A City Swept by Wind and Snow GL - Chapter 45

◎Xue Qianxun, where did that moving island take you?◎

After parting ways with He Qirui, He Qishu rode furiously for nine hours without even stopping for meals, finally reaching the foothills of Zuying Mountain. According to the intelligence report, Water Moon Palace was located north of Jingxian Peak, the main peak of the Zuying Mountain range, and the secret signals his subordinates had placed along the way also led to this point. However, it would be impossible to find the entrance to Water Moon Palace without a guide.

It was dusk now. He Qishu looked at the dark green forests nearby, seeing only mist swirling around, ominous and strange. The distant Jingxian Peak, capped with white snow, towered into the clouds, as if it truly intended to pierce the Heavenly Palace and alarm the immortals. And the person he was looking for was nowhere to be found.

He Qishu ordered the twenty guards to dismount and rest. Just as he was about to take out a signal flare, the wuya (giant eagle) in the low sky suddenly became restless and let out a series of long cries. A figure appeared in the woods, with a lean and vigorous physique and an easy, relaxed gait, yet his speed was extremely fast, arriving in front of He Qishu in the blink of an eye. It turned out to be an elderly man, who looked no older than fifty, with well-shaped eyebrows and a long beard. His hair was still mostly black, interspersed only with a few silver strands. His eyes were very bright and spirited, and his countenance was extraordinary. As soon as He Qishu saw him, he smiled brightly.

The old man bowed to He Qishu, his deep voice saying: “Your humble subject greets your Royal Highness, King Zhuang.”

The giant eagle, Wuya, did not recognize this person and was filled with hostility. However, the moment the old man spoke, the internal energy contained in his voice instantly stunned the spiritual creature, causing it to immediately cease its agitation.

He Qishu nodded slightly, showing an approving expression: “Old Sir Chu, your divine calculation is indeed marvelous!” His tone carried the majesty of royalty, yet was not lacking in special respect for the old man.

The old man smiled: “Yesterday at the second quarter of the Shen hour (around 3:30 PM), your subject saw Jin Se’s wuya flying through the sky. I presumed it was carrying a message to Your Royal Highness. If Your Royal Highness dispatched troops immediately upon receiving the message, the fastest arrival would be the Xu hour tonight (around 7:00 PM). It is currently close to the Xu hour, and yet your subject has the honor of meeting Your Royal Highness in person. It seems Your Royal Highness values your subordinates from the Carefree Divine Cult very highly.”

The person called Old Sir Chu was Chu Huaichuan, the premier national physician of the Huading Dynasty’s Imperial Hospital, and an old family retainer who had followed the He clan for decades, despite actually being close to eighty years old. That day, He Qishu had dispatched Xifeng and the others to the Heavenly Origin Martial Debate, but unexpectedly, Xue Qianxun immediately followed. Although Yi Xin-ci possessed great medical talent, she was too young and lacked experience. The journey from Water Moon Palace to Xinjing was long, and in case of an emergency, Yi Xin-ci would certainly be unable to cope. After some consideration, He Qishu finally requested his imperial brother to send out the most reliable Chu Huaichuan, ordering him to immediately head to the Northern Territory and leave secret runes all over the foot of Zuying Mountain. He had originally intended that if anyone from the Carefree Divine Cult emerged from Water Moon Palace, they would be able to decipher the secret messages and contact him.

He Qishu’s meticulous planning was not only related to his careful and rigorous nature but also stemmed from the experience he had accumulated over years of leading armies in battle.

Chu Huaichuan was a subject of the He brothers and was also considered their mentor, so the royal family’s treatment of him was naturally extraordinary. He Qishu did not comment on the phrase “values your subordinates from the Carefree Divine Cult,” only asking: “Besides this King, has the Old Sir made contact with anyone else?”

Chu Huaichuan replied: “At the Yin hour today (around 3:00 AM), your subject met Tang Fei.”

As expected! He Qishu thought, showing a trace of satisfaction: “How is he?”

Chu Huaichuan had set off two days after Xifeng and the others departed. Following He Qishu’s instructions, Yi Xin-ci had left secret signals along the way. Chu Huaichuan followed the signals to the vicinity of Jingxian Peak, and when the signals ceased, he temporarily settled in an abandoned house at the foothills. This house was located deep within the dense forest, surrounded by several ruined shacks, all submerged in tall grass and bushes. They had obviously been abandoned for a long time, and no one knew who the owners of these old residences were.

He Qishu walked into the sparsely cleaned humble house and saw Tang Fei rising from a stool upon hearing the sound. He immediately noticed the empty right sleeve of the latter and the layers of bandages wrapped around his chest.

“Your Royal Highness,” Tang Fei said respectfully. His face was pale, his expression lacking its usual wild abandon and showing more bitterness, but his spirit was still good.

A trace of emotion flickered across He Qishu’s cold face, and he asked in a deep voice: “Whose hand took your arm?”

Tang Fei glanced at the empty sleeve, smiling bitterly: “Zhang Yongle of Water Moon Palace. However, he is already dead.”

“Zhang Yongle?” He Qishu repeated softly, finding the name somewhat familiar. However, since the person was already dead, he dismissed it and asked again: “The chest injury is not serious, is it?”

Tang Fei was slightly surprised, thinking, Could it be that His Royal Highness is also proficient in medicine and knew it with one look? He then replied: “It was injured by Lou Wailou’s Finger Sword from Water Moon Palace. Imperial Physician Chu said it did not injure any vital points, only that…”

“Hmm.” Before Tang Fei could finish, He Qishu interrupted him, as if he already understood the general situation, and stated directly: “He is Xinghai’s Lou Wailou, and also my Azure Dragon Guardian. Naturally, he would not actually deliver a killing blow.”

