The night had passed, and the morning sun arose.
Still fast asleep, Jiang Moran felt a sudden shaking that jolted him from his sweet dreams.
Opening his eyes and finally adjusting to the light, he was greeted by Fengqingzi's slightly haggard face, looking at him with deep worry.
Seeing him awake, Fengqingzi spoke slowly, delivering a piece of shocking news.
“Senior, the Emperor... has passed away from illness.”
“Ah?”
One shichen ago.
Grievous news had come from the imperial palace. The reigning Emperor had succumbed to a grave illness and passed away, plunging the entire realm into three days of national mourning!
The commoners clad themselves in plain white, while the civil and military officials wore hemp and mourning garments.
Definitive news came from within the palace: the old Emperor had left no imperial decree before his passing. With the throne suddenly vacant, the officials debated strategies through the night, ultimately reaching a unanimous decision to crown the Eldest Prince as the new sovereign, in accordance with ancestral teachings!
“This has been proclaimed to the entire world. The officials who had previously aligned themselves with the Third Prince have defected one after another, throwing their support behind the Eldest Prince instead,” Fengqingzi said with a worried expression.
“The affairs of the world are none of our concern. Why worry so much about it?” Jiang Moran stretched lazily, speaking with a relaxed face.
“The Heavenly Pavilion has not yet declared its stance.”
Jiang Moran froze mid-stretch and turned his head to look at Fengqingzi.
Fengqingzi took a deep breath. “Su Jinfeng sent someone over the time it takes an incense stick to burn ago. She wanted me to bring you to the Heavenly Pavilion once you woke up.”
...
...
Inside the discussion hall of the Heavenly Pavilion.
Su Jinfeng sat upright in the host's seat, though the fatigue in her eyes was hard to conceal. She had not slept a wink since the Third Prince committed suicide in the Imperial Prison.
News of her competitors defecting to the Eldest Prince kept pouring in, leaving her utterly exhausted. As the proprietor of the largest merchant house in Fengcheng, she had yet to declare her stance, and heaven only knew how much pressure she was under.
—Knock, knock, knock.
“Please enter.”
Jiang Moran pushed the door open and walked in. Seeing her exhausted appearance, he casually took a seat on a nearby chair. Fengqingzi followed behind him and quietly closed the door.
“Young Master Jiang, I will not mince words. The situation has suddenly undergone a massive shift, and the Heavenly Pavilion is currently in a highly precarious position.”
Su Jinfeng looked at him and said with a sincere tone, “I must ask Young Master Jiang to stay for a few more days to protect me through this crisis!”
Jiang Moran raised an eyebrow slightly, splayed his hands, and sighed helplessly. “This matter can't be resolved overnight, and I'm in a hurry to go elsewhere. I don't have the time.”
Although she had been prepared for this, hearing the refusal with her own ears still left her somewhat disappointed. Indeed, this was no minor matter; who would be willing to wade into such muddy waters?
Yet, she remained unwilling to accept it. Looking at the man before her, she gritted her teeth and steeled her resolve to risk everything.
“Young Master Jiang and I have some private matters to discuss. Young Master Feng, please wait outside for a moment.”
Private matters? Aren't we in the same boat? What private matters could they have? Despite his thoughts, Fengqingzi still walked out, closing the door behind him.
Jiang Moran looked at her in confusion. Just a moment ago, she was gritting her teeth at him, and now she wanted everyone else out. Surely she wasn't planning to bite him, was she?
Meeting his strange gaze, Su Jinfeng slowly walked over and knelt before him...
Jiang Moran's mental state went from: . → ? → !!
...
...Half a shichen later.
Fengqingzi was still standing by the door like a door god when it was opened from behind.
Jiang Moran walked out looking refreshed, a trace of pleasure flashing through his eyes. He was clearly in a very good mood.
“Senior?”
“Ah, let's go, let's go. We'll stay in Fengcheng for a few more days before leaving. We're staying at the Heavenly Pavilion tonight.”
Fengqingzi was dragged away by him, entirely failing to notice Su Jinfeng's flushed face through the half-open door behind them.
She was still kneeling on the floor, her legs already somewhat numb. Her entire posture now held a touch of delicate tenderness, making her look like a completely different person from her usual bold and heroic self.
It was precisely this stark contrast that made her even more captivating...
Fengqingzi was dragged onto the main street. Although he had no idea why his senior had suddenly agreed to the request, he knew that following his senior was always the right choice.
Even if the sky fell, his senior would be there to hold it up.
With the Emperor's passing, nearly all the shops, large and small, in Fengcheng had closed down. The entire city's markets were closed for three days, and all entertainment was banned for seven.
Only the commoners dressed in plain white could be seen walking the streets.
“How boring...” Jiang Moran sighed, feeling that this place was not nearly as fun as Linchuan City.
Speaking of Linchuan City, he somewhat missed Old Chen and Little Qing, wondering how they were doing right now.
“Ouch.”
Deep in thought, he failed to pay attention to what was ahead and accidentally bumped into someone.
“I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry! Are you alright, young master?” The man bowed hastily to apologize as he looked at the person before him.
Jiang Moran waved his hand, not minding it. Even though it seemed he was the one who had drifted off and caused the collision, just as he was about to brush past the man and leave, the man suddenly spoke to stop him.
