Chapter 175: Chapter 158: Must Live Up to Expectations
Chu Yu’s expression changed upon hearing the words, “Is it poison?” Why would Sun Li do that?
Rong Zhi smiled, casually placing the dicine bottle aside, and did not answer. He bowed his head in thought for a mont and then began to undress.
At this point, Chu Yu did not misunderstand his actions, yet despite knowing he must have had so other purpose, she still couldn’t help her heart quickening as his clothes began to loosen.
Rong Zhi did not take off his clothes; he rely loosened his belt and unfolded layers of garnts. From the inner clothing around his waist, he retrieved an object.
Because the two of them had behaved very well throughout the journey and their identities laid bare, the horse thieves only took away their bag of food and did not search their bodies. Thus, what Rong Zhi and Chu Yu had been carrying originally, they still possessed.
However, this was of little use to Chu Yu. She usually didn’t even carry money when going out as Yue Jiefei would handle that. Originally, her sleeves contained sleeve arrows, but they had been used up to secure the vines when they jumped off the cliff and climbed back up. Even if there were any arrows left, she wouldn’t dare use them against the horse thieves, as that would not only fail to rescue her but also speed up her own death.
Yue Jiefei had once told her that her sleeve arrows could only injure a few unguarded and less skilled individuals in a sudden attack. She must never use them against true experts or when outnumbered.
So, when she saw Rong Zhi pull out sothing, Chu Yu thought it was so hidden ace, and she was imdiately delighted. Whatever Rong Zhi took so much care to hide must not be terrible; based on Rong Zhi’s usual style, it might be so colorless, tasteless poison that acts on blood contact.
However, when she saw clearly what Rong Zhi held in his hand, her great expectations were suddenly dashed. It was neither poison nor so lethal weapon; it was just a white rectangular jade, about the thickness of a thumb and an inch and a half long. The ends were enclosed by gold sheets engraved with exquisite patterns, which covered the entire ends of the rectangle, their edges flaring out like the sepals of a flower, tightly pressing against the sides of the jade, leaving no gap between the gold sheet and the jade.
On one end of the sheet, there was a raised hole for threading a cord, through which a purple silk thread was passed.
After taking out the object, Rong Zhi stared at it for a while, then handed it over to Chu Yu.
His expression solemn, without a trace of a smile in his eyes, influenced by his seriousness, Chu Yu first took it, then spoke, “What is this?” She initially thought that the white rectangle was jade, but upon closer inspection, she realized it was slightly different from jade. The surface of the rectangle was smooth, displaying a very rich milky white, lacking the luster of jade but having an added sheen. The weight of the rectangle was at least twice that of ordinary jade, even if the weight of the thin gold sheets was excluded, it was significantly heavier than ordinary jade.
Rong Zhi spoke in a low voice, “This is not jade.”
Chu Yu couldn’t help but roll her eyes, “I know it’s not jade.”
Hearing her voice light and breezy, Rong Zhi’s mouth curled into a faint smile, “This is my family’s token.” His smile remained as usual, calm and composed, yet, for so reason, Chu Yu thought she sensed a hint of cold desolation, “Ah Chu, in a few days, you will be able to leave here, but I… I cannot go anymore…”
Chu Yu’s heart suddenly trembled upon hearing him say this, and she widened her eyes to look at him, not knowing what to say.
Rong Zhi continued, “I have rarely been mistaken in Observing People Skill, and Sun Li is no ordinary horse thief. He is quite scheming and extrely ambitious. I fear he will keep for his plans. The act of presenting dicine through his own son revealed so of his intentions.”
Sun Li wanted to keep him but also needed to restrain him, and the simplest and most effective way was to incapacitate him in so way. A cripple, who is hard to command independent respect, can only play the role of a strategist.
However, Sun Li still intended to use him and did not wish to overly provoke him or directly confront him. Thus, he had Sun Xiaojiang deliver the dicine, which would allow the involvent of a middleman should any problems arise.
