blogombal Page 446
Page 446
"I still have things to take care of." Chu Yang peeled an egg and stuffed it into Guo Furong's mouth, trying to shut her up for the time being.
Guo Furong was so speechless that she rolled her eyes.
Just then, a burst of laughter came from the backyard.
Mo Xiaobei rode on Lu Yiming's shoulders, and the two of them happily came out of the backyard, followed by Zhou Dunru and Zhu Xiaoyun.
"Shopkeeper, Xiao Bei has agreed to become the head of our Hengshan Sect. In a few days, we will hold the succession ceremony, and we invite the heads of all sects to attend." Lu Yiming proudly raised his head.
Tong Xiangyu asked in surprise, "Where will you hold the succession ceremony?"
Zhou Dunru and Zhu Xiaoyun said in unison, "Of course it's here!"
Tong Xiangyu felt a headache coming on as soon as she heard this, and said angrily, "Do you know how much this ceremony costs?"
Upon hearing about money, the three of them were in a dilemma, because Mo Xiaobao had sold off almost all of Hengshan Sect's assets back then, and now Hengshan Sect was practically defunct and penniless.
"Don't worry about this, shopkeeper. We brothers and I have our own way of handling it."
Lu Yiming pondered for a moment, as if he had made up his mind, and then he and his two fellow disciples took Mo Xiaobei to school.
Tong Xiangyu watched their departing figures with a worried expression.
.........
During the preparations for the succession ceremony at Tongfu Inn, Lao Xing came by, bringing not only a free meal but also a piece of gossip.
Manager Qian's Wanli Pawnshop was robbed, and several dozen taels of silver were gone. Old Xing was convinced that the perpetrator was a master thief, as he said no traces were left at the scene.
Speaking of this, everyone subconsciously focused their attention on Lao Bai.
"I went to bed a long time ago last night!" Old Bai said irritably.
Disappointed at not hearing the answer they wanted, the crowd dispersed, leaving only Old Xing staring at Old Bai in bewilderment.
Not long after Lao Xing left, Lu Yiming returned from outside, tossing Tong Xiangyu a bag of silver and declaring that Tongfu Inn should be run well and the succession ceremony should not be too shabby.
Tong Xiangyu asked him where the money came from, but Lu Yiming didn't answer and got up to leave. This left Tong Xiangyu with a knot in her heart, since Lao Xing had just mentioned that Wanli Pawnshop had been robbed.
So, she slammed her hand on the table in anger, picked up her money bag, and went to find Mo Xiaobei.
Chu Yang suddenly spoke up: "Manager Tong, the fact that Lu Yiming and the other two traveled a long way to find Mo Xiaobei to let her succeed as the sect leader shows that they are not bad at heart and should not do such a thing."
Tong Xiangyu was stunned and turned to look at Chu Yang.
Chu Yang continued, "Yesterday I went to Zuo Family Village and saw those three brothers performing on the street. The famous Hengshan Sect disciples have fallen to this state. They must be feeling very sad. Shopkeeper, please don't reopen old wounds."
Tong Xiangyu sat back down and couldn't help but sigh, "It's all because of this Hengshan Sect leader."
Chu Yang took out a few more silver ingots from his pocket and handed them to Tong Xiangyu, saying, "Mo Taichong of Hengshan Sect is a rare chivalrous person, a true hero who serves the country and its people. The current state of Hengshan is lamentable. This silver is just a token of my appreciation. Let's make the succession ceremony a successor ceremony."
"Thank you, Your Highness." Tong Xiangyu, unusually, did not accept the money, but said sincerely, "Your Highness's words are more precious than money. On behalf of Xiao Bei, Xiangyu appreciates them. Rest assured, Tongfu Inn will handle the succession ceremony well."
After saying that, Tong Xiangyu got up and went to the backyard, presumably to educate Mo Xiaobei.
Guo Furong appeared out of nowhere and reached for the silver on the table, but Chu Yang caught her finger with his chopsticks.
"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Senior brother, I was wrong!"
Chu Yang put down his chopsticks and laughed, "You're supposed to earn your own money, why are you always thinking about taking other people's money? Be careful you don't get a beating from your dad when you get back."
"He doesn't care about me at all!" Guo Furong said angrily, covering her hands. "I've been here for so long and he hasn't come to see me!"
Chu Yang said, "A lot has happened these days, and I've only managed to steal a moment of free time. Please don't blame him!"
Guo Furong pouted and said, "I know, you are all important people who are busy with important matters every day for the country and the people. You wouldn't care about small things."
Hearing her say things out of anger, Chu Yang didn't bother to respond.
Guo Furong quickly lowered her head and sighed softly, "If only my father were just a minor constable, he wouldn't have to run around every day catching those thieves who are impossible to catch, and he could spend more time with me."
Chu Yang recalled how Guo Bujing seemed to breathe a sigh of relief when he stepped down as the head instructor of the Imperial Guards. Perhaps, for him, he didn't want to shoulder so much responsibility.
However, even if Guo Bujing were to relinquish his position as the chief constable of the Six Doors, he would still head south without hesitation to fight against the demon race.
"Let's wait a little longer. In two years, when the world is at peace, Lord Guo can retire and go home in peace."
"Hehehe, that would be best."
"Don't laugh yet. Think about how you'll be facing your dad every day from now on."