“Please wait, young master.”
Jiang Moran paused in his tracks and turned to look back at him.
“I see that you are wandering the streets, young master. Might you be looking for a place to dine?” the man asked with a smile.
Jiang Moran nodded, tacitly agreeing.
The man smiled slightly and continued, “With the Emperor's passing today, the entire city is forbidden from feasting and entertainment. I fear you will have nowhere to go, young master.”
“However... I do know of a place you could try. It's the Drunken Immortal Tavern by the lake.”
After saying this, the man pointed in a general direction, then turned and departed. Fengqingzi looked in the direction he had indicated and indeed saw a grand tavern.
Only, it looked just as deserted as the other restaurants.
“Let's go. Let's take a look,” Jiang Moran smiled, though the smile did not reach his eyes.
The front doors of the Drunken Immortal Tavern were tightly shut, and no sound could be heard from within. It looked as if it had already gone out of business, yet this was supposed to be one of the most popular restaurants in Fengcheng.
Jiang Moran stepped forward and knocked on the door. The hollow sound echoed inside, but no one answered.
He frowned and continued to knock.
This time, faint footsteps could be heard approaching from within. With a creak, the door opened a crack.
The person inside peered through the crack at them, asking warily, “Who are you?”
“We're here to eat.”
The person inside fell silent for a moment before speaking once more.
“Come in through the side door on the left.” Having said that, they closed the crack in the door.
Following the instructions, Jiang Moran arrived at the side door. It was left slightly ajar, opening with a gentle push. Inside, the tables and chairs were neatly arranged, but there was not a single patron.
Occasional bursts of laughter and the clattering of tableware drifted down from upstairs, sounding much livelier than the first floor.
Jiang Moran took the lead up the stairs. Seeing him ascend, Fengqingzi followed. As the two drew closer, the laughter grew clearer.
Then, human voices rang out. Since the distance was short, the two could hear them distinctly.
“The old Emperor failed to see Brother Ji's great talents, but in the end, this throne still belongs to Brother Ji.”
“Hahaha! Exactly!”
Jiang Moran had reached the second floor, happening to see four people sitting around a circular table, talking and laughing merrily, drinking to their hearts' content, while three of them continuously flattered the fourth.
Just as they stepped onto the second floor, the four also noticed them.
All four were startled. One of them hastily bellowed in a harsh voice, “Who are you, and how dare you intrude upon the Drunken Immortal Tavern!”
Jiang Moran splayed his hands and smiled. “We're here to eat. Someone in your establishment directed us to the side door.”
“Eat?” one of them sneered, looking utterly incredulous. “This tavern belongs to my family, so how is it that I didn't know anyone directed you to the side door? Who on earth are you!”
Hearing this, Fengqingzi frowned. They had been set up?!
“Brother Zheng, there is no need to waste words on them. Under no circumstances must they be allowed to leave this place today!” one of them said coldly, his gaze sweeping over them as if looking at corpses.
Following his words, a flurry of footsteps resounded from the third floor, rushing down toward the second floor. Before long, seven people descended.
These seven were martial experts arranged by their families to protect them. They had been stationed on the third floor to dine, keeping them on standby in case of any danger.
Fengqingzi's expression turned cold. Sweeping his gaze over the people around him, he let out a cold snort.
Over the past few days, he had either been slaughtering a Prince's Residence or clashing with the Inner Palace's Number One Enshrined Master. He had almost forgotten that he was the white-clad swordsman renowned in the jianghu. When had he ever fallen so low as to be surrounded and attacked by the likes of these people?
Jiang Moran paid no attention to the surrounding people, instead fixing his gaze on one of the four.
“The Eldest Prince?”
Upon hearing this, the faces of the four slightly changed, and a flash of killing intent surged in the Eldest Prince's eyes.
“Do it!”
At the command, one of the seven took the lead to strike. This person unleashed his full power right from the start, clearly intending to deliver a fatal blow in a single strike.
Fengqingzi sneered. With a wave of his white sleeve, the sound of a longsword unsheathing rang out. With a soft pfft, the attacker collapsed to his knees.
Blood gushed from his throat.
Fengqingzi twirled his sword with a flourish, a blood-stained longsword faintly visible amidst his white sleeves.
The remaining six were greatly alarmed at the sight. Exchanging glances, they decided to attack together; otherwise, if they went one by one, they feared they would all end up dead here!
Facing their simultaneous assault, Fengqingzi remained calm and unhurried. As his wrist rotated, the longsword danced, sending blood splattering continuously. One of them lunged at him, only to find the space behind the white garment empty; before he could react, his head was severed by a swift strike.
In less than the time it takes an incense stick to burn, all six lay dead.
Witnessing the entire sequence, Jiang Moran felt increasingly weirded out. Shouldn't a swordsman's style be elegant, unconstrained, and natural? Why did these moves look so much like they were designed for a woman??
Could it be...
No way...
However, noticing his increasingly bizarre gaze, Fengqingzi's face instantly darkened, and he gritted his teeth to explain, “Senior... I learned my sword techniques from my aunt...”
Realizing the truth, Jiang Moran nodded in sudden enlightenment, slowly lowering the palm he had kept behind his back.
Rate on N.U.
