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Chapter 496 Princess Ruicheng (8,000 words)
Meng Zhi clutched his lower body, screaming like a pig being slaughtered, and rolled on the ground.

Its massive body...like a wild boar, carved a flat area out of the weeds on the ground.

After Dafu gave him a shove, it darted into the grass, folded its wings, and with a flap of its webbed feet, dashed off into the nearby woods.

What could Dafu have done wrong?
Its only mistake was that it loved too much and too much.

I want to give all the lonely females in the world a warm home.

Why do you have to destroy this home? Can't you join in?
Dafu saw the convoy the moment he sped up.

A wise man doesn't suffer a loss in front of him—I'm off, Mr. Fu!

Among the advisors who accompanied His Highness this time, Mr. Cao was the chief advisor and Mr. Lan was the deputy.

Both men held official positions conferred by the imperial court while residing in the princess's residence.

Mr. Lan went into town to make preparations.

Mr. Cao stayed by His Highness's side the whole time.

Seeing the mastiff and Mengzhi fall one after another, Mr. Cao's expression changed drastically, and he shouted, "Protect His Highness!"

The three hundred armored soldiers moved swiftly, instantly protecting His Highness's carriage in the center.

These three hundred armored soldiers were no ordinary men.

Because His Highness is highly favored in the royal family, these three hundred people were specially drawn from the Divine Machine Camp by His Majesty and assigned to His Highness.

Everyone is at least a low-level slacker!
The armor he wore was all handcrafted!
In addition to muskets, his weapons included a broadsword and a spear.

Each squad consists of ten people, and also includes two large shields, one small cannon, and twenty exploding mines!

They were armed to the teeth.

There is one "commander" for every three hundred people, who is actually a fifth-rate martial arts practitioner!

Moreover, he rose to the fifth rank through a fierce battle with the Snow Demon.

They are far superior to someone like Meng Zhi.

Outside the armored soldiers were the other staff members from the princess's residence.

Although these people are a "rabble," they are all highly skilled cultivators.

Mr. Cao is a seasoned fourth-rate person, and outsiders estimate that he will be promoted to third-rate in three years at most.

Xu Bo and the other two exchanged glances, and Xu Bo said, "We will lead the way for Your Highness!"

Then they advanced together cautiously in the direction of Mengzhi's screams.

The other two are Lu Qiuyan, a sixth-rate divine cultivator, and Sun Shou, a seventh-rate craftsman.

Xu Yuan was a nobody in southern Jiaozhi, a fifth-rate or fourth-rate individual—while the younger generation of the Ming Dynasty, who were called "prodigies," were sixth-rate.

This standard has relatively broad age restrictions.

Anyone under thirty years old counts.

For those specializing in life cultivation or craftsmanship, this standard can be relaxed.

For example, Sun Shou, although he was only a seventh-rate craftsman, was qualified to pursue His Highness because he was a craftsman.

Even among His Highness's admirers, he was ranked quite high.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be qualified to accompany His Highness to Jiaozhi.

As Sun Shou walked, he muttered to himself, and then opened his clenched left fist, and a "locust" flew out of his palm.

The locust is a special kind of craftsmanship.

It has two huge, protruding eyes with an extremely wide field of vision.

Flying to a height of thirty feet, one can take in everything within a radius of five miles.

When Sun Shou saw the locusts, he also saw them.

The locust was covered with marks of patchwork and sewing.

It is not a mechanical artifact, but a "flesh and blood artifact".

It was pieced together by Sun Shou using various flesh and blood materials!

Craftsmen of this type are adept at creating these terrifying and bizarre artifacts.

However, those who follow this path of craftsmanship cannot simply be craftsmen; they must also be alchemists.

Only then can one process various flesh and blood materials.

Therefore, Sun Shou actually cultivated two major disciplines: craftsmanship and alchemy, and he was only a seventh-rate practitioner in both.

With his dual mastery of the seven arts and especially his mastery of craftsmanship, Sun Shou was highly regarded in Beidu, surpassing Xu Bo, Meng Zhi, and others.

However, girls kept their distance from Sun Shou, a living, breathing craftsman.

Your Highness is the same.

Therefore, when Sun Shou was in front of His Highness, he would often release carefully decorated insects and small animals.

They never dared to take out ancient corpses or giant beasts that had been patched up or pieced together.

