Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 445 Tangyu
"Sect Master, there's someone here." Zhang Shaoyou, the protector accompanying the group, whispered to Shen Tang, "The Demon Realm is full of demons and monsters. This mountain wilderness is desolate, with heavy snow falling. A young girl standing there alone... it feels a bit strange. She's probably not a good person."

Shen Tang personally made his first shipment to the demon realm with the intention of gaining experience, but he hasn't encountered any crises along the way.

Now, a petite young girl stands alone in the wilderness, amidst heavy snow. This scene makes the members of the Heavenly Sword Sect feel as if a crisis has descended upon them for the first time. They are all somewhat tense and solemn, and their sword energy unconsciously emanates from her.

Shen Tang stared at the figure in the distance, instinctively feeling that something was amiss.

They certainly seemed like demons and monsters; they gave off a very dangerous vibe, not like a benevolent being. Besides, what normal young girl wouldn't panic and avoid so many swordsmen approaching?

But she didn't seem to be looking at the goods or the soldiers; she seemed to be staring blankly at Shen Tang's face, which was strange.

The convoy cautiously approached slowly, the girl remaining motionless. Shen Tang could now clearly see her face. At first glance, she seemed somewhat familiar, but Shen Tang was certain he had never seen this flat-chested girl before.

As the two drew closer, Zhang Shaoyou gripped the hilt of his sword, cautiously watching their path forward.

The girl suddenly spoke up: "Are you a merchant caravan from the Great Qian Dynasty?"

As soon as the words were spoken, the members of the Heavenly Sword Sect immediately drew their weapons.

The girl paused for a moment, then suddenly laughed, a laugh tinged with self-mockery.

My mind was in a daze, a thousand thoughts rushing through my mind, and I didn't even consider that in the other person's eyes I was by no means a kind person.

Shen Tang waved his hand to stop the disciples from reacting, and said calmly, "The Tianxing Sword Sect caravan is here. May I ask who you are?"

"My family and I went to the Demon Capital, but we got separated. I don't know the way and I'm scared." Yuan Muyu blinked. "Could you take me with you, young lady?"

The lie I blurted out had barely left my lips when I felt a little dazed again.

Yes, I got separated from my family.

Zhang Shaoyou whispered, "Sect Master, this person is strange, we must not..."

Shen Tang waved his hand: "It's really inconvenient to travel alone. I'll help out if I can."

Zhang Shaoyou: "?"

No, are you kidding me?

Yuan Muyu smiled and jogged over to Shen Tang's side: "You're such a kind person, what's your name?"

"Clang!" A pile of longswords was drawn again from their sheaths.

Shen Tang tilted her head and looked at Yuan Muyu for a while before smiling and saying, "My name is Shen Tang."

Logically, no matter what one's thinking, one would casually ask, "And you?"

But Shen Tang didn't ask.

Yuan Muyu found this rather strange. Shen Tang should not have seen her before, and she should not have even seen Ye Tinglan's true face after removing her veil. What was going on with her attitude? Did she really recognize who she was?

Shen Tang didn't say much, but told the gatekeeper, "Sheathe your sword, don't be so nervous. Keep going, the Wolf Clan City is about a hundred miles ahead, let's try to stay there tonight."

The disciples had no idea what their sect leader was doing. Puzzled, they sheathed their swords and continued escorting the carriage, their eyes constantly glancing at Yuan Muyu's face, unable to understand.

This girl was undeniably beautiful, though her pale face and unsteady gait suggested she had been injured. The sect leader was already a peerless beauty, and this pale-faced girl was no less stunning. Walking side-by-side with the sect leader was like two flowers blooming in competition—one like a blossoming crabapple, the other like a secluded orchid in a valley—a breathtaking sight.

Could it be that the sect leader is actually the hunter, and what is he going to do to this injured, lone girl?
So this is what kind of sect leader you are!
Yuan Muyu feigned curiosity and asked, "When you deliver goods, why don't you just carry rings and fly there directly? Driving a convoy like this wastes time and increases the risk."

Shen Tang smiled and said, "The storage ring is a vacuum environment, so not everything is suitable to be put inside, especially living things... We have a lot of herbs that need to be kept alive, so it's not very suitable. Of course, the suitable things are already in the ring, otherwise there wouldn't be only a few cars."

Zhang Shaoyou: "..."

This sect leader has gone mad; he even revealed that he has another valuable item in the ring.

Yuan Muyu also found this attitude strange, so she could only reply perfunctorily, "I see, I've learned something new."

Shen Tang didn't say much. In fact, while she told others not to be nervous, she herself was the most nervous. The Imperial Extreme World-Shaking Scripture was in full operation, ready to fight at any moment.

The reason for having the other party accompany us is, of course, because having them right under our noses, with everyone watching closely, is much better than being secretly followed.

Analyzing it from this perspective, the strange girl they encountered on the road just stood there casually waiting. It didn't seem like she was targeting the goods. Why would someone targeting goods expose their abnormality like that? It seemed more like she was being targeted at the girl herself.

Shen Tang kept thinking about who it could be, and her main suspicion was that the Dragon Emperor had sent someone to test her, since this was the Demon Realm.

But after a few words, I realized something was off. The girl seemed distracted and her tone was perfunctory; she clearly had something on her mind and didn't seem like someone who had been sent there to do chores.

That's strange. Who is this? What do you want?

Seeing that the other person didn't seem to have anything to say to her, Shen Tang took the initiative to start a conversation: "Miss, you were separated from your family. Did your family go to the Demon Capital?"

"Well, it is."

"Will that girl be able to find them when she gets to the Demon Capital?"

"I'm not sure." Yuan Muyu said absentmindedly, "It might never be found again."

