Two boat lanterns drifted and drifted, seeming to sink into eternal darkness.
It was only a feeling. The boats would not sail in darkness forever. Light would come eventually.
Before the light arrived, Yu Qing, who had been personally holding Long Xingyun captive the entire time, spoke up, “Mr Pang.”
Two boats, three merman boatmen, eight passengers.
One boat carried three passengers, pushed by one merman boatman. The other boat carried five passengers, pushed by two merman boatmen.
Only one person on the two boats had the surname “Pang”. Pang Chengqiu turned to look at Yu Qing upon hearing his voice. The others also looked at him, unsure what he was up to now, but guessing he would not speak without purpose.
Sure enough, Yu Qing said, “The Sea Market is up ahead. There should be no more chaotic boundary formations ahead. With your cultivation level, covering this short distance by foot across the water should be nothing.”
Pang Chengqiu immediately became alert. “What are you trying to do?”
Yu Qing, “I would trouble Mr Pang to run on the waves to the Jinghong Palace and inform the proprietress Gu Qingzhao, asking her to come and take Elder Qing back.”
Hearing this, Yin Shanhe and Cui You immediately felt puzzled. This man not only dared to return to the Sea Market, but even sent someone ahead to give advance warning. They grew increasingly unable to figure out what this Tanhua scholar was up to.
Even Qingya, who had been suffering from pain in his four limbs, could not help but open his eyes, looking somewhat puzzled.
Long Xingyun, who could not move, also rolled his eyes around. He had already woken up, but his temper was too great. He had started cursing the moment he opened his mouth, and after cursing himself tired and hoarse, he had shut up.
Pang Chengqiu looked around, then looked at Qingya who was being held by Mu Aotie, and flatly refused, “No. If I leave, who knows what you will do to Elder Qing.”
Yu Qing, “Whether I do something to him or not, what difference does it make whether you are here or not? If Senior Shanhe can capture one Elder Qing, could he not easily deal with you as well?”
Long Xingyun interjected, “Pang Chengqiu, don’t listen to him. What if he abducts Qingya?”
This remark made Yin Shanhe want to speak but stop himself. He did not even know what to say to this young pavilion master. Had he not been slapped enough along the way since waking up? His mouth was already swollen from the beatings, yet he still could not understand the situation. It was you who had fallen into their hands, not them into yours.
Pang Chengqiu immediately said, “Right, that is exactly my concern.”
Yu Qing chuckled, “Since you won’t listen to reason, let us be more practical about it. Ninth Brother, serve Elder Qing well until our Lord Pang is willing.”
Pang Chengqiu was greatly alarmed. “You dare!”
After the words left his mouth, he already realised they were pointless. These people had already done this much to Elder Qing, and dared to return to the Sea Market. What was there they would not dare to do?
“Wait!” Qingya, who had forcibly rallied his spirits, also shouted urgently, stopping Mu Aotie who was about to act. He then smiled dryly, “Old Pang, it is fine. Go.”
Long Xingyun immediately cried out strangely, “Qingya, are you even a man? You are giving in just like that?”
Slap! Yu Qing unceremoniously waved his hand and slapped him across the mouth, producing a muffled grunt, before smiling at Yin Shanhe, “Senior Shanhe, you see? It is like this. I do not provoke him, yet he always comes to provoke me. It is not that my hands itch, but that Young Master Long’s mouth is too cheap.”
After hitting him, he thought of the mountain of debt he owed, and thought of how this man was the chief culprit who had caused his martial brothers to end up in their current situation. He wanted to slap him a few more times to vent his hatred. This was also why he had not made Long Xingyun shut up, to find excuses to hit him.
He had discovered this opportunity by accident along the way, realising that there were actually people in the world with such cheap mouths. It was truly an eye-opener. Put nicely, he had a hard backbone. Put bluntly, he was asking for it. Naturally, Yu Qing was happy to oblige.
However, he did not dare go too far, fearing that white-haired old man might snap.
Yin Shanhe kept his cheeks taut and said nothing. At first, when he saw the young pavilion master being slapped, he would shout at Yu Qing and warn him. Later, after Long Xingyun had been slapped too many times, this personal bodyguard seemed to have grown numb.
To be honest, he knew some of the young pavilion master’s faults, but had not expected him to be so incapable of reading the situation. If not for his status, Yin Shanhe would have wanted to go over and slap him a couple of times himself to relieve his annoyance.
Qingya ignored Long Xingyun’s troublemaking. He was far more sensible than Long Xingyun. He continued speaking to Pang Chengqiu, “Old Pang, it is useless for you to keep watch here alone. Listen to him. Go and ask the proprietress to come. Her knowing the situation is more suitable than you staying here. Go.”
Some things he could not say plainly. Having someone go and report the news was a good thing. Once Gu Qingzhao knew the situation and mobilised her visible and hidden forces, this dog of a Tanhua scholar would find it very difficult to abduct him. Even on the Nether Sea, if they wanted to kill him they would not have dragged it out until now.
Pang Chengqiu was still somewhat hesitant.
Qingya’s tone suddenly became unquestionable, “Go!”
“Yes.” Only then did Pang Chengqiu agree. He immediately flashed away, flying down to the water’s surface, rapidly bounding up and down and into the distance, his speed far exceeding that of the boats.
“Ah Shiheng, you had best hope you never fall into my hands one day, or I will make you beg for life and be unable to obtain death!”
Long Xingyun, who had licked the blood from his mouth, was again spouting fierce words. He would not lose in spirit even if he lost in battle. He truly was quite hard-boned.
