The Legend of the Condor Heroes: From Being Expelled from Peach Blossom Island

Chapter 504 The Current Situation of Western Xia
On the second day after the Five Elements Camp and Wu Chengyu explored the secret passage, a man who looked very much like Wang Qinian secretly left Bright Peak on a fast horse and galloped towards the territory of Western Xia.

After traveling halfway, the horses were exhausted, so Wang Qinian released them and used his lightness skill to travel at high speed, even outrunning the galloping horse by three points.

Half a month later, after entering the territory of Western Xia, Wang Qiming quickly found the rebel stronghold on the border of Western Xia. This was also the farthest stronghold of the rebel army that Hong Niangzi had just established in the past year.

According to Hong Niangzi's plan, the only way to avoid the eyes and ears of the Jin Dynasty's spies is to establish a new base within the territory of Western Xia.

However, the downside is that Western Xia is barren. Building a large base that can accommodate at least 10,000 people would be time-consuming, labor-intensive, and require a lot of money. It's a long-term solution that can't address an immediate problem. Now, Hong Niangzi is about to face a better option.

After Wu Chengyu, played by Wang Qinian, left this border town, a gyrfalcon flew directly to Xingqing Prefecture, the capital of Western Xia, and arrived in the hands of Xiao Lu, the current deputy head of Yipintang.

During these two weeks, there was also a Wu Chengyu in Hou Tu Tang who gambled heavily every day with the head of Hou Tu Tang, gambling until he was completely out of control.

Before long, Zhou Dao, the son of the loyal Fox King and the newly appointed deputy banner leader of the Hou Tu Banner, became known throughout the Ming Cult for his love of not only wine but also gambling, making him an absolute playboy.

In other words, Hou Tu Banner was under military management, and apart from a few maids like Xiao Zhao, there were no other women. Otherwise, it might have been rumored that Zhou Dao was a lecherous womanizer.

When Wu Chengyu left Hou Tu Qi and needed someone to cover for him, Hou Tu Qi actually came up with a new method, a unique disguise technique of theirs.

This is a pale yellow stone that, after being soaked in a secret medicinal solution, forms a liquid similar to plaster, which is then applied to a person's face for facial massage.

The imitation of other people's faces was so lifelike that Pang Kun found a direct descendant of Hou Tu Tang, whose physique was similar to Wu Chengyu's, to be his stand-in.

The downside is that this plaster easily loses moisture, causing the disguised face to become dry and cracked, requiring constant moisturizing. It also has poor staying power, and it's easy for someone familiar with the subject or with exceptional eyesight to spot the flaws.

But now that Pang Kun is providing cover, the people on Bright Peak are still fighting for power and have no time to pay attention to Zhou Dao. Pu Zhishen, who is acting as an informant, even described Zhou Dao as a complete mess.

Having successfully poisoned the snake, the snake king finally stopped paying attention, so the imposter would definitely not be exposed anytime soon.

Ten days later, a fast horse arrived at Xingqing Prefecture. Wu Chengyu looked at this familiar place with great interest, thinking that this place was indeed a lucky place for him.

His mastery of the Innate Skill, his control over Yin and Yang, and the perfection of his various martial arts were all thanks to the Western Xia Dynasty, or perhaps to Xu Zhu's wife.

After several years, the old monster's corpse has probably long since decayed in the Qinling Mountains. Princess Yuzhu and Wu Qianyu's bodies were not collected in time, and it is unknown whether they will be discovered. As for the other old friends, it is unknown what their current situation is.

In just a few years, Xingqing Prefecture has declined considerably, with visible signs of economic hardship and a change in the spirit of its people.

Of the three former grand clubs, Princess Yuzhu's Yangwu Club has long since vanished, while the Crown Prince's Ronghua Club is now closed and utterly desolate.

Only the Iron Wing Hall of the Wei family remained, but it no longer recruited masters everywhere. Instead, it became the place where the Wei family entertained guests in Xingqing City.

Wu Chengyu, feeling a bit sentimental in this familiar place, found the rebel army's secret liaison station in Xingqing Prefecture, a small shop specializing in barbecue. Even from a hundred meters away, before he even entered the shop, a familiar aroma of barbecue wafted into Wu Chengyu's nose.

