Chapter Twenty-Five: Observing Cloud Mountain Villa

  As soon as the time to get up arrived, Su Feng put back the sword in his hand and tidied up his clothes. He pushed open the door, was taken aback for a moment, and found that Bi Huan across from him had also just opened her door. The two people exchanged a glance. "You're getting up so early," Bi Huan said with a smile, seemingly not noticing Su Feng's gaze.

  Sui Feng only hesitated for a moment, then responded: "Aren't you the same? I just don't know if Big Brother Liang has gotten up yet." As he spoke, Sui Feng glanced sideways at the room next door. After they had finished dinner the previous day, each of them had chosen a room to rest in, and Sui Feng and Liang Ze's rooms were still adjacent to Bi Huan's, just like before.

  Bihuan looked at Suifeng's profile, his face was still the same as before, but for some reason, she felt that Suifeng had changed a lot overnight, whether it was his demeanor or speech, he seemed to have matured a great deal.

  Before Bi Han could make out what was going on, a "creak" sound came from the door, interrupting their conversation.

  Su Feng and Bi Han turned their heads at the same time, just as Liang Ze walked out of the house and saw Bi Han and Su Feng standing in front of their respective doors, looking at him. He couldn't help but smile: "What are you two staring at me for? The Water Dragon Chant has stopped, and if I'm not mistaken, we're now in Qiantang."

  Just as he said that, Murong Xuanfeng walked over from the other end of the corridor. Murong Xuanfeng looked at the three of them and said, "All three of you are awake now, let's go have breakfast together. The Water Dragon Chant has stopped by the West Lake, and after getting off the boat, we've arrived at the Murong family's mountain villa."

  I thought it would take at least three days, but with Murong Xuanyi's intervention, it was completed in just one day, and there were also fewer troubles along the way.

  No matter whether it was the three people of Feng or Murong Xuanyu, or other ordinary disciples of the Murong family, their faces were filled with a kind of joy, a long-awaited joy of finally returning home after drifting away for so long. I suppose every person who has wandered the jianghu can understand this feeling. After hastily eating breakfast, the three people of Feng stepped out of the cabin and came to the deck.

  The outside world is bright and sunny, with a blue sky and white clouds, and a gentle breeze caresses my face. It's as if one night has passed and the season has changed from winter to spring. Before my eyes lies a serene and delicate lake, its waters sparkling and warm, like a classical beauty of a water town reclining before me. The more I look at it, the more subtle and elegant it becomes. As I gaze into the distance, the scenery stretches out endlessly, with misty waves filling my field of vision. On the lakeside stands a large mountain villa, with white walls and black tiles, and dark-colored brick walls that blend grandeur with elegance. Only the signboard in the center is unclear, so I don't know if it's really the Mu Rong family estate.

  He glanced at the ripples on West Lake and walked a few steps to Su Feng's side, saying: "The mountain villa over there is where my Murong family lives. My Murong family does not want to get too involved in the complicated affairs of Jianghu, so only 'Guanyun Mountain Villa' is hung at the entrance of the mountain villa. That's why very few people know that Guanyun Mountain Villa is actually the residence of the Murong family."

  Liang Ze's smile said: "We just stand here and watch from afar, it's not very interesting, it's better to go take a closer look."

  Murong Xuanfeng said: "Brother Liang's words are quite right, Bi He's young lady, follow Xiao Xia, we'll get off the boat here."

  He poked his head out to take a look, glanced at the withered water grass and mud below, and said calmly: "Mu Rong, are we going to rely on our own abilities to get off the boat? It's just that jumping down from such a height, with so much muddy water below, you two have high martial arts skills, naturally it's nothing. I'm just an unknown small soldier, I don't have many demands, but Bi Huan is a young lady, this might not be suitable."

  He spoke these words with a calm and composed tone, where did he look like a young whippersnapper who had just started his career?

  Murong Xuanfeng was taken aback, looking at Sui Feng with some surprise. Just now, he had suddenly felt that Sui Feng's aura was like a mountain range, surging up fiercely, making his heart skip a beat. But when he looked again, it had disappeared, and yet, looking at his demeanor and tone, it was as if he had changed into a different person, from being timid and hesitant yesterday to being so carefree in front of him today. His internal energy was almost at the level of Innate, and people with shallow internal energy would always feel a faint sense of oppression. Bi Han's body was filled with internal energy, and Murong Xuanfeng had noticed it earlier, but Sui Feng seemed to be completely unaffected by it today, and his eyes flashed with a hint of doubt.

