She opened her mouth, but for a moment, no words came out.
During the previous dynasty, the nations of the Western Regions and the tribes of the grasslands were fierce and brutal, swallowing vast territories of the Central Plains. The Yue Dynasty declared itself king amidst this chaos, but it truly grew powerful only after the current emperor ascended the throne. After ten years of recuperation during the Zhaoning era, the emperor changed the reign title to Hongshou and began a seventeen-year campaign. The nations of the Western Regions and the grassland tribes were shattered, losing not only their lands but also seeing many of their people enslaved by the Central Plains. Some were transported to various places for hard labor, while others with pleasing appearances became “pet slaves” for entertainment.
By the sixteenth year of the current Wankang era, using foreigners as slaves was no longer uncommon. Some even came to the Central Plains voluntarily, selling their labor for a meal. But now, something seemed off.
The leader was a burly Westerner with golden hair and blue eyes. He wore a specially tailored outfit: a small vest that exposed much of his chest and abdomen, paired with loose trousers. This strange attire wasn’t what surprised Xiaobai—after all, she had seen shirtless men loading cargo at the harbor docks. What truly caught her attention was the tight iron collar around his neck, along with the chain and reins attached to it.
Beside him stood other muscular men with brown hair and blue eyes, or red hair and green eyes, all dressed identically, heads bowed and expressions numb.
Xiaobai knew what this was. The moment she saw it, the relevant memories surfaced. After all, this was one of the original owner’s favorite toys. She had even given names to her beloved “mounts”: the leader was called Jin Yuanbao, the brown-haired one was Xiaoshanli, and the red-haired one was Shao Ququ… Just as she had arbitrarily changed Yinyuan’s once elegant name to something vulgar based on her own whims, this child had no concept of respecting others.
What was even more terrifying was that no one had ever told her this was wrong. They accepted it all as a matter of course, even actively encouraging her to go further.
Seeing Xiaobai unmoving, Shang Yu immediately explained, “If the young lady doesn’t like these, the previous batch of ‘saddle horses’ has already been trained and is waiting.”
As Shang Yu spoke, more memories flooded in. The original owner had complained that Shao Ququ’s muscles were too hard and uncomfortable to ride, so the steward promptly brought in a group of petite foreign youths, training them into new toys.
Hearing Shang Yu’s words, their expressions turned fearful. If the master didn’t want them, these old playthings would only be disposed of. After all, the Shang family’s reputation had to be considered—how could they be allowed to go out and gossip about how the young lady had once ridden them? At the very least, their tongues would be removed.
“Are they as sturdy as Jin Yuan?” she asked, feigning innocence as she looked at Shang Yu. Then, she kicked the selected golden-haired man, who immediately turned and crouched down, making it convenient for his master to ride on his neck.
“You’re right. I’ll have Steward Tang dispose of them,” Shang Yu replied respectfully, then began jogging ahead to lead the way. Meanwhile, Xiaobai, suppressing her embarrassment and shame, tugged on the reins. There was no need to pretend further—the iron collar tightened, its inner spikes pricking Jin Yuan, who immediately began to run, steady and fast. His bare feet slapped against the ground, producing a crisp, rhythmic sound—a sound the original owner had deeply cherished.
The entire Shang residence was filled with corridors hidden beneath the eaves, with gauze tied below and bells hanging from them. The wind stirred the bells to ring, yet the summer’s blazing sun was kept from angering the young mistress. As the galloping “saddle horse” pounded on the hollow wooden walkway, Xiaobai couldn’t help but tighten her grip on the reins—her palms were drenched in sweat.
She found no joy in such activities. Deep down, she yearned for the freedom of the jianghu, not the decadent life behind vermilion gates, let alone the Shang family’s ways, which surpassed ordinary imagination.
…
And so, Ming Tianguang and Dongfang Xiaobai formally met in such an awkward situation.
