The sun hung high in the sky. At the wharf of Xiwang Town, thousands of sails gathered, and merchants and travelers came and went like shuttles.
An unremarkable ferry boat was moored among the fleet. Li Sanwen and others were communicating with the merchants on the shore, loading the general goods that would be taken back to the capital on the way onto the boat.
The howling river wind blew the wine banners by the river. Ye Jingtang, dressed in a black robe, stood under the flagpole and took a small package from the shopkeeper of the Pei family who had rushed over.
The package wasn't big. Inside was a token, a new waist token of Jingwang Manor, and a letter.
The corner of Ye Jingtang's mouth curled into a smile. He opened the envelope and unfolded the letter paper, and the vigorous handwriting came into view.
The content of the letter was very formal, such as "I am impartial. If I find any falsehood in your confession, according to the law, it will be dealt with like this and that," etc. In summary, it was nothing more than asking him to go back and attend the trial.
Ye Jingtang read it for a moment, showed a smile, put the letter away, and called out to Li Sanwen on the boat:
"Uncle Li, there are still urgent matters to deal with in the capital. Once the goods are packed, let's get ready to set sail."
"Got it. Hurry up, everyone..."
...
Ye Jingtang went to a restaurant by the riverbank. Song Chi and Chen Yuanqing, who had escorted him and Third Aunt back to the capital along the way, were both there.
Seeing him come in, Third Aunt, who was drinking tea in the hall, came up and asked softly:
"How is it? What did they say in the capital?"
Ye Jingtang nodded and said: "Jingwang spread the news, saying that the person was killed by the Black Yamen. The matter is being handled, and they will protect my personal safety."
Song Chi, who had been worried for several days, let out a long sigh of relief when he heard this and stood up, saying:
"The young leader's means are even tougher than his martial arts skills. With such connections, why bother in the martial arts world?"
"This measure can only ensure temporary safety. In a couple of years, when my martial arts skills are higher, I will have a battle with Zhou Chiyang to end the enmity. Only then can it be considered completely resolved."
Song Chi nodded: "That's true. The young leader should still be careful in the future."
Chen Yuanqing came closer and said softly: "After passing Xiwang Town, it will be the territory of the capital. Since the young leader's safety is temporarily not in danger, Second Brother Song and I also have to return to our respective stations. If there are any changes in the future, the leader can send a message at any time, and we will definitely come in time."
Chen Yuanqing and Song Chi were both the leading figures of the shipping gangs in various prefectures. If they were away for too long, there would definitely be chaos in their halls.
Pei Xiangjun also wanted to return to the capital early. She didn't delay and called on her people to go to the wharf together.
Song Chi had dragged the young leader out to kill the sect leader of the other party. He had been scolded by Chen Yuanqing and Third Aunt one after another for not having the demeanor of an elder. Before leaving, he became much more composed. Walking in front of Ye Jingtang, he lectured in an old-fashioned manner:
"Jingtang, in the future, you should still act steadily. Don't follow my example, Uncle Song. I've been able to live to this age purely because my fate is strong enough..."
Ye Jingtang and Song Chi could be considered to share the same interests... No, they were like-minded. Ye Jingtang responded with a smile:
"I've always been steady in my actions. If Uncle Song hadn't been there to give me courage that day, I definitely wouldn't have made a move so easily."
"If you hadn't been there that day, Uncle Song wouldn't have made a move rashly either..."
Pei Xiangjun's head was getting numb from listening. However, killing Zhou Huaili did indeed let out a breath of resentment. She didn't scold them seriously anymore, but just snorted:
"So you two were just giving each other courage, right? Fortunately, this is Zezhou. If you two got together in Tiannan, I'm afraid you'd even dare to test the waters of Fengguan City."
"Hehe..."
Song Chi laughed twice. After thinking about it, he said:
"No matter how good the weapons are, there will always be times when they're not with you. The most practical weapons for a martial artist are still fists and kicks. I promised to teach you some boxing techniques last time, but I'm in a hurry to go back and don't have time to teach you in person. Just now, I taught the moves to the leader. With your talent, if you practice with the leader for three to five months, you should be able to get started."
In fact, Pei Xiangjun had actively asked Song Chi to teach Ye Jingtang on her behalf. She could learn the boxing techniques for free and also enhance her relationship with Ye Jingtang. However, she definitely couldn't say this explicitly:
"Don't worry, Uncle Song. I will teach Jingtang the boxing skills well. When we meet next year, let Uncle Song give a good assessment."
Song Chi waved his hand: "By the time we meet next year, I'm afraid I'll be as timid as Changqing. If you really have the ability, you should go and knock down Jiang Zhahu, the Boxing Champion. As your unregistered master, I can at least gain some glory from it."
"Hehe..."
...
While chatting and laughing, everyone arrived at the wharf. Song Chi and Chen Yuanqing led their respective disciples and boarded the boats heading in all directions. Ye Jingtang also boarded the ferry boat heading to the capital.
The disturbance of Honghua Tower's annual meeting was finally completely over at this moment.
Before Pei Xiangjun came out, she really didn't expect to experience such exciting ups and downs.
