After leaving Kang Chengxun"s severed head, Li Ye and Song Jiao prowled the mountain for some time before they came to a ridge. From there they watched as Kang Chengxun"s followers found his headless body. They became enraged and bombarded countless trees with their techniques. In the glow of white light, they hesitated for a moment and then retreated, just as Li Ye had expected.
During the seventh lunar month, the nights were good most of the time and today was no different. Bathed in moonlight, the mountains rose and fell. Song Jiao sat down on a raised rock and breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn"t afraid that she couldn"t catch up in the pursuit, but was worried that if they caught up, Li Ye would not escape with his current level of cultivation.
Taking out the tobacco pipe secured at her waist, Song Jiao skillfully rolled, lit and smoked the tobacco leaves. When she blew out a smoke ring, she was intoxicated
Li Ye sat down beside Song Jiao to rest. "Are arrangements currently being made for Lin Zhong and Old Qi?"
Song Jiao looked at Li Ye with a strange look. "We just killed Kang Chengxun, we are still not completely safe, and you are worried about others?"
Li Ye said, "It"s the last resort to pretend to be these two people. After today"s event, they have to disappear, leaving even their families. Arrangements should be made for appropriate accommodations. They should, at least, live without having to worry about food or clothing the rest of their lives, and be protected from hara.s.sment."
Song Jiao curled her lips. "You"re verbose. Both Lin Zhong and Old Qi have been arranged to work in your manor outside of the city. As long as you do not lose power, they will have a very comfortable life. Old Li never asked about such trifles."
Prince An"s Manor also owned land, therefore it supported smaller manors.
This wasn"t the first time Li Ye heard Song Jiao call Li Xian Old Li. So he hadn"t been surprised. He smiled and said, "Father didn"t ask because he knows you and knew that you could handle things perfectly. But, I don"t know enough about you."
Song Jiao smoked and looked around at the mountains and forests, her mind wandering. "Then you have to be faster."
Li Ye smiled and said, "I want to know more about you, but you have to give me a chance."
Song Jiao"s gaze returned and she glanced at Li Ye. "Little Goat, what kind of bad idea are you thinking? You want to make fun of me again?"
Li Ye threw up his hands and said innocently, "If you start that, we can"t chat anymore. After all this time together, have you not realized that I am really pure?"
Song Jiao hummed and scorned. "I have eaten more salt than the rice you have eaten. I clearly know what a man is like."
Li Ye sighed. "Don"t always call yourself an old lady. How pure I am, is how young you are."
Song Jiao put up her tobacco pipe and said, "Well, if that"s true, I think I have been buried for many years."
As they spoke, they stood up, ready to continue their journey. They were still a long way from Chang"an. If they went back now, Li Ye would be able to rest for two hours before registering tomorrow morning.
But, before they left, Song Jiao took the lead by stopping and grabbing Li Ye, while shaking her head gently. She then looked ahead with a guarded look.
They both stood still and after a while, a group of people, about seven or eight appeared from behind the trees several meters ahead of the two. All of them were dressed in fine clothes and they wore jade belts. There was no doubt that they were officials. They all had the demeanor of a master.
What surprised Li Ye was that he had found people of other races, there were people from gra.s.sland, among them.
The leader was a middle-aged man. He wasn"t dressed in luxury clothes but wore a simple green robe. He had an elegant face, but his look was austere. Apparently, he had been in a high position for a long time.
"Kang Chengxun deserved to die, but I never thought that he would be killed by two courier officers. You two enforced justice on behalf of Heave, why don"t you show your true face so that we can meet you?" The man in green stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his position elevated, so he looked down on Li Ye and Song Jiao from a height.
Li Ye did not speak. He was still dressed as a young servant. Song Jiao was still dressed as an elder man who was more suitable for answering these questions.
"You needn"t thank us. You just need to get out of the way. If you want to arrest us to get credit from the Imperial Court, just do it." Song Jiao sneered.
The man in green smiled and said, "This is a chance meeting, why should we thank you or kill you?"
Song Jiao"s answer was scornful. "At first glance, we know you are not from the Central Plains, presumably from the north, and that there are people from the gra.s.sland. Among the three va.s.sal states of Hebei, are you the men of the Lulong Commissioner in Youzhou or the Chengde Commissioner in Zhenzhou? In my opinion, it"s more likely that you come from You State that is adjacent to the gra.s.slands. In Youzhou, some generals and soldiers come from the gra.s.sland and some cultivators come from the gra.s.sland too."
"Since you come from one of the three va.s.sal states in Hebei, I can a.s.sume that there are conflicts between you and Kang Chengxun. Since we killed Kang Chengxun, didn"t we help you? If my guess is right, you came here to kill Kang Chengxun too, right? You pursued him from Hebei to Luoyang, you"re really persistent and it surprises us."
They headed south to Luoyang from Hedong and pa.s.sed the area under the jurisdiction of the Weibo Commissioner. Regardless of whether they were the men of the Weibo Commissioner, it was impossible for them to kill Kang Chengxun in the area under the jurisdiction of the Weibo Commissioner. If they left the area under the jurisdiction of the Weibo Commissioner, went south, and crossed Yellow River, they would arrive in Luoyang soon.
The man in green listened to Song Jiao"s words and nodded silently. The cultivators behind looks all changed. Obviously, some of what Song Jiao said had been right.
