Yanfu: Starting with the Six-Eared Macaque

call out!call out!

Two crossbow bolts, glowing with a pale green light, shot out from the pitch-black rooftop, aiming straight for Han Mochen's face.

"How dare you! Cause trouble at the Prince's residence!"

With a sharp shout, the warrior dodged the crossbow bolts, propelled himself forward with great strides toward the east wing of the building, and then leaped straight toward the rooftop.

On the rooftop, a black-clad assassin, holding a short crossbow, was about to turn and flee when he saw Han Mochen leap up onto the roof. He raised his hand and shot another arrow!

"when!"

The crossbow bolt was less than three inches from the warrior's body when he gripped it tightly. This momentary hesitation bought the assassin a few seconds. With a few leaps, the assassin was about to burst out of the palace.

"snort!"

Han Mochen let out a cold snort, and a snow-white column of air was sucked into the whale's body. In an instant, his bones and muscles exploded, and the veins on his right arm, which was holding the crossbow bolt, bulged. His arm suddenly became thicker!

He took a step forward and suddenly exerted force with his wrist, sending the crossbow bolt flying out of his hand!

The crossbow bolt transformed into a green lightning bolt, instantly striking the assassin.

Seeing the assassin fall heavily to the ground, surrounded by the guards of the Prince's Palace, Han Mochen immediately jumped off the roof.

He raised his hand, lifted the hem of his embroidered robe, and knelt on one knee before Prince Chun, who had come out of the hall upon hearing the commotion. He said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, the troublemakers have now been executed."

Prince Chun remained composed, looking at the martial artist before him and laughing loudly, "It's been several months, and Mo Chen, your skills have improved even more! With a master like you guarding the capital, I can rest easy!"

"Your Highness," Han Mochen said solemnly, "the rebels are now trapped like beasts, and assassinations will surely follow one after another. I hope Your Highness will allow me to stay by your side at all times to protect you."

"No need." Prince Chun waved his hand, his tone firm. "The Infantry Commander's Office is related to the Buddha's birthday, and it cannot be without a leader for even a day! Mo Chen, you can go with peace of mind. I will take care of the safety of the Prince's residence."

"Since Your Highness has made arrangements, I, your humble servant, cannot say more," Han Mochen replied, bowing his head. "In the future, if Your Highness has any further orders, I, your humble servant, will gladly obey even at the cost of my life!"

Just then, a guard from the Prince's residence rushed in to report: "Your Highness! This assassin was carrying white phosphorus, and it had already caught fire when we arrived! By the time we managed to put out the fire, the assassin was burned beyond recognition. We found a tattoo on his body that wasn't completely burned away; it looks like a mark of the White Lotus Sect!"

"The White Lotus Sect!" Prince Chun's deep voice was filled with barely suppressed rage. "Mo Chen, after you take office tomorrow, immediately conduct a thorough investigation of all White Lotus traitors inside and outside the capital! I want to see just how many heads these pretentious charlatans have!"

"Yes!" Han Mochen bowed his head and accepted the order.

"It's late, you may leave now." Prince Chun waved his hand and turned to walk into the hall.

"Lord Han, this way please." Seeing that his master had spoken, the steward hurriedly stepped forward and led Han Mochen all the way to the gate of the Prince's Mansion.

The warrior stopped in front of the gate, straightened his clothes, turned around and bowed deeply in the direction of the Yin'an Palace before stepping out of the palace.

-----------------

Stepping out of the room, Chen Xing stretched heavily and asked the waiter to bring a basin of hot water.

Back in his room, Chen Xing put a towel in the basin of water, rubbed it a few times, then took out the warm towel, wrung out the excess water, and gently covered his face, feeling the last trace of fatigue on his body dissipate with the rising heat.

Chen Xing carefully packed away the props he had prepared the night before and stepped out of the inn.

In those days, Beijing was not yet heavily polluted by industry. The morning air, moist with the smells of coal smoke, soy milk, and fresh horse manure, carried a lively, bustling atmosphere.

The vendor at the entrance of the alley was shouting his wares at the top of his lungs, his long, drawn-out voice echoing through the alley.

