Records of Mysterious Things in the Southern Dynasties

Chapter 524: Reluctant to let go of the child but unable to trap the wolf

Ren Yuan was an illusionary god. Even Wu Yang and Wu Gu could not see through his illusions. He did not make a move at all, only said a few words and left, and his behavior did not reveal any flaws.

As a result, the two gods had no suspicions and let him leave the trap.

After leaving the prison, the princess burst into tears and said indignantly, "Father is too cruel. How could he treat a meritorious official like this?"

"Oh dear, Third Sister, we must be careful. Chen Qingzhi has already become a god. Although he lost all his magic power after being injured, who knows if he still has any tricks up his sleeve?" Xiao Gang said with a wry smile, "You've gotten what you wanted, so hurry up and go pay your respects to Father Emperor."

“I’m not going.” The princess shook her head resolutely and ordered Xiahou Li, “I’m going back to Yingzhou!”

"Huh?" Xiahou Li was dumbfounded.

"Third Sister, what's wrong with you again?" Xiao Gang asked helplessly.

“I didn’t cause any trouble.” Xiao Yuhuan said in a deep voice, “Tell Father that if he doesn’t spare Chen Qingzhi’s life, he can forget about ever seeing me again.”

"No way, is Chen Qingzhi really that important?!" Xiao Gang was speechless. He thought to himself that his arrogance and willfulness hadn't changed at all.

"Yes," Xiao Yuhuan said decisively, "If we can't protect Chen Qingzhi, the Great Liang will surely perish!"

Xiahou Li suddenly understood; so the princess was protecting the pillars of the nation. Deeply moved, she silently ordered, "Turn around and return to Yingzhou!"

"Third sister, think it over..." Xiao Gang, who had been abandoned, shouted hopelessly as he watched the departing carriage.

Xiao Yuhuan ignored him completely.

~~
After returning to Yingzhou, Ren Yuan simply disappeared.

The next moment, they were back in the mansion in Ping'anfang.

Everyone was anxiously awaiting his news. When they saw Ren Yuan appear, they quickly surrounded him, asking all at once, "How did it go? Did you see Commander Chen?"

"What is his current situation?"

"No." Ren Yuan shook his head and recounted the events of his trip to everyone, omitting the embarrassing details.

"What? Chen Shuai is actually Fifth Brother in disguise?" Everyone was stunned upon hearing this.

"Yes." Ren Yuan nodded and said, "Only my fifth brother and I know what he said to me..."

“Yes, this is a common method used by our Gouchen Division to identify ourselves.” Everyone agreed, but then asked, puzzled, “Why is Fifth Brother disguised as Commander Chen?”

"Because he is that one's fifth divine general," Fa Xiu revealed the answer. "I saw them on the Yellow River."

"Since he has become the Fifth Divine General, why did he warn A Yuan about a trap?" Chen Baxian asked, puzzled.

"Who knows? Maybe at that moment he saw himself as the fifth eldest brother he used to be," Ren Yuan said softly.

"My disguise skills were all taught to me by my fifth brother, which is why he was able to recognize that Princess Yongkang was me in disguise..."

"Fifth Brother probably didn't see through your acting, but rather understood that Lingzhi would definitely not ask the princess to go see Commander Chen." Yang Zhong pointed out incisively, "So as soon as the princess appeared, he could guess that it was probably you in disguise."

"It really is true." Ren Yuan nodded; this guess must be the truth.

"No matter what, now that we know the Heavenly Prison was a trap they set, at least our efforts weren't in vain," Su Xiaoxiao comforted him.

"But we still don't know where Chen Shuai is," Ren Yuan said, spreading his hands. "How can we rescue him if we don't even know where he is?"

"If not in the Heavenly Prison, where would they be? Could they have been taken to Purple Mountain?" Yang Zhong guessed.

