A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 81 Princess Izumo
Ninth Level of the Heavenly Prison

Cheng Shifei slowly opened his eyes, feeling a sharp pain on the top of his head. He rubbed it with his hand, stood up, and as soon as he turned around, he saw a skeleton, which made Cheng Shifei scream in fright.

"What are you calling?" a deep voice rang in Cheng Shifei's ears.

Cheng Shifei was already quite frightened, and then suddenly hearing a sound in this dark place almost made him wet his pants. With a mournful face, he slowly looked toward the source of the sound and saw a person whose limbs were chained together. His face was too dark to see clearly.

"Come here," the voice rang out again. Cheng Shifei was terrified and tried to run away, but was forcibly pulled here by a suction force.

"Hero, spare my life! Hero, spare my life!" Cheng Shifei's body had been tortured for a while, and he couldn't bear the torment any longer. He hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed, begging for mercy incessantly.

"Stand up," Gu Santong said, withdrawing his inner strength after examining Cheng Shifei's aptitude. "This kid is a natural talent for martial arts. I'll have a successor for my martial arts skills in a while. I wonder what kind of person he is."

Cheng Shifei dared not disobey, so he hurriedly got up and looked up to see the other person's face clearly. Long hair covered his face, and he looked withered, but his eyes were bright and dazzling in the dim light.

"What's your name? Who sent you?" Gu Santong asked sternly, using the Demonic Sect's bewitching technique. Cheng Shifei's body went limp, and he sat down on the ground, his eyes vacant, and recounted the whole story.

Half a moment later, Gu Santong woke up Cheng Shifei, who was unaware of what had happened and felt as if he had just taken a nap.

"Good lad, you're lucky. The previous kid wasn't as lucky as you."

"Senior, you said someone had been here before," Cheng Shifei said, sensing that the other party meant no harm. He then seized the opportunity and used his gangster skills to his advantage, speaking very casually.

"Didn't you see him when you first arrived?"

Upon hearing his senior's words, Cheng Shifei remembered the skeleton. After thinking about it carefully, he realized that the hole might have been dug by this person.

"Senior, where is this place? How did you end up locked up?"

Although I don't use martial arts, the fact that my senior was able to pull me in just by using his mouth to exert his power, and that I was also bound by a steel chain, shows that he is definitely not an ordinary person.

"Young man, this is the ninth level of the Heavenly Prison, a place where the imperial court imprisons serious criminals. My name is Gu Santong. As for why I am imprisoned, that's a long story."

Gu Santong already knew that Cheng Shifei was not a spy sent by Zhu Wushi, so he relaxed. In addition, he had not seen outsiders for many years and had a lot to say. So the old man and the young man started talking in the prison, one speaking and the other listening. Before they knew it, an hour had passed.

"That Iron-Blooded Marquis is a complete scoundrel," Cheng Shifei said angrily. Although he was a petty hoodlum, he still knew the principle of not coveting a friend's wife. This Iron-Blooded Marquis was a disgrace to the royal family, yet his actions were despicable.

"Boy, kneel down and kowtow three times," Gu Santong suddenly said, startling Cheng Shifei, who then respectfully kowtowed three times.

"Alright, alright, you've officially become my disciple. From now on, you're my apprentice, Gu Santong. My martial arts skills have been passed down. Now, call me Master."

"Master!" Cheng Shifei called out immediately, and Gu Santong smiled upon hearing this.

"Good disciple, let your master lend you a hand." Gu Santong clenched his bound hands, and a suction force pulled Cheng Shifei into the air. Invisible finger forces pressed on Cheng Shifei's vital points, and Cheng Shifei felt a wave of soreness, numbness, pain, and various tingling sensations, which made Cheng Shifei both cry and laugh.

When Cheng Shifei finally landed, he felt a sense of relief and comfort throughout his body. His feet felt as if they were walking on clouds, swaying unsteadily for a while before finally settling down.

"Master, what's wrong?" Cheng Shifei looked at his master's increasingly poor spirit and felt uneasy. Although he had only been his master for two hours, he knew that his life trajectory had changed. If nothing unexpected happened, he would become a martial artist, a profession he had once longed for.

"The eight extraordinary meridians have been opened, and it took much less time than I expected."

Gu Santong looked at Cheng Shifei and said with a smile, "Disciple, I want to train you to become the number one among the younger generation of martial arts practitioners. Do two things for me. Are you willing?"

"This disciple is willing."

"The first thing is that after you get out, you go and help your master kill Iron-Blooded Marquis Zhu Wushi." Gu Santong had been imprisoned for many years and had long understood what had happened back then. It was all Zhu Wushi's scheme. Unfortunately, he could not settle accounts with him personally, so he could only place his hopes on Cheng Shifei.

"And the second thing?"

