Chapter 27: The Thirty-Eight Lion Bridge and a Timely Warning

Between Tianmen Village and Moxuan Town, a three-arch stone bridge spanned the Tianyuan River.

Its sturdy body was forged from hard bedrock, its surface paved with finely polished sandstone, and its piers were formed by two naturally occurring jade-like rock formations.

Thirty-eight small stone lions adorned its railings on both sides, giving rise to its name: the Thirty-Eight Lion Bridge.

Following the Tianyuan River’s course westward from the Thirty-Eight Lion Bridge, one would soon discover a verdant cemetery, overgrown with various plants.

It lay silently by the riverbank, a tranquil expanse that resembled a naturally carved jade, its unique beauty compelling onlookers to marvel from afar.

Wu Lingfeng knelt on one knee before a tombstone, his eyes vacant, fixed on the single character inscribed upon it: ‘Mu.’ He seemed utterly lost, as if his soul had fled.

“It’s been a long time. How have you been recently?”

“Time truly flies,” he murmured, his voice hollow. “Sixteen years have passed in the blink of an eye, and it’s been a full twelve years since we parted forever.”

From his sleeve, Wu Lingfeng produced a stack of joss paper, neatly arranging it before the tombstone before igniting it with a flint he had brought.

“The current situation is unstable,” he began, his voice trailing off. “Her Imperial Highness is nearing adulthood, yet that esteemed personage shows no inclination to bring her back. It seems I must take action…”

His words were abruptly cut short by an unfamiliar voice from behind him. “Lord Feng,” it began, “after enduring a full sixteen years of waiting, does a single morning or evening truly matter?”

Wu Lingfeng turned his head, casting a sharp glance at the newcomer. “Next time, don’t stand behind me without a sound. It’s quite dangerous.”

“Thank you for the warning.” The man was fair-faced and refined, appearing much like a scholar. Yet, his brow held a keen, sharp intelligence, an undeniable aura of brilliance.

“Lord Liao,” Wu Lingfeng pressed, “we are at a critical juncture, yet our superiors remain silent. If we simply stand by, won’t we be waiting for our own demise?”

“One wrong step leads to a cascade of errors,” the man surnamed Liao replied, shaking his head.

“Then tell me, what should we do now?”

“A few days ago, I received word,” Lord Liao began,

“that a merchant caravan from the Batavian Republic, transporting valuable treasures, hired one of my clansmen as a guide.

However, upon crossing into the Kingdom of Baylovis, they were ambushed and slaughtered by local nobility.

The relationship between these two Germanic nations was already strained; this incident is akin to adding frost to snow. If not handled properly, war is inevitable.”

“Are you implying…?”

“For His Majesty, nothing weighs heavier than internal strife and external threats,” Lord Liao elaborated.

“Currently, the external threats are too preoccupied with their own tense situations to act, so His Majesty’s attention will naturally turn to the internal issues.”

“The vassal kings…”

“Our superiors have delayed issuing the imperial decree for her return, likely out of apprehension toward Prince Wulie, who holds sway in Huangbei Prefecture, and Prince Jingming, who dominates Huangdong Prefecture.

One of them must pose a threat to this plan.”

“Indeed,” Wu Lingfeng nodded in profound agreement. “Setting aside Baylovis’s southward ambitions, the internal situation of our own dynasty is also in constant flux. We cannot afford even the slightest carelessness.”

“Allow me a word of caution,” Lord Liao advised. “Those who aspire to great achievements must never be impatient for quick success, lest a single misstep lead to eternal regret.”

“You are right…” Wu Lingfeng clenched his fists, his resolve hardening. “We must not act rashly. We can only hold our breath and await further instructions from our superiors.”

“Lord Feng, it grows late. For your safety, you should return quickly.”

“Very well,” Wu Lingfeng replied, cupping his hands in a respectful salute. “I take my leave.” With that, he turned and strode briskly away from the Silent Retreat.

The man watched Wu Lingfeng’s receding figure, murmuring to himself, ‘All things under heaven are fate; escaping one’s destiny is impossible…’

***

Along the long, winding night road home, Wu Lingfeng gazed up at the dazzling canopy of stars. His heart, however, was a tangled mess—excitement, melancholy, confusion…

He couldn’t quite name the emotion, feeling as though a ball of yarn had knotted itself within his chest, leaving him profoundly agitated.

As he approached his small wooden cabin, he chanced upon his daughter, Wu Xiyu, hoisting a bundle of firewood. She bustled excitedly toward the back of the cabin, completely oblivious to his presence.

Puzzled, Wu Lingfeng wondered what she was up to. He quietly followed, his steps light.

What he saw next startled him. Behind the cabin lay an open patch of ground, at the center of which was a circle of stones. Inside, a substantial pile of firewood, chopped earlier that day, was stacked.

Four metal rods, arranged in a grid pattern, were propped above the wood.

Their ends were deeply embedded in the earth, their middle sections encircling the firewood, and another portion extended into a massive bathing tub filled to the brim with clear water.

It looked like some mysterious, incomprehensible cult ritual.

With a rustle, Wu Xiyu dropped the firewood onto the ground. She then bent down, meticulously stacking the logs into a neat pile.

He Junan stood nearby, his brow furrowed in contemplation, occasionally stroking his chin, his expression exceptionally grave.

