Chapter 686: Two-Faced and Treacherous (Part 2) [Two-in-One]

Shen Tang: "..."

Unsure, she decided to take another look.

I looked at it again and again, making sure I wasn't seeing things.

There was indeed a graceful and gentle woman on Chu Yao's horse.

She stared blankly, completely baffled as to why Chu Yao had gone to the appointment alone but brought someone back with him.

"My lord!"

Chu Yao dismounted first and helped Rui Ji down.

Shen Tang stepped forward to examine the woman's face more closely. The latter was dressed as a married woman, and judging from her age, she was not young. She was a married woman! She gave Rui Ji an awkward smile, then hurriedly pulled Chu Yao's sleeve aside and whispered to him with their backs to Rui Ji. This posture had a bit of a spy rendezvous feel to it: "Wu Hui, whose wife did you steal this time?"

Why did Shen Tang make this judgment?

The woman's clothes were bright and clearly not those of a widow.

Chu Yao said, "It's Wei Yuanyuan's."

Shen Tang coughed so hard her face turned red.

Chu Yao patted her back to help her catch her breath.

"Wei Yuanyuan... How did you do that?" Shen Tang's eyes widened like a pie chart, a mixture of shock, doubt, confusion, and admiration. He had swaggered over to the appointment and even brought someone's wife out right under their noses.

I never expected you to be like this, Chu Yao!

Chu Yao said, "Move them with emotion and reason."

Naturally, you should win someone over with a sincere heart.

Shen Tang: "..."

She had considered countless possibilities, wondering what methods Chu Yao would use to force Wei Shou to abandon defense and launch an offensive, but even with her wildest imagination, she never envisioned such a drastic measure. Chu Yao simply stole Wei Shou's wife! Could Wei Shou possibly tolerate that?

"not good--"

Shen Tang looked worriedly toward the direction of Chaoli Pass.

"What if he comes out to fight?"

Chu Yao laughed and said, "Not for a while."

His "golden cicada shedding its shell" technique could deceive Wei Shou for a time.

He added, "Even if they discover us, we'll be safe."

Shen Tang patted his shoulder and gave him a thumbs up.

"Wu Hui, well done!"

To everyone's surprise, Chu Yao said, "This alone is not enough to force him out of the city. No matter how much Wei Yuanyuan values ​​Rui Ji, he will not disregard the lives of his subordinates. We still need a spark to force him into battle. My lord, please wait a few more days; the time will soon be ripe!"

Shen Tang didn't know what Chu Yao had done this time, but she believed he wouldn't speak carelessly. Since he said that, he must be absolutely certain. After a brief chat, Shen Tang straightened her appearance and put on her gentlest and most harmless smile: "Greetings, Madam Rui Ji."

Ruiji was also observing Shentang.

She smiled and gave a slight bow: "Greetings, Mr. Shen."

Shen Tang said, "Wu Hui hastily invited Madam to the camp as a guest. I apologize to Madam on his behalf. Please rest assured for a few days. After Chaoli Pass is breached, I will ensure that Madam and your husband are reunited. Until then, please be patient..."

Ruiji: "I am at ease with Yu-ge'er's actions."

Shen Tang tilted her head in confusion: "Yu-ge'er?"

Does this title refer to Wu Hui?

Chu Yao's face flushed slightly at the title.

Slightly embarrassed and annoyed, he said, "Goro!"

Ruiji explained with a kind smile.

“Yu Ge’er is his nickname, and I’m used to calling him that.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Tang knew that Rui Ji was most likely not stolen by Chu Yao. These two were old acquaintances, the kind who had known each other since childhood. With this connection, the last trace of guilt in Shen Tang's heart disappeared. With a wave of her hand, she turned and headed home!

There was still a short distance to the camp when Chu Yao and Shen Tang, as if sensing something, simultaneously turned their heads to look in the direction of Chaoli Pass. An extremely powerful martial energy suddenly erupted from that direction, causing the surrounding天地气 (heaven and earth energy) to stir within dozens of miles, with a faint pinkish glow.

Chu Yao said, "Oh no, we've been discovered."

He said he was worried, but the corners of his mouth turned up in a smile.

He said to Ruiji, "Sister, sit tight!"

Not only did they spur their horses on, but they also imbued them with the speed-boosting spell "Swift as the Wind." The ordinary warhorse moved so fast that it left only a blur. Shen Tang also accelerated at the same time, and the three of them flew back to their own military defense range. They had only been gone for twenty or thirty breaths when a figure filled with resentment arrived, but he was a little too late.

