Chapter 33: Premeditated Murder

  Xia Liu walked out of the Silkworm Temple and came to the front of the Guan Yu Temple, where he saw Peng Ze sitting cross-legged under a green pine tree in the corner of the temple, with his eyes closed and meditating.

  Xia Liu smiled and said: "Labor Master has been waiting for a long time, let's go."

  Peng Ziqi opened his eyes, somewhat surprised: "Is that all?"

  Xia Fu said, "Alright, let's head back. Young Master has been following me around all day and must be exhausted. How about Yang sets up a banquet to show his gratitude? As a martial artist, Young Master must have a good capacity for liquor."

  "Never mind!"

  Peng Ziqi said lightly: "If you like to drink wine, just drink it, I don't mind. My taste is similar to Xiaodi's, we both prefer lighter flavors."

  "Oh?"

  Xia Liu smiled: "Speaking of Xiao Qi, Young Master seems to have a good impression of her. Xiao Qi is my personal maid, but I've always treated her like a younger sister. If Young Master really has a crush on my family's Xiao Qi, Yang Mou would be willing to see it happen."

  Peng Ziqi's face showed a hint of amusement, and he said slyly: "I really do like Miss Xiao Qi, will you let her go?"

  Xia Yuandao said: "If you want me to treat her as a beautiful maid and give her to you, that is absolutely impossible. What I am talking about is a proper marriage. If you can win the heart of my younger sister Xiaodi, I will recognize her as my sworn sister, send a generous dowry, and marry her off to your family with great fanfare."

  Peng Ziqi's eyes sparkled with amusement: "Really?"

  "Really!"

  "The gentleman's word is his bond."

  "A swift horse with one whip!"

  "Hahaha..." The two people burst out laughing at the same time.

  "A hundred catties of noodles steamed into a longevity peach - what a waste of dim sum, studying has driven me mad!"

  "This little girl is quite interesting, wasn't it popular to pull rickshaws in the Ming Dynasty?"

  Two people each with their own ulterior motives, accompanied by a few sly laughs...

  Xia Liu actually didn't drink much wine, no one accompanied him to drink, so dinner was still just eating, with a mix of meat and vegetarian dishes, eight treasures from land and sea, and he ate his fill.

  The next morning, Wang Zhanggui from the Yang family workshop personally came to their doorstep. Who wouldn't be attentive to something treated with importance by the master? As soon as Xia Liu left, the workshop immediately adjusted to produce the finest steel, heating and drawing out thin threads, making steel wires according to Xia Liu's requirements. By evening, five steel wires over ten feet long had been completed. However, it was already late at night, so it wasn't convenient to disturb the master, therefore, as soon as the sky lit up, Wang Zhanggui came to present his treasures.

  Five bright and shiny steel wires were tightly wound around a spindle. Xia Jun took the spindle from Wang Zhanggui's hand, pulled out a section of wire, tested its elasticity, and immediately praised it highly. Wang Zhanggui was overjoyed by the praise from his master, feeling as if he had lost several pounds, and when he left, his footsteps were light and quick, as if he had just emerged from a bridal chamber.

  After seeing off Wang, Xiaohui returned to the study, took down a steel wire from the spinning wheel, wrapped it around a small object and put it in his sleeve. The spinning wheel with the remaining four steel wires was placed in the bottom drawer of the desk, which he locked, then sat down, closed his eyes slightly, as if meditating, secretly thinking: "Time, place, tools, what's still missing?"

  His fingers tapped lightly on the table, producing a low and dense drumming sound. Suddenly, his fingers stopped, and the tapping motion slowed down: "Hmmm... still missing something, can't be perfect, also need to make it impossible for others to find fault..."

  He stood up and walked out.

  In the courtyard, Xiaohui was enthusiastically learning martial arts from Peng Ziqi. Xia Xun stood under the corridor and watched for a while. With Peng Ziqi's "teaching according to aptitude" skills and Xia Xun's discerning eye, he thought that if Xiaohui could endure hardship and persist in practicing for several years, she had the potential to become a "martial arts master".

