While Ning Xiaoyao was reflecting gloomily over her life, Wifey and Husband Magpie, along with Elder Cousin Magpie, all flew into the room.
"Xiaoyao, itâs not good!" Wifey Magpie cried.
Ning Xiaoyao placed a hand over her heart.
Big Boss Black spoke up for Ning Xiaoyao. "What happened?"
"The Grand Preceptor and his third son-in-law--that is, the Nine Gate Infantry Commander--have made a plan to kill General Qin and Miss Qin, chirp chirp!" exclaimed Wifey Magpie.
"H, how are they planning to kill them?" Ning Xiaoyao felt unwell all over.
Elder Cousin Magpie said, "Theyâre planning to wait âtil General Qin takes eldest young madame out of the city, then have men kill them in the dark of night while disguised as bandits, chirp!"
"Itâs âMiss Qinâ now!" Wifey Magpie pecked Elder Cousin Magpieâs head. "Miss Qin has no relation with that jerk Xie Anyi anymore!"
"Thatâs not the point," Oil Jar weakly raised his paw.
"The point is, how do we save them," Grandfather Sparrow remarked.
"And also, how can Ning Xiaoyao make sure Supreme Commander isnât mad," Oil Jar was more concerned about this. "If Supreme Commander gets angry, how is Xiaoyao supposed to be his wife?"
"........" said Ning Xiaoyao. Wife? Let me figure out how to stay alive first!
"And my master, too," the little gyrfalcon looked at Ning Xiaoyao with teary eyes. "My master will be depressed to death. All of his brothers are calling Little Peach Blossom his wifey already."Ning Xiaoyao stayed quiet for a long time beneath the stares of the various worried animals. Finally, she said, "I want some peace and quiet."[expand]
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"Miaow!" Big Boss Black jumped up and brandished his claws to scratch her. "Do you still have time for peace and quiet? You have to take care of Supreme Commanderâs matter!"
Ning Xiaoyao tossed Big Boss Black out the window. "Do I owe him?"
"Your father killed Supreme Commanderâs father and elder brothers!" Big Boss Black meowed as he jumped back onto the window ledge. Ning Xiaoyao was rendered speechless.
"And also," Big Boss Black held up his bloody claws. "You slept with Supreme Commander, so you have to take responsibility for him! Otherwise, youâre simply seducing and abandoning him!"
"Thatâs right!" chorused ten or so cats, all Big Boss Blackâs buddies.
"Otherwise, youâre just Xie Anyi Number Two!" Big Boss Black added, "Ning Xiaoyao, you jerk!"
"........." said Ning Xiaoyao. What a cruel and brutal reality!
"Xiaoyao," Yellow Great Immortal spoke up. "Iâve checked already. You and Supreme Commander have the faces of husband and wife. You--"
"Enough already, Great Immortal," Ning Xiaoyao wanted to kneel at the weaselâs feet. Who would be interested in face reading at a time like this?
Yellow Great Immortal said, "What I mean is, you donât need to worry about Supreme Commander hating you. Some things are determined by fate."
Rather than relying on fate, I might as well count on myself right now. Ning Xiaoyao sat bolt upright, forcing her brain to think things through. Her fingers dug into her palms before she told the little animals, "Supreme Commanderâs father and elder brothers are already dead. Thereâs no way to change that, but his older brother might still be saved. The first thing we need to do is figure out which of the Northern Hu hunting grounds has Elder Brother Lou."
All of the little animals nodded their heads. Thatâs right. We can only save him after we find his location first.
"Right now, thereâs no way for me to run off to Northern Hu," Ning Xiaoyao said. "Supreme Commander sent people there for six years and didnât find any clues. It looks like we canât depend on him either."
Big Boss Black asked, "Then what should we do?"
"Speaking of which, do any of you have brothers or sisters in Northern Hu?" Ning Xiaoyao held her hands in prayer as she looked at her animal friends. "Elder Brother Louâs description was pretty distinctive. His face is ruined, heâs mute, and heâs got deformities in his right hand and left leg."
Old AâGui stuck his tongue out a few times before he said, "But we all live in the capital, ah."
