Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

Chapter 519: The Moon Offends the Five Chariots

"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey..."

Spitting off the thorns and leaves stuck to his body, Zhang Renfeng wiped his face and looked at the pavilion standing atop the mountain, muttering, "We're almost there."

He also carried a log on his shoulder, from which hung two large wooden boxes. One box contained pastries from Simeizhai, and the other contained pickles from Liubiju. The two boxes were packed full, but the weight was nothing to him.

The real challenge was carrying these two boxes while also keeping an eye on the mountain path.

Mountains like this, without even a name, have incredibly rugged and difficult paths. Late at night, he had to squint every few steps to make sure he wasn't about to slip. Otherwise, a misstep and tumbling down the mountain wouldn't kill him, but he was afraid of spilling the box – that would be a disaster. And this place was unsuitable for daytime travel; he had to wait until sunset and moonrise to reach it.

Pushing aside the last twig blocking his view, Zhang Renfeng saw a roughly dressed, dusty-faced girl diligently sweeping the fallen leaves in front of the door with a broom. The swishing sound echoed through the empty mountains, sounding incredibly relaxing.

"Little mute," Zhang Renfeng greeted her, "Where are your parents?"

"..." By the faint moonlight, the girl squinted and recognized Zhang Renfeng's appearance. She raised her hand and pointed to the upper part of the pavilion.

"Finally made it." Zhang Renfeng breathed a sigh of relief and was about to carry the two wooden boxes inside when the little mute boy gently tugged at his sleeve.

Upon closer inspection, the child wasn't unattractive, just covered in grime and with a terribly messy hairstyle. In the moonlight, her eyes shone brightly, her eyelashes fluttering as if they could speak. She made a few hand gestures, her expression somewhat puzzled.

"Yes, I'm leaving. Things have been quite turbulent lately, and the imperial court has selected me to lead troops into battle."

Zhang Renfeng patted the girl's head affectionately and said, "Don't worry, in a year or two, after we've wiped out the bandits, I'll come back to see you. I'll bring you food then, okay?"

The little mute boy naturally didn't say anything, but she didn't make any more gestures either. She just looked at him with a somewhat reluctant gaze. Then, she turned around and continued sweeping the fallen leaves in front of the door.

Pushing open the wooden door, the four characters "逆数茶寮" (Nishu Tea House) hanging directly above are particularly eye-catching. As the saying goes, though small, it has all the vital organs; this is indeed a place to drink tea, but there isn't a single tea drinker in sight, and the tables and chairs are all neatly folded up.

Zhang Renfeng carried two huge wooden crates up the narrow staircase, which creaked as it went. In a way, this allowed the owner of the teahouse to prepare in advance. When Zhang Renfeng pushed open the last door and reached the rooftop, a graceful young woman had already prepared a bamboo chair for him to rest on.

"Senior Brother Zhang."

A beautiful young woman dressed in plain clothes bowed to him, her eyes flickering slightly at him like two candle flames. "The mountain road is difficult to travel, it's kind of you to make the trip."

"Don't mention it, Xiaoying. I've been to Master, Senior Sister, and all the junior brothers and sisters. How could I leave you out when we're like siblings?"

Zhang Renfeng unloaded the two large boxes and placed them on the ground. He carried them all the way up from the bottom of the mountain without breaking a sweat, and even had a cheerful smile on his face.

The owner of the inverse tea house is Yuan Fengying.

This girl was different from the others; she hadn't been under her master's tutelage since childhood, so in a sense, she came with her own skills. She was already quite proficient in mountain medicine, and she learned other skills from her master as well. As a result, she became less close to the other disciples.

Even so, she was still a fellow disciple. On ordinary days and holidays, Zhang Renfeng would come to visit. She would have everything that other fellow disciples would have.

Yuan Fengying didn't really refuse; she would just smile and accept everything each time.

Zhang Renfeng wanted to chat with the girl a little longer, but what she was studying was all about the so-called Huang-Lao philosophy, which left him completely bewildered. Even though he didn't understand, he still had to be polite. After a while, he still couldn't understand why his junior sister, Yuan, who was such a free spirit, would want to learn martial arts.

