Chapter 27: Hidden Dragon Jade Pendant

  Zhongzhou City, located in the central part of Xuzhou, one of the nine states, has been a transportation hub for the north and south of the nine states since ancient times. Many goods from the south come to Zhongzhou City for transit and are then transported to Yanjing or the northwest. There are also northern furs and eastern oceanic ornaments that are transshipped in Zhongzhou, heading to Yangzhou or further south to Nanyang.

  The Tang Mansion had been arranged by Yang Yun-song, the governor of Zhongzhou City, more than half a month ago. Although Yang Yun-song's name sounds elegant and refined, in reality he is just as corrupt as the others; anyone who has lived in Zhongzhou for even a few days would know that.

  Tang An rode his horse swiftly, charging straight into the main gate of Zhongzhou City. In just a moment, he lifted his head and saw that not far away was the first large tavern in Zhongzhou, Wang Yue Lou.

  Wangyuelou, this was once Tang An's favorite tavern, now ten years later, when he returns again. The tavern is still prosperous, but unfortunately, the excitement of the past is gone.

  Tang An slowly rode his horse forward, unaware of why, perhaps it was the feeling of being close to home, but suddenly a hint of desolation appeared in his heart.

  "Even if the Tang family's grand mansion is still standing, I can never find those carefree days again. In fact, nobody in this world knows that my original aspiration was just to be a young master of a wealthy and noble family, occasionally walking dogs and fighting birds. When I had nothing better to do, I would go to the Moon-Watching Wine Tower to drink a cup of wine, listen to a few songs, and if I saw poor people on the street, I would casually give them a few copper coins... But now... who could have thought?"

  The Moon Viewing Pavilion has arrived, Tang An is sitting on horseback, wearing a purple robe.

  The man is a handsome young lad, the horse is a tall and majestic steed. As they pass by, it's rare for people not to turn their heads to take another look at this young man.

  The little second glance at Tang An's clothes and the fine horse, knew that this person was absolutely extraordinary and couldn't be underestimated.

  The little servant boy immediately gave a thousand bows, and with a respectful attitude, asked: "Sir, where are you from? Today's weather is really hot, our store has the best cooling tea to relieve the heat. Would you like to have a cup? The first cup, our boss will treat you as a guest, we don't dare ask for your money. If you think it's good, the second cup, we'll discuss the price later. What do you say, sir?"

  Tang An sat on his horse, silent, but curiously gazing at the young servant. The young servant was twenty-six or seven years old, not very tall, yet looked agile and nimble.

  That young man was sized up by Tang An, but he thought it was strange in his heart: "Why doesn't this young man speak, and why is he staring at me blankly? Is there something strange about me? This young man has beautiful clothes and a fine horse, so I must not offend him. Maybe he's a relative of some rich and noble family?"

  The little servant thought of this, and again made a bow, saying: "If the guest doesn't want to drink tea, he can also go inside and rest for a while. If not, the guest's horse is too high and too big, blocking the door, our shop may not be able to do business well. Please forgive us...". After finishing speaking, the little servant bowed deeply and respectfully asked Tang An to leave.

  Tang An suddenly smiled and said, "Young Second Brother, how is Manager Tian's health lately? I'm afraid Chun Tao in Yichun Courtyard has gotten her wish and become the thirteenth wife of the Tian family?"

  Xiao Er Ge was taken aback, looked up and blurted out: "How did you know? Are you... Ah, no, that's not right either. Tian Zhanggui's family doesn't have such a wealthy and noble relative. Otherwise, he would have bragged about it to the whole Zhongzhou by now..."

  Tang An smiled and looked at Xiao Er, jokingly saying: "How do you know I'm a rich and noble relative, rather than some bumpkin who ran out of nowhere pretending to be a rich and noble fool?"

  Tang An had not finished speaking, but Xiao Er had already seen over a hundred Tiger and Leopard Army soldiers appear behind him. These soldiers were dressed in black clothes and armor, and with a swift movement, they had already surrounded the Wang Yue Lou.

  When the little second saw over a hundred tiger and leopard riders rushing over, the horses galloping, it seemed as if even the air was starting to get tight. His face suddenly turned pale, and he couldn't help but think: "Could it be that the boss has taken Yang's mistress, and Yang is using this as an excuse to have the army raid our house?"

  The little second thought of this, immediately knelt on the ground, knocking his head loudly, and shouted in his mouth: "Heavenly Master, don't take care of my affairs. I don't know anything... Don't catch me, I'm innocent. My son can't even make soy sauce now, if you catch me, my whole family will starve to death..."

  Tang An didn't understand why Xiao Er suddenly knelt down and shouted that it was a miscarriage of justice. He looked at the tiger and leopard cavalry behind him, smiled slightly, and waved his hand. The tiger and leopard riders dispersed in all directions.

