The imperial chariot of the Chen Kingdom is a carriage exclusively used by the Chen Kingdom’s Guozhu to search for beauties.
The answer is impeccable, as there are many beauties in the Wei Kingdom, adjacent to the Chen Kingdom. Chu is a prominent surname in the country.
“Chu Yan?”
Sui Heng repeated the name multiple times and said with a smile, “Delicate and charming, it really suits you.”
“Then Gu will call you Ah Yan from now on, alright?”
Jiang Yun looked at him with a slightly complicated expression, his lips twitched, but he didn’t say anything and only said, “…As you wish.”
“What about your parents’ family?”
“I broke my brain along the way, I can’t remember anymore.”
“……”
It’s really perfunctory.
But it’s not surprising either.
In this day and age, what kind of good parents can sell their children and give their flesh and blood to an old pervert to spoil?
Sui Heng raised his eyebrows and said, “Then Gu has to keep a close eye on you, so that you won’t have to break your mind again one day and couldn’t even remember Gu.”
“……”
In the blink of an eye, the day after tomorrow arrived, and there was indeed a rare, strong east wind at the bottom of the cliff.
The two of them arrived at the wind vent, a narrow crack located between two mountains. This is the place where Jiang Yun spent several days calculating the maximum wind force at the bottom of the entire cliff, and almost all the wind at the bottom of the valley blows in from here.
Jiang Yun is still holding a brush and a parchment paper, calculating the best benchmark.
He stood among the jagged rocks of the mountains in his green robe, with his jade belt fluttering and his sleeves drumming in the wind. Truly like a green lotus embedded in the dim cliffs.
Sui Heng stood with his arms folded underneath, mesmerized by the sight, and slightly curved his lips.
Another strong wind blew through.
Jiang Yun’s hand didn’t grip firmly, and the brush fell off. Just as he was about to bend down to pick it up, a hand had already reached out from the side, preempting him and picking up the jade ornament that had fallen between the cracks of the stone and handing it back to him.
Jiang Yun glanced sideways at Sui Heng, who had followed him at some point.
Sui Heng touched his nose and glanced at the parchment paper, which was densely packed with various wind direction and wind force data, “Have you calculated it?”
“Almost done.”
When Jiang Yun returned to the ground, he only saw a huge wooden kite lying on the ground. His footsteps paused, and he looked at Sui Heng again.
“Didn’t we agree to make two?”
Sui Heng smiled and replied, “Don’t worry, based on Gu’s skills, not to mention carrying two people, even if we add two more, we still won’t fall.”
“Besides, you’re very delicate, and Gu was also afraid you won’t be able to hold on tightly and get blown away by the wind.”
This man was still suspicious, fearing that he would escape by himself.
But right now, the most important thing is to escape from the bottom of this cliff and wait until they get to the top first. Then he will look for the opportunity and act, it also won’t be too late.
Jiang Yun saw through it and closed the parchment paper, continuing to sit on one side of the mountain rocks to calculate the data.
They actually keep their hands off each other.
Sui Heng wouldn’t take out the only wooden kite until the last minute.
He will not disclose the most accurate data to this person until the last moment.
Using the wooden kite to escape is both a gamble with the heavens and a huge bet; a slight error in the take-off point could result in falling into pieces. This person would rather take risks than ride on the same wooden kite with him, which may not have prevented him from using fake data to deceive him.
They understood each other well and pretended to be peaceful on the surface without saying anything.
A moment later, the east wind reached its maximum.
Jiang Yun knew he couldn’t procrastinate any longer, so he put away his brush and parchment paper, then stood up, pointing to the corner of that eerie rupture that looked like the fangs of a wild beast, and said, “The best high ground—there.”
Sui Heng was clearly prepared, grabbing the crossbar on the wooden kite with both hands and jumping down from a high position. His figure flashed like a cheetah. The huge wooden kite immediately took advantage of the powerful east wind coming from the depths of the rift to ride the wind.
Jiang Yun stood right where he was, a solitary figure in a green robe, his eyes were full of emotion. He looked up and quietly watched as the huge shadow of the wooden kite passed through his clear and graceful eyes, soaring higher and higher.
The wooden kite successfully reached the commanding heights.
According to the current situation, it is possible to smoothly cross this thousand-zhang-deep cliff and land on the ground.
That person…could have completely chosen to abandon him and escape alone on the wooden kite. With one less person, the chance of successfully escaping is greater.
In this last step, the initiative was not in his hands after all.
By rights, he should be worried or terrified.
But at this moment, Jiang Yun’s heart was surprisingly calm, just like those crystal-clear eyes.
Originally, he didn’t seem to have such a strong desire for life.
