At that moment, the carriage was at the top of a mountain. The warriors following behind were also dismounting their horses.
This place was really desolate. There were barren mountains everywhere, and the ground was rugged and uneven.
Everywhere one looked, there were only barren mountains without any signs of human life.
"Is this the Wild Boar Territory?" Yun Zhonghe asked.
Jing Zhongyue stepped out from inside the carriage and nodded.
At the same time, several figures stepped out from the darkness to stand guard at every corner.
No matter where this lady monarch, Jing Zhongyue, went, she would always be accompanied by dozens if not hundreds of warriors.
These hundreds of warriors immediately made use of the existing terrain to construct a small defensive position.
By that time, the day was beginning to dawn.
Yun Zhonghe discovered that there was actually a small castle in a valley that was not too far below the mountain. Stuck in the middle of the passageway, it could really be said to be in a situation where one man had to hold out against ten thousand others.
At a distance of a few hundred meters away from this place, there was something that could cause anyone's hair to stand on end.
It was a huge mound formed by someone having piled up human heads.
This was left behind from the last battle between the Valley of Torn Gust and the City of Autumn Waters, where Jing Zhongyue had killed three thousand people from the City of Autumn Waters and piled up their heads to form this huge mound. It was not only used to deter the City of Autumn Waters, but also to deter the other lords from outside, and even the various lords within the Valley of Torn Gust.
However, it was precisely this huge mound that had gotten the Grand Assembly of the Baronage Alliance so utterly riled up. It became the evidence proving that Jing Zhongyue was cruel and fond of killing and that she had taken the liberty of starting a war.
At that time, it had been fun killing people, but now, it became the reason as to why a sanction had to be imposed on the Valley of Torn Gust.
A few warriors brought over a chair that was made of soft brocade and inlaid with gold; it was extremely luxurious.
Yun Zhonghe was astonished. Coming to a place like this amidst the wilderness, she had actually brought such a luxurious chair? The wealth and power of this female governor, Jing Zhongyue, was really overwhelming.
"My Lady, now may I ask what the mission is?" Yun Zhonghe asked.
"See that castle?" Jing Zhongyue said.
"I see it."
Jing Zhongyue said, "That castle is the boundary that sets the City of Autumn Waters apart from the Valley of Torn Gust. The investigation group sent by the Grand Assembly of the Baronage Alliance is residing in this castle."
Yun Zhonghe said, "They have come to investigate the truth behind the war between the Valley of Torn Gust and the City of Autumn Waters?"
Jing Zhongyue said, "That's right!"
Once the investigation group submitted a report declaring that it was the Valley of Torn Gust that had invaded the City of Autumn Waters, then the Grand Assembly of the Baronage Alliance would come to a verdict that the Valley of Torn Gust was evil. It would then have a valid reason to impose sanctions, and the Mo Clan of the City of Washed Jade would have a reason not to return the Fallen Leaves Territory.
Yun Zhonghe said, "Is the situation now very disadvantageous for us?"
Jing Zhongyue nodded and replied, "Yes!"
In fact, Yun Zhonghe could also tell that the castle where the investigation group was residing belonged to the City of Autumn Waters. This already represented their attitude.
To a certain extent, this report decided what the fate of the Valley of Torn Gust would be in time to come.
At that time, a magnificent tent had already been set up.
Jing Zhongyue slowly stepped into the tent.
"You come with me."
Yun Zhonghe followed her.
Inside the tent, two graceful ladies were boiling tea.
They were actually using water that was melted from snow.
Although it was now autumn and the weather had become very cooling, it had not snowed yet this year.
Where did you get the snow from? Did you save it from last year? Or did you go up the peak of some snowy mountain that is thousands of miles away to collect this snow?
Jing Zhongyue, you are really living such a lavish life.
"The head of this investigation group is Ning Qing. She is a widow, the most well-known widow in the Land of No King. She is the most influential and powerful widow, and she is the younger sister of Ning Chengzhu."
Now, Yun Zhonghe knew. Ning Chengzhu was the second most powerful lord in the Land of No King, second only to that heroic figure of the Tantai Family.