……

"Senior brother hasn't eaten yet, has he?" Yuan Fengying said softly. "I'll go make you a bowl of noodles."

"No, no, no, I'll be right back. Don't keep you from stargazing." Zhang Renfeng quickly declined, then pointed to two wooden boxes, "This is Liubiju pickles, and this is..."

"sit down."

From the moment she entered, the girl stared at him for a long while, then suddenly displayed an unprecedented assertiveness. She grabbed Zhang Renfeng's wrist, gently twisted it, and slammed him into the chair with a thud.

"?!" Zhang Renfeng was somewhat incredulous, because he was also a martial artist and subconsciously wanted to exert force to resist. He planted his feet firmly, just as he was about to use the ground for leverage, but he felt a softness deep in his bones, as if he had been given a muscle relaxant.

Without using any strength at all, he sat down solidly on the stool.

"Senior brother, you come from a wealthy family, but do you find my food and drink too simple?"

A fair, soft, slender hand rested on Zhang Renfeng's shoulder.

Yuan Fengying smiled gently as always. Even though they were so close, looking into those watery eyes, Zhang Renfeng still couldn't figure out what she was thinking.

But since things had already gone this far, and she had taken the initiative to bring it up, it would be a bit of a letdown to refuse again. Zhang Renfeng didn't want to offend his junior sister, so he could only smile and nod, "Okay... then I'll trouble you. Don't make it too complicated, I'll just have a simple bite."

"In this desolate wilderness, there's nothing good to eat." Yuan Fengying didn't stand on ceremony. She patted Zhang Renfeng's collar and gently brushed away a leaf that had fallen into it. "Just consider it giving my junior sister a chance. I'll do my best as long as I can."

"There's nothing fun here, so please wait a moment, senior brother."

As she spoke, she actually left the guest there, turned around, and disappeared like a gust of wind. Zhang Renfeng was left alone on the fairly spacious rooftop, pacing back and forth. Before long, he noticed that the only exquisite item in this small and unassuming teahouse was the octagonal glass lamp on the table.

On the desk sat a thick stack of manuscripts, the paperweight bearing Yuan Fengying's remarkably elegant handwriting. This seemed unusual given the circumstances of the time, suggesting she was no ordinary person before becoming a disciple.

With nothing else to look at, he lowered his head and glanced at the paper on top.

----

On the day of Renyin and Jimao, I observed the celestial phenomena and found that the moon was in the position of the fifth chariot.

If the divination reveals an ominous aura, it suggests that celestial beings may manifest their power, leading to war and conflict among humankind.

----

For some reason, these words seemed to be engraved on the paper, and in the candlelight, they seemed to move like tadpoles, as if trying to crawl out of the paper.

A night breeze swept by, and Zhang Renfeng shivered inexplicably. He then stopped looking and waited patiently.

Chapter 520: We'll see each other again.

Yuan Fengying was quite straightforward; if she called it noodles, it was noodles—plain boiled white noodles with a few drops of soy sauce. According to her, in this desolate mountain wilderness, being able to eat this was already considered a good thing. Zhang Renfeng accepted without hesitation, picked up the bowl and chopsticks, and finished the bowl in a few bites.

"Is it tasty?"

She suddenly asked.

"Uh... this..." Zhang Renfeng was too embarrassed to speak. It was just boiled noodles, there was no such thing as good or bad. By his usual standards, it was indeed a little lacking. But he didn't want to discourage his junior sister, so he wiped his mouth and took a middle ground, only commenting on the texture of the noodles, "Refreshing and smooth, a rare find."

"Is that so?" Yuan Fengying looked at him in bewilderment, her smile seemingly directed at him, yet also as if she were smiling at someone far, far away, across from him. "Then, senior brother, you must remember this taste well. Life is like duckweed blown by the wind; if the wind blows too hard, it will scatter you, and who knows when we will meet again."

