Chapter 57: 57 Rebellion

In the reception hall, a maidservant was currently attending to Zhao Laoyezi and the two disciples behind the old man.

Those two disciples, one male and one female, both appeared to be about the same age as Song Cheng.

When Song Cheng walked over, Zhao Laoyezi stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "Brother, it was abrupt of me to visit so suddenly, please forgive the intrusion!"

Song Cheng smiled and said, "Your presence here brings light to my humble dwelling."

As he spoke, he looked gently at the maidservant who was attending to them and said, "If the President is present, have her come as well."

The maidservant acknowledged the order and turned to leave.

Zhao Laoyezi also said, "Xiao Hua, Xiao Jun, you two go stand outside as well; I have some matters to discuss with Brother Song."

The two young Martial Artists looked at "Brother Song" and were somewhat speechless, but they still bowed and went outside the door.

Inside the room, it quickly became quiet.

Zhao Laoyezi leaned in with a "whoosh," looked at Song Cheng with sharp eyes, and said, "This Ghost Tide has lasted for a full forty days. What is Brother Song's take on this?"

Song Cheng said, "Something big is going to happen."

Zhao Laoyezi said directly, "Good! Brother Song is a perceptive man, so I will ask directly: what do you... and that President An intend to do?"

Song Cheng smiled and said, "Does Brother want to join forces?"

Zhao Laoyezi narrowed his eyes and, after a long moment, said, "That is exactly my intention."

No one is a fool; when the Ghost Tide seals the city, one only needs to guard against Ghosts, but once the Ghost Tide retreats, one must guard against human disaster.

The duration of this Ghost Tide has exceeded the previous historical record by more than ten times, and its scale can be imagined accordingly.

The last Ghost Tide was decades ago, and that time it only lasted for three days before the Northern Barbarians moved south, followed by a great slaughter; no one can imagine what will happen now that it has lasted for forty days.

Added to this is the fact that the winter wheat, which should have been tended to for half a year, is completely ruined, and there was no time to plant the spring rice during the Grain Rain season, making things even more hopeless.

They have eaten a year's worth of stored grain; must they now eat the second year's? Song Cheng said, "Are you all willing to leave?"

Zhao Laoyezi understood his meaning: if the Northern Barbarians move south, the Six Towns will bear the brunt, and the aftershocks will be enough to destroy the surrounding counties; Hanping Prefecture will be the first to avoid the edge of the blade, so naturally, they will need to flee.

Most of the martial arts schools south of Shanghe County city are rooted here; to leave requires great courage.

Zhao Laoyezi said indignantly, "Those who want to leave will leave; those who don't, let them stay behind!"

Having said this, he raised his eyes to look at Song Cheng and said, "Brother Song, we old things won't live much longer; what we want most is the stability of our descendants and the stability of our heritage."

"But in troubled times, these things are hard to protect."

"We don't know many great experts, but you, Brother Song, are someone we all look up to, someone we all respect, and we all feel that you... are destined to be a person of great significance."

"Therefore, as soon as the Ghost Tide is resolved, I came here to ask what plans you and President An have; we can follow along."

Song Cheng said, "Old man, do your martial arts schools agree?"

Zhao Laoyezi said, "Of the nine martial arts schools south of the city, five have masters who have entered the realm of Force, and four have not. Four of those with Force and three of those without have agreed to leave, totaling seven schools."

Song Cheng thought for a moment and said, "There is a plan, but we cannot leave just yet."

Zhao Laoyezi nodded and said, "I understand; the Guarding and Guarantee System is a rule set by that group of people precisely to prevent you from running around."

"If a large force like ours migrates, they will certainly send people to deal with it."

"White Camel Manor, Zhushan Temple, Mountain and River Martial Arts School..."

The old man muttered these three names, clearly aware of the true power structure of this land.

Song Cheng said, "If you trust my words, old man, you can wait a little longer."

The old man said in a deep voice, "You and I shall form a Blood Alliance to advance and retreat together, or else we shall meet a miserable end."

