blogombal Page 374
Page 374
Zhu Wushi said, "You two should set off immediately to find Li Xunhuan's whereabouts and bring him back to the capital."
Duan Tianya felt the name was somewhat familiar and asked, "Godfather, is it Li Xunhuan, the one who ranked third in the imperial examination ten years ago and was known as Little Li Flying Dagger?"
Zhu Wushi nodded.
Guihai Yidao asked, "Why are you looking for this person?"
Zhu Wushi frowned slightly and said with dissatisfaction, "Do you still remember what the most important rule of secret agents is?"
Gui Haiyi replied with his head down, "We don't ask why we're carrying out missions."
Zhu Wushi said coldly, "It's good that you know. There's one thing you must remember on this trip: if Li Xunhuan is unwilling to enter the capital, you can use some special means."
"Yes!"
The two bowed and left, accepting their orders.
Zhu Wushi paced back and forth in the study. After pondering for a long time, he walked to the desk, reached out and pressed his hand on the inkstone on the desk. Then he twisted it, and a rumbling sound came from the innermost wall of the study, slowly revealing a secret passage.
He continued forward along the long, dark passage until water began to seep into the dark stone walls, and suddenly light appeared ahead.
When Zhu Wushi emerged from the secret passage, he was already standing in a pavilion in the middle of a lake, with the Dragon Guard Manor becoming a blurry background in the distance.
Several black figures appeared silently before Zhu Wushi like ghosts, knelt respectfully on the ground, and shouted, "Master!"
These shadowy figures were actually shadow guards secretly trained by Zhu Wushi. They were all shady characters, unknown not only to the emperor but also to the spies of the Dragon Guard Manor.
"You guys go and check on Guo Bujing's whereabouts, see what he's been up to lately."
"The emperor would not dismiss him without a reason; he must have done something taboo."
At this point, Zhu Wushi suddenly remembered Yu Huatian's strange attitude and continued to instruct, "Also, check the recent movements of the two factories."
"As ordered!"
Several shadow guards suddenly disappeared before Zhu Wushi's eyes.
After finishing these tasks, Zhu Wushi did not immediately return to the Dragon Guard Manor. Instead, he sat in the pavilion in the middle of the lake, gazing at the continuous mountain ranges all around.
At this moment, he seemed to have become one with the pavilion, his life as if he were trapped by the mountains before him, never to be free.
"Father, one day I will prove that I am stronger than my elder brother, stronger than his son, and that I am the true master of the Ming Dynasty!"
……
After enjoying a good drink at Tongfu Inn, Chu Yang left Qixia Town with Li Gexiao early the next morning. Having lived a repressive life in the capital for more than 20 years, he was now eager to enjoy a new life.
Having been confined in a cage for so long, I have finally returned to nature.
Chu Yang could entrust everything along the way to Li Gexiao with peace of mind. Unlike Guo Furong, who was only half-baked, Li Gexiao, who was once a commander of the Imperial Guard, had a wealth of experience in the martial arts world.
Having grown accustomed to riding in carriages, Chu Yang decided to cycle down the Yangtze River, traveling on the official road with Li Gexiao.
"Your Highness, you must be careful on this trip to the south. There are lawless criminals, but more importantly, the frequency of demons appearing will greatly increase, including many spirit demons and demon humans."
"The legendary Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons seems to be located in the southwest region. Apart from a few wealthy cities that are unaffected, the other towns are ravaged by demons, which is also the area where the Divine Marquis's Mansion fights most fiercely with demons."
"For safety's sake, we'd better avoid these places."
Listening to Li Gexiao's description, Chu Yang couldn't help but ask curiously, "You mentioned demons, spirit demons, and demon humans earlier. What's the difference between these three?"
Li Gexiao knew that Chu Yang had grown up in the secluded capital city and had no knowledge of the three things, so she patiently explained to him: "Generally speaking, spirit demons refer to plants and animals that have gained intelligence after attaining enlightenment. Some spirit demons can transform into human form after they have enough strength, which is what we often call great demons."
"The Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons that I just mentioned is a gathering place for great demons."
Chu Yang nodded. The spirit demons and the demon races in the Xianxia world are basically the same, with no major differences.
Li Gexiao continued, "The so-called demons are partly humans who have fallen into demonic ways. Some of them cultivate demonic techniques, while others inherit demonic bloodlines and mutate into half-human, half-demon beings. The other part are the offspring of humans and great demons."
"Most demons share the same stance as spirit demons, helping them devise strategies and becoming enemies of the human race. Therefore, all demons are regarded as traitors to the human race and have been constantly hunted down by humans. Many of the criminals arrested by the Six Doors are demons."
Unlike the half-demons who are unwanted and neglected by their maternal relatives in the world of immortals and heroes, demons thrive in this world and are still the greatest enemy of the human race.
Chu Yang then asked, "What about demons? Are they spirit demons that have fallen and become demons?"
