The court lackeys of the eight-hour workday

Chapter 231 Opening

Ji Tianrui has died in Miaojiang fifteen years ago.

His struggle before death, his plan to plant the poisonous insect in the emperor's body and be reborn in another way, also failed.

Because he didn't know that before he attacked the emperor, Yin Ruihua had betrayed Chengzu and handed over the martial arts to the emperor, so that the emperor's martial arts far exceeded his expectations.

Thirty years ago, Ji Tianrui became the leader of the Ming Cult. In the following fifteen years, he stirred up the turmoil in the martial arts world and became the most powerful person, which finally caused the imperial court to take action against him.

No matter how talented he was, he could not handle the power accumulated by the court for more than a hundred years and the dozens of worshippers he had. He was gradually forced into a corner and could not turn around.

So he showed up in Miaojiang, led away the Jinyiwei and the court officials, and sent two groups of his subordinates to Shuntian Prefecture.

One group was a cover to attract the court's attention, and was killed by Li Miao; while the other group was his real target - a celestial being led a team, carrying a poisonous insect that preserved Ji Tianrui's realm and mind, intending to bring him "back to life" in the emperor's body.

It was because his realm was stored in the Gu worm and taken to Shuntian Prefecture that he died so easily in Miaojiang fifteen years ago.

He risked everything to survive and burn his boats.

But it still failed.

Li Miao's choice to lie dormant for 27 years was the right one, and Ji Tianrui was a lesson for him. The waters of Dashuo were much deeper than they seemed.

He was indeed gifted and shrewd, but if he made a wrong move, he would be doomed. He failed not because of his talent or his intelligence, but because he knew too little.

After killing Yang Lixuan, seizing the Ming Cult, forcing the Yang family away, slaughtering the Ming Cult elders and supporting his cronies, he no longer had the channels to know the secrets of the founding of Dashuo, so he dared to show up in the world, and eventually attracted the encirclement and suppression of the imperial court.

When the imperial priests came to kill him, it was too late to collect the secrets, as all the secrets were in the hands of Ji Tianrui.

If Li Miao had become arrogant when he achieved celestial status, he would most likely have ended up like him.

Just as Li Miao was twisting his fingers in thought, the emperor's gaze finally swept across his face.

"Ok?"

For the first time, the emperor uttered a sound of surprise.

"Who are you?"

Regarding Li Miao's identity, he thought of many possibilities: a hidden celestial being from a major martial arts sect, the Xiaoling Guard, or Chengzu's hidden backup among the royal family. Even if Li Miao was a Shaolin monk or a Wudang Taoist priest, he would not find it strange.

Whether he recognized Li Miao or not, he would not be surprised at all.

But it was this feeling right now - a sense of déjà vu, but not being able to remember where it was - that really surprised him.

"Your Majesty, you are a forgetful person."

Li Miao smiled.

"Didn't we just talk about what happened fifteen years ago? Your Majesty, don't you remember me?"

Li Miao smiled mischievously and touched his heart.

"My loyalty has really died."

"Your Majesty, fifteen years ago, I was awarded a Feiyu suit by Your Majesty for my work with the Ming Cult. Didn't Your Majesty praise me for my courage to take on responsibilities at that time?"

"?"

Who?
15 years ago?

I also rewarded you with a flying fish suit?

The emperor frowned and thought for a moment, then he vaguely remembered a young figure.

Ji Tianrui's plan was indeed dangerous, and he almost fell for it, but he also got his Gu technique. For a moment, he was overwhelmed with emotion and gave him a lot of rewards.

One of the Jinyiwei centurions single-handedly killed the "pretext" group sent by Ji Tianrui to Shuntian Prefecture. Zhu Zai specially brought him to the emperor for his hard work and great achievements.

He just glanced at the young man at that time.

His appearance is outstanding, and he is a top-notch person at the age of 20. Unfortunately, he was born in Jinyiwei and has no celestial inheritance, so he is ultimately useless.

