Chapter 22: Chunting's Heart
Feng Yanxuan was sent back to Xuanfeng Court by Haofeng Guards. When Youyou woke up, she saw her concubines surrounding the entire room, some of them still sobbing.
He froze for a moment, then abruptly threw off the covers and rose—his shattered memories gradually piecing together: the sudden poisonous fog, and... Yun Yuan! He hastily dismissed the roomful of concerned concubines and fled the Feng residence under the twilight. At the foggy attack site, a shimmering black iron waist plaque lay quietly among the withered leaves, the words "Xiao Yao" clearly visible in the twilight.
Following the clues to the mountain stronghold, the few remaining minions were drunkenly gathered around the campfire, talking dirty about "presenting treasures" to the gang leader. Seeing Feng Yanxuan breaking into the stronghold, they greeted him with a playful smile: "What wind brings you here, Second Master?" Feng Yanxuan drew the soft sword from his waist with a stern face, and these good-for-nothings knelt down and begged for mercy, trembling as they led the way to a wing room: "This, this girl was sent by someone else, we really didn't know she was yours..." Feng Yanxuan didn't bother to pay attention to these nonsense. The moment he kicked open the door and saw Yun Yuan safe and sound, his heart was relieved a little. He took her hand: "Let's go."
Under the moonlight, two figures quietly disappeared down the mountain path. In the mountain stronghold behind them, the minions were still wailing as they cleaned up the mess, completely unaware of the impending disaster.
At about 12 o'clock, candles suddenly lit up in the county magistrate's mansion.
The prefect received the tip-off as he was undressing for bed. So startled was he that he rushed out of his room barefoot, not even changing his undergarments. In an instant, the entire city erupted in gongs and drums, and torches blazed like dragons. The officers and soldiers split into three groups: one marched upstream along a tributary of the river, encountering bandits stealthily dumping poison powder into the water; one marched directly to the sluice gates, building makeshift dams with sandbags; and the last group went door to door, recruiting physicians from the city. Elderly doctors, clutching their medicine boxes, formed a long line at the yamen gate, while the clatter of apothecaries grinding medicine echoed throughout the night.
As dawn broke in the east, a deafening roar erupted from the direction of Xiaoyao Cave. When the smoke cleared, groups of bandits, tied like rice dumplings with cowhide ropes, were paraded through the streets like grasshoppers. One ruffian, attempting a violent act, was promptly pelted with rotten vegetable leaves by the people, sending him fleeing in panic. Citizens throughout the city banged pots and bowls, their jubilation even more vibrant than the Lantern Festival. A wake-up stick in the teahouse clapped its hands, and the storyteller immediately spun this nighttime event into a new story, titled "The Bandits' Decimation." Within days, the story spread throughout the streets, expressing gratitude to the soldiers, praising the prefect, and glorifying an unknown emperor. It even included celestial beings riding clouds and glittering golden magic weapons—but the mention of "Feng Family" was completely absent.
The head of the Feng family listened to the spy reporting the rumors in the market, and his fingertips gently spun the rim of the celadon cup.
Feng Xiaotianxu held the position of Lieutenant of the East Sea State, yet he wielded considerable influence within the Jianghu. Over the years, he had always relied on others to accomplish his own goals—perhaps passing on information, pointing out a path, or at most lending a little money for cash flow. This time was no different.
He looked at the list of thank-you gifts sent from the prefect's mansion, a faint smile playing on his lips. He had earned the prefect's enormous favor, yet he hadn't left anyone in the jianghu with anything to say. This tact was like the tea stems floating in his cup—a little more and it was bitter, a little less and it was bland.
Feng Xiaotian was so cunning, but when he thought of his son, deep wrinkles appeared between his brows.
"Is his injury better?"
"My lord, the Third Young Master's eyesight has recovered about 70% to 80%, but..." Butler Xu gently placed the tea tray on the table.
"It's such a shame for my strength," the Patriarch sighed, a lump forming in his throat, his voice as heavy as if soaked in frost. "To think that so much of my strength has been lost like this."
