly, and said: “Hurry and take shelter from the wind.”
Murong Yi came over and asked: “Aren’t you going to thank me?”
The child looked at the sugar figurine—more than half remained—and generously offered it over: “Thank you, big sister. Big sister, eat some candy.”
Murong Yi: “…”
Only then did he notice that somehow his hairpin had been blown away by the wind, his long hair cascading down and flying in the wind. Today he had ostentatiously worn a turned-collar silver-red long robe, his features beautiful and refined. The child was young and had mistaken his gender.
Murong Yi touched his head, his expression changing dramatically, but he still didn’t forget to take a huge bite of the sugar figurine, specifically choosing the spot where Tie Ci had taken a small bite, then dashed off to find his hairpin.
The child looked at the sugar figurine that now had only a tiny tail left: “…”
Tie Ci: …Are you being polite?
The huge blow made the child burst into tears.
The young lady holding him was clearly a maid. She hurriedly coaxed the young master and thanked Tie Ci. Tie Ci heard that her accent wasn’t from the capital—it sounded somewhat like a southern accent—but this wasn’t the time for conversation, so she quickly urged her to take shelter from the wind. Seeing her and a large group of servants take the child into a restaurant, she then turned to look for Murong Yi.
She didn’t see him anywhere.
Looking again, wasn’t that him with his bottom sticking up under the carriage?
He seemed to be reaching under the wheel, groping for something.
The wind was too strong, and the carriage was also being pushed. She watched as the wheel rolled toward Murong Yi’s hand.
He actually wouldn’t move aside. Not only wouldn’t he move aside, his hand went toward the wheel, while his other hand tried to lift the bottom of the carriage.
Tie Ci had no choice but to flash over again, bracing the carriage, bending down and angrily saying: “What are you doing? Are you also picking up sugar figurines?”
Murong Yi turned back to smile at her with his face covered in dust, raising his hand.
A deep red acacia wood hairpin gleamed between his fingers.
His eyes also seemed to have light in them.
Tie Ci was stunned for a moment.
After a long while, she couldn’t help but say: “It’s just an inanimate object. Is it worth getting hurt for?”
Murong Yi said quietly: “Isn’t this because rare things are precious? If you give me more gifts in the future, I probably won’t be like this.”
Before Tie Ci could speak, he continued: “Not giving gifts is fine too. If in the future you give me a wake-up kiss in the morning and a goodnight kiss in the evening, I’ll surely be satisfied and won’t need to risk my hand for a hairpin…”
Before he finished speaking, Tie Ci had already let go.
The carriage fell to the ground, the rumbling sound drowning out his rambling.
It wasn’t about not wanting his hand—he clearly didn’t want face.
It wouldn’t actually crush him—Tie Ci had calculated the angle.
The wind was too strong. She turned and walked toward a nearby inn, deciding to take shelter from the wind first.
Murong Yi wanted to follow but found he couldn’t stand up. When Tie Ci had lowered the carriage, the carriage wheel had pinned down his robe.
It was just a small punishment—he could tear the robe to get free, but Murong Yi didn’t tear it. He sat down with his back against the carriage wall and calmly took something out from his chest.
Mu Si ran over, shouting: “With such strong wind, why aren’t you going inside!”
Murong Yi said: “She just talked to me!”
Mu Si: “Is talking so rare! Hurry up and go in!”
Murong Yi: “Of course it’s rare! Since we parted at Wuse Plains, this is the first time she’s actively spoken to me!”
Mu Si: “You’re acting like she confessed to you. Go in!”
Murong Yi: “You don’t understand, this is called breaking the ice! Once there’s talking, there’ll be traveling together. Once there’s traveling together, there’ll be hand-holding. Once there’s hand-holding, there’ll be…”
Mu Si: “…there’ll be children! I know! Will you please go in!”
Murong Yi: “I won’t.”
Mu Si angrily threw up his hands and left.
Let this bastard be blown to death by the wind.
Surrounded by people, Tie Ci entered the building. Seeing that this bastard hadn’t come in, her eyebrows shot up.
What, was this his revenge for her pinning down his clothes just now?
She, a woman, wasn’t as willful as him.