Shen Tang said, "Miss, don't be discouraged. We will most likely meet the Demon Emperor on our way to the Demon Capital. We can ask her to help us find him then."

Yuan Muyu suddenly felt like laughing.

They weren't on the same wavelength, and Shen Tang didn't know what she meant by "lost family." She deliberately asked, "The Demon Emperor is high and mighty; would he even acknowledge Sect Master Shen?" "There should still be some things we can talk about."

"So Sect Master Shen is willing to do such a favor for someone like me, a complete stranger?"

Shen Tang was utterly unwilling; he was just racking his brains to find out her background. So he said, "Family is always the most important thing."

Yuan Muyu turned to look at her: "Sect Leader Shen, do you think family is the most important thing?"

Shen Tang said, "Of course."

"And what about lovers?"

Shen Tang smiled and said, "I'm engaged to him. He's my family, my most important family."

"Before the engagement? Was he less important than your other family members?"

Shen Tang tilted her head.

Are you just arguing for the sake of arguing?

Having a vague idea of ​​the man's intentions, she said, "I have no other family members. From the moment I fell in love with him, he has been my only family."

Yuan Muyu smiled and said, "Do swordsmen also lie? I heard that Sect Leader Shen still has family members alive."

Shen Tang replied calmly, "They aren't anymore."

"If I gave you a vast fortune, would Sect Leader Shen still be able to speak so confidently?"

“I have my own business, which I built together with my lover. I don’t need anything else.”

Yuan Muyu was suddenly stunned and didn't argue for a moment.

Shen Tang frowned as he looked at her profile. This person probably knew his identity. Could she be sent by his father to test him?
never mind.

If he says no, then no. Anyway, his father doesn't want him to succeed him, so he probably won't say anything after hearing this.

Then Yuan Muyu suddenly spoke again: "You two jointly created this foundation. You are the sect leader, and he is... your deputy sect leader?"

Shen Tang shook his head: "He doesn't hold any official position. He used to be a guest advisor, but that position has been revoked."

Yuan Muyu suddenly turned her head, a sharp glint in her eyes: "Why was it withdrawn?"

Shen Tang was baffled by the question: "Because I'm going to marry him, why would I need a guest minister? What kind of talk is it that my husband is a guest?"

Yuan Muyu wanted to ask if the Tianxing Sword Sect was completely unrelated to him, but before he could ask, Shen Tang continued, "I rebuilt the Tianxing Sword Sect after it fell to the bottom, mainly so that my master's hard work would not be lost. Now the sect is more prosperous than before. I have done what I should do, and my master should be happy. As for why I developed and managed the Tianxing Sword Sect afterward, I was not very clear before, but now I am."

Yuan Muyu swallowed back the question she wanted to ask and instead asked, "What is it now?"

Shen Tang said, "My husband has started his own business, and the Heavenly Sword Sect is one of his supporters. The stronger the Heavenly Sword Sect becomes, the more I can help him."

Yuan Muyu opened her mouth, then suddenly fell silent.

I wanted to say something, but I couldn't make a sound.

Shen Tang looked at her profile with a strange expression, and the more he looked, the more familiar she seemed.

Connecting this to her strange topic, Shen Tang racked her brains, trying to find a similar face in her memory. Gradually, a mature face wearing a veil appeared in her mind.

Doesn't this girl's upper face look a bit like the Imperial Advisor?

If it weren't for these topics, I really wouldn't have thought of it. And considering these topics, it seems the truth is about to be revealed...

Could it be that the Ye Zhuoyu whom Lu Xingzhou sought to marry in court wasn't referring to the Imperial Advisor, but to this person? If so, it seems quite normal for him to come knocking on her door. Is he dissatisfied that Xingzhou was the first to seek her marriage?
Shen Tang's line of reasoning was very close to the truth, although the final answer was a bit off. After all, she didn't know a crucial piece of information—Yan Junyuan Muyu was the younger sister of the Imperial Advisor Ye Tinglan.

To arrive at this conclusion even with such a crucial condition missing is quite remarkable...

It is sinking to the west day by day.

Mountain peaks appear and disappear on the left and right.

A narrow path winds through the mountains, leading to the wolf pack's territory.

But the wind was howling, the mountains were blocked by heavy snow, and the faint howls of wolves could be heard from the mountains, making it seem like a dangerous place.

Zhang Shaoyou ignored the two women's hushed conversation, but finally couldn't help but lean closer and whisper, "Sect Master, this place is not safe, and we have people with unclear intentions with us. I suggest we don't go into the mountains. Let's set up camp outside and stay there for the time being, and then cross the mountains to enter the city tomorrow."

Indeed, these were wise and prudent words. Shen Tang nodded slightly: "Alright, it's worth delaying for one night."

Zhang Shaoyou breathed a sigh of relief. At least the sect leader wasn't completely brain-dead and was still willing to listen to advice.

The members of the Heavenly Sword Sect immediately took out what they needed to build a camp from their rings. Just as they were about to set up camp, the sky suddenly darkened and a strong wind suddenly arose.

Countless gleaming blue wolf eyes appeared from within the mountains, their sinister laughter echoing repeatedly: "Now that you're here, why hesitate to come?"

Shen Tang pulled Yuan Muyu behind her and whispered, "You're injured, don't move rashly, leave it to us."

Yuan Muyu clutched her chest, slowly recovering from the suffocating sensation, and looked at her retreating figure with a strange expression.

No, you're protecting me?
You seemed quite wary of me before, but after I picked a fight and asked you a few questions, you suddenly became caring and protective of me. Who's the one who's gone completely mad, me or you?
(End of this chapter)