Qi Ziqi went out to play with several noble children and only returned at night.
The old servant remained by his side, reminding him, “The Marquis may be coming back to the mansion tonight. Young Master, please quickly change your clothes later, then go get rid of the alcohol smell on your body. If the Marquis finds out that you’ve been drinking again, he might punish the Young Master to copying the book again.”
Qi Ziqi didn’t take it seriously and said, “Father has so many official duties to attend to that he doesn’t always care about me. If he asks about my homework, Ah Weng just says I’m sleepy and already resting. Just help me cover it up.”
“Ugh, I’m not a kid, I just drank some fruit wine.”
The servants of Marquis Duan’s mansion rushed out to serve their Young Master, getting out of the carriage and entering the door. They all know that their Little Young Master is the Marquis’s precious treasure. He must be served properly in his daily life, including food and clothing, and there’s no room for sloppiness.
Qi Ziqi went for a spring outing in the suburbs and brought back many rare mushrooms from the mountains. His eyes curled up, his lips were red and his teeth were white, his cheeks were rosy and healthy, and he was very likable. He joked with his maidservants and advised everyone to carefully move the boxes containing ginseng and mushrooms into the mansion and not to mess them up.
Qi Ziqi was taken aback and instinctively rubbed his eyes, suspecting that he had seen it wrong. He looked at the person and was both surprised and delighted, unable to believe it: “Chu Yan?” Jiang Yun raised his lips lightly and saluted him.
The old man standing beside Qi Ziqi paled greatly.
Qi Ziqi ran over to Jiang Yun with joy, and after greeting him with excitement, he asked urgently. “When did you come to the Qi capital? Why didn’t you tell me in advance?”
Jiang Yun then said that he just happened to be passing by.
Since the departure from the Sui capital and Jiang Yun, Qi Ziqi has been constantly thinking about it. He was already in a good mood today, and now he is even more excited. He immediately wants to take Jiang Yun into the mansion.
The old man followed, and his expression changed several times. He couldn’t help but say, “Without the permission of the Marquis, how can Young Master bring outsiders into the mansion without authorization?”
Qi Ziqi interrupted him and said, “Ah Weng’s words are not right. Chu Yan is my good friend, not an outsider. He is so knowledgeable, and if Father sees him, he will definitely like him.”
“Besides, Father has never said that he wouldn’t let me bring guests into the mansion.”
The corners of his lips moved, and he wanted to say something else, but Qi Ziqi is the master, after all. He didn’t want to be too presumptuous, so he can only endure a belly full of anxiety.
Qi Ziqi asked Jiang Yun where he stayed again, and upon learning that Jiang Yun was staying at the inn, he immediately said, “Don’t go back tonight, just move in with me. I brought back the best spring Polygonum wine today, let’s have a good drink and follow the example of the ancient people. Let’s talk all night long. I have a lot to say to you.”
He has a passionate and straightforward personality, he directly pulled Jiang Yun up and was about to walk inside.
Jiang Yun, however, did not move.
Qi Ziqi stopped in surprise and turned back.
Jiang Yun slowly withdrew his hand and gave him a faint smile, saying, “I have something else to do, so I won’t go in. I came over today because I have something to ask the Young Master for help.”
The old man and Qi Ziqi were both stunned.
Qi Ziqi was not disappointed, so he asked Jiang Yun what was the matter.
Jiang Yun asked the young Kunjun, who was hiding in the dark, to come out and say, “I hope the Young Master can take him into the mansion and bring him to meet Marquis Duan.”
“This is…”
“He is a Kunjun from General Tian Ye’s mansion. I have heard that Marquis Duan has recently implemented the ‘Balance Order’ to eliminate accumulated malpractices, one of which is to prohibit nobles from arbitrarily killing slaves. However, Tian Ye still relies on his power to treat this Kunjun as a slave and mistreat him. His injuries are evidence. I hope that the Young Master can give him a chance to express his gratitude to Marquis Duan.”
For Qi Ziqi, this was just a simple matter.
