Chapter 106: A Sudden Change of Tone and the Misfortune of the Ancient Tomb Sect!
Fate seems to have come full circle, returning to its starting point.
After saving Duan Yu and Wang Yuyan, Qiao Feng and Azhu set off for Yanmen Pass to uncover the truth about his origins.
They witnessed Song soldiers massacring Liao people and noticed tattoos on the chests of the Liao victims.
The cruel truth was undeniable: Qiao Feng was indeed of Liao descent, a fact he found hard to accept.
In search of more answers, Qiao Feng pursued those who had participated in the Yanmen Pass massacre.
However, wherever he went, people who knew the truth were mysteriously killed.
In the end, only Master Zhiguang from Mount Tiantai and Kang Min, the widow of Ma Dayuan, remained alive.
Left with no choice, Qiao Feng and Azhu headed for Mount Tiantai.
Things went relatively smoothly—they met Master Zhiguang and obtained the final letter left by Xiao Yuanshan, revealing the full truth.
Yet, one mystery remained:
Who was the leader back then?
When Qiao Feng pressed for answers, Master Zhiguang sighed deeply, uttered a cryptic prophecy, and then took poison to end his life.
Now, only one person—Kang Min, the venomous woman—knew the leader's true identity.
The two rushed to Xinyang to confront Kang Min.
Kang Min, ever the flirt, began seducing Qiao Feng the moment she saw him, offering to reveal the leader's identity in exchange for spending the night with him.
True to his character, Qiao Feng rejected her outright.
Kang Min then proposed that Qiao Feng kill Azhu, promising to help him regain his position as leader of the Beggar Sect in return.
This demand crossed Qiao Feng's bottom line!
In a fit of rage, he slapped Kang Min and left with Azhu in tow.
That night, Azhu disguised herself as Elder Bai Shijing of the Beggar Sect to trick Kang Min into talking. However, Kang Min had seen through the ruse and provided false information.
Qiao Feng and Azhu mistakenly believed that Duan Zhengchun, the Prince of Southern Command in Dali, was the leader.
The two continued their investigation, eventually arriving at Mirror Lake. After a series of entanglements, they met Duan Zhengchun, his four loyal retainers, and Azhi, who had just escaped the Xingxiu Sect.
Face-to-face with the enemy who had wronged his family, Qiao Feng found himself in a dilemma.
Duan Zhengchun was the father of his sworn brother, Duan Yu. Avenging his parents would mean severing his brotherly bond, turning them into life-and-death enemies.
Azhu, too, was in an impossible position—she had just learned that Duan Zhengchun was her biological father and that Azhi was her sister.
As inner turmoil consumed her, Azhu suddenly recalled the wooden box Chu Yang had left them. A startling thought crossed her mind:
Could it be…
Mr. Chu had foreseen all of this?
If so, then this Mr. Chu must be a divine figure!
Clinging to a faint hope, Azhu urged Qiao Feng to open the box. Qiao Feng hesitated but eventually complied. Inside was a folded letter.
Unfolding it, they found only two sentences:
"Kang Min hates Duan Zhengchun out of spurned love. Duan Zhengchun is not the leader!"
It was true!
Qiao Feng and Azhu exchanged shocked glances, their hair standing on end as chills ran down their spines.
"Who is this Mr. Chu, and how does he know so much?"
"If Kang Min was framing Duan Zhengchun, how could he have predicted she'd name him specifically? She could have accused anyone!"
"That's the most terrifying part…"
"Whether it's meticulous calculation or foreknowledge of fate, neither is within human capability!"
Azhu shivered as she gripped Qiao Feng's hand. "Brother Qiao, I'm scared. What should we do now?"
After a moment of thought, Qiao Feng replied, "I still trust Mr. Chu. He saved your life. If he meant us harm, he wouldn't have gone to such lengths."
"Besides, the day I fought him, I had the distinct feeling that if he wanted to kill me, it wouldn't have been difficult…"
Thinking of Chu Yang's unfathomable abilities, Azhu tried to suppress her fear. "Why don't we confront Prince Duan directly and have an honest conversation?"
Qiao Feng nodded. For now, it was their only option.
Just as they prepared to confront Duan Zhengchun, the Four Great Evils suddenly descended upon Mirror Lake, targeting the prince.
Their leader, Duan Yanqing, was the former Crown Prince of Dali. Following a coup by the treacherous Yang Yizhen, he had fled into exile.
After Dali was restored, Duan Yanqing was presumed dead, and Duan Zhengming, Duan Zhengchun's brother, was crowned king.
Since then, Duan Yanqing had harbored a grudge, scheming to reclaim the throne.
Normally, this would be an internal affair of the Dali royal family, not something outsiders should interfere with.
But Qiao Feng cared little for such distinctions. Before Duan Zhengchun could act, Qiao Feng stepped forward alone, battling the Four Great Evils.
Moments later, the four were defeated.
Furious and humiliated, Duan Yanqing spat out a few harsh words before storming off.
"Thank you, Brother Qiao, for your assistance!"
Duan Zhengchun's striking features and elegant demeanor made him seem far younger than his years.
"Duan Yu is my sworn brother. How could I stand idly by? Prince Duan, I must be honest—I came here today to verify something with you."
Qiao Feng's expression turned solemn as he cupped his fists.
"If it's important, let's discuss it in private," Duan Zhengchun replied, sensing the urgency.
Leaving the others behind, they retreated into the woods to talk in hushed tones.
From a distance, Azhu waited anxiously. When she saw Qiao Feng return, shaking his head, she couldn't hold back her tears.
