Zhan Zhao Adventures - Chapter Four (Part IX)
Chapter Four: Partridge Sky (Part IX)
The immense manor was pitch-black and silent. The deep temple halls extended one after another, layer upon layer.
The sparse lamplights, like scattered dots of starlight, were distributed among the woods. The wind remained heavily laced with the scent of rain and a faint fragrance of flowers. Layer after layer of bamboo curtains hung deeply, sealing all the hundreds of feet of the mundane world outside the curtains, yet securely hiding the essence of rain from all across the mountains within the temple halls.
In this desolate moonlight, Hua Zifeng once again took meticulous care not to let the warm, racing throb of his heart beneath the night wind affect his emotions. He kept his pace very slow, so that the mysterious experts concealed all around could recognize his footsteps, and recognize him as well. This was despite the fact that he was already as thoroughly familiar with this place as a person could possibly be.
As the eldest brother of the Hua family, he was different from Yan Ziqing, who also served in the Jinshi Hall. His meticulous care stemmed from reverence for his master, not from dread.
A long corridor led straight to the very back of the manor. The sound of the watch-drum drifted from afar; it was already the third watch of the night.
The frequency of Hua Zifeng’s footsteps did not change. His face, dry and hard-lined like a walnut, and his hands, perfectly clean and immaculately trimmed, all indicated that he was a highly efficient man.
The lights suddenly flared to life inside a heavy, grand hall, as if his arrival had long been anticipated.
Hua Zifeng arrived before the grand hall and came to a respectful halt, dropping his hands to his sides.
Before the hall, layers of bamboo curtains still hung as before, allowing only sparse, scattered gleams of the piercing lamplight to filter through, while securely locking away every secret within the grand hall.
"A secret letter has arrived from Commander Shao."
The bamboo curtains rolled up, and a young boy with hair tied in tufts emerged to receive the dispatched letter. A faint whiff of sandalwood incense drifted out along with the rolling up of the bamboo curtains.
Amidst the curling wreaths of pure smoke, a gaunt, skeletal hand took the dispatched letter from the young boy's grasp. The face that read the letter still bore not the slightest hint of expression.
Perhaps any effort to fathom his expression would be a complete waste of ingenuity.
The palace hall was dark, and upon that single remnant of a candle, a dim and dreary light flickered. Was it because the master of the palace hall preferred the darkness, preferring to observe his opponents from within the dark?
A gloomy voice, originating from the person standing respectfully at attendance to the side, shattered the serenity and darkness of the palace hall.
Speculating, the person standing at attendance carefully said, "Today is already the fourth day. If that object cannot be recovered by the deadline and manages to find its way into the capital, I fear that even if we slaughter every single person in Xiangyang, it will be impossible to undo the damage."
"I wonder if, by now, Commander Shao has managed to locate some traces of that person?"
Upon that expressionless face, a trace of displeasure finally revealed itself: "Shao Jizu mobilized the Prince's palace guards and half the personnel of the Jinshi Hall, yet up to now, he has unexpectedly still come up entirely empty-handed."
The person standing respectfully at attendance said with great care, "Your Highness, Commander Shao's opponent has, after all, a far-reaching reputation and a noble status. Furthermore, I have already deduced that on this escape, in order to conceal his tracks, he is bound to conceal his name and take a shortcut directly to the capital. Even though I have distributed his portrait, because the matter is of monumental importance, the Xiangyang Prince's Mansion cannot make a public and blatant proclamation, which inevitably binds our hands and feet. That Commander Shao's journey is going smoothly is something that should be expected."
Across that expressionless face seated within, a flash of cold light finally flickered. A sinister, chilling voice abruptly rose: "The longer he drags this out, the greater his chances of slipping away become. How can this not make this Prince anxious!"
Pondering, the person standing respectfully at attendance said, "I believe that even if Your Highness is displeased, you should not lay blame upon Commander Shao. Commander Shao has received great grace from Your Highness and is a rare talent; he will bound to go all out regarding this matter. In addition, Your Highness should know that he remains the key for Your Highness to acquire the Huo family’s 'Exquisite Eye.' We must not let him harbor any hidden resentment."
The man seated within the temple hall sneered, "If this Prince had not obtained the imperial decree bestowing the marriage, how could that eldest daughter of the Linglong Mountain Villa's Huo family be so easily betrothed to him? Right now, Shao Jizu has no time even to feel boundlessly grateful to this Prince; how could he harbor any hidden resentment?"
The person beside him said, "Your Highness has waited for the marriage of that eldest daughter of the Linglong Mountain Villa's Huo family for a very long time, but Commander Shao seems to be single-mindedly devoted to that Miss Huo. He is a man of quick wit; if he manages to guess Your Highness's intentions, I fear—"
The man within the temple hall slowly cut off his words, saying, "Have you never heard it said that a man who falls in love with the woman of his heart will turn into a fool, even if his heart previously possessed nine apertures? Even if Shao Jizu was incomparably intelligent in the past, right now he must still submissively remain within this Prince's grasp!"
Amidst the curling incense smoke, that man's countenance, for a moment, became unspeakably hideous; sneering, he was heard to mutter to himself, "Huo Linglong, oh Huo Linglong, if it were not for the fact that the eldest daughters of the Huo family throughout the generations only awaken their 'Exquisite Eye' on the very day of their wedding, how could this Prince have waited for you until this moment!”