Chapter 94: Qishan Fengchan 1: Anle Town
For Jingcheng, Jiang Zheng's death was like a drop of rain falling into a river, its ripples instantly washed away. But for Xunshu, her life was once again turned upside down, like a drifting boat on the sea, unable to find its way.
The streets and alleys of the capital were as bustling and bustling as ever. Xun Shu walked among the crowd, being pushed forward, his mind blank.
She had no intention of staying in the capital, so she bought a horse and prepared some dry food in the chaos. When she arrived at the east city gate, she saw Fang Yan.
She hadn't noticed his presence or absence in the abandoned courtyard, but now he had guessed where she was going.
Fang Yan blocked Xun Shu's way and asked, "Where are you going?"
Xun Shu's voice was soft, and he was extremely tired. "The world is so big, what difference does it make where we go?"
"If you're not in a hurry to leave, I'll do it for you."
Fang Yan stepped forward and tried to take the reins from Xun Shu, but she dodged them effortlessly. Xun Shu pulled the horse a few paces away and said, "I'm in a hurry. Let's just let it go this time."
Fang Yan took another step forward, looking worried, and tried to pull Xun Shu's arm: "Ah Shu."
Xun Shu once again let go of his hand: "Don't get too close to me. I'm afraid you'll drug me and make me a puppet in your hands like Miss Zhao Er."
Xun Shu's words were like a thorn, waving wildly, but at least they stopped Fang Yan from approaching. Fang Yan stopped and said with a wry smile, "Ah Shu, did you misunderstand me? Did Li Xuanhe say something? You always believed Xuanhe more, but he deceived you! It was me who took off his mask, and it was me who helped you!"
"Do you really want to help me? Or do you have some other purpose?" Xun Shu shook his head, tears welling in his eyes. "Fang Yan, when I saw Uncle Jiang's body just now, his skin was still soft and warm. He had just died not long ago! If you had found him, you could have told me, or told Jingzhao Prefecture, or at least shouted it out loud so that the people knew, maybe you could have saved Uncle Jiang's life! It was just a matter of a moment... Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
Fang Yan fell silent, but Xun Shu felt even more upset and resentful. She hated the Dali Temple, hated Qin Yuan, hated Li Xuanhe, hated Fang Yan… and even more hated herself. She wiped her face fiercely with her sleeve, wiping away the tears, leaving behind a burning pain that cleared her mind. She raised her eyes to look at him, a hint of sarcasm in her gaze: "Do you know why I trust Li Xuanhe more? Because he never treats me as a fool."
Fang Yan frowned: "Ah Shu!"
Xun Shu shook his head, unwilling to say more: "Fang Yan, since we were once good friends, let's say goodbye. Although I don't know your purpose, why you brought Zhao Jingrong to the capital, and why you trapped her in the inn, I don't think it's good for her. I'm very tired now and don't want to think about it. I just want to leave this damn place and never come back."
"What if I don't let you leave?" Fang Yan's face turned cold.
Xun Shu's heart skipped a beat: "What do you mean?"
The city gate was bustling with people, and some had already noticed the noise. Fang Yan paused, lowering his eyelashes. "I was just kidding, I just don't want you to leave." He took a few steps to the side, clearing the way out of the city. "Ah Shu, be careful and be careful on your way."
-
After leaving the capital, Xun Shu randomly chose a direction and kept walking. Sadness, despair, resentment and anger filled her body. She didn't know how to dispel them, nor did she know where to go. She could only keep walking, walking and walking, as if looking for an exit.
All the strength in the body was mobilized, and the emotions were as intense as a river that had been opened. After rushing rapidly, the body was exhausted, and only a sense of emptiness and confusion remained.
She came all the way here in search of Jiang Zheng, and Li Xuanhe was another destination she met halfway. But now, Jiang Zheng is gone, and Li Xuanhe is gone, and she has no more concerns in this world.
Where will she go next and what will she do?
She still wanted to live a stable life, a peaceful haven, but things didn't always go as planned. Perhaps only by avenging Jiang Zheng and dealing with the group of people who had been searching for the Si Tian Pavilion's mirror and disciples in the martial arts world would she have the opportunity to start a new life.
If they wanted to avenge Jiang Zheng, they would need to kill Qin Yuan. However, Qin Yuan was the Minister of Justice, with countless followers and strong martial arts skills. If they missed today, it would be difficult to strike again in the future. They needed to plan carefully.
