28

Nie Huanzhang left Jingdu with reluctance, urging his horse towards Liaocheng. He had agreed to meet Feng Yuan there to transfer the goods and the agreed-upon date had long passed. Feng Yuan complained:

"Nie Huanzhang, bad guy, what the hell are you doing? I've been waiting here for you for four or five days. Weren't you just supposed to escort that kid to Jingdu? Now how many days do you take to here? Huanzhang, you've really changed. Not to mention you disobeyed your master and went to Jingdu, supposedly to escort Zhou Chuyu, but now you're delayed for several days. In the past, it was you waiting for me. Now that kid's charm is indeed powerful." 

Nie Huanzhang asked:

"Okay, don't complain it anymore. What goods do we have this time?"

"Tea, silk and porcelain. The embroidered items from the Zhou family. There is also an antique item in this box. On top of it are the tea."

"Is there anything special about this antique item?"

"It came from Jingdu."

"From the Palace?"

"You're even bolder than I am. Stealing from the palace is asking for trouble. It's not directly from the palace but it was stolen from a high-ranking official. Supposedly it was intended as a gift for some imperial prince.

"What is this?"

"It is a jade carving. It is said that it comes from Nanyue Kingdom so please be careful. Oh, by the way, you know this guy, Feng Dian. Take him around and explain everything properly. In the future he is the leader of this caravan. And you can stay in some city or town to get married or live with your boy in the future. Crazy, learn more from Huanzhang and don't tarnish the name I gave you."

(Feng Yuan is having some fun with wordplay. Feng Dian's pronunciation in Chinese sounds the same as feng dian, which means "crazy". This adds a playful and humorous elements to their conversation.)

Feng Dian said:

"Don't worry, sir. I've been working with Mr. Nie for quite some time now. Trust me, sir."

Nie Huanzhang added:

"You really seem to enjoy the name which you master gave you. Your parents didn't mind his antics when he was a child."

Feng Dian chuckled:

"My parents liked my master's antics."

Sure enough, along the way, there were many official inspections. Because Feng Yuan's disguise was natural as long as Nie Huanzhang remained composed. Apart from Nie Huanzhang, no one would know where the antique item was so everyone stayed calm and allowed the authorities to inspect, making it through without any trouble. They arrived safely in Liangzhou. 

This time, Nie Huanzhang didn't want to visit Yuhong Xuan again. He had done what he needed to do, achieved what he needed to achieve. He estimated that he wouldn't frequently come to Liangzhou in the future. What he wanted was to spend more time with Zhou Chuyu, his beloved. Now their relationship had been confirmed. If he continued to travel everywhere, it would be harmful to both himself and Zhou Chuyu. Especially considering that Zhou Chuyu was always fearful of what he was doing now, writing <Diamond Sutra> at home every day, going to the temple on the first and fifteenth of every month, praying for Ping'an Fu. He had witnessed how devoutly Zhou Chuyu prayed, how meticulous he was, silently reciting something, respectfully kneeling and bowing. Nie Huanzhang was deeply moved. For this, he was willing to give up his past life and start a new one with Zhou Chuyu. 

So he let Feng Dian to the government office to report the goods while he stayed in the inn, waiting for Feng Dian to return. However, as he waited, there was no sign of Feng Dian. Unable to wait any longer, he decided to go to the government office himself. When he arrived at the office, a person approached him. Nie Huanzhang recognized that he was a waiter from Xinglong Inn. The waiter said:

"Mr. Nie, you're here again. Why didn't you stay at our Xinglong Inn? My boss has been waiting for you and having a drink with you."

Huanzhang laughed and said:

"I feel nauseous just thinking about your boss. I don't want to drink with him."

"Please, Mr. Nie, our boss is waiting for you."

Without other choice, Nie Huanzhang had to follow the waiter to the secret room in Xinglong Inn reluctantly. Inside, there was only Yu Weiwei there. Since their joint return from Huichun, their relationship had become more cordial. Nie Huanzhang said:

"What's the matter? Is it not over yet? I've said I won't be your spy and this is probably my last time to come here."

Upon hearing this, Yu Weiwei teased:

"Did you manage to confirm your relationship with your fox spirit? I told you he is a fox spirit but you were angry to me. You even had a falling out with me. Yes, with such your little fox spirit who had attracted you at home, of course, you don't want to run off to our poor and remote place anymore."

