The Beacon of Kyushu

The next day, Luoyang.

Luoyang has been the capital since the beginning of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, and it lasted for thousands of years and hundreds of dynasties until the Song Dynasty. The afternoon sun shines obliquely on the Luo River, making the nearby Luoyang city look particularly magnificent and solemn, not inferior to Tokyo at all.

On the official road leading to Xijing, many imperial guards were walking in the sun. Their movements were in unison, and their clanging footsteps, bright armor, and shining spears all showed the spirit of the Song Dynasty. Riding a white horse and walking in the front of the imperial guards was Gao Chujun, the son of Gao Huaide, who had held a high position for decades. He was still wearing a white robe and holding a spear as he did when he was young. Although he was nearly 40 years old and had a slight beard, he was not slovenly or bloated at all, and was still as proud and heroic as he was back then. The only difference was that he looked less arrogant and more mature and steady.

Under the guard of the imperial guards, the person on the right is a slovenly beggar riding a short horse, and it is Wan Jianfeng. On the left is a well-mannered, pale-faced young man, and it is Wang Shize. Although the two have different looks and exude completely different auras, there is nothing surprising when compared with the third person behind them. It is just that this guy is wearing a prisoner's uniform, and he is not walking, riding a horse, or sitting in a sedan chair, but curled up in a prisoner's cart made of fine iron, and there are faint traces of blood on the snow-white prisoner's uniform.

As soon as the team crossed the Luo River, Wan Jianfeng shouted to Gao Chujun: "General Gao, are you sure the Eighth Prince is in Luoyang? You won't let so many of us make a wasted trip, right?"

Gao Chujun turned his head and said in a very loud voice, "Young Master Wan, you have asked me all along, and I still say the same thing. After the golden mace was stolen, my father advised the Eighth Prince to go to Lord Zeping's mansion to avoid disaster, so he will most likely go to Luoyang as he was told. But if he insists on not listening and goes somewhere else, I will have no other choice."

Wan Jianfeng sighed helplessly and said, "Alas, it's a pity that Master stayed in Tokyo and didn't come with us, otherwise we should really ask him to calculate whether the Eighth Prince is in Luoyang. If not, we can change the route in time."

Wang Shize smiled, pulled Wan Jianfeng's sleeve, and said, "Young Master Wan, not to mention that the ancestor is a scholar who can definitely determine the whereabouts of the Eighth King, even I can predict this."

Wan Jianfeng was a little confused, looking at Wang Shize in disbelief, and said: "Brother Wang, are you kidding? My master can predict the future 500 years in the past and 500 years in the future. He is very famous in the martial arts world. Maybe he can really predict the future. But Brother Wang is not a disciple of the Three Pure Ones, but a disciple of Confucius. When did you become proficient in divination?"

Wang Shize pointed to a place not far away and said, "Master Wan, although I cannot tell fortunes, my eyesight seems to be better than yours. If you don't believe me, look over there. Isn't the one riding the white horse the legendary Eighth Prince who spends money lavishly?"

Wan Jianfeng looked in the direction he pointed, and saw two young men riding back one after the other, surrounded by many poor people. The young man in yellow riding a horse in front took out a few gold ingots from his arms while riding his horse, and threw them to the crowd nearby. Seeing this, the people bent down to pick them up, fearing that they would miss the opportunity to make a fortune, just like a group of chickens pecking at food.

Soon, several people with quick hands and feet grabbed the gold ingots. Seeing that they didn't get any, the other people all begged the young man to give them more. The young man nodded generously, but when he stretched his head, he didn't find anything. It was obvious that he was in a hurry and didn't bring many valuables with him. He was in a dilemma. The old groom who led the horse squeezed out of the crowd, but there were too many people. A young man in white clothes on a horse next to him spoke at this time, as if he was persuading the people to leave, but the distance was too far, and his voice was not loud, so before Wan Jianfeng could hear it, it was completely drowned out by the people's begging.

Wan Jianfeng smiled when he saw this and said, "I've often heard that little witch mention that the Eighth Prince spends money lavishly. Now I see that it's true! It's strange, why didn't I meet such a kind person when I was begging for food? Otherwise, I wouldn't have been starving all day and become thinner than a monkey."

Gao Chujun seemed to recognize that the young man in yellow was Zhao Defang. He took the golden mace from the arms of his personal guard and rode his horse to the two men. The common people were busy asking for money, but now they found that so many Song Dynasty imperial guards in shining helmets and armor had appeared not far away. They were so scared that they quickly scattered.

