Chapter 194: Route 180, Part 2

Zhang Rongfang couldn’t care less about how the Feng family’s caravan was doing.

Before leaving, he took Feng Lu’s pouch as compensation for his troubles.

He really didn’t know if those two brats were the poisoners.

But releasing snakes was definitely their doing, couldn’t escape from that truth. So he decided to take action regardless.

Even if he was wrong, they were evil doers, getting rid of them made the world a bit cleaner.

This was also his way of punishing evil and promoting good.

After leaving the inn, he leisurely walked along the official road by himself.

In fact, he was only using the Feng family’s caravan to cover his departure, considering too many in Wushan Prefecture were watching him.

But since it was his first time heading to the Great Capital, just a map wasn’t enough.

Soon, Zhang Rongfang found a small caravan on the way, joined them for a price, and easily continued on a different path.

Many only checked official documents for identity, and conveniently, the Golden Wing Pavilion specialized in this.

Zhang Rongfang had prepared at least three different sets of identity documents, all of which were genuine.

In the blink of an eye, another month went by, and he gained three more attribute points.

Two hundred li away from the Great Capital, in Qianxi Town.

In front of the biggest and best Starry Restaurant in town.

Zhang Rongfang walked in slowly, scanning the bustling crowd of diners in the hall.

Qianxi Town was on the only road leading to the Great Capital, and most people in the hall seemed to be travelers.

“Waiter, one set meal please.” Zhang Rongfang found a seat and sat down, placing his bundle on the ground by his foot.

A set meal consisted of specific dishes and portions and was steamed in advance, making it quick and convenient.

“Coming right up!” A clear-eyed young waiter ran over quickly. However, instead of immediately following Zhang Rongfang’s order, he carefully examined his face.

“May I ask if you are Zhang He?”

“Hmm? That’s right. How did you know my name?” Zhang Rongfang was slightly taken aback.

“Well, someone paid for your meals and lodging in advance. Whatever you wish to eat, there’s no issue,” explained the waiter.

“A set meal, right? Sure, please wait a moment, it’ll be right up!” He said, preparing to leave.

“Someone paid for me in advance?” Zhang Rongfang was astonished; even with a change of identity, who would do this for him?

The Feng family?

The Feng family would rather see him dead.

As for others… even more impossible.

Because the Zhang He identity was entirely fabricated, mixed together by the Golden Wing Pavilion.

This anonymous favor was not something Zhang Rongfang dared to accept.

Immediately, without waiting for the waiter to return, he found someone else to grab some egg white and water, then left the restaurant swiftly to head toward the Great Capital.

Yet, the more he tried to avoid it, the more the person seemed to shadow him.

Soon, he left Qianxi Town and arrived at Double Leaves Town, closer to the Great Capital.

This time, as soon as he entered the town, someone was already waiting, spotting him from a distance on the road and coming forward to guide him.

As the sun set in the west, Zhang Rongfang saw from afar, two tall and strong brown-haired Huxi people holding a tall horse, silently waiting by the roadside.

Seeing him, one of them stepped forward and loudly inquired.

“Could the gentleman ahead be Young Master Zhang He?”

“I am. And you are?”

Zhang Rongfang didn’t expect even with his rush, this group could still get a hold of him.

He was rather astonished inside.

“Someone paid us to wait here for you, and also to handover this horse for your travel,” the man loudly replied.

At this moment, the official road was bustling with people coming and going, many entering and exiting the town.

Some were travelers dressed similarly to Zhang Rongfang.

Seeing this scene, many people stopped with interest to watch the commotion.

“A horse, just given away like that?”

“Seems to be a Yandong horse with a white nose and black hooves! Tsk tsk tsk, this must be worth hundreds of taels! Such generosity!”

Such peculiar events were favorite conversational fodder during meals for some.

Soon, more and more people gathered for the spectacle.

Zhang Rongfang carefully examined the horse.

“Can you describe the person who hired you?”

