The Cry of the Phoenix Which Reached the Ninth Heaven-Volume 3 Chapter 7
Chapter 7: Meet Once Again
"Is that so… But this prince feels like he's quite a sincere person. At least he's much better than those hypocritical noblemen," said Ye Junqing in a disagreeing tone.
It's more like he's sincerely nasty! Yao Mowan silently corrected him in her heart.
Right at this time, Yin Xue appeared next to Yao Mowan with a soft gust of wind.
"Reporting, Master. Ben Lei has already set out with the Elements from Mangyuan. They'll reach Loulan in half a month at the soonest," said Yin Xue.
"Half a month… That's going to be sooner than us. Have them head into Ye City first and find a place to stay. This consort will meet up with them when the time comes," instructed Yao Mowan, her eyes flashing brightly
"Understood!" Having obtained the order, Yin Xue withdrew. Her movements were so swift it was like she never appeared in the first place.
"What did you send Ben Lei to Loulan for? You couldn't actually be after the iron mines, right?" Ye Junqing peered at Yao Mowan in disbelief.
"Listeners have a share. Since this consort has learned of this news, there's no reason not to act upon it. After all, there's so much soup available. Mowan taking one sip won't matter." Yao Mowan's lips curved into a beautiful bright smile.
"You should stop dreaming. King Loulan has always been the party that traps other people. He's never been swindled out of his possessions by others before!" Ye Junqing voiced his disagreement.
"But Mowan's not others." Yao Mowan shifted closer to Ye Junqing and looked towards him with a secretive expression.
"Then who are you?" Ye Junqing couldn't help but swallow at the sight of those crafty eyes that were twinkling like stars. Every time Yao Mowan had this expression on her face, it meant that someone was going to meet with misfortune. Who would it be this time? It couldn't be King Loulan, right…
"Not telling you!" Yao Mowan suddenly retrieved her gaze and took a bite of the snake meat. I'm Moxin ah. The depths of Yao Mowan's heart ached faintly.
"If you don't want to tell, then forget it. This prince will just wait to see exactly how much ability you have!" said Ye Junqing angrily even as he handed another skewer of snake meat to Yao Mowan.
It took a total of twenty days of travelling to get to the nation of Loulan from the imperial city of great Chu. These twenty days, to Yao Mowan, were the happiest period of time she's had since being reborn. She was extremely grateful for and treasured every moment she spent with Ye Junqing.
"This subordinate Qing Long kowtows in salute to Prince and Noble Consort!" Right before they entered the city, Qing Long and the others finally caught up with Yao Mowan and Ye Junqing. When Ye Junqing saw that they had dark circles around their eyes and that their faces looked wan and sallow, he felt a little guilty.
"Where did you guys all go? This consort and the prince waited for you guys so many times! His Majesty definitely don't know how bad your legs are, otherwise he definitely wouldn't have sent you guys." Yao Mowan lifted her brows as she complained with a pout.
At the side, Ye Junqing couldn't suppress his smile as he peeked towards Yao Mowan. He had to admit his respect for the way she could say such a blatant lie without even blinking an eye! The other four had to wipe at their sweat when they heard this.
At this time, Yao Mowan and the others were currently walking on the most prosperous street in the capital city of Loulan, Ye City. There was a sea of people around them and a constant stream of carriages. Both sides of the street were filled with teahouses, restaurants, pawn shops, and rows of craftsman stores. There were peddlers selling all sorts of things including silk cloth, tea, grapes, and jewels. It was a magnificent scene of prosperity.
The dress style of the Loulan people were completely different from the style of the Central Plain which emphasized simplicity and a gentle magnanimous temperament. The clothing of the women were mostly based on red and pinks, with other brilliantly gorgeous colors as complements, so they were vividly beautiful sights. Young ladies who had yet to leave the lady's chambers would conceal their faces with white veils, adding an additional sense of mystery to their features.
However, what stunned Yao Mowan the most was not the flourishing scene of Ye City but the sight of that familiar figure in front of her.
"Yihan!" Yao Mowan cried out in delighted surprise as she ran over, only to be met with a flash of cold light. Fortunately Ye Junqing moved to shield Yao Mowan in time, otherwise Ting Feng's blade would've already taken Yao Mowan's life.
"Ting Feng, stop!" Feng Yihan had turned around upon hearing this voice. With the sunlight framing him from the back, that imposing figure seemed to emit golden light like a deity. Those exceptionally bright phoenix eyes lit up with radiant light when he saw Yao Mowan.
