Chapter 40 – Captured
Fengning has been feeling restless ever since Long San left. Originally, she thought that she would be able to adapt to the days without him very quickly. After all, she was cheering herself up every day and mentally prepared herself for a life without Long San. However, when Long San was truly not around, she found that it was not easy for her.
She missed him……she missed him more than that time when she ran away from home with Bao’er. Whenever she had free time, she would think…….where is he?……what is he doing?……is he hungry?……is he cold?…….does he miss her the way she misses him?
The days went by quickly and two months had passed. However, Long San was still not back yet and Fengning was a bit worried.
Did something happen to him?
Then she received a letter from Long San. The letter was very simple and it said that everything was fine with him and asked her to take good care of herself and Bao’’er. He still had something to do and would be back soon.
Fengning thought that probably the matters he was handling were not easy to deal with, so he could not adhere to the dateline of two months. She comforted herself and remembered that he told her he would be back in three months at the latest.
However, after three months had passed, Long San still had not returned and this time, he did not even send a letter. Fengning’s worries had turned to unhappiness.
A man’s words are truly unreliable! Before he left, he had clearly said that he would be back in three months at the latest and was very confident he would be back before the three months were up and also wanted Bao’er to call him Father when he returns.
The result? The day had arrived but there was no news from him at all!
Bao’er asked Fengning softly. “Mother, will Uncle be coming back?” Fengning’s heart ached when she saw Bao’er’s sad and pitiful look and she comforted her with a hug.
“Uncle has something to do and it will take a while before he comes back. Bao’er doesn’t need to worry.”
She scolded Long San a hundred times in her heart and already knew that allowing him to be too close to Bao’er would definitely make Bao’er sad.
Then another month passed. Fengning had stopped being angry, instead, she became anxious and worried. Long San should not be such an unreliable person.
Can it be he had met with an accident?
Fengning did not know anyone in Jianghu nor did she know who were Long San’s friends. So she could only grab hold of Zhong Sheng to interrogate but he also did not know what Long San was doing. When he saw Fengning and her daughter were so anxious, he sought help from his friends in Jianghu. A few days later, he finally returned with news.
“Sister-in-law, it’s not good! I heard that Elder Brother got entangled with Biyun Palace again!”
“What is Biyun Palace?” Fengning was scared when she saw Zhong Sheng kept shaking his head.
“It’s an organization in Jianghu.”
“The underworld?”
“They hold major control over the trading of stone and jade items. They are only interested in making profits and have a bad reputation in Jianghu.”
“A Jianghu trader?” Fengning frowned. “How did Long San provoke them? Did the Long Family snatch Biyun Palace’s business?”
Zhong Sheng slapped his head and reproached himself.
“Sister-in-law, it’s my fault. The grudge between Elder Brother and Biyun Palace started because of me.”
Fengning narrowed her eyes and shouted with great momentum.
“Give me a clear explanation! What is going on?!”
He was shocked by Fengning’s fierce appearance and shrank his neck.
It turned out that Zhong Sheng had a conflict with the people of Biyun Palace and they wanted to kill him, so they chased him. During a fight, he bumped into Long San who could not stand the arrogant and unreasonable attitude of the people from Biyun Palace, so he helped Zhong Sheng. However, Biyun Palace was unwilling to let this go. To avoid endless trouble for Zhong Sheng in the future, Long San decided to make an appointment to meet the person in charge of Biyun Palace hoping to negotiate and put an end to this matter on behalf of Zhong Sheng.
Unexpectedly, this incident caused the Biyun Palace Master, Yun Ranxiang to appear and she fell in love with Long San at first sight. From then on, she could not forget him. As a result, Zhong Sheng finally got rid of the trouble but Long San became entangled with Yun Ranxiang.
After listening, Fengning no longer frowned but her face had turned even uglier than before. Her stare made Zhong Sheng’s heart tremble and he said cautiously.
