The Legend of the Condor Heroes: I became one of the Five Great Masters by drawing cards

Chapter 40 Farewell
Green locust trees and tall willows swallow new cicadas, and the scented wind first blows into the strings.

The delegation's convoy moved slowly along the official road, and the shimmering Taihu Lake was vaguely visible in the distance.

The young prince leaned on the soft cushion of the carriage and closed his eyes to rest, while a maid brought peeled lychees to his mouth.

This maid was a dancer given by Liu Wei some time ago. She had followed him all the way from Chuzhou and had long become the imperial envoy's sweetheart.

Thinking about the suffering he had endured in the past few days, he wished he could stay in Jiangnan for the rest of his life.

Seeing his intoxicated look, Mu Nianci couldn't help but squeeze the horse's belly, walked to Gu Ping'an, and spoke with concern.

"My 'brother' is so obsessed with pleasure. I'm afraid he won't be able to accept his true identity once he learns about it."

She lowered her voice and spoke in a tone that only Gu Ping'an could hear.

Gu Ping'an glanced back and saw through the opened curtain that Yang Kang was chatting and laughing with the maid, with a look of enjoyment on his face.

"Look at him. If we try to persuade or stop him, it won't be any use and will probably only make him unhappy."

Gu Ping'an shook his head and added another sentence.

"He has been spoiled by Wanyan Honglie since he was young. Unless they cause a quarrel between father and son, relying solely on his background and patriotism, there's no way he can give up his current life of wealth and luxury."

"Alas," Mu Nianci sighed, "If it weren't for Taoist Priest Qiu and my adoptive mother..."

She could also figure out the fundamental reason for Yang Kang's current personality, but saying this seemed unfilial, so she stopped talking halfway.

Pingjiang Prefecture was not far ahead, and Yang Kang also sat up. The two had to change the topic and talk about something else.

The residence had already been arranged by local officials. It was still a wealthy businessman's mansion with a tall gate and a large courtyard. A red lantern with the words "Imperial Envoy of the Great Jin Kingdom" was hung high.

The welcoming ceremony was extremely luxurious. Yang Kang also put on the airs of a little prince, slowly got out of the car, walked with a square step, and walked into the gate with an arrogant look.

The onlookers watched from afar and couldn't help whispering to each other, their faces full of indignation.

Suzhou gardens have been a model of Jiangnan beauty since ancient times.

Hedge paths, fish-playing ponds, pavilions, arch bridges, ancient trees and strange rocks.

Compared with this ingenious garden, even the luxurious Prince Zhao's Palace in Zhongdu pales in comparison.

The butler introduced everyone along the way and led the delegation into the main hall. Soon another servant came to report.

"Your Excellency, there is a female knight who claims to be your master. She said she wants to meet you here and has been staying at your mansion for a few days."

They were all trying to please the imperial envoy, so even though Mei Chaofeng had no identity proof, no one dared to neglect her as long as she said "Wanyan Kang's master".

"Master, Lady Hero?"

Yang Kang's eyes lit up at first, then he looked suspicious.

The impression he had of Mei Chaofeng was still that of a sinister female ghost in a ragged black robe. How could she be associated with the so-called "female hero"?
"Take me to see her first."

"No need." A not very pleasant female voice came from outside the door.

The person looked to be in his early thirties, but was dressed like a young girl, with her hair tied up, wearing a light green dress, and a silver whip tied around her waist.

Looking closely, I saw that her eyes were slightly closed, and although her skin was a little paler than that of ordinary people, it was not completely bloodless.

This kind of appearance cannot be said to be beautiful, but it is definitely not ugly.

Yang Kang was stunned at first, and it took him a while to come back to his senses.

It really is Master!
But the image has changed a bit too much.

"Master," he stammered, unable to conceal his surprise, "How come you..."

Gu Ping'an secretly laughed at his reaction, but did not say anything, nor did he intend to let Mei Chaofeng recognize his identity.

I have to wait until Huang Yaoshi shows up before I can tell him about the rescue so that I can deceive him and earn more fame points.

Mei Chaofeng frowned slightly, seeming dissatisfied with Yang Kang's reaction. "Kang'er, the kung fu I taught you earlier was incorrect. I just figured it out a few days ago. Come with me."

Although she solved the fallacies in martial arts, her personality did not change much. She was still straightforward and did not care about others.

Yang Kang looked at the room full of Pingjiang officials and wealthy businessmen, and couldn't help feeling hesitant.

"Master, I'm busy right now. How about I come back to see you later?"

He had been accustomed to hearing flattery these days, and when he heard such a commanding tone, he felt a little annoyed for a moment.

This thought is a bit like "There are so many people here, why don't you give me any face?"

Hearing him say this, Mei Chaofeng was a little angry, but she did not lose her temper. She just snorted and walked out of the hall on her own.

"As expected of the Imperial Envoy's master, he truly acts like a master!"

A wealthy businessman saw the opportunity and quickly offered flattery.

After some flattery and a banquet, by the time everyone had left, night had fallen.

Yang Kang washed his face and was about to go find Mei Chaofeng, but was stopped by Gu Ping'an.

"It's so late, does Brother Gu have anything else to do?" Yang Kang asked after taking a sip of tea to suppress the smell of alcohol.

Given their current relationship, Gu Ping'an no longer needed to be polite and could just get straight to the point.

"Now that we have reunited with our respected master, I believe the young prince's safety is guaranteed. I am here today to take my leave."

"Resign?" Yang Kang paused for a moment, "Why? Are you dissatisfied with your current treatment?"

He had always thought that Gu Ping'an was after Mu Nianci. Now that he had gotten the woman, would he abandon him?
Thinking of this, his face darkened slightly.

"Young Prince, you misunderstood!" Gu Ping'an smiled and waved his hands.

"I just heard that Commander Duan, who was supposed to be welcoming us, is on his way and will be taking a boat across Lake Tai soon. I'm terrified of boat rides, so I'm thinking of taking a different route."

How could he possibly end his undercover career early when the time has not come for him to finally gain fame points?

"Afraid of taking a boat?"

Yang Kang showed an expression of disbelief, which then turned into a smile.

"I understand!" Although his thoughts were not as good as Huang Rong's, they were also quite fast. "You want to separate from me temporarily, take your Miss Mu to travel around, and come back after a while, right?"

He gave a knowing smile and patted Gu Ping'an on the shoulder.

Gu Ping'an didn't answer, but just smiled in agreement.

"I was not thoughtful enough."

Yang Kang agreed without much thought.

"You've helped me a lot along the way. Now that I have some free time, can I, as your brother, keep you by my side?"

He thought for a moment and then said, "It will take two days for the Song army to arrive to welcome us. I'll give you seven days. Let's meet in Huzhou. How about that?"

"Thank you, young prince!" Gu Ping'an agreed readily.

Traveling with the beauty was just an excuse. He just didn't want to suffer the crime of falling into the water and being caught.

Nowadays, the Taihu bandits have already laid a tight net. Although these gang leaders and village chiefs have ordinary martial arts skills, they have the advantage of geographical location.

Even the thousand infantrymen under Duan Tiande would become water ghosts in Taihu Lake. Not to mention him, even if Mei Chaofeng followed him, the result would be that both master and disciple would fall into the water and be captured.

If you insist on taking this kind of loss that you can avoid, won't you be wronged?
　Note: Pingjiang is Suzhou. It was called Pingjiang Prefecture in the third year of Zhenghe in the Northern Song Dynasty. It was changed to Pingjiang Road in the Yuan Dynasty and was called Suzhou Prefecture in the Ming Dynasty.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)