Chapter 30 The Calamity of Shangxu: Disappearance
Whether they are alive or dead remains unknown.
The following morning was the time for the envoys from the southern border to set off for their homeland.
Last night at the grand banquet, they lost all face and tossed and turned, unable to sleep a wink. This morning, they all had dark circles under their eyes and looked haggard.
The auspicious dragon and phoenix ceremony had just been observed in Zhongjing yesterday, and the people who came to join in the fun were all rosy-cheeked and beaming with joy, peeking out at the neatly lined-up delegation.
Unfortunately, the day was sunny and clear, which only made the people of southern Xinjiang seem even more lifeless.
As the clock struck the palace gates, the delegation, escorted by the imperial guards led by Xie Xingzheng, slowly made its way toward the south gate of the Great Xia Dynasty.
Meanwhile, the Wangyuan Escort Agency was in complete chaos.
Wang Shanyue got up just as dawn was breaking, intending to ask Su Yutang to go with him to watch the Southern Frontier delegation leave the capital. But when he knocked on the door, he found no one home.
At first, they assumed he had gone out for a walk early in the morning, but even when Xiao Fangliang came to the escort agency to urge him, he still hadn't appeared. The two men's hearts sank, and they immediately sensed something was wrong. They immediately sent people to search for him, but he was still nowhere to be found.
Wang Yunxi, who was practicing her sword in the courtyard, saw this and scolded her coldly and irritably: "What are you looking for? Your friend sneaked out of the manor last night to enjoy himself."
Looking at the mountain, completely bewildered, he scratched his head and asked, "Do you know where Brother Su went?"
"Where else could he have gone?" Wang Yunxi snorted coldly, quite impatiently. "I couldn't sleep last night, so I was practicing my sword in the courtyard when I saw a dark figure dart out of his room. At first, I thought a thief had broken in, but judging from the figure, it must have been Su Yutang himself."
Everyone has curiosity, and Wang Yunxi was no exception. She originally thought Su Yutang didn't know martial arts, but last night she saw that he had such good lightness skills, so she immediately followed him to see what he was up to.
"Unexpectedly, he went to Yaohua Pavilion! Taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, he easily climbed through the window into the young lady's room."
At this point, Wang Yunxi rolled her eyes.
He cursed this person inwardly, thinking him frivolous and utterly despicable!
She continued to scoff sarcastically, "They went to Yaohua Pavilion to find girls, and you're all here rushing around like this, making a complete joke of yourselves."
Unexpectedly, Xiao Fangliang's expression darkened upon hearing this, and he gritted his teeth and hissed, "Damn it!"
Wang Shanyue also realized what was happening, his expression changing drastically: "It's over! He must have gone to find Yueying! He hasn't come back all night... I hope something happened to him!"
Seeing their reactions, Wang Yunxi was taken aback and muttered in confusion, "It's just going to a music hall, why are you so nervous, like he's going into some dragon's den or tiger's lair?"
Isn't that a den of dragons and tigers?
Wang Shanyue was so anxious that he stamped his feet. He couldn't explain it clearly in a moment, so he turned to Xiao Fangliang and asked, "Aliang, what do we do now?"
Xiao Fangliang frowned, pondered for a moment, and finally raised his eyes to say, "The Southern Frontier delegation is leaving the capital today, and General Xie will definitely be unable to leave for the time being. We can only send someone to inform them first, and now we can only rely on ourselves..."
He paused slightly, his gaze suddenly sharpening, and his tone resolute: "We must go to Yaohua Pavilion to find them immediately!"
"What?!" Wang Shanyue was so anxious that he almost jumped up. He exclaimed in panic, "No, A-Liang! If your father finds out you went to the music hall, he'll beat you to death!"
Xiao Fangliang snorted coldly, a hint of ruthlessness in his eyes, "Now is not the time to worry about these things. He can't kill me, but if we are a step too late, Su Yutang might really lose his life."
Wang Shanyue was speechless for a moment, but knowing that A Liang was a man of honor, he felt a surge of warmth in his heart and nodded emphatically: "Let's go! At worst, let your dad beat me up!"
Xiao Fangliang glanced at him sideways, speechless but with a slight thought in his heart. The Xiao family was disciplining their unfilial son behind closed doors; how could outsiders possibly stop them?
