Chapter 161: Not an Ordinary Encounter

  Her joy at seeing Tang Xiaoxia was somewhat dampened by his exaggerated expression, and after Tang Xiaoxia straightened up, he saw that her face was already filled with an angry look, so he put away his exaggerated smile and replaced it with a faint one.

  Tang Xiaxia walked to the side of the bonfire and was forced back a few steps by the huge heat wave. Luosiqi saw him say something to King Chu, who looked hesitant after listening, but still ordered his men to extinguish one side of the bonfire. Tang Xiaxia came to the giant ice block where Luosiqi was from the passage left by King Chu, and Luosiqi smiled as he raised his right hand above his head and placed his palm on the ice block. The piercing cold made him frown, but soon an astonishing scene appeared.

  As soon as Tang Xiaoxia's right palm came into contact with the ice, water began to slowly flow down, and the speed of the flowing ice water became faster and faster. Luosiqi saw that Tang Xiaoxia's hand was like being pressed into a snowman piled up in winter, slowly sinking, slowly extending into the ice.

  As he slowly pressed his palm down, until a small hole that could only fit his right hand appeared, his right hand began to move horizontally to the right. As his right hand moved, the place where he had melted was no longer a small hole, but a straight line extending horizontally from the small hole!

  This line moved two feet wide and began to bend downward, and Lucy realized that Tang Xiaoxia was going to open a door for her on this ice block.

  Tang Xiaoxia's door was soon painted, and the ice door made by humans only didn't fall down due to inertia. It seemed that it still needed a little external force to be opened. Tang Xiaoxia retreated to one side, slightly bent her waist, and made a light gesture to Luosiqi. This time, Luosiqi didn't exert too much effort, she just placed her right hand on the ice door that Tang Xiaoxia had just painted for her, and gently pushed it. The door then crashed down in front of her.

  Lucy's ice summoned by her mind is so solid! The ice door, after withstanding external forces, heavily fell onto the brick-paved ground without even a single crack, but instead some of the bricks on the ground were already cracked open.

  She didn't care about that, in front of the King of Chu and many soldiers, she rushed to Tang Xiao Shrimp without hesitation, tightly hugging him, startling the surrounding voices that couldn't be controlled, knowing that the King of Chu was watching her from behind! Tang Xiao Shrimp also felt a bit embarrassed and wanted to push her away, but she whispered in his ear: "Let me hug you for a while, little shrimp, if you push me again, I'll get angry!"

  She had originally tried to push away her gentle strength, but it suddenly disappeared without a trace. Tang Xiaoxia's hands didn't know where to put them, he didn't dare to put his arm around her waist like Luosiqi did in front of everyone, he could only let his hands hang down like a wooden puppet, letting Luosiqi hold him until she wanted to let go.

  Luosi didn't see what Tang Xiaoxia saw at this time. The king of Chu's face, which had been shocked by Tang Xiaoxia's performance just now, suddenly sank down at this moment. Fei Wujin saw the situation and hurriedly coughed twice behind Luosi, saying to her: "I said Shennü, it's not early, let's go back to the palace! Also, let the king arrange a place for your brother!"

  Fei Wuji didn't speak, which was good. But as soon as he did, it reminded Luosi Qi, who immediately let go of Tang Xiaoxia and turned to face the King of Chu: "Your Majesty, what are you thinking? Why haven't you had this traitor dragged out and killed yet? How can you still let him stand here speaking? Have you forgotten how Mo Ye assassinated you?"

  Chu Ping Wang was tongue-tied by Luo Siqi's continuous questioning, not knowing what to say. In fact, if it were up to Luo Siqi's current mood, she would have liked to dismember Fei Wuji into eight pieces immediately! This guy had been causing her endless trouble since she first entered the Spring and Autumn era, starting with instigating Wu Xie to betray the Wu family and nearly killing her. Then, he secretly colluded with the Night God Sect, ambushing the Moon God Sect's High Priestess Chen Xing when Han Yue came looking for her. Who could have thought that this ambush was just a prelude to later events? His collusion with Mo Ye later led to a massive attack on Lin Yue Peak, forcing Tang Xiao Yu to jump off the cliff in desperation! And this wasn't even counting the trouble he caused her after she entered the palace by colluding with Mo Ye!

  But King Chu said to Luosi Qi after opening his mouth: "Fei Wujin was actually also forced by Mo Ye to participate in the assassination, Goddess, you are tired, even if you are not tired, your Shixiong will be tired after traveling long distances. Let's go back and rest with Ben Wang first, and we'll discuss Fei Wujin's matter tomorrow morning when everyone is refreshed."

  Luosi still wanted to ask Chu Wang tonight why he was keeping Fei Wujin, but she felt Tang Xiaoxia suddenly grasped her hand and slightly used force, clearly indicating that she should not ask further. His palm was warm, warming Luosi so much that she didn't want to ruin the warmth of her reunion with Tang Xiaoxia tonight. She looked at Fei Wujin who was standing beside Chu Wang with his head down, not even daring to look at her, and thought: "You have your today!" So she gave up insisting and replied to Chu Wang with a smile: "Okay! I'll obey!"