Yet this seemingly hard-boned behaviour made Yin Shanhe speechlessly raise his head to look at the sky. In his heart, he was actually somewhat frantic. He really wanted to grab that man by the ears and ask, are you deliberately trying to provoke the other side into killing you?
Qingya also could not help but chuckle, truly admiring this. If this kind of person did not have the background of the Chilan Pavilion, he would probably have been killed by someone countless times already.
As a result, laughing too hard made him grimace, as the excessive movement pulled at his wounds. Still, he seemingly sincerely praised, “Young Master Long is a true man!”
However, looking back, he also felt strange. He could not help but glance at Yu Qing a couple of times, finding it odd that this man had not slapped him again this time.
Yu Qing had also suddenly thought of something, and asked Long Xingyun, “You are so obsessed with Qin Jue’s matter, so relentless in hounding me. You surely know that Tie Miaoqing has already left the Miaoqing Hall. You did not do anything to her, did you?”
Hearing this, Nan Zhu and Mu Aotie also looked over with pounding hearts. It was easy to imagine that with this man’s character, how could he possibly let Tie Miaoqing go after she left the Youjiao Port.
Long Xingyun merely snorted, unexpectedly closing his eyes and saying nothing, seeming to instantly quiet down.
Who would have thought Qingya would let out a surprised sound, “The three of you actually do not know where that lady from your Miaoqing Hall went?”
The three martial brothers were stunned, all looking at him. Nan Zhu asked in alarm, “Could it be you know?”
Qingya, “Could it be? Her whereabouts should not be any secret, right? Anyone slightly well-informed should know, right? You really do not know she has married?”
“Married?” The three martial brothers spoke in unison.
Qingya could see now that these three fellows really knew nothing at all. Their information was so blocked. They were completely relying on sheer stubbornness to wander the martial world.
Understanding this, he could not help but let out a sound, “I understand now. You must have fallen out, which is why she left the Miaoqing Hall. I had been wondering before, with your relationship with her, how could you not make use of such a connection.”
Having said this much, how could they not ask? Nan Zhu immediately asked, “Who did she marry?”
Qingya, “A prince of the Yin Kingdom. A prince with real power took her as his second wife. Not long ago, the Yin Kingdom’s royal family just conferred upon her the title of princess. It is said that there was some controversy within the royal family over conferring the title of ‘princess’, as she was a remarried woman with a rather unsavoury reputation. The royal family and the court were not very accepting of her becoming a princess. It was that prince with real power who overrode all objections and obtained the conferment from the emperor. Of course, that marriage was rather low-key. It seemed to be that lady’s own wish, not publicised.”
Speaking to this point, his gaze glanced at Long Xingyun who had his eyes closed and was saying nothing. “With her current status and position, fine clothing and good food, glory and splendour naturally go without saying. Her husband’s subordinates are also full of experts. It is difficult for most people to even get near her. There probably really are not many people in this world who would dare to rashly move against her.”
The underlying meaning was simple. Even Long Xingyun did not dare act rashly.
Seeking revenge naturally depended on the person. If they could be bullied, one would naturally want to eliminate them. If they could not be bullied, put nicely one was a gentleman who could wait ten years for revenge. Put bluntly, one had no temper against that person and could only endure.
After hearing all this, the three martial brothers were first surprised. They had only parted with Tie Miaoqing such a short time ago, just a few months, not even half a year, and in the blink of an eye she had become a princess?
This transformation of identity and status truly made the three of them find it hard to believe.
They indeed had no information channels. Those few people at the Linglong Temple were far from being any kind of force. Owing a mountain of debt, they had no money to establish any information channels. If not for hearing it now, they truly would not have known Tie Miaoqing’s situation.
After their surprise, the three of them all fell into silence. Various emotions welled up in their hearts. Recalling the past, there was actually some bitterness. Such a devastatingly beautiful woman had been by their side for so long. To say they were not moved at all would be a lie.
Yu Qing vaguely remembered how Nan Zhu would often talk eloquently and display his vast knowledge before Tie Miaoqing, striving to show that he was a fat man unlike any other.
He also remembered how Mu Aotie would often act cool before Tie Miaoqing, arms crossed and head tilted looking at the sky, yet occasionally stealing glances at her. He would often bare his upper body to show off his muscles, deliberately letting Tie Miaoqing see.
He even more clearly remembered the graceful figure illuminated by the campfire when he first saw Tie Miaoqing, and the intimate ambiguity when a lone man and woman shared a room. Even now, it seemed as if a familiar lingering fragrance still lingered before his nostrils.
He was not a block of wood. He could understand some of Tie Miaoqing’s thoughts, yet he dared not accept them.
After all, he was not truly the world’s number one talented scholar, nor was he the kind of man who would take advantage of a woman first and worry about the consequences later. He could give her nothing that she wanted. The more beautiful she was, the more he dared not, fearing he could not bear that responsibility and would be looked down upon. And what he had missed was far more than just a “devastating beauty”.
All these recollections transformed into a bitter, faint smile at the corner of his mouth. “Marriage is good. Being married is not bad either. Marrying any man at random surpasses our struggling and fighting for a lifetime. This is a good thing. I am happy for her.”
Nan Zhu coldly muttered, “And she said she would never remarry. In the end, it was nothing but waiting for the highest bidder. Not a single word from a beautiful woman can be trusted.”
Even though countless emotions surged in their hearts, the three martial brothers still dared not relax their vigilance. They still had to guard against Yin Shanhe suddenly making a move to snatch someone away. Constantly worrying about their uncertain future was their true current situation.