Chapter 30: Baihe Relay Station
A quarter of an hour later, the commotion next door subsided.
Mu Bai lay listlessly across the table, his index finger tracing the purple clay teapot before him.
Two knocks sounded from outside the door; without lifting his head, he said, “Come in.”
Expecting a server bringing dishes, he instead saw the hem of black robes settle into the seat beside him. Mu Bai raised his gaze and met the face of a certain someone.
He suddenly recalled their earlier stay at Tingyun Station, where Su Mo had been able to hear his voice downstairs even from within his bedroom chamber. Clearly, that person must have noticed him when he ordered just now.
Thinking this, Mu Bai immediately withdrew his gaze, unwilling to even spare him a glance.
Su Mo raised his hand and poured him a cup of tea: “What brings you here as well?”
“Looking for a lady,” Mu Bai said with a forced smile. “I heard the courtesan of highest rank here…”
Before he could finish, Su Mo let out a scoffing laugh.
Mu Bai glanced sideways at him, only to see him immediately clear his throat, lift a short brown bottle from the table, and take a sniff. “Oh, it’s vinegar. No wonder there’s such a sour smell.”
“…” Mu Bai pressed his fingers against the edge of the table until it creaked. “Aren’t you supposed to be keeping the young lady company? What are you doing running over here?”
“Keeping the young lady company…” Su Mo asked, “Didn’t you just see that I was alone?”
“I didn’t see,” Mu Bai replied in a cold voice. “Hurry back; don’t get in the way of my meal.”
The last time Su Mo heard him refer to himself as “Young Master” was back in Qinglian Valley. Realizing Mu Bai was truly furious, he quickly pinched the tip of Mu Bai’s finger and pleaded for mercy, “Xiao Bai, will you come with me?”
Mu Bai withdrew his hand. “No. Stop fiddling with me.”
Just then, a server entered carrying a dish.
Catching sight of Su Mo, the server paused briefly before carefully placing the platter on the table. “The Three Delicacies with Scallops has arrived,” he said. “Young Hero, aside from those three items, there are still forty-four dishes remaining. If you confirm your order, I will instruct the kitchen to prepare them immediately.”
Before Mu Bai could speak, Su Mo said, “We’ll just have those three; forget the rest.”
“On what grounds do you decide for me?” He beckoned the waiter. “We’ll have all forty-four dishes.”
Su Mo held Mu Bai back. “Can you finish it all?”
“I’ll invite a tableful of ladies to eat with me. How could I not finish it?”
“Very well.” Su Mo softened his voice, coaxing him. “Then we’ll do as you say.”
Having said that, he casually instructed the attendant, “Charge this to my estate.”
Mu Bai slapped the heavy money pouch onto the table. “Settle the bill.”
The server glanced at Su Mo, then back at him, his head feeling as if it were splitting in two from confusion.
Just as he stood there at a loss, another figure approached from the adjacent room—the very same greasy middle-aged man Mu Bai had spotted earlier.
He stopped at the doorway and asked, “Your Highness the Prince, who is this…?”
Su Mo was about to introduce himself when Mu Bai cut in: “I’m the brother of his fierce-tempered wife.”
“…Oh, so you’re His Highness’s elder brother-in-law. My apologies for the oversight.”
Su Mo: “…”
Mu Bai pushed him. “Hurry back; they’re already searching for us.”
Su Mo rose, walked straight to the door, and said, “Lord Peng, please return first; I will stay here with him.” With that, he closed the door and slid the bolt into place.
A sudden sense of foreboding surged within Mu Bai. “What are you doing?”
Su Mo returned to his seat and said in a low voice, “Just now, I mentioned to them that next time, I would bring my wife to pay a visit.”
“Oh,” Mu Bai replied, then suddenly realized, “Minister Peng… Was that just now Peng Deshou?”
“Yes,” Su Mo said. “I invited those few you mentioned last time to share a meal; they will be coming here.”
“…Oh.” Mu Bai lowered her eyes. “I didn’t say you couldn’t come.”
Su Mo beckoned. Thinking he had something too sensitive to speak aloud, Mu Bai leaned in close. “Hmm?”
