Xu Zhuchen chased Han Ling's internal energy and quickly caught up with Yancheng.
In the past month, Han Ling rushed from Yucheng in Yuanzhou to Bizhou, and then from Bizhou to Yancheng in Qinzhou. Needless to say, it was a hard journey. What could support him on such a journey was definitely a very deep internal force.
Stone Pine’s internal strength.
Xu Zhuchen walked into the teahouse carrying his luggage and pursed his lips unconsciously. Normally, she liked this noisy and lively atmosphere, full of people and laughter, as if the sky was falling and the place would be just as relaxed and cheerful. But today she was so preoccupied that she really couldn't convince herself to integrate into this happiness.
Whether it was Han Ling's experience or Shi Song's whereabouts, these things that she couldn't completely control made her feel a little unhappy.
This unhappiness is like a dark cloud hanging over the head. Even if it doesn't rain, it makes people feel unlucky for no reason.
She didn't want to think the worst.
In Bizhou Inn, she witnessed Han Ling's methods with her own eyes. Pick out the hematoxylin from the medicinal materials, cut it into wooden arrows, dip them in venom, and stuff them into hidden weapons. When it's time to launch, use internal force to pour into the hidden weapon, and launch all the wooden arrows at once, making it impossible to prevent them.
Not to mention drilling through the floor just to destroy the pursuer's tracking ability. Although Xu Zhuchen checked and found that no one was killed in the pair, Han Ling's disregard for human life and unscrupulous tactics when he did this made her feel very strange.
She saw the ferocity in Han Ling, but despite this, she still felt that Han Ling would never hurt Shi Song.
Friends who grew up together and agreed to meet again in the world, how could they murder each other?
Xu Zhuchen grew up under the guidance of her elders from three families. She was trained to judge situations and formulate plans.
In countless escort and actual combat missions, Xu Zhuchen has been the spiritual support of his teammates. As long as he sees her, he will feel a sense of security. There is no other reason than that Xu Zhuchen's insight into the situation is too clear and thorough.
Xu Zhuchen's decision is not wrong. To the Xu family, this sentence is the truth.
Unfortunately, this time, she misjudged the situation. This is a story for later.
At that time, it was almost dusk. Xu Zhuchen found a seat by the window and sat down. The waiter in the teahouse ran up to her, shouting, laughing and singing, and asked, "What would you like, sir?"
Xu Zhuchen was absent-minded and ordered a pot of Liu'an melon slices, plus a drawer of steamed dumplings, a plate of tea cakes, a dish of fried pork ribs, and a bowl of seasonal vegetable soup. She took off the sword from her back and placed it beside the chair. Her mind was empty, and it felt like ten thousand people were arguing endlessly.
One person said: "He is Han Ling. Who else in this world is closer than you and Shi Song Han Ling?"
One person said: "Who cares who he is! The prince broke the law and committed the same crime as the common people, but he killed someone!"
One person said: "Han Ling must have some difficulties. You know Han Ling's character best."
One person said: "Things are constantly changing, but who knows that people's hearts will remain unchanged? You only know Han Ling in the past, and you don't know what Han Ling is like now. People like this should stay away from him!"
With a roar in his mind, Xu Zhuchen simply closed his eyes and took a sip of the newly served tea. The tea leaves were quite good. They were torn into pieces and stood in the clear tea.
Qinzhou is located to the west of Bizhou. The land is fertile, and the Zhi River flows from the north of Qinzhou, so it is rich in products. Among the eleven states of Yu State, Qinzhou is the best in terms of fruits, vegetables, tea, and honey. Yancheng is not a wealthy city, but this tea is enough to clear away the dark clouds in Xu Zhuchen's heart.
She put down the tea cup, raised her ears and began to listen for information.
Across the curtain, a man and a woman were talking at the table next to her.
The woman was blocked behind the goalpost, and Xu Zhuchen couldn't see her. He could only hear her clear voice, which sounded young. She said coquettishly: "If you stay here a few more days, there won't be such delicious fruits when you go home."
The man in blue outside the curtain didn't buy it, but whispered something. Xu Zhuchen heard him say: "...When has the family been short of food and clothing for you? Don't delay here."
The girl snorted, murmured something dissatisfied, and then lowered her voice and said to the man: "But tomorrow the owner of the inn will open the door to welcome guests. Don't you want to see what that person looks like?"
The man obviously paused and quickly glanced around. Xu Zhuchen, who was behind the bamboo curtain, lowered his head and pretended to drink tea, without attracting the man's attention.
The man's voice was so low that it was almost hard to hear him: "How did you—your Excellency know that?"
The girl gave a short laugh and said: "Of course I know everything you know, how about it? It's just one more day to stay, and besides, this is your job."
The man nodded as if he was admitting defeat: "Then stay for one more day, only one day."
The girl happily ran to the counter and asked for two more peaches. The man was sitting at the table, his expression unchanged, but for no reason it made people feel a little helpless.
Anyone with a discerning eye could see that there was nothing he could do about that girl. He is obviously the tough one, but he always compromises with that girl.
why? Xu Zhuchen asked himself.
