Cherry Blossoms Upon a Wintry Sword

Chapter 41: Grand Wedding

Seeing Gu Xuandu’s defeated look, Lin Rufei was in a good mood and knocked on the door of the maids’ room. When the maids saw him coming, they hurriedly stopped talking and came forward to welcome him.

Lin Rufei originally wanted to ask Fu Hua and Yu Rui to make some food for him, but on second thought, since he had come to a new place, he naturally wanted to try the specialties here. They arrived in a hurry yesterday and didn’t even get a good look at the town before going into the inn to rest. Today, since the weather was nice, it was a good choice to stroll around.

As he thought about it, Lin Rufei greeted Fu Hua and Yu Rui then slowly and leisurely went out.

Passing through the Xiliang Mountains, they arrived at the prosperous Central Plains. Although they were only in a less important town next to the Xiliang Mountains, the shadow of its prosperity could be seen vaguely. The streets were lined with tourists and travelers, and the roadside stores were full of new things Lin Rufei had never seen before. As he walked, he also bought stuff, and by the time he finished the whole street, his hands were full of all kinds of interesting things and delicious food.

Seeing that he was almost done shopping, Lin Rufei casually found a roadside stall and sat down. He asked the vendor for a bowl of hot soup noodles. He has never tasted this kind of soup noodles before. It had thick oil and red sauce and the top was also covered with a layer full of spicy seeds. There were also a few thin slices of marinated beef. Lin Rufei took a few bites and the spiciness made him sweat. His lips were red and from time to time, he would try and cool his tongue. 

The vendor saw Lin Rufei’s expression and couldn’t help but laugh, saying that if it was the guest’s first time eating, he could have told him to put in less spice. Lin Rufei nodded and he couldn’t stop drinking water. Even a thin layer of water vapor surfaced in his eyes.

But although this soup noodle was spicy, its taste was indeed good. Even though Lin Rufei already had tears in the corners of his eyes, he still summoned his courage to finish the whole bowl of noodles. After he finished eating, he felt that his lips hurt so badly that he vaguely asked Gu Xuandu, who then cried and laughed and said that his mouth was swollen from the spice.

“Don’t force yourself if you can’t eat, look at your current appearance.” Gu Xuandu said, “It looked like you were bullied by someone.”

Lin Rufei’s skin tone was already pale. Now the corners of his eyes were teary, lips were red and swollen, and he was frowning, which made him look pitiful. 

Lin Rufei didn’t realize what was wrong. His first time eating such spicy things and his consciousness was about to be blurred by the spice. He paid for the bowl in a panic then rushed to the fruit vendor next door to buy a number of plums. He stuffed them into his mouth.  

These plums were chilled with well water. They were crisp and tasty, with a sweet and sour tang, delicious indeed. Lin Rufei also could not help but crave a few more.

After eating, Lin Rufei intended to go back. However, before going back, he passed by a small store selling weapons. When he walked by, he decided to go in to take a peek or two. Who knew that when Lin Rufei entered, the first thing he saw was a wooden shield in the corner. It looked exactly like the one Mo Zhaocai had sold him, except the one sold in this store seemed to be bigger.

“Boss, how do you sell this wooden shield?” Lin Rufei opened his mouth and asked.

The boss didn’t even raise his head: “One tael of silver.”

Lin Rufei thought about it for a moment and said seriously, “Can it be cheaper?”

“At most, I can give it to you for ten copper coins less.” The boss said, “Guest, we are a small business, we don’t make much profit.”

Lin Rufei smiled and said, “Then I’ll take it.” He happily took out his silver and then got ten copper coins back from the boss. He left happily with the wooden shield.

Gu Xuandu saw his delighted appearance and wondered, “What are you so happy about?”

Lin Rufei said, “I succeeded in bargaining for the first time!”

Gu Xuandu: “……”

Lin Rufei said, “The boss gave me ten copper coins less!” He had visited the market so many times and seen many people lowering their prices, so he had wanted to try it himself for a long time, but he didn’t expect to succeed the first time.

In the Yaoguang Continent, three strings[1] of copper coins were equivalent to one tael of silver. There are three hundred copper coins in one string. The ten copper coins Lin Rufei got back were just enough to buy two sticks of candied hawthorn. So Lin Rufei bought two sticks of candied hawthorn, one for him and one for Gu Xuandu as they ate with great pleasure.

Gu Xuandu asked why he bought this wooden shield and Lin Rufei replied that the wooden shield was quite useful. At present, he still couldn’t use Gu Yu very smoothly so he wanted to use this wooden shield to make up for it. Gu Xuandu wanted to say several times that it was out of place for Lin Rufei’s slender figure to hold such a large wooden shield, but after thinking about it, he didn’t say anything. Anyway, Lin Rufei was happy, so he let him do as he pleased.

