Chapter 087: Evenly Matched

All right. I still have a few patients to see first, and once I have finished treating them, I will go speak with the Grand Princess.

Fang Xian nodded his agreement. He had also found the Grand Princess to be quite a good person, free of the spoiled temper of royalty and straightforward in manner. Of course, he did not deny that she was also very beautiful.

He had no other thoughts about her. He merely felt that she lacked the arrogance common to royal children and was easy to get along with, the sort of person one could call a friend. Now that she had run into trouble, it was only right to speak with her and help ease her mind.

By the time Fang Xian finished his work, it was almost dark. After tidying up, he headed straight for the Grand Princess’s little courtyard. The guards stopped him.

“Sir Fang, Her Highness says she is not receiving visitors.”

“Could you please announce me? What if the Grand Princess is willing to see me?” Fang Xian said calmly.

One guard thought it over, then turned and went inside to report.

A little later, she returned to the gate and said respectfully, “Sir Fang, Her Highness invites you in. However, there is something I must ask of you: the Grand Princess is drinking alone to drown her sorrow. Please try to persuade her and help her let go of her burden.”

“Very well.”

That had been Fang Xian’s purpose in coming, so he nodded and agreed.

“Didn’t the Grand Princess say she was not receiving visitors? Why is she willing to see Sir Fang?” one guard whispered as Fang Xian entered.

“Sir Fang is so handsome, and he has real talent. If it were me, I’d be willing to meet him at night too. If it were anyone else, the Grand Princess definitely wouldn’t see them,” another guard said with a giggle.

“Do you think the Grand Princess might have taken a fancy to Sir Fang?” someone asked.

“Who knows what the Grand Princess is thinking? There are so many important ministers and fierce generals at court, and she has never taken a liking to any of them. Sir Fang is only a scholar. I’m afraid he may not be the type she prefers,” another said, shaking her head.

“I think Sir Fang and the Grand Princess make a fine match, especially Sir Fang’s bearing. He’s far better than those court ministers and generals,” said yet another guard.

Fang Xian gave a slight shake of his head and walked on, no longer paying attention to their gossip. Reaching the inner courtyard, he saw the Grand Princess sitting alone in the hall, lonely and isolated, drinking by herself.

“Greetings, Your Highness. Am I disturbing you?” Fang Xian asked from the doorway with a bow.

“Sir Fang, please come in. Will you keep me company for a few drinks?” Princess Wu Qingluan beckoned to him and asked after he entered the hall.

“It would be discourteous to refuse such a gracious invitation.”

Fang Xian noticed that a set of cups and chopsticks had been placed on the table, untouched. He nodded, went over, and sat down, casually pouring himself a cup of wine.

“I offer this cup to you, sir.” Wu Qingluan lifted her own cup and clinked it lightly against his before covering her face with her wide sleeve and drinking it down.

Fang Xian naturally raised his cup and drained it in one go. Then he filled it again, also topping up the Grand Princess’s cup, and without another word clinked cups with her and drank first.

He did not say any consoling words. Instead, he silently kept her company through more than a dozen cups. Wu Qingluan was likewise bold and forthright; she had already drunk who knew how much before this, and after downing more than ten cups in succession, a flush of red rose instantly to her cheeks.

“Splendid!” Wu Qingluan cried, striking the table.

“Your Highness truly is a heroine among women. There is nothing that can trouble you, nor should anything be allowed to burden your heart. This humble one is unworthy, but I would gladly listen if you wished to unburden yourself. May I have that honor?” Fang Xian asked with a smile.

For many years, I have never truly spoken my heart to anyone. Yet it is strange: in front of Sir Fang, I find myself wanting to speak freely. If my words offend your ear, I hope you will forgive me,” Wu Qingluan said, her beautiful eyes resting on Fang Xian.

“I am all ears,” Fang Xian said with a nod.

So Wu Qingluan began to tell him, in detail, the events of her life from childhood to the present: how she lost her mother at a young age, grew up alongside the Crown Prince, and was called aunt and nephew in name yet sister and brother in heart; how her imperial brother had bestowed a marriage upon her, only for her to become a widow before the wedding could even take place; how she had then taken command of the Flying Phoenix Army, and how she had remained lonely ever since. She told him everything without reservation.

The two of them drank and chatted as they went. Fang Xian also told her about his own origins, and that he had several women in his life. Of course, he did not reveal that he was a traveler from another world, nor the celebrity system, nor the secret of his cultivation.

“I never would have imagined that your life would be even more legendary than mine,” the Grand Princess said with a sigh. Then she made an unexpected request: “I can tell that you are also at the pinnacle of the first rank. Why don’t we spar a little?”

“This... we have both been drinking. Would sparring now really be appropriate? If I were to lose control and injure Your Highness, I could never bear the consequences.” Fang Xian shook his head.

