Chapter 321 An Ambassador from Spider Shrine
Over a year had passed since Wu Beichen and the others went back to the border area.
Those military men did not mention their experience in the military cemetery to anyone else. They helped Granny Cai and her granddaughter settle down in Longcheng Pass. The two led a peaceful life since then.
Because of the illustrations on the mental cultivation method of Heaven Sword Thirty-six Styles Li Mu gifted them, those military men’s strength grew rapidly during the past half a year.
In particular, Wu Beichen was the one who progressed fastest.
He was very talented in sword skills. By then, he had basically digested the Heaven Sword Thirty-six Styles, and his cultivation advanced at a high speed. In several fierce battles at the borders, he made great contributions and turned the tide. Now, he was already the general in charge of the security of the east gate of Longcheng Pass, which was an official position four ranks higher than before.
As to the other frontier soldiers, except for one who had died on the battlefield, they all got promoted and became the new prominent in the army.
It could be said that what happened to them at the military cemetery in Chang’an changed their lives.
Hence, those frontier soldiers held Li Mu with great respect and gratitude.
Plus, lately, the news about Li Mu killed the second prince, overtook Huang Shengyi the Fire Devil, and was granted as Lord Taibai by the imperial court had spread across the world. Upon hearing the news, Wu Beichen and the other frontier soldiers were all gripped by an upsurge of emotion. They never knew they could get mixed up with such an extraordinary figure on their way to mourn for their deceased comrade-in-arms.
“He is a Sage-to-be!”
For most of the martial arts practitioners, that title was so out of their league that they would feel dizzy whenever they thought of it.
Those frontier soldiers had kept their encounter with the Sage-to-be deep in their hearts as the most thrilling memory they had in their life and did not disclose it to anyone else.
But to their surprise, today in Longcheng Pass he came across Li Mu again.
Wu Beichen was overwhelmed.
After a brief conversation, he led Li Mu to the doorsteps of the little house in Longcheng Pass where Granny Cai and her granddaughter dwelled.
“Caicai, Caicai, come here and see who it is with me!” Wu Beichen called as he pushed the door open and went in.
Granny Cai, who was doing laundry in the yard, already distinguished who had come in by the voice. Wringing wet clothes, she said beamingly, “Beichen, how come you visit me at this hour? Caicai has gone to Iron Sword Club to learn sword skills. Ah? This gentleman is… Uh! It’s His Honor Li! You…”
Only when she looked up did she capture Li Mu who was standing next to Wu Beichen. She straightened up with excitement at once.
“Hi, Granny Cai!” Li Mu greeted her with a smile.
Granny Cai was high-spirited, and she looked much healthier than before.
“Your Honor Li, what brought you here?” Granny Cai asked joyfully. The man who saved her life just visited her again. If it were not for Li Mu, she and Caicai would probably have died at the gate of the military cemetery on that day.
“I’m just passing through Longcheng Pass to attend some business and bumped into Brother Wu on the street. Then, he brought me here to visit you and Caicai.” Li Mu said. “Based on your hale appearance, I assume you are doing well at the border area, aren’t you?”
“Very well! We’re doing very well.” Granny Cai answered. She felt elated at having a happy reunion with her savior. Granny Cai hospitably led Li Mu to his seat and quickly offered him some light refreshments, which were all unique local food mainly made of lamb. Since Longcheng Pass was sitting right beside the vast pasture, stock farming was relatively well-developed.
Shortly, the rest of the frontier soldiers also bustled over one after another when they got the message from Wu Beichen. Upon seeing Li Mu, they all saluted him reverently.
“Brother Madcap…”
Caicai hurried back as well.
The little girl was wearing a suit of swordswoman uniform wrapped in a sheep fur-lined jacket and holding an iron sword in a hand. Although she had not reached the yard, her sweet voice already fluttered in the house. Then, she raced in from outside, her cheek florid. The moment she saw Li Mu, she threw herself into his arms, her heart pounding violently.
When a soldier came to her in the middle of her practice in the Iron Sword Club and told her an honored guest had arrived at her house and she should hurry back right off, she was quite perplexed, for she had no family-like friends other than those frontier soldiers.
But on her way back, she caught sight of Wu Beichen who was purchasing alcohol and groceries by the street. She inquired him about the guest and learned that the new arrival turned out to be Li Mu. With that news in mind, the little girl dashed down the road as joy blossomed into ecstasy until she finally reached the yard breathlessly.
Li Mu gently pinched Caicai’s cheeks and said, “Well, you’re taller and prettier now. Perhaps stronger, too…”
Although the climate in the border area was certainly much worse than that in Chang’an, Caicai still grew up healthily thanks to a good supply of meat. She was taller than half a year ago by a head’s length. Her cheeks were plumper, and her body had started to go through the changes of puberty, slowly rendering her a slender and beautiful girl radiating with youth and vigor.
Moreover, the girl seemed to be more extrovert than before.
With the groceries Wu Beichen bought, Granny Cai soon prepared a copious hot meal.
Even though Li Mu had had many snacks on the street food stalls, his mouth still watered despite himself the moment the good smell of all the dishes slipped into his nostrils. Given that he had to wait for Qiu Yin and could not leave Longcheng Pass within the day anyway, he settled himself at the table and helped himself to every dish.
“Brother Madcap, will you stay in Longcheng Pass a little longer?” Caicai asked, her pitch-black eyes blinking expectantly.
Li Much propped a hand against his forehead.
“Can you stop calling me Madcap?”
“That’s just a Buddhist name I made up. Well, I did dig up a huge pit for myself.”
“I should have taken off today. But a friend of mine hasn’t arrived here yet, so I’m going to wait here for him until tomorrow.”
The gleam in Caicai’s eyes suddenly dimmed.
