thefictionvixens Chapter 22 Reunion with Ouyang Ke
Chapter 22 Reunion with Ouyang Ke
On the western shore of Taihu Lake, Yang Kang, escorting Qiu Qianzhang who had been whimpering and struggling all the way, met up with his men in front of a dense forest.
He casually tossed Qiu Qianzhang aside on the grass and took his spear from Shi Tianze, who had been waiting for a long time.
Shi Tianze is the second son of the Shi family of Zhending. Among the younger generation, he is known for his thoughtful and prudent approach to things.
After he joined the World Society, he was highly praised by everyone, including Yelü Chucai.
When Yang Kang traveled south, he made a point of bringing him along to handle matters that were inconvenient for him to handle himself.
"A scout from Lin'an City reports that Lord Yelü has sent a letter."
Shi Tianze respectfully bowed to Yang Kang and said
Upon hearing this, Yang Kang looked at Shi Tianze beside him with slight surprise.
He had only been gone a short time, and his identity had only been exposed in the blink of an eye. What could possibly be so urgent for Yelü Chucai to send him a message?
Yang Kang looked at Shi Tianze and asked with a hint of doubt.
"What happened?"
Shi Tianze said with a solemn expression.
"The Mongols are in turmoil, and Genghis Khan has once again raised an army, intending to march south and attack the Jin Dynasty again."
Yang Kang nodded slightly upon hearing this, casually took the golden crow by the hand, mounted his horse, and said calmly.
"As expected, but I no longer have much to do with the Jin court; it has nothing to do with us."
"The Mongols won't be able to reach us anytime soon, so let Wanyan Yongji worry about it himself. Is there anything else?"
Shi Tianze continued.
"Master Qiu's injuries have healed, and he left Yizhou Prefecture three days ago, heading south."
Yang Kang nodded silently upon hearing this.
Suddenly, Shi Tianze changed the subject, his face showing embarrassment.
"News has come from the old master... Miss Nianci left a note and ran away."
Upon hearing this, Yang Kang frowned slightly and asked, puzzled.
"Leaving a note and running away? Nianci is doing just fine in Yidu Prefecture, where is she going?"
Shi Tianze looked at Yang Kang with an ambiguous expression and said.
"The letter said that Miss Nianci came to see you, Chief."
Shi Tianze was a dashing young man. As a direct descendant of the Shi family and a figure who held power in his early years, he was well aware of such matters.
Yang Kang and Yang Miaozhen were inseparable in Yizhou Prefecture, a perfect match made in heaven.
But anyone with eyes could see that Mu Nianci's feelings for Yang Kang went far beyond those of siblings.
Her unauthorized departure from the World Society headquarters to find Yang Kang clearly indicates that she is after the leader himself.
Of course, Shi Tianze wouldn't be so tactless as to bring this matter up. He wouldn't dare to get involved in such things. Yang Miaozhen's marksmanship and prestige in the Red Turban Army had already eliminated any possibility of other women vying for the position of Yang Kang's harem mistress.
Yang Kang frowned, a surge of anger rising in his heart. Mu Nianci's actions would clearly cause him a lot of trouble.
"Nonsense! Order the brothers in the vicinity to secretly search for news of Mu Nianci and send someone to inform me immediately."
Yang Kang immediately calmed down and casually gave instructions to Shi Tianze.
Shi Tianze nodded respectfully; he wasn't too surprised by Yang Kang's performance.
A person who could establish such a large business in Shandong at the young age of twenty could not possibly be the emotional person that is rumored to be.
"Boss, what do we do next?"
Shi Tianze also mounted his horse and asked.
Yang Kang, holding a riding whip, pointed at Qiu Qianzhang beneath his horse and calmly said:
"Jinqing has gone to great lengths in his busy schedule to promote the reputation of 'The Military Manual of Yue Fei' for us. We certainly cannot let Jinqing's efforts go to waste."
"The 'Martial Arts Manual' was stolen from the Lin'an Imperial Palace in its early years and hidden at the headquarters of the Iron Palm Clan."
"This conman Qiu Qianzhang is the elder brother of Qiu Qianren, the leader of the Iron Palm Clan."
"We need him to guide us to the Iron Palm Clan to retrieve the 'Martial Arts Manual of Yue Fei'."
Upon hearing this, Shi Tianze understood, and immediately spurred his horse to grab the fleeing Qiu Qianzhang, placing him horizontally on the horse's back.
The group immediately spurred their horses and headed towards the Iron Palm Clan.
As dusk fell, the group rode their horses to Baoying County, at the foot of Lin'an.
