Chapter 23: Brotherhood

"Since we parted outside Lin'an, I have been secretly regretting that I was not able to fight Ding Qinghong together with Brother Liu." Lin Fangda held Liu Xunyi's arm very intimately, and said with a happy face, "If I hadn't been concerned about Ningyu's safety that day, I, Lin Fangda, would never have gone first even if I died! I thought I would never have the chance to repay your kindness in the future, but I didn't expect that I would meet you in Quanzhou today. This is a great fate."

When Liu Xunyi saw Lin Fangda, the problem that had been bothering him was solved. He felt very relieved and said with a smile, "I didn't expect to meet Brother Lin in Quanzhou. It seems that you and I are really destined to be together."

"It's fate! It's fate! More than fate, Brother Liu is also kind to me. Haha..." Lin Fangda's hearty laughter attracted the curious gazes of the people around him, but he ignored it and asked Liu Xunyi, "Why did Brother Liu come to Quanzhou? And he came to..." Lin Fangda was halfway through his words when he pointed at Yuanyang Pavilion, and his meaning was self-evident.

“This…that…” Liu Xunyi was stunned for a moment, then he picked up the hairpin in his hand and fiddled with it awkwardly in front of Lin Fangda. Although he did not open his mouth to explain, Lin Fangda already looked as if he had suddenly realized something, and he burst into laughter and said, “I didn’t expect Brother Liu to be such a sentimental person!”

At this moment, the woman in white that Liu Xunyi wanted to find had disappeared. He thought to himself, "That girl has an elegant posture, a stunning face, a cold and arrogant temperament, and is generous. She must be the daughter of some powerful family in Jiangnan. Although her eyebrows and eyes are somewhat similar to Yu'er, there are so many similar people in the world, and it is hard to guarantee that I have made a mistake again. Forget it, I will just consider this two hundred taels of silver as a debt to her first. When I have enough money, I will come to Yuanyang Pavilion one day, and ask the fat girl to pay her back on my behalf."

Thinking of this, Liu Xunyi no longer hesitated and gave two dry laughs in response to Lin Fangda's teasing. Seeing that Liu Xunyi was a little shy, Lin Fangda quickly spoke to comfort him, "Brother Liu, don't be shy. This is human nature. I understand!"

"I wonder why Brother Lin has come to Quanzhou?" Liu Xunyi hurriedly changed the subject, but in order to avoid Lin Fangda's suspicion, he added jokingly, "And why did you come to this Waterside Silver House in such a hurry? Could it be that Brother Lin is also trying to please a certain beauty?"

"To be honest, I was asked to come here by someone." Lin Fangda smiled bitterly. "Ningyu was originally punished by the Lord of the Palace to reflect on her mistakes because of the Lin'an incident. Then Lord Luo was invited to Quanzhou, and he couldn't resist his precious daughter's pleading, so he had to take her with him, but he strictly ordered Ningyu not to leave the Lord of the Palace's sight, otherwise he would send someone to 'escort' her back to Luoyang. So Ningyu is now tied to the Lord of the Palace and can't come out, but I heard that Quanzhou Yuanyang Pavilion is famous all over the world, so he asked me to run errands for her to come here to see it and buy her some good things by the way."

"So that's how it is." Liu Xunyi suddenly realized and thought to himself, "As expected, all women in the world love beauty. It wasn't a mistake for me to wait for her at Yuanyang Pavilion, but I didn't expect that Lord Luo would do that. If Brother Lin hadn't come here and happened to meet me, I'm afraid I would have waited in vain."

"Brother Liu, are you coming to Quanzhou this time for Mo Cen's retirement?" While Liu Xunyi was thinking secretly, Lin Fangda was already looking very secretive. He lowered his voice and asked quickly, "Are you also interested in the 'Wind and Rain Picture'?"

Hearing this, Liu Xunyi smiled bitterly and replied, "Who in the world wouldn't be interested in it? But interest is interest, I know how much I am capable of, I just want to see it, I will never touch this hot potato."

"Smart!" Lin Fangda looked around cautiously and nodded quickly, "I just wanted to advise Brother Liu not to take advantage of this picture, so as to avoid getting into trouble."

"Brother Lin, what do you mean by that?" Liu Xunyi frowned slightly and asked meaningfully, "Could it be that the Northern Sage King is interested in this picture..."

"There are some things I cannot say directly, but Brother Liu is a smart man, you must understand the pros and cons." Lin Fang changed the subject, put his arm around Liu Xunyi's shoulders, and laughed, "It's a rare opportunity for us to meet today, no matter what, I can't let you leave easily! Come on, let's go drink, we must drink to our heart's content, and we won't leave until we are drunk!"

Seeing Lin Fangda's reaction, Liu Xunyi couldn't help but sigh in his heart: "It turns out that the carefree Lin Fangda is actually a rough but meticulous person in his bones."

There is an inn in Quanzhou City that is famous in the south of the Yangtze River, named "Chunqiu Guangsha", and its owner behind the scenes is none other than the Jiangnan Lu Mansion.

