Changsun Leaves the Palace

The night was already past midnight, and the cold wind had grown even more biting. Ning Chen vaguely felt his legs beginning to ache again. Irritation rose in his chest, and with a dark expression, he descended the tower.

The Buddhist tower stood ten zhang tall. The crippled man was dead beyond all doubt. The Azure Bow and arrow case lay scattered not far away, giving off a cold, ghostly gleam.

This was a fine bow, Ning Chen judged.

In truth, he had no idea what made a bow good or bad. He was merely judging by instinct.

This bow had nearly shot him through the heart last time, and this time it had nearly done the same. They could be said to share a hatred as deep as the sea.

The bow did not seem to be made of wood, but of some metal he could not recognize. There were simply too many strange things in this world for him to tell them apart.

The words Po Shang were engraved on the inner side of the Azure Bow. Ancient and imposing, it seemed to have quite a few years on it and was probably worth a great deal of silver.

From this day onward, the Azure Bow was his. So was the arrow case.

The journey back was rather long. Ning Chen did not want to waste his strength, so he proceeded at an unhurried pace. His wheelchair rolled over the stone road with creaking squeaks that were somewhat grating, but still better than emptiness and loneliness.

Dark clouds gradually covered the moon. This damned weather looked as though it was about to snow again. It never ended, and it put him in a foul mood.

From time to time, extremely faint sounds rose behind him. Ning Chen knew someone was following him, and there was more than one of them.

He could not be bothered with them. As long as no one came to kill him, it was a sunny day.

There had to be Changsun's spies among those behind him. If he accidentally hurt the wrong person, the trouble would be no small matter.

There were not many people in this world whom he feared. Unfortunately, Changsun was one of them.

The cold wind around the hem of his robe was especially chilling. As Ning Chen traveled down the road, he involuntarily shivered. The hand gripping his wheelchair had become slightly stiff.

Don't tell me I'm going to cough up blood again?

The heaviness in his chest made his already terrible mood even worse. He had taken medicine that evening, but its effects seemed rather mediocre.

Those eight hundred taels of silver had gone down the drain.

Lingyan Pavilion was already very quiet. The women of the brothel also needed rest. People said courtesans were heartless and actors faithless, but the truly heartless and faithless ones were still those whoring patrons who styled themselves men of elegance.

What Ning Chen hated most in his life were these so-called romantic scholars. The scholars might have been romantic, but behind that romance were always women's blood and tears.

Du Shiniang had thrown herself into the river, Chen Yuanyuan had become a nun, Liu Rushi had hanged herself from a beam, and Li Shishi had chosen death rather than submit.

He was not some hot-blooded radical, but if anyone dared call himself a romantic scholar in front of him, he would definitely slap him with the sole of his shoe.

"Young Master Ning."

At that moment, a beautiful, graceful figure slowly emerged beneath the moonlight. It was Yue Ling, from whom he had parted not long ago.

"You're still awake this late?"

A trace of surprise appeared on Ning Chen's face as he asked.

Yue Ling gave the Buddhist tower a thoughtful glance and replied softly, "I heard some sounds just now, so I came out to take a look."

Ning Chen understood. It must have been the commotion caused when that arrow collided with the Large Black Umbrella. He had not expected Yue Ling to notice it from so far away. It seemed the events of this night would soon spread throughout the imperial city.

The Yin River was beautiful at night, but heaven was not being kind. Fine snow gradually began to fall.

"I'll escort you back."

Concerned for Yue Ling's health, Ning Chen spoke.

"Mm."

Yue Ling did not refuse. The place where she lived was not far from here, less than a quarter-hour's walk away.

Ning Chen turned his wheelchair himself and did not let Yue Ling push him. The night was too cold, and the wheelchair would be icy.

"Cough, cough."

The drifting snow was beautiful, but also cold. Yue Ling was not lightly dressed, yet she continued coughing softly. It seemed the two of them had gained another similarity—they both disliked snow.

After knowing her for several days, Ning Chen realized that he knew almost nothing about this unusual woman. Unable to suppress his curiosity, he asked, "Miss Ling, where is your hometown?"