"Then do you guys know any migrant birds?" Ning Xiaoyao asked.
Oil Jar asked, "Xiaoyao, what kind of a bird is a migrant bird?"
"The kind that flies south for winter and back north when it gets warm," Ning Xiaoyao explained.
"Wild geese?" Grandfather Sparrow asked.
"Yes, wild geese are migrant birds," Ning Xiaoyao hastily nodded.
"A flock of wild geese lives at the south of the capital in the Comforting Celestial Pond," Grandfather Sparrow said, "But I donât know if theyâre from Northern Hu."
"Itâs fine even if they arenât," Ning Xiaoyao said. "Just ask them if they have brothers and sisters from Northern Hu."
"Thatâs a solution," old AâGui nodded.
"Iâll help you ask," Grandfather Sparrow accepted the mission. Ning Xiaoyao picked him up and kissed him.
"........" went Grandfather Sparrow. Does this girl know thereâs distance between males and females?!
Husband Magpie said, "Xiaoyao, Iâll help you ask around amongst the capital cityâs birds. We birds fly all over the place, so maybe weâll hit on news somewhere?" Ning Xiaoyao picked up Husband Magpie and prepared to kiss him too.
"Chirp!" Wifey Magpie suddenly cried, and Ning Xiaoyao obediently set Husband Magpie down. This birdâs already taken.
"Then what about my master?" the little gyrfalcon asked anxiously once Ning Xiaoyao had settled big brother Supreme Commanderâs affairs. "Whatâs to be done about my master?"
"I was thinking this way for Windyâs situation," Ning Xiaoyao said seriously. "We have to avoid hurting him as much as possible."
"So then?" Big Boss Black asked.
"So Iâll accompany Windy to witness that Little Peach Blossomâs true face," Ning Xiaoyao waved her hand. "Iâm experienced with matters like these." Jilted love, was it? Sheâd studied psychology before, so it shouldnât be a problem to comfort a heartbroken man.
".........." said the little animals. This is how you avoid hurting him as much as possible?
"As for the Grand Preceptor and his son-in-law," Ning Xiaoyao rubbed her chin, "If itâs anyone making the killing blow, itâd probably be Tao Chen, the Nine Gate Infantry Commander. Thus, Iâll make a move against him first."
"Youâll bite him to death?" the little gyrfalcon asked.
"We, we havenât reached that point quite yet," Ning Xiaoyao said. "First, I need to figure out what kind of people Tao Chen prepared as his assassins. Once I know, we can move before these assassins and finish them off first. Wouldnât everything be all right then? Which one of you guys has siblings at the Nine Gate Infantry Commanderâs estate? And at Tao Chenâs own home?"
"This cat."
"Oil Jar!"
"Me, chirp~"
"We have some too, tweet tweet~"
... ...
All of the animals expressed their contacts.
"Then thatâs what weâll do," Ning Xiaoyao slapped the tea table soundly.
Oh! All of the little animals felt that it had all been a very simple affair. Xiaoyaoâs so amazing!
Ning Xiaoyao puffed up her chest. Just earlier, sheâd felt that life was incomparably tragic. She even wanted to run away and go die. But now she had revived to her hot-blooded self. She wasnât even afraid of zombies, so why should she be afraid of human affairs? When there were difficulties in your way, you had to face them head on.
"Then letâs set out," Big Boss Black said. He was the first to lead the way with his fellow cats. The rest of the animals all scattered to their respective tasks, braving the night in spite of its rain.
"Great Immortal," Ning Xiaoyao called the weasel back. "When do the people from the empress dowagerâs palace make contact with Little Peach Blossom?"
"Make contact?" Yellow Big Immortal echoed.
"As in, when do they meet up?"
"Two days from now."
"Alright," Ning Xiaoyao nodded. "Two days from now, Iâll take Windy to see Little Peach Blossomâs true face."
Yellow Great Immortal looked at Ning Xiaoyao again. "Xiaoyao, you have to believe me. Even if Supreme Commanderâs angry now, he wonât stay mad at you for long."
