A moment later, the four of them were defeated.
Duan Yanqing could only leave Qiao Feng with a few harsh words before departing in a huff.
"Thank you, Brother Qiao, for your assistance!"
Duan Zhengchun had sharp, star-like brows and eyes, a vibrant spirit, and was so handsome he didn't look like a middle-aged man.
"Duan Yu is my sworn brother, how could I stand idly by? King Duan, to be frank, I, Qiao, have come today to verify something with King Duan!"
Qiao Feng's expression was serious, and he slightly cupped his hands in greeting.
"If it's of great importance, please come with me into the woods for a talk."
Seeing Qiao Feng's demeanor, Duan Zhengchun already guessed the urgency of the matter. He took Qiao Feng, leaving the others behind, and went to a secluded spot to converse in hushed tones.
A Zhu stood anxiously in the distance, waiting, until she saw Qiao Feng slowly shake his head at her. She finally couldn't help but shed tears.
Turning around, she looked at Ruan Xingzhu, who was warmly comforting A Zi, and A Zhu tremblingly walked over.
"Thank you, King Duan, for your honesty."
"Brother Qiao, you overstate it. If you hadn't been so forthright and told me directly, I'm afraid both of us would have fallen for that vicious woman Kang Min's scheme."
"I'm ashamed. I, Qiao, was also guided by Mr. Chu, which allowed me to dispel my misunderstanding of King Duan..."
"Mr. Chu? Brother Qiao, could you introduce me? That Mr. Chu has also been kind to me, Duan."
"I don't know where Mr. Chu went. If there's a chance in the future, I must invite Mr. Chu for a drink."
"Hahahaha, then please be sure to call upon me, Duan."
With the misunderstanding resolved, the two conversed happily. As soon as they emerged from the woods, they simultaneously saw Ruan Xingzhu embracing A Zhu and crying uncontrollably again.
When Ruan Xingzhu saw Duan Zhengchun, she couldn't help but shout loudly again, "Duan Lang, A Zhu is also our child!"
Duan Zhengchun was overjoyed and quickly stepped forward to embrace the mother and two daughters.
Qiao Feng suddenly felt a bit parched. His sworn brother's father had suddenly become his father-in-law. The next time he saw Duan Yu, he didn't know whether to call him second brother or younger brother-in-law...
But the next moment.
Qiao Feng suddenly felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, filled with extreme lingering fear.
If A Zhu had known earlier that King Duan was her father, and he had treated King Duan as the ringleader, insisting on killing him to avenge his parents...
What would have happened?
A Zhu, caught between him and her birth father, facing a dilemma of life and death, would most likely have resolved their hatred in her own way.
And A Zhu's greatest skill was disguise!
Upon thinking of a certain possibility, Qiao Feng's face showed an expression of relief, and he muttered to himself.
"A Zhu, Mr. Chu saved you twice..."
A lone smoke straight in the desert, a long river with the sun round.
Although Wang Wei's poem "Envoy to the Frontier" does not describe the scenery of Mongolia, it is very fitting to describe the beautiful scenery Chu Yang saw before his eyes.
After crossing the border of Great Ming and arriving at the boundless Mongolia grassland, Chu Yang suddenly discovered the vastness of this world.
Unlike the graceful and delicate scenery of Jiangnan, the grassland scenery was rugged, like a young girl who had just left her boudoir, without makeup, carrying a fresh aura.
The wind blew, and the half-person tall grass swayed, like green waves. The setting sun fell upon it, draping the entire grassland in a layer of pale golden gauze.
Such beautiful scenery, Huang Rong naturally did not want to miss. So, she volunteered to sit beside Chu Yang, acting as a temporary coachman.
On the other hand, Mu Nianci, who usually took the initiative to be the coachman, hid in the carriage and wouldn't come out.
No matter how Chu Yang called her, she would find excuses to decline.
In the end, it was Huang Rong who dragged her out to admire the grassland scenery, but Mu Nianci still habitually kept her head down, seemingly not very interested.
"When we reach Mongolia, shouldn't Sister Mu go find that silly boy's mother, who is Sister Mu's future mother-in-law?" Huang Rong saw this, her eyes darted around, revealing a mischievous smile, "Sister Mu is shy, isn't she?"
Mu Nianci rolled her eyes at her. The little girl was clearly teasing her.
Chu Yang nodded thoughtfully and said, "It should be so. After all, for a girl to meet her mother-in-law without her family accompanying her, it would be somewhat awkward."
Mu Nianci sighed deeply, her brow furrowed with worry.
"Hehehe."
Huang Rong smiled like a little fox. All the way from Southern Song to Mongolia, she had long guessed Mu Nianci's feelings and also guessed that Mu Nianci going to find her future mother-in-law was a baseless excuse.
Seeing her in a difficult position now, the naturally mischievous Huang Rong couldn't be happier.
In terms of relationship, Huang Rong and Mu Nianci got along well and were already very good friends, but when she thought that the other party was intentionally approaching Chu Yang, Huang Rong still felt uncomfortable.
"Then how about this, Miss Mu, we'll first take you to find Guo Jing's mother, and then we'll depart, how does that sound?"
As the saying goes, 'send the Buddha all the way to the West.' Chu Yang couldn't just abandon a young girl after bringing her all the way to Mongolia.
They had already come all the way to the foot of the Spirit Mountain, so a little extra effort wouldn't hurt.