  He looked at Xiao Er, shook his head, got off the horse, patted Xiao Er's shoulder and said: "Xiao Er, have you forgotten me? Remember how every time I came here, you would reserve the best seat on the third floor for me in advance, and even open the window for ventilation... Have you forgotten? In the past, I also bragged to you that when I grew up, I would open a Listening Rain Pavilion across from Wang Yue Lou, invite a group of songstresses, and have them perform a dance with rainbow-colored sleeves during meals with my mother... Have you forgotten?"

  Xiao Er's head stopped nodding, slowly lifted his head, and his eyes were filled with confusion. However, he saw the kindness in Tang An's eyes. At least, that wasn't a killer's gaze.

  Tang An saw that Xiao Er had forgotten, shook his head, turned around and got back on the horse. "You've forgotten... but I haven't. Ten years have passed... Tang An has finally returned."

  Tang An patted the horse and shouted loudly to the soldiers behind him: "My sons, follow me home! Haha... I'm going home!" The Tiger and Leopard Riders immediately waved their whips and let out a loud whoop.

  Tang An heard this and burst out laughing, patting his horse's back.

  The horse is a fine steed, riding alone and swiftly, disappearing into the distance in no time.

  He rubbed the back of his head, furrowed his brow and said: "I think someone told me to let him be the boss before, but who was that person? It doesn't make sense that I'd forget something so important. I'm only 26 this year, I shouldn't be so forgetful."

  The little servant lowered his head and walked two steps, muttering to himself: "Right, what did he say his name was? Tang An? This name sounds a bit familiar... Tang An..."

  Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Xiao Er's mind and he remembered. "Tang An, I remember now! Isn't that the little prodigy from Zhongzhou City? Didn't they say the Tang family had fallen? But why does he look even more majestic than Governor Tang?"

  On the Moon Watching Building, many guests stuck their heads out to look at Tang An's back, guessing: "Whose son is this? How can he be so majestic? He looks only sixteen or seventeen years old, but his knights are incredibly powerful, incredible!"

  Some guests who had seen the world, seeing the tiger and leopard knights' fine iron armor with tiger and leopard patterns, had already guessed one or two things. They said to their friends: "You are ignorant, but I have already figured out what kind of person this young man is."

  Those diners, upon hearing this, immediately became interested and gathered around, asking in a low voice: "Who exactly is that young man? With over a hundred people surrounding him, isn't he the son of some high-ranking official?"

  That man sneered: "What is the Governor? Haven't you seen the knights by his side, with their majestic and elegant demeanor? Let me tell you, they are none other than the Tiger and Leopard Army, the strongest military force of my Great Yan. And that young man, if I'm not mistaken, should be the current number one swordsman in the world, Tianjian Tang An."

  "Is that Tianjian Tang An, the one who [shook the heavens with a single sword from the Ninth Heaven]?"

  "Not bad"

  "No wonder he has such a demeanor... I've heard that he's from Zhongzhou, and now he's returned with glory... But I've also heard that the Tang family suffered a drastic change ten years ago, all because of someone's deliberate scheme. You guys say, is he back home to seek revenge?"

  He had just finished speaking when his companion covered his mouth: "You know it yourself, why say it out loud? He's now the Marquis of Wu'an and a top master in the Heavenly Realm. How many people dare to be his enemy? Those who dare to be his enemy are just a few." The companion said this while subtly pointing south with their hand, and the others immediately understood, no longer speaking. They continued drinking tea and chatting. Next door, however, someone couldn't drink their tea anymore, shouting: "Shopkeeper, I'll pay the bill!" After finishing, they put on their sun hat and hastily ran out.

  …………

  Tang An rode his horse forward, and in less than a few minutes, he arrived at the entrance of a large mansion.

  The mansion looks old, the vermilion gate has faded, leaving mottled marks.

  The Tang family's mansion was not large, not as big as the Wu'an Marquis' estate in the capital where Tang An used to live. However, although the estate was small, it was filled with almost all of his happy memories. Although thinking about it now, those happy days were mostly boring. But even on the most boring days, being able to be with his parents was happiness for Tang An.

  Tang Anduan sat on his horse, he had already seen the high branches of the phoenix tree in the depths of the courtyard poking out over the wall, the leaves fluttering and shaking, as if they too had seen their master's arrival, and were jumping for joy.

  After a while, Mu Hongyu and others also arrived. At this moment, Tang An had already dismounted his horse and was carefully touching the marks on the gate of the mansion.

  The marks of ten years' passage are already clear to everyone from the crimson gate's peeling red paint.

  Ten years is indeed a very long time.

  Xiao Ye poked his head out of the horse carriage, jumped down to Tang An's side in one step, looked at Tang An with a suspicious gaze, then looked at the red lacquer gate in front of Tang An and asked: "Little Tang An, is this your home? Since you're already home, why aren't you going inside? Did you forget where you put the key?"

