Chapter 334: 334. Are you going or not?

Translator: 549690339

Yao City, midnight.

“Old Bai! Old Bai, wake up! Stop sleeping!” Old Mu rushed into the room, grabbing Old Bai from the bed. The table beside the bed was still piled with various herbs and some semi-finished products.

Old Bai looked at Old Mu coldly, “What is it?”

“I saw a carriage entering the Yue Prince Mansion from the back door!” Old Mu was excited, “It’s so coincidental, I couldn’t sleep tonight, so I went to keep watch near the Yue Prince Mansion! Although I didn’t see any people, our little girl might be inside!”

Old Bai suddenly straightened up, his eyes narrowed, “Whether it is or not, it is time to meet Situ Xie!”

“What do you think we should do? Send a message to Prince Yue Mansion, and meet outside the city tomorrow night to exchange hostages?” Old Mu frowned, “After all, this place is Situ Xie’s territory. We must be careful. Our old bones are worthless, but we must not hurt the little girl!”

Old Mu sighed as he spoke, “I took her on as a disciple, but I never taught her anything.”

“Where did that Gu kid go?” Old Bai snorted.

Old Mu shook his head, “How would I know? But you, old man, should stop meddling in the love affairs of young people. Gu Ling is also my disciple, and he must be more anxious than anyone else if the little girl is captured. Maybe he’s in Yao City too!”

“Send a message to Situ Xie. Tomorrow night, at midnight, outside the city by the Wolong River in Baihua Forest.” Old Bai said.

Now it is summer, the warmest season in Liang Country. Although there is still some un-melted snow on Wolong Snow Mountain, the river outside the city is flowing and suitable for getting away at any time.

“You’ve been here before? I didn’t even know there was a Baihua Forest.” Old Mu muttered under his breath. He didn’t ask further and began to think about how to pass the message to Prince Yue Mansion.

Initially, when Old Mu brought Old Bai to Su Liang’s house, Old Bai was a drunkard who was unconscious, Old Mu was very clearheaded. But now that Old Bai has quit drinking, he has shown a more assertive side. Although Old Mu always mocked him, he actually listened to Old Bai more often than not.

At dawn the next day, Situ Xie’s carriage left the Yue Prince Mansion. Suddenly, an old beggar emerged from a corner, holding a letter in his hand, “Your Highness Prince Yue, I have news about the Princess!”

Just as a guard was about to drive away the beggar, Situ Xie’s voice came from inside the carriage. He lifted a corner of the curtain, saw the letter in the old beggar’s hand, ordered it to be taken and gave him some money.

Soon, the old beggar pocketed a piece of silver and walked a distance looking around before running down an alley like he was flying.

The guard opened the letter and, at Situ Xie’s request, shook the paper and wiped it with his sleeve before handing it to him.

With the lesson of Situ Jing being poisoned, Situ Xie carefully used two layers of cloth to avoid direct contact between his skin and the paper.

The handwriting on the letter was unfamiliar and sloppy. It said that they would meet at midnight tonight at Baihua Forest by the Wolong River to exchange Situ Yao for Su Liang. If they didn’t go or tried any tricks, they would have to collect Situ Yao’s dead body.

Situ Xie threw the letter and the cloth aside with a gloomy expression after reading it. This was within his expectations because last night’s carriage was deliberately arranged by him. If someone was watching, seeing the carriage enter the mansion at that time and using the back door would certainly arouse suspicion.

To make the act more convincing, Situ Xie had specifically invited Ying Ying to leave the city secretly and return in that carriage.

At that moment, Situ Xie was thinking about whether Gu Ling was in Yao City and whether this letter was related to him. Or was it just like Poison Immortal Madam Yue said, her Poison Master senior was Su Liang’s unknown master, coming to rescue her after learning she was captured?

Situ Xie also thought of Old Mu. These past few days, he had been revisiting the events that happened in Yao City last year with Su Liang and Gu Ling. He strongly suspected that the hidden weapon fan had been connected to them from the beginning, and Mu Yu’s master had known them long before.

When he went to the palace to see Situ Han, he was drafting an edict to restore Situ Jing’s status.

Seeing Situ Xie, Situ Han’s face was not friendly. He had yet to see his son, Situ Jing, but had learned that his son had been blinded by poison at Yue Prince Mansion.

“What brings Royal Uncle here today?” Situ Han said coldly.

Situ Xie took a seat, “I have an important matter to discuss with Your Majesty. It concerns Qian Country and Yin Country.”