"The widow, Ning Qing, lives within this castle. Yun Zhonghe, you have five days to make her succumb to you!" Jing Zhongyue said, "This is your mission."
Then, she handed over a book-like item and said, "This is all the information about Ning Qing, including her recent movements."
Yun Zhonghe took it and looked it over. This was a thick book of information, containing about 10,000 words.
Why didn't you take it out for me to have a look on the way here? The thing that Yun Zhonghe was unaware of was that this book of information also contained the latest news about Ning Qing, which even Jing Zhongyue herself had just gotten hold of.
Yun Zhonghe flipped through the information.
"Can you read all these characters?" Jing Zhongyue suddenly said.
Hearing what she said, Yun Zhonghe really wished he could simply crash into something and die. This was outright belittling to him.
But if he were to think about it carefully, it was normal for Jing Zhongyue to have such a suspicion. That was because Yun Zhonghe had said himself that he had dropped out after merely one year of initiation school as a toddler. It totally reflected the position an illiterate person would find himself in.
In less than an hour's time, Yun Zhonghe had finished reading the book of information.
Then, Yun Zhonghe sighed in awe.
This Ning Qing could really be considered a legend.
She was a calligrapher, a poet, and her reputation as a talented woman had spread across thousands of miles.
She even had a story that made her truly legendary. When she was eighteen, she had once disguised herself as a man and assumed someone else's identity to participate in the Southern Zhou Empire's imperial examinations.
She started with the county exams, to the government exams, college examinations, and finally, made it all the way to the provincial examinations. And she came out on top of every single examination!
Truly the top scorer for three examinations straight, she had created a miracle in the imperial examination.
At that time, it completely stirred up the Tianshui Xing Province of the Southern Zhou Empire.
It had felt as though there was going to be another Star of Wisdom appearing.
Of course, it was because she had gained publicity with such intense fervor that her true identity was ultimately exposed. It turned out she was an imposter who had taken the place of a scholar of the Southern Zhou Empire.
This incident became strange news in the Southern Zhou Empire.
And because of this incident, the Southern Zhou Empire dismissed nineteen officials and had even wanted to make all results of that particular provincial examination obsolete.
From then on, the Southern Zhou Empire was extremely stringent in verifying the identity of candidates in the annual examinations, almost to the extent of wanting to investigate their entire ancestral history. They also grouped five candidates together, whereby they had to act as one another's guarantor. If any one of the candidates got into trouble, all five would be subjected to collective punishment for being directly related to the person at fault.
But it was precisely this legendary story that earned Ning Qing her reputation as a talented lady.
Moreover, she had an affluent background, so at that time, there was an endless stream of marriage proposals.
At that time, she had chosen the most beautiful man in the Land of No King, Yun Wanli, as her husband.
And at that time, the Yun Clan was ranked third among the lords of the Land of No King.
Yun Wanli had an unparalleled handsome appearance and was talented in both literature and martial arts. He and Ning Qing were a complete match made in heaven.
The union of those two really shone with such brilliance that it became the envy of countless watchful eyes in the Land of No King.
But in the end, not even two months after their marriage, Yun Wanli suddenly died, and Ning Qing became a widow.
Of course, even though she was a widow, she was still a target that countless people wanted to pursue.
Three years later, she married the oldest son of the Luo Clan, Luo Qin, and became the future mistress of the seventh lord in line.
But… it had only been two months after this marriage that Luo Qin suddenly passed on in a violent manner.
Ning Qing had once again become a widow.
This time, it really got everyone frightened.
Everyone felt that this woman was just too outstanding, and her talent was so eye-catching that men simply could not restrain themselves. So, the men who married her were all jinxed to death.
Of course, there were even nastier things said. For instance, things like she was fated to lead a hard life, or maybe she was born to be a Heavenly Lone Star doomed to a life of loneliness.
From then on, Ning Qing also gave up on marriages. She placed all her focus on studying and acquiring knowledge and became a master in poetry, calligraphy, and painting.
Her fame was massive.
Because she was worried that she would jinx her family, Ning Qing rarely returned to the house of the Ning Clan. She simply took up a position of related official duties in the Grand Assembly of the Baronage Alliance.