Turning, she walked unsteadily toward Ruan Xingzhu, who was fussing over Azhi.
"Thank you, Prince Duan, for your honesty."
"Brother Qiao, your integrity allows us to clear up this misunderstanding before Kang Min's scheme succeeds."
"I'm merely following Mr. Chu's guidance," Qiao Feng admitted. "Without him, I might have wronged you."
"Mr. Chu? Could you introduce me to him someday? I owe him my thanks as well."
"I don't know his whereabouts, but if the chance arises, I'd love to share a drink with him."
"Haha, then be sure to invite me!"
With the misunderstanding resolved, the two chatted amicably as they left the woods, only to witness Ruan Xingzhu embracing Azhu, weeping uncontrollably.
Turning to Duan Zhengchun, Ruan Xingzhu cried out, "Duan Lang, Azhu is our child too!"
Overjoyed, Duan Zhengchun rushed to embrace the mother and daughter.
Qiao Feng suddenly felt parched, realizing his sworn brother's father was now his father-in-law. The next time he saw Duan Yu, would he call him "Brother" or "Brother-in-Law"?
But then another chilling thought struck him:
If Azhu had known from the start that Prince Duan was her father, yet he had mistaken him for the leader and sought revenge, what might have happened?
Caught between her father and her love, Azhu would likely have sacrificed herself to resolve the feud.
Her mastery of disguise made such a possibility all too real.
Realizing this, Qiao Feng murmured, "Azhu, Mr. Chu has saved you twice now…"
"The lonely desert smoke stands straight, the long river sets with the round sun."
Wang Wei's poem "Mission to the Frontier" may not describe Mongolian scenery, but it aptly captures the beauty Chu Yang beheld.
After crossing the borders of the Ming Dynasty and arriving at the vast Mongolian grasslands, Chu Yang was struck by the boundlessness of the world.
Unlike the elegant and delicate landscapes of Jiangnan, the grassland scenery was rugged, like an unadorned maiden exuding freshness.
The wind swayed the waist-high grass, creating rippling green waves. The setting sun draped a golden veil over the vast expanse.
Such a beautiful view was not to be missed, so Huang Rong eagerly volunteered to sit beside Chu Yang and act as a temporary driver.
Meanwhile, Mu Nianci, who usually took on the driving responsibilities, hid in the carriage and refused to come out, despite Chu Yang repeatedly calling for her. She always found an excuse to decline.
In the end, it was Huang Rong who forcibly dragged her out to appreciate the scenery. Even then, Mu Nianci habitually kept her head down, seemingly uninterested.
"Now that we're in Mongolia, shouldn't Sister Mu go find that silly boy's mother—your future mother-in-law?" Huang Rong teased with a sly grin, her eyes twinkling mischievously. "Sister Mu, are you shy?"
Mu Nianci glared at her, clearly aware that the little girl was poking fun at her.
Chu Yang nodded thoughtfully. "That makes sense. After all, it's awkward for a young lady to meet her future mother-in-law without family around."
Mu Nianci let out a deep sigh, her brows furrowed with worry.
Huang Rong chuckled like a sly fox. Traveling from the Southern Song to Mongolia, she had long guessed Mu Nianci's feelings and suspected that meeting her "future mother-in-law" was merely an excuse.
Seeing Mu Nianci stuck in an awkward position, Huang Rong, with her natural wit and mischief, couldn't help but feel delighted.
Although Huang Rong and Mu Nianci were close friends, the thought of Mu Nianci approaching Chu Yang made Huang Rong uncomfortable.
"How about this, Miss Mu? We'll take you to find Guo Jing's mother first and then continue on our way. What do you think?"
The saying goes, "When helping others, go all the way." Having brought Mu Nianci so far, Chu Yang couldn't abandon her halfway.
Since they were already near Ling Mountain, a little extra effort wouldn't hurt.
Mu Nianci wanted to muster the courage to confess her feelings to Chu Yang, but as soon as she met his gaze, her resolve faltered. She could only whisper her thanks, "Thank you, Brother Chu, for the trouble."
Guo Jing, being the sworn brother of Tiemuzhen's son Tolui and the husband-to-be of his daughter Huazheng, meant that Li Ping's residence was near Tiemuzhen's royal tent.
Dressed in traditional Chinese attire, Chu Yang found it difficult to gather information about Tiemuzhen's location from the local herdsmen. He had to resort to illusion techniques to mislead them.
To prepare for the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill, Chu Yang had learned some Mongolian in advance, making communication manageable.
After questioning several groups of herdsmen, he pinpointed Tiemuzhen's location. The carriage no longer stopped, speeding through the night.
By dawn, Mu Nianci took the reins from Chu Yang and silently drove the carriage.
"Miss Mu doesn't seem very happy."
"It's nothing, just a little nervous."
Chu Yang, noticing her pale profile, asked, "You don't seem to like this arranged marriage. Is that true?"
Mu Nianci froze, torn between nodding and staying silent.
It felt as though there was no place for her between Chu Yang and Huang Rong.
"If you don't like it, you can say so. Uncle Yang may be stubborn, but he's not unreasonable."
Chu Yang assumed Mu Nianci, like in the original story, had feelings for Yang Kang and was visiting Mongolia out of filial duty.
In his opinion, Guo Jing was far more reliable than Yang Kang. If Chu Yang were Yang Tiexin, he would prefer to see Mu Nianci with Guo Jing—provided she liked him.
Love couldn't be forced; otherwise, the world wouldn't have so many heartbroken souls.