"As if he could give an accurate account of the situation."His wife made an ugly sound in her throat as soon as she said that. "That boy is useless, just like his mother. How could the King have let him leave the Capital like that? He should have been sent off into the Royal Army, like our Laixue here."
"Well, not everyone would have done as well as our Laixue," the Old Marquis laughed, as he waved a hand at the New Marquis, who was already rolling his eyes. Obviously, he had heard all of this before.
"He is not our problem now, since he scurried off with his tail between his legs long before the Winter came around. So we should concentrate on what we are going to do instead, to deal with those bloodthirsty brutes from the Southwest," the New Marquis said.
The Old Marquis agreed, and the conversation turned back to the Barbarians, and what preparations they were making to face them, if they came against the City.
And Li Sanlang had an idea to offer, which he had gotten out of some of the history texts that he had studied, back at his father"s library:
"We should try to keep track of all the itinerant martial artists and the disciples of the visiting Martial Schools and Sects, so that we might seek their help, when the attack comes our way. That is, if they are still around."
Lady Xie nodded at his suggestion with a smile. "I am not sure if we have the clout to get them all on our side, but I doubt that the ones from Heaven Sword School would refuse, seeing as to how close their School is to our City. I might as well send word to them about this immediately."
The Old Marquis sighed as he reached out to grasp his wife"s hand. "Not personally, I hope? The weather is getting colder, and the roads are harsh. This Winter is a little colder than most, and I wouldn"t want you to catch a cold."
"More like you don"t want to lose your favorite bed-warmer, if I am not around," came her reply, although she was displaying a broad grin on her face, rather than irritation.
"Don"t worry about it. I will be there and back within three days at most. I think you can live without me for that long, hmmm?"
*
That night, under the full moon, another conversation was taking place at Heaven Sword School, just as the Marquis and his family were discussing their plans. It was at the same place where Qin Feng had met Elder Ming previously, on another night in question. But this time, the younger of the two was bidding the Elder farewell:
"Well, that is the last of the Purple Blood Ginger that I have managed to find in the Southern Forest, Elder Ming. As you already know, I had spent a good part of the late Autumn scouring all of the places that I could think of. But there wasn"t a single trace of any more of them. So I suppose I should just say goodbye, and take my leave."
Elder Ming Guanhe nodded at the younger man"s words, but it was clear that his attention was completely held by the two stalks of the Purple Blood Ginger gra.s.s that he was caressing with his fingertips. Then he seemed to recover, and managed to put on what could pa.s.s for a smile.
"Then ... you do not intend to remain until Spring? There is still more than half a season of Winter to go. And I am sure that any allies that Ping Jiexian left behind wouldn"t dare to try anything during this period."
Qin Feng smiled. That had been nothing more than an excuse, when he mentioned it back in Summer. But Elder Ming had decided to take Ping Jiexian to task anyway. Which resulted in a rather discreet investigation that uncovered the fact that Elder Ping Jiexian - No. Former Elder Ping Jiexian!
He had been stripped of his rank and imprisoned by the Sect for the conduct of forbidden experiments. And all of those who had been linked to him, in one way or another, had been thoroughly investigated by the Left Guardian"s office.
The same Left Guardian that had been so pleased with Elder Ming Guanhe"s information, that the Elder Ming was now a Big Red Person at the Residence!
And that, of course, had resulted in a small trickle of the rewards flowing down to land on Qin Feng"s lap! Which showed him that Elder Ming was not forgetful of those who had done him favors in the past. Some of the goodies had even flowed onto Chen Xing"s lap!
Not to mention, it was a rather good way to make certain that Qin Feng kept his mouth shut regarding other ... more sensitive information that might bring his popularity crashing down!
Of course, if Elder Ming was the more ruthless sort, he would have even considered getting rid of this particular supplier of his. That would be the simplest way to make sure that he wouldn"t talk. He had more to lose now, after he had come to the attention of the Grandmaster"s Left Hand!
Which was why Qin Feng was so eager to get away. And he wasn"t going to bother waiting until Spring before he did so! After all, the longer that he remained there, within arms" reach of Ming Guanhe, the more danger he would be in. Hence, he had decided to leave, even though it was the middle of one of the coldest Winters that the School had ever experienced.
"I am not too worried about the former Elder, to be honest. But I would like to go before someone brings up the fact that I have already overstayed for about half a year. And try to get me to pay some fees for my accommodation and food!" he laughed.
"I think that I should go before that happens."
"Well, so long as you are prepared. This Winter is uncommonly cold," Elder Ming warned, "Do you need help, to send your things down from the Mountain?"
"Oh, no need! My family has sent ... someone to help me with my belongings, so I should not be needing any help. Besides, after so long on the mountain, I think it is about time that I paid a visit to Changqing City. After all, it is so close by, and I have never had a chance to see the sights there."
Elder Ming Guanhe merely nodded, as Qin Feng bid him farewell once again, and left with an alluring smile on his lips. Yes, he would spend the rest of his Winter in Changqing City!
* * *