Chapter 11: Keeping the Appointment

The banquet at the Prince of Shiping’s estate lasted until the *shen* hour before finally concluding. Liu Xian mounted his horse and rode back to the Duke of Anle’s residence. To his surprise, as he approached the small alley before the manor, he spotted Afuler waiting by the entrance. Excitement and intense self-satisfaction were written all over the youth's face; anyone with discerning eyes could tell at a glance that he had encountered something wonderful—and was surely anticipating even better things to come.

"Hah!" Liu Xian dismounted, came to a halt before Afuler, and laughed. "I thought your trip would take at least ten days or so. What is this? Did you manage to gather a hundred people in a single day?"

"Of course not," Afuler said, straightening his back as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "But we are very close."

"What does 'very close' mean? Have you rounded up ninety people?"

"No," Afuler replied with the answer. "I met someone today, and he is about to agree!"

One person? Liu Xian was left somewhat amused and exasperated. There were times when he truly could not fathom where the Jie youth's boundless confidence originated. If courage could be sold by weight, Afuler could probably finance the construction of an entire Jingu Garden. Liu Xian greatly admired this quality, though on the surface he maintained a stern expression as he said:

"About to agree? Doesn't that mean he hasn't agreed yet? You haven't found a single soul, yet you dare come looking for me?"

Afuler remained grinning. "The hardest thing in the world is going from zero to one. Once you have one, can a hundred be far behind?"

"That sounds to me like saying that as long as a man can build a single-story house, he is guaranteed to build a hundred-story tower. Yet I have never laid eyes on a hundred-story tower to this day."

"That is because you have not yet laid eyes on me—" Afuler drew out the tone before sharply changing the subject. "Let us have our meal first. After we dine, we shall discuss this in detail. Some matters are not suitable to be spoken of out here."

This was the first time Afuler had ever worn such a grave expression. When he was serious, his brows furrowed slightly, resembling a tiger crouching on a mountain ridge, imbued with a fierce violence capable of tearing a man apart. This gave Liu Xian a slight jolt, causing him to drop the banter. He nodded slightly and walked into the manor in silence.

After the evening meal, the sky had already darkened. Liu Xian instructed A-Luo, Xi, Zhang, and the others to rest early, while he specifically sought out a secluded side chamber, lit a lamp, and invited Afuler in with him. It was the height of summer, and once the door was closed, the interior grew stiflingly hot. Cicadas and sparrows outside the door chirped incessantly, easily breeding a sense of irritation.

Yet to the two youths inside, they seemed entirely oblivious to it. Their expressions were solemn and upright, and their hearts were as clear and pure as ice and snow. For they understood that the ability to shut out external distractions was the primary prerequisite for achieving great things.

Beneath the flickering candle flame, Liu Xian gazed into the shadows behind Afuler. After a long silence, he asked, "What exactly did you gain from your outing today?"

Afuler answered without hesitation: "I found a person."

"A person?"

"I am not joking with you; I truly found a person." Afuler watched the burning lamp wick and said leisurely, "But an exceptionally important person. As long as he agrees to join us, never mind finding another hundred people, even two hundred or three hundred would be a piece of cake."

"Oh?" Liu Xian was greatly surprised. He had originally assumed that Shi Le would resort to some deceptions and swindles; given his ability and eloquence, coaxing a hundred people—though immensely difficult—was not entirely out of the question. Unexpectedly, it now sounded as though he had taken an entirely different path and found a patron of high status.

This was hardly a favorable route. While networking among the aristocratic clans and mobilizing a hundred people was certainly possible, once the wrong person was approached and the news leaked to Shi Chong, the trouble would be monumental! Liu Xian’s heart surged with turbulence, but rather than erupting, he quietly contemplated a contingency plan while asking: "Who is the person you found? Are they reliable? And how much did you tell them?"

Afuler seemed to see right through his concerns and spoke in a low voice, "Rest assured, the person I found is completely trustworthy. Even if he refuses to join us, he will strictly keep our secret."

"Why?"

"Because he is not from Luoyang. Despite holding immense power, he is my fellow townsman, my tribesman."

There were Hu people of that caliber in Luoyang? Why had he never heard of them? Liu Xian felt deeply perplexed. After pondering for a long while, he was finally forced to admit that there were indeed blind spots in his understanding. Dropping his reserve, he asked outright: "Who on earth is it?"

"That depends on whether you are willing to meet him." Afuler did not directly state the name. Instead, displaying a deeply cautious demeanor, he rose from the desk, paced back and forth for a moment, and then said:

"Liu Xian, I am grateful to you. Since I entered the capital, you are the first good person I have encountered. By rights, this matter has nothing to do with you, and I ought not to drag you down into the mire. But the moment I laid eyes on you, I knew you were a restless soul. Now I need your help to raid Jingu Garden. Do you agree?"

"If you do not agree, I will drop the matter right here and leave tomorrow morning, pretending I was never here. But if you agree, we must plan this meticulously."

