Chapter 267: Good Spear

~19 min read 3,736 words

I figured it out.

Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xinghan put down the note, her expression calm.

Xiao Ning gasped, her voice trembling:

"Xie Xie Niangzi, you really figured it out?!"

"I should have figured it out long ago—this riddle was made for me, neither too hard nor too easy, but this fellow deliberately made it tricky so I couldn't guess it ahead of time; only after hearing the full details of the envoy's peril could I unravel the answer. But..."

Xiao Ning asked curiously: "But what?"

But I had lost confidence in my guesses earlier, and when I heard the terrible news, I was thrown into chaos, all I could think about was how to save them, so I had no mind left for riddles—otherwise I wouldn't have waited until today to...

"But his riddle was too difficult; I just couldn't figure it out right away."

Xiao Ning frowned slightly: "Huh? Xie Xie Niangzi, you just said it was just the right difficulty—"

"Do you want to hear the answer or not?"

"Yes yes yes!"

Xiao Ning instantly stopped asking.

"'Dew hangs low, returns again and again, unlike light fluff drifting past the curtain.' 'Dew hangs low, returns again and again' has two meanings. The first meaning: dew represents tears—so tears hang low, return again and again—meaning I should stop crying and hold back my tears. Pfft! Who would cry?" Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xie Xie Niangzi Xie Xinghan snorted.

"Xie Xie Niangzi, you just said—"

"Are you still listening or not?!"

Xiao Ning immediately clapped her hands over her mouth.

"The second meaning is a character riddle: 'dew' means water; when water falls, it adds to the character below—' Qie '—water plus ' Qie ' forms ' Ju ', the river east of Tiger Head Pass! That's why I said he made it impossible for me to guess ahead—because at the time, I never once thought of 'Jushui'; only after learning the exact location of their mishap could I arrive at this ' Ju ' character..."

Xiao Ning's face flushed bright red with excitement, her eyes wide, making muffled ooh-ooh-ooh sounds.

"Oh my heavens oh my heavens oh my heavens! Xie Xie Niangzi, you're incredible! So clever! So brilliant!" Xiao Ning adored her, especially after her own earlier wild guesses.

"It's not me who's brilliant—this riddle was set just right: not so hard I couldn't solve it, not so easy I could crack it beforehand; it was exactly the level I could solve only after hearing the news and putting in the effort. Truly... cunning."

Xiao Ning, equally stunned, couldn't help sighing:

"Young Master Wang is truly devious..."

"What devious? That's meticulous thought, extraordinary wit—Xiao Ning, don't misuse words..."

Xiao Ning:????

"Xie Xie Niangzi, didn't you just say Young Master Wang was cunning..."

"I didn't mean that 'cunning'—I meant 'jiao hua'—the 'jiao' from 'outstanding among the average,' the 'hua' from 'outstanding talent'—jiao hua."

Xiao Ning looked skeptical: "Does that word even exist..."

"Of course it does..."

"Where's it from—"

"Do you want to hear the riddle's solution or not?!"

Xiao Ning instantly sat up straight, nodding like a sparrow pecking grain.

"'Unlike light fluff drifting past the curtain' must be broken down. First, 'light fluff'—since ancient times, willow and poplar have been mutually defined. The Shuowen says: 'Yang is a type of willow.' 'Willow is a small yang.' Thus, willow fluff is also called yang flower—so 'fluff' here secretly refers to 'yang,' the 'yang' in Wang Yang's name. He feared I wouldn't catch this layer, so he added 'drifting past the curtain.' Fluff only drifts past a curtain when blown by wind—wind carries fluff, so 'fluff flies' is also 'yang'—thus 'light fluff drifting past the curtain' is 'yang.' 'Unlike' sounds like 'not dead'; 'past' is taken literally as-is. Combined with the earlier 'Jushui,' the riddle's answer is—"

"Yang passes Jushui, not dead!"

East of Jushui, atop Dazhuling, dense bamboo stretched across mountain and valley, rustling in the wind.

Wang Yang, Chen Chen Chen Qingshan, and the four Wang family guards were eating lunch.

The four guards stood outside, weapons resting on their knees, eating while watching their surroundings.

Inside, Wang Yang leaned against a bamboo, seated on a large piece of dark cloth, eating sour jujube flour with dried meat and pickled vegetables. This was a dried ration made by grinding wheat and rice, mixing in sour jujube juice, then stir-frying—so bitter Wang Yang doubted his own life.

Chen Chen Chen Qingshan sat beside Wang Yang; seeing him eat the flour like medicine, she offered him her rice-jujube cake: "Try mine."

