A smile can topple a city

Chapter 43

"Sun...sets, close...close the gate..." the stammering man said, sounding aggrieved. The hinges opened, and the city gate slowly closed.

A guard rushed over: "Damn! I suddenly need to pee! Oh well, I'll just take care of it here!" He said, taking out his weapon to get to work. Just as he was doing his job, he heard the stutterer say, "Look, look, look..." He immediately flew into a rage and shouted, "Look at your head! Go home and take care of your own thing!" Before he finished speaking, he felt a thud on the back of his head and collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Ye Xiao and Luo Qingcheng bumped into the guard who was urinating, and fell down on the city gate with a thud, unable to get up for a long time. Ye Xiao finally managed to untie the ropes, got up, and touched his sore forehead: "Now I know, having one more person makes a difference."

Luo Qingcheng gently rubbed the bump on her head, then suddenly smiled and hugged her softly. The armored guards nearby looked at the two curiously: "What...what are you doing? The city gates are about to close!"

Ye grinned, "Yeah, yeah, we only flew in by taking a shortcut because we knew the city gates were about to close... otherwise... we might not have made it in time." He pulled Luo Qingcheng over and laughed, "We're in the fortress! Let's go in and meet up with the third brother!" They skipped and hopped into the city.

The guard who had fainted on the ground woke up and saw his captain beside him. Overwhelmed with grief, he said, "Captain... I just peed on the ground. Was it really necessary to knock me out with a big stick?"

The captain didn't speak, but looked in the direction the two had left, and whispered, "Send a message by carrier pigeon!"

The Sun Shines on the Lonely Cloud Fortress (Part 1)

After the three giants of the "fooling" group successfully joined forces.

Luo Qingcheng surveyed the streets within the castle, wide enough for five or six carriages to walk side by side, and gazed upon the magnificent, palatial buildings everywhere. He exclaimed with great admiration, "I wonder what kind of place this is? To think there's such a beautiful castle deep in the mountains..."

Xiao Xun turned around in surprise and stared at him with a look as if he were an idiot: "This is Lonely Cloud Fortress!"

Luo Qingcheng was slightly taken aback, then suddenly nodded: "That's right... In the whole world, only the incredibly wealthy Lonely Cloud Fortress could pull off such a grand gesture... Third brother, you're getting smarter and smarter!"

Ye Xiao sighed, walked behind him, and turned his head around. On the majestic city gate, two large, silver characters gleamed, grand and powerful: Lone Cloud.

Just past midnight, Luo Qingcheng was still fast asleep, vaguely hearing a little bird chirping noisily in his ear. Annoyed, he swatted the chattering bird away. The little bird persisted, chirping, "Get up...watch the sunrise..." Losing his patience, Luo Qingcheng pounced, pinning the restless creature beneath him, suffocating it completely, and continued his sweet dreams.

Ye Xie, struggling to breathe, writhed beneath Luo Qingcheng for a long time before finally freeing a hand to grab his ear. Luo Qingcheng finally let out a pained howl, angrily opening his eyes and leaping up. He met Ye Xiao's alluring gaze, immediately overjoyed, and hugged him tightly, wanting to continue lying down and dreaming. But then his ear stung, and he heard Ye Xiao shout, "Get up! It's time to watch the sunrise! If you're late, you won't see anything!"

Ye Xiao, feeling refreshed, sprinted up the mountain, quickly reaching the highest point. Luo Qingcheng followed behind, carrying the sleeping Xiao Xun on his back. Ye Xiao reached out and pinched Xiao Xun's ears one after the other. In the dim light of the day, Xiao Xun's ears were red and brittle from being pinched, like two blooming red flowers. But he remained unawakable. "Third brother is really amazing. I almost broke both his ears, and he can still sleep!" Ye Xiao exclaimed.

With a bang, Luo Qingcheng angrily threw Xiao Xun to the ground: "Why did you bring him here? He's sleeping like a log, he can't see anything!"

