Martial Arts World Assassin

Chapter 381 Bai Ziting and Longquan Mansion

Huang Sixi had to meet Shang Xiufang to find out the answers to all the doubts in his mind.

He said to Lie Xia, "Mrs. Shang is well-known in the Middle-earth. Although I have never met her, I have a friend who is her best friend. I wonder if Brother Lie can help introduce her to me?"

Lie Xia extended his arm enthusiastically, inviting Huang Sixi to the caravan's camp: "Brother, please come this way! To be honest, I was on the road just like you, and I invited Ms. Shang to come with me after hearing her music!"

He was sizing up Huang Sixi's appearance, and he had never seen such an extraordinary demeanor before. He thought that such a strange person must not be an unknown person in the Middle Earth, so he asked, "What's your name, brother?"

"My last name is Huang!" Huang Sixi did not talk much about himself, and continued to look for Lie Xia to inquire about Shang Xiufang:
"How come a weak woman like the Shang family came alone to the Mobei grassland?"

"It's Brother Huang!" Lie Xia quickly recalled the masters of the Middle-earth that he knew. Which one of them was named Huang? He said:
"Ms. Shang is not alone. She is accompanied by Brother Hou Xibai. I admire Brother Hou's martial arts very much. With Brother Hou by her side, her safety is guaranteed!"

"No wonder!" Huang Sixi thought of Shi Zhixuan immediately when he heard Hou Xibai's name. This brother Hou was Shi Zhixuan's only disciple. He must have rushed to the grassland for Shi Zhixuan. He smiled and said:
"I have also heard of 'The Amorous Young Master' Hou Xibai. He is well-known in the Middle-earth. With him protecting the Shang family, we can rest assured even if we travel all over the Mobei grassland!"

"That's right!" Lie Xia always behaves like the Confucian scholars of Middle-earth and likes to shake his head while speaking.

Lie Xia introduced to Huang Sixi: "Ms. Shang has always been fascinated by the skills of various tribes outside the Great Wall. She left the Central Plains as early as last year. In the past few months, she has been traveling in various countries in the Western Regions!

If the Dragon King Bai Ziting had not planned to hold a founding ceremony in Little Chang'an and had not spent a huge sum of money to invite her from the Western Regions to Little Chang'an to perform at the ceremony, I would not have met Shang Dajia halfway!
Alas, I am able to travel with Lady Shang for a while this time, see her beauty, and listen to her music. I will die with no regrets!"

This confession sounds like that of a nymphomaniac.

What Lie Xia said also revealed a series of information about the grassland.

The 'Dragon King' he mentioned, Bai Ziting, was one of the chieftains of the Mohe tribe. There were currently seven Mohe tribes. The Suomote Mohe led by Bai Ziting and the Heishui Mohe led by Tieleyu were the most powerful. Their territories were adjacent to the Goguryeo Kingdom in Liaodong, and the location of their current founding was also located on the border of Goguryeo.

As for the "Little Chang'an" where their capital was located, it actually refers to Longquan Prefecture.

Longquan Prefecture is located in the middle reaches of Mudanjiang River. The city is surrounded by the remnants of Changbai Mountain and is adjacent to Jingbo Lake in the south. It was built for the "Dragon King" to worship Ziting.

Bai Ziting had admired Chinese culture since he was young. When he built Longquan Prefecture, he followed the style of the capital of the Sui Dynasty and named the main street "Suzaku".

The ruling system, writing system and clothing customs in the territory were all aligned with those of China. The thoroughness of its sinicization led to the Longquan Prefecture being called "Little Chang'an".

In fact, before the deaths of Shibi Khan and Wuzun Bixuan, although Bai Ziting had long-term plans to establish a country, he did not dare to put it into action. After all, his territory was located on the eastern border of the Turks and was adjacent to the evil neighbor, the Khitan tribe.

Since Longquan Prefecture was built on a plain, there is abundant clear water in the area, all of which are hot springs. The Xiangshui rice produced here is soft, sticky, palatable, crystal white and translucent, and famous outside the Great Wall. It has always been the fat meat that the Khitans have been eyeing covetously.

The Mohe tribes were not united internally. The Suomote Mohe led by Bai Ziting and the Heishui Mohe led by Tieleyu often fought for orthodoxy.

If Bai Ziting dares to establish a country easily, the Turks, Khitans and Tieleyu may collectively attack him.

However, since the shocking events in the Mobei grasslands three months ago, when Shibi Khan and Wuzun Bixuan were killed and the Eastern Turkic royal court was destroyed, Bai Ziting saw the opportunity to establish a country.

After a winter of fighting, the territory of the Eastern Turks is now divided into three parts, of which the western part, bounded by the Dujin Mountain, is still in the hands of the Turks.