It was just like the moment when he walked alone on the muddy and steep mountain path with his flexible sword in his hand under the rainstorm a few days ago and finally collapsed with no strength.
He just felt a bit tired and didn’t have much fear.
Jiang Yun withdrew his eyes and lowered his gaze, calmly collecting the parchment paper and brush, then placing them back in his arms.
“Hey, what are you waiting for? Give me your hand!”
Just as he was lost in thought, an open laugh suddenly came to his ears.
The laughter was like thunder and lightning, striking right into the depths of his cold soul.
Jiang Yun looked up blankly and saw a smiling face that was even brighter and more enthusiastic than the sunrise, as well as strong and powerful arms wrapped in black armor.
The huge wooden kite, at some point, has fallen back down and is hovering in mid-air.
“Come on!”
Sui Heng smiled and said.
Jiang Yun then reached out his hand and was pulled by him, leaving the ground and flying into the air along with the wooden kite.
The wind was so strong that Jiang Yun was holding the crossbar with both hands, but he still found it hard to move in the bumpy wind. Suddenly, a hand reached out from the side and inexplicably grabbed his waist, lifting him up.
Sui Heng joked with a smile, “You’re so delicate, Gu afraid that you’d be blown away by the wind if you didn’t have Gu with you.”
Jiang Yun rarely didn’t refuted him.
Sui Heng thought of something and suddenly smiled. “Just now, you didn’t think that Gu was going to leave you and escape alone, did you?”
Jiang Yun didn’t speak.
Sui Heng raised his eyebrows and said, “Don’t worry, since Gu promised you, Gu will fulfill his words and will never do that kind of treachery.”
“Besides, if Gu leaves you behind, who will warm up the bed for Gu in the future?”
The slight wave that had just risen in Jiang Yun’s heart dissipated completely in an instant. He was struggling to stay away from him, but was caught tighter by Sui Heng. He said, “Don’t move, be careful as not to fall.”
The wooden kite landed smoothly at dusk.
The edge of the cliff is densely packed with the Sui soldiers holding fire sticks.
Halfway through the wooden kite’s flight, Sui Heng successfully established contact with Xu Qiao and others.
Xu Qiao, Fan Qi, Chen Qi, and Yan Qi, who had just arrived in the Chen Kingdom, stood by the cliff, waiting.
Fan Qi was the first to rush forward, kneeling down with red eyes and about to call out Your Highness. However, he saw Sui Heng making a silent gesture, and he opened his eyes wide to see. It was only then that he realized that there was a thin figure on Sui Heng’s shoulder. From the back, he could only see a green robe, a sweaty, snowy neck, and a bundle of black hair tied with a jade hair crown.
“This is…?”
Why did His Highness even bring one up from the bottom of the cliff?
Sui Heng said, “Don’t talk nonsense, do you have a carriage or not?”
“Yes, there is.”
The answer is from the Chen Kingdom’s Guozhu, who stands at the end.
That’s right, in order to show loyalty, the elderly Guozhu of the Chen Kingdom also personally led guards into the mountains to help search for Sui Heng’s whereabouts. He also took the initiative to provide a very convenient way of transmitting information suitable inside the Chen Kingdom’s territory, helping Xu Qiao and the others to contact Sui Heng without any problems, which can be considered a great credit!
Due to his weak legs, the Chen Kingdom’s Guozhu came over in a horse-drawn carriage.
The journey was very tiring, and he didn’t expect it to come in handy at this moment.
Sui Heng carried Jiang Yun into the carriage, carefully put the person down, and asked, “How’s that? How’s it going?”
Because the wooden kite deviated from its direction halfway, they were one hour later than expected.
As soon as the night fell, the Qin Gu Xiang in Jiang Yun’s body erupted on time again.
Jiang Yun clenched his sleeves tightly and nodded.
The Chen Kingdom’s Guozhu was famous for his extravagance and enjoyment. The carriage was also decorated like a palace, with beds and tables, and the floor was covered with expensive carpets.
Sui Heng originally intended to place Jiang Yun on the bed, but Jiang Yun refused to lie down and insisted on sitting against the carriage’s wall.
Sui Heng could only follow him.
He said anxiously. “If you’re really feeling uncomfortable, Gu will first…”
“Not necessary.”
Jiang Yun refused softly.
He didn’t know if it’s because the drug’s effect has started to gradually dissipate or not, but today, the heat flow in his body is not as strong as before, it’s still within his tolerance.
Now that he has returned to the ground, he must remain alert and seek an opportunity to escape.
“Alright.”
“If there’s something, just blow it up to call Gu.”