"Probably not." Ren Yuan shook his head and said, "The Buddhist sect is used to having their cake and eating it too. They also know that Commander Chen is too popular, so they probably don't want to take the blame for Xiao Yan." "That's right. Xiao Yan is obviously a chamber pot now. The Buddhist sect is dumping all sorts of dirty and stinking things on him." Chen Baxian sneered and said, "Such a big scoundrel will definitely not let him off easily."

“I have a way that might allow me to see him,” Lü Kutao said suddenly as she brought Ren Yuan a bowl of steaming hot Suobing (a type of flatbread).

"Please speak, Second Sister-in-law." Ren Yuan naturally wouldn't take her opinion lightly.

Everyone expressed their willingness to hear their opinions, which made Lü Kutao feel embarrassed and say, "I was just thinking wildly... When I was hunting in Mount Tai, I couldn't catch big prey without bait."

She paused for a moment, then continued, "I was wondering if there was any bait that the emperor wanted to take..."

Upon hearing this, everyone couldn't help but glance at A Yao, thinking to themselves that there really was such a thing.

But no one will speak up.

It was Ayao who took the initiative to ask, "Does the Emperor's Sword count?"

"Of course! Which emperor could resist the temptation of this sword? Not even a god!" Chen Baxian blurted out, then asked sheepishly, "Little sister, don't you need to suppress the corpse poison in your body anymore?"

“I don’t need it anymore.” A Yao said calmly, “Back then, the princess helped me remove all the corpse poison, so I was able to use my flying sword to fight enemies at will.”

“That’s your natal flying sword too,” Yang Zhong said.

“It’s not anymore.” Ayao shook her head, revealing the Purple-Gold Emperor’s Sword in her hand. “In Baidi City, Master Zhuge forged this Emperor’s Sword with his soul. He sacrificed himself for the people of the world, how could I keep it to myself?”

Ayao was always so decisive and straightforward. She handed the sword directly to Ren Yuan, who took it and nodded.

"It's worth it to get Chen Shuai back with this!"

After a moment's thought, he said, "However, this is a serious matter. Let me discuss it with my senior brother."

So Ren Yuan, carrying the Emperor's Sword, strode onto the thousand-mile-long ship...

The ship was in a mess. It wasn't that Xiao Heizi had gone on strike, but rather that Zu Chongzhi and Zu Geng were busy modifying the warship, with Xiao Heizi and Zu An helping out.

Amidst the clanging and clattering sounds, Ren Yuan, leaning on the Emperor's Sword, squatted down beside his senior brother and recounted the whole story in a long, drawn-out manner.

As Zu Chongzhi flicked the ink line, he said in a deep voice, "If you use the Emperor's Sword, they will definitely switch to another one."

“A fool wouldn’t trade with you,” Zuan interjected.

“Children shouldn’t interrupt when elders are speaking.” Zu Geng glared at him and said, “Bring the plane over.”

"Sigh, sigh..." Zu'an listlessly handed the plane to his father. Well, he'd been reduced to a grandson.

“Xiao Yan’s tomb is just a pile of bones, nothing to worry about. But the person behind him is completely untrustworthy. Be careful, after you hand over the Emperor’s Sword, he will devour you and your fellow disciples.” Zu Chongzhi said to Ren Yuan in a deep voice.

“Yes, that’s exactly what I was worried about.” Ren Yuan nodded. “I’ve tried it, but there’s still no way to teleport within the Jinling Formation. I can only walk or fly. That way, I can’t be sure that I can get Commander Chen out of here.”

“The Jinling Formation is a big problem.” Zu Chongzhi said, then asked Zu Geng, “When will the horns be installed?”

"According to the project schedule, it will take another two months. If we prioritize construction, it will take about forty days," Zu Geng replied.
"If we work without sleep, it can be completed in thirty days."

"Then thirty days!" Zu Chongzhi insisted, and then said in a deep voice to Ren Yuan:

"We can break through the Jinling Formation using the Thousand-Mile Ship. Let's make our move together in three days!"

"Okay." Ren Yuan was overjoyed.

(End of this chapter)