The Prisoner of Beauty - Chapter 63

Chapter 63

The position of the Luli Terrace was highly conspicuous, and it drew the gaze of the multitude. Xiao Qiao knew that at this very moment, there was no telling how many pairs of eyes were looking at her. Seeing her younger brother offering his regards from beneath the terrace, she took her own identity into consideration and, for the sake of avoiding suspicion, merely looked toward him and returned a smile. She showed no excessive display of emotion, yet the look of encouragement in her eyes was clearly unmistakable.

Right at this moment, from the direction of the climbing stairs, Xiao Qiao heard a succession of footsteps that sounded rhythmic, as though wooden clogs were treading upon the stone steps. Thus, she turned her head to cast a glance.

Upon the steps of the Luli Terrace, a peach-red silhouette gradually materialized and grew clearer.

She recognized her. It was Su Ehuang.

Su Ehuang used one hand to slightly lift her skirt hem as she ascended the steps one by one. Following her to her left and right were two maidservants. Her peach-red silhouette was reflected against the gray stone steps, swaying with graceful voluptuousness as she walked directly toward Madame Xu's direction.

Upon arriving in close proximity, she was stopped and brought to a halt.

A guard of the Luli Terrace walked over to report to Madame Xu, saying that Lady Su, the wife of the Governor of Zuofengyi, had arrived and begged to pay her respects to the Old Madame.

Madame Xu had already caught a glimpse of Su Ehuang out of the corner of her eye, yet she remained unruffled and did not turn her head to look either, merely saying to let her come over.

Upon hearing "Lady Su, the wife of the Governor of Zuofengyi," Lady Zhu turned her head abruptly. Sure enough, she saw Su Ehuang standing right there, and her face darkened instantly.

The guard went back and granted passage to Su Ehuang. Su Ehuang came before Madame Xu, first bowing respectfully to her.

Madame Xu smiled slightly, telling her there was no need for excessive courtesy.

Su Ehuang bowed next to Lady Zhu.

Lady Zhu said in a muffled, heavy voice, "Rise. Though you are a widow, you were once the wife of the Governor of Zuofengyi. I am merely a rustic village woman; how could I be worthy of such a great courtesy from you?"

When she spoke, her face was turned slightly to one side.

Su Ehuang still carried a smile upon her face. Rising, she finally turned toward Xiao Qiao, who was sitting on Madame Xu's right side, and said with a smile, "Since our parting at Lunu last time, I have often missed you, Little Sister, and longed to meet with you again. Only today has my wish been fulfilled."

Xiao Qiao also revealed a smile, nodding slightly as she said, "I am very grateful to be remembered by the Madame."

While the two of them were speaking, Lady Zhu said, "When did you come to Yuyang? Unexpectedly, you did not even notify us in advance, which makes it seem as though we have slighted you."

Su Ehuang hastily said, "The Madame is unaware. Luli is a grand assembly of heroes. I have a nephew named Su Xin who is a military commander of Zhongshan and possesses outstanding equestrian archery skills; he has the fortune to come and attend the assembly. My coming this time is first to cheer for my nephew, and second, although I have not set foot in Yuyang for many years, I often keep Great-Grand-Aunt and the Madame in my thoughts. Therefore, I also took this opportunity to specially come pay my respects to Great-Grand-Aunt and the Madame. I arrived late yesterday and wished I could immediately come to the manor to pay my respects, yet I also feared disturbing the rest of Great-Grand-Aunt and the Madame. For this reason, I did not dare to knock on your door, thinking it would also be convenient to come and pay my respects early this morning."

The corners of Lady Zhu's lips hooked slightly, but she remained silent.

Beneath the terrace, right in the center of the drill ground, the field set up as the equestrian archery competition had already been cordoned off. At the starting point, the thirty-two warriors had each mounted their fine steeds, drawing their curved bows over their arms, raring to go, and preparing to listen for the command to set out.

Su Ehuang pointed toward a tall, long-armed youth in a purple robe in the center, saying with a smile, "He is my nephew, Su Xin. Although he is not many years younger than me, he has undergone training and tempering in the Zhongshan army for a few years as well. This time, he fought with all his might and also won his superiors' appreciation, which gave him the fortune to come to Yuyang to display his skills, though it is merely to make a fool of himself before experts."