Sui Heng once again stuffed the short whistle into Jiang Yun’s palm and got up to get out of the carriage.
Fan Qi stood outside, rubbing his hands and curiously peeking inside.
He didn’t realize why, but when he met Sui Heng’s sudden and cold gaze, he was startled into a cold sweat, taking a few steps back.
Sui Heng said, “No one is allowed to approach this place without Gu’s order.”
“Yes!”
Fan Qi received the order and became even more curious about who was carried into the carriage by His Highness.
He has followed His Highness for so many years, but he has never seen His Highness carry someone like that…
Xu Qiao, Chen Qi, and the others consciously stood half a zhang away, waiting.
Seeing Sui Heng coming over, they bow together.
Sui Heng stood with his hands on his back, smiling, and said, “Thank you all for your hard work.”
His eyes were bright, and his brows were sharp and wide, indicating that he had not been injured.
Xu Qiao breathed a sigh of relief and said, “It’s really a blessing from heaven for the Great Sui. Your Highness was able to successfully escape danger this time. Firstly, I want to thank the Chen Kingdom’s Guozhu for his great help, and secondly, I want to thank Young Master Yan Qi for discovering your Highness’s contact signal in the first place.”
The Chen Kingdom’s Guozhu was trembling and cowed behind like a quail. Thinking of the few bloody heads still placed in the palace, he dares not face Sui Heng directly. He was afraid that this Great Evil Star would be unhappy and wanted to gouge out his skull to make a wine vessel again.
Sui Heng’s gaze, on the other hand, directly crossed over him and landed on the figure next to him, clad in a cloak and a crimson color.
Yan Qi stood in the dark and bowed to him. “Congratulations to Your Highness for successfully escaping danger.”
Sui Heng calmly withdrew his gaze.
“I’d like to thank Imperial Censor Yan for that.”
“This minister should.”
Yan Qi’s gaze finally fell on the carriage not far away, parked in the deep twilight dusk. After hesitating for a moment, he asked, “Is Your Highness’s friend injured? Should this minister call an Imperial Physician…”
“Imperial Censor doesn’t need to be bothered.”
Sui Heng interrupted him directly and turned to ask Xu Qiao about the situation at Muyun Pass.
Yan Qi’s face turned slightly pale.
Xu Qiao first mentioned the incident in which the Crown Prince of the Jiang Empire had fallen off the cliff and died.
“Jiang Rongyu is dead?”
Sui Heng was surprised.
Although he detested this person’s hypocrisy and treachery, he didn’t expect him to die so quickly.
“That’s right, Military Advisor Chen personally led people to search the entire mountain and did not find any trace of Jiang Yun. Later, a soldier found the jade pendant of the Crown Prince of the Jiang at the edge of the cliff.”
“It was said that the Crown Prince of the Jiang has been weak and sickly since he was young, and he doesn’t know martial arts. Falling off a cliff that high should have been a very bad thing. The Jiang Empire has also given up searching and sent King Chu to Muyun Pass instead.”
Xu Qiao continued. “That night, a sudden flash flood broke out, and many passersby and merchants were swept into the deep cliffs without a trace. The Chen Kingdom’s officials also sent many guards to search for people in the mountains. Although some were rescued, most of them were not even found. The Crown Prince of the Jiang was most likely to be buried under the cliffs as well.”
Chen Qi apologized to Sui Heng, saying that it was all because of his improper arrangement that he was unable to catch a living person.
Sui Heng still smiled and said, “It’s his own lack of luck. How can the Military Advisor be blamed? Gu knows, the Military Advisor also wants him alive too.”
Chen Qi breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that he had no grudges about this matter.
He continues, “But we have caught an important advisor by Jiang Yun’s side, named Gongsun Yang. This person comes from a knight-errant background and was highly regarded by Jiang Yun. He should know a lot of core information about the Jiang Empire. However, he is currently seriously injured and has not yet woken up. When he wakes up, we will have a good interrogation and will definitely gain something.”
Sui Heng nodded, “Then Gu will be grateful to the Military Advisor.”
Xu Qiao said regretfully, “Unfortunately, Your Highness’s plan to launch a surprise attack on Muyun Pass has already been known by the Jiang Empire. The Jiang Empire has made sufficient arrangements, and it may not be so easy to break through now.”
Sui Heng was not particularly anxious. Attacking Muyun Pass was already a risky move. Since the situation had changed, he could simply change his strategy. Now that Jiang Rongyu has died, it is an excellent time for him to break up the six kingdoms of Jiangnan!
T/N: SH always used the term ‘Gu’ to address himself but sometimes he does used the term ‘我’ which means ‘I’ as well, so it’s not a translation error.
