Vol 24 Chapter 9 (1/2)
Book 24 Chapter 09 - The Grand Banquet At The Palace Of Qi
On the way to the palace, Xiang Shaolong observed that the roads leading to the Small City where the palace was located was packed with nu at a snail’s pace He could not help but praised hi a horse Riding along the ay or squeezing between carriages according the available road conditions with Yao Sheng and his teailely and swiftly made their way towards the palace
Wherever he rode, people started staring at hiirls from rich families or the wives of officials, everyone pulled aside their carriage curtains to catch a gli to see for themselves the appearance of this man who is able to win the heart of Talented Lady Ji
Of course Xiang Shaolong would not disappoint them With a warrior headband around his forehead, an exquisite inner shi+rt and a long and huge cape, he was particularly outstanding In addition, his back is straight, his handsome features are well-defined and the corner of his lips is portrayed in a somewhat faint sing around his waist, he exudes acharm that would overwhelm all the beauties under the sky
Yao Sheng and the others share his glory too With puffed chests and straightened backs, they are awe-inspiring in their own right
Overtaking every carriage they met, they soon came to the entrance of S upon laying their eyes on him
Xiang Shaolong, on the other hand, is feeling as calm as still water, beyond the reaches of happiness or sadness
Before he set off, he etting a change of clothes He can feel his own alertness and energy level at a peak that he has never attained before Bri with hope and confidence, he can feel that he is in co that is about to happen
The troubles in life will repeat themselves endlessly
Since he left Xianyang and took his first step into the battlefield, he has been living under ier every second of his life When he becaitive, he was forced to make life and death choices on an hourly basis Up till this point when he was about to pit his skills against this behemoth of swordsh countless hills and cross nu home, he felt as if his entire life has accomplished an incredible sense of fulfillment
He h the sounds of people and carriages are conjured around hi distance away from him
Everything that enters his sight seeenuine sensations he can experience are his own body and the movement of the horse
He is deeply entrenched in this a to the innermost sanctum of it There, he is beyond salvation, beyond redemption and cannot even wake up even if he wants to
Out of the blue, so his out of his stupor
Xiang Shaolong reduced his horse-riding speed and turned his head in the direction of the voice Three carriages behind hieand is waving at him It turned out to be Guo Kai
The Zhao riders surrounding Guo Kai’s carriage saluted him
Xiang Shaolong held his horse on the saed to catch up fro In Shouchun, ere facing each other but I did not recognize you Noe can officially talk with our real identities E for you!”
This crafty ghost Guo Kai has aged considerably, becodislike hiainst himself, he pretended to be inti: “Chancellor Guoyou to put on weight If we nise you!”
His gaze shi+fting to the Hundred Battle Sabre, Guo Kai edecision and placed his trust in Zhao Mu Otherwise, not only would Shaolong and I still be best friends, wehand in hand to resist our common enemies”
Adjusting his horse tois rotating between occasional stops or sluggish canter With Yao Sheng and his co hi more attention to themselves
Crossing into Small City, the celebratory aura in the air is even more prominent than before Every household is lavishly decorated with lighted lanterns and red banners while the sound of firecrackers popping consistently invaded his eardrums
Xiang Shaolong bitterly laughed: “Unfortunately, there is no ‘otherwise’ in real life For exaht back to life Even if you can re-experience a past s will still turn out the same way”
Of course Guo Kai is unable to co his previous topic, he added: “Re about the past, one cannot help but feel e talent will shi+ne wherever he goes Shaolong is a fine example”
Xiang Shaolong was restless, being able to sense that an eiven his deplorable character, due to his knowledge about to would either perish under the hands of Cao Cuidao or the ambush that he has laid
Why is he feeling so confident?
Did he really correctly guess that Xiang Shaolong is prepared to slip away toht?
Unless there is a spy within the Song & Dance Troupe who had told hi instructions in aout his will, an outsider should not have been able to make such a wise deduction
At this juncture, his ’er He had suspected that she was the one who stole the song sheet for Zhang Quan but was unable to prove it
If Guo KaiQuan, they could easily track Xiang Shaolong’s activities All along, Guo Kai is a clever and sche person Observant and sharp, he is able to link seable about Xiang Shaolong’s character and it is not impossible for him to lay an inescapable ambush
If this is proven to be true, the eleher Besides a the road back to the City, the Yan and Zhao attackers may extend their ambush to cover other areas To make it worse, nobody else can help him This has to be a solo battle
Guo Kai was astonished: “What is Shaolong thinking about?”
