Chapter 427: A Guest Comes to Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion

After Bai Yao left, the three people in the room looked at one another. Peng Youzai had hurried away, and now they were being sent back to Changping City. It could hardly be for no reason. All three sensed that something was wrong.

Shang Shuqing ventured, "Could Master Dao's letter have taken effect?"

Neither Shang Chaozong nor Lan Ruoting knew. They were just as much in the dark and could offer no answer.

"Pack up. Let's go," Shang Chaozong said after a moment's hesitation.

Wherever Tianyu Sect told him to go, he had to go. His movements were no longer his own. He had no choice. Once they had packed, the group came outside the relay station. Tianyu Sect's disciples were gathering urgently as well.

Feng Ruonan came out too. Wherever Shang Chaozong went, she went with him. She was furious with Tianyu Sect, yet at the same time did not know how to face Shang Chaozong. The awkwardness left her out of place among everyone, her heart bitter, her figure lonely and apart.

She was no fool. By now, how could she fail to understand that her maternal grandfather and her own parents had joined forces against her husband? What was she supposed to do?

Turn against her parents?

She slowly approached Shang Chaozong's group. Lan Ruoting cupped his hands to her in greeting, still maintaining proper respect. Shang Chaozong merely cast her a cold glance, as though giving an invisible snort of contempt. Pain stabbed through Feng Ruonan's heart.

Instead, Shang Shuqing stepped forward, took both of her hands, and said softly, "Sister-in-law."

"Mm." Feng Ruonan forced a smile.

With only a little attention, Shang Chaozong and the others noticed that the senior members of Tianyu Sect all wore grave expressions. More than that, those senior figures kept glancing toward them, their looks complicated. It made the three even more certain that something had happened.

Tianyu Sect had sealed off information from them. They still had no idea that the imperial court had already appointed Shang Chaozong Provincial Inspector of Nanzhou.

Once everyone was assembled, Chen Tingxiu gave the order. The entire group mounted and thundered out of the relay station, galloping down the official road on the journey back... Around midnight, torches blazed atop the walls of Changping City.

The gates were opened temporarily, and the column carrying Shang Chaozong thundered into the city, shattering the nighttime stillness and causing lamps to flare in many homes.

They were taken back to the same residence as before, the place where Shang Chaozong and the others had previously been kept under house arrest. With too many thoughts weighing on their minds, many found sleep difficult that night. Shang Chaozong's group was no exception. They were still trying to work out what exactly had happened. Unable to sleep, Shang Chaozong paced beneath the moon in the courtyard until a faint dampness of dew had settled over his clothes. Feng Ruonan came out of her room carrying a cloak.

She walked to Shang Chaozong's side, shook it open, and draped it over his shoulders. Shang Chaozong turned, ripped the cloak off at once, and tossed it unceremoniously back into her arms.

"I wouldn't dare trouble you. I can't afford such consideration!"

"Elder Brother!" Shang Shuqing hurried over and glared at Shang Chaozong, clear reproach in her voice.

Feng Ruonan bit her lip, hugged the cloak to her chest, and silently turned away. Lan Ruoting watched from beneath the eaves and truly did not know what to say.

"What does any of this have to do with Sister-in-law? What could she possibly have done?" Shang Shuqing lowered her voice and rebuked her brother.

Shang Chaozong said, "From beginning to end, did she ever say a single word for us? I didn't ask her to do anything. Was even standing up and saying one sentence impossible? Does she take me for her husband at all? Does she take us for family?"

Shang Shuqing knew he was speaking in anger. But this matter could not be explained in one or two sentences, so she did not argue further. Instead, she hurried toward Feng Ruonan's room.

When she pushed open the door, she saw Feng Ruonan standing beside the lamp, staring blankly into the flame while tears streamed silently down her face. Shang Shuqing closed the door behind her, walked over, and took Feng Ruonan's hand.