“Sister-in-law, Elder Brother is talented, elegant, highly skilled in martial arts and has a good temperament, therefore it’s easy for him to attract the love of women. However, apart from Sister-in-law, he had never mentioned other women to me. From this point, it can be seen that Elder Brother treats Sister-in-law differently from other women……. Um, what I mean is that although the evil woman in Biyun Palace harbors evil intentions towards Elder Brother, he will definitely not like her. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been injured by the people of Biyun Palace a while ago……..”
“Injured?” Fengning was overwhelmed with anxiety and anger. Ignoring the awkward explanation and the comforting words of Zhong Sheng, she grasped onto the key point.
“Ah?” He felt a little anxious.
Can it be that Sister-in-law is unaware of this matter? Had he leaked out the information?
“How was he injured?”
“I heard it was caused by an arrow. The most despicable thing was that the arrow was poisoned with Tendon Softening Powder. It seemed that evil woman was determined to take him away even at the cost of hurting him.”
Fengning’s heart exploded into flames when she heard.
Long San, you’re good! The last time he got injured, he must have known who the other party was but he even dared to hide it from her. He had caused this bad love debt but she still felt guilty for a long time over the issue of him getting injured while protecting her.
She suppressed her anger and asked. “Just now, you said that he is entangled again……what’s the matter? Where is Long San now?”
“I still don’t know where Elder Brother had gone but I’ve asked my friends in Jianghu for help and I’ll be notified if there’s any news. Currently, rumors of Elder Brother being captured have spread everywhere in Jianghu but I’m not sure if it’s true or not. However, Elder Brother has many friends and they will do their best to help.”
“Captured? Isn’t it entanglement? How did it become ‘captured’ now?”
“Based on the skills of Elder Brother, he can’t be captured so easily. Now it’s just a rumor and no one had confirmed it yet, so that’s why I said he is being entangled. Sister-in-law shouldn’t be worried. I’ve already made inquires and there should be news soon.”
However, Zhong Sheng’s comforting words did not make Fengning feel at ease. She had a bad premonition. The last time, those men in black had chased them without slacking then searched around for a long time, and were reluctant to give up. At that time she did not know what was going on but now she knows and understands that it was all for love. It seemed that the so-called Biyun Palace Master was determined to get Long San and to capture him, she was even willing to hurt him.
How can this be a show of love by a woman to a man she loves? This is simply madness!
If Long San is careless and falls into her trap, how will there be a good outcome?
Fengning speculated about Long San’s misfortune……the result if he submits and the result if he does not submit…….but both results are not something that she is willing to witness.
Zhong Sheng said it was still unproven but in Fengning’s opinion, it was most likely true. Long San would not stay away for so long without an explanation and Fengning started to feel uneasy and restless.
A few days later, Zhong Sheng went out after receiving news, and then he returned with a sword in his hand the following day.
When Fengning saw the sword, her heart sank……it was Long San’s sword.
Fengning did not say a word and waited for Zhong Sheng to speak. He held up the sword in front of Fengning and said. “Sister-in-law, this sword belongs to Elder Brother. He has indeed been taken captive by Biyun Palace. They released the sword and sent out wedding invitations stating that on the 15th of the Twelfth Month, the Biyun Palace Master, Yun Ranxiang will marry Elder Brother.”
After she heard, Fengning did not show any expression nor did she show any reaction. Zhong Sheng was a little scared and took a small step back. Then he told her about the brothers’ arrangement.
“Sister-in-law, I and some of Elder Brother’s brothers and friends have agreed that we’re going to save Elder Brother. We can’t let Elder Brother fall into the hands of that woman. So……..”
He placed Long San’s sword on the table. “It’s fast approaching the 15th of the month so I must set off today……..I’ll bring Elder Brother home.” After speaking, he turned around to leave.
“Wait……..”
When he heard, Zhong Sheng turned around and asked. “Sister-in-law, what other orders do you have for me?”
Fengning picked up Long San’s sword and stroked the scabbard. “He is my husband……..I’ll save him myself!”
Zhong Sheng was shocked and then heard Fengning say viciously. “If that so-called Palace Master dares to touch my Long San, I’ll chop off her hands!”
True to her words, she quickly packed a bag then said goodbye to Bao’er and told Bao’er that she was going to pick up her Uncle. Although Bao’er was reluctant to part with Fengning, she immediately stopped making a fuss when she heard Fengning.
