Chapter 406: Going Down to Jiangnan Again

Chapter 406: South to Jiangnan Again

This kidney came at just the right time.

Zhao Changhe still had some shred of face left; he didn’t openly join Huangfu Qing at the grand farewell morning banquet, instead hiding in his own courtyard to eat breakfast, his kidneys still warm.

Huangfu Qing couldn’t be bothered with such concerns. She attended the banquet in full regalia, as if nothing had happened, chatting and laughing as usual, as though she had no idea what others were muttering about.

Yang Jingxiu also acted as if he knew nothing of what had transpired, delivering flowery pleasantries. He thanked the Imperial Consort for gracing his birthday feast, saying the Yang residence was bathed in glory, and the old minister was so overwhelmed with gratitude he could barely speak… and wished His Majesty a longevity as enduring as the Southern Mountain, verdant and full of life.

Tang Wanzhuang, pleading illness, also skipped the meal. Only Cui Yuanyang sat at the table, stabbing a rabbit-shaped longevity peach with her chopsticks, nearly shredding its rear to pieces.

Watching Huangfu Qing sit there, radiant and refreshed, infuriated her…

That was supposed to be mine—what are you so smug about? Just because you’re older and afraid your time is running out!

Huangfu Qing glanced at her, wearing a victor’s gracious smile. “Miss Cui, how about traveling with me today?”

Cui Yuanyang kept stabbing. “Who wants to go with you…”

Huangfu Qing leaned in and whispered, “On the road, I’ll let you catch a whiff—give you a sense of participation.”

Cui Yuanyang (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻

Huangfu Qing had won a sweeping victory and led her entourage back to the capital.

The only blemish was that Tang woman still didn’t dare show her face—a pity, missing the chance for a few more taunts. She had to let that sly little Cui vixen take the brunt instead…

Though she had tasted forbidden fruit and found it addictive, reluctant to leave so soon, Vermilion Bird was still Vermilion Bird. She wouldn’t linger by a paramour’s side; she had her own affairs to attend to. She didn’t even want to say goodbye—clingy and sentimental was pointless.

Yes, as long as she treated him as a paramour, many things became much easier to accept…

She wondered if Wang Daozhong had actually been rescued. Judging by the lack of flashes from the Chaos Chronicle, at least no major upheaval like Xia Longyuan killing Wang Daoning, or Wang Daoning killing Qin Dingjiang, had occurred. On the surface, all seemed calm.

Huangfu Qing was deeply intrigued by this turn of events… The Wang family, once seen as a behemoth, now seemed riddled with leaks, weaker than the court itself. In their rebel alliance, the Wangs had initially taken the lead, but now it was unclear who would rise to dominance.

In fact, her little paramour Piggy had just asked her to “convey to the Venerable One” his hope that Vermilion Bird would join the campaign to encircle Maitreya. After deliberation, Huangfu Qing only said she would report back and let the Venerable One decide, though inwardly she hesitated.

Although the Four Symbols Sect and the Maitreya Sect were at odds due to differing beliefs—they had even killed each other’s monks north of the river—intervening now felt different.

Ultimately, both were rebels in the grand scheme. Not only would encircling Maitreya make them pawns for the Tang family… but the easier Maitreya was to wipe out, the less it served the rebels’ interests.

Yet one point did catch her attention, and Zhao Changhe had used it to ask her to “convey to the Venerable One”: the shadow of gods and buddhas behind Maitreya.

Those who pursued the footsteps of antiquity were all intrigued by this—especially those on the Heavenly Ranking. Previously, they had only found relics and artifacts; this was the first time they might encounter a living being. How could Vermilion Bird not be tempted?

At other times, there would be no chance to face such a “god or buddha” directly, to personally test their strength, or even capture them for interrogation… This might be the perfect opportunity. Could the Four Symbols Sect afford to fall behind? Let Tang Wanzhuang scoop up everything and leave them with nothing…

From this perspective, not only should she go herself, but she should also drag that dead turtle along—why leave her sister out of a good thing?

What a dilemma.

Hmm… Regardless of whether she went or not, having that dead turtle come to the capital for a meeting and giving her a beating first was never a bad idea!

…

“You’ve gotten close to her—can it influence Vermilion Bird’s decisions?” Tang Wanzhuang sat in the courtyard, asking with feigned calm, knowing the answer all too well.

So-called “If you truly defy human decency, I will be deeply disappointed”—it turned out to be nonexistent.

Zhao Changhe sat before her like a schoolboy, sneaking glances at her for a long while, unable to read her mood, and answered honestly: “Whether she can influence Vermilion Bird’s decisions doesn’t matter. I don’t want to exploit feelings… uh… the key is that Vermilion Bird should be interested in the gods and buddhas behind Maitreya. She’s very likely to act; I suspect even Black Tortoise might join. Their sect values this more than the great families or ordinary sects.”

Tang Wanzhuang, as if deaf to his hesitation, said calmly, “No, she can influence Vermilion Bird’s decisions.”

Zhao Changhe: “?”

Tang Wanzhuang changed the subject: “In truth, from the one who repelled me earlier, their strength wasn’t so great as to warrant such caution and summoning of allies… at least, there are significant restrictions. Do you know something more?”