Zhao Defang stared at Gao Chujun who came to rescue him, and the golden mace in his arms, which shone with golden light. He was so excited that he almost cried, "Cousin...cousin, why are you here? Where did you find the golden mace in your arms? Could it be that you learned some magic and conjured it out of thin air?"

Gao Chujun bowed and said, "Your Highness, the golden mace was found for you by His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu, and the thief who stole the treasure has been captured. Your Highness can return to the capital with peace of mind."

Zhao Defang took the golden mace with trembling hands. His heart, which had been hanging for a long time, finally settled down. For a moment, he didn't know what to say. After a long while, he thanked them: "Thank you for your trouble, my cousin and my brother. If it weren't for you, I really don't know how I would deal with it! Thank you very much!" He turned over and was about to get off the horse, but Gao Chujun hurriedly stopped him, "Your Highness, please don't do this. I didn't help much in this matter. If you really want to thank me, you should wait until you return to Tokyo and thank His Royal Highness the King of Chu in person."

Zhao Defang nodded slightly, pointed at the young man in white clothes beside him and said, "Cousin, let me introduce you, this is..."

Before Zhao Defang could finish, Wan Jianfeng rode up to the young man in white and glanced at him coldly, with a somewhat unfriendly tone, "Brother Yun, I haven't seen you for so many years. I heard that you have grown up. Not only do you hold a high position and have made many outstanding achievements, but you even dared to push a little witch like Murong Yunyao off a cliff. You are really capable! If there is a chance in the future, I will really learn more from you!"

The young man in white was stunned when he heard this, and seemed to have no idea what Wan Jianfeng was talking about. Zhao Defang was also stunned at first, until he heard him mention Murong Yunyao, then he asked: "This beggar... no, this young man, what is your relationship with Miss Murong? When did you meet my cousin?"

Wan Jianfeng laughed wickedly and said in a sly way, "Haha, to be honest, that little witch is my chosen wife. As for the pretty boy surnamed Yun, I have known him for several years in Kunlun Mountain. Unfortunately, he seems to be playing dumb and refuses to acknowledge me!"

Zhao Defang recalled for a long time before he remembered that Yang Ye seemed to have mentioned a young hero named Wan Jianfeng to him during Cao Bin's birthday celebration last fall. So he hurriedly said, "Young man, you must be Wan Jianfeng, right? I've heard people talk about you before."

Wan Jianfeng patted his chest proudly and said, "Yes, I am Wan Jianfeng. I wonder what the person who mentioned me to you thought of me? He must have said a lot of good things about me!"

Zhao Defang nodded, "Yes, he praised Wan Shaoxia for not only being good at both civil and military affairs, but also being humorous and a well-known hero!"

Wan Jianfeng laughed and said, "Haha, whoever said that, I love to hear it! If I have the chance in the future, I will drink with him for three days and three nights. Otherwise, it will be a pity to lose such a soulmate!"

Zhao Defang said: "This man is the invincible old general Yang Ye. He is currently the governor of Daizhou and is helping Pan Mei resist the Liao Kingdom in the Yanmen area. If he really drinks with you for three days and three nights, I'm afraid not only his body will not be able to bear it, but the border of our Song Dynasty will also be unable to bear it!"

Wan Jianfeng smiled and said, "Forget it, forget it. If I cause the Khitan to invade the Central Plains just for my own pleasure, I cannot bear the blame. By the way, what are you doing in Luoyang this time, Brother Yun? You are not here just to travel, right?"

The young man in white looked at Wan Jianfeng with an embarrassed look, "Young Master Wan, you've got the wrong person. I'm not Yun Zixiao, the governor of Xingzhou, but Zhao Chengzong, the governor of Tanzhou. Because of my father, I've been an official in Tanzhou for a long time and couldn't leave. It wasn't until recently that my father arranged a marriage for me, and I was able to leave the government office and go home to visit."

Seeing that Wan Jianfeng seemed to understand what he said, Zhao Defang helped to add, "Young Master Wan, this Brother Zhao is not someone else, but the eldest son of Zhao Zeping, a former founding hero. He does look very similar to my cousin. If I hadn't known him for a long time, I would have found it difficult to tell them apart!"

Wan Jianfeng clasped his fists and said, "Haha, I see. I thought Brother Yun was holding back his bad intentions and didn't recognize me. Now, I've made a mistake! Anyway, I didn't come to Luoyang to have fun this time. It's time to get down to business."

Zhao Defang asked in confusion: "I wonder what the important matter is?" (End of this chapter)