Just as the words fell, a cold, feminine voice suddenly came from outside the door: "I will do it."

Zhao Laoyezi looked up and saw a woman, crystalline like an ice sculpture, stepping in from outside.

An Chenyu sat down beside Song Cheng, turned to look at Zhao Laoyezi together, and said, "Very well, I shall form a Blood Alliance with you, old man."

Zhao Laoyezi thought for a moment and said, "That works too..."

He then scratched his forehead and said, "President An, who is actually in charge between you and Brother Song?"

He meant to ask who was the superior and who was the subordinate.

Before An Chenyu could speak, Song Cheng smiled directly and said, "She is in charge."

The Young Miss was stunned for a moment.

Zhao Laoyezi was also stunned, then stood up and cupped his hands toward the Young Miss, saying, "A deep bond between husband and wife, this old man admires it."

An Chenyu said, "Today the rain has cleared and the sky is bright, and the flowers in the garden have bloomed; it is a perfect time for a Blood Alliance, would that be acceptable?"

Zhao Laoyezi said, "Let's make it tomorrow; tomorrow I will call the other six martial arts school masters together."

"At that time, the nine of us will form a Blood Alliance to advance and retreat together; those who violate it shall meet a miserable end."

"After that, our seven schools will be considered followers of you, Young Miss. But before then, Young Miss, please chat a bit more with this old man and tell me about your plans."

An Chenyu smiled and said, "Very well."

Having said this, she clapped her hands, and Ling'er walked in from outside, carrying all sorts of maps and materials.

When Zhao Laoyezi saw this, he was stunned, and connecting it to Song Cheng's continuous visits over the past few days and the steamed buns with fatty meat sent yesterday, he suddenly realized and said, "Good, good, good! This is fishing with a dangling line, waiting for the fish to take the bait, isn't it?"

An Chenyu smiled and said, "Not at all, it is just that troubled times have arrived, and we are all just huddling together for warmth."

Zhao Laoyezi stroked his beard, waved his hand, and laughed heartily, saying, "That is not what this old man meant, I am just feeling sentimental. You young woman have deep wisdom, and Brother Song is exceptionally talented. Following you, this old man can truly rest easy."

Late at night.

The third watch.

The entire Ruyi Chamber of Commerce was still busy; An Chenyu was acting like a madwoman, coldly issuing incredibly complex orders and making various arrangements. Song Cheng listened roughly and felt his head swell.

There were matters of donating to the canal supervisors, selling off An Family assets, purchasing cattle, sheep, and magical beasts, handling internal family conflicts and making advance arrangements, greasing the palms of officials and powers at the new location, investigating intelligence from afar, exchanging bank notes and jewelry for hard currency, and so on... there was so much.

Tonight, he was sleeping with Young Miss An.

But Young Miss An looked as if she wouldn't be able to sleep at all tonight.

Thus, he stayed alone in the courtyard, leaning on his blade as if in deep meditation, occasionally drawing and swinging his blade; every strike was as swift as a thunderbolt and as treacherous as a venomous dragon.

In the darkness, he tore off the black cloth; as the Ghost Tide receded, his pupils, which had shrunk to the size of beans, expanded slightly and stabilized, his vision becoming that of someone with about six or seven hundred degrees of myopia, but it was acceptable.

The fourth watch. An Chenyu finally finished her work and dragged her incomparably exhausted body back to the inner courtyard, her heart filled with trepidation, for she had made many arrangements, yet every single one was fraught with uncertainty.

But this flurry of busyness settled down significantly upon seeing the youth in the courtyard.

A faint smile appeared on her cold, beautiful cheeks, and her lips parted slightly as she teased, "Little Song, I'm busy, and you are too?"

Song Cheng said, "You have so many things to handle, I must do something as well."

The youth straightened up, took two steps, and suddenly said in a casual tone, "An Jie, I have a blade technique, would you like to see it?"

An Chenyu said, "Another improvement? Impressive."

