Chapter 831 Faint Smoke and Vast Waves, Difficult to Find News
"Why don't you come out and say goodbye to your junior sister?"
"Am I the kind of crybaby I am?"
"It seems so."
"You're talking nonsense."
"Just don't cry in secret."
"Little Rongzi, that's you, isn't it? This morning, when Xie Yatou didn't come back, you sat in her tent like a statue waiting for her husband."
Ouyang Rong frowned and said, "Nonsense."
"She still won't admit it; she was distracted when she was drawing the talisman."
Ouyang Rong, too lazy to listen to Xiao Mo Jing's rant, turned to look at Ye Wei Lai.
After bidding farewell to the Li family, Ouyang Rong set off alone with Ye Weilai.
One person and one horse.
In addition, there was a small ink spirit and a white sturgeon.
However, the white sturgeon seemed to really like the river water. Bathing in the river water, it was like "a fish in water." Their route was to go upstream along the river, so the white sturgeon stayed in the water and went against the current, following them.
Ye Weilai was very interested in the white sturgeon. Carrying a small bundle on her back, she rode her horse along the riverbank, curiously observing the white sturgeon.
Ouyang Rong withdrew his gaze and glanced at the little ink sprite lazily perched on Dongmei's head:
"I thought you would suddenly appear to say goodbye, or go to Luoyang with your junior sister."
Miao Si, clutching Dong Mei's sideburns with both hands, lazily rolled over, crossed her legs, and said:
"In my opinion, it's because you're reluctant to part with Xie and the others, and you want me to stall you for a little longer so you don't leave so 'carefree'. Humph, I won't. Besides, I'm not going to Luoyang; that place is too dangerous."
Ouyang Rong didn't admit it, and asked with some surprise, "What danger? Your impression of Luoyang isn't still stuck in the Southern Dynasties, is it?"
"Not really. There are certain customs surrounding Luoyang and Chang'an. We spirits can't easily get close to them unless we have a noble person by our side. But never mind, you wouldn't understand even if I told you."
Miao Si stared blankly at the sky for a moment, then muttered to herself:
"However, this fairy has considered going with Miss Xie to enjoy the finer things in life, but..."
Her eyes darted around, and she waved her little hand, saying:
"But after thinking about it, I'm really afraid that you'll cry and beg me to stay, clinging to my clothes with snot and tears streaming down your face. That would be quite a sight. Fine, fine, I'm just too soft-hearted to ask you to stay."
"Little Rongzi, you'd better treat this fairy well and not be ungrateful, otherwise this fairy will sleep so soundly that you'll die."
Ouyang Rong: "..."
Miao Si looked around and, seeing the lonely figures of Ouyang Rong and Ye Weilai, sighed.
"It's quite deserted without Xie Yatou. But there were so many people just now, including Taoist priests from Longhu Mountain and Maoshan. If I, this fairy maiden, were to come out, wouldn't they have seen me?"
Ouyang Rong nodded: "The main reason is still cowardice."
"Bullshit." Miao Si's face flushed red, and she said irritably, "Then, why didn't you stay and talk to Xie and the others a little longer?"
Ouyang Rong narrowed his eyes slightly and spoke softly:
"Yeah, just like you, there are a lot of people around."
Miao Si pouted: "It's not like it's anything shameful. What's there to hide? Aren't the people around you reliable? Humph..."
Little Ink Spirit suddenly realized something halfway through her sentence:
"Wait, are you hoping this fairy will be captured? Do you want to get rid of this fairy?"
"How dare I?"
"No, that's exactly what you think! Well then, Xiao Rongzi!"
Miao Si's eyes widened, and she lunged at Ouyang Rong's face with bared teeth and claws.
But Ouyang Rong grabbed him without blinking, leaving him suspended in the air, kicking his short legs wildly.
"Stop fooling around."
"Little Rongzi, you are the worst, without a doubt! I was truly blind to have followed you for so long."
