Chapter 135 Encounter
Zhao Xuanxu came closer, turned his face to the side, and nuzzled Wen Yao's cheek affectionately, whispering, "I just want to be like you."
His voice was low, coming out of his nasal cavity, and it made the back of people's heads feel numb.
Wen Yao: "...Okay, okay, get out of the way. I'm hungry. I'll go get something to eat."
Zhao Xuanxu had killed Yelü Chongya, and this courtyard, once reserved for his poetry and couplets, was now ownerless. Northern Liao had a custom of burying people alive with the dead, and some, fearing disaster, had packed up and fled early last night. Now, with no one in charge, the kitchen was empty, with only cold food. Wen Yao spent a long time picking and choosing, then returned to his room with a cake and two bowls of porridge.
Zhao Xuanxu sat at the table, neatly dressed. His clothes concealed the scars covering his body, but he looked calm, as if nothing had happened. He took the food, politely broke off a piece of bread, and dipped it into the porridge. "Are you still going to kill Duo Yueli?"
"I won't kill him. If I fail this time, the entire royal court will be in chaos for the next few days." Wen Yao swallowed a mouthful of bread, glanced at Zhao Xuanxu, and sighed softly, "I still have to survive."
Besides, things had almost come to a head here. The Northern Liao emperor was dead, two of the four princes were gone, and Yelü Duhan still held Yelü Anduan in his power. Once the Northern Liao-Tianshui negotiations concluded, his fate would naturally be determined by Yelü Duhan. Only Duo Yueli remained... and even with the power of her clan, the situation was completely tilted in Yelü Duhan's favor. What happened next was up to Yelü Duhan to sort out with Duo Yueli. He had been harboring the vengeance for his mother's murder for so many years, and surely he still wanted to kill her.
"You too." Wen Yao bit his biscuit and mumbled, "You left the army at Xijin and ran over here all on your own. You're really something."
"Why bother with them?" Zhao Xuanxu sat upright, a smile on his face as he said softly, "Ayao, do you still remember that when you arrived in Bianliang, you promised Yan Cang to look after me for three years?"
Wen Yao slurped his soup, "Hmm? Remember, how did you say it?"
"Northern Liao is close to the Tea-Horse Road. There's a carriage and horse market outside the gate, and camel caravans further out." Zhao Xuanxu patiently said, "It's faster to walk. Going straight west from Shangjing, you can reach the Hexi Corridor in less than ten days."
Wen Yao took a big bite of the cake and said, "You want to leave? Don't you want to kill the King of Qin, the King of Yong, and the Emperor for revenge?"
"You don't have to kill me," Zhao Xuanxu said calmly. "Now that I think about it, if it weren't for them, I might not have gone to Nanzhao to see you. Karma comes true, and I should thank them."
"Wow, what a new truth." Wen Yao shook his head and continued to drink his porridge: "Don't think about it, it's not time to leave now."
Zhao Xuanxu sighed, "Ayao was originally a deity from outside the Great Wall. She joined the game for me, but why is it that you are reluctant to let her go when the time comes?"
"What do you mean... No, why are you so talkative? The porridge is almost cold, do you want to drink it or not?" Wen Yao tapped Zhao Xuanxu's bowl with his chopsticks, "Drink it quickly! After drinking, come with me to see Yelu Duhan's people. I have something to return to him."
After a filling meal of rice and flour, a bowl of porridge and two pancakes, Wen Yao suddenly felt refreshed. Outside, soldiers and officers surrounded the streets and alleys, the Oruduo camp surrounding the capital tightly. Wen Yao swaggered out and took out his token, his Saker Falcon spreading its wings as if ready to take flight. The Oruduo general, who had been about to stop him, glanced at the token, then at the two Tianshui men before him, then, with a wave of doubt, raised his hand to let them pass.
This thing is really useful.
Wen Yao tossed the token up and down, truly understanding Yelu Duhan's growing power in Shangjing City and even across Northern Liao. It was Lou Chengyi who had originally given her the token while sitting at the wonton stall, while it was the Yelu emperor who would later reign supreme on the Northern Liao grasslands. This token was a hot potato; it was best to hand it over as soon as possible.
She knocked on a door, handed over the token to the other party, and instructed: "Give the things to Yelu Duhan, and please prepare a carriage and some food."
Yelu Duhan's men immediately agreed, and within a short time, they had prepared everything and escorted Wen Yao and Zhao Xuanxu out of Shangjing City. The situation within the palace was largely under Yelu Duhan's control. Wen Yao walked with such swagger that the soldiers guarding the city gates ignored the large, luxurious carriage.