As soon as the locust craftsmanship was revealed, he immediately discovered great fortune.

Sun Shouyi pointed to the woods: "Over there."

The locusts then flew over and swooped into the woods.

Xu Bo and Lü Qiuyan also disliked Sun Shou.

That guy's handicrafts always give me goosebumps.

But one has to admit, this guy is really useful in battle.

Anyone would prefer to be his teammate rather than his opponent.

Luqiu Yan sneezed three times in a row, and a large number of "lonely ghost soldiers" came out of his nostrils.

These lonely ghost soldiers were only the size of four or five-year-old children.

Each one is of low quality, but there are many of them.

Each one has thin arms and legs, sharp claws, and sharp teeth!
At Lu Qiuyan's command, the hundreds of lonely ghost soldiers surged into the forest like a tide.

Lu Qiuyan laughed heartily and pointed at Sun Shou, saying, "Little Sun, let's make a bet and see who catches that evil spirit first. Five thousand taels of silver, how about it?"

Sun Shou's hands were extremely dexterous, but naturally smaller than normal.

In addition, his name "Shou" (寿) sounds the same as "Shou" (手), which earned him this somewhat humiliating nickname.

In the capital, most people dared not call him by his nickname to his face.

However, Lu Qiuyan and Xu Bo are his rivals, and they shout at him face-to-face every day.

On the surface, Lu Qiuyan's family business involved traveling between the north and south, selling rice and grain.

In reality, casinos are the most profitable businesses.

His family owned twelve large casinos in Huangming Zhengzhou.

In addition, there are two of the largest in Fusang and Kitakkenshu.

They specialize in dealing with Westerners and Snow Demons.

Lu Qiuyan was a bad boy from a young age, and started hanging out in casinos when he was five.

The whole family thought the child was a waste, but when he was twelve years old, he was introduced to the family by a single dose of medicine. He turned out to be extremely talented in the path of spiritual cultivation. So the family sent him to Beidu, where he used his skills in "eating, drinking, gambling and whoring" to befriend the powerful and influential people of Beidu.

To everyone's surprise, once this guy arrived in Beidu, he decided:
Why bother associating with the powerful and influential? We might as well become powerful and influential ourselves.

His Highness dislikes Luqiu Yan, but the old prince does.

Because Luqiu Yan first "persuaded" the old prince, and then the old prince led him to the front of the palace.

Lu Qiuyan made it clear to the old prince that if he were fortunate enough to marry the princess, his family would give 20% of the casino profits as a betrothal gift.

The old prince was not short of money, but he was still greedy.

Lu Qiu Yan, standing beside His Highness, appeared to have turned over a new leaf, but after two months of pretending, he couldn't hold back any longer and started taking a gamble on everything.

Lu Qiuyan realized that if his relationship with His Highness were to succeed, it would not be because of his "young and promising" or "bright future," but only because of the 20% profit.

So I won't install it.

He has plenty of money, and he always bets five or ten thousand at a time.

Sun Shou frowned. He was disgusted by Lu Qiuyan's behavior, which perfectly embodied the nouveau riche mentality.

Sun Shou cursed, "Gamblers deserve a terrible death!"

But the flesh-and-blood artifact had already caught up to the white goose by ten feet.

Meanwhile, the large group of lonely ghost soldiers at Luqiu Rock were still a hundred feet away.

"Let's gamble!" Sun Shou felt that this round was a sure win, so why not gamble?
Lu Qiuyan's family's treasury was overflowing. It was said that every time the treasury's large iron door was closed, it required two martial arts practitioners to push it with all their might, and gold dust would leak out from the cracks in the door.

They're so rich, it would be good to give some money to your grandpa to help with his expenses.

"It's a deal!" Lü Qiuyan shouted.

His lonely ghost soldiers suddenly exploded, coalescing into a huge gust of yin energy that howled into the forest and instantly approached the white goose.

"Hmph!" Sun Shou snorted coldly, "I knew you were up to something!"

However, Sun Shou also had a backup plan.

The "locust" had already pounced down.

The locust was originally only the size of two fingers, but suddenly its flesh and blood exploded and mutated!
In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a bizarre and disgusting creature, resembling a skinned bat!

The dark red fleshy wings spread out, reaching a width of half a zhang.

Its entire body was dripping with pus and blood, and it had four sharp claws beneath it.