"Noble Consort Yao? Esteemed Prince? I never thought that you two would get here so fast!" Feng Yihan strode to Ye Junqing, his eyes shining like stars.
"That's right! Wan er never expected to encounter you here either!" Yao Mowan shoved Ye Junqing out of the way and greeted Feng Yihan happily.
"Yihan truly hadn't known that Noble Consort Yao would be coming, otherwise Yihan definitely would've brought Siqing to see Your Highness." The light in Feng Yihan's eyes whirled like that of liquid jewels. His gaze was fixed on the woman in front of him as the longing that had plagued him finally scattered like ashes.
"Noble Consort, it's best if we subordinates escort you back to the guest house first." When Qing Long saw that Yao Mowan and Feng Yihan were getting too close, he immediately stepped forward and said this respectfully.
"It's no wonder I hadn't seen you guys around, so you guys had just entered the city? King Loulan has already prepared a guest house for the ambassadors from Qi, Shu, and Chu. Ting Feng, lead these people to the guest house first. We wish to talk with Esteemed Prince and Noble Consort Yao for a while," said Feng Yihan mildly.
"Understood! This way please!" Ting Feng obeyed the command and walked to Qing Long and the others.
"But…" Qing Long looked towards Ye Junqing with a troubled expression.
"You guys should head to the guest house first. This prince will be here so it'll be fine." Ye Junqing nodded slightly. Qing Long had no choice but to lead the rest of the guards and leave with Ting Feng.
Yao Mowan only loosened a breath in relief once Qing Long and the others had vanished into the crowd. She then looked towards Feng Yihan.
"Who would've thought King Loulan, that old man, actually arranged for the nobles from all three nations to be staying in the same guest house? This isn't a good sign." Yao Mowan's lips hooked in a difficult to read smile.
"There's no choice but to simply deal with things as they come. No matter how hard King Loulan is to deal with, the worst would be that his conditions are harsh. Let's forget about this for now. Yihan will take you to go eat." Gentle light flickered in Feng Yihan's bright eyes as he looked towards Yao Mowan with a warm smile.
"Ahem… There's still a living person over here you know? And it's broad daylight, so you guys should pay attention to your statuses." Ye Junqing's facial color darkened when he saw that Feng Yihan was still holding onto Yao Mowan's hand.
"Pay attention to what status?" Yao Mowan abruptly turned around and pulled Ye Junqing over with her other hand while smiling brightly.
"You… Hurry and let go!" After Ye Junqing got over his shock, he tried to shake off Yao Mowan's hand, but ended up making too much of a commotion because other people started looking over.
"This place is Loulan, so there's no need for Prince to stand on ceremony. Let's go. Yihan has been here for a few days and knows a good place to eat." Feng Yihan looked towards Ye Junqing with a slight smile, then quietly released Yao Mowan's hand to start walking forward.
"Let's go. It's not like this place is Guan Osprey Palace." Yao Mowan smiled meaningfully, then pulled at Ye Junqing to follow Feng Yihan.
As the three of them were passing by Four Seas Gambling House, they suddenly heard a ruckus come from inside. Yao Mowan froze in surprise, then quickly walked up to pull Feng Yihan to a stop.
"It seems like there's quite a few acquaintances here!" Yao Mowan's lips curved slightly as she took the initiative to walk into the gambling house. Feng Yihan and Ye Junqing shared a look, then followed her inside.
As of now, Four Seas Gambling House was already a complete mess. There was a crowd gathered around to watch the liveliness. Yao Mowan followed their gaze, then a knowing smile appeared on her face.
"You bunch of swindlers! You guys actually dare to mess with this prince and discriminate just because this prince isn't from Loulan!? Junxiu, destroy this crappy place!" Chu Moxin stood unyieldingly in front of the gambling table that had already been overturned as he shouted this with an arrogant glower.
"This young master, your words are too far-fetched. Of the entire Four Seas Gambling House, there are no more than ten or twenty people who are Loulan locals. Most of the people here are merchants or nobles from other nations, so how could there be any discrimination? Moreover, this little one runs an honest business. Our house offers sincere treatment to all and fair trade to old and young alike. Look at this dice. It's completely authentic!" The banker running the game spoke with a nearly crying expression as he offered the dice to Chu Moxin.
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Credits: Translated by Chiyomira
[Chiyomira's Corner]
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