Hearing this, Situ Han snorted, “Has Royal Uncle arranged any other spies that you plan to tell me now?”

Situ Xie shook his head, “It’s a secret about Su Liang and Gu Ling.”

Situ Han’s eyes narrowed, “What secret?”

“In fact, they already knew each other.” Situ Xie said.

Situ Han frowned, “What kind of secret is this?”

“I mean, when Gu Ling was still a rebel, they were already together.” Situ Xie said.

Situ Han was stunned, “Really? Does Imperial Uncle have any evidence?”

“There is a man surnamed Liang, who had been favored by Ning Jing, and followed Gu Ling for a while after Gu family’s incident. He knows many of Gu Ling’s secrets.” Situ Xie explained as he mentioned Uncle Liang, the Su family village, Ning Jing, and the Top Scholar…

Halfway through the conversation, Situ Han looked at Situ Xie incredulously, “Imperial Uncle means that Gu Ling is the same Ning Jing who was once with Su Liang? They are deceiving the emperor!”

Situ Xie nodded, “In any country, this is a very serious deception to the emperor. This matter was not leaked out at first because I still had a soft spot for Gu Ling, but he has no sentiment for me. Now, there is no need to keep their secret! As long as Duanmu Yi in Qian Country knows that Su Liang and Gu Ling have been deceiving him, he would probably not act against Liang Country for Su Liang, disregarding the overall situation of Qian Country!”

“Why is Imperial Uncle only talking about this now?” Situ Han’s expression was angry. “If it was revealed earlier, Su Liang and Gu Ling would not have destroyed your original plan and caused the current situation!”

“I don’t have the ability to predict the future.” Situ Xie sighed. His original plan was to let Situ Jing gain a high position in Qian Country and use his relationship with Su Liang to access the core of power. In this way, once it “exploded”, Qian Country would fall into a huge crisis.

Unfortunately, the major plan collapsed due to Situ Jing’s moment of weakness, leading to uncontrollable developments.

The reason why Situ Xie decided to “betray” Gu Ling now was that he was very clear that the so-called “secrets” were outdated, and there was no benefit in revealing them earlier. “Ning Jing” was already dead, and Su Liang and Gu Ling had handled things very meticulously. If Situ Xie stood on the main street of Qian Country’s capital city and shouted that the former Top Scholar Ning Jing was actually disguised by Gu Ling, the people of Qian Country would only think he was crazy…

However, even if it was “outdated”, it might not be useless for a suspicious emperor.

Situ Xie didn’t want the common people to know, he only needed to inform Duanmu Yi.

Situ Han suddenly sneered, “If Duanmu Yi believes it, then those who were once very close to Su Liang, such as Duke Qin’s Mansion in Qian Country, the great scholar Lin Family, Xing Ji, will all be suspected of having known the truth but deliberately concealed and sheltered the son of a former rebel, Gu Ling! And Nian Jincheng, he is Gu Ling’s best friend, how could he know nothing! At that time, I would like to see how Duanmu Yi can pretend nothing happened!”

Situ Xie nodded, “Since Your Majesty agrees, I will arrange for someone to go to Qian Country today.”

“Alright.” Situ Han nodded, then listened to Situ Xie talk about the letter he had just received when he went out.

“I have arranged for a woman to impersonate Su Liang and go to the appointment tonight to see who it is.” Situ Xie said.

“Gu Ling should have arrived.” Situ Han said.

Situ Xie pondered, “With his anxiety for Su Liang, he definitely wouldn’t do nothing, but it’s still uncertain whether he really came to Yao City or not. We’ll know after tonight.”

“Imperial Uncle said there is something about Yin Country?” Situ Han asked.

Situ Xie’s expression became serious, “Your Majesty, I believe that the top priority is to form an alliance with Yin Country!”

Situ Han could not help being angry upon hearing this, “Why haven’t they formed an alliance? So many times, when has Yin Country been reliable?”

“Past failures are not only lessons for us but also for Yin Country, who did not get any benefits. Through this incident, the royal family of Yin Country should see to what extent Qian Country has grown. Only by joining forces can the two sides eliminate Qian Country in one fell swoop. Once it is too late to join forces, there will be no turning back.” Situ Xie’s expression was solemn.

“Does Imperial Uncle think we can persuade Yin Country to form an alliance again this time? Even if they agree, can we trust them?” Situ Han still could not trust the royal family of Yin Country.