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So Lin Rufei happily ate his candied hawthorn while at the same time hauling the huge wooden shield back. He didn’t know if it was because he had started to try and draw out the sword Qi in his body, but Lin Rufei’s strength was much greater than before. His five senses were also much more sensitive, but the only downside was that he was still sick when he should be, and his cough, which had plagued him for many years, was not getting better.

After a day of recuperating in town, they planned to follow the official road all the way into the Central Plains. Lin Rufei, who had been traveling for more than ten days without getting sick, was still secretly happy about whether his health had improved. However, who knew that after a stroll in the town, he would start to cough and get a fever the next day.

So when he finally left the town, Lin Rufei had to sit sickly in the carriage, with a look of listlessness.

Fortunately, the official road was not as bumpy as the mountain road. It was flat and wide, so it wasn’t uncomfortable.

Their next destination was Gusu City, which was about a hundred miles away, and it would take about half a day to get there. When they arrived at Gusu, they would be considered really arriving at the Central Plains. Seeing with his own eyes, although there would be a lot of fishes and dragons mixed in, it would probably be more interesting. 

(t/n: MDZS anyone? Hehehe)

The weather was getting hot so Lin Rufei also changed into a thin Summer outfit. His hair was tied up and compared to when he was on Kunlun Mountain, his style had improved by a few points—more handsome and heroic.

Around evening, the carriage driven by Fu Hua finally arrived outside Gusu City. After passing the post to the guards, the carriage drove through the wide city gates and into the city. 

As soon as he entered the city gate, Lin Rufei showed his surprise. In Gusu City, there were red lanterns and red silks hanging everywhere. Windows of the stores on both sides were decorated with large red words of “Xi.” 

(t/n: 喜 character is used for weddings, when there are two of them together it’s called “shuang xi” [double xi] 囍 which is used for wedding, representing the goodness from both the male and female side :D, Xi can mean like, happiness etc, but in this case, it can also be like a blessing. Fun fact, back when the female was pregnant, they would say “我来喜了” meaning “I have/got a blessing”) 

“Who is getting married?” Yu Rui wondered.

Fu Hua said: “The one getting married must be from a big family. In this Gusu City, the only one that can be called a big family has to be the Liu family.” 

“But since this is the Liu family’s marriage, it must be a big event. They will certainly send out invitations and invite guests from all over the world. Why was there no communication?” Yu Rui didn’t understand.

Fu Hua shook her head, indicating that she also did not know.

Lin Rufei’s third invitation was for the Liu family of Gusu City.

In Jianghu, there were only two sword cultivators who had passed through the eighth level of cultivation before the age of twenty. The first was his second brother, Lin Bianyu and the second was the second son of the Liu family in Gusu City, Liu Rugong. Unfortunately, the Mo family’s Mo Changshan died young, otherwise, his name would also be in the eighth level. 

Although Lin Rugong had a “bow[2]” character in his name, he was actually good with a sword. Lin Bianyu’s Tian Xiao was famous all over the world, and Luo Shen, the soft sword in his hand, also had a fierce reputation.

Rumor had it that Liu Rugong had an unpredictable personality and was hostile and ruthless. This one time, he was drinking wine and folding flowers with someone and the next moment he wanted the person’s head. If the Liu family was not a large and powerful family, they probably wouldn’t be able to suppress such a demon. The Liu family was a business magnate in the Central Plains, it was said that two-thirds of the merchants in Gusu City were from his family’s industry. From the beginning, no matter which of the Liu family’s younger generation got married, they would hold a big event. How come not even a wind was heard for this event?  

The group went into the inn and casually ordered some food. They asked the Xiao Er about this matter. 

When the Xiao Er heard this, he then said with a sad face: “Guests, it’s not that I don’t want to say, but this matter isn’t really easy to talk about, ah.” 

“Why is it difficult to say?” Yu Rui wondered, “Isn’t a big wedding a happy event?”

The Xiao Er sighed and shook his head.

“No matter, just tell us who is getting married.” Fu Hua also did not pressure the Xiao Er. She casually handed out a piece of broken silver and asked. 

The Xiao Er looked around and saw that no one was paying attention to him so he lowered his voice and whispered: “Guests you might not know, the person who is getting married is none other than the second son of the Liu family, Liu Rugong ……”

They froze at the words.

