83 Chapter 82 - Heap of Loose Sand
At dawn, the tall cliffside was surrounded by a barrier of mist, obscuring it from any wildlife that may enter.
Perhaps it was because he was finally free of his restrictions or that he was particularly anxious towards the situation in Lingnan; the Crown Prince was the first to wake up. He changed from his silk robe to a cotton shirt. Then, he waited for Lei Li to wake up from her slumber before the two departed from their cave.
Lingnan was a province of mountains and sea. Only one city, Manmen (南门), was located inland. It was near the cliffside the two had resided in; the Crown Prince could not too far a distance, but Lei Li, with her cultivation, could easily see the countenance of Manmen's walls from the cave.
When the Crown Prince and Lei Li arrived at the city gates, few carriages could be seen wandering outside, and most stable was empty. The Crown Prince was somewhat shocked to see this scene; when he had entered Lingnan, Manmen was the first city he had entered, and he had seen its previous prosperity. Although the city cannot compare to Lingnan, heavy traffic was still present on its main streets when he had first entered the city.
Turning to Lei Li, the Crown Prince squinted his eyes and asked, "Has the city entered curfew? Can we enter the city?"
Lei Li was brushing her hair with her fingers when the Crown Prince asked his question. Pausing her hand, she replied, "Manmen has been restricting trade with the other cities in Lingnan. Aside from those with a permit, it is impossible to enter."
As for the second half of the Crown Prince's question, Lei Li did not bother to answer. Instead, she reached into her sleeves and took out a wooden token and strapped it onto her belt.
The Crown Prince frowned, believing that Lei Li acquired her permit through some unscrupulous means.
Lei Li could feel the Crown Prince's intent through his gaze. She snorted and said proudly, "The Lei family is a bunch of merchants. It's natural that I have a permit. Am I that unscrupulous and wild in your eyes?"
The Crown Prince replied, "Yes."
---
With Lei Li's permit, there was no issue in entering the city. However, the gaze of the guards when receiving the document was rather strange, being a mixture of vigilance, arrogance and estrangement.
The gaze continued to be given off by the people within the walls of the city. However, neither the Crown Prince was affected by it. He simply ignored the hostile gaze and carried on forward. He was to be the son of heaven; if he can't handle a little pressure, he might as well ask the Emperor for a bolt of white silk.
The gaze surrounding Lei Li was different from those surrounding the incognito Crown Prince. Humans are naturally attracted to ascetically pretty things, and Lei Li's appearance was originally famous in Lin'an. Although the people in Manmen did not recognise her and still had a hint of prejudice, it was considerably more welcoming. There were even a few youths that looked to her with desire.
Lei Li's expression was as cold as a block of ice, rejecting each of those gazes with her pride and elegance. Yet this only made the desire of the men greater, though none dared to approach her. The Crown Prince was slightly surprised, being used to her mischievous nature. He did not expect her to possess such a side.
Under this mixed gaze, the two passed by the main street of Manmen and into a quieter alleyway.
Suddenly, a sound arose from the dilapidated buildings from their side.
"Tch, a man who eats soft rice."
Lei Li's expression of aloofness collapsed as she turned towards the source of those words with a curious gaze. She wondered if her previous acting made it so that the Crown Prince would actually be mistaken for someone relying on a woman by a group of hooligans.
The Crown Prince extended his hands to block Lei Li's advancement, shaking his head to discourage her.
He had come to Manmen to see the situation in Lingnan, not to bully a bunch of ignorant teens.
To get upset over those sights and such words were a taste of his time.
Lei Li gave the group of hooligans a cold gaze before leading onwards with the Crown Prince.
However, the hooligans did not stop their insults. Perhaps gaining courage at the 'cowardness' of the Crown Prince and unhappy with the explicit stare of Lei Li, the same hooligan exclaimed, "See what I said? Although he seems righteous, he couldn't even defend his honour before a lady. I wonder if he even has that 'thing' down there."
Seeing the Crown Prince unbothered, Lei Li turned around and made a face at them. "Do you think I'm deaf? Don't think just because he is good-natured, that I won't do anything to you."
The face of the hooligans did not appear so good after being insulted by the person they were admiring. No matter what, no one likes being threatened. Another hooligan churlishly retaliated, "Tch, no wonder she would be accompanied by a man who eats soft rice."
Shaking his head, he continued, "Such a violent woman, perhaps she could only get companionship through this way."
