Chapter 933: Separation Lies in a Single Letter
That same night, the Lishan Sword Sect arranged a banquet in the Green Valley, roasting meat over a bonfire.
Such hospitality might have seemed somewhat disrespectful to someone of the Pope's status.
Chen Changsheng had no objections. He knew this was because Qi Jian was somewhat shy, unwilling to leave the Green Valley to face too many fellow disciples.
Moreover, the bonfire and roasted meat had their own rustic charm, which he quite enjoyed. But as he recalled the scenes of grilling meat and drinking wine at the Banya Horse Ranch, and realized that Qiushan Jun was not present, his mood grew somewhat complicated.
Tang Thirty-Six held a bowl of wine, chatting with Ye Xiaolian, making the young girl laugh so hard she swayed like a flower in the wind.
Gou Hanshi and Hu Thirty-Two sat together, speaking in low voices, likely planning and arranging some important matters for the future.
Guan Feibai, Bai Cai, and the others sat beside Chen Changsheng, staring across the bonfire without moving.
On the opposite side of the bonfire, Zhe Xiu and Qi Jian sat together.
Qi Jian leaned on his shoulder, her small face lit by the firelight, her smile exceptionally happy.
Zhe Xiu's new clothes were also quite eye-catching. It was clear that the person who made them had mediocre skill, but the stitches were very dense, showing that much thought and effort had been invested.
Seeing this scene, Chen Changsheng felt deeply gratified. Guan Feibai and the others, naturally, were in a terrible mood and soon left the Green Valley, with Ye Xiaolian following them.
Late into the night, the bonfire crackled in the night breeze. Qi Jian leaned against Zhe Xiu's shoulder, softly humming a little tune.
Chen Changsheng looked around, his mind stirred, and he brought Nanke out from the Zhou Garden.
Seeing Nanke suddenly appear by the bonfire, Qi Jian's expression tensed, and she instinctively grasped the sword hilt at her waist.
"You should call her Aunt. No need to be so nervous," Chen Changsheng said.
Qi Jian was stunned for a moment before understanding the meaning of his words. Looking at Nanke's face, her emotions were complicated.
Tang Thirty-Six's gaze shifted between Nanke and Qi Jian, finally landing on Chen Changsheng. "This generation thing feels really messy," he said.
Chen Changsheng ignored him and explained his intention to Qi Jian.
— For the time being, Nanke would also live in Lishan, and he hoped Qi Jian could help take care of her.
Qi Jian confirmed that this was something the sect master had tacitly approved, so she naturally wouldn't refuse and agreed.
Leaving Nanke at the Lishan Sword Sect was a decision Chen Changsheng had made after careful consideration.
First, it was for Nanke's safety—the accusations from Wujiongbi on the Holy Maiden Peak still echoed in his ears. Away from his side, only the Lishan Sword Sect had the ability and willingness to take in this demon princess. Additionally, the righteous sword and pure heart of the Lishan Sword Sect might help Nanke recover her sanity.
One was a case to treat, two were also patients. Since Zhe Xiu was staying in Lishan for treatment, he might as well let Nanke stay too.
While Chen Changsheng spoke with Qi Jian, Nanke stared blankly at him, not understanding why he wanted to part from her.
Just like in the past few days, she grabbed the corner of his clothes, but this time she held on even tighter.
Looking into her eyes, Chen Changsheng's mood sank, but there was no other way. He had to coax her in a low voice for a long time before Nanke finally let go.
Qi Jian watched this scene the whole time and suddenly said seriously, "I don't want to call you Uncle."
Hearing this, Chen Changsheng was stunned. Tang Thirty-Six's laughter echoed deep into the grasslands outside the Green Valley, startling countless night birds.
"My father definitely wouldn't want to call you Brother-in-law either," Qi Jian said, glancing at Nanke, who sat quietly beside Chen Changsheng. "Can you not be like this?"
Chen Changsheng was usually gentle-tempered, but now he couldn't help feeling displeased. "What exactly have I done? I haven't done anything."
Qi Jian said, "You know what I mean."
Zhe Xiu added, "She means, don't be too good to other girls."
Tang Thirty-Six said, "You think Chen Changsheng doesn't know that himself? He knows it all too well, which is why he's getting angry out of embarrassment."
...
...
After finishing matters at Lishan, Chen Changsheng and the others took their leave early the next morning, returning along the same route.
What exactly had gone wrong at White Emperor City was still unknown. A shadow lingered in his heart, and he was deeply worried.
He had arranged to meet Xu Yourong at the small town at the foot of the Holy Maiden Peak, believing that by then, the latest news would have arrived.
Then they would decide what to do next.
Morning light had just fallen on the green mountains, and the wind over the Tong River was still slightly cold.
Chen Changsheng looked at the small town on the opposite bank of the river, knowing that Xu Yourong should have already arrived there. His mood improved slightly.
Just then, a wild goose's cry rang out from the sky. A red goose turned into a red line, breaking through the clouds from the north and landing before him.
Hu Thirty-Two untied the letter tube tied to the red goose's leg, removed the talisman marks according to the agreed method, took out the letter paper, and handed it to Chen Changsheng.
Looking at the densely packed words on the letter, Chen Changsheng's expression didn't change, but everyone could feel his tension and a hint of anger.
The grass by the Tong River was covered with a thin layer of frost, much like the emotion in his eyes at that moment.
Chen Changsheng grabbed a piece of letter paper, hastily wrote a few lines, and had Ye Xiaolian deliver it to Xu Yourong across the river. "I have urgent business and must leave first," he said.
With that, without any further hesitation, he boarded the carriage prepared by the Southern Dao Hall and sped north along the official road on the west bank of the Tong River.
Ye Xiaolian didn't know what had happened. She stepped across the waves, met Xu Yourong, and handed her the letter, feeling somewhat uneasy.
Xu Yourong already knew what had happened by then. She wasn't angry at Chen Changsheng's sudden departure, but looking at the words on the letter, she couldn't help feeling a bit displeased.
"Go ahead then. I won't say anything about it. But riding my crane to see another young girl—that's a bit too much."
...
...
Traveling north along the Tong River, passing the eastern foothills of the Plumfall Mountains, Chen Changsheng and his party arrived at Runan Commandery, the southernmost region of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
When the carriage entered the Runan Prince's mansion, the sun had only just crossed the treetops, showing how urgently they had traveled.
Tang Thirty-Six and Hu Thirty-Two were both exhausted to the extreme, but also intensely curious. Ever since Chen Changsheng left the Banya Horse Ranch, someone had been sending him letters. All the arrangements from the Li Palace were related to those letters. Who was the writer? Why did Chen Changsheng follow their words so obediently? And what was in today's letter that made him so anxious, even reminding them of the time in Fengyang County when Chen Changsheng learned of the upheaval on the Holy Maiden Peak.
To Chen Changsheng, who in the world held a status comparable to Xu Yourong's?
Arriving deep inside the Runan Prince's mansion, Tang Thirty-Six and Hu Thirty-Two found no answers. And waiting for them was not the Runan Prince, but... the Louyang Prince.
This most pathetic prince of the Chen clan looked extremely tired, covered in dust, and had clearly just rushed here from the north.
Seeing Chen Changsheng enter, the Louyang Prince hurriedly knelt in obeisance, his rear end sticking up high, showing extreme deference.