Whenbuilding a manor house it was the similar to the emperor building a palace forthe people of the Jianghu, the more respected you were the more aloft you wouldlike to live, enjoying looking at all living things disdainfully out of thecorner of your eye with a feeling of supremacy. In a carefree mood you can lookdown with an evil and charming smile, in a gloomy mood you can raise your headshouting aloud, enjoy life while you can! Xian Yun manor was several hundred li from Chenzhou, between there arenumerous thickets of lofty mountain ranges, waterfalls, streams, uninterruptedundulation of mountain peaks forming a hidden dragon, and the manor house wasat the highest peak of the dragon head, for ordinary people it would take themat least a day to get up there. For the people of the Jianghu, it depended ontheir qing gong. ╮(╯▽╰)╭
When XiaLing Mei received the news the Zhao Princess was safe, she could already see inthe distance the eaves of the paG.o.da on the fat dragon’s head, countless blackbirds circled down from the top of the paG.o.da, with a somewhat sinisterfeeling.
Behind herthere were still a.s.sa.s.sins, following her was Zhuang Sheng who she did not knowof his loyalty, although she did not have many guards she did not have a loteither. As a chess piece of the Xia family placed in the Jianghu, Xia LingMei’s safety was not as significant as other t.i.tled women, and she wasexceptionally skilled, apart from the two years right at the beginning whereshe stirred up trouble, the last five years she never made the family worry, asa result, even if she was suffering, she was not too anxious and afraid.
“As forthat martial arts leader Jiu Fang Xi, he was also a legendary person, when hewas still an infant his mother had died of illness, he was bought up by a wetnurse. His father is said to have fame and prestige in the country, yet alwaysleft him at the villa, never bringing him into the official residence.Afterwards, his father because he was set up by an official of power his wholefamily were executed unto the third generation, he survived as he was protectedsecretly, after he had a fortuitous meeting, he was guided by a very ableperson to become a rare young talented man of the Jianghu.”
Xia Ling Meiwas not interested in that martial arts leader, the person she genuinely wantedto look for was not Jiu Fang Xi. However, letting Zhuang Sheng misunderstand coulddispense a lot of inconvenience, she and Hei Zi wisely decided to let thatmisunderstanding carry on beautifully.
“Jiu FangXi is the martial arts leader that rarely sees the relatives of the imperialhousehold.” Zhuang Sheng said thinking rather deeply.
“So?” XiaLing Mei raised her eyebrow, “just because he sought my hand in marriage? I’monly a daughter of the Xia family, not the sole daughter. Although the ImperialConsort comes from my family, it still does not mean any in-laws can easily bepromoted to a high official position.”
ZhuangSheng mischievously laughed: “What you want to say, favouritism towardsrelatives, friends or a.s.sociates are unacceptable, right? But, having thismarriage is better than not having it. Moreover, this martial arts leadermartial art skills can barely match up to mine, with him as my rival in love, Ihave seventy percent success.”
“Hey, youare boasting a bit too much?” Hei Zi finally could not bear to carry onlistening, he really has never seen such a brazen person. What sort of personis that martial arts leader, what sort of person is that Zhuang Sheng, he actuallydared to say the martial arts leader couldn’t match up to him!
Xia LingMei smiled and asked: “Have you forgotten the most important factor?”
“What?”
Xia LingMei insipidly said: “My feelings.”
ZhuangSheng blanked for a moment: “Don’t you women from influential families onlychoose based on family background and the other person’s characteristic andtalent? When was the women’s opinions considered!”
Xia LingMei urged her horse on twice the speed: “Originally it’s like that, but I don’tlike it.” She turned back to look at him, “Have you heard about a lady whopicks her own husband? Have you also heard of an unmarried woman waiting to bemarried off taking her own initiative to marry if she wants to, not marry ifshe doesn’t? Have you also heard of a woman of the influential family wanderingthe Jianghu recklessly? You haven’t, but now you’ve seen.”
She raisedher head, the corners of her eyes and eyebrows were arrogant and wilful: “I cantell you, apart from me, in this world there are no women who dare to say `no`against her own marriage.”
“Even ifthey have a good family background, a man with talent and good looks, if Idon’t love him, I won’t marry him.”
“If I amtruly moved, no matter who the other person is, whatever his status, I can behis good wife at ease, for this lifetime struggling against the family becauseof his career and status.”
