419: Chapter 419 Drinking Soup

"Those words of yours, my lady, have reminded me of something."

Lin Xiao mused, "The Moon Worship Cult's biggest pawn was actually Prince Bai back then."

"The Blade Emperor, as the Right Protector, was primarily used to control martial arts factions like the Ten Thousand Poison Cave."

"Then First Prince Li Chengqi, the Left Protector, must have been responsible for secretly stirring up trouble in the imperial court."

"When he faked his death in the Northern Frontier, it's very possible he stayed there... he might even be in Yong Province, right under Prince Bai's nose for all we know."

Su Wansha sighed, "It's a pity Liu Qihai was killed. It's almost laughable—he refused to talk even when beaten, yet he ended up dead at the hands of the master he served so loyally."

"This Chengqi is truly just like Crown Prince Xiao Shian—a beast in human form who has deceived the whole world..."

Mu Wanying realized her mistake as soon as she spoke. She quickly covered her mouth and looked at Xiao Qingxuan awkwardly.

Xiao Qingxuan smiled faintly. "Why are you looking at me? You're right. From that perspective, they really are father and son."

"Husband, the Northern Frontier is so vast. After the murders, Chengqi might have already left Yangquan. If he's protected by a Martial Arts Grandmaster like Venerable Fire, he'll definitely be hard to find," Zhao Caiwei said, frowning.

Lin Xiao stood up and waved his hand dismissively.

"He's not even a Great Grandmaster, just a despicable villain. We just need to be on guard; there's no need to go out of our way to find him!"

"Wherever the iron hooves of my Zhenbei Army tread, all conspiracies and schemes will eventually be crushed into the dust of history!"

"My wives, we only need to do what we must. When the hearts of the people are won, our enemies will have no opportunity to strike!"

Looking at the high-spirited man, the women felt at ease. They smiled at each other and curtsied gracefully in unison.

"Yes, husband!"

As the Qingming Festival approached, the weather began to warm up.

Lin Xiao took his women and planned to return to Cang Province as soon as possible.

The north was his base of operations, and in early April, the Worlds Number One Wine Festival was set to begin.

The potatoes bought from Hu Merchants in Western Qiang needed planting, and after the Pre-Qingming tea leaves were picked, the steamed tea method would be improved into the pan-frying method...

Grain, liquor, and tea—every single one was vital to the people's livelihood and required his personal attention.

Fortunately, the acquisition of Blade Mountain's industries was mostly complete; only a few minor details remained.

Su Wansha and Xie Juner couldn't stay here long-term either, as there was still a mountain of work for the Trade Alliance.

Thus, Qin He would stay behind for now to keep an eye on things until some elite personnel could be transferred from the north, after which he would return to the Zhenbei Army.

With the Qin Family and Wen Kexing watching over things and the support of most people in Daoshan City, things wouldn't descend into chaos.

Unless the Prince of Nanling threw away all shame and forcibly interfered with private commerce to target the Northern Trade Alliance.

But if he actually did that, Lin Xiao would probably wake up laughing in the middle of the night.

Traveling north by boat was too slow due to the upstream current, so Lin Xiao and the women chose the land route, planning to return to Gan Province first.

Once they reached the cement roads, the journey would be much faster.

The women were all martial arts experts now and weren't delicate; to save time, they chose to ride horses.

Dressed as wandering heroines and looking heroic and spirited, they galloped alongside Lin Xiao as they left Daoshan City.

They traveled from Du Province through Huai Province and then toward Gan Province.

While passing the edge of Huai Province, Lin Xiao sensed something and looked back at a distant hilltop.

"Husband, what is it?" Xiao Qingxuan asked.

"Oh, it's nothing. Someone is lighting a fire in the mountains; probably some hunter," Lin Xiao replied.

"Your perception is too strong, husband. Why can't I find anything? How far away is it?" Mu Wanying looked around.

