The Chronicles of the Rain-Covered Palace - Chapter 694: A Stormy Era

The November wind was already quite cold, howling chillily across the damp road. A dampness rose from the ground, making pedestrians shiver uncomfortably.
Along the official road at the foot of the mountain, there were still many travelers at noon. Under the cold wind, the travelers were panting and in low spirits, walking helplessly in the cold wind.
If you follow this official road, you'll reach the town ahead. It's the only town within a 500-mile radius, incredibly prosperous. Therefore, the road is teeming with people, mostly merchants heading to town to do business. The town is still nearly 300 miles away; even on horseback, it would take several days to reach it.
As noon approached, the number of people on the road gradually decreased, and in the distance, only a few people were still braving the cold wind to hurry along the main road.
As the group approached, a closer look revealed a young man in blue, around twenty years old. He was handsome and refined, with a commanding presence—a rare and strikingly beautiful man. What was most unforgettable was his gaze; it was cold, the kind of cold that kept people at a distance.
Upon closer inspection, the young man was noticeably different from the others. Everyone else was panting heavily, but the young man's face was completely free of sweat. While the others were covered in dust from their journey, the young man was spotless. It was truly strange.
Diao Piqing smiled and hurried along, his seemingly slow steps surprisingly fast. Since the village where they were staying had no horses, only donkeys and oxen, Wan Hongju had already ridden ahead, and the two had agreed to meet in the town ahead.
Before long, Diao Piqing had traveled twenty li and arrived at a small roadside tavern. Standing by the roadside, Diao Piqing glanced at the tavern, considering whether to go in and sit down or continue on his way.
Just then, the sound of galloping hooves came from afar on the main road, and in the blink of an eye, they were right in front of them, showing how fast the horses were running. As Diao Piqing was pondering, he saw four people galloping towards him, dismounting and entering the small tavern.
Diao Piqing noticed that among the four people—one woman and three men—they weren't very old. The woman caught his attention the most; she was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, dressed in a striking red dress. A smile played on her beautiful face, but a hint of arrogance lingered in her eyes—perhaps she was proud of her beauty. Judging from her hairstyle, she was a married woman. Her tight-fitting clothes accentuated her curvaceous figure, and her eyes were captivating. Her jade-like face, paired with the bright red dress, added a touch of both allure and nobility.
Of the three men, the youngest was about thirty-two or thirty-three years old, dressed in white, and quite handsome. A long sword hung at his waist, giving him an imposing air. The other two were around forty years old, of average appearance, but their eyes revealed their high level of martial arts skill.
The tavern was originally small, with only four dilapidated tables. When Diao Piqing arrived, three tables were already occupied. Now, with the addition of these four unexpected guests, there were no empty tables left. Diao Piqing looked at the red figure, a strange light flashing in his eyes. A slight smile appeared on his lips, revealing a hint of barely perceptible wickedness hidden beneath a faint smile.
Quietly entering the tavern, Diao Piqing glanced at the other three tables. Two of them were already full of six or seven people, making it impossible to find a seat. The other table had only two people seated. Diao Piqing looked at the two men, a sinister smile in his eyes. They were two unremarkable men in their forties dressed in gray, but Diao Piqing could tell that they were actually martial artists, though he didn't know why they were hiding their skills.
Approaching the two men, Diao Piqing smiled and said, "Greetings, gentlemen. I'd like to borrow a seat. What do you think, sir?"
One of them glanced at him, his eyes widening for a moment before he quickly recovered and said softly, "When you're out in the world, you're all just trying to make a living. Young man, don't be shy, sit down and have a couple of drinks."
Diao Piqing smiled and said, "Thank you very much. If you two brothers are willing, I'll treat you to the drinks today, and the cost will be on me."
The man in gray at the same table said, "Young man, you're too kind. Let's have a drink first."
While drinking, Diao Piqing kept an eye on the activity in the tavern.
