Chapter 1009: Idle Cloud and Wild Crane

Editor: Henyee Translations

Tang Jinghong rode his fast horse and saw Chu Tang chasing after him. He quickly stopped, reached out his hand, and pulled her up behind him before continuing on.

“Why did you come?”

Chu Tang wrapped her arms around Tang Jinghong’s waist. “Worried about any vixen.”

Tang Jinghong chuckled, “No vixens.”

Chu Tang relaxed against his back. “Alright, let’s go see the number one beauty of Liang City.”

As they rode, Tang Jinghong asked, “Who is this number one beauty of Liang City?”

“You don’t know?” Chu Tang was surprised. “The second Miss Mu is the most beautiful woman in Liang City. You might end up rescuing her and having her fall for you.”

Tang Jinghong smiled faintly, “Are you jealous?”

Chu Tang retorted, “Can’t a fairy get jealous?”

Tang Jinghong laughed heartily. Qingzhi being jealous for him made him incredibly happy. “Besides you, I don’t like anyone else. I will only love you for my entire life.”

With the pearl in front of him, how could anyone else catch his eye?

Chu Tang smiled gently. He trusted Tang Jinghong not to betray him; he had that much confidence.

Riding the fast horse, they reached Liang City in two days.

The bandit lair was in a valley near the south gate of Liang City. It was said to be full of traps, and many soldiers who had tried to enter the valley had lost their lives.

Tang Jinghong brought Chu Tang back to the military camp, then they headed to the foot of the mountain outside the bandit lair. At the foot of the mountain, a group of soldiers and officers were stationed. They had attempted multiple times to enter the valley but were forced back by the traps.

Xia Lanfeng saw Tang Jinghong approaching and quickly stepped forward to salute. “General.”

Tang Jinghong observed the mountain. “What’s the situation?”

Xia Lanfeng shook his head helplessly. “We’ve tried everything we could think of, but all in vain. General, it’s my fault for being incompetent.”

Tang Jinghong asked, “Why does a bandit lair have such strong traps? Have you investigated?”

Xia Lanfeng was taken aback. “General, I will investigate immediately.”

Meanwhile, inside the bandit lair, a group of men was arguing fiercely.

“Look at what you’ve done, bringing Tang Jinghong here. Now what?”

“How was I supposed to know Tang Jinghong would get involved in this?”

“Can’t you control your lustful habits? Now you’ve brought this calamity upon us. Think of a solution!”

After a bout of intense arguing, they gradually calmed down.

They were in it together, sharing honor and disgrace. Blaming each other was pointless.

The leader cautiously suggested, “How about we return the second Miss Mu and secretly threaten Xi Zhaoping to smooth things over?”

The second-in-command disagreed, “Tang Jinghong is now involved. Xi Zhaoping can’t resolve this.”

The third man agreed with the second-in-command, “We need to deal with Tang Jinghong. He’s known for his integrity. It’s almost impossible to bribe him. Most importantly, we can’t let the secret of the valley get out, or we’ll be in even more trouble.”

The leader slapped the fourth man on the back of the head. “This is all your fault. Find a way to fix this, or even if you escape Tang Jinghong, our superiors won’t let you off.”

The fourth man was terrified. “I don’t know. I was blinded by her beauty and brought her back without thinking. I didn’t expect it to cause such trouble.”

The second-in-command said, “Now is not the time to assign blame. We need to find a way to make Tang Jinghong withdraw.”

The fourth man hastily agreed, “Yes, yes, make Tang Jinghong withdraw.”

The third man suggested, “Should we return Miss Mu and offer some gifts to appease Tang Jinghong?”

The second-in-command pondered, “How about we negotiate terms with Tang Jinghong?”

The leader replied, “Anyone who goes out will be killed. Do you believe that?”

“If we can’t go left or right, what do we do?” The fourth man regretted deeply. If he had known it would come to this, he would never have taken Miss Mu.

The hall fell into silence.

Chu Tang surveyed the surroundings and pointed to a lush peak nearby. “Let’s go up there and have a look.”

Tang Jinghong nodded. “Alright.”

One after the other, they flew up to the peak. Those below looked up in awe; the two of them appeared like majestic eagles, swift and powerful.

Standing on the peak, Chu Tang and Tang Jinghong looked down into the valley. From this high vantage point, everything in the lower areas was clearly visible.

Before their eyes was a large valley surrounded by mountains, occupied by bandits. Many new houses had been built, giving it the look of a small hidden village.

Bandits were stationed at various posts and patrolled the area, maintaining strict vigilance.

“Jinghong, if you were a bandit, would you choose a place like this for your base?” Chu Tang sensed something was off, furrowing her brow.

Tang Jinghong replied, “No, this place is easy to attack and hard to defend. It’s not a good hiding spot, but the strong traps make up for this flaw.”

“That’s what’s strange. How could bandits afford to set up such strong traps?” Chu Tang felt the bandit base had hidden depths.

Tang Jinghong shook his head. “They couldn’t.”

Chu Tang smiled, sitting cross-legged. “Let’s observe. When night falls, we’ll fly down.”

Tang Jinghong handed her a water bottle. “Have some water and rest. I’ll get you some food.”

Chu Tang raised an eyebrow. “Thanks, General.”

Tang Jinghong played along, “It’s my pleasure.”

Tang Jinghong brought an assortment of items up, including food and drinks. It felt like a picnic.

Sitting beside Chu Tang, Tang Jinghong said, “If you want to lean on me, I’d be delighted.”

Treating it as a date, Chu Tang relaxed against Tang Jinghong’s chest, eating snacks while watching the valley.

“This is quite pleasant.”

“It’s been a long time since we spent time together like this.” Tang Jinghong cherished these moments of stolen leisure.

“Let’s stay here all afternoon and monitor the valley,” Chu Tang suggested.

“I’ll do whatever you say,” Tang Jinghong agreed.

At the foot of the mountain, the soldiers and officers looked up at the figures on the peak, feeling a surge of envy.

On the peak, Chu Tang suddenly asked, “Jinghong, what do you plan to do with Xia Yuncheng?”

Tang Jinghong hadn’t thought about it. “Let’s wait and see if he’s useful in the future.”

Chu Tang said, “He’s a prince. Why would he be guarding the imperial tomb?”

“Maybe he got in someone’s way.” The struggle for the throne was always brutal and bloody.

“I think he went there voluntarily.” Chu Tang saw no ambition in Xia Yuncheng’s eyes, unlike someone who sought power. “I think being an emperor isn’t good—dying young, bearing great responsibilities, having no freedom. If I had a choice, I’d choose to be an idle cloud and wild crane…”

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