She sat with her back to the window, listening to the wind banging against the door.
Dan Shuang also sat with her back to the window and door, as if not wanting to see someone.
Chi Xue had no choice but to stand at the window watching below.
After a while she said: “Young Master Murong took out a… tobacco pipe?”
What, a Di Yiwei imitation show?
After another while she said: “Something is coming out of that tobacco pipe?”
She reached out to catch something in the air but missed.
Tie Ci couldn’t stand it anymore and got up to go to the window. She saw Murong Yi below holding something like a tobacco pipe but larger, and when he pulled it, a golden little ball popped out, instantly blown away by the fierce wind to who knows where.
The sky was filled with broken branches, scattered leaves, stools, and worn shoes. Those tiny points of golden light floating and sinking were particularly eye-catching, like golden dandelions that had been flying all day.
She reached out and caught a small ball. The golden ball was brilliant, with small characters faintly visible on it. She instinctively read them aloud: “If you hear my name, by the power of my merit and divine authority, all may be freed from suffering and worry…”
Then she realized this was a passage of prayer scripture.
Finally she read the signature.
“…the virtuous man Feiyu, in the Renshen year, first month, prayed before Buddha for the blessing of Tie Ci.”
Tie Ci was silent for a while.
In Great Qian’s temples, there were various prayer objects. Commonly used were eternal lamps, and there were also sky lanterns specially made for release. Prayer scriptures would be carved on the lanterns, believing that those who picked them up and read the scripture once would bring good fortune to the one who prayed.
The more strangers who read them, the greater the power of blessing and prayer.
She had seen people going door to door giving them away, and people at temple gates asking others to read scriptures.
She had never seen anyone releasing balls.
The golden light of the balls was extraordinary—looking carefully, they were actually plated with a layer of gold.
Such extravagant wealth, like a nouveau riche parading through the streets.
She wondered if Buddha minded the vulgarity.
Looking down from the window, Murong Yi was still unhurriedly releasing his little golden balls. When the balls in the launcher were finished, he reached out and pulled at the carriage’s side panel. With a crash, countless little golden balls rolled out, burying him.
Tie Ci: “…”
The sight of you buried in gold is truly extremely eye-searing.
The eye-searing Murong Yi scattered his hands and, taking advantage of a gust of fierce wind, threw all those golden balls out.
The golden balls scattered in the wind in the blink of an eye.
Somehow Tie Ci was reminded of the idiots her master had mentioned who scattered money all over the street.
Only after Murong Yi finished scattering the prayer balls did he rush toward the restaurant. Tie Ci sighed and waved her hand, signaling the guards to let him pass.
Although the restaurant had countless private rooms, that guy would definitely head straight for her.
Sure enough, Murong Yi came in shortly after. From just that brief time outside, his robe hem was also torn, his collar had opened, revealing two exquisite collarbones. He didn’t close it up, leaning diagonally against the window frame next to Tie Ci, with a smile at the corner of his lips as he looked at her.
Tie Ci looked at those golden balls.
“Do you like them?” Murong Yi stood beside her, his gaze following the golden balls as they flew away. “Outside Kun City, on Guayun Mountain, there’s a Guayun Temple. It’s not large, but it’s said that prayers and requests there are extremely effective. I went up the mountain to pray for you.”
That day the snow on the mountain was heavy, making it impossible to ride horses. He walked up the mountain the entire way, but was stopped by monks at the mountain gate.
The monks said he carried too much murderous karma and was not a believer in Buddha, so there was no need for him to bring his bloody aura to defile the Buddhist gate.
That day was the second day after he had killed Fifteen, and also the second day after he had pursued his father and brothers all the way, consecutively eliminating five elder brothers. Carrying the bloody aura of five blood relatives, he had crushed the accumulated snow on the thousand-step stone stairway of the green mountain and stopped before the ancient but dilapidated mountain gate of Guayun Temple.
He debated with the monks at the mountain gate from morning to evening, from back-and-forth exchanges to verbal battles with the group of monks.
From karmic obstacles and cause and effect to the eight sufferings of the human world, from Buddhism’s salvation of all beings to why they would refuse a sincere person at the mountain gate, from Bodhi mind to the five wrong views, from the four great vows to monks being attached to appearances.
