"You could have pierced my throat," Duan Wei said.
"That was only because I had the advantage of reach," Ma Yinglong said as he rose to his feet. "Yet while I couldn't halt my spear, you managed to stop your blade."
A round of applause rang out, and both of Duan Wei's companions let out a sigh of relief.
"A weapon's reach is part of a duel as well. How about calling it a draw between you two?" the sharp-featured young man suggested.
Ma Yinglong gave no direct answer, merely snorting. "A loss is a loss. Just you wait—once I spend a year traveling through the Central Plains, I'll come back and fight you again!"
Duan Wei glanced down at the broken sabre in his hand. "You can also wait until I forge another good blade."
Wang Yu and Zhao Yingjie walked over.
"Prince Zhao," Duan Wei said, cupping his hands in greeting.
Wang Yu nodded. "Young Master Duan."
The Ma and Duan families had both flourished in the Anxi Circuit for hundreds of years. To say there had never been friction between them would be impossible, yet they had also cooperated, watching each other's backs against bandits and outlaws, and even occasionally intermarrying through collateral branches.
The relationship between the two clans was one of both rivals and friends. Though hardly intimate, it was just as far from a fight to the death.
That was why the duel between Ma Yinglong and Duan Wei was strictly a contest of skill rather than life and death.
It was also why Ma Yinglong had slapped his Coiled Dragon Spear aside at the final moment, and why Duan Wei had checked his sabre in the nick of time.
"You haven't made much progress this past year either," Ma Yinglong said, radiating confidence. "If you're still like this a year from now, you won't beat me even with a better blade!"
Duan Wei had indeed felt the pressure Ma Yinglong exerted, but naturally he was not about to admit it. "A year from now, I will definitely defeat you."
"Fine! Then we fight again in a year!" Ma Yinglong accepted on the spot before turning to the other two men. "Once you're in the Northwest, we're all friends. Aren't you going to introduce them?"
Duan Wei chuckled easily and introduced everyone.
"This friend is Xu Hao, a disciple of the prestigious Huichun Valley from the Central Plains. He came to the Northwest hoping to find a snow lotus on Mount Tianshan.
"This other friend has the compound surname Gongsun and the single given name Yi. He has always been curious about the legendary sweat-blood horses and came to the Northwest hoping to buy several fine steeds to take home."
"A Tianshan snow lotus? Sweat-blood horses? Aren't you leading them into a trap?"
Ma Yinglong scoffed at once, "Sweat-blood horses may not be as exceedingly prized as they once were, but there still aren't many in the entire Northwest. Finding truly exceptional steeds is hard enough as it is, down to pure luck.
"And don't even get me started on the Tianshan snow lotus. You'd have to head west past Yumen Pass, climb to the peak of Mount Tianshan, and wander right under the noses of the Tianshan Sect."
Ma Yinglong clicked his tongue. "You could wander for ten years and not catch sight of a single Tianshan snow lotus. And even if you did find one, that bunch of sword-crazed lunatics from the Tianshan Sect might not let you take it."
Duan Wei gave a wry smile. "Of course I know that, and I already told them. But I could hardly bar them from coming, could I?"
Xu Hao smiled. "I'm not dead set on picking a Tianshan snow lotus. The Western Regions have no shortage of unique medicinal herbs. So long as I can broaden my horizons with some rare specimens, the trip will be worthwhile."
Gongsun Yi smiled as well. "Sweat-blood horses are renowned far and wide. It would be best if I could lay eyes on one, but if not, I won't force the matter. Purchasing a few fine Northwestern steeds to bring home will suffice."
"Then there's no problem at all," Ma Yinglong said with a wave of his hand. "While the Duan family in the Northwest can't compare to the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor or our Ma clan, and wouldn't dare provoke the Tianshan Sect once outside the pass, they can certainly help you track down some good herbs and buy a few good horses."
Duan Wei clenched his fists, seriously weighing the possibility of fighting Ma Yinglong barehanded.
***
Having finished their duel, eating a meal was only natural.
Though Ma Yinglong still found Duan Wei annoying, he did not mind sharing a meal with him before one rode east and the other rode west.
They took a table on the third floor of Wanghai Restaurant.
Sweet and sour carp, braised mutton, steamed beef with rice flour, smoked pheasant.