But there was no time for sentimentality. Now that dawn had broken and most of the night had passed, it was still unknown whether Tang Yu was alive or dead.
I just hope she's still in Yaohua Pavilion.
*
Inside Yaohua Pavilion, Mother was yawning, still recovering from the hard work of the previous night, when the girls pulled her to the door.
Not far outside the building, two young men, one scholar and one warrior, led a large group of people dressed in escort uniforms, heading straight for Yaohua Pavilion.
Her legs went weak, and she almost knelt down on the spot.
"Yesterday it was General Xie San, and today it's Wangyuan Escort Agency... Gentlemen, our Yaohua Pavilion is too small, you're really trying to force me to my death!" Her voice was trembling with tears as she begged for mercy, blocking the doorway.
Wang Shanyue stepped forward and blocked her, preventing her from touching even a hem of Xiao Fangliang's clothes.
Xiao Fangliang sneered and ordered sharply, "Search! If you can't find Young Master Su, find Yueying too!"
After a short while, the group searched the entire pavilion. However, they found that neither Tang Yu nor Yue Ying had been found.
Everyone's hearts sank instantly, and Wang Shanyue's forehead was covered in sweat as he stamped his feet in anxiety.
He looked at Xiao Fangliang, whose face was deathly pale, and asked, "What do we do now?"
Xiao Fangliang didn't answer, gripping the fan handle tightly. He took a step forward, his expression unusually anxious. "Where is she?"
The mother shook her head hastily, her tone tinged with guilt: "I... how would I know? There are so many girls in the building, I can't possibly watch them every single moment..."
Xiao Fangliang's gaze was icy, causing his mother to unconsciously take a half-step back, no longer daring to explain.
They were clearly too late. Now, not only was Tang Yu missing, but Yueying, who was closely connected to the Beauty Ruins and Southern Frontier, had also vanished without a trace. The situation was clearly spiraling in the worst possible direction.
At this moment, Wang Shanyue suddenly remembered something, tugged at Xiao Fangliang's sleeve, and whispered, "A-Liang, didn't your senior brother plant someone yesterday to keep an eye on Yueying?"
Xiao Fangliang's eyes suddenly lit up, and he felt a chill run down his spine. He had been too anxious and had forgotten about this matter.
He looked at the mountain for a long time, thinking that this simpleton was not so stupid after all.
The two quickly walked around to the outside of the pavilion. Wang Shanyue took out his waist token and called out.
A short while later, the shadows of the trees in the darkness moved.
A seemingly ordinary-looking man silently landed in front of the two and bowed with clasped hands. However, the sharp aura emanating from him made it clear at a glance that he was no ordinary person.
“Deputy General Xu.” Wang Shanyue and Xiao Fangliang bowed in return.
This man was Xu Lian, one of Xie Xingzheng's trusted lieutenants and the one in charge of the Yaohua Pavilion spy operation.
He spoke in a deep voice: "Young Master Wang, what brings you here? Is there some trouble at Yaohua Pavilion?"
Wang Shanyue didn't beat around the bush and asked urgently, "Did you see Yueying leave last night?"
Xu Lian's expression changed slightly, and he shook his head, saying, "We have been inseparable since yesterday, and we have not seen Yueying step out of the house even once."
He paused, then, recalling the two men's hasty entry into Yaohua Pavilion earlier, and the intrusion of a shadowy figure last night, he suddenly realized something. His expression turned grave as he asked in a low voice, "Could it be... she's gone?"
Wang Shanyue nodded helplessly, his voice muffled: "We have just searched every corner of the pavilion."
Xu Lian also looked somewhat incredulous, his brows furrowed. After a moment's hesitation, he recounted the incident of the shadowy figure he had discovered infiltrating the previous night.
Xiao Fangliang shook his head helplessly and explained, "That person is Su Yutang. He hasn't returned since he entered the pavilion last night."
Xu Lian's expression darkened upon hearing this, but he shook his head firmly: "Under our surveillance and control, neither Yueying nor Young Master Su could possibly step out of Yaohua Pavilion from the front."
The agents in this operation were all top-notch soldiers who had followed the Xie family for many years, never slacking off in any mission, big or small, let alone something of this importance. If they hadn't stepped out of Yaohua Pavilion from where they had seen it, perhaps…
Xiao Fangliang's heart also jolted, and his gaze met Xu Lian's. The two of them thought of the same possibility at the same time.