Tang Fei was very surprised, then suddenly enlightened. In front of that person, he didn’t even have a chance to execute a complete move. How could he have been so lucky as to not be injured in any vital points? It was clearly intentional that he was allowed to live.

—And it was fortunate that he was allowed to live. The horror of Water Moon Palace exceeded his imagination. Zhang Yongle, Diwu Mei, Little Wolf… all were masters several times stronger than him. He almost thought he would be unable to complete the task He Qishu had previously given him—”come back alive.”

“I had already instructed Azure Dragon to ensure your safe departure from Water Moon Palace, no matter what,” He Qishu explained, as if knowing Tang Fei’s confusion. “Because only you can navigate the secret passage out of Water Moon Palace and then guide this King back in.”

Tang Fei said with shame: “I’m afraid I will disappoint Your Royal Highness…”

“Is the secret passage leading to Water Moon Palace that complicated?”

“The secret passage is indeed extremely complicated. Although Water Moon Palace is located north of the Zuying Mountain range, this mountain stretches for a thousand li horizontally. The peaks soar into the clouds, and it is bitterly cold. It cannot be flown over by anything other than rare birds like Wuya; even mountain eagles cannot cross it, let alone ordinary people. The secret passage leading to Water Moon Palace is built underground, arranged according to the sixty-four hexagram formation of Qian and Kun. There are one hundred and eight entrances and exits on the ground, hidden in a bewildering array, constantly shifting according to the hour, but only one is real. And even after entering the true entrance, the path is ever-changing and fraught with peril, where a slight mistake will lead to a burial without a proper grave.”

He Qishu looked at Tang Fei, patiently waiting for him to continue. For Tang Fei had walked out, hadn’t he, standing properly before him?

Tang Fei continued: “The formation is something I can barely handle, especially since there is no one in the secret passage. The most terrifying thing about Water Moon Palace is not these maze formations, but their people.”

He Qishu’s lips curled slightly: “That is enough. You have done very well. I originally did not expect more from you. How can there be disappointment? Tell me, what problem did you discover?”

“I can only take Your Royal Highness to the original Water Moon Palace—the exit of the maze will not change. However, the current Water Moon Palace might have moved elsewhere.”

He Qishu couldn’t help clenching his fist, slowly saying: “Could it be that Water Moon Palace relocated its entire family? Doesn’t Xinghai reside at the summit of Heavenly Origin Peak? The legend says all the secrets of Water Moon Palace are hidden there. Why would he abandon it and leave?”

Tang Fei said: “The entire Water Moon Palace, including Heavenly Origin Peak, sits on a peninsula. The problem is that the entire island moves!” Saying this, Tang Fei himself showed an incredible expression.

He Qishu abruptly stood up, murmuring softly: “Water Moon Palace moves. Why did he never mention it?”

At this moment, Chu Huaichuan, who had been silent all along, spoke: “Your Royal Highness, Tang Fei only discovered the peninsula had signs of detachment from the mainland when he was leaving Water Moon Palace. That process, I presume, was like violently tearing a corner from the edge of the continent. Such a massive change is likely not a frequent occurrence, otherwise, it would not have remained unmentioned until now. It is reasonable for Azure Dragon not to know.”

Tang Fei felt a chill in his heart: Was he suspecting the Azure Dragon Guardian? Fortunately, Imperial Physician Chu was astute.

He Qishu pondered for a moment and sat back down. He then asked Tang Fei: “How long has it been since Water Moon Palace started moving?”

Tang Fei said: “I can’t be sure. Yesterday around noon, Lou Wailou struck me down to the Broken Emotion Cliff. The water below the cliff was bone-chillingly cold, and I immediately lost consciousness. I woke up late at night on the downstream riverbank—I was later fortunate that it wasn’t too far from the exit of Water Moon Palace… Uh, thinking about it now, all of this was very likely done deliberately by Lou Wailou. The reason I woke up was because there was a strong tremor on the ground. The river channel was widening at a visible speed, and the entire stretch of land on the opposite bank was slowly moving away. That must have been after midnight.”

He Qishu calculated, murmuring: “It has been eight or nine hours since then… So, how long does the underground secret passage take?”

Tang Fei said: “One hour if everything goes smoothly.” After a slight pause, he added: “Starting from this location, it takes at least half an hour to find the entrance in the ground maze.”

He Qishu asked Chu Huaichuan: “Can Tang Fei’s body handle it?”

Chu Huaichuan said: “He lost too much bl00d, and the wound is too large. It cannot be fully recuperated in a short time. But if he doesn’t use his internal energy and doesn’t overexert himself, there shouldn’t be a major problem.”

He Qishu looked at Tang Fei, mused for a moment, took a long breath, and said: “Forget it. After traveling furiously for over ten hours, those twenty guards must also be tired. Let’s make a plan when dawn breaks tomorrow. Imperial Physician Chu, I leave Tang Fei to your care.”

Chu Huaichuan said solemnly: “Your subject accepts the order. Your Royal Highness must also be tired. This old subject has already instructed the two guards, Zhao and Du, to prepare a room. Some food has also been prepared. I ask Your Royal Highness to rest well.”

“Hmm,” He Qishu seemed indifferent to these matters. He turned and walked out, only thinking in his heart: In this amount of time, who the hell knows where Water Moon Island could have drifted to! Xue Qianxun, where did that moving island take you?