Chapter 97 is also quite interesting. The villain who sows discord and impersonates others...
The edges of the paper were slightly curled, obviously having been read over and over again.
"The Yuzhou Cao Gang's grain ships were attacked, sinking seventeen vessels and causing over thirty casualties. It's midsummer, and famine is a possibility. Cao Gang leader Huo Erniang has personally led the elite members of the 'Iron Scale Bone' sect on a riverside search, suspecting the Tianji Pavilion's handiwork."
"Is this matter not settled yet?" Qing Guiyu stared at Chen Juansheng and repeated.
In Tongchifang, Huo Erniang once said that Chen Juansheng cleared the door for her and uncovered the traitor who colluded with the Northern Dynasty, and the Cao Gang owed him a favor.
But every word and sentence in this tip-off smelt of the bloody smell of crossing the river and destroying the bridge.
Chen Juansheng was still styling her hair, and even wanted to wrap a strand of gold thread around it, but she impatiently dodged him.
So I just smiled and said,
"Foul play is commonplace. As Baxialou's business grows, it's inevitable that it will interfere with other people's business."
"An ordinary thing?" Qing Guiyu slammed the intelligence on the table and stood up suddenly. The gold thread and braid in his hands slipped from his fingers.
She turned around and said, "Those are the grain ships that sank! It's midsummer now, the lean season. Yuzhou suffered a severe drought last year, so this year's harvest is bound to be poor. If these seventeen ships of grain sank, how many people would starve to death!"
She was not some chivalrous woman with the world in her heart, but she had been practicing medicine in the mean alleys in the south of Yuzhou for seven years, and had witnessed with her own eyes how those struggling families had to bow down for a peck of rice and spend all their wealth for a dose of medicine.
In this life, I have seen famine, refugees, and the tragic situation of people who would trade their own children for half a steamed bun.
It was not the cold word "famine" on the file, but faces that were sallow and swollen due to hunger.
"Hmm," Young Master Jin Sheng responded, put down the jade comb in his hand, turned his head, and looked at her quietly with his eyes.
"What do those have to do with us?"
The tone was still gentle, but the meaning behind the words was as cold as ice on a snowy mountain.
"Miss Qing," he went up to her, leaned down towards her, and enveloped her in his shadow, "You are not a god, you can't save the world."
Qing Guiyu felt a pang in his heart when he said this.
She really can't save the world.
But she wants to go to Yuzhou.
What’s more important, and cannot be said explicitly, is that Chen Yan escaped.
That madman, out of his obsession with his deceased wife and for the illusory hope of "resurrection", will definitely use any means necessary to find the whereabouts of Bingxi Qi Xi Jue.
Junior Brother’s power is greatly damaged now. If Chen Yan comes to find him, the consequences will be unimaginable.
She had to go to Yuzhou, had to see Lu Guiyan, and had to explain everything to him.
And this beautiful and troublesome troublemaker in front of her is her best and only pass.
Qing Guiyu pushed him away and paced back and forth.
“Shen Tianji, your people did it, didn’t they?”
"No." He also pushed it lightly.
"Tianji Pavilion's business is all about gold and silver, not human lives. We won't do business that will lose money."
Qing Guiyu stared at him. She believed what he said. Although Young Master Jinsheng's actions were unpredictable, his arrows never missed their target, and his actions always had a response. But she also believed Huo Erniang. She had a fiery temper and would never make such a big move without solid evidence.
Then, someone set up this trap under the name of Tianji Pavilion.
"I'm going to go and see." She finally said.
"No." Shen Yansheng answered immediately.
"Miss Qing's internal injuries have not healed yet, so she shouldn't travel around." He turned in front of her, and his clear eyes flashed with ripples like horizontal waves.
"Besides, the Cao Gang is a mixed bag of people, and they act recklessly. If you go there, what if they start fighting..."
"Then I must go!" Qing Guiyu raised her head and met his gaze.
"Mrs. Huo recognizes me. If this is truly a misunderstanding, I can go and explain it, perhaps avoiding a fight. If it's not a misunderstanding..."
