Chapter 181

Youcao remained silent, accepting everything with a shy and timid demeanor.

Soon, Jiang Sishui left Wanzhou and entered the territory of Yuzhou.

"The Four Beauties of Smiling Proud Wanderer, the beautiful and wise Ren Yingying..."

Jiang Sishui decisively set out for Luoyang, hoping to encounter this heroine of Smiling Proud Wanderer in the Green Bamboo Alley.

200 Inside Yunzhuang, the lady is like a chrysanthemum, like bamboo, like water, like an orchid.

Mantuo Shanzhuang.

Among the newcomers who arrived recently, Huang Rong and Li Yuhu were the most compatible in spirit.

Both were lively, active, and fond of play; amidst the flower forests, upon the lakes... the most abundant sound was the laughter of the two of them.

Suddenly, Huang Rong let out a soft exclamation of surprise and turned her head to look in another direction across Taihu.

Li Yuhu, being straightforward and quick-spoken, saw this and asked, "Sister Rong, what's wrong?"

"My mother is also on this Taihu."

"Your mother?"

"Yes, I sensed her location through the Kunji Seal."

"Then let's quickly bring your mother over to play!"

Huang Rong had exactly this intention and said to Li Yuhu, "Sister Yuhu, wait a moment; I'll go find A Zhu and A Bi, as they are most familiar with Taihu."

"Alright, go ahead; I'll go prepare a boat for you." Li Yuhu waved her hand.

Having said this, the two parted ways.

A short while later, Huang Rong, accompanied by A Zhu and A Bi, met up with Li Yuhu on the shore.

The four boarded the boat and rowed toward the direction Huang Rong indicated.

After a little more than half a day, the small boat arrived before a water islet; from a distance, one could see pavilions and towers connected along the shore, with a magnificent manor situated there.

A Bi rowed slowly, looking ahead and saying, "Sister Rong, have we arrived?"

Huang Rong nodded. "This is the place. Sister A Bi, what place is this?"

A Bi answered without hesitation, "This is Yunzhuang."

"Yunzhuang..." Huang Rong murmured, confirming she had never heard this name, and surmised it must be an insignificant faction.

The small boat moored at a dock paved with bluestone; the four women stepped ashore, crossed a large stone bridge, and were just about to approach the manor to pay their respects.

Huang Rong suddenly stopped and held the other three women back as well.

The latter three looked at her in confusion.

Huang Rong smiled. "Going up like that is no fun; let's sneak into the manor secretly. I'll also give my mother a surprise."

Li Yuhu immediately agreed. "Great, that's a good idea; I support it!"

A Zhu and A Bi exchanged glances and could only nod in agreement.

The four found a corner and climbed over the wall with ease.

Inside the manor, pavilions, terraces, towers, and galleries were arranged with exquisite ingenuity; paintings within windows, gardens within doors, fully displaying the architectural style of Jiangnan.

However, upon seeing the road layout and architectural structure here, Huang Rong's face showed a hint of surprise.

A Zhu suddenly said, "The architecture here seems to conceal the art of Qimen Dunjia."

"Qimen Dunjia?" Li Yuhu widened her eyes, but unfortunately saw nothing at all.

After all, she knew absolutely nothing about this subject.

"It is indeed Qimen Dunjia; follow me."

Huang Rong called out; the three women asked no further questions and hurried to follow.

Huang Rong led the way, but instead of moving forward, she moved backward.

The roads in the manor twisted east and wound west, winding and crooked; what was especially strange was that the railings and pavilions at the turns were completely identical.

After a few turns, how could one distinguish east, west, south, or north?

Yet Huang Rong was as if in her own home, walking swiftly without the slightest hesitation.

Sometimes, when there was clearly no path ahead, she would dive into a rockery, skirt around a flower bed, and unexpectedly emerge into a covered corridor.

Sometimes it seemed as if one had reached the end, only to find another secluded realm behind a screen or beyond a large tree.

She deliberately avoided the wide-open moon-gate in the road, instead pushing open a door on the wall that left no trace of its existence.