“Okay,” She mumbled as she lowered her head and started poking the food in her bowl.
It was obvious what the little girl was thinking.
For her, aside from Granny Cai, Li Mu was perhaps her dearest person in the world. He was even more important than Wu Beichen and the other frontier soldiers to her in that his remarks and demeanor had influenced her a lot. What Li Mu had said and done had surely left deep marks in her heart.
These days, every time Wu Beichen and the other frontier soldiers gathered together at Granny Cai’s and talked about Li Mu’s legendary combat record which staggered the Western Qin Empire, the little girl always listened intently by the said, begged them to tell the stories over and over again, and posed a ton of questions.
Li Mu ruffled the little girl’s hair and said, “If you find the border area doesn’t suit you, feel free to go back to Chang’an. Now, the entire Taibai County is my territory…”
The border area was plagued by battles after all.
Further, the Western Qin Empire was already swaying in the midst of a raging storm.
Now that the internal disturbance had occurred, would foreign aggression be far away?
Li Mu was afraid that as the news about Lord Zhenxi’s rebellion bandied about, the Northern Song and the vast pasture would take some action. In a short time, the battles in the border area would escalate to more horrifying wars.
Wu Beichen and the others nodded in agreement.
As soldiers, they naturally had sensed that the situation in the border area was getting steadily tense.
But Caicai resolutely announced, “This is the place where my father fought the enemies. I’ll stay here, work hard to learn sword skills, and guard this city like my father used to do.”
Li Mu nodded and fell silent.
Living with a purpose was a blessing.
The girl was quite young, but she had a strong will and a firm purpose. So during only half a year she already reached the peak of the Joint-thoughts level. Clearly, she had worked very hard to achieve that. Li Mu thought it could not be better that she was able to make her own decisions.
Time flew as Li Mu chatted with those people.
Li Mu then gave some instructions on martial arts practice to Caicai, Wu Beichen, and the other frontier soldiers before getting up and bidding his goodbye.
Yet, at that precise moment, an outburst of clamor was heard outside the yard.
Next, the door to the yard was shoved open. Several warriors cladding leather-made armors marched in first, followed by a stout middle-aged man with typical features of pasture dwellers and a few generals in frontier army armors.
“What are you doing here?” Caicai demanded, her face hardened.
Wu Beichen and the other frontier soldiers also raised to their feet, looking concerned.
Looking a little vexed, Wu Beichen stared at a lanky general standing behind the stout middle-aged man and said with a scowl, “General Zhou, what are you up to by barging in with all those pasture men?”
That lanky general smiled and replied, “What a surprise that Deputy General Wu is here, too… Well, since Ambassador Ula met Caicai in the Iron Sword Club, he could not stop thinking about her, because she reminds him of his deceased daughter. Thus, before he goes back to the pasture, he hopes to see Caicai once more.”
“I won’t see him. You go away.” Caicai got to her feet and announced her refusal decisively as her hand grabbed her iron sword.
A hint of awkwardness appeared on General Zhou’s face.
The stout pasture man who had been addressed as Ambassador Ula had fixed his beady eyes upon Caicai ever since he stepped into the yard. His look was definitely not of the kind that a father who lost his daughter could cast upon a girl similar to his deceased daughter. Instead, his eyes were filled with desire, and he was more like a hungry wolf eyeing a chunk of fat meat.
As to the other people in the yard, the so-called Ambassador Ula seemed to have taken no notice of them.
Even Wu Beichen, the general guarding the east gate of Longcheng Pass, was ignored by the stout middle-aged man.
As to Li Mu…
He looked just like an adolescent. Adding that his clothes were rather ordinary, no one could associate him with that Lord Taibai who had overawed the Western Qin. They simply reckoned he was a neighbor who was totally negligible.
Face written with disgust, Wu Beichen declared, “General Zhou, now that the girl has made it clear that she won’t go with you, you should bring Ambassador Ula out of her place. We are in Longcheng Pass, not the vast pasture. The pasture men can’t do as they want here.”
General Zhou simpered and countered, “Our Western Qin is an empire famous for its etiquette. Those who came here from foreign countries are our guests. Not to mention that Ambassador Ula has come to us with the kind intention of the Spider Shrine on the pasture. Considering the tension in the border area, Chief Commander has ordered that we shall not neglect Ambassador Ula.”
A soldier next to Wu Beichen could not stand it anymore and blurt out, “Does the so-called none-neglecting mean our Qin girls ought to devote their lives to servitude for pasture men against their will?”
“How dare you!” General Zhou glared at that frontier soldier and bellowed, “What military rank do you have? Don’t you see you are not qualified to speak in our presence?”
On the other end of the yard, Li Mu called Caicai to him under his breath and inquired, “What’s all this about?”
Caicai then whispered the whole thing to Li Mu’s ear.
Just a couple of days ago, the ambassador dispatched by the Spider Shrine on the vast pasture agreed to ally with the frontier army of the Western Qin to jointly take on the Wolf Temple on the vast pasture. The news had spread across the city. Some of the frontier soldiers of the Western Qin showed great interest in such an alliance. Thus, the ambassador called Ula Budo entered the Longcheng Pass on behave of Spider Shrine and run into Caicai. On that very first encounter, he flirted with the girl. Afterward, he claimed that Caicai looked like his daughter who had died at a young age and wanted to adopt Caicai before taking her back to the vast pasture to raise her there… However, Caicai said no to him. But the ambassador badgered her several more times. Had not been for Wu Beichen’s help, perhaps Caicai had already been grabbed away by those pasture men.
But to their astonishment, after only a few days, the pasture man called Ula Budo should barge into Caicai’s home and requested to see her.
Judging by the circumstance, in which he was escorted there by Zhou An, the Chief General of Iron Sword Camp in Longcheng Pass, he was after no good.