Chapter 754: Living is Nothing More Than Playing House (Part 2)
(In the chapters from a few days ago, Second Master of the Tang family was all written as Third Master. It's mainly because I keep thinking about turning Tang Thirty-Six into Third Young Master later... I admit my mistake, already corrected in the manuscript. Also, I haven't taken my annual leave yet, haha. Anyway, I'll just keep writing slowly, telling some stories, playing along with everyone.)
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Imagining the scene of His Holiness the Pope on the battlefield back then, An Hua's eyes glimmered slightly. She thought with reverence, truly remarkable. As a member of the state religion, she felt especially proud, her emotions stirring. She didn't notice that the young formation master on the sickbed had opened his eyes a tiny crack, the gaze that leaked out appearing very dim and dark.
Just then, there was a slight commotion in the courtyard outside the window. The general had arrived at the Holy Healing Hall, bringing with him a piece of news that was hard to distinguish between true and false.
There might still be Cinnabar Pills in a place called Gaoyang Town. Why? Because the mysterious person who refined the Cinnabar Pills might live there.
The question the entire continent wanted to know suddenly had an answer. An Hua found it hard to accept for a moment, and even after calming down, she still couldn't believe it. But the young formation master only had seven days left to live. From Songshan Military Prefecture to Gaoyang Town only took three days. At least numerically, there was hope.
She looked at the young formation master with a pitying expression and said, "I want to go and take a look, even if it's fake."
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Far south of Songshan Military Prefecture was still Tianliang Commandery, but the scenery of Hanqiu City was clearly much better. The only regret was that the famous manor outside the city still couldn't regain its former splendor. The newly grown cold-resistant willow trees, scattered here and there, exuded greenness, looking like a grassland that had been nibbled by a flock of sheep.
Two years ago, Zhu Luo was killed by Divine General Han Qing with a single slash at the foot of the Heavenly Book Mound. The Zhu Clan and the Heartless Sect lost their Sacred Domain-level protectors and had long since lost their former prestige. But Tianliang Commandery was, after all, a place the Zhu family had managed for over a thousand years. The imperial court owed them a favor, and coupled with their close ties to the Prince of Xiang's faction, apart from their power in Xunyang City being gradually suppressed by the Prince of Liang's manor, no one in the entire Tianliang Commandery dared to challenge them, let alone challenge the Zhu family's status in Hanqiu City.
But Zhu Ye's mood was clearly not good. Looking at the wilderness on both sides of the river, a trace of disgust and hatred leaked from his eyes.
He was the current sect master of the Heartless Sect and also the head of the Zhu Clan. It could be said that he had inherited most of Zhu Luo's legacy. Everyone knew he wasn't Zhu Luo's son, but his nephew. Yet he sat so securely in the position of master of Hanqiu City, which showed that he was definitely strong, or at least very ruthless.
"I don't like seeing ten thousand miles of scorched earth, and I like these rotten plaster-like scenes even less. I need to find a way to fix it."
Zhu Ye raised the wine glass in his hand and toasted the person opposite him: "If there's good medicine, of course I wouldn't mind putting in some effort."
The person drinking with him was a general, exuding a powerful aura that had clearly surpassed the upper stage of Gathering Stars.
Songshan Divine General Ning Shiwei. He had no background and was taciturn by nature. Back then, he was disliked by Her Holiness the Empress, so despite his formidable strength and skill in military governance, his ranking among the Great Zhou Divine Generals had always been low, and his reputation was obscure. It wasn't until the Heavenly Book Mound Incident that he received an imperial order to return to the capital, accomplished several major tasks, and finally gained the appreciation of the Dao Sovereign and the Prince of Xiang and others.
Back then, by the banks of the Luo River, Wang Po broke his arm and broke through his realm. Two Divine Generals wanted to kill him, but were stopped by Xiao Zhang with a single iron spear. One of them was him.
Perhaps it was because of this incident that he bore the blame for the defeat, was forced to leave the capital, and came to Songshan Military Prefecture.
Songshan Military Prefecture was naturally much stronger than the military prefecture he had been in before. He knew this was the court's reward to him, but he still couldn't be satisfied—if it weren't for Second Master of the Tang family clearly expressing his dissatisfaction with him to the Dao Sovereign, he should have stayed in a more important position in the capital, such as replacing Xu Shiji.
In the two years since arriving at Songshan Military Prefecture, he had thought about many things, so he quickly understood the somewhat ambiguous meaning behind Zhu Ye's words.