But inside its mouth were seven or eight thin, fleshy whiskers!

With a flick of its fleshy whiskers, it unfurled a large net of bloody whiskers, intending to completely engulf Daifuku.

Dafu had already noticed that a large insect was following him.

Dafu wasn't in a hurry at all.

When it comes to eating insects, Grandpa Fu is an expert.

It sensed the worm rushing down and was about to turn around and swallow it whole—but unexpectedly, the worm suddenly turned into a disgusting mass of flesh and blood!
Dafu let out a strange "ga!" and asked, "What's going on?"
How could there be such depraved people in this world who even fake food?!
Although Dafu also ate evil spirits, the thing behind him really disgusted him, so he didn't want to eat it anymore. He turned around and spat at the thing to express his contempt.

Sun Shou activated his flesh and blood artifact, unleashing its second form—a technique he had specially developed while serving the prince, which transformed the horrifying and disgusting flesh and blood artifact into an outer layer that was less repulsive to girls.

Sun Shou smiled smugly at Lu Qiuyan: "I know your casinos like to set traps and cheat people, but you didn't expect that I also have a trick up my sleeve!"

As for the evil white goose, which crippled Meng Zhi with a single collision... the three of them didn't really take it to heart.

This isn't the first time that fool Meng Zhi has lost due to underestimating his opponent and being careless.

He was clearly ambushed and struck in a vital spot by that evil spirit. The true strength of that evil spirit should be at the level of being able to defeat that pack of mastiffs.

Sun Shou believed that even if his "masterpiece" couldn't destroy the evil spirit, it could at least keep it occupied.

From a betting perspective, at least you won't lose; at worst, it'll be a tie.

But through the eyes of the flesh-and-blood craftsman, he saw the big white goose suddenly turn its head and spit at the flesh-and-blood craftsman.

The flesh-and-blood craftsman was diving at high speed, and the saliva was also moving extremely fast.

It was smeared all over my face in an instant.

Sun Shou was disgusted, but still didn't realize the seriousness of the situation.

Until he suddenly lost sight of flesh and blood artifacts.

Then, he immediately lost his connection to the flesh and blood artifact!

"What's going on?!" Sun Shou exclaimed in surprise.

A goose's saliva ruined one of my prized creations?
Is this reasonable? !
Lu Qiuyan had a dark expression on his face, thinking that he was bound to lose this bet.

He wasn't upset about the five thousand taels of silver; what bothered him was that he had lost.

But suddenly seeing Sun Shou's expression change drastically, Lü Qiu Yan immediately realized that there was still a chance for things to turn around, and he shouted with great joy, "Go! Go! Go! All you children, go!"

The dark, gloomy wind rushed even more fiercely towards Dafu's direction.

Several hideous ghost heads emerged from the front of the wind, as if they were dragging the entire gloomy wind forward.

They soon saw a large increase in size as well.

At the same time, he saw the mangled, bloody artifact that had fallen to the ground behind Daifu!
The various parts used to forge the artifact have been separated and detached from the artifact.

A chilling wind swept past, and Dafu continued running ahead. Sun Shou caught up, and upon seeing his own flesh-and-blood artifact, his expression changed again: "What terrifying poison..."

The flesh-and-blood artifact has collapsed.

Logically, each part should undergo its own strange changes!
Dozens of tiny but deadly evil spirits crawled all over the ground.

But these flesh and blood materials have completely lost their vitality!
Even the bizarre activity it once possessed no longer exists.

His own craftsmanship was "poisoned," and the poison was just a drop of saliva from that goose!
"Just what is the origin of this evil spirit?!"

Dafu dared not stop. It was neither afraid of the ghostly soldiers behind it nor the three people chasing after it.

But the group further back was afraid.

Dafu was still puzzled: There are so many people, and they're dividing me up to eat. Each person won't even get a bite of meat. Why are you all chasing after me so relentlessly?
Dafu rushed out of the woods and suddenly turned towards the canal.

Not far from the river, a military camp is nearing completion.

Dafu isn't running around like a headless fly; your Fu-ye is a brain-eater.

Xu Bo and his two companions chased after them closely, and then they saw Dafu leap a few steps and vigorously flap its wings.

Its obese body barely managed to glide through the air and clear the high outer wall of the military camp...

Xu Bo and his two companions also caught up to the entrance of the military camp.