"Ah? Then you should continue being his chief constable!"
……
The news of the succession of the new leader of the Hengshan Sect has spread throughout the martial arts world, but not all sects have received an invitation, and not many have had previous connections with the Hengshan Sect.
Even the invited sects only sent elders, not their leaders in person. Realistically speaking, the Hengshan Sect is different now than before, and it's already a favor that others are giving by sending elders.
Abbot Dabei of Shaolin Temple did not come; instead, he sent Elder Xinmei.
The person who came from Wudang Mountain to observe the ceremony was Master Mu.
Master Kuhai of the Huashan School.
The Emei Sect leader, Dugu Yihe, did not come; instead, he sent Elder Xuanjing.
The situation is much the same for the other sects.
What was supposed to be an ordinary ceremony turned into a spectacular event when Mrs. Qian, who appeared out of nowhere, managed to put on quite a show for everyone.
She didn't recognize the elders of the various factions and simply assumed they were there to support Tong Xiangyu. So, she led her people and stood at the gate, engaging in a verbal battle with the assembled heroes.
She used terms like "bald monk," "ox-nose monk," and "old Taoist priest" to describe her behavior in a relatively civilized way. She even went so far as to fabricate a scandal between Master Xinmei and Abbess Xuanjing, which greatly angered the two monks.
Madam Qian, who had incurred the wrath of many, got what she wanted: a brawl between men and women, with all the sect leaders joining forces—a scene unprecedented in the entire history of the martial arts world.
In the words of Tongfu Inn, what an honor this is!
The chaotic brawl brought the succession ceremony to its climax, attracting an ever-growing crowd. Chu Yang also stood on the sidelines, watching the spectacle.
until……
After finishing dealing with Madam Qian, the Taoist priest inadvertently saw him.
This martial arts master, who claimed to be "first in Go, second in poetry and wine, and third in swordsmanship," suddenly froze on the spot, his eyes filled with shock and fear, as various emotions surged forth.
"Senior Mu, what's wrong?"
Lu Yiming noticed Mu Daoren's loss of composure and quickly stepped forward to ask him with concern.
The wooden Taoist ignored him, pushed him aside, and walked through the crowd to Chu Yang's side.
"You recognize me?"
Before Mu Daoren could speak, Chu Yang's voice reached his ears.
The Taoist priest replied respectfully, "On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, I was in the palace, intending to watch the duel between Ximen Chuixue and Ye Gucheng. However, I inadvertently caught a glimpse of Your Majesty's face."
Chu Yang tried to recall that night, but couldn't recall the figure of the Wooden Taoist. So he asked, "Where did you see him?"
Master Mu bowed, his attitude becoming even more humble, and said in a low voice, "On the training ground, I witnessed the might of Heaven."
Chu Yang immediately realized that the scene of his one-sided massacre of the Imperial Guards that night had been unintentionally witnessed by Mu Daoren, which was why he was so respectful. It was hard to imagine that kind of combat power if one had not witnessed it with their own eyes.
Chu Yang's lips curled into a meaningful smile as he asked, "Didn't you go to the Imperial Study?"
The wooden Taoist priest trembled and hurriedly said, "This humble subject dares not."
Chu Yang laughed, "Is there anything Old Knife Handle of Ghost Manor wouldn't dare to do?"
The humble-looking Taoist priest suddenly looked up, staring at Chu Yang in utter horror, "You..."
Chu Yang said indifferently, "Under the whole heaven, all land belongs to the king, and all people within the borders are subjects of the king. Wudang Mountain is also within the territory of the Ming Dynasty. Is it strange that I know these things?"
The renowned figures from the martial arts world who had come to witness the ceremony had already turned their attention to the two of them. They were curious as to why the highly respected Master Mu was acting so reserved in front of the young man.
The people at Tongfu Inn weren't surprised, because they knew Chu Yang was of noble status, but what happened next still left them speechless.
The wooden Taoist inexplicably knelt on the ground and kowtowed.
"Your Majesty, spare my life!" (End of Chapter)
Chapter 220 [The rest of the text appears to be gibberish and unrelated to the previous sentences. A more accurate translation would require the full context.]
The scene of Mu Daoren kowtowing and begging for mercy stunned the onlookers who came to watch the ceremony, but what shocked them even more was the way Mu Daoren called out "Your Majesty".
"Did he call me by the wrong name?" Guo Furong looked at Tong Xiangyu and the others in confusion. "Isn't Senior Brother a prince?"
Old Bai Gan swallowed hard. "It's possible we've made a mistake. He used to be a prince, but now he's..."
Before he finished speaking, the others already understood what Lao Bai meant.
"Oh my god, why didn't he say he was..." Tong Xiangyu thought of the plan to sell the burial jewelry to Chu Yang, and was instantly terrified. She grabbed Lao Bai with all her might, trembling like a leaf.
Old Bai wasn't much better off; his upper and lower front teeth kept clashing together.
Lu Xiucai mumbled in Guo Furong's ear, "Shouldn't we revise the novel and change the carefree king to the carefree emperor?"
Guo Furong countered, "Is there anyone else at home?"
Lu Xiucai replied, "It's just me, so what?"
Guo Furong sneered, "It's good to be alone; you don't have to worry about your entire family being executed."