Chapter 2350: Finally Delivered

Du Shan no longer pursued the matter, turning his head to gaze at the scenery of Ju City below: "Is this Fifth Lady's first time visiting Ju City?"

"Yes. I have served the Nine Abysses for eleven years, constantly stationed abroad, yet this is my first return to Ducheng." Mei Wuniang sighed, "It turns out Cangyan has become this prosperous."

Her homeland, yet it could become this beautiful.

"It is precisely because of countless individuals like Fifth Lady, who have exhausted their minds and bled in sacrifice, that Shanjin enjoys this flourishing scene today." Du Shan's gaze fell upon her hands.

After recuperating for over ten days, Mei Wuniang's hands still had not recovered.

He continued: "I have already summoned the imperial physicians from the palace; they will surely restore your hands to their original state, leaving no issue."

Mei Wuniang nodded slightly, lowering her eyes to look at her own hands: "Where is the Emperor?"

"He entered seclusion a month ago; it will still be some time before he emerges."

"The wax pellet the Emperor gave me was taken by Nie Xiaolou and delivered to the demon emperor of Beijia, which is how I managed to return."

"Please sit." Du Shan first took a seat on the stone chair, "I am all ears."

Mei Wuniang then began from the passing of the Heavenly Palace's Chief Cloud Envoy, through successive upheavals, until she finally managed to leave Beijia alive.

In total, she spoke for more than three quarters of an hour.

The more Du Shan listened, the heavier and more solemn his expression became.

Finally he sighed: "Nie Xiaolou being able to take over Qingyang's entourage is certainly no ordinary feat. These years, external evaluations of him have indeed been somewhat lacking."

Now, we have come to that crucial question:

"So, have you actually managed to uncover the fourth secret?"

Mei Wuniang blinked: "Then please have Minister Du prove first that you are truly you, that this is not a dream, nor another trap set by Nie Xiaolou!"

True and false—how could she possibly distinguish them?

If she fell for Nie Xiaolou's trick this time, all her previous hard work would come to nothing.

The enemy strong and we weak, she could defeat Nie Xiaolou twice, thrice, ten times, but Nie Xiaolou needs only to defeat her once to succeed.

Du Shan gazed at her, a faint pity stirring in his heart.

Not only because Mei Wuniang is delicate and beautiful. Du Shan has never been a kind man, yet seeing her rack her brains, plot every step, yet live each moment in doubt between reality and illusion, he still felt some reluctance.

The burden on her shoulders is truly too heavy.

"Very well, Fifth Lady, what kind of proof do you require?"

This question, Mei Wuniang had long prepared: "Tell me something I do not know, and let me hear it."

Since Nie Xiaolou used the Soul-Searching Technique on her, he must have also peeked into her past memories, so even secret signs are no longer safe.

If she herself does not know, how could she verify his words? This is the contradiction and difficulty.

Yet this does not deter Du Shan.

"Coincidentally, the Emperor has a matter to convey to you." Du Shan merely blinked slightly, then smoothly continued: "Ju City is currently constructing the Xunrong Hall, modeled after the Heavenly Palace's Wan Shen Hall. However, the Wan Shen Hall enshrines false gods, while the Xunrong Hall records the nation's heroes. The various prefectures of Cangyan are also compiling local gazetteers, bestowing honor upon the righteous and valiant. The Emperor said, thirteen years since the founding of the state, the deeds of the Dragon God War and the earlier Shanjin martyrs should all be entered into history, remembered by posterity. For example, the loyal and brave records submitted three months ago by Xike include the deeds of Tushan Fang and Huang Chengqi. Have you heard the name Tushan Fang?"

"Famous as thunder." Mei Wuniang replied without hesitation, "He is the hero of the Mien City Defense War; I heard of him even when I was at Jukou Harbor."

"Not bad." Du Shan continued, "The martyrs' shrine in Shui Commandery is also nearly complete; when finished, the martyrs to be displayed will have their list submitted to me. Among them is one you surely recognize—would you like to guess?"

Mei Wuniang's throat suddenly felt constricted. With her ice-snow intelligence, how could she fail to guess?

"Mai... Mai Lian sheng?" Her right hand unconsciously clenched into a fist, "My father?"

Her father Mai Lian sheng was originally a founding meritorious official of Shui State, diligent in governance, widely benefiting the people. Yet the Shui king, wary of his popular support, fabricated an excuse to slaughter his entire family; only Mai Miao—that is, Mei Wuniang—survived by chance. The people of Shui State remember Mai Lian sheng, often risking imprisonment to secretly burn paper money for him.

"Correct. The shrine will begin carving the statues next month; would you like to go and offer guidance?"

"Good." Mei Wuniang loosened her fist, her voice tense: "My father's appearance—I have actually begun to forget it somewhat."

Mai Lian sheng died when she was young; over twenty years have passed since then.

"No matter. The image in your heart is precisely what Mai Gong ought to look like." Du Shan spoke swiftly, then immediately circled back: "How about it—can this information prove that I am who I am?"

Mei Wuniang examined Du Shan from head to toe, slowly calming her mind.

Yes, she should make her judgment now.

She took a deep breath, then said: "You should be genuine."

Du Shan wondered: "How do you know?"

"If this Du Shan were a transformation born of Nie Xiaolou's nightmare, he would certainly try every way to empathize with me. For when one's emotions surge, one is more inclined to trust others." She smiled like a flower, "Only the true Du Shan is all business, never straying three or five sentences from his duty."

