Starry Night Leaving the Mountain to Bury the Secret Line
The three days following the decision to leave seemed to stretch out infinitely. Every moment required careful attention, maintaining a calm exterior to avoid arousing suspicion while secretly making all necessary preparations.
I carefully packed a few essential items, the bamboo slips of the "Lingtai Jingye Mantra" given to me by Luo Zhenren, and a few precious talismans for self-defense that Yiqing later gave me into a modest bag. The red sandalwood pipa that had saved my life, still bearing the scars of the arrow holes, was tightly wrapped in multiple layers of oilcloth to ensure it wouldn't get damp even if I waded through water.
Yiqing, on his part, followed the plan. He found a pretext, and during a chance encounter with Li Jun, he observed his face and, presumably, suspected a chance encounter, casually dropped a few verses about "dragons," "encountering water," "the East," and "overseas." Li Jun, though puzzled at the time and respectfully thanked him, was undoubtedly a man of his cunning, burying these words deep in his heart, pondering them over and over again. The seeds of his future had already been quietly planted.
At the same time, Yiqing also used his extraordinary status and superb medical skills to report to the small leader in charge of patrols on the grounds of "collecting special dew to refine tranquilizing pills", stating that he might stay in a secluded place in the back mountain for the next few days, slightly reducing the attention that our midnight action might cause.
On the evening of the third day, Chao Gai's condition suddenly worsened. The lights in the Juyi Hall were brightly lit. Song Jiang, Wu Yong, and a group of core leaders had gathered there. The atmosphere was extremely solemn. Almost all the attention of the stronghold was drawn there.
The time has come!
It was midnight. Liangshan Lake was utterly silent, the only sound being the rustling of the autumn wind through the bare branches and reeds. The sky was moonless, with only a few sparse, cold stars casting a faint, chilling glow.
I wore a dark, comfortable outfit, carried my bag and pipa, and as agreed, quietly made my way to an abandoned pavilion by the water in the backyard. It had long been deserted, usually sparsely populated, with only a few water birds nestling there.
In the shadows of the waterside pavilion, a green figure was already waiting. It was Gongsun Yiqing. He, too, was dressed in a neat, dark Taoist robe and carried a small green cloth bundle, presumably containing some important magical instruments and elixirs. Seeing me, he nodded slightly, his gaze still clear and sharp in the night.
"Are you all ready?" His voice was so low that it almost blended into the sound of the wind.
"Yeah." I nodded, my heart speeding up slightly due to nervousness.
Without another word, he motioned for me to follow. We followed the dilapidated corridor of the waterside pavilion to its very edge. Below, the dark waters lay bottomless, and an icy chill washed over us. A small, uncovered boat, barely big enough for two or three people, was tied to a pillar, bobbing gently with the waves.
Yiqing jumped onto the boat first, his figure steady as a rock, and then reached out to help me down. The boat swayed slightly, but soon regained its composure under his control.
He untied the rope, but didn't row immediately. Instead, he stood at the bow, clasping his hands together and muttering something. An invisible wave of spiritual energy, centered around him, spread out like ripples. I felt the air around me warp, the light dimming. Even our presence seemed to be quietly weakened by some force, merging into the night and the water.
"This is the 'Spirit Concealment Technique', which can temporarily obscure ordinary perception and avoid the perception of patrolling sentries." He explained in a low voice, then picked up the short oar in the boat and began to row.
The oars made a very gentle sound when they entered the water, almost completely drowned out by the sound of the wind and the waves. The boat slid silently into the dense reeds like a ghost.
The tall, withered reeds shone like countless ghostly shadows in the night. Yiqing was incredibly familiar with the waterways, maneuvering the boat nimbly, avoiding reefs and shallows. I clutched my pipa tightly in my arms, crouching in the boat, holding my breath, my spiritual awareness heightened to its peak, vigilantly sensing the movements around me.
In the distance, the main camp was still brightly lit, and I could faintly hear some noises, presumably because Chao Gai was in trouble. But the waters we were in were eerily silent, with only the subtle rustle of oars cutting through the water and the whimpering of reeds in the wind.
