Chapter 1148 - 303: Jade Hairpin Leans on Spring’s Warm Waves, Gentle Hands Stir Sweet Affection (Part 6)

The sweet fragrance from the sugar painting stall in the street below mixed with the fragments of firecrackers wafted in, yet it couldn’t mask the frost that gathered between his brows—this journey to the Capital was a battle invitation sent to him by the turbulent Jianghu.

The wine banners of "Mei Niang Workshop" flapped in the wind, Shi Feiyang lightly tapped his toe on a wine jar, causing the aged wine within to ripple finely.

The branch disciples were inventorying weapons in the cellar. Upon seeing his arrival, they all knelt on one knee.

Shi Feiyang casually grabbed a jar of daughter red wine. The liquid was spicy as it entered his mouth, yet it couldn’t dissolve the heaviness in his throat: "Spread the order, turn all the visible bases to covert ones within three days." Then, with Shi Xiong, he flew towards the eight alleys.

The beaded curtain of "Mier Hall" jingled, Shopkeeper Xu Niang Wan Niang leaned on the carved wooden railing, her gilded nail guard lightly tapping: "Mr. Shi, you’ve come at the right time." She tossed out a scroll of secret reports, the characters seared by Western Regions’ fire lacquer, "That old cur Kang Fusheng has hired Kunlun’s ’Two Elders of Xuanming’ and Western Regions’ ’Venerable Poison Dragon’, all fierce characters capable of tearing apart leopards and tigers with bare hands."

Shi Xiong tightly gripped the White Rainbow Sword at his waist, his youthful face full of worry: "Young master, how about we delay quelling the rebellion? Once the war in Bozhou eases, the Imperial Court won’t have the resources to deal with us." The wine cup in Shi Feiyang’s palm suddenly shattered, the wine mixed with porcelain shards splattering onto the blue bricks: "Impossible! The rebels burn, kill, and plunder, corpses of common people lay everywhere. Should we exchange the peace of Heroic Sakura Association for thousands of lives?"

He gazed at the swaying lanterns outside the window, True Qi congealing into ice crystals in his palm, "Order all branches, let five hundred thousand brothers disperse into the shadows. Remember, true strength doesn’t lie in numbers but in being invisible."

As twilight thickened, candle flames flickered in the secret chamber of the "Cozy Inn."

Lu Hongye, clothed in a moon-white gown, held an infant in her arms, who giggled while biting a rattle.

The jasmine hairpin in her hair swayed slightly with her movements, and the teardrop mole at the corner of her eye seemed about to fall under the firelight: "Feiyang! Husband!"

After being apart for two years, seeing her husband suddenly appear made Lu Hongye overwhelmingly emotional.

Before she could finish speaking, Yang Xue’Er stepped out from behind the screen, the Liaodong sable fur accentuating her dazzling beauty. The child in her arms, with features like carved jade, did not cry upon seeing a stranger but extended his arms for Shi Feiyang to hold.

Understanding the situation, Shi Xiong retreated to the door, leaving only the three of them in the chamber, their heartbeats audible to one another.

Lu Hongye’s fingertips caressed Shi Feiyang’s tender and handsome cheek, her voice trembling: "The atrocities committed by the Jinyi Guard against our disciples in Bozhou, each thought of it is like thousands of ants gnawing at my heart. When I received the news that day, I wished I could fly to your side immediately."

Yang Xue’er placed the child in Shi Feiyang’s arms, drew the soft sword from her waist, and struck sparks on the ground: "Whatever the Two Elders of Xuanming or Venerable Poison Dragon may be, my Liaodong Qingfeng Pavilion’s Sword Array is not to be trifled with!"

The tip of her sword lifted the candle flame, reflecting the blood-red nail polish at the corner of her eye, "Last time at Changbai Mountain, I defeated thirty-six ambushes with a single sword; this time I’ll make sure the Jinyi Guard knows that to oppose the Heroic Sakura Association is to fight against the entire Jianghu!"

Holding the young child in one arm and embracing the two women with the other, True Qi unconsciously emanated from Shi Feiyang, causing the chamber’s candles to flicker slightly: "Xue’Er’s Sword Array and Hongye’s Breaking Army Spear Technique are both prides of Heroic Sakura Association. But this time, the opponents are unlike before."

He took out Wan Niang’s secret report, the flame sizzling as it burned the Western Regions’ fire lacquer, "These people ungoverned by the court only acknowledge gold and silver, their methods feared to be even more ruthless than the Jinyi Guard."

Suddenly, Lu Hongye pulled out a black wooden box from her sleeve, opening it revealed a pungent smell: "This is the antidote for Miaojiang’s ’Thousand Spider Poisonous Hand’, I’ve been searching for it for three months." Her eyelashes trembled, "In case... in case you encounter a poison expert..."

With a snort, Yang Xue’er took out a yellowed map from her bosom: "Liaodong has set up twelve hidden bases, should the situation become dire, we can retreat to Changbai Mountain. My mother said, the entirety of Qingfeng Pavilion will live and die with Heroic Sakura Association!"

Her voice carried the straightforwardness of a northeastern woman but softened upon meeting Shi Feiyang’s gaze, "Just... just be careful, would you?" Outside the chamber, Shi Xiong held his sword hilt, listening to the sometimes intense, sometimes tender conversation inside, suddenly feeling the weight upon his shoulders.

From afar came the sound of the night watchman’s drum, its beat startling the cold crows, as Shi Xiong gazed at the swirling dark clouds over the Capital, gripping the secret letter at his waist that had yet to be delivered—news from the Jiangnan Cao Bang, that the claws of the Jinyi Guard had quietly extended towards Taihu Lake.