  Peng Ziqi saw Xia Xun. She corrected Xiao Ding's action and turned to walk under the corridor: "Want to go out?"

  "No, I'm not going anywhere today, you and Xiao Ding practice martial arts, I'll take a walk around the yard."

  Xia Liu slipped into the backyard, ordering everyone not to enter. A person was inside, sneaking around and doing something mysterious. When Peng Qi and Xiao Ding arrived, they were blocked by the household servants. From a distance, they saw Xia Liu walking alone among the flowers and trees, sometimes looking up at the sky, sometimes looking down at the ground, sometimes hurrying, and sometimes slowing down. After being busy for half a day, he finally walked back with a relaxed expression.

  "Xiao Qi curiously asked: 'Young master, what are you doing?'"

  Peng Ziqi was also curious, but she didn't dare to ask, so she perked up her ears and listened carefully. Xia Yu answered leisurely: "The young master is composing a poem."

  "Wow! Young master hasn't written poetry for a long time, have you come up with one?"

  "Hmm, I've come up with three and a half sentences..."

  Xiao Ding said excitedly, "Tell me about it." Xiao Ding wasn't blindfolded, although he didn't read much, but since childhood, he followed the young master to read books and recognized characters.

  Xia Liu smiled and said: "The old ring of jade pendants rings out, a pair of beauties arrive at the back hall, what's strange is that Jinlian is only three inches small, horizontal measurement."

  Xia Xiao walked away from them with a smile, and Peng Qi said inexplicably: "What is he talking about?"

  Xiao Ding lowered his head and looked at his own feet, saying: "Young master seems to be saying that our feet are big, strange, a pair of excellent people, you're not even a woman..."

  Peng Ziqi's face was red and he didn't say a word.

  The next morning, the Yang family had another visitor, this time it was Feng Jianxiao. Xia Yu welcomed Feng Jianxiao into the small study, and the two of them chatted for over an hour before Xia Yu got up to see him off. As soon as he saw Feng Jianxiao off, he immediately set off for the Qi Wang Fu.

  Peng Ziqi discovered that this Yang Dashi and the Qi Wangfu indeed had an extraordinary relationship. This time, Xia Xun walked through the side gate of the Wangfu, knocked on the side gate, and after a few low whispers with the Wangfu guard who opened the door, he soon saw the eunuch who had served at the longevity banquet that day come out to greet them personally. The gate was opened, and their carriage was allowed into the Wangfu.

  Peng Ziqi had never been to a place like the Wang Mansion before, and she hadn't even been to the county government office. Although she had entered the mansion, she could only wait in the long corridor, seeing only the high palace walls and a narrow strip of sky above.

  Xia Fu then hurried to see the king with Shu Gonggong. The place where King Qi summoned him was still "Anshantang". After entering the main hall, Shu Gonggong gestured to him and Xia Fu nodded, understanding, and stopped in his tracks. Shu Gonggong then quietly walked behind the screen.

  "When the summer is over, listen carefully to a clear voice that says: 'The essence of the ultimate truth is profound and mysterious, the ultimate truth is obscure and silent. Without seeing or hearing, hold your spirit in stillness, and your body will naturally be correct. You must be calm and clear, without exhausting your body, without disturbing your essence, then you can achieve longevity. When your eyes see nothing, your ears hear nothing, and your heart knows nothing, your spirit will guard your body, and your body will live long."

  Immediately afterwards, he heard Qi Wang say: "I govern the vassal state, with many things to attend to, and often need to lead the army to pacify the military, with countless killings. Even in this palace, there are many concubines, and it is feared that it will be difficult to achieve longevity through quietude and non-action. Does Daozhang have other immortal methods?"

  "That clear voice said: 'In that case, there is only the way of practicing Dan. The Dan Dao has three levels: upper, middle and lower, with different difficulties and uses, I wonder which one the country master wants to learn?'"

  King Zhi hastily asked: "I don't know about the top, middle and lower three paths of this elixir practice, what kind of gate is it?"