The three women followed behind, witnessing the entire journey; the further they walked, the more strange it became in their hearts. Li Yuhu couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Sister Rong, the roads in this manor are truly strange; how do you recognize them?"

Huang Rong made a gesture for her to be silent, turned another seven or eight bends, then surveyed the terrain, counted on her fingers silently several times, and stepped on the ground, counting her steps.

She was heard murmuring in a low voice: "Zhen one, Zhen three, Yi five, Fu seven, Kun..."

Huang Rong walked while counting; when she reached a certain spot, she stopped and said, "Go up!"

Then she immediately leaped over a small wall.

The three women followed her example.

Looking at the courtyard that suddenly opened up before them, Huang Rong explained, "This manor was built according to the directions of the Fuxi Sixty-Four Hexagrams. My father taught me these arts of Qimen and Bagua from a young age."

Upon hearing this, the three women understood. Li Yuhu's eyes were full of envy and admiration: "Sister Rong is truly amazing; you cook delicious food and are also proficient in Qimen Dunjia."

Hearing her praise, Huang Rong giggled and felt quite pleased with herself.

Immediately, she frowned again and pondered, "However, why does the Qimen path within this manor feel so familiar?"

"Mother has appeared here again; could it be that Yunzhuang has some connection with my Taohuadao?"

Huang Rong, lost in thought, suddenly looked at A Bi and asked, "Sister A Bi, who is the master of this Yunzhuang?"

????????? Begging for flowers??????????

Previously, she had regarded Yunzhuang as merely a small faction and thus had no interest in asking for details, but now things were different.

Abi replied, "The master of Guiyun Manor. They say his name is Lu Chengfeng."

"..."

"Sister Rong, is there something wrong with this person?"

Huang Rong's expression turned odd. She said, "Among the six disciples my father took in back then, there was one called Lu Chengfeng. He ranked fourth."

The three women were stunned at the words. So they had been sneaking about and ended up in one of their own people's manor?

Yet Huang Rong was not pleased by this. Instead, her face grew rather unpleasant.

Huang Yaoshi had broken Lu Chengfeng's legs back then and banished him from Taohuadao. Given his temperament, it was impossible he would sit here as a guest with an easy conscience.

...... 0

And yet Feng Heng had appeared here of all places.

What was the reason for this?

Huang Rong instantly thought of two possibilities.

First, Lu Chengfeng bore a grudge over the events of those years and had secretly harmed Huang Yaoshi. Although Feng Heng was unharmed thanks to the protection of the "Kunji Seal," she still had no choice but to come under duress.

Second, Huang Yaoshi and Feng Heng had separated, and the latter, for some reason, had been invited into the manor.

Thinking that Feng Heng's current situation might not be good, Huang Rong could no longer stay calm. She immediately called to the three women and set off toward Feng Heng's location.

Just then, a flash of green shadow before their eyes, and a person blocked their path.

"Who are you people? Why have you snuck into Guiyun Manor?"

A delicate, clear voice flowed from her sandalwood lips, and all four women turned their heads to look.

The newcomer was a young girl, dressed in a pale green long robe, holding a jade-green flute in her hand. Her oval face was dignified and pretty, her slender figure graceful and light, as if a single gust of wind could blow her away.

The girl's complexion was crystalline, her skin radiant as snow—she was already a matchless beauty, no less striking than the other women.

But what stood out most was the elegant, reserved, jade-like gentle, and lofty, serene air about her.

Looking at the girl before them, the four women could not help but think of the green bamboo and chrysanthemum among the Four Gentlemen of the Flowers.

Afterwards, they also thought of the pure and unsullied narcissus.

All four women were filled with wonder. Huang Rong stepped forward and said, "You must be Cheng Ying?"

The girl in green was slightly surprised. "You know me?"

Huang Rong said with a smile, "My name is Huang Rong." Shang.

"Huang Rong? You're Huang Rong? The Huang Rong of Taohuadao?"

Cheng Ying's face showed surprise as she carefully sized up Huang Rong.

After all, ever since obtaining the diary copy, she had seen this name often, and as time went on, she was almost starting to not recognize these two characters.

Then, she looked again at the three women following behind Huang Rong.