Fang Xuanling took the memorial, looked it over and said: “Very well. While young, you should look around everywhere. The Great Tang’s picturesque landscape also has your blood and sweat in it. If you don’t see it, that would truly be regrettable. It’s just a pity that this old man is advanced in years. Otherwise, traveling together with Marquis Yun would be a delightful thing. But why must you specify a three-year term?”
“This journey is called a distant tour, but calling it avoiding calamity would be more appropriate. This junior is someone who speaks directly from the heart. I can’t stand the petty scheming at court. If I discover something unpleasant, I might not be able to help but remonstrate directly and forcefully. If that brings fatal disaster, it wouldn’t be worth it. Better to roll far away—out of sight, out of mind.”
Fang Xuanling took the brush handed over by an assistant, made his mark of approval, then pulled out a seal from his bosom and stamped it on the memorial. Yun Ye had thus completed his leave procedures. Tomorrow he only needed to send someone to file it with the Ministry of Personnel, get a receipt, and he could leave Chang’an to roam the four seas. Thinking of being completely free from this point on, Yun Ye discovered he actually felt as if wings were growing beneath his ribs.
Smiling, he thanked Fang Xuanling, mounted Wang Cai and quickly left Ba Bridge. His goal achieved, he was too lazy even to humor Fang Xuanling. He only wanted to depart quickly.
Fang Xuanling stood on Ba Bridge, watching Yun Ye’s figure gradually recede into the distance. He didn’t know whether his heart felt joy or worry, didn’t know whether what he’d done was correct. He had a feeling of releasing a fierce beast from its bonds. That hint of joy in Yun Ye’s eyes when he left—how could it escape his gaze? He discovered that Yun Ye was truly happy.
Liu Jinbao didn’t understand the Marquis’s current state at all. Why was he spurring Wang Cai so fast? Wang Cai had never run this fast before. It seemed to sense Yun Ye’s happiness. With a long neigh, it suddenly surged forward, raising its speed once more. In no time, it left Liu Jinbao and the others far behind…
Han Zhe was quite troubled. That fellow called He Tianshang was like a persistent ghost, always following him. Less than five days since his feet touched the mortal world, this guy had appeared—ambushes, assassinations, poisoning. Once he’d even pushed large rocks down from a mountain, trying to crush him to death. Truly he’d used every possible means.
He’d already said he wanted to be a good person and not harm anyone. Why were these people still so annoying? He was going to Chang’an as a guest to discuss the learning of Bai Yujing with Yun Ye. He had no ulterior motives. This time he hadn’t even brought Han Nu, which showed sufficient sincerity. Why wouldn’t they let it go?
His travel had been approved by your Great Tang Emperor. He’d written a letter before departure, and the Emperor had given him the documents. What spirit was a mere constable coming here with? Could it be that the previous beatings weren’t enough?
Han Zhe wore a black face, wearing a worn Fanyang hat, driving a horse cart along a desolate ancient road. No ancients visible ahead, no followers visible behind. Though lacking withered trees and crows at dusk, the atmosphere was desolate enough.
He Tianshang stood at the end of the road, tying a white cloth strip around his forehead, with a snow-bright long blade bound to his hand. This time he vowed not to let anyone snatch his blade away again. Before dying, Wei Tianjue had silently begged him to help with revenge. Because he’d agreed to this request, Wei Tianjue had stretched out his neck and let He Tianshang end his suffering.
“This time you’ve tied the blade to your wrist? That’s very wrong. Once you bind the blade dead, you lose many variations. Let me say this first—if you fail this time, don’t come bother me anymore. Look, the Emperor’s documents are all here. You have no helpers, you definitely can’t beat me.”
Han Zhe very kindly tried to dissuade He Tianshang. He himself was moved by his own kindness, so his tone became even gentler: “He Tianshang, the person who injured that Wei Tianjue wasn’t me. Why are you looking for me? If you want revenge, go find that person. Even if you dismember him, I won’t care—though he’s my father. Look, I’m even offering up my father. Can you please not bother me? This time I truly came to study learning, nothing else.”
He Tianshang said not a word. Taking mincing steps, he charged forward. With a slanting strike, he tried to kill the horse pulling the cart. A pitch-black long spear suddenly appeared, blocking the blade. He Tianshang flipped his horizontal blade and sliced down along the spear shaft. Han Zhe grabbed the spear shaft with both hands and pushed him away, then jumped down from the cart shaft himself, standing his spear at his side, waiting for He Tianshang to charge again.
He Tianshang shrank behind his blade light and rushed over in two steps. This time he was very careful, but no matter how careful he was, facing Han Zhe he still had no way to prevail. Because Han Zhe’s long spear swept across horizontally, he had no choice but to block with his horizontal blade. As a result, he was captured alive by Han Zhe once again, because Han Zhe’s long spear suddenly broke, and a large cloud of white ash spilled out. He Tianshang’s eyes immediately couldn’t see anything. No matter how tightly he danced his horizontal blade, Han Zhe still found an opportunity to strike him on the back of the head with a club. He twitched twice and passed out.
