The court lackeys of the eight-hour workday

Chapter 397 Time
Li Miao spoke casually and without the slightest surprise.

Rather, he had already suspected something from the moment he met Liu Jinyi at Zhu Yijing's house. Tonight's visit to the Yan residence merely confirmed his suspicions.

It was almost impossible for Liu Jin to cultivate Xuanlan.

Regardless of whether the Zheng family's cultivation method is suitable for Liu Jin, even with his own aptitude, the probability of him mastering the Profound Insight realm is one in ten thousand. This is because the requirements for aptitude in the cultivation of nature are much higher than those for the cultivation of life force. Even if the cultivation methods of Yingzhou were spread throughout the world, the number of people who could master them would probably not exceed the number on one palm.

To date, only five people in the Great Shuo have achieved the perfect state of spiritual cultivation: Li Miao, Ji Tianrui, the Emperor, Emperor Jianwen, and An Qisheng. Apart from An Qisheng, none of the other four achieved this through normal means.

The reason why sexual cultivation is difficult to master, has been interrupted in its transmission, and has been lost for many years, apart from the suppression by successive dynasties, is probably also due to the excessively high qualification requirements.

Let’s get back to the present.

The emperor had been standing there silently for a long time.

Li Miao glanced at him, seemingly intentionally or unintentionally. Although he didn't show it on his face, he was already secretly preparing to make a move.

Will the amnesiac emperor be changed by Liu Jin's unwavering loyalty, even at the cost of his life? No one can say for sure.

Liu Jin's visit to the emperor today is probably for this very purpose.

Fortunately, after a while, the emperor sighed and turned around to sit down at the table.

"Like Zhuangzi dreaming of a butterfly... He is loyal to the butterfly, not to me. What he seeks is the me of the past, and to achieve this, he must kill the me of the present."

"In the end, they are enemies, not friends."

Li Miao raised an eyebrow and calmly took a sip of tea.

The hall fell silent for a moment.

After a moment, Zhu Zai spoke in a deep voice.

"So, Yan Song will still force the emperor to abdicate tomorrow?"

"should be."

Li Miao spoke slowly and deliberately.

“We are the Embroidered Uniform Guard. There are few people in the world with a worse reputation than us. We are not much better than eunuchs. Whether they are civil officials or military generals, they have always been dissatisfied with you, but they just kept quiet before.”

"Now that Yan Song has confirmed that what the Eastern Depot said is true, he has eliminated his last bit of concern. If they win, with the help of Yingzhou, they can either use the emperor to command the other lords or restore His Majesty's memory and become a great loyal minister."

"So tomorrow will be the day they bring things to the table and, with the help of the Eastern Depot and Yingzhou's schemes, formally declare war on us."

Zhu Zai stroked his beard, pondered, and said thoughtfully.

"At that time, I'm afraid they'll respond to your call, and the royal family can't handle it now."

"We still need to delay."

"We are outnumbered and outgunned. His Majesty's martial prowess has not yet been restored, and the countermeasures are not yet complete. The only option now is to stall."

Li Miao nodded in agreement.

"That's what I think too."

"My trip to the Yan residence today wasn't entirely fruitless."

He held up two fingers and said with a smile.

"Firstly, An Qisheng is very old and his condition is quite bad. The longer we delay, the more likely something will happen to him."

Secondly, Liu Jin cannot hold out for long.

His gaze shifted to the pool of blood in the hall.

"Although his methods are bizarre, they are also a desperate move. Since he has not cultivated sexual cultivation, these 'sexual seeds' cannot remain in the host's body for long before they dissipate on their own. Moreover, as time goes by, the duration and extent to which he can influence the host will also weaken."

"I estimate that 'Liu Jin' will disappear completely in no more than half a month."

said the emperor.

"But they know their own situation, will they let us stall for time?"

Li Miao shook his head.

"Of course not, but they are also waiting, waiting for the right moment when everything is in place. The moment when their true colors are revealed will be after today, before the end of the month."

