Chapter 216 The next moment, he will break in.
This time, Shang Ruyi had no way to cheer.
This kind of archery skill doesn't need any more praise. Moreover, this scene reminded her of the night before last, when she stood on the opposite bank of the river, yet the cold light remained parallel to her.
Hua Ziying kept aiming arrows at her like that, eventually forcing her to climb Huangtuling!
She wasn't a petty person, but that memory was too oppressive and made her feel very uncomfortable, so she turned to leave.
But as soon as he turned around, he heard Hua Ziying's voice behind him—
"My lady, how does my archery skill compare to your husband's?"
Shang Ruyi paused in her steps.
She slowly turned her head and saw that Hua Ziying had already put down his longbow and quiver and was walking towards her. As soon as he got closer, she could feel the heat emanating from his body. Even in such a cold and snowy place, he could still work up a sweat, which showed how diligent he was.
Shang Ruyi thought for a moment and said, "In literature, there is no first place; in martial arts, there is no second."
"..."
"You can ask others for advice when it comes to literature, but when it comes to martial arts, you have to go into battle yourself."
Hua Ziying raised her eyebrows slightly, probably somewhat surprised that she not only did not show favoritism towards her husband as a wife, but also did not fawn or submit because they were in the enemy camp. Instead, she spoke a profound truth.
His gaze toward Shang Ruyi had become more serious.
He said, "Madam is an expert."
Shang Ruyi said, "I wouldn't call myself an expert, I just have some of my own insights."
As she spoke, she looked at the row of archery targets and the arrows that had hit the bullseye in the courtyard behind Hua Ziying, and then said, "Young Master Hua is still practicing at this time, unwilling to relax for a moment. It seems that you are determined to compete with my husband?"
Hua Ziying said, "My expectation is to be able to compete with Yuwen Ye, who shot down the Turkic army with a single arrow."
“But my husband has disappeared without a trace, so your hopes are likely to be dashed.”
"not necessarily."
"Oh? Why?"
Hua Ziying raised his head and looked around. This warehouse city was already grand enough, and it was built on the endless loess ridges. A person's vision is limited, and they can only see the scenery in front of them. But a person's thoughts can fly to every corner of this place. Hua Ziying seemed to see thousands of miles away. When he brought his gaze back, his eyes became even more ardent.
He said, "I have a feeling that Yuwen Ye is still in Huangtuling."
"..."
"He must be somewhere on Huangtuling, but we haven't found him yet—though it should be soon."
"..."
"Because my arrows are itching to be used."
For some reason, Shang Ruyi didn't think much of Xiao Yuansui's sending people to search everywhere, or that Kou Yunliang was eyeing her covetously at Luokou Ferry. But Hua Ziying's words sent a chill down her spine.
However, she quickly concealed her momentary lapse in concentration and smiled faintly, "Perhaps."
Without waiting for Hua Ziying to say anything more, he turned and left.
Back in that room, she didn't go out again, but the increasingly tense atmosphere outside seeped into her through the cracks in the door and windows, even trying every means to infiltrate her, making her restless and unable to eat or sleep.
However, this unease did not stem from the disappearance of Yuwen Ye.
On the contrary, it arose spontaneously within Xingluo Granary City.
After sleeping through the night, the next morning, as soon as Shang Ruyi opened her eyes, she heard people talking in the courtyard outside. It seemed to be the guards standing outside and a few noisy women.
"Do you think Lu Yong will actually fight the boss this time?"
"It's hard to say; they've been at odds for a long time."
"To be honest, the village is indeed a bit greedy. They didn't contribute a single coin when they came out to attack Xingluocang, but they're bringing back loads of grain. Who would be happy about that?"
"If you ask me, why should the chieftain support those idle people when he worked so hard to conquer Xingluo Granary?"
Shang Ruyi could no longer hear what the group was saying. After a while, she heard someone push the door open and come in. She got up and saw that it was the woman who had brought her clothes in the bathroom that day. At this moment, she was also holding a set of folded clothes and placed them by the bedside. She said indifferently, "Madam, these are clothes that the head of the household asked me to bring to you. You're awake, so please get up quickly. The food is ready."
Shang Ruyi nodded and said, "Thank you."
The woman didn't say anything more and turned to leave. Shang Ruyi looked down and saw that the woman had brought her a set of clothes that looked newer, and the material was better and thicker than before.
Another pair of earrings was placed on the clothes.
Shang Ruyi couldn't help but frown.
That's strange. Why give her earrings again? In this place, not only is she not in the mood to dress up, but she's also surrounded by powerful enemies, including someone like Lu Yong. If she dresses up, wouldn't she just be inviting trouble?
So she put the earrings aside, changed her clothes, and got up to wash and groom herself.
After finishing breakfast, I went outside and found that it had started snowing again.
The weather had only been sunny for one day, as if the heavens had been holding back a lot of bad temper, and now they were about to unleash it all. Thick, dark clouds hung overhead, like a black hand covering the entire loess ridge, blotting out the sun. Meanwhile, heavy snowflakes fell, forming a snow barrier around them. As soon as you stepped into the snow, you felt an invisible pressure that made it hard to breathe.
