#169 - A hurricane starts with a small drop of water
Chapter 169: The Hurricane Begins at the Tip of the Green Duckweed
December 6th, the last day of the "Ten-Day Agreement."
It was also the last chance for Xiao Feng and Wei Changtian to change their minds.
In life, one faces countless choices, big and small, and each choice can lead your life down a completely different path to the future.
No one can predict in advance whether this future will be good or bad, or perhaps these futures have no good or bad in the first place.
If Lu Xun had not picked up his pen and written the line, "Either erupt in silence, or perish in silence"; if Han Xin had not crawled between the butcher's legs; if Liu Bang had chosen Empress Lu...
No one knows what would have happened afterward.
But one thing is certain: even if history were to repeat itself once, ten times, or a hundred times, these people would still make the same choices.
From this perspective, perhaps life has no crossroads at all.
Whether they are great figures standing at the forefront of the historical tide or ordinary people submerged in the tide, they are all being swept along by the invisible wheel of fate, constantly moving forward along that winding but unique path.
And now, this invisible and intangible giant wave is also spurring Wei Changtian and Xiao Feng to inevitably face this battle today.
Neither of them returned to "rationality" at the last moment, or rather, both of them had already made what they considered to be the most rational choice.
How can sorrow be expressed? Survival is left to the great balance.
Such is fate.
Night fell, Xu hour (7-9 PM).
There were still two hours before the "decisive battle."
Qin Zhengqiu had been very active in the matter of "killing Xiao Feng to help his grandson become an immortal," and had brought Wei Changtian's four uncles over yesterday.
Qingxian arrived this morning.
Wei Zhaohai arrived in Shuzhou City in the afternoon.
With his arrival, Wei Changtian's side's "lineup" was finally complete.
Three Second-Rank experts, five Third-Rank experts.
Including Wei Changtian himself, there were a total of nine people.
"Leader Qin."
"Haha, Brother Zhaohai."
Among the nine people, apart from Qingxian, Qin Zhengqiu and Wei Zhaohai had the highest status. Although they had not seen each other for a long time, they were in-laws after all, so they were not strangers.
After exchanging pleasantries, the two of them stopped talking and sat upright on their chairs, closing their eyes to rest.
Liang Zhen in the corner looked at this one and then at that one, and finally touched his nose and turned his gaze to Qingxian, who was sitting next to Wei Changtian.
Wei Changtian had said that there were three Second-Rank experts.
Then this fairy-like figure should be the remaining one.
The only people present who recognized Qingxian were Wei Changtian and Qin Zhengqiu, and neither of them had introduced Qingxian's identity, so Liang Zhen did not know that this stunning woman was actually the Demon King of the Ten Thousand Mountains.
Liang Zhen really wanted to ask Wei Changtian who this beauty was, but he refrained from doing so because there were many people in the room, intending to ask after tonight's events were over.
However, it is estimated that after he really knows Qingxian's gender, he may no longer have the current interest.
Sandalwood incense filled the secret room, with no sense of tension before the battle.
Everyone did not think that any accidents would happen tonight.
With this lineup, let alone killing an unknown Xiao Feng, even if they were to kill Ning Yongnian, they might not have no chance.
Only Wei Changtian was still a little worried, always feeling that things would not develop as smoothly as he had hoped.
However, the arrow was on the string and had to be fired. He had done everything he could, and the rest was up to fate.
"Grandpa, Grandfather."
Getting up and going to Wei Zhaohai and Qin Zhengqiu, Wei Changtian bent down and whispered, "I'm going out for a while."
"Hmm."
The two old men didn't even open their eyes, just nodded.
After bowing slightly to Liang Zhen and his four cousins, Wei Changtian turned and walked out of the secret room.
The secret room where Ning Yuke lived before was next door, but she no longer lived there now.
In order to facilitate her training of the Tongzhou Association's spies, Chu Xianping had found her a new residence outside, which currently seemed to be relatively hidden and safe.
Although Wei Changtian knew the address, he had never been there once.
Of course, he knew that as long as he beckoned, Ning Yuke would definitely be willing to throw herself into his arms immediately.
However...
Shaking his head, he didn't continue to think about it, and walked back to his own bedroom along the stone steps.
Pushing the door open, the moon and stars were sparse, and the small courtyard was as peaceful as ever.
Zhang San was still on his way back from the capital, and Li Suyue was probably bored at home alone, so she had come to chat with Yuan'er again.
She was only one month pregnant, and her figure didn't show any changes yet, but when she spoke, she would gently place her hand on her stomach, with a happy expression.
"What are you chatting about?" Wei Changtian walked over and asked with a smile.
"Master."
Li Suyue hurriedly stood up and gave a slight bow.
She was indeed much better than Yuan'er in terms of etiquette.
