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Chapter 498 Delicious
There was hardly any wild game near the military camp, but there were many evil spirits.

The river camp was carrying out large-scale construction here, and the ordinary wild animals were naturally frightened and fled far away.

Some evil spirits, fearing the soldiers' vital energy, would also migrate elsewhere.

But there are some species that prefer to lure soldiers who are strong, muscular, and robust.

Xu Yuan received His Highness's order and led his men to prepare for action.

Before leaving, he instructed Liu Hu: "You and four others, be prepared here."

"Yes, my lord."

Xu Yuan said that what he prepared was food for the people of the Purification Division, but of course, it was mainly for Lord Xu himself.

Princess Ruicheng would not easily consume food or water handled by outsiders.

But Liu Hu didn't think that far ahead; he just felt this was a good opportunity for him to show off his skills and help his superiors save face in front of important people.

As soon as Xu Yuan left, he immediately took four captains and dug a huge pit on the spot.

……

Xu Yuan hadn't gone far when Xu Miaozhi, along with Dafu and a team of elite soldiers, came out to join him.

She even deliberately changed into women's clothing and got closer to Xu Yuan.

Princess Ruicheng watched everything from afar in her carriage, and secretly sneered, "As expected, there's something going on!"

"Otherwise, why would this female general risk her life to protect that beast!"

But His Highness didn't care at all.

She poses no threat to me. I only have one opponent, and that little girl Jinxi is the only one!

Around His Highness's carriage, Xu Bo and the other three, seeing that Xu Yuan had left, carefully tended to their injuries.

Lu Qiuyan hurriedly went to change his clothes, and Mr. Cao was finally able to stop holding his breath.

Mr. Cao couldn't help but complain from outside the prince's carriage: "Luqiu Yan is so vulgar!"

If this fellow doesn't send tens of thousands of taels of silver afterward, I will never again speak a good word about him in front of His Highness!
Each of the four had their own carriage—a gift from His Highness.

When accompanying His Highness on his travels, they are not allowed to bring anything or any accompanying personnel other than a change of clothes.

His Highness's safety is the top priority.

The four carriages were parked together, some distance from His Highness's carriage.

The four of them got into the car, but none of them said a word, and the atmosphere was very somber.

Even the most cunning Xu Bo didn't utter a word of provocation, such as "Are we just going to let it go like this?" or "If we don't bring down Xu Yuan, we'll never be able to hold our heads high in front of His Highness again."

I really don't dare...

Xu Bo had actually calmed down.

However, he was also keenly aware that he could no longer provoke Xu Yuan in Jiaozhi.

Otherwise, he would be buried in Jiaozhi... It would be extremely difficult for his family to avenge him.

Here, the emperor is far away and the sky is high.

The family did not wield absolute power, and their influence over southern Jiaozhi was limited.

And even if you get revenge, what good will it do since you're already dead?

All four felt utterly humiliated and had no intention of appearing before His Highness anytime soon.

The four of them hid away, and Princess Ruicheng suddenly realized: How peaceful and comfortable!

I love it.

Back in Beidu, she spent all her time trying to outdo Miss Jinxi.

Therefore, he made many friends and had a large number of retainers.

She is always surrounded by a group of suitors.

I haven't known what "tranquility" is like for a long time.

The captain of the armored guards stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting outside the carriage, and asked, "Your Highness, shall we also send some men to hunt some game?"

The general thought His Highness genuinely wanted a change of pace.

If Xu Yuan and his group fail to hunt them, we'll cover for them.

"No need, you may leave."

"As ordered."

As soon as the captain left, Mr. Cao stepped forward again and said, "Your Highness, now that we have revealed our identities, the local officials will surely come to pay their respects after we enter the city. Do you think we should establish some regulations?"

The so-called "setting up of rules" means asking His Highness to draw a line: officials of a certain rank and above will be received, while those of lower rank will be dealt with by him and Mr. Lan.

This is something that's out in the open.

There's another layer that can't be said openly: when local officials come to pay their respects, they will always bring gifts.

Should I accept this gift or not?

Ordinary princesses wouldn't receive this treatment, and local officials have no need to curry favor with a princess.

But Princess Ruicheng was different.

The gifts prepared by local officials must have been quite valuable.

Princess Ruicheng felt a surge of irritation after a brief respite and suddenly said in a huff, "Why see so many people? I'm not going into the city. Order the camp to be set up and stay here!"

"Huh? This..." Mr. Cao felt it was inappropriate.

Prince Ruicheng, in a fit of stubbornness, declared: "As you command!"

"Yes," Mr. Cao had no choice but to agree.

……

Xu Yuan led his men on a tour of the surrounding area for about ten miles, and found that only the area near the official road had some grouse and rabbits.