“If the person hasn’t left, and isn’t in the pavilion…” Xiao Fangliang gritted his teeth and said in a low voice, “Then there must be a secret passage in this Yaohua Pavilion.”
Wang Shanyue's breath hitched, his heart tightened, "What should we do now?"
Xiao Fangliang raised his eyes and looked at the luxurious music hall, his eyes flashing with a cold light, and coldly uttered a single word: "Find!"
If Tang Yu can find that secret passage, he will still have a glimmer of hope.
*
Meanwhile, Xie Xingzheng had escorted the people from Southern Xinjiang to the official road outside Zhongjing.
According to etiquette, seeing him off at the city gate would have been enough, but he still felt uneasy and insisted on seeing him off for a few more miles.
Before long, a member of the Wangyuan Escort Agency rode up and whispered, "General, Young Master Su sneaked into Yaohua Pavilion last night and has not returned yet."
Xie Xingzheng's grip on the reins tightened suddenly. He felt a moment of panic, but his expression remained calm and composed. He quickly suppressed his emotions.
At this moment, the leader of the Southern Frontier delegation seemed to sense something. He suddenly raised his hand, and after the group stopped, he turned around to look. A sinister smile curled at the corner of his lips: "General Xie, it's good to see you off here. I imagine there are still many important matters in Zhongjing waiting for you to handle."
That smile carried a hint of deliberate provocation.
Xie Xingzheng's gaze darkened, and he became increasingly vigilant. It seemed that this matter was most likely related to the Southern Frontier delegation. However, continuing to escort them was pointless. After a moment's thought, he finally clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, saying, "I have other important matters to attend to, so I will escort you all here. The rest of the escort will be provided by the Xie Family Army. I wish you a safe journey."
He immediately selected a small group of his personal attendants and prepared to return to Zhongjing.
The envoy from the southern border watched his departing figure, a smile playing on his lips, and slowly added, "General Xie... please be careful on your journey."
Although they were already some distance apart, Xie Xingzheng still heard what he said and became more wary, but in the end he didn't think anything of it and spurred his horse on.
In order to return to the capital as soon as possible, he deliberately chose a familiar path beside the official road. The trees on both sides gradually became denser, and even in broad daylight, there was no one else in sight.
It's summer, and today is a bright, sunny day, but the forest feels increasingly cold and damp.
In his haste to get on his way, he didn't even notice at first that a thin mist was rising from the rough, muddy ground beneath his horse's hooves.
By the time he realized it, the fog had already spread, obscuring the path ahead. Xie Xingzheng's heart skipped a beat, immediately recalling the hallucinogenic fog from the "human-faced dog." He abruptly tightened the reins, the horse neighed, and came to a halt.
He shouted in a deep, stern voice, "Hold your breath!"
The accompanying guards held their breath as ordered, their expressions tense, and drew their swords in readiness. Xie Xingzheng also focused his mind and did not miss the slightest movement around him.
"jingle……"
The ethereal yet familiar sound of bells rang out from the depths of the mist, growing ever closer, each note crisp yet eerie enough to send shivers down one's spine.
The fog churned before their eyes, so thick that they could not see their own hands, a vast expanse of white. In no time, the figures and presence of the accompanying soldiers vanished without a trace.
Suddenly, a cold wind swept through the fog, and as the shadows of the trees swayed, several masked men suddenly appeared right in front of Xie Xingzheng, their blades flashing coldly as they charged straight at him!
His eyes were cold and resolute. He drew his longsword with the force of thunder, cleaving through the wind and mist, its sharp blade aimed at the throat. Instantly, blood splattered, and no masked figure could get close to him.
But these masked men didn't seem to care about that; instead, they deliberately separated him from his entourage.
Xie Xingzheng snorted coldly. He had absolute confidence in himself and the Xie family army. Even if they were scattered, they would not be easily defeated.
At that very moment, in the distance, deep within the fog, a blood-red figure suddenly flashed by.
Moon Pillar?
Xie Xingzheng's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately thought of this woman. His gaze turned cold, and he raised his sword to repel the ghostly mask in front of him, then leaped after the figure.
Even as reason coldly reminded him that this might be a deliberate seduction, a trap.
But another thought simultaneously arose:
This may also be the opportunity to find Su Yutang.
[Author's Note]
Tang Yu: If you're a brother, come save me!
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