The officers and soldiers of the river garrison shouted sternly, "Halt!"

Suddenly, more than a dozen soldiers emerged from behind the battlements, drew their powerful bows, and aimed them at the three men below.

Everyone in this battalion knew that Dafu was Lord Xu's pet.

Lord Xu and our Lord Xu have a very close relationship.

……

Xu Miaozhi was discussing matters with his subordinates in the camp when he suddenly heard a series of "cawing" sounds coming from outside.

A hint of joy flashed in Xu Miaozhi's eyes: Xu Yuan is here!

As everyone knows, Dafu is Xu Yuan's shadow.

Xu Miaozhi hurriedly came out to greet her: "Xu..."

Dafu lunged at her, nearly crashing into Xu Miaozhi's arms.

"Xu Yuan didn't come?"

"Gah, gah—" Dafu exclaimed repeatedly, meaning that the meal hadn't arrived, but he had almost been turned into a meal.

A school officer rushed over: "Sir, there are three people outside, they seem to be chasing after Dafu..."

Xu Miaozhi's expression changed, and she waved her hand, saying, "Come out with me!"

……

At the camp gate, the most arrogant Luqiu Yan stood with his hands on his hips, pointing at the soldiers and yelling, "Hand over that evil spirit!"

"Do you know who I am?"

"You've offended me, I'll tear down your camp! And I'll revoke your battalion's designation too!"

Xu Miaozhi happened to hear the last sentence and trembled with anger: "Fine, I really don't know who you are, but this River Camp was established by order of the Dragon King. I want to see how you're going to take away our designation!"

Lu Qiuyan also realized that he had exaggerated his boast.

When Xu Bo saw the large white goose, which was hiding behind the female general and winking at the three of them, he realized that something was wrong.

"Report the situation to His Highness first."

Xu Bo retreated, leaving behind those words, and then quickly returned the way he came.

Lu Qiuyan and Sun Shou could no longer leave, but they retreated a bit, and the atmosphere was no longer tense. Lu Qiuyan still wouldn't admit defeat: "You wait, you woman, I'll make you kneel down and kowtow in a minute!"

Before long, His Highness's carriage arrived.

Upon seeing the military camp, Mr. Cao knew that he would not be able to let the matter rest until he revealed his identity.

He stepped forward and said calmly, "Which general is in charge? Please come out and speak."

Xu Miaozhi stepped forward: "Grand Canal Administration, Waterway Camp, Champa Garrison Commander Xu Miaozhi!"

The new official position of Xu Miaozhi was the garrison commander of Champa.

Once the military camp is built, she will lead this battalion of river soldiers to guard this place.

The real target is Ghost Mountain, but this is a grand scheme, and not many people know the inside story.

Mr. Cao nodded and showed his ivory token.

Xu Miaozhi's expression changed the moment she saw the ivory token.

"Open the gate and invite this gentleman in."

After entering the military camp, Mr. Cao gestured to Xu Miaozhi, saying, "Speak to the side."

Xu Miaozhi and he avoided the crowd, and Mr. Cao whispered, "His Highness is in the carriage outside."

The evil spirit you've been protecting has offended His Highness; you know exactly what to do.

Xu Miaozhi was very passive, her delicate and pretty face full of solemnity.

She was aware of the situation in Beidu.

Meanwhile, inside the carriage outside, the "Princess Ruicheng" was even more famous.

Let alone Xu Miaozhi, even the entire Xu family is someone they can't afford to offend.

But should we really hand over Dafu?

Xu Miaozhi gritted her teeth and asked, "Lord Cao, this goose is not an evil spirit. Its name is Dafu, and it is the pet of Xu Yuan, the chief law officer of the Exorcism Department in Zhancheng. It is quite extraordinary."

"May I ask how it offended Your Highness?"

Lord Cao frowned and said unhappily, "General Xu, His Highness has never liked to bully others with his power, but is he really going to offend His Highness over a mere goose?"

No matter how miraculous it is, it's still just a goose!

Mr. Cao was not lying. His Highness must cherish his reputation—mainly because Miss Jinxi has an excellent reputation. His Highness wants to compete with Miss Jinxi, so his reputation cannot be bad either—but His Highness is, after all, His Highness, the princess with the most favored by the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

We don't want to bully others by virtue of our power, but we also cannot be disrespected!
Mr. Cao was also very cautious in handling all matters inside and outside the Princess's residence.