It was only when he visited Yuanfeng Court that day that he discovered his youngest son had actually sacrificed 60% to 70% of his strength, nearly losing his sight, just to protect that girl. His father's angry scolding, accompanied by the crackling sound of a teacup, startled the spring swallows under the eaves. His hands clenched and unclenched in his sleeves several times, finally turning into a deafening bang of the door slamming.
Feng Xiaotian tapped the rosewood box on the table with his fingertips. Inside lay the Thousand Winds Token. The swaying shadows of bamboo outside the window cast varying shades of darkness across his brow. He slowly closed the box.
"Let Zihuan deliver it to him personally."
As Feng Xiaotian finished speaking, Butler Xu was slightly startled. He recalled the day the young master had stormed into Xiaofeng Hall, accusing the Third Young Master of secretly using the Wind God Halberd to protect someone through the trial. He'd expected the Patriarch to be furious, but instead, he was reprimanded, "You have no evidence, you rashly judged your brothers, and you are unworthy of being the Young Master," and told to "never mention this matter again." Then, the Patriarch personally descended on Yuanfeng Courtyard, leading twelve Wind Guards to completely block it, clearly forbidding the Third Young Master from rescuing anyone. Now, the young master had given the Third Young Master the Thousand Wind Order—this intervening act, clearly intended to play the villain, while secretly acting as a facilitator for these two enemies.
Unfortunately, he, an old servant, was the only one who could see the master's painstaking efforts.
Butler Xu bowed and took the red sandalwood box, a smile forming at the corners of his eyes. "Master, your thoughts are very thoughtful. I will do it right away."
"Those two brothers..." Feng Xiaotian shook his head and sighed, his fingertips tapping on the table, making intermittent sounds. "He told Zihuan to personally take him to Qianfeng Pavilion and give him the Yu Rong Scroll."
"Yes."
Butler Xu was about to leave when he noticed the master's gaze darken slightly. He followed his gaze out the window—direction of Yuanfeng Courtyard. The old butler understood and asked tentatively, "That girl...?"
The evening light filtering through the window lattice suddenly dimmed, and the tea smoke on the table remained motionless.
That girl...
Feng Die had already detailed Yun Yuan's trials—his Qinggong skills were passable, and his poison detection was exceptional. Although he had been captured by the Xiaoyao Gang by chance and their plot overheard, he remained calm, courageous, and resourceful. If it weren't for his doubts, he'd have been a promising talent.
Outside the window, bamboo shadows danced and rustled. He stared at the green leaves floating in the teacup, and in a trance he saw his youngest son's blood-stained eyes again.
Like most of the Feng family, Feng Xiaotian couldn't grasp the divine halberd—the burning, piercing sensation of contact, the humiliation of being blown away by the fierce wind, remains etched in his memory. He never grasped the mysteries of his ancestors' legendary formations, nor did he know the price of observing the situation with the halberd. But he remembered that his father would sweat through his heavy clothes in just a moment of observation. The longest such observation—the search for the Empress's hidden agent—his father sat for an hour, finally tracking down the location of a Feng family defense map. Then, the old man fell ill and passed away several months later.
Thinking of this, his throat tightened: In comparison, the younger son was lucky this time as he only injured his eyesight and damaged his internal strength.
A long sigh dissipated into the tea smoke.
This child has been stubborn since childhood, and now he rarely shows emotion. If I force him any further, I'm afraid...
"Let Wangyue Valley prepare medicine for Yuanfengyuan." The teacup gently landed on the table, stirring up a wisp of sandalwood. "After this trial, he should have figured out the girl's abilities. Well, let him be."
As Butler Xu retreated to the door, he suddenly heard the master of the house warn him, "Tell Zihuan to behave like a young master and take care of that stupid dog in his yard."
Having made this decision, Feng Xiaotian did not pursue the matter of Feng Yanxuan saving Yun Yuan for the second time and ruining his plan of killing someone with a borrowed knife. Instead, he personally served a mouthful of sea bass sashimi to his second son at the family dinner - the second young master's act of saving people was eventually transformed into a cup of sake that he drank up in one gulp.