The wine was not yesterday's Rice Flower Yellow or Green Plum Brew, but Lanling Spring from the Wanghai Circuit—rich, mellow, and potent.
"It has been a long time since I tasted the flavor of home," Gongsun Yi remarked with a sigh of satisfaction after draining his cup in one gulp.
"So Brother Gongsun hails from the Wanghai Circuit? I thought you were from the Gongsun clan of Liaodong Prefecture," Zhao Yingjie said, raising his cup in a toast.
Gongsun Yi chuckled. "If I were from Liaodong Prefecture, why would I need to come all the way to the Northwest to buy horses?"
It was common knowledge that the grasslands produced horses. Although Northwestern steeds were generally superior to those of the Northeast, the Northeast was by no means devoid of fine mounts. In particular, the Xianbei were skilled horse breeders; rumors held that the cavalry of the Northeastern Xianbei was even more formidable than that of the orthodox Xiongnu royal court on the steppes.
The Gongsun clan was a prominent house in Liaodong, with direct connections to the steppes. Procuring horses would be effortless for them.
Zhao Yingjie nodded, readily stepping into his role as Director of the Trade Bureau. "How many horses do you need, Brother Gongsun? We have a ranch in Qing'an Prefecture. Beyond supplying our cavalry, we also engage in the horse trade."
Gongsun Yi's heart gave a slight jolt, but he kept his expression neutral. "Thank you, Brother Zhao, but I still wish to explore the Northwest in search of sweat-blood horses."
Zhao Yingjie took it in stride. "The Zhenxi Horse Ranch has sweat-blood horses as well, alongside plenty of other fine breeds. Regardless of how many you wish to buy, you can pick the cream of the crop directly from the ranch.
"Since Brother Gongsun is a friend of Brother Duan, I can offer you a discount." Zhao Yingjie spoke warmly, genuinely eager to bring business to the manor's horse ranch and secure an auspicious start to his new appointment.
Zhao Yingjie asked, "Might I ask whether Brother Gongsun wishes to buy ten horses or twenty?"
He did not expect Gongsun Yi to buy in bulk. Merchant caravans had no need for prime warhorses, and outside of the military, even prominent clans or prestigious sects rarely bought more than ten or twenty fine steeds for their disciples' daily use.
"Brother Zhao is so hospitable that further refusal would seem churlish on my part," Gongsun Yi replied with a smile, unable to demur any longer. "Twenty will be more than enough."
Zhao Yingjie beamed. "Splendid! Whenever Brother Gongsun has free time, we shall pay a visit to the ranch."
With the deal essentially struck, the mood around the table grew warmer, and the group casually began chatting about recent happenings across the Jianghu.
"The Taiheng Thirty-Six Strongholds fought a battle against the Great River Gang. Chief Huang of the Great River Gang used his Quicksand Palm to slay three stronghold chiefs in succession, driving the thirty-six strongholds back into the mountains."
"The Five Elements Insects suddenly surfaced in the Shanhe Circuit and wiped out an entire minor sect. Those five unorthodox fiends are growing increasingly arrogant. Who knows who will be able to rein them in?"
"The Wang and Xie clans of Jiangnan held another intermarriage, celebrating a lavish wedding for the direct son and daughter of their current generation. Truly ten li of red dowry and a rolling banquet of a thousand tables! They even invited an eminent monk of the Xin generation from Prajna Monastery as their guest of honor. It was more extravagant than an imperial prince taking a bride or an imperial princess marrying out. As expected of thousand-year bloodlines, the foremost among the great clans."
Gangs, unaffiliated martial artists, prominent clans, sects...
The multifaceted Jianghu contained both clashes of interest and bloody vendettas, along with its own share of social customs and obligations.
"Oh, right. There is also the new valley master of Huichun Valley. He refined a Three Sages Pill; consuming it directly elevated him to Xiantian Grandmaster, shocking the entire martial forest." Duan Wei clapped Xu Hao on the shoulder, his eyes filled with admiration.
Yet Xu Hao showed little joy. Instead, he gave an awkward smile. "The three primary ingredients of the Three Sages Pill are all exceedingly rare herbs found nowhere else in the world. Two of them were enshrined within Huichun Valley for nearly a century. Now that they have been consumed, I fear another such pill cannot be refined for several decades to come."