"If this is so, we should thank you. Why would we need to kill you?" After a while, the man in green said with a smile.
"Don"t bulls.h.i.t." If Song Jiao had been a man, she would have spit now. "Kang Chengxun managed Hedong in order to keep checks and balances on the three va.s.sal states in Hebei and Li Guochang. Now that he is dead, it"s likely that the Imperial Court will suspect you. If you kill us or capture us, or interrogate us and then send us to the office, the truth would be revealed. Then you wouldn"t be suspected."
As he spoke, Song Jiao glanced at them. "If you want to start a fight, just go ahead. I want to go back to bed early."
The man in green was silent again.
Behind the man in green, there was a strong man who was indignant, "Why talk so much with them? I"m mad at her arrogance. Why don"t we just kill them?"
The man in green still said nothing.
Li Ye took a deep breath and secretly mobilized his Spiritual Qi. He would be ready to take out his Luke Sword and fight them.
Song Jiao sneered, "Look at your fearful appearance, are you really from the Hebei? Or you"re the men from the Commissioner of Zhenwu Army, Li Guochang? It was said that Kang Chengxun was forced to leave the va.s.sal state because of Li Guochang. It seems that it"s true. So, you are indeed Li Guochang"s people, only his men like to talk nonsense."
Then Song Jiao suddenly shouted in a low voice. "Fight or not?"
"General!" The strong man behind the man in green couldn"t help but shout.
The man in green waved his hand and stopped the strong man. He took a deep look at Song Jiao still smiling. "Kang Chengxun victimized the people and made trouble in Hedong. All of the righteous people of the world couldn"t kill him. Whoever killed him is a hero. Since you are those heroes, why would I dare to offend you?"
The man in green held his fist in his other hand and said, "I hope that we"ll meet again someday."
Then he turned around and left.
The people behind him were somewhat dismayed, but the man in green had ended the conversation. So, they could only follow orders and disappear into the mountains, following him, one after another.
Li Ye sighed in relief and couldn"t help but look at Song Jiao.
"What are you looking at?"
Li Ye shook his head and said, "It seems that I really don"t know enough about you."
Song Jiao"s strength was not only reflected in her cultivation, but also in her mental capabilities. How else could she stop a fierce battle with several sentences and make the other party leave willingly?
Since they appeared, they had intended to attack.
After all, Song Jiao had been Li Xian"s right-hand man. She had been famous in Jianghu and known for her great strength.
On the way back to Chang"an, Song Jiao said to Li Ye, "Those people should be the men from Lulong Commissioner in Youzhou."
Li Ye said, "When suppressing the Rebellion of Pang Xun over the past few years, General Zhu Xie of Yin Mountain had been loyal. He led the brave cavalry of the Shatuo tribe and made great contributions in Xiangyang and Huainan. Then he was named Li Guochang and appointed as the Zhenwu Commissioner by the Imperial Court and took office in Shuozhou."
"The three va.s.sal states of Hebei have been in charge of all of Hebei for many years. Now a Zhenwu Commissioner arrived there, which was not what the three va.s.sal states originally wanted to see. Li Guochang"s cavalry was brave and good at fighting and his garrison in Yin Mountain was elite, and the three va.s.sal states of Hebei couldn"t suppress them so that Li Guochang could expand his power in Hebei. But, over the years, Li Guochang"s power grew and the three va.s.sal states in Hebei have become more fearful. This time Li Guochang secretly framed Kang Chengxun, and the three va.s.sal states in Hebei naturally wanted to take the opportunity to do something."
"Among the three va.s.sal states in Hebei, the area under the jurisdiction of the Lulong Commissioner borders most of the Li Guochang"s area. The conflict of interest between them was the biggest. So, it"s not surprising that the Lulong Commissioner sent cultivators out to kill Kang Chengxun and frame Li Guochang."
Li Ye was silent for a moment and then he continued, "The three va.s.sal states in Hebei, together with Li Guochang, didn"t obey the Imperial Court and there were conflicts among them. Originally, this was an opportunity for the Imperial Court to enact checks and balances in Hebei. Unfortunately, the Emperor is fatuous and indulges in creature comforts and the officials compete for authority. No one cares about the country, let alone this matter."
Song Jiao laughed and said, "You are honest."
Li Ye now understood Song Jiao"s reasoning and how she convinced those masters to retreat. She had made the following three points.
First, she showed that she knew everything about the Imperial Court and Hebei well, revealing her extraordinary ident.i.ty. So, the man in green would think that they had come from one of the forces of the Imperial Court. Then he would think that Kang Chengxun"s death was due to the compet.i.tion within the Imperial Court, ensuring that he wouldn"t attack them.
Second, she was sure that they were the men of the Commissioner in Youzhou after sounding out. So, she deliberately said that they were Li Guochang"s people. Then the man in green would think that when Li Ye and Song Jiao report to the Big Shot behind them, the Big Shot would be dissatisfied with Li Guochang and the Imperial Court would put pressure on Li Guochang.
Third, she had a tough att.i.tude and was full of courage. Seeing their att.i.tudes, the man in green would wonder if Li Ye and Song Jiao had a.s.sistance. If they attacked, they might not gain anything and might expose their ident.i.ties.
Kang Chengxun was dead. The man in green didn"t have to take risks and potentially make new problems. So, it had not been surprising that they retreated.