Chapter 732: Chapter 472: Baihua Village (5k) (Part 3)
"Master, you have come!" Princess Yunyang’s eyes lit up, she stood up, stepping on the stone, and gazed cheerfully at Bian Ji, who was as delightful as a feast with his rosy lips and white teeth.
Master Bian Ji clasped his hands together, and said calmly, "This humble monk has come to inform Your Highness of some news."
"What?"
"The Emperor failed in the Sealing ritual, was severely injured and disappeared, the Eight Princes have raised their troops, and now various armies are headed towards the Capital." Bian Ji lamented.
"What!"
Princess Yunyang was greatly shocked, she grabbed Bian Ji, questioning him thoroughly, and upon hearing the full details, she alternated between crying and laughing, her heart felt like it was overturned with mixed emotions, not knowing whether she was more relieved or more pained.
When Xu Zhenguan was around, she only held resentment for this niece, and the year of confinement only turned that into hatred.
But upon knowing her niece might really die, her heart welled up with bitterness and emptiness, as if she suddenly lost the target of her hatred.
Princess Yunyang stood blankly for a long while, then, as if catching a lifeline, she grabbed Bian Ji’s sleeve, forcefully pulling his hand to her chest, pleading, "Master, it hurts here, it hurts so much."
Bian Ji looked at her with compassion: "Amitabha."
Suddenly, a verse from the Buddhist scriptures he often read floated into his mind:
Save oneself by saving others first.
"Your Highness, why not go to the meditation room and let this humble monk help you unravel your knots."
...
...
The carriage rode along the long official road, entering Baihua Village.
Every year in midsummer, Baihua Village, renowned near and far and situated along Huai River, is at its most beautiful.
At that time, sunlight crossing the equator will uniformly spill over the village nestled between Qingshan and Lv Shui, where the farmers plant flowers from various places, all blooming and competing for splendor, the fragrance so rich it drifts for miles.
The villagers living in Baihua Village, are recorded in the government craftsman’s register just like those living in the Royal Garden.
Generation after generation, they plant flowers for the Royal, mature flowers would be potted, loaded onto ox carts batch by batch, sent northward to the Capital over a thousand miles.
Appearing at Imperial Palace banquets, filling the Imperial Garden’s void, circulating deep in the mansions of the Capital’s elite, chased by noble women, even birthing entertainment activities like "Flower Fairs."
Zhao Douan drove the carriage, purchased halfway, carrying the Empress, the two altered their appearance and entered Baihua Village.
The carriage traveled on the rural dirt path, with seas of flowers stretching almost endlessly on both sides, their rich fragrance assaulting the senses.
A large flock of pink butterflies danced intertwined among the flowers.
"Your Majesty, according to the map, passing through Baihua Village is a relatively safe route, this area barely can be counted as Royal Family’s property, allowing us to avoid the local scholarly family’s gaze to the greatest extent."
Zhao Douan said with a straw hat on, eyes slightly vigilant as he scanned around.
Having escaped Jiancheng Road, many days had passed by now, encountering no less than dozens of enemy pursuits along the way.
A significant portion originated from the local clan forces along Huai River.
As expected, after Prince Huaian shut his doors, the entire Huai River became a stage for various scholarly families, these well-rooted families have countless eyes locally, while secretly they all nurture Martial Artists within the Martial World.
Zhao Douan, although unafraid of most family henchmen, worried about exposing their whereabouts, attracting the attention of skilled seekers in secret.
Therefore, adopting a passive response along the way, injuries could not be avoided, but fortunately, they did not fall into a life-and-death crisis, several times dangerous situations seemed to be resolved by the tributers trailing behind.
Even so, throughout this journey, he has thinned considerably, his skin darkened greatly, but his eyes remained resiliently bright, and within his Qi Sea, the Qi Mechanism was vast and full, with whispers of mountains calling and seas roaring during his breathing exercises.
He had a premonition that he was already approaching the peak of the Divine Chapter, growing closer to the Worldly Realm.
"Good, then let’s stay one night at Baihua Village, not too long, to avoid revealing our identity, drawing in pursuers, and causing trouble for the Yu Country citizens here."
Inside the carriage, Xu Zhenguan lifted the curtain, watching the colorful and rich flower sea outside, her taut nerves slightly relaxing.
She had altered her appearance with a mask, now merely a plain-looking woman, dressed in a simple woman’s tunic dress, no longer playing the male role—such a disguise would rather arouse suspicion.
Now, from an outsider’s perspective, the two seem like a pair of traveling couples.
As for her injuries... Xu Zhenguan kept adjusting her breath throughout the journey, the "Hand Force" left by Xuan Yin finally began fading gradually inside her; although some remnants remained, they were few.
Regrettably, due to the presence of this Hand Force, her internal injury recovery process was exceedingly slow, though she could now move freely, her strength barely reaching the Initial Grade of the Divine Chapter, unable to sustain longer exertion, and any Qi Mechanism operation would aggravate the internal injury... let alone returning to the peak, recovering to the "Worldly" realm would still take some days.
And throughout this journey, witnessing firsthand scenes of territories falling, the government being overtaken by rebel armies, had long set her heart ablaze with anxiety.
"Your Majesty can rest assured, at least Huai River has not yet been completely overtaken by rebel forces, hasn’t it? Further north, Linfeng Road is certainly still in the hands of the court, west and north, the border army stations, and on the eastern side, King of Qingzhou is too weak, the Capital Camp is enough to handle."
Zhao Douan gently consoled.
The Empress nodded, smiling, "You are right, it’s me who’s being impatient."
At this moment, the carriage entered Baihua Village, a cluster of houses emerged ahead, resembling a world out of a fairy tale.