Having said that, she crossed her arms and leaned against the side of the full-moon archway, smiling, "Let's see."

Song Cheng also smiled.

After spending these days together, he understood more and more what kind of person An Chenyu was. If it were said that in this chaotic world, Tong Niangzi was someone who needed his protection, then An Chenyu was someone who would fight side-by-side with him.

Because the many things An Chenyu did, he truly could not do.

Well, it was not that he could not do them.

It was that if he really were to do them, he would have to pour all his energy into it, thinking about these things all day long, and pondering incomparably complex interpersonal relationships all day long.

Regarding this, he felt resistant in his heart.

Thus, An Chenyu filled this void, supplementing the missing piece of his own.

Likewise, he also filled An Chenyu's shortcomings.

So at this very moment, he decided to reveal a bit of his hand to his woman, letting her know exactly what kind of trump cards he held, so as to avoid her making the wrong decision at a critical moment.

The youth's mind was made up; he took a step forward, the black cloth covering his eyes rustling in the wind of the fourth watch. His right hand gave a light brush, as if sticking to the long blade, and the vigorous Qi born from the Completion of the Four Forms returned to the source like a hundred rivers into the sea, flowing effortlessly into the blade.

A suppressed humming sounded from the scabbard, as if thunder were trapped in a bag.

The youth's presence suddenly expanded; a layer of misty, violently churning invisible Qi covered his body by an inch, and even his black hair danced wildly without wind.

*Swoosh. * The blade drawn from its sheath slashed into the void; in An Chenyu's eyes, this strike transformed into a golden flood dragon lunging out from the depths of rolling dark clouds.

The air in the entire courtyard seemed to be driven by this strike, whipping up a gale that blew thousands of leaves and flowers in one direction.

The hairpin in An Chenyu's hair bun fell as a result, and her ink-black hair danced with the wind.

She was momentarily mesmerized.

But in an instant, the youth slowly withdrew his blade.

All things finally settled.

An Chenyu looked up at the green leaves swirled into the firmament by this whirlwind, and only after a long while did she lower her head, looking from afar at the familiar yet strange, powerful youth.

She pursed her red lips, revealing a smile of relief.

Her own martial arts were not high, but she knew quality when she saw it.

A merchant, must they not have a good eye? "Pfft."

Young Miss An laughed, the first time she had laughed so loudly.

Song Cheng also laughed.

The two accompanied each other into the house.

Young Miss An balled up her fist and lightly punched him, saying, "You should have said so earlier!"

Song Cheng smiled.

An Chenyu thought for a moment, then suddenly leaned in and said, "Today when Zhao Laoyezi asked who was the Steward, you said it was me; did you have any grievances?"

"What grievances?" Song Cheng said.

An Chenyu rolled her beautiful eyes, revealing a rare, girlish look: "If you want to be on top, it's not impossible."

The air went quiet, then ignited.

The next day, the masters of the seven martial arts halls in the south of the city came to the Ruyi Chamber of Commerce and, together with Song Cheng and An Chenyu, formed a Blood Alliance to advance and retreat together in this chaotic world.

In reality, this was delivering the strength of the seven martial arts halls to the Ruyi Chamber of Commerce.

Several more days passed.

A fast horse carrying a letter galloped into Hanping Prefecture and arrived at the An Family.

The messenger hurriedly handed the letter to "the First Madam who was currently thinking about which son-in-law to recruit for the Young Miss."

The First Madam was the biological mother of the eldest young master, while An Chenyu's biological mother had passed away early.

At this moment, the First Madam took the letter; she had been moving slowly, but upon seeing that the letter was from Shanghe County, a sharp glint immediately flashed in her eyes. She tore open the envelope, pulled out the letter paper, and looked at it.

The more she read, the greener her complexion became.

When she saw the last character, she slammed her palm heavily onto the table, her brows and eyes filled with rage, her face ferocious, and she roared, "Married without notice! This is truly rebellion!!"

(End of chapter)