He tightened his clothes and slowly walked to the stall at the entrance of the alley and sat down. The stall owner was about fifty years old, with a gray beard and a faded blue cloth apron.

"Two fried dough sticks and a bowl of fried liver, please."

A short while later, the stall owner brought over a large bowl filled with fried liver.

In the glistening bowl, the stir-fried liver, thickened multiple times, shimmered and trembled. The intestines and lungs were cleaned thoroughly, and the broth was full of flavor. The slight residual offal taste only enhanced the aroma of the ingredients, and the flavors of minced garlic and garlic juice blended perfectly.

Chen Xing broke the fried dough sticks into small pieces and pressed them into the thick broth with chopsticks. The golden and crispy fried dough sticks absorbed the broth, becoming soft on the outside and chewy on the inside. One bite filled his mouth with fragrance.

Picking up the large bowl, Chen Xing sipped the fried liver with gusto, feeling refreshed and the chill from the morning finally dissipated.

After tossing down a few copper coins, Chen Xing got up and left, satisfied.

The streets are bustling with activity. Camel caravans laden with coal stroll by, their bells jingling. A constable carrying a sharp knife hurryes along, seemingly heading somewhere. A few dissolute young men, carrying birdcages, wander aimlessly through the streets. Locals slurp their breakfast from bowls, gossiping about rumors they've heard.

"Have you heard? Two more people were stabbed in the market yesterday! The blood splattering everywhere, tsk tsk tsk."

"Oh dear, I went and brought three steamed buns! Guess what? I still couldn't squeeze in!"

"Don't be in such a hurry, do you know Old Chen who sells plain noodles?"

"I know! It's the one whose daughter is blind. I heard she found a husband, and judging by the dates, she should be getting married soon, right?"

"Don't even mention it! The other day, a loan shark came knocking on our door, determined to kidnap my daughter. Old Chen wasn't looking carefully, and with a snap, he chopped their head off!"

"Oh my! These wicked bastards! Old Chen was such a good man!"

"Alas, well, the authorities have come knocking. He'll be beheaded at Caishikou tomorrow!"

"Really? Then I'll have to get up early tomorrow and squeeze to the front! This time, I'm bringing five..."

Chen Xing continued walking forward without stopping. The sounds behind him grew fainter and fainter, finally fading completely into the cacophony of shouts. He remembered something Mr. Zhou had said:

"I opened the history book and found that it had no dates, and on each page, written crookedly, were the words 'benevolence, righteousness, and morality.' I couldn't sleep, so I carefully read it for half the night, and finally, I saw the words between the lines: the whole book was filled with the two words 'cannibalism'!"

Chen Xing looked at the vivid yet hazy scene before him, which seemed to have been like this for thousands of years and would probably remain so for thousands of years to come.

Chen Xing strolled leisurely down the street. As he turned a corner, the aroma of fried dough sticks wafted from the breakfast stall ahead. He looked up and saw a familiar pair of figures sitting at the stall entrance—the Mo siblings.

On the table sat two bowls of steaming soy milk, and a plate piled high with several golden, crispy fried dough sticks. Mo Chou was munching on the fried dough sticks, her cheeks bulging, while Mo Mingxuan sipped his soy milk leisurely. The two siblings seemed to be chatting about something.

Chen Xing was overjoyed and quickened his pace to walk over to the Mo siblings. He plopped down on the bench opposite Mo Mingxuan and greeted them with a smile, "Good morning, Brother Mo and Miss Mo."

"Brother Chen! (Ah Xing!)" The Mo siblings looked up and saw him, their faces instantly showing surprise and delight.

Mo Mingxuan put down his bamboo chopsticks and raised his hand to call out to the stall owner, "Brother Chen, have you eaten? If not, I'll ask the stall owner to give you another bowl of soy milk and a few more fried dough sticks."

"We just ate," Chen Xing waved his hand and suggested, "How about we go for a walk together after we eat?"

"What's so great about this place? We might as well go back to sleep!" Mo Chou said, her mouth still full of fried dough sticks, her words muffled. After speaking, she picked up her bowl of soy milk and took a big gulp, then wiped the food out of her mouth.