132 Untitled (2/2)
He lashed his whip and was innately glad that Lotus rejected his suggestion to escort them in. That way, he could meet Meng Fuyao earlier.
He really had intended to follow Meng Fuyao's words to personally send her to Zhangsun Wuji, yet the Princess very politely but adamantly refused to let him accompany her into the Palace, and he could not possibly follow her. Furthermore, he had already had enough of this weird Princess Lotus, who had an air of superiority about her, and smiled like a porcelain figurine in a monastery.
'Let her and Zhangsun Wuji, the guy who always seems distant even when he grins, to smile creepily at each other!'
”Gallop!”
Relieved and to his heart's content, Tie Cheng dashed towards Heaven Demon.
…
”Where are your Dark Wind Horses located?” under a big bamboo hat, Meng Fuyao whispered to Zhan Beiye, as they squatted at a spot some distance away from the city gates of Pandu. ”I remember you saying that to preserve some of your military strength, the main forces of the Black Wind Horses have already rushed back to Pandu before you. How do you contact them?”
”They should be in the city,” replied Zhan Beiye, while pointing to a marking that was not very obvious on the city gate. ”Separate our forces into small groups. Then, wait for the opportunity to save the person.”
He looked slightly more relaxed, and his eyes shone with joy. It was the first time that he revealed such an expression in days. Meng Fuyao knew that he was putting up a strong front, and deep down, he was still in pain over the sacrifices of the Black Wind Horses soldiers, and still worried about the safety of his mother and the rest of the soldiers. Knowing that the main forces of his soldiers were intact, and his mother was safe, he could finally release some of the tension that had been building up in him.
They were wearing the masks that Zong Yue previously made. No one in Heaven Demon would recognize the faces of the transportation officer, Tang Jian, or his vice. Meanwhile, Ji Yu and the remaining two soldiers were ordered by Zhan Beiye to recuperate outside the city. He originally intended for Meng Fuyao to join them too, but Meng Fuyao ignored him and stubbornly followed along.
The gates of the city were crowded with people, and security was tight. At the front of the crowd, soldiers of the Gold of Heaven Demon were clad in golden armor, solemnly comparing faces of the crowd with the drawing in their hands. Needless to say, they were searching for Zhan Beiye. Zhan Nancheng would never be fully assured until he saw Zhan Beiye's corpse.
Both of them exchanged a glance and saw the mockery in each other's expressions. Meng Fuyao and Zhan Beiye swayed to the gates, and the soldiers merely took a look at the drawing before letting them pass.
They had just walked a few steps away when suddenly a golden pike reached out and blocked their paths.
The tip of the pike was so shiny that light golden beams could be seen under the scorching sun. Zhan Beiye stopped, his eyes traveling from the tip of the pike to the owners' face. It was a Gold of Heaven Demon soldier who looked cold and arrogant. He directed the pike to Meng Fuyao's chin and commanded, ”Raise your head.”
Zhan Beiye raised an eyebrow, and a ring of fire flashed by in his eyes.
Meng Fuyao immediately gave his hand a squeeze while raising her head at the soldier's command. Perversely, she laughed. ”Sir, do you have any instructions?”
The soldier was silent while he scrutinized her. Moments later, he asked, ”Why are you wearing such a high collar in the hot weather?”
Meng Fuyao's heart skipped a beat, but she still chuckled. ”Sir, I have some disease, that is… I grew some ugly pimples, and the doctor said to not expose them to wind. I don't meet many people too, for fear of spreading the disease to them. If you don't believe me, take a look… ” Meng Fuyao continued to harp as she made a movement to unbutton her collar.
'Sigh, the mark that Lord Yuan Bao left on my neck a few days ago should still be there right?' she thought.
”Stop!” The soldier cried out in disgust while using his pike to stop Meng Fuyao's hands. ”How dare you harm other people when you're already contaminated with this spreadable disease? Scram back to your hometown!”
”My hometown's right in the city - the third room of the big alley, the one with the slanted willow tree,” Meng Fuyao pointed to a direction fearfully, while smiling in an attempt to ingratiate herself with the soldier. ”Sir?”
”Scram!” The soldier did not even bother to glance at her. With a flick of his fingers, the pike made a fancy and agile turn between his fingertips, before smacking right into Meng Fuyao's butt.
”Scram!” he shouted again.
Meng Fuyao immediately covered her butt and fell in an exaggerated manner. ”Ouch!” she exclaimed.
She fell a few yards away towards the city gates, tumbling in the soil and rubbing her butt continuously. As she sat on the floor, she made comical expressions and called, ”Big brother, come help me up! Ouch, I feel like my butt's fallen into two pieces!”
The soldiers guarding the gates roared with laughter. The soldier, who was riding on a horse, pointed his pike towards Meng Fuyao and chuckled. ”With that scrawny figure of yours, you'd fit to be a washing board if you were broken into pieces!”
In the laughter, Zhan Beiye stood rooted to the ground. Only his dark eyebrows twitched, and his pair of ebony-like eyes slowly raised and swept towards that soldier.
That soldier was just mocking at Meng Fuyao when he felt a cold chill down his spine, as though pricks had suddenly grown on his back. In that instant, he felt like a cold burst had penetrated past him, causing him to stop laughing and look back.
In a flash, Meng Fuyao limped over and pounced on Zhan Beiye, grabbing on to his robes while shouting, ”Brother, why have you gone silly again? Why stand here like a pillar? The other folks are waiting to cross the gates!”