“‘A shower of flowers.’ Natural wind. Flying catkins.” Mo Xi silently recited these words, slowly forming a train of thought.
Suddenly her eyes lit up, and she looked up to meet Tang Huan's gaze. She said solemnly, "If I help you overcome this problem and then help you hold off your pursuers, can you spare my life?"
Tang Huan sighed inwardly. When he placed the potted green plant in the study, he had considered that if it really was her, he wouldn't attack her unless she made the first move. However, her display of martial arts was actually to help him, making her fickle intentions too difficult to fathom. Normally, he could be cautious, but now he couldn't afford the slightest mistake and had no choice but to strike first. He nodded, gazing into her eyes, and solemnly said, "I'll give you half an antidote later, which will keep you safe for three months. Within these three months, if the design of 'Rain of Flowers' is improved according to your method, I will completely cure you."
Mo Xi was seething with resentment. Even if she forced him to hand over the antidote now, it wouldn't make a difference. Who knew what it was? She couldn't just eat it to see. What if feeding it to the little mouse turned out to be the real antidote? Or what if it wasn't an antidote at all, just a trick to fool her, and had no poison at all? Or perhaps it was some other poison that wouldn't take effect for a year or two. And to make matters worse, this antidote was a Tang Clan patent, impossible to find anywhere else. And she didn't even know what kind of poison she had been given.
This guy has a brilliant plan: to make her his bodyguard for free for three months. He's being chased like a madman right now; what if she's not watching him and gets herself killed? Who will she cry to then? Or what if he, the Fourth Young Master, decides to run off to Sichuan to reclaim his lost territories? Is she supposed to travel all the way to his territory to chase after the antidote? What kind of nonsense is this!
"How can I know that the poison in my body has been completely cured?" Mo Xi frowned, staring intently into Tang Huan's eyes.
"I'll find a doctor to treat the dead for free. Xue Tong will give you a diagnosis certificate, okay?" Tang Huan's tone was surprisingly gentle, like an adult trying to coax a child with candy.
Xue Tong's original nickname was "He who cures the undead pays," but because it was too difficult to pronounce, it was gradually changed by people in the martial arts world. The original meaning was that he should pay a fee as long as the patient didn't die. Although he was a quack doctor, he at least had some basic professional ethics. The changed nickname meant that if someone unfortunately died as a result of his treatment, he would generously forgo the fee and keep it for funeral expenses. This irresponsible quack doctor had countless patients seeking his medical advice every day. However, because he was elusive, it was considered short to wait ten days or half a month for him to make a house call; it wouldn't be surprising if his grave grew overgrown with weeds by then. It wasn't surprising that Tang Huan had a relationship with him; the Tang Clan's more than a hundred pharmacies weren't owned for nothing.
"How do I know he's not with you?" Mo Xi asked a question that she considered purely technical. Finding a third party to intervene was indeed a good idea, but who could guarantee that their stance would be impartial?
But Tang Huan felt differently upon hearing this, and said softly, "Believe it or not." She tilted her head slightly, pursed her lips, and ignored Mo Xi. If Green Cloud saw this scene, her eyes would probably pop out of their sockets. The young master was always polite to everyone, and even if he didn't like someone, he would find another opportunity to stab them in the back. When had he ever given anyone a hard time to their face?
Mo Xi was immediately bewildered. She was the one who had been poisoned, and she hadn't even shown any anger yet. What kind of spoiled brat was this guy acting like? Could there really be something fishy going on here? Was Tang Huan feigning anger out of guilt to lure her into a trap?
But Mo Xi couldn't think of any other way for the time being. She couldn't follow him around every day, and if she sensed anything was wrong, she could use her last breath to drag him to his death. Circumstances were beyond her control, so she had to take it easy for now. In any case, the negotiations had made progress. Feeling that she had temporarily saved her life, Mo Xi crawled out of Tang Huan's arms and readily released his pressure points.
Tang Huan, having had his acupoints released, remained sitting on the ground, lost in thought.
A storm is brewing
( ) It took Tang Huan quite a while to feel a burning, thieving gaze fixed on him. Startled, he chuckled and said, "Here's the antidote. People praise, 'Even in death, a chivalrous spirit remains, worthy of the world's heroes.' Are you the only one who fears death?" His tone was teasing, and his words dispelled the awkwardness of the moment, easing the tension. After all, he had poisoned her first, and they would still need to cooperate in the future, so they should still act as gentlemen. He had simply been momentarily caught off guard by the emptiness in his heart.
Mo Xi disagreed, saying, "Since you quoted Li Bai's 'Ode to the Knight-Errant,' how could you not know this line: 'After accomplishing the deed, he dusts off his clothes and departs, concealing his person and name.' I should not have been born. It is already a blessing from heaven that I was able to survive. I should cherish this life."
