Infinite Puzzle City

Chapter 464: Joining forces to resist the tide (two in one)

The first snow of winter soon covered the city of Chang'an with a layer of white snow.

Outside the Ziwei Palace in Chang'an, charcoal fire illuminated the night. Frost and snow retreated in front of the steaming fire and turned into drizzle-like drops of water and disappeared without a trace.

Inside the hall, the emperor in a golden dragon robe sat quietly on the dragon throne.

Although he is already over 40 years old, the years seem to have left no traces on his face. The gold threads on his dragon robe flicker under the light, highlighting his skin as delicate as cream.

Inside the hall, there was silence except for the crackling sound of the charcoal fire.

The emperor's gaze passed through the palace gates, as if he was examining the snow-white Chang'an, or as if he was thinking about his own future.

"Your Majesty, it's time to rest."

An old eunuch walked out from the shadows. While he was speaking, the maid behind him carefully carried a golden bowl to the emperor. There was a strong smell of blood in the bowl, but if you sniffed it carefully, there was also a faint fragrance of medicine.

"How is the construction of the underground palace going?"

The emperor picked up the golden bowl and drank all the blood in it in one breath.

"It's almost finished. The Zou family is very dedicated in their work. The ever-burning lamp made by five hundred boys and girls will last for ten thousand years."

The old eunuch said with his head down.

But after she finished speaking, she did not get a response from the emperor. She raised her head quietly, only to see the emperor staring at her with squinting eyes. Her expression suddenly froze. Before the old eunuch could realize that what she said was wrong, the emperor suddenly opened his palm, and a blood-red vortex appeared in his palm, and he sucked the old eunuch's head into his palm.

"You were laughing just now? Do you think I've lived too long? You wish I could die soon."

The emperor's eyes were as sharp as knives, as if they could see into the deepest part of people's hearts. They were like two unsheathed swords, revealing an unquestionable majesty.

When he asked the question, the voice was sharp and piercing, as if a sharp blade was cutting through the air, making people shudder. Without waiting for the old eunuch to explain, he squeezed his hand hard.

"Kakaka..."

With the sound of bones cracking, blood oozed out from the old eunuch's scalp, being continuously drawn out of the body, and finally condensed into a blood-red pill, floating in the emperor's hand.

As for the old eunuch's body, it had shrunk into a ball no bigger than a basin. He fell to the ground and was kicked out of the hall by the emperor.

The guards outside the door were already used to this situation, and they skillfully picked up the meatball and threw it into the charcoal stove nearby.

As bursts of black smoke floated out of the furnace, the emperor's mood seemed to improve a lot.

"Someone is coming."

A young eunuch ran in from outside the door.

Perhaps because he was too nervous, his clothes were a little messy when he ran into the hall, and he accidentally fell to the ground. However, he did not stand up immediately, but instead prostrated himself on the ground.

"What is your name?"

"Xing Haitao."

The young eunuch did not dare to raise his head and responded in a low voice.

"Issue an order that Monk Lingfa has engaged in a private fight with someone, and from now on he will be stripped of his position as the abbot of Daxiangguo Temple. As there is currently no replacement for the sword review, the sword review position will be moved to the East Inner Courtyard, and I will personally be the judge."

"According to the order!"

The young eunuch hurriedly crawled back out of the hall.

After the eunuch left to find the prime minister to draft an order, the emperor sat upright on the imperial chair, his fingertips gently rolling the blood-red pill. His dark and deep eyes were filled with doubts, his thin lips slightly parted, and he whispered to himself: "Sword Master? Sword Review? Oh, your blood will be the ladder for me to become a god!"

……

"What?? This place? Not at Dayan Pagoda?"

In Li Jie's palace, Xiao Ran was a little surprised when he heard Li Jie's words.

Tomorrow is when the sword review will begin. It is said that already many people have lined up outside the Big Wild Goose Pagoda to compete for the best seats.

Some people even had been watching Fengxue all night, and now they suddenly asked, "Change positions?" It was a bit too hasty.