It was a meeting between two parties of vastly unequal status. Ming Tianguang had been fed Muscle-Relaxing Powder and thrown into a dungeon, where he had gone without food or water for days. Not only were his belongings and letters gone, but even his clothes had been stripped away. Bound and left in a pile of dried hay, he was in a pitiful state, covered in dust and grime.
This was his first time leaving the palace alone. His adoptive father had sent him to deliver a letter, but after merely seeing someone commit violence in the street and instinctively blocking a whip, he suffered a brutal beating from the treacherous jianghu. Without exaggeration, this experience would shape the rest of Ming Tianguang’s life.
Perhaps having already endured too many shocks, Dongfang Xiaobai actually felt a flicker of optimism upon seeing his miserable state. Thankfully, out of consideration for the young lady’s gender, the servants had draped a cloth over him beforehand, allowing the young hero to retain at least a shred of dignity.
Yes, she could tell he was a greenhorn, a half-grown youth who couldn’t even be called a promising young talent. Beyond that, she couldn’t discern much more, as the young hero hadn’t cleaned up in days and was disheveled and filthy. Only an old hand like her could gauge his age from his bone structure.
After glancing at the less-than-clean, moldy-smelling cell, Xiaobai remained poised on Jin Yuan’s neck without moving. Shang Yu immediately feigned concern, saying, “Look at what you’ve done. How could you treat someone like this?”
Just as Ming Tianguang began to feel touched, he heard the seemingly kind but inwardly malicious servant continue, “How can the young lady question him like this? If he reveals something unsightly and offends her eyes, wouldn’t he have to be sent to the factory?”
The reputation of the Eastern Depot was well-known in the jianghu, and Xiaobai watched as a white streak appeared on the dust-covered face of the young man—he was crying, but stubbornly shed only a single tear.
Later, Xiaobai asked him, “If you encounter such meddlesome matters again, will you still intervene?” Ming Tianguang replied without hesitation, “Of course I will. After all—”
His voice trailed off as he muttered, “I doubt I’ll ever meet anyone more despicable than you.”
While the unfortunate young hero, who had just entered the jianghu, was dragged away to be cleaned up, Xiaobai openly rummaged through his belongings and letters. She wasn’t a man now, and since women couldn’t become the Martial Arts Alliance Leader anyway, reputation was useless to her. Since ancient times, beautiful women were often as venomous as snakes and scorpions—she couldn’t let down the tender, youthful face of a young lady.
However, the moment she saw the letter, her scalp tingled. This style of stationery was favored exclusively by the Blazing Sun Palace in the entire jianghu. In the end, she put it back without actually holding it over a flame to see its contents, because Xiaobai, who had once served as a menial disciple in the Blazing Sun Palace, recognized the golden wheel seal left by the palace master.
She casually tossed the envelope to Shang Yu, who immediately understood her intention. Right then and there, he demonstrated how to reseal an already-opened letter to look untouched within the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. Meanwhile, the unfortunate young hero had been cleaned up, changed into fresh clothes, and brought over—though, of course, he still had to take the Muscle-Relaxing Powder.
This was a handsome young hero. Even with a haggard face, his back remained ramrod straight. His hair was a reddish-brown shade, nearly a trademark of Blazing Sun Palace disciples. His eyebrows were thick yet neatly trimmed, giving him an air of righteous dignity. Even with his hair loose, it did nothing to diminish his masculinity, and between his brows was the Crimson Flame Solar Mark unique to elite disciples of Blazing Sun Palace.
His appearance successfully dispelled the last trace of guilt Dongfang Xiaobai might have felt. Her expression instantly turned cold. “May I ask which master you study under?”
The response came from the rumbling of the young hero’s stomach. Flustered, he couldn’t help but glance at the plate of ice cakes on the table. Xiaobai couldn’t have missed it, but someone who had gone hungry for days wasn’t suited to eat such things. For once, she was feeling kind and pulled out her small pouch—not the one holding gold leaves, but the one filled with snacks.