Noticing that Ye Weilai looked over upon hearing the sound, Ouyang Rong was speechless and covered her mouth:
"Keep your voice down, don't say things that could be misunderstood."
Before Miao Si could protest, Ouyang Rong suddenly asked:
"So, you actually prepared a farewell gift for your junior sister?"
Miaosi looked puzzled: "A gift? What gift? Who has a gift?"
Without saying a word, Ouyang Rong stretched out two fingers and pulled out two small bamboo tubes from the right sleeve of the Confucian-robed young woman who liked to hide things. The two bamboo tubes were tied together with hemp rope.
Miao Si, who had been looking completely innocent, suddenly changed her expression.
"It's alright, it's the same whether you give it to my junior sister or to me, I'll just do it for her."
Ouyang Rong smiled knowingly and calmly put away the two tubes of spirit ink.
Ingenious idea: ?
A moment later, Ouyang Rong suppressed the little Mo Jing who had risen up in resistance and stuffed the little guy into his sleeve.
He took the scroll off his back and placed the two tubes of spiritual ink into the painting.
He gave Rongzhen the eighteen seeds as agreed, and now all he has left is this fake Peach Blossom Spring painting and the fake sword.
The Peach Blossom Sword Formation of [Craftsmanship] is not yet fully constructed. At present, the only weapon he can wield as the swordsman is this [Humble Scholar]'s only counterfeit Ding sword.
However, this item unexpectedly has a good storage capacity. Although it consumes some merit purple mist each time, Ouyang Rong still took out his important belongings from the Mo family sword box and put them into the painting, including the sword box containing the [Craftsmanship] and the Thunder Punishment Pool.
The scroll is slender and small, about the length of a forearm, and is far less bulky and space-consuming than a violin case.
However, Ouyang Rong had been carrying it on his back in the past. Now that he had hidden the spirit ink, he measured the length of the scroll and stuffed it into his bosom.
After doing all this, Ouyang Rong nodded slightly and looked around.
A river breeze blew, sleeves fluttered, and the figure of a lone figure appeared.
He remained silent for a moment, then turned to call Ye Weilai, and led her and a certain fish on their way.
Half a month later, they finally arrived at Xunyang City.
When he entered the city at dusk, he was stopped by the city gate guards, but after seeing Ouyang Rong's face clearly, they immediately let him pass with respect.
No one knew Ouyang Rong's whereabouts along the way, and naturally no one came to greet him in advance.
Ouyang Rong sent Ye Weilai back to her residence in Huaiye Lane, while he rode alone to the main hall of Jiangzhou.
His return instantly enlivened the main hall of Jiangzhou.
Ouyang Rong took the teacup handed to him by Yan Liulang and inspected the area.
Xunyang City seemed unchanged since he left.
Yan Liulang diligently performed his duties, maintaining order in the city and strictly supervising Yi Qianqiu and the surviving female officials and soldiers.
The number of survivors who witnessed the Battle of Xunyang was small, only a dozen or twenty, and they were all confidants of Rongzhen and Yi Qianqiu.
Actually, there was no need for Yan Liulang to supervise them; they all kept their mouths shut.
I was truly impressed by that incredibly powerful and imposing figure.
Some people even developed stress reactions.
For example, when you see a white sturgeon leisurely swimming around.
The survivors of the Twin Peaks Battle, including Yi Qianqiu, never spoke of what had happened inside after leaving Twin Peaks, remaining tight-lipped about it.
The Qin siblings and the three hundred White Tiger Guards who surrendered and were escorted back by the Xuanwu Camp were unaware of the battle at Shuangfengjian.
The Qin siblings had already left two days before Ouyang Rong returned.
These three hundred surrendered White Tiger Guard generals, because Ouyang Rong had a handle on them for "treason," became obedient and were strictly managed by Yi Qianqiu.