  However, he maintained a calm expression and smiled: "Earlier, letting you all board the ship was indeed due to family rules, not my true intention. Someone in the family had previously mentioned this issue, and I think this method of showing off our family's prestige is somewhat excessive. When getting off the ship, there aren't any special requirements, please feel free to do so, we have a dedicated gangway for disembarking."

  He finished speaking, and then a series of wooden, stone, gold, and iron sounds were heard, as if some mechanism had been opened on the right side of the boat. Several people walked over with the wind and only then did they see clearly that the dragon's body, which was originally mixed together, had split open from the middle, revealing the quartz staircase hidden inside, shimmering with colorful halos in the sunlight. Even ordinary staircases were cast in quartz, which could be described as extremely luxurious. Although Bi Huan had previously seen the grandeur of the Murong family's style, she was shocked by this mechanism, and even Liang Zei looked at it in surprise for a couple of times.

  He coldly swept a glance over with the wind, remaining silent all along, but in his heart he was secretly shocked: "Has the Murong clan already grasped this kind of mysterious skill?"

  When disembarking, I gazed afar at Qiantang City with the wind, where there was both the danger of the Qiantang River and the beauty of West Lake. With the Eastern Ocean to its east and the Central Plains in sight to its north, the city's energy seemed to be converging, as if it had a majestic momentum that could pierce the sky. "Four hundred years later, this will again be a capital." Suddenly, such a sentence flashed through my mind with the wind, and I was startled for a moment. But when I looked again, nothing seemed to have happened. Was it just my own illusion?

  Every dynasty's emperors have always been pursuing their own great cause, a grand vision that will last for thousands of generations. In the pre-Qin era, the Zhou Dynasty had already reached its peak after 800 years. Since Qin Shi Huang unified China, he wanted his empire to be passed down for tens of thousands of generations without end. However, it was only until the Second Emperor Huhai that it came to an abrupt end. The Han Dynasty, which lasted for over 400 years, also came to an end. At this time, the Tang Dynasty had been established for over a hundred years and was in its heyday, with the country prospering and foreign envoys coming to pay homage. Looking back at history, no other dynasty has ever had such great power. The common people all hoped that such a peaceful and prosperous era would last forever, which would be wonderful if it could last for thousands of generations.

  As he drew closer, the wind blew and he finally saw clearly the plaque hanging above the main gate of the mountain villa, "Guanyun Mountain Villa" four characters looked like, strokes were intricate, a hint of majesty was hidden, it seemed to be both a king asking for hegemony and a real dragon going out for a stroll. He had also been a young master from a wealthy family before, and had seen many kinds of calligraphy and painting, the flavor of this one looked more obvious than ever.

  As the wind sighed silently in his heart, he thought that the two words "Yu Yun" should have been written in a more elegant and refined way, but instead they were written in this manner. Just then, Mu Rong Xuan Feng said: "This plaque was written by our ancestors, who at that time had already passed the age of 40, yet their martial arts skills were still ordinary. After falling into despair and wandering to this place, they spent their days watching the waves of Qiantang River and nights listening to the tides of the Green Sea, finally creating the Water Dragon Chant technique and establishing the Mu Rong family." As he spoke, he waved his hand at the disciples guarding the mountain villa's entrance.

  As soon as Mu Rong Xuan Feng returned, the entire mountain villa was like a boiling pot, with voices of inquiry rising and falling. As soon as he entered the mountain villa gate, a disciple came forward and rushed towards Mu Rong Xuan Feng, saying: "Xuan Feng Gongzi, several noble guests, the master is waiting for you at Ling Shui Pavilion, please come this way."

  Following the direction of his fingers, a majestic and sturdy pavilion stood at the end of the avenue. On both sides of the road were various flowers and trees, many of which remained evergreen even in this season. In addition to the wax plum blossoms, several pots of chrysanthemums could be seen, which was not unusual in Jiangnan's warm winter that was said to be soul-stirring and bone-penetrating. What made Shui Feng feel strange was that these flowers and trees seemed to be arranged neither by species nor by flowering period. Although they were visually pleasing, they lacked a touch of harmonious beauty. Moreover, the spacing between the flowers was also strange, with some areas being very sparse and others being very dense.