When shewas saying this, Zhuang Sheng appeared to have heard the sound of a waterfallfar away flowing down, beating onto a boulder. The sweet-sounding andresounding words of the woman tinkled and thudded as it beat on the stone gate,word by word splashing inside the gate, flowing into the heart. Poppingthrough, a small rabbit leapt out, a jubilant small deer followed closelybehind, a flying fish, a wild goose formed a large crowd, momentarilydominating his ash-coloured sky.
As if hecould hear his own breathing: “I think, finally I know why Lord w.a.n.g isobstinately persisting in the wrong way with you… be careful!”
Quick aslightening, Zhuang Sheng in a flash flew himself at Xia Ling Mei’s back,countless hidden arrows came rushing in from all directions.
“`Jia!`”Zhuang Sheng grabbed hold of a lot of arrows in a flurry, flinging his longwhip on the horse’s bottom, very quickly breaking out of the enclosure ofscreaming secret guards.
In a splitsecond of palpitation, w.a.n.g Yun Feng opened his eyes. It seemed like he hadfainted just now.
“Master,you haven’t rested in two days and one night, it’s better to go back. I willbring the mistress back.” Xiao Bai rode his horse up to his side,singlehandedly holding up his back.
w.a.n.g YunFeng shook his head, looking at Xia Fen in front of him lying on his stomach onWu Sheng’s shoulder, inquisitively looking at him, seeing him awake, his mouthtwitched up: “You’re so weak!” Xia Fen said, “If you dosed off on abattlefield, in an instant your head would be rolling on the ground.”
“You’vebeen on a battlefield with General Xia?”
“Of course,a man who is scared to go on a battlefield is not a man, he is a coward.”
w.a.n.g YunFeng slightly frowned: “Who taught you that phrase?”
“Thesoldiers all say this. Adoptive mother says, a battlefield is the best place totoughen your courage, also only on a battlefield can a man of indomitablespirit be born.”
Xia Fenperhaps felt it was too boring, since there was someone who was willing tospeak to him his manner was also somewhat good-natured. Of course, his tone wasstill fairly disdainful: “You’ve never been on a battlefield, you’re a weakling.”
w.a.n.g YunFeng sat upright, again grasping the reins firmly, only saying: “In ancienthistory, a great general still dies by the hands of a civil court official.You’ve been on a battlefield, at most you’re considered to be a boorish fellow,but still the smallest.”
Xia Fenfuriously waved his fists: “Wait until I’m older, I will beat the c.r.a.p out ofyou. I won’t allow you to bully the Xia family.”
w.a.n.g YunFeng snorted, sure enough he was a child of the Xia family, the deep-rootedfamily ideology, must not allow anyone be rude towards the Xia family, even ifit’s just words. Only, he unexpectedly called the Xia family’s fifth master asGeneral Xia, clearly he had grown up in the barracks from childhood. The Xiafamily never pampered the younger generation in their upbringing, at home andin the imperial court were entirely two types of manners.
w.a.n.g YunFeng was quite tired, he felt teasing the baby a little would freshen him up:“Who is your adoptive mother?”
Xia Fenturned his head: “I won’t tell you.”
“Then whois your birth mother?”
“Adoptivemother.”
w.a.n.g YunFeng corrected him: “Adoptive mother is adoptive mother, birth mother is birthmother.”
Xia Fenstill only said two words: “Adoptive mother.”
As expectedhe’s a child, w.a.n.g Yun Feng thought. Moreover he only had a crude mouth,terrible upbringing, a stubborn tempered stupid child.
The stupidchild wrinkled his nose: “There’s a smell of blood.” Wu Sheng immediatelygathered him into his arms from his shoulder, like a lofty orangutan holding asmall monkey.
Kong Xianasked him: “From which direction?”
Xia Fenextended his head, like a beast looking for his prey sniffing in each directionone by one, pointing at a road no one had walked down. Kong Xian did not dareto be careless, again sending two vanguards to scout it out.
Xiao Baisomeone what imitated him puffing out his nose and sniffing everywhere, hecouldn’t smell anything. Bai Yan urged his horse to the side of w.a.n.g Yun Feng,with Xiao Bai protecting w.a.n.g Yun Feng in the middle. w.a.n.g Yun Feng asked:“This is a mountain forest, could it be hunters hunting wild animals?”
Kong Xiancast a glance at him, from his brocade pocket he took out an embroideredhandkerchief, placing it under Xia Fen’s nose.
w.a.n.g YunFeng was a bit too far away, only feeling that embroidered handkerchief wassomewhat familiar. Bai Yan softly said: “This child is a dog? He actually gavehim a woman’s embroidered handkerchief to smell.”