Xiao Xun woke up with a cry of surprise and asked excitedly, "What good stuff? What are you looking at?"

Luo Qingcheng rolled his eyes: "Third brother! You did this on purpose, didn't you? You pretended to be dead because you didn't want to climb the mountain, right?"

Xiao Xun shouted again, "It's coming out! It's coming out! So beautiful!"

Luo Qingcheng turned around. To the east of the mountain, a vast sea stretched out, merging seamlessly with the distant sky. At this moment, the water and sky merged into one, a point in the east tinged with a pale golden-red, shimmering with clouds and golden light. The sun, like a young girl, shyly peeked out from that point, revealing half its rosy face, slowly rising higher. The golden-red hue of the sky quickly spread outwards, becoming richer and more vibrant. Finally, the sun cast aside all its shyness and hesitation, leaping into the sky, transforming into a radiant golden sunrise, like a mature woman, radiant and benevolent, bestowing its blessings upon all things.

“Indeed, very… beautiful.” Luo Qingcheng stared intently at Ye Xiao, whose face, even her smile, was tinged with a golden-red hue. Her eyes were filled with soft, crimson light, with occasional golden glints.

“Definitely more than that.” Ye Xiao suddenly turned around and pointed inside the fortress. The sun had already risen high in the sky, its golden rays illuminating Lonely Cloud Fortress. Armored guards, lined up in long rows, were already training on the drill ground, weaving, fighting, advancing and retreating with perfect precision, like long dragons leaping and bounding across the training ground. Their armor, reflecting the rising sun, truly resembled dragon scales, shimmering and dazzling.

"The origin of Guyun Fortress, gleaming in the sunlight." Ye Xiao finally let out a long sigh, clearly quite proud, and explained the history of Guyun Fortress, "Guyun Fortress was originally a fortress of the previous dynasty, where the imperial army was stationed. Later, with the change of dynasties, this military camp was forgotten, and the soldiers retired to their hometowns. Over several generations, it was rebuilt into what it is today. Because most of the innkeepers are descendants of soldiers, they have always valued martial arts. Even now, as commoners, they still have a guard under the leadership of the fortress lord and continue to practice martial arts."

Xiao Xun, with his sharp eyes, suddenly exclaimed in surprise and laughed, "Some of the guards' armor is a different color than the others."

Ye Xiao said proudly, "Yes. Those wearing silver armor are Silver Armor Guards, whose martial arts are slightly better than Iron Armor Guards. The most skilled are Gold Armor Guards. There are very few of them, only about two or three. They rarely return to Lonely Cloud Fortress and mostly follow the fortress lord as his personal guards."

Luo Qingcheng remained silent for a while before saying, "According to you, wouldn't Guyun Fortress be an undeniable force in the martial arts world? However, apart from knowing that Guyun Fortress is wealthy, no one in the martial arts world has heard of it having any significant power."

Ye smiled and said, "Guyun Fortress has always kept a low profile and rarely gets involved in conflicts in the martial arts world. The current fortress lord, Long Aotian, is naturally arrogant and aloof, and he hardly associates with people in the martial arts world. He just makes money quietly."

“That is indeed a force that can be utilized… If I can bring it under my control, wouldn’t my revenge plan be a piece of cake?” Luo Qingcheng said in a low voice.

Ye Xiao's eyes dimmed, she turned to look at him, opened her mouth, but ultimately hesitated to speak.

"This building is the most magnificent and tallest building in the entire Lonely Cloud Fortress." Xiao Xun stood in front of a building that was several dozen feet tall, somewhat surprised. "Is this the residence of the Fortress Lord?"

Ye Xiao shook his head: "No, this is the message tower of Lonely Cloud Fortress."

"The news building?"

"You can buy and sell all kinds of useful information here." Ye Xiao led the two inside. Inside, there was a counter like in a regular shop, where a man was sitting and leisurely drinking tea.