"Hey~~~ Junior sister, what are you saying? There's no need to be so sad. It's just a bandit suppression mission. Based on past experience, I'll be back in six months to a year." Zhang Renfeng waved his hand, then shoveled the rest of the noodles into his mouth, saying, "If you enjoyed the meal, junior sister, I'll bring some more snacks and pickles next time."

"..." Yuan Fengying did not answer, but stared at Zhang Renfeng as if she wanted to engrave every detail of his appearance into her memory.

"Senior brother, is there anything you wish to fulfill before you set off?"

“Wish? Why are you suddenly asking about this…” Zhang Renfeng put down the bowl and chopsticks on the table, pondered for a moment, and then lowered his voice as he remembered this matter. “Junior sister is indeed very insightful. If we’re talking about unfinished business, there really is one.”

"I had a falling out with my senior brother over the matter of becoming the martial arts champion, and we haven't had any contact since. I've gone to his house more than once, but he's never there. When I asked, he just said he's performing all over the country and has gone to other places. He won't see me, and I can't see him either. Over time, our friendship... is completely over."

At this point, Zhang Renfeng frowned, looking very frustrated. "I asked my master and senior sister, but they both said there was nothing they could do. My eldest brother has performances outside, performing for this person today and that person tomorrow. His schedule is so full that it's difficult for him to come back even once."

"Speaking of which, Xiaoying, does your senior brother ever come to visit you?"

"Occasionally."

Those two words were like a lifeline, causing Zhang Renfeng to look up abruptly. "Then... next time we meet, could you please pass on a message to him, just say that I..."

“There’s no need for that.” Yuan Fengying shook her head, her face still bearing that calm and unhurried smile that seemed to have seen through everything. “Your connection with Senior Brother Zhu is not severed; you will meet again.”

"Really?" Zhang Renfeng first breathed a sigh of relief, then felt a sense of immense relief. "When?"

"In two or three years."

"where is it?"

"...in a theater that is far from here."

"A theater?" Zhang Renfeng paused for a moment, then quickly realized what was going on and wrote out his own script. "So that's how it is. In two or three years, I'll go to a certain theater, and my senior brother will happen to be performing there. He'll notice me on stage, and after the performance, we'll talk about our situations, have a long talk all night, and then we'll make up, right?"

“Well, how should I put it…” Yuan Fengying hesitated for a while before nodding reluctantly, “The process was slightly different, but the result was about the same.”

Upon learning of this, Zhang Renfeng subconsciously relaxed, patted the dust off his knees, stood up and bowed, "Thank you for your guidance, Junior Sister. Now I have no worries and can focus on my duties to the court and go to Jinling to suppress the bandits."

"It's getting late, so I won't bother you any longer. Junior sister, you should get some rest."

……

"Brother!"

Yuan Fengying suddenly called out to him.

"Hmm?" Zhang Renfeng turned around and looked at her with some curiosity.

The usually serene young woman now wore a somewhat melancholy expression, stood up from her seat, and hesitated to speak.

"Don't look at me like that, Xiaoying." Zhang Renfeng noticed her unease and comforted her with a smile. "We'll see each other again later."

----

"..."

Zhang Renfeng opened his eyes in the darkness.

With things weighing on his mind, he couldn't sleep at night, and even Zhang Renfeng was no exception. Under the pressure from Roanok, his dreams began to become chaotic, and he even dreamt of things from his hometown. To his shame, his life in America these past two years had been even more chaotic than a dream; he hadn't had time to recall the people and events of his hometown for a long time, and thought he had forgotten them all.

Unexpectedly, Yuan Fengying's face was still so clear in my dream.

"Sigh... things have come to this point, what can we do now..."

In this dream, the scenes, plot, and characters were all secondary; the only information that truly resonated with my subconscious was this: I made this plate of dumplings because of this tiny bit of vinegar!

"The moon is in conflict with the fifth car."

Zhang Renfeng knew nothing about celestial phenomena, but he could read Chinese characters. The letter his father left behind also mentioned this celestial phenomenon, which was exactly the same as what he had seen on Xiao Ying's desk. Thus, the mysteries left for him only increased.

The saying "When the moon is in the fifth position, war breaks out among men" is definitely not a good omen.