Xiao Qiao cast a glance.

Su Xin's age was in his early twenties. He was tall with long arms and rode a black horse with magnificent saddle and reins embedded with gemstones that gleamed brilliantly under the sunlight, making him very conspicuous among the gathering of warriors. He raised his head and puffed out his chest, sitting high upon the horse's back, appearing full of confidence.

Madame Xu also cast a glance, nodding as she said, "He is a young hero as well."

Su Ehuang hastily thanked her for the praise. Hesitating slightly, within the flash of her eyes, she took a step toward Madame Xu. Just as she lifted her foot, however, she heard Lady Zhu say, "Since we did not know you were coming this morning either, no seat was set up for you here. I see that the command to start the equestrian archery down below is about to be issued. Since you came to cheer for your nephew, why not head over to the Black Tortoise Terrace to take a seat?"

The Black Tortoise Terrace was located to the side of the Luli Terrace, specially established for the noblewomen who came from within Yuyang City to watch the battle.

Su Ehuang's steps came to a halt. She fixed her gaze upon Lady Zhu for a moment, then subsequently smiled and said, "Many thanks to the Madame for the arrangement. In that case, I shall head down. After a short while, I shall visit the manor again to pay my respects to Great-Grand-Aunt and the Madame." After speaking, she gave another supple bow toward Madame Xu and Lady Zhu, and also bid farewell to Xiao Qiao before turning around and departing with her maidservants, still in a light and graceful manner.

Once Su Ehuang left, Madame Xu's expression remained normal throughout, while Lady Zhu revealed a trace of disdain toward her retreating figure and let out a faint snort from her nose.

Xiao Qiao glanced at her, her face displaying absolutely nothing, though her heart was inevitably astonished.

No one had felt the lethality coming from Lady Zhu more profoundly than she had; therefore, she was not astonished by Lady Zhu's eventual action of practically driving Su Ehuang away.

She was merely astonished as to why this Lady Su, whose handling of people and situations truly left absolutely no room for fault, would actually incur such dislike from Lady Zhu.

Lady Zhu's speech was laced with thorns and barbs, showing no politeness whatsoever.

It appeared that within her mind, aside from herself, Lady Su was also a ranked object of loathing.

At this moment, the clamor in the drill ground gradually quieted down. The entire field held its breath as everyone looked toward the thirty-two mounted warriors inside the equestrian archery field, who were poised and raring to go.

Xiao Qiao knew the competition was about to begin, so she had no leisure to think of anything else either, focusing her mind on watching the battle and searching for her younger brother's silhouette.

Amid the blast of the command horn, the thirty-two mounts raised their hooves in unison and set out, vying to gallop toward the finish line located a hundred chang away where the golden bell was suspended. At first, the thirty-two mounts each kept to their own paths. By the time they dashed out nearly twenty to thirty chang, the horses' heads gradually separated into front and back positions. The warrior atop a chestnut horse rushing in the very front drew his bow to aim at the golden bell, while the warrior on a white horse following closely behind swept a staff across. The warrior on the chestnut horse ducked his body to evade it, drawing a halberd to stab back in reverse, and the two became entangled in a brawl.

According to historical rules, each person was limited to carrying three feathered arrows on their body. If one finished shooting their feathered arrows without hitting the golden bell, or fell off their horse onto the ground, it would be deemed an elimination.

Since someone had started it, the remaining warriors followed suit. Furthermore, the rules permitted it as well. Everyone wished to obstruct their opponents, so that they could break through the encirclement early and be the first to shoot down the golden bell. Accompanied by the rapid and tight drumbeats resembling a sudden downpour, and amid the synchronous shouting and cheering of the soldiers watching the battle in the drill ground, a fierce struggle of you-go-I-obstruct and you-chase-I-catch unfolded on the racetrack. Soon, one after another, people were overwhelmed and fell from their horses.

When the distance was half completed, less than half of the original thirty-two mounts remained. The rest were either injured and fell from their horses, had their bows and arrows seized by others, or had already finished shooting their three arrows but failed to hit the target.

