I am invincible, that's why I lie down. You're using your entire clan to rebel?

Chapter 565 Reunion with Xu Longxiang

Lin Xiaolu got up very early.

Before dawn, only a thin white line of sunlight peeked through the gaps in the tent and landed on the grasshopper.

She sat on the edge of the bedding, having picked it up and put it down several times.

Then she tucked it into her sleeve and stepped out of the tent.

Early risers were already out on the street.

She stood at the tent entrance, first rubbing the back of her hands, which had been chilled by the morning breeze, and then looking at the crooked locust tree in the distance.

The stones under the tree were hollow and damp from the dew that had accumulated overnight.

She hesitated for a moment, then walked along the street to the entrance of the inn.

I didn't go in, but just paced back and forth on the bluestone slabs in front of the door.

She stood in front of the half-open door, raised her hand, and gently knocked twice.

The innkeeper's assistant opened the door.

He glanced at her, then at the wooden plaque of the Qing Shi Sword Sect hanging from her waist, and stepped aside to make way for her: "Are you here to find someone, young lady? Young Master Zhao lives in the second room on the right-hand side of the second floor."

She thanked him and walked up the stairs very quietly.

The second-floor corridor is paved with old wooden planks, which creak slightly when stepped on.

She stopped in front of the second door on the right and raised her hand as if to knock.

But the door opened from the inside.

Qin Mu stood at the door, as if he was about to leave.

When he looked down and saw her, his gaze flickered slightly: "Miss Lin, so early?"

Lin Xiaolu was startled by the sudden opening of the door, and her fingers, which were still hanging in mid-air, were not yet retracted.

She opened her mouth, then took the grasshopper out of her sleeve and handed it to him: "This... is for you."

Her voice carried the chill of the early morning.

"I didn't give away the one I knitted yesterday. I knitted a new one last night, and it's better than yesterday's. The wings aren't crooked."

Qin Mu took the grasshopper and looked at it for a while.

It's definitely neater than yesterday's one, with symmetrical wings and curved whiskers.

He nodded: "Very well written."

Lin Xiaolu secretly curved the corners of her mouth into a smile, then suppressed it again: "Brother Zhao, are you free today? I'd like to ask you a few questions about swordsmanship. If you're busy, then forget it, I'll come another day."

She tried hard to make it sound like she was just passing by and asked a question.

After she finished speaking, she lowered her head and looked down at the stitches on the hem of his shirt.

Qin Mu looked at her but did not answer immediately.

He stood inside the doorway, the morning light filtering in through the window behind him.

He glanced down at the grasshopper in his hand: "I'm free. Wait for me a moment."

Qin Mu went back inside, put on an outer robe, and closed the door behind him when he came out.

Lin Xiaolu had already retreated to the end of the corridor, looking down at the dew on the tips of her boots, and only looked up when she heard footsteps.

Seeing that he had already come out, she quickly straightened up and said in a light voice, "I know there's an open space in the west of the city that not many people go to."

Qin Mu nodded: "Lead the way."

The two walked out of the inn one after the other.

There were more pedestrians and vendors on the street than before, and shops opened one after another, with steaming hot steamers being brought out and placed at the door.

Someone was squatting by the roadside, eating a freshly baked sesame seed cake.

Lin Xiaolu walked ahead, bypassing several peddlers carrying loads, passing through a narrow alley, and then turning two corners.

The road underfoot gradually changed from bluestone slabs to compacted yellow earth, and the houses on both sides became increasingly sparse.

She stopped at the alley entrance and pointed ahead: "Right here."

Qin Mu looked in the direction she pointed.

It was a small open space surrounded by several old poplar trees, with a thin layer of fallen leaves on the ground that felt soft underfoot.

In the middle of the open space was a slightly raised earthen slope, which looked like it had been trampled on many times and was now compacted.

Lin Xiaolu walked to the center of the open space, turned around to face him, and nervously gripped the hilt of the iron sword at her waist.

"Brother Zhao, there's a move I've never been able to master. When my master taught me, he called it 'Wind Brushing Willow,' which is inspired by the way willow branches sway in the wind and the sword is drawn accordingly. But every time my sword reaches that turning point, it's a beat too slow, like it's stuck, and I can't seem to connect it to the next strike."

Qin Mu did not rush to answer.

He watched her gesture, observed the arc of her wrist rotation, and the trajectory of the sword tip as she thrust it out.

Then he said, "Your sword strike wasn't slow; you added too much force beforehand."

Lin Xiaolu paused, somewhat puzzled: "Increase the force?"

