EBE Chapter 561 Peace Talks Failed
Chapter 561 Peace Talks Failed
"How did you figure that out?" Chen Xuanyu asked him when he had a moment.
"I feel," Xiao Hao said, not wanting to explain further, "Hurry up, Uncle Qi and the others are just ahead."
If they hadn't been so willful, wanting to show off their abilities and believing that the major sects wouldn't dare to kill them, they wouldn't have gone up the mountain alone as a trio.
The three of them were out of breath when they ran into Qi Shiliu, who had come to pick them up.
"What's going on?" Qi Shiliu asked in confusion as he helped them off their horses and poured them water.
“This Cold Sect Leader is very protective of her own. As soon as Brother Xuan mentioned the testimony, she became murderous. I’ve been keeping an eye on her and I noticed that several silver needles in her whisk are already being pulled towards us.” Xiao Hao calmly analyzed, “We’re still too close here. Let’s leave quickly.”
"Go!" Dozens of people quickly rode away.
"What about that thing? Has it been arranged?" Xiao Hao asked when he had a moment.
"It's all arranged. Mr. Lin Qi is here. I've handed the matter over to him. He'll handle these hypocritical sects himself," Qi Shiliu said, turning around.
"That's good!" The group fled as if they were escaping a disaster, leaving behind only a trail of dust.
When Mulan arrived, there was no one left. "Sigh!" she sighed and had no choice but to chase after them again.
At the Commander's Mansion, He Tianxia finally received a letter from Youzhou. His heart pounded with excitement, and his hands trembled as he opened it. His heart sank. It was a letter from Lin Erhui. It read, "To the Commander, although I understand your intentions and the Lady is in your hands, I presume that if General Wang were here, all the soldiers in Youzhou would be willing to obey your orders. However, General Wang's heart is on the battlefield. He has been pursuing Liao soldiers and mistakenly entered the Liao border a month ago. He has not sent a single word back and we cannot contact him. It is truly unfortunate. Please be patient and wait for the General's return. I will give you a definite answer."
He Tianxia sighed deeply. "Truly, I was born at the wrong time... Wang Erniu, Wang Erniu, why did you work so hard? In the dead of winter, in this freezing cold, you endured all this hardship to fight the Liao Kingdom. Alas, you are truly a fool."
"My lord, everything is arranged. Shall we proceed?" Shadow jumped out.
"Wait a minute, Wang Erniu. I value you so much, don't let me down." He Tianxia lay down again. The days of confinement were good; he rarely had such leisure.
Meanwhile, Mulan traveled day and night and finally caught up with Chen Xuanyu and his group on the third day.
"Young Master Chen, may I speak to you in private?" As soon as Mulan spoke, several people looked over; they were from the Qinglan Sect again.
He couldn't help but become more wary.
Mulan noticed it, smiled slightly, and diffused the awkwardness.
"Please speak, sister." Chen Xuanyu looked at her with a smile, as if she were family.
"Hehe." Mulan smiled lightly, "I know that my junior sister Qinglan is not very sensible and has offended you all, but my Emei sect is of high status, and we will definitely give you an explanation for this matter. Could you please give us face and provide those testimonies to our sect to prevent them from being leaked and causing a bad influence? If you can do that, young man, I can agree to a condition on behalf of my master."
Chen Xuanyu's expression remained unchanged, and he still smiled adorably, "I'm afraid that won't work. We've worked so hard to collect these, we can't give them to my sister."
"Then what do you want? How can you give it to me?" Mulan was immediately displeased. This child was really not giving her any face, and she really thought she was easy to talk to.
"Naturally, we will offer it up with both hands once your faction has cleaned up its own house."
Mulan's face turned completely cold as she looked at the children opposite her and the guards who were also glaring at her. It was not hard to see that these people harbored some unspeakable hostility towards her and could not hide their disgust.
Was it because of what her junior sister had done? Mulan thought about it for a moment and suddenly realized that her behavior was not quite right.
There was a subtle silence in the room, as if a fight could break out at any moment.
"Alright, let's find out the truth of the matter, and then we'll come and collect those testimonies. I hope the young man will keep his word." Mulan ultimately didn't want to think too badly of people, nor did she want to admit that her junior sister could really do such a cruel thing. Let's find out the truth first.
"Please!" Chen Xuanyu said with a smile, inviting her to leave.
"Hmph..." Mulan flicked her long hair and rode away, utterly despicable.
Everyone laughed.
"Brother Xuan, you're a bit too much of a nuisance to honest people," Qi Shiliu joked from his horse.
"Who told her to be so inconsiderate? How could I just give this to her? I went through so much trouble to get it. What if she doesn't do a good job if I give it to her?" Chen Xuanyu scoffed, not thinking anything of it.
"Don't worry, Mr. Lin Qi has a backup plan," Qi Shiliu explained.
"She's a good person from the Emei Sect. I hope she'll take charge in the future, otherwise this magnificent Emei Sect will be a waste," Xiao Hao sighed sincerely.
The group chatted and laughed as they headed east. Lin Er sent a message: since they weren't in the west, there was only one possibility: they had taken the person to the capital, and He Tianxia wanted to keep them under his control to better serve him.
Hidden in the woods, Mi'er watched Mulan return empty-handed and smiled sarcastically. As expected, Master was right. These people wouldn't be handed over so easily. Senior Sister was still too naive.
She lightly skipped a few times, entered a farm, casually sent someone to deliver a message, and then followed Chen Xuanyu and the others, preparing to act when the opportunity arose.
As time passed day by day, the caravan led by Lady Qinglan finally arrived in the capital on the 24th of the year.
At this moment, chaos erupted once again in Youzhou City.
Lin Er clearly calculated that it had been nearly two months since General Wang led his troops away. Even if there was a lot of stored grain, it would be all gone by now. However, they had not returned yet, and four groups of people had already returned to deliver messages and silver.
Whether it was someone in the city who leaked the news, or Wang Erniu's failure to meet certain people, the news of his disappearance spread like wildfire, and a sense of unease began to rise within them.
The first place to erupt was Xifang.
As night fell in Xifang, the red lanterns hanging high around Wangji Shop emitted a soft, red glow, making the entire shop appear both festive and somewhat lonely. There were few pedestrians left on the street, and business was booming as the year-end approached.
Lulu finished handing over the ledgers to Gu Ming and was about to leave.
"Young Master Gu, aren't you planning to go home for the New Year?" Lulu presented him with a winter coat she had sewn herself. The specially chosen cyan color perfectly complemented Gu Ming's handsome features, making him look like a painting, as graceful as bamboo.
"Thank you, Miss Nie. I am all alone, and the old house is no longer inhabited." Gu Ming blushed slightly as he accepted the heavy winter coat. Although the shop provided clothes, who wouldn't want to wear new clothes for the New Year?
"Shoes and socks are also included. Mr. Lin asked me to pass on a message that he hopes Mr. Gu and Mr. Li will spend the New Year at the General's Mansion. We've already prepared a room for you, so it will be more lively." Lulu then took out another cloth bag and stuffed it into his hand.
"With pleasure." Gu Ming, along with Lulu, saw off the last few staff members who weren't staying at the inn. Just as they were about to leave, they heard a startled cry from outside the door, "Madam Nie! Close the door quickly!"