Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather
Chapter 217 - 209: Snowstorm Ambush

Chapter 217: Chapter 209: Snowstorm Ambush

Inside Chongshan Pass, in a luxurious inn.

Su Bai stood with utmost respect in front of a middle-aged man.

"Second Young Master, it’s confirmed; Changping Marquis Mansion indeed intends to form a marriage alliance with the Yang family. During the recent birthday banquet, the Marchioness had already hinted at this intention, and these past few days, there has been correspondence between Marquis Changping and Yang Zhenshan. They appear to be discussing the marriage details!"

Su Bai said with humble compliance.

The middle-aged man in front of him was none other than Su Shanyu, the second son of Marquis Jingyuan Mansion.

Su Shanyu was somewhat portly, his face flecked with flesh, and his eyes brimmed with violence; one could tell at a glance that he was not someone to be trifled with.

He was fiddling with a string of jade beads in his hand and said in an indifferent tone, "Stop them!"

The Crown Prince intended for the Ning Qing’s family from Marquis Jingyuan Mansion to form a marriage alliance with Changping Marquis Mansion, which is why Miss Ning Qing of Marquis Jingyuan Mansion came to Chongshan Pass.

However, it was not Jingyuan Mansion’s responsibility but theirs to facilitate this union.

That’s right, Marquis Jingyuan Mansion had long pledged allegiance to the Crown Prince, and Su Shanyu’s purpose here was to assist the marriage alliance between Marquis Jingyuan Mansion and Changping Marquis Mansion.

But now that Liang Chu had chosen the Yang family, he naturally couldn’t sit idly by.

"This... Second Young Master, how should we stop them?" Su Bai asked cautiously.

Su Shanyu abruptly raised his head, fierce light shooting from his eyes, "Do I need to think of a plan for you?"

"Yes, this subordinate understands. I will find a way to prevent their union!" Su Bai quivered in fear and hastily responded.

He knew all too well the temper of the master he served.

Ruthless and cruel, one who could harm lives if slightly displeased.

Although he was a trusted confidant of Marquis Jingyuan, he dared not anger this Young Master.

Continuing to twirl his prayer beads, Su Shanyu’s tone returned to its earlier calm, "Since the Yang family wishes to wed into Changping Marquis Mansion, we shall turn this joyous occasion into a funeral. Find an opportunity to kill the Yang family’s young Miss!"

"Killing a young girl, that should be within your capabilities, right?"

He looked indifferently at Su Bai.

Su Bai dared not claim otherwise, "Yes, this one will ensure the Yang family will have a funeral to hold!"

After all, she was but a young girl; they had no reason to fail.

"Mm! Go and make it happen!" Su Shanyu waved his hand dismissively.

Su Bai hesitated, then couldn’t help but ask, "And what about the seventh son?"

He was naturally referring to Su Shansi, who was working on road construction outside An Yuan City.

"Hmph, a useless wretch; it’s good for him to learn a lesson!" Su Shanyu showed no concern for his own brother; even though Su Shansi was his blood brother, he felt no fraternal affection for him.

If it weren’t for the sake of Marquis Jingyuan Mansion’s reputation, he wouldn’t bother with Su Shansi’s wellbeing.

"You don’t need to worry about this matter. In a few days, I’ll have the Prefect release him!"

Yang Zhenshan had rejected their proposal; naturally, he wouldn’t seek out Yang Zhenshan anymore. As for whom to find, within Chongshan Pass, there were plenty of government offices that had jurisdiction over the Prefectural Government of An Yuan, there was no need for him to go to An Yuan City; he only needed to ask around within Chongshan Pass.

...

Unbeknownst to Yang Zhenshan at this moment, there were those who sought Yang Yunxue’s life. After preparing Yu Qingyi, he once again escorted Yu Qingyi and Yang Yunxue out of the city.

"There may be a snowstorm today; be sure to stay warm on the road!"

Outside the city gate, Yang Zhenshan instructed Yu Qingyi.

Snowstorm!