"The second matter, if you can accomplish it, great; if not, then forget it. Ask Zhu Wushi about a person named Su Xin. She is your master's wife. If you can find her, please tell her I'm sorry. If you can't find her, then forget it."

When the name Su Xin was mentioned, Cheng Shifei could clearly hear an indescribable gentleness in his master's tone.

"This disciple will certainly accomplish these two tasks," Cheng Shifei declared loudly.

"Alright, I don't have much time left, come here," Gu Santong said in a low voice, beckoning Cheng Shifei to come to him. Before Cheng Shifei could react, Gu Santong stood upside down in the air, head to head with Cheng Shifei, and poured a continuous stream of internal energy into Cheng Shifei's body.

Cheng Shifei's clothes were torn open, revealing clearly visible veins that were writhing inside. A violent change was taking place within his body. After a quarter of an hour, Gu Santong withdrew, sat upright on the ground, looked at the unconscious Cheng Shifei, smiled nonchalantly, let out a long howl, lowered his head, and fell silent.

When Cheng Shifei woke up, he was filled with grief upon seeing his deceased master.

"Master, your disciple is leaving now. Take care." With a single palm strike, he shattered the chains, tidied Gu Santong's appearance, laid his body on the spot, erected a stone tablet, and solemnly kowtowed three times.

Looking at the path above him, Cheng Shifei realized that all around him were smooth copper walls, offering no leverage.

"If only I knew a light-body skill," he thought to himself. Suddenly, a Wudang School technique called "Ladder Cloud Leap" appeared in his mind, and he immediately began to practice it.

A moment later, Cheng Shifei had roughly mastered the Wudang Cloud Ladder Leap. He circulated his inner energy and soared into the air, shouting, "Wudang Cloud Ladder Leap, walking is so easy!" His figure had already disappeared from the Heavenly Prison.

Cheng Shifei had just escaped from the imperial prison and slipped out of the silkworm room. It was already late at night. After running for a while, he looked around and found that he had actually arrived in the imperial palace.

"How did I end up here? No, I have to get out of here. I will never let that Zhang Laosan get away with this." Just thinking about Zhang Laosan made Cheng Shifei grit his teeth. He wished he could take him to the silkworm room and turn him into a little eunuch.

Not knowing the way, Cheng Shifei carefully searched for a way out. Suddenly, several figures appeared on the palace next to him, carrying a sack. They disappeared in a few leaps.

Just as they were getting confused about the matter, a voice came from behind, "Catch the assassin! Catch the assassin!"

Thinking to himself, "This is bad, I don't want to be blamed for something," Cheng Shifei turned left and right, and suddenly saw a palace that was still lit up. He moved quickly and entered the main hall.

"Xiao Huan, what's going on outside? Why is it so noisy?"

"Princess, they say an assassin has broken into the palace, and Eunuch Cao is leading men to capture him."

"Assassin!" Princess Yunluo perked up and immediately took down the sword from the wall, eager to go out, which terrified Xiao Huan.

"Princess, please don't go out. It's so chaotic right now. If something happens to you, I won't be able to bear it."

Xiao Huan immediately knelt down to stop Princess Yunluo, pleading bitterly. Although she herself had learned a few martial arts skills, the palace guards usually dared not use their full strength against her because of her status, which made her think that her martial arts were very powerful. In fact, they were quite ordinary. This assassin dared to break into the palace, so he must be very powerful. If the princess went there, she would be delivering herself to the enemy.

Princess Yunluo refused to listen and was about to go out when suddenly a figure flashed by. Princess Yunluo drew her sword and shouted, "Who is it?"

imperial study room

Emperor Zhengde looked at Cao Zhengchun kneeling below with a frosty expression and asked in a cold voice, "Eunuch Cao, I entrusted you with the duties of the Imperial Guard, is this how you do it?"

"This servant deserves to die," Cao Zhengchun dared not offer any further explanation. The Empress Dowager had been captured, and the assassins had not even been caught. This was his dereliction of duty. Moreover, if the Emperor suspected him of being incompetent in protecting the inner palace, the Eastern Depot's position would be in grave danger, ultimately benefiting the Dragon Guard Manor. This was the last thing Cao Zhengchun wanted to see.

"The Empress Dowager has gone missing, and you, Supervisor Cao, are to blame. I order you to find the Empress Dowager within five days. If you fail to do so, you will be brought to me with your head."

Emperor Zhengde snorted coldly and waved for Cao Zhengchun to leave. Cao Zhengchun kowtowed to express his gratitude and bowed his head as he withdrew.

Watching Cao Zhengchun leave, Emperor Zhengde felt anxious and uneasy. The Empress Dowager was missing, and Princess Toshihide of Izumo Province had already checked into the State Guest House and was scheduled to come to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager the next day. He had given Cao Zhengchun five days, which was already the limit.