And it so happened that the Grand Assembly of the Baronage Alliance needed someone like her the most. That was, someone of great fame, talent, and who was absolutely fair and just.
All those years, Ning Qing was only responsible for two things in the Grand Assembly of the Baronage Alliance.
Firstly, helping the homeless.
Secondly, running schools.
In the past ten years or so, she had rescued so many people that it was impossible to put an exact figure to it, and she had also managed hundreds of schools and kept them running.
Despite still being tagged with the nickname of a Heavenly Lone Star, her fame was increasingly gaining ground, and her reputation was also getting better and better.
Especially among the lower-class people of the Land of No King, she was simply like a fallen angel from Heaven.
It was also because of her upright and holy reputation that she had earned herself enough prestige. So, this time around, the Grand Assembly of the Baronage Alliance had sent her to investigate the truth about the war between the City of Autumn Waters and the Valley of Torn Gust.
Despite the fact that she was a member of the Ning Clan, everyone felt that she was the only one who could truly represent the Grand Assembly of the Baronage Alliance, for she was the only one who could truly uphold justice and equity.
Therefore, the report submitted by this widow, Ning Qing, wielded absolute authority.
"Yun Zhonghe, although you are very handsome, you are born into the lower-class society after all. The grassroots feel you emanate is much too strong, which was why I did not intend to use you so early," Jing Zhongyue said. "I have hired a few teachers for you. They are going to give you an entire face-lift in terms of poetry and literature, mannerism and etiquette, and so on. After at least two years, you will be given an unprecedented transformation, and then, I will let you carry out your mission."
So, this was her way of condemning Yun Zhonghe for being too big of a loser, so much so that he was not presentable enough to be out in public view.
Jing Zhongyue felt that it was not enough for a man to be just a handsome face. The key lay with his inner wisdom and demeanor. What was even more important was found on the inside. Otherwise, this man would just appear to be exceptionally shallow and despicable.
But she had already sent five people over to meet with Ning Qing, and without exception, they had all failed.
These five people included a great scholar, a highly-skilled guqin artist, an outstanding master of calligraphy, and even a beautiful and talented man.
But not a single one of them managed to take a step past the castle door. They did not even catch a glimpse of Ning Qing's race. Even the last one that she had sent over that beautiful and talented man had both his legs maimed right away, followed by being castrated.
This meant that Ning Qing was enraged.
Was Ning Qing the one who had castrated that beautiful and talented man?
Of course!
Don't ever think she's gentle and cultivated just because she's talented. This was also one very remarkable woman.
Generally, she was demure and charming. But the moment she went cold with hostility, she could absolutely be vicious and ruthless.
Jing Zhongyue no longer had any suitable candidate from her pool of men. This was why Yun Zhonghe came to mind.
He had quite an outstanding track record in the City of Chill Water, and it was nothing short of brilliant.
The key was that he was not someone who carried much weight, so even if he were to be destroyed by Ning Qing, it would not be any significant loss.
Then she might as well take this as her final attempt to salvage a hopeless situation and let Yun Zhonghe give it a shot.
"Are you ready?" Jing Zhongyue asked.
Yun Zhonghe nodded and said, "Yes, I'm ready."
Initially, Yun Zhonghe himself did not have much confidence, but now, he was filled with confidence.
Because he had seen a few very, very interesting details in the file containing information about Ning Qing.
It seemed, in the investigation group, there was an undercover spy planted by Jing Zhongyue. It was just that this spy was of relatively low rank and was unable to establish direct contact with Ning Qing.
However, others might not take notice of the related details on the records of this person. Only Yun Zhonghe found it extremely eye-catching.
Jing Zhongyue said, "If you're ready, then get changed into your embroidered robe, show your true self, and go complete your mission."
"My Lady, you must never allow this." At this time, two figures rushed in, and they actually turned out to be Blue Immortal and Chu Zhaoran.
What was going on? Why were these two people here?
Jing Zhongyue instantly frowned.
Chu Zhaoran bowed and said, "My Lady, there has been a turn of events regarding Lady Ning Qing. Your subordinate dared not delay, so I came here right away."