"I have some information I want to sell." Ye Xiao walked to the counter, took out a small piece of paper, and handed it to the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and smiled faintly: "A wisp of fragrance? Very good. This young lady, please go to the accounting office and withdraw twenty taels of silver."

Ye Xiao didn't move, looking at the shopkeeper: "I still want to check some information, I want to go inside for an hour."

The shopkeeper slightly raised his eyelids: "This price is exorbitant. It will cost one thousand taels of silver..."

Ye Xiao was extremely disappointed. She groaned and hung her head dejectedly. Luo Qingcheng suddenly felt a pang of sympathy and gently patted her head, only to hear her whisper, "It's all because my kung fu is too bad. If I could defeat the manager of the News Tower, I could come and go from the News Tower at will without any time restrictions and read all kinds of news to my heart's content!"

Luo Qingcheng was slightly taken aback: "As long as we can defeat him, we can enter the information tower to check all kinds of information?"

Ye Xiao nodded and then shook his head: "Unfortunately, I could never defeat him in my entire life."

Luo Qingcheng slowly raised his head and looked at the man in front of the counter. His temples were bulging and his eyes were gleaming. His internal strength was indeed very high. However... he suddenly made a move, his figure approaching like a ghost. His fingers bloomed like flowers, passing through the man's palms that were blocking him in shock, and went straight for his throat. In an instant, he grabbed his throat.

"How is it?" Luo Qingcheng sneered, but compared to himself, he was still far inferior.

The man remained silent, letting cold sweat pour down his forehead, his eyes filled with rage as he stared intently at Luo Qingcheng.

Luo Qingcheng smugly withdrew his hand, but suddenly heard the sound of weapons clashing. He turned around and saw that a squad of armored guards had already surrounded the entire news building.

Luo Qingcheng was puzzled. It was just a martial arts sparring match, why make such a fuss? Suddenly, he heard the shopkeeper shout, "Someone has broken the rules and started a fight in the news tower... Captain Liu, please punish them according to the rules of the fortress!"

Luo Qingcheng's expression remained unchanged as he slowly turned around, his expression stern: "Didn't you say that if you could defeat the shopkeeper, you could enter the building and have unlimited access to all kinds of information? Is Guyun Fort going back on its word and trying to renege on its debt? Is Long Aotian some kind of despicable villain?"

A deathly silence fell over the building. Everyone stared at Luo Qingcheng as if he were an idiot. After a long while, the innkeeper said, "Insulting the fortress lord... that's an even more serious offense. Captain Liu, please punish him according to the rules; there must be no leniency..."

The leading armored guard sighed and said, "According to the rules of the fortress... young man, you should accept a fine of one thousand taels of silver..."

Luo Qingcheng gasped, looking at Ye Xiao suspiciously: "Xiao Xiao...didn't you say that defeating him would allow me to freely enter and leave Guyun Fortress? Has the rule of Guyun Fortress changed?"

Ye Xiao looked at Luo Qingcheng with infinite sympathy and said in a low voice, "That's right... However, this rule only applies to people from Guyun Fort... It doesn't apply to outsiders. Otherwise, people from the entire martial arts world would come and fight, and the News Tower would never have peace."

"Are you from Lonely Cloud Fortress?" Luo Qingcheng asked in surprise.

"Of course... didn't you notice how familiar I am with this?" Ye Xiao was even more surprised than him.

"..." Luo Qingcheng's chest tightened, and he almost fainted from anger. Wasn't she supposed to know everything? All along, it seemed she wouldn't find it strange that she knew anything... Just as he was feeling annoyed, he heard Xiao Xun gloatingly say in his ear, "Second brother, I've noticed you've become a lot dumber lately..."

Luo Qingcheng shut his mouth and remained silent. His recklessness just now was all because he saw Ye Xiao's dejected expression when he lowered his head, and his heart suddenly warmed. Without thinking, he made his move...

