Brothers Meet - Part Two
After passing the notice board, continue along the road for about fifteen minutes. In the military camp late at night, one tent is still lit.
"General Wang is still awake," a soldier remarked.
"The Marshal has temporarily left. In these days, it is General Wang and General Su who have been holding the situation together."
“General Wang…it seems he and Han Yizhi were once master and apprentice,” one person said hesitantly.
"Don't say such things again." Someone immediately stepped forward to stop him. "You've forgotten that it was General Wang who personally led the team to wipe out the Liuli Palace. Now, he is also working hard for the victory of the war. We can't waste our energy on such pointless and absurd things as suspecting our own people."
The soldiers looked at the yellow firelight shining from the tent, shook their heads as if trying to shake off all distracting thoughts. If passing by the notice board earlier had been like receiving some kind of sobering message, now it felt like they had been inspired.
The soldiers' steps became increasingly firm and orderly. "We must also pull ourselves together and not let anything go wrong on a day like this."
The clanging of the armor was exceptionally loud.
In the tent just inches away from the soldiers, Han Yizhi, one of the main characters on the bulletin board, was listening intently to the exhilarating sounds of armor clashing.
"Xiang Yu specifically ordered me not to leave the military camp this time." Wang Boyu handed Han Yizhi a cup of hot tea and said worriedly, "I don't know if they have really found Jiang Xi and the others' location."
"Is it to help you avoid suspicion?"
"I'm afraid that's the intention."
Even after so drastically destroying the fake Glass Palace that Jiang Xi left you, you still didn't fully gain his trust.
"This man is suspicious by nature. But he still needs me right now, so I suppose we're safe for the time being."
"It's best to be careful. When the birds are all gone, the good bow is put away; when the cunning rabbit is dead, the hunting dog is cooked." Han Yizhi held the teacup in both hands, feeling the temperature of the water. After a while, Han Yizhi asked again, "Has Jia Dongye found out who the witness he mentioned is, after spreading the rumor that Zhenna Xiangwu murdered Li Zizhan and Bai Jie?"
“No.” Wang Boyu shook his head. “He is now in charge of the ‘Jingnan Army’ of the Prince of Dingxi, and with the reputation of the Sword God, he has almost confirmed the matter. Even if we find that so-called eyewitness now, we probably won’t be able to clear our names.”
"The Prince of Dingxi wants to take this opportunity to disrupt Xiangyu's plans, disperse his forces, and slow down Xiangyu's army's northward advance. Jia Dongye wants to take this opportunity to eliminate Buwangge. They are a match made in heaven," Han Yizhi said with a sneer.
“I just don’t understand,” Wang Boyu said, sitting down next to Han Yizhi. “If someone really saw Jiang Xi and me entering Longting Town that day, why would they twist the facts to make it seem like Xiang Wu and Zhenna were there?”
“Perhaps there were no witnesses at all.” Han Yizhi pondered for a moment and asked, “Do you remember Yunxia Peak?”
"Cloud and Mist Peak on Black Mountain?"
"After the Sword Trial ended and you and I left, Jenna and Xiang Wu stayed there, didn't they? It was they who rescued Li Letian and Su Yishan at Yunxia Peak." Han Yizhi flicked the smoke rising from the center of the teacup with her finger. "The only time I can think of that they crossed paths was that one time."
"Master, do you think something happened that night?"
"This made Jia Dongye determined to get rid of Jenna and Xiang Wu."
Looking at the increasingly chaotic white smoke, Wang Boyu said, "However, I have planted people in the pursuing team. If things really get critical, they will inform Xiang Wuzhenna."
Han Yizhi covered the teacup with the lid, stopping the rising steam. "What do you think Pei Jiangxi will do?"
“Jiang Xi.” Wang Boyu lowered his head and began to ponder.
“She sent me to find you beforehand, which is why I’m safe and sound.” Han Yizhi glanced at the corner of the tent, where the six malevolent swords she had brought were hidden. “The darkest place is under the lamp, it’s a brilliant idea. Who would have thought that the culprit the swordsmen were looking for was hiding in their own headquarters?”
"Master," Wang Boyu hesitated, then asked, "Is being hunted down also part of the plan?"
*
Ta-da!
Three crisp knocks on the door sounded particularly loud in the night.
"Come in."
Wen Liang pushed open the door and entered. Inside, two men and a woman sat upright, watching Wen Liang and waiting for him to speak.
"Chief, Alliance Leader, Alliance Leader's Wife," Wen Liang greeted them one by one, then said solemnly, "Everything has been arranged. We have organized manpower to block their way to the location proposed by the Alliance Leader."
“I know this place very well. As long as we have people in these places, this couple won’t be able to escape even if they have wings,” Li Letian nodded.
Wen Liang nodded in agreement and added, "As per the gang leader's request, we've also left the thieves two ways to survive."
“Very good.” Xiang Yu praised Wen Liang’s efficient execution. “When birds are trapped, their carts overturn. Leaving them a way out will prevent them from making a self-destructive resistance, and it will also be safer for us.”
After Wen Liang left the room, Xiang Yu sighed and said, "Now everyone outside says that I am an imposter crown prince, and that you are helping a traitor to rebel. Some people in the Northern and Southern Sword Sects are also using this matter to stir up trouble. The martial arts world in the Central Plains has just begun to stabilize, and it seems that it is about to split and fight again. Brother, sister-in-law, it is because of me that I have dragged you down."
“Brother Xiang, please don’t say that,” Li Najiong replied. “You have been working so hard to avenge my father. Besides, without you, I would probably have lost my martial arts skills long ago, and perhaps I would have lost my life.”
"Brother, we need to get through this together now. Let's stop saying things like 'being a burden'."
