I am a prince in Zhutian Films

Chapter 522 Killing the chicken to scare the monkey

“Wu Lingsu, tell Wu Shizhen that the foundation of the Shenxiao lineage will eventually belong to your Wu family. That’s not wrong.”

"After all, the Shenxiao Sect was founded by you and Daoist Zhao. As long as you do your job well and do not violate the rules I set, I will still choose your Wu family as the lineage after the Nine Pecks of Rice Sect grows stronger."

"but……"

"You and your son have really disappointed me."

Just as Wu Lingsu was filled with fear and trepidation, she heard Zhou Chengan say this slowly, which made her even more terrified.

He never imagined that Zhou Chengan had overheard his private conversation with his son.

Wu Lingsu hurriedly pulled her son Wu Shizhen and kowtowed repeatedly to Zhou Cheng'an with tears in her eyes, saying, "Sect Leader, we were wrong."

"We humbly beg the sect leader to give my father and me a chance to reform. We will never dare to do it again."

"From now on, if the sect leader tells us to go east, we will never go west."

"Please, Sect Leader, spare our lives. We are willing to serve you like slaves and swear to be loyal to you to the death."

Wu Shizhen was also a little scared at this moment, but he was more angry than scared. He said with his neck stiff, "Zhou Cheng'an, you can't kill us. My father is the Prince of Qingcheng, personally appointed by His Majesty. If you kill me and my father, the court will definitely send troops. At that time, you will also die without a burial place."

Upon hearing this, Wu Lingsu was terrified and, without saying a word, slapped Wu Shizhen hard across the face.

"You insolent brat, who gave you the right to speak to the Sect Leader like that?"

After beating and scolding Wu Shizhen, he hurriedly said to Zhou Cheng'an, "Master, Wu Shizhen is young and ignorant. Please forgive him this time."

"For Master Zhao's sake, I can spare his life."

Zhou Chengan smiled faintly, then raised his hand and pointed.

Then, a red dot appeared between Wu Shizhen's eyebrows, his eyes widened, and he slowly fell to the ground.

Seeing Wu Shizhen lying motionless on the ground, Wu Lingsu was overcome with grief and fell silent.

Zhou Chengan said calmly, "Wu Lingsu, if you still want to live, from today onwards, you should obediently be the King of Qingcheng."

"You know, if you lose a son, you can have another one, but if you lose your life, you have nothing left."

"Besides, I've also left Wu Shizhen an heir. I've already arranged for the pregnant Daoist nun to be sent to Qiu Jian Pavilion."

“You are a smart man. I don’t want the same thing to happen again in the Shenxiao lineage.”

“My Nine Pecks of Rice sect follows the grand and righteous path, and the Shenxiao lineage should naturally follow the same path.”

“All those people on the roster have been removed from the Shenxiao lineage and expelled from Qingyang Palace.”

After saying that, Zhou Chengan ignored Wu Lingsu and suddenly disappeared from the doorway.

Wu Lingsu stared blankly at her son, Wu Shizhen, who was lying lifeless on the ground, and then looked at the booklet on the ground.

He knelt on the ground and burst into tears.

"My son, it is your father who has ruined you..."

……

Zhou Cheng'an returned to his Lingzhi Garden and resumed his cultivation.

It was as if nothing had happened tonight.

Wu Lingsu and his son were outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant towards him. He would not act unless necessary, but once he did, he would show Wu Lingsu the consequences of such defiance.

Wu Shizhen was the best candidate to make an example of someone.

Before he arrived, Qingyang Palace was a place of chaos and disorder. Many of the female Taoist priests in the palace were captured by Wu Lingsu and his son when they were very young, and many others were innocent women who were abducted along the way.

However, after staying at Qingyang Palace for a while, these women became somewhat reluctant to leave.

Over the years, quite a few women have died at the hands of this father and son.

If Zhou Cheng'an hadn't needed Wu Lingsu to temporarily save face, Wu Lingsu would have been doomed to die tonight.

However, after tonight, Qingyang Palace will surely be free of much turbidity.

Wu Lingsu was a smart woman; she wouldn't risk her life without absolute certainty.

Whether he will ultimately die depends on his final choice.

……

Time flies, and another month has passed.

