What Zhangsun Sheng said was true, and the Yulu Pills were indeed effective. Shen Qiao took two pills, and after a short time, together with the circulation of Zhuyang Ce, which stimulated qi movement in his body, smoothed the meridians, and activated qi and blood circulation, the pain in his chest gradually decreased a lot, and it was not as difficult to say a word as before.
He bid farewell to both Zhangsun Sheng and Dou Yi before leading Yuwen Song to his horse, He carefully slowed his pace and looked behind to allow Yuwen Song to adapt.
Chang'an City stands towering and majestic with a magnificent atmosphere, as it always has. It has stood strong despite the flames of war. However, for thousands of years, personnel changed, dynasties changed, and tragedies such as Yuwen Xian's unjustified death will not be remembered by many people even in a few years.
While being held by her father, Dou Yan fixed an unblinking gaze on them. She cried out, "Please take care, Shen Daozun, and take care, Yuwen Qilang!" with a loud voice.
Shen Qiao smiled at her, but when he noticed Yuwen Song sitting in front of him without saying a word, he said, "Do you want to go back and take another look at Chang'an? We don't know when we will come back once we leave."
After a brief moment of silence, Yuwen Song said, "Seeing more people in a sad place only makes things worse. I only despise myself for being powerless, and all I can do is watch my parents suffer and be treated unfairly."
Although he is younger than Shiwu, he speaks with maturity. Shiwu was crying uncontrollably the day he lost his master. Yuwen Song's voice was husky after crying at Su's house earlier, but his tone was clear and fluent, several times stronger than Shiwu's. The same seems to be happening to the royal family's young members. Even though the situation in Shen Qiao's arms was extremely dangerous at the time, Dou Yan didn't struggle wildly out of fear, which affected Shen Qiao's reaction to the enemy.
Shen Qiao touched his head and said, "Don't look at things that way. Your father had the option to leave calmly, but he chose not to go. The first reason is that he won't send your mother and brother to the disaster by themselves. The second is to prove his loyalty and innocence to the emperor and even to the entire world. Perhaps some people don't understand, but since you're his son, you must, right?"
Yuwen Song hummed, and after a while, he said quietly: "Actually, father made arrangements for this a long time ago. And wanted them to wait for the right moment to leave, but my mother didn't want to leave my father alone in the disaster. All of my brothers were reluctant to go, and only I, the youngest, was taken away forcibly by Uncle Yan…"
Shen Qiao: "That's right, each person in the world has a choice; some choose to survive, and some are willing to pay with their lives to clear their names. Nothing is wrong. The truth of our feelings is even more obvious during difficult times. The Su family is even prepared to rise up and oppose the emperor because the Prince of Qi has so many people, both openly and secretly, working for him. As can be seen, the Prince of Qi's reputation is strong and cannot under any circumstances be impacted. Because I am trusted by others, I will definitely calm you down. Do you have any family members who wish to vote?"
He had intended to take Yuwen Song straight back to the Bixia Sect in Taishan, but when he observed that the other was quite independent at such a young age, he changed his mind and asked his opinion rather than acting on his behalf.
" Yuwen Song shook his head and said, "The Yuwen family's relatives are all members of the royal family. Even if some people are willing to shelter them, they will unavoidably come under suspicion. Yuwen Yun is not afraid to kill more people in order to establish his authority after repeatedly killing three highly respected clans, including my father. Daoist Shen, I will follow you wherever you go."
Shen Qiao: "Good, then we will go to Bixia Sect."
Yuwen Song: "Where is Bixia Sect?"
Shen Qiao: "In Taishan"
Yuwen Song suddenly became interested: "Is it Taishan of the Five Sacred Mountains?"
Shen Qiao said with a smile, "That's right, Taishan is more powerful than other mountains. The sunrise and clouds are exceptional. You won't regret it at all if you witness it for yourself."
After all, Yuwen Song is still young and easily distracted. Hearing Shen Qiao's description now, despite his grief, appears to make him excited to experience it.
Previously, Yuwen Yun was afraid of Yuwen Xian's prestige and feared that he would have many nightmares at night. He merely ordered people to encircle the Palace of the Prince of Qi and force Yuwen Xian to flee quickly. The others only presumed that Yuwen Yun had no intention of killing anyone, so they let their guard down. Nobody anticipated that Yu Wenyun would attack out of the blue and allow Murong Qin to kill his uncle. On behalf of an emissary from the emperor, the entire Lord of Qi's Palace committed suicide out of sheer indignation at being humiliated. Everyone in the city was shocked as soon as the news started to spread. They all went up and impeached Chen Gong and other emperor's servants in addition to grieving for Yuwen Xian. The overtones were directed at the emperor, and some of them accidentally prevented the emperor from dispatching men outside the city to hunt down Shen Qiao and Yuwen Song.
