“Five Wins”

When the figures of Ren Youyang and his guards vanished from sight, and the servants of the Zhen Estate led their horses away to tie them up at the front, Ding Songyan entered through the side gate and met Mr. Yu, Yu Wanxiong.

He uttered not a word, following the man with practiced familiarity deep into the Zhen Estate.

Along the way, he prayed to the gods of the heavens, hoping that the powerful figures of the Small Boat Gang would launch an attack today and bring about chaos.

This was not merely his own thought; he believed that Yan Changqing, Zhen Qianfan, and that crew from the Ding Family were all anticipating the exact same thing.

Following various previous probings, combined with the anomalies displayed by the Zhen Estate, Ding Songyan believed that Zhen Qianfan having him tell stories to Yan_Changqing was precisely to create an opportunity for this "distinguished guest" to escape.

Delving into the reason, it was nothing more than this: for many years, Yan Changqing had endured brutal torture yet refused to disclose where the Celestial Emperor's secret treasure—which Zhen Qianfan desired—actually was. Reaching the age of sixty, Zhen Qianfan could wait no longer, choosing to "release the tiger back to the mountains" and cast a long line to catch a big fish.

He wanted Yan_Changqing, after struggling to escape and facing the pressure of pursuing enemies, to choose to head to the hiding place, unearth the secret treasure, and fight for a glimmer of survival. When that time came, he would make a timely appearance and play the role of the mantis stalking the cicada.

If the strength and numbers of those coming to rescue Yan_Changqing exceeded his expectations, then the True Spirit Sect and the Celestial Maiden Sect, whom he had lured with other items, would become his assistance, cooperating with the martial grandmasters within the city to ensure matters did not slide toward the worst-case scenario.

The Zhen Estate's delayed "invitation" for Second Brother Ding to tell stories to Yan_Changqing was not because they did not "trust" him, but because the "external reinforcements" had not yet arrived. Once the people from the Celestial Maiden Sect and the Celestial Maiden Sect arrived, Ding Songyan would soon receive his "invitation."

Based on this: the Small Boat Gang wanted to raid the Zhen Estate to wash away their past shame;

Yan_Changqing wanted the Small Boat Gang to raid the Zhen Estate to create the necessary chaos for his own escape;

Zhen Qianfan wanted the Small Boat Gang to raid the Zhen Estate to create a facade of being distracted and unable to prevent Yan_Changqing's escape;

That faction from the Ding Family wanted the Small Boat Gang to raid the Zhen Estate to fish in troubled waters and take Yan_Changqing away;

Ding Songyan wanted the Small Boat Gang to raid the Zhen Estate so that the chaos would grow as large as possible. Only with chaos were there variables, and only with variables did he have a chance to escape this calamity.

Therefore, if the Small Boat Gang truly made their move today, it would be a five-way win!

Amidst his churning thoughts, Ding Songyan once again caught sight of that small building nestled among the flowers and trees.

Clop, clop, clop. Three fine horses galloped in from outside the city, the leader being Zheng Zhuxi, who had changed into black athletic attire with her cuffs embroidered with starlight and zhuhuo.

Just as day was breaking, she had ridden at a gallop back to the Xiaoming Sect mountain gate alongside Senior Brother Wu Feng and Senior Sister Tao Wuyue. After reporting the matter, they changed horses and hurried back to Linjiang City, making it already over three hours.

Her mother, Xiaoming Sect Master Tao Wenshu, had not accompanied them; at this distance, a Spirit Communion martial grandmaster was far faster than a horse and had already arrived at the prefecture city.

Entering the city gate, Zheng Zhuxi feared colliding with pedestrians, so she suppressed her inner restlessness, vaulted down from her horse, and handed the reins to the junior brothers and sisters on gate-guard duty. Then, she unleashed the Bi Moon Illusory Form movement technique, weaving forward through the crowd and leaving behind faint, shimmering, illusion-like afterimages.

Soon, she reached the tallest watchtower, ascended the wooden stairs, and arrived at the very top.

Aside from two members of the Yi clan responsible for daily surveillance, there was also a woman dressed in black robes.