If it was another member of the Liu family who was getting married and the Liu family didn’t want to organize then it was reasonable. However, the one getting married was the most favored, Liu Rugong. Liu Rugong’s wedding must be considered as the most important thing for the Liu family and it would definitely be a big event so how could it be this silent? If they did not happen to come to Gusu City, they probably wouldn’t know of this matter. 

“Liu Rugong?” Fu Hua said incredulously, “He is going to get married, how can it be so low-key.”

The Xiao Er’s face was bitter and he kept shaking his head and refused to say more.

Lin Rufei revealed a curious look and after thinking for a moment, he took a piece of broken gold from his sleeve and handed it to the Xiao Er, gesturing for him to continue.

When the Xiao Er saw the gold he showed a struggling expression. Finally, he gritted his teeth, stomped his foot, and actually refused: “Guest, I’m really sorry, I really don’t dare say. Although the gold is good, if the head is gone, there is no place to spend it ……”

“Who will take your head?” Someone from behind asked curiously.

As soon as he heard this voice, the Xiao Er’s already bad expression instantly turned white again for a few minutes. He stiffened his head and turned around. 

Lin Rufei followed the Xiao Er’s eyes and saw a narrow-eyed young man sitting on the wooden table on the side. He was wearing a red outfit with a sandalwood background and a lotus flower pattern. On his feet, were patterned gold silk boots and his long hair was tied into a crown as he tilted his head, looking at the Xiao Er with interest. Seeing the Xiao Er’s frightened expression and his trembling feet, he patiently asked again: “Who would want your head? “

The Xiao Er warily called out: “Liu …… young master Liu ……”

Young master Liu laughed: “Why are you so afraid of me for, did I kill someone in front of you?” He shook his head again, denying the statement, “No, ah. In Gusu City, how could anyone have seen me kill someone.”

The Xiao Er didn’t dare continue to speak. Looking at his frightened appearance, it was like he wanted to kneel down and kowtow to young master Liu. Luckily, young master Liu was not very interested in him and soon cast his eyes on the three people sitting behind the Xiao Er—Lin Rufei and his maids.

Lin Rufei’s posture was weak and his body had no sword Qi. No matter how one looked at him, he didn’t look like a cultivator. However, he could see that the maids sitting on either side of him were at the fifth level of cultivation. Being able to use cultivators at the fifth level as maids, he thought that this seemingly frail gongzi must have a special identity. 

“Have you guys just arrived in Gusu City?” Young master Liu did not act like an outsider[3]. He picked up the teacup placed on the table and poured himself a cup of hot tea.

Lin Rufei nodded his head.

“Is there something wrong?” Young master Liu asked.

Lin Rufei said, “I am Lin Rufei, the fourth son of the Kunlun Lin family. I have come to Gusu City to deliver the sword competition invitation to the Liu family.” After a slight pause, he continued, “You are the Liu family’s most famous swordsman, young master Liu, Liu Rugong, right?” 

Liu Rugong laughed, “Oh, you can tell?”

The Liu family has many offspring. There were seven or eight men and women just from the direct lineage alone. The side branch was even more numerous and it wasn’t easy to guess his identity at once. 

Lin Rufei said in a soft voice: “I have seen you at the sword competition a few years ago.”

The smile on Liu Rugong’s face faded: “You are Lin Bianyu’s brother, how come I haven’t seen you before.”

Lin Rufei said, “I have been weak since I was young, so I seldom show my face in front of people.”

Liu Rugong said, “So that’s how it is.” When he heard that Lin Rufei was weak, he seemed to have lost interest in him instantly and did not continue to be polite. He stood up lazily and said, “I have something to do, so I won’t accompany Lin gongzi.”

After saying that, he turned around and left, with a very rude attitude.

When Fu Hua and Yu Rui saw his appearance, anger surfaced in their eyes. They were about to rebuke, but they were stopped by Lin Rufei.

“No harm.” Lin Rufei waved his hand indifferently, “Swordsmen always have their own natures.”

Especially powerful swordsmen. Even though his second brother had a seemingly gentle nature, in fact, he was prideful. If he faced people he did not like or was not interested in, he would also be too lazy to be polite.

“Young master, this Liu Rugong is too arrogant.” Yu Rui said dissatisfied, “No matter how powerful he is, he was still defeated by our second young master.”

Liu Rugong did lose, but only by a single move. At that time he also said ruthlessly that he wanted to compete with Lin Bianyu again. But for some reason, in this year’s sword competition, the Liu family did not send him to Kunlun. Instead, they sent the Liu family’s eldest son, a seventh-level cultivator, so there was naturally no possibility of winning.

After Liu Rugong left, the Xiao Er who was almost frightened to death finally regained his composure. However, he looked at Lin Rufei with more fear in his eyes. Although he doesn’t know of his identity, he apparently believed that those who could talk to Liu Rugong were not someone who could be offended. 

