Chapter 109: A Thread of Heart (2)

Yan Ling couldn't help but hum again, "I'm convinced by you two. Now, besides the White Tiger Secret Guards and the Heavenly Sect, the Shao Yuan Jun Mansion is of course searching for you everywhere. However, thanks to a little trick of mine, they are probably still struggling on the other side of the river. Besides, the Yue Ma Gang and the Zizai Tang have also dispatched many people. Finding this place is only a matter of time."

Under a layer of light and shadow, Zi Rao's expression was faint, as if she had no reaction to this, only looking at him and asking, "What about Le Yao Gong? Did the Lie Feng Cavalry really blockade Le Yao Gong?"

Yan Ling said, "Are you referring to the East Emperor's side? Last night, the Lie Feng Cavalry dispatched nearly five thousand troops, trapping the East Emperor not far from Miaoyin Lake. They were originally in the upper hand, but who knew that later, during the heavy rain, the army formation caught fire. The East Emperor captured the main general and broke out with the Jiuyi tribe. Is this news enough?"

Zi Rao's heart immediately relaxed, knowing that Qie Lan and the others must have escaped danger. She asked, "The army formation caught fire in the heavy rain, what is going on?"

Yan Ling squatted on the rock, looking like a rogue, "You asked the right person. I have already checked. This is all thanks to Su Ying, the 'Miraculous Hand and Divine Machine' who has been imprisoned by Chu for many years. Only he could burn the Lie Feng Cavalry with 'Wind-Thunder Seeds'."

Because of Shi Niang, Zi Rao had some understanding of her master's techniques, "In the past, Master Kou Qi forged swords, using Wind-Thunder Seeds to take fire to sacrifice to heaven. The fire in the sword furnace did not go out for eighty-one days of wind and rain, as if helped by gods. But Wind-Thunder Seeds only have this effect when igniting Lianyun Vines. How did Su Ying manage it?"

Yan Ling laughed, "Haha, you don't know about this. Lianyun Vines themselves are tough and sturdy, an excellent material for making battle armor. The battle armor used by the Chu army is made of this, impenetrable by swords and spears, and very light. It's just a pity that no one knew that the Wind-Thunder Seeds made by Master Kou Qi could make Lianyun Vines exert such an effect. After Master Kou Qi, no one could make Wind-Thunder Seeds. Hmm... If I had sold this news to Huang Fei early, wouldn't I have made a big profit? What a pity, what a pity!"

Zi Rao glared at him, lowered her eyes to think for a moment, and suddenly said, "There is a piece of news now. If you go and sell it to Shao Yuan Jun, you can make a big profit just the same."

Yan Ling asked, "Oh? What news?"

Zi Rao played with the ink butterflies at her fingertips, and a cluster of tiny, beautiful flames flickered in her eyes, "Go to the Shao Yuan Jun Mansion, tell Huang Fei you saw me here, and say that tomorrow I will go to Feng Shui Du."

Yan Ling was stunned, looked at her for a long time, and then said, "You want me to betray your whereabouts to Huang Fei?"

Zi Rao smiled lightly, "That's right."

The Lie Feng Cavalry was forced to retreat. The Mingyi Tower and the Jiuyi tribe warriors protected the East Emperor and left the area of Le Yao Gong. The enemy was afraid of harming the hostages and naturally did not dare to pursue.

To allow the troops to rest, Zi Hao ordered a temporary retreat to Western Mountain Temple. This temple had been destroyed when the Helian rebel army retreated to the camp. At this time, it was empty, with only broken Buddha statues and a few corpses of monks lying on the ground. Fortunately, the few side rooms behind the temple were still intact, so sheltering from the wind and rain was not a problem.

As soon as the carriage stopped, Li Si hurried forward, calling out, "Master!" Seeing that familiar and calm gaze, her heart suddenly relaxed, and she knelt down with a stagger, "I don't know how the Princess is now, Master, please think of a way... And Shi Niang, she... she..."

This night of physical and mental exhaustion, once the tight string snapped, she could no longer support herself. However, her swaying body suddenly fell into a strong and powerful embrace. Zi Hao raised his hand to pick her up and, amidst the surprised gazes of everyone, walked into the temple first.

The warm and cold breath beside her was like a dream from a past life. Li Si grabbed his sleeve tightly, unable to struggle, and tears couldn't help but burst out.