The main gate of the camp.

Gu Chi was walking back from digesting his food when he happened to see this scene.

He joked, "Is there a ghost chasing after my lord?"

Shen Tang used her hand as a comb to tidy her hair, which had been ruffled by the strong wind, and laughed heartily: "There are no ghosts, but..."

Before he could finish speaking, a violent gale swept in from outside the camp.

The wind carried a restless and angry martial spirit.

Sand and stones flew, yellow fog filled the sky, and dark clouds pressed down overhead.

At the same time, a male voice was also heard.

"Chu Liangliang, you son of a bitch, get out here!"

Chu Yao: "..."

Shen Tang looked at Chu Yao and asked, "Chu Liangliang?"

"You steal someone else's wife, are you even a man?!"

"Chu Wuhui, get out here!"

"I'll tear you to pieces today..."

"You damn well better give Ah Rui back to me, do you hear me?!"

Gu Chi's meaningful gaze fell on Chu Yao.

The latter calmly replied, "Let him go crazy!"

He added, "They'll go back on their own after they've barked enough."

As it turned out, Wei Shou's perseverance was extraordinary; he stood with one hand on his hip and cursed at the camp for a quarter of an hour without repeating himself.

Fearing that Wei Shou would go mad and reveal his identity, Chu Yao ordered someone to shoot an arrow at him. The letter on the arrow was, of course, not a friendly message. It basically told the dim-witted Wei Shou two things: if he wanted Rui Ji, he should attack her himself; otherwise, he shouldn't bark and risk putting Rui Ji in danger. Chu Yao and Rui Ji were old friends, and she was safer with him than with Wei Shou.

"Pah! How is it dangerous to be near me?"

His words implied that Chaoli Pass would fall, which infuriated Wei Shou. However, still retaining some rationality, he knew that if he continued to cause trouble, it would be Rui Ji who would be in danger. He put his hands on his hips, looked at the many archers secretly aiming at him in the distance, and reluctantly turned to leave. Wei Shou was gone, but the tremor of heaven and earth he had caused lasted for quite some time.

certainly--

The news of Chu Yao stealing someone else's wife has also spread.

The members of the Allied Forces looked at Shen Tang with strange eyes.

What exactly is it about Chu Yao that makes him so appealing...?

They actually stole Wei Shou's wife without saying a word?

To prevent people from having wild ideas and damaging Ruiji's reputation, Shen Tang had no choice but to explain: "The lady that Wu Hui took away from Chaoli Pass last night was his elder sister. In the midst of battle, swords and spears have no eyes, and he was also afraid that Lady Ruiji would get hurt if she stayed at Chaoli Pass."

Upon hearing this, the gossip ceased.

Huang Lie sent men to challenge Chaoli Pass, but no one responded.

Tao Yan, with a mocking expression, offered his suggestion: "Wei Shou isn't a real man either. His wife has been kidnapped, yet he remains calm. In my opinion, we should take a drastic measure. Tie his woman up and bring her to the front lines. Even if we can't force Wei Shou to leave the pass, we can at least make him lose face in front of both armies. What do you all think?"

"Screw your father!"

He was scolded by Shen Tang as soon as he finished speaking.

Tao Yan's neck turned red with anger: "Vulgar!"

Shen Tang retorted swiftly and eloquently.

"Vulgar? I may be vulgar, but I'm not as obscene as you. You refuse to practice swordsmanship and instead choose to practice baseness. Wei Shou refused to leave the pass because he didn't want to increase the casualties of his troops. Even if he wasn't a good husband, he was at least a good general. What kind of man are you, who only knows how to humiliate men by humiliating their women? Are you a rootless wretch? Do you even have a brain? Rui Ji is the elder sister of my strategist Chu Wu Hui. If you want to do something to her, I'll do something to your ancestors for eighteen generations, and I'll do it twice as much!"

She had only been a member of the coalition for a short time.

He's either criticizing others or on his way to criticizing others.

Furthermore, given that she had previously stormed off without a word, nearly causing the Dragon Slaying Bureau to disband, no one dared to provoke her. Even Qian Yong, with whom she had a past feud, only dared to make sarcastic remarks in the background, and did not dare to confront Shen Tang directly.

Because arguing with her would only humiliate you.

When people swear, they don't care about avoiding using profanity.

