Chapter 64: Crimson Alley

The second floor of the Embroidered Building had a total of twenty-one elegant seating areas. White gauze curtains cascaded down like waterfalls from the ceiling. Around each area, vases held freshly picked flowers, creating an ethereal atmosphere.

However, the curtains of the other elegant seats had all been removed by the serving girls one after another, leaving only the three belonging to the Crown Prince's party still covered.

The Crown Prince, Bai Li, Chen Ji, Liang Gou, and Liang Mao were in one elegant seat. She Dengke, Liu Quxing, and other jianghu figures sat in the other two.

Liang Gou didn't mind. Even if the curtains weren't removed, serving girls continuously brought in wine and food. He found the wine cups at this Qingyin small class too small and simply switched to a bowl.

The Crown Prince rolled up his sleeves and sat blankly inside the curtain. He sat at the table with a pen rack, but couldn't write a single line of poetry.

He slowly looked towards Chen Ji. Chen Ji was still sleeping with a furrowed brow and clearly couldn't be relied upon.

He then slowly looked towards Liang Gou and Liang Mao... never mind!

Finally, he looked towards Bai Li: "Uh, Bai Li, can you write one? I remember you wrote poems before."

Bai Li said hesitantly: "My writing was criticized by teachers as 'messy'. I can't write. If I write, I'll just be a laughingstock."

Liang Gou laughed heartily and said: "This Qingyin small class is just pretending to be mysterious. It's clearly just about making money, but they still set up so many obstacles for you. But literati just fall for this! As I said, Baiyi Alley is not as straightforward as Hongyi Alley.

That Smoke Girl at the Jinpu was amazing with her drinks. If you drank a few cups, she'd accompany you for a few cups. It was truly enjoyable."

Liang Mao pouted: "Brother, you just like her drinking tolerance. I don't want to expose you!"

Outside the curtain, Chen Wenxiao's laughing voice came: "How are there still three curtains not removed? Do the friends inside feel it's more elegant and quiet this way?"

The Crown Prince retorted through the curtain: "Fine lines are heaven-made, a wonderful hand occasionally finds them.

Writing poems isn't about quantity, but about refinement. If it's not refined enough, what's the point of writing more? I feel this game by Master Liu is a bit rushed, forcing everyone to immediately write three poems related to autumn. You can write them, but what good things can you write under such a rush? Does everyone think the poems they just wrote can be passed down through the ages?"

It became quiet outside the curtain. Some people were thinking about the Crown Prince's words, and some were thinking about the eight characters 'fine lines are heaven-made, a wonderful hand occasionally finds them'.

Chen Wenzong was silent for a moment: "I can't hear clearly, remove the curtain and speak."

Crown Prince: ...

He turned his head to look at Chen Ji, his last hope resting on Chen Ji waking up.

The Crown Prince was a bit worried: "Chen Ji isn't dead, is he?"

"Impossible, he's still breathing," Princess Bai Li thought for a moment and said: "He must be too tired after being injured and then being tormented by you all."

"Let's delay a bit longer and see if he wakes up."

Chen Ji didn't wake up; he was already fighting tooth and nail.

On the peak of Qingshan, Chen Ji and the Ju Ji Warrior were both panting heavily. They had exchanged over a hundred blows just now, and neither could take down the other.

Xuanyuan had changed into a black king's robe at some point. The sleeves of the robe were embroidered with golden threads depicting the Ziwei constellation in the center, and the Taiwei and Tian Shi constellations accompanying it on either side.

There was no trace of the golden armor or the king's banner.

Xuanyuan sat properly on a large stone. Although he was just sitting on a large stone, he looked like a dignified emperor seated on a golden chair.

His expression was solemn and grave.

Like the black of his king's robe, it was calm, rational, and beyond doubt.

Xuanyuan saw that neither of them was making a move, then urged in a cold tone: "This round has already been fought for two incense sticks of time, how much longer do you two want to stall? On a real battlefield, you'd be shoulder to shoulder in a battle formation, where would you have time to breathe!"

The Ju Ji Warrior received the order and immediately swung his bronze halberd, which howled as it came down.