  Just as he was feeling a little puzzled, Liang's voice suddenly sounded in his ear, "Those flower trees are not ordinary, don't get close to them. If I'm not mistaken, they're exotic species introduced from the Western Regions. Moreover, the arrangement of these flower trees is also very particular, known as the Nine Steps Circular Array in ancient books. It means that those who don't know how to exit the array will walk nine steps and change into another one, nesting together infinitely."

  Suī fēng xīn liǎo àn àn chī jīng, zhè xiē lì zú tiān xià de páng dà shì jiā zhēn shì bù róng xiǎo qǔ. Lián yī xiē huā shù dōu yǒu zhe zhè duō bān de jiǎng jiu. Kàn zhe jìn zài yǎn qián de líng shuǐ gé, suī fēng bù jīng yǒu xiē hǎo qí, nà ge tiān xià wén míng què yòu shén mì mó cè de mù róng jiā zhǔ dào dǐ shì hé mú yàng? Hái yǒu nà bǎ shén jiàn shuǐ lóng yín dào dǐ yǒu jǐ fēn shén miào, néng fǒu bǐ dé shàng suí jiā de chún jun jiàn?

  They stopped in front of the attic and looked up at the wind, where a plaque with the words "Ling Shui Ge" was hung. The font was exactly the same as the one on the mountain villa's gate, written by the same person. The attic door was half open, with two disciples standing on either side of it. Seeing Mu Rong Xuan and others, one of the disciples said: "The master is waiting for you inside, please come in."

  Su Feng and Bi He exchanged a glance, then looked at Liang Ze. Murong Xuanfeng stretched out his hand in a gesture of invitation to Bi He: "Miss Bi He, please." Then, he stepped aside to the left and entered the house with her. Liang Ze and Su Feng followed closely behind them into the room.

  As soon as I entered, a middle-aged back appeared in my line of sight. With the wind blowing fiercely, my heart skipped a beat and I thought to myself, "This aura is really intimidating!" The back didn't seem any different from others, but for some reason, the more I looked at it, the more frightened I became. At times, it stood tall and upright like Mount Tai, exuding an air of majesty; at other times, it was still and quiet, like a deep and mysterious abyss. Unwilling to look anymore, I quickly shifted my gaze elsewhere. This grand hall was different from others, with no excessive decorations, only two tea tables, some paintings, and the four large characters "静水流深" (Deep Water Flows Quietly) written on the wall in front of me.

  It seemed that the figure in the middle had turned around slowly after hearing the footsteps of several people stop. The wind slightly lowered his head, not daring to look directly at him, but instead stealing glances with his peripheral vision. It was a middle-aged man wearing luxurious clothes, seemingly younger than Wang Changming, with a square face that was stern yet majestic, but now had a smiling expression as he looked at the few people. A long sword hung from his waist, and through the sunlight shining in from outside the door, a faint blue glow could be seen on the surface of the sword.

  "Xuan Feng, is this Miss Zhao?" The middle-aged man spoke up.

  Murong Xuanfeng didn't dare to be slow, and personally said: "It's indeed Miss Zhao. The other day, I happened to pass by the Hengtang Lake in Jinling and coincidentally encountered Miss Zhao being pursued and killed by the Blood Hiders."

  Murong's master nodded slightly and said calmly, "You've done well. Since you've found Zhao's daughter, go tell Qingfeng and Huiwind to return to the mountain villa for cultivation if they have no other tasks. Alright, off you go."

  Murong Xuanfeng responded with a sound, and slowly stepped down.

  After Murong Xuanfeng left, the host of the Murong family smiled and said: "I am Murong Yuan, the 23rd generation master of the Murong family. If there is anything that our family has not taken care of properly, please forgive us. You three have been traveling for a long time, you must be tired, so please take a good rest at our house these few days."

  "Miss Zhao, your father and my brother Murong Yuan are sworn brothers. I'll take the liberty of calling you niece from now on. As you know, Li Linfu's family dominates the court and even the Blood Hiders serve them. It's too perilous for a young girl like you to venture into Jianghu. Your father entrusted you to me, not just because of my brother, but also for your safety. From today on, you're a member of the Murong household. Rest assured, no one will dare bully you again."