After saying that, she turned around and went to release Green Cloud's pressure points.
Tang Huan felt the dazed feeling from before return. He had said that last sentence countless times to himself during countless nights of enduring inhuman pain while treating his leg injury, and in countless moments of despair when he wanted to give up. Who would have thought that someone would say it so casually in front of him today, word for word!
(This is truly a case of the slightest difference leading to a huge discrepancy, Tang! Someone was transported to another world by a prank cat, and you can still relate to that? Besides, why don't you relate to the first part? The so-called "things are over" just means that after you're done for, they just wave their sleeves and leave without taking a single piece of cotton candy.)
Green Clouds slowly awoke, and the first thing she saw was Mo Xi's smiling, curved eyebrows. Seeing that the young master was unharmed, though his expression was unreadable, she felt a slight pang of doubt, but still breathed a sigh of relief and calmed down. She stood up and, rather unladylike, swung her arms, stomped her feet, and turned her neck. This helped to relieve the blockage in her blood and energy. She knew the young master had acted first, so she didn't resent Mo Xi's actions; instead, she felt a pang of guilt.
Tang Huan noticed Mo Xi's ambiguous gaze shifting between Lü Yun and him, and immediately understood that Mo Xi was waiting for her to do the same unseemly thing. But she wouldn't have it! So, she forced herself to circulate blood through her uterus, and after a moment stood up. She took out a clear, water-like blue-flowered jade bottle from her bosom, poured out a round, fragrant pill, and tossed it to Mo Xi. Seeing her swallow it without hesitation, Tang Huan felt a surge of joy.
At this moment, Ah Hen cleared his throat twice outside before lifting a corner of the curtain and peering into the cabin with a shifty look.
Tang Huan coughed lightly and asked, "Is there any news?"
"We have just received a secret report from Group A, who were stationed in Wuyi Lane: The young master led two hundred men to besiege Jiqiao Pavilion for a full hour, but finally lost patience and ordered a full-scale attack. More than half of his men were lost, and the remaining men are resting and waiting for orders."
Tang Huan nodded and fell into deep thought.
Mo Xi knew it was only a matter of time before Tang Li's forces were worn down in Jinling. But timing was crucial in this struggle. The most advantageous scenario for Tang Huan was for Tang Li to perish before Tang Yun's reinforcements arrived, allowing Tang Huan to temporarily avoid the conflict and observe the struggle between the Tang Clan and the Yuejian Clan. After the fighting subsided, he could then step forward as the only surviving direct descendant of the Tang family, either turning the tide, resolving the conflict, or leading his clan to rebuild their home and restore morale. In any case, ascending to the position of sect leader would be a piece of cake. However, the most crucial element was that Tang Yun had to die in this battle. Once Tang Yun and his son Tang Li were dead, Tang Huan could secretly spread rumors and control public opinion, claiming that Tang Li had first brought disaster upon the Tang Clan, then disregarded the safety of the entire clan for personal gain, and later fled on his own. Tang Huan's delay in returning to the Tang Clan was due to Tang Li's disregard for the greater good. At a time when the entire clan's survival hung in the balance, Tang Li, driven by personal greed, attempted to eliminate Tang Huan, a rival. Left with no other option, Tang Huan retaliated in self-defense, ruthlessly killing Tang Li to ensure his swift return and protection of the Tang Clan. This would make his actions seamless. Even if the Tang Clan elders were fully aware of the underhanded dealings, they would turn a blind eye. Tang Li was ambitious but incompetent, jealous of talent and ability. In contrast, Tang Huan had shone brightly in this battle. With his intelligence, decisiveness, and patience, how could he not revitalize the Tang Clan in time? The elders would not tarnish Tang Huan's reputation with any stain, especially with the deaths of Tang Yun and Tang Li and the Tang Clan's severely damaged prestige, thus personally extinguishing any hope for the Tang Clan's future.
In the era of cold weapons, unlike modern warfare where air raids and bombings are impossible, warfare was easier to defend than to attack, especially in a heavily fortified place like Tangjiabao, with traps and defenses at every turn. While the Yuejian Sect members were all exceptionally brave, fighting in a foreign land meant they were already exhausted, unlike the Tang Sect which could wait in comfort. Furthermore, the Tang Sect held a significant geographical advantage, leading to a stalemate that was difficult to predict. Unless Tang Huan planted forces within Tangjiabao, causing the Tang Sect to collapse from within, the Yuejian Sect could launch a rapid and unstoppable advance. However, the delicate balance was the most difficult to strike. A city could be destroyed overnight, but it would take a century to rebuild. Tang Huan destroyed his own city, massacred his own homeland, and disturbed the spirits of the Tang Sect's ancestors! His attack was devastating! As the saying goes, when the nest is overturned, no egg remains unbroken; this was a move that would kill a thousand while losing eight hundred of his own!