Wu Chengyu shook his head and chuckled. This barbecue seasoning was clearly something he had developed back then. It wasn't Thirteen Spices, but rather a seasoning specifically formulated for Northwest flavors, especially for mutton.

Only the Beiwei Army, whom he personally trained in the Hidden Dragon Cave, knew how to make this seasoning. Back then, Xiao Lu led a hundred Beiwei soldiers to infiltrate Western Xia, so it goes without saying that the person in charge of this barbecue restaurant must be a member of the Beiwei Army.

When he entered the barbecue restaurant, he randomly found an empty table to sit down and looked up to see the proprietress standing behind the counter. To put it that way would be an exaggeration; in reality, she was just an unremarkable young woman.

He was also under twenty years old, with dark skin and a face that could be described as decent, but he had a two-inch-long scar on the left side of his face.

Her eyes always seemed to be squinting, and when she occasionally looked up, a sharp glint would flash in her eyes before she immediately concealed it, as if she were always in control of the situation in the store.

Wu Chengyu was quite familiar with this young lady, after all, most of the five hundred Beiwei soldiers were greenhorns, and there were only four women, including Xiaolu.

Women who can join the Beiwei Army and persevere through arduous training are absolutely not to be underestimated, whether in terms of talent, temperament, or diligence.

Her name was Wu Moli. At first, she didn't even know her surname except that her name was Moli and that she was a Han Chinese. At least half of the Beiwei Army did not know their surnames, and the vast majority of them chose to follow Wu Chengyu's surname, Wu.

This young lady is no ordinary person. She lost both her parents when she was four or five years old and wandered around for more than half a year without starving to death. Later, she was taken in by a deer and it was only after she met Wu Chengyu that her fate was changed against all odds.

She is resilient, extremely vigilant, and calm in the face of adversity. She is definitely a good candidate for a secret agent, and although she is young, she is capable of handling things on her own.

Wu Chengyu is now disguised as Wang Qinian, so her eyes only glance at him briefly before immediately shifting away, though she secretly continues to keep an eye on him afterwards.

Although Wu Chengyu doesn't look particularly remarkable, he looks like he's come from a long journey. In this era, anyone who can travel around alone must have some connections or some skills. Wu Moli instinctively remained vigilant.

"Waiter, a roasted lamb leg, a bowl of lamb soup, and a few sesame seed cakes, please." Wu Chengyu had come all the way here, and was starving, so he didn't immediately make contact.

The waiter quickly brought the food, which Wu Chengyu ate with great relish. The weather was slightly chilly, and after a long journey, a bowl of hot soup was the most comforting and pleasant thing to do.

After finishing the sesame cake and drinking the last sip of soup, Wu Chengyu didn't waste any words. He directly took out the Black and White Impermanence statues that he had hidden on his back and placed them on the table.

Wu Moli, who had been cautiously observing from behind the counter, immediately widened her eyes, her face filled with surprise, and she almost shouted out loud. Every member of the Beiwei Army knew about Wu Chengyu's unique weapons, the Black and White Impermanence. In their hearts, Wu Chengyu was a god-like figure, and they never believed that anyone could snatch the Black and White Impermanence from him.

Considering Wu Chengyu's ability to portray a thousand different people, Wu Moli knew perfectly well that this seemingly honest and easygoing old man was actually her master.

She bent down and took a few steps to Wu Chengyu: "It seems that you have just arrived in the city and need a bite to eat. My little shop usually serves guests from other places. If you are tired, you may rest in the back."

Wu Chengyu smiled slightly, put away the Black and White Impermanence again, and followed Wu Moli into the back hall. As Wu Moli turned to close the door, he immediately reverted to his original appearance.

Upon seeing the face of the person in question, Wu Moli finally confirmed that it was her master and immediately knelt down on one knee.

"Jasmine from Beiwei Army greets Master. It seems Master is well, and Jasmine is truly happy."

In the Beiwei Army, Wu Chengyu generally demanded that he call him commander. Later, after Song Mu led the three hundred Beiwei soldiers to Yanyun Manor, Wu Chengyu again demanded that he call him manor lord.

Only Xiaolu, Jasmine, and the remaining two young ladies insisted on calling Wu Chengyu "Master" and were willing to serve him as their master for life, refusing to change their address no matter what.