“Regardless of success or failure, we must try to win them over, otherwise, if our conflicts with Yin Country intensify, Qian Country will be happier. In the interest of the overall situation, let’s temporarily put aside our past grievances with Yin Country.” Situ Xie said.

Situ Han took a deep breath, “Alright, I will listen to Imperial Uncle’s advice on this matter. As for tonight’s change of person, be very careful if you go personally.”

…

Qi Jun had been in Yao City for two days, staying disguised in an inconspicuous small inn.

He set off for the north on the day he received the second letter from Nian Jincheng, wanting to find Elder Mu and Bai Lao to tell them that Su Liang was not in Liang Country or in the hands of Situ Xie, fearing they might be controlled by Situ Xie if they didn’t know the truth.

However, Qi Jun had searched the city for two days without finding Elder Mu and Bai Lao, and was not daring to do anything that might expose himself or arouse suspicion, so he could only quietly pay attention to the movements of King Yue’s Mansion.

In the deep night, Qi Jun saw a carriage leaving Yue King’s Mansion through the back door from a distance. He did not dare to approach, kept his distance, and followed cautiously.

The carriage stopped at the city gate for a moment, and the city gate was quickly opened before driving out of the city.

As midnight approached, Qi Jun watched the carriage travel along the edge of Wolong River for a while before entering the dense Baihua Forest. Fearing he would be discovered, he deliberately detoured and entered the forest from another side.

As midnight approached, the bright moonlight shone through the forest gaps.

The carriage wheels rolled over the ground, making rustling noises, and then stopped. There were no more sounds of the horses’ hooves and no one spoke.

The sudden sound of a short flute broke the silence, coming from the other side of the river outside Baihua Forest. Old Mu’s voice followed, “Situ Xie, if you want your granddaughter to live, bring Su Liang over here!”

Upon hearing the voice, Qi Jun’s expression tensed! He had finally found Old Mu, but it seemed that this night had been arranged for a hostage exchange. However, Su Liang was not on this side, this must be a trap!

Thinking of this, Qi Jun could no longer remain idle. As he rushed out of the Baihua Forest, he shouted, “Senior Jin, it’s me! The Master is not in Yao City, retreat!”

Before his words fell, a dozen black shadows burst out from around the carriage in Baihua Forest. Half of them chased after Qi Jun and the other half rushed towards Old Mu.

Old Mu had never expected to suddenly hear Qi Jun’s voice, and his words caused his expression to change drastically. He cursed, grabbed Situ Yao in front of him, and quickly left on a small boat!

As some masters chased from the shore, Old Mu saw a black-clothed man with the fastest speed leaping from the shore to board the boat. He simply threw the unconscious Situ Yao into the turbulent river behind him!

As expected, the man chose to jump in and save Situ Yao, which gave Old Mu a chance to escape.

When the others caught up, the black-clothed man had just pulled Situ Yao out of the water, and Old Mu had disappeared without a trace.

After falling into the water, the black-clothed man’s mask had fallen off, revealing himself to be Situ Xie himself.

The one who caught up afterwards was Ying Ying. She had come to pretend to be Su Liang because Situ Xie had set up an ambush. However, for safety’s sake, he still planned to meet the person first to prevent Situ Yao from getting hurt.

However, Ying Ying never had a chance to “help” Situ Xie. She had thought about warning the other party if something was wrong but didn’t expect someone else to speak up first. As a result, she had not yet revealed her secret that she had a close relationship with Su Liang but did not fully recognize her.

Ying Ying helped Situ Xie revive Situ Yao. Apart from feeling a little weak, she was not injured and had not taken any poison.

“Was it Gu Ling who captured you?” Situ Xie asked.

Situ Yao shook her head, “I didn’t see cousin… An old, tall, and thin man took me, I didn’t see anyone else…”

Situ Xie frowned. The tall and thin old man must be Old Mu he had seen in the palace before.

“Where did they stay?” Situ Xie asked.

Leaning on Situ Xie’s body, Situ Yao shook her head weakly, “I don’t know where it is…”

At this time, the other group that had chased Qi Jun returned without any gains.

“I could have caught that man, but another person suddenly appeared and saved him,” said the leader in a deep voice.

With a cold face, Situ Xie picked up Situ Yao, “Let’s go back!”

At least he had rescued Situ Yao tonight. However, Situ Xie was currently thinking about Qi Jun, who had suddenly appeared and shouted. Did the people on Su Liang’s side already know that she was not in Liang Country or Yao City? Gu Ling had not shown up tonight, it must be because he knew Su Liang was not here! But according to Situ Jing, Su Liang was under her grandfather’s control and couldn’t escape! How did her people know that she was not in Yao City? Did they only know that she was not in Yao City or had they already found out her whereabouts? Or had she already escaped?