Captain Liu looked at Luo Qingcheng with great sympathy and laughed, "There's another way. If you don't have the money to pay the fine, I have a brilliant plan. If you're willing to become Miss Long's lover in Lonely Cloud Fortress, I guarantee she'll pay the fine for you. Young master, you're so handsome, you're sure to win Miss Long's heart... Then you'll live a life of luxury and wealth..."

"No!" Luo Qingcheng shouted in refusal.

Captain Liu was greatly disappointed: "This won't work, that won't work, there's only one last way left, you can do hard labor to pay off the debt... You can work hard for Miss Long, be her servant... Miss Long is very generous, if things go well, she'll pay you the money in a few days..."

The Sun Shines on the Lonely Cloud Fortress (Part 2)

The furnishings inside were different from those in the Biluo Pavilion of Langjing Manor. They were very exquisite but not ostentatious, exuding a dignified and noble air, which made them feel somewhat aloof. Two rows of clever-looking young maids stood obediently, ignoring the three people in front of them.

Miss Long arrived quite late, and she seemed a little sleepy, perhaps because she had just taken a nap. However, upon seeing Luo Qingcheng, her eyes quickly brightened and became sparkling.

“Young Miss… these are the three people who just violated the castle rules. They are willing to sell themselves into slavery to work for you and earn money to pay the fine…” Captain Liu said, bowing.

Luo Qingcheng looked up. She wasn't stunningly beautiful, but she was quite pretty, with a touch of allure. However, her gaze was rather unpleasant, fixed on him as if he were a piece of fat. Although, Luo Qingcheng was confident that he didn't have an ounce of fat on his body.

Miss Long looked at Luo Qingcheng with great satisfaction, then turned to look at Xiao Xun, even happier. But when she saw Ye Xiao, her face suddenly darkened, and she snorted, "Fine, take him to the backyard to arrange his lodgings!"

Ye laughed and said, "I know the backyard well, I'll go by myself. By the way, there are four of us. There's also a stunning beauty... As for dinner, I'll arrange it myself!"

Miss Long snorted darkly, then glared greedily at Luo Qingcheng for a couple more moments before leaning back comfortably in her chair. She enjoyed the rhythmic back massage from her maids while eating the stewed bird's nest they fed her. Finally, she let out a satisfied "Mmm," and boasted coquettishly, "It's so delicious and good for your complexion! My brother is so thoughtful, buying dozens of kilograms of bird's nest and sending it back... I could eat this every day for years..."

Ye Xiao rolled his eyes in disdain and quickly led his two brothers out.

"This is... Long Aotian's daughter? She looks like a precious treasure?" Luo Qingcheng asked.

Ye Xiao sighed, "No... she's the fortress lord's sister... his cousin."

Outside the gate, Captain Liu turned into the street corner. A handsome young man saw him and asked eagerly, "Brother-in-law, how is it? Is Miss satisfied with him?"

Captain Liu suppressed his elation and nodded gravely: "Finally, we've found a scapegoat..."

The handsome young man was overjoyed and suddenly jumped up and cheered, "Great! I can finally escape the clutches of that wicked woman!" Then he knelt down on the ground, muttered to himself to the sky, and kept kowtowing.

Captain Liu sighed and said, "And... another piece of good news: the person who could deal with Miss Long has returned..."

The handsome young man froze for a moment, then suddenly burst into tears, choking out, "Finally, my day has come..."

Ye Xiao helped the two men make the bed, but still didn't leave, just staring blankly at them.

Luo Qingcheng turned his head, his gaze softening: "Xiaoxiao... it's getting late, go to sleep..."

Ye Xiao sighed: "You guys are here... you won't just disappear after one night, like many of my friends have done before, will you?"

Xiao Xun was stunned for a moment, then loudly assured Ye Xiao, "What a joke! How could that be? Who would dare to touch two of the world's greatest masters?!"

Luo Qingcheng's mind raced for a moment before he said, "Uh...it's not impossible...maybe we were suddenly possessed by an evil spirit last night, and they'll be gone when you come to see us tomorrow morning..."