She could see that the man had absolute authority over the girl. As she knew very well, if Han Ling made a move, even if Han Ling's internal strength doubled, he would never be able to withstand three moves from her sword.
After Xu Zhuchen drank the cup of tea, the dishes gradually arrived. She hadn't figured it out yet and wanted to hear a few more words, but the girl finished the peach, the two paid the bill and left. Before leaving, the two of them only talked about some trivial matters here and there. It didn't matter whether their parents were friends or not.
Xu Zhuchen finished a table full of meat and vegetables, paid the bill and left.
She now has a guess about where Han Ling went. Although I am not completely sure, I am at least 90% certain.
Han Ling came to Yancheng not just to avoid Xu Zhuchen, but more importantly, there was someone waiting for him in Yancheng to show him the way. That person must know Yancheng well. If not, he would definitely not be able to outrun the faster Xu Zhuchen. Not only that, Xu Zhuchen guessed that there was a way for the two of them to communicate with each other in order to guide the way.
As a rising star in the arena, Xu Zhuchen became famous for defeating Senior Tang. Since that person was in contact with Han Ling, he must know what he had gone through in the past few days, and he must also know that Xu Zhuchen's martial arts attainments were by no means comparable to Han Ling's.
So, since Han Ling and Xu Zhuchen have both arrived in Yancheng, to be on the safe side, they must not meet each other.
The place where this goal can be achieved is the obvious location of that person - Yanshan Inn.
Xu Zhuchen had heard about the dangers of Yanshan Inn for a long time. She could not conclude that her Qinggong skills could make it back and forth on Zhishui River, let alone the countless rumors about Yanshan Inn, which were frightening to hear.
However, after hearing such information today, Xu Zhuchen felt confident.
Han Ling didn't have the light skill to cross Zhishui River, so he would definitely choose the time when the floating bridge appeared to enter the inn. The floating bridge will appear tomorrow night.
It's true that you can't find anything without wearing iron shoes, and it doesn't take any effort to get it. Xu Zhuchen packed up his sword and planned to find an inn to stay at first.
She didn't plan to stay too long, so she only booked a room for one day. After packing her luggage, she went downstairs to get information, not wanting to meet the man and woman again.
The girl was carrying her, with her delicate braided hair hanging down her back, making her even more petite. She was wearing a white short coat with ocher-colored patterns, and her long loose hakama was also ocher-colored. Although the material was good, it didn't look like clothes that a girl of her age would like.
The man in blue said something beside her, and the girl nodded and went out. The man glanced at her back, then turned and returned to the house.
Xu Zhuchen was stunned for a moment when he saw the man's face on the stairs.
The man was indeed handsome, but far from stunning. Xu Zhuchen was stunned just because his face was so similar to that person.
The person who appeared in her dream at midnight in Bizhou.
The man seemed to notice her gaze and glanced at her position. Xu Zhuchen turned his eyes away knowingly and hurried upstairs.
This meeting brought back Xu Zhuchen's memories.
She lost dozens of taels of silver to the store owner in Bizhou, and saw the confusion on the store owner's face, and was filled with frustration. He simply left the horse at the inn and left.
Before leaving, she heard the store owner's trembling voice, which was meant for her daughter:
"It's great. They are finally gone...and they won't harm us anymore."
Even though he had arrived in Qinzhou, Xu Zhuchen still felt uncomfortable. When practicing martial arts, he was full of justice, and when he went out to travel around the world, he was regarded as a scourge that caused him to be burned. While she was cleaning her sword, she thought hard.
Is it because of her martial arts skills? In these times of peace and prosperity, practicing martial arts does seem a bit silly. But in the peaceful age, there is still darkness that the sun cannot shine on. Isn't her martial arts training just for this?
Is it because of her sword? This sword is called "Zhanlu" and is made of black iron from heaven. It was given as a gift when she was sixteen years old. The Zhanlu sword has a long and narrow body and a sharp edge, but it has never seen blood. Is it just a weapon, so terrifying?
Is it because of her appearance...
Xu Zhuchen raised the sword in his hand, and the clean and shiny blade reflected half of her face: long snow-white hair, bright red eyes, and straight, bloodless lips.
She sighed and sheathed her sword.
People in the world judge people by their appearance, and party groups attack those who are different. She has never felt that she is an alien, and now it seems that she is just in her own "one-person country".
It was getting late, so she simply let her long hair loose, took off her coat, and took out the scroll from the box. I don't know if it was God's will or something, but what she took out was the one that had been wet last night.
It's a pity that she didn't bring a paintbrush with her, otherwise she could have made some repairs.
She slowly unfolded the scroll, letting the chaotic colors appear before her eyes. When the scroll scroll was pulled to the end, Xu Zhuchen stood up suddenly, stunned.
At the end of the scroll, I don’t know when two words appeared that penetrated the back of the paper:
Zhiyang.
Zhiyang is located due north of Qinzhou and is the largest city in Yangzhou. But this is not Xu Zhuchen's focus.
What really surprised her was who the owner of this word was.
