December 6th, the last day of the “Ten-Day Agreement”.
It was also the last chance for Xiao Feng and Wei Changtian to change their minds.
In life, one faces countless choices, big and small, and each choice will lead to a completely different future.
No one can predict whether this future will be good or bad, or perhaps these futures don’t have good or bad distinctions.
Li Shimin, who killed his brother and seized the throne, established the “Zhen Guan Era” of prosperity.
But if there hadn’t been the Xuanwu Gate Incident, and Li Jiancheng had smoothly ascended to the throne, would the Tang Dynasty have been “unpredictable” in the future?
For example, Lu Xun, who abandoned medicine to pursue literature to save the nation; Han Xin, who endured the humiliation of crawling between someone’s legs; and Liu Bang, who faced the ultimate difficult question of “choosing between a wife or the world”…
If Lu Xun hadn’t written that sentence “If you don’t explode in silence, you’ll perish in silence”; if Han Xin hadn’t crawled through the butcher’s legs; if Liu Bang had chosen Lv’s family……
What would have happened afterwards, no one knows.
But one thing is certain: even if history were to repeat itself ten, a hundred times, these people would still make the same choices.
From this perspective, perhaps human life never had any forks in the road.
Regardless of whether one stands at the forefront of historical trends as a great figure or is submerged in the waves of ordinary people, they are all being driven by the invisible wheel of fate, walking along that winding yet singular path.
And now, this invisible giant wave is also surging towards Wei Changtian and Xiao Feng, destined to have this battle today.
Neither of them had returned to “rationality” at the last moment, or perhaps they had already made what they considered the most rational choice.
What a pity, the path of fate is already set.
So-called fate is just that.
……
Night fell, around 10 pm.
Two hours before the “final battle”.
Qin Zhengqiu had been very enthusiastic about “killing Xiao Feng and helping his son become a god” and had brought Wei Changtian’s four uncles yesterday.
Qing Xian arrived this morning.
Wei Zhao Hai arrived in Chuzhou City this afternoon.
With his arrival, Wei Changtian’s “lineup” was finally complete.
Three second-tier, five third-tier.
Including Wei Changtian himself, a total of nine people.
“Qin Master.”
“Ha ha, Brother Zhao Hai…”
Among the nine, excluding Qing Xian, Qin Zhengqiu and Wei Zhao Hai had the highest status. Although they hadn’t seen each other for a long time, they were still familiar as relatives, so it wasn’t awkward.
After exchanging pleasantries, they didn’t speak again, sitting quietly with their eyes closed.
Liang Zhen glanced around, finally touching his nose and casting his gaze towards Qing Xian, who was sitting beside Wei Changtian.
Wei Changtian had mentioned having three second-tier.
So this person, who looked like a fairy, should be the remaining one.
Only Wei Changtian and Qin Zhengqiu knew Qing Xian, and they hadn’t introduced Qing Xian’s identity, so Liang Zhen didn’t know that the stunning beauty in front of him was the Demon King of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains.
Liang Zhen really wanted to ask Wei Changtian who this beauty was, but due to the many people in the room, he finally restrained himself, planning to ask after tonight’s matters were over.
However, it’s likely that once he really knew Qing Xian’s gender, he wouldn’t have the same enthusiasm as now.
In the dimly lit room, the fragrance of agarwood wafted, without a hint of tension before the big battle.
No one felt that anything unexpected would happen tonight.
With this lineup, it was unlikely that even Ning Yongnian would have a chance, let alone killing a nobody like Xiao Feng.
Only Wei Changtian still had some worries, feeling that the development of things wouldn’t go as smoothly as he had hoped.
However, the arrow was already on the bowstring, and human effort had reached its limit; the rest was up to fate.
“Grandfather, Uncle…”
Wei Changtian got up and went to Wei Zhaohe and Qin Zhengqiu’s side, bowing slightly to ask, “May I go out for a while?”
“Uh-huh.”
The two old men didn’t even open their eyes, just nodding slightly.
He also slightly bowed to Liang Zhen and the four uncles, before turning to leave the dimly lit room.
The dark room where Ning Yuke used to live was right next door, but she didn’t live there anymore.
To facilitate her training as an undercover agent for the Tongzhou Association, Chu Xianping had found her a new place to live outside, which seemed to be quite safe and hidden for now.
Wei Changtian knew the address, but he had never been there.
He, of course, knew that if he just beckoned, Ning Yuke would definitely be more than happy to throw herself into his arms.
However…
He shook his head, not thinking about it anymore, and walked back to his bedroom along the stone steps.
As he pushed open the door, the bright moon and sparse stars shone in, and the small courtyard was as peaceful as ever.
Zhang San was still on his way back from the capital, and Li Su Yue was probably bored at home, so she had come to chat with Yuer again.
She was only one month pregnant, and her figure hadn’t changed yet, but when she spoke, she would lightly place her hand on her belly, looking very happy.