Qi Ziqi responded and asked unwillingly, “Are you really in such a hurry to leave? Can’t you stay with me overnight? Then just having two glasses of wine is fine too. Tomorrow is the Bathing God Festival in the Qi capital, and it’s also my birthday. My father will ascend to the Phoenix Terrace and play auspicious music to pray for blessings for the people. You know my father’s zither skills, don’t you like his ‘Feng Qiu Huang’? You can just ask him for advice in person. Tomorrow, the people in the Qi capital will come to the city tower to watch my father play the zither, don’t you want to see?”
Jiang Yun was taken aback for a moment, then looked up as usual and apologetically said that he really had something important to do and that he was leaving the Qi capital tonight, so he probably couldn’t accept his kindness.
“If there is a chance in the future, I will definitely treat the Young Master to a drink.”
Jiang Yun said.
After thinking for a moment, he took out a delicate machine bird from his sleeve and handed it to Qi Ziqi with both hands, saying, “I’m in a hurry on this trip and haven’t brought any valuable gifts. I’ll use this item as my birthday gift for the Young Master.”
That is a lifelike yellow bird. When the mechanism is activated, it emits a chirping bird song. Jiang Yun bought it as well because it looked fresh.
Qi Ziqi happily took it over.
The old man beside him was taken aback, and his mood suddenly became complicated.
He glanced and asked, “Where is the inn that the Young Master is staying? If there is anything missing, I can have someone deliver it to the Young Master.”
Jiang Yun said no need and then said to Qi Ziqi, “There’s one more thing. I escaped from the capital of Sui this time, and I hope the Young Master can keep it a secret for me, don’t mention anything about me to anyone.”
“Also… ‘Feng Qiu Huang’ is not a joyful song, so in the future, the Young Master should not mention it in front of Marquis Duan.”
At the end of his words, he gracefully performed a salute, and then he turned to leave, his green robe slowly carrying him in the opposite direction of the Marquis.
Qi Ziqi looked at his solitary figure walking in the night and suddenly felt a little uncomfortable. He caught up with him a few steps and loudly said, “Tomorrow, I still hope you can go! I am waiting for you at the city gate!”
Jiang Yun paused in his footsteps and did not turn back. His green robe gradually faded into the night.
The old man joined the servants in escorting Qi Ziqi back to the mansion.
Not long after, a warm and elegant voice came from within the courtyard wall: “Who was outside just now?”
The old man respectfully replied, “It’s an out-of-town scholar who happens to be passing by and has something he wants to ask a favor of the Young Master.”
The person inside seemed to “En” and didn’t say anything more.
After leaving the alley where Marquis Duan’s mansion was located, Jiang Yun saw a large number of soldiers and horses stationed not far away.
They were all wearing full armor and sitting high on horseback, holding fire sticks. They chased after the people here and lost them. However, because it was the territory of Marquis Duan’s Mansion in front of them, they dared not approach at will. When Jiang Yun appeared, the leader immediately shouted, “Over there!”
Jiang Yun swept up the eaves and looked around, only to find soldiers and horses holding fire sticks everywhere on the street, clearly running towards him.
“Close all the city gates!”
“Don’t let him run away!”
Jiang Yun pondered for a moment and quickly chose a direction. With his sleeves fluttering and his feet pointing forward; below, several groups of pursuers moved at the same time, hollering and shouting, shooting arrows with their bows on one side, and rushing forward to catch up to him on the other.
Jiang Yun dodged sensitively, grabbing two sharp arrows that shot fiercely and tucking them into his sleeve. He flipped over and jumped down, landing at the end of a street. The pursuers at the forefront looked at the green figure standing in the darkness, not far away from them, and hurriedly stopped to surround Jiang Yun.
Because Tian Ye had instructed that they must catch him alive.
The soldiers roared and rushed towards both sides. Jiang Yun turned his gaze to the side, with a cold gleam at the bottom of his eyes. He once again jumped up and spun around, stabbing a cold arrow into the eyes of the two horses with both hands. The two warhorses were frightened and in pain, and with hissing, they suddenly went berserk, running left and right and running headless like flies on the street.
The pursuers, who were originally in a neat queue, were immediately scattered by the startled horses. The leader’s helmet was knocked off and he shouted to shoot the horses. As soon as he arched, before they could shoot, his neck was suddenly wrapped in a thin silver thread as thin as a cow’s hair.
The moonlight is scattered, and the other end of the silver thread is hidden in the fluttering green sleeve.