"Sister-in-law, don't cry. Elder Brother was speaking in anger. Don't take it to heart. It's all right. Once this passes, everything will be fine. Don't cry."

She gently wiped away Feng Ruonan's tears. That was enough to break the last of Feng Ruonan's restraint. Her tears suddenly poured harder. She pulled Shang Shuqing into a tight embrace and choked back her sobs, all the bitterness she had nowhere to speak transforming into an endless flood of tears.

"Sister-in-law, it's all right. Truly, it's all right."

Shang Shuqing held her and comforted her, tears falling from her own eyes as well. That desperately suppressed weeping made her heart ache. When had she ever seen her sister-in-law cry like this? Was this truly the same valiant female general who could charge through armies of thousands and not even frown after taking a blade wound? Dawn came.

A personal guard ran rapidly in from outside and reported to Shang Chaozong in the courtyard, "Your Highness, Marshal Meng is back!"

"Where?" Shang Chaozong exclaimed in delight.

He had already heard the creak of wheels. Turning, he saw Luo An pushing Meng Shanming toward them at an unhurried pace. Shang Chaozong immediately rushed over. Lan Ruoting practically leaped down the steps, turning several strides into one as he hurried after him. Both men reached Meng Shanming almost together, ecstatic.

"Uncle Meng!"

"Marshal Meng, are you all right?"

Shang Shuqing heard the commotion and came running from her room as well, skirts lifted in her hands.

"Uncle Meng!"

Meng Shanming raised a hand to show that he was fine. Then he looked back and signaled Luo An. Luo An immediately released the wheelchair and went to stand guard at the courtyard entrance.

"Marshal Meng, if you already knew, why did you hide it from us?" Shang Chaozong asked with grief and anger. "How are we supposed to have peace of mind when you act like this?"

"Enough. There's no need to talk about that." Meng Shanming raised a hand and cut him off.

There was no point discussing it now. Everyone understood what had happened. There was no need to argue over it endlessly. He cared about something else. His expression turned grave.

"Your Highness, why have you all come back?"

His gaze shifted to Lan Ruoting.

"Luo Shaofu was wise his entire life. How did he end up teaching such a muddleheaded student who doesn't know what matters? Why didn't you stop His Highness?"

Meng Shanming had been willing to sacrifice himself precisely because he hoped they would understand the larger situation. Now they had come back. He assumed they had returned because of him. He was both touched and furious, only a step away from directly berating Shang Chaozong for his stupidity.

"Uncle Meng, you've misunderstood Mr. Lan," Shang Chaozong hurriedly explained. "Our return has nothing to do with him. We don't know exactly what happened either, or whether it has something to do with Master Dao..."

He quickly explained the sequence of events from beginning to end. When Meng Shanming learned that Niu Youdao had left behind a second brocade pouch, he looked at Shang Shuqing in surprise. He had not expected her to obey Niu Youdao's instructions so completely. There were certain things he had already vaguely sensed before. This time merely confirmed them a little further. His gaze toward Shang Shuqing carried an indescribable tenderness, and inwardly he let out a long sigh.

Niu Youdao might seem approachable on the surface, and he was still young, but his vision was extremely high, his mind deeply calculating, and his methods extraordinary. A man of such rare excellence could have whatever kind of woman he wanted. How could an ordinary woman ever enter his eyes? And with the Commandery Princess's appearance... This girl was probably carrying a one-sided affection. Meng Shanming made a decision.

If they could survive this crisis, he intended to find Niu Youdao and have a proper talk with him, to see whether there was any possibility of bringing the two together. If the match could be made, it would undoubtedly become a tremendous support for His Highness. Shang Shuqing grew somewhat embarrassed beneath his gaze. Mistaking the meaning in it, she lowered her voice.

"Uncle Meng, I'm sorry."

"It's already past." Meng Shanming waved a hand, then fell into thought.

He murmured to himself, "How could Jinzhou possibly attack Nanzhou? Has that Master Dao truly made a move?"

