While on Mount Hua, my mind is at peace!

Chapter 72 What does it mean when you kiss me like that?

Yue Feng looked at Commander Zhou with great interest: "Your skill is quite profound. You were hit by my 'Golden Wind and Jade Dew Finger' with seventy percent of its power, yet you were still able to endure it until now."

Only now did Commander Zhou realize that the wisp of true energy that had been tormenting him constantly had such a beautiful name. Upon hearing Yue Feng say that he had only used seventy percent of his power, he involuntarily shuddered and cried out, "Please, Young Hero Feng, have mercy!"

"Shh—" Yue Feng held up a finger. "Keep your voice down, the neighbors are still sleeping. I can lift the restriction on you, but I need you to do something for me. Can I...trust you?"

Commander Zhou opened his mouth, wanting to swear an oath, but he was too excited to utter a single word. Yue Feng saw his flushed face and smiled slightly.

"What I'm about to tell you is a secret between us. Once this secret is leaked, no matter the reason, I will definitely settle accounts with you. And when that happens, it won't be as easy as just using 70% of my power."

Commander Zhou swallowed hard and nodded repeatedly. Yue Feng pointed to the stool opposite him, gesturing for him to sit down, before saying:

"As you know, I am friends with Mr. Feng of the Huashan Sword Sect. However, Mr. Yue of the Huashan Qi Sect has also been kind to me. Although I promised Mr. Feng that I would accompany him to Huashan, I do not wish for either side to suffer any loss. Do you understand now?"

Commander Zhou nodded and said, "I understand. If this matter only involved the Sword Sect and the Qi Sect, even if the Songshan Sect were added, Young Hero Feng could handle it on his own. But now this matter involves the Eastern Depot, so Young Hero Feng needs my help."

Yue Feng snapped his fingers: "Not bad. Talking to smart people is so much easier. Now, why don't you guess what I want?"

Without hesitation, Commander Zhou said, "Young Master Feng, do you want Qi Lang to cancel this operation? I'll go back right now and kill all my men."

"If the plan to take the tunnel falls through, it will at least delay Qi Lang for a while. However... if I may be frank, Qi Lang is under pressure from above and cannot give up this operation. Sooner or later, he will still make a move against Mount Hua."

Yue Feng said, "You know Qi Lang's actions are inevitable, so why would I risk exposing you and do something that would achieve half the result with twice the effort? No, that's not what I want. Guess again."

After pondering for a long time, Commander Zhou said uncertainly, "Young Master Feng... do you wish for long-term peace and stability at Mount Hua? Do you want the people from the Eastern Depot to never disturb the tranquility of Mount Hua again?"

A glint flashed in Yue Feng's eyes. He thought he had already thought highly of Commander Zhou, but he hadn't expected the boy to be even smarter than he had anticipated.

"Can you do it?" Yue Feng asked calmly.

Commander Zhou fell into deep thought again, this time for even longer than before. Yue Feng waited patiently, sipping his tea. The sound of the night watchman's gong came from afar. Commander Zhou's body stiffened, and he slowly spoke:

"This matter is extremely difficult, but perhaps it is possible. Young Master Feng may not know that the officials of the Eastern Depot were divided into three factions a long time ago. One faction, led by Chief Cao Ruoyu, is the most powerful and the most radical. It was they who proposed the policy of annexing the martial arts world."

"The second most powerful faction is that of Yan Chengyu, the second-in-command. Yan Chengyu came from humble beginnings and believed that there were hidden talents and dangers in the martial arts world, so they could only plan slowly and not take things by force. Therefore, he was known as the conservative faction."

"As for the third faction... they are all officials who are unwilling to get involved in the murky waters of the martial arts world. Whether it's a gradual approach or a forceful seizure, it has nothing to do with them, so they are considered neutral. My father is a member of the neutral faction. If it weren't for the pressure from the radical faction, he wouldn't have sent me to Huayin County this time."

Yue Feng nodded: "And then, what's your idea?"

Commander Zhou said, "In short, it's about supporting the conservatives and suppressing the radicals. As long as the conservatives gain the upper hand in the internal power struggles within the Eastern Depot, their policy towards the martial arts world will naturally change."

Yue Feng asked, "How exactly do we do it?"

"This... I haven't decided yet. Could you give me some time? I will certainly not disappoint Young Master Feng."

Yue Feng was well aware that the power struggles in the imperial court were incredibly complex, and no solution could be come up with on a whim, so he nodded in agreement: "No problem. As long as we can come up with something before Qi Lang's operation ends, it's not too late."

Commander Zhou said, "Alright. Is there anything else Young Master Feng needs me to do regarding Qi Lang's actions?"

"Not at the moment. Commander Zhou, I don't even know your name?"

"My humble name is 'Hua Peng,' which may offend your refined ears, young hero."

"A good name. Brother Huapeng, if you ever truly transform into a peng (a mythical bird), don't forget your brother!"

Zhou Huapeng gave a wry smile. At this moment, he only wanted to escape his misery and had no mind to think about the future. But seeing that Yue Feng was quite serious, he could only cup his hands and say, "I dare not."

After the two finished their discussion, Yue Feng personally escorted Zhou Huapeng out, which made the latter feel somewhat flattered. When Yue Feng returned after seeing Zhou Huapeng off, he bumped into a young maid, the one who had led him to Xiong Zhaozhao's room.

The maidservant's eyes lit up when she saw Yue Feng, and she said with a smile, "Miss asked me to come and find Young Hero Feng. She said she has something important to discuss with you and wants you to go to her room."

Yue Feng pondered, "What important matter could be so urgent that we have to discuss it at this hour?" He hesitated, but a sense of unease stirred within him, so he nodded and said in a serious tone, "Okay, I understand."

He was about to leave when he suddenly remembered something, called out to the maid, took out a silver ingot from his purse and stuffed it into her hand: "Take this little bit of money and buy some rouge and powder. Don't go around talking about what happened tonight."

The maid chuckled and said, "Ping'er is the young lady's personal maid, and she will be marrying with her in the future. How could she gossip? However, I have accepted your money, young master. I will do you a favor in the future."

Yue Feng watched Ping'er's graceful figure disappear into the distance, clicked his tongue, and, relying on his memory, went to Xiong Zhaozhao's room. After knocking on the door, Xiong Zhaozhao's dazed voice rang out from inside: "Who is it?"

"It is I, Feng Yue."

The door suddenly opened, and Yue Feng was pulled inside by Xiong Zhaozhao. Xiong Zhaozhao slammed the door shut and asked Yue Feng, "Tell me, what did you mean by kissing me like that during the banquet?"

Seeing her drunken state, Yue Feng knew she was under the influence of alcohol and no longer thinking clearly. At this moment, it would have been easy for him to do anything to Xiong Zhaozhao if he wanted to. But he simply said, "You're drunk," and dragged Xiong Zhaozhao to the bedside.

He used his internal energy to help Xiong Zhaozhao dissipate some of the effects of the alcohol, then poured her a cup of tea and made her drink it. Xiong Zhaozhao's effects gradually wore off, and she soon fell into a deep sleep. Yue Feng extinguished the candle and quietly left the room. Just as he was about to turn around, he suddenly heard a thunderous shout:

"Damn it! I knew you weren't honest!"