The vast grassland of more than a thousand miles in the central part from Dujin Mountain to Buyuer Lake was occupied by the Uighur tribes.

The territory eastward to Liaodong was divided up by the Khitan and Mohe tribes.

The current situation on the prairie makes Bai Ziting feel that the environment in his territory is very safe, because the Khitan is competing with the Uighurs for the fertile pastures in the central prairie and no longer looks down on his Longquan Prefecture.

In order to use Bai Ziting as a buffer between it and the Khitan and Uighurs, Goguryeo firmly supported Bai Ziting in establishing a country.

The key point is that the "True Dragon Khan", who assassinated Shibi Khan and Wuzun Bixuan and whose reputation spread throughout the grassland, did not send troops to interfere in the territory that originally belonged to the Eastern Turks, nor did he require the grassland tribes not to establish a country.

The 'True Dragon Khan' is a Chinese from the Middle-earth. Bai Ziting, who built the 'Little Chang'an', is a die-hard Han fan. He believes that the 'True Dragon Khan' will not interfere with his country-building activities.

So Bai Ziting decided to take the lead over the other tribes on the grassland and raised the royal flag.

Liexia was an envoy appointed by the Uighur tribe. This time he made a special trip to Longquan Prefecture to attend the founding ceremony of Bai Ziting.

Since Bai Ziting had never had any contact with Huang Sixi, he did not send out invitations rashly. Instead, he prepared generous gifts and sent a team of envoys to Dali City in an attempt to meet Huang Sixi and explain the situation of establishing the country.

However, the team carried too many gifts, and in order to prevent them from being robbed along the way, Bai Ziting deployed heavy troops for protection, so the journey was very slow, and they have not yet arrived in Dali City.

Bai Ziting first notified the Uighurs, Khitans and other grassland tribes of the news of the founding of the country in advance. These tribes had already sent out celebration teams, but Bai Ziting's men had not yet seen Huang Sixi.

However, the founding ceremony is scheduled for April, which is still a month away, so it is definitely possible to make it in time.

However, Huang Sixi had already left Dali City. Even though Bai Ziting's men had gone through untold hardships to enter the city, they could not find Huang Sixi.

Lie Xia told Huang Sixi about the situation of 'Dragon King' Bai Ziting and 'Little Chang'an' Longquan Mansion, and led Huang Sixi deep into the caravan to Shang Xiufang's carriage.

At this time, the music, singing and dancing had ended.

The curtain of Shang Xiufang's carriage was lifted, and a beautiful woman wearing a tight-fitting dress and a colorful robe jumped out.

The woman had two long braids that hung straight down, lively, light and pretty. On the braids were tied small diamond-shaped flower scarves embroidered with edges. Combined with her delicate and fragrant lips like petals, her complexion was even more radiant.

The two pink dimples on her cheeks, reflected by the pearl necklace around her fair neck, exude a scorching beauty that is captivating.

Huang Sixi had no doubt that she was a rare and outstanding beauty on the grassland, but the Hu ancestry clearly revealed in her face and the enchanting charm she exuded showed that she was definitely not Shang Xiufang.

As soon as she jumped off the carriage, she ran into Huang Sixi and Lie Xia. She immediately looked at them with a charming look and smiled extremely charmingly.

Her white and neat teeth were revealed between her lips. She glanced at Huang Sixi provocatively, and then said in a gentle and sweet tone: "There are so many outstanding people in the Central Plains. I thought Hou Xibai was rare in the world, but I didn't expect that there is someone more outstanding than Hou Xibai!"

She stared at Huang Sixi and acted boldly. She didn't need Lie Xia to introduce herself to her. She approached Huang Sixi and took the initiative to introduce herself: "I am the daughter of the Yiwu tribe. The warriors on the grassland call me Madam Meiyan. I have forgotten my real name. May I ask your name, sir?"

Her Chinese has an accent and is not as fluent as Liexia's.

Huang Sixi looked at her and couldn't help showing surprise. He saw that she had a brocade box in her arms, and in the box was a rare gem slightly larger than the night pearl.

There is a seven-color halo flowing inside the gem, which is so colorful that it is obviously an ancient treasure.

The abnormal weather conditions that Huang Sixi had just calculated using the Feng Shui compass were obviously coming from this gem, not the evil emperor's relic that was stolen by Shi Zhixuan.

The beautiful lady was originally attracted by Huang Sixi's extraordinary demeanor, but when she realized that Huang Sixi's eyes were staring at her chest, she subconsciously covered her heart with the brocade box.

Huang Sixi saw her movements, immediately retracted his gaze, and chuckled: "I came to visit Master Shang Xiufang to find out Shi Qingxuan's whereabouts!"

As soon as he said this, the curtain of the car was opened again, and a young man and woman stuck their heads out of the car. They looked at Huang Sixi and asked, "Do you know Shi Qingxuan?"