Yu Qingyi looked up, puzzled, at the somber sky. The weather indeed didn’t seem good, and it did seem like it might snow.

"Understood, we will be careful! Do take good care of yourself at home, Master!"

Yu Qingyi didn’t take the prospect of a snowstorm seriously and responded nonchalantly.

Yang Zhenshan nodded slightly, "Be on your way!"

After that, Yu Qingyi climbed into the carriage, and the convoy slowly made its way towards the direction of Chongshan Pass.

Yang Zhenshan watched the departing troop, then looked up at the sky again.

"The snowstorm won’t be severe; it shouldn’t affect their travel!"

It was just the beginning of October, and the winter season had already arrived in Chongshan Town.

"Let’s go back!"

Yang Zhenshan turned and mounted his horse, galloping towards the city, followed by Han Fei and his personal followers.

Yang Zhenshan’s weather predictions were very accurate; if he said there was going to be a snowstorm, there certainly would be one.

Just past noon, fine snowflakes began to drift over An Yuan City. The cold north wind gently brushed over An Yuan City, bringing with it the chill of winter once again.

At this time, Yu Qingyi and her party had only traveled halfway.

From An Yuan City to Chongshan Pass was almost a two-hundred-li journey, but thanks to the road repairs in Chongshan Town over the past two years, the official roads they had traversed were fairly smooth.

Setting out from An Yuan City in the early morning and moving quickly, they should reach Chongshan Pass by evening.

Inside the carriage, Yu Qingyi was wrapped in a thick blanket, dozing off. Yang Yunxue and Wang Yunqiao, two young girls, huddled by the carriage window, lifting the curtain to watch the snowflakes fluttering outside.

In the distance, mountains layered upon one another; under the drifting, delicate snowflakes, they appeared as ethereal shadows, like dark figures embedded in the gloomy skies.

"Miss, the wind is picking up; don’t let the chill enter the carriage!"

Riding alongside the carriage, Nanny Song came up and spoke softly.

Although both were called nannies, Nanny Song and Nanny Lin were not very old.

Nanny Lin was slightly older, only fifty-five this year, and Nanny Song was fifty-three.

In addition to both having attained the Postnatal Third Layer of cultivation and being nourished by Spiritual Spring Water these past years, their health remained robust.

Riding a horse was child’s play to them, as their strength had not waned much with age.

"Yes, I understand, Nanny!" Yang Yunxue obediently drew the curtain closed.

Yu Qingyi was pregnant, so they naturally had to be extra considerate of her.

Meanwhile, not far ahead of them, on a gentle slope among dry grass and shrubs, Su Bai was leading a dozen or so subordinates as they quietly lay in wait.

"Here they come!"

All of a sudden someone spoke up, shattering the silence.

Su Bai’s expression turned solemn as he looked down the winding official road.

Through the sparse snowflakes, a team of about a dozen riders was approaching slowly.

"Ten guards, six old maids and maidservants, a carriage - the ones on the carriage must be Madam Yu of the Yang family and Miss Yang."

"Manager Su, Madam Yu comes from the worldly society, possessing the Postnatal Sixth Layer cultivation!"

A man with a scar on his face reminded Su Bai by his side.

Yu Qingyi’s background was no secret; a little investigation would reveal it.

However, their information was clearly outdated. Two years ago, indeed, Yu Qingyi possessed the cultivation of the Postnatal Sixth Layer, but now she had reached the peak of the Postnatal Seventh Layer, only a step away from breaking through to the Postnatal Eighth Layer.

But Su Bai was not at all concerned about Yu Qingyi. Having chosen to ambush here, he naturally had already investigated the situation of the Yang family and was very clear about Yu Qingyi’s level of cultivation.

Postnatal Sixth Layer might sound formidable, but in front of the forces of Marquis Jingyuan Mansion, it was merely a slightly capable opponent.

Although the number of people Su Bai brought this time was not large, only about a dozen, each of them was amongst Marquis Jingyuan Mansion’s elite. Four were martial artists of the Postnatal Third and Fourth Layers, and the rest were at the Refining Power Level.

