Chapter 105 Two Big Buddhas

Su Yi pulled Wen Yao to sit inside the palace, and Hong Shu immediately brought a bowl of pear and honey soup.

"New pears, new candy, the taste is sweet, try it now."

The food in the palace was small and exquisite. Wen Yao scooped up the fruit pulp from the porcelain bowl in two mouthfuls, then picked up the teacup and drank it all in one gulp: "It's delicious."

"I packed a few bottles for you. Take them to Western Dynasty and just wash them down with water on the way." Su Yi said, "The wind and sand in Mobei are very strong, and pear paste moisturizes your throat. You should drink more."

Wen Yao did not refuse her kindness. He fiddled with the porcelain cup and said, "Zhang Yun came to my place for dinner this morning. He likes Wang Nu very much."

At the mention of Wangnu, Su Yi's expression softened, a flicker of a mother's smug pride at her outstanding child flickering across her face as she said, "Actually, Wangnu is just a quiet person who loves reading. I taught him to recite poetry, and he memorized it all. Now he can recite many books."

"He's very smart." Wen Yao paused and said slowly, "Your Majesty, do you know that Prince Yan, Zhang Yun, and even Song Mingde have all chosen you."

"It would be a lie to say I don't know." Su Yi put away her smile and sighed, "This is what I have been asking for so long. How could I not know?"

Knowing the current situation in the world, knowing that the last failed assassination attempt would not be the only one, the road to the pinnacle of power in the world is difficult and dangerous.

Wen Yao lowered his eyes, stood up, and prepared to leave. "I'll be going to the Western Court soon. In Bianliang, Gao Shaoshan and Zhang Yun are the people you can trust. If you have any questions, please pass them on to the Three Departments. The Supervisory Department will send a pigeon to inform me."

Su Yi nodded, sent her all the way to the palace gate, and said, "I know, don't worry."

Wen Yao left Yunjin Pavilion and initially wanted to see Jinyun. Unexpectedly, Jinyun had been so busy counting the dowry and refused to see anyone before the wedding that Wen Yao gave up. Time passed quickly, and the court had already adjusted to life without the emperor in an eerie atmosphere. When Wen Yao saw Jinyun again, it was already the day for the marriage procession to depart.

During the days leading up to the Western Dynasty, Wang Fu had already healed Xin Man's pierced ankle. She frankly admitted that she had placed the poison on the emperor at Prince Yong's behest, but none of the Yan Palace staff expressed surprise, and no one mentioned asking her to remove it. Jiang Qiaosheng needed Feng Jimin's antidote before the blood-killing poison could take hold, and therefore could not travel with Wen Yao to the Western Dynasty. This resentment was palpable, and Jiang Qiaosheng sat with a gloomy expression, watching resentfully as Bai Rang flitted around gathering the antidote Wen Yao might need for the journey.

Bai Rang was not only busy with his work, but he was also muttering, "You're not happy, what are you unhappy about? The couple is having a good time, and you're always trying to join in the fun."

He has been reborn, and is now a completely different person from when he was scared to death when he first saw Jiang Qiao. He even has the courage of a quail to give some advice to the big devil Jiang.

Jiang Qiaosheng scratched his hair and said angrily, "Who cares about me?"

At the main gate, the steward shouted for everyone to pack up their belongings, and the Feathered Guards surrounded the convoy, ready to set off at any time.

Wen Yao looked at the room full of people, young and old, feeling quite worried. He pulled over his most reliable Se Xueke and gave him a long warning: "Keep an eye on Jiang Qiaosheng and Xin Man. If Feng Jimin makes any noise, don't go alone, go find the Three Officials."

Xue Ke nodded cautiously, watching Wen Yao climb onto the large horse beside Zhao Xuanxu, and with a flick of his sash, the team departed in a mighty procession. The convoy also included many carriages, each loaded with clothing and other items.

Sitting in the front carriage was Hao Chunhe. He had rarely changed into fresh clothes and had his hair tied up. He looked very different from the shabby old man before.

He carefully considered for some time and decided to follow Wen Yao to the Western Dynasty.

The Prince of Yan's palace always arrived late for grand occasions. By the time Wen Yao reached the city gate, the inner and outer layers of Bianliang's towering walls were already packed with people. Commoners lined the streets, holding fruits and flowers. The empress and her concubines had left the palace, dressed in silk and brocade, and stood at the city walls.

Specifically, the Empress stood to Prince Yong's left, and Concubine Feng to his left. Su Yi remained inconspicuous, keeping a low profile in the corner. Prince Yong didn't come down. His platinum figure blurred into one with the Tianshui civil and military officials, respectfully escorting Jinyun to the Western Dynasty for Tianshui to marry an emperor old enough to be her father.