"The north."

Yue Ling pointed northward and answered softly.

Ning Chen smiled dumbly. He had known it was the north already. When they had first met, they had been in the north of Great Xia. But since Yue Ling did not wish to speak of it, he did not press further.

"Young Master Ning, what is your lifelong ideal?"

Yue Ling looked toward the distant north. A glimmer flashed through her eyes, exceptionally bright, so bright that one scarcely dared meet her gaze.

Ning Chen fell silent. This question was too difficult for him to answer. Before, he had wanted to leave the palace. Later, after leaving it, he had instead tried every possible means to return.

If he truly had to name one, it was probably to stand again someday.

It was a very simple wish, yet achieving it seemed as distant as the horizon.

"And you?" Ning Chen did not answer, instead asking her in return.

"Peace under heaven, and prosperity for the people!"

When Yue Ling spoke those words, there was not the slightest affectation on her lovely face. She was sacred and noble, untouched by even a speck of dust.

Ning Chen fell even more silent. He was inferior to her. He always pushed peace under heaven into the next life because he knew he could not accomplish it.

It was an ideal that could not be desecrated, yet it was also the hardest ideal to fulfill.

They had arrived at Yuelai Inn. Yue Ling went upstairs to rest. Ning Chen watched her ascend, then turned his wheelchair and left.

He sincerely hoped her ideal would come true.

After returning to Lingyan Pavilion, Ning Chen sat before his bed and looked at the Po Shang Bow in his hand. Then he circulated his cultivation and gently drew the bowstring.

It was an extremely stiff bow and did not move in the slightest. Left with no choice, he could only exert more force, driving his true qi into the bow. Yet he suddenly felt a vast suction, and thirty percent of the true essence within him vanished in an instant.

"No wonder."

Ning Chen frowned and muttered to himself. This bow was indeed strange. It consumed true qi far too intensely; an ordinary person could not even draw it once.

As he was now, he could probably draw it at most twice.

It was fine for preserving his life, but he could not possibly use it in every fight. Otherwise, even exhaustion would kill him.

Ning Chen placed the Po Shang Bow behind him and began to close his eyes and regulate his breathing. He had fought too many times recently, and getting injured had become as routine as eating. If he did not seize the time to heal now, then should his injuries erupt during the next battle, he would truly have something to laugh about.

The night soon passed, but dawn did not arrive as it usually did. Fine snow fell slowly, dyeing the sky over the entire imperial city a beautiful white.

Outside Lingyan Pavilion, Ning Chen left his room early. Turning his wheelchair to the Yin River, he watched the snow drift across the ice. Gradually, he could not help but come to like this pure and beautiful sight.

If not for his legs, snow was not actually so bad.

The snow in the imperial city was not heavy and did not affect the people's travel. People came and went in a bustling stream, simple and peaceful, yet telling the whole tale of life.

After a night of thought, Ning Chen finally knew how to contact Changsun while making the Xia Emperor and the Western Palace wary enough that they would not dare make a move openly.

Unfortunately, he would have to leave without saying goodbye again this time.

Ning Chen turned his wheelchair to the Buddhist tower. From its summit, he looked out over the distant imperial city. Then he took out the Po Shang Bow from behind him, drew it, nocked an arrow, and fired toward Weiyang Palace.

Whoosh!

The iron arrow, empowered by the true qi of the Scroll of Life, was wrapped in silver light. Piercing through the void, it streaked toward Weiyang Palace like a shooting star.

Within Weiyang Palace, Qing Ling's expression changed drastically. Seeing the silver radiance shooting through the sky, she flashed three zhang away and drew the nearest longsword. With a stomp of her foot, she soared into the air and swung her sword against that terrifying arrow-light.

With a bang, the longsword could not withstand the immense force and shattered into fragments. Qing Ling's eyes narrowed as her delicate hand reached toward the iron arrow within the silver radiance.

Suddenly, Qing Ling's body trembled. After catching the iron arrow, she spun around and flew toward Changsun's bedchamber.