Just as he was feeling troubled, a knocking sound suddenly rang out. Emperor Zhengde was furious and shouted, "Get out!" He picked up his tea and took a sip. He then glimpsed a figure entering through the opening and closing of the door. Emperor Zhengde was shocked and was about to call for help when a familiar voice reached his ears.

"Your Majesty, how have you been?" "Daoist Master," Emperor Zhengde was overjoyed. He stepped down the stairs and, seeing the familiar face, could not hide his excitement. He quickly asked Gu Xu to sit down and personally poured him a cup of tea.

"What brings you here, Daoist Master?" Upon seeing Gu Xu, Emperor Zhengde felt reassured. Over the past ten years, whenever he faced his most difficult times, Gu Xu had always been there to help him, which allowed him to secretly accumulate considerable strength without even Cao Zhengchun or the Dragon Guard Manor knowing.

"The Empress Dowager's disappearance was orchestrated by Princess Toshihide of Izumo," Gu Xu said calmly, taking a sip of tea.

"Princess Lixiu," the emperor was taken aback, then his expression became more serious. He did not doubt that Gu Xu was lying, but was puzzled as to why the Kingdom of Chuyun would do such a thing.

"Master, have you received any information? The Kingdom of Chuyun is a vassal state of our dynasty. They have always been extremely respectful and dare not overstep their bounds in the slightest. Why did they rashly break into the palace and abduct the Empress Dowager? Could it be that they have another purpose in coming here?"

"That's right. Princess Lixiu and her entourage were assassinated long ago by the Japanese. Their aim was to assassinate the Emperor and create chaos in the court so that they could take advantage of the situation. As for the Empress Dowager being kidnapped, that was just their first step."

"What?!" Upon hearing that Princess Lixiu had been killed, the emperor was utterly shocked.

"The fake Toshihide and the fake Karasuma are both inextricably linked to your imperial uncle," Gu Xu said, making it even harder for the emperor to accept.

"I thought the Emperor's reward would put him at ease, but I didn't expect him to still be resentful. I, his uncle, am truly patient."

The emperor remained calm, seemingly accepting the fact quickly. After a while, he turned to Gu Xu and pleaded, "Daoist Master, could you help me rescue my mother?"

"Your Majesty need not worry. The Empress Dowager is a lucky person and will be rescued by Heaven. I will not presume to do so."

Upon hearing this, the emperor felt relieved, as long as the empress dowager was not in mortal danger.

"The fake Li Xiu will seize the opportunity to assassinate the Emperor. If necessary, Cao Zhengchun should stay by the Emperor's side, and once he leaves the palace, he must remain inseparable from him."

"I understand, thank you for your guidance, Taoist priest." The emperor knew in his heart that Cao Zhengchun was the best weapon against his uncle, and it seemed that he would have to appease him a little in the future.

"It's getting late, this humble Taoist will take his leave. Your Majesty, take care," Gu Xuru said, his figure vanishing in an instant, just as he had arrived.

The emperor put down the porcelain cup in his hand, pondered for a moment, and made up his mind.

Princess Yunluo drew her sword and looked at Cheng Shifei with a solemn expression. Xiao Huan was about to run out to call for help, but Cheng Shifei struck her pressure point with a finger and she fainted.

"Such swift movements!" Yunluo was startled. She gripped her sword tightly and asked, "Who are you, daring to trespass into the palace?"

Judging from the other person's attire, Cheng Shifei guessed that they must be a noble person from the palace, so he joked, "I'm just a small-time hoodlum who accidentally barged in. I'm really sorry, I'll leave right away."

As he spoke, Cheng Shifei tried to slip away, but Yunluo refused to let him go. She thrust her longsword forward, and Cheng Shifei dodged to the side. Then she unleashed three consecutive sword moves. The words "Emei Sword Technique" appeared in Cheng Shifei's mind, and he immediately responded. In no time, he knocked the longsword out of Yunluo's hand.

"Ouch!" Yunluo dropped her longsword with a sharp pain in her wrist. Tears welled in her eyes as she looked at Cheng Shifei with a mournful expression. Cheng Shifei felt a chill run down his spine when she looked at him like that.

"This place is not safe to stay any longer, let's leave quickly." Cheng Shifei ignored Yunluo and was about to leave using his lightness skill, but Yunluo shouted loudly, stopping him in his tracks. Hearing footsteps coming from outside the hall, Cheng Shifei hurriedly covered Yunluo's mouth to prevent her from speaking.

"Princess," came the voice of the Imperial Guard from outside. Cheng Shifei was anxious, and her hand hurt. Yunluo took the opportunity to bite her and covered her mouth again.

"Waaah," Yunluo sobbed, tears welling in her eyes. She pointed outside, then at Cheng Shifei and herself.

"You mean you want me to let you go and send those people away, is that right?"