Then, a kiss landed softly on her cheek.
Mu Bai blinked, turning to look at him. She saw Su Mo pull a dark jade stone from his sleeve and ask with a smile, “Is this for me?”
He was about to nod when he heard another question: “A token of our love?”
Mu Bai replied, “…No, I just received my reward money and bought it because it looked pretty.”
Su Mo lowered his head again to carefully tuck the jade away, his movements exceedingly cautious. “I like it very much.”
As they spoke, maintaining an extremely close distance, Mu Bai could faintly smell the sandalwood scent on him.
Su Mo lifted his eyes to gaze at him for a moment, then suddenly leaned in close, their brows and eyes nearly touching.
Just then, two more knocks sounded from outside the door.
Mu Bai nearly brushed lips with him but pulled back at the sound, slipping quickly to the doorway.
Opening the door, I saw not only a servant but also a stunningly beautiful woman standing gracefully outside.
The servant bowed respectfully and said, “Young hero, this is Miss Liu, the courtesan of our Ruanhong Pavilion.”
Mu Bai was taken aback: “Uh, I don’t recall ordering a lady’s company?”
“Lord Peng from next door arranged it for you.”
Peng Deshou popped his head out with a broad smile: “Young hero, we’re all men here. When you get a chance, advise your sister more; sooner or later, His Highness the Prince will take concubines. Playing around outside beforehand is nothing to worry about, as long as she firmly holds her position as the principal wife.”
Mu Bai: “…”
He looked at Peng Deshou’s face and felt utterly disgusted, turning his eyes away.
Su Mo immediately sensed trouble upon hearing these words. He stepped out at once, saw Mu Bai handing the money pouch to the attendant, and casually remarked, “Enjoy yourselves to your heart’s content,”
before turning and walking away without looking back.
“Xiao…” Su Mo began, but realizing there were outsiders present, he swallowed the rest of his words and prepared to give chase directly.
Peng Deshou grabbed hold of him: “Your Highness, don’t you think the ladies of Ruanhong Pavilion are more captivating than your wife…”
Su Mo furrowed his brows, forcefully shaking off Peng’s hand: “I thank you.”
The imperial prince had never spoken with such a teeth-gritting tone before, and his grip was so strong that Peng Deshou nearly stumbled into the doorframe. By the time he regained his composure, the Fifth Prince had already vanished at the end of the corridor.
Su Mo rushed out of the Ruanhong Pavilion’s main gate, but Mu Bai was nowhere to be seen.
Mu Bai possessed extraordinary martial arts talent; although his lightness skill had not yet matched Su Mo’s, it was not far behind. Had Peng Deshou not intercepted him, Su Mo might well have caught up.
But once the trail was lost, there was no knowing where to begin the search.
–
Mu Bai felt deep regret.
I shouldn’t have left on a whim.
Over forty dishes were served, yet he hadn’t touched a single bite; now walking the streets with an empty stomach, he inexplicably felt a pang of grievance.
Kicking at stones along the road, he muttered to himself, “So what if he’s a prince? Does that mean he must have three thousand beauties in his harem…”
After a few more words, he suddenly fell silent.
Mu Bai recalled the original text: Su Mo had never taken any concubines, not even during his time as a prince, let alone after ascending the throne; he died young.
Thinking about it this way, he seemed rather pitiable.
He lowered his eyelids, turned a corner, and headed toward the prince’s residence.
Su Mo had gone off somewhere to find people; in any case, when Mu Bai returned to the prince’s residence, only Jin Yi and Ye Xing were there.
Logically, as two personal attendants, they should have taken shifts for rest, but Su Mo always granted them leave together. At this moment, both were sitting under the shade of a tree in the rear courtyard, enjoying the cool breeze.
Mu Bai avoided their gaze, slipped into the bedchamber, sat down at the table, picked up a brush, and wrote a note explaining briefly that he had just received a particularly tricky bounty mission and would not return for some time.
He set down his brush, glanced around, and slipped the note beneath Su Mo’s pillow, leaving one corner exposed.