Hugging Bao’er, Fengning kissed her several times then told Auntie Cao and Xiao Zhuzi to take good care of Bao’er. At the same time, Zhong Sheng arranged for two of his brothers to help stay and look after them before he set off with Fengning.
Both of them traveled hurriedly on the journey for three days before they finally arrived at Suiyang City where Biyun Palace Inn was located. It was the place that Yun Ranxiang stated in the wedding invitation, a place where she would be marrying Long San in front of the people of Jianghu.
Initially, when Zhong Sheng mentioned the brothers and friends, Fengning thought there were only a few of them but upon reaching the agreed meeting point after a two-day journey, she discovered that there were around thirty people from various sects and factions.
Long San, who has always been enthusiastic about helping others, had made a lot of friends and coupled with the status and influence of the Long Family, the various sects and factions showed their support and courtesy in attending this forced marriage by Biyun Palace. The wedding invitations had gathered a lot of people with the majority of them plotting a rescue mission.
Fengning told Zhong Sheng not to reveal her identity and just refer to her as a partner who came to join the rescue mission.
It was two days before the 15th of the Twelfth Month.
The group of people held a night-long discussion and an investigation had already been carried out. It was reported that the hall in the inn was lit up with lights and decked in festive decorations but they could not find the place where Long San was held captive and even that Biyun Palace Master was not seen. Everyone analyzed that Yun Ranxiang must be aware she was not popular, so to ensure the wedding ceremony can be carried out successfully, Long San must be hidden well. He must be kept hidden until the wedding ceremony is over and by that time, everything would have become a reality. Later, even if the Long Family or Third Master Long deny, it would be impossible to do so in front of everyone.
Thus it was concluded that the prisoner must be kept somewhere else.
Fengning stood on the outer edge of the crowd and listened quietly. Suddenly, she felt that Long San was really pitiful. In his life, it was either a pig or a chicken that represented him in the wedding ceremony, and every time, he was forced. Finally, when he found someone he likes he was made to wear a green hat and had to care for a child that belonged to someone else. Fengning’s heart ached for Long San. She decided that she would treat Long San well in the future and would never let him suffer a grievance again.
When dawn was about to break, another group of people returned after the investigation. It seemed that there was an unnamed village located at the foot of Xichi Mountain in the suburbs which was always low-key and quiet. However, many people were guarding the place recently and the people who went to investigate recognized those people to be Biyun Palace’s men. When they entered to check, they discovered that the main building was indeed the residence of the Biyun Palace Master and Third Master Long was also imprisoned inside there.
Everyone gathered around for a discussion. Finally, they came up with a plan to create a diversion then launch an attack and conduct the rescue on the 14th night. It was agreed that a group of people would pretend to storm the Biyun Palace Inn while another group of people would go to the unnamed village at the foot of Xichi Mountain to carry out the rescue mission.
On the 14th night of the Twelfth Month, the full moon hung high in the sky and the night was quiet and windless.
Inside the West Room on the second floor of the main building located in the unnamed village, Long San was lying quietly on the bed. For the last few days, he was fed the Tendon Softening Powder which made him weak. He suppressed his anxiety, quietly forced out the poison from his body with internal energy and today he finally succeeded. After having gathered and tested his internal energy, he found it was fine. Then he put on a pretense and planned to find a chance to escape.
Soon, the opportunity came.
Yun Ranxiang led two maids into the room and noticed that when Long San saw her coming in, he tried to get up but almost collapsed on the floor due to his weak legs. She could not help but smile and together with the maid, they helped Long San to sit on the chair.
She caressed Long San’s face and said. “I don’t mind if you lie down while talking to me.”
He curved his lips without smiling and Yun Ranxiang smiled when she looked at him. The two maids put down the wine, food, and a small box on the table before they bowed and withdrew.
Moving her chair nearer, Yun Ranxiang sat beside Long San and poured a cup of wine for him.
“Tomorrow is an important day for us, it’s our wedding day. I know you’re not feeling happy at this time but I promise you that I’ll be a wife you’ll be happy and satisfied with.”