  Tang An didn't say anything, but was amused by Xiao Xie's words.

  Xiao Xie saw Tang An laughing and suddenly became excited. She pretended to be a little adult, shaking her head and making an "I knew you didn't bring the key" expression. Then she retreated a few steps, lightly jumped up and flipped over the wall.

  "Creak..."

  The heavy gate slowly opened from the inside...

  The door opened halfway, and Xiao Xie beckoned to Tang An outside the door, saying: "Come in. Remember to bring the key next time."

  Tang An didn't move, Xiao Xie walked a few steps on her own, only to find that the people behind her were all stunned in place, seemingly trying their best to hold back their laughter. She looked like she couldn't take it anymore, then turned around and grabbed Tang An's hand, pulling him along.

  As soon as Tang An left, Mu Hongyu glanced at the tiger and leopard soldiers on horseback. Those soldiers were bent over, seemingly enduring extreme pain. She helplessly waved her hand and said: "If you want to laugh, then laugh. Now, he is no longer the person you knew. Later, you will also slowly get used to it."

  "His sword may be cold, but it has never been pointed at his own people."

  Muhongyu finished speaking and pulled Miao's hand, also walking inside.

  As she passed the doorway, Miao suddenly stopped in her tracks, her heart filled with excitement. Looking at the courtyard and Tang An being dragged around by Xiao Xie, she felt a sense of fullness in her heart. It was full of happiness, almost overflowing.

  Miao Miao stretched out her hand and touched the huge copper ring on the door, saying: "Sister, from now on, is this going to be our home? Big brother said that we still have a mother and a father. When Mom and Dad come back, we will be a family forever."

  Muhongyu nodded, "Yes, a family."

  For some reason, Mu Hongyu suddenly thought of the home in Shu Mountain. "Wang Ruitu is already dead, and as for Father and Big Brother, I don't know how they are..."

  But as soon as she thought of this, she immediately shook these thoughts out of her head. "I've already left home, and from now on, that place is no longer my home."

  Thinking of this, Mu Hongyu also stretched out her hand and grasped the copper ring on the door. The copper ring had some rust on it, but it was solid and real.

  "From now on, this place is also my home."

  …………

  Tang An was dragged by Xiao Xie to run around everywhere, introducing everything at home. Seeing a swing under the grape arbor in the garden, Xiao Xie was immediately attracted.

  She let out a joyful whoop and scampered up the swing, starting to sway back and forth. As she swayed, she tilted her head at Tang An and said, "Little Tang An, from now on this swing belongs to me. No one can take it away from me. You promised."

  Tang An nodded and said: "We won't play anymore, from now on, this swing is yours exclusively." Xiao Xie heard this and swung even more happily.

  At this time, Mu Hongyu and Miao Miao also came in.

  Tang An saw Mu Hongyu and suddenly remembered that he still had something buried in the garden. Ten years ago, he had promised himself that one day he would dig up the hidden dragon jade pendant and wear it around his neck again, becoming the young master of the Tang family once more.

  Now he has finally come back. Jade pendant, it's time to dig it out too.

  Under the strange gaze of the three women, Tang An's sword energy shot out from his hand and drilled into the ground non-stop. In less than a moment, the hidden dragon jade pendant was dug out by him. He had said that he would give this pendant to Mu Hongyu.

  Mu Hongyu's eyesight was extremely good, and as soon as Tang An dug it out, she saw the hidden dragon ascending to heaven pattern on this jade pendant, and immediately thought of what Tang An had said to her. Her heart couldn't help but feel a little shy: "Is this considered a token of affection?"

  But she suddenly saw Tang An's eyebrows furrowed, and her heart also rose, asking: "Tang An, what's wrong?"

  Tang An put the jade pendant into Mu Hongyu's hand, and in an instant, Mu Hongyu felt that her divine sense had become sluggish, as if there was something invisible binding her, making her divine sense flow like it was being held back by threads, unable to move smoothly.

  She felt something was off and instinctively threw the Hiding Dragon Jade Pendant to the ground, looking at Tang An with a puzzled expression: "Why is this jade pendant so strange?"

  Tang An didn't say a word, he simply picked up the jade pendant slowly and put it back in his bosom. The jade pendant returned to his hand, but there was nothing unusual about it. He could still feel his true yuan force being guided by the jade pendant, slowly circulating along a specific trajectory. This jade pendant must be hiding some secret.

  "It seems this jade pendant can't be given to you for now."

  Just then, Tang An suddenly heard a familiar shout from outside the door: "Young Master, is that you back?"

  It's Wang Ershu

  Tang An suddenly remembered this voice and couldn't help but rush out quickly.

  The system will be back online tomorrow. Get ready, Tang An is going to receive a big gift package.