That woman looked to be only a little over thirty years old, bearing a five-to-six-tenths resemblance to Zheng Zhuxi. Although her facial features lacked Zheng Zhuxi's exquisite beauty, leaning somewhat toward squareness, her overall presence possessed a few more layers of mature and gentle temperament refined by the passage of years.

She wore a rather heavy and quite crude iron crown, held a long sword concealed in a deep black scabbard in her left hand, and possessed double pupils in both eyes, with faint gleams hidden within their pitch-black depths.

"Mother, is there any movement at the Zhen Estate?" Zheng Zhuxi caught her breath and asked eagerly.

Tao Wenshu glanced at her daughter:

"Not yet.

"When will you ever be as unruffled as your father even if Mount Tai collapses before you? So reckless."

"Then I'd have to switch to cultivating the Book of Utmost Sincerity, which I can't do anymore." Hearing this, Zheng Zhuxi relaxed and playfully retorted to her mother.

Tao Wenshu cast her gaze toward North Water Street and the Zhen Estate, speaking in an even tone:

"Prefect Lin is already at the northern watchtower, and County Lieutenant Yi is at the eastern watchtower. You can rest assured and go back to rest.

✿ ✿ C○

"Even if you stayed here, given your martial cultivation, you wouldn't be of any use."

Zheng Zhuxi put on a spoiled daughter's demeanor:

"My cultivation progress is no worse than that of core disciples from major sects. If you had given birth to me a few years earlier, Mother, I'd definitely be at the Transcendent or even Divination realm by now.

"County Lieutenant Yi has only attained Divination; can he hold off possible heterodox evildoers?"

Tao Wenshu, whose black robes were embroidered with tiny stars, looked toward the Zhen Estate and said:

"Merely by shooting from a high vantage point, County Lieutenant Yi is sufficient to block a Subtlety martial grandmaster."

Zheng Zhuxi asked no more, calming her breathing and focusing all her attention on what might transpire at the Zhen Estate.

Zhen Estate, Riverwave Hall.

Su Chongxiao and Su Qingli sat cross-legged behind low tables laden with tea and pastries, attendants and maidservants standing respectfully to the sides. Opposite them sat Ren Youyang, whose posture carried an arrogant air, while his four guards stood in a straight line behind his back.

Occupying the seat of honor was Zhen Qianfan, dressed in a black robe embroidered with the character for fortune and wearing a hexagram cap. His four ears twitched slightly as if listening for something.

Amidst polite pleasantries from the group, Zhen Quanwang cradled a wooden box covered with red cloth, walked over to his father, and handed it over.

"Three distinguished guests." Zhen Qianfan took the wooden box and placed it before himself, "Allow this old man to let you verify its authenticity once more."

He then lifted the red cloth and opened the lid.

Inside the box lay a fruit the size of a papaya, entirely red in color. Even across a considerable distance, Ren Youyang and Su Qingli caught a faint, refreshing fragrance. As this scent entered their noses, both felt as though their physical strength had grown somewhat.

"It is real." Su Chongxiao, wearing a bamboo crown, gently nodded.

Zhen Qianfan closed the lid and spoke with an earnest tone:

"This old man originally had no intention of selling this accidentally acquired Huai Fruit. Several of my worthless sons are dull-witted and to this day haven't even reached the Divination realm. If one of them were to consume this Huai Fruit, it would certainly grant them a few more layers of self-preservation strength after this old man passes on.

"Alas, things do not go as one wishes, and this old man has no choice but to sell this divine item. I ask for no wealth, nor secret manuals; I ask only for a promise."

With a black cloth blindfolding him and two Zhen Estate youths supporting him as they wound this way and that, Ding Songyan only suddenly realized a question when they reached Yan_Changqing's location:

Why had it never crossed my mind not to come tell stories to Yan_Changqing today?

I could have completely stalled for time, waited for official authorities to investigate the matter, and let them directly intervene!

Although the Zhen Estate might have dispatched an attendant like Mr. Yu to compel me to come, I never considered whether this matter was certainly the work of Yan_Changqing or his "old friends." If it was the latter, were they truly determined to act today?