He was just as cut off from outside information here. He likewise had no idea that the court had already appointed Shang Chaozong Provincial Inspector of Nanzhou. Naturally, Feng Lingbo would never have told him... Ranges of mountains rose and fell beneath the fading evening glow. Mist gathered among the peaks, and then the sky filled with stars.

A group of riders changed horses but not men, galloping without rest all the way until they finally reached this land of concentrated spiritual beauty. The pounding hooves on the mountain road stopped beside a sheer cliff. Four vigorous characters were carved conspicuously into the cliff face: MYRIAD CAVES HEAVENLY MANSION The arrivals were none other than Peng Youzai and his party. The men who stopped them were disciples of Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion.

Peng Youzai's group had changed horses repeatedly at relay stations throughout Jinzhou and had made no attempt to hide their movements. The moment they entered the territory, Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion had been alerted. By now, an elder of the sect was already there to receive them. The visitors abandoned their mounts and continued up the mountain on foot. The path was rugged enough that horses were no longer useful. At the summit stood a magnificent great hall. Moon Butterflies fluttered and danced in welcome.

A group of Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion disciples stood together with Sect Leader Situ Yao to receive the guests.

"Sect Leader Situ."

"Sect Leader Peng."

After stepping onto the final stair, Peng Youzai and Situ Yao exchanged polite greetings with cupped hands.

"We learned that Sect Leader Peng was honoring us with a visit, so a modest banquet has long been prepared and waiting. Everyone, please!" Situ Yao stepped aside and extended a hand toward the great hall.

Peng Youzai had no interest whatsoever in drinking with him. On the road, he had personally seen Jinzhou's army concentrating toward the Nanzhou border. His heart had been clenched the entire way. He smiled.

"There's no need to rush over half a moment. The banquet can wait. Sect Leader Situ, could we speak privately?"

Situ Yao exchanged a glance with the people beside him, then raised a hand and indicated a nearby pavilion. The two sect leaders walked away side by side.

Before leaving, under the radiance of the Moon Butterflies, Peng Youzai noticed that the senior members of Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion did not look particularly pleased either. He could not tell whether they simply disliked his arrival or whether something else was wrong. They came near an old pavilion at the edge of the cliff, but neither entered it. Instead, the two stood shoulder to shoulder with hands clasped behind their backs, gazing toward the distant stars.

"I imagine Brother Situ already knows why I've come?" Peng Youzai asked sideways.

Situ Yao pretended ignorance. "I'm not entirely sure. I was just about to ask."

Peng Youzai said, "Brother Situ, our two sects have already formed an alliance and rely upon one another. We should keep each other informed at all times. Tianyu Sect sent message after message, yet received no reply. Has your sect perhaps developed other intentions?"

Situ Yao asked, "Brother Peng, I hear the court of the State of Yan has already appointed Shang Chaozong Provincial Inspector of Nanzhou?"

Peng Youzai slowly turned his head toward him. "So what if it has?"

Situ Yao said, "Since the court of the State of Yan has already made a concession, Nanzhou now rightfully belongs to Tianyu Sect. Why continue resisting the imperial court and stirring up further trouble? That benefits no one, does it?"

Peng Youzai replied coldly, "Who presides over Nanzhou's secular affairs is for Tianyu Sect to decide. Does Brother Situ intend to interfere in Tianyu Sect's internal matters as well?"

Situ Yao waved a hand. "Brother Peng misunderstands. My side has difficulties of its own."

Peng Youzai asked, "What difficulties?"

Situ Yao said, "Shang Chaozong is a collateral nephew of Hai Ruyue. You should know that. There is another matter I only learned recently. Hai Ruyue and Prince Ning, Shang Jianbo—Shang Chaozong's father—were once lovers. Hai Ruyue treats Shang Chaozong almost as though he were her own son and cannot bear to see her nephew wronged. You know how women are. They're easily ruled by emotion. It gives me a headache too."

[End of Chapter 427]