Tao Yan was so angry that his chest heaved violently.

"You, you, you, you're so vulgar—"

"If you don't like me, you can leave gracefully!"

The allied members who had their eyes on Ruiji all gave up their plans.

This matter quickly reached the ears of Chu Yao and the others. What the others thought was unknown for the time being, but Chu Yao remembered Tao Yan.

Shen Tang arranged for Rui Ji to have a separate tent and even assigned someone to protect her. In her spare time, she could chat with Chu Yao and reminisce about the past: "This Lord Shen is quite a man of character. No wonder Brother Yu likes him so much."

Chu Yao said, "It's not just because of that."

Ruiji asked, puzzled, "Are there others?"

Chu Yao said, "She is good enough."

In short, it's great everywhere.

On the second day after the verbal battle, Shen Tang attended the meeting as usual, but Tao Yan claimed to be ill and was nowhere to be seen. She snorted, thinking to herself that it would be best if Tao Yan just died of his illness, saving her the trouble of dealing with him later. Not long after sitting down, she noticed a gaze fixed on her, and Shen Tang looked up to grab the person.

It turned out to be Zhang He, whose charm was as undiminished as ever.

Shen Tang leaned her upper body towards Wu Xian, who was sitting upright.

"Brother Zhaode, who is that person watching me?" Back when Shen Tang went to Yiru to see Zhang He, he had Qi Shan help him disguise himself and met Zhang He as a retainer. In other words, "Shen Tang" himself had never met Zhang He and naturally did not recognize him.

Wu Xian asked, "Which one?"

Shen Tangchong pursed his lips at Zhang He.

"That unfamiliar face over there."

Wu Xian whispered to her, "Zhang He, Zhang Yongqing."

Shen Tang's voice was even lower: "Why haven't I seen him before?"

"They said the unexpected incident while governing the territory caused a delay, and they also had to help the alliance leader procure military provisions, so they arrived rather late." Wu Xian didn't know much more. In the past few years, Huang Lie and Zhang He went from disliking each other at the beginning to becoming inseparable, and the two seemed to have reached a tacit understanding and cooperation unknown to outsiders.

Wu Xian's intuition told him that neither of them were good people.

Shen Tang nodded and said "Oh".

Having said that, he no longer focused his attention on Zhang He.

She used the act of drinking water to mask her emotions.

Facing Zhang He, Shen Tang felt somewhat intimidated.

Aside from a few close associates, Zhang He was probably the one who knew her secrets the most; he was someone who had personally witnessed the sacred artifact of the Gongxi tribe. Although she had grown quite a bit in the past four years, her features were still the same—how much could the changes really be?

Zhang He was looking at him like that, probably because he thought he looked familiar?

However, she remained calm.

There won't be any problems as long as she doesn't reveal her true identity.

Shen Tang tried her best to make her presence as inconspicuous as possible.

However, Huang Lie and Zhang He were on good terms. Seeing Zhang He looking at Shen Tang, Huang Lie assumed Zhang He wanted to make the first impression and took the initiative to introduce Shen Tang: "Yongqing, let me introduce you. This is the famous Lord Shen of Longwu County. You've always regretted not having a chance to meet him, but now your wish has finally come true..."

Zhang He said, "Shen Jun bears a striking resemblance to an old friend."

Shen Tang instantly went on high alert.

He feigned doubt on his face: "So similar?"

Zhang He narrowed his eyes slightly, a smile playing on his lips. "Several years ago, a retainer from Lord Shen's camp visited, and I hit it off with him immediately. I just wonder if he has gone to the front lines with the army this time?"

Shen Tang secretly spat.

When did Zhang He and she hit it off immediately?

When it comes to building rapport, he can come up with ideas without hesitation.

She remained vigilant: "Oh, Zhang Jun said about him? He's busy settling the mess in Sibao County and can't spare the time."

Zhang He said regretfully, "That's a real pity."

Shen Tang thought the topic had passed.

Unexpectedly, Zhang He added, "I heard that recently, Lord Shen captured Wenyan's Sibao County and fought a decisive battle in Xiaocheng. Lord Shen clashed with that barbarian Gongxi Chou again and narrowly won?"

Shen Tang felt like there were needles under her buttocks, making it difficult to sit still.

He chuckled and said, "It wouldn't be accurate to say it was a narrow victory. Gongxi Chou and I are close friends. Before the battle, I turned him against us and had him stage a scene with me outside the city. Otherwise, how could we have both taken each other's arrows?"