"Yes, in the East Inner Courtyard, it is said that the Ministry of Revenue has dispatched 300 craftsmen and 2,000 laborers to build the spectator seats outside. Your Majesty will not only watch the sword competition in person, but also serve as a judge for the top ranking."

Li Jie had just returned from the palace. Upon hearing the news, he rushed home without even having time to drink a sip of water.

"The Imperial Palace..."

Hearing this, Xiao Ran's heart suddenly moved. This was a good opportunity for him.

I also need to be able to enter Group A, so that I can face the Dog Emperor directly and find an opportunity to kill him.

But at the same time, Xiao Ran found the difficult problem to be that this palace was not a brothel where you could enter and leave as you pleased.

The Zou family's talisman and the five evil spirits could not affect him, but if it was the imperial palace, it would be a different story.

There are many martial arts masters, and there are definitely many people who are dissatisfied with the emperor, but I have never heard of anyone being able to enter the imperial palace and assassinate the emperor. It's not just because the palace has high walls and strict security.

What’s more important is that there are many talismans in the palace. Under the suppression of these talismans, even the top masters will have their strength greatly reduced once they enter the palace.

The case of Lao Hu and his team's failure was right in front of him, so Xiao Ran had to be cautious.

Xiao Ran half-closed his eyes, and a huge chessboard seemed to appear in front of him.

Now the waters of Zou family and Huang Chao have been muddied. What he has to do next is to give them more push from behind to make the waters even more muddy.

Thinking of this, Xiao Ran turned his gaze towards the Zou family. This vicious dog was squatting beside the emperor on the chessboard. There was a big snake hidden behind it, staring at the emperor with a fierce look.

After thinking for a long time, Xiao Ran turned his gaze and stared in the direction of the Imperial Guards, and suddenly a bold idea came to his mind.

"Chu Tianming, the commander of the Imperial Guards, are you familiar with him?"

Li Jie nodded: "It's OK, we see each other every day and say hello occasionally, but Chu Tianming is not easy to approach. After all, he is someone close to His Majesty, and it is not convenient for others to get too close to him."

"Tell me about this guy."

Xiao Ran motioned Li Jie to sit down and have a slow chat with Xiao Ran.

Although Li Jie didn't know what Xiao Ran was going to do, since Xiao Ran wanted to know, Li Jie had nothing to hide.

"Chu Tianming is a man with a proud and arrogant heart, and a bit of a martial arts fanatic..."

The two sat down and chatted until it started to get dark.

The next morning.

Before daybreak, the streets were already busy.

All I heard was the crackling sound of firecrackers coming from all directions.

There were already crowds of people waiting outside the imperial city gate early in the morning.

The sword review that has been awaited for twelve years has finally begun today.

Whether they are here to watch the fun, participate in the sword review, or even some ordinary people just want to enter the palace to take a look.

After all, it is the imperial palace. On weekdays, you are not allowed to go in and take a look, even just wandering around the door is not allowed.

However, the East Inner Courtyard is not an imperial palace, but a royal garden developed next to the imperial palace, similar to the Imperial Garden in the capital.

Entering from Yanzheng Gate is the Royal Garden.

Even so, the people who came here still wanted to go in and take a look.

As soon as the palace gate was opened, a large crowd of people rushed into the palace along with the open gate. The huge palace immediately dazzled the common people.

Even though this is just a garden and not a palace, it has pavilions and palaces. Any brick or tile is a treasure to the common people.

But with the imperial guards guarding here, no one has the courage to openly steal the royal family's women.

The rules of sword review have been mentioned above.

The only difference this time is that the positions in Group A have been reduced to ten people, Group B to fifty people, Group C to one hundred people, and Group D to one hundred and fifty people.

To pass the preliminary selection and be reviewed by the judges, you can enter the corresponding group level for the second review.

Of course, you can also wait until the second round, raise objections, snipe the person, and knock him down in the rankings.

People have begun to conduct preliminary trials on the stage one after another.