“What are you talking about?” Wei Changtian walked over, smiling and asking.
“Lord…”
Li Su Yue hurriedly stood up, slightly curtsying.
Her etiquette was indeed better than Yuer’s.
“Lord, I was just telling Yuer about some customs in Shu State during the New Year’s celebrations.”
“New Year’s?”
Wei Changtian was taken aback, only then realizing that there was less than a month left until the New Year.
He didn’t know who would miss this New Year’s celebration, him or Xiao Feng…
“Is there any leftover rice cake?”
Suddenly, Wei Changtian asked softly.
“Ah? Yes, I’ll go get it.”
Li Su Yue hurriedly ran to the kitchen, and soon the window lit up with a warm fire, probably because she was heating up the rice cake.
“Master, didn’t you just eat dinner?”
Yuer asked curiously, “Why do you want to eat rice cake again? Didn’t dinner agree with you?”
“No.”
Wei Changtian shook his head: “I just feel like eating it.”
“Hehehe, Master, you’re really gluttonous!”
Yuer covered her mouth, laughing: “I think it’s better to just keep a basket of rice cakes in your room, so you can eat them whenever you want!”
“That wouldn’t be as delicious,” Wei Changtian smiled.
“How can the same thing not be delicious?” Yuer didn’t understand.
“Things that are easily obtained are often not cherished…”
In the gaze of Yuer, who seemed to understand yet not understand, Wei Changtian sighed: “The more you’re about to lose something, the more you realize its value.”
“Prince… what’s wrong with you today?”
Yuer hesitated and whispered: “It’s like… something’s off…”
“What’s off?”
Wei Changtian turned to look at Yuer, whose eyes sparkled like water, and suddenly reached out to pinch her small face without warning.
Yuer’s eyes widened, and her face turned bright red as she froze.
“Yuer, I never noticed before…”
Wei Changtian laughed while pinching her face: “Your face is so chubby!”
“Prince, you’re talking nonsense!”
Yuer was mortified, but she didn’t dare push Wei Changtian’s hand away, so she could only protest verbally: “I-I’m not chubby at all!”
“Haha!”
Wei Changtian laughed happily and finally released his grip: “Okay, okay, you say you’re not chubby, then you’re not.”
“That’s right, anyway…”
Yuer argued, then mumbled softly, feeling a bit guilty: “I’ll just eat less from now on…”
“Hahaha!”
Wei Changtian laughed even louder, teasing her: “What, are you afraid I’ll dislike you for being chubby?”
“Prince, isn’t that exactly what you mean?”
Yuer puffed out her chest to defend herself: “What’s wrong with being a bit chubby, anyway? People say being chubby means you can have more sons!”
“That’s true, but I haven’t seen you give me any… hmm?”
Wei Changtian suddenly asked curiously: “Yuer, have you had your period normally?”
“……”
This embarrassing question left Yuer stunned.
Although she wasn’t ashamed to the point of being speechless, her voice was as soft as a mosquito’s hum.
“P-Prince, why ask this? Of course, it’s normal…”
“That’s strange.”
Wei Changtian wondered: “Zhang San and Li Suoyue got married less than a month ago and already have news, but you haven’t had any…”
From noble mtl dot come
“Prince, this question is strange.”
Yuer blinked: “The mistress isn’t even pregnant, how could I be first?”
Hmm? Is this how it is?
Wei Changtian was taken aback, then asked: “Did you… take medicine?”
“Yes.”
Yuer nodded, complaining softly: “That medicine tastes awful…”
“……”
Wei Changtian was momentarily at a loss for words, unsure what to say.
Fortunately, Li Suoyue arrived with a steaming hot pancake.
“Lord, pancake.”
“Good.”
Wei Changtian took the pancake, then suddenly pinched Yuer’s small face again, laughing as he instructed:
“From now on, no matter what happens, remember to eat and drink properly, don’t deprive yourself.”
…
Munching on a pancake, I strolled from the front yard to the back yard with an air of nonchalance.
This was the territory of Liang Qin and Ah Chun.
Liang Qin was still practicing her Return to Dust Sword, each stroke precise and serious, with fine sweat beads on her forehead.
She had persisted in practicing ten thousand strokes every day for two months, but the results were far from satisfactory, and she had only just begun to grasp the basics.
In contrast, Xu Qingwan had reached her current level in just half a month.
“Long Tian Ge.”
As soon as she saw Wei Chang Tian, she immediately put down her sword and ran over, asking with a hint of pride, “How do you think my Return to Dust Sword is coming along?”
“Not bad.”
Wei Chang Tian smiled and said, “If you were to strike that Locking Fairy Stone again, I reckon you wouldn’t leave just a single white mark this time.”
“Hmph! Long Tian Ge only knows how to tease me!”
