Chapter Ten: When We Meet Again, Do Not Insult the Changsun Name

Northern Zhangyuan. Beneath a night sky studded with stars, a slender woman stood quietly. Her lovely features carried a sickly pallor, and whenever the night wind brushed past, she would cough softly a few times. Her frail appearance was enough to break anyone's heart.

"Has the Xia Emperor ordered the troops to move?" the woman asked softly.

"No."

Beside her, a young general clad in armor answered respectfully. His gaze toward the woman was filled with admiration and reverence—not blazing, yet impossible to conceal.

"Heaven's Will."

The woman glanced at the two blood-red stars in the heavens, coughed several times, then sighed softly. "Someone interfered after all. What a pity for a hidden chess piece laid down so long ago."

The young general said nothing, merely standing guard at the woman's side. He knew that as long as the Military Advisor remained, the Northern Mongol Royal Court would eventually shatter the Central Plains' defenses.

"Yinghuo Shouxin—the True Dragon's aura is unstable, and Great Xia has been affected most severely. Since the Xia Emperor already knows his own fate, he will surely prioritize preserving what he has. If he intends to reinforce his forces in secret, it can only be Marquis Qinghe in the northwest or Marquis Buyi in the northeast. At dawn tomorrow, petition the king to send troops to intercept the northwestern reinforcements," Fan Lingyue said after pondering quietly for a moment.

"Why not the northeast?" the general asked in confusion.

"Marquis Buyi has guarded Shanmen Pass for sixteen years. Has he ever moved even once?" Fan Lingyue countered.

"Never."

"Then he will not move this time either." Fan Lingyue had no intention of explaining further. Her eyes rested upon the distance, calmness tinged with weariness. From time to time, she coughed softly, and the exhaustion in her gaze deepened.

If not for those simple words, who could have imagined that this woman, frail to the very bone, was the most terrifying Military Advisor of the Northern Mongol Royal Court? Seven years ago, she had single-handedly orchestrated the Northern Mongol imperial coup, allowing the Northern Mongol Royal Court to achieve unprecedented unity over the following seven years and bring its national strength to its peak.

Unfortunately, its limited territory and barren resources restricted the Northern Mongol Royal Court's continued growth, causing its development to slow noticeably over the past two years.

"Military Advisor, the night wind is cold. Let us return." After an unknown length of time, as the weather grew colder still, the young general finally spoke, unable to bear it any longer.

"Mm." Fan Lingyue covered her mouth and coughed lightly in acknowledgment, then turned and slowly walked toward the tents in the distance.

Du'an Pharmacy, inner courtyard. Morning sunlight spilled down through the window and into the room, falling right across Ning Chen's face. Not far away, Qing Ling remained unconscious, while Changsun kept vigil at her side, still fully clothed as she slept from exhaustion.

Ning Chen woke up and got out of bed, pacing around. Other than aching all over, he felt fairly alright.

Changsun had yet to awaken. Her delicate brows were faintly furrowed, and the sight of her exhausted face made Ning Chen's heart ache. He carefully covered her with an extra garment, then quietly pushed open the door and left.

The shopkeeper had been waiting outside for a long time. The moment he saw Ning Chen emerge, his eyes lit up, and he hurried forward.

"Eunuch—" the shopkeeper began. He was just about to ask whether Changsun had any instructions when he was met with an explosive reaction.

"You're the eunuch! Your whole family is made of eunuchs!"

As though someone had stepped on his tail, Ning Chen immediately cut him off. "Pah, pah, pah! What bad luck!"

"Then how should I address you, Eu—ah, no, how should I address you?" Startled by Ning Chen's fierce response, the shopkeeper asked cautiously.

"Ning Chen."

"Oh, then Brother Ning, does the Empress Dowager have any instructions?"

"Her Majesty has not even woken up yet. How would I know?" Ning Chen answered gloomily. He wanted to know too.

Leaving the shopkeeper standing there without the slightest mercy, Ning Chen went out into the courtyard and began practicing Tai Chi, leaving the shopkeeper behind him completely dumbfounded.

"Brother Ning truly is an extraordinary man."

"Empty fame."

"Brother Ning is too modest."

"You flatter me."

"Ning Chen, come here."

"Not going."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Ning Chen sensed something was wrong. Turning around, he saw that Changsun was calling him. Cold sweat immediately streamed down his back. He abandoned his boxing stance and darted over in a flash.

"Your Majesty, what are your orders?"