  The Taoist said: "For the lower vehicle, use your body and mind as a crucible, and your vital energy as medicine... This is the method for peace and longevity. For the middle vehicle, use Qian and Kun as vessels, Kan and Li as water and fire... This belongs to the method of nurturing life. As for the upper vehicle, use heaven and earth as a crucible, sun and moon as water and fire, yin and yang as the mechanism of transformation, lead, mercury, silver, sand, and earth as the five elements... This is the upper vehicle's way of prolonging life, which can attain the fruit of immortality."

  Among the three, both the middle and lower vehicles require sitting in stillness to cultivate energy, absorbing the essence of heaven and earth. For ordinary people, this is the easiest to achieve, requiring only long-term practice, devotion to the Tao, and there will be a day when the work is accomplished. The upper vehicle of alchemy requires the adoption of the five elements' treasures, practicing and refining the elixir for consumption. This method has the greatest effect, and once it is successful, one can transcend their nature, naturally achieve spiritual enlightenment, and unite with the Tao in truth. It does not require years of accumulation, daily quiet practice, or gradual refinement of destiny. However, for ordinary people, this is actually the most difficult.

  King Zhi held his breath and listened intently, hastily asking: "This method sounds the easiest, why is it actually the most difficult?"

  The Taoist smiled and said, "Because this method requires the person taking the elixir to have a good foundation, with a hidden talent for immortality; and the materials used to practice alchemy are even more rare, hardly found in the mortal world, ordinary people do not have the financial resources to provide for the needs of practicing alchemy."

  Xia Yu heard this and secretly laughed to himself: "In the end, it all comes down to money. It's laughable that these royal families, with their phoenix children and dragon grandchildren, who have everything and can do anything, would also be deceived by these charlatans for the sake of this one thing that is no different from ordinary people - life and death. In the end, they'll just give you some poisonous lead or mercury to take, make you feel like you're floating on air, numb your senses, and then it's all over."

  King Qi heard this and was overjoyed: "What heavenly material, earthly treasure? As long as such a thing exists in the world, I can obtain it - that's not the problem. The only question is whether I have the innate talent for cultivating immortality."

  The Taoist said: "Your Highness, the Lord of the State, is the son of a true dragon, and this bone is naturally of high quality. If you can spare no expense and gather heavenly materials and earthly treasures, let me refine them into a pill. Take one pill a day, and after cleansing your mundane body, you will naturally become an immortal and live forever."

  The King of Qi burst out laughing: "This is great, great! Haha... just follow the Taoist priest's instructions. Whatever you need, just let me know and I'll grant it to you. I only hope that the immortal pill can be refined as soon as possible."

  Two people in the room had another conversation, and then the Taoist priest took his leave and went out. Xia Yu was waiting outside, and happened to run into the Taoist priest head-on. The Taoist priest looked about fifty years old, with a clear and refined face, piercing eyes, and elegant demeanor. He wore a blue cloth Taoist hat on his head, a very simple Taoist robe on his body, a pair of straw sandals under his waist, a yellow silk belt around his waist, and held a feather fan in his hand as he floated out.

  Upon seeing Xia Xian, this Taoist did not even give him a sideways glance and left directly. Indeed, he had the demeanor of a man of the Way.

  Xia Wei slightly shook his head, then entered the temple. He saw King Qi excitedly standing up from his seat. Xia Wei hastily bowed down to greet him. Today, King Qi was in a very good mood and smiled as he stopped him, asking: "The matter that I asked you to do, has it been settled?"

  Xia Xun said respectfully: "Yes, I have found a very promising seller in Yanggu County. I will go there with the others in a few days to meet him."

  "Alright, the sooner the better."

  Xia Fu said: "Yes, but although my subordinates have established a relationship with this person through some friends, it's likely that the other party will still have doubts about my sincerity and ability if we suddenly import such a large batch of goods. The king is eager for money, and if my subordinates proceed gradually, it would be delaying the matter. Therefore... I need the king to bestow upon me an object of trust, to make that person believe that I have sufficient capital to take in his goods, and to believe that my subordinates can become a trusted customer..."