"Get up. It seems Little Deer put you in charge of managing the rebel army's liaison point. How is she doing now?"

"Reporting to Master, Sister Xiaolu is now the Deputy Hall Master of the First-Class Hall in Xixia. She enjoys the trust of the new emperor. Of the hundred Beiwei Army brothers she brought with her, apart from a few who, like me, set up spies in Xingqing Prefecture, the rest have all joined the First-Class Hall."

"A new emperor? The Western Xia dynasty has changed hands?"

"The previous emperor suddenly changed his personality for some reason. He was originally considered diligent and not incompetent. It was probably after the master left Western Xia that he suddenly became arrogant and extravagant, drastically increased taxes, built palaces, and wasted the people's money."

Not only that, he also took in many concubines and indulged in debauchery every day. He died suddenly a year ago, after which the three princes of Western Xia fought for the throne.

Just as they were locked in a life-or-death struggle, the old emperor's brother suddenly launched a coup, imprisoning all three princes and then declaring himself emperor of Western Xia.

Wu Chengyu nodded. It turned out that the emperor had been controlled by the old monster since he was a prince, and had been given a life-or-death talisman. He lived in constant fear. When the old monster finally disappeared and there was no one to control him anymore, he immediately became a tyrant and essentially killed himself.

I've met this prince before, back when the three guilds were competing. He's far more cunning than the old emperor's three sons, so it's understandable that he ended up being the one who profited.

No wonder the Crown Prince's Ronghua Club closed down; it turns out the Crown Prince himself had become a prisoner.

In just two or three years, the changes in Xia Kingdom have been tremendous. Wu Chengyu probably can never recapture the feeling of those days.

In the short history of the Western Xia Dynasty, which lasted only a hundred years, countless similar coups and usurps of the throne occurred. It can be said that very few people ascended the throne normally, so Wu Chengyu simply couldn't be bothered to pay attention to them.

"As soon as I entered Xingqing Prefecture, I found it to be far less prosperous than it used to be. It seems this new emperor isn't all that great."

“What you say is very true, Master. After the new emperor ascended the throne, he was only slightly better than the previous one, but he only focused on enjoyment. The economy and people’s livelihood of Xia Kingdom are not as good as before.”

"Alright, I sent a message to Xiaolu more than ten days ago, she must have received it. Tell her to come see me tonight."

After a short rest, Wu Chengyu noticed that as darkness fell, the barbecue restaurant outside suddenly became packed with young people who looked like Western Xia warriors eating barbecue and drinking, creating quite a lively scene.

Wu Chengyu had excellent hearing and could tell that the voices of the warriors outside were very familiar; they were all the young men from the Beiwei Army back then. Immediately afterward, he heard someone knocking on the door.

"Master, the little deer is here," the little deer's voice was clear and joyful.

Xiao Lu pushed open the door and entered. After not seeing her for several years, she had truly grown into a young woman and now held a high position of power. She was no longer the same person who had trained desperately in the Hidden Dragon Cave.

Xiao Lu's skin has become much fairer, and with her delicate features, gorgeous clothes, and gold and jade hairpins in her hair, she looks like a noble lady from the Western Xia Dynasty. As the saying goes, a girl changes a lot as she grows up, and now Xiao Lu can be considered a beauty.

Upon seeing Wu Chengyu, her eyes shone brightly, and her smile became even more radiant. She took three steps at a time and knelt down in front of Wu Chengyu.

"Master, I've finally seen you. Little Deer missed you so much."

"Get up. Sending you to Western Xia was originally a haphazard move, but it seems to have been the right decision."

"But how did you become the deputy head of Yipintang? When I received a message from Hong Niangzi in Jiangnan, she mentioned it briefly, but I don't know the specifics. Tell me about it."

Xiao Lu slowly got up, grabbed Wu Chengyu's arm with both hands and acted coquettishly. She was the only one in the Beiwei Army who dared to do this. Then she poured Wu Chengyu a cup of tea.

"It's a bit of a coincidence, as you know, I am also of royal lineage from the Xia Kingdom, and my name is Li Bailu."

Wu Chengyu raised an eyebrow. Bai Mengyan was quite popular with the audience; at least she didn't share a name with the Prince of Pingxi, which was good.

(End of this chapter)