But this time, he genuinely felt that Xu Miaozhi had gone too far!
Xu Miaozhi clasped his hands and bowed: "This humble general has absolutely no intention of disrespecting Your Highness, but... Dafu is not an ordinary poultry, nor is it an ordinary plaything. Please introduce me, Lord Cao, so that I may meet Your Highness and explain this matter to you."

Mr. Cao's face turned icy cold as he said, "Your name is Xu Miaozhi, from the Xu family of Luocheng, right? Your grandfather is Xu Jianchen?"

Xu Miaozhi: "Exactly."

Mr. Cao was very familiar with the affairs of the court: "Your eldest uncle, Xu Taicheng... has a chance to become the Minister of War in two years."

Xu Miaozhi was startled.

Mr. Cao's words were extremely damaging.

Uncle Xu Taicheng is currently the leading figure in the Xu family.

That step two years later was crucial for both Xu Taicheng and the Xu family.

Princess Ruicheng possessed the ability to "not accomplish anything, but certainly ruin things."

Xu Miaozhi's ambition was not to be a good wife and mother, which is why she took advantage of Zhu Zhanlei in the first place.

She had feelings for Xu Yuan because he was capable and ambitious, unlike Zhu Zhanlei who lacked ambition.

Xu Miaozhi's expectation was a partner who would help each other, accompany her through thick and thin in her official career, and move forward together.

But if the eldest uncle fails to take this step, the Xu family will remain trapped in the remote border region of Jiaozhi.

Xu Yuan... is about to enter the headquarters.

She will not be able to keep up with Xu Yuan's pace.

She also didn't want to be a burden to her partner.

She is passionate and decisive, but she also has her own pride.

After saying that, Mr. Cao looked coldly at Xu Miaozhi, believing that this young female general should know how to make a choice.

Xu Miaozhi slowly lowered her head.

After a moment, she raised her head again, her gaze now firm: "Everyone in and around the imperial court says that Princess Ruicheng is not as good as Miss Jinxi. I am far away on the frontier and do not understand why people in the world make this judgment."

Now I understand, Princess Ruicheng is indeed inferior to Miss Jinxi!

Mr. Cao flew into a rage: "Ignorant madmen! May your Xu family forever remain in this damp, humid, and poisonous land!"

Since Xu Miaozhi had already made her decision, she no longer held back and said coldly, "Then let's wait two years and see whether Princess Ruicheng ruined my uncle's job or Miss Jinxi helped my uncle become the Minister of War!"

Mr. Cao's face turned ashen, and he stormed off.

Xu Miaozhi didn't have any complicated inner struggle, nor did she figure out any key point; she simply couldn't bring herself to betray her "friends."

She said that the Xu family would have to rely on Miss Jinxi two years later, but that was just a spiteful statement, meant to embarrass Mr. Cao.

Xu Miaozhi knew very well that the Grand Supervisor never interfered in court affairs.

Miss Jinxi would never help her uncle secure the position of Minister of War.

She sternly refused Mr. Cao and refused to hand over Dafu. It was really satisfying to say such harsh words, but once Mr. Cao left, Xu Miaozhi felt like she had lost most of her energy.

A man stood there, looking lost and dejected, as if the wind in the camp had taken on a bleak air.

Dafu staggered over, approached Xu Miaozhi, and barked softly twice.

Xu Miaozhi forced a smile and reached out to rub Dafu's head.

Dafu did not dodge.

From now on, besides Miss Jinxi, Dafu will have another woman he is willing to be close to.

"It's alright now," Xu Miaozhi said to Dafu. "You should be more careful in the future and not run around causing trouble again."

……

Mr. Cao emerged from the camp, his face contorted with barely suppressed anger.

His Highness asked from inside the carriage, "They refuse to hand over the evil spirit?"

Mr. Cao, standing outside the car door, explained the situation in a low voice, then gritted his teeth and said, "Your Highness, please be patient for now. We'll enter the city now and send an official document to Ma Tianshou. His men have been disrespectful to Your Highness; Ma Tianshou must give an explanation."

Mr. Cao managed to control his anger.

Actually, there is another option.

This battalion of soldiers harbors evil spirits and is using their troops to oppose the princess, which is tantamount to rebellion!