The emperor of another country killed the emperor of another country, and finally left safely through the main gate. It's a pity that this matter cannot be publicized, otherwise the name of Wen Yao Xingyi Sword will be even more famous.
The carriage swayed as it raced down the road. Wen Yao, holding a piece of grass in his mouth, nudged Zhao Xuanxu, who was driving, with his toes. "Who did Bianliang send to negotiate? They won't notice you're not in the army and go back to inform the King of Qin, will they?"
Zhao Xuanxu arrived in Shangjing a few days later than she did, and he'd been delayed longer, so he'd heard more news. He hadn't cared much at first, but when Wen Yao asked, he searched his mind and said indifferently, "It seems to be Zhao Xuanfeng."
"Prince Xiang?" Wen Yao was surprised.
The Prince of Xiang was a wealthy and idle man who never got involved in court affairs. She had not expected that he would be the one sent as an envoy for negotiations.
Zhao Xuanxu snorted and laughed: "The world has changed drastically, and he is quite smart. If he wants to live safely until the new emperor ascends the throne, how can he not pledge his loyalty?"
"He's a smart man, having done business with Chu Yutang without suffering any loss. He shouldn't make any mistakes when discussing business with Yelu Duhan either. Alright! Once the treaty is signed, we should each return to the capital and deal with our own affairs behind closed doors." Wen Yao grew more and more excited as he spoke, feeling victory was in sight. "Once we've dealt with your two brothers, everything will be fine in Tianshui, and the troubled times will end. The remaining troubles in this peaceful and prosperous time can be left to Zhang Yun."
Wen Yao wasn't one to procrastinate. At this critical juncture, if she could travel a thousand miles a day, she would have rushed back to Bianliang to investigate. However, Zhao Xuanxu refused to cooperate, taking his time traveling and working. After entering the customs, he even dragged Wen Yao to a small town for two days under the pretext of replenishing supplies.
Wen Yao, seeing that he was mentally unstable, had been extremely lenient with him during this period, but even so, she could no longer tolerate it. At a roadside restaurant, she watched Zhao Xuanxu leisurely sipping tea with a rosy face, shaking the soup balls in his bowl, and said quietly, "The things we bought are enough to take us directly back to Bianliang even if we don't return to the garrison. I advise you to stop."
Just as he finished speaking, a few people suddenly hurried in from outside the door. Wen Yao glanced over casually, his expression changed, and he pinched Zhao Xuanxu's chin to make him lower his head: "Don't move."
Zhao Xuanxu raised his eyebrows and lowered his head in agreement: "Who is it?"
"Old acquaintance, Hongge, Feng Jimin." Wen Yao turned sideways to look, and the wide pillar blocked most of her body.
She really didn't expect to see Feng Jimin here.
Despite being the leader of a killer organization, Feng Jimin always acted with a high profile. This time, four or five people wearing white masks entered the restaurant. He walked in the middle, his face covered with a veil, concealing his distinctive white hair and red eyes. One of them threw some silver to the fearful and trembling shopkeeper, and then the group hurried up to the second floor.
"The world is so small, we can even meet someone like this." Wen Yao let go of his hand and suddenly thought of something: "Jiang Qiaosheng said she went to kill Feng Jimin, she--" Could she be nearby?
"Ayao." Zhao Xuanxu sat up straight and said seriously, "I think you're right. We shouldn't stay here for long. Let's leave as soon as we finish our meal."
It's too late.
Two more footsteps echoed near the door. One was heavy, the other unusually brisk. Wen Yao looked over and saw Jiang Qiaosheng walk in, dressed in a floral dress embellished with butterflies. Her eyebrows were arched, her lips adorned with a smile as she walked straight toward the shopkeeper. The tip of the dagger she was twirling in her hand suddenly sank into the wood.
There was no need to say anything else. The shopkeeper immediately told Jiang Qiaosheng tremblingly about the private room that Feng Jimin had booked.
Jiang Qiaosheng turned and soared to the second floor. Moments later, the sound of a wooden door being kicked in was heard. Then, a man in a white mask, with a gaping hole in his chest, was thrown from the upper floor, his body falling limply to the ground. It happened in a flash, and those still eating nearby were stunned, then screamed and ran out. Xue Ke nodded to the stunned shopkeeper and took out a large bag of silver, placing it on the counter as compensation for Jiang Qiaosheng's damages.
Then he turned around and met Wen Yao's eyes squarely.
Wen Yao supported his face with one hand, turned sideways, and raised the other hand to greet him.