Zhou Cheng'an had already sent messages to his parents and the Blood-Clad Guards, but they still couldn't reach Qingyang Palace before the New Year.

These days, many Taoist priests and nuns in Qingyang Palace have been expelled from the Shenxiao lineage by Wu Lingsu and driven down the mountain.

Therefore, Qingyang Palace appeared somewhat deserted.

Wu Lingsu stopped practicing dual cultivation and instead focused on quiet cultivation in her own main hall.

Under Zhou Cheng'an's instructions, Old Mengtou, Liu Luweiganzi, and Kong Bozi gradually took charge of some affairs of Qingyang Palace.

When he had nothing else to do, Zhou Chengan would take the time to give them some pointers.

As for Little Hawthorn and Little Sparrow, besides following Zhou Cheng'an to practice Qi and martial arts, they would occasionally visit Tiger Kui and Fire Qilin, living the most carefree and leisurely lives.

As for Zhao Yutai, she probably didn't have much of a mother-son relationship with Wu Shizhen to begin with, so she didn't react much to Zhou Cheng'an killing Wu Shizhen. Instead, she even sent someone to thank Zhou Cheng'an for leaving Wu Shizhen an heir.

This expression of gratitude surprised Zhou Cheng'an quite a bit.

In his view, even if Zhao Yutai and Wu Shizhen did not have a mother-son relationship, they were still mother and son after all.

So, in order to make an example of Zhao Yutai, he also prepared a compensation for him.

In the end, he didn't give any compensation, but Zhao Yutai was thanked instead.

However, he did not intend to back out of the compensation he had originally decided to provide, since this compensation was not only compensation, but also a deterrent and warning.

Therefore, he still sent someone to Qiujian Pavilion to invite Zhao Yutai for a talk.

The location was decided to be the Listening to the Lantern Pavilion on the iron chain bridge.

Listening to the Lanterns Pavilion.

Zhou Cheng'an poured Zhao Yutai a cup of wine and said with a faint smile, "Master Zhao, you won't blame me for killing Wu Shizhen, will you?"

Zhao Yutai didn't say whether it was strange or not, but simply drank the wine in his cup in one gulp and said, "If he weren't my son, I would have killed him long ago. The fact that he has an heir now is already a testament to the sect leader's benevolence."

Zhou Chengan nodded and smiled, then downed his drink in one gulp. With a flick of his finger, the mountain mists surged and billowed.

A moment later, in mid-air, clouds formed large, flowing characters.

—In youthful chivalry, I befriended heroes from five capitals. In conversation, we pledged life and death, and a promise was worth a thousand pieces of gold. I took up the long spear, my body bathed in blood, my sword roaring in the west wind.

For a moment, Zhao Yutai stood there dumbfounded, his sword intent uncontrollably escaping his grasp.

Then, she sat down cross-legged.

Time passed, and then a melodious zither tune, like flowing water from a high mountain, rang out from the Listening to the Lamp Pavilion.

After the song ended, Zhao Yutai awoke from his moment of enlightenment.

"Thank you."

"Master Zhao, you're too kind. It was nothing at all."

Zhou Cheng'an held the strings of the zither, exuding a carefree and unrestrained air.

"I never expected that the sect leader would also be a master swordsman."

Zhao Yutai was clearly surprised and moved, and finally asked, "I wonder if the sect leader has ever been to the Wu family's sword tomb?"

"I haven't been there, but I might go and see it if I have the chance in the future," Zhou Chengan said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yutai nodded: "The sect leader used cloud energy as a sword and composed a thirty-character sword song, which has greatly benefited me."

After saying that, she bowed deeply to Zhou Cheng'an.

As Wu Su's sword attendant, Zhao Yutai rarely admired anyone other than Miss Wu Su so much in his life.

Regardless of Zhou Cheng'an's intentions or purpose, she should bow in gratitude.

Because of this sword song, she felt that her cultivation, which had been dormant for many years, was loosening again, and she thought that it wouldn't be long before she could break through to the next realm.

In just thirty words, the sword intent and techniques contained within had reached a level far beyond her reach. This once again made Zhao Yutai realize how terrifying Zhou Cheng'an was.