“Gongzi, in fact …… it’s not that I don’t want to talk about it, but it’s too ridiculous.” The Xiao Er did his best to suppress his voice, “Although the whole city put up lights and decorations, not many people dare to talk about it.”

“What’s going on?” Lin Rufei asked.

The Xiao Er finally told Lin Rufei the reason with difficulty, “Because …… the second son of the Liu family …… wants to marry a sword.”

Everyone’s expressions froze, even Gu Xuandu, who had been sitting next to him idle and bored.

“What did you say?” Fu Hua thought she had heard wrong, “What did you say the second son of the Liu family was going to marry?”

The Xiao Er said, “A sword.”

Everyone: “……”

The Xiao Er was not at all surprised by their reaction and continued to calmly add: “It’s the Luo Shen that he loves the most.”

Luo Shen was a good sword and could be on par with Tian Xiao that was built on Kunlun. It was naturally extraordinary. Rumor has it that it was made of heavenly meteorite iron tempered with rootless fire. When the sword was revealed, the sky was full of haze and the clouds were shaped like a beautiful woman with a graceful description, so it was named Luo Shen[4].

When Liu Rugong got Luo Shen, it was as if he got divine help and his cultivation rapidly progressed. People said that this one person and one sword were a perfect match.

But no matter how much of a perfect match they were, the idea of marrying a sword was a bit too ridiculous. 

After the Xiao Er said this, the group coincidentally fell into a long silence. Finally, it was Lin Rufei who said, “This Liu Rugong really has a personality.”

“Yes.” The Xiao Er snapped, “The decision made by Liu Er Gongzi, who in the Liu family could change it? Although Master Liu was angry to the point of almost being half-dead, he also couldn’t do anything. Furthermore, Liu Er Gongzi’s mother has always been incomparably doting on him and couldn’t really argue with him so she let him do as he pleased. She also turned the Gusu City red, saying that Liu Er Gongzi’s wedding cannot be too sloppy…..” 

Several people looked at each other with a moment of speechlessness.

The Xiao Er said: “But this matter, the people don’t dare to discuss. After all, the second young master has a bad temper. He kills people like he kills chickens. If they really died, even their corpses wouldn’t be collected.” 

After hearing this, Lin Rufei handed the gold in his hand to the Xiao Er, indicating that he could leave.

After receiving the reward money, the Xiao Er gratefully bowed to Lin Rufei and hurriedly retreated.

“That’s interesting.” Fu Hua murmured, “It’s the first time I’ve heard that someone wants to marry their own sword.” 

Yu Rui shook her head: “You don’t understand. This is what they call a real swordsman, life with the sword as a companion.” She seemed to understand Liu Rugong very well.

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Lin Rufei did not say too much about this matter. The world was big and nothing was too strange. At the same time he felt strange, he also thought that Liu Er Gongzi was really interesting. He really was considered a person of character.

It was already a little late, so after everyone had eaten, they went to their own rooms to rest.

Lin Rufei drank the medicine after bathing. Lying on the bed, he tossed and turned. Gu Xuandu sat on the edge of the bed as he propped up his chin and looked at the outside scenery without saying a word.

Lin Rufei thought it was strange and called out: “Senior?”

Gu Xuandu turned around.    

Lin Rufei said, “Do you have something on your mind?”

Gu Xuandu said, “Something on my mind?”

Lin Rufei said, “Then why aren’t you talking?” Normally, Gu Xuandu was very talkative, but today he did not say anything. Even when he heard such a bizarre thing such as Liu Rugong’s marriage with a sword, he did not say a word.

Gu Xuandu said: “Is it strange to marry a sword?”

Lin Rufei was silent for a moment then whispered, “Is senior ……” He looked at Shuang Jiang that hung on Gu Xuandu’s waist, and cautiously said, “If senior is really interested in the sword, then please don’t treat Shuang Jiang like this. Using your wife as a burning stick is not always good.”

Gu Xuandu: “……” Shuang Jiang that hung on his waist also buzzed at this time. He didn’t know whether it was in response to Lin Rufei’s words or simply ridiculing Gu Xuandu.

Gu Xuandu was choked half-dead by Lin Rufei’s words. However, he didn’t know what to say. He simply waved his long sleeves and directly disappeared.

Lin Rufei only thought he was annoyed. In his heart, he quietly sighed that a master’s thought was really different. However, he had to write a letter to his elder brother to urge his second brother’s marriage. And to not practice his sword to the point of obsession, otherwise, he might really make Tian Xiao into his sister-in-law. Although he would not look down on his second brother, but to call a sword “sister-in-law” would always feel a bit strange.

