Chapter 191: with translation of chapter title

Azure City

However, just a few breaths longer, and the best opportunity was missed.

All the way until the three returned to Cang Cheng, Liu Liu never found a suitable moment to speak.

At the street corner under nightfall, the three parted; Du Shanü narrowed her eyes watching the taciturn man disappear into the darkness, then she tightened the reins, heading home while casually asking Chinu:

Fish Drum Battalion

Permit Surge Pass

His skill is extraordinary; each move carries a hint of ferocity, indeed like someone from a military background.

Young Emperor

Chinu lightly pinched the reins with his fingertips, then let out an abrupt snort-laugh, saying:

But he doesn't really seem like the ordinary soldier he claimed to be; rather, he seems like someone accustomed to being a deputy commander.

Even if ordinary soldiers are fearless in battle, when they strike or are struck, they often hesitate a bit.

But a deputy commander is different; his duty is naturally to protect his own commander from behind, shielding the commander-in-chief from rear threats.

Thus the commander only needs to look forward, without worrying about what's behind.

Although this person is already extremely careful, when exchanging moves with the militia raised in the old manor, he still can't help revealing this little flaw......

Esteemed Peace

Chinu's brows and eyes froze, as if recalling something, he pondered and said:

If I remember correctly, the Yu Gu Camp garrison that guarded the closest frontier pass, Xu Yong Guan, relied on a spirit of fighting to the death without retreat.

This camp had the most fervor, held out the longest, but consequently, its officers and soldiers were replaced batch after batch.

Southern Dynasty

Great Lineage

Even if there were survivors, they shouldn't appear in full force at this moment by the Gui River in the borderlands.

If so, then only another possibility remains——

This person perhaps had heard the name of the Fish Drum Camp before, or perhaps he simply guarded a pass close to the Fish Drum Camp and had some knowledge; in his earlier panic, he blurted out this camp name unintentionally......

Chinu slowly rubbed the pad of his finger, hooked the leather rein, and then paused slightly at a certain spot.

I remember now.

Xu Yong Pass is no more than a hundred li from Tianjian Pass; at that time, the commander of Tianjian Pass was none other than the son of the Young Emperor's maternal uncle, Yu Lve.

Although this was the first time Du Shanü had heard that name, it did not in the least affect her concern for Yu Baobao's matter.

She loosened the reins, pricked up her ears to listen carefully.

Chinu, however, seemed to catch a whiff of something unusual, now pondering, now murmuring.

After a good while, he finally continued speaking:

It's him, it's him. After thinking it over carefully, I'm sure it's him.

In the Young Emperor's mother's generation, she and her siblings total six brothers and sisters, but only she married, as did the third daughter Yu who married Yuan Lang, and the fifth son Yu who married a daughter of a military family.

The other branches have dwindled, but only the fifth son Yu and his wife share a deep affection, having produced the five brothers 'Civil and Military Strategy, Handsome'.

This Yu Lve, unlike his elder brothers who excel in governance and constantly visit the Young Emperor to meddle in state affairs, nor like his third brother who is frank, jovial, and merely socializes with friends, nor is he the favored youngest whom the family dotes on, who can call wind and summon rain... He has always been silent and reticent, liking to let others take the spotlight.

I should have seen him years ago, but it's been at least several years since then, and since he used to keep a low profile, my impression of him is faint, and I can hardly recall his face.

But upon careful verification, his temperament and age actually match up.

If I remember correctly, after the fall of the old capital, this person together with the Yu family likely lost their influence in the struggle for power.

He had always thought this person was hiding in the Yu family's deep roots in Chong'an, but he never imagined that this person would actually appear here!

The Young Emperor did not return home because he did not want to implicate Chong'an.

But this person, why has he not returned to the Yu family to this day?

How is the Yu family of Chong'an faring now?

Could it be... could it be that after Chinu left the old dynasty, many things have happened there?

These questions flashed one by one through Chinu's mind, and also through Du Shanü's mind.

Du Shanü frowned, pondering for a few breaths without result, and then simply said:

Do you still remember Chen Er from the Zhoufu? I used his usual method; when we parted, seeing him pitiable, I let him move to Cang Cheng, and he agreed then, so he should arrive these days.

