Chapter 215: Han Bing Arrives

Hai Ruyue listened with her heart pounding. Could Niu Youdao truly have gone to the Ice and Snow Pavilion and done something as outrageous as stealing the Scarlet Yang Vermilion Fruit? How much nerve would that take? She could not help feeling suspicious.

Niu Youdao had indeed told her in secret that he would obtain the Scarlet Yang Vermilion Fruit for her. Afterward, he really had gone to the Ice and Snow Pavilion, and now something had happened where the fruit grew. But after thinking it through, she felt it was impossible. First, Niu Youdao had never delivered the Scarlet Yang Vermilion Fruit to her.

Second, unless Niu Youdao was a fool, he should know perfectly well that even if he stole a Scarlet Yang Vermilion Fruit from the Ice and Snow Pavilion, how would she dare use it? That would be no different from courting death.

“Who released these rumors to harm people?” Hai Ruyue asked. “Could it be the Shao family of Beizhou again?”

It had been the Shao family who exposed the matter of the Scarlet Yang Vermilion Fruit before in order to harm Niu Youdao. She had not forgotten.

Li Wuhua said, “No matter who is trying to harm whom, a straight body need not fear a crooked shadow. So long as there is nothing wrong on our side, they cannot pin the matter on us...”

It was the first time he had seen her looking so alluring. His breathing gradually changed. Hai Ruyue sensed something was wrong.

Seeing that he still had the mind for this sort of thing, she knew there probably was no real danger after all. At least that let her release the breath she had been holding. He had frightened her badly just now. She rolled her eyes at Li Wuhua, turned, and started to leave. Li Wuhua caught her by the arm, pulled her back, and pressed her down over a long table nearby... Hearing the unusual sounds from inside, the two maids standing outside with lowered heads exchanged a glance.

Together they turned, reached inside, and pulled the doors closed, preventing anyone from witnessing an indecent scene. In truth, for some people inside the residence, certain matters had long since become an open secret. No one found them surprising anymore. Everyone knew the Grand Princess was somewhat disordered in this respect. But no one dared wag their tongues. Several servants who had failed to understand the rules had already been beaten to death.

Then again, a woman as beautiful as a flower who lacked neither food nor clothing was hardly likely to remain a widow forever. Just then, a sharp shout suddenly rang through the residence.

“Who goes there?”

The two people inside, clothes half-open and spring scenery half-revealed as they tangled together, both started. They separated at once. Their interest gone, they rapidly straightened their clothing. Li Wuhua was the first to fling open the door and shoot outside. Several Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion disciples were already standing on nearby rooftops, all looking up into the sky. Li Wuhua flashed onto a roof as well. Above the Provincial Inspector's Residence, three giant flying birds circled through the air, each carrying two people.

Flying mounts of this sort were worth tens of millions of gold coins at the very least, and three had appeared at once. Judging from the extraordinary bearing of the birds, they did not seem to be ordinary flying mounts either.

Who were these people?

Every Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion disciple who had appeared was filled with doubt. Their first thought was whether these visitors might be from the imperial palace in the capital of the State of Zhao. The formation in which they had arrived made everyone here unwilling to act rashly for the moment. The three giant birds seemed to find a place to land. One after another, they circled down toward the garden.

Some of the Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion disciples remained on the rooftops to guard against anyone taking advantage of the distraction. The rest, like Li Wuhua, quickly swept toward the garden. A group of them flashed into the garden just as the people on the flying mounts jumped down. A gray-robed woman with graying temples slowly strolled through the garden. One woman and four men followed behind her. The gray-robed woman's expression was calm, but the restrained arrogance in her eyes was unmistakable.

She plainly did not regard the surrounding Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion disciples as worth her attention. She walked through the garden looking here and there as though it belonged to her own household and no one had any right to interfere. Not only she, but even the people behind her clearly paid little regard to those surrounding them. Li Wuhua remained highly vigilant.

