Chapter 89 - 86: Turning the World Upside Down
The next day, at Huai’s pawnshop.
The atmosphere was as oppressive as water.
The myna bird was particularly quiet tonight, crouching in its nest, not daring to curse.
The basket filled with vegetables from last night was still sitting by the door, motionless.
Today’s kitchen was spotless, without a trace of any aroma.
Zhao Huai lay on the bed with a cold expression.
He had never felt so desolate before, a feeling that was akin to a fucking heartbreak.
How could people turn their faces so easily?
He could still smell the faint fragrance at the tip of his nose, and see strands of black hair on his pillow.
But the person who used to be on the pillow was long gone.
After lying there for an unknown length of time, Zhao Huai finally gets up.
He couldn’t figure it out and hadn’t slept all night.
He lazily opened the shop, then laid his head on the table, watching the hustle and bustle of the street outside.
He kept laying there until noon, when it was time for lunch.
He didn’t have an appetite, nor did he want to eat.
There was no one to cook, wash vegetables or do the dishes, no one to tell interesting love stories, and the myna bird had no one to take care of it. What’s the point of eating?
In short, he was unused to it.
After getting used to a life with two people, it was too difficult to return to his previous state.
He had to find out what had happened.
Suddenly, a person appeared in Zhao Huai’s line of sight.
A woman.
She lurked by the window opposite his, staring sneakily at him. Zhao Huai expressionlessly stood up and walked straight over.
“Hey, hey, hey! Put me down!”
Pei Xiangyun was lifted by her collar like a little chick and brought into the pawnshop.
Passers-by couldn’t help but look and think. Did Boss Zhao take a concubine?
“Come here, sit down.”
Zhao Huai threw Pei Xiangyun onto a chair, his face void of expression.
Seeing his cold demeanor, Pei Xiangyun swallowed the insults she was about to hurl.
Her sister had told her to stay in Jinzhou last night. She immediately found an inn to stay in, choosing one right across from the pawnshop so she could keep an eye on her brother-in-law. This was the only remaining thing she could do for her sister as a younger sister-in-law.
But unexpectedly, she was grabbed by this guy and brought in front of everyone, holding her by the clothes. She was a senior qi-refining cultivator, after all, with years of cultivation in her sect. Did she really have no power to resist?
It seems her sister was right; this guy truly had the cultivation of the Initiation Stage!
Pei Xiangyun sat in the chair, under Zhao Huai’s cold gaze.
With her almond-shaped eyes, she couldn’t look at him directly, feeling an inexplicable tension in her heart. Sweat formed on her forehead, her palms clenched tightly, fearing he would do something crazy.
“Speak.”
Zhao Huai finally uttered a word.
“What do you want me to say?”
Pei Xiangyun feigned ignorance. Her sister had instructed her not to reveal anything before leaving and never to let this man risk his life. She had also vowed that she would never say it and wouldn’t let him do anything foolish.
“Tell me about… your sister.” Zhao Huai hesitated.
Because he realized he didn’t know her as well as he thought.
“My sister… is fine. She just went home for a while.” Pei Xiangyun forced a dry laugh and an ugly smile.
The man before her wasn’t someone to be trifled with – he was in the Initiation
Stage, with the same cultivation as the top four skilled fighters in the capital “Tell the truth.”
Zhao Huai spoke solemnly, seeming very much like an elder.
“Brother-in-law…”
Pei Xiangyun hesitated and found herself never thinking that the man in front of her would seem so masculine.”Don’t you know your sister is in danger?” Zhao Huai said sternly again.
His playful demeanor from their previous encounter had completely vanished.
Pei Xiangyun fell silent for a moment, then asked, “You’re not going to take action, are you?”
“What do you think?”
Zhao Huai clenched his fists.
Pei Xiangyun swallowed and honestly recounted everything about her sister.
All about her sister’s life.
From childhood, how her sister started to practice martial arts, how their father persuaded her, how she joined a sect, the hardships she endured every day, the battles she fought, the people she killed, to eventually being expelled from their home and the conflicts with her two brothers.
Even about the chaos this time with the Emperor’s death, how their family was to be liquidated, and how everyone’s lives were about to end, she told him everything in a torrent of words.
Basically, except for the princess’s identity, she told him everything.
However, what Zhao Huai asked the most about was her sister’s little hobbies and the small details in her daily life.
From noon till the sun had set, they discussed nearly everything about Yu Qinghan’s life, leaving Pei Xiangyun feeling as though her voice was about to give out.
After listening, the night had fallen for Zhao Huai.
He looked at the darkening sky outside; although it was summer, the wind had a strangely cool feel to it.
Had she thought everything was for her own good?
What a fool.
Zhao Huai stood in the pawnshop for a long time, looking at the calligraphy paintings hanging in the shop, and on one of the paintings was written:
Alone in a foreign land, an alien among strangers.
At first, he really liked the painting, but now, his enthusiasm had diminished.
After staring at the painting for a while, he took it down, threw it into the kitchen stove to be burned as fuel, and turned to ask a question:
“Is it in the capital city?”
Pei Xiangyun nodded blankly, “Yes.”
Her sister must be in the capital city. The night before, she informed her sister about the matter, and her sister reacted violently, saying that she must take action before it happened, or else everything would be too late.
Although she did not understand the meaning of her sister’s words, she could foresee that the capital city would undoubtedly be a place of conflict.
“Husband, you’re the best.”
At this moment, the myna bird spoke inappropriately. The voice had a 90% similarity, as if it had come from Yu Qinghan’s own mouth.
Pei Xiangyun let out a small “Oh,” but was abruptly carried away by Zhao Huai’s large hand. “Children shouldn’t eavesdrop.”
“I’m not little!”
Looking at the night sky, Zhao Huai took out the golden bronze coin from his waist and threw it forcefully.
[Misfortune and good fortune are intertwined; let’s see how it goes]
[Hexagram one: The boat is light and swift, the wind is fluttering and blowing clothes, staying in Jinzhou, the sign you receive is “good fortune”.]
Trace Guidance: Adapt to changes effortlessly.
[Hexagram two: The hidden dragon soars in the sky one day, through the ten thousand li of heroic path, the journey to the capital city, the sign you receive is “Misfortune”.]
Trace Guidance: After the matter is settled, hide yourself and your name deep.
After reading the hexagram, Zhao Huai felt indifferent, his mind clearer than ever before, and ideas began to form.
In a murmur, he said, “Misfortune and fortune are intertwined; even if it is misfortune, let’s turn it into fortune.”
Staring at Zhao Huai’s back, Pei Xiangyun’s heart was also in turmoil. She didn’t know what this man intended to do. She hadn’t accomplished any of the tasks her sister had assigned her.
What could she do?
She watched Zhao Huai take a bamboo hat, a long sword, and the myna bird, grabbed some panacea from the backyard, locked the house’s doors and windows, and pasted many talismans.
Pei Xiangyun froze and asked cautiously, “Brother-in-law, what are you
“Saving your sister.”
Zhao Huai locked the pawnshop door, his face serious.
Then he stepped onto the sword, flew away with sword control, and left behind half a sentence.
“And, by the way, turn the Xia Country upside down.”
Selective Response: No knife, watch with peace of mind..