The weapon Qiao Ci conventionally used was the dual halberds. He had been infatuated with martial arts since childhood, practicing bitterly every morning and evening in the small drill ground at home through the bitter winter and the sweltering summer, undeterred by wind or rain. He was also born with a natural physical framework for practicing martial arts; after many years, he could use his weapons with perfect ease. The dapple-gray horse beneath him that Wei Yan gifted him was also a fine steed chosen from a thousand. Although he had not ridden it for long, it was quite spiritually perceptive. Today, man and horse moved as one, and before the distance was even half completed, he faintly displayed a momentum of breaking away from the pack.

He had just defeated a warrior who chased from behind and attempted to seize his bow and arrow, finally using his halberd shaft to strike the opponent down from his horse.

This was already the third opponent he had defeated.

The martial style within Wei Shao's army had always been fierce and valiant. Although the Luli Grand Assembly was a martial arts contest between brotherly military camps, everything was done with real spears and solid blades, and the warriors protected their bodies with armor.

Qiao Ci was the youngest among all the warriors, and his appearance was handsome and striking. Many soldiers inside the drill ground also knew he was the younger brother of the female lord. Just as the horses set out, he drew everyone's gaze. Once the course was half completed, seeing that his equestrian skills were consummate and his martial arts outstanding, having successively defeated three warriors who entangled him, and that his strikes were quite restrained—unlike some of the other warriors who, solely seeking victory, delivered vicious and insidious strikes, attacking the opponent's vital points with every move—they saw him fight with the opponent on horseback for over twenty exchanges, finally suppressing the opponent and turning his hand to change the halberd head to the halberd shaft to strike the opponent down from his horse. They could not help but give birth to respect in their hearts, beginning to call out and cheer for him one after another.

Her younger brother's heroic posture was bursting with vitality, and he also possessed the style of a master, winning the applause of the crowd in the drill ground. Although Xiao Qiao was delighted, her heart grew even more tense. Her two eyes were wide open, closely following his retreating figure as he galloped on horseback, her two hands clenched into fists, not even daring to blink her eyes once.

After Qiao Ci struck that warrior down, he immediately clamped his horse's flanks tightly. The dapple-gray horse beneath him also sensed its master's intent, galloping at full speed to rush toward the finish line, quickly overtaking several people ahead. Just as he drew his bow and notched an arrow, about to shoot his first arrow under the gaze of the entire field, a gust of blade wind blew past his ear as a large broadsword hacked down diagonally. Qiao Ci hastily withdrew his bow to evade it, turning his head to see a mounted warrior chasing up—black horse, purple robe, eyes flashing with a faint display of a fierce and valiant look. It was precisely Su Xin from Zhongshan.

Su Xin hacked down with a second blade strike. Qiao Ci immediately drew his dual halberds to meet it. The two came and went amid the earth-shaking shouts of the surrounding soldiers, and in the blink of an eye, they had already passed some twenty exchanges.

Su Xin was the eldest son of Su Ehuang's eldest brother. Because Su Ehuang's eldest brother was much older than her, the age difference between aunt and nephew was not large. Ten years ago, before Xing Xun had entered Luoyang, his aunt Su Ehuang had newly married Liu Li, her name filling Luoyang, and the Su family had also enjoyed a period of glory. By now, however, their threshold had fallen into ruin, and most of their sons and disciples had withered away. Su Xin was bent on bringing glory to his family gate. Because he excelled in equestrian archery, he had traveled a long distance today solely to achieve fame in a single battle at the Luli Terrace. For this reason, he had struck with ferocity right after setting out earlier, successively injuring several people to carve out a path. Seeing Qiao Ci's valiance, he viewed this white-robed young general as a formidable enemy in his heart. Seeing him rush to the very front, clearly about to unleash an arrow, how could he be willing to let him take the lead? He chased up with all his might to obstruct his momentum. As the two fought for some twenty exchanges in this manner, Qiao Ci fought with growing valiance while Su Xin gradually grew unable to match him. Seeing that there were other warriors chasing up from behind again, anxiety arose in his heart, and a scheme was born. As Qiao Ci brought a halberd strike down, he suddenly let out a loud cry, his face displaying a look of pain while his body also teetered on the verge of collapse, appearing just like he was injured and about to fall off his horse's back.