He stepped forward and demanded, “Who are you?”

The gray-robed woman stopped before a cluster of flowers and lifted a branch to admire the blossoms. Without even turning her head, she answered lightly and carelessly, “Ice and Snow Pavilion. Han Bing.”

Han Bing?

Li Wuhua had long heard the name but had never met her. He drew a sharp breath. The Chief Steward of the Ice and Snow Pavilion had personally come here?

At the same time, the woman behind Han Bing directly produced a crystal-clear Ice and Snow Pavilion command token to prove their identity. No wonder they had arrived with such a display! The menacing posture of the surrounding Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion disciples vanished instantly. Li Wuhua's bearing as an elder vanished with it. Uneasy, he hurried forward, cupped his hands, and bowed.

“Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion Elder Li Wuhua greets the Chief Steward!”

At that moment, Hai Ruyue hurried over as well with Zhu Shun and the others, coming to see what had happened.

Seeing a crowd rushing toward them in disorder, Li Wuhua quickly shot Hai Ruyue a warning look, signaling that she must not be rude. Hai Ruyue saw the three magnificent flying mounts, then saw the ordinarily arrogant Li Wuhua behaving like an obedient grandson. She immediately realized the visitors were no ordinary people. She raised one hand. Her entire party stopped where they were and watched.

“Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion?”

Han Bing murmured the name to herself.

She nodded slightly, released the flower branch, and asked, “Is the person who makes the decisions in this Provincial Inspector's Residence here?”

Li Wuhua immediately hurried over to Hai Ruyue and quietly told her the visitor's identity. Hai Ruyue was startled badly. With trepidation, she stepped forward and saluted.

“This widow of Jinzhou, Hai Ruyue, greets the Chief Steward.”

Han Bing looked thoughtful. Slowly she turned and studied Hai Ruyue from head to toe.

“What a charming beauty. You are Hai Ruyue, Grand Princess of the State of Zhao?”

Hai Ruyue dipped into a half-curtsy.

“I am.”

Han Bing examined her and nodded.

“This is not actually the first time we have met.”

Li Wuhua was surprised.

The two had met before?

Even he did not know Han Bing. Why had he never heard Hai Ruyue mention such a thing? Hai Ruyue nodded.

“I heard my Imperial Mother mention it. Ruyue was very young at the time.”

“Yes.”

Han Bing suddenly sighed with emotion.

“Seeing you makes me realize I have grown old.”

“It must have been more than thirty years ago. Your father had only just ascended the throne. I accompanied my master to the imperial palace of the State of Zhao, and you were standing beside your parents.”

“At the time, you were probably only about this tall.”

She raised one hand to roughly the level of her waist.

“In the blink of an eye, you've grown this much.”

“Even then, one could tell you would become a beauty. Sure enough, you turned out very pretty.”

Only then did Li Wuhua understand what she meant by having met before.

Hai Ruyue hurriedly replied, “Before the Chief Steward, Ruyue is only common rouge and powder.”

Han Bing asked, “I hear you have a child, and that his health is poor?”

Li Wuhua and Hai Ruyue both felt their hearts sink. As expected, she had come because of the Scarlet Yang Vermilion Fruit. Both became deeply uneasy.

Hai Ruyue suppressed her fear and answered, “Yes. My child has been tormented by illness for many years.”

Han Bing said, “Let me see the child.”

“Yes!”

How could Hai Ruyue dare refuse? She quickly signaled Zhu Shun to bring Xiao Tianzhen. Zhu Shun hurried away. Hai Ruyue invited Han Bing to take tea while they waited, but Han Bing waved the offer aside without interest. Instead, she strolled leisurely through the garden. Hai Ruyue and the others could only accompany her quietly, the pressure weighing heavily on their hearts. They knew why she had come. They also knew there should be nothing abnormal in Xiao Tianzhen's body.