The banquet at the Prince of Shiping’s estate...

Having said this, Afuler came to a halt, looking down directly at Liu Xian. His eyes burst with a captivating brilliance, resembling a raging bonfire intent on burning everything to ashes. Yet Liu Xian met his gaze with calm directness, much like the moon outside the window—no matter how fiercely the flames burned, it continued to quietly emit its radiance.

"Interesting," Liu Xian smiled. If his initial feeling toward Afuler had been one of appreciation mixed with disgust for Shi Chong's Jingu Garden, at this moment, a surging sense of competitive spirit was rising within his heart.

From childhood to adulthood, Liu Xian had encountered many fine elders and exceptional teachers. Yet among his peers, not a single person had ever stirred his desire to win. Yet now, facing this illiterate Jie youth, he discovered an unprecedented and wondrous stirring in his chest:

Not for anything else, but to vie for supremacy with this peer of his, to prove who was the stronger party! Even if this victory or defeat might ultimately be utterly meaningless.

Driven by this sentiment, Liu Xian hesitated almost not at all, smoothly agreeing, "Very well! Raiding Jingu Garden—how could such an interesting endeavor lack me? But you must also promise me that whatever conditions I raise, you must fulfill them; you must not act willfully. If you cannot fulfill them, I will withdraw midway, and even if I betray you, you must not harbor any resentment!"

"Hahaha, wonderful! How decisive!" Afuler extended his fist toward Liu Xian and said, "Then it's a deal!"

"It's a deal!"

With that, their fists collided, sealing the pact.

The very first task following the agreement was to go and meet that Hu individual capable of rallying several hundred people within Luoyang.

Early the next morning, Liu Xian woke up very early. He revealed little to A-Luo, merely saying he had matters to attend to, and hurriedly departed the manor gates with Afuler.

As they walked along the street, Liu Xian suddenly felt a sense of surrealism, realizing he was engaging in a tremendously risky endeavor.

When all was said and done, Liu Xian had only met Afuler three times and knew nothing of his true background. Yet here he was, following him to meet another complete stranger, in order to discuss how to plunder the estate of the wealthiest man in the world. Leaving aside whether they could succeed, if his father Liu Xun were to find out, he would likely assume his son was about to be kidnapped and sold!

Yet the beginnings of great adventures are often absurd beyond measure.

As Liu Xian walked, he began to notice something amiss, for the direction was entirely contrary to his expectations. They were heading neither north toward the Western Market nor toward the Golden Market, but south. When the Pingchang Gate of Luoyang's southern wall came into view, he could not help asking, "Are we heading to the Southern Market?"

"Yes," Afuler replied.

"The person we are looking for is in the Southern Market?"

Afuler nodded. "In the Southern Market. To be more precise, at the Imperial Academy!"

The Imperial Academy? Liu Xian's premonition was confirmed, and an absurd sense of surrealism washed over him. He distinctly remembered that the person Afuler was looking for was a Hu! Were there Hu people in the Imperial Academy? Why had Liu Xian never known of this?

Yet after pondering for a moment, he could not help laughing at himself: come to think of it, since March, he had spent most of his time lingering at the Prince of Shiping’s estate and had not spent much time at the Imperial Academy, routinely avoiding the National Academy as well. When it came to familiarity with the Imperial Academy, he was likely no better off than Afuler.

Still, it was hardly difficult to understand. Those who managed to enter the Imperial Academy might not match the status of the capital aristocrats in the National Academy, but many were elite commoners from the provinces, alongside not a few scions of immensely wealthy merchants. In the present era of rampant Hu influence, the appearance of a few Hu chieftains' sons in the Imperial Academy, while rare, was not entirely unreasonable.

A secret meeting, however, certainly could not take place inside the Imperial Academy. Two streets away, Afuler found an establishment named "Huigan Tavern," secured a private compartment on the second floor, and instructed Liu Xian to wait there while he went alone into the academy to fetch the person.

The weather was clear and bright, and the sun had just risen. There were very few pedestrians on the street. Sitting by the wooden window, Liu Xian felt somewhat bored, so he ordered a bowl of tea broth to sip slowly, looking down at the mulberry and cypress trees lining the Luoyang alleys. On the surface, Liu Xian was admiring the scenery outside, but in reality, his mind was scrutinizing the entire affair, continuously mapping out every possible future development:

He had to devise a foolproof strategy—one that would guarantee success while ensuring he remained entirely insulated from the fallout.

Yet at that moment, his thoughts suddenly drifted to Shi Chao, his childhood friend.

Although he now understood that Shi Chao was a rather dissolute person, the friendship the other boy had shown him was genuine. To ally with complete strangers now and suddenly plot against his friend’s household was a genuine breach of morality.

