Chapter 106 Fluttering
The Southern Region is home to numerous sects, which are also separated by many mountain ranges. Each sect occupies its own corner and has not formed a unified whole in the Southern Region. Therefore, unlike the Northern Blade, Western Whip, and Eastern Sword, there is no clear major weapon or martial art.
Gu worms, puppeteers, corpse driving, hidden weapons... all sorts of things competed on the same stage. In the end, Guan Tong and other puppeteers won the top spot in the Southern Region, and Guan Tong was thus named one of the Four Elders of the Jianghu.
"Is he still in the Southern Region?" Shang Yuji asked.
Xiang Fengyun shook his head: "This person is too elusive. In addition, news from the Southern Region takes too long to reach the North, so few people know about his whereabouts. Many people are curious about him, but unfortunately, few have seen his true face."
While he was still lamenting, Shang Yuji turned her attention back to the fierce, relentless battle between the two sides.
The capital city is a giant stage, with various factions taking turns to appear, one after another. If we compare the capital city to a game instance, then she and Jiang Xi would initially develop cautiously in the "Hellish and Treacherous Capital" instance, accumulating enough capital to escape the capital city instance where one wrong step could lead to certain death, and then move to the more suitable "Peaceful and Beautiful Yangzhou" instance for early development. Once they have leveled up enough, they will return to participate in this "Ultimate Battle: Seizing the Capital".
Even with restrictions in place for the final battle—that martial artists cannot interfere with the succession to the throne and that all factions must choose sides before the battle—the allies, faced with the generous rewards of the dungeon—the throne and the merit of supporting the emperor—do everything in their power to gain access to the dungeon. They gather in the capital, each employing their unique skills to lay out their plans in advance, awaiting the final battle to begin.
Their forces, secretly acting as the eldest princess's agents, have already arrived in the capital. As the final battle horn approaches, the other forces will only become more anxious to rush to the battlefield. The eldest princess's faction is almost complete, but what about the second prince's faction? Or perhaps the forces of the Prince of Qi?
It's highly unlikely that the Four Elders of Jianghu, as top-tier combatants, would completely refrain from participating in such an important instance.
Given this, will the elusive puppeteer from the Southern Region intervene in this conflict? And which side will he support?
If you're unsure, it's best to be cautious; better safe than sorry...
Moreover, she is also recognized by Xuanming as an "attractor of important figures" and a "trigger of key events," making her a force to be reckoned with at such a crucial moment.
With a "Rain of Flowers" strike, Yi Sha's long whip drew a long silver arc, exploding into several whip shadows. The whip bodies, which were difficult to distinguish from the real ones, attacked. Jiang Xi was not fooled and went straight to find the real whip hidden among them. With a twist and flick of his wrist, the two whips intertwined and were instantly locked in a stalemate.
The two secretly exerted their strength, and the crabapple blossoms that were knocked down by the whip flew everywhere, blurring the viewer's vision, but they could not conceal the sharpness of the master and disciple.
As if by some tacit understanding, the two men retreated with a flick of their whips, regrouped, and waited for another opportunity to strike. However, a subtle unusual movement caught their attention. Even though the other party was being careful, it was still noticed by the people in the open space.
Yi Sha and Jiang Xi exchanged a glance, then fell silent. They quickly put away their whips, and the tension vanished. In an instant, the two of them walked side by side with a harmonious and loving mother-in-law and daughter-in-law as they approached the group at the stone table and began to chat naturally.
Only the crabapple blossoms fluttering in the air, and the clods of earth undulating in the wind, seem to still be telling the story of the fleeting battle.
As a trained assassin of the Tian family, Tian Ba had been doing dirty work for his master, destroying countless harmonious families. He was used to it and today he was just scouting out the next target for his master.
The eastern part of the city is full of powerful and wealthy people, and everyone is eager to move in. Even a small two-courtyard house is highly sought after. People are always in a good position because of their proximity to the water. If the high-ranking officials in the eastern part of the city take a liking to their descendants and are willing to promote them, they will receive far more than they have worked hard for many years!
Their eager rush to catch up was like lambs to the slaughter for their master.
Under instigation and threats, there are greedy people who obediently send their wives and daughters over, and there are also steadfast couples... In the end, aren't they all beaten to a pulp and have their dignity trampled by their masters?
Unfortunately, rumors later spread that the two-courtyard house was a haunted house, and gradually no one came anymore. Until one day, it seems that it was bought by a pair of sisters, but they did not move in after buying it. The house was empty for a long time. Unexpectedly, now, someone has moved in with their whole family.
Most importantly, Madam Zhen in this mansion has already caught the master's eye, and their whole family is doomed!
On a warm spring day, with a gentle breeze, the people of the Jia family happily enjoyed pastries under the fluttering crabapple blossoms. Even from a distance, he could hear their laughter.
There weren't enough stools, so a young boy stood serving tea and pastries to the elders. Some people were teaching children to read and write, while others were playing around with a little girl. Meanwhile, Madam Zhen, seemingly because there were no seats, or perhaps intentionally so, was sitting shyly on Lord Jia's lap, her hands resting on his shoulders. The two were very close, whispering sweet nothings to each other. Lord Jia even reached out and tucked a slightly disheveled strand of Madam Zhen's hair behind her ear. They were clearly very affectionate and loving.
It's truly a happy and harmonious family.
After observing for a while longer, and confirming that it was just an ordinary merchant's home and there was nothing unusual, he got up and left.
However, today a gentle breeze is blowing so hard that the crabapple blossoms are flying everywhere.
Even the same flowering trees have different blooming seasons; perhaps it was the time when the crabapple trees in their mansion were shedding their blossoms. Having convinced himself, Tian Ba went to report to his master.