"You've put in a lot of effort." Xiang Yu took a deep breath and adjusted his posture. "Those who were connected to the deaths of Master Li and Young Master Bai have been mostly killed off these past few days. This operation is a shot in the arm. As long as you personally kill these two culprits, you will definitely be able to truly unite the entire Central Plains martial arts world."
"Don't worry," Li Letian and his wife replied in unison.
“We will do everything we can to wear them down before they reach your respective positions.” Xiang Yu looked at the portrait on the wall.
It was the cripple and the bone woman who killed Li Zizhan and Bai Jie. Regardless of the truth, the world has accepted this conclusion. These past few days, Xiangyu has lost count of how many times she has gazed at this portrait. After a long pause, Xiangyu said wearily, "But they are, after all, people from the Misty Rain Pavilion. No matter what, you must be careful."
*
In an inconspicuous blacksmith shop in Sword Forging City, the forge had been cold for days, having never seen fire. In the room where the craftsmen rested, Xiang Wu and Lin Zhenna sat on the edge of the bed. By the morning sunlight, they changed each other's bandages, which were covered in wounds.
Six months have passed since he was labeled the murderer. During these six months, Xiang Wu felt as if he had returned to the days when he was hiding from the Palace of Eternal Life while carrying the unconscious Lin Zhenna. The only difference was that this time Lin Zhenna was awake and by his side.
They went to the Unforgettable Pavilion and the Misty Rain Pavilion. All they found were traces of carnage. Along the way, they witnessed too many innocent people being falsely accused of colluding with the Unforgettable Pavilion and hacked to death. Those with ulterior motives only needed a reason to commit violence; arguing was a pointless act.
Nobody cares about the truth. They just crave violence and the twisted pleasure it brings.
“They’re just a bunch of well-dressed killers, beasts,” Nana said.
Finally, Xiang Wu decided to take Lin Zhenna through Zhujian City and Longting Town, back to Xieyue Mountain, where he had raised her for eighteen years.
"Once we reach Mount Xieyue, we can recuperate in peace there. There's a secret room that only my master and I know about, so we'll definitely be able to manage." These words seemed to be comforting Lin Zhenna, but also encouraging Xiang Wu himself.
If it weren't for Nana, he probably wouldn't have been able to keep going.
"Mmm," Nana replied. Her shoulders trembled slightly as the ointment was applied to the wound.
"It's all my fault," Xiang said without self-reproach. "If I hadn't tried to show off in Wuling City, people wouldn't have remembered my appearance and dragged you down with me."
“You did a great job. You saved a poor girl, that’s a wonderful thing, what did you do wrong?” Nana cupped Xiang Wu’s face and said earnestly, “We were never the ones who were wrong.”
The two looked at each other and tears streamed down their faces.
They pressed their foreheads together, watching tears well up in each other's eyes, trickling down their cheeks and disappearing from sight.
After a long while, Nana finally let go of Xiang Wu's arm, forced a smile, and said, "I want to eat the osmanthus cake from the west side of the city."
"Hmm." Xiang Wu got up, without saying anything more, wiped away his tears and went straight out the door.
Perhaps because it was still early, there were very few pedestrians on the street. Rows of osmanthus trees were planted in an orderly fashion on both sides of the street. This reminded Xiang Wu of the "Scholarly Avenue" in Wenqu City.
However, unlike the Osmanthus fragrans planted along the Book Fragrance Avenue, the Osmanthus fragrans planted in Sword Casting City is a red Osmanthus fragrans. The difference is most obvious now, during the flowering season, as the Osmanthus fragrans in Sword Casting City is not the common pale yellow, but a bright red.
Xiang Wu and Nana discussed this issue. Nana said, "Perhaps it's because this flower looks more like sparks. Have you ever seen sparks from forging a sword?"
After a night of wind and rain, delicate petals were scattered all over the ground, just like the sparks that Nana had described, covering the wet stone pavement.
After buying a box of osmanthus cakes from a long-established pastry shop in the west of Sword Forging City, Xiang Wu also stopped by the clinic to buy medicinal herbs. On his way back, there were already many pedestrians on the road. The petals that were originally scattered on the side of the street were carried to the middle of the avenue by the passing pedestrians, and Xiang Wu walked on the skeletons of these flowers that were about to lose their shape.
A hunched beggar was swept along by the crowd, walking unsteadily. His body resembled a river shrimp, his spine exaggeratedly bent. His filthy hair was tangled and, due to his posture, fell haphazardly in front of him. Could someone like him really see the road ahead and walk normally? Even Xiang Wu couldn't help but wonder.
Even the slightest collision would send his shrimp-like body staggering in the direction of the impact. Fortunately, there were enough pedestrians to prevent him from veering completely in one direction. Each time he stumbled a few steps to the left, someone would bump him back to the right. Like a small boat adrift on the sea, he was tossed about by the current, precariously but undeniably moving forward.
The small boat drifted to Xiang Wu's side, almost capsizing. Xiang Wu reached out and supported his arm.
The beggar steadied himself, and suddenly felt an extremely strong pulling force on Xiang Wu's hand. To Xiang Wu's astonishment, the beggar moved away from him with extremely light and steady steps, breaking through the crowd and slipping into a narrow alleyway nearby.
In the blink of an eye, the medicine packet and osmanthus cake in Xiang Wu's hands had changed hands and ended up in the hands of the beggar.
The elephant unconsciously set off in pursuit.
Like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, the seemingly ordinary street instantly became abnormal. More than one person suddenly started running, rushing from all directions towards the alleyway where Xiang Wu and the beggar had disappeared, roughly pushing aside all the pedestrians in the path.
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