Transmigration: Of Mysteries and Songs

Chapter 158 Green Vines: The Righteous Clans

A remote hexagonal pavilion sat in the outskirts of Dingtao Provincial City, the surrounding area completely covered by the dense foliage, unpruned branches of the few bamboo forests all reached into the hexagon pavilion.

Fifty metres away from the hexagonal pavilion, amidst a group of low shrubs, Feng Luodi had a face full of puzzlement after being brought here by Situ. Her limpid almond eyes looked at the hexagonal pavilion, then back to the carefree Situ and asked, “What are we doing here? To enjoy the cold wind?”  

Situ helplessly glanced at Feng Luodi. Why is it that she can change so much in just one night, from being romantic to being indifferent and unmoved?  

“To watch a show.” Situ’s voice was very soft.  

“Hm?” Feng Luodi’s raised her elegant eyes. From the corner of her eye, she noticed a middle-aged man clad in a black and grey robe walking into the hexagonal pavilion. He was holding an unadorned and heavy sword in his hand.   

A person from the Jianghu. A person from the Jianghu who is different from Lu Buping.

Feng Luodi curiously looked at that person’s appearance, a little taken aback. He had thick eyebrows and he appeared ruthless. His eyes were bright and full of vigour such that a faint golden light could be seen. He had an aquiline nose, thin lips and kept a short beard. His facial bones were very narrow and he looked like someone who was difficult to get along with. A strong Jianghu aura emanated from him. Feng Luodi covered her nose and did not even dare to breathe. She widened her eyes at Situ and repeatedly blinked.   

What’s with her frightened appearance? Situ knitted his eyebrows slightly and asked in a deep voice, “What’s the matter?”

Feng Luodi placed her hand down and used her softest voice. “It looks like he is very well-versed in the martial arts. Would he discover us?”

From what Feng Luodi understood from stories, people from the Jianghu all flew around on the eaves of houses and walked on walls. They had keen ears that could even clearly hear the infinitesimal sounds in their surroundings.   

Situ suddenly pulled Feng Luodi close and his hair which hung down brushed Feng Luodi’s rosy cheeks.

“My skills are better than his. I have plenty of methods to not let him hear us.”

Feng Luodi was suddenly embraced and she blinked her eyes. Her eyes only contained Situ’s earnest and stern countenance. The sunlight landed on his dashing face like a deity who had flown down to the human world from heaven.

Are all deities so good-looking that they make people speechless?

“Cough, cough.” Feng Luodi lightly coughed. She withdrew her gaze from the Jianghu person sitting upright in the hexagonal pavilion and told Situ in an extremely serious manner, “I know that you are very powerful. I was joking.” Feng Luodi looked at Situ as sincerely as she could.

Only then did Situ release her, pleased with her reply. “It’s good that you know.”

Feng Luodi secretly turned her face away as a helpless smile appeared on her lips. When she could finally stop her smile and wanted to ask Situ about the identity of the person, she saw Lu Buping run as fast as if he was flying towards the hexagonal pavilion. He was luxuriously dressed up which accentuated his red lips and white teeth. A frivolous smile formed on his lips. After he noticed the person in the hexagonal pavilion, a look of ridicule slipped past his lips.     

“Is that Sect Leader Xiao of the Qing Cheng Sect?” Feng Luodi could almost be certain of the identity of that man who was wearing a black and grey muslin robe.

Situ nodded. “Yes. Quattor imitated Governor Tian’s handwriting to invite the Sect Leader to come here.”

As expected, those who follow at the side of a powerful man are all skilled themselves. Feng Luodi finished exclaiming in her heart, then silently approached Situ and said in a small voice, “I want to hear what they’re talking about. You have a way, right?”

Situ looked down and slightly tugged the corner of his mouth upwards as he looked at her.

Feng Luodi immediately what Situ wanted to say,  and she quickly cut him off. “If you want a reward, we can talk about that after we get back.”

Situ was very satisfied with her performance. He reached out his hand to touch the back of Feng Luodi’s ear lightly. The sound of wind brushing past the tree leaves, the sound of a faraway brook, the sound of the birds chirping and the sound of the two people greeting each other in the hexagonal pavilion all sounded beside her ear. They sounded so near as if they were just right beside her.