Ye Xiaosu suddenly raised her eyebrows, clenched her small fists, clearly somewhat angry, and remained silent for a long time.

After thinking for a while, Xiao Xun suddenly understood Luo Qingcheng's implied meaning and quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes, boss, you should sleep with us and keep an eye on us, lest we get dragged away by something..."

Ye Xiao's face darkened and he remained silent.

After a while, Xiao Xun's grief-stricken cry came from inside the room: "No... Boss! It was Qingcheng who proposed it! I just seconded it... You can just tie him up, I'm always obedient, I won't run away, and I won't be tricked away..." On another bed, Luo Qingcheng, who was also tied up like a dumpling, closed his eyes resignedly and didn't say a word.

Hou Yexiao left, and Xiao Xun struggled to gather his strength a few times, angrily saying, "I don't know what kind of rope the boss used to tie me up... It's so tight, I can't break free..."

Luo Qingcheng chuckled softly: "Black Gold Chain. Xiaoxiao really cares about me too much, she's afraid of losing me..." Suddenly, he pulled out the dagger, and with a soft clang, Luo Qingcheng got out of bed.

"Second brother? You're out? Can you use your dagger to set me free too? It's really uncomfortable sleeping like this..."

Luo Qingcheng patted Xiao Xun: "I have some things to take care of. You're free anyway, so why not just sleep?" With that, he vanished in a flash.

Xiao Xun sighed, finding his second brother's words quite reasonable, so he closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep.

As soon as Luo Qingcheng stepped out, he saw a sneaky little shadow flash by. He couldn't help but smile and followed it quietly.

Ye Xiao approached a large clump of bushes near the news tower, quietly parted them, and suddenly vanished. Luo Qingcheng was startled and quickly went to check, but found nothing unusual. However, having witnessed Ye Xiao disappear from there, he patiently searched high and low for a long time before finally discovering a hole hidden by tree branches somewhere on the ground.

Luo Qingcheng quietly slipped into the cave entrance, entering a narrow passage barely large enough to accommodate his body. Using his contortionist skills, he finally crawled like an earthworm to the top of the passage, touched a small door, and gently pushed it open. A cool breeze rushed out, carrying the rich scent of books and a faint musty smell. Luo Qingcheng jumped out of the passage and found himself standing amidst rows and rows of wooden bookshelves, countless scrolls and volumes displayed on them.

A faint sound came from behind her. Luo Qingcheng turned around and saw Ye Xiao. She was searching for something on the bookshelf with a small tinderbox. Suddenly, she let out a low cheer, pulled a file from the tall shelf, and began to look through it, clearly having found what she was looking for. Luo Qingcheng tiptoed over, about to call out to her, when she suddenly froze. In the dim light of the tinderbox, four large characters were clearly visible on the thin file: "The Twin Beauties of the Xiao Family."

Luo Qingcheng felt as if something had suddenly struck his chest, causing a splitting pain. His mind was in turmoil, with countless fragments of memories stabbing at him, each with sharp edges, making his head ache terribly.

A series of hurried footsteps interrupted Luo Qingcheng's painful memories. Luo Qingcheng came back to his senses and found that Ye Xiao in front of him suddenly looked panicked, quickly rolled up the dossier, and ran towards him at high speed. However, it was too late. A figure quickly turned out and rushed towards Ye Xiao.

Luo Qingcheng darted like a bat, scooped up Ye Xiao, flew onto the crossbeam, stretched out his body, pressed himself tightly against the thick crossbeam, spread Ye Xiao out and piled him on top of himself, holding him tightly.

"It's you." Ye Xiao recognized Luo Qingcheng and didn't bother to investigate how he escaped; she was simply overjoyed. The man suddenly lost his bearings, looking around with a bewildered expression as he held up his candle. Luo Qingcheng turned and recognized him as the manager of the Message Tower. It seemed this must be inside the Message Tower.