He widened his eyes in shock, and before he could exclaim, his entire head had been cut off of his shoulder and rolled to the ground. A long pillar of blood splattered out in midair, and its majestic body also fell from its horse, falling heavily to the ground.
“General! General!”
The soldiers suddenly became chaotic.
Jiang Yun appeared and disappeared like a ghost. Just like the method, he disrupted several teams and scattered the soldiers and horses of Tian Ye’s two battalions. He then jumped into a broken-down temple, sat on the beam, took out a fruit from his sleeve, wiped it, and drink it slowly.
After taking a few sips, he suddenly felt strange gazes coming from below.
Jiang Yun lowered his head and saw several pairs of black and white eyes piled together, curiously looking up at him. The owners are of different ages, with yellow faces, thin muscles, and tattered clothes.
Originally, there were several beggars who had been living in the temple.
Jiang Yun nodded at them, took out a handful of golden beans from his sleeve, threw them down, his eyes curved, and smiled, saying, “I’m sorry to disturb you by taking a nap in your precious land.”
The beggars picked up those beans and bit them. Seeing that they were real, their eyes lit up, and they smiled, letting him do whatever he wanted. They happily returned to their own territory and went to sleep.
“We can eat roasted chicken tomorrow. Today, we are really lucky. We met a little benefactor…”
The sound of beggars whispering came in.
Jiang Yun closed his eyes and went into a shallow sleep.
After thinking for a moment, he said again, “You’d better change it into pennies and spend it, or save it, and don’t tell anyone that it’s from me.”
The beggars were not foolish. They know that this little gentleman was dressed like this and came here in the middle of the night to sleep with them in the temple. It is mostly likely because he had committed a crime or had other unspeakable secrets.
Although they are poor, they attach great importance to the loyalty of the martial arts world and have their own way of survival. In addition, Jiang Yun is generous in his actions and wholeheartedly plans for them. The leading beggar immediately smiled heartily and said, “Young Master, please rest assured, we won’t speak out.”
Jiang Yun slept restlessly tonight.
Because he suddenly had a nightmare in the middle of the night and it consumed too much internal energy, he also had a slight fever the next day.
Those beggars were quite righteous. They boil hot water for him and invite Jiang Yun to have dinner with them. Jiang Yun was afraid of involving them and did not stay long. As soon as dawn broke, he left the broken-down temple.
There are no soldiers or horses searching the street anymore. He wondered if it’s because Tian Ye was severely injured last night and didn’t want to put in any more effort to deal with an unknown person, or if Tian Ye himself was tripped up by something.
Jiang Yun speculates that it should be the latter.
Tian Ye was indeed tripped up. Early in the morning, he was called by the people of Marquis Duan Mansion. The visitor only indifferently claimed that Marquis Duan had something to ask, so they left him standing outside the main hall of Marquis Duan’s mansion.
The meeting hall of Marquis Duan’s mansion, inside and out, was filled with high-ranking officials from the court.
Tian Ye stood dry, accepting the crowd’s strange gazes, simply wishing to find a crack in the ground to crawl in.
Finally, the steward came over and let him enter the main hall.
When Tian Ye waited outside, he didn’t feel scared, and uneasy. As soon as he entered, an invisible pressure enveloped him, and he almost immediately knelt down on the ground, only dared to use his gaze to look at the colorful hem of his clothes.
Marquis Duan, Duan Xiyue, is the living Buddha of the people of Qi, but he is the living hell in the eyes of these Qi nobles.
Tian Ye suddenly regretted not following Marquis Changle’s advice and insisted on publicly punishing the Kunjun. According to the informant in charge of the search last night, the Kunjun disappeared near Marquis Duan’s mansion. In the second half of the journey, they only saw the mysterious young man in green emerge from the alley where Marquis Duan’s mansion was located.
Jiang Yun casually went to an inn facing the street, ordered plain congee and small dishes, scalded his chopsticks with hot water, and ate them slowly.
It was breakfast time, and there were many people gathered in the inn, all discussing the matter of Marquis Duan ascending to the Phoenix Terrace tonight, playing the welcoming music for the gods, and praying for blessings for the people of Qi.
Marquis Duan entered the capital of Qi, punished the powerful, and seek justice for the people. He was deeply loved by the people of Qi. Marquis Duan is famous for his zither skills all over the world. Every year during the Bathing God Festival, Marquis Duan plays auspicious songs on the Phoenix Terrace.