First, she consolidated her position as the leader in Xiwang Town, then she showed the might of Honghua Tower at the Zhou family. Just when it seemed that Honghua Tower was about to soar to the sky, she discovered that the precious person around her had stolen the woman of the leader of the Pingtian Sect and, on a whim, had killed Zhou Huaili.
Although it was only a short period of twenty days, the things she had experienced were more than in all the years since she became the leader. She was physically and mentally exhausted. After boarding the ferry boat, Pei Xiangjun went back to her room to catch up on sleep.
Ye Jingtang returned to his room and also wanted to have a good rest. As soon as he entered the room, he found that the little bird, which had been on watch outside, flew to the window and raised its wing to gesture at a small ferry boat in the port:
"Jiji~"
Ye Jingtang looked up and saw a woman in the martial arts world dressed in a cyan dress and wearing a veil hat in the corridor outside the boat building. She was looking in this direction. When she saw him, she waved her hand, signaling him to hide quickly.
?
Ye Jingtang was a bit confused and thought there was some special person on the ferry boat. So he stepped back into the room and waited quietly...
———
Hua, hua...
In the blink of an eye, it was already night. The boat was sailing quietly on the river, and only the sound of a few waves outside the window remained.
There was no light in the room, and the window was open. The gentle night wind quietly entered the room, causing ripples like water waves on the curtains.
Ye Jingtang sat cross-legged on the bed, practicing the "Dragon and Elephant Diagram." After waiting for an unknown amount of time, there was finally a slight sound of water waves outside.
Ye Jingtang opened his eyes to check and saw a young woman with a slender figure silently leap in through the window and land in front of the bed. There was a faint red rouge on her lips, and her long hair as black as ink was coiled up, with a green hairpin inserted obliquely. In the summer night, she exuded a bit of an otherworldly fairy air.
The small watermelon in front of her衣襟 still swayed slightly a few times due to the inertia after landing...
"Luo..."
"Shh!"
Luo Ning was very cautious. She came closer and then asked in a low voice:
"Are you crazy? Why did you suddenly kill Zhou Huaili?"
Ye Jingtang moved a little to the side and motioned for Luo Ning to sit down:
"What's the reaction of the Zhou family?"
Luo Ning chased after him in a hurry and didn't have the time to care about trivial matters. She sat sideways on the edge of the bed and said seriously:
"The Zhou family is in an uproar. They will definitely find the killer and demand blood for blood."
"Do they suspect Honghua Tower?"
"No. You left the token of the Black Yamen and used saber techniques. It's hard for them to suspect Honghua Tower, but they will come after you personally."
Ye Jingtang let out a sigh of relief when he heard this.
Seeing that he was relieved, Luo Ning said seriously:
"You were doing things for Honghua Tower. Why are you taking the blame yourself when something goes wrong? Did Honghua Tower force you to draw a clear line from them?"
Ye Jingtang smiled and said: "No. Honghua Tower can't defeat the Zhou family now. I wanted to kill Zhou Huaili myself, so I definitely have to settle the matter."
"How are you going to settle it?"
Luo Ning had been extremely worried for the past two days, fearing that Zhou Chiyang would take a step ahead and find Ye Jingtang in the capital first. She fumbled in her arms, took out a small iron token with the eight characters "The Soul of Yan Endures, and the Lofty Aspiration Pacifies Heaven" written on it, and handed it to Ye Jingtang:
"This is a keepsake given to me and Yunli by the leader of the Pingtian Sect. All the Eight Champions know it. If you encounter Zhou Chiyang, show it to him, and he definitely won't dare to kill you."
Ye Jingtang was a bit surprised and looked at the small iron token in his hand:
"Really?"
"Don't you believe it? As long as you don't run into the One Immortal and the Two Saints, other people won't risk provoking the leader of the Pingtian Sect and kill you when they see this token."
"I believe it. How could I not believe it?"
Ye Jingtang rubbed the small iron token, and his expression was rather strange—with the token of Jingwang, no one in the officialdom dares to provoke him; with the token of the leader of the Pingtian Sect, no one in the underworld dares to provoke him...
Doesn't this mean that he's hugging both a "white silk thigh" and a "black silk thigh" at the same time, becoming invincible directly?
But if he carried both tokens on his body and they were exposed, I'm afraid it would be a "mixed double beating" from both the "white silk" and the "black silk"...
After looking at it for a moment, Ye Jingtang returned the token to Lady Luo, the martial artist:
"No need. I wrote a letter to Jingwang..."
?!
When Luo Ning heard this, a trace of complexity appeared in her eyes:
"Yunli and I chased for hundreds of miles, fearing that something would happen to you. When you got into trouble, you didn't even ask me for help and directly went to the Princess. Do you think I'm heartless and won't help you?"
Ye Jingtang shook his head and said: "What are you thinking? Do I look like someone who relies on a woman and hugs a girl's thigh?"
Luo Ning snorted: "If you don't rely on the Princess, what will you use to deal with Zhou Chiyang?"