“So powerful!” Feng Luodi immediately looked at Situ excitedly with twinkling eyes and did not conceal her own adoration at all. Having come to the ancient times for such a long time, this was the first time she experienced martial arts other than ‘flying’.  

Her reaction greatly pleased Situ’s ego. He lightly harrumphed, “It’s only effective for fifteen minutes. It should be sufficient for you.”  

“Mhm mhm.” Feng Luodi nodded vehemently. Only then did she direct her focus to within the hexagonal pavilion.

“Why are you the one here?” Qing Cheng Sect’s Sect Leader Xiao coldly mocked in disdain. He clearly knew that he was tricked but was not in a panic at all. “You guys from the Demonic Sect are only capable of conducting such shady business!”

Lu Buping clenched his fists tightly. He smiled insincerely. “How is this like Sect Leader Xiao who brags that he hails from an upright and prestigious sect? You must really be free to randomly label me as the culpable murderer.”

Ruthlessness flashed across Sect Leader Xiao’s face.“How did you obtain Governor Tian’s seal? Breaking into the yamen is a serious crime. The people from the Demonic Sect are all so reckless.”

“Tsk tsk.” Lu Buping’s expression did not change as he sneered, “Why is it that the great Sect Leader Xiao keeps harping on the yamen. It looks like Sect Leader Xiao has obtained many benefits from the yamen these years.”

“Stop spouting nonsense, Lu Buping.” Sect Leader Xiao pulled out his sword and pointed it at Lu Buping.

“You first killed fifteen noble and venerable county magistrates, then broke into the yamen to steal the governor’s token. What should your punishment be?”  

Situ and Feng Luodi did not know if they should cry or laugh as they watched the scene unfold. They naturally approved that everything should first be based on the laws of the Xuan kingdom but when these words were spoken from the mouth of either a famous figure of the Jianghu or the leader of a large sect, it felt extremely strange.   

Feng Luodi pondered quietly. This Qing Cheng Sect’s sect leader realised that he has been deceived by someone to come here, yet he seems very calm and composed. Has he long taken precautions against this or is this merely in his nature?

When she raised her head to look at Situ, Situ was also silent with his gaze constantly fixed on the events unfolding within the hexagonal pavilion.

After listening to Sect Leader Xiao’s words, Lu Buping laughed loudly and used his neigong to dissipate it in all directions. The birds in the woods flapped their wings and escaped into the air, causing the woods to be extremely noisy all of a sudden. There was also the sound of beasts knocking into trees. Feng Luodi suddenly felt her heart palpitate. This laughter made her very uncomfortable. The next moment, she fell into an embrace and felt the warmth transmitted to her from the other body. The surroundings immediately quietened down.

“How reckless.” Situ’s slightly irate voice rang from above her head.

Feng Luodi raised her head and used her slightly moist eyes to look at him. “So this is what they call the neigong[1].”

“Mhm.” Situ nodded. He changed to holding Feng Luodi’s hand instead and continued to watch the scene in the hexagonal pavilion.

Lu Buping’s laughter seemed like a signal to start a war to Sect Leader Xiao. He immediately held his sword and dashed towards Lu Buping.

Unlike his appearance, Sect Leader Xiao’s swordplay was natural and smooth like the flowing clouds on the horizon. It was deft yet precise, wonderful yet lethal. Every move attacked the vital points of Lu Buping’s body.

On the other hand, Lu Buping’s sabre technique was unlike the temperament he had. His Frigid Wind Blade was like a wind which blows past the frozen river, howling as it approached. His strokes were broad and wide, always being able to block Sect Leader Xiao’s offensive attack just at the right moment. From time to time, it spiralled upwards and accurately found Sect Leader Xiao’s mingmen[2].

Two people exchanged blows in succession and were unexpectedly equally matched.

Feng Luodi contemplated. If a Lu Buping from the Demonic Sect can already tie with the sect leader from a large sect, then it is reasonable that the Jianghu people fear the Demonic Sect.