Not far away, Chu Tianming was picking oranges while looking at the figure on the stage. He curled his lips and casually spat out an orange core.

As one of the chief judges of the sword review, Chu Tianming does not need to appear in the preliminary review.

Only after the Group A list is released will they appear as judges in the second round of review.

However, as the leader of the imperial guards, although Chu Tianming does not have to be a judge, he still has his work to do.

"Sir, as you ordered, we have mobilized enough men from the other two camps."

The deputy commander walked up to Chu Tianming and said.

"Well, watch out, especially those unruly people. If anyone takes a brick, a tile, or even a leaf from here, arrest them."

"Yes!"

The deputy commander nodded, turned around and gave instructions to the adjutant behind him.

Then, seeing that there was no one around, he took out an orange and handed it to Chu Tianming with a smile: "Brother Chu, you are watching here, are you itching to do something too?"

Chu Tianming did not respond, but just spat out an orange seed and looked at the arena in front of him.

The imperial guards had military status.

Most of the time, the son takes the place of the father, and the position is passed down from generation to generation.

Chu Tianming was able to become the leader of the Imperial Guards, so his strength is naturally needless to say. The sword review held once every twelve years, anyone with a little bit of strength would want to participate.

But Chu Tianming could only stare and watch. As a member of the imperial guards, he couldn't attack at will. But as a master, it would be a lie to say that he didn't want to do anything.

"Forget it. These ugly creatures are not worthy of my help."

Chu Tianming raised his head. He did have the capital.

In fact, there was only one opponent that Chu Tianming wanted in his heart.

Zhang Wumeng. He fought one against four, and in the end two died, one was injured, and one was disabled. This was simply amazing.

You should know that the Zou family has three old gentlemen, Wang, Li and Zhao, who are all masters at the top of the Tao, and the great Zen master Lingfa has already attained enlightenment.

Four people working together were beaten like this, which shows how strong Zhang Wumeng is.

As if he could see what his eldest brother was thinking, the deputy commander at the side said with a smile: "It's a pity that Zhang Wumeng may not be able to come. His head is worth 100,000 taels of gold. Hey, the Zou family is crazy. They are using all their wealth to take revenge."

Seeing Chu Tianming remained silent, the deputy commander changed the subject: "But there is still a chance."

"What??"

Chu Tianming finally turned around and looked at the deputy commander beside him. He felt that this boy was a little strange today. He didn't talk so much in the past.

The deputy commander smiled evilly and whispered, "Zhang Wumeng definitely didn't run away, and he can't participate in the sword review. But if you can kill him, even if you don't participate in the sword review, you will still be the current sword leader in everyone's mind."

Chu Tianming frowned when he heard this: "It's easy for you to say that. We don't even know where this guy is."

"I have a solution."

The deputy commander smiled evilly and said, "If you are not tempted by the Zou family's reward of 100,000 taels, then someone else will be tempted. By then, with the help of the Zou family's henchmen, are you still afraid that you won't be able to find Zhang Wumeng?"

Chu Tianming's heart moved when he heard this. He had to say that this was a good idea.

But Chu Tianming was not stupid. He turned around and looked at the deputy commander and sneered, "How much money did the Zou family give you to lobby me?"

"Uh uh..." The deputy commander was startled, but soon smiled and said, "I saw this as a good opportunity. It will take at least three to five days to select the A group. During this time, I will take over your duty and ensure that there will be no trouble."

Listening to the deputy commander's words, Chu Tianming curled his lips, and after a moment of silence, he asked, "If there is any news from the Zou family, notify me as soon as possible."

……

At this moment, in the front hall of the Zou family, Xiao Ran was tasting the Zou family's premium tea.

It was not the green tea that Xiao Ran was familiar with, but matcha.

Watching the tea artist stirring the bowl quickly, Xiao Ran didn't know why, but the scene of Wu Man stirring eggs always came to his mind.

"I don't know what Wu Man is up to lately. If nothing unexpected happens, it would be safer to ask him to take action this time."

“Brother Xiao!”