Lin Rufei laid in bed thinking about these small things and stayed up until midnight before drifting off to sleep.

The next day when he woke up, he still didn’t see Gu Xuandu’s figure. Lin Rufei was not anxious. After he slowly and methodically ate breakfast, he planned to visit the Liu residence with Fu Hua and Yu Rui.  

When they arrived at the Liu residence, they found out that the Liu family’s master and wife were not in the residence and that they would not return until a dozen days later. However, the steward was very respectful after learning Lin Rufei’s identity and invited him to stay at the Liu residence, saying that he had sent a message to the madam and the master and that they would return as soon as possible.

Lin Rufei declined the steward’s invitation. He said that he would stay at the inn and would not disturb them.

The steward couldn’t persuade no matter how much he tried so he sent his subordinates to book the best inn in Gusu City and instructed the owner to treat this valuable guest, Lin Rufei, well.

The innkeeper repeatedly said yes.

The reason why Lin Rufei insisted on staying at the inn was because of what happened to the Xie family and the Meng family. He thought this matter was a bit strange and thought it was safer to stay at the inn. In the end, no matter what happened to the Liu family, it would have nothing to do with him.

After sending Lin Rufei to the inn, the steward wanted to say something several times but didn’t. Lin Rufei saw this and said that if he had something to say, then to say it. 

The steward whispered: “Lin gongzi may not know, the 15th of this month is my second young master’s wedding day …… Only this wedding is a bit special, so the Liu residence did not intend to invite guests. The participants are some of the Liu residence’ internal people and that it wasn’t because they didn’t want to invite Lin gongzi you.” He was afraid that Lin Rufei would misunderstand and think that he was being coldly treated by the Liu family since he didn’t even get an invitation to the wedding, so he explained to Lin Rufei.

Lin Rufei nodded, indicating that it was fine.

Only then did the steward cautiously go away.

However, after a day, someone from the Liu residence sent the wedding invitation to Lin Rufei. When Lin Rufei asked, he learned that the Liu family’s master had sent it to him, saying that the two families had a good relationship and that Lin Rufei could come to the banquet if he wanted to. However, he should not send gifts and that it was simply enough for him to come. Most likely the Liu family master had a lot of psychological struggle before finally choosing to invite Lin Rufei, the fourth son of the Lin family. Others do not know, but he knows very well. Although Lin Rufei had a weak body and was not well known, in fact, he was the most favored in the Lin family. And it was said that some days ago, he was the one that cut the Kunlun north peak in half with one swing. Whether this matter was true or not was open to question but he certainly wasn’t as weak as he showed. Otherwise, how could the Lin family let him out into the world?

It must be said that ginger was spicier when it got older[5]. The Liu family master indeed guessed right 70-80%. It was a pity that his shrewdness on his own son was not at all useful. He couldn’t beat him nor could he scold. He could only watch as his own son acted willfully and made trouble—that he must marry a raw and cold sword. It worried him to the point of sickness.  

This Gusu City was several circles larger than Moyu and Lin Rufei couldn’t wait to see the prosperity of the Central Plains.

He took his money bag, said goodbye to Fu Hua and Yu Rui, and left by himself.  He first went to search for some food, then intended to walk around along the small river running through Gusu City. However, he only walked halfway when he saw Liu Rugong, who was supposed to be preparing for the wedding at the Liu residence, squatting on the roadside. He had a pure plumage gyrfalcon resting on his arm and was teasing the bird with great interest. He also noticed Lin Rufei and stood up with a smile before greeting him, not as bad as when they first met.

“If Lin gongzi wants to go around Gusu city, why don’t I be your guide?” Liu Rugong said with a smile.

Lin Rufei hesitated for a moment but agreed to Liu Rugong’s proposal: “Then …… I will trouble Liu gongzi.”

********

The author has something to say:

Lin Rufei: Isn’t the bridal night just practicing sword the whole night? 

Gu Xuandu: What if it’s not.

Lin Rufei: Then what do they do?

Gu Xuandu: There are always more ways than difficulties. Use the sword hilt and make do with it? 

Lin Rufei: ？？？？？？

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[1] They look like this. 

[2] The “gong” in Liu Rugong means “bow.” 

[3] The phrase here is 不见外 which means “acting familiar with strangers that they aren’t even strangers” like treating a stranger you just met as a buddy. I don’t know how to put that into words so I kept it as “did not act like an outsider.” 

[4] Luo Shen –  the mythological Goddess of the Luo River. 

[5] The older the wiser; experience counts.