A moonlit night, a gentle breeze.
In the backyard of the princely manor, Wang Yu had set up a barbecue grill. Skewering fresh cuts of beef and mutton, he was busy roasting them, casually showering the meat with ground-up, precious spices like cumin, fennel, star anise, and clove.
"Smells amazing!" Zhao Yingjie was already drooling.
Even Li Yunxiu and Qianqian, who usually showed little interest in food, could not help but fix their gazes on Wang Yu... and the skewers in his hands.
Barbecuing in the northwest had a long history.
Most people, however, simply threw on a bit of coarse salt. Even wealthy households, though they might add spices, used a relatively limited variety, and only applied them after the meat was done cooking to avoid waste.
A display like Wang Yu's—treating spices as though they cost nothing, blending them together, and showering them generously over the grill mid-roast—was truly unprecedented.
It was undeniably extravagant, but it smelled undeniably magnificent.
Awakened by the intense heat of the charcoal embers, the savory aroma of meat and spices drifted across the entire courtyard. Even the hidden guards concealed in the shadows found their mouths watering, constantly swallowing their spit.
"Come on, come on, taste my craftsmanship!" Wang Yu distributed the meat to everyone.
Of course, Wang Yu had never grilled meat in his past life. But even if one had never eaten pork, one had surely seen a pig run. Coupled with his control over strength and heat following his martial training, after just a couple of tries, his grilling was already no worse than that of an ordinary pitmaster.
Li Yunxiu, Qianqian, Zhao Rong, Zhao Yingjie, and Yuan Feifei made for a pleasant spring gathering, which also served as a farewell dinner for Wang Yu.
"Thanks, Brother Yu!" Zhao Yingjie was the least polite. Taking a skewer, he shoved it straight into his mouth. Even though he was hissing and panting from the heat, he refused to let go.
"So fragrant! So tender!" Zhao Yingjie gave a hearty thumbs-up.
Ordinary people tended to overcook barbecue, but Wang Yu managed the heat flawlessly. The outside was crisp while the inside stayed tender, bursting with savory juices that paired wonderfully with the layer of spices—a true delicacy on earth.
With skill like this, if dropped into a seasoned barbecue joint back in modern times, he could easily pull in at least ten thousand yuan a month—after taxes!
"The flavor is quite good," Li Yunxiu said with some reserve. Though a pleased curve had already risen at the corners of her lips, her appraisal remained modest.
"Delicious!" Qianqian held an iron skewer in one hand, daintily nipping a bit of meat with her pearly teeth before gently sliding it off. Chewing in small bites, her eyes crinkled into crescent moons, looking utterly adorable.
Li Yunxiu narrowed her eyes. Watching the spring-water gentleness in Qianqian's gaze, she felt a sudden urge to introduce her to a pair of golden needles.
Without sparing Li Yunxiu a single glance, Qianqian kept her eyes glued to the skewers in Wang Yu's hands. "It's so good! Brother Yu, you're truly incredible. Give me another one!"
Wang Yu beamed with pride. "There's plenty for everyone! I prepared a lot today. Besides the beef and mutton, we've got grilled sinew, fish, kidneys, and chicken wings. Guaranteed delicious!"
Even Yuan Feifei was caught up in the mood, a faint smile unbidden on her lips.
The main course was the assortment of grilled meats, complemented by fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables. Though not as sweet as modern produce bred through technology, their flavors were natural, balanced in sweetness and tartness, and cut through the richness of the grease.
For drinks, there was naturally wine. Not the harsh liquor of the northwest, but pure brewed rice wine. It was low in alcohol and sweet to the taste, yet drinking cup after cup still induced a mild, thoroughly pleasant buzz.
Wang Yu's gaze grew slightly hazy, but Li Yunxiu's eyes grew brighter and brighter. Though an alluring flush tinted her cheeks, her eyes remained deep and enchanting, like bright stars in the night sky.
"Though we have been in Longshan Prefecture for nearly a month, those assassins may not have given up. When you head to the northern line this time to reward the troops, you must exercise extra caution."