Liang Qin pretended to be annoyed, turning her head away, but a hint of joy still lingered on her lips.
“How can that be teasing you? Isn’t it a good thing that you’re getting better than before?”
Wei Chang Tian rubbed his nose and said, “Keep practicing your sword, and I’ll go talk to Ah Chun for a bit before I leave.”
“It’s already so late, where are you off to, Long Tian Ge?”
Liang Qin turned back, asking warily, “You’re not going to visit the brothel, are you?”
“……”
Wei Chang Tian chuckled and said, “Qin’er, didn’t I say before that you’re increasingly like someone else?”
“I……”
Liang Qin felt a surge of anger in her heart, and before she knew it, she blurted out a sentence.
“Lu Niang has already married into the Wei family, but I haven’t!”
After saying that, she didn’t even wait for Wei Chang Tian’s response, hugging her sword and running off with her head down.
Hmm?
Was she angry or embarrassed?
Looking at the figure that had already run far away, Wei Chang Tian was momentarily unable to grasp Liang Qin’s thoughts.
However, after thinking for a while, he vaguely understood.
It wasn’t that Liang Qin was jealous of Lu Jing Yao, but rather, she didn’t want to be constantly compared to other women.
You’re increasingly like someone else.
Didn’t that imply that “you” didn’t hold the same position in my heart as “someone else”?
Good grief, when did Lu Jing Yao gain such a position in my heart?
Tsk, tsk, tsk.
Wei Chang Tian clicked his tongue, finally walking over to Ah Chun, who had been waiting for him.
“Shifu.”
The little girl stood up, bowed respectfully, and began to report her cultivation progress according to routine.
“Today, I meditated for three hours, cultivated my Return to Origin Skill for two hours, and my Dan Tian’s energy has already reached twenty-two meridians……”
“Hmm……”
Wei Chang Tian asked sternly, “Why did you reduce your cultivation time by an hour today?”
“Did you slack off?”
“Ah Chun wouldn’t dare slack off.”
Ah Chun weakly explained in a small voice, “Shifu, it’s only just past the hour of Hai, and today isn’t over yet……”
Oh, I forgot about that.
Wei Changtian felt a bit embarrassed, but as a master, he couldn’t lose his dignity, so he forced himself to speak with authority:
“Cough! Of course, I know that!”
“What I mean is, why aren’t you practicing now? Are you slacking off or doing something else?”
“Ah, Ah-Chun knows his mistake…”
Ah-Chun felt wronged in his heart, but he didn’t dare argue again, and hurriedly adjusted his sitting position to continue practicing his breathing exercises.
Wei Changtian thought for a moment, then suddenly said, “Practice well for the next two days, and I’ll take you to release lanterns.”
“Ah!”
Ah-Chun had never gone out since coming to Shu Province, so when he heard this, he immediately perked up and eagerly said, “Yes, Master! I’ll definitely practice well!”
“Don’t just talk, start now.”
Wei Changtian waved his hand, waited for a while, and then turned to leave after Ah-Chun had fully entered his breathing state.
It was already late at night…
The pancake in his hand was still half-eaten, but it had already gone cold.
Standing at the entrance of the dark room’s passageway, he ate the remaining half pancake in one bite.
He brushed off the crumbs on his hand, picked up the star-patterned knife sheath on the table, and tightened the red cord tied to the knife handle.
It was almost time…
…
One incense stick later.
Wei Changtian walked out of the small courtyard alone, paused for a moment, and then disappeared into the night.
The night was quiet, as if nothing had happened.
However, Wei Changtian was closely followed by nine top-notch experts.
Regardless of whether they were second- or third-rank, they all belonged to the “upper three ranks” realm, making it very easy to conceal their presence in the darkness.
It was precisely because of this that Qin Zhengqiu and others, who were focused on Wei Changtian, didn’t notice the other second-rank expert following not far behind.
The black silk robes fluttered, and Li Huai’s gaze was somewhat cold.
In fact, this old eunuch had been paying attention to Wei Changtian’s movements recently.
However, due to the court’s weak influence in Shu Province, and Wei Changtian’s cautious actions, he hadn’t discovered anything.
But two days ago, a secret letter from the imperial palace had been delivered to his hands.
Wei Zhao Hai might be coming to Shu Province to investigate what the Wei family was up to.
The emperor’s orders had to be carried out, so Li Huai took it upon himself to keep an eye on Wei Changtian for two whole days.
“Seven or eight people, all experts…”
Li Huai maintained a distance while observing the black shadows that appeared and disappeared in front of him.
He felt that Wei Zhao Hai must be among them, but couldn’t guess what Wei Changtian was planning to do with such a group of people in the middle of the night.
Although he couldn’t guess, this old eunuch felt a sense of foreboding as he gazed at the clear and calm night sky.
A storm was brewing at the end of the quiet night.
Starting from tonight, the Great Peace might be about to change.