Chen Ji's eyes didn't flinch. He stared intently at the horizontally chopping halberd blade, only leaning back slightly. The halberd blade swept past the bridge of his nose without injuring him at all.

This movement was as quick and casual as breathing with the world, natural and effortless.

The furnace fire inside Chen Ji's body had already lit sixteen lamps. His strength already exceeded that of ordinary people, and he could even steadily gain the upper hand when wrestling with Jing Dynasty spies.

But he had suddenly gained this strength and wasn't familiar with his own body, and he lacked force techniques.

Force techniques were like a lever. Without this lever, ten percent of his strength could only be used to eight percent. With this lever, ten percent of his strength could be increased to twelve percent.

Now, Chen Ji already knew exactly what his body was like and where his strength was hidden!

However, the Ju Ji Warrior was not weak. Seeing that his strike missed, he immediately twisted his waist and turned his body, using the force of his waist and hips to change the direction of the halberd blade.

It was clearly a horizontal sweep meant to cut through a thousand armies, yet suddenly it reversed into an upward flick!

The halberd blade swept across Chen Ji's chest, leaving a wound and forcing back Chen Ji's attempt at a sneak attack.

But after being injured, Chen Ji didn't lower his head to look at the wound. Instead, he still stared intently at the Ju Ji Warrior, as if the wound didn't hurt, like a hunting leopard slightly bending its waist.

Although injured, there was no sign of falling to a disadvantage.

Xuanyuan had once said that Chen Ji no longer had fighting instinct, but he suddenly realized he was wrong.

In just one day, he had personally witnessed the other go from running around the mountain in embarrassment to now fighting the Ju Ji Warrior without a clear winner.

His steps and techniques, and even his force technique, were becoming rougher, yet more and more true.

A casual punch or kick clearly looked very rushed and clumsy, but was full of violence and direct dominance.

"Just six hours, huh,"

Xuanyuan sighed softly.

The fighting instinct within the other's body, like an immortal longsword that hadn't seen daylight for ten thousand years, was being slowly wiped clean of dust.

But although Xuanyuan thought this, he mocked: "It's already six hours, and you still can't win? This Ju Ji Warrior is just a single soldier in my army formation."

Chen Ji, panting, looked at the Ju Ji Warrior and smiled: "He doesn't talk much. Don't mind him. You're very powerful, it's normal that I can't beat you."

Xuanyuan raised an eyebrow.

Chen Ji's expression was tired. After fighting for six hours, the Ju Ji Warrior could stand there full of energy time after time, but he couldn't.

Every minute and second at this time was a torment to him.

How many times had he died in one day?

Forty times or sixty times?

He couldn't remember.

At a certain moment, Chen Ji thought, maybe he should just give up and not learn the way of the sword seed.

But when he thought that he had learned something new and gained a few more insights, new fighting spirit was reignited. The next moment, the Ju Ji Warrior swung his halberd again. Chen Ji moved his body, but pulled at the wound on his chest, causing his action to lag. His body leaned to the side too late, and his entire left arm was cut off a piece of flesh!

This strike was like a watershed. From then on, Chen Ji could only dodge awkwardly, with no opportunity for active attack. Xuanyuan mocked Chen Ji: "I see you have no hope, why don't you just let me return to the world and leave your last words."

Tell me who you want to kill, and I'll help you kill them.

"I'll come myself,"

Chen Ji dodged the Ju Ji Warrior's attack while panting.

"Oh? You are very attached to that world?"

"I still have a cat. What will it do if I'm gone?"

Xuanyuan doubted: "A cat?"

"I also just made a few friends."

Xuanyuan burst out laughing: "You also need friends? You said earlier that you don't need friends!"

"Were we ever friends?"

"Yes, but not for a long time."

"Then let's get to know each other again."

When the bronze halberd chopped down vertically again,

Chen Ji suddenly bent down and rushed towards the Ju Ji Warrior. His eyes were like hooks, tightly locking onto the other's halberd blade.

The crescent blade of the bronze halberd chopped down. The Ju Ji Warrior was already prepared for various changes after Chen Ji dodged, but this time Chen Ji simply didn't dodge!

