The night was deep and still; here, there was only a quiet small town where the people had the habit of going to bed early, making the inn seem unusually noisy.
In the courtyard, Li Sheng stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the inn ahead, his face displaying a hint of absent-mindedness.
The long song that should have been wept after a deadly battle seemed like a memory from the distant, distant past. If he hadn't been wearing this python robe and had not held the imperial decree in his hand, he might have gone up and knocked on the door, like in the past, to ask Gongsun Jing for a drink with a smile.
But now things were different. Regardless of whether Wang Anfeng agreed or not, the decree clarified Wang Anfeng's responsibility to take up the title of Duke of the State. The Imperial Court and Jianghu were incompatible; his arrival today was ultimately a step too late.
In Jianghu, an old generation changed for the new in many ways, but the Divine Martial Mansion had used the most substantial method ever known in Jianghu to establish its seat—a Grandmaster died resentful, and over four thousand martial artists from Jiangnan Road perished in blood.
Not to mention Cao Donglin had made his name as a Grandmaster not relying on divine weapons but on his own strength. Those over four thousand martial artists of Jianghu were not nameless small fry. Although they weren't exactly how strong masters were, they were pillars of their sects. Many sects had their backbones broken in this single event.
Jianghu of Jiangnan Road suffered a heavy blow in one day.
The name of the Divine Martial Mansion would soon shake the world with a plaque stained with the scent of blood; some in Jianghu might not accept it, but no one could ignore it.
If, according to the decree, Wang Anfeng were to inherit the title and estates of Duke of the State, naturally, he could no longer continue as the master of the Divine Martial Mansion. And if the Divine Martial Mansion came under the jurisdiction of Duke of the State, the bloodshed today would again be a burden for the Great Qin Imperial Court, causing the master of The Number One Manor in the World to once again enter the capital.
His visit today was destined to be disheartening.
Li Sheng sighed softly.
He looked up at the bright moon rising through layers of clouds, the moonlight cold and no different from any other night. If he closed his eyes and listened to the sounds by his ear, he could almost not distinguish whether it was in the memories of the past or the present moment.
The night deepened, and the dew was heavy...
With a creak, Li Sheng came out of his reverie, opened his eyes, and saw the wooden door in front open, with Wang Anfeng in a dark cyan long gown standing before the noisy crowd, calmly looking at him.
Wang Anfeng waved his hand for the door behind him to be shut, then, holding a jar of liquor in one hand and two dark-colored wine bowls in the other, strode over to Li Sheng's side. Standing shoulder to shoulder, one looking at the inn, and the other at the quiet village, Wang Anfeng took the initiative to ask,
"General Li has come. Why don't you enter?"
Li Sheng smiled and replied,
"I'm hardly a general."
Wang Anfeng turned to face him, gesturing first toward the inn behind him and then lifting the wine bowl in his hand, saying,
"In the Jade Ruin Temple, I heard an old man tell many, many stories. In those stories, the person named Li Sheng was always a general."
"...It was just a story after all."
Wang Anfeng, remaining non-committal, raised his wine bowl and asked,
"Would you like a drink?"
Li Sheng accepted the wine bowl with a carefree smile.
It was a type of coarse pottery commonly used in inns of ordinary villages, feeling solid to the touch, entirely different from the jade wine cups called Cloud Cups in the palace, which are made of fine jade and always feel warm and delicate, like the skin of a beauty. But having been accustomed to such fine cups, there was also a unique sensation in using a coarse pottery bowl.
In their most desperate times, when even a ceramic bowl was shattered into halves, they drowned their sorrows in liquor, a disheveled mess, yet with a spirit of rebellion, drunk as if the whole world belonged to them.
Today, only a few were left.
Wang Anfeng tapped the liquor jar, pouring with precise control until the wine bowls were full. The liquor, brewed in the village, could not compare to the tribute wines of the Imperial Court or even the drinks available in the taverns of county cities, the beverage even a bit murky and pungent in taste.
Li Sheng tilted his head back and gulped down the wine, praising, "Good wine."
Wang Anfeng, tilting his head, drank and poured another round, bowl after bowl, drinking three bowls of good liquor. Li Sheng, feeling an unusual sense of intoxication, saw Wang Anfeng gently put the empty jar on the ground, saying,
"General Li Sheng came here, was it to find me?"
He smiled slightly and added, "The innkeeper thought you were someone coming to seek revenge and told me. I had seen the general back in Fufeng County last year, and with the stories from Jade Ruin Temple, the impression was profound."
Only then did Li Sheng realize how he had come out to find him, pausing momentarily before he sighed,
"In subtlety, you are no different from your father."
Wang Anfeng softly said,
Li Sheng placed his wine bowl on a low wall built of bricks and stones nearby, lifting his right hand as his dark sleeves fluttered in the wind. Under the moonlight, the ferocious python pattern suddenly became clear, as if about to surge forward.
As the sleeve fell, a long box made of purple sandalwood was placed in front of Wang Anfeng.
It was decorated with a dragon pattern.
Wang Anfeng lifted his gaze to Li Sheng, asking,
"Is that the imperial decree inside?"
Li Sheng nodded, saying, "Initially, His Majesty was unaware that the Great Marshal had an offspring. After discovering it later, arrangements were made. This time, after learning of your appearance, he sent me here to present this decree to you."
"Upon receiving this decree, from today onwards, you are the Duke of the State, a rank higher than a royal prince, a title inheritable without debarment. As long as His Majesty remains, no one from the Great Qin Imperial Court or Jianghu can touch you."
Wang Anfeng did not reach for it.
In the distance, a dog from an unknown household suddenly woke up, setting off a fierce series of barks that roused all the chickens, ducks, and dogs in the village, disrupting the quiet of the night.