Tang Dynasty Bandits

Chapter 132 Yang Xingmi

Enjoying the snow on the Tianshan Mountains and watching the tidal bore on the Qiantang River. These were said to be two must-see scenic spots for chivalrous couples during the prosperous Tang Dynasty. Although the former refers to the Qilian Mountains in the Hexi Corridor, the one in the Western Regions is far too distant.

When Zhu Wen and Xing Xiang were together, they only acted as friends and agreed to go see the tidal bore of the Qiantang River in Hangzhou together.

The tide surged in like a snow-capped mountain, and the surfers stood against the wind on the crest of the wave, their red flags remaining dry—a truly remarkable sight.

But what impressed Zhu Wen the most was the sight of the entire city crowding out to watch, the riverbank packed with people like a swarm of spectators. He personally witnessed more than a dozen onlookers being pushed and falling into the surging tide, only to be swept away by the tide and disappear without a trace in moments.

Today's Wufeng Pilgrimage Festival attracted an even larger crowd than the Qiantang River tidal bore viewing. A month ago, the guesthouses around Mount Tai were already fully booked. The main roads were bustling with traffic, transporting all sorts of supplies to provide for the food, clothing, shelter, and transportation needs of tens of thousands of people.

Across the peaks of Mount Tai, wisps of incense smoke mingled with the mountain mist—incense used to worship spirits and gods, and also a captivating fragrance.

The pedestrians on the road all wore excited expressions and chatted amongst themselves. However, everyone tried their best to make their expressions and words appear solemn and proper, otherwise they would not only be disrespecting the Taoist holy site of Mount Tai, but also offending the spirits and deities from all directions who came to enjoy the incense offerings during the Ullambana Festival.

Representatives from the four schools of Xihe, Songyang, Tianfeng, and Hengzhou entered the venue in a magnificent procession, their carriages adorned with jewels. A profusion of petals, carried by the rumbling wheels, scattered along the winding mountain road.

Every now and then, passersby would pick up a few petals, and with great joy, press them to their faces and noses, trying to smell the delicate fragrance of the beautiful woman in the carriage.

Most of the beauties hid behind the carriage curtains, refusing to reveal their true faces. Even the beauties riding horses wore veils, their faces only partially visible behind them.

But occasionally, when the carriage curtain is lifted, a few beautiful women, their eyes sparkling with a mixture of sorrow and longing, are enough to elicit gasps of amazement from the crowd.

This kind of half-revealed, half-concealed, half-spoken expression is most likely to stir the hearts of men in the world.

"Jun-mei, it seems like not many people are looking at you." Zhu Wen leisurely put his arm around Tian Jun's slender waist and mingled in the crowd, laughing, "There are clearly not many people here who are more beautiful than you."

Actually, Tian Jun dressed in men's clothing to avoid being harassed by suitors or running into acquaintances from Hebei. With her slightly dark skin and tall stature, Tian Jun looked like a very handsome young man from a farming family, and her well-developed "chest muscles" were difficult to hide even with a chest wrap.

"Aren't you satisfied with just seeing this?" Tian Jun glared at Zhu Wen, but felt a sweet warmth in her heart.

Suddenly, gasps of surprise erupted from the crowd.

"It's Zhang Haohao!"

"Everyone, come and see!"

Tian Jun became curious and went closer, only to find that what was attracting so much attention was not a stunning beauty, but an old woman over sixty years old.

She had a full head of silver hair, and her spine was still straight at this age, but her figure was short and seemed somewhat out of place with the tall horse beneath her.

"Why is it an old lady with a wrinkled face?" Tian Jun blurted out.

"She was much prettier than you when she was young, and she could even do a palm dance!" A tourist nearby, seeing Tian Jun's beautiful appearance, didn't recognize her as a woman, but still made the comparison: "Besides, Master Zhang is the head of the Hengzhou Sect..."

"Though youthful beauty may deceive me today, old age will not spare you. Young man, do not be so disrespectful to a respected elder," another tourist remarked.

Tian Jun was furious. If Zhu Wen hadn't grabbed her hand, she would have thrown a punch.

But then I thought, who doesn't get old? What those two people said isn't wrong.

With Zhu Wen gently rubbing her delicate hands, Tian Jun's anger subsided, and she whispered to Zhu Wen, "Is this Zhang Haohao very famous?"

