Fengcheng Flying General

Chapter 55

Meng Yuanjing went straight back to the Minister's residence. Upon seeing him, his mother exclaimed with delight, "Yuanjing, today I personally met Lord Wang's daughter. Her appearance and character are truly..."

Meng Yuanjing didn't have time to listen carefully, and only said, "Mother, I have something to do. You can make these decisions yourself."

Seeing her son's hurried appearance, Mencius' mother knew he was busy with official business, so she said, "Alright, I'll make the decision. Marriage is a major event that parents should decide."

Meng Yuanjing sat in his study for a while when he was suddenly informed that Wang Jun had come to visit.

He was a little surprised and immediately invited Wang Jun into the study.

The two sat down and exchanged a few pleasantries. Wang Jun said, "Yuan Jing, we're old friends, so let's get straight to the point. There's something I've wanted to ask you for a long time, but I've kept it to myself..."

"What is it?"

Is Junyu a man or a woman?

Meng Yuanjing did not speak. Although he already knew Junyu's identity, Junyu herself had never admitted to it. How could he admit it on her behalf to outsiders before she did?

He neither confirmed nor denied it, only saying, "Could it be that Brother Wang also has some doubts?"

Wang Jun said, "To be honest, the person I admire most in my life is Junyu. I have never doubted him. However, the Emperor's suspicions about Junyu are growing deeper and deeper..."

Meng Yuanjing nodded. The emperor's decision to execute Tuosang en route was naturally based on political considerations. However, if Junyu received the news, she would not stand idly by. Once she intervened, the emperor would know the truth. At that point, Tuosang's death would be insignificant, but Junyu would likely also be in great danger.

Where exactly is Junyu?

Meng Yuanjing said with a wry smile, "I haven't heard from her for a long time either."

He pondered to himself, since Junyu had neither returned to Phoenix Village nor appeared at the Holy Palace, where could she have gone? Escorting Tuosang to the capital was a top-secret matter, and he feared she wouldn't receive the news for some time. Now, he could only pray that she would never know about this matter and never fall into such a perilous situation.

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Chapter 153: Death and Separation (3)

Zhu Yu galloped on horseback for over a hundred miles before stopping. There were special marks left by Zhang Yaoxing along the way, but the marks abruptly ended there, indicating that something had clearly happened along the way and the group had not reached Yuzhou Prefecture.

Ahead lay a fork in the road. He carefully examined the messy marks and bloodstains around him, then immediately turned his horse around and chased after the other direction.

After chasing for another hundred miles, he found more marks left by Zhang Yaoxing along the way. By then, it was already evening. He followed the marks to a long-abandoned dilapidated temple in the suburbs.

Upon arriving at the temple gate, he sensed a wary atmosphere. He knocked three times lightly, a special communication method commonly used by the Thousand Machines Sect, which he had only learned during his mission to capture Tuosang at the Holy Palace. Immediately, Zhang Yaoxing opened the temple gate and whispered, "Lord Zhu, we've been spotted..."

Zhang Yaoxing suffered a knife wound to one arm, and more than half of the dozen or so members of the Thousand Machine Sect who accompanied him had been killed, leaving only five. His personal monk was also gone.

"What kind of force is it?"

"It seems the Holy Palace intends to forcibly repatriate Bokdo..."

Xia Ao dragged his iron bar and strode over: "You scoundrel, you're spouting nonsense again! Those thieves aren't from the Holy Palace at all. It was you who conspired to harm my Bokdo in every possible way, and you even put on a show..."

He was very tall, with large bloodstains on his robe. The dilapidated temple was gloomy and almost reached the roof. In his anger, he dragged the iron rod and was about to swing it at Zhang Yaoxing, causing dust to fall from the roof.

Sitting silently with his eyes closed amidst the tangled weeds nearby, Tuosang whispered, "Stop!"

Xia Ao glared fiercely at Zhang Yaoxing and Zhu Yu, then dragged the iron bar back.

Zhu Yu waved his hand: "The two of you go out and find something to eat. Be careful. The rest of you, stay outside and be on guard."

Xia Ao looked at Tuo Sang, who nodded, and then followed the others out.

Tuosang remained seated, chanting sutras with his eyes closed, without moving an inch.

Zhu Yu stared at him for a long time, then laughed and said, "Tuo Sang, you truly live up to your reputation as a Bokdo. You can die without even flinching."

Tuosang slowly opened his eyes, his gaze sharp and piercing: "You think you can harm her?"

"You underestimate me too much."

“I’m not looking down on you, but I trust Junyu. Although you are ruthless, you are not as capable or intelligent as her, and she will never be fooled by your sweet words!”