Such a group of martial artists was a force that could not be ignored in any situation.

To be honest, Su Bai felt that using so many martial artists to deal with a group of guards and a few women from the Yang family was already overestimating the Yang family.

In his heart, the Yang family was nothing more than a newly risen minor clan without any true foundation or significant strength. Even if they had some guards, he assumed they were only low-level martial artists and would not be worth mentioning.

"Get ready to make a move!"

Su Bai stated with a cold and handsome expression.

At this moment, he was a different person from the one who was timid and overly respectful in front of Su Shanyu, presenting the image of a servant.

Here, he was the manager of the Marquis Mansion, with absolute authority and not a trace of a servant’s obsequiousness.

Just like when he had been in front of Yang Zhenshan, he had carried an air of superiority.

The dozen or so spread out, and in just a moment, they hid among the withered yellows of the bushes.

The caravan moved slowly, with the snow continuing to drift.

The leading guard glanced casually at the surroundings. This guard was a disciple of the Sky Blue Sword Sect, a disciple of Su Kun, named Wu Zhan.

Wu Zhan, twenty-eight years old this year, joined the Yang family with a cultivation of the Postnatal Second Layer, considered to be the most gifted among the ten disciples that joined the Yang family.

Wu Zhan’s personality tended to be a bit more laid-back, not as reliable as Wu Zheng, but he was still very loyal to the Yang family.

At this moment, Wu Zhan lazily watched the fluttering snow around him. Wrapped in a thick leather jacket, he didn’t feel cold, but travelling was inherently boring, so he felt completely uninterested.

Ah, how I miss the warm kang at home!

Wu Zhan’s eyelids drooped as he couldn’t help but mutter inwardly.

Suddenly, his expression shifted slightly as he looked up towards the thicket ahead.

Snowflakes fell, already frosting the withered vegetation with a layer of white, but it seemed a few spots had been disturbed.

As a Jianghu Martial Artist, Wu Zhan had often accompanied the caravan of the escort agency on trips and had also experienced life in the worldly society, so despite his casual demeanor, he was, in fact, a very attentive person.

Especially when travelling, beneath his bored exterior lay a vigilant heart.

"Stop!"

Without a second thought, Wu Zhan pulled the reins tight and halted the troop.

"Uncle Master, what happened?"

A guard behind asked in confusion.

Wu Zhan didn’t answer, his eyes sweeping over the woods on the hillside.

It wasn’t caused by animals!

The snowfall had been brief and light, so there wasn’t much snow on the woods.

Nevertheless, Wu Zhan could still discern quite a lot.

The snow was definitely disturbed, and it seemed that there were many sites of such disturbance, not something that could be caused by one or two small animals.

A large number of animals would have been impossible to go unnoticed.

Eliminating the possibility of animals, only one answer remained.

There had been people here, and not just one!

"Be alert, we might have trouble!"

Wu Zhan warned.

He didn’t advance to investigate but stayed put to continue his meticulous observation.

At this time, on the carriage, Yu Qingyi, awakened from her dozing off due to the stop of the carriage.

"Nanny Song, what’s wrong?"

Outside the carriage, Nanny Song spoke softly, "Something seems off ahead, Wu Zhan is keeping watch!"

"Something’s off!"

Yu Qingyi sat up straight, lifted the carriage curtain, and looked towards the hillside ahead.

And at that moment, her eyes abruptly narrowed.

"Be careful!"

The next second, the whistling sound of air being pierced rang out, and arrows shot through, striking the carriage sharply.

Yu Qingyi’s pupils contracted sharply, and she caught an incoming arrow with her hand!

It was not a standard military arrow, but the sleeve arrow commonly seen among the Jianghu.

A so-called sleeve arrow is a concealed arrow hidden within one’s sleeve.

Usually kept in a specially made arrow case concealed within the sleeve, the arrow shaft is short and light while the arrowhead is heavier.

These concealed arrows are easy to carry and hide but have the downsides of a short range, less power, and a minimal number of continuous shots, generally no more than three times.

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