With this thought, Situ Xie’s face looked extremely unhappy as he sat in the carriage with Ying Ying and Situ Yao, returning to Yao City.

Old Bai timely rescued Qi Jun, who had almost been unable to escape, and met up with Old Mu in another part of the forest.

“Why did you come? Isn’t the girl not in Yao City? How did you know? What happened?” Old Mu asked anxiously.

Qi Jun hurriedly explained that he had received a letter from the south, saying that although Su Liang could not return temporarily, she was safe and not in the hands of the people of Liang Country.

“It must be that Master has conquered the master who was guarding her and even had that person specially send a letter to Jiaye City to report her safety! I rushed here to inform the two seniors not to be fooled by Situ Xie!”

Hearing Qi Jun’s words, Old Mu clapped his hands and laughed, “So that’s how it is! Truly worthy of being my disciple! Hahahaha!” He didn’t feel any regret for letting go of Situ Yao. He didn’t want to hurt her in the first place, and since Su Liang was not in Situ Xie’s hands, there was no point in keeping Situ Yao hostage.

Old Bai’s brows were still furrowed. “Where is Su Liang?”

Qi Jun shook his head, “I don’t know where Master is precisely, but she should not be too far from Jiaye City.”

“What about Gu Ling?” Old Mu asked Qi Jun, “Does he know about this news?”

Qi Jun was stunned for a moment. “I don’t know where my nephew has gone, nor do I know if he knows this news…”

Seeing that Old Bai’s face was not right, Old Mu quickly changed the subject. “Old Jin, should we stay and kill Situ Xie, or go south to find our girl?” He still wanted to protect Gu Ling since he was also his disciple.

“Kill Situ Xie first before we leave!” Old Bai said coldly.

Qi Jun weakly said, “You two seniors must not be impulsive. Master went to great lengths to send a message to report her safety, precisely because she doesn’t want anyone to get into trouble for her sake.”

But no one listened to Qi Jun. Old Mu had already started discussing with Old Bai how to make Situ Xie’s death the most “spectacular”.

…

On the island, Su Liang calculated the time. It had been eight days since Qiao Cong left. If everything went smoothly, he should have arrived in Xiangyue City by now.

At this moment, Qiao Cong, wearing a straw hat and carrying a bundle, had just walked into Xiangyue City and found a stall to eat wontons.

He ate two large bowls, not because it was delicious, but he had been traveling and eating on the go, so he was very hungry. In terms of taste, he felt it was far worse than what Su Liang made.

During the meal, Qiao Cong learned of a piece of news that Yin Country had recently changed the crown prince. The original crown prince was the legitimate eldest prince, with a powerful maternal family, but was suddenly replaced by a frail prince born of a concubine, which surprised many people. Yet, there was no chaos in the royal family, and it remained eerily calm.

Qiao Cong had a hunch that the change of the crown prince in Yin Country was related to Gu Ling.

He settled the bill and went looking for the address Su Liang had told him.

It was broad daylight, and the mansion’s door was closed with a large lock hanging on it.

Qiao Cong sneaked in, found the main courtyard, where no one was inside, but he saw Gu Ling’s clothes in the room.

Qiao Cong put down his bundle and went to the next room to catch up on sleep.

By evening, a figure like an ink feather landed in the courtyard.

Seeing the ajar door, Gu Ling’s eyes narrowed slightly.

When he pushed open the door and saw the bundle, straw hat, and long knife on the table, Qiao Cong in the next room also opened his eyes but didn’t get up.

Gu Ling walked to the table and saw a letter under the straw hat with an edge of it exposed.

He picked up the letter, opened it, and saw the familiar handwriting. His eyes narrowed!

“Don’t fight with Old Qiao, I asked him to find you.

Great God, congratulations, you’re going to be a dad!!!

Little God is very well behaved, come to be with us soon!”

The signature was, “Missing You” plus two water droplets.

Gu Ling read the letter from beginning to end five times before he finally dared to believe it was true! Su Liang was pregnant! He was going to be a dad! The child was called Little God? How strange, how cute!

Su Liang had considered not mentioning the pregnancy in the letter and give Gu Ling a surprise when he arrived, but she quickly dismissed the idea. She hoped that he would know the news sooner and be happy sooner.

“Are you going or not?” An old voice came from the doorway, Qiao Cong’s.