Chapter 19: The Peach Immortal |
At the cavalry's shouts, the man who wanted to seize the carriage was already trembling uncontrollably from fear.
The guard general swallowed hard when he saw them surrounded by cavalry. He wished to retreat, but he knew there were important figures standing atop the tower, before whom he could not falter. Otherwise, unpleasant consequences awaited him.
"Burn it!" Shang Chao Zong dismounted the carriage and gave the order. At the same moment, someone handed him a knife. As soon as he took the knife, he immediately thrust it sharply in the general's direction. Splashes of fresh blood splattered the general's face.
The guard general's eyes bulged. He had never imagined that Shang Chao Zong would dare to kill him. However, before he could react, his severed head shot up into the air and then fell back down. His body was now writhing in convulsions.
"Ahhh..." The soldiers outside began to back away several steps.
When Lan Ruo Ting emerged from the carriage and witnessed this scene, he was utterly speechless. He hadn't thought that, in broad daylight, before the eyes of the Son of Heaven, someone would dare to kill the general in charge of the guards!
Tao Xing brandished his sword and cut the rope binding the horse. He galloped towards the city gates. No one dared to obstruct his path. Tao Xing snatched a blazing torch and, returning, threw it into the carriage.
Bright flames quickly began to seep through the carriage, as did smoke.
Shang Chao Zong turned his head and, his face bloody, looked up at the top of the tower. Through the window, he saw Song Jiu Ming and Ga Miao Shui standing there. Then, turning away, he shouted, "Let's go!"
"A tiger cannot breed curs!" Ga Miao Shui said in a cold tone, a grim glint appearing in his eyes.
He watched as the two detachments rode further and further away.
Song Jiu Ming added:
"Fear is one thing, but Ning Wang's power still lingers. I hope he won't allow the tiger to escape into the mountains!"
Not long after, the deputy general quickly ascended, and with a trembling voice, cupping his hands, he said:
"Grandfather, Shang Chao Zong has killed General Li. I beg you to mete out justice!"
"In the end, he is of the imperial lineage, blood of the celestial family. How could he be disgraced? If he died, he died!" Ga Miao Shui said indifferently, and, tugging at his black robe, turned from the window and departed. Only as he passed the deputy general, an invisible sword instantly flashed between him and the deputy. This caused the deputy general to immediately fall to the ground. And the accompanying Song Jiu Ming snorted, saying:
"Several thousand men were intimidated by merely 500 cavalry. Useless rabble!"
Song Jiu Ming glanced at the fallen deputy, as if he no longer wished to speak with him. He also departed.
He understood that once the news reached the man in the palace, he would surely fly into a rage. No excuse here would appease him. Several thousand soldiers were intimidated by 500 men. What if an army suddenly attacked? Could the guards truly protect the capital from all sides? Most likely, the deputy general's head would not be enough, and all the soldiers at the gates would also be implicated...
......
The scent of peach blossoms, the caress of the wind, a beautiful spring day.
Beneath the peach tree, Niu You Dao sat on a couch. He was engrossed in a book of medicinal herbs, and at times, mischievous peach blossoms would bother him.
From the foot of the mountains, the sounds of horse hooves suddenly began to drift. Niu You Dao placed the book against his chest and turned his head. He looked and saw someone not from the Supreme Purity Sect stop at the bottom of the opposite cliff, and immediately, one person descended the steps to greet him.
He saw them, and that was that. No matter how many guests arrived, they didn't concern Niu You Dao. So, he simply enjoyed his books. Fortunately, the books here were still quite good.
He read for a while, and drowsiness overcame him. So, without a care, he fell asleep.
He didn't know how long he had slept. When he awoke, he stretched lazily and pondered with closed eyes. Then, Niu You Dao began to compose:
"In a peach village, in a peach hut, lived a peach immortal. He belonged to the peaches, exchanging leaves for tea and wine. He'd sit before the blossoms and grow sober, fall asleep beneath them and grow drunk. And so he passed his days, sometimes drunker, sometimes soberer. The blossoms withered and bloomed. But lost in peach intoxication, there was no need to bend one's back when riding a horse, or to breathe in the dust from carriages like a rich man. Peach blossoms are the reason for a recluse's peaceful life. Better to be a recluse than a rich man, and enjoy tranquility. Others will laugh at me, but I will know they do not understand. Without seeing a hero, without flowers, without alcohol, I will plow the fields..." His voice was measured and melodious. He stretched out his arms and opened his eyes.
Only to see three people standing beside him.
Standing in front was a person both familiar and unfamiliar. This person was very beautiful. And it was none other than his wife, Tang Yi.
He considered her beautiful not because she was his wife. She truly was a beauty. Her skin, white as delicate porcelain. Her full, elevated breasts, her tender, supple, and captivating figure. Tang Yi was dressed in a black skirt, exuding the temperament of a celestial maiden. A cold beauty, indeed. But what was the purpose of her visit, when she used to come only once a year?
