knife

Chapter 490 The Old Man Under the Pine Tree
Deep within the manor, there stands a solitary pine tree that requires several people to encircle.

Although it stands alone, its canopy is as vast as the clouds, and its outstretched branches shade an area of ​​about an acre, creating a large patch of coolness under the scorching sun.

Countless white birds perch among the outstretched branches, chirping, preening their feathers, or hopping about among the twigs.

Even more wonderfully, there was a spring under the tree, its color a deep blue, its depth unknown, with clear spring water gushing out and flowing down a small stream.

The stream was clearly intentionally created by people. On both sides of the lawn, wildflowers were blooming beautifully thanks to the spring water, completely unaffected by the scorching sun.

Beside the spring, an old man with white beard and white hair sat cross-legged on a cushion, meditating with his eyes closed.

A white bird flew over and landed directly on his head, as if this person were also part of this pine forest.

The old man opened his eyes, smiled slightly, exhaled, and the little bird on his head spread its wings and flew away, landing on a pine branch, looking back as if in disbelief.

The old man stretched out his hand, and suddenly a column of water rose from the once calm spring. The column grew higher and higher, and when it reached half a person's height, it split into two, then into four, becoming thinner and thinner. Then these thin streams of water suddenly emerged and flew towards the pine forest.

No matter where the white birds in the trees were, whether they were near or far from the old man, whether they were exposed or covered by branches, they were all caught by the thin water rope at the same time. Then the water rope retracted, and dozens of birds were dragged back.

If Li Dachui saw all this, he would immediately realize that the old man was a master of innate skill.

Because in the past in Tai'an City, he was bound tightly by Zhou Zhi using similar methods, manipulating the water flow and being severely beaten on the buttocks with a water whip.

Footsteps came from afar. The old man waved his hand, and the water flowed away, falling into the dust. The white birds first fell a short distance, but suddenly realized they were free. They immediately flapped their wings and took flight, nimbly passing through the pine trees and soaring into the sky. They seemed to be frightened and dared not linger there any longer.

The old man turned around and looked at a well-dressed middle-aged man running up the path.

It was midday when the temperature was highest, and the middle-aged man, clearly lacking the old man's cultivation, was covered in sweat, his clothes almost completely soaked.

"Father!" Upon seeing the old man, the middle-aged man immediately slowed his pace and stepped forward.

"What is it?" The old man picked up a small cup in front of him, scooped a cup of water from the spring, and handed it to the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man took the water but did not drink it. Instead, he said in a low voice, "I just received news that Wang Jun is dead in Tong Palace."

The old man's composed expression suddenly froze, and an overwhelming sadness surfaced on his face.

Wang Jun was once a famous general of the Great Chu, with a cultivation level of the ninth rank of Xuan Yuan, making him a rare master in martial arts.

He opposed the Empress Dowager's monopoly of power and elimination of dissidents. He once joined the rebellion launched by the Emperor's biological father. After the rebellion failed, he fled and, under his own arrangement, went to Yong'an County and took refuge under Lin Hong.

Last winter, the Yong'an Incident occurred. Lin Hong was executed by someone sent by the Empress Dowager, and Wang Jun was captured alive and imprisoned in Tong Palace.

Tong Palace is the place where Tianluo specifically detains serious criminals.

Once you're inside, the chances of getting out are practically zero.

The old man knew that Wang Jun had been imprisoned in Tong Palace, and he also knew why he had been imprisoned there, but he didn't have much way to get him out.

Because this is a bait to lure him in.

We lack the ability to save them.

If they don't rescue him, Wang Jun might not be able to endure the torture there and it could implicate him. This must be the plan that Tianluo Lin Yunqi or the Empress Dowager were plotting.

However, there was one thing they hadn't considered: Wang Jun's identity.

Wang Jun was not from a poor background as they thought. He was promoted slowly because he was favored by them. In fact, Wang Jun's surname was also Xiang!
The old man's eyes reddened as he involuntarily recalled the woman in simple clothes who had once smiled gently at him from behind the bamboo fence.

Therefore, no matter what, Wang Jun will not betray himself.

Moreover, Jiang Qian underestimated herself and the Xiang clan.

Even within the Tong Palace, he wasn't without informants. Although his status was very low, he was just a lowly jailer in the Tong Palace, with no connection to the Xiang family and a clean reputation, how could a clan that had existed for hundreds of years not have some hidden methods?

Jiang Qian wanted to use Wang Jun to implicate herself, but unexpectedly, her true identity was exposed to her.

When the old man first heard that Jiang Qian was a master of innate cultivation and practiced the Phoenix Flame, he could hardly believe his ears.

It's the Phoenix Departing from Fire again, and the Demonic Cult once more.

The State of Chu was the birthplace of the Demonic Cult, and its relationship with the cult could be described as a love-hate one. In the struggle against the State of Qin, the two sides had always cooperated and fought at the same time.

Of course, the main objective for both sides is still struggle.

After centuries of struggle, no one expected that the Empress Dowager of Chu would ultimately be the Holy Maiden of the Demonic Sect.

No wonder that in recent years, the Flood Banner and Giant Wood Banner of the Demonic Cult have successively sided with the Great Chu, and even helped the Great Chu court fight against the Ruijin Banner and others. Now that I think about it, the reason for everything lies here.

After learning that Jiang Qian was the Holy Maiden of the Demonic Sect, the emperor's death became a mystery once again.

When the emperor was still the crown prince, he was indeed weak, but he didn't have any life-threatening illnesses. He had imperial physicians to take care of him and martial arts masters to protect him. He shouldn't have been a short-lived person!

However, less than two years after ascending the throne, he fell ill and died.

Looking back now, many of the doubts seem to have been resolved.

What's the point of the most skillful protection if your bedmate is a witch?
What if the emperor was murdered?

This problem has been troubling the old man ever since.

Where will the Great Chu go from here?
In the two years since Jiang Qian came to power, she has dealt a heavy blow to the royal family of Da Chu, killing many people. Does she want to take her place and repeat the mistakes of Empress Wu during the Da Yong era?
With me, Xiang Ying, around, you can forget about it!

The old man slowly stood up.

For the sake of the Great Chu, several years ago, he did indeed willingly step down from the position of Grand General. He did not want the Great Chu to be plunged into endless internal strife because of his existence. At that time, the Great Chu had just survived a life-or-death crisis and needed to recuperate. If the external threat had just been eliminated and internal strife broke out again, then the disaster of national subjugation might be imminent again.

But now it's different.

The Qin state, the greatest enemy of the Great Chu, has already been fragmented. At this time, restoring order will not cause fatal damage to the Great Chu.

“Someone should be coming to Danyang soon!” the old man said.

(End of this chapter)