Chapter 65 Red Lane

There are a total of twenty-one elegant seats on the second floor of the embroidery building. White gauze curtains hang down from the ceiling like waterfalls, and vases of freshly picked flowers are placed around them, making one feel like being in a fairyland.

However, the curtains of other private rooms had been taken down by the maids one after another, leaving only the three private rooms of the prince still covered by curtains.

The prince, Bai Li, Chen Ji, Liang Gou'er and Liang Mao'er were in one private room, while She Dengke, Liu Quxing and other people from the martial arts world were in the other two private rooms.

Liang Gou'er didn't care. Even though the curtain was not taken down, maids brought in wine and food continuously. He thought the wine glasses of Qingyin Ban were too small, so he simply changed them to bowls.

The prince rolled up his sleeves and sat in a daze behind the curtain and in front of the desk. He picked up the pen and racked his brains but could not write a single line of poetry.

He slowly looked at Chen Ji. Chen Ji was still sleeping with a frown on his face. He probably could not be relied on.

He slowly looked at Liang Gou'er and Liang Mao'er again...Forget it!
Finally, he looked at Baili and said, "Well, Baili, can you write a poem? I remember you wrote poems before."

Bai Li said in embarrassment: "My writings have been criticized by the gentlemen as 'chaotic'. I can't write anymore. If I write, it will be a joke."

Liang Gou'er laughed cheerfully and said, "This Qingyin group just likes to be mysterious. They are obviously here to make money, but they still set up many obstacles for you... But the scholars just fall for this! If you ask me, Baiyi Lane is not as bright as Hongyi Lane. Miss Yan'er from Jinfang has a great alcohol tolerance. If you drink a few glasses, she will drink a few glasses with you. It's really fun."

Liang Maoer pouted: "Brother, do you like her drinking capacity? I don't even want to expose you!"

At this time, Chen Wenxiao's laughter came from outside the curtain: "Why are there still three curtains that have not been taken down? Do the friends inside think it is more elegant and quiet this way?"

The prince retorted through the curtain, "A good sentence is born naturally, and a good hand comes up with it occasionally. Writing poems is not about quantity, but about quality. If it is not good enough, what is the point of writing more? I think Liu Xingshou's game is a bit hasty. He forced everyone to write three poems about autumn immediately. You can write, but what good can you write in such a hurry? Do you think the poem you just wrote can be passed down through the ages?"

Outside the curtain it became quiet. Some people were pondering over the prince's words, while others were pondering over the eight words 'beautiful sentences come naturally, and are discovered by accident'.

Chen Wenzong was silent for a moment: "I can't hear you clearly, take off the curtain and talk."

Prince: “…”

He turned to look at Chen Ji, and could only place his last hope on Chen Ji waking up.

The prince was a little worried: "Is Chen Ji dead?"

"Impossible, he's still breathing," Princess Baili thought for a moment and said, "He must have been injured and then carried out by you, so he must be too tired."

"Wait a little longer and see if he wakes up."

……

……

Chen Ji was still asleep, he had already been fighting till day and night were dark.

On the top of Qingshan Mountain, Chen Ji and the giant halberd warrior were both panting. They had just fought each other for hundreds of rounds but neither of them could defeat the other.

Xuanyuan had changed into a black royal robe at some point, with the sleeves of the robe embroidered with gold thread with Ziweiyuan in the center, and Taiweiyuan and Tianshiyuan on both sides.

The golden armor and the royal flag disappeared.

When Xuanyuan sat cross-legged on the boulder, he was clearly just sitting on the boulder, but he still looked like an emperor sitting on a golden chair.

His expression was dignified and solemn.

Just like the black color of his royal robe, he was calm, rational and unquestionable.

Seeing that the two did not make a move, Xuanyuan urged them coldly, "This battle has already lasted for two incense sticks of time. How long do you want to dawdle? When we get to the real battlefield, the battle formations will be shoulder to shoulder. There will be no time for you to catch your breath!"

The giant halberd warrior received the order and immediately rushed forward, waving his bronze halberd.

