Catching Monsters

Chapter 457 Do Me a Favor
Hu Lingbing looked at the amazed expression on Jiang Yun's face, then chuckled and said, "Of course, these are just rumors we often hear while sailing at sea. There are many such rumors at sea, but no one knows whether they are true or false."

After learning all this, Jiang Yun couldn't help but nod, thinking to himself, "So, finding this fairy island requires a certain amount of luck?"

Hu Lingbing chuckled and continued to steer the boat seriously, heading towards the depths of the sea.

Hu Lingbing was no stranger to searching for overseas immortal mountains. Although his cultivation level was not outstanding among the fox clan, he was highly valued.

The reason is that he is very familiar with the sea.

Over the years, he sailed out to sea, traveling between Haiyan City and Zhou State, and was hired to go out to sea in search of this overseas fairy mountain.

In the demon kingdom, many important figures from various families are extremely interested in it.

The merchant ship was quite large and also carried a large amount of food, fresh water, and vegetables.

Ten days passed in the blink of an eye. During these ten days, all the Imperial Guards on the ship initially found the voyage to be novel and fun.

For the first day or two, everyone was in high spirits looking at the vast sea and would often run to the deck to gaze into the distance.

But after a while, he felt bored and looked around, but no matter how he looked, the scene was the same.

Jiang Yun frowned, sensing the difficulty of this mission, because...

They really have no goals.

Sailing on this vast ocean is like being a headless fly, relying solely on luck to see if we can encounter that sacred mountain.

But this process is too difficult.

Fortunately, Jiang Yun had a good mindset. He had prepared himself mentally before coming. During this time, apart from eating and sleeping, he spent most of his time meditating and cultivating in his room.

I just don't know how much longer His Majesty the Emperor can hold on...

Jiang Yun was helpless; it all depended on His Majesty the Emperor's fate.

However, continuing like this is not a solution. At this moment, Jiang Yun also remembered that Ai Tangtang and Sun Xiaopeng, whom he had met in Dragon Crystal City, had asked him to help them inform the people of Penglai Immortal Island that they were trapped.

They might be from Penglai Island.

If we really can't find them, we can try to rescue them from the Demon Kingdom and have them lead our group to Penglai.

Thinking of this, Jiang Yun couldn't help but shake his head. Those two dared to make a move inside the Demon Emperor's Palace and steal that meteorite.

Rescuing them from the Demon Emperor would probably be no easier than finding Penglai Island.

dong dong dong.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door. Jiang Yun opened her eyes and said, "Come in."

Soon, Linglong walked in looking rather dejected: "Jiang Yun, you're doing fine, staying cooped up in your room meditating and cultivating every day. I'm so bored! This place is even more boring than the capital. How much longer will it take us to find that immortal island?"

"If I keep searching like this, I'm afraid I won't make it to my father's funeral."

Hearing Linglong's complaints, Jiang Yun couldn't help but smile wryly and said, "Alright, my Lord, right now all we can do is wait for that Penglai Immortal Island to appear."

"I don't care, you're not allowed to cultivate anymore. Come with me for a walk on the deck." Linglong paused, then suddenly sat down next to Jiang Yun, blinked, and stared blankly out the window.

"What's wrong?" Jiang Yun reached out and waved his hand in front of her eyes.

"Look, Jiang Yun, look!" Linglong suddenly grabbed Jiang Yun's hand excitedly: "Isn't that the Immortal Island!"

Jiang Yun turned his head and looked out the window. At this moment, in the sky above, shrouded in celestial mist, a celestial island appeared and disappeared among the clouds in the distant horizon.

It was the very same ship that the two of them had seen at sea.

Not long after, the door was pushed open with a bang by Wen Chen, who said breathlessly, "Master, Master, we've found that immortal island!"

"Can't I see it?" Jiang Yun pointed out the window, a smile on her face.

But then Wen Chen was also stunned, because he saw Jiang Yun and Princess Ning Yi secretly holding hands inside the room...

He was momentarily stunned. Jiang Yun and Linglong also came to their senses. Linglong had been too excited and had instinctively grabbed Jiang Yun's hand.

The two quickly let go of each other.

Jiang Yun quickly coughed and said to Wen Chen, "Don't misunderstand, it's not what you think."

"Don't worry, Master, I definitely won't tell your wife!" Wen Chen said without hesitation.