Xue Ke was surprised and immediately walked towards Wen Yao. He looked at Wen Yao and then at Zhao Xuanxu and called out, "Miss Wen, His Royal Highness Prince Yan."
Wen Yao raised his chin and looked towards the second floor: "What's going on?"
"The ghost lantern has been untied. The master said he wanted to seek revenge for Feng Jimin's humiliation and chased him all the way to the Red Pavilion station." Xue Ke said, "Miss Wen, I am grateful for your kindness today. I will never forget it."
Wen Yao picked at the sweet meatballs in the bowl and said, "No way, I'm helping Jiang Qiaosheng, so why are you doing something that you'll never forget?"
Xueke lowered his head and said nothing.
Good, good, good, young man.
Wen Yao listened to the increasingly intense movement from above and asked, "Aren't you going to help?"
Xue Ke: "Master, you will kill Feng Jimin. No one else is allowed to interfere."
They pursued him all the way, Jiang Qiaosheng deliberately destroying each branch of the Red Pavilion one by one, as if to uproot both branches. Everyone was anxious, but Feng Jimin remained calm and refused to show up. Later, when the ghost lantern poison took effect and Jiang Qiaosheng showed no reaction, he appeared before him, his face grim and frightening, his hair white, like an angry ghost.
Just as Xue Ke finished speaking, there was another "bang" sound.
This time, the person Jiang Qiaosheng knocked down from the upper floor was none other than Feng Jimin. His mask was gone, his dull white hair scattered across the floor, his brow furrowed, and blood stained his chest and chin. Jiang Qiaosheng appeared at the second-floor railing, his hand firmly grasping a man's neck. In this respect, she resembled Zhao Xuanxu: she preferred her hands to her hands when it came to killing, rather than swords.
She looked down at Feng Jimin with a malicious smile, twisted the man's head with her hand and threw it on the ground.
Then she turned her head and saw Wen Yao sitting next to Xue Ke.
Instantly, the sullen look on Jiang Qiaosheng's face vanished. She was both surprised and delighted. She propped her bloodied hands on the railing and stood on tiptoe, waving at Wen Yao: "Yaoyao!"
Feng Jimin then suddenly looked over here. When he saw Wen Yao, his two hands, which had been cut and unable to hold anything, immediately began to ache.
"Wen Yao!" Feng Jimin leaned on his elbows, looking extremely embarrassed, and called out to Wen Yao as if biting into flesh and blood. There was not a trace of the calm and composed demeanor of Tangshan Hongge, who was in charge of the overall situation.
"Hey." Wen Yao turned and smiled at him: "I hope you are well."
Feng Jimin's eyes seemed to be dripping with poison: "How did you untie the thread of the ghost lantern?"
This guy is really interesting. He doesn't care about the overall situation or the safety of the Red Pavilion. His attention is always focused on the Ghost Lantern. The Red Pavilion is really unlucky. It has bad luck. The two leaders before and after have both been mentally unstable.
Wen Yao watched Jiang Qiaosheng leap from the second floor and walk step by step to Feng Jimin. He waved his hand and said, "It's not difficult to solve. If you really want to know, I'll burn it for you next year."
Feng Jimin panted, turned his head, and raised his chin to look at Jiang Qiaosheng, who was so close to him. A very complex emotion suddenly emerged in his eyes: obsession, hatred, longing... Finally, he closed his eyes, and all these emotions were hidden under his long eyelashes.
"You bastard." Jiang Qiaosheng was naturally indifferent and couldn't understand the complexity of this moment. She curled her lips: "Are you still running?"
She could have killed Feng Jimin a few days ago, but the reason she let this white-haired rat live until today was because she relied on him to find the Red Pavilion helmsman point.
"Seeing Yaoyao today, I'm in a good mood." She squatted down, gathering her inner strength at her fingertips, making them hard and sharp. "I was originally planning to cut you into pieces, but I'll let you go easy on me and let you die quickly."
"Puchi".
The sound of water echoed, and a string of blood splashed on Jiang Qiaosheng's face. She plucked Feng Jimin's heart like a flower. Feng Jimin's snow-white eyelashes trembled, and her head fell backward, her already pale face quickly turning gray.
Jiang Qiaosheng casually crushed the red meat, turned around, his hair flying, his jewelry jingling, and ran happily towards Wen Yao: "Yaoyao!"
Behind her, Feng Jimin never closed his eyes. His gaze remained fixed on the void before him, until the brilliance within faded and vanished. Elder Feng, who had once single-handedly controlled the Red Pavilion and controlled Jiang Qiaosheng, died in a restaurant in an unknown town after dozens of days of fleeing.
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