Qin Mu walked to her side, picked up a dry branch from the ground. It was about two feet long, neither too thick nor too thin, and fit perfectly in his hand.

He turned to the side, adopting the same starting stance as she had, and with a slight twist of his wrist, the withered branch drew an arc in the air.

"You see, the power of this 'Wind and Willow' move isn't generated midway; it's propelled by the momentum of your body turning. If you add force midway, you'll cut off that turning point yourself."

His movements were not fast, but as smooth as water flowing down a slope, without pause or hesitation.

The withered branch even created a very faint breeze as it drew that arc in the air.

He stopped, put down the withered branch, and looked at Lin Xiaolu: "You give it a try."

Lin Xiaolu gripped the sword hilt tightly again, took a deep breath, raised her hand, turned around, and the tip of the sword drew an arc in the air.

Her movements were a little smoother than before, but she paused at that turning point, as if something was holding her back.

Qin Mu stood by and watched, not immediately pointing out the problem. He waited until she sheathed her sword before speaking: "The reason you paused there was because you were thinking, 'I should exert my strength now.' Next time, don't think that. When you make that movement, imagine the sword being blown away by the wind."

Lin Xiaolu blinked, as if she was chewing on the sentence over and over in her mind.

Then she gripped the hilt of her sword again, raised her hand, turned around, and the tip of her sword drew an arc in the air.

This time she didn't stop. The arc was completed in one smooth motion from start to finish, like the wind passing through willow branches, without any hindrance.

As the sword tip fell, it kicked up a withered leaf that floated up from the ground, spun in the air, and then fell back to its original position.

Lin Xiaolu stood beside the fallen leaves, maintaining her sword-drawing posture, and only slowly lowered her arm after several breaths.

She looked down at her hand holding the sword, then looked up at Qin Mu: "I caught it."

Her voice carried a hint of joy that she was trying hard to suppress.

Qin Mu looked at her and nodded: "Practice more, and you'll get used to it gradually."

Lin Xiaolu sheathed her sword, turned around and walked to him. She took out another woven grasshopper from her sleeve, exactly the same as the one she had just given him.

She placed the grasshopper in his hand, said nothing, and just smiled.

Then she turned and ran towards the alley entrance, took two steps and stopped, turned back and waved to him before disappearing around the corner of the alley.

Qin Mu looked down at the grasshopper in his hand. The second one was even more neatly woven than the first, with the edges of its wings pressed flat.

After Lin Xiaolu's figure disappeared around the corner of the alley, Qin Mu looked down at the grasshopper in his hand again, put it and the one from before into his sleeve, and then turned around and walked back the way he came.

The morning light grew brighter, casting a thin layer of gold on the outline of his gray robe.

As he walked through the narrow alley and circled back to the main street, there were already more pedestrians on the street.

A vendor selling baked flatbreads by the roadside was taking freshly baked flatbreads out of the charcoal fire and arranging them steaming hot on the cutting board.

He stopped in front of the stall, bought two pancakes, wrapped them in oil paper, and ate them as he walked.

He suddenly realized that it had been a long time since he had eaten while walking on the street like this.

Meanwhile, in a side hall of the Prince of Zhenbei's mansion, a carrier pigeon had just landed on the windowsill, and the thin bamboo tube on its leg was removed and handed to Fan Li.

He glanced at the wax seal to make sure there were no signs of tampering, then opened the bamboo tube, pulled out the paper strip inside, and scanned the few lines of text.

His brows first relaxed, then furrowed again. He put down the note, stood up, and walked towards Zhenyue Hall.

Xu Longxiang was sitting behind a long table with a military book open in front of him, but his gaze was not on the book.

He heard footsteps, looked up, and saw Fan Li walking in with the note in his hand. He put down his book and asked, "You found it?"

Fan Li placed the note on the table and lowered his voice: "The old Khan has indeed been bedridden for two months. The news from within Northern Mang is that he has at most three months left. The three princes have already begun to win over generals, and there are undercurrents in the Northern Mang court, which could turn into internal strife at any time."

Xu Longxiang's gaze fell on the note, as if he were looking at something he had already guessed most of but still needed to confirm before he could feel at ease.

He tapped his fingers lightly twice on the table: "Then this letter is real."

Fan Li didn't respond immediately, standing there in silence for a while before speaking: "The message itself is true. But the timing of sending the message is too coincidental."

Xu Longxiang raised his head: "Sir, do you mean that even if the contents of this letter are true, the messenger might have chosen the right time to deliver it?"

Fan Li did not deny it: "If someone has connections within Northern Mang and knows about the old Khan's health condition, he can wait for this opportunity to send out this letter. The information is true, but this letter itself is still a pawn."