That blueprint was precisely his vision for reconstruction! This man was far more cunning and ruthless than his seemingly gentle and harmless appearance. Mo Xi secretly resolved that it was best to stay far away from such a highly lethal weapon as soon as possible.
As the saying goes, "No destruction, no construction," so by using the sharpest weapon from others, one can achieve destruction before construction. This not only purges the Tang Clan from within, but if the cleanup is done well, it can also serve as an opportunity to establish Tang Clan's authority. The timing and number of reinforcements sent by Tang Yun to aid Tang Li depend on two factors: first, the importance of Tang Li in Tang Yun's eyes; and second, the situation between the Tang Clan and the Yuejian Clan. If the Yuejian Clan launches a full-scale attack on Tang Family Fortress and can prevent any Tang Family Fortress force from breaking through to rescue Tang Li, then Tang Huan can rest easy. Tang Huan's Tang Clan members, under the pretext of investigating the stolen blueprints, have already withdrawn from the Tang Clan, thus preserving their strength. The Yuejian Clan will also be severely weakened by this battle and will likely choose to recuperate, no longer troubling Tang Huan. Moreover, in Xiao Qingyuan's mind, his beloved daughter died tragically because of Tang Li. The grievances have their source, the debts have their debtors; eliminating Tang Yun and his son should already appease his hatred. After all, people in the martial arts world believe in leaving a way out for everything, so that they can meet again in the future. A truly devastating case of wiping out an entire family is mostly caused by a huge disparity in strength between the two sides, so it is not very common.
However, given how much Tang Yun cherishes his only son, he will most likely send troops to Jinling to support the Tang Clan before the Yuejian Sect can encircle them. This would lead to the worst-case scenario: Tang Huan would face a pincer attack from both Tang Li's forces and Tang Yun's reinforcements before he could even eliminate Tang Li. Meanwhile, the Tang Clan, fighting on home ground against the Yuejian Sect, would suffer heavy casualties due to insufficient manpower left behind, leaving the entire Tang Clan devastated and struggling to recover.
Tang Sect's Scheme
( ) The Chongyao Terrace was brightly lit, illuminating Tang Yun's sallow face. His appearance, though over fifty years old, seemed to have withered overnight. Seeing Tang De enter, he impatiently waved away the two maids who were bandaging his shoulder injury and ordered them to leave.
This injury was nothing to Tang Yun, who had almost fought his entire life.
"Have the casualties in the outer city been tallied?"
"Reporting to Your Excellency, the five thousand men stationed outside the city have been almost completely wiped out. Only three hundred survivors remain, most of whom are still wounded and unable to fight any longer." Tang De, having followed Tang Yun for many years, was quite experienced and remained calm even in this critical moment.
Speaking of Tangjiabao's outer city, it was built by Tang Chong, the second leader of the Tang Clan. Tang Chong was a man of great foresight. In the past, Mu Yanzhai once listed the most distinguished figures of the ten great families in the martial arts world and gave Tang Chong an eight-character evaluation: "Wearing coarse clothes but possessing great talent, he accumulated knowledge and experience before unleashing it."
The commentary by He Shang Gong states: "Those who wear coarse clothes have a thin exterior; those who carry jade have a thick interior. They conceal their treasures within, not showing them to others." This means wearing rough clothes while carrying precious jade. At that time, the Tang Clan, under the leadership of its first founder, Tang Fan, rose rapidly in the martial arts world, forming an unstoppable new force. As a rising star in the martial arts world, the Tang Clan boasted a wealth of talent. Tang Chong, initially unremarkable amidst the abundance of talented individuals in Tangjiabao, unexpectedly became a dark horse in the competition for the sect leader, ascending to the position of the second leader of the Tang Clan at the age of thirty. During his thirty-year tenure, Tang Chong focused on expanding Tangjiabao, creating its current layout with the Yao River separating the inner and outer cities. Before the outer city was developed, the Yao River served as the moat of what is now the inner city of Tangjiabao. This river was painstakingly excavated, its waters flowing around the city, with a deep network of waterways at the bottom to trigger mechanisms. The river was so wide that even top-tier masters of lightness skill could not cross it. Therefore, although the outer city of Tangmen had fallen in just three days, the inner city remained safe and sound.
Tang Yun, who was in the inner city of Tang Family Fortress at that moment, never expected that the outer city of Tang Clan would fall within three days. His elite troops were almost completely wiped out. Now, those left to guard the inner city were all Tang Clan elites, but they could only be mobilized with the consent of the Elder Council, and even he, as the sect leader, could not make the decision on his own.
