Chapter 14: Ten Years' Alliance
Near the wall they were nearing was a lush bamboo forest, verdant and lush. Beyond it lay a rockery and a winding path leading to a secluded spot. Hao Chunhe chattered nonstop, but Wen Yao perceptively tilted her head, pressed his arm to silence him, and then turned to look behind him.
Zhao Xuanxu arrived at some unknown time.
He was alone, wearing a loose black robe and a gold-embroidered double-breasted shirt underneath. There were no maids or guards following him.
Perhaps because he'd just washed, Zhao Xuanxu's hair fell down behind him, its edges appearing slightly damp. A slight mist of moisture surrounded him, making his already pale complexion appear even paler, a stark contrast to the black of his clothing. Despite being tall and not frail, he somehow exuded an air of sickness.
Wen Yao wasn't sure if Zhao Xuanxu had heard what Hao Chunhe had said, because his expression remained calm and gentle. Even when their eyes met, Zhao Xuanxu's eyebrows curved up into a smile, like a peach blossom blooming in the night.
He walked over quietly and then stopped. He didn't move forward and just looked at Wen Yao quietly.
Wen Yao paused for a moment, patted Hao Chunhe's hand, and pulled him around the bamboo forest to Zhao Xuanxu.
"Ayao is back." Zhao Xuanxu asked softly, "Are you hungry?"
"I'm back from a full meal, so I'm not hungry. Come, this is His Royal Highness Prince Yan, Yan Cang's apprentice, and my current boss." Wen Yao pointed at Zhao Xuanxu, then at Hao Chunhe: "This is my old friend, Hao Chunhe, the Chunhe of Chunhe Jingming. Those who know him well call him Chunyanzi. But his other nickname is more famous: Flying Leaf Guest Hao Chunhe."
Hao Chunhe was being pulled by Wen Yao, his face drooping. The unrestrained manner he had just walked on the moon disappeared, and he became an ordinary old man again, standing silently by.
"Senior Hao." Zhao Xuanxu politely pressed his sleeves, raised his hands from underneath, and bowed to Hao Chunhe. "The heroic deeds of the Western Dynasty back then are truly admirable."
Hao Chunhe, out of the corner of his eye, caught a glimpse of Prince Yan saluting him and nearly leaped up from the ground. He suppressed his discomfort and stared closely at the rumored living King of Hell, finding him extremely handsome, with a good-looking face, and neither three eyes nor two mouths.
"Okay, okay." In the end, Hao Chunhe nodded stiffly.
He had seen all sorts of ups and downs in his life, and had been to the imperial palace before. But he usually only went to the emperor's treasury, and had never spoken to the royal family. Logically, a commoner like him should have knelt and saluted when meeting the Prince of Yan, but he was a step too late. Judging from the Prince of Yan's attitude, he was also acting like a junior. This...
"Alright, we're one family, no need for all the formalities." Wen Yao cleared his throat and called out, "Is Qianying here?"
Zhao Xuanxu turned his head to look at the darkness to the side. Qianying, wearing a mask, quickly stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, Commander."
Wen Yao: "You heard it all just now, right? This is Senior Hao. You can take someone downstairs to prepare a place to live, and he will lead you in training during this time. I'm just a novice, but he's a true expert, a professional."
The court and the martial arts world are inseparable. Even Qianying knows a little about the legendary masters and warriors. Qianying was surprised that Wen Yao had actually managed to summon the long-lost Feiyeke Hao Chunhe.
He glanced at the old man with messy hair beside him, nodded quickly, and said in a deep voice: "Yes."
Then he stood up and extended his hand to Hao Chunhe: "Senior, please."
Hao Chunhe hesitated, looked at Wen Yao again, and finally gritted his teeth and followed Qianying. The two figures quickly disappeared in the night of the palace.
Wen Yao looked at Zhao Xuanxu and said, "Let's make this clear first. He owed money in the ghost market. I paid three hundred taels of silver to redeem him, and I have to pay another five hundred taels tomorrow. You have to pay for this."
A smile spread across Zhao Xuanxu's brows, as if covered in a layer of honey frost, and he replied as usual, "Okay."
The two walked towards the bedroom courtyard together.
The surroundings were quiet. The moon above Bianliang City was as round as a silver disk, its clear, watery light swaying the shadows of the trees. Wen Yao and Zhao Xuanxu walked forward side by side, each able to see every subtle change in the other's expression.
Zhao Xuanxu: "Ayao, the invitation for the ten-year alliance meeting has just arrived."
In previous years, the alliance had also sent invitations to the royal family, but due to the distance, it was just a formality. This year was different. This year's tenth alliance meeting was held in Cunying Mountain, only a few miles away from Bianliang City.
"This year's martial arts exam will be held together with the Ten-Year Alliance Meeting," Zhao Xuanxu said. "Anyone who steps onto the stage to compete has a chance to become the final champion."
Wen Yao was surprised: "The imperial court wants to recruit us? This doesn't seem to be in line with the rules of the martial arts world."
"The last leader of the Wulin Alliance was a member of the Baili family. Now, their descendants serve in the imperial court. This shouldn't be difficult to accomplish." Zhao Xuanxu gently curved his lips and whispered, "The people shouldn't fight against the officials."
No matter how powerful a martial arts master is, he will eventually have to submit and bow his head in front of the imperial army.
"If A-Yao is interested, we can go and take a look. If not, forget it."
"Then let's go and have a look."
Baili family, Wen Yao had no impression of this surname. In recent years, the forces in the martial arts world seemed to have undergone a major change and the integration was too fast.
She didn't care: "I'm just sitting around doing nothing anyway."