That kind of pill could regenerate bones and heal the dead, so naturally, it could also act like a spring breeze, turning the scorched black Ten Thousand Willows Garden green again.
Of course, Zhu Ye wouldn't actually use that kind of medicine to water the ground. This was just a metaphor, a very apt metaphor.
Ning Shiwei wanted that medicine as a stepping stone to advancement, and the Zhu family also wanted that medicine to revive their family's prestige. Why not conspire together?
"The court has already given enough concessions to the Tang family. Those Wenshui merchants are becoming increasingly arrogant and don't know their limits. They really need to be taught a lesson."
He said, "I'll send some people over. If the Sect Master is interested, you can have them go together."
Zhu Ye put down his wine glass and said, seemingly casually, "I'll make a personal trip."
Ning Shiwei realized this matter was more important than he had imagined. If the war situation weren't so tense, he probably should go to that small town and take a look too.
"I'll go and take a look too." A voice sounded from the side.
The speaker was a young gentleman. In the slightly cold weather, he was waving a folding fan, which made his originally handsome features take on a somewhat cold and indifferent air.
"Although I don't think that medicine is as important as you all say, I am curious."
The young man was Tianhai Zhanyi, the younger brother of Ping Guo, which made him the brother-in-law of Prince Chenliu, who was the son of Prince Xiang. The relationship between the Tianhai family and the Zhu family had always been very bad, to the point of being irreconcilable. "Zhu Luo won't go to the capital" had even become a proverb in the Great Zhou Dynasty. But as times change, now that Her Holiness the Empress is dead and Zhu Luo is dead, the former vigilance and hatred have become irrelevant. The hidden fear of a common enemy made them join hands through the line of Prince Xiang.
Zhu Ye looked at Tianhai Zhanyi and smiled, saying nothing.
Everyone knew that the power and resources of the Tianhai family would eventually fall to either Tianhai Shengxue or Tianhai Zhanyi. Compared to Tianhai Shengxue, who had gained the appreciation of many important military officials, Ning Shiwei strongly disliked Tianhai Zhanyi. This young man was too gloomy, and his presence felt too cold and indifferent.
Perhaps for this reason, he didn't refuse and asked, "Has the Prince confirmed that it's not that person?"
Tianhai Zhanyi put away his folding fan, tapped it lightly in his palm, and looked at him with a half-smile, saying, "You're not afraid, are you? The Prince said that person should be in the south. But I think differently from you all. If this medicine really has something to do with that person, I truly hope to see his figure there..."
He didn't finish his sentence, got up, and left.
Watching the figure gradually disappearing among the setting sun and remnant willows, Zhu Ye said, "Walking too fast can easily lead to trouble."
"On the battlefield, young men like him tend to die very quickly. And I am no longer young."
Ning Shiwei said, "So I don't know anything. I only know that a young formation master is not far from death."
"At this time, someone suddenly learns the whereabouts of the Cinnabar Pill, so they will naturally find a way to go there."
"Indeed. If he can survive, that would be excellent, of course."
"The General truly treats his soldiers like his own sons."
"Everything is a reward from the esteemed officials in the court."
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On the map, Gaoyang Town was a tiny dot among the snowy plains and mountains. In the records, Gaoyang Town was a long-abandoned and ruined military stockade. But when An Hua and the others arrived, they discovered that the tiny dot on the map was actually a large expanse of ancient buildings at the foot of the snow-capped mountains, and the town was still quite lively and bustling.
The revival of Gaoyang Town was entirely due to the war between the human race and the demon race. Because of the frequent battles at the northern end of the snowy plains, the transportation of military equipment along the line from the northeast to Tianliang Commandery now mostly chose to use the reopened mountain military roads. And the exit of this military road that cut through the Cold Mountains happened to be at Gaoyang Town.
Gaoyang Town was now truly lively, even prosperous. The streets were filled with soldiers and merchants, and one could also see many heavily made-up women.
In a place with brothels, there were naturally inns. The leading colonel carried the young formation master on the stretcher into the back courtyard. An Hua led the two female students up to the second floor of the inn, intending to get some food and also inquire about some things. Before they could even sit down, her gaze was drawn to a father and daughter in the building.
They were a pair of street performers, a father and daughter. The father wore an old scholar's robe, holding a guqin in his arms, his head bowed, his features unclear.
The daughter was about twelve or thirteen years old, with a clear and beautiful face, a hint of childishness. The distance between her eyes was a bit wide, giving her a somewhat simple and naive look.