But Feng Xiaotian still couldn't understand how the second son managed to do this under his nose - although he was personally keeping an eye on his third son and was indeed negligent towards this playboy, the security was tight and such news should have reached his ears earlier.
Faced with the patriarch's bewilderment, Butler Xu had already guessed about 70% of the answer. He hesitated awkwardly, and finally, unable to bear the patriarch's scrutiny, he could only say awkwardly, "The second young master must have escaped through the dog hole."
"What?!" The owner of the house didn't know his son had the habit of crawling through dog holes. He was afraid he had heard it wrong, so he repeated, "Dog hole?!"
For a long time afterwards, whenever the head of the family saw his second son, he would think of the word "dog hole." So much so that when the Langya Prince's secret letter reached the Feng family, the head of the family, with mixed feelings, opened it and discovered that the young princess was going to stay at the Feng family incognito, specifically requesting Feng Yanxuan to accompany her. A vein jumped in his forehead, and he blurted out, "The dog hole in the palace... you've also crawled through it?"
Feng Yanxuan's ears flushed red as he received the order and hurriedly bowed and left Xiaofeng Hall. The hall fell silent for a moment, leaving only Feng Yanyuan standing with his head bowed.
"What do you think about this?" Feng Xiaotian's voice drifted over the rustling of bamboo leaves outside the window. The swaying shadows of the bamboo trees blurred the complex expression of the patriarch, making it appear light and dark.
Feng Yanyuan's eyes flickered slightly. "The Queen has always been cautious. Allowing Princess to go on an incognito visit...is not like her style."
"Indeed." Feng Xiaotian tapped the table with his fingertips, making a dull sound. "The princess's visit this time requires careful handling." He suddenly changed the subject, "Arrange a clever maid to accompany you, so that you can experience some of the local customs."
"Yes."
Seeing his respect, Feng Xiaotian asked, "Have you read her case file?"
Feng Yanyuan's breathing stagnated slightly, and his fingers curled up unconsciously in his sleeves. "I've seen it."
The dusty case file contained irrefutable evidence, crystal clear and unfathomable. My mother's actions were exposed through the leak of a secret letter, and she confessed everything. Yet, despite the torture, even the excruciating pain of the deadly poison of impermanence, she gritted her teeth and refused to reveal a single detail about the mastermind or the sect to which she belonged.
Feng Xiaotian sighed and said, "Can you tell what she is passing on?"
"Yes..." Feng Yanyuan choked, "The Feng family's defense map."
"That was ten years ago. I'm sure you know what happened in the next two years."
Feng Yanyuan's face suddenly turned pale, and his knuckles were clenched until they turned blue: "I know."
Eight years ago, the previous emperor passed away, and the government was in turmoil. The Yang family, the regents, seized power and manipulated the imperial edict to achieve absolute control. However, a woman, leveraging the power of a vassal king, seized their lair and, in the midst of the chaos, was hacked to death in the stables. This woman was the ruthless new emperor's empress. Later, armed with the imperial edict of treason, she legitimately implicated the three Yang clans.
But how could a powerful clan like the Yang family, supported by numerous martial arts sects, be so easily defeated? In fact, the prestigious martial arts sects had long been infiltrated by the Empress's henchmen. As the court incident unfolded, the sects affiliated with the Yang family were instantly ensnared and slaughtered.
"That's why her case was closed eight years ago." Feng Xiaotian smiled bitterly, his voice as hoarse as sand. "I didn't let you know because I took into consideration the fact that she had given birth to you."
Outside the window, spring rain gradually fell, dampening the newly plucked bamboo leaves. Feng Xiaotian suddenly raised his hand to shield his eyes. "Why would a father be willing to investigate? Such a gentle and kind person..." His voice trailed off, the cloud pattern embroidered in gold thread on his sleeves trembling. "She almost attracted the Queen's henchmen, and brought trouble to the entire Feng family..."
A drop of rain fell from the eaves, shattering on the bluestone bricks. As Feng Xiaotian turned, the jade pendant clattered against the table. "You've grown up too..." He paused for a moment. "Take care of yourself."
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