  This night, Luosiqi was also really tired from the commotion. She saw that Tang Xiaoxia also had a tired face, so she gave up her plan to have a midnight conversation with him. After returning to the palace, they parted ways. At her request, Tang Xiaoxia was arranged to stay in a large house that was hastily vacated, which was originally prepared for Mo Jue to protect Chu Wang conveniently, and it wasn't too far from Luosiqi.

  Luosiqi couldn't help but sigh when she thought of Mojiao, as she had been unwilling to accept the fact that her trusted subordinate was actually Moye.

  He betrayed her, and instead of helping her protect King Chu, he became the one who really wanted to kill King Chu.

  But did he really betray her? He was originally planning to enter the palace and assassinate King Chu. Even when she first arrived in Chu, if it weren't for his subordinates acting too early and forcing her to take action, perhaps King Chu would have already died at her hands.

  Luoshi thought of this and couldn't help but think of Wu Zixu, who should have escaped to the State of Wu by now. If her previous intention to kill the King of Chu was to help him, then she is now obstructing Mo Ye everywhere and protecting him instead. Does that count as a betrayal of this friend?

  She lay on the bed, watching the candlelight coming in from outside the brocade curtain, comforting herself that she was not betraying him, because Wu Zixu had not asked her to come to Doucheng to avenge his family by killing the King of Chu. She just wanted to do her best for her friend, but unfortunately, things didn't go as planned.

  She thought of Tang Xiaoxia holding her hand, and his palm was still warm. He had used this hand to melt the ice block that she had summoned, which many fires couldn't melt. The temperature of Tang Xiaoxia's palm was very warm for Luosiqi, who had just walked out of the ice. However, before falling asleep with her eyes closed, Luosiqi still had a question: "The ice she summoned under the fear of death didn't seem to be ordinary ice. This could be inferred from how difficult it was for the soldiers to rescue her from the ice later on. So, how much heat would be needed to melt such an extraordinary ice block? Tang Xiaoxia's hand was still warm and soft after melting the ice block. Did he have some incredible encounters during their time apart?" "You're overpraising me," Gu Jing said humbly, scratching his head, but with a proud look on his face.

  These days, Ji Bian couldn't help but laugh out loud at the sight of Gu Jing's single-mindedness, and thought that with a life like this, he must be quite happy.

  "Sir, news from the rear." Gu Han handed a secret letter he had just received to Song Chuyi.

  The secret letter was hidden in a small bamboo tube. As soon as Song Chuoyi opened the plug and pulled out a white silk cloth, he found that the content written on it was not far from his guess: The State of Chu is using the excuse of military exercises to invade our borders, and with the intensification of internal contradictions within Ba-Shu, they are becoming increasingly blatant in their exploration of routes into Ba territory, with obvious signs of invasion.

  At the beginning of the Song Dynasty, one grasped this secret letter and felt that the battle between Ba and Shu was really impossible to fight! Even if Ba and Shu had always been at odds, as long as they entered the country of Ba, it would be easy to attack the country of Shu, and the country of Shu would not joke about the rise and fall of the country, allowing a fierce lion to enter the country of Ba.

  "What news from Qin?" Song Chu asked Gu Han.

  "I don't know, but it can be expected that the Old Clan will not agree to an alliance between Qin and Wei," said Gu Han.

  Song Chu smiled faintly, didn't he know? She still remembered that in her previous life, as an envoy of Wei, it was Hui Shi. The world did not understand his talent and character very well, but she knew that this person's clever mouth was no less than Zhang Yi's, and his wisdom and erudition were also impressive.

  The School of Names is an academic school that specializes in the study of the relationship between "names" and "reality", preferring dialectical theory, and excels at observation and analysis.

  If Hui Shi thought that the alliance between Qin and Wei was impossible, he would not have come here to be humiliated. For him, as long as there is more than a 20% chance, it's a 100% chance for him. He has this confidence and ability.

  Moreover, even if we put aside our prior knowledge and directly analyze the marriage alliance between Qin and Wei, it's likely to be at least 60% possible.

  As long as Qin doesn't start a large-scale war in the next year or two, Song Chu has confidence that he can take down Bashu. Therefore, it would be best if Ying Ji could marry Wei Gongzhu.

  In the evening rest time, Song Chu wrote a volume of memorial and had someone send it back to Qin State.

  The text translates to:

  In the midst of history, a subtle analogy is drawn. But stripping away the outer layer, its most direct meaning is: How can the majestic Qin Empire not accommodate one woman? The vassals vie for the hand of the Zhou Emperor's daughter, but their efforts to weaken the Zhou royal house have never ceased. Why? It's all about seeking profit! In the struggle for power, who still remembers the oath of "eternal friendship" from years ago?

  After all, it's just a woman. In the chaotic world, the effect of marriage alliances has also been weakened, and the situation is no longer as good as "Qin Jin's friendship" at the beginning.