"Master, I was just telling Yuan'er about some of the customs in Shuzhou during the New Year."
"New Year?"
Wei Changtian was stunned, and then he realized that it was indeed less than a month before the New Year.
He didn't know which of him and Xiao Feng would miss this New Year...
"Is there still sesame cake?"
Suddenly, Wei Changtian asked softly again.
"Ah? Yes, I'll go get it now."
Li Suyue hurriedly ran to the kitchen in small steps, and soon bursts of firelight lit up in the window, probably because she was starting a fire to heat up the sesame cake.
"Young Master, didn't you just eat?"
Yuan'er on the side asked doubtfully, "Why do you want to eat sesame cake again? Is the dinner not to your liking?"
"No."
Wei Changtian shook his head: "I just want to eat it."
"Giggle giggle, Young Master, you're really greedy!"
Yuan'er covered her mouth and smiled: "I think it would be better to just keep a basket of sesame cakes in Young Master's room, so that Young Master can eat it whenever he wants!"
"That wouldn't be delicious."
Wei Changtian smiled.
"The same thing, how could it not be delicious?" Yuan'er was puzzled.
"The easier it is to obtain something, the less you care about it..."
In Yuan'er's seemingly understanding gaze, Wei Changtian sighed: "The more you are about to lose something, the more you know how to cherish it."
"Young Master... what's wrong with you today?"
Yuan'er hesitated and said softly: "It seems strange..."
"Strange?"
Wei Changtian turned his head to look at the watery Yuan'er, and suddenly reached out and pinched her small face without warning.
Yuan'er immediately stared with wide eyes, motionless, her cheeks flushed red.
"Yuan'er, I didn't realize before..."
Wei Changtian pinched and smiled, asking: "Why is your face so fat?"
"Y-Young Master is talking nonsense!"
Yuan'er was so ashamed, but she didn't dare to slap Wei Changtian's hand away, so she could only protest verbally: "I-It's not fat!"
"Haha!"
Wei Changtian laughed happily, and finally let go of his hand: "Okay, okay, if you say it's not fat, then it's not fat."
"It wasn't anyway..."
Yuan'er retorted, and then muttered a little timidly: "At worst, I'll eat a little less in the future..."
"Hahahaha!"
Wei Changtian laughed even louder upon hearing this, deliberately teasing, "What? Are you afraid I'll dislike you for being fat?"
“Isn't that what Young Master means!”
Yuan'er puffed up her cheeks, trying to justify herself: “Besides, what's wrong with being a little chubby? People say being a bit plump can help you have sons!”
“Then I haven't seen you give me any... Huh?”
Wei Changtian suddenly asked curiously: “Yuan'er, are your monthly cycles regular?”
“...”
Such a shameful question caught Yuan'er off guard.
Although she wasn't so embarrassed that she couldn't speak, her voice was as soft as a mosquito's hum.
“W-Why is Young Master asking this? O-Of course, they're regular.”
“That's strange then.”
Wei Changtian wondered: “Zhang San and Li Suyue have only been married for less than a month and she's already pregnant. Why haven't you had any news?”
“That's a strange question, Young Master.”
Yuan'er blinked her eyes: “Even the Madam isn't pregnant yet, how could I possibly be first?”
Hmm? Is there such a saying?
Wei Changtian paused for a moment, then asked: “Then are you taking medicine?”
“Yes.”
Yuan'er nodded, complaining softly: “That medicine is so bitter.”
“...”
Wei Changtian was momentarily speechless, unsure of what to say.
Fortunately, at this moment, Li Suyue walked over with steaming hot baked cakes.
“Master, baked cakes.”
“Good.”
Wei Changtian took the baked cake, suddenly pinched Yuan'er's cheek again, and smilingly instructed:
“In the future, no matter what happens, remember to eat and drink well, don't mistreat yourself.”
Biting into the baked cake, he sauntered from the front yard around to the back yard.
This was Liang Qin and Ah Chun's territory.
Liang Qin was still practicing the Returning Dust Saber, swinging each strike with utmost concentration, fine beads of sweat on her forehead.
Ten thousand swings every day, practicing diligently for two months, but the results couldn't be considered remarkable. She had only just entered the basics.
Back then, Xu Qingwan had reached her current level in just half a month.
“Brother Changtian.”
Seeing Wei Changtian, she immediately put away her saber and ran over, asking triumphantly: “How do you think my Returning Dust Saber practice is going?”
“Pretty good.”
Wei Changtian smiled: “If you were to chop at that Immortal-Locking Stone again, it probably wouldn't just leave a white mark like before.”
“Hmph! Brother Changtian only knows how to make fun of me!”
Liang Qin turned her head away pretending to be angry, but the joy was hard to conceal at the corner of her lips.