As these thoughts flashed past, a cool sensation dropped into Ding Songyan's sea of consciousness, materializing into the refined visage of Yan_Changqing.

Utilizing the "seed," Ding Songyan split his mind in two, beginning to lecture on the subsequent plot of the Legend of the White Snake while inquiring of Yan_Changqing above the shimmering, illusory ocean:

"Senior, are we making a move today?"

Yan_Changqing smiled:

"Let us observe a bit longer and wait."

Ding Songyan glanced at the hazy, pale-green light piercing through the fog, and instead asked:

"What kind of treasure did the Zhen Estate use to lure the people of the True Spirit Sect and the Celestial Maiden Sect here?"

"The Huai Fruit." Yan_Changqing smiled with unruffled composure. "Consuming it increases strength; eating it leaves you with boundless power without affecting your cultivation of other martial arts. Merely speaking of the early stages, the martial arts of the Celestial Maiden Sect and the True Spirit Sect have many deficiencies in this regard, so naturally they crave it. Yet it is not enough to make them fight to the death over it—they are merely seeking an opportunity for the younger generation."

No wonder he wanted to bring Miss Xiaoqing out to see the world; that meant once he got his hands on it, he'd feed it to her... Ding Songyan thought thoughtfully, saying:

"Then will they provide assistance to the Zhen Estate because of this, blocking your old friends, Senior?"

Yan_Changqing let out a chuckle:

"Weren't my old friends lured here by Zhen Qianfan in the first place?

"He deliberately invited guests from my sect's affiliates, giving him the chance to steal that Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas. Afterward, how could my elders and my old friends fail to recognize my handwriting and discern what that Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas truly symbolizes?"

Indeed, that Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas was transcribed by your own hand! And it also flowed out from the Zhen Estate. So that was the intention... Ding Songyan feigned that he had not guessed it, fearing even more that Yan_Changqing was intentionally misleading him, and simply retorted:

"What does it symbolize?"

Yan_Changqing glanced at him and said with an unchanged smile:

"It symbolizes the great stroke of fortune I am about to bestow upon you."

He paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, speaking in a leisurely tone:

"If the people from the True Spirit Sect and the Celestial Maiden Sect can stall my old friends for a bit, that would naturally be best.

"You brought that dagger, didn't you?"

"This junior is carrying it close to his body." Ding Songyan's spirits tightened.

Yan_Changqing smiled faintly:

"It will have its uses later."

Hearing this, Ding Songyan's thoughts shifted, and he asked for confirmation:

"Senior, you are well-versed in the arts of divination. Can you calculate whether the Small Boat Gang will raid the Zhen Estate today?"

Smiling, Yan_Changqing took another couple of paces, keeping his composure as he spoke:

"They will."

A short while ago, at the back gate of the Zhen Estate, two porters wearing bamboo hats and lowered heads, dressed as farmers, shouldered carrying poles laden with food ingredients. Guided by a Zhen Estate servant, they made their way all the way to the kitchen.

After settling the silver coins, they followed that same servant back toward the gate. Along the way, footmen and guards were remarkably sparse, as if they had all been dispatched somewhere.

Suddenly, one of the porters quickened his pace, came up beside the servant, and patted him on the shoulder.

Annoyed, the servant turned his head and caught sight of a pair of eyes stained with a bloodthirsty, malign tint, pale-faced skin, and vibrant red lips with the texture of a bird's beak.

A surge of malice instantly welled up within his heart, filled with resentment toward the Zhen Estate:

Why should you get to drink, make merry, and enjoy yourselves every day while I have to run about under the scorching sun?

Once this thought arose, he wished he could hack a few members of the Zhen Family to pieces. Yet knowing he lacked the strength, he could only angrily return to his room to sleep, ignoring his current errand.

With him out of the way, the two porters instantly flashed into the shadows of the veranda, moving like ghosts as they crept toward Riverwave Hall, where the Zhen Estate entertained distinguished guests.

They maintained absolute silence, none of them speaking, because they all knew that Zhen Qianfan practiced the Water Ape Divine Art and possessed ears capable of hearing in all directions.