Ouyang Rong returned to Xunyang but did not issue any further orders to these people, as if he had forgotten about them, and went about his own business.
It wasn't just the Kui Xing talismans that Cui Hao secretly planted in their bodies that gave them their confidence.
I heard that since returning to Xunyang City, Yuan Huaimin and Yi Qianqiu have been living in the vegetarian courtyard near Chengtian Temple.
The two cousins always ate and traveled together.
Yi Qianqiu also behaved very honestly, accepting the supervision sent by Yan Liulang without complaint.
These were all reported by Yan Liulang to Ouyang Rong.
Ouyang Rong declined to comment.
Half a month passed in this way. During this time, Yuan Huaimin invited Ouyang Rong to dinner several times, but he politely declined each time.
Ouyang Rong knew that Yi Qianqiu wanted to see him.
Because Yuan Huaimin never invited people to dinner.
Yuan Da Changshi himself was begging for alms everywhere, so it was already a blessing if he didn't freeload off him.
Inviting Ouyang Rong to dinner is definitely a tactic of malice or theft.
Yi Qianqiu's question was simply about the aftermath of the battle at Shuangfengjian, trying to gauge his opinion on how it was handled.
Since returning to Xunyang City, Ouyang Rong has acted as if nothing had happened, handling people's livelihood and government affairs normally.
Moreover, he always leaves early and returns late, never working overtime.
Every evening, I would return to Huaiye Lane on time and stay at Yinbingzhai to read.
Occasionally, he would also go to Pei Shisan Niang's courtyard.
There's also that quiet little courtyard by the Xingzifang Lake; go sit there and wait a while.
When he wasn't around during the day, he also had Ye Weilai and the others guard the three courtyards to ensure that they were always occupied.
To avoid missing the return of a certain beautiful figure.
Ouyang Rong still didn't pay much attention to Yi Qianqiu.
Normally, if we meet at the entrance of Jiangzhou Hall when we finish our shift, we just greet each other politely as usual and then turn around and leave.
Yi Qianqiu didn't dare to ask any more questions.
Although she was known for her fiery temper, she couldn't muster any anger in front of this gentle and refined young governor, and could only force a smile.
However, as long as Ouyang Rong did not make a statement regarding the battle at Shuangfengjian, Yi Qianqiu and the survivors could not put their minds at ease, and were in a state of constant anxiety.
As time went on, the impatient Yi Qianqiu began to inquire about Yuan Huaimin's affairs every day. However, he learned from Yuan Huaimin that Governor Ouyang seemed to be busy with two things recently.
One task was to restore the livelihood of the people in Xunyang City.
Another matter is the wanted notice for "Yunmeng Jianze".
Yi Qianqiu heard Yuan Huaimin say that this Prefect Ouyang seemed to be sending people to search for the location of the sect in Yunmeng Sword Marsh, as if he was ready to send people to Yunmeng Marsh to wipe out Yue Nu at any time.
However, Yi Qianqiu thought this was a pipe dream. Putting aside whether they could find the location of the ancestral hall of a hidden sect, the government alone could not penetrate deep into Yunmengze and wipe out a hidden sect.
Even when Yi Qianqiu and Rong Zhen had a strong army, they had never thought of this method.
However, the thought that it was this young governor who did this made Yi Qianqiu suddenly realize that it wasn't impossible.
She still dreams of the young governor's fearsome and valiant figure atop Twin Peaks that day, and wakes up in terror from time to time...
In any case, Ouyang Rong and his Jiangzhou officials acted as if nothing had happened regarding the Battle of Shuangfengjian, without taking any action or making any statement. The empty Xunyang Grottoes without any Buddha statues, and the golden Buddha head that sank into the river, were left untouched, as if they had been forgotten.
That day, Yi Qianqiu finally couldn't hold back any longer. When she finished her shift in the evening, she used Yuan Huaimin to find the young governor who was tidying up the desk.