  King Qi smiled and said: "So that's it, why bother to make a detour, Xiao Shu, take one of the palace passes from my king's mansion for him, the ivory one."

  "Yes, Your Highness." Eunuch Shu hastily took his leave and retreated, but soon returned with a waist plate. The ivory waist plate was carved with a reclining tiger cloud pattern, with a hole in the middle that could be tied with a silk cord, and had the five large characters "Qiwang Fu Palace Guard" on it. On the back of the plate were engraved the words: "All guards carrying this plate, those without plates will be punished according to law, borrowers and lenders will be guilty of the same crime."

  The heavy token was in hand, and Xia Fu's heart felt a sense of relief: "The great task is accomplished!"

  Leaving the Qi Wang Fu, halfway through the journey, suddenly heard a commotion from people on the side of the road. Xia Liu looked out of the window and saw a group of palace guards and eunuchs dressed in uniform, carrying lacquer buckets and walking along the wall with brushes in hand. Wherever they passed, a striking red color was left on the wall. Several richly dressed officials followed behind, shouting loudly: "My family's house has been standing for decades, how can it be demolished just like that?"

  "No nonsense, the imperial decree has already approved Prince Wang to rebuild his mansion on a new site. Since he chose this place, all areas we've marked out will be demolished and relocated, no delay is allowed."

  "Sir, sir, wait a minute, General, this general... Please be kind..."

  "Don't chase him anymore, it's useless to tell us, go and talk to our boss instead, maybe he'll show some mercy..."

  The people in front walked, and the people behind chased after them. The car of Xia Yu followed all the way, and Peng Ziqi understood roughly what was going on. He couldn't help but say indignantly: "Isn't this just a way to make money by changing methods? The dignified King Qi, how can he be like this...this...it's not right! A king who lives in seclusion and simplicity, how could he think of such a method? This must be some villainous person giving the king a bad idea, without fear of being punished...hmm!"

  Although she was born into a wealthy and powerful family, after all, she was just a girl, and there were some things that she heard but couldn't bring herself to say out loud.

  Xia Liu's face turned pale, and he quickly put on a righteous and indignant expression. He echoed her scolding of that shameless, cigarette-smoking, child-abandoning rascal, then retreated with a sigh: "Ending up with such a prince, brothers have no choice either... it was General Feng who deceived you, not me. I'm just a dead friend, not a poor friend... Amitabha, forgive my sins..."

  Back in the mansion, Xia Liu immediately locked himself in the study, took out the spinning wheel, and on it, five steel wires were neatly wrapped. Xia Liu put the ivory waist card and the spinning wheel together, wrapped them in a cloth handkerchief, and relocked them in the drawer. He called out to the door: "Someone come, please ask Uncle Xiao to come over."

  Xiao Guanshi arrived, and when Xiao Guanshi went out again, the people in the mansion knew a piece of news: Young Master was going out again. This time, Young Master was going to Yanggu County to see a businessman, and it would take about a month for the round trip.

  "Are you leaving Qingzhou?" Peng Qi hurried into the study and asked Xia Liu.

  "Yes, go to Yanggu County for a trip."

  Peng Ziqi furrowed her brow, she had thought that protecting him for three months in Qingzhou City would be enough, but she didn't expect to have to accompany him on a journey south and north, just the two of them, a lone man and woman, it was really not very convenient.

  "Where are you going?"

  Yanggu County.

  "How long?"

  "About a month."

  Peng Ziqi raised an eyebrow: "When are we leaving?"

  "Today is the second day of the lunar month, right? Tomorrow morning, we'll set off. What's wrong, got a problem?"

  Peng Ziqi really wanted to ask him what the poem he wrote yesterday meant, whether he had already seen through her identity. If so, she would use the big feet that the little scoundrel mentioned to leave a few distinct shoe prints on his body. However, as soon as she saw Xia Jie's smile with a hint of mischief, she became enraged and couldn't help but turn around abruptly, puff out her chest, raise her chin, and walk out like a proud peacock.

  Behind him, came his detestable low laughter...

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