The old things I repaired have become fine

Chapter 665 The Bright Moon Shines Over Chang'an

The young man glanced at Shen Le with a look that was hard to describe...

Up and down, down and up, it was as if they were trying to peel off Shen Le's skin, getting right to his bones. After several breaths, Shen Le was completely bewildered before letting out a long sigh:

"If it weren't for the fact that your Lu family has been making Soul-Suppressing Figurines for generations, and that your background is so clear, I would almost suspect that you are a Zhou person..."

No, the Zhou people are wrong too. There's no reason the Zhou people wouldn't know about the Prince Xiang, the Grand General, the Left Chancellor, and the Duke of Qinghe, but only about General Huli. You—you really know who he is?

"Of course, Commander Luo Diao!" Shen Le nodded matter-of-factly, trying to hide his guilty conscience.

Honestly, he was still unfamiliar with the history of the Northern Qi Dynasty; he really wasn't familiar with it at all. He couldn't match up who was who or which dynasty.

He knew about Hulü Guang because a senior female student who liked to write BL (Boys' Love) novels came across this person while researching and was immediately captivated by her, spending several days explaining her to them:
What "Eagle-Slaying Commander"? What "family of generals for generations"? What "his fame spread after shooting an eagle with an arrow in his youth"? What "women became empresses and men married princesses"?

What about his strict military discipline and undefeated record? What about how one man kept the Northern Zhou from making any rash moves for decades?

Of course, in the end, and most importantly, he was tragically wronged and killed, his life and his clan wiped out. His senior sister grieved for several days and finally decided to use him as the prototype for the protagonist in her novel.

After such intensive popular science explanation, Shen Le naturally knew who Hulü Guang was. The problem was, modern people tend to remember names first, and he couldn't remember any of those titles!

Compared to titles like "King" or "General" or "Prime Minister," Shen Le remembered more clearly the nickname "Eagle-Falling Commander," and a somewhat beautiful prophecy:

"The bright moon shines over Chang'an—"

"Even you know that saying?" The young man was startled, his eyes growing even deeper. He turned to look at the southwest corner of Ye City, his eyes filled with a mixture of worry and helplessness.

"In that case, Prince Xiang will probably really die... A hundred liters fly up to the heavens, the bright moon shines on Chang'an... Alas..."

"Hundred liters" is a type of hu (斛), and Hu Lü Guang, whose courtesy name was Mingyue (明月), is the one whose name is mentioned in the line "The bright moon shines over Chang'an" (明月照长安).

As a subject, he was told that prophetic nursery rhymes such as "flying to the sky" and "illuminating Chang'an" had spread throughout the capital. Even people like Shen Le, whose feet never left the Taihang Mountains and whose only focus was firing porcelain kilns, had heard of them.

So, if the person referred to in the nursery rhyme didn't actually usurp the throne and flee to Chang'an, the territory ruled by the Northern Zhou Dynasty, then they probably had no choice but to actually fly into the sky...

Shen Le remained silent. The young man sighed a few times, stamped his foot, and reached out his hand to him:
"Forget it, let's hurry up and get there! What if we can save them... what if!"

Hulü Guang's fate is clear and written in history books; there's probably no way to save him.

Shen Le remained silent, reaching out to place his hand on the immortal master's palm, letting a gust of wind lift him up and carry him swiftly out of the mansion:
Surrounded by bizarre and colorful lights, they felt as if they had entered a strange tunnel, as if the whole world was rushing backward.

Perhaps a moment passed, perhaps an hour, and his body felt light as his feet touched the ground. A clanging of metal rang out ahead, and someone roared:
"who?!"

Shen Le blinked, and his gaze finally focused, only then did he see that they were standing in front of a tall mansion.

Three layers of bluestone steps, with long swords and halberds arranged in layers, and armored soldiers interspersed, making it clear at a glance that the gatekeepers are all battle-hardened elites.
The area in front of the gate was bustling with traffic, but few people used this entrance. Instead, they orderly made their way to several side entrances, where they were guided inside by the gatekeeper. It seemed that only the two of them were blocking the main entrance…

At that moment, two veterans stood with their halberds crossed, blocking their path and demanding an explanation. The young man flicked his sleeve, raised a jade pendant, and waved it at them.
"Lou Yun, the sword immortal of Zifu Mountain, requests an audience with the Prince. Please inform him of this."

A small cloud flew out from the jade pendant and hovered at the midpoint where the halberds intersected. A light drizzle fell, wetting the halberd shafts, followed by a thin bolt of lightning that pierced the sky from the cloud and struck the point where the two halberds met.

The two veterans gripping the halberd were simultaneously jolted, almost dropping their weapons, then gripping them tightly again:

“You—you!”

