Infinite Puzzle City

Chapter 701: Supervising Shao Hongzhang

"liquor!"

The drunkard sniffed the lingering aroma of alcohol in the air, then looked at the bottle in his hand, and without hesitation threw it aside. He staggered to his feet and followed behind Xiao Ran.

The two walked through the alley and stopped by the river.

"Wine, wine!!"

The drunkard had already caught up and was eager to take the wine from Xiao Ran's hand, but Xiao Ran threw the wine into the river the next second.

"Ugh! You!!"

Upon seeing this, the drunkard's eyes widened. He stomped his feet a few times in a fit of rage, and then jumped into the river without hesitation.

With a "plop!" sound, water splashed everywhere.

After a while, the drunkard emerged from the water with a bottle in his hand. He didn't care about anything else and quickly gulped down several mouthfuls.

As soon as it entered his mouth, he spat it all out, looking at Xiao Ran in a fit of rage: "You've ruined it! What a fine wine, and you've just destroyed it like this!"

Xiao Ran, however, didn't seem to care. She found a shady spot under a tree, took out some cold food and drinks from her spatial storage, and finally took out a bottle of Dukang wine and opened the cap.

The drunkard, who had been cursing in the water, suddenly sobered up and hurriedly climbed up the riverbank. His eyes were fixed on the wine in Xiao Ran's hand, and he couldn't wait to rush over and snatch it. But the next second, the drunkard didn't dare to move.

Xiao Ran looked up and grabbed the bottle: "I won't give it to you, you can't take it from me, or I'll throw this bottle into the water right now."

Upon hearing Xiao Ran's words, the drunkard paused for a moment, then squatted down to the side with a bored expression.

Seeing this, Xiao Ran took out a wine glass, poured a glass of wine, and placed it in front of the drunkard. At this point, the drunkard didn't care about anything else and immediately picked up the glass and drank it all in one gulp.

As soon as the drink entered my mouth, I felt completely refreshed.

"Good wine, really good wine. I've never drunk such good wine before. It's strong, potent, and smooth. Come on, have another glass."

As he spoke, he raised his glass to ask Xiao Ran for another drink.

But then Xiao Ran put the wine bottle aside and said, "One question, one glass of wine. You can choose not to answer."

"Question?" The drunkard looked Xiao Ran up and down, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded: "Okay, ask away."

"Who are you!"

Hearing Xiao Ran's question so simple, the drunkard replied without hesitation, "Shao Hongzhang."

Xiao Ran thought for a moment and realized she had never heard of such a person in the martial arts world, but she still poured a cup for the drunkard.

The drunkard took a sip with relish, then grabbed some snacks from the table and stuffed them into his mouth, a blissful expression on his face.

"who are you!"

Xiao Ran then asked the second question.

"Who is it??" Shao Hongzhang was stunned for a few seconds, then looked at Xiao Ran with a puzzled expression: "I'm just an ordinary person."

As soon as she finished speaking, Xiao Ran was about to throw the wine in her hand into the river.

"Hey, hey, hey, stop!!" Seeing Xiao Ran's actions, Shao Hongzhang's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly stopped Xiao Ran, "I'll talk, I'll talk, I am... the Director of the Imperial Observatory."

After saying that, he looked at Xiao Ran. Seeing that Xiao Ran was still staring at him, Shao Hongzhang helplessly put down his wine glass, rummaged in his pocket, found an iron plate, and tossed it to Xiao Ran.

Xiao Ran picked it up and took a look; it was indeed the waist tag of the Director of the Imperial Observatory.

Seeing this, Xiao Ran nodded, poured wine, and asked, "Why didn't you restart the palace's protective charms during the sword evaluation back then?"

The moment Xiao Ran uttered those words, the drunkard's smug expression froze, and he nearly dropped his wine glass.

He looked up in horror at Xiao Ran's face and asked, "Who are you? How do you know about this?"

"I also participated in the sword evaluation back then and know the power of the palace's protective objects. During the sword evaluation, all the palace's protective objects were concealed and did not play a role. Later, when the sword evaluation was in chaos, I did not see you reactivate these protective objects, so I asked out of curiosity."

(Note: Chapter 478 mentions the Imperial Observatory reopening the talisman.)
"So that's it!"

Shao Hongzhang breathed a sigh of relief, then drank the half-cup of wine he had spilled and explained to Xiao Ran, "There are 3,680 protective objects in the Forbidden Palace, of which 108 are the main ones, along with 72 Earthly Fiends and 36 Heavenly Generals. Reactivating this set of protective objects is not something that can be done by one person or in a day. When things suddenly break out and the palace is in chaos, who has time to think about these things?"

"Now that you've managed to escape, given the capabilities of your Imperial Observatory, how did you end up in such a state? Why risk coming back?"

