Chapter 46: Fishing in Troubled Waters
Luo Jiangping was originally a martial arts spectator. His best disciple had just entered the ring when he was beaten to a pulp by Mei Hanchuan, the young master of Meili Village. He was furious—not because Qingcheng had lost, but because Mei Hanchuan had been so ruthless that his prized student feared he wouldn't be able to practice martial arts again for years.
However, Mei Jiumang, the ruffian owner of Meili Village, was slumped in his chair with his eyelids drooping as if he was about to fall asleep.
When Luo Jiangping was about to get angry, his teeth started itching when his disciple suddenly handed him a note:
Seek the truth in the temple.
The only temple on Sixiantai is the Huainan King Temple.
the truth?
He was truly confused today—his father was Yue Nancang's direct disciple, and for so many years, he had grown up listening to Yue Nancang's legend. Now that his father had passed away, he heard Yue Nancang was sending out invitations to heroes, and he couldn't wait to attend the banquet. Who could have imagined that this hero would propose something so detrimental to the martial arts world, and even ally himself with King Zhao?
Anyway, the martial arts competition was boring to watch, so he immediately told his disciples to take good care of his beloved disciple and then set off for the Huainan King Temple.
As soon as I entered the room, I saw a room full of dead bodies, and the stone door was rumbling. In a moment, Feng Yanyuan walked out, stepping over several corpses that were crawling at the stone door. Judging from their posture and the bamboo tubes in their hands, they must have been attacked while blowing poisonous mist.
He thought that the whole house was killed by Feng Yanyuan, while Feng Yanyuan thought he was the one who rescued him. The two were confused for a while, and suddenly they were surrounded by masked assassins. When they fought side by side to break out, they met two horses on the path down the mountain.
This whole journey seemed to be arranged perfectly by someone, but I didn't know by who.
But at this moment, what shocked Luo Jiangping the most was of course the story of the real and fake Yue Nancang. He had seen disguises before, but this was the first time he had heard of one that was so convincing, with every word and demeanor flawless, to the point where even those around him couldn't detect it.
He put down his sword, gathered his sleeves and bowed, "I didn't know the truth and offended Your Highness. I hope Your Highness will forgive me!"
"Master, are you really okay?" King Changshan's mind was buzzing, and he asked a question after a while.
"Senior Yue has taken the antidote and is now recuperating in a dark room at the villa, attended by an experienced servant. The room is heavily guarded, making it difficult for outsiders to break in. Senior's inability to attend the banquet is no longer an obstacle, and they should no longer bother looking for him." Yun Yuan looked at King Changshan and added, "Senior never believed the prince would truly betray me. He simply believed there must be something hidden, which is why he insisted I attend the meeting and told me not to form any preconceived notions, to avoid antagonizing Master Yuan and His Highness."
King Changshan's face wrinkled up, he looked down at the man on the ground and asked, "Why me?"
Feng Yanyuan said, "To be able to portray the person to this degree, he must be someone who is always by your side. Your Highness has many personal guards around him, and he is also Senior Yue's beloved disciple in his later years, so he is naturally the first choice."
Luo Jiangping said, "But there's something very strange about this matter. If they were holding a birthday banquet in Senior Yue's name, why didn't they do it sooner? Wouldn't it have been better to do it before His Highness left? Why did they have to wait until Third Young Master Feng arrived in Yuzhou, then go to great lengths to trap him and lure His Highness out?"
Upon hearing this, King Changshan was stunned. Suddenly, he beat his chest and stamped his feet, saying, "It is indeed me who harmed Master!"
Luo Jiangping was stunned and asked, "Why do you say that, Your Highness?"
"Master is such a great man, these villains wouldn't dare to touch him unless they had to, not to mention that the old man has been out of touch with the world for many years." King Changshan was so angry that he punched the ground, "If I hadn't gone to the trouble of telling him, he wouldn't have known at all! Those people must have been keeping an eye on Master and found out that this news had reached his ears. They were afraid that he would interfere, so they had to take action!" King Changshan closed his eyes and sighed, "And I entered Lei Ting Manor and never came out. They trapped Zi Shang to lure me away so that they could carry out this fake-for-real plan..."
Luo Jiangping asked in surprise, "Then how can they be sure that the news of Third Young Master Feng's being trapped will reach His Highness?"
"Zi Shang has been making a lot of noise along the way, and the Yuzhou Governor is that scoundrel Liu Huai. I already sent people to stay in the city and wait and see." He looked at Yun Yuan, "Even if you couldn't leave the city, I should have received the news yesterday, but I just couldn't make it to the birthday party."
Feng Yanyuan asked, "Your Highness, can you tell who this person is?"
"I can't tell. Let him tell for himself." King Changshan squatted beside the man and slapped him twice, scolding him, "You son of a bitch, wake up!"