Occasionally, we could see the lights of patrol boats drifting across the water in the distance like will-o'-the-wisp lights, but they miraculously passed in our direction, seemingly completely unaware of our presence. Yiqing's "Hidden Spirit Technique" was remarkably effective.
However, just as we were about to cross the widest stretch of water and approach the scheduled landing point, something strange happened!
Suddenly, a torch lit up in the reeds not far ahead! Then, a patrol boat suddenly emerged, with a small leader holding a steel pitchfork standing on the bow, blocking our way!
"Who is it?! Sneaking around!" the little leader shouted sternly, the firelight illuminating his alert and ferocious face.
My heart instantly jumped into my throat! I'd been discovered! How could this happen?!
Yiqing's paddling suddenly stopped, and the boat floated quietly on the water. His expression remained unchanged, but his eyes instantly turned cold, as if they had been quenched by ice.
"Wang Lun's former subordinates, on night patrol here," Yiqing spoke, his voice carrying a strange, unquestionable authority, as if he were the one in charge of this place. "Who do you serve under? Why are you leaving your post without permission?"
He actually turned the tables! He even directly pointed out "Wang Lun's old subordinates" in an attempt to sow confusion and suspicion. After all, although Wang Lun was dead, his old subordinates still existed in the stronghold and were not a monolithic entity with the Song Dynasty.
The patrol leader had clearly not expected such a question, and for a moment he paused, carefully examining Yiqing in the firelight. Yiqing was reserved, but the aura of someone who held a high position for so many years and could not be completely concealed.
"You...you are..." The leader seemed to think Yiqing looked familiar, but he wasn't sure. After all, Gongsun Sheng usually lived in seclusion, and many low-level leaders had never met him up close.
Just as he hesitated, Yiqing's left hand hidden in his sleeve moved imperceptibly.
A strange, gloomy wind suddenly blew up, causing the torches on the patrol boat to sway violently, flickering unsteadily! At the same time, several strange noises seemed to be heard in the water, as if something was swimming underwater!
"Water...water ghost?!" Several minions on the boat suddenly panicked. They have been active in the water for many years and believe in these ghostly things the most.
The patrol leader was also startled by the sudden vision, and was filled with confusion. But when he looked at Qing's calm expression, which seemed to be in control of everything, he felt even less confident.
"What bad luck! Go away!" He spat, not daring to argue any longer. He hurriedly urged his men to turn the boat around, holding torches, and hurriedly sailed away from the waters, as if something unclean was really chasing them.
It wasn't until the firelight completely disappeared into the depths of the reed marsh that I breathed a sigh of relief, my back already soaked with cold sweat.
Yiqing retracted his gaze and looked at me, his eyes softening slightly: "It's okay. A few small tricks are enough to intimidate these weak-minded people."
I nodded, and I admired his ability to respond to emergencies and his unfathomable methods even more.
The boat moved forward again, this time without any obstacles. After about another half hour, we finally reached our intended landing spot—a secluded, deserted beach far from the main village.
Abandoning the boat and disembarking, I looked back. The vast Liangshan Lake was reduced to a hazy, dark outline in the night, like a dormant giant. It had been my first stop in this world, a place of adventure, warmth, and... irreparable regret and a destined separation.
"Let's go." Yiqing's voice brought me back to my senses. He naturally reached out and grasped my wrist. A gentle spiritual power flowed through me, dispelling the chill of the autumn night and the stiffness of holding one position for so long.
"Yeah." I took a last look in the direction of Liangshan, turned around, and plunged into the dark forest ahead with him, which was even deeper but also full of unknowns and hope.
Leaving the mountain on a starry night, the hidden plot was already laid. The story of Gongsun Sheng and Bu Luanyin on Liangshan had come to an end. And a new chapter, involving Gongsun Yiqing and Bu Luanyin, who joined forces to defy fate and change their destiny, had just begun.
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