Chapter 60 The sweet aroma of wine filled the room…

The sweet aroma of wine grew stronger in the room, mingling with the scent of spices from the incense burner, making one feel dizzy.

Cao Zhuangling knelt on the kesi carpet, his consciousness awakened by the sudden sound from above.

"How did you end up like this?" The tone was casual, as if the only concern was why he had changed his appearance.

After Cao Zhuangling finished explaining what had happened, he stared at the gold thread on the carpet and waited quietly for the person at the head of the table to decide his fate.

"In other words, not only did you fail to keep an eye on the people, you also lured the pursuers here."

The person on the chaise lounge spoke slowly, and their flippant tone suggested they didn't take Cao Zhuangling's words to heart at all.

Cao Zhuangling bent down. It had been too long since he had seen the person in front of him, but he had never forgotten the other party's methods:

"My lord, I only dared to enter the city after I had shaken off the pursuers behind me. I would never dare to put you in an unjust situation."

"Someone come here."

The person at the head of the table didn't care how Cao Zhuangling tried to explain; his flippant tone suddenly turned cold.

Two people dressed the same as those who led Cao Zhuangling into the mansion appeared out of thin air inside the house.

"I don't need people who do bad things. What I gave you in the past, I'll give you back now."

One sentence almost sealed Cao Zhuangling's fate.

His cultivation level was almost entirely given to him by the person in front of him; if he were to be deprived of his current cultivation level...

With the lifespan he has left, he is destined to die.

As the person at the head of the table was about to disappear from sight, Cao Zhuangling's survival instincts reminded him of something, and he hurriedly spoke up:

“My lord, I’m still useful! I’m still useful! About that child you specifically asked me to…”

The person at the head of the table waved his hand, and the two men in black robes disappeared from the spot, leaving Cao Zhuangling behind, who fell to the ground after losing his support.

"Speak up, and if you do well, I'll spare your life."

The delicate aroma of wine once again filled the room. The person on the chaise lounge sat up, picked up the wine pot, and filled the wine cup. The words on her lips seemed to be reminiscing with an old friend.

"My lord, the boy you specifically requested to be captured is probably no ordinary person."

Seeing that the man seemed to be softening, Cao Zhuangling hurriedly recounted the whole scene of seeing Amei being controlled.

The person at the head of the table murmured, "Interesting, no wonder he survived back then."

He casually used his spiritual power to send the wine jug beside him to Cao Zhuangling: "This is a reward for you."

"Thank you, sir."

Cao Zhuangling knelt on the ground, his heart finally at ease, a look of joy flashing across his buried face, his fingers tightly gripping the reward in front of him.

"You'll stay there for the next two days... there will be a use for you later." The person on the couch waved his hand, signaling someone to take Cao Zhuangling away.

As the figure gradually disappeared, he slowly rose from the couch, tossing his wine cup to the floor, the spilled wine soaking the carpet. His voice echoed in the empty room:

"Pack your things, we've been in this place long enough."

After leaving the city, send someone to the prefectural governor's office to deliver a message.

Cao Zhuangling, who had been taken to the house where he was placed, watched as the people left.

They couldn't wait to take out the reward they had received.

The carved wine pot was exquisitely crafted, but he didn't bother to admire it. He untied the lid, threw it on the table, and tilted his head back to pour the wine into his mouth.

The crystal-clear wine poured into his stomach without spilling a drop, turning into a warm liquid that repaired the hidden injuries within his body.

Cao Zhuangling quickly sat down cross-legged to regulate his breathing.

A moment later, his gray hair gradually turned black from the roots.

—

Let's rewind to the present.

In Lian'an Town, Xie Zhuo, who was preparing to set off for Luozhou County, encountered a problem.

News of the disaster in Luozhou County has spread, and no driver in the carriage company is willing to take this trip.

If Xie Zhuo were alone, it wouldn't be impossible for him to ride a horse to Luozhou County.

But now he has children, and the journey is already arduous; he couldn't bear to see Xie Baoqiong suffer any more.

He simply spent more money to buy a carriage and drove it out of the city gate himself.

Luggage and Xie Baoqiong were placed inside the carriage.

But Xie Baoqiong couldn't sit still. As soon as they left the city gate, she got out of the carriage and sat next to Xie Zhuo, her gaze towards him filled with surprise.

"Dad, how come you can do everything?"

The carriage wasn't moving very fast, so Xie Zhuo didn't urge the person back into the carriage. Instead, he followed Xie Baoqiong's words and said:

"If Qiong'er wants to learn, Dad can teach you in the future."

Xie Baoqiong tilted her head to look at Xie Zhuo, who was quite different from the one in the Marquis's mansion. The gentle morning sunlight softly fell on Xie Zhuo, softening his sharp edges and washing away the coldness that had settled on him after he became an official, making him appear even more gentle and refined.

This also makes Xie Zhuo look more like a real person.

Humans who are not like him.

In the storybooks, the demons and monsters would reveal their true forms under the high sunlight.

Now, on the driveway through the mountains, the sunlight dimly enveloped him and Xie Zhuo.

His physical resemblance to Xie Zhuo seemed to draw a clear line under the sun that pierced through evil spirits.

Xie Zhuo is actually nothing like him.

Xie Zhuo is a person; he is a stone.

He didn't have everything Xie Zhuo had.

The dazzling sunlight, as the carriage moved forward, was filtered through the shade of the trees overhead, leaving coin-sized spots that fell on his and Xie Zhuo's shoulders.

Xie Baoqiong's gaze fell on the halo of light on the clothes. Instead of answering Xie Zhuo's question about learning to drive, she said earnestly:

“Father is not quite the same as when he was in the Marquis’s mansion.”

Xie Zhuo did not deny his words: "People are given different appearances by their environment."

Now, I can simply be Xie Zhuo, just Xiao Bao's father.

Xie Zhuo diverted some of his attention to Xie Baoqiong, who was staring at the patterns on her clothes, and said softly:

"Xiao Bao is all the same in front of his father."

Xie Baoqiong put aside his inner turmoil; he never made things difficult for himself. He looked up at Xie Zhuo's profile:

“But Dad has changed and he doesn’t look like me anymore.”

Xie Zhuo gripped the whip with the same hand he held the reins, and with his free hand, he pinched Xie Baoqiong's cheek.

"Throughout history, sons have always resembled their fathers. How can there be any saying that a father resembles his son?"

Besides, your father and you are not the same person, so why must you be the same in every way?

Xie Baoqiong withdrew her face from Xie Zhuo's hands, but was stunned by Xie Zhuo's question.

Right, why would he want Xie Zhuo to be like him?

After his affair with Xie Zhuo and the Princess of Huayang was over, he would no longer have any contact with them.

Xie Zhuo looked at Xie Baoqiong, who had lowered her eyes, and said, "Xiao Bao doesn't need to become like her father."

...

The carriage traveled along the official road for two days, and the two had not yet left the Sishui Mountains, occasionally seeing passersby.

Xie Zhuo observed along the way, and doubts arose in his heart.

In the past two days, all the vehicles and pedestrians I encountered were dressed neatly, and although their faces showed signs of fatigue from traveling, none of them looked pale or thin.

Luozhou Prefecture borders Huaiyang Prefecture, which is located at our feet. If there is a disaster in Luozhou, we should be able to see the disaster victims who have fled from Luozhou.

The extent of the disaster in Luozhou is unknown; no refugees have been seen fleeing their homes, perhaps indicating that the disaster in Luozhou has been brought under control.

Xie Zhuo comforted himself in his heart, but also prepared for the worst.

For example, a prefect, for the sake of his own political achievements and official position, locked the city gates and forcibly suppressed the disaster victims...

Their gazes involuntarily shifted to Xie Baoqiong, who was holding a bird whistle and blowing it.

"Chirp?" The bird whistled a melodious ending note, and Xie Baoqiong's puzzled gaze followed.

Xie Zhu put aside his worries and looked at the sun hanging on the side of the mountain: "Let's rest for a while before continuing our journey."

As he spoke, he drove the carriage to the side of the official road and stopped it.

"Chirp." Xie Baoqiong whistled in response to Xie Zhuo's words.

The closer they got to Luozhou, the fewer pedestrians there were on the official road. Now that the two had stopped their carriage to rest, they hadn't seen a single person for almost half a day.

Xie Zhuo removed the straw hat that had been shining on Xie Baoqiong's head. Seeing that there was no sweat on her forehead, he still poured some water from his water bag onto a handkerchief and had her wipe her face.

"Drink some more water."

Xie Zhuo did not re-stuff the water bag, but took the handkerchief from Xie Baoqiong's hand and handed over the opened water bag.

Xie Baoqiong put the bird whistle back in her bosom, took the water bag, sat on the carriage platform and drank water, watching Xie Zhuo untie the horse and pull it aside to feed it grass.

As the mountain path wound its way forward, eight or nine people carrying backpacks walked toward them, then found a shady spot nearby to rest.

One of them put down his baggage and walked towards Xie Baoqiong, who was sitting in the carriage.

Xie Zhu noticed the commotion, stroked the horse's mane, and walked back.

"Kid, give me some water."

The man wearing a straw hat stopped in front of Xie Baoqiong, holding a broken porcelain bowl in his outstretched hand.

Xie Baoqiong stopped drinking water and looked up at the person who had come in. He was dressed in a brownish-gray outfit, and his straw hat was pulled low over his head, revealing only half of his unshaven chin.

The porcelain bowl handed to him was almost the same color as his clothes, with spiderweb-like cracks on the bottom.

Xie Baoqiong held the water bag without moving:

"Your bowl is leaky; it can't catch the water."

The chin peeking out from under the straw hat moved slightly, revealing a mouth with red lips and white teeth, creating a stark contrast with the stubble on his chin:

“It’s alright, kid. I finished drinking it before it leaked out. I haven’t had any water for a long time.”

Xie Baoqiong nodded, but her hands remained still.

"I'll go get you a bowl."

As he spoke, he began to climb into the carriage.

Xie Zhuo's footsteps drew closer from behind, and the hand gripping the broken bowl suddenly shot out, the porcelain bowl hurtling straight at Xie Baoqiong.

Xie Baoqiong avoided the situation by turning around and looking for something in the carriage.

"Qiong'er, be careful."

Having seen clearly what was happening behind him, Xie Zhuo drew his longsword and attacked the man directly.

The bamboo hat was knocked off by the longsword, revealing the face of a young man with an ordinary appearance, but whose hoarse voice just now did not match.

Xie Zhuo's longsword struck again, aiming straight for the man's vitals, but was skillfully dodged.

But Xie Zhuo didn't linger. He moved straight toward the carriage, lifted Xie Baoqiong, and shoved her into the carriage, while rapidly instructing her:

"Qiong'er, I know you're capable. Climb out of the car window later, run, and don't look back."

Go back to Lian'an Town and find Rong Feng; have him escort you back to the capital.

Xie Baoqiong was still a little dazed after being shoved into the carriage by Xie Zhuo.

After following Xie Zhuo's instructions to climb out of the carriage, she did not continue to run as Xie Zhuo commanded. Instead, she looked back at the carriage while still close to it.

The people who had been resting in the shade attacked the front of the carriage, but Xie Zhuo blocked them.

He was, after all, a demon cultivator, while the group of people in front of him were just ordinary mortals. Although he couldn't kill them due to the rules that bound cultivators, knocking them unconscious was no problem at all.

Moreover, Xie Zhuo already knew that he knew some martial arts. As long as he used his spiritual power discreetly, Xie Zhuo, being a mortal, could not sense it.

Thinking this, he climbed onto the roof of the car and fell from the sky, kicking one of the people near Xie Zhuo to the ground.

When Xie Zhuo appeared, most of the people who were besieging him gathered around him, leaving two or three to hold him back.

Xie Baoqiong was naturally unafraid. With her lifelong spiritual power, her punches could send people flying seven feet away if they landed successfully.

If Xie Zhuo hadn't been there, he could have knocked the person even further away.

Distracted by Xie Baoqiong's sudden appearance, Xie Zhuo was angry and his attacks became even more ferocious.

Although he saw that Xie Baoqiong was handling the situation with ease, he still couldn't help but worry. He slashed his sword horizontally, pushed aside the people blocking his way, and moved closer to Xie Baoqiong.

Xie Baoqiong leaped into the air and kicked away yet another person who approached.

The body spins in the air, facing yet another person approaching.

The man's sleeves trembled, and a wisp of smoke emerged from them, drifting towards Xie Baoqiong's face.

Xie Baoqiong frowned and pretended to avoid it. The mortals' sleeping smoke had little effect on him, and even Amei's fog had no effect on him.

His consciousness went haywire the moment the sedative touched his cheek.

I felt no pain after being kicked in the abdomen, but my body flew backward uncontrollably.

Xie Zhuo's shouts gradually faded into the distance.

His body was falling.

The next moment, someone grabbed his arm and pulled him into a tight embrace.

The ear-piercing sound of metal striking the rock wall brought Xie Baoqiong back to her senses.

He turned his eyes and saw Xie Zhuo's face, and Xie Zhuo's long sword, which had tried to pierce the rock wall but had become blunt.

His face was nestled in Xie Zhuo's arms, obscuring the bottom of the cliff below. The wind whipped his robes and hair upwards.

He didn't know if the rocks would shatter at such a deep cliff bottom, but Xie Zhuo would definitely be broken into pieces.

-----------------------

Author's note: Xie Baoqiong (pushing Su Xiaochun awake): Xiaochun, why do you think I want Xie Zhuo to be like me?

Su Xiaochun (yawning) (drowsy): Maybe you want to be his father?

Xie Baoqiong (opens up a new idea) (goes home) (climbs into Xie Zhuo's room): Dad, can you call me Dad?

Xie Zhuo: ? ? ?