Upon hearing that he had been found, he took Zhang Xiaotao and left Quanliu Palace, returning to Kyoto.
That means she's deliberately avoiding me, preventing me from finding Zhang Xiaotao immediately!
These Japanese people probably knew very well that they would leave immediately once they found Zhang Xiaotao, so they deliberately led him to the Izumiya Kamishiro family's residence...
Needless to say, it must have been Tang Xin's idea!
He lured himself to Quanliu Palace, then took Zhang Xiaotao away to hide, and then found a way to stay in Quanliu Palace for two days, which conveniently helped the Shangchen family avoid a disaster!
It may not be true that Princess Sato had "malicious intentions," but it is certain that she conspired with Tang Xin!
At the very least, this Prince Sato even forged a contract appointing himself as the royal swordsman and left it with Tang Xin! Clearly, this was all in preparation for Hirohito and his men to come and challenge them!
These individual events, one by one, finally came together!
Hmph, you've been fooling yourself and going around in circles!
Seeing Chen Xiao's face darken, Zhang Xiaotao sighed and slowly said, "Actually, I've wanted to leave for a long time, but they've already brought me here. I'm afraid of missing you, so I don't dare to leave. Besides... I think if I insist on leaving, I won't be able to. Although that prince is quite amiable, and Tang Ying is very kind to me, that Takeuchi Yako seems to have always disliked me and is very fierce towards me in private."
She frowned and said, "I don't understand. On the ship, you saved so many people and even fought off those terrorists. These Japanese were also on the ship, and you did your part to save them as well. Why is Takeuchi Asako still so vicious?"
Chen Xiao shook his head: "That's just how people are. That Takeuchi Yako and I don't get along. When we first met, I outmaneuvered her, and she's a narrow-minded person, so she's always hated me. People's hearts are strange; sometimes, this kind of hatred is impossible to resolve. Under normal circumstances, if I had helped them at sea, Takeuchi Yako should have resolved her hatred with me. But some people are narrow-minded and easily become extreme. I helped her, and she owes me a favor, but she feels even more ashamed in front of me. Instead of being grateful, she hates me even more. There's no reasoning with people with such twisted minds."
After a pause, Chen Xiao suddenly asked, "Why did the butler yell at you when I came here today?"
Zhang Xiaotao sighed, "The princess went for a walk in the back mountain, and everyone else followed her. I didn't want to see that Takeuchi Yako's attitude, so I didn't go. Anyway, I've been here for several days, and only Tang Ying comes to talk to me every day. I haven't even seen the princess twice. When I got up today, I didn't have any change of clothes. Those people didn't say anything and just threw this set of clothes at me. I know it's a maid's uniform, but I only recognize Tang Ying here. Tang Ying went out with the princess again, and I don't recognize anyone else, so I can only wear this set—I can't just go around naked. What's infuriating is that as soon as I got dressed, someone led me to the main hall and made me listen to the steward's lecture with the other maids. In the end, those people inexplicably handed me a broom..."
Upon hearing this, Chen Xiao's face turned ashen, and he snorted.
"I suspect this was secretly ordered by Takeuchi Yako, a deliberate attempt to make things difficult for me. Tang Ying wouldn't bully me here, and I've barely even seen that prince, so he wouldn't deliberately mistreat a weak woman like me. It's only Takeuchi Yako; I've bumped into her a few times. She's always so rude. I argued with her on the ship, so she must be holding a grudge. I was left in the main hall to sweep the floor. I refused to do that; I'm not their servant, why are they treating me like this! I threw the broom down and was about to go back to my room, thinking that if you don't come back tonight, I'll leave and save myself the trouble of being treated like this. But as soon as I threw the broom down, the steward came over and scolded me for being lazy..."
After a pause, Zhang Xiaotao sighed, "That butler really seems to treat me like a servant."
Upon hearing this, Chen Xiao suddenly smiled, stood up from the water, and picked up a towel to dry himself.
"Let's go, let's get away from here."
“…Huh?” Zhang Xiaotao was taken aback. “You…didn’t you say that old man Takeuchi wanted to see you?”
Chen Xiao shook his head: "You're right. These people probably don't have good intentions. You know what? I went to Sekiryu-gu to look for you, and... sigh, let's not talk about it! I was almost used by these Japanese. I ran here from Sekiryu-gu, and I don't know what tricks these people are trying to use to keep me here. I'm too lazy to argue with these people. Now that I've found you, I don't want to stay here any longer. I'll take you away now, and then we'll go back to China."
Zhang Xiaotao cheered and hugged Chen Xiao, giving him a big kiss on the cheek. But then she suddenly looked miserable: "Oh dear! I've been your translator for so many days, and I haven't received a single penny of salary! After the shipwreck at sea, these Japanese people haven't mentioned pay at all. I was hoping to use this money to go shopping in Japan!"
Chen Xiao smiled and said softly, "Since you like to shop, let's leave here and not go back. I'll take you to Tokyo for a while. Anyway, we don't have anything urgent to do. I'll stay with you as long as you want."
He does have money now.
