Chapter 179: Wind Rises At Yanmen

Chapter 179: The Wind Rises at Yanmen

The setting sun sank into the lake as the small boat drifted ashore. Right there, by the water's edge, the two of them comfortably enjoyed a lavish all-fish feast hosted by a fishing family, returning only after their high spirits had been fully spent.

Such days had truly been too rare since his transmigration. Thinking back on it now, Zhao Changhe felt a touch of regret that he hadn't lingered a few days longer at the Cui residence back then.

Though it was said he had spent three days playing with Yangyang at the riverside stables, that had been primarily for learning horsemanship, rather than enjoying the leisure of a pleasure trip.

Recalling the little girl's regretful gaze at that time, he now harbored a small regret of his own.

After being parted for so long, he wondered how the little girl was doing now, and whether she had forgotten him... In truth, Zhao Changhe had always believed that Yangyang’s so-called "affection" was mostly a sense of dependence and gratitude born in a moment of crisis, not necessarily true love, and it might well have faded after all this time. This was also why Cui Wenjing had set a three-year agreement; clearly, that old fox felt the same way.

If only he had been a bit more decisive back then and stamped a seal upon the little girl’s rosy, plump lips, he probably wouldn't have to ponder these things now...

He had still been too innocent back then, a waste of his reputation as a bandit.

Was he the same way now? Zhao Changhe stole a glance at Tang Wanzhuang, who walked quietly by his side, and let out a soft sigh.

This one was different.

This one trusted him and felt comfortable being close precisely because he had expressed no interest. Verbal teasing was fine, but the moment he actually showed lustful intent, their relationship would surely shatter entirely.

What a pity, she really was beautiful, truly too gorgeous.

Especially now, with that slightly melancholy expression, she truly resembled Xi Shi knitting her brows. Looking at her, he hated that he lacked a masterful brush to record the beauty of this very moment.

How could there ever be pure friendship between a man and a woman? Even if one had no designs beforehand, standing before such absolute beauty, there was a natural, magnetic attraction.

"What are you thinking about?" Zhao Changhe finally couldn't resist striking up a conversation.

"Thinking about your song. What a pity, Wanzhuang cannot laugh at this mortal world. Perhaps looking back many years from now, I might be able to manage it."

That was not Yue Hongling's song. Yue Hongling was still too green, not yet possessing that kind of state, though perhaps she might in the future... And if Tang Wanzhuang could let go of all matters in the future, she could do it too.

Perhaps that was Zhao Changhe's counsel to her—to be "carefree." Yet what need was there for counsel? Was that not the very picture of the future she herself had once anticipated in her heart?

Who wouldn't want to sing lightly, drink freely, and laugh at this mortal world with absolute unrestraint?

It was only a pity that she could not do so now, and even more a pity that she might have no future at all.

Even in stealing this single day of fleeting life, Tang Wanzhuang felt a touch of guilt, and a sudden, ominous premonition of impending trouble washed over her.

By the time the two leisurely returned to the Tang estate, the hour was already very late. Wu Weiyang, a grand general of the Demon Suppression Bureau, hurriedly entered Tang Wanzhuang’s waterside pavilion, only to see Baoqin sitting on a stone with her knees pulled to her chest, dazed.

"Miss Baoqin, is the Chief resting? Please convey that Wu Weiyang requests an audience."

Baoqin looked up at him blankly. "Young Mistress is not at home."

Wu Weiyang said, "Oh? Where has the Chief gone on official business? I shall go look for her."

"...Why must Young Mistress be on official business whenever she isn't resting?"

Wu Weiyang was dumbfounded. "Ah?"

Resting her chin on her knees, Baoqin muttered, "Though even I don't know if this counts as official business for Young Mistress. To actually leave Baoqin behind... does she have no need for Baoqin in the future..."

Wu Weiyang: "?"

Tang Wanzhuang stepped into the courtyard at that exact moment. "Why is Weiyang here? What has happened?"

