As soon as Han Yunxi left, Tang Li immediately scooted over. "Big bro, there's no need to guess! That guy in the Thousand Buddha Cave must be Gu Beiyue! Gu Beiyue must have fallen into the Chu Clan's hands first, then Ning Cheng's. Once Ning Cheng got Gu Beiyue, he'd dug a hole for the Chu Clan! That brat's too black-hearted! "
Long Fei Ye didn't reply, so Tang Li continued, "Big bro, what do you think happened in the Thousand Buddha Cave? How did Gu Beiyue get hurt like that? If he can't beat them, he can always run! Who in the world can catch up to him? He couldn't have hurt Chu Yunyi's blind eye, could he? "
Long Fei Ye still didn't speak. The more Tang Li thought about it, the stranger he felt. "Does Ning Cheng know about Gu Beiyue's identity? Could it be that Gu Beiyue and the Chu Clan teamed up to trick both Ning Cheng and us? Or perhaps … Gu Beiyue and Ning Cheng are in cahoots? "
Tang Li muttered a bunch of guesses to himself. By the end, he was in disarray. He suddenly felt that Han Yunxi was quite lucky. She knew less and had fewer worries. She didn't have so many things she couldn't figure out.
"Big bro, what are you thinking? Tell me in secret," Tang Li begged.
Unfortunately, Long Fei Ye still ignored him.
Ever since he was young, Tang Li hated Long Fei Ye ignoring him the most. He coughed lightly a few times and slowly picked up the broken pieces of porcelain on the ground. "Big bro, you'll definitely save Gu Beiyue. You were making sister-in-law anxious on purpose, weren't you?"
Despite Tang Li's words, Long Fei Ye was still expressionless.
A crafty look flashed past Tang Li's eyes as he muttered to himself, "Big bro, the smell of jealousy … is so strong!"
Tang Li assumed that Long Fei Ye's stoic face would show some emotion, but Long Fei Ye was still expressionless. Still, he stood up and kicked Tang Li's chair to pieces!
Before Tang Li could react, his butt hit the ground with a thump. He was 100% sure it was a flower. In any case, he'd been sleeping on his stomach all night.
Chu Yunyi and General Chu were eagerly anticipating Long Fei Ye and Ning Cheng's replies. They wanted to sit and watch the battle while Long Fei Ye and Ning Cheng fought it out. But when they received Long Fei Ye and Ning Cheng's replies at the same time, both of them lost all hope!
Long Fei Ye and Ning Cheng's replies were the same. They wouldn't give the Chu Clan any chances. Either they surrendered, or they'd send out their troops and flatten Fenglin Prefecture.
General Chu thought he was smart enough to beat around the bush. In the end, he still had to choose between Long Fei Ye and Ning Cheng.
General Chu's arm was wrapped tightly in bandages. Anyone who didn't know better would think his arm was broken, but his arm was covered in medicine to stop the itching and pain.
The amount of poison in his hand was increasing by the day. He didn't know how much longer he could hold out. It was impossible to say that he hadn't given up on the choice. He hoped that the poison in his hand could be cured and that his son would be safe.
"Big bro, I want to choose the Duke of Qin! As I see it, Ning Cheng can't deal with the Duke of Qin. Rather than make the Chu Clan his enemy, it's better to pledge loyalty to him. As long as we're his subordinates, we'll have plenty of chances to plot revenge in the future! Since the Duke of Qin gave the Chu Clan this chance, shouldn't the Chu Clan have the courage to take it? "General Chu murmured.
"What if I say I choose Ning Cheng?" Chu Yunyi retorted.
How could Chu Yunyi have no selfish motives? Actually, he had already considered surrendering to Long Fei Ye and Ning Cheng before Ning Cheng and Ning Cheng's letters of surrender.
He believed that he hadn't misjudged Ning Cheng. Ning Cheng might have the strength to fight for the world, but he definitely didn't have the heart to do so. Otherwise, with the Ning Clan's wealth and military might, Ning Cheng wouldn't have waited until now to betray Tianning.