“It was a woman, dressed in black clothes and black veil. Her face was covered, so we couldn’t see clearly. But she seemed quite pretty.”

One of them quickly answered.

“The young lady also said that if you have doubts, you can ride the horse and let it take you to her.”

Zhang Rongfang remained expressionless and turned to leave.

He wasn’t unwilling to ride, but his own speed and stamina were superior to the horse.

Besides, who knew if the horse’s back was poisoned?

All along this journey, someone knew of his movements everywhere, making him extremely cautious.

Fortunately, from those two, Feng Lu and Feng Xin, he had acquired the first and second layer of the Cyan Leaf Nine Capitals Scripture.

The scripture only contained key points and principles copied roughly.

It seemed those two brats were afraid of forgetting, so they briefly noted their insights.

Even though there was no practice method, the theories gave Zhang Rongfang new inspiration and insights into several unique poisoning methods.

The Cyan Leaf Sect and its Cyan Leaf Nine Capitals Scripture, he had heard before, was the top among the twelve Golden Cicadas of the south.

The so-called twelve Golden Cicadas referred to twelve martial art sects in the south skilled in various unique arts.

Unlike regular sects, they mostly hid in deep mountains and forests, setting up stockades and fortresses, self-sufficiently living.

Some rumors hinted at their connections to rebel armies.

The Cyan Leaf Sect was the strongest among these twelve Golden Cicadas.

Its members specialized in using and fostering poisons, notoriously infamous in the southern martial arts world, hardly anyone dared to provoke them.

After all, even high-grade experts couldn’t escape death once poisoned.

From the Cyan Leaf Nine Capitals Scripture, Zhang Rongfang realized that poison was indeed a huge weakness for him.

Golden Wing Pavilion also had training for poison resistance. But compared to the Cyan Leaf Sect, it was still far behind.

Perhaps he should try using concepts from the Nine Capitals Scripture for his poison resistance training to avoid accidental poisoning in the future.

Immediately, Zhang Rongfang ignored the horse, and brushed past the two men, walking toward the town.

He hadn’t walked far when a swift horse quickly caught up from behind.

The rider flipped off the horse and blocked his path.

“Brother Zhang, I have been offering my goodwill throughout your journey, but you haven’t accepted any of it. Do you find me too conspicuous?”

The rider removed her hairband, and her dark hair cascaded down.

Zhang Rongfang paused to scrutinize her carefully.

She had a high nose bridge, slightly blue eyes, delicate pink lips, and cheeks that were white yet subtly luminous.

Most notably, on the right side of her temple was a small purple plum blossom mark.

The mark was only the size of a fingernail, not easily recognizable as a flower unless you looked closely—it might be mistaken for a birthmark.

“We are strangers, and your earlier gestures were entirely unsolicited, so naturally, I wouldn’t accept them. May I ask who you are and what your purpose is?” Zhang Rongfang stopped and asked in a deep voice.

The woman raised an eyebrow and smiled, “You may not know me, but I know you. We have already visited the Yinhuai Forest before. With your strength, it’s no wonder Sister Tong Zhang has taken a liking to you.”

Yinhuai Forest and Tong Zhang—hearing these two keywords, Zhang Rongfang’s heart suddenly tensed.

“It seems you’ve done thorough research on me.”

His body tensed, ready to seize her and force information.

“No need to be so tense; we mean no harm. If we did, we wouldn’t have let you run this far before revealing ourselves,” the woman smiled.

“Young Master Zhang may not know this, but those two Daoists in Yinhuai Forest are merely discarded failures,” she continued.

“You seem to know a lot,” Zhang Rongfang replied in a serious tone.

“Indeed, the Celestial Maiden wishes for you not to know the truth too early lest it hinders your martial growth and potential.

We, however, believe that if the truth is concealed and then revealed suddenly, it could lead to all your previous efforts being wasted, causing you to collapse completely,” the woman explained.

Zhang Rongfang remained silent, noting the increasing number of curious onlookers.

“Let’s speak somewhere else.”