The three hundred armored soldiers accompanying His Highness are fully capable of breaching this camp.

That can be considered a legitimate reason for their actions.

But that would be detrimental to His Highness's reputation and could very well cause a huge uproar in the court.

For His Highness's sake, Mr. Cao advised her to be patient for the time being.

But the prince in the carriage was focusing on something strange: "You mean, that thing was raised by Xu Yuan?"
"His mere goose could defeat a sixth-rate martial artist, leaving Xu Bo and his companions helpless?"

Mr. Cao was taken aback. Why does Your Highness ask this?
"Exactly."

From inside the carriage came a soft, enigmatic laugh from His Highness: "Heh!"

While Mr. Cao was still guessing His Highness's intentions, His Highness's order had already arrived: "Surround this military camp, then send someone to Champa and order Xu Yuan to come and apologize."

……

Xu Yuan had already packed his bags and was ready to return to Shanhe County.

Dafu can't be found.

Xu Yuan knew that this guy would occasionally sneak out of the city on his own, so he wasn't too worried: "Let's wait a bit, we'll leave tomorrow."

Less than half an hour later, Old Qin rushed over. Because he was too nervous, this dignified martial arts practitioner tripped on the threshold and fell headfirst into Lord Xu's duty room.

Boom!
His head smashed through several of the bricks on the ground.

Xu Yuan asked with displeasure, "What happened? Why are you in such a panic?"

Old Qin held up a ivory tablet, his voice trembling slightly: "The princess has arrived!"

The tooth tag belongs to Mr. Lan.

The front is inscribed with "Princess Ruicheng's Residence", while the back reads "Minister Lan Jian".

Speaking of important figures, Lao Qin has met Mr. Feng Si, Miss Jinxi, and others.

But for the people of the Ming Dynasty, princes and princesses were truly different.

They were truly of noble birth.

For the officials in the imperial court, the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet certainly carried more weight than ordinary princes and princesses.

But for people like Lao Qin who didn't understand the court, the royal family clearly carried more weight.

Moreover, Old Qin said in a panic, "That Mr. Lan looked like he was coming to interrogate me, and he came in very aggressively..."

Xu Yuan looked at Elder Yan with a puzzled expression, and Elder Yan was also bewildered: "Princess Ruicheng? I have heard of her."

Although she was not His Majesty's daughter, she was his most beloved princess.

The fact that she was granted the title of "princess" even though she wasn't the emperor's daughter already speaks volumes.

"But how did this person suddenly end up all the way from Beidu to our Champa?"

Xu Yuan took the ivory token and stepped out.

Mr. Lan likes to wear blue clothes.

He was a scholar, but he was tall and burly, with a lion-like face, a wide mouth, a thick neck, and a thick beard. He looked like a person with a bad temper.

His style of doing things is completely opposite to Mr. Cao's.

He entered the city ahead of several advisors, following His Highness's instructions not to disturb the locals, and thus found a quiet and elegant inn and booked the entire place.

However, such inns are often high-end, and there are not many in Champa to begin with.

He searched all morning before finally finding one in the northern part of the city.

At this time, Mr. Lan was unaware that this place... was very close to Xieliu Lane.

He was discussing with the innkeeper about removing all the servants from the inn when the princess sent someone over.

Upon hearing this, Mr. Lan was astonished that such a beast dared to offend His Highness, so he immediately dropped what he was doing and headed straight for the Champa government office.

Upon arriving at the yamen gate, he smashed his ivory token into Old Qin's face and shouted, "Tell Xu Yuan to get out here!"

When Old Qin scrambled in to deliver the message, Mr. Lan casually sat down in front of the yamen.

Everyone who passed by saw it.

Is Lord Xu facing some kind of inauspicious event today? Or has he offended the Grand Duke Jupiter?
Why did I get scolded in the morning and then have someone blocking my door in the afternoon?

The officers of the Champa Garrison were indignant, but fearing Mr. Lan's identity, they dared not speak out.

When Xu Yuan arrived at the yamen gate, the officers, now reassured, immediately went to greet him: "Sir!"

Mr. Lan asked without any politeness, "So you are Xu Yuan?"

"It is indeed I, the official."

Mr. Lan waved his hand and ordered his attendants, "Take it!"

Several of his aides swarmed forward, their menacing expressions as they reached out to grab Xu Yuan's arm.

