Ysabel, HPC, Kink, Jaya, Lao Qianbei, Chua, you are welcome. Sky, my only problem with Shen Luoyan is: ‘Xu Ziling, I love you, but I want you dead, because your existence is a threat to my boss.' Xu Xiong, I have the source doc.u.ment, so I don't have any problem with the search. It's just that if we have the index handy, I don't need to search different books. That's all.

Book 15 Chapter 5 - Misty Rain

Kou Zhong had just stepped out of the House of Dong Restaurant's main door when a carriage arrived; the driver saluted and said, "Kou YeYe, please get in the carriage.”

The voice sounded familiar; as Kou Zhong looked up in surprise, turned out the driver was the Deputy Gang Leader of Jukun Bang, Bu Tianzhi, an old acquaintance.

He was well aware of who was inside the carriage, but recalling that Beautiful s.h.i.+fu Yun Yuzhen was Dugu Ce's girlfriend, this woman's position was dubious. Thereupon he took one step closer to the window, with its screen hung low, and knocked three times and said with a laugh, "s.h.i.+fu, would you let Xiaotu [small/lowly disciple] take a look at Senior's flowery countenance to comfort the pain of my yearning heart?”

The corner of the screen rose up, revealing Yun Yuzhen's delighted and angry jade countenance. Her jet-black eyebrows slightly knitted, she pouted playfully, "You, this low-grade disciple who loves to defy his superior, why haven't you jumped in? Do you want s.h.i.+fu to expel you from my school?”

Putting on an act as if he was extremely terrified, Kou Zhong stole a glance inside, and after making sure that there was no one else in the carriage, he pushed the door and got inside the compartment.

He barely closed the door, not even seated properly yet, Yun Yuzhen already threw herself in his bosom.

The gentle, fragrant scent a.s.saulted his nostrils, Kou Zhong struggled to sit down on the seat and immediately looked down to look for her fragrant lips.

The carriage started to move.

After the extremely dangerous, intense situation of last night, his heart was moved by this romantic situation.

By the time Kou Zhong's mouth left her lips, this Gang Leader of a big gang was panting, her face turned fiery red.

Smiling, Kou Zhong asked, "When did Beautiful s.h.i.+fu arrive? Why didn't you send word, so that Xiaotu could act as the host?”

Burying her pretty face in his chest, her starry eyes were half closed as she spoke crossly, "Are you Luoyang's landlord?”

Laughing involuntarily, Kou Zhong said, "Just that restaurant, the House of Dong. Why did you stay outside and did not come in? Didn't you know that your other disciple was inside, drinking wine?”

Yun Yuzhen struggled to free her tender, charming and soft body from his embrace; looking up, she cast him a glance, and then pressed her jade cheek back onto his chest. Wrapping her arms around his st.u.r.dy back and waist, she spoke tenderly, "I just arrived yesterday; you don't know how difficult it was to find you!”

Kou Zhong looked out from behind the screen.

On the street, pedestrians, horses and carriages braved the rain, coming and going in a hurry; looked like it was going to be another busy day.

Kou Zhong asked casually, "Beautiful s.h.i.+fu, where are you staying? Has Su Jie's baby born yet?”

Yun Yuzhen happily replied, "Your Su Jie and Yushan's baby is fair-skinned and chubby; he is very active and cute.”

Kou Zhong was greatly delighted, "In that case I really have to thank the Heaven and thank the Earth!” he said, "Hey! Let me go back and tell Xiao Ling!”

Displeased, Yun Yuzhen said, "There's no rush, it won't be too late to tell him later. I have something important to discuss with you.”

Kou Zhong took another glance outside. Frowning, he said, "Tell me where we are going first.”

Unconcerned, Yun Yuzhen replied, "Are you afraid I might kidnap and sell you?”

Giggling, Kou Zhong replied, "Of course I am; very much. Currently I, Kou Zhong, worth a few pennies.”

Sneering, Yun Yuzhen said, "Kou Ye, your value nowadays has risen dramatically; you worth far more than a few pennies. Ay! Can't you seriously listen to Yuzhen for a moment?”

Hearing her soft, beseeching words, Kou Zhong smiled ruefully and said, "As long as you don't ask me to surrender to Dugu Ce, that stinky kid, other matters can be discussed slowly.”

Yun Yuzhen's tender body suddenly bolted up from his lap; she spoke angrily, "Where do you think you are going? My, Yun Yuzhen's real feeling toward you, you, this ungrateful man, still do not believe it?”

How could Kou Zhong believe her that easily? However, on the surface he smiled apologetically and said, "Beautiful s.h.i.+fu, please calm down, I was just joking. Ha! You have not answered my question: where does the horse pull this carriage to?”

Yun Yuzhen went from anger to happiness; she said, "Seeing that you still know how to sweet-talk people, I'll let you off this time! But just this once.”

After meeting Kou Zhong's expectant eyes, Yun Yuzhen revealed a deeply meaningful smile, leaned over and whispered in his ear, "I am taking you to see someone.”

Kou Zhong was stunned.