What if she were to resolve the issue of the Si Tian Pavilion's precious mirror? How would she solve it? Send out invitations to heroes, inviting everyone to gather, and then tell them, with all her heart, that there is no such thing as a precious mirror, and that even the people of the Si Tian Pavilion cannot predict the future? Would they believe her? Would they think she was lying and arrest her for questioning?
Xun Shu couldn't understand why, even if such a precious mirror really existed, so many people were vying for it. Were they all so curious about something that hadn't even happened yet?
Things were complicated and intertwined one by one. Xun Shu couldn't figure out some of them, and didn't know where to start to solve them; there were some things she could figure out, but she couldn't do anything about it, and could only accept it helplessly.
When she was kicked out of Sitian Pavilion five years ago, she was at a loss, just like today. Fortunately, Jiang Zheng helped her. Now there is no one to help her, she can only rely on herself to find a way out.
I just feel sad.
After an unknown amount of time, Xun Shu slowed down her pace, stopping and starting, searching for her direction in a daze. Sometimes, when she passed through a town, she would set up a stall to tell fortunes or draw and sell talismans for blessings to earn some money. Sometimes, in the mountains, she would find a cave or a dilapidated temple to spend the night among the creatures of the mountain.
That night, she slept in a tree on the top of the mountain.
She had no idea what mountain this was, but seeing it was the tallest nearby, she climbed up. When she reached the summit, the sunset glow had still not faded, stretching for a thousand miles. The wind was strong at the top, rustling her sleeves. Xun Shu stood at the edge of the cliff, gazing into the distance. Only when the crescent moon hung high in the sky, twinkling stars, did she regain her composure.
Come to think of it, she hadn't been stargazing for a while. She was too young when she left the Sitian Pavilion, and she only learned the basics of astrology. She was good enough for reading the weather, but she still lacked some talent for observing the general trend of the universe and the disasters on earth.
But she could still see the most basic things.
For example, tonight, Mars appears and approaches the three stars in Antares, which is the astronomical phenomenon of Mars guarding the heart.
Mars in the heart indicates that there will be unrest in Daliang, or the emperor will die, or power will fall into the hands of others and someone will usurp the throne. It is an ominous sign.
At this moment, Mars has not yet overlapped with the three stars of Antares, so there is still room for maneuver, but judging from the situation, there should be results in a few days.
The celestial phenomena are difficult to change. It depends on who Mars falls on and whether there is any way to eliminate the disaster.
I'm afraid the world is going to be in chaos.
-
On the ninth day of August, the weather is clear and cool.
With the Fengshan Ceremony at Mount Qi approaching, Pingle Town at the foot of the mountain is bustling with activity once again. Many Daliang residents have traveled from far and wide to witness this once-in-a-decade grand ceremony.
At the town's tavern, a few wandering geeks, after a few drinks, began to raise their voices, "Your Majesty will be arriving tomorrow. If we wait outside the palace early, will we be able to catch a glimpse of His Majesty's true appearance?"
Another scholar in green sneered, "I'm afraid I won't see it."
"Why is that?"
The scholar said, "Don't you think there are too many soldiers and officers in this town? I see they're dressed differently, so I guess besides the Imperial Guards, there are also troops stationed nearby. With so many people, I'm afraid they could surround His Majesty in three layers, and we probably wouldn't even be able to see the corner of His Majesty's clothes."
Another silver-haired old man said, "I once heard my grandfather mention that he had gone to Mount Qishan to offer sacrifices to the gods and even saw the true face of Emperor Gaozu. He said that at that time, Anle Town was very peaceful, and there weren't many soldiers and officials disrupting the lives of the people. At that time, the imperial guards led by Emperor Gaozu only kept the people at a distance, and the people could even see Emperor Gaozu's face clearly. They praised his appearance as a god, and he was indeed the chosen son of God."
The scholar echoed, "Yeah, I don't know what's going on this year, it looks like something big is going to happen."
The silver-haired old man suddenly lowered his voice. "Do you know why the Fengshan ceremony at Qishan is being held so suddenly? Earlier this year, the Imperial Preceptor said that the gods appeared in his dream last night, saying that blessings would befall Daliang. He urged Your Majesty to hold the Fengshan ceremony at Qishan to appease the world, and the sooner the better. In the past, Fengshan would have taken two or three years to prepare, but this year it was completed in just six months. If Your Highness the Crown Prince hadn't quickly arranged everything and taken charge of everything himself, how could it have been done so quickly?" He waved his hand, somewhat annoyed. "I've strayed from the topic. What I meant to say was that the Imperial Preceptor said blessings would befall Daliang, but he certainly didn't anticipate the recent astronomical phenomenon of 'Mars in the Heart'. This isn't a blessing, it's a catastrophe! I wonder if the Imperial Preceptor has misunderstood the gods' will, and I don't know how this will end."