Nie Huanzhang retorted:

"Can you stop to call him a fox spirit? Please don't speak ill of him again."

"You're really not my friend. This might be your last time to visit here but you don't want to have a drink and reminisce with me."

"I have nothing to talk with you."

"Cold-hearted! Well, fine. Let's not waste words. We..."

"Stop it! I said I have nothing to talk with you. I don't want to listen to you more."

"You can't be like this. Burn the bridge after crossing it? Last time, okay. This time I really need your help. Can't you make an exception?"

Nie Huanzhang said with resentment:

"Damn! Do you promise me that this time is last time? Is your word trustworthy?"

"I promise." Seeing Nie Huanzhang nod, Yu Weiwei continued: "We received information that there are changes within Antare clan. Whether there's any involvement from Khan Zakkal is still uncertain. We don't know the details so it requires another visit to find the truth."

"Sorry I can't help you. I don't want to go to Antare. There is no one for me there. Besides, this time I'm dealing with a large quantity of goods at first time and it's also my last time. I need to entrust all of my connections from Huichun to the person who is accompanying me this time. I don't have time to go to Antare."

"I'll go with you. It's a good opportunity to see how things are going with Furu."

"First Furu then Antare? No, it takes a long time for me to stay there. The imperial examination is approaching and I must return Jingdu in a hurry."

"Great! That fox spirit had passed the provincial examination, quite a talented kid. It's unexpected that he ended up in your hands. Don't worry, I'll make sure you get back in time. Alright, alright, don't be moody anymore."

This time there was indeed significant trouble within Antare clan. The leader, Northan, and his son, Hajin, had consistently ignored Khan Zakkel's policies. Being a leader, Northan kept his respect to Zakkel in public but Haji, in particular, constantly mocked and looked down on Zakkel, who, in turn, didn't retaliate. This irked Zakkel's mother, who repeatedly approached Northan, urging him to stop his son. This only fueled Haji's mockery, calling Zakkel a mama's boy. The conflict extended to Zakkel's wife and even their family clan, gradually creating internal strife within Antare clan. Zakkel took advantage of this internal turmoil to suppress Antare clan and bring them under his control. Especially considering that Furu and Doga were clearly showing intentions not to cooperate, the Antare clan became an important role to Zakkel.

Upon hearing about the situation within Antare clan, Zhao Hai and Yuhong Xuan decided to intervene. Their plan was to weaken Antare's power, deepen the conflicts between Zakkel and the eight clans and make other clans see Khan Zakkel's oppression of Antare clan. If they achieved these two goals, whoever was in power within Antare clan wouldn't matter in the end. Initially, they don't consider involving Nie Huanzhang. They had sent people over and even Yu Weiwei had gone, but the results were minimal. Antare people wouldn't trust anyone from Yuhong Dynasty. That's why they decided to approach Nie Huanzhang again, arranging for officials in the government office to intercept him as soon as there was news of his arrival. 

Upon hearing Nie Huanzhang's statement that he had no acquaintances in Antare clan, Yu Weiwei wasn't sure whether Nie Huanzhang could be of help. Nonetheless, it was essential to have him involved in planning this matter. So they brought him into Yuhong Xuan's mansion. Xu Xing happened to be present. His mind was meticulous, capable of thinking through every detail of a situation.

However, what puzzled Nie Huanzhang was Xu Xing himself. As soon as Xu Xing saw him, he looked at him with suspicion. During the subsequent discussions, he continuously observed Nie Huanzhang. This situation didn't escape the notice of Yuhong Xuan and Yu Weiwei. But due to Nie Huanzhang and Yu Weiwei being in a hurry to set off, they didn't have time to inquire about Xu Xing's thoughts. Yuhong Xuan asked:

"Sir, why do you have been looking at Huanzhang today?"

"He reminds me of a person."

"Who? Is it a person I know?"

"A woman. Of course you know her."

According to the plan, after Nie Huanzhang and Yu Weiwei completed the business related to Furu and introduced Cheng Hao'er to Feng Dian, they rode towards Antare's capital, Haodu. Agar was waiting for them there as arranged by Nie Huanzhang through a letter sent by Qian Wulian.