Seeing this, Yunluo nodded. Cheng Shifei thought to himself, since she was in his hands anyway, even if something unexpected happened, he could just kick her out.

Slowly releasing his hand from Yunluo's, Yunluo gasped for breath. Just then, the voices of the Imperial Guards came from outside again. Yunluo glanced at Cheng Shifei, glared at him, and shouted, "What are you yelling for? This princess has already rested."

The Imperial Guards outside could not trespass into the princess's palace, so they had to leave. However, Zhang Ping, the leader of the Imperial Guards, called out to one of them.

"Go and inform Governor Cao," the man immediately obeyed, and soon Cao Zhengchun arrived with his men.

“Princess, an assassin just broke into the palace. This servant is ordered by the Emperor to search all the sleeping quarters. Please do me a favor.”

If it were anyone else, Cao Zhengchun wouldn't have wasted his breath and would have rushed in long ago. However, Princess Yunluo has always been favored by the Emperor and the Empress Dowager. If he offended her, he would definitely face endless trouble in the future. But now he had to give an explanation to the Emperor, so this was the only way.

Princess Yunluo listened to Cao Zhengchun's unyielding words and thought to herself that she would have given him a hard time if it were any other time, but now that he had brought up her brother, the Emperor, she couldn't say anything.

"Come with me," Yunluo said, pulling Cheng Shifei into the inner room. She turned a mechanism, revealing a hidden door, and pushed Cheng Shifei inside. Cheng Shifei's eyes flashed with anger, and Yunluo said angrily, "If Eunuch Cao finds out, you're doomed." She then closed the hidden door and went out to deal with Cao Zhengchun.

After waking Xiao Huan up and exchanging a few words with her, he pretended to have just gotten up and called out to the outside, "Eunuch Cao, you can come in now."

Upon hearing this, Cao Zhengchun immediately led several Imperial Guards into the bedchamber.

"Princess, please forgive me," Cao Zhengchun waved his hand, and the group immediately dispersed.

"Eunuch Cao, you must search carefully. Don't let this happen again. Even your brother, the Emperor, can't protect you then."

"Yes, yes, Your Highness, rest assured, this servant would not dare to disturb you further," Cao Zhengchun said kindly. Soon after, several Imperial Guards came out and shook their heads at Cao Zhengchun.

"Lord Supervisor, there seems to be some movement on the Emperor's side," a member of the Imperial Guard whispered as he entered.

"Not good, let's go!" Cao Zhengchun hurriedly left Yunluo Palace. At this moment, he couldn't care less about others; the emperor's safety was the most important thing. He led his men towards the imperial study.

Seeing that Cao Zhengchun had finally left, Yunluo secretly breathed a sigh of relief, walked back to the inner room, opened the hidden door, and found that there was no one inside.

Just as she was feeling confused and disappointed, a dried fruit flew down from the roof beam. Hearing the noise, Yunluo turned around, reached out and grabbed it, and saw Cheng Shifei laughing and joking on the roof beam.

State Guest Villa, Residence in Izumo Province
"Have the people been settled?"

"It's all been settled."

A woman with a delicate and beautiful face emerged from behind the curtain. Although she was exceptionally beautiful, her eyes held a sinister glint, which ruined the beauty and made people feel very uncomfortable.

"Tomorrow is the day for the formal audience with the Emperor and Empress Dowager. If the Empress Dowager doesn't arrive on time, I'm afraid I won't be able to give her an explanation. What follows will be quite a show."

"Everything has been arranged with the Emperor. The only thing we need to consider is Cao Zhengchun of the Eastern Depot. He is extremely skilled in martial arts. If he stays by the Emperor's side, it will be difficult for us to make a move," said the guard Wuwan with some worry. Although he was skilled in martial arts, he was no match for Cao Zhengchun.

"Although Cao Zhengchun is a troublesome case, I have already made arrangements. Someone will lure him away, so we don't need to worry about that. Just serve the Empress Dowager well, and after it's done, send her back."

"Yes," Karasuma bowed, and seeing that Princess Toshihide had given no further instructions, he left.

Princess Lixiu took off her clothes and stepped into the bath filled with flower petals. Several maids came forward to massage her shoulders and back.

"Once this mission is completed, the conditions that the Lord promised me will soon be fulfilled."

Princess Lixiu wore a confident smile, but the smile was somewhat sinister and terrifying. The maids serving her were all like puppets, as if they were living dead.

Cao Zhengchun walked out of the imperial study, his complexion much better than before.

"His Majesty still trusts us after all. This assassin kidnapped the Empress Dowager; is he trying to ruin the Izumo princess's audience?"

Thinking of this, Cao Zhengchun seemed to have grasped something, and his mind kept making guesses.

"It seems we need to find some clues from Princess Rixiu."

(End of this chapter)