“No. I want to add another slab,” Xie Lian said.
The mob was shocked by this. “Are you crazy?!”
“Didn’t you say it yourselves? This is a competition,” Xie Lian explained lazily. “There’s no difference in skill if we use one slate apiece, so how can we compare our abilities?”
The street performers looked doubtful; some thought he’d gone mad and others assumed he was bluffing. After much discussion, they stacked another stone slate on his chest.
After that, Xie Lian asked them to add another!
Now everyone was sure he’d lost his mind, and they added a third slate without further question. Thus, three heavy stone slates were stacked on Xie Lian’s chest, a rather terrifying sight.
Under the scrutinizing gazes of the crowd, Feng Xin raised the large hammer and smashed it down without blinking. The three stone slates cracked into multiple clean pieces. Xie Lian crawled up from the ground amidst cheers, uninjured and fine. He calmly dusted off his robes while everyone watched with slackened jaws. The leader’s face was pale, and his expression was dark.
Now he should know to back off, right? Xie Lian thought.
He had assumed the other party would concede and never come seeking trouble again. But that man’s expression kept changing and changing, and suddenly, he gritted his teeth.
“Add two more to me too! No, add three more!”
“Bro, you can’t!” the mob exclaimed. “This guy must be using some sort of evil spell, you don’t have to go along with him!”
“Yeah, he must’ve faked it!”
“What the fuck?” Feng Xin exclaimed angrily. “You’re the ones who lack skill, but you turn around and accuse us of cheating with evil spells?”
The leader said in a booming voice, “The stone slabs and the hammer belong to us! How could we not know about it if there was some evil spell in play? This brat does have some skill, but three slates is nothing! I can do four! As long as we win, they’ll have to leave!”
“That’s impossible! Give up!” Feng Xin said. “Don’t throw your life away over this.”
But the man was bullheaded and forced the others to stack four staggeringly heavy stone slates on his chest. “You just watch!”
Xie Lian could tell things were going awry. “Feng Xin, should we stop this? There’s no way a mortal can manage four slates,” he whispered.
“Let’s watch, I guess? I’m sure he’s not looking to die. After a couple smashes, he should know to back off,” Feng Xin whispered back.
Xie Lian frowned slightly and nodded, deciding to wait and see. Sure enough, the man’s face changed the moment the lackey who wielded the hammer gave a single apprehensive knock. The lackey immediately stopped, not daring to move again.
But the man yelled, “Harder! Did you forget to eat? Why is your smash so pathetic?”
The lackey didn’t dare to be sloppy on the second go, and he used all his strength. Bang! With that loud sound, the man’s face turned bright red like he was holding back a large mouthful of blood.
This didn’t look good, and Xie Lian and Feng Xin quickly called out. “Wait! Don’t force yourself!”
“Who’s forcing himself?! This is my specialty!” the man yelled. “Just watch, I’ll make you admit your defeat! Continue!”
With a distraught expression, the lackey smashed again. Now he’d done it—the man sputtered blood all over the ground, scaring the lackey into dropping the hammer.
The mob rushed up. “Let it go! Let it go, bro! If those two bastards want to cling to this place, then let them. Your life is more important!”
Veins popped on the man’s forehead and blood foamed from his mouth. “I won’t let this go! It’s been days since we’ve had a bite to eat. It’s our livelihoods gone if this keeps up! Continue! I refuse to believe I can’t compete with that delicate-looking little brat! This is my specialty!”
Xie Lian couldn’t watch anymore and spoke up. “That’s enough. If that’s how it is, then I concede defeat. Starting tomorrow, we won’t come here anymore. Come on, Feng Xin!”
Then he turned to leave, and Feng Xin followed him. Behind them, the mob cheered.
“Your Highness, are we gonna give up this place just like that?”
They had finally found a way to earn money, but now they had to abandon it. Xie Lian sighed.
“There’s no other way. He’s already suffered massive internal injuries from just a few rounds—I fear he’s nearly crippled. Someone was going to die if we kept the competition going, and we wouldn’t have been able to stay if that happened either.”
Feng Xin scratched his head and cursed. “Suicidal, honestly!”
“We’re all trying to make a living,” Xie Lian said simply.
Xie Lian felt rather guilty. Had he known that man would force himself to take on four slabs, he wouldn’t have asked them to stack three—he would’ve just admitted defeat early. Although the man was boorish and reckless, he still had some respectable qualities.
“Besides, we don’t have to busk here. That’d be putting all our eggs in one basket,” Xie Lian said.
However, when they returned to their hiding place that night, the queen informed him with a face full of worry that the king’s symptoms were worsening. He’d need a good, long rest and might not be able to endure any more moving. And that meant they couldn’t leave the city for the time being.
Xie Lian rummaged through the shelves and chests again but couldn’t find anything to pawn, so he sat next to the chest and spaced out. Feng Xin was boiling down medicine, humming as he did so. He hummed and hummed, sounding more and more off key, and while Xie Lian didn’t care to pay attention at first, he eventually couldn’t ignore it.
“What’s with you? In a good mood?”
Feng Xin looked up. “Huh? No?”
Xie Lian didn’t believe him. “Really?”
In the few days since they had started performing on the streets, Xie Lian had noticed Feng Xin acting a bit strange. Sometimes he’d grin like a fool for no reason, sometimes he’d suddenly seem troubled. Xie Lian and Feng Xin rarely left each other’s sides when Mu Qing had been around, but after Mu Qing left, Feng Xin would sometimes have to deliver food for the king and the queen or run other errands. He’d be gone for a while on those days. Xie Lian assumed that Feng Xin must’ve stumbled upon something while he was out and about, but he didn’t have the energy to concern himself with it any further.
Eyeing the medicine pot in front of Feng Xin, Xie Lian was quiet for a while before he asked, “Is that the last packet?”
Feng Xin flipped through the bundles on the ground. “It is. If we don’t go tomorrow—” Upon remembering that the king was inside the cottage and they couldn’t allow him to overhear, Feng Xin lowered his voice. “If we don’t busk tomorrow, what’ll we do?”
Xie Lian was silent for a long time. Then he abruptly stood up.
“Stay here and guard the cottage. I’ll go out and think of something.”
Feng Xin was doubtful. “Where are you going? What could you possibly come up with?”
Xie Lian left without looking back. “Don’t worry about it. And don’t follow me.”
Chapter 97:
Blocking the Mountain Path, Crown Prince Fails at Robbery
XIE LIAN EXHORTED Feng Xin over and over to stay behind and guard the king and queen, then he left the small, rundown cottage. As he walked, he kept looking back, his heart racing. After walking a long way, when he was certain Feng Xin hadn’t followed, he finally relaxed.
Steadying himself, Xie Lian continued onward for another dozen kilometers, stopping and going, before he finally found a place that seemed like an ideal location—a mountain road in the middle of nowhere.
Xie Lian scanned his surroundings. There was no one around. He covered his face with the white silk band, wrapping it tightly and securely before leaping into a tree and hiding himself in the branches. He held his breath and focused. The next step was to wait for travelers to pass by.
