Ashes to Crown

Chapter 106: Chapter 65: Bandit Leader

”What kind of flower is this?”

A shop clerk took it, turning it over in his hands and looking at it. He teased with a smile.

”My, a young master traveling with a silk flower from his sweetheart.”

There were no cotton trees in the small Border County town, so the clerk didn’t recognize it. The merchant carefully took the flower back.

”It’s called a cotton flower. It’s not a silk flower from my sweetheart,” he sighed. ”It’s the silk flower that saved my life.”

The shop clerk knew what he meant by ”saved my life.” When the merchant’s party had arrived, there were injured and dead among them, each one looking utterly wretched. The inn hadn’t been alarmed, though; they’d seen this sort of thing many times. They must have run into bandits.

In fact, it was stranger that so many had survived an encounter with bandits, and that their goods were completely untouched.

But what did he mean by a silk flower saving his life? The clerk was a bit confused. Just then, another clerk passing by overheard and let out a cry.

”Mu Mianhong!” he said.

That one name startled many people around them. The seated accountant, the dining customers, the clerks carrying trays of food—everyone jumped in fright.

”Mu Mianhong!” ”Mu Mianhong is here!” ”Where?”

Fortunately, before someone could shout, ”Mu Mianhong is here, run!”, the clerk quickly yelled, ”It’s not that Mu Mianhong is here! This person met Mu Mianhong.”

It was like pouring a ladle of cold water into a boiling pot; things calmed down.

”You nearly scared us to death,” the customers complained. ”Why go around frightening people like that?”

But many people gathered around, curious. ”Someone actually saw Mu Mianhong?” ”Isn’t Mu Mianhong supposed to be somewhere else?”

Listening to the chatter, the young merchant complained as well, ”I’m the one who was almost scared to death. What in the world is a Mu Mianhong?”

”A bandit,” the people around him said in unison.

’A bandit?’

’But that doesn’t seem quite right.’

The young merchant described the scene to everyone, saying, ”There were old people and young people. They didn’t really look like bandits. Besides, when the other bandits heard them coming, they all got scared and ran away.”

The people around them weren’t surprised to hear this. ”Ah, Mu Mianhong. Even other bandits are afraid of her.”

This made the young merchant even more curious. ”Who is this Mu Mianhong?”

”To talk about Mu Mianhong, you have to start with Qingya Village. More than twenty years ago, there was a Qingya Village on Daqing Mountain. At its peak, it had several thousand bandits. They truly ran rampant, fearing nothing,” the elderly accountant said slowly from behind the counter. ”But later on, the official army cracked down on them. They were driven out of Daqing Mountain, scattered to the four winds, and became roving gangs—”

Hearing this, the young merchant made a sound of surprise. ”More than twenty years ago? But the person I saw was a teenage girl.”

’That girl wouldn’t have even been born more than twenty years ago.’

’Could it be that it wasn’t Mu Mianhong?’

”Well, that I don’t know,” said the accountant. ”No one has ever seen Mu Mianhong. Some say she’s as beautiful as a flower, others that she’s as ugly as a demon. There are even those who say she’s immortal.”

Others chimed in. ”I’ve heard that, too. They say she’s a goddess descended from the heavens.” ”Nonsense, I heard she’s a night Rakshasa.” ”She can turn scattered beans into soldiers.” ”She can command armies of the dead!”

In short, no one had ever seen her true face. The young merchant understood.

”Whatever she looks like,” the old accountant continued, returning to his point, ”in any case, the remnants of Qingya Village who were driven out of Daqing Mountain didn’t just disappear. It was this Mu Mianhong who gathered the bandits, seizing territory everywhere, burning, killing, and plundering. And the ones they burn, kill, and plunder the most are other bandits. They specialize in dog-eat-dog.”

The young merchant had a sudden realization. No wonder those other bandits had fled the moment they heard the name.

”Wherever Mu Mianhong plunders, she leaves behind a cotton flower.” The old accountant squinted at the silk flower in the young merchant’s hand. ”But Mu Mianhong has never appeared here in our parts. I never thought this old man would have the privilege of seeing one.”

Even if she kills other bandits, a bandit is still a bandit. Just like a Rakshasa that devours lesser demons is still a demon.

