Chapter 10: Chapter 6

As the saying goes, speak of the devil and he shall appear. No sooner had the words been spoken than a series of clear whistles rang out from outside, followed immediately by the sound of robes tearing through the air. A deep, powerful male voice shouted, "What kind of brat is this! Daring to run wild in the Marquis’s manor—don't you dare run!"

"Oh no, this voice is... it’s..." Xiao Jingrui was instantly alarmed. Just as he jumped to his feet, he felt a tightening on his arm. Turning his head, he saw Mei Changsu gripping his arm with a grave expression, saying in a low voice, "Take me there, quickly!"

The situation was urgent, and Xiao Jingrui had no time to think. He wrapped his arms around Mei Changsu’s waist, gathered his inner energy, and with a few swift leaps, rushed toward the scene of the disturbance at top speed.

Passing through the west corridor and rushing into the moon gate of the main courtyard, they saw figures darting about in the small courtyard between the second and third gates, locked in a fierce struggle. Feiliu’s movements were not only bizarre and unpredictable, but his swordsmanship was extremely sharp and ruthless. Wherever his blade pointed, a chilling aura made one’s hair stand on end. Yet, the man fighting him showed no signs of falling behind. His palm techniques were open and expansive, handled with ease, and his inner strength was as scorching as the midday sun, as if exposing Feiliu’s secret, traceless ninja arts to the harsh light of day. Despite several charges, the boy could not break out of the range of the man’s palm force.

Before Xiao Jingrui could recover his senses, he heard Mei Changsu shout, "Feiliu, stop!" and immediately followed suit, yelling, "Commander Meng, please stop!"

Feiliu obeyed Mei Changsu’s command without a moment’s hesitation, instantly pulling back his sword and stepping away. His opponent did not press the advantage; he crossed his palms, and though he did not disperse his energy, he halted his attack.

"Jingrui, what is the meaning of this?" Following this dignified question, Xiao Jingrui realized his father was also on the scene, standing with his hands behind his back in the southeast corner of the courtyard, seemingly having blocked Feiliu’s path to the inner residence.

"Please forgive me, Marquis," Mei Changsu stepped forward slowly and bowed. "This is one of my guards. He has always been a bit ignorant of social graces and moves about without regard for rules. It is my fault for failing to discipline him properly. Whatever punishment the Marquis deems fit, I am willing to accept."

Xiao Jingrui also hurriedly stepped forward to explain, "This must be a misunderstanding. Feiliu has always liked to travel high and low, but as long as no one provokes him, he would never harm anyone..."

Xie Yu raised a hand to interrupt his son, his face still somewhat gloomy. He said to Mei Changsu, "Mr. Su is a guest from afar, and my manor will not treat you with neglect. However, your subordinate’s habit of coming and going should probably be changed; otherwise, I fear misunderstandings like today’s will happen again in the future."

"The Marquis is right. I will certainly discipline him strictly."

Xie Yu gave a grunt of acknowledgment and turned to the man who had been fighting Feiliu. He actually bowed and apologized, "Commander Meng, you were supposed to be a guest today. I never expected that you would be disturbed into taking action. I am truly sorry."

The Commander, a man of about forty, was robust and tall with a very masculine appearance. His eyes were bright and piercing, yet held a restrained intensity. Seeing the Marquis of Ning coming to apologize, he waved his hand dismissively. "I merely saw this youth’s movements were strange, daring to scale the walls of the Marquis’s manor when not a single guard in the entire estate could detect him. I thought he was an ill-intentioned outlaw, so I took the liberty of acting on your behalf, Marquis. Since it is a misunderstanding, let us just consider it a friendly spar." As he spoke, his gaze swept toward Mei Changsu with great interest. "May I ask who this gentleman is..."

"I am Su Zhe. I became acquainted with Young Master Xiao in the jianghu, and we found we were kindred spirits. At his kind invitation, I have come to the capital for a short stay."

"Su Zhe?" Commander Meng repeated the name, looked at Feiliu, then back at the young man who seemed unremarkable at first glance, and smiled. "If you have such a guard, sir, you must have some extraordinary qualities yourself, right?"

"Not at all," Mei Changsu replied with a calm smile. "I simply happened to save Feiliu once when he was in distress, so he stayed by my side out of gratitude. It is not that I possess any outstanding virtue or ability that would make me worthy of commanding such an expert."