Chapter 40 – Captured
Fengning has been feeling restless ever since Long San left. Originally, she thought that she would be able to adapt to the days without him very quickly. After all, she was cheering herself up every day and mentally prepared herself for a life without Long San. However, when Long San was truly not around, she found that it was not easy for her.
She missed him……she missed him more than that time when she ran away from home with Bao’er. Whenever she had free time, she would think…….where is he?……what is he doing?……is he hungry?……is he cold?…….does he miss her the way she misses him?
The days went by quickly and two months had passed. However, Long San was still not back yet and Fengning was a bit worried.
Did something happen to him?
Then she received a letter from Long San. The letter was very simple and it said that everything was fine with him and asked her to take good care of herself and Bao’’er. He still had something to do and would be back soon.
Fengning thought that probably the matters he was handling were not easy to deal with, so he could not adhere to the dateline of two months. She comforted herself and remembered that he told her he would be back in three months at the latest.
However, after three months had passed, Long San still had not returned and this time, he did not even send a letter. Fengning’s worries had turned to unhappiness.
A man’s words are truly unreliable! Before he left, he had clearly said that he would be back in three months at the latest and was very confident he would be back before the three months were up and also wanted Bao’er to call him Father when he returns.
The result? The day had arrived but there was no news from him at all!
Bao’er asked Fengning softly. “Mother, will Uncle be coming back?” Fengning’s heart ached when she saw Bao’er’s sad and pitiful look and she comforted her with a hug.
“Uncle has something to do and it will take a while before he comes back. Bao’er doesn’t need to worry.”
She scolded Long San a hundred times in her heart and already knew that allowing him to be too close to Bao’er would definitely make Bao’er sad.
Then another month passed. Fengning had stopped being angry, instead, she became anxious and worried. Long San should not be such an unreliable person.
Can it be he had met with an accident?
Fengning did not know anyone in Jianghu nor did she know who were Long San’s friends. So she could only grab hold of Zhong Sheng to interrogate but he also did not know what Long San was doing. When he saw Fengning and her daughter were so anxious, he sought help from his friends in Jianghu. A few days later, he finally returned with news.
“Sister-in-law, it’s not good! I heard that Elder Brother got entangled with Biyun Palace again!”
“What is Biyun Palace?” Fengning was scared when she saw Zhong Sheng kept shaking his head.
“It’s an organization in Jianghu.”
“The underworld?”
“They hold major control over the trading of stone and jade items. They are only interested in making profits and have a bad reputation in Jianghu.”
“A Jianghu trader?” Fengning frowned. “How did Long San provoke them? Did the Long Family snatch Biyun Palace’s business?”
Zhong Sheng slapped his head and reproached himself.
“Sister-in-law, it’s my fault. The grudge between Elder Brother and Biyun Palace started because of me.”
Fengning narrowed her eyes and shouted with great momentum.
“Give me a clear explanation! What is going on?!”
He was shocked by Fengning’s fierce appearance and shrank his neck.
It turned out that Zhong Sheng had a conflict with the people of Biyun Palace and they wanted to kill him, so they chased him. During a fight, he bumped into Long San who could not stand the arrogant and unreasonable attitude of the people from Biyun Palace, so he helped Zhong Sheng. However, Biyun Palace was unwilling to let this go. To avoid endless trouble for Zhong Sheng in the future, Long San decided to make an appointment to meet the person in charge of Biyun Palace hoping to negotiate and put an end to this matter on behalf of Zhong Sheng.
Unexpectedly, this incident caused the Biyun Palace Master, Yun Ranxiang to appear and she fell in love with Long San at first sight. From then on, she could not forget him. As a result, Zhong Sheng finally got rid of the trouble but Long San became entangled with Yun Ranxiang.
After listening, Fengning no longer frowned but her face had turned even uglier than before. Her stare made Zhong Sheng’s heart tremble and he said cautiously.