“Their descent into this world and their actions do seem to have limitations, which is why they need proxies for many things. But if we want to root them out and invade their hidden realm, their performance won’t be like that day. Don’t call me cautious—I wish I could throw every available force into this. Right now, I’m even thinking of visiting the Divine Phoenix Sect…”

“That’s enough…” Tang Wanzhuang said. “Too many people aren’t always better—like your former Green Forest band. If they formed an alliance for a great deed, the eventual division of spoils could lead to infighting. Now, Ying Wu needs the secret realm, the Yang family owes you a favor and needs your treatment, the Cui family helps their son-in-law, and the Four Symbols Sect might want to probe the secrets of gods and buddhas. They don’t conflict much; with proper mediation, everyone can be satisfied. If you drag in Li Shentong, you don’t know what he wants, and it might backfire. In the future, when you rope in other forces, keep this in mind.”

Zhao Changhe paused, then nodded. “I’ve learned my lesson.”

“I am your master, after all.” Tang Wanzhuang raised her teacup and took an elegant sip.

Zhao Changhe glanced at her again, hesitating.

Tang Wanzhuang set down the cup with a sigh. “Pity that certain disciple’s wife has no manners—she didn’t even come to offer tea to her master before leaving.”

Baoqin also hesitated.

Better not, miss—if you two met, who knows how she’d provoke you. Don’t bother.

Tang Wanzhuang looked left, then right; both expressions annoyed her. She set down the cup with a bit more force, producing a loud “clang.”

Zhao Changhe sat up straight.

Tang Wanzhuang said sternly, “What I said last night—unless you’re an idiot, you’d know I was deliberately provoking her to help you succeed. Ridiculous that someone thinks they got the better of me… Why does everyone think I’m upset? Do you want me to beat you up before you’re satisfied?”

Zhao Changhe smiled apologetically. “No, no…”

Tang Wanzhuang seemed not to hear, nodding to herself. “Since you’re so insistent, I’ll reluctantly oblige.”

Zhao Changhe: “?”

“Clang!” The next moment, he was already flipped over. Tang Wanzhuang viciously beat him up, then swept away with a flick of her sleeve.

“I’m off to Jiangnan!”

…

As they headed north to Hongnong, Jiangnan was ablaze with the campaign to purge the Maitreya Sect.

The rise and fall of Maitreya resembled the Yellow Turbans at the end of the Han dynasty. Initially, their momentum was vast, sweeping all before them, but after a few key strikes, their force visibly waned.

At first, colluding with foreign tribes had some effect—the court’s troops and resources were tied up, unable to muster a large-scale southern campaign.

Yet the resistance of the Jiangnan gentry alone plunged the Maitreya Sect into a quagmire, their advance grinding to a halt.

Their collusion with the Wang family was thwarted by Zhao Changhe, but that was a minor matter. The real obstacle was Wang Daoning’s disdain for the Maitreya Sect—the contempt of great families for grassroots cults ran bone-deep, and the resistance of local gentry across the south stemmed from the same cause.

For this reason, when the Maitreya Sect initially gained the upper hand, massacring cities and wiping out clans became a necessary evil. If local gentry didn’t cooperate, killing them was the only way to avoid trouble in the rear, where they might stab you in the back at any moment.

But the more they did this, the worse the vicious cycle became, narrowing their path.

By the time the barbarians were repelled and the court could spare some support for the south, Maitreya’s fight grew ever harder. After Tang Buqi crushed Maitreya’s eastern main force at Lake Tai, it was all but certain that Maitreya’s defeat was imminent.

Their last hope rested on the Xiangyang front, where they even had a chance to kill Tang Wanzhuang. But Zhao Changhe, appearing out of nowhere with the Blood God Sect, threw the whole plan into chaos, and even Maitreya himself returned gravely wounded.

From then on, Tang Buqi rallied the southern heroes for a massive counteroffensive. Within a month, all lost territory was recovered, and their forces reached Maitreya’s stronghold at Kuaiji.

By historical precedent, this was “paving the way for a king”—the various factions that grew stronger fighting Maitreya would now vie for power. Lü Shiheng was one such example. And the commander of the allied forces that crushed Maitreya might become a new hegemon.

The Great Xia’s fortune lay in the fact that this commander was from the Tang family, and even luckier, he didn’t call the shots—his aunt did.

As Zhao Changhe traveled south, he felt a strange unease. He had never imagined that even Tang Buqi might have a shot at the throne… Was something wrong with this world?

Without Tang Wanzhuang holding him back, he might actually have a chance… But then again, without her prestige and her deployment of capable Demon Suppression Bureau officers, no one would have listened to Tang Buqi in the first place. He wouldn’t even have had the chance to grow.

What baffled Zhao Changhe most was that, though they said chaos was imminent, every faction was still watching and waiting for an opportunity—even now. So what gave Maitreya the confidence to raise his banner first, when the time was clearly not ripe a year ago?

Was it ignorance—never having studied history, failing to grasp the situation?

Or was it forced early by the two incidents at Yangzhou and Gusu?

Or was it overconfidence in his alliance with the barbarians, underestimating the power of the southern gentry?

Or was it the urging of the gods and demons behind him, leaving him no choice? What were they thinking?

Zhao Changhe was deeply intrigued... Not to mention that Zhuque and Xuanwu had considerable interest in gods and demons, the one who was truly most fascinated was he, Zhao Changhe. And this, aside from the blind man, was also his first true face-to-face encounter with gods and demons.