The Crown Prince could see where the wind was blowing, and was reluctant for the situation to deteriorate any further. He grabbed Lei Li's wrists, forcing these words to fall onto deaf ears. Yet things in life often go wry; when one wishes for peace and quiet, trouble usually follows instead.
Although they were reaching the end of the alleyway, the hooligans were following behind them, kicking up a fuss.
"A good for nothing idiot and a female gorilla - it really is a pair made in heaven!"
A loud, cracking sound accompanied the sudden stop of Lei Li's steps.
The Crown Prince tugged her hand, continuing forward without any change to his pacing. He said, "It's merely some barking. Are you, a cultivation genius, really going to contend with them?"
Lei Li looked towards the unturned back of the Crown Prince and replied cooly, "I'm not a kind-hearted idiot like you. I'll retaliate when I'm angry."
The Crown Prince hardly opened his mouth when Lei Li struck her hand into a nearby building and retrieved a handful of crushed concrete.
She turned around and faced the hooligans following them.
Those hooligans raised the wooden rods in their hands, preparing to retaliate after the concrete miss.
Lei Li's hand flicked, and the concrete shards flew out.
Each of these shards accurately hit the foreheads of the hooligans.
Their vision immediately turned black, and the wooden rods in their hand slipped away as they fell onto the ground. Instantly, the surrounding city folks, who had previously watched the scene with indifference, shouted and hid behind their doors.
"That crazy woman killed Xiao Hei!"
"Somebody report it to the yamen!"
The terrified shouts of the city folks sounded throughout the alleyway. It startled the guard dogs, who followed by barking towards the pair, and quickly brought the guards' attention, who flooded into the street.
Lei Li looked onto this scene with indifference. Placing the Crown Prince onto her back, her knees became slightly bent, and her body lowered. The next moment, she had jumped onto the walls, departing the city with each step on the broken roof tiles or broken wall.
The Crown Prince glanced at Lei Li's long nape and calmly asked, "Did you kill them?"
Lei Li glanced at the Crown Prince at the corner of her eye and replied with a chuckle, "Since I'm a great cultivator, it's not worth it to kill them."
The Crown Prince gently replied, "Actually, I would not have minded if you had killed them."
Lei Li jumped onto the city walls, and said, "I thought you were a benevolent Taoist."
The Crown Prince replied, "Although I advocate for benevolence, I'm not a hypocrite. The situation in Lingnan is so chaotic. It's impossible to hold everyone responsible."
A hint of surprise appeared in Lei Li's eyes as she teased the Crown Prince, "I thought it was because you've made an exception for me out of love."
The Crown Prince sank into silence, seemingly hesitant as to how to reply to Lei Li's words.
Lei Li also tripped over the city walls because of this. She wondered if the Crown Prince really had fallen in love with her. Finally, she said in a casual manner, "Actually, I just appreciate your appearance a little. I never had the intention to begin a relationship."
The Crown Prince coughed. After recovering, he said, "You misunderstood me. I was thinking about the situation in Manmen and Lingnan as a whole. Even if I feel affection towards you, I would still not pursue you out of political considerations."
Lei Li stuck her tongue out of embarrassment. Still, her skin was pretty thick, and the conversation and misunderstanding between the two were forgotten after they returned to the cliffside cave.
---
After returning to Jing manor, Jing Wen quickly learned of the deteriorating situation in Lingnan from Zhou Aimin.
Although it was currently of little concern to the two, it is difficult to say whether or not it would affect Linan and the Great Zhu. Like what the two had done for the meeting with Hua Quanfu, Jing Wen felt it would be best if they came to a consensus on the matter to avoid any potential conflict.
"Lingnan has always been plagued by factionalism. They would always side with their own people between an outsider and a local, regardless of fault. They are no different from a heap of loose sand."
Jing Wen said to Zhou Aimin, who smiled and waved his fan at the charcoal-burner, rekindling its' flames. He showed no intention of replying to Jing Wen's words, inviting him to put forth his mind further."
Jing Wen looked at the snow piling up on the manor walls and sighed, "Although the situation is still stable under the presence of General Xiahou, neither the symptoms nor source is cured. If this continues, perhaps the entire province will break away from the Linan."
Zhou Aimin drank a cup of warm water and maintained his smile. Then, he lowered his head and said, "If Lingnan is a heap of loose, then something is needed to make it into a fist of iron."
Jing Wen asked, "What should it be then?"
Zhou Aimin replied very earnestly, "I don't know."