Zhu Yu burst into laughter: "How could I allow someone I hate to live in this world? Now that Junyu is dead, your life or death is none of my concern..."

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Chapter 154: Death and Separation (4)

Tuosang slowly raised his shackled hands. He knew that Zhu Yu had gone to Shu with a heart full of resentment, and he had also witnessed Zhu Yu's methods of executing Yangjin. He said he didn't believe it, but Zhu Yu's laughter was like a sharp thorn piercing his heart. Just hearing the words "Junyu is dead" had almost driven him mad.

When Zhu Yu saw Tuosang's almost frenzied state for the first time, he laughed even more triumphantly. His internal injuries had not yet healed, and he had been running wildly for most of the day. With this laugh, his blood rushed to his head, and he couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood.

Seeing his pale face and the fact that he was seriously injured, Tuosang knew he had been through a fight, and he felt even more frightened. Suddenly, he saw the genuine and profound sadness in his eyes after the smile had disappeared.

Tuosang had already made great progress in cultivating his mind-calming technique. He immediately realized that someone who had just committed a great evil would never have such a look in their eyes. He sighed, sat back down, and closed his eyes.

Zhu Yu was furious: "Tuo Sang, what do you mean by this?"

Tuosang remained silent with his eyes closed.

"Junyu must be blind to like a bald monk like you who doesn't even care about her life or death!"

Tuosang completely ignored his roar and after a long while said, "I've finally figured something out! How could someone who was willing to jump with her during an avalanche bring himself to harm her?!"

Zhu Yu felt as if someone had stabbed him in the heart. He slumped down and leaned against the wall of the dilapidated temple, closing his eyes like Tuosang, unable to speak for a long time.

…………

The sky had completely darkened. Xia Ao, Zhang Yaoxing, and the others rested in the outer room of the dilapidated temple.

Zhu Yu straightened up, walked over, and untied Kai Sang's handcuffs.

Originally, according to etiquette and custom, even a deposed Bokdo should have been secretly escorted to the capital with the utmost courtesy. At that time, Zhu Yu harbored extreme hatred for Tuosang and privately and forcibly put handcuffs on him. This was not out of fear that Tuosang would escape, but rather to humiliate him, which was one of the reasons why the entire Holy Palace was even more dissatisfied.

Just as Zhu Yu was freed from his shackles, Tuosang suddenly grabbed him. The blow he had delivered to his chest had already caused a serious injury, and the force of his wild laughter had made his heart feel like it was about to burst. Now that Tuosang had him in his grasp, he was completely immobilized.

He shouted angrily, "Tuo Sang, what do you want to do?"

Tuosang ignored him and placed a hand on his back. Zhu Yu felt a warm sensation rise from his back, instantly making him feel incredibly comfortable. He immediately understood Tuosang's intention and became even more enraged, struggling violently: "Damn bald monk, let go..."

After Tuosang practiced calming his mind, his skill improved even more than before. Even when Zhu Yu was in good condition, he was far from being a match for her. Now that he was injured, how could he possibly struggle even a little bit?

Seeing that he was struggling fiercely, Tuosang simply sealed his acupoints and stuffed a pill into his mouth. It took half an hour before he was able to release the acupoints.

Zhu Yu stood up. He hated Tuosang to the bone and would rather die than accept his favor. Yet, in this situation, Tuosang forcibly used his internal energy to heal his injuries. He was filled with hatred and anger and attacked Tuosang with a palm: "Damn bald monk, why are you doing this?"

Tuosang dodged the palm strike and stared at him: "Your unscrupulous and despicable actions are not worth saving..."

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Chapter 155: Repaying Her Favor (1)

Zhu Yu stared at him and sneered, "Tuo Sang, do you think I would feel guilty for framing you? No, I feel no guilt at all. You are a Buddhist monk but your mind is not pure. You violated the rules and regulations first. You deserve what you got."

Tuosang nodded, his heart pounding for the first time already violating heavenly laws: "I deserve my punishment, I should have been punished by Buddha long ago. In this matter, apart from the innocent Yangjin and Zhu Yu, you did nothing wrong. However, you still don't deserve to be saved. I am not a saint. The reason I say this is simply because 'she' owes you a great debt of gratitude, so I'm repaying it to you!"

Zhu Yu sneered, "Tuo Sang, you don't need to pretend. She doesn't owe me anything, and even if she did, it's none of your business to repay it..."

"The debt she owes me is the debt I owe her! You jumped with her during the avalanche, that debt of gratitude is too heavy, so I forgive everything you did before, from now on we are strangers, and have nothing to do with each other..."