Shang Yuji didn't notice that the person had left. She wondered if she should feed Jiang Xi another piece of jade dew dumpling, and that she should feed it to her in a sticky and affected way to show off her status as the hostess!
Having failed to feed the jade dew dumpling, and realizing that the person had left, Jiang Xi quickly got up and left, afraid that she might hurt Aji's legs by sitting on it.
He didn't sit down properly, and his feet were on the ground, distributing some of his weight, so he didn't hurt Shang Yuji. Seeing him standing there awkwardly and nervously, she patted the spot where he had been sitting: "If you don't feel any pain, then you're fine."
If the pain were felt in Jiang Xi's legs, he wouldn't care about acting or not; he would jump up in fright and refuse to sit down again.
"Let Changtian sit on my lap instead..."
Shang Yuji crossed her arms and refused, saying, "No."
How could she, the head of the household, snuggle into his arms in public! If she wanted to snuggle, she should do it inside the house, when they were alone.
A piece of jade dew was placed to Jiang Xi's lips, and before she could feel disappointed, she took a bite from her hand. Shang Yuji quickly cheered her up.
Although the master-disciple battle between Yi Sha and Jiang Xi was canceled due to the unexpected arrival of a guest, Yi Sha was very satisfied with her disciple's performance. Undoubtedly, he had reached a level where he could graduate. New talents emerge in every generation, and his progress exceeded her expectations, or rather, surpassed everyone's. He truly deserves to be called a chosen martial artist.
A martial artist not only needs extraordinary skills, but also an unwavering heart. Xiao Jiang possesses both, including a pure and innocent heart that allows him to maintain his original aspirations even after entering the corrupting world of martial arts... of course, only when Xiao Shang is present.
Yi Sha sighed with relief, "With him here, I can finally shed the title of one of the Four Elders of the Jianghu."
Xiang Fengyun laughed and said, "At his age, he's still very young! He's at most one of the Four Young Masters of the Martial World, how is he old? You'll wear that title for a few more years."
Although Jiang Xiqu could theoretically take over the title of the First Blade of the Northern Region, he still has Xiang Fei to inherit the legacy. However, Old Lady Yi only has Jiang Xiqu as her disciple, so he won't compete with her for the title of the First Whip of the Western Region.
Yi Sha shook his head: "Well, whether he'll actually join the martial arts world is another matter."
Xiao Shang seems to favor the Da'an court, while Xiao Jiang just blindly follows along. When he becomes the top official in Da'an, those roaming Jianghu scoundrels who are free from the law will have a hard time getting to him.
"Being the master of the strongest person in the Da'an government must bring him honor," she affirmed.
Following her words and imagining the scene, Xiang Fengyun nodded and said, "Indeed, I hope that our fellow countrymen in the martial arts world will not blame us when the time comes."
Don't blame them for teaching a disciple who is a master of martial arts. The disciple clearly has extraordinary talent in martial arts, and they simply sculpted him into an unparalleled weapon.
After having dinner early, Shang Yuji took Jiang Xi back to their room. They needed to rest beforehand and replenish their energy, as they were going to sneak into the Second Prince's residence the next day.
Although the heavy responsibilities of spying and rescuing Madam Lan did not fall on them—they went to the mansion to destroy the secret language poison—out of respect for the mastermind behind the scenes, Shang Yuji wanted to see the Second Prince and that "Prince Qi" in person.
We need to recognize their faces, otherwise, what if we accidentally let them go because we don't recognize them when they flee in panic? That could cause an unexpected incident that forces the story to add hundreds of chapters!
If you don't cut ties, there will inevitably be trouble later. Every time I think about it at night, it only makes me regretful.
Before the last rays of the setting sun had faded, Shang Yuji asked, "We're infiltrating tomorrow. There should be experts in the Second Prince's residence. Do you have any Gu worms that can conceal their presence?"
At least it can't be like the secret agents of the Tian family today. They may have superb skills in concealing their presence and have been without any mistakes for many years, but when facing the top experts in the Jia family, their whereabouts are no different from being in the open.
She had never learned how to conceal her breath, and was curious about the secret visit to the Second Prince's residence the next day, so she asked Jiang Xi if there was any Gu worm that could provide a shortcut. If there wasn't, she could send Jiang Xi alone and have him come back to tell her about his experience.
"Yes, do you want it, Changtian?"
“If so, I’ll go with you tomorrow.” Shang Yuji took off her outer robe and turned to look at him. “Does it need to enter my body?”
Jiang Xi took her clothes and explained, "It's necessary. Once inside, your heart rate will slow down, your breathing will lengthen, and your breath will become more stable, similar to the Turtle Breathing Technique. At the same time, your body will be restricted, you can't make large movements, and your movements will be very slow... It's inconvenient for Changtian to come along."
As he spoke, his voice gradually lowered. He also wanted to act together, but after calming his breathing, he entered a dormant, static state, which made it inconvenient to move, let alone sneak into the mansion.
Shang Yuji didn't think too much about it: "If I don't move, will you affecting my movements by carrying me?"
“No!” Jiang Xi replied immediately.
"Can you lift me with one hand? If you can, you can free up one hand." It'll be more agile if you don't have a hand.
Jiang Xi was eager to try, and in one go picked the person up with one hand, somewhat like an elder holding a child with one hand.
She was a little nervous when she was first lifted into the air, but after she was settled and made sure everything was alright, she didn't mention putting him down. Instead, she ran one hand around the back of his neck and gently placed it on his other shoulder: "When the time comes, you can use a knife to make a cut on my hand and put the Gu worm in."
A few strands of silk-like hair twirled around her fingertips as she added, "Remember to tell it not to wander around inside me, just do its job properly, and take it out as soon as it's over."
"Okay! I'll make it behave!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