When demons were mentioned, Li Gexiao became more serious than ever before. He shook his head and said, "Although demons have the word 'demon' in their name, they have nothing to do with spirits or demons."
"The birth of spirit demons is related to the great upheaval that occurred decades ago, but the birth of monsters predates that upheaval!"
"There are even rumors that demons were the root cause of that great upheaval!" (End of Chapter)
Chapter 172 The Greatest Good Person in the World!
172.
Li Gexiao's answer was somewhat beyond Chu Yang's expectations. He originally thought that demons should be closely connected with the other two, but he did not expect that demons had already begun to appear before the great changes in the world.
No wonder he always felt that the art style of the demons was a bit off, with a Cthulhu vibe. He only glanced at it that day, and his SAN value plummeted.
Chu Yang's intuition told him that Li Gexiao's guess might be correct.
How did demons come into being?
"There are no records of the origin of demons. From a certain day onwards, demons appeared everywhere in the world!"
"If demons and spirits have no relation whatsoever, then for spirits, demons should also be a problem that needs to be solved."
“Your Highness, you are right. The Spirit Demons also have a policy of exterminating all demons, and they are more troublesome than we are when it comes to demons.”
"Why?"
"You should know that ordinary people who come into contact with the blood of demons have a very high chance of becoming new demons, while for spirit demons, the probability is close to 100%, much higher than that of humans. Almost no demon can escape this fate."
At this point, Li Gexiao let out a long sigh and said, "It's all thanks to the existence of demons that most of the power of spirit demons is restrained. Otherwise, humans and demons would have started a war long ago, and we wouldn't have the current situation where we don't interfere with each other."
"Once the two sides go to war, with those treacherous demons also involved, the human race will actually be at a disadvantage."
As they talked, the two came across a tea stall on the official road. The sun was already high in the sky, and the temperature was so high that it made them thirsty. So Chu Yang decided to rest there for a while.
Even if the two of them could withstand the sun, the horse would suffer terribly. If it didn't rest and drink some water soon, it would probably die on the way.
The waiter skillfully led the two men's horses to the stable, and after they dismounted, he led them to an empty table.
"What would you two like to eat?"
"Is there any wine?"
"We only have homemade rice wine. I wonder if you, sir, will be able to enjoy it..."
"Two jugs of wine, two jin of braised meat, and a few cold dishes, that's all you need."
"Okay, sir!"
After the waiter left, Li Gexiao looked around the tea stall with a playful smile on his face. Even on the official road, there were very few people who dared to open a tea stall in the wild these days.
The prices of food at the tea stalls were almost comparable to those in some of the luxury restaurants in the capital, but passersby and merchants had no objections, because they all knew that the shopkeepers were risking their lives to make money.
You never know when a demon might pass by, and then everyone at the tea stall will be doomed.
"There are experts."
Chu Yang tapped the table and chuckled.
"Your Highness... has he already noticed?"
To avoid trouble, Li Gexiao changed his form of address. Calling someone "Your Highness" in front of outsiders would be idiotic.
Chu Yang replied, "There was a man and a woman. The man was in the kitchen and his knife skills were pretty good. The woman was probably the proprietress; her breathing was deep and even, and her lightness skill and internal strength were both quite good."
"I'm just not sure if they're doing legitimate business."
Upon hearing this, Li Gexiao was shocked. Even from such a distance, Chu Yang was able to figure out the background of these people. His level of expertise was truly unimaginable.
"How did you know, young master?"
"listen."
Li Gexiao was completely bewildered.
Braised pork and rice wine were served one after another. The moment Li Gexiao smelled the aroma of the wine, his eyes became intoxicated, and he swallowed all his questions.
Chu Yang was no better off; he was the first to pick up the wine jug and down it in one gulp.
"Sir, wait a minute!"
Li Gexiao anxiously tried to snatch the wine pot from Chu Yang's hand, not because his addiction to alcohol was really that serious, but because he wanted to test the poison first before letting Chu Yang drink it.
When you're out and about, you should be most careful around these kinds of tea stalls. If you drink anything you shouldn't, you might wake up one morning to find yourself on someone else's chopping block.
"My constitution is special, so even if there is something in the wine pot, it will not be a problem. Don't worry."
Chu Yang readily downed half a pot of wine. The rice wine had a low alcohol content and a sweet and refreshing taste, making it very pleasant to drink.
Li Gexiao stared at Chu Yang for a while, and only after confirming that Chu Yang was really alright did he check the wine pot in front of him, and found nothing unusual.
Then, he picked up the wine jug and started drinking. The rice wine went down his throat and brought a refreshing feeling, making him shout with delight!
"This time when I go down to the south, I must catch that guy with four eyebrows and make him pay back the wine he owed in the capital."
"The information from the Six Doors and the Embroidered Uniform Guard is probably accurate. The only problem is that he might run away before we even get there."
"There are so many beautiful women in Jiangnan; given his nature, he won't be able to escape anytime soon!"
"Haha, you're right."