"Besides, isn't there still one piece that hasn't been placed on the board yet?"

The emperor and Zhu Zai looked at each other and said in unison.

"Jianghu!"

--------

Outside the capital, on the official road.

Cao Hanyan and Gao Anyu sped along the road.

They subconsciously avoided pedestrians, choosing only secluded sections of the road. This was because their current situation was truly bizarre.

Because behind them, an old Taoist priest was "floating".

She was truly floating, with only one hand lightly resting on Cao Hanyan's shoulder. Her whole body was like a weightless piece of paper, rising up as she moved and lying straight in the air.

Today is the fifteenth of October, only four days since the two arrived at Wudang. Logically speaking, given their lightness skills, they shouldn't have been able to reach Shuntian.

It's still because of that old Taoist priest.

As Cao Hanyan ran, she felt a subtle and mysterious true energy flowing into her body from the old Taoist's hand on her shoulder, automatically forming a circuit in the meridians of her legs.

As this wisp of true energy continued to circulate, Cao Hanyan's speed also increased dramatically, and the fatigue from traveling day and night was also dispelled.

After traveling for more than ten miles, the old Taoist priest lightly raised his hand and placed it on Gao Anyu's shoulder.

Gao Anyu's eyes widened immediately, and he shouted excitedly. He then swung his arms and ran forward, leaving Cao Hanyan behind.

"Brother Gao!"

It was only when Cao Hanyan called out that he stopped.

The three of them continued on their way, and finally, as dawn broke, they could see the towering city walls in the distance.

"Brother Cao! We're definitely the fastest!"

Gao Anyu shouted excitedly.

"It will definitely be of help to Uncle Li!"

Cao Hanyan nodded and slowly slowed her pace.

"It's not time to open the city gates yet, let's hold off and enter the city later."

"Ok!"

The two stopped, and the old Taoist priest also landed on the ground.

Even now, the old Taoist priest hadn't opened his eyes, and was still muttering to himself as if he were sleepwalking. He put his hand on Gao Anyu's shoulder and followed him step by step.

The two were used to the old Taoist's manner and knew that he couldn't hear them no matter what they said, so there was no point in being polite. They found a clean spot by the roadside, took out some dry food from their satchels, and waited for the city gate to open.

The three of them sat there for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

Suddenly, the old Taoist priest opened his eyes.

Cao Hanyan and Gao Anyu were both shocked. The old Taoist priest had neither eaten nor relieved himself along the way. Even when they encountered bandits and he was splattered with blood while hanging behind Gao Anyu, he had not opened his eyes. How could he suddenly open them?
There must be a demon in the abnormal situation!
The two gripped their weapons tightly, ready to fight at any moment!
Just then, the old Taoist priest spoke in a hoarse voice.

"Wait a moment."

Before the words were finished, Cao Hanyan and Gao Anyu's vision blurred.

Looking again, the old Taoist priest had vanished without a trace.

The two looked at each other and let out a long sigh.

"Are all cultivators so mysterious?"

Now, the old Taoist priest took a step forward. His steps were not fast, but it was as if he were walking on ice. He took a step that covered dozens of feet, and in the blink of an eye, he had darted far away.

It slowly came to a stop after a short while.

In that short time, the old Taoist priest had darted several miles.

Standing in the empty field, he said in a hoarse voice.

"come out."

no respond.

The only sounds were the morning breeze rustling through the grass.

But the old Taoist priest did not waver in the slightest. After saying "Come out," he stood silently in the same spot without making any move, as if he could stand there forever.

Time passes little by little.

Suddenly, the morning breeze subsided.

dusty!

The ground beneath the old Taoist priest's feet suddenly exploded, and a short man emerged from beneath the ground, his short sword aimed straight at the old Taoist priest's face!

"You stinking old man! I hid from you, and you still come looking for me!"

"So you're here for that Xuanlan martial arts technique too! Very well—let's settle this with our skills!"

(End of this chapter)