“Please.”

The woman expanded her smile, gesturing towards Double Leaves Town behind her.

A moment later.

Inside a private residence in Double Leaves Town.

Zhang Rongfang and the mysterious woman sat opposite each other, kneeling.

The woman had changed her attire to wide-sleeved robes, white with blue drape, her long hair bound by a silver snake coil tiara, the rest cascading down her back.

Compared to her previous knightly appearance, she now looked more like a Daoist Kun Dao.

Yet her pale blue pupils and overly white skin softened the Daoist air of balance and peace, imparting a nuanced enigmatic feel.

“The tea is White Needle Silver Tip, and the water is from the Taixuan Well of Yishan.

The leaves are from Changzhou, not great quality, but passable.”

“Young Master Zhang, having traveled far, I apologize for the haste.”

“I don’t understand these things, nor do I care for them.” Zhang Rongfang raised the apricot-colored tea, sniffing lightly—a rich fragrance.

Most importantly, it wasn’t poisoned; his life stat in the attribute column remained unchanged.

This was a special method he discovered through testing various toxins obtained from the Feng family’s two sons.

If he touched anything harmful, his life stat would fluctuate.

Thus, it became one of his poison-detection methods.

“Why be so cautious, Young Master Zhang Ying? We mean no harm and actually come with goodwill.

If we harbored malice, you wouldn’t have made it here,” the woman chuckled lightly.

“You know me, but I don’t know you. How could I put my guard down?” Zhang Rongfang countered.

The woman nodded in understanding.

“True enough. Allow me to introduce myself.”

She took out a round black jade pendant, marked with five connected symbols forming a pentagram.

“My surname is Yan, and my name is a single word: Shuang. Saying just this may not ring a bell as we’ve indeed never met.

However… if I mention a certain person, you’ll definitely be acquainted.”

Yan Shuang spoke softly as she reached for Zhang Rongfang’s teacup, placing it by the bronze stove to keep warm.

“Who?”

“Gong Shuyin.”

Zhang Rongfang’s mind momentarily blanked; he had suspected she was no ordinary person but hadn’t expected her to be such trouble.

Even now, he didn’t know how she managed to track his movements so closely?

“To be honest,” Yan Shuang continued. “Gong Shuyin is my biological mother. Previously, she was entrusted by the Celestial Maiden to temporarily protect you at Wushan Prefecture.

They are of the same era, and despite sometimes opposing stances, they share mutual understanding.

In other words, the Celestial Maiden may have foreseen an accident and arranged for my mother to protect Young Master in case it occurred.”

Zhang Rongfang frowned, feeling confused.

“You’re saying that Miss Gong Shuyin is a fallback plan set by the Celestial Maiden for me? In case something happens to the Golden Wing Pavilion, then….”

“You’re quite perceptive, Young Master,” Yan Shuang’s eyes curved into crescents.

“I don’t understand why the Celestial Maiden suddenly takes such interest in me?” Zhang Rongfang asked.

“To understand why, we must discuss the three paths of the world,” Yan Shuang replied softly.

“Three paths?”

“Yes. The Spirit Court stands above all, residing at the pinnacle, overlooking everyone.”

“They hold the strongest path and occupy the summit,” Yan Shuang explained.

“Next is Esoteric Sect.”

“Lastly is Outer Sect.”

“The Great Spirit Temple is a fusion of academia and faith, with hundred teachings vying, seemingly diverse, yet to reach the peak, there’s but one method.

And that is….”

Yan Shuang suddenly paused, sipping her tea leisurely.

“Is Young Master attempting to break through grades? Seeking method in the Celestial Treasure Palace?”

“Precisely,” Zhang Rongfang had nothing to hide. It’s also something he hoped others would understand.

“Young Master may not be aware, but despite your talent and potential, following this path without change won’t allow you to reach the Celestial Maiden’s strength by thirty when Qi and Blood decline.

Even the Silver-faced Cicada would surpass you by far.”

Yan Shuang smiled.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep