Chapter 643: Where is the Lord? Washing His Hair (Part 2) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]

"With your words, I am relieved."

Gong Xilai breathed a long sigh of relief.

Her eyes were brimming with light, as if she had found her pillar of support.

Xiaocheng is a city that carries too much of the past.

She grew up here, and also experienced the biggest upheaval of her life here. Fortunately, fate was kind to her; after she fell into the deepest abyss, she met Gong Xichou. Little did she expect that, four years later, the old nightmare would reappear.

fortunately--

The situation took an unexpected turn; it was a false alarm.

Xun Ding summoned his warhorse and held out his hand: "Go."

"Wait, I'll go too."

Yang Ying used her sword to block Gong Xilai, who was about to extend his hand.

"Why are you so wary of me, you surnamed Yang?"

Yang Ying also summoned her warhorse, and with a little effort, pulled Gong Xilai onto the horse's back. She wrapped her arms around him and held the reins firmly: "I am Alai's personal bodyguard, and there is no reason for me to let Alai out of my sight. Of course, I must go too."

"you--"

Xun Ding's lips twitched slightly, feeling displeased.

Yang Ying didn't look at him, but simply spurred the horse's flanks: "Giddy up!"

The horses' hooves clattered as the warhorse walked straight past Xun Ding. Gong Xilai, the center of attention, nestled in Yang Ying's arms, giving Xun Ding a reassuring smile and a playful wink. Xun Ding opened his mouth, glancing at Yang Ying's straight back, a defiant snort escaping his lips. Yang Ying, not deaf, turned and raised an eyebrow.

"What are you humming about? Xun Yong'an, it's time to lead the way."

Xun Ding gritted his teeth inwardly: "They're here! What's the rush?"

Gong Xichou deserves to be cut into a thousand pieces, and Yang Ying is also an eyesore.

During battle, they could wreak havoc and destroy everything in their path, but the cleanup afterwards was a real hassle—trivial and complicated. They also had to send people to guard all the areas and seal the city gates to prevent any survivors from escaping. All of these tasks were left to Jiang Sheng, Xun Zhen, and Liao Jia.

Gu Chi?

He had the will but not the ability.

The battlefield was filled with a heavy atmosphere of violence and unspoken thoughts, making the scholar's duty far more burdensome for Gu Chi than ever before. Gu Chi had also participated in the siege during the day, which had depleted his literary energy beyond its limits. After the battle, he even forced himself to compile a list of key personnel under Qiu Cheng, and his body naturally couldn't keep up.

Liao Jia advised him not to work so hard.

Gu Chi coughed and said, "The scholars of Wenxin have many tricks up their sleeves. Although it is not easy to catch them, it is even more unacceptable to let them go back to the mountains."

Who can be sure they won't become a major threat in the future?

Liao Jia ignored his advice, saying that if he was unwell, he should lie down: "There's no rush. The city gates are already sealed, and the city wall barrier has been reopened with the prefect's seal. They can't sneak out for the time being. Since they're trapped, we'll catch them slowly."

Gu Chi wanted to say something more: "But..."

"But" is followed by something else.

Liao Jia also gave him a ban gift package.

Gu Chi: "..."

Being confined was a very unpleasant experience, and Xun Ding felt similarly sorry for him. Xun Ding tried to start a conversation with Gong Xi several times, but Yang Ying always interrupted him, leaving him no opportunity to say a few words.

The two were on the verge of exchanging blows, leaving Gong Xilai caught in the middle, feeling both amused and helpless. Just then, she caught a glimpse of a somewhat familiar figure quickly disappearing into the alley, and she hurriedly patted Yang Ying's hand.

"Stop first, I see someone I know."

Xun Ding hurriedly asked, "An acquaintance? Where is he?"

Gong Xilai pointed towards the alley, but before she could finish saying "looks like her ex-fiancé," Xun Ding was nowhere to be seen on horseback. She pouted and muttered, "Why can't he let people finish speaking? So impatient..."

Yang Ying said, "That's unreliable."

Gong Xilai's face flushed crimson, and she pouted coquettishly.

"What nonsense are you spouting..."

Yang Ying said expressionlessly, "Your brother's conclusion—unreliable, weak, poor cultivation, penniless, and a shallow person who judges by appearance! I'm just repeating what he said."

Gong Xilai: "...He himself is quite handsome."

Gong Xiqiu had reminded Yang Ying to try to keep Gong Xilai from mentioning Xun Ding as much as possible. So, Yang Ying decisively changed the subject, feigning curiosity, and asked, "Alai, who did you see just now?"

This tactic worked.

"If I'm not mistaken, he should be my former fiancé."

Yang Ying asked in surprise, "You have this kind of thing?"

Gong Xilai almost laughed at Yang Ying: "What do you mean by 'trinkets'? Engagement isn't anything unusual. However, this marriage was called off when I was ten. Because of my uncle's involvement, I was relegated to the status of a lowly person. My future husband's family felt ashamed and, in order to avoid suspicion and distance themselves from the situation, ordered the marriage certificate to be returned. If it weren't for all these changes, perhaps there would be another resentful woman in the household..."

