Chapter 153 (Special)
Chapter 153 Special
Ling Hao opened the letter, read it, and handed it to Gongzi Yu. "Yu, shall we go back?"
After reading the letter, Gongzi Yu put it away. "What does Ahao think?"
"Why don't we go back?" Ling Hao thought for a moment and said, "Since Uncle Shi wrote a letter, it means that the situation in the capital is quite complicated. It's possible that the Emperor doesn't need us, so it would be good for us to go back."
Admittedly, the emperor had many men under her command, even Wu Ming was killed. But in reality, she didn't have any unparalleled masters at her disposal; she relied on tactics, calculation, and teamwork to kill Wu Ming. This might be effective against one master, but not necessarily against two or three at the same time.
However, there are many things to do in Kyoto, and the situation is complex. I, Zhuge Zhengwo, cannot guarantee that nothing will go wrong. If the emperor were to suffer any mishap, that would be a real problem.
Of course, there's another point: Ling Hao didn't want the emperor to kill Ximen Chuixue. He was a pure swordsman and shouldn't be involved in conspiracies, much less lose his life because of them.
After practicing swordsmanship, Ling Hao developed a sense of kinship with pure swordsmen. So even though she had never met Ximen Chuixue, and even though they had no connection whatsoever, she still hoped he hadn't lost his life because of such a thing.
Linghao didn't want anything to happen between the two sides, so she still hoped to return to Kyoto.
“Then let’s go back,” said Gongzi Yu.
Shen Lang, standing to the side, was speechless. "How come I didn't know you were so obedient before?" This brat, ever since he arrived on the island and became his apprentice, has hardly ever been obedient. He's incredibly stubborn, often driving his master half to death with anger.
Now it's good, they look well-behaved and obedient, but they're even more infuriating, haha.
Gongzi Yu looked at Shen Lang and said sincerely, "Master also listens to his wife. I have never forgotten a bit of Master's teachings."
Shen Lang: "..."
"Hahaha..." Wang Lianhua and Xiongmao'er laughed loudly, as if they were deliberately making their laughter so loud so that Shen Lang wouldn't be able to hear them.
Shen Lang: "..."
Sometimes I really feel like I'm doing something terrible, having these two friends and this apprentice, they're all so infuriating.
“Since you’re going back to Kyoto, then I should be going too,” Feng Qingyang said.
"Master." Ling Hao took a few steps to Feng Qingyang's side, her eyes full of reluctance. "Are you leaving already? Won't you stay a little longer with your disciple?" The first person she met after transmigrating was Feng Qingyang. He was the one who gave her a home, the one who saved her from wandering the martial world, and the one who taught her martial arts.
Although she often called him "Master, Old Man," and although the two of them would sometimes get so angry they'd blow their beards and glare at each other, she truly cared about this master. In her heart, he was both her master and family.
Feng Qingyang reached out and patted Ling Hao's head. "Don't be so clingy. A woman of the martial world should be free and unrestrained."
“Then I don’t want to be a江湖儿女 (people of the martial arts world) anymore,” Ling Hao said.
Feng Qingyang couldn't help but find it amusing. His disciple, from the moment he grasped the sword, had been yearning to become a master of the martial world, someone with prestige, bearing, and authority. Now, he was saying he didn't want to be a martial arts hero anymore. Ah, his disciple was just too clingy to his master; it was quite a headache.
Shen Lang, standing to the side: "..."
This makes me look like a clown.
Feng Qingyang said, "Ah Hao, you know, your master doesn't really like the ups and downs, the rights and wrongs of the martial world anymore. I came down the mountain this time because I was worried about you." He had indeed kicked Ling Hao off the mountain back then, insisting that she go out into the martial world to make her way in the world.
That's because he believed her martial arts skills had reached a certain level, and she couldn't improve further without experiencing the world, which is why he sent her down the mountain. But that doesn't mean he didn't care about her; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to resist coming down the mountain to find her.
Now that Feng Qingyang sees Ling Hao thriving in this martial world, and has been wandering around with him for quite some time, he should go back. "Master still prefers peace and quiet."
These words immediately rendered Ling Hao unable to say anything more. She paused, then said, "Master, wait for me on the mountain. I'll come back to find you with A-Yu later." Her voice seemed to carry a hint of a sob, yet it also seemed not.
Feng Qingyang chuckled, "Fine, go back if you want." Actually, he wanted to say that she should go back alone; he didn't want to see that annoying brat. But considering that he was, after all, the person his disciple liked, he didn't say it.
"Master, take this, don't mistreat yourself." Ling Hao took out several silver notes from his pocket and stuffed them into Feng Qingyang's hand. "Drink less alcohol, eat a balanced diet, maintain a regular schedule, and don't always..."
"I know, I know, stop nagging." Feng Qingyang didn't want to listen to his disciple's nagging, and disappeared in a flash. Oh dear, his disciple was so talkative that the wind was so strong when he left that sand blew into his eyes.
"Master, have a safe journey, remember to wait for me." Ling Hao waved towards the place where Feng Qingyang disappeared.
"Senior Feng, let's play leaf cards together again next time," Zhu Qiqi called out in Feng Qingyang's direction.