He firmly believed that Ning Cheng would always be loyal to the Chu Clan's mission and Western Qin's imperial clan. Ning Cheng had only tricked the Chu Clan this time because he wanted to seize the initiative in the alliance between the two clans. Long Fei Ye might want to destroy the Chu Clan, but Ning Cheng wouldn't.
Hearing Chu Yunyi's explanation, General Chu grew dissatisfied. "Big bro, are you going to fall in the same place twice? You've already suffered at Ning Cheng's hands! "
"I won't be wrong this time!" Chu Yunyi was stubborn.
"You've already, no … the Chu Clan doesn't have the confidence to make any more mistakes. Big bro, think thrice! "General Chu refused to budge." If big bro insists, then please forgive this brother of mine … "
Before he could finish, Chu Yunyi cut him off. He was very clear on his younger brother's temper. If things went south, he'd take his men and surrender to Long Fei Ye.
"Since even I, the clan head, can't make the decision, then let the Heavens decide," Chu Yunyi said as he took out a gold coin. "Heads, the Duke of Qin. Tails, Ning Cheng. How's that?"
General Chu hesitated for a long time before nodding his head. In the end, he didn't want to fall out with Chu Yunyi.
Chu Yunyi generously handed the coin to General Chu for him to toss. General Chu didn't decline, but tossed the coin high into the air before catching it in his palm and opening it in front of Chu Yunyi's face.
Both of them stared at the coin with different expressions on their faces. The coin was tails, which meant Chu Yunyi had won!
General Chu quickly flipped the coin over and saw that the other side was heads. There was nothing fishy about the coin at all.
He'd lost!
"Such is the will of Heaven," Chu Yunyi said simply before taking the coin away. Actually, there was something fishy about the coin. No matter how you tossed it, tails would always be heads. Unfortunately, General Chu wouldn't toss it a second time.
While General Chu was disappointed, Chu Yunyi patted him on the shoulder. "Trust me, Long Fei Ye and Han Yunxi will never give up on Gu Beiyue. Tianyin will come back."
General Chu had no choice but to write a letter to Ning Cheng immediately. Chu Yunyi wanted to take the risk, but he couldn't afford it. He had to have Ning Cheng meet with Long Fei Ye before nightfall tomorrow. Otherwise, if the Long Fei Ye didn't get a reply from the Chu Clan, he'd kill Tianyin in a fit of rage. Then General Chu would have no hope left for the rest of his life.
Once the letter was sent out, General Chu didn't sleep for an entire day and night. It wasn't until the sun was setting that he received a reply from Ning Cheng, saying that he'd already finished talking with Long Fei Ye. They'd meet at Fenglin Prefecture's famous octagonal pavilion tomorrow afternoon to exchange hostages.
"In other words, Long Fei Ye has agreed to the exchange!" General Chu was overjoyed.
Chu Yunyi wasn't surprised. "I told you not to worry long ago. Han Yunxi was Long Fei Ye's weakness, so Han Yunxi's weakness was Long Fei Ye's weakness as well!
As long as Tianyin can come back, General Chu thought, I don't care if my arm is crippled. In the future, the Chu Clan will rely on Tianyin.
Since they'd chosen Ning Cheng, the Chu Clan had to protect Fenglin Prefecture as well. General Chu didn't sleep for the entire night, but set up an inescapable net to make all the necessary preparations.
First, he was prepared to cooperate with Ning Cheng's army. If the Long Fei Ye decided to attack the city after the exchange, they wouldn't be caught off guard. Second, he was prepared to deal with Long Fei Ye in case the Long Fei Ye played any tricks and refused to hand over Chu Tianyin. After all, he and Chu Yunyi couldn't use the Driving Arrow Arts, and Ning Cheng wasn't Long Fei Ye's match.
If General Chu was so wary of exchanging hostages on his own turf, Heaven knows how much he feared Long Fei Ye.