Xia Fenagain pointed in the direction before: “Adoptive mother’s smell.”
Kong Xiantook the lead rushing forward, the other secret guards of the Xia familyimmediately followed after.
w.a.n.g YunFeng was somewhat distrustful, there wasn’t much difference between thedirection they rushed in and the direction Xia Fen had pointed, Xia Ling Meiwas being pursued and attacked, there was a possibility halfway she had tochange her direction…
“Adoptivemother, adoptive mother.” Xia Fen repeatedly cried out.
“Youngmaster Fen, this is another battlefield.”
The Xia Fenfar away immediately shut up, unconsciously in the air there was a smell of ama.s.sacre to happen at any moment.
“Followthem.” w.a.n.g Yun Feng said.
Just at theright time the secret guard’s scouts also had news, “The mistress is under asurprise attack!” Bai Yan said.
w.a.n.g YunFeng had already followed Kong Xian, he didn’t hear him.
Brambleswere everywhere, sc.r.a.ping people’s faces, the back of the hands were very sore,like small needles were sliding in for the whole journey.
Xia Fen wasprotected very well by Wu Sheng, w.a.n.g Yun Feng urged on his horse followingbehind, his temple throbbing, now and then lifting his head he could see XiaFen’s pair of black eyes gazing out from the crook of Wu Sheng’s arms.
Not knowinghow long they had travelled, w.a.n.g Yun Feng’s face was sticky, not knowingwhether it was from the rainwater on the branches or his cheeks had been cutup. Faintly, he could also finally smell blood. He travelled even faster foranother ten zhang,seeing the first corpse, he died from a random arrow to the heart, at oneglance that outfit was of a secret guard of the Xia family.
w.a.n.g YunFeng heard his own heartbeat, his palms were sweaty.
On the wayfrom time to time the direction changed, everything was based on the small XiaFen’s nose. General Xia’s subordinates all believed in this child, the peopleof w.a.n.g family under the pressures of reality also had no choice for the timebeing but to believe him.
Everyonewas sweating.
There weremore and more corpses, there were people dressed in black, there were alsosecret guards. On the tree trunk, on the gra.s.s, everywhere there was theremains of horses and people, the scent of blood came with the wind as it blewthrough.
Everyonewas used to seeing corpses, they did not falter at all, with the daytimetwilight gradually descending when they finally reached the mountain top, everyonealready heard the sounds of weapons in conflict Water covered w.a.n.g Yun Feng’seyelashes, he saw a red silhouette, those clothes seemed more vibrant thanusual, it was Ling Mei.
She hadalready been surrounded by a group of people to the edge of the cliff, furtherbehind her was a waterfall splashing into an abyss. Behind her was a man inwhite, his shoulder still had a broken arrow stuck in, messy hair, his white clothesalmost dyed red.
“Adoptivemother. ---“The young and tender voice of a child broke through the air, XiaLing Mei struggled to lift her head from being attacked from all sides.
Bloodcovered her face.
w.a.n.g Yun Fengnearly also cried out in fear, he could not call out, he saw an arrow, fly overextremely quickly from the dense forest by his side, the silvery light of thearrowhead was too dazzling, too sharp, too abrupt, making all his actions cometo a spontaneous end.
He saw thearrow charge towards Xia Ling Mei.
Behind thearrow, his figure reflecting in her eyes;
In front ofthe arrow, Xia Fen ran quickly as if he was a flying wild leopard, hurryingpast everyone.
She wasknocked in the back by someone, Zhuang Sheng that cheeky face appeared in thecentre of everyone’s field of view.
w.a.n.g YunFeng heart was being pulled by an immense hand.
Xia LingMei fell down, the arrowhead pierced into the arch of Zhuang Sheng’s chest,everyone held their breath.
Xia LingMei was slightly shocked, her body leaning, again leaning, Zhuang Sheng’sentire body was pushing down on her shoulder blade…The two of them togetherfell into the waterfall, falling down, apart from the sparkling and translucentwater rising high into the air, there was only darkness.
“Mother!”Xia Fen again cried out, his tiny body could not stop his momentum, and he toofell down. Next, Wu Sheng that huge body also took his own initiative andfollowed jumping down.
w.a.n.g YunFeng’s horse also soared in the air, he needed to find Xia Ling Mei.
Bai Yanwith a keen eye deftly held onto his belt, at the moment of life or death hepulled him back.
w.a.n.g YunFeng’s body had left h.e.l.l, his heart however had already fallen into theeighteenth floor of h.e.l.l, not knowing when it could climb back out again.