Chen Ji did not avoid the attack. He stared at the halberd blade that was coming at him. He only leaned back slightly. The halberd blade passed by his nose but did not hurt him at all.

This flash is understated, as if breathing with the world, natural and effortless.

Sixteen fires have been lit in Chen Ji's body, and his strength has long surpassed that of ordinary people. Even when wrestling with Jing Dynasty spies, he has the upper hand.

But he suddenly gained strength, and he was not even familiar with his own body, nor did he have any skills to exert the strength.

The force-generating technique is like a lever. Without this lever, only 80% of your strength can be used. With this lever, 120% of your strength can be used.

Now, Chen Ji already knows what his body looks like and where his strength lies!

However, the giant halberd warrior was not weak either. When he saw that his halberd missed his target, he immediately twisted his waist and used the strength of his waist and hips to change the direction of the halberd blade.

It was clearly a sweep from left to right, but suddenly it went in the opposite direction!
The halberd blade slashed across Chen Ji's chest, leaving a scar and forcing Chen Ji to retreat with his sneak attack.

However, after being injured, Chen Ji did not lower his head to look at the wound, but continued to stare at the giant halberd warrior, as if the wound did not hurt, and slightly bent over like a cheetah.

Although injured, he showed no signs of being at a disadvantage.

Xuanyuan once said that Chen Ji no longer had the fighting instinct, but he suddenly realized that he was wrong.

In just one day, he witnessed with his own eyes that the other party went from fleeing in a panic all over the mountains to fighting on equal terms with the Giant Halberd Warrior.

The steps, techniques...even the force-generating techniques are becoming more and more crude, yet more and more authentic.

The random punches and kicks may seem hasty and clumsy, but they are full of violence and direct tyranny.

"It's only been six hours," Xuanyuan sighed softly.

The fighting instinct in the opponent's body, like an immortal sword that had not seen the light of day for thousands of years, was being wiped away bit by bit.

But although Xuanyuan thought so, he said jokingly: "It's been six hours, and we still can't win? This giant halberd warrior is just a soldier in our army."

Chen Ji panted and looked at the giant halberd warrior, smiling and said, "He is not very good at talking. Don't mind it. You are very powerful. It is normal that I can't defeat you."

Xuanyuan raised an eyebrow.

Chen Ji looked exhausted. After six hours of fierce fighting, the Giant Halberd Warrior could stand here full of energy again and again, but he couldn't.

Every minute and every second at this moment was a torment for him.

How many times have you died in one day?

Forty times? Or sixty times?
I can’t remember.

At a certain moment, Chen Ji thought that he might as well give up and not learn this sword technique.

However, when he thought about what he had learned and what he had gained in confidence, he was inspired with new fighting spirit.

The next moment, the giant halberd warrior swung his halberd again. Chen Ji moved, but it affected the wound on his chest, so that his movement was delayed and his body did not turn to the side in time, and a piece of flesh was cut off from his entire left arm!
This blow was like a watershed. From then on, Chen Ji could only dodge in a panic and had no chance to attack actively.

Xuanyuan sneered at Chen Ji and said, "I think there is no hope for you. Why don't you just let me return to the world and leave a will. I will help you kill whoever you want to kill."

"Let me do it myself," Chen Ji panted while dodging the giant halberd warrior's attack.

"Oh? Are you nostalgic for that world?"

"I still have a cat. What if I lose it?"

Xuanyuan was puzzled: "...Cat?"

“I also made a few new friends.”

Xuanyuan burst into laughter: "Do you need friends too? You said a long time ago that you don't need friends anymore!"

"Were we friends?"

"Yes, but it hasn't been that long."

"Then let's get to know each other again."

When the bronze halberd chopped down again, Chen Ji suddenly leaned over and rushed towards the giant halberd warrior, his eyes locked tightly on the opponent's halberd blade like hooks.

The crescent blade of the bronze halberd chopped down on his head. The giant halberd warrior had already prepared for all kinds of changes after Chen Ji dodged, but this time Chen Ji didn't dodge!