She paused, her eyes turning cold. "If there really is someone who dares to act under the name of your Tianji Pavilion and can do it so flawlessly, I'm afraid you would want to meet the person behind this more than I do."
This hit the nail on the head. Shen Juansheng suddenly fell silent.
In those clear eyes, the light is flowing.
"Yes." After a long while, he finally agreed and gently placed the jade comb back on the table. "I will listen to Miss Qing."
He was always like this. Once she had truly made up her mind, he would retract all his claws and put himself back by her side with the most submissive attitude.
Qing Guiyu breathed a sigh of relief.
That's fine. She looked at the snow-capped mountains outside the window.
She was going to Yuzhou not only for the grain ship, but also for her junior brother. Since Chen Yan had already escaped and was colluding with the Northern Dynasty, his next move would undoubtedly be to obtain the Bingxi Qi-Cleansing Technique.
And the martial arts diagram on the black ice jade disk, which combines two peerless cold martial arts into one, may be the opportunity to untie the knot.
She needs someone who has practiced the Zhihan martial arts.
And now, this person was right in front of her, looking at her with a pair of amazingly beautiful eyes, without blinking.
*
Traveling from north to south was much faster. They didn't have to trek that far, but just followed the snow-capped mountains and rivers, enjoying a favorable wind. So they abandoned their horses and took a boat instead.
If the Tianji Pavilion had not been in internal strife, it would have acted as fast as the wind and as easily as using one's arm.
In just half a day, a delicately painted boat had quietly docked at the secret ferry crossing at the foot of the mountain.
The windows on the boat were covered with a layer of thin and tough fish glue paper as gauze, which was both light-transmitting and effectively blocked the damp and cold wind from the river.
The wind gradually left behind the harsh cold of the north, and gradually took on the warmth and moisture of the land. The scenery on both sides of the river also changed from vast mountains to lush forests and rolling rice fields.
After just five or six days, the boat reached the middle reaches of the river, where the view suddenly opened up. The river became wider and wider, and the banks gradually became bustling with activity. In the distance, the shadow of Baidi City could be seen, along with boats of all sizes traveling on the river.
Today we stopped at a ferry crossing called "Xiaoluo Ferry". Although the name contains the word "Xiao", it is an important place connecting land and water. There were boats connected on the river and the shore was bustling with people.
The shouts of peddlers and hawkers, the calls of boatmen and cablemen, mixed with the fishy smell of fish and shrimp and the tide of the river, hit me in the face.
Qing Guiyu got off the boat and felt his feet stepping on solid ground, which was even more comfortable than sleeping for three days and three nights in a row.
She stretched and loosened her stiff muscles.
Young Master Jin Sheng nimbly leaped behind her. His eyesight had improved, making it easier for him to see things. However, nine out of ten times a day, he was glued to her.
"Let's go," she said, unable to waste her eyes any more, "Let's find a place to stay."
"Yes." The young man in black seemed very happy recently. He naturally lagged behind her by half a step and caught up.
Chen Juansheng was so leisurely and carefree along the way. Seeing that he was dressed like a young master and was extremely handsome, people thought he was a wealthy family traveling with his family. The money he spent staying in a hotel was much more expensive than what she usually paid.
Therefore, Qing Guiyu chose a tavern by the river, and conveniently someone cleaned up a seat by the window on the second floor.
From here, she could see half of the river and the bustling crowds of people coming and going on the ferry. She ordered two seasonal side dishes and a plate of water chestnuts that had just been caught from the river.
The water chestnuts are cooked, black and tender, and steaming hot.
Qing Guiyu picked up one and was about to peel it open with his skillful strength, but the slender and beautiful hand opposite him reached out first and moved the plate an inch towards him.
"I'll do it." He said softly.
Qing Guiyu was too lazy to argue with him and just let him go.
She propped up her chin and looked at the river view intermittently. The string in her heart that had been tense for many days finally relaxed a little.
But this peace did not last more than half a cup of tea.