Instead, Chen Ji sped up again, actually passing the position where the crescent blade chopped down, reaching the body of the halberd. His hands were like holding up a mountain range as he grasped the slender halberd pole, hard stopping the downward trajectory of the bronze halberd!

The Ju Ji Warrior wanted to pull back the bronze halberd, but he was shocked to see Chen Ji pull the halberd body down and shake it hard with both hands!

"Let go!"

An inexplicable majestic force transmitted to the body of the bronze halberd, actually shaking the Ju Ji Warrior's hands off involuntarily. That strange halberd-seizing technique... it was clearly used by the Ju Ji Warrior earlier, yet Chen Ji had learned it!

"Eh!"

Xuanyuan's eyes brightened. This weapon-seizing technique, honed through a thousand hammers and a hundred refinements, was an absolute skill in his battle formation, and yet it had been learned in one day.

He saw Chen Ji swing the bronze halberd like a full moon, forcing the Ju Ji Warrior to retreat continuously, leaving no room to splash water.

In an instant, one chased and one retreated. The Ju Ji Warrior had no way to retreat at the edge of Qingshan and could only stand firm. The bronze halberd in Chen Ji's hand didn't chop onto his body, but stopped at his neck.

"How about it?"

Chen Ji gasped and asked: "Now can you teach me?"

The long-lost joy of victory filled his heart.

In the hot breath, Chen Ji felt as if he had again crossed an insurmountable high mountain, as if he had climbed all the way to the top of the mountain and seen the sunrise breaking through the sea of clouds, tranquil yet high-spirited.

Xuanyuan sat on the giant stone and slowly said: "Are you satisfied with this? Your current strength in my army formation can only serve as one soldier.

"Hmm?"

Chen Ji was puzzled.

He saw Xuanyuan beckon towards the battle formation solidified by time on his face. Another warrior with a long saber hanging at his waist actually stepped out of the ranks, walked onto this Qingshan, and knelt on one knee before Xuanyuan: "King, what is the matter?"

Xuanyuan pointed at Chen Ji: "This boy is already familiar with the Ju Ji Warrior's attack and defense, now it's your turn." Chen Ji's eyes widened. He looked at the battle formation below the mountain, which was complete with eighteen kinds of weapons, and suddenly his face changed: "I can't fight again today. My friends are still waiting for me to drink wine. See you tomorrow!

Having said that, he actually took the initiative to jump down, falling below Qingshan.

Xuanyuan looked at the empty cliff edge and said blankly: "I do need to get to know you again."

On the second floor of the Embroidered Building, the curtains of the three elegant seats were still not removed.

"Autumn, I can write the character for autumn." Liang Gou was already red-faced from drinking. The Crown Prince was still scratching his ears and cheeks in front of the table: what poem?

He heard someone beside him say softly: "Wait until autumn comes on September eighth, and I will kill a hundred flowers after my own bloom."

The Crown Prince turned his head to look, and saw that Chen Ji had slowly opened his eyes, which were full of bloodshot lines, like a fierce tiger hunting prey.

Bai Li mumbled: "What kind of dream did he have, with such strong killing intent."

The Crown Prince was overjoyed and said in a low voice: "You're finally awake, hurry, Bai Li, write down that sentence of yours, we still lack eight sentences!"

Chen Ji looked at the handful of gold melon seeds in his hand... even this couldn't wake him up?

He put nine gold melon seeds into his sleeve while saying deliberately: "Eight sentences, is it? Princess Bai Li, I'll say it, you write it."

Bai Li's eyes brightened: "Okay, I'll write it."

However, just as the two were saying and writing, they heard Chen Wenxiao ask again from outside the curtain: "Friends inside these three elegant seats, still haven't written poems related to the character 'autumn'? If you keep delaying, how can we not delay everyone's exchange with Master Liu?"

The Crown Prince smiled and replied: "Already writing, already writing."

Chen Wenxiao: "If you could write, why wait until now."

Lin Chaoying's laughing voice rang out: "I hear who the friend behind the curtain is, turns out it's the Crown Prince.

How about this, Brother Wenzong, although it's just nine poems related to autumn, you and I were in the same school as the Crown Prince for three years, so let's help him together. I'll write four, and you write five.

Then let's treat it as written by the Crown Prince and them, and remove the curtains."