"How is Li'er doing? Has there been any news from Jinling?" Tang Yun was frantic with worry but helpless. His son was good in every way, except for being too impulsive, which led him to fall for that bastard Tang Huan's trick. Fortunately, he had already sent his five hundred personal guards to reinforce Tang Li when he received news of the Yuejian Sect gathering its forces. They should have arrived in Jinling by now.
"Reporting to Your Excellency, the journey to Jinling is long, and the message sent by carrier pigeon has not yet arrived." Tang De remained calm and unhurried.
Tang Yun couldn't help but shed tears when he thought of his only son. Perhaps he was really getting old, as the fighting during the day had left him exhausted.
"Go and invite the elders here to discuss the defense of the inner city." Suddenly, Tang Yun noticed that the once pristine white bandages were now soaked in blood in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Even with his usual composure, he couldn't help but change color. As the commander-in-chief, Tang Yun, though leading from the front and with his personal guards protecting him at the cost of their lives, had only suffered a minor injury to his shoulder, the wound barely an inch long and not deep. The Tang Clan's secret wound-healing medicine was a holy grail for stopping bleeding; it shouldn't have come to this, unless…
His venomous gaze swept over Tang De, and seeing that although Tang De still kept his head down as usual, his expression showed no respect whatsoever, he couldn't help but hiss and shout, "You dare to betray me! Betray the Tang Clan!"
"Master, please calm your anger. This old servant did indeed betray you, but I did not betray the Tang Clan." Tang De stopped pretending, straightened his usually hunched back, and looked back at Tang Yun without fear. In that instant, his aura changed dramatically, and he stood tall and imposing, displaying the demeanor of a master.
Tang Yun tried to leap up, but after a moment's effort, he collapsed back onto the bed. Suppressing his horror, he roared, "What drug did you give me?"
Tang De did not answer, but said, "Master, there is no need to waste your energy. Apart from this old servant, everyone else needs to announce their presence before entering Chongyao Terrace. Even if you shout until your voice is hoarse, not a single person will show up." As Tang Yun's chief steward, Tang De's power was so great that it could be said to have influence over half of Tang Family Fort. Tang Yun had always trusted him greatly, so controlling Chongyao Terrace was not difficult.
"You're one of Tang Jue's men?!" In a flash, Tang Yun realized why he had failed to intercept Tang Li even after sending five teams. He had initially thought it was because Tang Li held a high position and his subordinates dared not disobey him, which was why they had returned empty-handed. Now it seemed that Tang De was behind it all. But this was not the time to think about these things deeply.
“No, Tang would never be so scheming. We were like brothers when we were children. He couldn’t possibly have placed you by my side back then, especially since you were personally chosen for me by my father.” He paused, looking at Tang De with disbelief: “You’re my father’s man!”
"The Sect Master's kindness to Tang De is as heavy as a mountain," Tang De nodded in acknowledgment. However, the Sect Master he referred to at this moment was naturally not Tang Yun, but Tang Ling. Since Tang Huan's attack, Tang De had never addressed Tang Yun as Sect Master, demonstrating that in his heart, his master had always been only Tang Ling. Tang Ling's placement of him beside Tang Yun, constantly reporting his situation, was not for this day's events, but simply a Sect Master's assessment of a future successor candidate, a father's benevolent concern for his son. Tang Jue's former personal attendant was also personally appointed by Tang Ling. However, the world is unpredictable, and the human heart is the most difficult thing to fathom.
"That old bastard, he favored Tang Jue his whole life. I'm the eldest son! What did I lack that he looked down on me his entire life? Even a tiger doesn't eat its cubs, yet he still wouldn't let me go after he died, arranging for you to betray me!" Tang Yun was overwhelmed with mixed emotions. He had lived his entire life in Tang Jue's shadow. Tang Yun was older than Tang Jue, but from a young age, he couldn't match his talent and wit. His skills in painting, poetry, calligraphy, physics, and medicine were far inferior. Everyone in the Tang Clan, from elders to guards and servants, favored Tang Jue as the successor to the sect leader. Sure enough, his father passed the position to Tang Jue. But this Tang Jue, praised by everyone, was incapable of shouldering the responsibility. He was seduced by beauty and betrayed the Tang Clan for a demoness from the Shu Mountain Sect. That's how Tang Yun finally had his chance to rise to prominence. Unexpectedly, the old bastard summoned him back before his death, wanting to change the world. Tang Yun naturally couldn't swallow this insult and poisoned Tang Jue and his wife.
"Before his death, the sect leader left a will: 'Tang Yun is ambitious but lacks talent, narrow-minded and short-sighted. Given time, the Tang Clan will inevitably begin to decline under his leadership.'" Tang Ling's judgment of people was naturally accurate, and Tang Yun's collusion with the Seventh Prince, which put the Tang Clan in the vortex of controversy, was the best proof of this.
"What poison did you give me?" Tang Yun asked urgently, disregarding his own troubles.