“Sister-in-law, Elder Brother is talented, elegant, highly skilled in martial arts and has a good temperament, therefore it’s easy for him to attract the love of women. However, apart from Sister-in-law, he had never mentioned other women to me. From this point, it can be seen that Elder Brother treats Sister-in-law differently from other women……. Um, what I mean is that although the evil woman in Biyun Palace harbors evil intentions towards Elder Brother, he will definitely not like her. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been injured by the people of Biyun Palace a while ago……..”
“Injured?” Fengning was overwhelmed with anxiety and anger. Ignoring the awkward explanation and the comforting words of Zhong Sheng, she grasped onto the key point.
“Ah?” He felt a little anxious.
Can it be that Sister-in-law is unaware of this matter? Had he leaked out the information?
“How was he injured?”
“I heard it was caused by an arrow. The most despicable thing was that the arrow was poisoned with Tendon Softening Powder. It seemed that evil woman was determined to take him away even at the cost of hurting him.”
Fengning’s heart exploded into flames when she heard.
Long San, you’re good! The last time he got injured, he must have known who the other party was but he even dared to hide it from her. He had caused this bad love debt but she still felt guilty for a long time over the issue of him getting injured while protecting her.
She suppressed her anger and asked. “Just now, you said that he is entangled again……what’s the matter? Where is Long San now?”
“I still don’t know where Elder Brother had gone but I’ve asked my friends in Jianghu for help and I’ll be notified if there’s any news. Currently, rumors of Elder Brother being captured have spread everywhere in Jianghu but I’m not sure if it’s true or not. However, Elder Brother has many friends and they will do their best to help.”
“Captured? Isn’t it entanglement? How did it become ‘captured’ now?”
“Based on the skills of Elder Brother, he can’t be captured so easily. Now it’s just a rumor and no one had confirmed it yet, so that’s why I said he is being entangled. Sister-in-law shouldn’t be worried. I’ve already made inquires and there should be news soon.”
However, Zhong Sheng’s comforting words did not make Fengning feel at ease. She had a bad premonition. The last time, those men in black had chased them without slacking then searched around for a long time, and were reluctant to give up. At that time she did not know what was going on but now she knows and understands that it was all for love. It seemed that the so-called Biyun Palace Master was determined to get Long San and to capture him, she was even willing to hurt him.
How can this be a show of love by a woman to a man she loves? This is simply madness!
If Long San is careless and falls into her trap, how will there be a good outcome?
Fengning speculated about Long San’s misfortune……the result if he submits and the result if he does not submit…….but both results are not something that she is willing to witness.
Zhong Sheng said it was still unproven but in Fengning’s opinion, it was most likely true. Long San would not stay away for so long without an explanation and Fengning started to feel uneasy and restless.
A few days later, Zhong Sheng went out after receiving news, and then he returned with a sword in his hand the following day.
When Fengning saw the sword, her heart sank……it was Long San’s sword.
Fengning did not say a word and waited for Zhong Sheng to speak. He held up the sword in front of Fengning and said. “Sister-in-law, this sword belongs to Elder Brother. He has indeed been taken captive by Biyun Palace. They released the sword and sent out wedding invitations stating that on the 15th of the Twelfth Month, the Biyun Palace Master, Yun Ranxiang will marry Elder Brother.”
After she heard, Fengning did not show any expression nor did she show any reaction. Zhong Sheng was a little scared and took a small step back. Then he told her about the brothers’ arrangement.
“Sister-in-law, I and some of Elder Brother’s brothers and friends have agreed that we’re going to save Elder Brother. We can’t let Elder Brother fall into the hands of that woman. So……..”
He placed Long San’s sword on the table. “It’s fast approaching the 15th of the month so I must set off today……..I’ll bring Elder Brother home.” After speaking, he turned around to leave.
“Wait……..”
When he heard, Zhong Sheng turned around and asked. “Sister-in-law, what other orders do you have for me?”
Fengning picked up Long San’s sword and stroked the scabbard. “He is my husband……..I’ll save him myself!”
Zhong Sheng was shocked and then heard Fengning say viciously. “If that so-called Palace Master dares to touch my Long San, I’ll chop off her hands!”
True to her words, she quickly packed a bag then said goodbye to Bao’er and told Bao’er that she was going to pick up her Uncle. Although Bao’er was reluctant to part with Fengning, she immediately stopped making a fuss when she heard Fengning.