She originally thought Zhou Cheng'an only knew Taoist magic, but she didn't expect his swordsmanship to be even more powerful, probably even surpassing her young lady's. Calling him a swordsmanship master would not be an exaggeration.

Zhou Cheng'an was unaware of the high regard Zhao Yutai held for him, and simply smiled faintly, saying, "It's good that Daoist Zhao has gained something. Go back now."

……

With the warm spring breeze, spring has arrived in the blink of an eye, and flowers are in full bloom.

On this day, the weather was fine and sunny, and the mountains were still shrouded in mist.

Zhou Cheng'an led Xiao Shanzha and Xiao Que'er into the mountains to see Hu Kui and Huo Qilin.

After a winter, both Little Hawthorn and Little Sparrow had become noticeably stronger, and Little Sparrow had even turned much whiter.

Living in Qingyang Palace, she was well-fed and cared for every day. Zhou Cheng'an even taught her how to practice Qi cultivation, and her skin naturally improved. Now she looks as cute as a porcelain doll.

Once inside the dense forest, Little Hawthorn started shouting at the top of its lungs.

"Little You, Little Fire, come out quickly! Look, I've brought you some delicious food. It's your favorite Nine Nether Illusion Pill and Blazing Sun Pill."

These Nine Netherworld Illusion Pills and Blazing Sun Pills were pills that Zhou Cheng'an refined in his spare time, which can increase qi and blood.

Wu Lingsu devoted his life to the cultivation of alchemy, so the Qingyang Palace had many secret alchemy methods and alchemy cauldrons.

Zhou Cheng'an had been cultivating for many years. Although he didn't know much about alchemy, after several attempts, his alchemy skills gradually became more proficient.

Little Hawthorn shouted wildly in the forest, but couldn't summon Tiger Kui and Fire Qilin.

Instead, it was Little Sparrow who played her flute and used the sound to summon Little You.

As for the Fire Qilin, she can't summon it yet.

Little Sparrow is a very smart and studious girl, and she's curious about everything.

Therefore, whether it's playing the zither, chess, calligraphy, painting, or the art of music, as long as the little girl is willing to learn, Zhou Cheng'an is willing to teach her.

Little Hawthorn wasn't interested in music, but he was very diligent in practicing martial arts. Apart from eating, sleeping, and visiting Hu Kui, he spent almost all his time practicing martial arts.

Ever since Hu Kui Xiao You was subdued by the Fire Qilin, Zhou Cheng'an often brought Xiao Shan Zha and Xiao Que'er to preach to it, partly to eliminate its ferocity and partly to help it have a safe pregnancy.

The Tiger Kui is a mythical beast born from a male Kui that dwells in the Yellow Springs underground, emerging from the earth every five hundred years to mate with a tiger.

Historical records indicate that although tigers and wolves exist, they are often unable to reproduce. They are like dragons that do not drown when in water, and they reign like emperors when in the mountains. They live for five hundred years before dying.

According to Zhou Cheng'an's observation, Xiao You is at least three hundred years old.

As usual, Zhou Cheng'an sat on a large rock and began to explain the Taoist scriptures to Hu Kui Xiaoyou.

Hu Kui Xiaoyou lay beside the large rock, her big eyes wide open, blinking occasionally, as docile as a kitten.

Little Hawthorn and Little Sparrow sat in front of Tiger Kui, listening attentively to Zhou Cheng'an's sermon.

Although Little Hawthorn didn't understand much, it didn't run around; at most, it would scratch its ears and cheeks.

Little Sparrow listened with great interest, occasionally asking Zhou Cheng'an a few questions.

As time went on, Zhou Cheng'an realized that Xiao Que'er was a girl with great potential in the Dao, a rare and exceptional talent in cultivation.

In this respect, hawthorn is far inferior.

But it doesn't matter. Since you've become his disciple, you're naturally destined to follow the Dao.

Zhou Chengan was highly skilled and always managed to raise his two children to be successful.

Halfway through the sermon, Wu Lingsu, who rarely left Qingyang Palace, rushed over.

"Sect Leader, your family has arrived. Zhao Yutai sent me to inform you."

Wu Lingsu was once again certain that Zhou Chengan's identity was not simple, because the guards who had just come to Qingyang Palace were clearly not ordinary cavalry.