Today was also Marquis Duan’s son, Qi Ziqi’s birthday, and Marquis Duan’s move also naturally had the meaning of praying for the blessing of his beloved son.
After finishing his meal, Jiang Yun left a golden bean and was ready to leave. The boss warmly brought a pot of Tusu wine over and said, “Today is the Bathing God’s Day, and our shop offers free disaster relief wine. May the Young Master have no illness, worry, and peace in the long run. Are you from another city? Are you also here to listen to Marquis Duan’s music?”
Jiang Yun took the wine and thanked him, saying that he was just passing by and did not intend to stop.
The boss sighed and said, “That’s really a pity. Marquis Duan only plays this once a year, and if the Young Master missed this year and wants to listen again, you will have to wait until next year.”
But judging from his speech and demeanor, I think he should be a young gentleman.
The boss repeatedly persuaded Jiang Yun not to miss out. Jiang Yun smiled and said he would consider it.
At night, the lights in the capital city were shining brightly, and the people of the Qi capital were pouring their nests and rushing towards the city gate. The Phoenix Terrace is built next to the North Gate of the Qi capital, facing away from the Qingque Terrace.
If Qingque Terrace is a hiding place built by King Lie to hide dirt, then Phoenix Terrace is a symbol of auspiciousness, nobility, and sanctity. The Phoenix Terrace is over ten feet high, with palace lanterns hanging on it and curtains covering all sides.
Half an hour later, Marquis Duan was about to ascend to the high platform and play the immortal sound.
The streets are crowded with people, and on both sides of the street are shops selling lanterns and various night snacks. Jiang Yun took out a golden bean from his sleeve, bought a small box of chestnut cake, and followed the crowd to the city gate.
The Qi capital doesn’t have any white sugar sponge cakes, so Jiang Yun can only make ends meet by buying other pastries.
Knowing that staying one more moment would increase the danger, he couldn’t help but come to this place. As the shop owner said, if one can’t hear it this year, they may have to wait until next year. For him, if he can’t hear it this year, he may never hear it in his lifetime.
The morning star is in the sky, the gentle breeze brushes against his face, and the Phoenix Tower gradually lights up more densely.
Jiang Yun found a remote corner, stretched out his sleeves, and sat down. Just as he took a small bite of chestnut cake, he heard the people cheering, “Marquis Duan, Marquis Duan’s carriage is coming!”
Soldiers maintain order, and the people cannot rush into the street. They kneel on both sides of the street and salute Marquis Duan. In the magnificent and slow-driving carriage, there was no sign of Marquis Duan, only a plain white and slender hand could be seen.
Jiang Yun looked up across the boiling and noisy crowd and saw the carriage with palace lights hanging slowly moving towards the city gate. As the carriage’s shadow was about to disappear, he couldn’t help but stand up with the crowd.
At this moment, he suddenly realized that the deep killing intent had suddenly surged in the air. It was different from Tian Ye’s soldiers and horses fighting openly. This killing intent was as heavy as a blade, hidden in an invisible place, it’s like an invisible net, densely packed, making it impossible for him to escape.
Jiang Yun quickly entered the crowd, and the invisible killing intent relentlessly chased him down from all directions.
Jiang Yun walked faster and faster, feeling a faint sound of wind ringing in his ears. Countless silver threads, like venomous snakes, pierced through the corners of the people’s clothes and came towards him.
With a resounding sound of the zither above the city gate, the silver thread finally brushed past Jiang Yun’s skin.
Jiang Yun dodged sharply, stepped on the wind, and quickly headed towards the city gate. As the crowd of people increased, Jiang Yun’s figure gradually turned into a remnant, and no one noticed this anomaly until the rustling sound of horses’ hooves shattered the sound of the zither and drove away in the direction of the city gate like thunder and lightning.
The person in charge’s thin lips were tightly pursed. His eyes were cold and sunken. He was dressed in black armor, handsome and flamboyant, with his black hair tied high with an ink crown. He is like a heavenly god descending to the human world under the high platform and bright lanterns.
Jiang Yun looked up for a moment and suddenly froze.
Almost simultaneously, a silver thread silently cut through the skin of his wrist.