Suddenly, there were screams and the sound of metal clashing downstream of the ferry, followed by several shrill screams.
Qing Guiyu's heart trembled, and he looked over, only to see that on a shallow beach a hundred steps downstream, several flames had suddenly ignited, illuminating the nearby river bank red.
No, that's not fire.
It's a flag.
Dozens of blood-red triangular flags were placed on the mudflat in a strange formation. Seven or eight men dressed in the uniforms of the Cao Gang, each holding a flag in their hands, occupied the flag formation and defended the center.
The lower end of the flagpole was sharpened, serving as both a weapon and an eyesore. It fluttered in the river wind, making a rustling sound.
There was a faint flicker of fire in the air, circling up and down, advancing and retreating, and opening and closing. From time to time, a flash of a knife would emerge from it and slash fiercely at the outer edge. It was obviously a well-practiced water formation.
Outside the flag formation, there were more than 20 men in black, with agile figures, each holding a weapon, advancing and retreating in a well-organized manner, coordinating with each other tacitly, and constantly shrinking inwards, strangling the Cao Gang members who were already struggling in the formation.
The one surrounded in the center was none other than the elder of the Scale Hall of the Cao Gang, "Iron Scale Bones" Huo Erniang. Her short hair was soaked with sweat, her face was stained with blood, and she struck with her left palm and her right hand with ruthless moves.
"Fire Flag Formation." Young Master Jin Sheng held the silk blade in his fingertips, and with a slight movement of his hand, he cut open the water chestnut and pushed the snow-white lotus kernel in front of her.
"Using flags as shields and poles as spears, dozens of people are connected in spirit, attacking and defending as one. This is the formation used by the Cao Gang to protect their ships. They excel at siege and attrition, but this kind of stubborn defense is not going to work."
Qing Guiyu stood up, but a cold hand gently pressed down on his wrist.
"Miss Qing," Shen Juansheng's voice remained calm as he peeled water chestnuts in his hands, "Don't go."
She frowned, "But who are the people who besieged Huo Erniang?"
"They're probably pirates trying to seize territory."
After hearing what he said, she took a closer look. They were not bandits at all. The people besieging them were all dressed in black like the death squad of Tianji Pavilion, and they attacked fiercely.
"Your people?" She leaned towards him and asked in a low voice.
"No." As the distance suddenly got closer, Shen Juansheng blushed, lowered his head, and imitated her in a low voice, "The clothes are, but the person is not."
He spoke so confidently that Qing Guiyu believed him. He could tell the authenticity of a disciple of the Tianji Pavilion just by listening to their breathing and smelling their scent.
But I didn't care at all.
"The assassins of the Tianji Pavilion made an inappropriate move and missed."
Young Master Jin Sheng brushed off the water chestnut debris from his fingertips, his voice still as clear and gentle as ever.
"Look at them. They've been besieging for so long. Although their formation is powerful, their killing moves are weak. It's not so much that they want to kill Huo Erniang, but rather that they want to trap her here and wait for someone to come."
She was about to say something else when the situation suddenly changed.
Outside the fire flag formation, a man walked slowly.
He was a tall young man in black clothes, with flowing sleeves and hair tied with gold thread. He actually had a similar demeanor to the man next to him.
As soon as he appeared, the besieging "Tianji Pavilion Death Soldiers" all withdrew their attacks, bowed and retreated, forming two rows behind him, and a murderous aura came towards them.
"Master Huo," the man said, standing with his hands behind his back, coldly looking at the besieged Huo Er Niang, "I hope you are well."
Huo Erniang leaned against the flagpole and gasped for breath. She raised her head and stared at the person who came.
"Playing tricks!" She spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva. "Master Jinsheng, you coward! You brought so many people with you, and you still need to disguise yourself?"
Qing Guiyu was stunned. After a while, he pointed at that end in disbelief, and then pointed at Chen Juansheng beside him.
The man had an arrogant look on his face. Although he was not bad looking, he was completely different from the gentle and handsome young man beside him.