There were no large prey to be seen.

Xu Yuan sighed: "I'm afraid these won't satisfy Princess Ruicheng."

When Xu Yuan first arrived, his plan was to argue with Princess Ruicheng.

It's absolutely impossible for him to atone for his sins or hand over the great fortune.

But now the situation has changed, and Xu Yuan's strategy has also been adjusted accordingly.

After all, the other party is a princess who enjoys the greatest favor from the Emperor Ming Dynasty. It would be best if the problem could be resolved properly.

Therefore, Xu Yuan's current attitude towards Princess Ruicheng is: to coax her.

You want to eat wild game? No problem, I'll hunt it for you.

Xu Yuan said to Xu Miaozhi, "Wait here for me, I'm going into the mountains."

“I’ll go with you,” Xu Miaozhi said immediately.

Xu Yuan waved his hand: "I have fire wheels, they're fast."

After saying that, Xu Yuan stomped his feet, and the fire wheel rose into the air with a loud bang.

The speed of the fire wheel is now several times faster than before.

Xu Yuan didn't take long to rush into Xiaoyu Mountain.

They then found a family of weasels and learned what large wild animals were in the vicinity.

He first hunted a black bear—but Xu Yuan discovered that the bear had begun to change strangely, and it was feared that in another ten days or so, it would turn into an evil spirit.

The mountains are filled with yin energy, and wild animals are prone to unpredictable behavior.

Xu Yuan glanced around and saw that the black bear was in the weasel's "territory".

If a black bear were to transform into an evil spirit, it would have an inherent advantage over weasels.

They then used Lord Xu's help to eliminate this potential competitor.

These little creatures have no great wisdom whatsoever, only one petty scheme after another.

Xu Yuan caught Huang Thirty-Seven and Huang Ninety-Four and hung them upside down from the tree.

The two weasels squeaked and quickly confessed, "We were wrong, we were wrong, we know we were wrong!"

Then, Guaiguai provided the true information.

Xu Yuan hunted a wild buffalo and a deer, and wanted to find a tiger, but there were no tigers in the nearby mountains, so he only found a leopard.

On the way back, we encountered another wild goat and hunted it as well.

Xu Yuan returned carrying his prey.

Huang Thirty-Seven and Huang Ninety-Four were still hanging in the tree.

Before leaving, Xu Yuan specifically instructed the other weasels: "Keep an eye on them, hang them up for three days and three nights, then let them down!"

The other weasels jumped and squeaked, saying, "We'll definitely keep a close eye on things; not a minute less!"

Xu Yuan met up with Xu Miaozhi, and together they returned to the military camp.

But they saw His Highness's armored soldiers felling trees to build a camp!
"This..." Xu Yuan was also a little confused. This place was only a dozen miles away from Champa, so why not go into the city and instead set up camp?
"Your Highness," Xu Yuan said, bringing his prey to Princess Ruicheng's carriage. "The prey is here. Please take a look."

"Hmm." The figure in the carriage responded, then said, "The scenery here is quite beautiful. I will be resting here for a few days. You will stay by my side and obey my orders."

“This…” Xu Yuan hesitated.

Princess Ruicheng snorted coldly: "What, you're unwilling?"

Xu Yuan was naturally unwilling and began to make excuses: "I am the chief law officer of Champa, and I am responsible for all strange cases inside and outside Champa."

"If I am not present, the city's exorcism department will not function properly, and if evil spirits harm people, it could lead to a great disaster."

Princess Ruicheng said calmly, "Can't we do without you? Mr. Cao..."

Old Cao hurriedly stepped forward: "Your Highness."

"Notify Ma Tianshou to come and oversee the situation in Zhancheng."

"Yes."

Princess Ruicheng then asked Xu Yuan, "And now?"

Xu Yuan could only grit his teeth and obey: "This humble official... will comply with the princess's command."

You hold a high position and wield great power; you summoned Ma Tianshou with just a word. What could I possibly say?
Princess Ruicheng then instructed, "Mr. Lan, arrange accommodations for Lord Xu and his men in the camp."

"As you command."

Xu Yuan was taken aback again. They were going to stay in the princess's camp?

Xu Yuan originally wanted to stay in Xu Miaozhi's military camp.

After all, Dafu is bound to be wherever he is.

But the princess was domineering and arranged for him to stay by her side without any explanation.

Xu Yuan thought for a moment and decided to try to persuade him: "Your Highness, there are many evil spirits in the wild. Why don't you move into the military camp?"

“I don’t like that woman.” Princess Ruicheng made no attempt to hide her feelings: “If you want me to stay in the military camp, you should first persuade that woman to move out with her people and make room for me.”

Xu Yuan remained silent.