But no one knew what decision the Ice and Snow Pavilion might make. Before long, Xiao Tianzhen was brought over to pay his respects. The weather had already turned warm, yet he still wore thick clothing. One look at the pale, bloodless youth was enough to tell that illness had tormented him for a long time.

“Is he truly your son?”

Han Bing asked, her words carrying deeper meaning. Everyone understood what she meant. Do not bring me some substitute and try to deceive me.

Hai Ruyue hurriedly said, “He is indeed my son. Many people in the city have seen him.”

Han Bing nodded. She did not believe these people would dare deceive her over something like this. She extended a hand toward Xiao Tianzhen, her face becoming kind as she smiled.

“Child, come. Give me your hand.”

Zhu Shun had already warned Xiao Tianzhen. He knew this visitor was someone the entire State of Zhao could not afford to offend. Pressing his lips together, he obediently extended his wrist. Han Bing took it and checked his pulse. She closed her eyes and remained silent for a while. At last, she opened them and sighed softly. Releasing his wrist, she stroked Xiao Tianzhen's head with pity.

“This child has suffered.”

Then she turned toward Hai Ruyue.

“You haven't had an easy life either, girl.”

Hai Ruyue's lips tightened. Those few words nearly made her cry. She forced herself to hold back, but her eyes still reddened. Seeing her like this, Han Bing fell into thought. She seemed to make some decision, then sighed.

“To meet again after more than thirty years means there is some fate between us.”

“There are certain matters I cannot decide and should not interfere with recklessly. But once in a while, doing something harmless is no great concern.”

“Girl, if you are willing to let certain things go, if you are willing to take your child back to the capital and live quietly, I can put in a word for you.”

“I imagine no one would disturb your peace after that.”

Li Wuhua immediately glanced at Hai Ruyue. If this woman truly returned to the capital, whatever relationship existed between the two of them would probably have to be severed. Xiao household steward Zhu Shun also looked at Hai Ruyue, waiting to see what she would decide. Hai Ruyue bit her lip. For a moment, she was tempted, yet deeply conflicted. She understood Han Bing's meaning. She had always worried that if she abandoned her power and returned to the capital, she would face danger.

But if this Chief Steward personally spoke on her behalf, those dangers should disappear. Yet unless she truly reached the end of the road, Hai Ruyue did not want to surrender the power in her hands.

She had already suffered the bitterness of living without power, manipulated by others like some object passed from hand to hand. She had also tasted what it meant to hold power herself. Everything was fine now. Was she really supposed to hand that power over to someone else? No one could say what the future would bring. A single sentence might protect her for a time, but could it protect her for an entire lifetime? Giving up power now would be easy.

If trouble came later and she wanted to pick it up again, that would be difficult. Nothing in life went smoothly forever.

“Having married into the Xiao family, I follow its fate. If there is fortune, I enjoy it. If there is guilt, I bear it.”

Hai Ruyue spoke softly. In the end, she politely rejected a moment that could have changed her fate. She declined Han Bing's goodwill. Han Bing studied her deeply for a moment, then gave a slight nod. She did not force the matter. Reaching back, she stroked Xiao Tianzhen's head again.

“Very well. I happened to pass through here, and now I have also seen an old acquaintance. It is time for me to leave.”

With that, she turned away. Hai Ruyue hurried after her.

“Chief Steward, why leave in such haste? At least give Ruyue the chance to fulfill the duties of a host and show some filial respect...”

Han Bing raised a hand to interrupt her.

“There is no need for the trouble. With me here, none of you can relax.”

She came as suddenly as she left. The three enormous flying mounts beat their wings and rose into the sky, carrying the six visitors toward the horizon. Hai Ruyue watched them disappear. Her expression was blank, full of a strange sense of loss. Silently, Zhu Shun took Xiao Tianzhen by the hand and led him away. Li Wuhua and his two fellow disciples exchanged looks. All three released long breaths. The matter seemed to have passed. Apparently, nothing had happened.

[End of Chapter 215]