Blue Immortal immediately stepped forward and said, "Yun AoTian certainly has his charms, but his level of madness is not to be underestimated as well. It is highly likely for him to go against Lady Ning Qing and anger her. That kind of situation would just be worsening matters for us."
Jing Zhongyue said, "What turn of events?"
Blue Immortal said, "I have obtained a famous poem that is hard to come by. It is a treasured piece of the calligraphy of Mister Taia. If we use this poem as a stepping stone, we can definitely get Lady Ning Qing to open her doors to us."
Jing Zhongyue's pretty eyes lit up, and she said, "Is it that Mister Taia?"
Mister Taia!
Traversing all nationalities, the great master who had gained world renown, the true heavenly Star of Wisdom.
He was called Half the Sky.
What did that mean? It meant that if the world's literary talent were rated a total of ten points, then this Mister Taia alone would have accounted for half the score.
And he had an extremely high status. He was once the imperial tutor of the Crown Prince of the Northern Great Xia Empire.
The Great Xia Empire was a top power in this world. It was even reputed as the most orthodox empire in the world and the most promising one to unify the world.
However, the rebellion of the Crown Prince of the Great Xia Empire twenty years ago had left the Great Xia Empire bruised and battered, where all its vitality was sapped out of it.
And this Crown Prince also lost his life in this military defeat and became an utterly tragic figure.
As the imperial tutor of the Crown Prince, this Mister Taia should have been sentenced to death as a form of collective punishment. But his reputation was simply too far-reaching and great. So, not only had the Great Xia Emperor, His Majesty, not killed him, he had not even imprisoned him and merely exiled him.
This story filled Mister Taia's life with such a tragic touch that it made people from all over the world sympathize with him.
In the past ten years or so, Mister Taia had traveled all around the world. Occasionally, he would get poetic and leave a poem wherever he was.
And the poems he left behind had all become immortal masterpieces that were worth a fortune.
Most importantly, what Ning Qing liked the most in her life, would be Mister Taia's poems.
She had even openly made it known that so long as it was a piece of Mister Taia's works, it had to be sent to her. Regardless of how high the price was, she would buy it.
This was probably two literary talents resonating with each other.
No one would have expected Blue Immortal to actually come up with such a trump card.
Everyone knew that with any treasured piece of calligraphy by Mister Taia in hand, there was no way one could ever fail to achieve success before Lady Ning Qing.
Blue Immortal was really generous. He was actually willing to take out such a treasure just to stop Yun Zhonghe.
He was trying to beat Yun Zhonghe by taking pre-emptive measures ahead of time.
The audacity to seize food from the jaws of the tiger was really all for the sake of preventing Yun Zhonghe from making any commendable contribution. In this way, this credit was definitely going to be taken away by Blue Immortal.
Jing Zhongyue said, "Chu Zhaoran, what do you think?"
Chu Zhaoran said, "My Lady, Yun AoTian may be my subordinate, but when it comes to Lady Ning Qing, it concerns the fate of the Valley of Torn Gust. So, it's still better to exercise caution. I also feel that Blue Immortal should be the one to meet with Lady Ning Qing."
Jing Zhongyue cast her gaze towards Yun Zhonghe, then nodded and said, "Then I'll leave it in your good hands, Teacher."
Blue Immortal bowed and said, "I will do my best. Come to think of it, we really share an affinity for each other. Lady Ning Qing and I can be looked upon as old friends."
Then, Blue Immortal took Mister Taia's piece of work and headed towards the castle at the bottom of the mountain.
The few people who were present looked at Yun Zhonghe as they gloated over his unfortunate loss.
A beggar like you no longer has the chance to show off. But you, Yun AoTian, did not have any chance in the first place.
Cutting off someone else's source of income was just as unconscionable as killing one's parents!
And now, this was exactly what Blue Immortal and Chu Zhaoran were doing.
This would completely cut off Yun Zhonghe's path to future advancements and meritorious contributions.
And yet, Yun Zhonghe merely looked on with indifference. He even felt a slight urge to laugh. This matter was getting more and more interesting.
***