"The debt she owes is the debt I owe!" Zhu Yu's mind went blank upon hearing this. He recalled the blossoming laughter of Jun Yu as they ran hand in hand out of the secret passage of the secret room—a tenderness and charm she had never shown to him or anyone else. In an instant, Zhu Yu felt a tightness in his chest, unable to utter a single word in rebuttal. The internal injuries he had just managed to calm seemed to tear open again in his heart.

He looked at Tuosang. Although Tuosang's identity had been revoked and he was almost a prisoner, when he said, "The debt she owes is the debt I owe," his expression was so happy and matter-of-fact.

Even more heartbroken, Zhu Yu said, "Tuo Sang, your hypocritical saintly demeanor is truly repulsive. Just looking at you makes me sick..." He then laughed smugly, "Fortunately, you'll never see her again in this lifetime! Just thinking about that makes me feel incredibly happy, you bald monk..."

He suddenly remembered that he had once scolded Junyu, saying, "I find your saintly appearance extremely repulsive." His heart ached, and he could no longer speak. He turned around and looked at the night outside.

Tuosang shook his head, closed his eyes, and sat motionless on the ground, unable to even continue chanting the scriptures. He had rambled on with Zhu Yu about a bunch of nonsense, but only this one sentence was true: "You will never see her again in this lifetime!"

"I hope she's alright now! I hope she never finds out about this and never gets into any danger again!" He sighed deeply in his heart as night completely enveloped the dilapidated temple outside the window.

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Chapter 156: Repaying Her Favor (2)

At the agreed location, as soon as Meng Yuanjing entered, Shi Hongni immediately closed the door herself, and sitting behind her was her sister, Shi Lanni.

After the three sat down, Shi Lanni said, "Brother, rumors are flying all over the palace right now. They all say that Young Master Jun is a woman disguised as a man. Although the Emperor has ordered that no one should talk about it, rumors can't be stopped in private. They all say that Young Master Jun is afraid of his identity being exposed, so he resigned from his post and went into seclusion. I'm afraid he won't return to court after a year's leave. Brother, you and Young Master Jun are childhood friends. Do you know his true identity?"

Meng Yuanjing did not answer, but asked instead, "Lan Ni, has someone made things difficult for you sisters again?"

Shi Hongni quickly said, "These days, Consort Mei has become pregnant with the emperor's child, and now even the Empress is wary of her. There are rumors that her father is making moves, and I'm afraid that if Young Master Jun doesn't return, he will take over as the Grand Marshal of the Army. At that time, I'm afraid..." She thought for a moment and then added, "Young Master Jun has saved my sister twice. If he were in court, he would definitely help us sisters."

Consort Mei comes from a family of noble lineage, and her father holds considerable military power. If she were to have another son, coupled with the Empress, she would be caught in a double bind. Despite the beauty and favor of the Emperor, the Shi sisters would likely be in a precarious situation.

Now, the two sisters share the same thought: they hope that Junyu and their cousin are both in the court, wielding great military power, which would be a great deterrent to the other concubines.

Shi Lanni asked, "Brother, do you think Young Master Jun will return to the court after his vacation ends?"

Meng Yuanjing shook his head: "I'm afraid she won't come back."

Shi Lanni's beautiful face dimmed slightly: "Brother, could it be that Young Master Jun is really a woman?"

"Lan Ni, don't worry. Even if Jun Yu isn't here, Wang Jun and I are still here. No one will dare to bully you."

Seeing that their cousin didn't give a direct answer and they couldn't get any more information from him, the two sisters had no choice but to give up.

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Chapter 157: Repaying Her Favor (3)

After his conversation with his cousin, Meng Yuanjing felt depressed and returned home under the blazing sun.

In the garden of the Minister's residence, hundreds of flowers bloomed, and the air was filled with the fragrance of their robes. The ladies coming and going made the garden even more beautiful and vibrant.

This was a flower party that Mencius' mother had planned for a long time. She invited many daughters of prominent families in the capital, especially those "key candidates" she had chosen who had been presented with paintings by matchmakers. She did not miss a single one of them.

These days, she has been busy running around for her son's marriage. Although there are many candidates she likes, her son won't even glance at any of them.

Although her son allowed her to make the decision, she thought of her younger brother, who had suffered from an unhappy marriage for over twenty years and ultimately died young. Because of this, she desperately wanted her son to have a happy marriage.

She herself was most fond of Wang Hanlin's daughter and had mentioned it to her son many times, but her son was always distracted. Therefore, she specially organized this flower show, under the guise of flower viewing, so that her son could meet the daughters of various families and hopefully choose one he liked.