Who exactly is this old man?

In this day and age, anyone who can cross oceans to develop their career in a foreign land is certainly no ordinary person. But judging from the tone of others' voices, this man called "Old Man" actually settled in America decades ago. Calling someone "Old Man" without sufficient qualifications sounds rather ridiculous.

"Did the Xianfeng Emperor, or... perhaps the Daoguang Emperor, go abroad?"

Let alone going abroad, most ordinary people in those days had no idea what was outside their country. Not only that, but his ability to observe the heavens and astrology alone was definitely not that of an ordinary person. To this day, he has no idea how many people his father has, what kind of business he runs, or how big his operation is. He doesn't even know what he's fighting against.

If the two sides are vastly different in strength, intelligence is meaningless; one can simply crush them with overwhelming force.

However, if the strength of the two sides is not that different, the value of intelligence can be demonstrated.

"This is practically cheating! What kind of stargazing technique is this...?"

In principle, Zhang Renfeng had always kept his distance from these supernatural and incomprehensible tales. However, lately he had encountered many things that defied common sense.

Furthermore, in retrospect, the old man's letter did indeed foreshadow the fate of the Flipper group. If he had chosen to open the letter earlier and read its contents, he might have decisively retreated with Joffrey, leaving the old man helpless.

If only I had someone in my faction who could predict the future...

----

As she lay in bed lost in thought, the door quietly opened a crack, and the girl tiptoed in cautiously. But no matter how light her movements were, they couldn't escape Zhang Renfeng's ears. He recognized her just by her footsteps.

"Evelyn?"

Chapter 521: The Night is Deep, the Lights are Dim

"It's already so late, Mr. Hongzhong, aren't you resting yet?"

In the girl's hands, she held a complete set of neatly folded clothes—a shirt, vest, suit, and trousers, all folded into a neat square shape.

"I can't sleep, I can't help it." Although they didn't live together, in Zhang Renfeng's heart, Evelyn was still a member of the Red Center Gang, and there was no need to hide anything from her. He sat up directly from the bed, scratching his head and saying with a wry smile, "I know you're here, but things have been one thing after another, and I haven't been able to find time to come see you. I'm sorry."

“Mr. Hongzhong himself must have a lot to do.” The girl smiled and shook her head, bent down and placed the stack of clothes next to him. “I can’t help with these important matters at all. What I can do is just some trivial things for you.”

"There's a place on the third floor of this casino where they store clothes. I picked out a few outfits there. It's better to dress more formally when you're going out on business."

"Eh?"

Zhang Renfeng then realized that his original suit had been stretched taut by his bulging muscles while he was uprooting the tree. Later, finding the suit too restrictive and hindering his movement, he simply tore it open. In the ensuing street battle, wielding a large knife, he fought with great gusto, his shirt becoming a gruesome sight stained with blood.

It's fortunate that he's such a tough guy; he didn't even change his clothes and went straight to sleep—he was exhausted enough that day, and he didn't have time to worry about these little things.

"Do you know my size?" Zhang Renfeng picked up a shirt, shook it in the air, and compared it to his own body. It was exactly the same size.

"It's nothing. I can tell your figure just by looking at you."

Evelyn wore a faint smile. Under the lamplight, through a hazy white veil, her face appeared even more beautiful and charming. Although it was late at night, her back remained ramrod straight, showing no sign of fatigue. Her slender, delicate hands were neatly folded on her thighs.

Looking at her profile, my somewhat anxious heart seemed to calm down.

The clothes were still the same, the intricate and elegant embossing and openwork truly highlighting the girl's aristocratic air to the extreme. However, compared to before, the girl before him seemed to have changed slightly.

In layman's terms, he's just a little chubby.

After removing her corset, Evelyn's appetite gradually returned to normal. At 17, in the prime of her youth, the nutritional supplements she received immediately showed on her body. Her previously overly thin figure now had more curves; her waist remained slender, but no longer looked as if it would break at the slightest breeze.

With her stunning figure and a face that could win over thousands of applause on stage, being alone with her in a room would make any man swallow hard.