"A resentful woman? Isn't that a thing?"

Yang Ying understood the implied meaning in Gong Xilai's words.

Gong Xilai lamented, "After I was confiscated and relegated to a lowly status, I diligently studied music, chess, calligraphy, painting, singing, dancing, and music. Relying on my talent and this face, I gained a reputation for beauty even before I stepped onto the stage. Often, romantic and talented men would come to listen to me practice music and dance. He was one of them. He was young but frequented brothels. He once said in private that once I officially debuted on stage, he would redeem me and make me his mistress. He was a womanizer."

Yang Ying frowned in disgust.

"This kind of thing—"

I find it disgusting to even look at it once.

Gong Xilai's eyes curved into a smile: "Just look. If I knew he wasn't doing well, wouldn't that be a happy thing for me?"

Yang Ying: "That's true."

To everyone's surprise, Xun Ding brought back two people, a man and a woman. Gong Xilai hurriedly explained, "It's this man; the woman was arrested by mistake."

The man was trembling.

The woman had an imposing presence.

To everyone's surprise, Xun Ding's expression was inexplicably strange. His gaze shifted from the woman to Gong Xilai, finally settling on Yang Ying. The captured woman struggled incessantly, her eyes wide with anger. Yang Ying immediately noticed her odd behavior: "How did you dislocate her jaw?"

Although Xun Ding had a thousand faults, he didn't hit women, nor did he harm the elderly, weak, sick, or disabled who were defenseless—except for Yang Ying. Because Yang Ying was a woman with martial arts skills, an opponent, and someone he could fight. His logic was remarkably similar to that of Gongxi Chou.

Why did you resort to such violence against a weak woman today?

"If we don't take it off, the person will run away."

Xun Ding was glad he acted quickly.

Yang Ying: "Others run away on their legs, but she ran away on her chin?"

"Let's put everything else aside for now and go see Shen Jun first." Upon hearing the name "Shen Jun," the woman struggled even more fiercely.

Where is Shen Tang right now?

She was at the residence of the Prefect of Xiaocheng.

Having survived numerous wars and renovations, this place is far superior in layout and decoration to Chen Tang's shanty. Xun Ding's initially pleasant mood vanished the moment he encountered his father at the mansion's entrance, and he became utterly obedient.

"Father!"

He dismounted and bowed.

Gong Xilai followed suit with a curtsy, while Yang Ying simply clasped his hands in a fist salute. Xun Zhen nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over Gong Xilai and Yang Ying behind Xun Ding, then noticing his son's inexplicably tense expression. He paused, asking, "What are you doing here?"

Xun Ding cautiously said, "I request an audience with Lord Shen."

Pointing to a man and a woman, he said as if seeking credit, "Father, these two are highly suspicious. Lord Shen might be interested."

Xun Zhen said "Oh," and then added, "Come with me."

Because the takeover of the prefectural governor's residence was hasty, and because Shen Tang was highly skilled in martial arts, the number of guards sent was small. They only saw seven or eight people along the way: "Where is the lord?"

The guard replied, "In the council chamber."

He then pointed out the direction to Xun Zhen.

The council hall wasn't far away. As soon as the group approached, they heard Shen Tang talking to someone, her voice slightly breathless, and they could vaguely hear the sound of flowing water. Xun Ding, whose hearing was better than Xun Zhen's, heard it clearly, and his cheeks silently burned.

"Father, is it inconvenient right now?"

He whispered a reminder to his elderly father.

The old father glanced sideways at his eldest son.

He said disdainfully, "What are you thinking?"

This might be misunderstood by others, but Xun Zhen preferred to believe that her lord was slicing cucumbers rather than that she was having sex with someone. Just as she finished speaking, she heard a voice from Shen Tang's end: "Hanzhang? Come in, is something the matter?"

Xun Zhen received permission and stepped into the council hall.

Xun Ding and the others followed suit.

Then--

The first person he saw was not Shen Tang, but Gong Xi Chou, who wasn't even wearing martial armor. His usually arrogant braided hair looked listless at this moment. He sat cross-legged on the ground, one hand supporting his knee, and turned his head to say, "A Lai, come here."

"Brother!"

Gong Xilai was overjoyed.

"Oh, so this is our sworn sister?"

Gong Xichou: "That's my sworn sister, not us."

Before Gong Xilai could reach Gong Xichou's side, she heard a teasing laugh. She looked around, her eyebrows furrowing: "Who is it?"

The voice said with a smile, "Look down."

Gong Xilai: "???"

The sound originated from a pillar.

A pair of long legs were upside down on the pillar. Following the legs downwards, a flamboyant crimson hem of a robe was tucked into the waistband. Further down, there was an upside-down, handsome face of a young boy. On the other side of the pillar, a boy was supporting himself with one hand on the ground, scratching his wet, black hair with the other. Under the boy's head was a basin of steaming warm water. Gong Xilai was dumbfounded and asked, "What are you doing?"

The boy didn't answer, but his older brother drooped his eyelids and sighed, "Perform my handstand hair washing trick."

Because a promise is a promise, he couldn't afford not to read it.

_(:з」∠)_

(End of this chapter)