"Prince Xiang has been summoned to the palace." A young general hurriedly emerged from inside the residence, clearly responsible for guarding the gates and now forced to leave.
"Honored guest, please come inside and wait a moment. We will report to the Prince as soon as he returns to his residence."

Has she entered the palace?
Shen Le remembered clearly that Hulü Guang was killed in the palace! He stepped forward, moved closer to Lou Yun, and tugged hard at his sleeve:

"Ask them what the Prince Xiang went to the palace for! Quickly!"

Lou Yun didn't turn around, forcefully snatching the hem of his clothes back from his hand, and asked again in a deep voice. The young general glanced at Shen Le in surprise, seemingly reluctant to answer:
This fellow, dressed in a worn-out, dusty cloth robe, clearly a laborer from the fields, asked the Prince what he had been doing. Was he worthy of the title?
However, when another person, dressed in brocade robes, holding a jade pendant, and capable of wielding magical powers, asked a question, he couldn't refuse to answer. The young general, though full of complaints, honestly replied:
"The Emperor bestowed upon him a fine horse, and Prince Xiang entered the palace to express his gratitude—"

"Are you going somewhere to play tomorrow?! Are you?!"

Shen Le stepped forward and asked urgently. The young general looked at him in surprise, the words "How did you know?" already on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed them back.

Shen Le had already turned to Lou Yun and took his forearm proactively:

"Hurry to the palace! They're about to make their move!"

"how do you know……"

"I'll tell you later! Hurry up! It'll be too late if you don't leave now!"

Lou Yun murmured, but could not refuse Shen Le's urging in the end. He led Shen Le to activate the magic technique and transformed into a stream of light to move forward quickly.

The wind whistled in their ears, and the surrounding scenery blurred. Suddenly, they stopped and found themselves standing at the foot of a tall gatehouse. A mist surrounded them, and it seemed as if there were people around, but no one could see or hear them.
"We've arrived at the palace. Where are we going?"

The palace is not a single palace, but a vast complex of buildings. The corridors wind and turn, the eaves soar high; each building occupies its own terrain, vying for prominence.

The front court's Taiji Hall and Zhaoyang Hall, the rear palace's Xianyang Hall and Xuanguang Hall, plus the Zhiche Gate, Duan Gate, Changhe Gate, East Hall, West Hall, etc., the total area occupied must be several square kilometers.

If it were a normal emperor, they would have simply found someone in the previous dynasty. The problem is, the emperors of the Northern Qi Gao family were all more insane than the last, so Hulü Guang could be invited anywhere!
Lou Yun anxiously scanned his surroundings, wishing he could cast a spell to summon someone—but to no avail.

Shen Le, however, had read this history and gave the correct answer directly:
"Let's go to Liangfeng Hall!"

He remembered the name well. His senior sister had mentioned it repeatedly when explaining it to them:

"Liangfeng Hall! What a wonderful name! Just hearing it makes you think of a palace on a high platform, where you can look around and feel refreshed! — Yet it was used to kill a meritorious official! What a waste of such a name!"

Lou Yun gave him another deep look. Clearly, he had a lot more to say but ultimately stopped, only asking:

"Where is Liangfeng Hall?" How should I know—wait, I actually do know! Shen Le racked his brains and realized that when he was in graduate school, he had actually read an article titled "A Study of Liangfeng Hall in the Northern Qi Dynasty," which mentioned the location of this hall:

"It's...it's next to Zhaoyang Palace, it's a side hall of Zhaoyang Palace! We've just entered the palace city, ahead should be Taiji Palace, and past Taiji Palace is Zhaoyang Palace..."

Lou Yun reached out and pulled him along, and the two transformed into streaks of light, flying forward. Shen Le was still muttering to himself:

"I don't know if it's the east or west side hall, but there should be a Xuandu Garden around Liangfeng Hall, which is a small garden with a pond..."

In short, once we pass the Taiji Hall, just look for the garden with the pond next to the Zhaoyang Hall!

In fact, there was no need to search anymore. The group had just passed the Taiji Hall when they saw armored soldiers surrounding them on their left, looking extremely vigilant.

Some were dejected, some harbored a hidden anger yet had to submit, and some were filled with sorrow. They frequently turned their heads to look inward, then forced themselves to turn back...

"This is it! Go quickly!"

Shen Le's heart sank, and he raised his hand, pointing diagonally. Lou Yun nodded, and the two figures blurred slightly as they swept towards the ranks of armored soldiers. Before they even passed through the crowd, suddenly, a sharp shout resounded deep within the garden:

"Liu Taozhi!!!"

The voice was old and weak, yet incredibly powerful, soaring to the heavens. Lou Yun's hand trembled, the spell almost failing, and the two were thrown high into the air, spinning as they were tossed towards the garden in front of them.
"!!!"