Ye Jingtang said seriously: "The law! I was able to kill Zhou Huaili because he went to kill Jian Yuhua in the middle of the night. I was acting bravely for justice. It's only natural for the government to uphold justice. This isn't hiding under the Princess's skirt. Instead, it's standing upright under the national law, being a law-abiding citizen, and upholding the great righteousness of chivalry!"
Luo Ning blinked her beautiful eyes. After pondering for a moment, she said:
"If you didn't know the Princess, would the imperial court care about this nosy matter?"
Ye Jingtang smiled and said: "Why wouldn't the imperial court care? It's just that the speed of handling the case wouldn't be so fast."
Luo Ning thought about it and felt that this was still relying on the Princess. However, having the imperial court mediate the matter was indeed simpler than the Pingtian Sect applying pressure. She put the token away:
"Does that mean there's no problem for now?"
"There's no problem for now. When I master the saber technique, it will be the turn of Junshan Terrace and the Zhou family to have problems."
Luo Ning had been worried for several days. At this moment, she secretly let out a sigh of relief. After thinking for a while, she said:
"You... Hurry up. Yunli is still waiting, and I have to go back immediately."
Ye Jingtang blinked his eyes:
"Hurry up with what?"
Luo Ning sat up straight and her expression was serious:
"A bet is a bet. Do you think I, Luo Ning, am someone who doesn't keep my word? If you forget, do you think I'll just pretend it never happened?"
Ye Jingtang had been busy for several days and had really forgotten about the bet. He smiled and opened his arms.
Luo Ning put her hand on the hilt of the sword at her waist, turned her head to look elsewhere, and looked cold, with an attitude of "no initiative, no refusal, no cooperation."
Ye Jingtang openly hugged Lady Luo, the martial artist, and gently patted her on the back:
"Thank you. You and Yunli have worried about me. When I go back, I'll try to let Qiu Tianhe regain his freedom as soon as possible."
Luo Ning's body was tense. Her eyes moved, and she said indifferently:
"Just do your things well. It's not convenient for us to contact each other these days. We'll talk about the remaining matters after returning to the capital... By the way, can you take me to the imperial palace for a tour?"
"Hmm?"
Ye Jingtang was taken aback and turned his head to look at Luo Ning's ear:
"What do you want to do in the imperial palace?"
"I'm curious and just want to take a look."
"Are you planning to kill the Emperor?"
"I don't have that ability."
"That's right... Ouch—why are you pinching me?!"
Luo Ning loosened her hold on Ye Jingtang's waist and said seriously:
"Something was buried in the imperial palace during the previous dynasty, and I have to go and get it."
?
Ye Jingtang was taken aback and asked: "The Minglong Diagram?"
Luo Ning wasn't sure what the leader of the Pingtian Sect asked her to get. After thinking for a while, she said:
"It can't be the Minglong Diagram. It should be something related to the court of the Great Yan Dynasty."
Ye Jingtang was skeptical: "Where is it buried?"
"Yongle Palace, Chengan Hall."
?
Ye Jingtang took a deep breath, pushed Luo Ning away a little, and looked into those beautiful peach blossom eyes that were innocent and lively:
"Sister, do you know what kind of place that is?"
When Luo Ning heard the word "sister," for some reason, her heart trembled. She pretended to be calm and said:
"The Emperor's bedroom."
"You know that? How am I supposed to get in there, the place where the Empress sleeps? Do you want me to be sent to the imperial bed by Jingwang as a male concubine?"
Remembering Xue Baijin's instructions, Luo Ning added:
"You have to take me in too. I have to get it myself."
?
Ye Jingtang spread his hands: "So you mean that when I'm sent to the imperial bed, I have to be so 'loyal' that I drag you in with me? Even if the Empress can agree, what can you do? Let us be busy first, and you get dressed and wander around by yourself?"
Luo Ning had long thought this matter was outrageous and let out a sigh:
"Xue Baijin asked me to help. I just mentioned it casually. If it doesn't work, forget it. Have you hugged enough? It's been so long already."
Ye Jingtang let go of his hand and patted Lady Luo, the martial artist, on the shoulder:
"Don't act recklessly after returning to the capital. This is really not a small matter."
"I know my limits. I'm leaving."
Luo Ning tidied up her clothes and then turned into a gust of wind, flying out of the window and leaving across the water.
Tap tap...
Ye Jingtang got up and went to the window to look. He could see that the beautiful figure on the river had already run far away, leaving only circles of ripples that hadn't disappeared yet.
After watching Luo Ning return to the ferry boat in the distance, Ye Jingtang looked up at the silver moon in the sky and let out a soft sigh:
"..."
After entering the capital, he somehow ended up "stepping on three boats" at the same time. Now it seems that he's stepping on them more and more firmly...
It's just that these three boats aren't very harmonious. If one of them goes off course someday, he'll be "have his third leg torn off" on the spot...
If his adoptive father knew that he was in the martial arts world and made girls worry about him and give him life-saving tokens, he would probably think that he's very unpromising...
Who doesn't want their son to stand between heaven and earth with just one person and one knife? Even if he's pointed at by thousands of knives and makes the gods and Buddhas angry, he can still hold up the sky with his hands and step on the earth with his feet, protecting everyone behind him and making them smile...