"Chief!" Wu Weiyang stepped forward and lowered his voice. "Urgent report from the frontier. The Northern Hu have deployed their army at Yanmen. The capital is shaken."

Baoqin gasped in fright and looked up. Tang Wanzhuang stood there quietly, remaining silent for a long while.

Wu Weiyang also carefully looked up at her expression, only to find it remarkably calm.

There was none of the imagined anger or anxiety; instead, there was a faint trace of... regret?

After a long pause, Tang Wanzhuang finally let out a soft sigh. "When Chi Li came to Jiangnan before, it must have been to communicate and pass word to Maitreya... Now that the Hu people have moved, Maitreya's response should also be at this very moment."

"Yes, your subordinate sought the Chief precisely for this matter. It is highly probable that Maitreya will raise troops to respond in these few days. Being in Jiangnan, what should we do?"

Tang Wanzhuang shook her head slightly. "Over these past days, we have already instructed our Demon Suppression Bureau brothers within Maitreya’s sphere of influence to operate in the shadows; they will coordinate when the time comes. As for anything else, our duties limit us, and there is little more we can do..."

Pausing, she added, "I shall immediately depart for Jinling to take charge of the situation. As long as Jinling stands, echoing Suzhou, and with Yangzhou supporting from north of the river, the situation is not too dire. In truth, if Maitreya raises troops now, the time is not yet ripe; they are bound to fail."

Wu Weiyang nodded. "Yes. Fortunately, regarding the matters of Suzhou and Yangzhou... that gentleman handled them beautifully."

Saying this, he lowered his voice. "Not to mention that we could not have foreseen it, even he himself likely didn't expect that cracking two cases for mere experience would serve such a critical purpose. He truly possesses the Mandate of Heaven."

Tang Wanzhuang said coldly, "Mind your words."

Wu Weiyang pursed his lips and said softly, "Maitreya's move lacks maturity and may still be dealt with... However, once this door is opened, bandits will rise like swarms of bees, the great clans will entrench themselves, and the sects will guard only their own domains. The world will fall into chaos."

Whether his words were born of pure anxiety or a subtle attempt to encourage the Tang family to carve out their own territory in Jiangdong was unclear. Recalling Zhao Changhe’s words from yesterday, Tang Wanzhuang sighed softly and did not reply, merely saying, "Before going to Jinling, I must still seek out Zhao Changhe. Some things were left unfinished and must be concluded. Go find my brother... No, find Buqi who is currently in secluded cultivation. Have him emerge to assist in managing Suzhou properly."

Wu Weiyang bowed to receive his orders. "Understood."

Tang Wanzhuang spoke no more. With a shift of her form, she vanished toward the guest courtyard.

...

At this moment, Zhao Changhe was still lying on his bed, studying the Heavenly Book.

Immersed within it this time, he was finally no longer facing that old man, the Sword Emperor, but rather Tang Wanzhuang, who had sparred with him and guided his moves while modifying his ultimate technique this morning.

Though he knew perfectly well it was merely a phantom illusion, it was far too realistic. Even the trace of exasperation in her eyes when he made a mistake during the sparring was replicated in full. The delicate fragrance upon her body was so familiar it felt as though she were truly by his side. Her slowed-down movements allowed him to inspect her closely, to the point where he could even see the fine hairs upon her hands.

Zhao Changhe constantly felt that with her moving at such a slow pace, he could just casually step forward, embrace her, and steal a kiss.

But this was a damn phantom; he couldn't even touch it. Was it a bit too perverted to harbor such thoughts under these circumstances?

Tragically, while he had intended to review his ultimate techniques within the Heavenly Book, he ended up not practicing a single move, spending the entire time daydreaming.

He had truly been suppressing his desires for too long... A thought even flashed through Zhao Changhe’s mind: could he perhaps take care of it himself? He couldn't just keep waiting for Chichi forever. Besides, Chichi also felt he shouldn't bottle it up and had encouraged him to find someone... Since he hadn't found anyone, it wouldn't be a crime to guide himself, right?