A Moon-shaped Jade Pendant swayed behind the iron arrow. Qing Ling's heart was heavy. She knew that the Empress Dowager had specially left this for that boy to protect his life. Very few knew of it; no one could possibly use it to threaten them.

That meant Ning Chen himself must have fired this jade pendant over.

The situation was urgent. Qing Ling had no time to consider how he had acquired such ability. Concern bred disorder, and she feared something had happened to him and that he urgently needed her and the Empress Dowager to save him.

Changsun had only recently awakened. The First Prince was not in the palace, while the Ninth Princess had been confined because of Ning Chen. Thus, no one would come to pay morning respects so early.

As for the palace consorts, they would not arrive until after breakfast.

Qing Ling did not knock, simply pushing the door open and entering. Changsun, who was still dressing her hair inside, frowned slightly. It was not reproach; rather, she understood Qing Ling's temperament. Without an extremely important matter, Qing Ling would never be so discourteous.

"What is it?"

Changsun continued arranging her hair as she asked calmly.

Qing Ling hurried forward and handed over the arrow in her hand, her expression filled with concern.

When Changsun saw the jade pendant on the arrow, her hand paused. After pondering for a moment, she rose to her feet, her gaze grave. "Come. Leave the palace with me."

"Empress Dowager, could something have happened to Ning Chen?" Qing Ling asked anxiously.

"No. He wants to tell me that he has an urgent matter to discuss with me." Changsun shook her head.

At the same time, both the Western Palace and Heavenly Edict Hall reacted. That arrow had been too dazzling; the hidden experts in the palace had all seen it. But no matter what, they were too slow this time.

Even the fastest intelligence took time. By the time news of Ning Chen's action reached the palace, Changsun and Qing Ling had already left it.

After firing that arrow, Ning Chen remained atop the Buddhist tower without moving. He was waiting—waiting for Changsun to come.

Sure enough, before long, a carriage slowly approached from afar. There were no Imperial Guards, no palace maids or eunuchs, only Qing Ling accompanying her.

Changsun's trust weighed heavily. After having once experienced an assassination attempt, she still dared to leave the palace like this. The burden in his heart grew ever heavier.

However, he stood so high up, and Qing Ling was there as well. Under heaven, unless an Innate expert came in person, no one could harm Changsun.

Standing high allowed one to see far. Naturally, the arrow in his hand could also shoot far.

Changsun's carriage soon arrived. There were quite a few spies from Weiyang Palace outside the palace, so confirming his location was as easy as turning over one's hand.

The carriage stopped beneath the Buddhist tower. Qing Ling accompanied Changsun up the tower, and at a glance, they saw Ning Chen sitting in his wheelchair.

"Empress Dowager, Sister Qing Ling."

After not seeing them for so long, Ning Chen did not quite know what to say. He grinned and greeted them.

Seeing the wheelchair beneath Ning Chen, Qing Ling's heart ached, and tears nearly fell. Disregarding Changsun's presence, she walked up and lightly smacked him on the head.

"Hmph."

Beside them, Changsun let out a cold snort. Though her heart ached for him, she was also filled with ten thousand grievances and anger toward this boy.

Time was pressing, and Ning Chen did not dare delay. He turned his wheelchair forward and handed over the letter in his hand. "Empress Dowager, this letter involves too much. I truly had no other choice but to resort to this measure and ask you to come out."

Changsun accepted the letter and glanced at the broken wax seal upon it. She said blandly, "You read it?"

This was the wax seal reserved for military camp officers of general rank and above. It would not be used unless the matter was of utmost importance, and privately opening military correspondence was also a capital crime.

Ning Chen scratched his head awkwardly. How could he have known the matter was serious if he had not read it?

Changsun did not pursue it. If she truly wanted to hold him accountable, this boy had committed far too many offenses. Dying a hundred times would not be excessive.

Changsun opened the letter. After one look, her eyes contracted slightly, and then her expression grew increasingly dark.

"What a Northern Martial Marquis!"

(New chapter delivered. Many thanks to Manlu Qiusuo for the reward! There will be another chapter later, though it may be very late. Those who cannot wait may sleep first and read it tomorrow.)