Huang Sixi nodded to the two of them and said, "Yes, I have an old relationship with Shi Xianmei. Can we go to the car and talk in detail?"

The young man and woman were both dressed in jewels and precious stones, and the carriage they were riding in was also a luxurious carriage pulled by several horses, which showed that both of them were free and easy people who knew how to enjoy life.

It was very convenient to talk in the car. The young man and woman were Shang Xiufang and Hou Xibai. They were the only two Han Chinese in the caravan of hundreds of people. It was rare for them to meet Huang Sixi, a fellow countryman. They all smiled and stretched out their hands: "Please get in the car!"

Huang Sixi jumped into the car, turned around and said to Lie Xia: "Thank you, Brother Lie, for showing the way!"

Lie Xia clasped his fists and said with a smile: "It seems that Brother Huang is planning to go with us. Since we will meet again in the future, I will not disturb you to reminisce about the past. Brother Huang, please chat with Mr. Shang and Brother Hou slowly!"

He was about to organize the caravan to set off, and turned his head to look at the beautiful lady: "Madam, what are you doing getting off the car?"

The beautiful lady said, "It's nothing. I was just feeling stuffy in the car, so I came out to get some fresh air. I'm done now!"

She also turned around and jumped onto the carriage, sitting next to Huang Sixi.

Upon seeing this, Lie Xia bowed to the four people and went to lead the caravan.

Shang Xiufang and Hou Xibai both returned the greeting to Lie Xia, and watched Lie Xia walk away before they lowered the door curtain, closed the solid wooden door, and shut out the noisy sounds from the riverside.

The two of them turned their heads around, both with a smile on their faces, and looked at Huang Sixi curiously.

Huang Sixi was also looking at the two of them.

Hou Xibai was tall, straight, and well-proportioned, with a handsome appearance. He was dressed like a scholar, about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with an elegant moustache and a proud smile on his face.

He seems easy to be approached, but he always keeps an insurmountable distance from other people. He is a dashing and unique person.

Huang Sixi thought that they were worthy of being master and disciple, their behavior and demeanor seemed as if they were one.

Hou Xibai gently waved an open paper fan in his palm. The fan was painted with full-length portraits of more than 20 beauties, which was the origin of his nickname "the amorous young man".

He admired beauty, and whenever he met a beautiful woman with outstanding talents, he would paint her portrait on a fan. This was also the reason why he traveled thousands of miles to protect Shang Xiufang.

Ever since he met Shang Xiufang in the Middle-earth, he has been impressed by her rare beauty. When he learned that Shang Xiufang was fond of the skills of the various ethnic groups outside the Great Wall and planned to travel to the Western Regions, he volunteered to serve as a bodyguard.

The two met Shi Qingxuan by chance when passing by the Great Wall of Yanmen County.

At that time, Xi Bai received a message from Shi Zhixuan, asking him to go to Chang'an to meet up with Shi Zhixuan. He followed his master's orders and went to the capital.

It just so happened that Shang Xiufang received an invitation from a great scholar in the capital to perform in Beijing. On the way to Beijing, she met Hou Xibai.

After the two arrived in Beijing, Shi Zhixuan had already snatched the evil emperor's relic and fled to the outside world, and Shi Qingxuan followed him.

At this time, Shang Xiufang decided to go beyond the Great Wall to learn skills from the Western Regions. Hou Xibai couldn't wait for Shi Zhixuan, so he followed Shang Xiufang north.

The two met Shi Qingxuan at Yanmen Pass, but in order to prevent the news of the evil emperor's relics from being exposed to the world, Shi Qingxuan did not reveal that she was tracking Shi Zhixuan.

Hou Xibai lost track of Shi Zhixuan, and after parting ways with Shi Qingxuan, he accompanied Shang Xiufang to the Western Regions.

Several months passed, until Shang Xiufang received an invitation from Bai Ziting. Hou Xibai escorted Shang Xiufang across the Mobei grassland and headed towards Liaodong. On the way, they met Liexia's caravan. Since both parties had the same destination, they traveled together.

After listening to Xi Bai and Shang Xiufang talk about their experiences in recent months, Huang Sixi realized that the two were not aware of the whereabouts of Shi Qingxuan and Shi Zhixuan.

However, while they were talking, the caravan, which was running at high speed, suddenly stopped.

The carriage carrying several people also came to a standstill.

The beautiful lady lifted the curtain of the carriage and saw Liexia enthusiastically entertaining an elderly couple dressed in Han Chinese clothes. It was obvious that the reason why Liexia stopped the caravan was for this elderly couple.

After seeing the elderly couple's appearance, Hou Xibai asked suspiciously, "Why did they come to the grassland?"