Even if he was covered in murderous karma, the heart he offered her was clean, his vows sincere and true, defiling no one.
Refusing entry due to bloody aura while claiming to save all beings.
The monks were argued into breaking out in sweat and gave way. On New Year’s Eve with no pilgrims, he pushed open the temple doors to face walls full of gods and Buddhas, with flickering eternal lamp flames.
In that great hall he copied scriptures, staying awake all night. When it reached the end of the zi hour, the temple bell rang long, at the beginning of the year, New Year’s Day.
He offered the first incense for her.
No need to pray for himself—after death, let him go to Avici Hell if he must, but he wanted her to have a smooth life forever without worry.
The guest monk said that sincere people copying scriptures in this hall and carving scripture on tablets, then having destined people recite them, could increase the power of blessing and prayer.
Throughout the long night, scrolls piled on his desk, every word and sentence writing his prayers and longing.
He also had people make a cartload of golden balls, giving them away while traveling.
The requirements for “destined people” were quite strict, and he was picky, observing many people’s hateful faces and feeling they weren’t worthy to read the scriptures he had prayed for Tie Ci’s blessing.
Many still remained until today.
Just now seeing the violent storm arise with her right beside him, his heart stirred, and he borrowed this wind to send all the prayer balls up to the blue clouds.
Those who picked them up were all destined people.
Tie Ci said: “Why use golden balls? Money to burn and brain to waste?”
Even if it was just gold-plating, that would still cost a lot of silver.
“Only golden balls are eye-catching, making people treat them seriously. If reality can’t give them a devout heart, I hope gold can.”
“Scattering them like this, aren’t you afraid they’ll fall into mud pits and cesspits?”
“That’s why I used golden balls. Even if they fall into mud pits and cesspits, people will jump down to fish them out, wash them clean, and respectfully read them.”
Tie Ci’s gaze fell on his fingers.
His fingertips had many calluses. Much thicker than before Wuse Plains.
So all these scriptures were carved by his own hand?
Warmth flowed through her heart, but she didn’t speak, turning her head to watch the points of golden light scatter between heaven and earth.
Chi Xue and Dan Shuang stood at the door. Dan Shuang said: “The Crown Princess rarely shows such petulance.”
She was tolerant, magnanimous, often smiling, everywhere living up to the demeanor of an heir apparent.
Chi Xue smiled: “This precisely shows that she treats Young Master Murong differently.”
Dan Shuang seemed to understand.
Chi Xue continued: “And Young Master Murong is actually not someone who can humble himself and chase after accommodating others.”
Dan Shuang said: “He’s a madman.”
“He could go mad enough to decisively abandon the heir position he had always striven for, for the Crown Princess. How many men in this world could do that?”
“Then do you think the Crown Princess is still angry?”
“The Crown Princess has never been angry with him.” Chi Xue’s smile carried slight helplessness. “She just doesn’t want to affect the path he needs to walk, doesn’t want him to waste his previous efforts; she also doesn’t want him to step onto the path she must walk, making matters complicated, that’s all.”
Dan Shuang frowned; she didn’t understand these things.
Chi Xue didn’t explain further.
Since Young Master Murong was already the heir of Liaodong, his status had become the greatest obstacle between them. No matter which court affair His Highness undertook, the Liaodong heir couldn’t be involved. This had nothing to do with trust but was the inevitable choice for stabilizing subordinates’ hearts.
Imagine if the subordinates assisting the Crown Princess in subduing the fiefs learned that the Crown Princess was entangled with the Liaodong heir—would they still have confidence in His Highness? Would they still dare to offer strategies without reservation?
This situation applied equally to Murong Yi.
He himself might not care about the heir position, but Tie Ci hoped he could possess more power to protect himself.
But obviously Murong Yi didn’t think so.
Chi Xue smiled slightly.
She thought this was quite good.
If it were someone else, with such past events, such a status gap, such temptations of profit, nine times out of ten they would give up.
But Young Master Murong wouldn’t.
This was the Crown Princess’s good fortune.
Sometimes love needed to be a little mad.