"Come inside. I have something to tell you." Changsun did not hold Ning Chen's disrespect against him. She knew that if she fussed over such things, he would infuriate her to death sooner or later.

Once inside, Changsun looked at Ning Chen with unprecedented solemnity. "Ning Chen, I have something to entrust to you."

Seeing Changsun's expression, Ning Chen's heart skipped a beat. He understood that troublesome business was about to land in his lap.

"Find a way into Changsun Manor. Once you see Marquis Taiping, tell him that I am here. Remember, you must see Marquis Taiping himself. No one else will do."

The matter was of great importance, and Changsun had no choice but to be wary. She could not guarantee there were no spies in Changsun Manor, so she could only proceed with the utmost caution.

Marquis Taiping was her elder brother and the one steering the Changsun Lineage in the imperial city. By now, he surely knew she had met with trouble and was searching everywhere for her whereabouts.

There's a chance to run away. Ning Chen's first thought upon hearing Changsun's instructions was to seize the opportunity and leave. But when he saw Qing Ling still unconscious and met Changsun's trusting gaze, he suddenly felt a little ashamed.

"I'll do my best," Ning Chen answered vaguely, torn inside.

"Mm?" Changsun frowned, clearly dissatisfied with that answer.

Ning Chen sighed inwardly. No longer dragging his feet, he raised his head to look at Changsun and said seriously, "Rest assured, Your Majesty. So long as I am alive, I will deliver the message."

Only then did Changsun feel at ease. Her expression softened somewhat as she removed a crescent-shaped jade pendant from her waist and handed it to him. "Take this. Marquis Taiping will believe you when he sees it."

"Your Majesty, if I have not returned by sunset, take Qing Ling and move somewhere else," Ning Chen suddenly said as he accepted the jade pendant.

Changsun froze, her eyes filled with confusion. She did not understand why.

Ning Chen grinned. "I'm afraid I'll get caught and won't be able to endure the torture, so I'll give you up."

"Heh." Changsun laughed helplessly. "It is fine. I never expected you to withstand any torture anyway. If it truly comes to that, forget everything else. Find a way to keep yourself alive."

"Bye-bye."

Ning Chen called out a farewell and turned to leave, leaving Changsun utterly puzzled over the meaning of those final two words.

After a long while, Changsun shook her head helplessly and sighed. "That little fellow is truly impossible to understand."

Great Xia's imperial city was enormous and prosperous. Calling it the greatest city under heaven would not be an exaggeration. Ning Chen wandered through it until his head spun. He only knew the rough direction of Changsun Manor, asking for directions as he went. After circling around for half the day, it was already nearing noon.

At that moment, Ning Chen discovered something terrifying—he had no money! Changsun had confiscated his only One Coin. Now, he was truly penniless.

"Miss, how do I get to Changsun Manor?"

After asking for directions all the way, Ning Chen's throat was so parched it felt like smoke was rising from it. When he saw a woman walk past him, he instinctively stopped her to ask.

"Hehe, asking for directions all the way to a brothel? Young master, you truly have refined tastes." Yue Hanyi swept her gaze over the youth before her and laughed sweetly.

"You seem thirsty, young master. Come in and have a cup of tea."

"This... wouldn't that be improper?"

Ning Chen hesitated bashfully for a moment, then followed the woman into Lingyan Pavilion without another word. So what if it was a brothel? What was wrong with asking for a cup of water?

"Please enjoy, young master." Yue Hanyi poured a cup of tea and handed it to Ning Chen with a soft smile.

"It's free, right?" Ning Chen asked tentatively, glancing around at the exquisite and extravagant furnishings.

"Young master jests. It is only a cup of tea." Yue Hanyi smiled radiantly.

Ning Chen's face immediately blossomed into a grin. Taking the tea, he gulped it down in one swallow. Refreshing!

"Would you like another?" Yue Hanyi poured another cup and offered it to him.

"You're such a good person, sister." Ning Chen accepted the cup with a shy smile, delivering the flattery before he had even taken a sip.

"This cup costs money."

"Pfft!" Ning Chen had just swallowed half a mouthful when he heard her words, and promptly sprayed it all out.

"Cough, cough." Ning Chen stared at Yue Hanyi, his face reddened from choking.

"Hehe, I was teasing you. Look how frightened you are." Yue Hanyi laughed so hard that her slender body trembled like flowers in the wind, nearly unable to catch her breath.

"Heh." Ning Chen awkwardly wiped his mouth, his gaze wandering aimlessly about the room as he refused to look Yue Hanyi in the eye.