However, despite Sun Li’s best efforts to estimate Rong Zhi’s capabilities highly, he still underestimated him. Rong Zhi’s thoughts, perhaps more complex and profound than those of ordinary people, were like transparent entities in front of Rong Zhi.
Chu Yu bit her lip hard and said, “Is there really no solution?” He was so ticulous and clever, and he even managed to deceive and escape from a master like He Jue twice. Could it be that there is no way out now?
She had an instinctive premonition that what Rong Zhi was about to say was definitely not sothing she wanted to hear, but she had to listen.
Rong Zhi sighed lightly and said, “Timing, geographical convenience, and human harmony, we lack all three currently, so how can we borrow montum?” Sun Li was not as easily deceived as He Jue, and even though his martial arts skills were not as advanced as those of He Jue, he was far superior in dealing with people and making strategic decisions.
If we were purely speaking of cunning and strategy, Sun Li was far inferior to Rong Zhi. However, even the wisest strategist is helpless when violence becos the decisive factor.
It has always been so, from ancient tis to the present.
Rong Zhi saw this clearly and was not at all optimistic about the future, but he still smiled, very serenely and composedly, as if he were the one in control of everything. He raised his hand and placed it on Chu Yu’s, enveloping her hand that clutched the token. His dark, glossy eyes stared into hers as if seeking to see her very depths. “Ah Chu, I ask you one thing. After you leave here, go back to the Princess Mansion by yourself. Do not co looking for . The Chasing Wind Bandits have been notorious for over a decade for a reason; you can’t handle them.”
Chu Yu had never heard him entrust matters with such gravity, not even when the carriage was racing on the mountain and faced the danger of falling off a cliff. The token in her hand felt as heavy as a thousand pounds. “What exactly are you trying to say? Just say it,” she said, unable to bear the suspense at this critical mont, yet she regretted wanting to hear the answer as soon as she asked.
But it was too late to stop him, and Rong Zhi had already smiled and said, “Ah Chu, you are indeed forthright, which is good. I’ll speak plainly then. There are so complications involved, and you must rember them well—if I do not return within two months, assu I am already dead, and then please send soone to Jiangling to find a person by the na of Yu Wen.”
Chu Yu interrupted him without thinking, “And hand this token over to him?” She rembered that when Sun Li forced Rong Zhi to write a letter asking for help, the recipient was nad Yu Wen.
“No.” Rong Zhi shook his head slightly, denying her guess. “The person you send must be calm and steady. Do not send Hua Cuo alone as his temperant is too impulsive and simple, which might easily lead him to be deceived. However, having him accompany for protection is feasible. Once your emissary ets Yu Wen, show him my token and instruct him to find a person known as the Canghai Guest and hand this token over to him.”
His gaze, like water, flowed over the token that peeked through Chu Yu’s fingers. A complex emotion flickered in his eyes for an instant, but was quickly overwheld by an all-encompassing calm.
Chu Yu had many questions, such as who Yu Wen was, who the Canghai Guest was, what relation he had with the Yu Family of Jiangling, but she did not ask any of them. Instead, she just gripped the token tightly and nodded, “I will not fail you.”
Ti passed quickly, and twenty days flew by. Chu Yu stayed in her room every day, doing nothing but eating and sleeping. Rong Zhi, on the other hand, was much busier, going out every day to engage, not seduce, but rather to teach the horse bandits, sotis Chu Yu would see him walking alongside Sun Li through the fields, seemingly discussing sothing.
Chu Yu did not inquire or arbitrarily interfere, knowing her own limitations and recognizing the current situation as fruitless. Her strength lay in her identity, but here, that identity was useless.
The day of parting ca as expected but without warning—it was early morning and both had just gotten out of bed when Sun Dang pushed the door open, looking not for Rong Zhi as usual but fixed his gaze on Chu Yu, “Yu Chu, co with .”
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