"Sigh!" Shao Hongzhang sighed and downed the wine in his hand in one gulp.

"After the sword evaluation, Chang'an was in chaos. As the director of the Imperial Observatory, I was seriously derelict in my duties and was afraid of being punished. So I found a scapegoat, faked my death, and fled far away from Chang'an to observe the situation. Not long after, the locust plague army attacked Chang'an. I was lucky to escape, but my wife, children and elderly parents all died inside."

Tears mingled with the liquor and rolled down Shao Hongzhang's cheeks, the murky liquid swirling at the bottom of the glass, reflecting his distorted image. He suddenly tilted his head back and gulped down the last mouthful of liquor, as if trying to wash away the memories that were stuck in his chest.

“I escaped… but you can only escape for a while, not forever.” His voice was hoarse, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the rim of the wine glass, his knuckles turning white from the force. “Later I heard that Chang’an has become a ghost town, so I secretly sneaked back to see… if I could still find them.”

At this point, Shao Hongzhang couldn't help but drink another glass of wine.

Clearly, the ghosts before him were completely different from what he had imagined. Although he had a new home here, it was not his home, nor his family.

"It's fake. Everything here is fake. The people are fake, the home is fake, even the palace... is fake."

Fueled by alcohol, Shao Hongzhang poured out all his heart.

It wasn't that he was too trusting, but rather that he was suffering so much inside that he was almost going crazy. Being able to express his feelings through alcohol was a way to vent his emotions.

If it were anyone else, I doubt anyone would be willing to listen to his complaints here.

Xiao Ran was silent for a moment, then poured another glass of wine and pushed it over. The wine swirled slightly in the glass, reflecting the dappled light and shadows under the trees.

"Is there anything I can help you with?"

Shao Hongzhang squinted, looked Xiao Ran up and down, and sneered: "You're planning to participate in that special examination, right?"

Xiao Ran nodded.

"Hmph, I advise you not to go. It's a dead end. I've seen it. This ghost city is full of people by day and ghosts by night, but it's all fake. The so-called imperial examination and the so-called imperial seal are probably just bait laid by hunters."

As the Director of the Imperial Observatory, it would be impossible for Shao Hongzhang not to be quite capable. He saw things very clearly; this Ghost City was clearly a trap with no way out.

From the moment they entered, they were already on the verge of death.

To put it bluntly, they are still alive now only because the people behind them are still enjoying the pleasure of manipulating their lives. Once they get tired of playing with them, killing them will be a piece of cake.

To try and snatch the Imperial Seal of the State from the jaws of death under such circumstances is simply a pipe dream.

Xiao Ran did not argue with Shao Hongzhang's advice, but continued to pour him wine, waiting for Shao Hongzhang to finish drinking.

Xiao Ran finally spoke, "I want to ask you for help."

"help you?"

Shao Hongzhang's face was now flushed, and his head was swaying as if he were about to lie down and sleep at any moment: "How do you want me to help you?"

"Since you are the Director of the Imperial Observatory, could you please tell me how the talismans in the palace are operated?"

Xiao Ran was well aware of the immense power of the protective objects in the palace.

Even though the Forbidden City is now in ruins, I may be able to repair it with my own strength. Even if only a part of it can be repaired, it will still be of great help to me.

Who knows, it might come in handy someday.

"Ah!"

Although Shao Hongzhang was already somewhat drunk, he wasn't completely intoxicated. Hearing this, he snorted coldly: "Why should I? The layout of the Imperial Palace and its protective structures are top secrets. There will always be a day of peace in the world. Can't this top secret be exchanged for the wealth and honor of the world? Why should I give it to you for free?"

"Let's not even talk about whether you can leave this place or not. Does Chang'an still have a chance to become the capital? It's been destroyed like this. The dragon energy here has dissipated. There's no chance of it becoming the capital again. What's the use of you guarding it?"

After Xiao Ran finished speaking, she took out a bottle of good wine and placed it aside: "A bottle of wine, will you trade or not? If not, I'll leave immediately."

Shao Hongzhang glanced at the bottle of wine in Xiao Ran's hand, pondered for a moment, and said, "I'll drink the wine, but I can't give you what you're asking for. How about I offer you a compromise?"

"explain."

“Take me with you into Enko. You protect me, and I'll help you.”

"Deal!" Xiao Ran nodded in agreement almost without thinking, which surprised Shao Hongzhang.

"Don't be surprised. I don't intend to haggle with you. I'll agree to whatever price you're willing to pay. There's no need for us to waste time on this."

Xiao Ran tossed the bottle of wine in her hand to Shao Hongzhang: "I'll provide enough wine, but you have to abstain from alcohol for the first three days. I don't want to take a drunkard on an adventure, and I don't want to hear any advice from a drunkard. If you can't do it, I'll take your corpse with me."

(End of this chapter)