This was the problem with white mugwort—once it entered the eyes, it stung people terribly. Even though He Tianshang was already unconscious, tears and snot still flowed continuously. White mugwort had another name: “one catty of tears,” meaning you wouldn’t recover until you’d shed a full catty of tears.
Han Zhe was in a dilemma. If he left He Tianshang here, in less than an hour he’d probably be devoured completely by wild dogs and such. He’d already said he wouldn’t kill anyone on this trip. Frowning, he found a rope and tied He Tianshang up tightly, then casually tossed him into the cart. That was better—heaven and earth finally regained their original desolate atmosphere.
This old road to Yushan had few travelers now. Everyone preferred to take that road paved with cement—straight and level, unlike this old road with its dust when sunny and mud when rainy. Han Zhe didn’t like taking main roads. He still wasn’t accustomed to walking among crowds, because that would make him seem as ordinary as those filthy mortals. Walking this dirt road was better. Though there was more dust, at least it was prepared for him alone.
The bell on the draft horse’s neck kept ringing. His younger sister had tied it there. She was probably at the Academy by now. He himself was a blazing torch in the mortal world. Wherever he appeared, countless troubles would come. This time, with the idea of consultation, he’d written to the Emperor. Who knew everything would go smoothly—the Emperor permitted him to travel on Great Tang soil. It seemed that negotiating things in the future would be better than just acting recklessly.
The Emperor was very trustworthy—he hadn’t sent people to arrest him. He Tianshang’s coming was merely due to a private grudge. Presumably when he returned, the Emperor would discipline him. The Emperor also liked when otherworldly immortals made requests of him. In the end, it was all about saving face.
“A distinguished guest will come.” The calling card had only these five words written on it. The calligraphy was good, flowing and elegant. Yun Ye, who was at home arranging family affairs, received such a calling card. It was utterly baffling—who could it be? The calling card was the most common type—ten for one copper coin on the street. Who exactly could it be? Yun Ye stood at his family gate waiting for this distinguished guest to arrive. Of course, if the guest wasn’t actually distinguished, he would definitely break the fellow’s legs.
This fellow would definitely come before sunset, because having sent a calling card, one must visit during daylight. Otherwise, it would be a breach of etiquette. Great Tang people regarded these protocols as extremely important. Yun Ye looked at the sun about to set below the horizon and was preparing to go home, ready to have the guards investigate who had played this boring trick with the calling card. After breaking their legs, he’d report to the authorities.
A horse cart seemed to emerge from the sun itself. The black canopy didn’t look at all like a cart from a noble family. Because except for a few friendly families, the Yun family had had no visitors for quite some time.
“Little brother Han Zhe pays respects to Brother Yun.” Yun Ye’s eyes widened bigger than copper bells. He absolutely couldn’t imagine that the distinguished guest was actually Han Zhe. The Emperor was searching for him all over the world, reportedly with strict orders of life or death irrelevant. Appearing here at this time—was he not worried about dying fast enough?
“How did you manage to jump out from the sun? Could you really be a deity? A few days ago I mistook a comet for my ancestor, so I have some understanding of the sun. Please don’t tell me your home is on the sun.”
He clearly wanted to ask Han Zhe why he could appear openly and aboveboard, but when the words came out, they became something else.
“I wrote the Emperor a letter to negotiate about traveling. I said that this time I came out to discuss learning with you, not planning to cause trouble. I asked him to allow me to come out and walk around, not to send people to hunt me everywhere. I just said it casually, but who knew the Emperor would actually agree and even give me documents. Look.”
Han Zhe seemed to know what Yun Ye wanted to ask. He pulled out documents from his bosom to show Yun Ye. The bewildered Yun Ye took them and looked—they were actually real. The Emperor’s seal on them couldn’t be faked.
“Coming all this way to my home as a guest, wanting to discuss learning with me, yet not bringing any gift—just coming empty-handed like this? You have no awareness whatsoever of being a guest.”
Han Zhe was somewhat embarrassed, scratching his head. His eyes suddenly brightened. He pulled He Tianshang from the horse cart and placed him before Yun Ye, saying: “This is my first time visiting someone’s residence as a guest. I really don’t know secular etiquette. I caught this fellow halfway here. His skills are acceptable. If you don’t mind, please accept him.”
As a gift, He Tianshang’s eyes shed even more tears. He’d been crying the whole way. His two eyes were red and swollen like peaches. Because Han Zhe had bound his hands and feet, he could only lie on the ground with all four limbs facing the sky. At this moment, if he were untied, his first choice would absolutely be suicide.
“What did he do that you beat him to tears?” Yun Ye found He Tianshang even stranger.
“He wanted to kill me. The Emperor permitted me to walk around everywhere, but he insisted on killing me. Tell me, isn’t that annoying?”
“He wanted to kill you, so you should let him kill you a bit. It’s not that big a deal. Why reduce him to this state? You’re an immortal—returning from death should be a basic skill for you all.”
Han Zhe shook his head and said: “Won’t work. If I let him kill me a bit, he’d definitely kill me dead in one go. Then it wouldn’t be him as a gift but me. Won’t work.”