The liquor store was quite crowded, but very quiet, I don't know why.
Diao Piqing asked softly, "What are your surnames, gentlemen?"
The man in gray said, "Don't bother with any fancy names. We're just roughnecks. My name is Chen Tiezhu, and his is Niu Dazhuang. But you, young brother, are quite the handsome fellow, a rare find indeed. I haven't even asked you your name yet."
Chen Tiezhu? Niu Dazhuang? These are obviously fake names that are just made up. Diao Piqing laughed and said, "My surname is Zhou, and my given name is Xing, meaning Starlight Star."
The three continued drinking, and the tavern became quiet.
Diao Piqing watched the four people riding up quietly, unsure of their origins. The beauty of the woman in red caught his eye, and he thought to himself, "Judging from this woman's appearance, she is truly a rare beauty, especially the hint of noble air about her face, which is extremely alluring."
Diao Piqing quietly observed the movements of the four people. At this moment, he heard the young man in white say in a low voice, "After we finish eating, we must hurry back. We must get ahead of those people and not let them cut off our retreat."
The three people at the table looked solemn and nodded in silence. The woman in red glanced at the people in the tavern, her gaze lingering on Diao Piqing's figure for a moment, her eyebrows furrowing slightly.
Diao Piqing looked at the woman, and when her gaze swept over him, a cold smile appeared in his eyes as he quietly met her gaze.
Before long, the four people left.
Diao Piqing looked at the two people at the table and said softly, "Brothers, you've been on this road for a long time, do you recognize those four people?"
Niu Dazhuang looked at him and said softly, "I bet this is your first time out here! You saw that woman was beautiful and kept staring at her. Let me tell you something honestly, brother. If you keep going like this, you're very likely to get into trouble. Once you've been out in the world for a while, you'll understand that those people rarely reason. They don't need a reason to kill someone. If they say you saw their wife, they'll definitely kill you. Understand? That's what they call the martial arts world. You'd better be careful in the future."
Diao Piqing hadn't expected Niu Dazhuang to say such a thing, so he could only laugh and say, "Thank you for reminding me, brother. It seems you know who they are. I'd like to learn more about them and broaden my horizons. I hope you can give me some pointers."
Chen Tiezhu said, "Let me tell you! Those four people were from the Murong family. The young man in white was Murong Feng, the head of the Murong family, a famous figure in the martial arts world, known as 'Southern Murong.' Ten years ago, he ranked thirteenth on the 'Dragon Ranking.' He was young and promising, and handsome beyond compare. He even married Chen Yuanyuan, the 'Orchid Fairy,' who ranked sixth on the 'Phoenix Ranking' ten years ago. Countless people were envious of him. The other two were experts from their Murong family, known as the 'Murong Twin Swords,' Chen Bing and Zhao Jian."
In the martial arts world, besides the most prestigious Black List, there are also the Dragon List and the Phoenix List.
Looking at the two men at the table, Diao Piqing said, "Brothers, they seem to be in a hurry. Has something serious happened?"
Chen Tiezhu and Niu Dazhuang exchanged a glance, and the former said, "Brother, you don't know yet! Recently, there have been rumors in the martial arts world that Murong Jiao, the abandoned daughter of the Murong family, accidentally found a map of Jingyan Palace that has recorded information for hundreds of years in an ancient tomb. They went there to meet Murong Jiao. The demons in the martial arts world have heard the news and are all rushing to Nanyue."
"Oh! I didn't know such a thing happened."
Diao Piqing paused slightly upon hearing this, a thoughtful look appearing in his eyes.
Chen Tiezhu said, "What? Young man, you're interested too?"
Diao Piqing smiled and said, "No, I was just passing by. Now that I've had my fill of food and drink, I'll take my leave first. I hope we'll meet again someday. Farewell."
After saying that, he placed a piece of broken silver on the table and left.
Watching Diao Piqing walk away, Niu Dazhuang said, "What do you think of this guy? Could he also be here for the map?"