Lu Chongyang, the head of the Lu family, built this "Spring and Autumn Mansion" with his own hands, with the intention of "I wish I had thousands of mansions to shelter all the poor scholars in the world". As long as the martial artists who traveled to Quanzhou came to the Lu family and said hello, they could eat, drink and have fun in the Spring and Autumn Mansion to their heart's content, and the Lu family would not charge a penny.

The "Chunqiu Guangsha" is known as the first inn in Quanzhou, and it is not in vain. The seven-story building is rich in restaurants, wine shops, teahouses, gambling houses and many side rooms. There are also a Hongwu Hall and a Sushui Pavilion in front and behind the main building. The Hongwu Hall is a place where martial artists can learn from each other and discuss martial arts, while the Sushui Pavilion is a place for listening to music and watching dance on a romantic night.

It has to be said that the martial artists who come here, while marveling at the wealth and power of the Jiangnan Lu family, also sincerely admire the Lu family's way of dealing with people. Over the years, many big names in the martial arts world have been here, received warm hospitality from the Lu family, and enjoyed luxury in the Chunqiu Guangsha.

As a result, the Jiangnan Lu family had more and more friends in the martial arts world, their connections became wider and wider, and their status became higher and higher. This was also an important reason why Mo Cen chose to host a banquet for the martial arts heroes at the Jiangnan Lu family for his 60th birthday and retirement.

The space in Jiangnan Lu Mansion was limited, and it was rare for outsiders to be invited into the mansion. Generally, they were the heads of various sects, elders, or powerful family heads, or famous heroes. Luo Tianjin was one of them.

As for ordinary fellow martial artists and disciples of various sects, they will be arranged to stay at Chunqiu Guangsha. Lin Fangda is one of them. During the day, he accompanies Luo Tianjin to visit various heroes in Lu Mansion, and returns to Chunqiu Guangsha to rest at night.

At this moment, Lin Fangda and Liu Xunyi met their old friend, and naturally they went to Guangsha to drink.

"Brother Liu, since you haven't received an invitation from the Lu Mansion, I will take good care of you tonight!"

Lin Fang was extremely enthusiastic and brought Liu Xunyi to Su Shui Pavilion, the most lively place in Chun Qiu Guang Sha. At this moment, it was getting dark and most of the guests staying in Chun Qiu Guang Sha came to Su Shui Pavilion, because here they could not only drink and have fun, but also see many charming singing girls and dancers.

Everyone has a love for beauty, and most people in the martial arts world are men, so it is not surprising that Su Shui Pavilion is the most lively tonight.

In the Sushui Pavilion, where people were living in luxury and extravagance, Lin Fangda and Liu Xunyi shuttled back and forth among the crowds, and finally found an empty table in the corner of the lobby. After the two of them sat down, they didn't need to be called. A beautiful lady dressed in a gauze skirt, almost naked, with a hint of spring, brought them wine and food one by one, and filled their glasses with wine. She was very considerate and thoughtful.

When the beautiful lady poured wine for Liu Xunyi, she smiled charmingly at him with spring in her eyes, and then gently pushed the wine in front of Liu Xunyi. Her thin sleeves slid down gently, and her white jade arms came out like lotus flowers emerging from water. There was a red rope tied around her wrist, and a round jade bead hung at the bottom of the red rope. The sleeves gently passed in front of Liu Xunyi, bringing with them a burst of soul-stirring fragrance, which made Liu Xunyi a little at a loss, so he had to look away quickly.

"Brother Liu, it seems that girl is interested in you." After the beautiful lady left, Lin Fangda said with a wicked smile, "Brother Liu is born with a noble and handsome appearance, so it is reasonable for girls to throw themselves at you. They are not like me, a big and rough man. I sat here for a long time yesterday, but I didn't see a single smiling face from them. Haha..."

"Brother Lin, what place have you brought me to?" Liu Xunyi looked in astonishment at the guests drinking and laughing in the hall, as well as the beautiful ladies singing and dancing among the guests. He felt very embarrassed at the moment.

"Chunqiu Guangsha, Sushui Pavilion." Lin Fang laughed, "Women must go to Yuanyangxie when they come to Quanzhou, and if we men come to Quanzhou, we must come to Sushui Pavilion to broaden our horizons. This is not a brothel nor a dirty place, this place is a family business of the Jiangnan Lu family, so brother Lin must not have any wrong ideas." Because there were laughter and noise in the Sushui Pavilion, Lin Fang had to raise his voice when talking to Liu Xunyi.

Liu Xunyi nodded slightly, as if he understood, and said, "Then these women..."