While Zi Hao was treating Li Si's injuries, the others rested and set up defenses, with Shusun Yi taking charge of the coordination. It was inevitably a chaotic time. It wasn't until the warriors on both sides were properly arranged that Shusun Yi found a gap to come to the side hall.

Qie Lan was discussing something with Shang Rong, saying, "Sir, you came just in time. We were just discussing that this place is probably not a place to stay for long. The Lie Feng Cavalry will soon make a comeback. Before that, we must think of a way to deal with it."

Shusun Yi sat down opposite her, reached out to stroke his beard, and said slowly, "Things have reached this point, Huang Fei naturally will not give up easily. But in my opinion, the Lie Feng Cavalry will not act so quickly. Last night, the King and Queen of Chu died at the same time, and the rebellion in the palace has not been quelled. Chu Guo is currently in an unprecedented chaos. Even if Huang Fei has heaven-reaching abilities, he still needs two or three days to clean up the mess, so we still have time."

Shang Rong said in a deep voice, "These words make sense. In short, as long as we drag it out for these three days, once the reinforcements from Su Ling and Jin Wuyu arrive, we won't be so passive."

"'Three days to mobilize troops into Chu...'" Shusun Yi muttered to himself. As soon as he raised his eyes, he suddenly stood up. Qie Lan and Shang Rong turned their heads and saw the East Emperor entering, so they both stood up.

"My Lord."

Zi Hao nodded to them and looked at Qie Lan. His expression seemed a bit unusual. Although it was as calm and quiet as ever, there was a deep coldness that replaced the smile that was always on his lips. Shusun Yi and Shang Rong were both sharp people, so they exited the room together.

Qie Lan waited for a long time, but Zi Hao didn't speak. Her star-like eyes raised slightly, "I know you have questions for me. I helped Ye Xuanshang enter the palace to steal the treasure, and I didn't intend to hide it from you. I just didn't expect to meet Shi Niang and the others in the secret passage, and I didn't expect such a huge change to happen later."

Zi Hao stood with his hands behind his back and said lightly, "Do you think the matter of Shangyang Palace was authorized by me?"

Qie Lan was silent for a moment, then shook her head, "Breaking with Huang Fei at this time is equivalent to helping Ji Cang, and it also puts Zi Rao in danger. You have been managing this balance step by step. I find it hard to believe that you would be in such a hurry to seek success at a critical moment, forcing the Royal family into a passive situation of hard-on-hard collision."

Zi Hao's ink-like pupils contracted slightly, and a trace of emotional fluctuation seemed to break through the depth, "What if it were Huang Fei?"

Qie Lan frowned, "Even if Huang Fei has the ambition to replace the Di Du, he has no reason to look for trouble. Setting up a trap to attack the Di Du at this time would only allow Helian Yiren and Ji Cang to sit back and enjoy the fruits of his labor. If Shao Yuan Jun doesn't even have this bit of patience, how is he qualified to be the East Emperor's opponent?"

Zi Hao smiled coldly, "Huang Fei indeed shouldn't have made such a miscalculation, and he didn't need to go to such lengths to create the incident at Shangyang Palace."

"But one thing is a fact," Qie Lan paused, "Zi Rao did not deny Huang Fei's questioning and Han Xi's testimony."

"Impossible."

Zi Hao suddenly spoke, his slightly raised gaze like lightning cutting through the night rain, striking the vast sea and wilderness. At this moment, in his sleeve, no one could see his palms slowly tightening. A cold jade bottle pierced his heart and bones; it was something Zi Rao had hurriedly handed to Li Si when she left the Jun Mansion. No one knew better than him what was inside.

When the fire started in Shangyang Palace, although Zi Rao was alone in the bedroom of the Jun Mansion, it was absolutely impossible for her to go out, let alone enter the palace to kill.

Swept by his gaze, Qie Lan couldn't help but feel a secret chill, only feeling an indescribable pressure emanating from those deep pupils. At that moment, the bone-eating darkness suddenly made people shudder. But she didn't look away. At this moment, she wanted the truth. In his hands, was everything a chess piece? In his heart, could everything be used? Including Zi Rao, including Han Xi, including the Jiuyi.

She could not use the entire Jiuyi tribe as a bet, gambling on a man's tenderness, an emperor's compassion.