The rice-jujube cake was made by drying cooked rice, pounding and sifting it, then mixing in paste pressed from steamed red jujubes; when eaten, it was soaked in water, somewhat like today's rice porridge. Wang Yang took a bite and found it acceptable—at least it lacked the cloying sourness of the jujube flour.

Seeing Wang Yang's frown ease, Chen Chen Chen Qingshan was delighted, pressing the cake into his hand: "You eat mine! I'll eat the sour jujube flour."

Wang Yang hurried to protest: "The sour jujube flour tastes awful..."

Chen Chen Chen Qingshan insisted: "Actually, the sour jujube flour is delicious—it even has jujube blossom honey in it."

It'd be better without it...

But tastes differ; if Xiao Shan liked it, that was fine. Wang Yang broke off the part he'd eaten and handed her the rest: "I haven't touched the bottom."

Chen Chen Chen Qingshan took it, whispering very softly: "It's fine."

"What?" Wang Yang didn't catch it.

"No kuan li!" Chen Chen Chen Qingshan blurted out in panic.

"What?" Wang Yang blinked.

Chen Chen Chen Qingshan herself didn't know what she'd said, stammering: "I—I meant, after we eat, do we rest or keep going?"

Wang Yang thought a moment, then motioned for Chen Chen Chen Qingshan to lean close; he whispered something, and her expression grew increasingly strange as she listened. She hesitated: "Will this work?"

Wang Yang smiled: "We've got time—just joking around. Eat first, then talk."

After they finished eating, Wang Yang paused, then threw back his head and laughed loudly, laughter unrestrained.

According to Wang Yang's plan, Chen Chen Chen Qingshan was supposed to deliver her "line" now—but she was still preoccupied with "no kuan li," her thoughts scattered, and unlike Wang Yang, the "old artist," she faltered under pressure. Wang Yang was about to signal her when Sun Ju asked: "Why are you laughing, Young Master?"

Wang Yang inwardly cheered—perfect timing—and immediately straightened, sweeping his sleeve as he stepped forward. Chen Chen Chen Qingshan followed beside him, spear in hand.

Wang Yang clasped his hands behind his back and declared loudly:

"I don't laugh at others—I laugh only at the commander's lack of strategy and the planner's lack of wit. If I were setting an ambush, I'd station a squad right here—what then?"

Before his words ended, the bamboo shadows shattered!

Dozens of masked assassins burst from the bamboo grove, blades glinting cold green against the leaves, forming a silver net in a half-circle as they surged toward Wang Yang and his group—like a folding fan snapping shut!

Chen Chen Chen Qingshan and the four Wang guards instantly shielded Wang Yang. Wang Yang didn't retreat or dodge; he stood calmly, fanning himself, watching them draw near—then snapped his fan shut and shouted:

"The mantis has arrived—where is the oriole?!"

A sudden whoosh! From the low, shadowed ground on both sides, figures leapt up!

Years of rotting leaves and dust exploded skyward, forming two murky veils of foliage.

Leaves rained like locusts, and over thirty blades sliced through them!

The Liu family guards surged from both flanks, surrounding the assassins!

The assassin leader hesitated only a moment, then pointed his sword at Wang Yang and roared: "Kill him first!"

The assassins ignored their backs entirely, charging like hunting leopards at Wang Yang. The four Wang guards and the arriving Liu guards rushed to intercept; Chen Chen Chen Qingshan protected Wang Yang as they retreated. The leader dodged the four guards, leapt into the air, sword tip aimed straight at Wang Yang's throat—so fast Wang Yang had no time to react!

Chen Chen Chen Qingshan grabbed Wang Yang's wrist with her left hand and yanked him back; with her right, she swung her spear downward!

A clang of metal rang out—the blade was instantly deflected!

The leader's thrust veered off, but didn't collapse; he twisted his wrist, spiraled inward, and slashed sideways!

So fast!

Chen Chen Chen Qingshan spun away, both hands gripping the spear, sweeping horizontally—but before the blade reached, the shaft was caught between two bamboo stalks!

The leader seized the opening, lunged close, sword flashing like a serpent's tongue!

Chen Chen Chen Qingshan stepped back urgently, raised her spear to defend, barely blocking the strike. The leader reacted instantly—he didn't retract and reattack; instead, his blade trembled, skimming along the spear shaft, twisting inward!

In a flash, Chen Chen Chen Qingshan released her grip, spun her back—and with her right hand like a crane probing water, she precisely seized the center of the spinning spear shaft, lifted and slashed!