Behind her stood the one-eyed Tu Han, leaning on a staff, and beside him was a girl dressed like a warrior. He certainly didn't recognize her. Not only did he know few people from the Supreme Purity Sect, but this girl was also wearing a bamboo hat that concealed her face.
Why had they come?
He thought it was still a dream and rubbed his eyes. Definitely not a dream. Niu You Dao quickly sprang up, began tying his disheveled hair into a ponytail, and said with a smile, "Why have you come?"
Wife or spouse—he hadn't addressed her that way before. Except for the moment at their wedding, when he was obliged to call Tang Yi his wife, he hadn't called her that since.
His heart was now drenched in sweat. Over these past few years, he had grown so accustomed to bliss that he had forgotten about safety, allowing three people to quietly sneak up on him while he slept. If anyone had truly wished to kill him, they would have slaughtered him like a sleeping pig. He wouldn't even have known how he died.
However, the three people did not react. Tu Han looked at him strangely, as if he were a monster, and occasionally glanced at the peach tree.
Tang Yi looked at him with a complicated expression. She was astonished by the poem Niu You Dao had just recited. Could this fellow truly recite poetry so easily and casually? Were those not the very poems Song Yang Qing used to recite?
She had already thought about this and had been keeping an eye on this thousand-year-old peach tree.
Tang Yi constantly wondered if there was a connection between Song Yang Qing's poems and Niu You Dao. But she couldn't believe that Niu You Dao, at his age, could have written such beautiful love poems. Yet, just now, it seemed to her that the poem Niu You Dao recited was similar in style to the previous ones?
She herself had already scrutinized Niu You Dao carefully.
Although Dong Guo Hao Ran had provided irrefutable proof that he had chosen Niu You Dao as his disciple, after examining the circumstances, everyone concluded that Dong Guo Hao Ran had taken him as a disciple out of necessity. And then the disciples learned in the village that Niu You Dao truly lived there, that such a person genuinely existed. There was no mistake in that.
As soon as they first saw him, all without exception understood that Niu You Dao did not resemble a village boy. Although he was dressed in rags, with even his toe poking out of his shoe, his speech and manner of speaking were unlike those of a countryman.
Perhaps a wealthy family had trained him? But how could they have developed his ability to write poetry?
Though it was said a poor scholar once stayed at the temple, to what extent could he have educated Niu You Dao? And could the villagers truly comment on the level of his scholarship? Could an uneducated person truly judge how educated he was?
"Grow sober before the blossoms... That's a good poem. A fine peach immortal indeed!" Before Tang Yi could say anything, the girl in the bamboo hat spoke, sighing. She was filled with admiration. Her voice was melodious, and her manner of speech indicated that she had been well-nurtured since childhood. She must have come from a wealthy family.
"Uh..." Niu You Dao shook his head. He had just blurted out whatever came to mind. But he hadn't thought they would pay him such attention:
"It's just that. An improvisation. Not worth mentioning, really not!" He realized he had accidentally let something slip.
Tang Yi asked him, "Did you write this poem yourself?"
Niu You Dao froze. Had he said something wrong? Were there actually poems like this in this world? Then he must have made them laugh:
"When I'm idle, I sometimes amuse myself. Why do you ask?"
Tang Yi stared intently at him. Niu You Dao decided to change the subject and, looking at the girl in the hat, said:
"I don't know who this pleasant guest might be?"
The girl immediately replied politely:
"Shang Shu Qing pays her respects to the Peach Immortal!"
"Peach Immortal? Cough—cough..." Niu You Dao began waving his hand, trying to decline the title.
Tang Yi stepped back slightly and, gesturing with her hand, politely began to introduce:
"This is Grand Princess Shang, daughter of Ning Wang, Shang Jian Bo. Ning Wang was an old friend of Dong Guo Hao Ran."
Niu You Dao was a little surprised. This girl in the hat turned out to be from the imperial family of the Yan Kingdom!
Although Niu You Dao wasn't well-versed in the world beyond these lands, he had gathered some information from Cheng Gui Shuo and a drunken Tu Han. These were troubled times. Times when kings fought amongst themselves. From several hundred vassal states, seven had emerged: Jin, Zhao, Han, Song, Wei, Yan, and Qi. This reminded Niu You Dao of the Seven Warring States period. However, it seemed the territories of the Seven Kingdoms were not on a single continent. Niu You Dao vaguely recalled this. And the Yan Kingdom had been founded by descendants of the great Emperor Shang Song. This Ning Wang, Shang Jian Bo, was the younger brother of the current emperor. And he was one of the three influential ministers at the imperial court, specifically the advisor for military affairs. A man who wielded true power.
And as Niu You Dao understood, the daughter of such a powerful man had appeared before him. One could imagine his astonishment.