Mu Nianci wanted to muster the courage to confess to Chu Yang, but once her eyes met his, she inexplicably lost her resolve. She could only listlessly say thank you, "Thank you, Chu Yang."
Guo Jing was both Temujin's son Tolui's sworn brother and his daughter Huazheng's Golden Saber Son-in-Law, so Li Ping's residence was quite special, close to Temujin's royal tent.
It was difficult for Chu Yang, dressed in Central Plains attire, to inquire about Temujin's royal tent from the herdsmen. He had no choice but to use illusion to confuse them.
For Dragon Elephant Prajna Palm, Chu Yang had learned a bit of Mongolian in advance, so communication was not a big problem.
After encountering several groups of herdsmen and learning Temujin's location, the carriage never stopped again.
They sped through the night.
On the morning of the next day, Mu Nianci took the reins from Chu Yang's hand and sat down to drive without a word.
"Miss Mu doesn't seem very happy?"
"It's nothing, just a little nervous."
Chu Yang looked at her somewhat pale profile, thought for a moment, and said, "You don't like this marriage?"
Mu Nianci's expression stiffened. She wanted to nod, but she didn't know if she should.
Between Chu Yang and Huang Rong, there seemed to be no place for her.
"If you don't like it, you can actually say so clearly. Uncle Yang is a bit stubborn, but he's not a person who acts on his own."
Chu Yang thought Mu Nianci, like in the original story, had fallen in love with Yang Kang, and out of filial piety, she had no choice but to make this trip to Mongolia.
Frankly speaking, Guo Jing was much more reliable than Yang Kang. If Chu Yang were Yang Tiexin, he would be happier to see Mu Nianci and Guo Jing together.
Provided Mu Nianci liked him.
Matters of the heart cannot be forced, otherwise there wouldn't be so many lovesick men and women in the world.
"If... if I really don't like this marriage, Chu Yang, what do you think I should do?"
After a long while, Mu Nianci slowly asked in a voice as small as a mosquito's.
"Who you like is your freedom; no one else can control it. You can decide however you want."
At this point, Chu Yang paused slightly, "However, I think Guo Jing is a better match than Yang Kang. Even if you don't like Guo Jing, it's best not to choose Yang Kang."
Mu Nianci looked bewildered, completely failing to understand Chu Yang's meaning.
What did this have to do with Yang Kang?
A cough suddenly came from the carriage, interrupting their conversation.
Mu Nianci quickly sat up straight, her cheeks flushed. She inexplicably felt a little sorry for Huang Rong and dared not say another word for the rest of the journey.
With the aid of magic, the carriage traveled across the grassland as if on flat ground, reaching the vicinity of Temujin's royal tent in just one day and night.
The three of them got out of the carriage and found that a banquet was being held, seemingly to entertain important guests.
"Little Chu, they're all dancing! I want to dance with them too."
"Forget it. Be careful, they might mistake you for a spy."
"It won't come to that, will it? I'm just a girl. What kind of spy would look like me?"
"Stop messing around. Quickly go find Guo Jing's mother."
The two bickered as they led Mu Nianci to search for Li Ping's yurt. All around them were Mongols singing and dancing, most of them dead drunk.
Chu Yang caught a few drunk Mongols and used illusion to make them reveal Li Ping's location.
However, just as they were about to go over, Chu Yang suddenly heard some Mongols discussing Tantric Buddhism. After carefully investigating with Observation Haki, he realized that the main guests of this banquet were from Tantric Buddhism.
"What a coincidence! I thought it would take a long time to find them..."
Chu Yang's face lit up with joy. He turned to Huang Rong and said, "You take Miss Mu to find the person first; I'll come find you later."
With that, he vanished directly before the two of them.
Huang Rong and Mu Nianci exchanged glances. The two of them still couldn't adapt to Chu Yang's "immortal techniques."
Arriving at the center of the royal court, Chu Yang quickly located Temujin's yurt with Observation Haki and heard the sound of his conversation with the Tantric monks.
Chu Yang walked leisurely, and wherever he went, the soldiers were enveloped in illusion, standing in place like puppets.
Pulling back the curtain, Chu Yang saw Temujin seated at the very top, with Lamas in large red robes on both sides.
Temujin also saw Chu Yang, who was dressed in Central Plains attire. He paused for a moment, then immediately shouted, "Who are you?"
Chu Yang ignored him, snapped his fingers, and then the gazes of Temujin and several Lamas became dull.
Chu Yang walked towards the Tantric Lamas and questioned them about the cultivation mantra for Dragon Elephant Prajna Palm.
At the same time.
Huang Rong and Mu Nianci stood in front of Li Ping's yurt. Mu Nianci bit her lip, still hesitant to go inside.
Seeing this, Huang Rong's mischievous smile flashed across her face, then she put on a cold expression.
"Honestly, Sister Mu, do you like Little Chu?!"
Mu Nianci, already flustered, had her secret called out by Huang Rong and instinctively cried out.
"So nervous, you definitely like Little Chu, Sister Mu, stop pretending!" Huang Rong said irritably.
"Rong'er... Huang Guniang, don't talk nonsense, I'm not, I didn't."
Mu Nianci's tongue seemed tied in knots, she couldn't speak clearly, and her face was flushed, feeling a sense of shame as if caught in adultery by the original spouse.