Their Highness deserved the best love in this world.
Chi Xue was still sighing when she saw Murong Yi suddenly flip out the window.
Tie Ci shouted from that side: “What are you doing now!”
Murong Yi’s voice came from far away: “I saw Qi Yuansi!”
“So what if you saw Qi Yuansi!”
“Some people have skin too thick and faces too big—perfect timing with today’s strong wind to blow the water out of their brains!”
“…”
Chi Xue looked out the window.
Good heavens.
This person had somehow dragged Qi Yuansi out from somewhere and hung him high on a flagpole.
In the fierce wind, Qi Yuansi swayed like a broken rag doll.
Small, helpless, and pitiful.
Chi Xue: “…”
She was wrong.
In love, being too mad was also not good.
……
Qi Yuansi swayed in the wind, both hands tightly gripping his belt, afraid the belt would be blown away by the wind—then he’d never come down from the flagpole in this lifetime, might as well die up there.
The cold wind slapped randomly at his face. Qi Yuansi closed his eyes with tears flowing in his heart.
He was wrong.
He shouldn’t have prayed for strong winds today earlier!
This time he really might be blown away!
……
Qi Yuansi wasn’t hanging for long before being rescued by people Tie Ci sent.
The reason she didn’t go rescue him personally was fear that a certain madman would become even more extreme when stimulated.
After waiting a while, the wind was still very strong, and she had many things to do—she had to hurry back to the palace.
She just checked the time and hadn’t spoken yet when a carriage struggled to approach from downstairs. You could see the carriage was made with fine materials, extraordinarily heavy, using horses famous for strength—the Dayan steeds—so even in this fierce wind where carriages rolled everywhere, it could still move.
Murong Yi stood up first, saying: “Let’s go. This is a specially made carriage. In this weather, ordinary carriages can’t travel.”
Tie Ci nodded, went downstairs, and got into the carriage. Murong Yi showed her the carriage’s construction: “This carriage has two layers. The outer layer is abyss iron, impervious to swords and spears. The inner layer is sinking wood, unafraid of water and fire. The two layers can be detached to avoid being too heavy and slowing the journey. I specially had it made for you. When you travel in the future, use this carriage.”
Tie Ci touched the carriage’s black-green outer wall. The touch was bone-chillingly cold—it really was abyss iron.
Using abyss iron, worth its weight in gold, to make carriages was like grinding abyss iron into fine threads to weave protective armor—he could really think of such things.
Looking at this carriage and thinking of how much abyss iron could arm how many experts if used to forge swords, Tie Ci immediately felt heartache.
This spendthrift!
But Murong Yi didn’t think it was worth worrying about. Abyss iron was just dead matter—how could it be more important than Tie Ci’s safety?
Assassination was essential standard equipment for heirs going out, staying home, and traveling—how could he not prepare proper protection?
The abyss iron carriage was stable, but quite difficult to pull, especially in such wind that could uproot trees and overturn houses.
Dan Shuang saw the driver struggling and was about to leap onto the driver’s seat, but Murong Yi had already taken the driving position first.
The carriage headed toward the imperial palace. Through the carved small window on the carriage door, Murong Yi leisurely introduced the various facilities and uses inside the carriage to Tie Ci.
The interior space seemed small, not as spacious and luxurious as Tie Ci’s imperial heir carriage, but it was arranged extremely reasonably, with some instruments embedded in the walls that could be taken down when needed.
There was also a mechanism that concealed many weapons—poisons and knockout smoke, everything was available.
Pulling open one hidden door revealed various dried provisions that could feed someone for a month without repetition.
Pulling open another hidden door revealed clothes of various colors and human skin masks, allowing one to change into various identities at any time without revealing flaws.
This single carriage was a complete collection of fortress, weapons depot, dress-up game, and escape room.
The wind was very strong, so strong it seemed it would blow people’s heads off.
Afraid his hairpin would fly away again, Murong Yi pressed his head with one hand while driving with the other, struggling forward on the empty streets where debris flew everywhere.
Through the carved partition window, Tie Ci gazed at his back, thinking that perhaps next time she could personally make him a windproof mask.
……