Chapter 041: Turning Foes into Friends

When Pi Erding heard about it, he realized that Li Zaixing had not been lying when he said he had friends in officialdom, especially since he had been traveling with Li Bi at the time. Although Li Bi held no official rank, his family was a bona fide household of officials, and Li Bi himself was a favorite of the emperor—a gifted scholar whom no one could predict would one day stride into officialdom and rise to prominence overnight.

Pi Erding immediately changed his demeanor. He picked up the slave contract from the desk with affected seriousness, glanced at it, and then, with a sudden kick, sent the Hu merchant sprawling to the ground, cursing loudly, “You shameless barbarian, how dare you trade freeborn people here in the Western Market? You violate the laws of the Great Tang and disrupt the order of the market! Enough talk—come with me to the authorities to explain yourself!”

Hearing Li Zaixing talk to Pi Erding, the Hu merchant sensed trouble. At that moment, however, he still did not grasp the full extent of Li Zaixing’s background. Li Zaixing’s accent clearly marked him as a non-native of Chang’an, and his attire was plain, revealing humble origins—at best, a low-ranking neighborhood tough. That was why he had summoned Pi Erding, the local strongman of the Western Market, to handle matters. But as their conversation grew more congenial and even mentioned Wei Sanlang, he realized he was in over his head: this inconspicuous youth had a powerful background and was not someone he could afford to provoke.

So, at Pi Erding’s outburst, the merchant immediately kowtowed in terror, instructing his people to prepare wine and food, and at the same time bringing out the money from the previous day when Li Zaixing had redeemed Aiermaidi and her weapons and armor, returning it with both hands, along with an extra fifty strings of coins as compensation.

Li Zaixing accepted the offer without ceremony, beckoning to Julia, “Take it. Buy yourself something you like, and get Aiermaidi two sets of clothes. I’ll wait for you both right here.”

Seeing Li Zaixing accept the money without leaving, Pi Erding assumed he was not yet satisfied and grew anxious. But Li Zaixing waved his hand and said, “Thanks to your righteous help, justice has been served, and that’s enough for me. However, since this is Wei Sanlang’s territory, I must trouble him for a while longer. Please go and invite him here—I have matters to discuss.”

Relieved, Pi Erding quickly sent his men to escort Julia and her sister shopping, while he remained to drink with Li Zaixing. He conducted himself with meticulous courtesy, but his table manners were appalling. To call it wolfing down food was being generous—he devoured it like a starving ghost, both hands grabbing, juices dripping, leaving the table in complete disarray.

Li Zaixing stared, dumbfounded, and sheepishly set down his chopsticks.

When Pi Erding finally finished off the food and drink, he realized his guest had barely touched anything, most of it having been consumed by himself. His face flushed with embarrassment, and he stammered, at a loss for words. At that moment, Wei Yingwu strode in, saw the scene, and with a grin lashed Pi Erding’s shoulder with his riding whip, laughing, “You glutton, always making me lose face! Get out of here!”

Pi Erding scrambled up, grinning sheepishly, and stood aside.

“What urgent matter brings you to me?” Wei Yingwu glanced around, pinching his nose with a frown. “Let’s go elsewhere—this place stinks. Li, let me take you to the best Sogdian wine house in the Western Market. There, you’ll find genuine grape wine served in luminous cups, and the Sogdian girls behind the bar are as beautiful as flowers—a sight far more pleasant than these repulsive merchants.”

Li Zaixing laughed heartily and followed Wei Yingwu out, weaving through the bustling market to a tavern run by Sogdian women. True to Wei’s word, every woman behind the counter was strikingly beautiful; as soon as Wei Yingwu entered, they flocked to greet him with flirtatious voices, their blue eyes and golden hair dazzling to behold, a feast for the eyes.

Led by the Sogdian girls, Li Zaixing and Wei Yingwu ascended to a private room on the second floor. Li Zaixing left Lu Hu and Aiermaidi waiting outside and closed the door behind him. Lu Hu frowned but said nothing, standing guard at the door with Aiermaidi. Aiermaidi placed her two curved swords on the table, her expression cold and forbidding, silently warning passersby away, which quickly scared off the loiterers.

Wei Yingwu eyed Li Zaixing with a smile, stroking his chin. “So, what brings you here?”

“I want to deal with Wang Zhun,” Li Zaixing said bluntly. “Are you interested in joining me?”

Wei Yingwu’s smile froze. He stared intently at Li Zaixing for a moment, his expression gradually growing solemn. Sitting across from Li Zaixing, he toyed with a luminous cup brimming with grape wine and fell silent for a long while. “You must know that Wang Zhun’s father, Wang Hao, currently enjoys the emperor’s full favor.”

“I know. I also know Wang Hao is Li Linfu’s right-hand man.”

Wei Yingwu shot him a sidelong glance. “You’re not doing this just because of yesterday’s conflict, are you?”

“Why not? I’m not as complicated as you think—I don’t overthink things. If I like someone, I sit and drink with them. If I don’t, I slap them in the face.” Li Zaixing laughed carelessly. “I can’t stand that man’s face. I just want to teach him a lesson.”

“It’s not that simple...”