The tall woman asked cautiously:
“Prefect Ouyang, excuse me, where is the princess? Also, is there something you've forgotten? If we don't deal with it soon, we might be reported to Luoyang by gossips. We'd better do it ourselves…”
Ouyang Rong glanced at Yi Qianqiu, then at Yuan Huaimin, who was standing beside him, grinning sheepishly.
Under Yi Qianqiu's somewhat expectant gaze, Ouyang Rong suddenly turned his head and said to Yuan Huaimin:
"Oh right, I almost forgot, Chief Secretary Yuan, about that meal you said you wanted to treat me to, I'm not feeling well lately so I won't be going. Chief Secretary Yuan, just give me cash instead, take three taels from your salary this month."
Yuan Huaimin: ?
Yi Qianqiu: ...
Ouyang Rong smiled, turned around and went out.
Somewhat disappointed, Yi Qianqiu left without seeing that before leaving the hall, Ouyang Rong called Yan Liulang over and inquired about the time and date.
"Your Excellency, it has been a month since you returned."
Ouyang Rong lowered his eyes, straightened his cuffs, and muttered as if he were casually estimating something:
"That's about right, everything that was supposed to be there has been."
The next day, Ouyang Rong went to the main hall of Jiangzhou to take his duty, carrying a memorial to the throne, and sent it to Luoyang by messenger.
He then resumed his normal work routine.
Yuan Huaimin returned that night and told Yi Qianqiu about it, who suddenly breathed a sigh of relief.
Although it is unknown why Ouyang Rong was delaying, the young governor must have his own plans.
However, Ouyang Rong showed no intention of discussing it with her, leaving Yi Qianqiu feeling helpless and powerless, as if her fate was beyond her control.
However, she also tactfully refrained from asking Ouyang Rong about the contents of his memorial; the adult's folly had already revealed the answer.
On this day, Yan Liulang came to Ouyang Rong's desk with a troubled expression to report:
"Mingfu, we haven't found any clues about the exact location of Yunmeng Sword Marsh, and even some martial arts practitioners are unsure."
"I heard that the Sword Challenge in Peach Valley wasn't actually held at the Sword Swamp Sect, but rather on a small island in the water chosen by the Yue Maidens. I also heard that the location changes every time the Sword Challenge is held..."
"In short, no one knows the location of the Yunmeng Sword Marsh's mountain gate."
Ouyang Rong suddenly asked:
"Does Li Yu know about this?"
"Li Yu's youngest daughter was taken as a disciple by the Second Lady, but he himself did not know the location of Jianze."
"Where are Fang Yiwu, Fang Juxiu, Fang Shengnan, and Master Yizhi?"
"I went to ask them myself, but they didn't know where Yunmeng Sword Marsh was either."
"The Fang sisters had two Yunmeng Tokens, but after the battle at Shuangfengjian, they wanted to take the Yunmeng Tokens into Jianze, but they lost their means of communication, and their usual communication point was abandoned."
"It seems that Yunmeng Sword Marsh has severed all connections with the area below the mountain, and it is unknown when they will be restored. Now, Yue Nu can no longer be found in the Jiangnan region."
Behind the desk, Ouyang Rong was somewhat quiet.
Yan Liulang said somewhat displeased:
"Wasn't Yunmeng Sword Marsh very arrogant? Why is it hiding so deep now? No wonder it's called a secluded sect. I wonder which nook and cranny it's hiding in, calling itself a reclusive cultivator."
Ouyang Rong interrupted softly:
"Alright. Any news from Master Zhang?"
"Last time, Master Zhang wrote from Longhu Mountain, saying that he had finished his task and was preparing to go down the mountain to help the magistrate gather information. I wonder how it is now."
"Upon arriving in Xunyang, Master Zhang immediately informed me. Furthermore, continue the search for Jianze and Yue Nu."
"Yes, Your Excellency!"
(End of this chapter)
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