What appeared before Ming Tianguang was a single sugar-coated nut, peeled and glistening beautifully. This was a special treat only the young mistress of the Shang family could enjoy, yet he lacked even the strength to lift his hand.
Ignoring Shang Yu, who was bouncing around eagerly volunteering beside her, Xiaobai held the nut in her palm and said to him, “I know you don’t have the strength to lift your hand right now, but if you just lower your head a little, you can eat it.”
The young man realized there was more to this little girl’s words than met the eye.
But the youthful Ming Tianguang didn’t fully grasp her meaning. So, with stubborn pride, he raised his head instead, even as his cracked lips oozed blood. After all, he was an elite disciple of Blazing Sun Palace, with a solid foundation—a few days of hunger wouldn’t break his spirit so easily.
Xiaobai smiled faintly and said casually, “Hold him down.”
The first to react was actually Jin Yuan, whom she had just been riding moments ago. His Central Plains Mandarin was far from standard, and he barely understood what other Central Plains people said. But when it came to his master’s commands, he reacted faster than anyone.
After all, he had been her “saddle horse” for four years without being discarded.
In the end, all Ming Tianguang remembered was the foreign brute yanking his hair to force his head up, followed by the pretty little girl prying his mouth open and stuffing sugar-coated nuts into it, one by one.
Some were cloyingly sweet, others so sour they made his teeth tremble. Mixed together, they melted into a taste he would never forget for the rest of his life.
“If I tell you to lower your head, you should obediently lower it. At least that would show more dignity than this.” Brushing the leftover sugar crumbs from her palms, she offered a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
The questioning that followed went unusually smoothly, because whenever Ming Tianguang refused to respond, Xiaobai would feed him more nuts. The dense, sugary nuts melted into a sticky mass, leaving him utterly miserable. From then on, the mere sight of sugar would make his tongue feel coated and his gums ache.
Ming Tianguang claimed to be the adopted son of the Blazing Sun Palace master. At first, Xiaobai didn’t quite believe him, but after pinching his face and studying it for a moment, she asked doubtfully, “Who is the current master of Blazing Sun Palace?”
“It’s Ming Xinghao, miss,” Shang Yu replied, his knowledge of the martial world’s factions quite thorough. The Shang family was unique, nurturing many factions under its wing—far from an ordinary wealthy household. As her personal attendant, he knew a great deal. “I have indeed heard he has an adopted son, though ‘adopted son’ is just a polite term. His parents are unknown, so he’s essentially a foster child.”
Xiaobai remembered. She had seen Ming Xinghao before, seen him when he was still a youth. Not only had she seen him, but she had also seen his sister. She exclaimed in surprise, “Are you sure there’s no blood relation?”
“That’s hard to say. After all, the Blazing Sun Palace is a large and influential family. There might be some oversight, and only the palace master himself would know for sure.” Shang Yu found Xiaobai’s question a bit strange.
“Then—” She quickly withdrew her hand, which had been pinching Ming Tianguang’s cheek, pretending nothing had happened. “Take this young master to the guest room to rest. Send the letter back to the Blazing Sun Palace, and as for the person, let them send someone to pick him up.”
Author’s Note: 【Mini Theater】Jianghu Anecdotes
Interview: May I ask, do you prefer sweet tofu pudding or sweet tofu pudding?
Ming Tianguang: Thank you, I don’t like sweet things.
The next day, Young Master Ming from the Blazing Sun Palace publicly declared himself a supporter of savory tofu pudding, drawing criticism from many sweet tofu pudding supporters, and his reputation took a hit.
Interview: May I ask, do you prefer sweet tofu pudding or savory tofu pudding?
Xiaobai: I don’t like tofu pudding.
The next day, tofu pudding shops in Kaiyang Prefecture suffered dismal sales. Many tofu pudding shops were forced to close and converted into other stores. Due to her avant-garde taste, the reputation of the Eastern Heroine rose.
Thank you all for your support. I will continue to work hard!