Wen Yao had an expressionless face and he drove his horse straight over the city wall with red silk flying all over the sky, passed the long guard of honor, and came to the extremely luxurious wedding car at the head with Zhao Xuanxu.

She was in the thick of things, and she knew some things were more than just words. With the Three Kingdoms at war, Tianshui and Xichao were burdened with the lives of millions, a situation that even the most cunning and skilled warriors could only stand by and watch.

A palace servant came up quickly, lowered his head, and came to Wen Yao, saying softly, "Commander Wen, His Highness Jinyun has sent for you."

Wen Yao nodded, dismounted, walked into the wedding car, and said to the half-open window, "Your Highness is looking for me?"

There was a rustling sound from the carriage; someone, carrying a heavy dress, approached the window. A nearby maid disapproved and tried to stop the princess from losing her composure in public. Wen Yao glanced at her sharply, but without a word, the coldness in her eyes startled the maid, who remained speechless.

The car window opened slightly, and Jinyun leaned forward with most of his face, asking Wen Yao, "Is there anything to eat?"

Wen Yao was stunned: "Your Highness...didn't you eat?"

"I got up in the middle of the night and haven't eaten anything yet." Jinyun covered his mouth and yawned.

She was particularly beautiful today, her lips dripping with lipstick, and her face showed no sign of nervousness. She didn't look like she was about to marry someone from another country, but rather as relaxed as if she were going on a spring outing.

"Wedding clothes are troublesome and inconvenient to use the toilet."

Wen Yao touched her body and took out a dry biscuit from her bosom and handed it over. This was something she had put in her bosom because she hadn't finished eating it that morning.

"This is all I have on me. There's some snacks in the car behind me. Order some to fill your stomach first, and I'll bring it to you later."

Jinyun took the biscuit, tore off a large piece, and stuffed it into her mouth. She was truly starving, eating rapidly, her cheeks puffed up as she spoke incoherently, "My mother has been crying every day these past few days. She just fainted from crying, so I didn't ask her to come and see me off. Everyone feels sorry for me these days—but what's there to be sorry about? I'm a princess, I've lived a life of luxury since I was a child, and now I'm marrying the emperor of another country. I'll be a noble concubine, full of dignity and prestige. I really don't understand why my mother is crying."

In just a few words, she had swallowed a large piece of cake whole.

Jinyun waved his hand and let Wen Yao go: "Thank you for the cake, it's delicious."

Wen Yao was in mixed emotions and turned back to Zhao Xuanxu.

The official from the Ministry of Rites had already opened his scroll and was standing at the city gate, loudly reciting a flowery speech of congratulations. When he finished, the procession for the bride finally set off.

The dark reins were wrapped around Zhao Xuanxu's hands. He pulled them and the horse under him stepped away. Following behind him, the entire wedding procession was like a long rope that was pulled out, and they all went away into the distance.

At first, Jinyun was quite content. When the city gate was far behind her and she could no longer see clearly, she could no longer stay. Amid the loud shouts of the attendants beside her, she stretched out her foot to kick open the door of the wedding car and waved at Wen Yao from a distance: "Snacks!"

Wen Yao simply embraced her and led her to the carriage in front. Jin Yun climbed up nimbly, half kneeling and half squatting, her phoenix coronet and bridal robe trailing to the side, not looking like a princess at all. Wen Yao gave her a box full of snacks, and she sat down cross-legged, stuffing her mouth with food, and said to Zhao Xuanxu in front, "Third brother, please walk slowly on this road. I have never traveled far in my life."

Zhao Xuanxu was pulled out of the bed by Wen Yao just after dawn today. He closed his eyes and ignored her.

Wen Yao thought about it and said, "Your Highness, do you like watching fights?"

Jinyun: "I like it."

"What a coincidence. I'm escorting His Highness to the Western Dynasty, and as soon as the news got out, I've received several invitations to fight." Wen Yao said, "They're all from the martial arts world, saying they'll come and fight me along the way."

"Really?" Jinyun suddenly perked up, his face bright and clean, with a smile on his lips. "You're so powerful, how come anyone dares to fight you?"

Wen Yao: "This is how the martial arts world is. Only by fighting can you improve your martial arts."

Her words came true.

The wedding procession headed northwest, passing Fengxiang Prefecture and on to Xining Prefecture, passing through Heichengzi. Even with the impending marriage between the two countries imminent, Princess Jinyun, a daughter of a wealthy family, could not afford to make even the slightest mistake on the road. Therefore, the procession moved slowly, confining themselves to the main city. Without a cover for her true identity, Wen Yao's reputation as a jianghu legend would become extremely conspicuous. Upon arriving in Fengxiang Prefecture, no fewer than ten jianghu figures arrived outside the post station, challenging her to a fight.