"Haha... stop looking. We're almost at Gan Province. Even this 'local immortal's' backside is sore. Yours are like soft tofu; aren't they about to split?" Lin Xiao teased.

The women's faces turned crimson, and they scolded him coyly.

Meanwhile.

On that hilltop with the fire, a pot was perched over the flames, stewing wild game and mountain delicacies.

A man with an ordinary face, wearing a coarse cloth jacket and a headscarf, looking like a cook in the army, was adding salt to the pot.

He ladled out a bit of soup with a wooden spoon, tasted it, and then looked at a man in a python robe nearby who was peeking into the distance.

"My Lord, come and have a taste. Is this soup salty enough?"

The man in the python robe turned around with a wry smile. "My dear General Zhou, do you really have to drink soup right now?"

"We've been waiting all morning and haven't eaten since breakfast. I'm just having some soup to warm up."

These two were none other than the Prince of Nanling, Li Sixun, and the commander of the Red Flame Iron Cavalry, the Stone Buddha General Zhou Guangfu!

"Sigh..."

Li Sixun walked to the fire, took the spoon and had a sip, then nodded. "It's alright. Add a bit more."

Zhou Guangfu nodded repeatedly and said with a grin, "I thought so too."

Li Sixun plopped down on a rock, devoid of any princely airs. His legs were spread wide, and his arms were crossed over his chest, looking exactly like a rustic villager.

"Tell me... did Lin Xiao really just leave like that?"

"Didn't you see it yourself?"

"So they really came all this way just for those properties on Blade Mountain?"

"Didn't they say they killed a lot of people from the Moon Worship Cult?"

"Yes, but what does that have to do with him? Killing the Moon Worship Cult is just helping me clear out the borders, isn't it?"

"That's a good thing then!"

Zhou Guangfu grinned. "Those rats were hiding in the mountains, making it hard for me to find them. To be honest, we should thank the Prince of Zhenbei."

"I always feel that this Moon Worship Cult isn't that simple. A mere cult shouldn't be worth a personal trip from Lin Xiao," Li Sixun muttered.

"As long as he's not coming after you, My Lord, isn't that enough?" Zhou Guangfu said.

"Heh..."

Li Sixun gave a self-deprecating laugh. "I've killed so many people from Western Shu, and their Empress is now his Princess. Do you think he'll let me off?"

"It's war; people die on both sides. If he really wanted to kill you, My Lord, wouldn't you be gone by now?"

Li Sixun glared at him. "Hey! You little bastard! What kind of talk is that?! Aren't... aren't you supposed to protect me?!"

"Even the Blade Emperor couldn't withstand a single palm strike from him. How do you expect me to protect you?"

Zhou Guangfu fished out a rib and said after taking a bite.

"..."

The Capital Region.

Several ordinary-looking merchant carriages passed through Qixia Pass and headed toward Yong Province.

"There are quite a lot of merchant caravans on the road. Are they all going to Yong Province?"

In the middle carriage, a man of extraordinary bearing lifted the curtain and looked at the busy official road outside.

"Yes, Your Maj... Master Hong."

Zheng Yangwei, who had a fake beard glued on, smiled awkwardly. "It's said that since the Northern Frontier was stabilized, many people have been heading there to source goods for business."

"Heh, isn't that the truth? Even the inner palace is filled with the scent of Snow Skin Cream and fragrant soap. This Lin Xiao has managed to earn all the money from my harem."

Emperor Hong joked, dropped the curtain, and asked, "Have they left Nanling?"

"Yes, we just received word this morning. They've already left Huai Province," Zheng Yangwei nodded.

"It's time for him to return. The 'Worlds Number One Wine Festival' has such great momentum; it would be missing its host if the Prince of Zhenbei weren't there."

A trace of complexity appeared in Emperor Hong's eyes. "I want to see for myself just what kind of 'young talent' this world-renowned Prince of Zhenbei really is."

As he spoke, Emperor Hong looked at the old man on his other side, who seemed to be dozing off.

"Old Yang, did you not sleep well last night?"