Yet recalling the bloody banquet of a few days prior, the wretched state of A-Qiu’s death, Xiao Mei’s tear-stained face, and the numb, sweat-drenched toil of the tenant farmers in the fields, Liu Xian’s lingering hesitation instantly dissipated.

He simply could not tolerate what he had witnessed that day; that blade piercing through a chest represented countless innocent lives brutally slain within Jingu Garden. Connecting it to Afuler’s mention of the hundreds of corpse pits hidden within the Jingu forestry, he felt he had to take action, lest he fail the education instilled in him for so many years by his teachers and his mother.

As for Shi Chao, he hardened his heart: some people, some things, were destined to part ways. Their friendship had merely been a misunderstanding—much like two instrument strings accidentally brushing against each other, mistaking entanglement for a permanent state. In truth, failing to part ways early on was merely the precursor to a snapped string. Breaking it off sooner would prevent further emotional damage when they ultimately faced each other as enemies on the battlefield.

Yet he still had not had a proper farewell; thinking of this, Liu Xian felt a twinge of sorrow. For the first time, he personally experienced the truth that many things cannot coexist. He had to make a choice between two incompatible paths and abandon one of them...

Lost in thought, Liu Xian heard the sound of footsteps pattering up the stairs. This pulled him back to reality, signaling that Afuler had brought the people. Liu Xian hastily composed his emotions; since he had already made his decision, there was no room for regret. He had lost an old friend, but he would also meet new companions.

Afuler walked in with a smile, followed by two young men. The two youths appeared to be seventeen or eighteen years old—one slender and tall, walking one after the other—and immediately left a profound impression on Liu Xian.

The slender youth in the lead wore elegant, refined scholarly robes. He looked scholarly and cultured, with fair skin and no facial hair. His delicate eyes held a lingering, affectionate warmth, and he twirled a feather fan in his hand. At a glance, he appeared to be a romantic prodigal, his handsome appearance falling little short of Jia Mi.

Yet unlike Jia Mi, he lacked that effeminate aura. To be more precise, while both possessed the innocence of children, Jia Mi’s was a cruel innocence, whereas this youth’s possessed a restless innocence.

The moment he stepped inside, while still exchanging banter with his companions, his gaze had already darted over to thoroughly appraise Liu Xian. Coming to a halt, his upper body swayed slightly as his hands continued to fan himself, while his eyes quietly drifted back, roaming restlessly around the room.

The expressions on his face shifted in a thousand ways. One second he was smiling, but before the arc of the smile could even fully form, his eye corners brewed with sorrowful tears; yet before the tears could gather into droplets, his brows smoothed out into an expression of teasing smugness.

This person’s cleverness is not merely displayed on his face, Liu Xian thought; every pore of his radiates a mocking contempt for foolishness.

The tall youth lagging behind, however, possessed a temperament entirely distinct from the former. He wore a martial officer's uniform with a sword at his waist. Standing well over eight feet tall, his broad, powerful chest and shoulders made him appear exceptionally robust and imposing, instantly bringing the phrase "strength capable of lifting tripods" to Liu Xian’s mind.

The youth’s facial features were sharply chiseled, and his resolute expression resembled unyielding stone. Though he did not utter a word, the mere stance he held faintly exuded an invincible aura, and the blazing ambition burning in his eyes was not a whit inferior to Afuler’s.

Yet for all that, his demeanor was remarkably gentle and deferential. His status was clearly inferior to the youth ahead of him, yet he showed not a shred of resentment, maintaining a distance of two paces behind the former as they walked. When facing Liu Xian, he bowed appropriately, his etiquette and posture entirely standard. Though he did not speak a single word from beginning to end, Liu Xian was already certain that this man’s mastery of classical scholarship had attained an extremely high level.

What is happening here? It had been barely half a year since his coming-of-age capping ceremony, yet he had encountered so many extraordinary talents?

Though Liu Xian remained outwardly calm, his inner astonishment was profound. Regardless of whether these two were willing to help, merely crossing paths with such heroes and prodigies made this journey worthwhile.

Harboring these sentiments, Liu Xian rose to bow to them, then introduced himself: "My surname is Liu, given name Xian, style name Huaichong. I have the honor of meeting you both."

The slender youth in the lead smiled slightly, clasped his fan, and returned the bow:

"What a coincidence. Though I am a Xiongnu, I also bear the surname Liu. My name is Liu Cong, style name Xuanming. You may simply call me Xuanming."

He then pointed to the tall youth behind him and introduced: "This is my paternal cousin, Liu Yao, style name Yongming."

This marked the very first encounter between Liu Xian, Shi Le, Liu Cong, and Liu Yao.

Many years later, whenever Liu Xian recalled this experience, he would often smile involuntarily.

So elusive were the arrangements of fate regarding men's destinies; he had brushed shoulders so closely with his greatest future adversaries. Throughout their lifelong rivalry, the easiest opportunity to nip the other side in the bud had existed precisely at this moment. What a pity that the youths back then were still entirely oblivious to it.