Chen Gong, having seen early on that circumstances were rather unfavorable for him
then, had already turned and rushed in the direction of Yuwen Song and Dou Yan the
moment that Shen Qiao pierced through Baoyun with his sword.
Their target that day was Yuwen Song. It was Yan Shou who had made the assertion to
insist on killing Shen Qiao. Now, if Chen Gong were to bring Yuwen Song back, he
would have fulfilled his duty.
But he didn't think that Shen Qiao would have reached such heights upon his
cultivation of jian dao. He had just killed Baoyun, having rushed at him with such
speed, his qinggong filled with brilliance, leaving no trace of his steps.
Fully aware of Shen Qiao's speed, Chen Gong was certain that even if he were to
capture Yuwen Song, he would unavoidably have to fight Shen Qiao head-on.
And if he were, though he would eradicate any future source for trouble, it would mean
placing himself in fatal danger. Of course, it didn't take much thinking to realize that
the latter potential was more important than the former.
Chen Gong made a quick decision to leave Yuwen Song untouched. Halfway there, he
had changed his direction, rushing instead towards the city. He used his qinggong to
its utmost power, quickly leaping over the city gates by stepping upon the bricks
bulging out of the walls.
Shen Qiao had no desire to chase after him. He took Dou Yan and Yuwen Song in his
arms, and flew in the opposite direction.
He had sheathed his sword, leaving his two arms open to carry the two children. In a
single breath, Shen Qiao rushed two or three li away, until the was a significant
distance away from the city gates, before finally stopping.
He put the two children down, and staggered forwards several steps, before coughing
up a mouthful of blood.
"Shen-daozhang!" Dou Yan shouted out, quickly running to support him.
Though Yuwen Song didn't utter a word, he had also ran over to take Shen Qiao's other
arm and help him stand. With some effort, they were able to support half of Shen
Qiao's weight.
"It's nothing…" Shen Qiao spoke to comfort them as he clutched his chest. His mouth
was filled with the taste of blood.
Baoyun and Yan Shou weren't ordinary opponents. They were Hehuan Sect
elders—though they didn't place top ten in the world, they were still one of the few
masters across jianghu. With Shen Qiao's present strength, he was able to kill two of
them in a single breath. It sounded awe-inspiring, but made at no small cost.
Earlier, when they had battled, he had sustained a number of strikes.
If Chen Gong had
not been caught off guard by the unflinching, deceitful illusion that he had projected
before him, and instead had paid more attention, Chen Gong would have easily
realized that Shen Qiao had nearly spent his strength.
Dou Yan's eyes filled with tears. She tried with all her might to keep from letting them
fall.
"Don't cry!" Yuwen Song said to her. "There's a pavilion up ahead. I've been there
before. Let's go over there and sit."
Just then, Shen Qiao was turning over a number of thoughts in his mind. Earlier, when
they were battling, no soldiers had come out to hinder them. Perhaps it was because
Yuwen Xian had earned the sympathies of these men, so they had secretly wanted to
help him. He knew that they would be unlikely to put them in danger within a short
period of time, so he didn't use true qi to take the children away.
Dou Yan nodded quickly, and the two of them helped Shen Qiao walk ahead.
After going a short distance and turning a corner, they came across a small pavilion.
However, two people were already standing beneath it.
Outside stood a horse.
"It's Ah-die!" Before Shen Qiao could react, Dou Yan had already recognized the other
man's identity. However, she did not leave Shen Qiao behind. Instead, she remained
there supporting him until they reached the inside of the pavilion, when she flew
towards the man.
"Ah-die!"
"Ah-yan!"
Dou Yi held his daughter tightly, his expression filled with surprise and joy in an instant.
Yuwen Song watched this scene unfold before his eyes, and could not help but think of
his father, who had died in such a tragic way. Tears began to flow down his cheeks after
having been held back by him for a long time.
A hand rest on top of his head, gently smoothing down his hair. It carried with it some
warmth.
It was Shen Qiao.
Yuwen Song did not speak, nor did he allow his crying voice to be heard. However, he
could not help but draw closer to Shen Qiao somewhat, and lean into his body.
Between them formed an implicit trust and understanding, despite only knowing one
another a short amount of time. This was what arose from having survived the trials of
life and death with one another.
Dou Yi cupped his hands together and bowed before Shen Qiao: "Thank you,
Shen-daozun, for your kindness in saving my daughter's life! I will never forget your
great virtue and generosity for as long as I live!"
He was expressing his deepest gratitude, which was why he had even used the
honorific of highest seniority within Daoism to refer to him.
Qi Fengge, Shen Qiao's teacher, had also been referred to as Qi-daozun.
"Dou-langjun, there is no need to thank me." Shen Qiao's voice was somewhat hoarse
and weak.
"My name is Zhangsun Sheng, of the Zhongnan Faction," said the man who stood at Dou Yi's side. "That day at the Su family's birthday banquet, I was fortunate enough to
have met Shen-daozun for a moment. You may remember me somewhat."
He took out a small porcelain bottle.
"These are Yulu pills. We use them in the Zhongnan Faction to heal internal wounds,
and are somewhat effective. Shen-daozun, please do take some."
Shen Qiao did not hesitate. After thanking him, he accepted the pills.
"The Prince of Qi's injustice is known by all across the land," Zhangsun Sheng said. "It
is a pity that his great achievements intimidated His Majesty, and that His Majesty
acted perversely and made false charges against a loyal and true man. This crime will
be known by all. Because I had my family to attend to, I hesitated in taking action.
Now, after seeing daozun's actions, I feel greatly ashamed. I must ask daozun to accept
my show of respect!"
Shen Qiao extended one hand to help him stand: "The dao is practiced
three-thousand ways; the dao each person may choose is not the same. There is
nothing you have done that should be criticized. Without your help in the background,
I would not have been able to escape so easily. However, I am one and alone, and the
Su family is not. The entire Su family is still in Chang'an, yet they rebelled alongside me
against Yuwen Yun. Will they be all right?"
Zhangsun Sheng said: "Yes, don't you worry. My shifu is from the Zhongnan Faction,
yet the Zhangsun family has some connections within Chang'an. We can easily take the
Su family away and hide them in the Zhongnan Mountains for a brief period of time.
Why don't you take Yuwen Qilang along there? Although Zhongnan Mountain is not a
famous sect, we have enough courage to rebel against the Zhou Emperor's pawns.
However, Shen Qiao shook his head: "No, the Zhongnan Mountains are too close to
Chang'an. If Yuwen Yun insists on pursuing after us, there isn't a place where we can
stay for very long at all. I want to take him further away. Once we've completely
distanced ourselves from danger, we can consider things after."
Zhangsun Sheng glanced at Dou Yi, before he sighed and said: "All right. This horse
won't be able to cover a thousand li in a day, it's a very rare and fine breed. Daozun, if
you are feeling out of sorts, then take him instead. It will make things a little more
convenient for you!"