Hugging Bao’er, Fengning kissed her several times then told Auntie Cao and Xiao Zhuzi to take good care of Bao’er. At the same time, Zhong Sheng arranged for two of his brothers to help stay and look after them before he set off with Fengning.
Both of them traveled hurriedly on the journey for three days before they finally arrived at Suiyang City where Biyun Palace Inn was located. It was the place that Yun Ranxiang stated in the wedding invitation, a place where she would be marrying Long San in front of the people of Jianghu.
Initially, when Zhong Sheng mentioned the brothers and friends, Fengning thought there were only a few of them but upon reaching the agreed meeting point after a two-day journey, she discovered that there were around thirty people from various sects and factions.
Long San, who has always been enthusiastic about helping others, had made a lot of friends and coupled with the status and influence of the Long Family, the various sects and factions showed their support and courtesy in attending this forced marriage by Biyun Palace. The wedding invitations had gathered a lot of people with the majority of them plotting a rescue mission.
Fengning told Zhong Sheng not to reveal her identity and just refer to her as a partner who came to join the rescue mission.
It was two days before the 15th of the Twelfth Month.
The group of people held a night-long discussion and an investigation had already been carried out. It was reported that the hall in the inn was lit up with lights and decked in festive decorations but they could not find the place where Long San was held captive and even that Biyun Palace Master was not seen. Everyone analyzed that Yun Ranxiang must be aware she was not popular, so to ensure the wedding ceremony can be carried out successfully, Long San must be hidden well. He must be kept hidden until the wedding ceremony is over and by that time, everything would have become a reality. Later, even if the Long Family or Third Master Long deny, it would be impossible to do so in front of everyone.
Thus it was concluded that the prisoner must be kept somewhere else.
Fengning stood on the outer edge of the crowd and listened quietly. Suddenly, she felt that Long San was really pitiful. In his life, it was either a pig or a chicken that represented him in the wedding ceremony, and every time, he was forced. Finally, when he found someone he likes he was made to wear a green hat and had to care for a child that belonged to someone else. Fengning’s heart ached for Long San. She decided that she would treat Long San well in the future and would never let him suffer a grievance again.
When dawn was about to break, another group of people returned after the investigation. It seemed that there was an unnamed village located at the foot of Xichi Mountain in the suburbs which was always low-key and quiet. However, many people were guarding the place recently and the people who went to investigate recognized those people to be Biyun Palace’s men. When they entered to check, they discovered that the main building was indeed the residence of the Biyun Palace Master and Third Master Long was also imprisoned inside there.
Everyone gathered around for a discussion. Finally, they came up with a plan to create a diversion then launch an attack and conduct the rescue on the 14th night. It was agreed that a group of people would pretend to storm the Biyun Palace Inn while another group of people would go to the unnamed village at the foot of Xichi Mountain to carry out the rescue mission.
On the 14th night of the Twelfth Month, the full moon hung high in the sky and the night was quiet and windless.
Inside the West Room on the second floor of the main building located in the unnamed village, Long San was lying quietly on the bed. For the last few days, he was fed the Tendon Softening Powder which made him weak. He suppressed his anxiety, quietly forced out the poison from his body with internal energy and today he finally succeeded. After having gathered and tested his internal energy, he found it was fine. Then he put on a pretense and planned to find a chance to escape.
Soon, the opportunity came.
Yun Ranxiang led two maids into the room and noticed that when Long San saw her coming in, he tried to get up but almost collapsed on the floor due to his weak legs. She could not help but smile and together with the maid, they helped Long San to sit on the chair.
She caressed Long San’s face and said. “I don’t mind if you lie down while talking to me.”
He curved his lips without smiling and Yun Ranxiang smiled when she looked at him. The two maids put down the wine, food, and a small box on the table before they bowed and withdrew.
Moving her chair nearer, Yun Ranxiang sat beside Long San and poured a cup of wine for him.
“Tomorrow is an important day for us, it’s our wedding day. I know you’re not feeling happy at this time but I promise you that I’ll be a wife you’ll be happy and satisfied with.”