Li Yunxiu leaned close to Wang Yu, resting slightly against him. Wang Yu could smell the faint scent of wine wafting from her. Though her eyes were brilliant, she was already somewhat tipsy.
"Especially with the Mobei Qiang tribes and the Qishan bandits around. They might harbor wicked intentions," Li Yunxiu cautioned.
A flicker of disdain crossed Qianqian's eyes as she glanced at Li Yunxiu. Turning back to Wang Yu, her gaze filled with eager anticipation. "Let me accompany Brother Yu."
"Out of the question!" Li Yunxiu objected at once, her tone firm and solemn. "Husband is traveling north to inspect and reward the troops. This is a matter of state and military importance. Under no circumstances should he bring female companions—it would ruin his reputation!"
Qianqian let out a soft huff. Her gaze turned clear, soft, and vulnerable, like a little fawn looking up in anticipation of its master's approval.
"Bring her! I must bring her! When this Prince travels north with meat, wine, and silver to reward the army, do they dare dictate whether I bring women?" Wang Yu reached out, intending to wrap his arm around Qianqian's slender waist. "Reputation? Rewarding the army is the greatest reputation of all!"
Qianqian dodged Wang Yu's hand with a slight twist of her body, but promptly wrapped her own arms around his elbow instead.
Li Yunxiu narrowed her eyes, a frosty glint flashing within them.
Zhao Yingjie pretended to see nothing, pulling another skewer of mutton and feasting heartily.
Yuan Feifei felt a little bashful. "I have been living and eating under the manor's roof without offering any help. Now that Your Highness is heading north to reward the troops, allow me to play a tune on the guqin to bolster your spirit for the journey."
"Wonderful, wonderful!" Wang Yu clapped and laughed. "With meat and wine, how could we go without music? To listen to 'Flowing Springs of the Icy Mountain' is truly an elegant affair!"
With a faint smile, Yuan Feifei stepped next door to fetch the Bingquan Ming. Sitting down to one side, she plucked the strings.
*Clang—clang—clang—*
The melody began crisp and resonant, sharp and defined like an icy mountain, yet delicate as shattered jade falling upon a bronze plate. Every clear chime made the heart skip a beat.
Then the icy mountain melted, shifting from sharp clarity into a babbling brook. The tempo picked up, rushing like a surging spring, yet carried a raw chill—desolate and biting.
Finally, the chill receded, dissolving into a leisurely, winding flow. Plaintive and murmuring, the cold gave way to warmth, wrapping around the ears like a spring breeze, leaving a lingering, poignant resonance.
"'A chill wind rises from the icy mountain's depths; a pure spring winds past fingers, flowing with spring.'" Li Yunxiu clapped in praise. "A magnificent tune! A magnificent instrument!"
Qianqian let out a breath and remarked wistfully, "Only an exceptional instrument like the Bingquan Ming could bring out such a masterpiece."
Wang Yu had experienced much and heard all kinds of modern music. While he couldn't play the guqin himself, he possessed an ear for music and a decent aesthetic sense.
In his eyes, "Flowing Springs of the Icy Mountain" possessed deep, lingering meaning, much like "High Mountains and Flowing Water" or "Evening Song of the Fishing Boat" from his past life. It left listeners with lasting emotion and reflection, fully deserving of its fame.
However, he knew nothing about the guqin itself. "Could an ordinary guqin not play it?"
"Naturally not." Qianqian stroked the ancient instrument before Yuan Feifei. "The tone of an ordinary guqin could never bring out the aloof chill of the icy mountain alongside the gentle tenderness of the flowing spring."
Wang Yu reached right past Yuan Feifei, picked up the guqin, and examined it from every angle. "Is it the wood that's different, or the strings?"
"The wood, of course." Li Yunxiu took a look under the moonlight. "The body of this ancient guqin was likely carved from century-old paulownia wood by a master luthier. Both the interior and exterior forms were specially tuned to suit the resonance of paulownia, which is why it possesses such timbre."