All the participants were on the Bai Xiaosheng Master Ranking, and their skills were quite high. The fights were naturally exciting and pleasing to the eyes.

Jinyun, wearing a long lotus-shaped dress and bright hairpins, sat on the upper floor of the post station, watching and laughing: "That person's hands are so strange, how can his fingers be so slender!"

Hao Chunhe sat across from her, sharpening a dagger. Without even looking up, he said, "He's the descendant of the Baiyin Cracking Bone Hand. He's practiced for so long that his hands naturally become like this."

"That person is clearly a woman, why does she sound like a man?"

"This person is practicing the bi-phase magic skill. In the end, he will become hermaphrodite. It's not surprising."

"These techniques all sound strange," Jinyun murmured, "and they're very different from what's in the storybook."

"Because we're almost out of the Central Plains martial arts world. The further we go, the more sinister the mental techniques become."

Jinyun looked at him and said, "Old man, you know so much about the martial arts world. Who are you?"

"Me?" Hao Chunhe straightened his back, slammed the dagger on the table, and said proudly, "I'm much more famous than these people below. I'm Hao Chunhe, the famous Flying Leaf Guest from more than ten years ago!"

Jinyun didn't know the Flying Leaf Guest Hao Chunhe, so he asked, "Then why did you come here this time? Why didn't anyone pick a fight with you?"

"Because most people in the martial arts world thought I was dead." Hao Chunhe said this, then fell silent for a moment. His tone suddenly became stern: "And I followed you this time to go to the capital of the Western Dynasty and kill someone!"

"Enemy?"

"It's an irreconcilable feud. This man killed my wife and children. I live to kill him."

Jinyun said "Oh" and asked considerately, "Is he an official? I'll be a concubine when I get to Xixia. The emperor of the Western Dynasty is old, and the government is said to be in chaos. If I work hard, I might be able to get a piece of the action. If you can't defeat your enemy, don't worry, I'll help you kill him."

Before she even arrived at Xingqingfu, the capital of the Western Dynasty, she had already begun ambitiously plotting to conquer another kingdom. Many people in the Western Dynasty thought they had only welcomed a princess for show, but they probably didn't expect that they would marry a troublemaker.

Hao Chunhe remained silent, returning to fiddling with his aged-looking dagger. The word "late" (late) was engraved on the handle, its beautiful, flowing handwriting barely legible, the raised edges rubbing against it until it gave off a sense of antiquity.

Not many people came looking for a fight under Xingyi Sword today, so Wen Yao finished work early. After throwing the person out of the post station, she was only slightly sweaty.

Zhao Xuanxu sat at the table waiting for her, holding a cup of cold tea in his hand. He watched Wen Yao approach and drank it all in one gulp. He reached out and wiped the sweat from Wen Yao's forehead. He was a little unhappy. He frowned and patted her back, stroking it down again and again: "Those who come later, let Qianying throw them out."

"Forget it. We've all come all the way here, and we've only come here to challenge you according to the rules." Wen Yao said, "There's nothing wrong with some exercise."

Rejection is always a waste of someone's kindness. But if she didn't refuse, the martial arts fanatics in the martial arts world would be as numerous as the number of people crossing the river. Back then, because she was blocked by a group of people every day and couldn't stand it anymore, she took up her sword and went to Bai Xiaosheng to ask him to cross her name off so that she could find peace.

Zhao Xuanxu raised an eyebrow, not quite understanding. But he didn't say anything else. He pulled Wen Yao to sit down, and placed his hand on Wen Yao's hand: "There's news from Heichengzi."

Wen Yao stopped drinking water and asked, "How is it?"

"A month ago, the Twelve Military Supervisory Offices of the Western Dynasty sent the Yan Military Supervisory Office to live in Heishui, which is some distance away from Heicheng. This effectively puts them under their control." Zhao Xuanxu lowered his eyes and wiped Wen Yao's hands. "Ten days ago, the North Liao Northwest Recruiting Office also moved into the city."

Wen Yao frowned suddenly, surprised: "What are they doing? Did they find gold underneath?"

Heichengzi was a desolate place, a vast expanse of desert, its Gobi desert uninhabited for thousands of miles. Tianshui, Bei Liao, and Xi Chao had been coming and going in Heichengzi for years, but no one really cared to take care of this place; otherwise, the Desert Society wouldn't have been so rampant back then.

Now, there are two big Buddhas at once.

Zhao Xuanxu raised his eyes, his phoenix eyes with thick lashes and a cold expression. "It's probably because the new Northwest Recruiting Envoy is named Yelu Duhan, the son that the Northern Liao Emperor just found."