They were engaged in an intense battle as their swords glinted in the sunlight. Every move dealt by the two were out to seize the opponent’s life as if there was a deep-seated enmity between them. An enormous patch of bamboo trees outside the hexagonal pavilion collapsed. When Situ saw that the affected area was increasing, he backed off silently with Feng Luodi.

Feng Luodi was hugged by Situ and had her attention entirely focused on the two people who were in combat. Just as Lu Buping’s sword was swung at Sect Leader Xiao who had left an opening, Situ made a move. A stone hit Lu Buping’s body and helped Sect Leader Xiao to ward off that sword.

Feng Luodi looked at Situ in surprise.

Meanwhile, Sect Leader Xiao made use of this the opportunity to escape into the air and his figure was lost in the dense woods.  

Lu Buping looked bitterly in Situ’s direction and rapidly came towards them, treading on the stalks of bamboo.

“Situ, why did you help that hypocrite?” Lu Buping’s eyes were filled with anger. That baby face of his was also displeased but in his heart, he was apprehensive about Situ’s high martial arts prowess. The neigong secretly contained in the stone can’t be belittled. This Situ is enigmatic and his skills unfathomable.

Situ released Feng Luodi’s hand. He lightly swung his sleeves and caused the bamboo trees nearby to erect as they did before. He told Lu Buping, “He wanted to be injured by you.”

“Mhm?” A contemptuous smile appeared at the corner of Lu Buping’s lips.

“Are you saying that he purposely feigned an opening to me? Impossible, back then, there was no chance that he could parry that move. If you hadn’t saved him, I could have taken his life.”

Situ was unmoved. He turned around and left.  “Then there’s no need to collaborate any further.”

Feng Luodi who was originally as bewildered as Lu Buping instantly comprehended Situ’s intentions and helped him explain to Lu Buping.

“Situ has no malicious intentions. Qing Cheng Sect’s sect leader probably wanted a wound inflicted by your sword. This way, he can frame you by planting evidence.”

She might be ignorant in the aspect of martial arts, but she could sense that Sect Leader Xiao’s actual ability was not just what he displayed. In that case, there can only be one explanation: Sect Leader Xiao did that deliberately.

Lu Buping pursed his lips and looking at Situ’s unhurried pace, he spoke, “It was I who said something wrong just now. Please continue.”

Only then did Situ stop his footsteps and turn around. A sliver of understanding flashed past the bottom of his eyes but he did not have the intention of speaking. That was indeed his decision. If Lu Buping could not even identify a trap like this, and was overly ambitious to perform grandiose deeds, prone to complacency, then the following plan would no longer require this person’s involvement.

Feng Luodi understood Situ very well and continued to explain his thoughts to Lu Buping, “You appear to have no deep-seated enmity with Sect Leader Xiao. Even if this would injure him and kill him, it would only leave behind a grudge with Qing Cheng Sect, it would not be a good influence to the Demonic Sect’s carefree and unfettered life.”  

“The Demonic Sect has never  been concerned about these matters.” Lu Buping snorted, “We do whatever we want to do. We don’t need such people from the righteous white path to gossip and make thoughtless remarks about us.”  

Feng Luodi sighed inwardly but on the surface, she continued as earnestly as she could, quoting the words of the First Prince.     

“In the Jianghu, people repay favours and exact revenge without restraint, thus they are naturally carefree and unrestrained. A person bearing the onus for his own actions is also something admirable.”

Feng Luodi paused for a while before she continued. “However, the Jianghu also belongs to the kingdom. If the people scorn the social law and order and act rashly as they please by relying on the fact that they have martial arts, then the court would definitely interfere. I’m afraid that no matter how skilful a person is in martial arts, when the armies arrive, even he would be powerless.”

“Besides, it is extremely difficult to understand a person’s heart. Even if you can bear the consequences of your own actions, but the other party might not think in this manner. If you were to instigate animosity between the two sects, the one who suffers would still be the Demonic Sect. Everyone yearns for a carefree life but being carefree is established on the tenet that one respects the laws of the Xuan kingdom.”

“Knight-errant Lu,” Feng Luodi looked at him as earnestly as she could. “This is Situ and the First Prince’s aim in coming to Dingtao Province. Are you willing to assist them?”