"He's dead." Feng Yanyuan said.
The King of Changshan was startled, turned around and scolded him, "You! Why didn't you leave someone alive to question?"
"I only knocked him unconscious, but I didn't know there was poison between his teeth in his mouth. He bit the poison sac and committed suicide."
King Changshan sighed and said, "This man must have been drugged with some kind of magic potion that he doesn't even want to live." He repeatedly turned the man's face over and over, but could not find any trace of disguise. He couldn't help but suspect that he had a twin brother.
"I just checked, and he doesn't have any makeup on his face." Feng Yanyuan said, "It must be some kind of medical technique."
"Medical skills?" King Changshan was stunned.
Feng Yanyuan recalled the appearance of his mistress after taking the rejuvenation potion - although that was also her appearance when she was young, the degree of change in appearance was somewhat similar.
Feng Yanyuan said, "The Medical Saint Song Hezi is in Shouchun City. He might be able to give us some pointers."
"I've never heard of such sorcery!" Luo Jiangping sighed, looking up. "It seems the messenger's words are true. If I hadn't met you all and learned the truth, all of us in Qingcheng would have fulfilled our father's trust and responded to this alliance sooner or later."
Feng Yanyuan was also suspicious of the messenger and asked, "Lord Luo, do you know who delivered the letter?"
Luo Jiangping shook his head. "This guy is quite strange. He wanted me to rescue Master Yuan, but he couldn't wait for me to arrive, so he rescued the person himself? And then he avoided me. What's the meaning of that? Master Yuan, who could possibly be thinking about this guy behind this?"
Feng Yanyuan couldn't believe it. Of all the attendees, only Feng Die possessed this ability, but his brother wouldn't care whether he lived or died. For some reason, he suddenly glanced at the silent Yun Yuan—her brows were downcast, and she was unsure what she was thinking.
Yun Yuan pondered to herself—perhaps the rescue was carried out by You Xiao. You Xiao were known for their ability to conceal their whereabouts, for whom exposure was a taboo. This was why, despite the famed Feng spy, no one knew of You Xiao or Hua Spy. But she couldn't understand why they had delivered the message to Luo Jiangping. Was this also a covert measure?
King Changshan struggled with the face for a long time before finally giving up. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He suddenly stood up and said, "Take this man to Shouchun first and see what kind of secret technique he possesses! I'm going to meet my fake master!"
After saying that, he picked up his sword and was about to leave, but Feng Yanyuan blocked his way.
"Not only is this man's appearance and demeanor lifelike," Feng Yanyuan glanced at the corpse on the ground, "his martial arts moves are so lifelike that even Senior Yue couldn't identify them at a glance."
King Changshan frowned, "So?"
Feng Yanyuan said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, what do you think of the martial arts skills of someone who can impersonate Senior Yue?"
King Changshan's voice suddenly became high-pitched, "How could he possibly have the power of our master!"
"Looking at his aura, he has at least 30% of it. Even if it's only 30%..." Feng Yanyuan looked at the tense face of Prince Changshan, "What are your chances of winning, Your Highness?"
"So what?!" King Changshan's face flushed. "Are we going to let him ruin Master's reputation? The old man has spent half his life in the military, and now in his later years he's being covered in filth?"
"Your Highness is absolutely right." Feng Yanyuan bowed and said, "Please allow Zishang to proceed."
King Changshan was stunned for a long moment before finally letting out a long sigh. He knew in his heart that if they really wanted to capture the man impersonating Yue Nancang, Feng Yanyuan would have the best chance of success.
They were silent for a moment, and only the gurgling of the river could be heard.
"What are your plans, sir?" Yun Yuan couldn't help but ask when she saw Feng Yanyuan had made up his mind.
But this person didn't intend to explain. He just turned around and looked at her carefully, which made her feel uneasy. Then he raised his eyebrows and smiled slightly, "Are you worried about me?"
Yun Yuan frowned - when did this person become so greedy and giggly? Why was there a hint of pride in his smile?
"She was so frightened that she couldn't even speak a coherent word." Although there was a hint of joking in the King of Changshan's words, his face was gloomy. He forced a smile and patted Feng Yanyuan on the shoulder, saying, "You must return safely, otherwise this girl will seek revenge on me."
Yun Yuan was nervous and didn't want to argue. She just watched Feng Yanyuan's figure disappear like a wisp of green smoke after a few rises and falls into the dense forest path leading to Sixiantai.
The King of Changshan placed two fingers in his mouth, and a long, clear whistle pierced the forest. Soon, the sound of hurried horse hooves could be heard in the distance, as several guards in sturdy uniforms galloped towards him.
"Your Highness!" The leading guard dismounted and saluted.