"Hmph!" Xu Yuan snorted coldly.

Those people suddenly felt a tremendous force on their hands, and were thrown back by the shock!

"Ouch……"

Four staff members fell down the steps in front of the government office, screaming in pain.

Xu Yuan simply shrugged his shoulders.

But this shake is the "Overlord's Armor Removal" move from the "Fighting Techniques".

The advisors and retainers that Mr. Lan brought were only of sixth or seventh rank.

Xu Yuan's attack, however, demonstrated the strength of a fourth-rate martial artist.

These people were constantly being thrown out, and some even suffered dislocated wrists or broken forearms!
Mr. Lan narrowed his eyes. Such skill from a mere palm strike from Jiaozhi?!

They had traveled by boat all the way here and had never heard of Xu Yuan's deeds.

"How arrogant..." Mr. Lan had barely finished speaking when Xu Yuan interrupted him without any politeness: "What rank is your position as the Assistant Director of the Princess's Residence?"

Mr. Lan was taken aback.

His position as the Assistant Director was a rank of eighth grade.

Mr. Cao's "household steward" was a seventh-rank official.

However, they were Princess Ruicheng's retainers, and in the Northern Capital, they were officials of the sixth or fifth rank. When they met them, they had to bow and smile obsequiously, addressing them as "My Lord".

But Xu Yuan didn't buy it: "A mere eighth-rank official, what gives you the right to flaunt your power in front of me, a seventh-rank official, and even dare to boast about taking me down?!"

Mr. Lan was a hot-tempered and straightforward man, and he was immediately at a loss for words.

He had no choice but to address the issue directly: "The beast you raised has offended Her Highness the Princess!"

Xu Yuan immediately understood: Da Fu had gotten himself into trouble.

"What's going on?"

Mr. Lan, furious, gave a brief account of what had happened outside the city.

From the perspective of the people in the Princess's residence, it was obviously all of Dafu's faults.

Why keep this kind of beast? It should be killed and stewed in a big iron pot!
But Xu Yuan continued to sneer: "Are all the princess's followers useless? So many people can't even catch a goose?"

Mr. Lan blushed deeply with embarrassment.

Now it dawned on them: Xu Bo, you four are utterly useless!

How can you all, who call yourselves geniuses in Beidu, not even be able to catch a single poultry?
He also regretted it a little; he shouldn't have made such a big show of confronting the authorities at the government office—it wasn't exactly a prestigious thing to do.

Xu Yuan waved his hand: "Come, let's go out of the city together."

Mr. Lan stubbornly maintained his composure and snorted, "Offending His Highness is an unforgivable crime. Just wait for the court to punish you!"

When Xu Yuan was about to leave the city, all the officers and soldiers in the government office followed him out in a flurry.

Xu Yuan looked back and saw a dark mass of people, numbering over a hundred.

"What's the point of sending so many people?" Xu Yuan scolded, then pointed to a few people: "Xiao Ba, Ji Shuangqiu, and Lao Di, take two teams of brothers with you. The rest of you stay in the yamen."

The rest of the group had no choice but to stay behind; they all wanted to go with the adults and bolster their morale.

Mr. Lan thought to himself: This young law master is quite prestigious.

When the two sides met up, Mr. Lan's staff behind him were still groaning. Compared to the strong and well-equipped troops behind Xu Yuan, Mr. Lan felt utterly humiliated!

"Shut your mouths!" He threw out a gourd of medicinal pills.

The four people took the medicine, and its effects took hold immediately, stopping their wailing and howling.

Once they reached the outskirts of the city and found His Highness's carriage, Mr. Lan stepped forward and approached the carriage first: "Your Highness, I, your humble servant Xu Yuan, have arrived."

"Come forward." The carriage was adorned with a beaded chain.

This is truly a curtain made of tiny pearls strung together.

Xu Yuan stepped forward neither humbly nor arrogantly, clasped his hands in a fist and said in a deep voice, "This subordinate, Xu Yuan, the Chief Lawyer of the Exorcism Bureau of Champa, pays respects to Your Highness Princess Ruicheng."

In my mind, I was also thinking fast and fast about how to save Dafu's goose life.

The carriage was quiet. Xu Yuan vaguely sensed that the figure inside seemed to be looking him up and down.

(End of this chapter)