When they left the Senryu Palace, the Japanese packed a bundle for themselves, which contained some new changes of underwear. After Chen Xiao checked it, he found that there was also $10,000 in cash.
He didn't say anything and just accepted it—he had done the Shangchen family a huge favor by helping them fend off a powerful challenger, so it was only right that he get paid for his efforts! In his heart, he even thought the Shangchen family was stingy! If it weren't for him that day, the Shangchen family would have really lost face; giving only ten thousand US dollars was too stingy!
Later, before getting into the car, Ito Kyo gave him a bank account number and password, saying there was money in it as a token of gratitude from the Shangchen family. Chen Xiao's resentment lessened somewhat. However, they encountered Prince Hirohito on the way, and he didn't have a chance to check how much money was in that account.
The two left without hesitation. Chen Xiao didn't even bother to say goodbye to Prince Sato. He simply didn't want to have any further entanglements with these Japanese people, so he left without saying goodbye.
He is now considered a top-tier expert. If he wants to leave, there are no experts in Qiuji Palace. Although there are some guards, how can they compare to Chen Xiao?
Chen Xiao and Zhang Xiaotao changed clothes. Zhang Xiaotao took off her kimono and put on a Tang suit that Chen Xiao had bought in Kobe. Although it was a men's suit, it looked quite stylish. Chen Xiao smiled and said, "You look like a female knight-errant disguised as a man in a martial arts movie." Carrying Zhang Xiaotao, he easily scaled walls and rooftops, leaving Akikichi Palace. Zhang Xiaotao was carried around by Chen Xiao, feeling the wind whistling in her ears. Leaning against Chen Xiao's chest, she felt as if she were sitting on a cloud. When she opened her eyes, the two of them were already on the street outside Akikichi Palace. Akikichi Palace was already a hundred meters away behind them. Chen Xiao looked at the lanterns already hanging at the entrance and smiled, "Let's go, we'll go to Kyoto, and then take a train to Tokyo."
He was young at heart, and now that he suddenly had a close girlfriend, he simply put everything else out of his mind.
Less than a minute after walking along the road, they suddenly saw car lights flashing ahead. Chen Xiao immediately pulled Zhang Xiaotao behind a tree by the roadside. A car sped past on the road. Chen Xiao, hiding behind the tree, could clearly see that the car was heading towards Akikichi Palace. Sitting in the back of the car, through the window, he saw an old face. It was none other than the current head of the Shangchen family, the Imperial Sword Master Fan, the old man Takeuchi Fumizan.
"Hurry up, once Takeuchi Bunzan arrives, they'll soon find out I've run away." Chen Xiao smiled. "Although I'm not afraid of these people, it's better to avoid trouble if possible."
He pulled Zhang Xiaotao along the road and walked down.
But after walking less than a hundred steps, they suddenly heard a deafening roar coming from the direction of Akikichi Palace in the distance behind them!
boom!!!
After that loud bang, the ground seemed to shake a few times. Chen Xiao hugged Zhang Xiaotao and looked back in surprise. He saw a raging fire shooting into the sky at the end of the road, in the direction of Qiuji Palace. Thick smoke billowed out, and he could faintly hear some screams and cries. Then, the sound of explosions continued!
Chapter 205 of the main text: [Chasing the Mountain!!]
The towering fire turned the night sky red! The billowing smoke was terrifying even to look at from afar! The direction of the explosion was clearly right in the center of Akiochi Palace!
"I...I've seen a ghost!" Chen Xiao seemed to be stunned by the sudden scene before him, and subconsciously exclaimed. Then, he naturally glanced at Zhang Xiaotao beside him. Zhang Xiaotao was also horrified, her pretty face full of fear. She covered her mouth with one hand and stared wide-eyed into the distance.
"Yes, it's Akikichi-nomiya." Chen Xiao suddenly calmed down and said in a low voice.
Zhang Xiaotao looked somewhat lost, but the clever girl suddenly noticed something unsettling in Chen Xiao's eyes...
"It's Akikichi Palace." Chen Xiao's voice became firm, and he said in a deep voice, "Something happened at Akikichi Palace!"
"You..." Zhang Xiaotao's voice trembled slightly, but Chen Xiao had already pulled her and quickly ran to the roadside, found the biggest and thickest tree, held Zhang Xiaotao's slender waist with both hands, and said softly, "Wait for me under this tree, don't wander around, I'll go check and come back to find you soon."
As he turned to leave, Zhang Xiaotao grabbed his arm, her eyes filled with fear: "No! Don't go..." Chen Xiao took a deep breath and shook his head, saying, "I have to go."
Behind them, another violent explosion rang out, flames spread rapidly, and countless sharp screams could be heard in the distance.
"But...but we've all left." Zhang Xiaotao's eyes reddened, and she almost burst into tears.
Chen Xiao nodded; leaving was the right thing to do. He had also decided he couldn't be bothered with that prince anymore. As for the white glove commission... a month had already passed, so he wasn't in breach of contract.
However, at this moment, Chen Xiao gave an answer that required him to go back.
"Tang Ying".