Jiang Yun: "Don't overthink it. I'm upright and have nothing to hide. What's wrong with telling your master's wife?"

Upon hearing this, Wen Chen scratched the back of his head, somewhat confused: "So Master means I have to tell Master's wife?"

"It's better not to tell him..."

Jiang Yun, his face dark, said, "Let's go to the deck!"

Linglong, on the other hand, was carefree and didn't have many thoughts. She chuckled and followed them to the deck.

Wen Chen couldn't help but scratch his head, feeling both surprised and amazed at how powerful his master was.

Back in Beijing, I heard that my master had a close relationship with the beautiful Feng Beier, and there were even rumors that Feng Beier almost committed suicide for my master.

This matter had caused quite a stir in Beijing earlier.

How come he's now involved in some ambiguous relationship with Princess Ningyi?

No, no, this matter must not be known to Master's wife.

When Jiang Yun and Linglong arrived on the deck, many Imperial Guards, including Hu Yi and Hu Lingbing, came up to the deck and looked at the distant Penglai Immortal Island.

"We actually found it." Hu Lingbing stared blankly at the fairy island towering among the clouds.

Over the years, he had sailed out to sea with many people in search of this fairy island, but all of them found nothing.

Legend has it that this fairy island will only appear when someone with a special destiny seeks it out.

Thinking of this, Hu Lingbing subconsciously looked at Jiang Yun beside him.

This Imperial Guard had seen the Immortal Island before. Could he be the one destined to meet him?

Soon, Jiang Yun, Hu Yi, and Linglong also found Hu Lingbing and asked him to steer the boat towards the direction of the Penglai Immortal Island.

Hu Lingbing nodded, but also reminded the group, saying, "Gentlemen, this immortal island is quite mysterious. It is said that if someone who is not destined to be near it gets close, the immortal island will become more and more distant."

"Furthermore, they cannot even reach the Immortal Island."

"Why all the nonsense? I, Old Hu, am clearly a destined person." Hu Yi glared at Hu Lingbing and said, "Once I, Old Hu, become a disciple of the immortal and become his mount, you, Hu Lingbing, will definitely receive your share of benefits."

Upon hearing this, Hu Lingbing was also somewhat excited and said in a low voice, "Lord Hu Yi, could you ask the immortal if we could take in another mount?"

“I want to be that mount too.” “Go away, what’s your cultivation level? Besides, you’re so old, you don’t have much flesh left, just bones. Even an immortal’s butt would feel uncomfortable sitting on you.” Hu Yi glared at Hu Lingbing.

As they spoke, the merchant ship slowly turned around and headed towards the fairy island.

……

In the capital of Zhou, more than ten days had passed since Xiao Jingfu was made crown prince, and he had begun to handle political affairs with ease.

Perhaps it was his enthusiasm for handling state affairs after just taking over the reins of government, or perhaps he wanted to demonstrate his abilities to his father, who was still alive.

During this period, Xiao Jingfu was extremely diligent, reviewing memorials as soon as he woke up every day until dark.

However, this process is extremely complicated.

Reviewing memorials was not simply a matter of presenting them to him, marking them with a circle, and indicating whether he agreed or disagreed.

That kind of behavior is typical of a tyrannical ruler.

For example, a province in the north sent a memorial claiming that it had suffered a disaster and needed the imperial court to allocate 100,000 taels of silver for disaster relief.

To process this memorial, it was necessary to first send an imperial envoy to inspect the disaster situation and understand the actual circumstances. After confirming that everything was correct, the Ministry of Revenue was summoned to inquire about this year's expenditure on military pay and whether it was possible to squeeze out 100,000 taels of silver.

If there is no more quota, then 100,000 taels of silver must be squeezed out from other expenses.

Distribute it.

This is what constitutes a complete processing of a memorial.

The sources of the memorials were diverse, covering all sorts of matters, which was extremely energy-consuming and required constant meetings with ministers from various quarters.

Understand the actual situation of the memorial.

Even someone as diligent as Xiao Yuzheng needed Feng Yu to handle most of the less important memorials; only memorials concerning important matters would be delivered to him.

Initially, Feng Yu also intended to do so, but after Xiao Jingfu proposed that all memorials must be sent to him, Feng Yu naturally could not interfere at will.

At this moment, in the not-so-small study, a thick stack of memorials was piled on the desk.

Xiao Jingfu was also extremely busy.