Back against green bamboo, crane leaps; blade turns, meteor streaks, dragon coiled.

One move forced the enemy back three steps, man and sword together!

The spear's momentum hadn't ended—she meant to press forward—but suddenly the shaft stiffened, caught again between bamboo on both sides!

This spear had a four-edged, armor-piercing head, a core of Zhe wood, water-polished patterns, lacquered crimson—chosen by Liu Tan. Its quality wasn't inferior to the finest spears, but it had no name, so it lacked the grandeur of "Night-Sinking Iron Brush."

Seeing Chen Chen Chen Qingshan's disappointment, Wang Yang personally named it "Duanxia," after Zhang Yue's line "Crimson gates, crimson clouds severed"; he added that with her crimson spear, Duanxia sweeps away the last clouds—its cold light startles a hundred birds and chills the soul, terrifying a thousand armies. Duanxia and Chen Chen Qingshan were a perfect match—far more refined than any "Iron Brush." Chen Chen Chen Qingshan was delighted and instantly treasured the spear above all else.

The spear was fine, the name was perfect—but here, the bamboo grove was too dense; Chen Chen Chen Qingshan's superb spear techniques couldn't unfold. Within a few moves, she was forced into desperate defense, barely holding on—her arm already slashed open!

Chen Chen Chen Qingshan could no longer hold her ground; her spear form shattered under relentless assault, no chance to regroup—she feared that if she lost breath even once, she'd die beneath the blade. She cried out: "Young Master, run!"

Wang Yang wouldn't leave—and dared not rush forward and distract Chen Chen Chen Qingshan. In desperation, he slammed his palm hard, face flushed with urgency, shouting: "Uncle Feng, stab him in the back!"

The leader froze—so focused on battle, he hadn't sensed anyone behind! He whirled to dodge—but saw his own men locked in fierce combat with the enemy's elite, no one near him! He realized he'd been tricked, fury boiling—he spun back and charged again!

Chen Chen Chen Qingshan caught her breath, narrowly escaped death, and was about to scream again for Wang Yang to flee—when he shouted:

"Shatter the Clouds, Break the Jade—Duanxia Splits Bamboo!"

Chen Chen Chen Qingshan's phoenix eyes flashed; she gathered her qi, poured in strength—and in an instant, her body leapt skyward, both arms swinging with waist-powered force!

Crimson lacquered spear shaft curved like a crescent moon; four-edged blade swept the air like a rainbow!

But then came the sound of tearing silk—

Every emerald bamboo shattered on impact!

Bamboo shards filled the air like a mist!

The leader knew that once the cover was gone and this man unleashed the Chen family spear, he would be no match—without hesitation, he moved like the wind, sidestepping as his sword shot forward in a thin line, advancing instead of retreating!

Close in, and you win; strike from afar, and you lose!

With his light, swift swordplay and agile steps, the leader seized the moment when Chen Chen Chen Qingshan's spear wind had not yet returned—and truly closed the distance; a flash of cold light appeared in his hand as he lunged like a falling star!

Chen Chen Chen Qingshan tilted his wrist, stepped back swiftly, reversed the spear's tip, and dragged its shaft across the ground in a long furrow!

Swift wind swept shadows, cleaving half the mountains and rivers;

Broken clouds congealed into frost, remembering the fleeting span of life and death.

In that instant of life and death, both figures froze simultaneously...

When the dust settled, the leader's sword tip halted half an inch before Chen Chen Chen Qingshan's throat, while Chen Chen Chen Qingshan arched backward in an iron plank, the Duoxia spear thrusting diagonally up from under his armpit—the spearhead buried three li into the leader's heart.

At this moment, all surrounding emerald bamboos lay shattered, and sunlight poured down unimpeded.

Amid the golden light, Chen Chen Chen Qingshan turned his head toward Wang Yang, smiled faintly, and whispered: "Duoxia—what a fine spear."

————

Note: The claim that Emperor Yang of Sui granted willow the surname Yang, hence "Yang Liu," originates from the Tang-Song era novel Kai He Ji. Before the Tang, "yang" and "liu" were used interchangeably; many examples exist. The Strategies of the Warring States records Yang Youji's archery: "Shooting at a willow leaf a hundred paces away." The Records of the Grand Historian records the same passage as: "Shooting at a willow leaf a hundred paces away." This is not a discrepancy in factual reporting but a reflection of contemporary writing conventions—"yang" and "liu" were interchangeable. However, in classical poetry and prose before the Song, "Yang Liu" most often referred to willow alone, not poplar, nor both—it functioned like a partial-meaning compound word or a synonymous collocation.

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