Chen Wenzong hesitated: "This seems improper."

Lin Chaoying smiled: "Then I'll write nine alone."

He gathered his sleeves and called the serving girl of the Embroidered Building to bring pen, ink, paper, and inkstone. With a wave of his large pen, a set of poems was produced.

The crowd gathered around and saw that his nine poems were completed in one breath, as easily as if they were picked casually.

Lin Chaoying handed the poems to the serving girl: "Send these to Master Liu to take a look. If they're passable, then remove the curtains on the Crown Prince's side."

"No need to show them to Master Liu, even I, this coarse maid, can tell these poems are good," the serving girl smiled shallowly: "I'll go and remove the curtains now."

In fact, the Embroidered Building was also a bit anxious about the delay in removing the curtains of the three elegant seats.

However, the Crown Prince heard Chen Ji's perfect words and saw Bai Li's pen flying, and suddenly became anxious: "Wait, we can write them ourselves, don't remove them!"

But it was too late.

He saw layer after layer of curtains removed, exposing the three elegant seats to the crowd.

Liang Gou was drinking in large gulps, already half-drunk. Liang Mao was eating dishes one after another, as if attending a flowing banquet.

Looking at She Dengke, Liu Quxing, and other jianghu figures, they weren't much better off. The table was already a mess. With a "puchi," Chen Wenxiao burst out laughing: "How did you all eat and drink so much?"

Lin Chaoying sat upright behind the table, his face sinking: "It's rare for Master Liu to come from Qinhuai River to Luocheng tonight. If she sees the literati of Luocheng behaving like this, how disappointed she must be? Crown Prince, tonight is a literati elegant gathering, why bring these coarse jianghu martial men to join in the fun?"

The Crown Prince looked at Lin Chaoying: "I also wrote poems to come up, so what? You can come, but my friends can't?"

Lin Chaoying shook his head: "I'm not saying they can't come, but it's not suitable for them to come.

These jianghu friends would be better off eating roadside noodles and walking along Hongyi Alley, it suits their identity and status. How can they not waste heavenly things by coming here?"

The Crown Prince asked in a low voice: "What kind of people should go to Hongyi Alley?"

"Naturally, it's coarse people seeking flowers and asking willows."

The Crown Prince asked in a low voice again: "Then what kind of people are suitable to come to Baiyi Alley?"

"Naturally, it's people like you and I, who have knowledge and identity."

The Crown Prince slowly stood up. The crowd thought he was angry and wanted to fight with Lin Chaoying, but he suddenly turned his body and cupped his hands towards Yu Dengke and others, apologizing: "Sorry, today because of my rashness, I brought everyone to see this kind of ignorant and arrogant people. I apologize to everyone.

If Baiyi Alley is full of this kind of literati and elegant people, then it's fine if we don't come after this! It doesn't matter if I suffer insults, but it's my fault for implicating my friends to suffer insults, let's go!"

Liang Gou was puzzled: "Crown Prince, where are we going?"

The Crown Prince stood tall and laughed loudly: "Go, go to Hongyi Alley to drink flower wine!

Having said that, he actually brushed his sleeves and led the way downstairs.

Liang Gou and Liang Mao carried Chen Ji's bamboo chair and followed. A large group of people advanced and retreated together, not at all depressed, but as lively as if they were attending a wedding.

Bai Li sat behind the table, holding a pen, staring blankly at the large group leaving.

She opened her mouth to speak but stopped: she had just finished writing the poem Chen Ji recited.

The Crown Prince called out on the stairs: "Bai Li, let's go!"

Bai Li originally planned to take the written poems with her. After a moment's thought, she put the rolled-up poems down again and chased after them downstairs: "Coming, coming!"

The second floor of the Embroidered Building became quiet again. Chen Wenzong glared fiercely at Chen Wenxiao before standing up and coming to the Crown Prince's table to pick up the poem he had just written.

Just one look and he was stunned.

"Withered vine, old tree, dusk crow, small bridge, flowing water, people's homes, ancient road, west wind, thin horse, setting sun westward, heartbroken person at the horizon.

There is no character for autumn, yet reading it makes one feel the bleak autumn wind, under the desolate bridge."