Chapter 1024: I’ll definitely make you all regret i (2/2)
“Old Bai, are you going to Northern Li?” the woman chased after him.
Bai Yanqing was indeed planning to head north. There were plenty of good shows to see with the internal unrest there. But instead of replying, he simply waved a hand to tell her not to send him off.
The black-robed woman hastily added, “Old Bai, when are you coming back? Celestial Mountain peak--” Before she could finish, Bai Yanqing’s figure vanished into the blizzard. As the snow fell thicker, the black-robed woman was forced to return to her rooms. She looked out the window at the distant peak of Celestial Mountain, muttering to herself.
“I’ll definitely make you all regret it!”
Would Bai Yanqing head for Northern Li after leaving Heretical Sword Sect?
--
On this day, Jun Yixie’s personal military faction had been stopped up in a village by a massive snowstorm. Without exception, any place his soldiers went was plundered and robbed, with all resistance snuffed out mercilessly. Ning Cheng looked silently at the abandoned village, whose inhabitants had long fled for their lives. Killing intent darkened in his gaze. Meanwhile, Jun Yixie had already taken over one of the more spacious courtyards for himself and ordered his troops to clean it up and light the stove before moving in with Ning Cheng.
“Looks like this snow won’t stop for a few more days. Clan Head Ning, please condescend to stay here for awhile,” Jun Yixie said politely.
Ning Cheng had been reticent the entire trip. Unless it was absolutely necessary, he never spoke. Jun Yixie had gotten used to his moods by now. Very soon, he personally warmed a tankard of wine and poured a cup for Ning Cheng before they began discussing the impasse between the Ning Clan troops and the East Qin army.
“Heheh, once your 30,000 battle horses arrive, divide up your troops into three teams and launch a surprise attack. I promise you’ll send them all scattering!” Jun Yixie was in a good mood after winning a few recent battles.
“After a month, it’ll be time to take those 30,000 battle horses for a ride!” Ning Cheng intoned.
“Ning Cheng, how about this? Lend your lordship some of those red coat cannons to play around with. When summer comes, your lordship will fight my way south by your side,” Jun Yixie had long set his sights on the cannons. The only reason he brought it up now was because he had realized his men and troops weren’t enough to defeat the Northern Li emperor within a short amount of time. If this kept on for another three to five months, both sides would settle into a stalemate. That would rob him of his initiative and heighten the risks.
In the end, Jun Yixie had simply been too self-confident. If he had realized how impossible it was for his forces to swallow up all of Northern Li much earlier, then he might not have begun an internal campaign so easily.
Ning Cheng gave his a scornful look and said, “Don’t even think about it! What am I supposed to fight Long Feiye with without the red coat cannons? Jun Yixie, we had a deal: I help you up north while you help me down south! If you’re going back on your words, I’ll take back all of the pay and provisions. You won’t get a speck of silver from any of the banks!”
Ning Cheng’s quick rejection actually soothed some of Jun Yixie’s private fears. At the very least, he knew the Ning Clan troops wouldn’t backstab him during a future stalemate with the Northern Li emperor. As things stood now, they were riding a tiger while finding it difficult to dismount. He could only give it his all and gamble a bit. If things were still no good, he still had hostages like Ning Jing and Mu Linger in his hands. One could threaten the Tang Clan while the other put Han Yunxi in check. Thus, his escape route was solid.
While Ning Cheng was dealing with Jun Yixie, Bai Yuqiao, Ning Jing, and Mu Linger were dealing with the guards of Tiger’s Prison. Recently, Jun Yixie had been keeping a tight watch on the premises and required patrols to make inspection tours almost daily. Fortunately, Bai Yuqiao was around, or it’d be impossible to hide Ning Jing’s pregnancy.
Today, one of the guards had just finished checking the main courtyard while Ning Jing hadn’t dared to leave her rooms. Once he left, both Mu Linger and Bai Yuqiao exhaled in relief from the entrance.
“Mu Linger, they’re headed for Su Xiaoyu’s place next. I have to hurry after them, but things should be fine here. Take good care of Ning Jing,” Bai Yuqiao murmured.
Mu Linger nodded. “Don’t worry.”
Yet Bai Yuqiao had hardly gone when Manager Jin appeared out of thin air. Mu Linger was so scared she almost screamed out loud. Luckily, Manager Jin muffled her mouth first. Unhappily he asked, “Mu Linger, can you not be so reckless every single time?”
Mu Linger moved his hand aside and took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. Guardedly, she asked, “What are you doing here?”
1. 欢儿 - more of a nickname than a real name (as typical of servants), this one means “Joy.”