The next day, Ning Cheng arrived ahead of schedule, while Long Fei Ye showed up as promised.
The Chu Clan had arranged for a group of archers to surround the octagonal pavilion, but more were hidden in the shadows. Ning Cheng sat alone in the pavilion, sipping wine while Chu Yunyi and General Chu stood to one side.
After entering the tiger's den, Long Fei Ye had only brought along Han Yunxi and Tang Li. He held Han Yunxi in his arms while Tang Li held Chu Tianyin in his custody.
Last time, Chu Tianyin had been tormented miserably by Han Yunxi and Tang Li, but he hadn't suffered any injuries. Besides looking a little skinnier, he didn't seem to be in any serious condition.
As soon as they reached the octagonal pavilion, Long Fei Ye sensed that there were many experts lying in ambush around them, but he didn't pay them any attention. From a distance, he could see Ning Cheng sitting in the pavilion, but he didn't pay much attention to him either. Instead, he walked over expressionlessly.
Han Yunxi, on the other hand, noticed Ning Cheng. Today's Ning Cheng wasn't the scholarly robed Ning Cheng she'd seen last time, nor was he the white-robed, silver-armored General Ning that people usually talked about. Today, Ning Cheng was dressed in the same black robes as Long Fei Ye, looking noble and domineering with a threatening aura.
But Han Yunxi could tell at a glance the difference between the two of them. Long Fei Ye's domineering aura was cold and emotionless, while Ning Cheng's domineering aura was arrogant and wild. The coldness in his eyes was different from Long Fei Ye's. His coldness was arrogant and aloof, while Long Fei Ye's coldness was cold and emotionless. She hadn't misjudged before. Ning Cheng's elegance was just an act!
Of course, Han Yunxi wasn't concerned about these things. She was concerned about Gu Beiyue. There were only three people in the pavilion. She didn't see the familiar white figure.
Long Fei Ye seemed to know her worries. As soon as he entered the pavilion, he asked Coldly, "Where's Gu Beiyue?"
Ning Cheng's lips curled into a cold smile. He was no longer respectful. He didn't even stand up. He just sat there casually and poured a cup of wine for Long Fei Ye. "Sit!"
This aura was strong enough.
But Long Fei Ye wasn't just intimidating. He didn't waste words, but held Han Yunxi tightly with one hand while pressing down on Chu Tianyin's elbow with the other. With a sudden tug, Chu Tianyin's elbow joint was dislocated!
If the joint wasn't reconnected in time, it'd leave behind side effects. Forget about shooting arrows, even lifting heavy objects would cause the joint to fall off!
Both Chu Yunyi and General Chu grew anxious. After all, with both of them injured, Chu Tianyin was the Chu Clan's only hope.
Before Long Fei Ye could ask any questions, General Chu quickly said, "Gu Beiyue's right in the woods! Duke of Qin, as long as you release Tianyin, Old Man will personally bring Gu Beiyue here! "
Neither General Chu nor anyone else in the Chu Clan had the right to discuss terms with Long Fei Ye. Long Fei Ye wouldn't waste words with them, either.
He didn't even spare General Chu a glance, but grabbed Chu Tianyin's shoulder joint and dislocated it!
At this time, Chu Tianyin, who had been keeping his head down all this time, finally couldn't take it anymore and let out a soft snort.
"Tianyin!" General Chu panicked, but Chu Tianyin only glanced at him without a word. Chu Tianyin had no idea what was going on. He had no idea why Gu Beiyue had fallen into Ning Cheng's hands, or Ning Cheng's true identity.
He was far more cautious than his father and uncle. When he didn't know the situation, the best thing to do was to keep his mouth shut.
With his elbow dislocated, Chu Tianyin's hand hung limply by his side like a puppet without strings. After all, Chu Tianyin's hand was the future of the Chu Clan! Without a word, General Chu turned to head back into the woods to bring Gu Beiyue back.
Would Ning Cheng … stop him?
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