#526 - High-stakes gambling
Anzhou, Jiunan County.
As the "front line" bordering Shuzhou, the 60,000 remnant soldiers who escaped from Niutou Mountain are now stationed in this small county town, awaiting further instructions from the capital.
To prevent the Shujun army from launching sneak attacks, Jiunan County has been under lockdown for several days, with no one allowed to enter or leave except for scouts on reconnaissance missions.
Because the Battle of Niutou Mountain had cast too great a psychological shadow on this group of defeated soldiers.
They were afraid that the Tiangou Army's movements were just a feint, afraid that Wei Changtian would resort to some other sinister trick, and afraid that the scene at Niutou Mountain would be repeated.
Therefore, they had not been slack in the slightest for these past ten days, and were constantly prepared to meet the enemy.
It's just that the Shujun army has not appeared.
On the contrary...
"Report!"
In the South Gate tower, a soldier in yellow armor ran hurriedly to a military officer dressed as a captain and reported loudly:
"There is a lone rider approaching the city gate!"
"A lone rider?"
The captain frowned, then got up and walked out of the city tower, standing by the crenellations and looking into the distance.
Dust billowed in a line, and indeed a fast horse was rushing towards this side, the tiny figure appearing particularly lonely in the empty world.
Due to the distance, the captain could not see the appearance of the person, but he could judge that it was not one of his scouts.
Could it be a stranger who doesn't know the current situation in Jiunan County?
"Arrow!"
The captain shouted softly, and a soldier immediately handed over a bow and arrow.
He immediately turned sideways, drew his bow, and nocked an arrow. The blood-red setting sun slid iron light across the arrow's spine. When the bowstring was fully drawn, the arrow tip was aimed at the rider in the distance.
"Bang!"
With a twang, the refined steel feather arrow shot out with the force of splitting metal and cracking stone.
Although the rider was still a hundred zhang away from the city wall, the captain was already at the sixth-rank realm, and the arrows he shot could certainly reach that distance.
If the rider was just an ordinary person, then this arrow would be enough to take his life.
However...
"Get ready!"
"The person is coming with ill intentions!"
When the captain saw that the person had simply waved his hand and caused the arrow to shatter and fall, he shouted out loud for the first time.
Obviously, this person was also a cultivator, and his cultivation was not low.
"Clang clang!"
The sound of armor rubbing together suddenly rang out, and hundreds of spears were immediately angled down on the wall, with more than a hundred archers behind them drawing their bowstrings to the full.
There was only one person on the opposite side, yet it caused such a grand display on the city wall, which was enough to show how tense these soldiers had been these past few days.
However, the captain did not immediately order an attack, but frowned as he looked at the increasingly close figure, muttering in a low voice:
"A woman?"
He had clearly seen the other party block the arrow with her sleeve, and it was indeed the wide sleeve that only a woman's long dress would have.
And as the other party got closer and closer, his guess was quickly verified.
It was indeed a woman.
Longzhou, Longzhou City.
In a guest room of an inn sat three men and a woman, their expressions all different.
Apart from the woman, the temperaments of the three men were somewhat unusual.
Especially the old man with half-white hair, he had an extraordinary aura. Even a beggar could tell that he was by no means an ordinary person.
But strangely, these four people seemed to be led by the woman, who had nothing special about her except for her pretty appearance.
"Sect Leader Qin, Young Master Shen, Brother..."
Looking at the three people opposite her, Xu Suisui said calmly: "Next, we will first go to the Lotus Temple. I have something to discuss with their Abbot Huian."
"Huian..."
Qin Zhengqiu nodded, his tone somewhat emotional: "This old man and he can be considered old acquaintances. I even saw him once last year."
"Senior was accompanying Young Master Wei at the time, right?"
Xu Suisui smiled: "Miss You was also with you."
"..."
If it had been before, Qin Zhengqiu would have been greatly surprised at this moment.
But now he was already accustomed to Xu Suisui's "special abilities."
"Yes, we went together."
After responding, Qin Zhengqiu stopped talking and didn't ask Xu Suisui what she was going to do at the Lotus Temple.
Instead, Shen Ran, who was on the side, noticed the information inadvertently revealed in the latter's words and asked softly:
"Teacher, you just said that we will go to the Lotus Temple first, so where will we go after that?"
"..."
Glancing at the setting sun outside the window, Xu Suisui smiled softly, and then replied.
"Go to Dafeng, Huailing."
Shu Kingdom, Shuzhou City.
"Young Master, two things."
When Chu Xianping called Wei Changtian out of the "card room", the latter had just let Xu Qingwan win a Qingyise.
"Changtian, ten taels of silver."
Little Comrade Xu stretched out her small hand mercilessly to demand the money she had won in this game, without retreating in the slightest because the other party was her husband.
"Okay, okay, a bet is a bet!"
Wei Changtian responded, groping in the dark compartment of the mahjong table, only to find that his one hundred taels of "gambling money" had been completely lost.
"Cough, Qin'er, can you lend me some first."
"Oh, okay!"
"Sister Xu, here's the silver for you."
"Okay."
"..."
Behind them, Liang Qin obediently took ten taels from her remaining gambling money and gave it to Xu Qingwan, who unceremoniously put the silver into her already full dark compartment.
After the transaction, the two women knew that Chu Xianping had something to say to Wei Changtian, so they didn't start a new game, but turned their heads and asked:
"Changtian, are we waiting for you?"
"Brother Changtian, are you still playing?"
"Play! Wait for me!"
Glaring at Xu Qingwan, Wei Changtian followed Chu Xianping out of the room, and the expression on his face slowly changed from unwillingness to calmness.
"What's wrong?"
"Young Master, Tongzhou Association just sent a message saying that Ning Yongnian set off for Huailing an hour ago."
"How long will it take him to get there?"
"Normally, ten days."
"Okay, I know."
Wei Changtian nodded: "What about the other thing?"
"The other thing..."
Chu Xianping hesitated obviously, but in the end, he lowered his voice and quickly replied: "Princess Wuping just appeared under Jiunan County in Anzhou, and then she was tied up and taken into the city by the guards."
"..."
"Okay."
This time Wei Changtian's reaction was a little late, but his expression was still so calm.
He just looked at Chu Xianping with the most calm gaze, and then slowly said in a tone without a trace of fluctuation:
"Brother Chu, you need to pay more attention to Shuzhou in the future."
"Let Du Chang withdraw the Tiangou Army from Yangzhou."
"Five days later, I will go to Huailing."
"..."
It was already night, but the mansion was brightly lit.
Chu Xianping suddenly widened his eyes, standing blankly in place watching Wei Changtian turn around and walk back into the room, unable to say a word during this process.
Go to Huailing.
What is the Young Master going to do?
Could it be that he doesn't want to fall into a passive position in the future, so he is taking the initiative?
Since Ning Yongnian wants to use Li Wutong to threaten the Young Master, then the Young Master is prepared to simply solve everything in advance?
Chu Xianping racked his brains for a long time, but in the end, he couldn't guess Wei Changtian's thoughts.
In his opinion, if Wei Changtian was for Li Wutong's sake, then there was no need to ignore the latter these past few days.
So it's not for Li Wutong?
The more Chu Xianping guessed, the more he couldn't understand, but he knew that something big would definitely happen in Huailing, and this matter was very likely to directly determine the fate of the Dafeng, Da'ning, and Wei families.
"Clatter ~"
The sound of mahjong tiles colliding rang out again from the room, mixed with Wei Changtian's half-joking shouts.
"Hmph! Wan'er, don't be complacent!"
"See how I win back everything I just lost!"