Upon hearing this name, Yang Kang frowned slightly, a bad premonition flashing through his mind.
Sure enough, a moment later, he saw a woman dressed in white with a blue veil on her face passing by on the long street, carrying a jar of medicine. Yang Kang immediately recognized her as Ouyang Ke's maid.
"Ouyang Ke? What's he doing here?"
Yang Kang muttered to himself.
If Ouyang Ke has appeared here, then Ouyang Feng from the original story may very well be living nearby.
"Chief, it's getting late. Shall we rest here for a while?"
Yang Kang nodded slightly upon hearing this.
Qiu Qianzhang was finally thrown off his horse.
He muttered something, but when his gaze met the cold eyes of Yang Kang, Shi Tianze, and the others, he tensed up and could only squat down dejectedly.
Yang Kang entered a restaurant, where a waiter was already bowing and greeting him.
He glanced up at Yang Kang unintentionally, and the double pupils between his eyebrows startled the waiter so much that he almost cried out.
"Looks like we're being watched, boss."
Shi Tianze reported to Yang Kang with a slight smile.
"It's normal that my eyes have been discovered."
Yang Kang spoke calmly, not taking these things to heart.
With his current martial arts skills, there are indeed few people in the world who can stop him.
He didn't have many moral high grounds to consider. If the people in the martial arts world of the Southern Song Dynasty were really so blind as to come looking for trouble with him, he wouldn't mind letting them know.
The name of a tyrant has never been associated with being soft-hearted.
As they were talking, the waiter came to report that a girl in white had come to see him. Yang Kang gestured to Shi Tianze to bring her in.
"This servant greets Your Highness."
The woman in white bowed respectfully to Yang Kang.
"Did Ouyang Ke send you?"
Yang Kang asked quietly.
"The young master heard that the young prince was here, so he specially sent me to invite the young prince for a chat."
"Young master has a generous gift to present to the young prince."
Upon hearing this, Yang Kang raised an eyebrow, his tone carrying a hint of disdain and amusement.
"Ouyang Ke? What does he have that's worth giving me?"
He paused, snorted coldly, glanced at the white-clad maid, and said indifferently.
"Besides his skill at playing around with women, what other good qualities does he have? He can't possibly just give me a woman, can he?"
Upon hearing this, the maid in white remained expressionless, but simply lowered her head, not daring to respond.
Yang Kang withdrew his gaze, looked at the night outside the window, and his tone grew cold.
"Since Ouyang Ke has already left my father, he can roam the world freely. Why then does he still take the initiative to seek me out?"
His gaze fell on the maid, and he said in a deep voice.
"What exactly does your young master want to do?"
The maid in white remained silent, but respectfully took out a red tassel from her sleeve and handed it to Yang Kang.
Yang Kang's eyes narrowed instantly, his expression became unusually calm, and his tone was completely devoid of emotion. He simply held the red tassel and spoke slowly.
"Nianci! Ouyang Ke, how dare you!"
He raised his head, his gaze falling on the maid in white, his voice completely calm.
"He dares to lay a hand on my sworn sister? Does he have a death wish?"
The maid felt a chill run down her spine under Yang Kang's gaze and immediately knelt down, not daring to move.
Yang Kang turned to Shi Tianze and gave him instructions.
"Tianze, you stay here and keep an eye on Qiu Qianzhang. I'm going to see Ouyang Ke."
Shi Tianze nodded in agreement.
Then, Yang Kang gestured to the maid in white to lead the way, and followed her to Ouyang Ke's location.
As dusk fell, Yang Kang followed the maid in white to a secluded courtyard.
Ouyang Ke was waiting at the courtyard gate early on, eagerly awaiting Yang Kang's arrival.
"Ouyang Ke greets Your Highness. It's been several months since we last met. I hope Your Highness has been well."
Ouyang Ke cupped his hands and bowed politely.
"Young Master Ouyang, you have quite the airs. After not seeing you for months, you actually expect me to come and see you on my own initiative?"
Yang Kang glanced at Ouyang Ke in front of him, then walked into the courtyard with his hands behind his back.
Yang Kang walked into the living room and sat down in the main seat without paying any attention to Ouyang Ke.
Where is my adopted sister?
Yang Kang placed one hand on the table beside him, his fingertips casually tapping the surface, while he calmly looked up at Ouyang Ke.
Ouyang Ke felt a chill run down his spine, as if he were being stared at by a venomous snake.
He knew that Yang Kang had already decided to kill him.
If he says the wrong thing next, he could very well be beheaded immediately.