The Young Swordsman of Dalu

Wenjie spent half a day at the market but couldn't find Wenfei and the others, so he had no choice but to continue north.

Wenfei and Changsheng dared not look for a place to stay on the road. They traveled all day, resting in the wild when they were tired and hunting birds and beasts when they were hungry. Soon they arrived at Beijiang City. After entering the city, they sold the birds and beasts they had hunted and had not finished eating, and got a few taels of silver. Changsheng said happily, "Young master, we don't need to perform for money anymore."

"Look at you, so capable," Wenfei said.

“Young Master, this is the Northern Frontier City, the Northern Frontier City that the Second Young Master and the others visited,” Changsheng said.

“Yes, we’ve arrived here too. We’re heading to the border for the Northern Dynasty, which is about a day’s journey away. Changsheng, let’s go buy some dry food and water. We’ll try to reach the Northern Dynasty by tonight,” Wenfei said.

“Young master, we’ve come all this way, why don’t we stay a few more days and have some fun?” Changsheng said.

"What's the point of playing if we don't have money?" Wenfei said.

"At worst, I'll go to the mountains and hunt some birds to exchange for silver," Changsheng said.

“Let’s go. We’ll have plenty of time to play later. The most important thing right now is to find our master,” Wenfei said.

"Alright," Changsheng said disappointedly.

After buying their things, Wenfei and Changsheng prepared to leave. They planned to exit the city through the north gate, but when they arrived at the city gate, they found it closed. Wenfei went to inquire about it.

"Sir, why are the city gates closed in broad daylight?" Wenfei asked.

"The city gates have been closed for several days now. Didn't you see the announcement? The border is in dire straits. To prevent a surprise attack from the Northern Dynasty, the North Gate is temporarily closed," the gatekeeper said.

"When will it be open?" Wenfei asked.

"That depends on orders from our superiors," the city gate official said.

Wenfei walked up to Changsheng and said, "Changsheng, we can only go out from the south gate and detour to the north."

“Young master, our horses can’t take it anymore. They’ve run such a long distance, they need to rest and eat,” Changsheng said.

“We can’t stay here too long. I don’t want to waste too much time here. How about this, you stay here, and I’ll go first. I’ll come back to meet you after I find my master in the north,” Wenfei said.

“Young Master wants to get rid of me again,” Changsheng said.

“I didn’t dump you again. I only used this method with the Scorpion King so that we could get out of here as soon as possible. Why do you keep bringing it up? You’re so petty,” Wenfei said.

"I'd better stay with you, young master," Changsheng said.

"Let's get going without delay," Wenfei said.

Wenfei and his group arrived at the south gate of the city from the north gate, just in time for the peak of the city's entry. They waited for quite a while before they were able to squeeze through.

Just as they were galloping away, a voice called out: "Wenfei! Changsheng!"

Wenfei looked in the direction of the voice and shouted excitedly, "Second Brother, it really is you! Second Brother!"

"Second Young Master! Second Young Master!" Changsheng shouted as if he had seen a savior.

The three of them gathered together, and Wenjie said, "You guys are fast! I've been chasing you all this way, but I've finally caught up with you."

"Did Second Brother come here specifically to chase after us?" Wenfei asked.

“Yes, I originally wanted to go to the valley to see you, but I met Liang Feiyan and the others on the way. They told me that you had left the valley and gone north, so I had no choice but to follow you here,” Wenjie said.

"Has Second Brother already guessed why I came to the north?" Wenfei asked.

“Wenfei, this is an adult matter. You are still young. Instead of practicing your skills properly in the valley, coming here will only cause trouble for your master,” Wenjie said.

"Second brother, before Master passed away, he passed on all his martial arts skills to us. As long as we practice diligently, one day we will be able to stand on our own," Wenfei said.

“Kung Fu is something you develop over time. You’ve only been practicing for a few days, and you’re far from mastering it. Listen to your second brother and go back to practice. Or you can go back to Wenxian Pavilion,” Wenjie said.

"I'd rather wander the martial world than return to Wenxian Pavilion," Wen Fei said stubbornly.

"You stubborn child again," Wenjie said helplessly.

"Why don't you come with us to the Northern Dynasty, Second Brother?" Wenfei said.

“The relationship between our Great Lu Kingdom and the Northern Dynasty is delicate right now. If something goes wrong, it will be disastrous. Besides, my father hasn’t been having an easy time in court lately. He wrote to me a few days ago telling me not to come home recently and asked me to tell you this, which is why I came to find you,” Wenjie said.

"Has there been any change in the imperial court?" Wen Fei asked.

"Don't talk nonsense. Our Emperor is a wise ruler and should be able to control the situation in the court," Wenjie said.

“Second brother, I’m all grown up now and I know more about things. Don’t hide anything from me,” Wenfei said.

“Recently, some people in the court have been trying to create chaos. Haven’t you noticed that there are more and more soldiers coming and going from Beijiang City?” Wenjie said.

"The north gate is also closed, and we can't leave through it. We just came back through the north gate, otherwise we wouldn't have met Second Brother," Wenfei said.

“Uncle-Master Ji, going to the Northern Dynasty must be related to the current situation between the two countries, so let’s not cause trouble for him. Wouldn’t it be better to let him proceed according to his own plan?” Wenjie said.

“We’ve come all this way, I wouldn’t be satisfied if we didn’t see him,” Wenfei said.

“Alright, I’ll take you to my friend’s place to stay while I gather information, and then we’ll decide on our next move,” Wenjie said.

"Alright, I'll listen to my second brother," Wenfei said helplessly.

Wenjie led Wenfei and the others to Sang Ziqi's residence. Sang Ziqi was fast asleep at home. When he saw Wenjie, he couldn't believe his eyes: "Wenjie, is it really you? I didn't expect you to be back in Beijiang City so soon."

“It’s me. Open your eyes wide and take a good look,” Wenjie said.

"Is there anything else you need me for?" Sang Ziqi said.

"This is my younger brother. Is it alright for them to stay here for a few days? I'll also pay for their meals." Wenjie said, placing the silver on the table.

“When have you ever paid for a meal? That’s ridiculous. Here you go.” Sang Ziqi said, picking up the silver and tossing it to Wenjie.

"Then we won't stand on ceremony," Wenjie said.

"Please stay here; there's plenty of good wine and food," Sang Ziqi said.

"Thank you, Brother Sang!" Wenfei said happily.

"You're welcome! Wenjie's brother is my brother too," Sang Ziqi said with a smile.

"Sang Ziqi, how's Beijiang City doing lately?" Wenjie asked.

“We already have 100,000 troops stationed in the north, and I heard that another 100,000 are going to be transferred from the west. Do you think the situation is serious?” Sang Ziqi said.

"Any news from the Northern Dynasty?" Wenjie asked.

"I heard that the young emperor and the empress dowager are at odds. The empress dowager and the young emperor want a war to prove their abilities. I think this war is inevitable," Sang Ziqi said.

“If that’s the case, the people will suffer again,” Wenjie said.

"War has always been a game for those who delegate power; they don't care about the lives of ordinary people," Wen Fei said angrily.

"Wenfei, don't talk nonsense," Wenjie said.

“I think this younger brother is right.” Sang Ziqi gave Wen Fei a thumbs up.

Wenfei smiled knowingly at Sang Ziqi.