But Chen Ji sped up again, and actually passed the place where the crescent blade was chopped down, and came to the halberd. He held the slender halberd handle with both hands as if holding up a mountain, and forcibly stopped the falling trajectory of the bronze halberd!
The giant halberd warrior wanted to pull back the bronze halberd, but he was shocked to see Chen Ji pulling the halberd down and shaking his hands vigorously!
"let go!"

An inexplicable and powerful force was transmitted to the bronze halberd, which shocked the giant halberd warrior so much that he involuntarily let go of his hand. That strange halberd-grabbing move... was clearly used by the giant halberd warrior before, but was learned by Chen Ji!
"Huh!" Xuanyuan's eyes lit up. This skill of snatching weapons, which had been honed through thousands of trials and tribulations, was his unique skill in battle, and he had learned it in just one day.

Chen Ji swung the bronze halberd like a full moon, forcing the halberd warriors to retreat again and again, and the water could not get in.

In a flash, one was chasing and the other was retreating. The giant halberd warrior had nowhere to retreat at the edge of the green mountain and could only stand still. The bronze halberd in Chen Ji's hand did not chop him, but stopped at his neck.

"How is it?" Chen Ji asked breathlessly, "Can you teach me now?"

The long-lost joy of victory filled his heart.

In the hot breath, Chen Ji seemed to have climbed over an insurmountable mountain again, like climbing all the way to the top and seeing the sunrise breaking through the sea of ​​clouds, which was as quiet yet high-pitched as it was.

Xuanyuan sat on the boulder and said slowly: "Are you satisfied with this? Now your strength is only enough to be a soldier in our army."

"Huh?" Chen Ji asked puzzledly.

However, Xuanyuan waved his hand at the battle formation frozen in time, and a swordsman with a long sword on his waist stepped out of the ranks, walked to the top of the green hill, and knelt on one knee facing Xuanyuan: "King, what do you want to call you for?"

Xuanyuan pointed at Chen Ji and said, "This kid is already familiar with the attack of the giant halberd warrior. Now it's your turn."

Chen Ji's eyes widened. He looked at the battle array with all kinds of weapons at the foot of the mountain, and his expression suddenly changed: "I can't fight anymore today. My friends are waiting for me to drink. See you tomorrow!"

After saying that, he actually took the initiative to jump and fell under the green mountain.

Xuanyuan looked at the empty edge of the cliff and said in a daze: "I really need to get to know you again."

……

……

On the second floor of the embroidery building, the curtains of the three private seats had not yet been removed.

Liang Gou'er's face was red from drinking, but the prince was still sitting at the table scratching his head: "Autumn...what kind of poem can be written with the word autumn in it?"

But I heard someone whisper beside me: "I'm awake."

The prince turned his head and saw that Chen Ji had slowly opened his eyes, which were bloodshot, like a tiger hunting for prey.

Bai Li muttered, "What kind of dream did you have? It was so murderous?"

The prince was overjoyed and said in a low voice: "You are finally awake. Come on, I need nine poems. I am waiting for you!"

Chen Ji looked at the handful of golden melon seeds in his hand… Couldn’t this wake him up?

As he put the nine golden melon seeds into his sleeve, he said carefully, "Nine sentences, right, Princess Baili? I speak, and you write."

Bai Li's eyes lit up: "Okay, I'll write it."

However, just as the two were talking and writing, Chen Wenxiao outside the curtain asked again: "Have the three friends in the private room not written poems related to the word autumn? If you delay writing, won't it delay everyone's communication with Liu Xingshou?"

The prince smiled and replied, "I'm already writing it. I'm already writing it."

Chen Wenxiao: "If I could write it, why wait until now?"

Lin Chaojing laughed, "I heard who the friend behind the curtain is. It's the prince. Let's put it this way, brother. These are just nine poems related to autumn. You and I have been classmates with the prince for three years, so let's help him together. I'll write four and you five. Then, just treat them as written by the prince and his friends and take down the curtain."