"If the man is in love with the woman, then a night of spring is worth a thousand gold." Lin Fang laughed, "If there is no such peach blossom fate, then just drink and listen to the music, and don't worry about the rest. Although Sushui Pavilion is not a brothel, it does not prevent guests from coming here to have fun. According to the rules of Sushui Pavilion, as long as the guests who come here have the ability to capture the hearts of those singing girls and dancers, they can invite them to drink and laugh together, or even take them back to the wing room to enjoy the love, and no one will interfere. But if you don't have the ability to please a woman, and want to use money or force a woman to submit, then you are asking for trouble. Sushui Pavilion will not tolerate it, and the guards arranged by the Lu family in the Spring and Autumn Mansion will not sit idly by."

After hearing Lin Fangda's explanation, Liu Xunyi couldn't help but marvel at it.

"To offend the Lu family in Quanzhou is to seek death, so no one dares to act recklessly here unless they are drunk." Lin Fang laughed, "Since ancient times, heroes have been unable to resist the temptation of beautiful women. The Jiangnan Lu family uses such a novel method to win over martial artists, which is quite creative. Haha..."

"I didn't expect there would be such a place in the world." Liu Xunyi exclaimed in disbelief, "It's rare to not charge martial artists a penny and take such good care of them. No wonder the Jiangnan Lu Mansion can make so many friends in the martial arts world."

"I think the girl just now is pretty good." Lin Fangda raised his eyebrows and said jokingly, "Brother Liu must be new to Quanzhou. I don't have much to say to you. Why don't I find you a room in the upper room of Sushui Pavilion and help you and that beautiful girl get married?"

"No, no! Absolutely not..." After hearing what Lin Fangda said, Liu Xunyi spit out the wine he had just drunk and refused again and again, "Brother Lin misunderstood what I meant."

"Haha..." Seeing Liu Xunyi in such an awkward state, Lin Fangda couldn't help but burst into laughter. "The woman just now has skin as white as snow, so delicate that it can be blown away. She is also a beauty picked out of a hundred. What's more, she smiled at you. As the saying goes, a gentleman loves a beautiful lady. Brother Liu, please don't be shy in front of me."

"Brother Lin, I appreciate your kindness, but please don't mention this matter again." Liu Xunyi seemed to be afraid of Lin Fangda's outspokenness, and shook his head repeatedly, saying, "You and I brothers are happiest when we drink."

"Yes, we hit it off right away when we met in Langyuan, West Lake, Lin'an. Later, you saved Ningyu and me from Ding Qinghong. Now we meet again in Quanzhou. I have to say that this is a great fate." Lin Fangda nodded generously and said, "I also see that although Brother Liu is hot-blooded, he does not covet women. He is truly a man of integrity."

"What happened in Lin'an was just helping someone when seeing injustice. It can't be called a life-saving favor." Liu Xunyi said sternly, "Brother Lin and I are friends. Friends should support each other and stick together. As for other things, Brother Lin, don't mention them anymore. You and Miss Luo don't have to think about repaying your kindness all the time, otherwise I won't dare to acknowledge you as my friend anymore."

Liu Xunyi's words made Lin Fangda admire him again and again. A hint of admiration emerged between his brows. He said loudly: "Brother Liu is a generous and heroic person. It is rare that you and I have such a fate. Lin dares to become sworn brothers with Brother Liu, but I don't know what Brother Liu thinks?"

Liu Xunyi knew that there were many righteous people in the Jianghu, but he didn't expect that Lin Fangda wanted to become sworn brothers with him after only meeting him three times. He was even more touched by Lin Fangda's straightforwardness. But then he thought that he was well prepared, so he approached him on purpose, so he felt guilty and became a little hesitant.

"What? Does Brother Liu look down on a rough man like me?" Lin Fangda couldn't help but look surprised when he saw this.

"How could that be?" Liu Xunyi waved his hands and said, "I would love nothing more than to be a brother to a man as generous and righteous as Brother Lin!"

"Brother Liu saved my life... Let's not talk about those things! Just because Brother Liu has great martial arts skills and likes to be chivalrous, the person you really want should be me!" Lin Fang laughed, "In that case, let's skip the red tape, you and I drink this cup together, it will be like an announcement to the world that you and I will be brothers in life and death who share weal and woe!" After that, Lin Fang raised the glass in his hand straight in front of Liu Xunyi, just waiting for Liu Xunyi to agree.

"Thank you for your kindness, big brother. I will not refuse it!"

Seeing Lin Fangda's insistence, Liu Xunyi no longer hesitated, raised his glass and gently touched it with Lin Fangda's glass, then they each drank the wine in their glasses, and then turned their glasses upside down at the same time, using the empty glasses without a drop left to show their loyalty to each other. The two looked at each other and suddenly felt heroic and laughed heartily.

Liu Xunyi himself did not expect that he would have a brother of a different surname when he first entered the martial arts world, and that they became sworn brothers at a seemingly casual drinking table. All these unexpected things surprised Liu Xunyi, and at the same time, he liked the free and unrestrained and spontaneous nature of the people in the martial arts world more and more. He felt that although he was quite interested in the people and things in the martial arts world before, when he really integrated into the martial arts world, he found that everything here seemed to be a little different from what he had imagined.

……

(End of this chapter)