Later I will instruct him to make a trip to Chong'an to inquire about news, and then we will know everything.

Du Shanü finished speaking, about to sigh in relief, but when she had exhaled only half, her complexion suddenly changed.

She hesitated not at all, producing the ever‑present Nine Provinces Map; when she located Chong'an on it, her face inevitably changed——

【Your fortune lies to the northeast; go there, and whatever you seek will surely be granted in full.】

The words of that young young Daoist still lingered in her ears, and Du Shanü finally revealed a hint of astonishment she could not conceal.

Chong'an, Chong'an......

So-called Chong'an is actually located in the southeast of the state, which is the northeast of this place!

That prophecy of the child of convergence has troubled her for several days!

But put another way, if that person is truly efficacious, then the prophecy he calculated for her regarding 【fortune】—is it also accurate?!

She had previously thought it was Jinling, after all Jinling is the new capital; capturing Jinling would surely put the Southern Dynasty on the verge of collapse.

But upon closer inspection now......

If it were Jinling, how could it possibly match the four characters '【state's southeast】'?

When the Great Yin's territory was vast, Jinling could at best be considered barely the southeast of the state; let alone now that the northern borders have all been seized, Jinling's position is clearly part of the 'state's territory' northern frontier!

Du Shanü secretly felt a shock in her heart, while Chinu also seemed to grasp the aforementioned, suddenly lifting his head to gaze at the sky.

This moonless night, this realm of heaven and earth, remains trapped within the mundane world.

Du Shanü did not know if he was looking at the sky or at heaven's will; only after a long while did she let out a faint sigh.

"Go back."

Whether the converging child is ready or not, how this life is lived, people walk step by step.

Blindly following heaven's decree loses a first opportunity; if one does not resist further, there is no room left for a turnaround.

Chinu, unmet, bears the weight and returns to heaven and earth.

The two returned to the new county office before midnight; since it was too late, Du Shanü left without saying she would come back, so the county office was dim, with no one tending the lamps.

The gatekeeper had the lock removed; Du Shanü confirmed that Yu Baobao was asleep, then ordered a servant to decoct medicine, casually picked a guest room, and prepared to wash up and sleep.

She opened and pushed the door in one smooth motion, yet as she closed it, a hand blocked the gap.

The candlelight dimmed; the beauty's brows and eyes drooped low.

Even if an immortal came, one would still have to glance twice.

But today's Du Shanü could only bear the pain and let go:

"...... At this age, one sleeps alone."

Not to mention that she still has to take medicine now; even if she didn't, returning home now would be improper to cling to others all day in front of people.

Du Shanü did not release her grip on the door, but Chinu refused:

"Just now the Wife Master's return stirred some people; Ruan Jintian is still in the county office—if he comes to climb into bed at night... I'd better keep watch."

Climb what bed!

Climb what bed!

Is she really that indiscriminately hungry!

Du Shanü was almost laughing from anger, yet instinctively she felt a slender finger break through the darkness, lightly touch her waist, circle three inches around, then descend......

Slowly, it hooked her waistband.

"Who knows what the Wife Master will love?"

"Women, after all, always hope a man is both father and brother, both husband and lover......"

"A flavor never tasted is always good."

In the lovely night, the beauty lightly opened her lips; her eyes, in the candlelight, flashed a bewitching charm.

Thread by thread of breath stirred Du Shanü's stray hairs, slipped into her ears, pierced to the bone, making her heart throb wildly.

Yet, that gorgeous ghost seemed unsatisfied, chuckling as she blew the thin breath from her mouth toward Du Shanü's face:

"But... if it's A-nu, then everything can actually be done, right?"

Du Shanü inhaled a mouthful of smoke sharply; her previously clear brows and eyes scattered, and the taut string in her heart snapped completely.

Just a breath, just a breath of hesitation.

Or rather, just a breath of a choked sound.

Du Shanü then released the hand barring the door and once again pressed her lips to those familiar thin lips.

Chinu stared, then mumbled:

"...... About abstaining from lust?"

Du Shanü let out a long sigh in her heart and replied:

"...... Let's talk later."

?? Shasha: "Abstain from lust! This time I must definitely abstain strictly!"

? Actual duration of abstinence, one day.....