The townspeople were still terrified. ”I heard even the official army is afraid of Mu Mianhong.” ”Mu Mianhong knows demonic arts; blades and spears can’t harm her.” ”She’s actually come to our area. This is terrifying.” A flurry of discussion broke out.

The young merchant gazed at the silk flower in his hand, his emotions in turmoil. He owed his life, his ability to be sitting here right now, to Mu Mianhong. But when he recalled the scene, especially how even a child of about ten could kill so proficiently, he was reminded of how vicious and terrifying they were.

”Once this trip is over, I’m heading home immediately,” he murmured. ”The Border County is too frightening.”

...

...

The farther they traveled from the Border County, the larger the cities ahead became. The roads grew more crowded with pedestrians, and the horse-drawn carriage slowed down.

The party, with its carriage and horses, often had to stop and yield to oncoming vehicles. After one such stop, the carriage curtain was thrown open, and a boy of about ten years old cried out.

The people on the road jumped in fright, and the girl riding a horse at the front of the group immediately turned back.

”Little Rabbit, what are you doing?” she chided in a low voice.

The boy called Little Rabbit pouted. ”Sister Xiao Man, I don’t want to ride in the carriage. I want to ride a horse. This is way too slow.”

Xiao Man shot him a glare. ”What’s a kid like you doing riding a horse? Do you see any other kids riding horses on this road?”

Not only were there no children on horseback, but even the older people were riding in carriages.

”Don’t let people think we’re not normal! If you reveal our identities and ruin Auntie’s important business, I won’t let you off the hook.”

Little Rabbit clearly didn’t dare to ruin their important business. He sat back down sullenly and, out of boredom, started toying with his belt—but the moment he touched it, Xiao Man’s hand shot out. She snatched a dart glinting with cold light from him and tucked it into her sleeve.

”What kind of child plays with knives?” Xiao Man muttered under her breath.

Little Rabbit rolled his eyes.

Xiao Man then poked her head into the carriage, frowning as she chided in a low voice, ”Granny Cai! No sharpening knives with your feet!”

Inside the carriage, a white-haired old woman grinned. ”Alright, alright. My feet were just itchy.”

With that, she put away the knife from beside her foot, tucking it under her magnificent skirt.

Xiao Man was exasperated. She warned them again, ”We’re getting closer and closer to the Central Plains. Everyone be more careful. If anyone messes things up, don’t blame me for punishing you according to the village rules.”

Everyone, inside the carriage and out, responded in unison, ”Yes.”

Such a perfectly synchronized response startled the passersby on the road. This group—with its elderly and young, maids and servants, carrying gifts—looked like a family visiting relatives. But why would they answer a simple sentence in unison?

’Are family rules really this strict nowadays?’

A flicker of embarrassment crossed Xiao Man’s face. She quickly forced a smile and announced loudly, ”We’re almost there! Once we see Great-Aunt, we’ll finally be able to get a good rest.”

Little Rabbit shouted, ”Ah, I miss Great-Aunt so much!”

Xiao Man cracked her whip. ”If you miss her, then let’s hurry up!”

With the CLIPPITY-CLOP of hooves and the CREAK of wheels, the carriage merged into the crowd on the main road and proceeded slowly.

.....

.....

The Capital City was prosperous and bustling. Carriages streamed by like a river dragon, and every day brought new excitement.

”Quick, go look! The Chu Garden Literary Meeting is over!”

At this cry, many people turned to look, their curiosity piqued.

The Chu Garden Literary Meeting was already a famous event known to all. Even scholars from out of town, upon arriving in the capital, would head straight for the Chu Garden as if they’d known the way their whole lives.

After all, one of the requirements for attending the Third Prince’s literary gathering at Wangchun Garden was to defeat the Chu Family’s Daughter.

Of course, besides the initial curiosity about whether the Chu Family’s Daughter would win or lose, people were less concerned with that now. There were too many other victories and defeats, too many other interesting competitions to follow.

Besides, the competitions weren’t even the most important thing anymore. The Chu Garden’s scenery was beautiful, and it featured exclusive snacks from the Drunken Immortal Tower. It was fun and interesting, and many people specifically brought their children to observe and learn.

Because of the crowds, the Chu Garden limited daily admissions, and tickets were now hard to come by.

’Is it really ending? Who said it’s ending? And also, will the Chu Family’s Daughter be punished?’

Fueled by curiosity, countless people surged toward the Chu Garden.