Shang Xiufang asked curiously, "Brother Hou, do you know these two?"

Hou Xibai then introduced: "They are all disciples of Xieji Sect. The man is Zhou Laotan and the woman is Jin Huanzhen. A few months ago, this couple re-emerged for a treasure passed down from the Xieji Sect. Their trip to the Mobei grassland this time should be related to that treasure!"

The ancestral treasure he was talking about must be the evil emperor's relic, because Zhou Laotan and Jin Huanzhen are two of the four great disciples under the evil emperor Xiang Yutian.

Zhou Laotan and Jin Huanzhen return to the grassland, definitely to track down the whereabouts of the evil emperor's relics.

Hou Xibai was puzzled and asked, "Zhou Laotan and Jin Huanzhen are both from the Middle-earth Demon Sect. How come they are so familiar with Lie Xia from the grassland Huihe tribe, like old friends?"

Madam Meiyan suddenly added, "Back then, Zhou Laotan and Jin Huanzhen were hunted by the Yingui Sect in the Central Plains. In order to survive, they fled to the Mobei grasslands and were protected by the Grand Concubine Shafang of the Huihe tribe. Grand Concubine Shafang and Liexia were adopted mother and son. They must have been invited by Grand Concubine Shafang to escort Liexia to Longquan Prefecture!"

Hou Xibai suddenly realized after hearing this: "So that's it!"

He thought that Zhou Laotan and Jin Huanzhen must be making tracking down the Evil Emperor's relics their primary mission, and protecting Lie Xia should be a side job. Does this mean that the Evil Emperor's relics are hidden near Longquan Prefecture?
He knew that Shi Zhixuan had taken the evil emperor's relic and his whereabouts were still unknown. He suddenly thought of Shi Qingxuan's experience of rushing to Yanmen Pass a few months ago, and thought: "Shi Qingxuan is Shi Shi's only daughter. Shi Qingxuan hurried to Mobei. Could she be tracking Shi Shi? If so, is Shi Shi staying in Longquan Mansion now?"

He was lost in thought.

Huang Sixi asked Madam Meiyan, "I just heard Lie Xia say that he is a member of the Great Ming Religion. Is Shafang also a member of the Great Ming Religion?"

The beautiful lady smiled and said, "Grand Concubine Shafang is the Supreme Mother of the Great Ming Zunjiao. According to the teachings of the Great Ming Zunjiao, the highest deity is the Great Ming Zun Shen, and under the Great Ming Zun Shen there are secular identities such as the Mother of Goodness, the Great Zun, the Atom, the Five Ming Sons, and the Five Types of Demons!
Liexia is the son of Shanmu, and was appointed as the leader of the Five Mingzi, Miaokong Mingzi, whose status is second only to Shanmu, Dazun and Yuanzi. If it weren't for Liexia's high status in the Huihe tribe, he would not have become the representative to Longquan Prefecture!"

At present, all the people of the Huihe tribe believe in the Great Ming Religion.

Shi Jian, the old chief of the Huihe tribe, married Sha Fang, the mother of the Ming Dynasty, as his second wife, and Lie Xia nominally had the status of chieftain prince.

The Uighur Bodhisattva who followed Huang Sixi to attack the Turkic royal court was the legitimate son of the old chief Shi Jian and the stepson of Concubine Shanmu Shafang.

It can also be said that the power of the Huihe tribe is currently in the hands of four people: the old chief Shi Jian, the legitimate son Pusa, the queen Shafang, and Liexia.

Pusa is the first heir to the Huihe Kingdom, and it is obvious that he would exclude Shafang and Liexia, so he would not allow Shafang and Liexia to go to Dali City to meet Huang Sixi.

Therefore, to this day, Lie Xia still doesn't know what the 'True Dragon Khan' Huang Sixi looks like.

After hearing about the relationship between the Huihe, the Great Ming Sect, the Bodhisattva, and Liexia, Huang Sixi prepared to inquire about the colorful gems in the beautiful lady's arms.

Unexpectedly, before Huang Sixi could speak, he heard the sound of horse hooves coming from far away.

The noise was deafening, indicating that there were a large number of horses, as if a large group of cavalry was approaching.

Madam Meiyan's face suddenly changed, and she said to Huang Sixi, Hou Xibai, and Shang Xiufang, "It should be the Khitan troops who are surrounding us. Get ready, there may be a bloody battle next!"

Huang Sixi stared at her and asked, "As far as I know, since the fall of the Turkic royal court, the Huihe tribe and the Khitan tribe have become allies. How could there be an internal conflict between them?"

The beautiful lady was stunned for a moment, then she stretched out her fair jade palm again and pressed the brocade box on her chest: "The Huihe and Khitan were originally allies, but they will soon become enemies for a grassland treasure!"

(End of this chapter)