King Changshan jumped on his horse and said, "Return to Shouchun City and go to Xuanhe Hall. I want to see what kind of sorcery this is and what its flaws are."
Luo Jiangping had already calmly loaded the corpse onto his horse. He glanced at the dozen or so attendants accompanying the Prince of Changshan and said, "Your Highness has brought quite a few people with you."
"These are my personal guards who have followed me for many years." King Changshan shook the reins and said, "Let's go!" Before he finished speaking, he rushed into the forest path.
Luo Jiangping followed closely behind, and Yun Yuan also rode up, flanked by several guards. Their horses' hooves crushed the pebbles beside the stream, sending up tiny splashes of water as they galloped down the winding mountain path.
However, after running only a mile, several people froze:
“Swish, swish, swish—!”
The sharp sound of breaking through the air tore through the silence of the forest, and crossbow arrows shot out from the dense treetops and rugged rocks on both sides like poisonous bees!
Yun Yuan was about to jump up on her horse to avoid the arrows, but she saw that King Changshan had already swung his sword in front of her and cut down all the arrows.
"There are too many people!" Luo Jiangping looked up at the masked men descending from the mountainside. "The Qingcheng disciples are camped not far away. I'll break out through a small path and lead my men to encircle them from the outside!"
"Okay! Take this girl with you!" King Changshan said as he raised his sword to fight.
Luo Jiangping did not delay any longer. He swung his sword to cut a bloody path, and he and Yun Yuan rode their horses into the jungle.
When these two men disappeared, a strange scene happened: the masked men who were besieging them seemed to have received some signal and did not want to fight anymore. After a few feints, they retreated into the depths of the jungle like a tide and disappeared without a trace in an instant.
Only a few assassins' bodies and frightened horses were left on the mountain road.
King Changshan frowned slightly as he watched the assassin retreat from one side of the canyon.
Are they going to chase Luo Jiangping who is carrying the fake prince?
No. The direction is different, this is obviously a withdrawal.
Prince Changshan was staring blankly at the path where Luo Jiangping had disappeared when he suddenly heard the chief guard beside him stammer, "Your Highness..."
He stared at the guards impatiently and said, "If you have something to say, say it quickly!"
"I heard a few rumors from the crowd at Bagong Mountain... When I saw that City Lord Luo was safe and sound, I thought it was just a rumor..."
Prince Changshan's body suddenly stiffened. "What's that noise?!"
"It's said that City Lord Luo was ambushed and killed on his way to a meeting!"
The King of Changshan was horrified, then suddenly realized—he should have noticed earlier. Why was he suddenly sent a message to rescue him? How could it be such a coincidence? And why did it have to be him, Luo Jiangping!
He no longer hesitated and galloped towards the trail.
The forest path is winding and the trees are dense.
King Changshan was extremely anxious. Finally, at a bend in the woods ahead with sparse trees, he saw the two familiar figures in the distance - Luo Jiangping riding his horse at a gallop in front, and Yun Yuan following behind.
"Girl! Get out of the way!"
Yun Yuan was startled when he heard the voice, reined in his horse and turned around, "Your Highness?"
King Feihong of Changshan shot out his long sword, heading straight for Luo Jiangping's back. However, Luo Jiangping reined in his horse and turned around. "King..." his voice was cut off in surprise, and Luo Jiangping barely avoided the attack.
Before the sword even hit the ground, the young prince had already started to have doubts in his heart - Luo Jiangping's reaction was wrong!
Before he could react, he was shocked to see a scimitar flying in front of Luo Jiangping!
Two attacks came one after another, and Luo Jiangping was caught off guard. He had to dodge and was forced to fall off his horse.
Almost at the same time, someone suddenly slashed down from the treetops like an arrow, snatched up the fake prince, and flew away!
By the time Luo Jiangping landed and came to his senses, the figure had already disappeared into the depths of the jungle. He spat in anger and said angrily, "Your Highness! What! What are you doing?!"
The King of Changshan finally reacted and turned around to look at the guards behind him. He caught a glimpse of the hand that should have been holding the scimitar, which was empty and trembling slightly.
The young prince leaped up and knocked the guard off his horse with a punch. After landing, he grabbed the guard's collar and shouted angrily, "You! You! You actually..."
The guard neither dodged nor resisted, but simply closed his eyes and moved his jaw slightly.
King Changshan was startled, and suddenly pinched the man's jaw, smashed a row of teeth, and took out the poison sac between the teeth.
"Want to die? Gu Yun?!"
The young prince's eyes were bloodshot and his throat was choked: This is the guard who has been with him the longest! He regards him as a personal guard and a brother!
Suddenly, Luo Jiangping's exclamation pierced his eardrums: "Where's that girl?!"
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