"Brother Xiao?"

It was not until he heard Li Jie's shout that Xiao Ran came back to his senses. He turned around and saw that everyone at the table was looking at him. He immediately said embarrassedly, "Sorry, this is the first time I've seen this kind of tea art, so I was a little distracted."

"Hahahaha, they are just some tricks, complicated and time-consuming. People in the martial arts world value speed, so they will not go to such great lengths."

An old man from the Zou family standing by said with a smile, pinching his beard.

Although he smiled happily and showed his intimacy, he couldn't help cursing in his heart, "You are a coarse country bumpkin."

Mr. Zou narrowed his eyes, examined Xiao Ran for a moment, and then said, "Your Majesty, Mr. Xiao, it's not that I don't appreciate your kindness, but I want to know why Your Majesty did this. If you need anything, please let me know in advance. If my Zou family can do it, we will certainly do our best."

"This one……"

Li Jie glanced at Xiao Ran and said, "Actually, I do have something to ask for. You know, I am not doing well in Chang'an, but it is not easy to be transferred out, so I hope the Zou family can help me run some operations in the court. I don't ask for a prosperous and beautiful place, I just want peace."

Mr. Zou was not surprised by this request.

Although Li Jie is the brother of the current emperor, he is actually just a little prince with no real power, no maternal family, and no roots.

To put it bluntly, in the capital, a prince like him does not even have as much power as an officer in the patrol battalion.

In other words, their lives are a little more comfortable than those of ordinary people.

If he were transferred to a local post, he might be able to abuse his power and authority by virtue of his status as a prince, which would be much better than what he could do in the capital.

"It's not difficult. My Zou family can handle this matter. After the sword review, we can send you out. I wonder how the land of Bashu is?"

"Bashu... that's fine too. The Land of Abundance is a good place."

Li Jie thought about it, then grinned and nodded in agreement.

Then Mr. Zou turned his gaze to Xiao Ran again.

Li Jie's request was just incidental, and even to the Zou family, it was just a casual remark.

The one who is really going to bleed is probably this person.

Seeing Mr. Zou looking at him, Xiao Ran put down the teacup in his hand and said, "Old man, you are so quick to speak. I dare not play tricks in front of you. Just say it straight. I want money."

"How many?"

"One hundred thousand taels of gold."

As soon as Xiao Ran opened his mouth, the old man sitting next to him frowned and said, "You are so arrogant. You asked for 100,000 taels of gold right away. That's too much."

"Didn't you offer a reward of 100,000 taels?"

The old man quickly explained: "Whoever kills Zhang Wumeng can get this reward."

"Oh, then fifty thousand taels of gold." Xiao Ran lowered his price upon hearing that. Without waiting for the old man to speak, he continued, "This is my bottom line. You all know that Zhang Wumeng and I have a grudge of killing my father and humiliating my mother. Now his whereabouts are unknown, and I am the only one who can lure him out. But you all know how powerful this guy is. I have to be the bait and help you kill Zhang Wumeng. I have to work hard and do my best. I will take half, fifty thousand taels of gold. It's not too much, right? And I hope you can pay me first. After all, the risk is too great."

"This one……"

After these words were spoken, the old man who was sitting with him was at a loss for words for a moment.

When discussing things, the host will ask someone to sit with him. This person must be someone who is good at speaking and knows how to act in moderation.

On the one hand, you need to help yourself say some things that are difficult to say, so as not to offend the guests, and it also gives the host room to ease the situation.

On the other hand, one must be careful not to make the situation too cold.

After Xiao Ran said this, he really couldn't bargain directly, so he could only look at Mr. Zou.

"Okay, our Zou family can give you 50,000 taels of gold right now."

Mr. Zou nodded and agreed readily.

He turned around and asked someone to take the gold.

"Hey, wait a minute."

At this time, Xiao Ran stopped Mr. Zou and said, "Old man, I can be the bait and help kill Zhang Wumeng, but I have to say that I can't beat Zhang Wumeng. If you are not sure you can kill him, I can't do this job. Don't blame me for running away when the time comes."