Shen Le forced himself not to cry out, mobilized his heat flow, and used the skills he had learned in the Mid-Tang instance to perform two consecutive somersaults, landing steadily on a tree.

Turning his head again, Lou Yun also awkwardly clung to another large tree, causing the branches to rustle as he scrambled down. Seeing Shen Le raise an eyebrow at him, he couldn't help but feel annoyed:
"That shout was too powerful! In an instant, military energy surged up, almost breaking through my spell!"

Yes, yes, you're absolutely right. Shen Le nodded repeatedly and pointed inside:
Hurry up and go inside?

They're shouting like this, things must be really heated inside!

Lou Yun had clearly considered this as well. His expression turned serious, and he leaped forward to grab Shen Le, forming another hand seal. The large tree beneath his feet trembled, suddenly bending down, then springing up like a slingshot:
The two men became like projectiles, tossed high into the air by tree trunks, across the woods, over the pool, and straight into the palace. Upon entering the main hall, they saw an old man confronting a group of warriors.
To be precise, it wasn't a standoff, but rather the old man's knees were slightly bent, his hands gripping the bowstring of an iron bow tightly, his muscles bulging, the bowstring digging into his fingers until they bled profusely.

Behind him, a burly general gripped the bow and pulled it back with all his might. Beside the general were three other, slightly smaller, strongmen, drenched in sweat, desperately helping him draw the bow.

The old man was clearly Hulü Guang; his hair ornament had been thrown off, and his almost snow-white hair and beard stood on end. A fiery aura surged from his body, like a wolf roaring to the sky.

The general behind him was probably Liu Taozhi, who also exuded a dark aura, which clashed with the gray wolf on the old man's body.

As for the three strongmen, their aura was much weaker and shallower; they were attached to the general, yet their power was constantly being shattered.

"Prince Xiang!"

Lou Yun shouted. He raised his fingers and pointed forward, and a beam of white light shot out.

The white light was extremely small and fast; before Shen Le could even see it clearly, it had already pierced through the intertwined qi and struck the bowstring. With a sharp clang, the bowstring snapped, and all four people fell backward simultaneously!

"General!" Shen Le rushed over as well, reaching out his hands to catch the old man who was falling forward. The force of the impact forced him to bend his knees, desperately circulating his internal energy to prevent himself from collapsing completely.
However, the moment his hand touched the old man, and his gaze swept over him, his heart sank:
That's too late.

—It's too late.

A spear pierced through Hulü Guang's back, its tip dripping blood that pooled on the ground and left bloody trails with his every step.

Almost the instant he caught the old man, the old man slumped to the ground, his heavy weight resting entirely on his arm.

"General! Hold on! Just a little longer!"

Shen Le shouted and slapped the old man on the back, desperately channeling his heat into him.

At the same moment, Lou Yun also arrived. After only one glance, he took out a small gourd, slapped it hard, and poured out seven or eight pills, which he then stuffed into Hulü Guang's mouth without a second thought.

"Please bear with it a little longer! Just a little longer... I'll take you back, back to the mountain, where Master can save you..."

He muttered incoherently over and over again. As soon as the pill entered his mouth, Huli Guang's breathing became heavy, and the bleeding from his ribs slowly stopped.

However, neither Lou Yun nor Shen Le dared to pull out the spear that had pierced through their bodies.

If he is taken to the operating room, with the help of numerous medical instruments and skilled doctors, perhaps his life can be saved.

"Who are you?!" The four men, who had been thrown back by the snapped bowstring, finally got to their feet. The three strongmen, facing the white light flashing before them, flinched slightly and dared not utter a sound;

Only the general gripping the iron bow, though outwardly fierce, still roared loudly. Lou Yun frowned, glanced at him, and raised his sword again, about to strike—

"Forget it. What's the point of killing him?" Huli Guang caught his breath, struggled to his feet, and looked back. A flush rose on his aged face. He glanced indifferently at the crowd behind him and sighed.

"It was His Majesty who wanted to kill me, not them. They were just knives; once one was killed, His Majesty would send another..."

"Then I'll protect you and help you escape?"

Lou Yun immediately inquired. Shen Le stood beside him, slowly lowering her gaze:

Escape?
The woman became empress, her sons all married princesses, her family was a military family for generations, a large extended family... then one person escaped, and then what?

"So be it. What good would escaping do? What good would merely surviving for a while do?" Hulü Guang glanced at Liu Taozhi, whose hands gripped the iron bow tightly and whose face was full of vigilance, and slowly lowered his gaze:
"Taozhi often does this. I have not failed my country."

He suddenly leaned back. With a muffled thud, the spear tip pierced his body, the long shaft protruding out of his body, and his breath immediately weakened.

"General!!!"

(End of this chapter)