  The politics of the Warring States period, etiquette and morality are put aside, this is an era that advocates for cunning! Whoever fails to recognize this fact will be eliminated.

  At night, Bashu is surrounded by clouds and mist. The moonlight pours down through the clouds, like a fairyland.

  Song Chu stood in the courtyard wearing a large cape, admiring the view, surrounded by over ten swordsmen standing with their swords at the ready.

  There are several trees of Hibiscus syriacus in the courtyard, one tree with fiery red flowers, some have withered, some are in full bloom, and some have just burst into flower buds. The faint fragrance and mist entwined unclearly. When a gentle breeze passes by, the leaves and flowers sway lightly, and the fallen Hibiscus syriacus petals are stained with dew, no longer light and airy, making a slight sound when falling.

  Ji Yu stood under the corridor and saw Song Chuyi maintaining the same posture, motionless. Knowing she was thinking about something, he didn't go forward to disturb her.

  "Feathers, look at that star..."

  At the beginning of the Song Dynasty, a certain person said something ordinary, but was suddenly interrupted by Ji Yu, "Be careful, sir!"

  As he spoke, people had already arrived with the conversation. The reaction of the swordsmen around was also extremely swift, and they surrounded him in an instant.

  Ding! With a swing of his long sword, he cut down a dart-like projectile.

  Just as the swordsmen were on guard all around, several people emerged from the fog outside the fence. Then a man wearing a light brown cloak slowly appeared in everyone's line of sight. In the faint mist, with the moonlight and the lights in the courtyard, one could see that he was wearing a light-colored robe that outlined his figure perfectly - long legs, narrow waist, broad shoulders, clear eyebrows and bright eyes, like the sunlight at the end of spring and the beginning of summer, bright but not intense.

  Minchi! Isn't he in Wei State? What's his purpose for coming to Bashu? Song Chu's eyebrows furrowed slightly, but relaxed again in an instant.

  The swordsman has made a gesture and is ready to fight at any time, waiting for Song Chu's order.

  At the beginning of the Song Dynasty, a slight movement of his hand stopped them.

  "It's been a long time, old friend. How have you been?" Min Chi Cong smiled slightly, revealing his clean and tidy white teeth, set against a subtle and understated complexion that made him look particularly neat and clean.

  "Mr. Min." Song Chuyi's lips curled up slightly as he replied, "No one shoots cold arrows, it can't get any better than that."

  "It was I who was rash, Zi Huan is here to apologize." Min Chi bowed his head and made a gesture of courtesy.

  Song Chuoyi didn't want to say much, waved his hand and turned around, but then heard Min Chi say, "An unexpected encounter, are you going to finish that game of chess we left unfinished that day?"

  "Since Mr. Min is in high spirits, I am certainly not a person who doesn't know the occasion." Song Chu turned around and said, "Let's play chess."

  For the sake of a gentleman, one can put aside hatred and opposition, and engage in carefree and lively conversation, but cannot afford to let emotions get in the way. After this round of chatting, whoever forgets to pick up these two things will inevitably be the loser.

  Min Chi made people stay outside, and only brought a swordsman in.

  The chessboard was already set up under the corridor, and the two men sat down, each holding a piece of chess, without saying much, they quietly started their confrontation.

  The courtyard is filled with fallen hibiscus, ink green and tender red, misty atmosphere scattered, in the lantern light, as if rising up, like falling down.

  In the misty veil, Song Chuyi wore a black wide-sleeved dress with skin as warm as jade, her face expressionless, and her lowered eyelids concealed the various calculations in her eyes, making her demeanor appear extremely calm and peaceful. The man sitting across from her was dressed in light-colored attire, his lips always carrying a hint of a smile that seemed to exist yet not exist, like the air on a clear morning in a secluded valley, clean and refreshing, as if it didn't contain even a speck of impurity.

  Two masters were playing chess here, feeling very comfortable and at ease, but because of the extremely unfriendly "greeting" just now, neither side's guardian dared to be slow. The atmosphere was a bit tense, "Huan Jin, has anyone ever said you look like a woman?" Min Chi suddenly asked.

  Song Chu rubbed the itchy spot on his thigh, yawned and shook his head, saying, "I've never met anyone as blind as this before."

  With a faint smile, she dropped one word: "Are you scolding me?"

  "Oh? How did Mr. Min come up with this idea? I'm all ears." Song Chu looked at the chessboard, dropped a piece, and then looked up at him calmly.

  Some things are more obvious the more they are concealed, Song ChuYi was quite calm, with a scattered smile on his face, but in his heart he was thinking that if he really saw through the flaw, he would find an excuse to order the swordsman to kill him and silence him.

  Min Chi looked her up and down, his gaze fixed on her face, and smiled, "I said Huan Jin has a feminine appearance, isn't that right?"

  At the beginning of the Song Dynasty, one stretched out his hand to indicate that he should continue playing chess, and then said, "We Taoist people have always been not very familiar with ordinary people."