Young Master Jin Sheng was still sitting quietly beside her, playing with a delicate little water chestnut in his hand.
The sun shone in from the window, casting a patchwork of light and dark shadows on his face. His face was expressionless, yet it seemed a little cold.
Another "Golden Voice Prince".
Are all the troubles in this world meant to come at you all at once?
The title of Tianji Conspirator is even more coveted than those lost martial arts secrets in the world.
"Master Huo, you are too kind," the young man below laughed softly, "Today, I, Chen, just want to ask Master Huo to meet an old friend."
"Old friend?" Huo Erniang sneered, "None of my old friends, Huo Ping, are cowards who hide their heads and show their tails!"
"Whether he is a rat or not, you will know when you meet him." He did not seem annoyed, but raised his hand and gestured behind him.
Swords and knives flashed, and those black-clad warriors surrounded them again.
Qing Guiyu felt a splitting headache. She glanced at Chen Jiansheng beside her, but he seemed not to hear her. He just pushed the small plate of peeled water chestnuts towards her again.
"You don't care about that?" She lowered her voice and nudged him lightly with her elbow. "That guy down there, wearing your outfit, is swindling people and almost dismantling the Cao Gang's fire flag formation."
These words were spoken quickly and urgently, as if she was worried about him.
"Hmm," he replied in a deep voice, then suddenly smiled. He withdrew his gaze and returned it to her face. The icy chill instantly dissipated, and the warm spring breeze seemed to flow through the upstairs tavern.
"There are at least eight, if not ten, scoundrels trying to sow discord and impersonate others every day. Fuxi and the others will take care of them from now on. Miss Qing, there's no need to spoil your fun."
He said it lightly, as if it was not a real battle that could trap the Cao Gang elder, but an insignificant fly.
Qing Guiyu looked at the "Young Master Jinsheng" in the distance, then looked at the real person beside him who was calm and composed. For a moment, he didn't know what to say.
This person clearly didn't want to move. If she pressed him any further, who knew what new trouble he would cause.
Since Huo Erniang's life was temporarily safe and her internal energy had not yet fully recovered, rushing forward rashly under the guise of love poison would not only fail to save her, but would also confirm the trap.
It also seemed that she was ungrateful and had to push him from this peaceful restaurant into that meaningless fight.
"All right,"
Qing Guiyu had no choice but to calm down temporarily and keep an eye on the movements over there.
She picked up a water chestnut and took a bite, but couldn't help thinking that although this counterfeit looked aggressive, his posture and grace were indeed about 50% similar to hers.
"It's hard for them," she sighed sincerely, more like talking to herself,
"You went to so much trouble to find someone this good-looking to play you."
She spoke these words very softly, almost holding them in her mouth, thinking that the person next to her probably couldn't hear her.
As soon as the words fell.
Kah.
An extremely slight sound, like the sound of a joint shifting, came from the side.
Qing Guiyu was startled when he heard a cold wind and subconsciously looked in the direction of the sound.
The small white porcelain plate filled with water chestnut kernels was pressed down by a slender and beautiful hand.
Chen Juansheng still had his head down, his black hair hanging down, his expression unclear, but the water chestnut that had just been peeled halfway was crushed silently.
The water chestnut kernels were crushed beyond recognition, mixed with the black shells, and fell from between fingers.
Qing Guiyu looked at him, puzzled.
Chen Juansheng didn't look at her, but with his eyelashes drooping, he hurriedly stuffed the water chestnut that he had crushed, along with the crumbs stuck on his fingertips, into her hand.
The water chestnuts were still warm, but the coolness of his fingertips made the touch feel strange.
"I've changed my mind, Miss Qing,"
His eyes looked over her shoulder to the river beach, sweeping across the high-spirited young man who was pretending to be someone else.
Young Master Jinsheng stood up and smiled at her. He clapped his hands, and debris fell. But his eyes were like blades covered in ice, sharp enough to cut through the summer river breeze.
"This matter needs to be concluded as soon as possible."
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