"I see. Impressive, truly impressive. It even has icy fractures and water ripples." Wang Yu ran his hand over the body, suddenly noticing that a carved pattern on the side felt slightly off.
"What's this?" Wang Yu asked, pressing it lightly. Nothing happened.
"Just ordinary carving, nothing..." Yuan Feifei had not even finished speaking when she saw Wang Yu apply a bit more pressure, pressing the carving inward.
*Click!*
With a soft snap, a small box popped out from the side of the guqin's body, revealing a small booklet inside.
Yuan Feifei was struck speechless.
Wang Yu took out the booklet and saw the four words *Flowing Springs of the Icy Mountain* on the cover. A wave of disappointment washed over him. "Just sheet music. Master Yuan must have hidden it inside the guqin for fear the piece might be lost to time."
As he flipped through the pages, however, he realized something was amiss.
The others leaned in to look, and Li Yunxiu instantly judged, "This is an internal cultivation technique, complete with a sound attack technique powered by inner strength!"
Zhao Yingjie was unimpressed. "Isn't that just the Yuan family's heritage? Master Yuan merely kept another draft back then."
Staring at the booklet in Wang Yu's hands, Yuan Feifei suddenly spoke up. "No. My family's internal cultivation method contains no insights on stepping into the Xiantian realm!"
"Oh?"
Xiantian insights were no ordinary thing; they held the potential to guide an artist into the Xiantian realm.
Although Wang Yu's ancestral *Flowing Fire Reflection* could lead someone step-by-step toward becoming a Xiantian Grandmaster, ordinary martial artists enjoyed no such foundation. Even the arts practiced by Wei Gutong and Yan Ziyu were not Xiantian manuals; their breakthroughs to Xiantian had relied entirely on their own comprehension.
Even for an existing Xiantian expert, studying another person's Xiantian insights might grant analogies and breakthroughs, benefiting their own martial cultivation.
Wang Yu closed the booklet and handed it to Yuan Feifei.
Yuan Feifei shook her head and refused it. "My talent is limited, and I have no hope of reaching Xiantian in this life. Whether I read these insights makes no difference. Besides, I am staying at the princely manor as an idle guest, receiving favor without merit. Since Your Highness discovered this book, allow me to present it to you, adding another layer to the manor's heritage."
"How could I accept such a gift?" Wang Yu said, tucking the booklet away even as the words left his mouth.
To anyone else, aside from the Xiantian insights, the book might not be very useful; sound attack techniques could not be learned by just anyone, as they required innate talent.
For Wang Yu, however, things were different.
He had a cheat!
Besides, he wanted to see whether he could practice *Flowing Springs of the Icy Mountain* on top of *Flowing Fire Reflection*. If so, would the inner strength convert, or stack?
Seeing Wang Yu pocket *Flowing Springs of the Icy Mountain*, the others could not help but chuckle. Wang Yu then turned to Yuan Feifei and said, "I'll keep this book in my collection, but you should still read it. Life is long—who knows if another opportunity might come your way?"
And so, beneath the moonlight, the group examined the secret manual together. Wang Yu instructed Zhao Yingjie to transcribe a copy for Yuan Feifei before keeping the original for himself.
***
On the first day of the third month, the omens were favorable for travel.
A squad of ten princely guards escorted a luxurious carriage, followed by a detachment of five hundred soldiers escorting dozens of heavy carts.
Wang Yu and Qianqian sat comfortably inside the carriage, while Zhao Yingjie sat out front alongside the driver.
Reclining on a soft cushion, Wang Yu had the ancient guqin beside him. Plucking the strings idly with one hand, he held a copy of *Introduction to Guqin Tablature* in the other, studying it attentively.
Curious, Qianqian asked, "Brother Yu, are you really planning to learn the guqin and cultivate *Flowing Springs of the Icy Mountain*?"
"Of course," Wang Yu nodded.
Qianqian found it almost unbelievable. *You're actually serious?*
Wang Yu winked at Qianqian. "After all, on our wedding night, I want to play 'The Phoenix Seeks His Mate' just for you!"
Chapter 26