“It is that simple,” Li Zaixing interrupted. “I know what worries you—you’re afraid of Wang Hao’s retaliation. In that case, why not go all the way and take care of Wang Hao as well? It would be a service to the people. Li Linfu values Wang Hao only because he gets things done. If Wang Hao were to die, would Li Linfu really seek vengeance for him?”

Wei Yingwu drew a sharp breath and stared at Li Zaixing in disbelief. Wang Hao was the Censor-in-Chief, head of the Censorate, a third-rank official; Wang Zhun was Deputy Commandant of the Guards, a fourth-rank. Yet Li Zaixing spoke of killing them as if it were nothing, utterly unconcerned.

Was this a man who regarded human life as worthless, or did he possess the innate bearing of a great general, holding life and death in the palm of his hand?

Wei Yingwu recalled how, outside Chang’an, Li Zaixing had killed three of his own attendants without so much as a blink. He felt both tense and inexplicably excited.

He was no desperado like Li Zaixing; even as a knight-errant, he belonged to a higher echelon—an aristocratic hero, well aware of whom to cross and whom to avoid. As one of the few great clans of Tang, the Wei family had to calculate gains and losses. Yet this was what made him excited.

The Wei family had long held a grudge against Li Linfu, Wang Hao’s supporter. They had wanted to eliminate Li Linfu for some time but had never found the opportunity. Now, if there was a chance to remove Wang Hao, Li Linfu’s right arm, or even implicate Li Linfu himself, how could he let it slip by?

After a long silence, Wei Yingwu asked, “Does Li Bi know?”

Li Zaixing raised an eyebrow, looking displeased. “If Li Bi doesn’t know, does that mean you won’t dare?”

Wei Yingwu understood and covered his reaction with a smile. “No, I was just asking. So what’s your plan?”

...

Before long, the Julia sisters returned, beaming with excitement. They had found weapons to their liking: two curved blades shaped like crescent moons, adorned with beautiful patterns, their scabbards of ancient design—clearly no ordinary knives.

“Excellent swords!” Wei Yingwu exclaimed in admiration.

“You’re a connoisseur as well?” Hestia smiled, proudly presenting the blade to Li Zaixing. “This is a masterpiece forged by a famed smith from the City of Paradise—it can cut through gold and jade.”

“The City of Paradise?” Li Zaixing was puzzled. “Which city is that?”

Julia explained, “Ah, you Tang people call it Damascus. We Westerners call it the City of Paradise.”

Li Zaixing was taken aback. A sword forged by a master from Damascus—now that was a true treasure. These two girls were lucky indeed to have come across such blades. He picked one up and examined it closely, growing more and more enamored. Its reputation was well-deserved: the patterns on the blade shimmered like clouds at dusk, yet it exuded a chilling air.

Wei Yingwu also praised, “Fine sword, fine sword—I've never seen anything like it.”

“That’s because we are special,” Hestia replied with a proud arch of her brow, carefully sheathing the sword and standing tall with bright energy and a hint of mischief. “We are the guardian angels of Ahura, worthy of such treasures.”

Wei Yingwu’s eyes glazed over.

“Ahem!” Li Zaixing waved his hand, cutting off Julia, who was about to show off the newly bought armor, and signaled for them to wait outside. Hestia stuck out her tongue and left with her bundle.

“Li, where did you find those two beauties?” Wei Yingwu rubbed his eyes hard. “Aiermaidi is already a rare blond Sogdian, but those twin girls are simply peerless.”

“They’re just two maids—no need for exaggeration,” Li Zaixing said dismissively. “Come, are you in or not? If you’re not interested, I’ll find someone else.”

“I’m in!” Wei Yingwu slapped the table, full of righteous indignation. “I’ve long disliked that bastard. Since you’re willing to rid the people of a scourge, how can I stand by and watch?”

Li Zaixing laughed. He had planned to recruit Wei Yingwu anyway, but hadn’t expected it to go so smoothly, running into him right in the Western Market. He wasn’t too familiar with the Wei family’s affairs, but according to Li Bi, the crown prince’s first wife and her brother—members of the Wei clan—had both suffered at Li Linfu’s hands: Wei Wen had died, and Lady Wei had been forced to become a nun. It was only natural for the Wei family to want revenge against Li Linfu.

As with Li Bi, there was no need to spell things out. Aristocrats like Wei Yingwu would naturally think deeper. Though Wei Yingwu put on the airs of a rogue, in the end, a scion of a great family was different from ordinary folk. Li Zaixing had seen this clearly during their journey to Chang’an.

What Li Bi had taught him was more than just the art of war. Perhaps Li Bi himself hadn’t realized that by sharing tales and rumors of Chang’an, he had given Li Zaixing an early glimpse into the court politics of the Tang. Nor could he have guessed that, though Li Zaixing had grown up with his master in Banruo Monastery, his life was far from simple—indeed, far more complex than Li Bi could imagine. From Li Bi’s casual anecdotes, Li Zaixing had gained much more than Li Bi ever suspected.

This was Li Zaixing’s greatest secret. Li Bi thought him a simple warrior; Wei Yingwu wanted to use him as a sharp blade. He was more than happy to let them think so. Only in this way would they lower their guard and end up playing into his hands.