Chen Wenzong hesitated: "This doesn't seem right."

Lin Chaojing smiled and said, "Then I will write nine poems."

But he rolled up his sleeves, called the maid from the embroidery tower to get writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone, and with just a stroke of his brush, he finished a poem.

Everyone gathered around and saw that the other party had completed nine poems in one go, as if he had done it effortlessly.

Lin Chaojing handed the poem to the maid and said, "Send it to Liu Xingshou for a look. If it's okay, I'll take down the curtain on the prince's side."

The maid smiled and said, "No need to show it to Liu Xingshou. Even a crude maid like me can see the beauty of these poems. I will go and take down the curtain right away."

In fact, the curtains of the three private rooms had not been taken down for a long time, and Xiulou was getting a little anxious.

However, when the prince heard Chen Ji's words and saw Bai Li writing so fast, he immediately became anxious: "Wait, we can write it ourselves, don't pick it!"

But it was too late to say this.

But then layer after layer of curtains were taken off, revealing three private seats in front of everyone.

Liang Gou'er was drinking heavily and was already half drunk, while Liang Mao'er was eating dishes one by one as if he was having a buffet.

She Dengke, Liu Quxing and other gangsters were not in much better condition, their desks were a mess.

With a chuckle, Chen Wenxiao laughed out loud: "How come you're eating and drinking?"

Lin Chaojing sat behind the desk, his face solemn. "It's a rare opportunity for Liu Xingshou to come to Luocheng from Qinhuai River tonight. How disappointed would she be if she saw the literati in Luocheng behave like this? Prince, tonight is a gathering of literati. Why bring these vulgar martial artists to join in the fun?"

The prince looked at Lin Chaojing and said, "I came here because I wrote a poem. Why can you come but my friend can't?"

Lin Chaojing shook his head: "It's not that they can't come, but it's not appropriate for them to come. It would be great for these friends to eat at roadside noodle stalls and stroll around Hongyi Lane. It's also in line with their status... Isn't it a waste of natural resources to come here?"

The prince asked in a deep voice, "Who should go to Red Lane?"

"Of course he is a vulgar womanizer."

The prince asked in a deep voice, "Then what kind of person is suitable to come to Baiyi Lane?"

"Of course, people like you and me who are knowledgeable and prestigious."

The prince stood up slowly. Everyone thought he was angry and wanted to fight with Lin Chaojing, but he suddenly turned around and bowed to She Dengke and others, apologizing, "I'm sorry. I was reckless today and brought you to see such ignorant and arrogant people. I apologize to you. If Baiyi Lane is full of such literati, then we won't come here in the future! It doesn't matter if I am humiliated alone, but it is my fault to cause my friends to be humiliated. Let's go!"

Liang Gou'er was puzzled: "Sir, where are we going?"

The prince stood up straight and laughed loudly: "Let's go to Hongyi Lane to drink wine!"

After saying that, he turned around and led the way downstairs.

Liang Gou'er and Liang Mao'er lifted up the old bamboo chairs and followed. A large group of people moved forward and backward together. They were not depressed at all. They were as festive as if they were attending a wedding.

Bai Li sat behind the desk, holding a pen, staring blankly at a group of people leaving.

She opened her mouth and seemed to want to say something but stopped herself... She had just finished writing the poem that Chen Ji had recited.

The prince called out from the stairs: "Bai Li, let's go!"

Bai Li originally intended to take the poem away, but after thinking for a moment, he put the rolled-up poem down and chased downstairs: "Here I come!"

The second floor of the Embroidery Tower became quiet again. Chen Wenzong glared at Chen Wenxiao fiercely, then he stood up and walked to the prince's desk, picked up the poem he had just written and started to read it.

Just this one look made me stunned.

"Withered vines, old trees, crows, small bridges, flowing water, people's homes, ancient roads, west wind, thin horses, the setting sun, and heartbroken people at the end of the world."

There is not a single word about autumn, yet when reading it I feel the bleak autumn wind and the loneliness under the bridge.

(End of this chapter)