“What are you two…?” Wu Lingfeng’s voice, sharp and sudden, made both of them jump. “Are you planning to boil a giant pot of soup?”

“Uncle Wu, you’re back?”

Wu Lingfeng retorted, his face a scowl, “Are you hoping I wouldn’t return?”

“No, no, no…”

Wu Xiyu, however, smiled. “Father, welcome home.”

The moment he saw her, Wu Lingfeng’s face lit up with a broad smile. “My dear!”

‘Such preferential treatment…’

Wu Lingfeng lightly nudged the bathing tub with his foot. “Quickly, tell me what this peculiar contraption is.”

“It’s a bathing tub… more precisely, a constant-temperature bathing tub.”

“A constant-temperature bathing tub?”

“Yes,” He Junan nodded.

“I’ve been thinking that the most common method of self-cleaning right now is simply wiping oneself down with cold water.

If there were a way for ordinary people to enjoy a hot bath, it would be a completely new definition of daily hygiene for the common folk.”

“With these twisted, winding pipes of yours…” Wu Lingfeng muttered, walking over to the tub and casually dipping his hand into the water to test it. He gasped softly. “Hiss—this water temperature… it’s wonderfully comfortable.”

He Junan explained, “Taking a hot bath isn’t actually difficult; you just need to heat the water to a certain temperature. The challenge lies in maintaining that constant temperature.”

“How do you maintain a constant temperature?”

“Through repeated experiments, I found that we can utilize the simple effect of heat conduction. The heat generated by the flames is transferred to the water, thereby achieving the purpose of heating it.”

“So, it’s similar to boiling water?”

“Boiling water heats it to a peak of one hundred degrees Celsius, whereas constant temperature aims to maintain the water at a steady bathing level of around forty degrees Celsius.

The underlying principle is similar, but the methods are quite distinct.”

A faint smile played on Wu Lingfeng’s lips. “Tell me more…”

“Allow me to explain the internal structure of the bathing tub,” He Junan began. “It employs a double-layered, slow-heating design…” For a while, He Junan patiently elucidated the various structures and principles to him.

Though Wu Lingfeng didn’t fully grasp the technicalities, he listened patiently to the end. He then couldn’t resist testing the water temperature again.

“What prompted you to suddenly research such a complex constant-temperature bathing tub?”

“Shopkeeper Lu told me before I left…” He Junan scratched the back of his head, a shy expression on his face.

“He said my ideas were brilliant, and that if I had any particularly profitable concepts, he would be willing to invest heavily and support me.”

“Oh?”

Wu Xiyu interjected eagerly, “Shopkeeper Lu is truly wonderful! He thought Junan’s commute to work was too far, so he simply gifted him a magnificent steed!”

“Such generosity…” Wu Lingfeng couldn’t help but furrow his brow slightly. “I think you should still be cautious. As the saying goes, ‘unsolicited favors often conceal ill intent.’”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than, far away in the reception hall of the Exquisite Silver Exchange, Lu Yu suddenly let out a loud sneeze. “Achoo—!!!”

“Shopkeeper, are you cold?” Fang Boda asked, concerned. “The sea breeze by the shores of Luohai is quite chilling. I’ll have Ah Hu start a charcoal fire in your room later to warm you up. We mustn’t have you falling ill.”

Lu Yu waved a hand dismissively. “It’s nothing serious; someone must be talking about me.”

“Alas—” Fang Boda sighed. “We’ve provoked the Lin family for the sake of a stranger. We’ve truly stirred an enormous hornets’ nest. What are we to do now…?”

Lu Yu quipped casually, “If you don’t stir the hornets’ nest, where will the honey come from?”

“Hornets… have honey?”

“Ahem,” Lu Yu cleared his throat. “Don’t mind such small details.” He took a sip of tea, glancing around but seeing no sign of Hu Zhicheng. “By the way, where’s Ah Hu?”

“He seems to have gone out.”

“Out so late…” Lu Yu’s eyes twinkled mischievously. “Could it be that he’s found a sweetheart?”

“Uh…”

Fang Boda paused, then chuckled awkwardly. “Shopkeeper, He Junan forgot to take the quad-limbed camel beast, and you sent Ah Hu to deliver it…”

“Right, right, right,” Lu Yu said, setting down his teacup and lightly tapping his forehead. “Look at my memory…”

Before he could finish, a whoosh cut through the air. A flying dagger, swift as a bullet, instantly shattered the teacup in front of Lu Yu, sheared off a wisp of Fang Boda’s beard, and finally embedded itself firmly in the wall.

This sudden attack terrified Lu Yu. He was rendered speechless, slumping in his chair, his eyes immediately crossing in shock.

“Shopkeeper?!”

“Wha—what is happening?”

After reassuring Lu Yu, Fang Boda rushed to examine the flying dagger. It was plunged so deeply into the wall that he couldn’t pull it out, no matter how hard he tried. Upon closer inspection, he noticed a rolled-up note tied to its hilt.

“Shopkeeper, the dagger… there seems to be a letter on the dagger.”

“A letter?”

“Yes,” Fang Boda replied, carefully detaching it. Squinting at the minuscule script, he read aloud, “It says: ‘Thank you for your care. Beware… beware of the guardian.’”