This plot would be incredibly explosive anywhere, and the allied forces had heard about it, but they thought it was just hearsay. Unexpectedly, one of the parties involved came forward to refute it.

This is true, not a rumor!

Zhang He persisted, "Even so, Shen Jun is undeniably gifted, truly a young hero. Gong Xichou entered the fifteenth rank of Junior Upper Realm at such a young age, his talent is unparalleled, while Shen Jun, who fought him to a standstill, is only seventeen..."

For a moment, the tent was completely silent; you could hear a pin drop.

yes--

Without Zhang He's reminder, none of the allied forces realized it.

When Shen Tang was seventeen... no, it seems that when he had his second fight with Gong Xi Chou, it wasn't even the New Year yet. He was sixteen years old when he fought Gong Xi Chou to the point of exhaustion. This talent can no longer be described as genius or prodigy.

Just as Shen Tang was thinking of a solution, Gu Ren came to her rescue.

"What's so strange about that?"

The crowd exclaimed, "...???"

Gu Versailles Ren: "My thirteenth brother, Shao Chong, isn't much older than Shen Jun, yet he's already at the fifteenth-rank upper-level cultivation level, and he's vaguely on the verge of the sixteenth-rank upper-level cultivation level. The world is never short of geniuses and prodigies; this Gong Xi Chou is nothing special..."

They're practically saying that everyone is making a fuss over nothing.

Gu Ren interrupted, and Zhang He glared at him unfriendly.

"Does Mr. Zhang disagree?"

Zhang He withdrew his gaze: "That's not the case."

Gu Ren's gentle smile shone with the light of a saint.

“Zhang Jun is right. Don’t let the barbarians’ ambitions diminish your own prestige.” Because of his thirteenth brother Shao Chong, Gu Ren and Zhang He didn’t get along very well, so helping Shen Tang out of the predicament was just a matter of course.

The real focus is on seeing Zhang He, who is full of ulterior motives, suffer a setback.

The dull meeting ended.

Although they didn't come up with a useful solution, everyone felt a bit more relaxed, realizing that Shen Tang was also a formidable weapon! On the other hand, Shen Tang himself wasn't in a good mood. He returned to camp with a normal expression, but once he got to his own territory, his face instantly darkened, and he said to Gu Chi, "Zhang He is suspicious of me."

Gu Chi: "He wasn't doubting."

"He was certain of his lord's identity."

Luan Xin was completely confused.

"So what? What can he do to me?" Shen Tang's eyes gleamed with confidence as she whispered, "Zhang Yongqing had better not court death, otherwise, after Tao Yan kneels, he'll be next!"

Gu Chi said, "Alliance Leader Huang, you should also be careful."

Zhang He was once ordered to study the Gu worms of the Wu Kingdom, while Huang Lie somehow created the Heavy Shield Warrior; it's hard to guarantee that the two haven't secretly collaborated. As the sacred object of the Gongxi tribe, our lord possesses extraordinary power, giving them reason to covet him…

Shen Tang rubbed her temples: "It's safe for now."

Zheng Qiao's continued existence is her only protection.

They shielded me from a lot of trouble, both openly and secretly.

"I just don't understand why Zhang He is suddenly so certain? There are so many similar people in the world, and it's not uncommon for monograms to have similar colors... Even if transparent monograms are rare, the world is full of wonders..."

Shen Tang couldn't figure it out for a moment.

Gu Chi's expression was strange: "Because of Gong Xi Chou."

"What does this have to do with Gong Xichou?"

"He went to Zhang Yongqing to verify."

Shen Tang burst out with a "fuck!"

He cursed Gong Xichou in his heart. He'd thought Gong Xichou had some special method of verification, but it turned out he was just going to find Zhang He!

When Shen Tang noticed Luan Xin out of the corner of her eye, she realized that he knew nothing and was probably overthinking what she and Gu Chi had been talking about. She said, "Gongyi, some things are hard to explain. I will tell everyone when the time is right."

Give her time to think about how to make it up.

She struggled for three or four days but couldn't come up with a way to make it up.

However, Chaoli Pass finally couldn't hold out any longer and suffered a major setback!

Shen Tang looked at Chu Yao in horror: "You did this?"

Chu Yao said, "It's just using someone else's strength against them."

_(:з」∠)_

I got a new manicure today, oh my god, it's so pretty!

(End of this chapter)