“What is there to fear? I am not afraid. If you have the ability to conquer me, I only fear that you may not have the skill.” Wu Qingluan spoke on impulse, not even realizing what she had just blurted out.

“Since Your Highness so graciously invites me, I shall be impolite.” Fang Xian’s eyes lit up at once. Although the Grand Princess was still dressed as a man, drink had given her an added allure.

Whoosh, whoosh...

There was fire in both their gazes. Then, at the same moment, they dashed from the hall and began fighting in the courtyard. The guards nearby heard the commotion and quickly appeared, aiming strong bows and crossbows at Fang Xian.

“This princess and Sir Fang are merely sparring. Stand down, all of you. Unless summoned, no one is permitted to enter the courtyard.”

Wu Qingluan shouted to the surrounding guards. They acknowledged the order and withdrew at once. They had thought Fang Xian meant her no good, only to discover that they were merely sparring, leaving the guards with a false alarm.

Bang, bang, bang...

Both of them restrained their inner force, so there was no overwhelming burst of qi as there would be in a fight to the death. Yet their exchange was still ferocious. They fought from the courtyard to the rockery, from the rockery to the tops of the willow trees, and from the willow trees to the roof.

Fang Xian knew that only by letting the Grand Princess fight to her heart’s content and release all the pent-up gloom in her heart could he help her truly set down her burden. So he did not hold back. He kept pressing her, forcing her to erupt with all her strength.

Boom, boom, boom...

Even though both of them were controlling themselves, the aftermath of their fierce battle still overturned the rockery, stone table, and willow trees in the courtyard, and left one pitted hollow after another in the ground.

Fifty exchanges, one hundred, one hundred and fifty, then two hundred. Their fight became ever more intense, and their tempers rose with it, yet both were exhausted to the point of collapse.

By the time they had fought more than two hundred and fifty exchanges, the two of them had somehow ended up in Wu Qingluan’s room, and in their utter fatigue, neither had much strength left at all.

“Do you yield?” Fang Xian pinned Wu Qingluan down and growled.

“Humph. I could still fight for several hundred more rounds.” Wu Qingluan’s voice was hoarse, but she still refused to admit defeat.

“Your Highness, this is getting tiresome. Is it really that hard to admit defeat? If you still refuse, don’t blame me for not being gentle.”

Fang Xian felt his body growing hotter and hotter. He licked his dry lips and stared at Wu Qingluan with a low growl.

“Come then. What do you think you can do? I have never surrendered since childhood. I want to fight you for several hundred more rounds.”

“Very well. You forced me into this.”

With a low roar, Fang Xian tore open her clothes.

Soon, a flurry of sharp, slapping sounds rang out from the room, mixed with Wu Qingluan’s cries of surprise, and then they went on and on without stopping.

“Say, the fighting between the Grand Princess and Sir Fang seems to have stopped?” Around the walls of the little courtyard, guards stood watch everywhere. One of them craned her neck and looked in.

“I never expected Sir Fang to be this formidable, able to fight the Marshal to a standstill. In the Flying Phoenix Army, let alone the young commanders, even among the veteran generals, there are hardly any who can match the Grand Princess,” someone said with awe.

“Listen carefully. It doesn’t sound like the fight has stopped at all; it seems they’ve just moved into the room,” said a guard captain at the second rank. Everyone immediately held their breath and listened closely, and sure enough, they heard the sharp, slapping sounds coming from inside.

“So they really are still fighting. It looks like the Grand Princess wants to beat Sir Fang. But there aren’t any lamps lit in the room—how can they even see?” a guard asked.

“The Grand Princess and Sir Fang are both peak first-rank experts. In the dark, they can see as clearly as in daylight, so the darkness doesn’t affect them at all,” the captain replied.

“Wait, listen again. I think I just heard the princess crying out. Could it be that the Grand Princess is losing?” Another guard captain suddenly exclaimed.

“Yes, the Grand Princess really is crying out. But did you notice? It sounds almost like she is moaning,” the first captain said after listening more carefully. Her expression turning strange, she pulled the other captain closer and muttered in her ear.

“What? Could Sir Fang dare to bully the Grand Princess?” the other captain asked in shock.

“Fool. Who is the Grand Princess? If she did not wish it, would Sir Fang dare bully her? Besides, the Grand Princess has been so lonely all these years. If she could find a man like Sir Fang, perhaps that would even be a good thing.”

“That is true. Sir Fang really is a rare and excellent man. Not only are his medical skills superb, but his martial arts are also extraordinary. He is fully worthy of the Grand Princess.”

Before long, the three captains stationed outside the little courtyard gathered together and whispered among themselves. They had all noticed that something was amiss, but none of them said it aloud. The other guards, less skilled in cultivation, heard the sounds and still thought the two were merely fighting, never realizing that the nature of the struggle had already changed.