Chen Tiezhu said, "It's hard to say. This person is a bit strange. It's a pity I can't see through him. I have to be careful if I run into him again. I don't want him to ruin our good thing."
Diao Piqing rushed to the nearest town and met up with Wan Hongju. After that, he told her the information he had inadvertently heard.
After discussing it, the mother and son realized that it would be a lie to say they weren't tempted. They knew that the War God Hall in the Jingyan Palace was said to contain one of the Four Great Books, the "War God's Record." If they could obtain the "War God's Record," who knew that Diao Piqing or Diao Xiang might become the next Chuan Ying? Moreover, the map wasn't in the Central Plains. The Phantom Sword Sect of Southern Guangdong was one of the most powerful sects. Since the map was in Southern Guangdong, it should naturally belong to the Phantom Sword Sect.
Meanwhile, Chu Jiangnan and Yan Feifei continued south, Su Qinxue took Murong Xiangxiang back to the Central Plains, and Leng Feng went to a nearby town to find Cha Zhenxing, arranging a time and place for their next meeting with Chu Jiangnan. Communication was difficult in ancient times, so it was essential to clarify how they would contact each other before parting. Murong Xiangxiang was deeply affected, seemingly suffering from a mental breakdown. Determined to see things through, Chu Jiangnan decided to have Su Qinxue take her to the Dongming Villa, where doctors would treat her. Although Yan Feifei was already Chu Jiangnan's woman, it was clearly inappropriate for her to take Murong Xiangxiang back, so only Su Qinxue could make the trip.
The emergence of an ancient map revealing the location of Jingyan Palace has stirred up a storm in the martial arts world. Diao Piqing and Wan Hongju have decided to return to the Meiying Sword Sect, gather experts, and seize the map. Chu Jiangnan, unaware of this, continues his southward journey, hoping to ambush Diao Piqing along the way.
Two days later, Chu Jiangnan received news from the Dark Hall that Diao Piqing had returned, though the specific reason was unknown. Along the way, Chu Jiangnan encountered many fellow martial artists, from whom he naturally learned of the ancient map's emergence. He couldn't help but sigh, lamenting that plans often go awry. Chu Jiangnan still didn't know Murong Xiangxiang's name, because the little girl had been in a daze since waking up; otherwise, he would have known that good deeds truly do bring good fortune.
After discussing it with Yan Feifei, Chu Jiangnan told her that his purpose for this trip was to kill Diao Piqing, the young master of the Phantom Sword Sect. He had already put in a lot of effort to set up the plan and almost managed to lure the snake out of its hole, but due to an unexpected event, the plan was ruined.
Yan Feifei was not just a pretty face; in terms of intelligence, she was far superior to Chu Jiangnan, a lazy fellow who disliked using his brain. Under Yan Feifei's clear and logical analysis, his brows gradually relaxed. Although Diao Piqing had returned to the Phantom Sword Sect, it was clearly to gather experts and wade into the muddy waters of the ancient map that recorded the location of Jingyan Palace. In other words, he would soon head south again. However, this time he wouldn't be alone, but with a large number of experts from the Phantom Sword Sect. The difficulty of assassinating Diao Piqing would be greatly increased, and it was very likely that Diao Xiang and Wan Hongju would also accompany him (they were already traveling together, but Chu Jiangnan didn't know it yet). Others might not know, but Chu Jiangnan was very clear that Wan Hongju's martial arts were higher than that of Diao Xiang, the leader of the Phantom Sword Sect, known as "Phantom Sword."
Chu Jiangnan recalled the details of Diao Piqing in the original novel and found that there weren't many. He should have been easy to kill, but why did it become so troublesome for him? Could this be the butterfly effect? Chu Jiangnan smiled bitterly. He had to kill him even if it was difficult. He was determined to deliver this betrothal gift.

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The Chronicles of the Rain-Covered Palace - Chapter 694: A Stormy Era

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