“People say that when she was young, she could dance on a palm,” Zhu Wen said. “I heard that Du Mu’s poem, ‘Graceful and slender, just over thirteen, like a cardamom bud in early February,’ was written for her. At sixteen, she married Shen Shushi, a good friend of Du Mu, as a concubine. But young Shen Shushi was young and pleasure-seeking, and died of illness in less than two years. She was considered to have caused her husband’s death and was driven out by the first wife, where she sold wine at a counter in the eastern part of Luoyang.”

"Du Mu wrote a poem for Zhang Haohao, which made her famous again. After many years, she finally became the head of the Hengzhou School."

Tian Jun nodded. Even if she didn't study, she knew the name Du Mu; he was a great poet who was compared to Du Fu and was known as "Little Du." She carefully examined Zhang Haohao's features and indeed saw some remnants of his former unparalleled beauty.

“Those two people weren’t wrong…” Tian Jun reluctantly admitted in a low voice, “When Zhang Dajia was young, he might have been prettier than me.”

Tian Jun is an open and honest girl. Most beautiful girls would never admit it, no matter what.

She sighed softly, "Madam Duan once told me that for a woman, the loss of beauty and the appearance of wrinkles is a terrible thing. It's better to end one's life spectacularly at the height of one's beauty, like Marshal Yan."

The junior sister had a very painful past, so it's not surprising that she harbors this self-destructive tendency.

Zhu Wen still wanted to comfort Tian Jun: "Even though Zhang Dajia's appearance has aged, her temperament is still so calm and elegant. In my opinion, she has experienced many vicissitudes and must have taken suffering lightly, rather than being assimilated by it, which is why she has such a mellow demeanor. She must also treat the girls in the sect quite well."

After listening to Zhu Wen's words, Tian Jun also felt that there was some truth to them.

But she lowered her head and said, "But you certainly wouldn't be willing to marry such an elegant old lady now."

Zhu Wen chuckled: "What kind of sophistry is this? Of course I'm not willing now that I'm young, but if we're going to grow old together, why would I complain?"

Tian Jun was slightly taken aback.

She wanted to ask Zhu Wen if he was willing to grow old with her, but she held back.

She was a straightforward and somewhat naive girl, but she increasingly disliked hearing things that didn't reflect her true feelings. All she had said was that she only wanted to be a cherished memory for Zhu Wen; she knew he would never forget Xingxiang, his unforgettable love, and was still waiting for her to return.

As for sharing a husband, she had never even considered it. Not to mention, according to Zhu Wen, Xingxiang would never accept such a thing. From Tian Jun's own family experience, while her mother was indeed bullied by her stepmother, her stepmother was also often unhappy because of her mother's antics.

So she hoped that Xingxiang would never come back, but this thought also made her feel despicable.

As Tian Jun was pondering, the Hengzhou faction's group had already passed by. Behind them was the Xihe faction at the foot of Mount Hua, and there was a man in the Xihe faction's group.

This is not surprising; although the five sects have few male disciples, they are by no means without any.

But the young man was truly handsome, with sword-like eyebrows, bright eyes, a full forehead, and a square jaw.

He did not ride a horse, but walked in the procession, but his sharp and imposing demeanor, like a sword drawn from its sheath, attracted the attention of passersby, who even forgot to look at the beauties wearing veils.

His features weren't actually more handsome than Zhu Wen's, but they were sharper and more striking, like a chilling glacier. Compared to Zhu Wen, who was usually nonchalant and seemed utterly bored, he naturally attracted more attention.

He wore a black robe of mediocre material, which made his skin appear even whiter than snow, and even his pupils, as black as lacquer, looked as if they were made of black and white ice.

The man walked out of the group at a moderate pace and came to stand in front of Zhu Wen.

Zhu Wen could see it clearly: the distance his left and right feet stepped forward was exactly the same each time, without the slightest difference.

This person must have a very regular lifestyle, and not like Zhu Wen, who insisted on sleeping for more than five hours every day.

"Yang Xingmi of Luzhou." The man's gaze lingered briefly on Tian Jun's face before he looked directly at Zhu Wen with deep eyes and said in a very low voice, "May I have a word with you in private?"

Yang Xingmi was the name of the clever friend who advised Shi Pu to take Zhu Wen's life.

Why did he appear in the Xihe Sect's group? And why did he approach me?
Zhu Wen didn't know, so he was very curious.

(End of this chapter)