※ ※ ※

Xu Ziling slipped quietly into an alley. Raising his qi, he unleashed his qinggong, like an arrow he sprinted over approximately ten ­zhang distance; suddenly taking a breath, unexpectedly he changed direction just like that, and leaped over a tall wall on his left. After pa.s.sing n.o.body knows how many backyards drenched in the endless rain, he leaped out of the wall on the other side of a courtyard, jumped over buildings and pa.s.sed through several roofs, and finally turned back into the Heavenly Street from a small alley.

Flas.h.i.+ng into a ready-made clothing store, with the fastest speed possible he bought a hat and an outer robe. And then by the time he was back into the Heavenly Street and walked long the Luo River, he had become an old man with stooping back, who, unable to bear the beating rain and blowing wind, had the hat pushed low toward his eyes.

Ba Fenghan was still more than ten zhang ahead, walking briskly; he did not seem to notice, nor was he interested in finding out, whether someone was following him.

That was, quite naturally, not the case.

Xu Ziling and Kou Zhong were still inferior to Ba Fenghan.

Ba Fenghan was looking for his prey.

Tuli's target was Ba Fenghan; surely he would dispatch his men to closely watch Ba Fenghan. It would be quite likely that as soon as Ba Fenghan was alone, Tuli would personally seize the opportunity to make his move.

Ba Fenghan's false statement that he was going to see Shan Wanjing was just a ruse to get Xu Ziling off his back, so that the people who hated him would be lured out.

Ba Fenghan suddenly turned to the west, wandering along the Luo River under the wind and the rain; his majestic figure looked proud, but alone.

On this segment of the street, other than the trees on either side, there was nothing protecting the pa.s.sers-by from the rain, hence there were very few pedestrians, only horses and carriages pa.s.sing by.

Xu Ziling was not afraid Ba Fenghan might detect his presence; rather, he was afraid the people following Ba Fenghan might detect his presence.

Sweeping his gaze around, an idea popped up in his heart; hastily he jumped down the dike, and climbed into an unmanned small boat moored to the riverside. An easy drive on a familiar path; he sailed west along the river, shadowing Ba Fenghan, who was walking alone, from a distance.

In the boundless drizzle, the buildings along the river loomed high on his left and right; s.h.i.+ps and boats were moored on the piers along the river. Xu Ziling was suddenly overwhelmed by snapping-the-soul, depressing feeling.

One ‘Secret to Long Life' book has completely changed his and Kou Zhong's fate.

If he could go back in time, would he s.n.a.t.c.h that thing away for himself?

He really did not know!

If it were the time of peace and prosperity, they could not possibly meet Susu, Li Jing, and the others, so much so that they were now in the difficult situation where it was difficult to distinguish grat.i.tude and grudges. Sister-in-law Zhen would still sell meat buns on the street of Yangzhou, rather than her whereabouts was unknown.

And then the lucid and elegant jade countenance of s.h.i.+ Feixuan appeared in his mind!

Was her injury serious?

After she recovered, would she look for him to settle their account?

Heaving a deep sigh, the small boat has entered the gate of the famous Luoyang's Western Park.

※ ※ ※

Frowning, Kou Zhong asked, "Who do you want me to see?”

Dodging his question, Yun Yuzhen laughed and said, "After the City of Jingling fell, you and Ziling, two guys, slipped away safe and sound, while leaving such a huge mess behind. And then you came to Luoyang stirring up the wind and the rain through the town, so that everybody wanted to beat the h.e.l.l out of you, two boys.”

Kou Zhong laughed and said, "Your Big Boss Xiao ought to thank me. Although in the Battle of Jingling I lost the city, but Ol' Die only got a tragic victory; otherwise his Jianghuai Army today would have been moving to the Eastern Capital, and then how could you and I have some intimate time inside the carriage like this?”

Yun Yuzhen's pretty eyes blushed slightly; casting a sidelong glance at him, she said, "Do you or do you not want to listen to me?”

Kou Zhong has not heard any news pertaining to Du Fuwei for a long time; he would be lying if he said that he did not care about Shang Xiuxun and those officers and soldiers who have fought alongside him, who have escaped from Jingling.

Thereupon, suppressing his anger, he spoke in low voice, "Beautiful s.h.i.+fu, please continue.”

Yun Yuzhen appeared to be a bit unable to restrain her emotion; falling into his arms again, she spoke dreamily, "When I first met you, you were still ignorant kids whose smell of mother's milk has not yet dried. Who would have thought in merely a few years you became influential figures who, opening up your hand you create the cloud, closing in your hand you create the rain.”

After a short pause, she continued slyly, "Although Du Fuwei gained victory, it was definitely a defeat; what he obtained was just an empty city, making him temporarily unable to move north, and had to change his plan into attacking the southeast.”

Kou Zhong asked impatiently, "How's the situation between the Flying Horse Ranch and the Four Big Bandits? Ah! I should have said Three Big Bandits, because the one called something like ‘scorched rice for a thousand bowls' Mao Zao was killed by Xiao Ling.”