She has said so much today, even recounting her ordeal in full detail—did Du Shan comfort her?

No.

Instead, he praised Nie Xiaolou in a single remark.

Du Shan is cold-hearted, strongly purpose-driven, but lacking in empathy—this is precisely how he ought to behave.

Du Shan heard this and blinked slightly, then gave a bitter smile.

Now, one more person dares to mock him to his face.

"Just a joke." Mei Wuniang then collected her smile, turned serious: "Even if Nie Xiaolou could steal my past memories, he cannot connect them, nor does he know what I truly care about. The matter of Shui Commandery building a shrine—I believe it is true, because eleven years ago, officials from Shui Commandery came to the countryside to collect the Mai family's affairs and compile them into history. If my father knew he would be immortalized in Shanjin's new history, he could smile even in the nine springs."

Her request that Du Shan tell her something she did not know carries the subtext that this matter must be factually and emotionally acceptable to her recognition and understanding.

For the people of Beijia, this demand is fundamentally impossible to fulfill.

She looked at Du Shan, bit her lip, finally made up her mind, and softly spoke the secret she had guarded with her life:

The hiding place of the Hidden God Lord!

Having spoken, she fixed her gaze tightly on Du Shan, her heart in turmoil.

Whether this Du Shan is true or false will soon be revealed.

If he is a fake, he has already obtained the information he wanted, and has no need to continue pretending.

Yet Du Shan's face changed color, he suddenly rose and bowed deeply to Mei Wuniang, his hands touching the ground.

Mei Wuniang was astonished, but remained seated without moving: "What is Minister Du doing?"

"Fifth Lady has achieved unparalleled merit!" Du Shan did not lift his head, "I, Du, am deeply impressed—nothing could surpass this!"

Mei Wuniang had no choice but to reach out, lightly supporting his arm: "Du Xiang, you're too kind. The intelligence I brought back—is it truly significant?"

"Truly significant!" Du Shan said solemnly, "Wuniang, do you know how much effort the Emperor has expended over the years to find the Hidden God? Not only Cangyan, but Mou State and Ling Mountain have also been searching tirelessly, yet found no trace. Thus the Emperor concluded that this intelligence transmission system might operate independently of the Heavenly Palace and Bekka."

"Indeed it is."

"Although there is a risk of exposure during the change of leadership at Yunzhu, the Heavenly Palace will surely guard against it and set traps simultaneously. The chance of other factions obtaining these secrets is negligible." Du Shan sighed, "I never expected that, even with heroes vying for it, you would still bring it back safely to Cangyan!"

As the person at the very eye of the hurricane, she not only escaped with her life but also brought back firsthand, uncontaminated vital intelligence.

"If we can, based on your intelligence, successfully destroy the Hidden God's physical form, that will be a milestone victory in the fight against the Heavenly Demons." Du Shan said, "I am not qualified to speak for the Emperor and Cangyan, otherwise I would have to bow to you several more times."

"This is of great importance; I must first report these messages to the Emperor." He could no longer sit still.

Mei Wuniang naturally understood: "Du Xiang, please proceed."

Du Shan took three steps out, then suddenly turned back.

He rarely loses composure like this.

"I usually don't ask further, but for someone like Wuniang who accomplishes such a major secret mission, the recruitment period will end early." Du Shan asked her, "Your contributions to Cangyan are already sufficient—have you ever considered what comes next?"

"Next?" Mei Wuniang turned her head, gazing at the magnificent scenery below the mountain, feeling the city's vibrant vitality, and was genuinely moved in her heart.

Seven years, she had been undercover in the Heavenly Palace for seven years, treading on thin ice, trembling with fear, dreading even the slightest slip.

Now, her mission has finally ended.

From the moment she left the border, the role of "Tong Yiyi" ceased to exist. She escaped safely from that den of iniquity.

"After escaping the Mou people's ambush, I had the thought of retiring, imagining a few years of peaceful, stable life."

"Understood." Du Shan listened, then prepared to turn around.

This is what she deserves. A hero who has made such outstanding contributions has the right to enjoy a peaceful second half of life.

"But, when I tore apart the nightmare's illusion and saw Nie Daguoshi's expression, I changed my mind again." Mei Wuniang gently brushed aside the stray hair at her temples, "Perhaps, a life of a thousand faces is what I truly want."

A new life, a new identity, a new challenge.

If her life lacked ups and downs, what joy would there be to speak of?

Mei Wuniang said slowly, "Besides, I am also a warrior fighting against the Heavenly Demons. Since the war is far from over, how could I remain aloof?"

Even separated by thousands of mountains and rivers, she could feel that man's steadfast belief.

The dazzling, flashing-gold Dragon God War raged fiercely; she did not participate, and to this day regrets it.

The next vast, magnificent epic war is approaching swiftly; she does not wish to miss it again.

Du Shan finally let out a long sigh: "The people of Shan Jin always manage to make me look at them anew."

Having said that, he bowed again to Mei Wuniang.

"Why this time?"

"For no other reason than that you defeated Nie Xiaolou." Du Shan smiled, "This time, he should lose convincingly. Satisfying, satisfying!"

Having said that, he turned and hurried away.

Mei Wuniang also stood up, stretched moderately.

The mission is complete, she has also returned to Ju City; during this period of recuperation, what should she do?

After much thought, she muttered to herself: "Why not raise a cat?"

——————

"The Age of Great Contention" Chapter One, End.