Xu Longxiang paused for a moment, picked up the note, read it again, then folded it and put it in his sleeve: "Even if it's a chess piece, this one is still useful. As long as the news from Northern Mang is true, this letter will still have value. As for who delivered it, we'll find out later."

He paused for a moment, then lowered his voice: "Sir, please prepare. I intend to formally form an alliance with Northern Mang."

Fan Li stood there, looking at him, and remained silent for a moment before bowing slightly: "Yes, Your Highness. This old minister will go and make preparations immediately."

He turned and walked out, his dark blue robe flashing outside the door before disappearing at the end of the corridor.

Xu Longxiang sat alone behind the long table, took the note out of his sleeve again, unfolded it, read it once, folded it again, and put it back into his sleeve.

He sat in the chair, gazing at the increasingly bright light outside the window, his eyes fixed on the still-closed door, as if waiting for someone—someone who wouldn't be coming anytime soon.

He lowered his eyes, lost in thought, and only looked up again after a long time.

On the second floor of the inn, when Qin Mu returned to his room, Jiang Zhaoyue was standing by the window, already dressed. The morning light streamed in through the window, casting a thin layer of gold on her shoulders.

She didn't turn around, but her voice seemed to know he had already entered: "They should have found out about the Northern Barbarians by now."

Qin Mu walked to the table: "Xu Longxiang has received the letter. The news about the Old Khan's health is indeed true. He should make a decision today."

Jiang Zhaoyue turned around and looked at his face: "Then let's see how long you, young master, can keep up this act in front of him."

Qin Mu sat down in the chair: "No rush. We need to put on a few more shows before he truly believes I'm his person."

Outside the window, the morning light in Zhenbei City gradually intensified, the sounds of people on the street grew louder, and restaurants and teahouses were gradually filled with people; a new day had just begun.

Morning light seeped in through the cracks in the window, spreading a thin layer of gold across the table.

Qin Mu sat in the chair, the oil paper in his hand was empty, the crumbs of the cake fell on the paper, he casually gathered them up and put them on the corner of the table.

Jiang Zhaoyue was still standing by the window, the morning light shining on her profile, making her cool and aloof features stand out clearly.

She didn't turn her head, but lowered her voice slightly, with a cautiousness as if afraid of being overheard by passersby outside the door: "If Xu Longxiang really decides to ally with Northern Mang, then his next step will be to start mobilizing troops. At that time, the young master's identity as 'Zhao San' will probably be pushed to the forefront by him."

Qin Mu leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers lightly on the edge of the table twice: "He won't show me all his cards at the beginning. He needs to test me first to see if I'm really willing to be used by him. I just need to react as he expects when he tests me."

Jiang Zhaoyue finally turned around, her gaze falling on his face with an expression that was hard to tell whether it was serious or worried: "Then what does Young Master intend to do?"

Qin Mu stood up and straightened his robes: "I'll know when he comes to invite me."

He had barely finished speaking when footsteps sounded outside the door.

It was very light, as if the speed had been deliberately slowed down, but it still made a very faint creak when it stepped on the old wooden planks.

Then someone gently knocked twice on the door, not loudly or hastily, as if they were a visitor who had confirmed the person they were looking for was inside but didn't want to seem too presumptuous.

Qin Mu walked over and opened the door.

A young man dressed in a dark blue short jacket stood at the entrance, with a badge from the Prince of Zhenbei’s mansion hanging from his waist. He had a handsome face and a proper posture.

He saw Qin Mu, bowed slightly, and said in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft: "Senior Zhao, the Prince requests your presence at his residence. He says he has important matters to discuss."

Qin Mu looked at him, as if confirming something, then nodded: "Okay. I'll be right there."

The young man didn't linger; after delivering his message, he turned and went downstairs along the corridor.

The footsteps gradually faded away and disappeared at the top of the stairs.

Qin Mu turned around, picked up the gray cloth outer garment, put it on, and tied the belt.

Jiang Zhaoyue stood by the window without moving, simply watching him quietly. Only when he reached the door did she speak, her voice very soft: "Young Master, please slow down."

Qin Mu didn't turn around, but simply nodded slightly, then stepped over the threshold and closed the door behind him.

As Qin Mu followed the young man who delivered the message through the gates of the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion, the morning light had already fully spread.

Instead of heading towards the main hall, he was led around the front hall, through a path lined with sycamore trees on both sides, and stopped in front of the Zhenyue Hall.

The young man delivering the message stepped aside, raised his hand in a "please" gesture, and then did not move forward.