Xiang Shaolong plainly state: “I was thinking that if Chancellor Guo were to send soainst you”
Guo Kai violently treood about it If not for Shaolong sparing o, I, Guo Kai, would not be able to accorettable”
Xiang Shaolong did not expect hioodwill towards him increased by a few notches However, he did not knohat to say for the ti
Guo Kai suddenly questioned: “Back then, Lady Ni left a son after passing away Did he follow Shaolong to Xianyang? Why didn’t I hear anything about hi Unfortunately, Heaven is jealous of her beauty Aye!”
Suppressing the tsuna is conscious that Lu Buwei’s willful spreading of Xiao Pan’s questionable heritage is akin to throwing a huge boulder into a pool of still water; throwing up many scenarios and questions For exa himself
This is no laughingthe testimony of the couple he kidnapped from Handan, this would become a debate they cannot hope to win
He instead replied: “Grieving for histhe journey Due to the harsh travelling conditions, he eventually succumbed to illness and death”
Guo Kai acknowledged with an ‘Orh’, but his expression tells Xiang Shaolong that he had already anticipated this answer from him
No longer keen to stick around hio faster Overtaking ten odd carriages in a row, he entered the palace
The palace of Qi was extravagantly adorned and it was an iht
The throne and the VIP tables are located on the top of Henggong Platfor Platfored They were assigned to the lower ranking civil and military officials, as well as the rich tycoons or educated scholars who are invited to the banquet
The perfore in the centre of Henggong Platfor the throne
Within the palace, every available spot is croith people who are dressed to the nines For the ladies, they cannot avoid co
Covered with a blanket and lying down, the King of Qi is at Dianjiang Platforhted expression, he was busy receiving congratulations from his ishers
Tian Jian is even ly future secured, everyone is flattering hiood books Even those who didn’t knohat is going on would soure of Qi
After Xiang Shaolong offered his congratulations to the King of Qi, he noticed Zongsun Long fighting for Tian Jian’s attention and sweet-talking hi at a side with a look of conte idly with Lu Buwei and Guo Kai He could not help but think of Xiao Pan again
Whoever that beco would certainly be corrupted by power and the flattery of officials, blinding himself to the truth in time to come This kind of side effect has beco can their mutual trusts last?
Li Yuan’s voice sounded beside his ear: “Shaolong! Let’s find a quiet place and have a chat”
Xiang Shaolong laughed: “Is there a quiet place here? Do we need to walk a few miles?”
Li Yuan laughed along and pulled hiroup of concubines, the various ladies were staring intensely at the two of them
Thinking of Lady Qingxiu and Shan Rou, Xiang Shaolong scanned their faces but did notthem
Squeezing out of the overcrowded hall, the twoPlatfor the tables as well as arranging delicious food and wine It was a lively scene
Making their way to a corner of Henggong Platform that was far away from the throne where one can see the wilderness and horizon over and beyond the city walls, Li Yuan leaned on a railing under the bright illu intend to return to Xianyang; are you open to travelling with Little Brother?”
Xiang Shaolong is unable to find any traces of hatred for him within his heart He plainly answered: “There is no need to trouble you Travelling through Wei would be faster and sailing is much more comfortable”
Li Yuan agreed: “You can save half the travelling time; however, are there any security concerns?”
Xiang Shaolong responded: “I will officially ask Qi to send a tea’s protection and arrangements, there shouldn’t be a problem”
Li Yuan kept probing: “When do you plan to leave?”
Xiang Shaolong replied: “I can only leave after the Qixia College Performance, otherwise, it would be hard for me to put my mind at ease”
Li Yuan suppressed his voice: “Toht, youwould survive your duel with Grandmaster Cao However, the people of Qi would not take this lying down I have heard ru to ae victorious froht Why don’t I fetch you personally? You can use a fire signal to communicate with me”
Xiang Shaolong secretly praised his formidability If he does not know that Li Yuan is Guo Kai’s accomplice, it would be a miracle if he did not fall into their trap