Then, grabbing two changes of clothes, he sneaked into the kitchen, snatched a steamed bun in his mouth, and slipped away.
While climbing over the courtyard wall, he picked up a flower blown outside by the wind and tucked it into his robe.
All the ministers named on the wanted poster resided within the imperial capital. Except for Peng Deshou, their mansions were not heavily guarded; two of lower rank didn’t even have gatekeepers at night. Mu Bai infiltrated each residence, completed his tasks, left behind the flowers, and then traveled overnight to the Baihe Relay Station.
Baihe Post Station borders Liesha Isle and Guixu Mound, serving as the indispensable route from the imperial capital to Pianyu Temple.
Having traveled through the night, he entered the post station, immediately claimed a seat at a table, and poured himself a bowl of tea.
Then his gaze shifted to the three monks seated at the adjacent table.
Although Lingyun Palace was mockingly dubbed the “Monks’ Palace,” this was Mu Bai’s first encounter with actual monks.
They wore long gray robes, their foreheads as smooth as boiled eggs, with strings of Buddhist prayer beads around their necks.
One fat, one thin, and a young monk sat around the table, nibbling on plain steamed buns while conversing. The fat monk asked, “Senior Brother, didn’t Master and Abbess Tingyu despise each other? Why then did they send us to help Pianyu Temple investigate the murderer?”
“The emaciated monk said, ‘The Red Lotus □□ frequently appears in Wuti. Even though our three major sects of Wuti are usually at odds, we must unite as one during such times.'”
The little monk chimed in with a grin, “We’ll get to see Junior Sister Tinglan again.”
The thin monk rapped him on the head with a steamed bun, “So young and already up to no good, harboring thoughts about the young Taoist nun from the temple.”
After listening to their conversation for a while, Mu Bai realized that these three monks shared the same objective as himself.
He hesitated for a moment, then stood up and approached the neighboring table, “Excuse me, may I ask if you are heading to Pianyu Temple?”
The monks were all taken aback. The thin monk asked vigilantly, “Why does the young hero inquire about this…?”
Mu Bai immediately replied, “I happen to be heading there myself. Just now I overheard you mention it; if our paths align, perhaps we could travel together for mutual protection.”
The three exchanged bewildered glances. “May we ask what business brings the young hero to Pianyu Temple?”
“A friend of mine has been out of touch recently. His last message indicated he was still at Pianyu Temple, so I thought I’d go look for him.”
“Oh, I see…” The thin monk lowered his eyes.
The young monk held up a steamed bun and spoke, “Pianyu Temple lost ten or so people recently; your friend might have…”
Before he could finish, he received a flick on the forehead: “Watch your mouth!”
The little monk clutched his head, falling silent with a look of grievance.
The thin monk withdrew his hand and apologized awkwardly to Mu Bai: “Children speak without filter; please, young hero, do not take it to heart.”
Mu Bai quickly waved his hand, saying, “It’s nothing.”
The thin monk thought for a moment, then added, “It will take a day and night to reach Pianyu Temple from here; the journey is long. We plan to rest tonight at the relay station and set off early tomorrow morning. If you don’t mind, young hero, you are welcome to travel with us.”
“Very well.” After exchanging a few words with him and arranging to meet downstairs early the next morning, Mu Bai returned to his own table.
The fat monk watched his retreating figure for a while, then asked in a low voice, “Senior Brother, this person’s background is unclear; could it be that…”
“I don’t think he looks like a bad person.”
The little monk chuckled. “In Senior Brother’s eyes, anyone good-looking can’t be bad.”
Mu Bai’s ears twitched slightly, and a faint smile curved his lips.
Having stayed awake all night, even two bowls of tea couldn’t ward off his drowsiness; so he asked the innkeeper for a room and went upstairs to rest.
The next morning, after washing up and feeling refreshed, Mu Bai went downstairs for breakfast. Meanwhile, Su Mo was sitting in the courtyard of the Prince’s Manor, holding a copy of the Jianghu Express and reading its latest headline: “Taxue spotted in Wuti Kingdom; infiltrated the residences of two ministers overnight…”