"Eh? Why is there no one here?"

Only then did Ning Chen realize that the lavish pavilion was completely empty—not a single guest in sight. Looking again at Yue Hanyi, with willow-leaf brows, phoenix eyes, skin like congealed cream, and a face capable of toppling kingdoms, she did not look like someone no one wanted no matter how he looked at her.

"Don't let your thoughts run wild." One look at Ning Chen's strange expression and Yue Hanyi knew what he was thinking. She gave a displeased snort. "I own Lingyan Pavilion."

Hearing this, Ning Chen looked at the woman before him in surprise. The bashful smile so often hanging on his face vanished, and a flash of disgust passed through the depths of his eyes. It vanished in an instant, so quickly that one would easily miss it without paying attention.

"My apologies. I will bring the money for the tea tomorrow." Ning Chen gently set down the teacup, spoke blandly, then turned to head outside.

"This young master has arrived! Why have the ladies not hurried downstairs?"

Just then, a young man swaggered into Lingyan Pavilion from outside. Dressed in gorgeous silk and satin, with that arrogant and domineering manner of his, one glance was enough to tell he was a rich, spoiled dandy.

"Oh, Young Master Changsun! What wind has blown you here?" Within moments, several women dressed in gauzy garments descended from the second floor. Their lovely bodies were half-hidden and half-revealed, enough to make anyone's mouth run dry.

"Haha, there have been too many troublesome matters at the manor these past few days. They were driving me mad, so I came out to have some fun." Changsun Yunxuan laughed loudly, utterly unconcerned with anyone around him.

At the side, Ning Chen stopped in his tracks. He turned to look at the young man some distance away, then walked over after a moment.

"Are you from Changsun Manor?"

"Yeah." Changsun Yunxuan froze, answering instinctively.

"Marquis Taiping's son?"

"Yeah. What about it?" Impatience appeared on Changsun Yunxuan's face as he replied unhappily.

"Heh, what a coincidence." Ning Chen gave a cold laugh, then kicked toward the man's abdomen.

Before everyone's eyes, there was a bang. Changsun Yunxuan crashed into a table, scattering tea all over the floor.

At that moment, not only were the women who had just come downstairs stunned, but even Yue Hanyi, who stood closest to them, failed to react in time.

"You... you're courting death! Do you know who I am? Do you know who my father is?" Changsun Yunxuan had been kicked sprawling, and rage muddled his mind. Struggling to his feet, he roared furiously.

"I know. Your father is Marquis Taiping. You just said so." Ning Chen snorted coldly. So relying on one's father was already this popular even in this era.

Changsun was suffering outside and had nearly lost her life, yet this bastard still had the mood to visit a brothel. He truly was a heartless, wolf-hearted dog-lunged thing.

Stepping forward, Ning Chen kicked again. The force of his fury sent Changsun Yunxuan, who had not even regained his footing, flying once more. He crashed into the tables and chairs amid a clatter, shattering cups and plates across the floor.

"That kick punishes you for being heartless and faithless."

With those words, Ning Chen stepped forward again. Looking down at Changsun Yunxuan on the floor, he grabbed him up and delivered another vicious kick.

"That kick punishes you for being shameless."

Teacups spilled across the floor again and again, tables and chairs toppled over again and again. Ning Chen's expression grew colder and colder. He seized Changsun Yunxuan and, once more, kicked him.

"That kick punishes you for disgracing your family name."

Ning Chen grabbed Changsun Yunxuan. Broken cup shards cut his fingers, yet he seemed not to notice. His icy gaze held nothing but bone-piercing cold.

"One final kick, so you remember this: when we meet again, do not disgrace the Changsun name."

With a resounding kick and a resounding crash, the tables and chairs collapsed into a heap, shattered wood scattering everywhere with flecks of blood. The people present were so shocked that not one could speak.

In that instant of dead silence, the several women looking at Ning Chen all revealed a trace of fear and unconsciously took a step back.

"Miss, may I borrow some brush and ink?" Ning Chen walked up to one of the women, smiling brilliantly as he asked politely.

"Y-yes, yes."

The woman was so frightened that she retreated another step, her face drained of color. She nodded hurriedly, then turned and rushed upstairs.

Before long, the woman returned, carrying ink in trembling hands and carefully offering it to Ning Chen.

"Thank you."

Ning Chen took the brush and ink, smiling even more brightly. If not for what had happened earlier, who could have imagined that this seemingly harmless youth was a living, breathing demon...