Qiao Ci immediately stayed his hand. Unexpectedly, in the blink of an eye, Su Xin drew a short knife that he had hidden in advance by the side of the horse's flank and had not used yet, swinging it toward Qiao Ci. Seeing the sharp edge, Qiao Ci ducked swiftly to avoid it, yet the occurrence happened too suddenly, and he still failed to avoid it completely. His arm on one side was sliced by the sharp blade. Fortunately, he wore protective armor, but his protective sleeve was still sliced open with a tear. A burst of pain arrived, and lowering his head, he saw that blood had already flowed out, staining the white robe upon his body red.

The distance from here to the Luli Terrace was already somewhat far. Yet Xiao Qiao could still indistinctly see that the situation was wrong. Her heart leaped violently, and disregarding everything else, she rose from her seat and rushed before the guardrail, opening her eyes wide to watch.

Qiao Ci was fighting a great battle with Su Xin and was clearly about to suppress him, but unexpectedly, Su Xin suddenly employed trickery, causing Qiao Ci to get injured instead. The soldiers on both sides immediately shouted jeers and boos. Su Xin, however, acted as if he heard nothing. After forcing Qiao Ci away, he gritted his teeth and violently turned his horse's head to rush toward the finish line. Drawing closer, he aimed at the front, drawing his bow to unleash an arrow.

The first arrow was shot out, but it missed. It barely grazed past that single rope from which the golden bell hung.

Vexation arose in Su Xin's heart, and he hastily notched an arrow again, preparing to shoot his second arrow after taking aim.

However, right at this moment, another arrow adorned with white feathers had already left the string and chased up from behind, breaking through the wind past his side and shooting straight toward the golden bell dozens of chang away like crashing thunder and swift lightning.

The arrow was unleashed by Qiao Ci behind him.

The drill ground fell dead silent in an instant, and countless pairs of eyes stared at that white-feathered arrow.

The feathered arrow tore through the air resistance and arrived at the finish line. Without leaning to either side, it pierced right through the rope, finally pinning into a blocking target behind it.

The rope snapped, unable to hold up the heavy golden bell. The golden bell swayed a few times and fell onto a bronze gong set underneath it.

With a loud dang, it produced a clear, resonant, and lingering sound of metallic impact.

Su Xin froze in place, watching with his own eyes as that white-robed young general galloped past his side like the wind. Arriving at the finish line, he turned and dismounted his horse, walking with rapid steps before the target to pull out the feathered arrow. Following this, he leaped onto the high platform, raising the feathered arrow high and waving his hands toward all four quarters to offer his regards.

A roar of applause resembling thunder erupted inside the drill ground. On the Black Tortoise Terrace, that group of Yuyang noblewomen looked at Qiao Ci even more, whispering into each other's ears one after another.

Xiao Qiao's heart, which had originally risen to her throat, finally settled down at this moment.

Under the illumination of the brilliant autumn sun, she saw from afar her younger brother standing upon the high platform with his arm raised—white robe and silver armor, in high and sweeping spirits.

And within the immense drill ground, at this moment, practically everyone was cheering and shouting for his heroic posture.

Xiao Qiao was so moved that her nose felt sour. She could not help but raise her hand, covering her mouth and nose.

Wei Shao was standing upon a viewing terrace not far from the high platform at this moment. Moving his gaze away from that youth in high and sweeping spirits upon the high platform, he gazed toward the opposite Luli Terrace.

He saw her leaning against the railing, her hands covering her face, clearly about to weep with joy.

The corners of Wei Shao's lips hooked slightly. Suddenly, he subconsciously cast his gaze toward his eldest brother, Wei Yan, who was not far from himself.

Wei Yan was casting his gaze toward that direction of the Luli Terrace. He raised his head slightly, appearing to be lost in thought, his expression appearing to have fallen into some sort of drifting and unsettled train of thought.

Within the grand drill ground, Qiao Ci upon the high platform was the focus of ten thousand people's attention. Near him, Senior General Li Dian, having witnessed the entire process, was currently saying to Gongsun Yang, "This is a young phoenix and a qilin child, and he also possesses a benevolent style. Given time, he will certainly become a great asset."

No one would pay attention to this inadvertent glance coming from Wei Yan.

Wei Shao lowered his eyes, his expression plain.