"Is that so?" Commander Meng’s expression remained unchanged. Whether he believed it or not was unclear, but he did not press the matter further. Xie Yu gave Xiao Jingrui a deep look, said nothing more, and came over to invite Commander Meng to the main hall for tea. The two walked away side by side.

As soon as they left, Xiao Jingrui stomped his foot and slapped his forehead. "This is a disaster! Father is suspicious. He will definitely call me in tonight to investigate your true identity. What should I do?"

In contrast, Mei Changsu’s expression remained very relaxed. He said casually, "Just tell him you met a friend in the jianghu and don't know anything else. That should be enough."

"It’s not that simple!" Xiao Jingrui said with a bitter face. "Do you know who that Commander Meng was?"

Mei Changsu’s gaze tightened slightly, and he sighed. "How many commanders named Meng can there be in this capital who receive such courtesy from the Marquis of Ning and possess such peerless martial arts? Naturally, it is the Commander of the Nine Gates of the capital, the First-Rank General in charge of the fifty thousand Imperial Guards, Commander-in-Chief Meng Zhi."

"Besides being the Commander of the Imperial Guards, what else is he?"

"In the jianghu rankings, he is second only to Xuan Bu of Great Yu. He can be considered the number one expert in our Great Liang at the moment..."

"Exactly! Think about it—one of your guards was actually able to trade blows with the number one expert in Great Liang..."

"Meng Zhi wasn't even using his full strength just now..."

"Yes, he was holding back, but even so, he is still the number one expert in Great Liang. The fact that Feiliu could hold his own for so many moves without being defeated is shocking enough. My father is not a fool; he won't believe you're just some nameless jianghu traveler. Besides, even if I keep my mouth shut, Father can just call Xie Bi over, and he’ll get the truth out of him in no time!"

"That’s true," Mei Changsu tilted his head and thought for a long while. "Fine. If your father insists on asking, just tell him the truth. He’s only worried that you’ve brought someone of unknown background into the house; once he knows, it won't be an issue. I’m not a wanted criminal; I only hid my identity to avoid trouble. Thinking about it, I really shouldn't let you lie to your own father to cover for me."

Xiao Jingrui felt extremely apologetic and said sheepishly, "Brother Su, I am truly sorry. However, my father is a prudent man and does not talk much. Even if he knows your true identity, he will just keep it to himself and won't tell anyone else."

"How can I blame you? I have been too relaxed lately and didn't consider things carefully, which is why Feiliu caused trouble..." Just as Mei Changsu said this, he saw Feiliu lower his head with a bewildered expression. He hurriedly stroked his hair comfortingly and coaxed him gently, "It’s not Feiliu’s fault. It was that uncle who stopped you, and that’s why you fought him, right?"

Feiliu nodded.

"So, our Feiliu did nothing wrong at all. It was all that uncle’s fault!"

Xiao Jingrui broke into a cold sweat. Who teaches a child like that?

"But from now on, when Feiliu wants to go out, just walk out through the front gate. And when you come back, walk back through the front gate. Don't run on the walls or the eaves anymore. The people here are very timid, but their eyesight is very good. If they see Feiliu by accident, they will be frightened... Do you remember?"

"Remembered."

Xiao Jingrui couldn't help but think that with this method of education, even if Feiliu didn't have a brain injury, he probably wouldn't grow up...

After such a disturbance, Mei Changsu seemed unconcerned. He took Feiliu back to Xue Lu to pass the time with chess and music, remaining as relaxed and at ease as ever. Xiao Jingrui, on the other hand, was restless all day, his mind filled with worries.

By evening, Xie Yu did indeed call Xiao Jingrui and Xie Bi into the study. Without beating around the bush, he asked directly, "What exactly is the identity of that Mr. Su you invited?"

Xiao Jingrui and Xie Bi looked at each other. They knew that since their father asked, he was already suspicious and could not be deceived. Moreover, as sons, they had no power to resist their father under his accumulated authority. After only a moment’s hesitation, Xie Bi blurted out the truth: "Brother Su’s... real name is Mei Changsu... Father must know him; he is the Sect Leader of the Jiangzuo Alliance, the number one sect in the world, Mei Changsu..."

Xie Yu was shocked. He stood stunned for a long while before saying, "No wonder even his guard is so formidable... So it is the head of the Langya List, the Jiangzuo Mei Lang..."