"Qiqi, we should go too," Shen Lang said. "The matter has been resolved, we should go back."
"No." Zhu Qiqi turned around and looked at Shen Lang. "I haven't gone back to see my father yet. I need to go home first."
Shen Lang said, "Okay, then I'll go with you." He had gotten so used to just him and Qi Qi that he had momentarily forgotten about the Zhu family. Luckily, he didn't say it aloud, or Qi Qi would have been angry.
Although they lived in seclusion together, Wang Lianhua and Xiongmao'er, who were always forgotten and entertained themselves, exchanged a glance.
"Do you want to go back now?" Wang Lianhua asked.
"I'll wander around a bit more by myself. The martial world is quite interesting these days." Panda felt that it would be a long time before he could leave the island again, so he decided to explore a bit more. He had been hiding his identity and wandering the martial world as a newcomer, which had been quite interesting.
However, he didn't want to be with Wang Lianhua because he was too much of a troublemaker. Even if trouble didn't come his way, he'd still cause it. Xiongmao'er just wanted to walk around and have some fun; he didn't want to do anything thrilling.
"Alright then." Wang Lianhua didn't mind. "Then I'll just walk around and see for myself." He liked watching people struggle back and forth between love and hate, between desire and expectation, between morality and affection, between being affectionate and heartless, between being passionate and ruthless. How interesting!
Unfortunately, none of them thought so, so he had to go play by himself.
As they spoke, the four of them made arrangements for their destinations. None of them planned to return to the capital with Ling Hao and Gongzi Yu. Although the duel between Ximen Chuixue and Ye Gucheng was indeed very interesting, they had seen far more than that, so they were genuinely uninterested.
Gongzi Yu was overjoyed; finally, it was just him and Ahao again. However, to avoid ruining this good thing, he didn't show any joy on his face. He especially didn't want Wang Lianhua to see it, because he had a really irritating temper, and if Wang Lianhua knew how happy he was, it would easily make him unhappy.
Although Linghao was somewhat disappointed that none of them wanted to return to Kyoto with her, she hadn't even been able to keep Feng Qingyang, so she naturally didn't intend to force them to stay. "Before we leave, may I ask you a question?"
"Go ahead and ask."
"Master Shen, you killed Shi Guanyin, didn't you?" Ling Hao asked.
Shen Lang thought for a moment, "It should be said that she killed herself, and I only played a small role." The cause of Shi Guanyin's death was so surprising that he thought he would probably never forget it.
"Have you been to her hideout?" Ling Hao pressed.
"I've been there, what happened?"
Ling Hao said, "That sea of flowers..."
Shen Lang chuckled, "Don't worry, it's been cleaned up completely." He hadn't expected Ling Hao to care so much about this matter. She had specifically written a letter asking for his help before, and now she wanted to ask him for clarification again.
"That's good." Ling Hao breathed a sigh of relief.
Zhu Qiqi stepped forward and grabbed Ling Hao's hand. "Oh, Hao, that's all you want to ask. Don't you want to ask if I miss you?"
“No need to ask.” Ling Hao smiled at Zhu Qiqi. “Because I know Madam will miss me, right?”
Zhu Qiqi chuckled and nodded, saying, "Yes, I'll definitely miss you." As she spoke, she seemed to change her mind, "Oh, how about I just come with you guys... um?"
Shen Lang covered Zhu Qiqi's mouth and said, "Alright, we'll set off tomorrow to see your father-in-law. I'm sure he misses us too." Ling Hao is such a terrifying person; his apprentice is madly in love with her, and his wife is madly in love with her as well.
If he doesn't stop it, losing his apprentice is one thing, but if he loses his wife too, he'll definitely vomit blood.
Helpless, Zhu Qiqi could only wink at Ling Hao.
Ling laughed and winked at Zhu Qiqi.
The next morning, the group parted ways, splitting into five groups heading in different directions. Actually, no, it should be four groups. Shen Lang and Zhu Qiqi were in one group, Wang Lianhua and Xiongmao'er formed their own, while Ling Hao and Gongzi Yu set off for the capital. The original caravan and carriages remained behind to accompany Shici as she recovered from her injuries.
Although her life was no longer in danger, her injuries were too severe for her to travel with them. If it weren't for the letter from Kyoto, Linghao wouldn't have left. Their departure was kept secret from outsiders; two other people remained at the inn, posing as them.
Once Shici has recovered from her injuries and is able to travel, the person impersonating the two of them will sit in the carriage, just as they did on the way there.
Ling Hao rode on a cloud, traveling with Gongzi Yu towards the capital. They traveled day and night, but were stopped by someone just before they reached the capital.
This person had met Ling Hao before, but they hadn't seen each other for quite some time.
"The Eastern Cult Leader?" Ling Hao was very surprised to see the person who came.
Dongfang Bubai smiled and said, "It's been a long time. How have you been?"
"I'm fine." Ling Hao nodded. "Does the Eastern Cult Leader have something to discuss with me?"
“Of course.” Dongfang Bubai nodded. “I’ve been waiting for you here on purpose.”
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Author's note: Goodnight, muah!
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