The Young Swordsman of Dalu

Liang Feiyan and Caihong stayed at a fellow villager's house for one night. The next morning, they secretly left some silver for the villager and hurried on their way.

They wandered aimlessly westward along the country lanes, walking for countless days until they were both covered in mud.

"How wonderful it would be to have a proper wash, Miss!" Rainbow said.

"Call me Young Master!" Liang Feiyan said, her eyes wide.

“Calling you ‘Young Master’ makes you stink,” Rainbow said, deliberately pinching her nose.

"Can I stay at the hotel tonight? I'll take a good shower then, it sounds so nice," Liang Feiyan said.

“Young master, why are we suffering like this?” Rainbow said.

"We've come this far, there's no going back," Liang Feiyan said.

"I wonder if Grandpa knows we ran away on our own? If he does, he'll be terribly worried," Rainbow said.

"I'm so sorry to him," Liang Feiyan said.

"I wonder where Young Master Wen is?" Rainbow said.

“What nonsense are you spouting, Rainbow?” Liang Feiyan shouted.

“Young Master Liang, do you think the old master can’t see through your little scheme?” Rainbow said.

"Is it that obvious?" Liang Feiyan asked, blushing.

"It's practically written all over your face," Rainbow said with a laugh.

"You little brat, you really have no manners!" Liang Feiyan said as she chased after Caihong.

"Spare me, young master! Otherwise, if I die of exhaustion, there will be no one to wander the world with you," Rainbow pleaded.

“Rainbow, look, it looks like we’re about to enter the city,” Liang Feiyan said, pointing to the city gate in the distance.

"Young master! Really, once we get to the city, let's quickly find a shop to wash up properly, rest for a bit, and then have a hearty meal." Rainbow's mouth was practically watering.

"Let's go quickly!" Liang Feiyan said.

Seeing the city gate in the distance, Liang Feiyan and Caihong were filled with energy and ran all the way to the city gate.

"This is the Northern Frontier, we've arrived in the Northern Frontier," Liang Feiyan said in disbelief.

“Young master, have we gone astray?” Rainbow said.

"Never mind that, let's just go wherever we end up and get into the city first," Liang Feiyan said calmly.

It was afternoon, and the city of Beijiang was bustling with people. The streets were filled with all sorts of goods. Liang Feiyan and Caihong walked among the crowd, looking at the lively city of Beijiang, and they were a little disoriented.

“We should have come out and seen the world a long time ago. We’ve heard that the customs and culture of the northern frontier are different from those in our Yulu City. It really has a unique charm and is enough to keep us traveling for a while,” Liang Feiyan said.

"Isn't Young Master going to find Second Young Master Wen?" Rainbow asked deliberately.

"You brat, hurry up and find an inn. This young master needs to rest properly." Liang Feiyan lightly punched Caihong.

"Go find it right away!" Rainbow ran forward quickly.

Liang Feiyan followed Caihong to a Yulu Inn. Upon entering, the innkeeper greeted her and asked:

"My two guests, would you like to stay overnight or stay at the hotel?"

"Do you have any larger rooms available?" Rainbow asked.

"Please follow me to the third floor, room number A," the waiter said.

The two followed the waiter up to the third floor and arrived at room A. The waiter opened the door and said, "Please, gentlemen, what do you think?"

The room was spacious, with a living room, a bedroom, and a bathroom, which greatly pleased Liang Feiyan and her companion.

“Yes, waiter, could you please boil some hot water for us? We’ve been traveling a long way and would like to rest here.” Rainbow said.

"Okay! We'll have someone bring it up to you right away, along with your food," the waiter said.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Brother Caihong," Rainbow said.

The waiter closed the door and left. Liang Feiyan and Caihong excitedly lay down on the large bed.

"This feels so good!" Rainbow exclaimed.

"After we finish washing up and eating, let's get a good rest for the night. Tomorrow we'll have to explore this Northern Frontier City properly," Liang Feiyan said.

"I'll do whatever you say, young master," Rainbow said happily.

At this moment, Wenjie was anxiously searching for Shangguan Xingyun in the heart of Beijiang City. Little did he know that Shangguan Xingyun was also anxiously inquiring about his parents and brother.

That evening, Wenjie arrived at the place he had arranged to meet Sang Ziqi, who was already waiting for him.

"Sang Ziqi, is there any news about her?" Wenjie asked anxiously as soon as he saw Sang Ziqi.

“Wenjie, let me tell you slowly. After we parted ways, I contacted a group of brothers who are in contact with various channels. Through them, I learned that the defenses of Beijiang City have been reorganized recently,” Sang Ziqi said.

"The mobilization of city defenses is normal," Wenjie said, puzzled.

“Wenjie, you don’t understand this Northern Frontier City. When General Gan Yihai was in charge, the garrison was not changed casually unless there was any trouble on the border. Strengthening the city’s defenses was a possibility. Now the garrison is being changed, unless there are new personnel transfers,” Sang Ziqi said.

"General Gan Yihai has retired from the army and returned to his hometown. Who is the commander in the city now?" Wenjie asked.

“Yao Chong, he’s one of Prince Zhou’s men,” Sang Ziqi said.

"What happened to Prince Zhou's men?" Wenjie asked, puzzled.

"Wenjie, you're wandering the martial world, don't you care about anything besides sword fighting? I'm truly impressed by you," Sang Ziqi said.

"Tell me quickly," Wenjie said anxiously.

“Everyone on the border says that Prince Zhou harbors resentment over the late emperor’s decision on who should be crown prince and has never given up on it. Our border army is Prince Zhou’s army. Who knows, one day he might rebel against the court and declare himself king,” Sang Ziqi said in a low voice.

“He dares!” Wenjie shouted.

"My goodness, keep your voice down, the walls have ears." Sang Ziqi covered Wenjie's mouth.

“But what does this have to do with Shangguan Xingyun?” Wenjie asked.

“My brothers said that there’s a family living in Beijiang City who were exiled from Yulu City. Can you guess who they are?” Sang Ziqi said.

"Stop keeping me in suspense, just tell me," Wenjie said anxiously.

"Shangguan Chenxing, think carefully about what his relationship with Shangguan Xingyun is?" Sang Ziqi said mysteriously.

“They all share the surname Shangguan, could it be that they…?” Wenjie pondered as he spoke.

“You guessed right, they are father and daughter,” Sang Ziqi said.

“I didn’t say that,” Wenjie said.

“Didn’t you think of this? Otherwise, why would Shangguan Xingyun come to this northern frontier?” Sang Ziqi said.

“All I know is that Shangguan Xingyun learned martial arts from Abbess Wuyi since she was a child, but I’ve never asked her where she came from,” Wenjie said.

“I can understand that given your personality,” Sang Ziqi said.

"Did something happen to Shangguan Chenxing's family?" Wenjie asked.

"It is said that people from the city defense battalion came and took his family away," Sang Ziqi said.

"How long has it been?" Wenjie asked.

"It's been about three months, shortly after Yao Chong took office," Sang Ziqi said.

"Are you sure?" Wenjie asked.

“My brothers have a lot of business dealings with the city's border defense forces; their relationship is impeccable,” Sang Ziqi said confidently.

"I think Shangguan Xingyun will find out about this soon, and I'm really afraid she'll take the risk alone," Wenjie said worriedly.

"Good fortune will surely smile upon them," Sang Ziqi said.

"No, we still need to find Shangguan Xingyun as soon as possible," Wenjie said.

After saying that, the two went their separate ways.