"Is it because I have gorgeous looks, an ethereal bearing, celestial fragrance, and am kind and cute?" Ning Xiaoyao asked.
"......" said Yellow Great Immortal.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
"Alright, I know what you mean, Great Immortal," Ning Xiaoyao hung her head. As expected, she didnât fit any of those descriptions at all.
Yellow Great Immortal suddenly broke into a smile as he perched on the window sill. His eyes narrowed before he told her, "Xiaoyao, youâre very good."
"Hm?" Ning Xiaoyaoâs head whipped up.
But Yellow Great Immortal had already jumped off the ledge and ran into the rain. Soon enough, he disappeared.
"Xiaoyao, Iâm going to keep my master company," the little gyrfalcon flew over to nuzzle Ning Xiaoyaoâs face.
"Go on," Ning Xiaoyao said as she promised, "Iâll take responsibility for finding Windy a good girl. If Little Peach Blossom wonât cut it, Iâll find him another flower."
"Mm," the little gyrfalcon trusted Ning Xiaoyao 100 percent.
After he flew away, Ning Xiaoyao ran to Supreme Commander Louâs room for a look. The man was still sleeping soundly, though his eyebrows were furrowed into a thick crease. Ning Xiaoyao rested her hand against his forehead and spent some time smoothing out his brows.
"I will save Elder Brother Lou," Ning Xiaoyao murmured into his ear. Then she touched him with her fingertips as a pale green light sank into the skin of his forehead.
Lou Zigui had been dreaming of war and warriors, his familyâs corpses scattered into pieces across a wild and bloodsoaked wasteland. Then there were the white streamers flying above the mourning hall and the pained, hopeless sobs of his various sister-in-laws. As the world became bathed in blood, a sudden scent of fresh grass and trees filtered into the dream. Lou Zigui lifted his head from his kneeling position in a blood-soaked puddle of the mourning hall and saw a young girl standing before him with sparkling eyes. Their surroundings shifted to the execution platform and the hordes of angry, screaming people about them, but he only had eyes for her. She smiled at him as the world shifted. Rain fell in a fine drizzle against the light of the setting sun, leaving nothing but him and this girl in the entire world.
Ning Xiaoyao lowered her head to plant a kiss against Lou Ziguiâs forehead. "Have a good dream," she said.
In his dream, Lou Zigui suddenly tasted the sweetness of osmanthus honey on his lips.
After leaving Lou Ziguiâs room, Ning Xiaoyao ran to the windows of Qin Xinâs bedroom to have a peek. Qin Xin was already sleeping with the snow wolf pup by her side. Qin Xuan sat by her bedside, staring intently at her dreaming form. Ning Xiaoyao quietly slipped away to standing in the covered walkway. Her sharp ears heard noises from the front courtyard--snatches of conversation from the Dragon Guards. They were talking about how Little Peach Blossom had made walnut cake for Shadowgale today, and how lucky their commander was. Ning Xiaoyao felt stifled after hearing that, so she covered her ears with her hands.
This just wonât do, Ning Xiaoyao thought. She couldnât let the empress dowager off just like that. Anyways, since it was impossible for her to sleep, His Majesty Ning decided to visit the empress dowagerâs palace instead. If she wasnât happy, then the empress dowager couldnât be happy, either!
--
Empress Dowager Xie had just thrown a temper tantrum at her palace. None of the mama in her hall dared to speak a word, but could only hope that their mistress would calm down soon.
A head steward ran into the palace and murmured, "Esteemed Empress Dowager, the Grand Preceptor ordered someone to deliver a letter to you."
"Speak," Empress Dowager Xie adjusted her hair as she held back her rage to listen. A palace mama entered the hall and knelt down to pay obeisance to the empress dowager. Empress Dowager Xie had never seen this mama before, but when she recalled all the people her father had arranged in the palace, she didnât bother to ask after this mamaâs origins. "Where is the message?" she asked.
Ning Xiaoyao had flipped over the empress dowagerâs palace walls by now. When her ears caught wind of the empress dowagerâs voice, she quickly ran towards her hall.