What was even more suffocating was that a young man ran over and shouted, "Everyone, hurry over to the council chamber!"
Those around them hurriedly asked, "What happened?"
"Lu Yong insists on transporting more grain to Wanggang Village, but the chief is unwilling. Now both sides have brought people to the council hall to talk, and they've even drawn their knives!"
"Why did he draw his sword? Let's go check it out!"
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi hurriedly walked forward as well.
As she was passing through the small gate, she nearly fell because several people suddenly ran up and bumped into her. Just then, a hand suddenly reached out and caught her.
Looking back, it was Hua Ziying.
Still shaken, Shang Ruyi quickly steadied herself and nodded to him, "Thank you."
Hua Ziying immediately released her, but his face remained gloomy as he looked towards the council hall ahead and asked, "Are you going over there too?"
Shang Ruyi said, "I'm just joining in the fun, but Young Master Hua should probably go over there soon."
Hua Ziying didn't speak again, only gesturing for her to follow him. The two strode forward, and soon arrived at the council hall. It was already packed with people inside and out. Before even entering, they could hear Xiao Yuansui's furious voice coming from within—
"Are you rebelling?!"
The angry shout made the roof beams tremble, and the noisy voices at the door were immediately silenced.
Shang Ruyi was also stunned for a moment.
From their first meeting until now, whether Xiao Yuansui rose to prominence or fell to his knees, he always seemed very calm. Or rather, young masters and ladies from noble families like them were much less likely to experience emotional fluctuations than ordinary people. This was the first time she had sensed anger from Xiao Yuansui.
The people inside the warehouse were clearly also experiencing this for the first time, especially those gathered at the entrance, who were so frightened that they all retreated, making way for them.
Hua Ziying immediately led Shang Ruyi inside.
Upon entering the council hall, one finds it in complete disarray, with tables and chairs overturned. The hall is packed with people, but divided into two distinct sides. On one side, Lu Yong leads his men in a menacing manner, some even holding swords, looking ready to fight at any moment. On the other side, Xiao Yuansui, with several clearly loyal subordinates, confronts Lu Yong and his group.
Xiao Yuansui stood at the forefront, his handsome face filled with anger, especially his bright eyes, which now flashed with a sharp light, like a physical blade piercing straight at Lu Yong. Even Lu Yong, a brute, subconsciously took a step back.
But the next moment, he regained consciousness.
Lu Yong immediately said, "Rebellion? Hmph, Xiao Yuansui, we were already rebelling, but you, you turned our Wanggang Village into a small court. I think you are the real scourge of Wanggang Village!"
Xiao Yuansui said, "Without rules, there can be no order. I set the rules for Wanggang Village just to prevent you from acting recklessly!"
"If you don't allow us to do whatever we want, then what are you doing? We are all from Wanggang Village, shouldn't we be transporting grain to Wanggang Village?"
"..."
"On the contrary, I think you're the one who's going to rebel!"
"..."
“You have long harbored rebellious intentions towards the chieftain. You brought this group of people out to rebel against Wanggang Village. Now, I have finally discovered it, and you can no longer deny it!”
"Lu Yong!"
Another roar rang out, and Xiao Yuansui, his face contorted with rage, seemed unable to contain his anger any longer. He gritted his teeth and said, "I've been so tolerant of you time and again because I didn't want to embarrass you, didn't want the brothers of Wanggang Village to become disunited, and even less did I want to give the imperial forces an opportunity. Do you know that Yuwen Ye is very likely lurking around here? If we start fighting amongst ourselves, he could storm in at any moment—"
Shang Ruyi's heart skipped a beat.
Lu Yong sneered, "Stop exaggerating. You think Yuwen Ye is that scary? You're just using him to scare us. Tell me, I'm not buying it!"
"Lu Yong, you have repeatedly provoked me. If you continue to be so stubborn, I will not let you live!"
"OK!"
Upon hearing this, Lu Yong and his men raised their swords, and for a moment, the entire council hall was filled with the gleam of cold light. Lu Yong shouted, "Today I will clean house for Wanggang Village and see who is the traitor and who is the loyal one!"
After saying that, he waved his hand, and the people behind him actually started to rush forward!
Just as a fight seemed inevitable in the hall, a loud shout suddenly came from afar. As the shouts drew closer, the people gathered at the door instinctively moved aside.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be one of the people guarding the mountain gate.
He had been running all the way here, and was already panting heavily, barely able to stand. When he saw the scene in the main hall, he was startled and stammered, "B-Master..."
Xiao Yuansui glared angrily at Lu Yong and the others, and said in a deep voice, "What is it?"
The man said, "Outside, outside, a group of people has arrived and wants to enter the mountain."
Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall was startled, and immediately, the swords in their hands stopped in mid-air. Shang Ruyi's heart also jumped when she heard this.
Those entering the mountains at this time, could they be—
Xiao Yuansui turned to look at the man: "Who wants to go into the mountain?"
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