He was given a flying fish robe and promoted to the rank of a thousand households, and that was the end of it.

But the emperor didn't know that after he looked away, the young man secretly raised his head and smiled at him disdainfully, but was immediately kicked by Zhu Zai, and then he lowered his head again.

From then on, Li Miao never appeared in the emperor's sight again.

If Zhu Zai had not submitted a memorial a few days ago to promote him to the position of pacification envoy, the emperor would really not have remembered Li Miao.

But when the emperor really thought about it, he felt as if he had swallowed a fly.

I just promoted you to the post of pacification commissioner a few days ago, and you want to be a rebel? And you even said, "I have disappointed you?"

There isn't even a celestial being in the Jinyiwei, and you've been in Shuntian Prefecture all the time. You haven't done anything big, nor have you come into contact with any important figures. Where did you get these martial arts skills?

"Who are you? What's your background?" the emperor pondered.

"Wudang? Shaolin? Western Regions? Or is it that old Zhu Zai actually holds the backup plan left by Emperor Chengzu, and you got it?"

Li Miao gave a mischievous smile.

"Don't tell you."

A trace of anger flashed across the emperor's face.

"Oh, whatever."

"I will kill you, Wudang, Shaolin, and Jinyiwei at the same time!"

"No matter where you learned from, I will clear you and your origins, and there will be no more trouble."

All is said and done.

All that remains is life and death.

Swish!
In an instant, heaven and earth changed!
Li Miao's eyes blurred and when he came back to his senses, he found that the scenery around him had changed.

Blood seeped out from the cracks in the bluestone slabs and tangled like snakes. A flag several meters high was inserted diagonally in the center of the square. The faded flag was wrapped around a headless corpse. The pieces of flesh hanging from the broken neck moved like maggots, corroding the flag into honeycomb-like holes.

A few steps away, there was a serrated hook blade inserted at an angle, with half a lung lobe hanging on the edge of the blade, swaying gently in the wind.

Raising his eyes, the square was now littered with rotten weapons and dried corpses.

The genius, the divine monk, the evil woman, and the Taoist priest.

Swordsman, boxing master, hero, and devil.

It was as if all the celestial beings devoured by the emperor over the past few decades had appeared here. The weapons they usually used had been corroded by blood and decayed, losing their former luster, and piled up at their feet like rags.

Li Miao turned his head and looked to his side.

Ji Tianrui also appeared here and looked at him.

"Silent illumination?"

"Yes."

"really."

Li Miao turned and looked at Emperor Jianwen.

"Your Majesty, it's up to you."

Emperor Jianwen nodded, raised his hand, and slowly clenched it into a fist.

One punch!
Bang!
The void shattered as if a glass curtain was shattered.

The half of the square where Li Miao and the other two were standing had already become the Hall of Supreme Harmony, while the other half was still a sea of blood and corpses.

Half is a magnificent palace, and half is a hell of rotting flesh and bones.

His vision blurred for a moment, and then the emperor slowly walked out of the sea of blood and walked towards Li Miao and the other two.

When his footsteps crossed the boundary line, the scarlet darkness slowly climbed up the pillars of the Hall of Supreme Harmony. The window frames slowly turned white, revealing the joints of bones; the lights flickered, illuminating the blood gushing from beneath the ground.

“Four roads in one.”

Emperor Jianwen said slowly.

"The practice of life skills has been completed, and so has the practice of silence and enlightenment."

"My life and death are at stake. My silent enlightenment cannot stop him. If he comes in front of me, this illusion will be completely under his control. By then, my mind will be damaged and I will no longer be able to fight him."

Li Miao smiled.

"So, it's a positional battle?"

"Yes."

Emperor Jianwen said.

"Because of the battle between me and him, the illusion is not complete, it is half true and half false. What you saw is both his mind and his body."

"If we can force him back to the edge of the illusion, I will win. By then, his Silence will be destroyed, and the threat will be greatly reduced."

"I will assist you, you two go now!"

(End of this chapter)