"Even so, that is remarkable," Gongsun Yi said enviously. "Even if Xiantian Great Grandmasters exist in this world, they are as elusive as divine dragons glimpsed through clouds. A martial arts Grandmaster is already enough to stride across the realm unchecked."
Wang Yu was startled at first, and then his eyes grew green with envy. Unable to hold back, he asked, "Doesn't refining a furnace of pills yield several at once? How could there only be one?"
Xu Hao managed a tight smile. "The Three Sages Pill uses thousand-year snow ginseng, thousand-year meat lingzhi, and thousand-year fleeceflower root as its core ingredients. All three possess overwhelmingly potent properties; harmonizing them is inherently difficult..."
*Good heavens!*
Wang Yu grimaced. Thousand-year herbs sounded terrifying. His bought century-old ginseng couldn't hold a candle to something like that.
At that point, Xu Hao could not help but sigh. "A pity. Had Sun Wenzhu not stolen that stalk of nine-leaf purple perilla, this batch of Three Sages Pills could have yielded at least one more."
"Who is Sun Wenzhu, to be capable of stealing medicine from Huichun Valley?" Zhao Yingjie asked.
Huichun Valley was counted among the prestigious sects. Though not renowned for martial prowess, every member was skilled in medicine. Even their younger disciples possessed healing arts superior to many so-called famous physicians. Moreover, they carried medicines for internal and external injuries wherever they went, making them the most sought-after friends in the martial world.
Consequently, countless figures in the martial forest owed favors to Huichun Valley. Unless a matter was extraordinarily difficult, the valley needed only to put out word, and martial artists would swiftly take care of it for them.
As for attempting to steal medicine from Huichun Valley, the loss far outweighed any gain. Upholding the ancestral instructions of their founder, the valley regularly offered medical relief to the world. Provided someone came seeking aid, the divine physicians would step forward to help—unless the supplicant was an irredeemable villain—and gently guide them toward virtue in the process. Their reputation was stellar.
Only two kinds of people would dare steal herbs from Huichun Valley: those who harbored deep grudges against it, or the utterly depraved.
Yet Xu Hao replied, "Sun Wenzhu is my senior martial brother, and a disciple of Huichun Valley himself. But..."
Here, Xu Hao seemed unwilling to elaborate further, merely shaking his head. "In short, Sun Wenzhu stole the nine-leaf purple perilla and fled the valley. He has not been seen since."
Wang Yu suddenly piped up, "Does that nine-leaf purple perilla count as a rare herb as well?"
"Of course," Xu Hao nodded. "Perilla can harmonize cold and heat, promote vital energy, ease the chest, and aid in healing and detoxification. The nine-leaf purple perilla is the rarest of its kind. When refined into medicine, it not only balances the properties of other ingredients, but also boosts martial cultivation."
Wang Yu nodded, making a mental note of Sun Wenzhu and the nine-leaf purple perilla.
***
Once the meal concluded, Ma Yinglong did not return to the prince's manor. Instead, he mounted his horse, took up his spear, and rode out through the eastern gate of Longshan Prefecture, heading straight toward the Central Plains.
Duan Wei and Xu Hao were in no rush. Since Gongsun Yi and Zhao Yingjie had agreed to visit the Zhenxi Horse Ranch, they also stayed in Longshan Prefecture for another night so they could travel together the next day.
Remembering the father and daughter, Sun Xiang and Sun Lian, whom he had arranged to send there several months prior, Wang Yu decided to join the excursion.
Early the following morning, the party rendezvoused at the north gate of Longshan Prefecture. They rode several hundred li, reaching the Zhenxi Horse Ranch only as dusk fell.
Located north of Qing'an Prefecture, the Zhenxi Horse Ranch was the largest ranch inside the pass, rearing a full thirty thousand horses. It was arguably the greatest single asset owned by the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor.
After everyone settled in for the night to await horse selection the next morning, Wang Yu met with Sun Xiang and Sun Lian.
Having not seen them for several months, both looked almost entirely transformed. Sun Xiang stood straight and vigorous, full of spirit, while Sun Lian had grown into a graceful, slender young woman who carried an air of brisk confidence.
Sun Xiang could only express his gratitude over and over for Wang Yu's benevolence. Sun Lian, however, had an urgent look in her eyes. Quietly leaning close to Wang Yu, she whispered, "My Lord, the ranch steward has colluded with outsiders to smuggle horses and line his own pockets!"
Chapter 38