"Don't worry about this matter. As long as Zhang Wumeng shows up, my Zou family will be able to kill him."

Mr. Zou said in a deep voice.

Xiao Ran knew clearly that the Zou family's trump card was probably the ancestor of the Zou family, the great evil spirit.

But for this matter, Xiao Ran needs a clear answer.

So he cleared his throat and said, "Mr. Zou, don't blame me for being blunt. Your family has seen Zhang Wumeng's strength. Four masters were beaten to a pulp by him, and even Master Lingfa had his arm broken. If you can't show some real sincerity, I dare not take this job."

After saying that, he looked at Li Jie again: "My Lord, I'm sorry, I just got married and I don't want my wife to be a widow."

Upon hearing this, Li Jie immediately looked embarrassed and quickly stood up to smooth things over: "Hey, Brother Xiao, don't worry. The Zou family is very powerful and will never do anything that they are not sure of."

"What about last time?" Xiao Ran asked back with a look of disdain.

After these words were spoken, everyone in the Zou family looked unhappy.

But it was really hard to refute. If it were someone else, the Zou family would have turned against them long ago. But they had to ask Xiao Ran for help, so they could only swallow their anger, cursing Xiao Ran in their hearts as a country bumpkin, a cunning and greedy guy.

Seeing that Xiao Ran had the look of a villain who would not give up until he saw the rabbit, the old man of the Zou family felt much more relieved. The more Xiao Ran cherished his life, the more it showed that Xiao Ran was confident that he could lure Zhang Wumeng out.

"It seems that the story of killing my father and humiliating my mother may not be true, but it is not necessarily all false either."

Thinking of this, Mr. Zou stretched out his hand to signal Xiao Ran to stop talking. Then he glanced around, and the elders of the Zou family, the tea artists, and the servants who were sitting around immediately stood up and quietly left.

Only after everyone left did the old man of the Zou family take out a black scale from his arms and hand it to Xiao Ran.

Xiao Ran took it and asked, "What is this?"

Unexpectedly, as soon as he finished speaking, he felt a familiar and powerful evil aura coming from above.

Xiao Ran was very familiar with this aura; it was exactly the aura of the ancestor of the Zou family.

"These are the scales from our ancestor's body. I believe you have heard of our Zou family. All the masters who wanted to seek revenge on our Zou family were unable to leave the gate of our Zou family without exception. This is precisely because of the protection of our ancestor."

At this point, Mr. Zou took a deep breath and then said, "As long as that Wu Meng shows up, you only need to break these scales, and my ancestor will immediately come to your side and kill this beast on the spot!"

"Sure enough!"

Xiao Ran felt relieved. Everything was just as he expected. The Zou family would certainly spare no effort in order to seek revenge. However, in the last battle, most of the Zou family's elite were killed.

Now the only thing the Zou family can really show off is this ancestor.

Although Xiao Ran had guessed this matter a long time ago, he was completely relieved only after it was confirmed.

"Well, since you have the protection of this old ancestor, I won't be polite."

Xiao Ran hid the scales in his arms.

"Then how do you plan to lure Zhang Wumeng out?"

When Mr. Zou saw Xiao Ran put away the scales, he couldn't help but ask another question.

"This is easy. As long as I let Zhang Wumeng know that I have participated in the sword review and can get an A-level score, he will definitely not let me survive the sword review."

Xiao Ran said proudly...

Soon, Xiao Ran and Li Jie walked out of the Zou family's gate with a whole carriage of boxes.

Just wait until he and Li Jie leave.

All the elderly people who had been sitting with him just now were cursing Xiao Ran behind his back.

"Brother, fifty thousand taels of gold, is that such a bargain for him?"

Mr. Zou curled his lips, sneered, picked up the teacup and took a sip of the tea in it, a smile appeared on his face: "The ancestor's power is as great as hell, and if he accidentally kills someone, there is nothing we can do about it..."

(End of this chapter)