Yet he felt that having come this far only to resort to self-guidance was truly too low. If the Heavenly Book witnessed it, wouldn't he lose face entirely to another world...

Just as he was caught in this dilemma, he seemed to hear Tang Wanzhuang speaking: "Young Master Zhao..."

Zhao Changhe froze. "Holy crap? Am I so perverted that I'm hallucinating now?"

Tang Wanzhuang's voice sounded very peculiar. "What is a perverted?"

The voice was outside the room! Zhao Changhe snapped to his senses, his mind crashing out of the Heavenly Book's illusion. He stuffed the golden foil into his tunic and leapt up to open the door.

Sure enough, it was the real Tang Wanzhuang standing there, her eyes filled with suspicion as she looked him up and down. "Young Master Zhao... what kind of hallucination have you conjured?"

Zhao Changhe: "..."

It was over. Who wouldn't assume he had just been dreaming about Tang Wanzhuang?

"Uh, no..." Utterly embarrassed, Zhao Changhe could only avoid the topic entirely, asking directly, "Why have you come to my quarters so late?"

Fortunately, Tang Wanzhuang was in no mood to press him on whether he was having a wet dream. She said directly, "The Hu people are driving south, and Maitreya's rebellion is imminent. This time, it is not you who must rush to leave, but I who must depart."

Zhao Changhe's heart skipped a beat, and he pursed his lips tightly.

Tang Wanzhuang said, "It is a pity that the young master's zither lessons have only just begun. I wonder if you will still have the inclination to practice the zither while wandering the martial world in the future..."

Zhao Changhe could only reply, "If there's a chance, I'll practice. By the way, your words imply you're letting me leave? You don't intend to keep me here to help out?"

"Matters of vast armies and thousands of horses are not suited for the young master at this time. To merely wear yourself out in the military serves no purpose." Tang Wanzhuang said, "The young master should quickly leave Jiangnan and seek ways to improve your skills elsewhere. My coming here is to fulfill a few promises I originally intended to teach you slowly."

Zhao Changhe had forgotten what promises were made. "What promises did you have?"

"Back then, I told you to focus your mind, calm your spirit, and slow down... First, it was so you wouldn't blindly exploit your potential in a rush for success, but rather allow yourself to settle. Second, it was so that at a certain point, I could teach you the Tang family’s 'Moon Reflection in Water' heart-law to help stabilize your spiritual terrace and banish the foul air of that Blood-Wrath Bead, making it easier to extract the baleful aura. It was never truly just for playing the zither." Tang Wanzhuang handed over two booklets. "Now that time is short, I can only hand over the manual; I can no longer guide you step by step."

"..." Zhao Changhe had truly almost forgotten about this. He had felt that writing and playing the zither recently had already been beneficial enough... Only now did he recall that she had indeed mentioned this was merely to lay a foundation to ease the learning of the heart-law, and learning the heart-law was for the sake of the Blood-Wrath Bead...

It was fortunate that Tang Wanzhuang remembered it so distinctly.

He did not stand on ceremony, taking them: "Thanks. Eh? Why two books?"

Tang Wanzhuang said: "Since you have learned the Tang family's mental cultivation method, you can use our Water-Treading Wave-Riding lightness skill. This is one of your shortcomings, and it should be a good supplement to your martial arts."

Zhao Changhe was silent for a moment, then sighed: "You said your mother never played lullabies for you, but I feel my mother was no better than that. Doing this makes me even more reluctant to leave."

Tang Wanzhuang smiled slightly: "You should know why I am so good to you. There's no need to treat it as a favor in the jianghu. If you truly have some appreciation, you should know what I want to see... It is not to waste time here."

Zhao Changhe couldn't help it and finally asked: "If it were some other person, Zhang San or Li Si, who was a prince, would you treat him the same way?"

Tang Wanzhuang instinctively wanted to say yes, but the words caught in her throat, and she could not utter them.

The two stood silently under the moonlight in front of the house, gazing at each other, suddenly wordless.