“How could this be making fun of you? Isn't it a good thing that you're stronger than before?”
Wei Changtian touched his nose: “Continue practicing your saber, I'll say a few words to Ah Chun and then I'll leave.”
“It's so late already, where are you going, Brother Changtian?”
Liang Qin turned her head back and asked vigilantly: “Don't tell me you're going to visit a brothel?”
“...”
Wei Changtian found it amusing: “Qin'er, didn't I say before that you're becoming more and more like someone?”
“I...”
Liang Qin felt a burst of anger in her heart, and without knowing why, she blurted out:
“Miss Lu has already married into the Wei family, but I haven't!”
After saying this, she didn't wait for Wei Changtian to reply, and ran away with her saber in her arms, head lowered.
Hmm?
Is she angry? Or is she shy?
Looking at the figure that had already run far away, Wei Changtian couldn't quite understand Liang Qin's thoughts for a moment.
However, after thinking for a while, he vaguely understood.
In fact, Liang Qin wasn't jealous of Lu Jingyao, but rather she didn't want him to always compare her to other women.
You are becoming more and more like another person.
Doesn't this mean that "you" are not as important in my heart as "the other one"?
Good heavens, when did Lu Jingyao have such a position in his heart?
Tsk tsk tsk.
Clicking his tongue, Wei Changtian finally walked to Ah Chun's side, who had been watching him for a long time.
“Master.”
The little girl stood up and respectfully performed a salute, and as usual, began to report her cultivation progress.
“Today I meditated for three hours, practiced the Returning Origin Skill for two hours, and the Qi in my Dantian has already filled twenty-two meridians...”
“Hmm.”
Wei Changtian put on airs and asked seriously: “Why is today's cultivation time one hour less than usual?”
“Are you being lazy?!”
“Ah Chun wouldn't dare to be lazy.”
Ah Chun weakly explained in a low voice: “M-Master, it's only Hai hour now, today isn't over yet…”
Damn it, forgot about that.
Wei Changtian was a little embarrassed, but he couldn't lose his dignity as a master, so he forcibly saved face:
“Cough! Of course, I know that!”
“What I mean is, why aren't you cultivating now? What else are you doing if not being lazy?!”
“A-Ah Chun knows her mistake…”
Ah Chun felt wronged, but she didn't dare to argue anymore, and quickly adjusted her posture to continue meditating and breathing.
Wei Changtian thought for a moment, then suddenly said: “Cultivate well these next two days, and I'll take you to release sky lanterns the day after tomorrow.”
“Ah!”
Since coming to Shu Prefecture, Ah Chun had never left the house, so hearing this news, she immediately perked up and eagerly said: “Yes, yes, Master! I will definitely cultivate well!”
“Don't just talk about it, start now.”
Wei Changtian waved his hand, and waited in place for a while, until Ah Chun completely entered a state of breathing, then turned and left.
It's Hai hour already?
Half of the baked cake was still in his hand, but it was no longer hot.
Standing in front of the entrance to the underground passage leading to the dark room, he ate the half-baked cake bit by bit.
Brushing the crumbs from his hands, he picked up the Starry Sky Saber sheath placed on the table, and tightened the red rope tied to the saber handle.
It's almost time.
An incense stick later.
Wei Changtian walked out of the small house alone, his figure paused for a moment, then disappeared into the night.
The night was quiet, as if nothing had happened.
However, nine top-notch experts were closely following Wei Changtian.
Whether they were Second Rank or Third Rank, they all belonged to the "Upper Three Ranks," making it very easy to conceal their figures in the night.
It was precisely because of this that Qin Zhengqiu and the others, whose attention was entirely on Wei Changtian, did not notice the other Second Rank expert who was also following not far away.
The black brocade robe fluttered, and Li Huaizhong's gaze was somewhat gloomy.
In fact, this old eunuch had been paying attention to Wei Changtian's movements recently.
However, because the imperial court's power in Shu Prefecture was somewhat weak, and Wei Changtian acted very cautiously, he had never found anything.
But just two days ago, a secret letter flown from the palace was sent to his hand.
Wei Zhaohai might be coming to Shu Prefecture, find out what the Wei family is up to.
Of course, the emperor's orders had to be carried out, so Li Huaizhong personally went out and watched Wei Changtian for two whole days.
“Seven or eight people, all experts...”
Li Huaizhong kept his distance while observing the black shadows that appeared and disappeared in front of him.
He felt that Wei Zhaohai must be among them, but he couldn't guess what Wei Changtian was going to do with such a group of people in the middle of the night.
Although he couldn't guess, the old eunuch looked at the clear night sky, which was no different from usual, but he always had an ominous premonition in his heart.
A hurricane arises from the tip of a blade of grass.
Starting tonight, the Da Ning Dynasty may be changing.
A combined two-chapter update.