The clear gaze fell into that bottomless abyss. The room was silent for a moment, only the sound of rain on the eaves like a downpour, getting faster and denser. The world fell into emptiness and haze again. Qie Lan's face gradually turned pale. Suddenly, Zi Hao closed his eyes slightly and sighed softly.

It was as if raindrops pierced the surface of the lake. Qie Lan's heart trembled slightly. At that moment, the deep world that belonged to him seemed to be right before her eyes. She could feel him, and she knew he understood her. All the fear and dread, all the persistence and struggle, all the fate and insistence—it turned out he and she were so similar.

Just like, blood-connected.

This strange and profound feeling was like cold spring water washing over mountain rocks, breaking through all the mist and smoke, finally revealing the clear moonlight, the beauty of white dew. She looked at him gently, her voice turning soft, "Now Zi Rao and Ye Xuanshang must be in great danger. Huang Fei will never let them go. What do you plan to do?"

Zi Hao had already recovered his cold demeanor and said lightly, "There are many people who want to make the Di Du and Huang Fei turn against each other. This layout can be considered exquisite and appropriate." Saying this, he said to the outside, "Shang Rong, call them in."

Shang Rong and the others had been waiting outside. As soon as Nie Qi entered the door, he knelt down and said, "Your subordinate has a request, I beg the Lord to grant it."

His tone showed unusual determination, and even more grief and hatred. Shang Rong sank his face and shouted, "Nie Qi, what time is it now? Don't mess around."

Zi Hao raised his hand slightly, looked at Nie Qi for a while, and said, "I will only give you two days. If you can't kill Fang Feibai, leave the Chu capital immediately."

Nie Qi raised his head violently, excitedly saying, "Nie Qi thanks the Lord!" He kowtowed, then his figure moved, exiting the room and disappearing into the rain in an instant.

Su Ying had been silent on the side, his mood quite low. At this time, he frowned and said, "The mechanisms in the Shao Yuan Jun Mansion are dangerous. I will go with him to avoid any accidents."

Zi Hao's gaze swept toward him, "Miraculous Hand and Divine Machine, Su Ying."

It had been unknown how long it had been since he heard this once-famous title. Su Ying couldn't help but be stunned. Zi Hao smiled slightly, "As the Grand Priest of Construction of my Yong Dynasty, are you only going to show off your bravery to kill one person?"

Su Ying's body shook violently, revealing an unbelievable expression. Suddenly he knelt down and said, "Su Ying... a branded and guilty body, how dare I overstep the law and take on a heavy responsibility, Lord..."

Zi Hao waved his hand casually, "Whether you are guilty or not, only I can decide. The position of Construction Priest can only be held by Su Ying. The mouths of the people of all countries, and the spirit of Shi Niang in heaven, will all see whether you are worthy of the name. If you want to go with Nie Qi, then bring back Han Xi, the sister of the King of Chu, for me. Do you have confidence?"

Su Ying's hands trembled slightly. After a long time, he said, "Your subject swears to repay the King's kindness with death!" After saying this, he kowtowed heavily, a strange light shooting from his eyes. He let out a long whistle and chased after Nie Qi.

Qie Lan turned back, "The Chu capital is now facing war. If they go like this, I'm afraid there will be many dangers."

Zi Hao closed his eyes and said slowly, "With a great war imminent, we cannot lose our spirit. If I didn't grant their request, Nie Qi would feel guilty toward Shi Niang for the rest of his life, and Su Ying would become even more depressed, his 'Miraculous Hand and Divine Machine' no different from a dead man." Saying this, he raised his eyes, "Shusun Yi, you go to the Western Mountain Camp for me. Tell Helian Yiren that the real Han Hui is now in the Mingyi Tower. If he still wants to regain control of Chu, come see me."

Shusun Yi bowed and agreed, his heart extremely shocked. Ordering Nie Qi to challenge Fang Feibai, Su Ying to kidnap Han Xi, and then pushing the Helian Marquis Mansion to regain power—all these arrangements would cause Huang Fei to immediately dispatch troops and focus all his efforts on them, which was far from the previous strategy of delaying for three days. Without reinforcements, the risks involved were self-evident.

Zi Hao had already stood up and walked out. Qie Lan passed by Shusun Yi, stopped his questioning with her eyes, and smiled slightly, "Military advisor, go and return quickly. I hope the Nine Princess can be safe."

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 110 =====