Volume One: The Turmoil of Yan and Yun Chapter Thirteen: Debate
Everyone in Yan Yun knew that Luo Xing had feelings for Feng Qi.
Perhaps some girls her age might not accept it, but most of the common folk in Yan Yun also believed that Feng Qi was fond of Luo Xing.
Feng Yang had always thought so as well.
Until he heard what was just said.
“What did you say?” Feng Yang could hardly believe his ears.
Feng Qi replied, “It’s impossible for Luo Xing to keep her eyes on me forever. Rather than let some foolish scoundrel deceive her in the future, I’d rather see her married to someone we all know and trust.”
Feng Yang fell silent for a moment. “First of all, I don’t trust Yan Weixie.”
He paused, then added seriously, “Second, we have no right to decide Sister Xing’s marriage.”
Feng Qi said, “If Father and Chief Luo bring up the matter, he will agree.”
Feng Muyun interjected, “Chief Luo never intended for his daughter to marry you in the first place.”
His words lent credence to Feng Qi’s reasoning.
Feng Qi said, “How wonderful.”
Feng Yang cut in, “It’s not wonderful.”
Feng Qi asked calmly, “And why not?”
Feng Yang replied earnestly, “If a marriage isn’t decided by oneself, it cannot be good.”
“My engagement to Murong Xue wasn’t my own choice, either.”
“But you and Miss Murong are both able to refuse, and that’s exactly what you’re doing.”
“Even so, neither of us has ever spoken of breaking off the engagement. At most, we simply aren’t getting married.”
“Yes.” Feng Yang smiled bitterly. “But who could Sister Xing refuse?”
If Luo Xing truly voiced her refusal, Chief Luo likely wouldn’t force her.
Yet a match so clearly suited as this—Chief Luo would surely feel regret, and perhaps years later, Luo Xing herself would come to do the same.
“Do not do to others what you would not wish for yourself. Even if you don’t love Sister Xing, why bring her harm?” Feng Yang said sincerely.
Feng Qi thought for a moment and felt he was not harming her.
“Indeed, Yan Fan is a formidable cultivator in the middle realm, our third uncle’s most trusted lieutenant. You say he may soon command the Stone Forest, and he’s certainly well matched with Uncle Luo.”
“Yan Weixie may not be of extraordinary appearance, but he’s at least sturdy. Coupled with his ranking as the fifth most talented, and his years of devotion to Sister Xing, he’s not such a poor choice.”
Feng Yang took a deep breath and continued, “But none of that is what Sister Xing wants.”
Feng Qi said, “What she wants, I cannot give her. Nor can Father.”
Feng Yang said, “If you cannot give it, then you have no claim, no name and no standing. If you have no standing, why would you presume to decide her future?”
Feng Qi thought to himself that there are some in this world whose futures are simply decided by others.
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For instance, the Grand Elder.
Or the three green-clad bandit chiefs who died on the northern steppe.
And so many more.
An awkward silence hung in the air.
Steward Fei spoke, “The feelings of young girls are fickle.”
Feng Qi raised his eyebrows, thinking it was true.
Feng Yang raised his as well, thinking how could that be?
Just as they were about to speak, Feng Muyun interrupted, “In that case, let’s prepare for the Sandstorm Festival first.”
...
For the next several days, Feng Yang didn’t see Luo Xing at all. Instead, the Fourth Prince paid frequent visits, using discussions of current affairs as a pretext to escort Feng Qi and Feng Yang through every corner of Yan Yun’s main city.
They drank themselves drunk more than once, and ate until they couldn’t move more than once as well.
Feng Qi learned much more about Dugu Zhe, and thought to himself that this man was indeed exceptional.
Feng Yang learned more about Wuyang City, marveling at its prosperity and grandeur.
The Fourth Prince, in turn, learned that Feng Qi had already inherited the Sword and Snow Cloud Sect, and was rendered speechless in shock.
Feng Qi explained, “The Xiaoyao Pavilion divides all cultivators in the realm into two rankings: one called ‘Fengliu’, the other ‘Lingyun’. After Fengliu comes Dragon Gate, then Destiny. After Lingyun comes Azure Sky, then Divine Favor. The former represents those within the mundane world, the latter those outside it, each listing the strength of cultivators at each stage of cultivation.”