As they were talking, the two of them had already reached the courtyard where they were resting. A maid was about to take off Zhao Xuanxu's outer robe, but Zhao Xuanxu raised his hand to stop her. She then tactfully bent her knees and led the others downstairs.
Wen Yao and Zhao Xuanxu walked to their respective doors, separated by a courtyard bathed in moonlight.
Just before Wen Yao was about to push the door open and enter the room, Zhao Xuanxu's voice suddenly came from behind: "Ayao."
Wen Yao raised his eyebrows and turned to look at Zhao Xuanxu.
Under the moonlight, Zhao Xuanxu's features were clear, his black hair was flowing, and his face was pale. He looked at Wen Yao, pursed his lips slightly, and after a moment, said, "Ah Yao, what Senior Hao just said is true."
Wen Yao restrained his smile: "You heard it."
"Yeah." Zhao Xuanxu stood opposite and said softly, "Ayao, they're right. I've done everything from burning down cities to taking skulls from living people."
"I have a reason."
Zhao Xuanxu's long, raven-feather eyelashes trembled slightly, his hair falling against his cheek as he spoke, "Back then, when I contacted Dali to attack Shu, Shu had 400,000 soldiers and horses, and I led 70,000 men from the southwest to attack Jianmen Pass. We advanced too quickly, and the imperial army was slow to arrive. We had no food or supplies, and if we didn't attack the city to support the war, we would only be trapped at Jianmen Pass with our retreat blocked. Using ruthless tactics would have scared them into submission quickly, without revealing our weakness."
He stared at Wen Yao without blinking, catching every change in her expression: "Ayao, I——"
"The people of Shu are the people of Tianshui, and the 70,000 generals who follow you are also human beings, with wives, children, and elders at home." Wen Yao was silent for a moment, then said, "If you must choose, it's not your personal problem. It's just that you, the commander-in-chief, have a different perspective."
Zhao Xuanxu's expression opposite him changed again. The redness under his eyes deepened, his Adam's apple rolled, and he looked like he was about to cry.
"Don't we have to go to Cunying Mountain tomorrow?" Wen Yao felt a tingling sensation on his back. Fearing that he would really cry, he quickly said, "Alright, alright. It's getting late. Come inside and get some sleep."
"Okay." The red under Zhao Xuanxu's eyes looked like rouge, reflecting on his eyebrows, making him extremely charming. He lowered his eyebrows and smiled tenderly, "Ayao, you should rest early too."
The little disturbance tonight passed quickly. The next day, Wen Yao put on his mask, had breakfast, asked Hao Chunhe to deliver the remaining 500 taels of silver to He Niang, and then excitedly boarded a carriage to Cunying Mountain.
Martial arts gatherings usually involve a group of martial arts enthusiasts sparring in the arena and ranking their skills. Almost every well-known martial arts sect or ranger in the martial arts world participates. Wen Yao had received invitations to martial arts gatherings back when she was still on Bai Xiaosheng's master list, but she had long been annoyed by the constant stream of people coming to her door to spar, so she naturally wouldn't participate in such a large-scale competition.
So this is her first time participating in this martial arts event.
Cunying Mountain has beautiful scenery. She followed Zhao Xuanxu and Gao Shaoshan and looked at the eye-catching arena on the flat ground and the rows of tables around it, feeling quite fresh.
The Baili family hosted this ten-year alliance. Once a rising martial arts family, they had now risen through the ranks, having been granted the title of Marquis. Their presence was lavish, and they displayed a grand ceremony. Attendants bustled about, ushering guests in according to the roster. Of course, those of more special status, such as the princes who had come to observe, had their own pavilion, draped with bamboo curtains and decorated with flowers on the steps, creating a truly elegant atmosphere.
Wen Yao looked around and saw that there were four pavilions on the high platform directly opposite the arena. The curtains of three of them had been lowered, which meant that people must be sitting there.
Hiss, it seems this martial arts exam is quite important. Prince Yong, Prince Qin, and Prince Xiang are all here.
The attendant leading the way trembled as he led the Prince of Yan and his two guards forward, respectfully inviting him to take a seat. Zhao Xuanxu did not sit down. He looked at the only chair in the pavilion with great dissatisfaction, frowning.
As soon as he opened his mouth, Wen Yao guessed what he was going to say. She immediately snapped her fingers and a stream of internal energy struck Zhao Xuanxu's arm.
So Zhao Xuanxu closed his mouth again, turned his head to look at Wen Yao, then raised his hand to signal the servant to lower the curtain and leave.
When there were only three people left in the pavilion, Wen Yao pressed Zhao Xuanxu's shoulder and pushed him onto a chair: "Shaoshan and I can stand, you sit."
My dear boy, don't ask them to provide her with a table and stool. What kind of good family would provide their guards with tables and chairs?
Besides, Prince Yong, Prince Qin and Prince Xiang from next door have also come. The curtain is as thin as a cicada's wing, and the figures inside can be easily seen. The bamboo curtain in front does not block her view. She doesn't want to be the focus of everyone's attention.
Seeing Zhao Xuanxu's unhappy expression with his eyes downcast and lips pursed, Wen Yao hurried over, picked up two juicy fruits from the table, and threw one to Gao Shaoshan across from him: "Shaoshan and I will eat some fruit, eat some fruit."
But Zhao Xuanxu's expression did not improve. His eyelids twitched, and his brows showed even more worry. His gaze fell coldly on the fruit in Gao Shaoshan's hand.
Gao Shaoshan was suddenly overwhelmed with pain.
Zhao Xuanxu and Wen Yao stared at him. He was gripping the fruit, torn between a tangle of emotions, unsure whether to bite or not. Fortunately, a gong suddenly rang out from the field outside, drowning out the clamor. The powerful internal energy mingled with the sound sent the blood of those less skilled into a state of calm and attention surging.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