You should know that he had seen many iron cavalry in his life, including the most elite Snow Dragon Cavalry and Phoenix Battalion under the Northern Liang King.

As the saying goes: The iron cavalry of Beiliang is unparalleled in the world, and the dragon cavalry of Daxue is unmatched in Beiliang.

Although the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry only numbered ten thousand, they were the best cavalry in the world, which shows just how elite they were.

As for the Phoenix Battalion, every member rides a white horse and is known as the White Horse Righteous Cavalry. Although there are only eight hundred of them, each one is a talent selected from among thousands, and they are definitely among the most elite light cavalry in the world today.

The light cavalry that came to escort the family of the current sect leader today are, in every respect, no less than the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry and Phoenix Battalion of Beiliang, and may even be superior to them.

Such light cavalry is not something an ordinary Taoist priest can possess.

"Have they arrived?"

Zhou Cheng'an chuckled to himself, patted Hu Kui's head, and then said to Wu Lingsu, "Let's go back to Qingyang Palace."

……

Qingyang Palace, Lingzhi Garden.

As soon as Zhou Chengan followed Wu Lingsu into the room, he saw a refined man who looked to be in his forties sitting with three still charming and beautiful women under the thousand-year-old osmanthus tree by the well, drinking tea.

The refined-looking man was Zhou Cheng'an's father in this life, Zhou Hongwen, the former emperor of Ningguo on the border of Western Chu.

In terms of governing the country, he was actually quite capable, but unfortunately, Ningguo was just a small country, and with the behemoth Western Chu nearby, Ningguo was annexed by Western Chu not long after he ascended the throne.

Then, Western Chu was destroyed by Li Yang.

That's why Zhou Chengan said before that his family owed Xu Xiao a favor.

After all, Xu Xiao destroyed Western Chu, which can be considered revenge for their Ning Kingdom.

As for the three still-attractive and beautiful women, they were naturally his father's concubines.

Nowadays, they should be called concubines.

"Father, my three aunts, good afternoon. Where is my mother?"

"I'm home."

Zhou Hongwen turned around and greeted them before replying, "Your mother went to Qiu Jian Pavilion."

Why didn't you go?

Zhou Cheng'an stepped forward, but before he could make a move, Zhou Hongwen handed him a cup of tea: "What would I do there? I don't know Zhao Yutai, and we have nothing to talk about. Besides, you know what kind of person your mother is. The two of them had been separated for a long time and cried for a while when they met before. They would inevitably shed tears when they reminisced. I'd better not disturb them."

It has to be said that his mother, Wu Ning, is good in every way, except that she is really easily moved to tears.

Zhou Chengan nodded, glanced around, and continued, "What about my eldest sister and the others?"

In this life, he was the youngest child in his family and the only son. He had six older sisters who were all married, and all of them were Blood-Clad Guards under his command.

For example, his eldest sister, Zhou Lanzhi, married Zhao Huaien.

Naturally, her other sisters also married good men, all of whom were leaders in the Blood-Clad Guards.

"They went to visit Qingyang Palace."

Zhou Hongwen took a sip of tea and asked, "Are we going to settle down here from now on?"

"If nothing unexpected happens, then it will be fine. Do you and your concubines have any complaints? I'll have someone take care of it."

"Don't look at me, I'm very satisfied. The scenery is beautiful and it's peaceful."

"Yes, it's a good place to live and cultivate one's character."

"Cheng'an really knows how to pick a location."

The three concubines smiled radiantly and treated Zhou Cheng'an with exceptional kindness.

He was probably the only son in the Zhou family, and his three concubines treated him like their own son, even better than his biological mother.

In addition, it is also because the Zhou family's current good life is all thanks to Zhou Cheng'an.

In the eyes of his three concubines, he was the lucky star of the Zhou family.

Finally, Zhou Hongwen laughed and said, "You heard it, your aunts are very satisfied, so naturally I have no complaints either. I know you brought your sons-in-law along because you had something to tell them. Go and do your work."

"Father, you understand me best. I'll go find Huai'en and the others now."

Zhou Cheng'an didn't stand on ceremony with his father and aunts, and left Lingzhi Garden with Wu Lingsu.

(End of this chapter)