In this way, Shen Qiao led Yuwen Song all the way out of Chang 'an for several days, with no shadow of pursuing troops.
As for the people of the Hehuan Sect, Shen Qiao killed two elders of the opponent's sect in a row, and they seemed to have a deep blood feud with the Hehuan Sect. But even without this incident, Shen Qiao's martial arts would have completely eliminated Sang Jingxing, causing him to eat himself back and suffer severe injuries. Being safe now does not mean being safe forever because the resentment has already developed into a knot.
As for the people of the Hehuan Sect, Shen Qiao killed two elders of the opponent's sect in a row, and they seemed to have a deep blood feud with the Hehuan Sect. But even without this incident, Shen Qiao's martial arts would have completely eliminated Sang Jingxing, causing him to eat himself back and suffer severe injuries. Being safe now does not mean being safe forever because the resentment has already developed into a knot.
After more than three months of walking on the road, the two of them come to a halt. They sought out a Taoist temple to rest after entering the city. Shen Qiao would accompany Yuwen Song on walks through the streets and byways to take in the sights or climb to a viewpoint to get a panoramic view of the surroundings.
As the saying goes, there are many truths in the world, and every stage of life has its own true meaning. Beyond their roots, none of the three thousand paths through life change. Shen Qiao remained looking at them until his heart became more clear, which is also beneficial for martial arts and swordsmanship.
He was no longer a helpless Zhangjiao who had been betrayed that day on Xuandu Mountain at this point. But as he moved more about in the mortal world, he not only showed no indications of being a philistine but also grew more and more worldly. He looked like a celestial being, with black hair, green clothes, a long sword, a glowing complexion, as bright as the moon. It deliberately creates a sense of nobility and infidelity in people that they dare not violate.
Yuwen Song significantly reduced his depressed mood through these experiences. If he had worried for years and months, he would have died young. Shen Qiao, who had the best of intentions but offered little explanation, simply took him for a stroll to encourage him to think and see more and to broaden his perspective.
"Daozhang, let me tell you that you arrived just in time. All the famous gentry from the city and country came to celebrate Elder Huang's 60th birthday today. You two should wait until tomorrow night if you want to go hiking. It would be unfortunate to be absent from the birthday banquet!"
Shen Qiao led Yuwen Song to the inn as soon as they reached the Runan border. The waiter introduced the two after realizing they were foreigners.
Huang is friendly, I don't think he cares if two of us show up as uninvited guests."
The Huang Mansion is not far away from this location. When the two of them arrived there, a person dressed as a butler was waiting at the door to personally welcome the guests who had come to visit.
When the other party saw that Shen Qiao was with Yuwen Song, they asked for their names as usual. Shen Qiao hid his real name in order to avoid getting into trouble and said, "My name is Shan Qiaozi, a wandering Taoist. I heard that Elder Huang was celebrating his birthday, so I came here to offer him birthday greetings."
It would be impolite to arrive empty-handed, so he purchased gifts on the way, which Yuwen Song then presented with both hands.
This gift is not taken seriously by the butler. The Huang family is currently crowded with guests who have come to eat and drink, but since the Huang mansion is busy with a lot of work, they don't mind. Only divide people into groups based on their identities and lead them to different locations. Jianghu people have seats for Jianghu people, and famous scholars have seats for famous scholars as well.
The Huang Mansion's butler has seen a wide variety of people and has honed his keen vision. He became more cautious when he noticed Shen Qiao was carrying a long cloth bag on his back that resembled a weapon: "May I ask if this Taoist priest is from the Jianghu?"
Shen Qiao, on the other hand, shook his head, saying, "My martial arts skills are limited, cannot be regarded as Jianghu people."
The butler dared not categorize him as an ordinary person because of his outstanding demeanor. He noticed that the young Yuwen Song was also handsome and composed, so he asked someone to take them to the seat where the famous scholars were sitting right away.
Although Shen Qiao was unfamiliar with the guests at the banquet, he was approachable and had a good heart. It was inevitable that when people saw him dressed as a Taoist, they would inquire about any Taoist allusions. Shen Qiao was familiar with the left and right sides after going back and forth, and he also knew that these individuals were well-known scholars in the city and had a particular reputation among scholars. Today is also the performance of Great Master Du's Yueqin, which has received widespread acclaim.
The guests have not yet arrived. The host family went somewhere else to greet the visitors. Everyone was exchanging whispered communications with one another. Although warm, the environment was somewhat noisy. Yuwen Song listened intently to the discussions about folk art coming from the left and right. Shen Qiao casually looked up and caught a glimpse of a familiar face out of the corner of his eye.
It was so familiar that he couldn't help but let out a gasp.