The rules of Xiaoyao Pavilion were well known throughout the Divine Dynasty.
The Fourth Prince could not understand why Feng Qi brought it up now.
Feng Qi said, “I bested the Daoist Yao of Kunlun—Lingyun Sixteen. I defeated Fufeng of Tianxiang Valley, Qi Mei of Forge God Valley—Lingyun Twenty-Seven and Twenty-Eight. Both are ready to step onto the path of immortal cultivation. Why should I not?”
The Fourth Prince thought that, seen this way, there was nothing wrong.
But your very identity is the greatest problem.
For the heir of Yanbei to join the Snow Cloud Sect—even if the emperor were magnanimous, he would inevitably grow wary.
In fact, the marriage alliance between the Murong family and the Feng family was precisely because the Divine Emperor was wary of the Fengs.
Yanbei was vast, and the Fengs’ power ran deep and strong. The Yanbei Royal Palace and the Yun family were at their zenith, yet had been close for generations... Most crucial of all, before the Tang Dynasty, the Fengs were the undisputed rulers of Yanbei.
It might already be too late for the Emperor to only now begin to fear the Fengs.
“Grandfather has always been loyal and righteous. Years ago, at a single imperial command, he went to Wuyang without hesitation. Father brushed the threshold of the Void Path four years ago, at only thirty-six, yet in all this time there’s been no sign of further breakthrough. True, bringing radiance into the Dao is difficult, but with forty million people in Yanbei, why is there no one at the Void stage? In the past, Feng Changyu and Liu Shiqing, unable to suppress their cultivation any longer, resigned from the army—Feng Changyu journeyed to Guangnan, Liu Shiqing vanished from sight. Was that not also out of regard for His Majesty’s attitude?” Feng Yang said, “From our first ancestor to this day, a thousand years have passed. The Fengs have defended against foreign threats and quelled internal strife. In Yanbei’s endless sands, all live in peace and contentment. This is our duty, not something to boast of—but neither should it be cause for suspicion.”
The Fourth Prince replied, “Father has always praised the Prince of Yanbei, regarding him as a close friend, not a mere vassal, and has never harbored the slightest doubt about Yanbei.”
Feng Qi thought this was rather disingenuous.
Feng Yang gazed quietly at the Fourth Prince.
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The Fourth Prince was silent for a while, then asked, “Is it possible for you to trust, even a little?”
Feng Qi still said nothing.
Feng Yang replied, “No.”
The Fourth Prince realized that the second son of Yanbei was even more blunt than the heir.
Then he realized that Feng Qi was simply unwilling to waste words.
Because he followed up with, “I only wish that the Feng family is not falsely suspected for crimes that do not exist.”
“Crimes that do not exist”—those words were famous, originating from the Tang Dynasty.
In those days, Li Jin Xing was exiled by the Emperor of Tang for exactly such “crimes.”
The Fourth Prince asked, “He is the supreme ruler of the world.”
Feng Qi replied, “Even the supreme ruler can make mistakes.”
The Fourth Prince said, “But there is no one who can stop him from making mistakes.”
“No.” Feng Qi calmly refuted this. “If the Crown Prince raises the matter, His Majesty will surely take it seriously.”
The Fourth Prince thought, so this is what they were waiting for.
He felt he’d been led into a trap by these two brothers, perhaps even being used as a tool.
“Fine, I’ll mention it to my royal brother when I return to Wuyang.”
“There is a branch of the Xiaoyao Pavilion within Yan Yun, and the City Lord’s mansion possesses the fastest Rainbow Hawks.”
The Fourth Prince found this odd.
Why such haste?
Feng Qi’s gaze was profound, as deep as the endless yellow sands swirling in the sky. “Because the world is changing.”
Not long ago, when the Bloodshed Pavilion and the Corpse Command Pavilion resurfaced, Feng Qi had uttered those very words.
And now he said them again.
Why?
Feng Qi gave no explanation.
Nor did the Fourth Prince press further.
In the end, he said, “Tomorrow is the Sandstorm Festival. Let us see the two of you shine.”