A young man in the corner sneered, "Why end it? It's just a statement from that demonic Taoist. Even if people misunderstand it, so what? Can you still question the Imperial Master and His Majesty in public?"
Everyone was speechless and no one dared to respond.
Whispering about the Fengshan Ceremony at Mount Qishan was one thing, loudly calling the Imperial Master a demon was quite another. It was said that the Lord of the Hall of Eternal Life could communicate with spirits and gods. If he heard this, he would be in great trouble. Who knew what kind of trouble would ensue.
The atmosphere suddenly cooled, and no one in the restaurant spoke. The diners lowered their heads to eat, and after a moment, they hurriedly got up and left. In just a cup of tea, the restaurant, which had just been empty, was now completely deserted.
The only other person present was a handsome young man in the corner, still munching intently on his pancake, his movements slow and unhurried, showing no sign of leaving. The waiter, clearing the table of leftovers, cast a curious glance at him until another person entered the shop, then turned to greet them.
The man, wearing the Taoist robes of the Hall of Eternal Life and sporting a small beard, was holding a whisk and was about to find a vacant seat when he saw the young man. He paused, squinting for a moment before exclaiming in surprise, "Brother Xun!"
The young man who was chewing the Hu pancake slowly turned his head and saw that it was Xun Shu, who was dressed as a man for convenience.
After that night of stargazing, she set off for Anle Town. Her master had always told the disciples of the Sitian Pavilion that the skills they learned must be used to protect the people of the world. Although she had been expelled from the master's sect, she still needed to obey this command.
That night, she had a glimpse of the divine plan. She spent the entire night on the mountaintop calculating that the disaster would occur during the Fengshan Ceremony, and decided to come here to find a way to avert it. Fortunately, she was not far from Anle Town at the time, and with all her haste, she finally arrived two days before the Fengshan Ceremony, which was yesterday.
I didn’t expect to encounter Schisandra chinensis here.
Xun Shu swallowed the cake in his mouth and whispered, "Why are you here? Didn't Lord Li ask you to stay in Ningyuan Village?"
Wuweizi sat down across from her cheerfully: "I was summoned here by the Palace Master, but Lord Li also knows about this, and even—" He patted his head and then his mouth, "This is a secret, I can't tell anyone else. Brother Xun will know in a few days."
Wuweizi asked the waiter for a few dishes. While waiting for the dishes, his stomach growled and he couldn't help but reach for the remaining Hu pancakes on the table, but Xun Shu slapped his hand.
"I want to take this Hu pancake away. It's my dinner for today, so I can't give it to you."
"It's just a pancake, how can you be so stingy!" Wuweizi glanced at the only side dish on the table and asked curiously, "Why are you living in such a miserable state? Doesn't Lord Li love you very much? Why would he let you live on pancakes? He wouldn't even order some meat?"
Xun Shu didn't like his words and corrected him, "Hu Bing is delicious. When we couldn't afford to eat before, if we could have a piece of hot cake like this, we would share it with the whole family."
It’s a pity that there is no one to share food with her now.
Wuweizi was even more shocked. "How come you're living a worse life than a poor Taoist priest like me who eats and drinks for free?" He waved his hand and slammed his purse on the table. "Of course I can't eat your cake for free. Today I'll pay! With the money you save, you can have something good to eat tonight!"
Seeing how enthusiastic he was, Xun Shu no longer refused and hurriedly called the waiter, ordered a few more dishes and two dim sums.
Schisandra chinensis:…
When she left the capital, the princess had given her a large sum of money, but she had always been frugal and usually only cared about having enough to eat. Now that someone was paying, Xun Shu ate to her heart's content, her mouth drooling with grease, feeling extremely satisfied and even burping.
After filling his stomach, Xun Shu finally remembered something important. After much hesitation, he finally asked, "Do you have any way to contact Lord Li?"
Wuweizi was stunned: "You can't contact me?"
Xun Shu didn't answer, but continued, "Your Majesty will arrive in Anle Town tomorrow, and I estimate he should be here today as well. Please help me send a message, saying that I have something important to discuss with him in the woods west of Anle Town at midnight tonight."
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