Chapter 317: Suspicious (3)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Meanwhile, in Riverside Town…
The afternoon sun was a little strong. Daoist Xuanji slowly walked along the shade of the riverbank, twirling the wine gourd between her fingers while appreciating the beautiful scenery.
On the wall beside her, the bird, who had eaten its fill, jumped and followed her while chirping, seemingly saying: On account of you being sensible, 1 forgive you…
Daoist Xuanji naturally couldn’t understand what the bird was saying. After she walked along the river for a while, a wall blocked the path, making it inconvenient to walk. She prepared to turn back.
But before Daoist Xuanji could turn around, her ears twitched slightly as she faintly heard two people talking in the distance.
“I’m too embarrassed to buy such smallclothes, but you actually prepared two sets…”
“Do you think I wanted to buy them? Madam Wang recommended the store for a long time, and I had to give her face, so I bought them…”
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt“When we get back, help me get a few sets. Yours are too small for me to wear…”
“How much bigger are you than me that you can’t wear them?!”
Although the voices were very faint and were far away on the second floor of a small inn, with Daoist Xuanji’s hearing, she could still hear them clearly. She felt that one of the cold voices sounded familiar.
But just as she was about to listen carefully, a voice came from afar. “Fairy Lu!”
Daoist Xuanji turned around and saw that in the center of the town, more than ten figures had jumped onto the roofs and were speeding toward the town entrance. At the front was Ye Jingtang, who was dressed in black, and Liren followed beside him.
After seeing her, Ye Jingtang suddenly accelerated. In the blink of an eye, he flew across half the street and said from afar, “Something happened in the mountains. Let’s go there quickly.”
Seeing that they were about to leave, Daoist Xuanji turned back to look at the small inn not far away. From the looks of it, she wanted to go over and take a look.
Ye Jingtang could tell that Daoist Xuanji was suspicious. He laned in front of her and said with a smile, “They’re my friends inside. One of them treated your injuries last time. Let’s go first. If we’re any slower, Her Highness won’t be able to make it.”
Friends… When Daoist Xuanji fainted, she had indeed vaguely heard a woman’s voice. She came to a realization and guessed that her sense of deja vu came from this. She didn’t ask further and rushed to Dongfang Liren’s location with Ye Jingtang. On the way, she asked, “Did you bring two female attendants with you when you went out on a mission?”
Ye Jingtang found it difficult to explain, so he blinked. “Is there a problem?”
H ii
Daoist Xuanji felt that there was nothing wrong with it. It just didn’t fit Ye Jingtang’s persona of being unmoved by beauty…
The 2,000 soldiers from White Millet Town were all light cavalry from Ze Province.
Because they had to enter high mountains to search, and it was difficult for horses to enter, all the warhorses had been left in a camp outside the mountains, guarded by more than a hundred soldiers. The camp was only around five kilometers away from Riverside Town where the Prince of Jing was.
At noon, dozens of soldiers were walking in the camp with more than 2,000 warhorses and feeding them water and grass.
A burly military official came out of a tent and quickly walked to the official road. He greeted from afar, “Greetings, Martial Uncle. Why have you suddenly come to Wu Province?”
Outside the camp, Xuanyuan Hongzhi was wearing a bamboo hat and standing in the shade beside the official road. When he saw the military official come out, he said, “Wu Province hasn’t been peaceful recently, so I came over to take a look. How’s the situation in the mountains?”
The current group of light cavalry belonged to the Ze Province’s South Stabilizing Army. As a top martial arts aristocratic family in Ze Province with a marquis conferred by the Imperial Court, the experts in the sect were specially hired instructors of the army, and there were countless disciples and grand-disciples working in the army.
The military official who came out was someone who had learned martial arts at Jun Mountain Terrace. Although he was only an honorary disciple who had learned some skills and then left the mountain to earn a living, the rules of martial arts were strict. The military official was still very respectful of Xuanyuan Hongzhi. He replied, “The scouts just sent news that they have already surrounded the Prince of Wu. They should be able to capture him soon…”
When Xuanyuan Hongzhi came out of the mountains last night, he had discovered hundreds of imperial guards marching into the mountains. He only came here to find a disciple to ask about Ye Jingtang’s whereabouts. After chatting for a while, he asked, “Has the Prince of Jing also entered the mountain?”
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm“I don’t think so. The Prince of Jing is staying in the town in front, and I haven’t seen her giving any orders… By the way, the Prince of Jing asked us to pay attention to a person named Zhang Wenyuan. She said that he’s related to a disappearance case of the Black Office. Judging from her explanation, this matter is quite important. Have you heard of this person, Martial Uncle?”
Zhang Wenyuan… Xuanyuan Hongzhi was slightly surprised. He recalled the child waiting in Baywater Town. After some consideration, he shook his head and said, “I’ve never heard of him. Wu Province isn’t peaceful. I’m afraid it’s not safe for the Prince of Jing to be here. Do you know what experts she has with her?”
“I’m not sure. There are probably a lot…”
After asking for a while, Xuanyuan Hongzhi bade farewell to the military official and went to the forest.
Yao Wenzhong had been listening from the forest. “Zhang Wenyuan left Jun Mountain Terrace more than twenty years ago, and he doesn’t have much ability. Why did the Prince of Jing specifically order the soldiers to pay attention?”
Xuanyuan Hongzhi thought for a moment. “The Prince of Jing has a high status and authority, so it’s impossible for her to pay attention to a common Jianghu man alone. For her to specially order a search, someone must have asked her to pay attention to this matter… Let’s go to Baywater Town and ask who’s helping that kid find his father.”
Yao Wenzhong got on his horse and thought for a moment. “Back then, Zhang Wenyuan left Jun Mountain Terrace because of Zheng Feng’s matter. If the soldiers find him, Ye Jingtang might personally send him to Baywater Town to reunite the father and son… How are the people you contacted?”
“I’ve already sent the letters. I’ve contacted five sabermen with good skills in Ze Province. They’re all people who value money more than their lives. With you and me, the ambush is almost surefire. But when they rush over, I’m afraid there won’t be enough time. Moreover, if Ye Jingtang brings the experts of the Black Office along, something might go wrong…”
“Let’s make arrangements first and adapt to the situation…”
As they conversed, the two horses galloped along the official road…