Just then, Huang Pingfeng came in carrying another stack of memorials and said, "Your Highness, these are more memorials from the Ministry of Revenue that require your review."

"Leave it there." Xiao Jingfu nodded, and seeing that Huang Pingfeng didn't seem to be leaving, he frowned and asked, "Is there anything else?"

Huang Pingfeng said in a low voice, "Your Highness, this servant has discovered that Jiang Yun, the garrison commander of the Eastern Garrison, has led his Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) to Haiyan City..."

"Furthermore, according to our investigation, Jiang Yun led two hundred Imperial Guards and actually requisitioned a merchant ship from the Demon Kingdom to go to sea."

"Go to sea?"

Upon hearing this news, Xiao Jingfu stared at Huang Pingfeng with some surprise and asked in confusion, "What is that guy going to do at this critical juncture? Go to the Demon Kingdom?"

"That's not right either."

Huang Pingfeng swallowed hard and said in a low voice, "Your Highness, there is a legend of a fairy mountain at sea, and it is said that a fairy lives on that fairy mountain."

"His Majesty's health is failing, and he is nearing his end. At this critical juncture, it is likely that Commander Jiang's decision to lead his men out to sea is to search for an elixir to prolong His Majesty's life..."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingfu was slightly taken aback, his expression becoming more serious. He took a deep breath and slowly said, "If Jiang Yun can truly find the elixir of immortality for Father, that would be a remarkable achievement..."

Hearing Xiao Jingfu's words, Huang Pingfeng couldn't help but say, "If there really is such a miraculous medicine..."

"This is a divine artifact; it might allow His Majesty to live for another hundred years, or even longer."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingfu's heart skipped a beat.

Live another hundred years?

Although he has now become the crown prince, if his father could really live another hundred years...

Am I to remain the crown prince for another hundred years?

A crown prince for a hundred years? Unheard of.

Moreover, a hundred years from now, I'll probably be nothing but dust myself.

Even if we take a step back and assume that my father recovers, it's still uncertain whether I can continue to hold the position of Crown Prince.

Thinking of this, Xiao Jingfu instantly lost the motivation to review the memorials. He took a deep breath and said to Huang Pingfeng, "Huang Pingfeng."

"Your servant is here," Huang Pingfeng replied respectfully.

"Go and find Zhang Yuhu," Xiao Jingfu said after a moment's thought. "Also, what about Qian Buchou? Have you found out anything?"

"Qian Buchou's identity has been investigated." Huang Pingfeng nodded and said in a low voice, "Qian Buchou was originally a constable in Nanzhou Prefecture. When Lord Zhang Wenqi was promoted to the capital, he brought him to the capital."

"However, soon after, Lord Zhang Wenqi died in an accident, and he lost his backing in the capital."

"However, he and Jiang Yun have a close relationship in Nanzhou Prefecture."

"You have a close relationship with Jiang Yun, don't you?" Xiao Jingfu closed his eyes slightly, lost in thought.

Jiang Yun is searching for a life-extending elixir for her father, the emperor.

He took a deep breath and said, "Go, bring Qian Buchou to me. I want to see him."

"Yes." Huang Pingfeng nodded in agreement, then turned and quickly left.

About half an hour later, Qian Buchou, dressed in the official robes of the Five Cities Garrison and carrying many gifts, followed Huang Pingfeng nervously to the Crown Prince's residence, outside Xiao Jingfu's study.

"Eunuch Huang, His Highness the Crown Prince is so busy with state affairs, it's really kind of you to take the time to see me." Qian Buchou said, and secretly slipped a five-hundred-tael silver note into Huang Pingfeng's hand.

Seeing this, Huang Pingfeng chuckled and naturally put away the five hundred taels of silver, saying casually, "Don't worry about the money. I've put in a lot of good words for you in front of His Highness."

"Yes, yes, yes, I will never forget your kindness, father-in-law."

Soon, the study door slowly opened.

Xiao Jingfu, dressed in a gleaming golden crown prince's robes, sat inside, drinking tea.

Huang Pingfeng whispered, "Your Highness, they've arrived."

"This humble servant greets Your Highness the Crown Prince." Qian Buchou bowed respectfully upon seeing Xiao Jingfu.

Xiao Jingfu smiled faintly and said, "Money is no problem, right?"

"I need you to do something for me. If you do it well, the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Five Cities Garrison will be yours."

(End of this chapter)