If you were to actually talk to Xu Miaozhi and ask her to make room for Princess Ruicheng... Xu Miaozhi would explode.

His Highness's three hundred armored soldiers are experienced and are accompanied by large-scale craftsmen specially designed for setting up camp.

Xu Yuan took a look and found it to be even more miraculous than Zhong Die's "fire curtain," so he was relieved about the princess's safety.

When Xu Miaozhi heard that Xu Yuan had been left in the princess's camp, she was so angry that her chest ached.

Her round cheeks also puffed out.

No, I can't wait any longer! I have to go into the city to find Zhu Zhanmei first thing tomorrow morning.

Princess Ruicheng's wolfish ambitions are now crystal clear!

……

Liu Hu looked rather listless.

He and four others dug a large stove pit, but they were outmatched by the three hundred armored soldiers.

These men were all elites of the Divine Machine Camp, with extensive experience in cooking during field marches.

They also dug stove pits.

Each one is small, but when they burn, they produce a powerful flame and produce no smoke!
Liu Hu believes he's second to none when it comes to cooking, but in this aspect, he's definitely outmatched.

Moreover, after Xu Yuan handed over the four prey animals, the cooks under His Highness took over their care.

Liu Hu had absolutely nothing to do with it.

His Highness did give the order, and the imperial chefs distributed a wild goat to everyone in the Purification Department.

Lang Xiaoba and the others hunted some small game such as rabbits, which Liu Hu processed as well. This kind of dish couldn't fully showcase Chef Liu's skills.

He seemed uninterested.

Even so, the aroma wafting from the large iron pot on the stove still filled the entire camp.

Like most members of the royal family, Princess Ruicheng had become so accustomed to delicacies that she lost her appetite for everything. The chef she brought with her also came from the imperial kitchen.

In fact, most of the things in the princess's residence came from the palace.

Because His Majesty favors her, he bestows gifts upon her every few days.

The prey brought back by Xu Yuan had to undergo cross-inspection by multiple chefs to ensure that the ingredients were fresh and free of toxins.

Then they picked out the most prized parts and cooked them into delicacies.

But Princess Ruicheng was all too familiar with their cooking methods.

Even with these precious ingredients, I still couldn't muster any appetite.

This is also Princess Ruicheng's predicament.

His Majesty doted on her and bestowed upon her his own chefs, so she had to eat their cooking every day and couldn't complain about how bad it was.

Otherwise, gossip would reach His Majesty's ears, which would be detrimental to her.

But today, an enticing aroma wafting from a corner of the camp made Princess Ruicheng's mouth water.

Now that I'm not in the capital and surrounded by my own people, I should be able to indulge myself a little, right?
Xu Yuan and his men were positioned in a very subtle way within the camp.

Of course, it was on the outermost edge of the camp.

It is located in the southwest corner.

The distance from Xu Yuan's barracks to His Highness's residence is fifty paces.

The middle section was clear, except for an inner gate with a wooden fence, guarded by five armored soldiers.

A simple notification will suffice.

Xu Miaozhi's military camp was located in the northeast corner of His Highness's camp.

The place where Xu Yuan lived was the farthest away, with a prince in between.

This evening, a humid southwest wind was blowing.

To help everyone get rid of dampness, Liu Hu added extra Sichuan peppercorns to dinner tonight. The strong aroma was carried by the evening breeze, making everyone's mouths water.

The purifying department has already started serving food, and they've prepared a large pot of rice for Lang Xiaoba and the others.

It was cooked in that big pit stove and big iron pot.

Lang Xiaoba and Ji Shuangqiu, these two martial arts practitioners alone, could take on a good portion of the task.

So when meals are served, whether you can get enough to eat depends entirely on who grabs the food.

In one corner of the camp, the atmosphere was lively and bustling, with the officers laughing and shouting, creating a vibrant atmosphere.

The food prepared for Xu Yuan was, of course, a special meal cooked for him.

Liu Hu personally took charge of cooking.

Xu Yuan was already ready to eat.

No matter how busy his official duties were, or how much trouble the world was, eating was always a big deal for Lord Xu.

In short: fill your stomach first.

……

Xu Miaozhi persuaded Xu Yuan to let Dafu stay with her for the time being.

"Don't try to stand out in front of the princess; that woman is unpredictable."

Xu Miaozhi seized the opportunity to speak ill of His Highness in front of Xu Yuan.

She brought Dafu back to the military camp—and then until the next morning, when she set off for the city to contact Zhu Zhanmei, she didn't realize that Dafu was gone.

Dafu swaggered out of the military camp at dusk.

Along the way, the demon-slaying army ignored it.

It stood outside the princess's camp, cackling a few times to bolster its courage.

Then they sneaked into the camp.

Entering from the northeast, then staggering to the southwest, one arrives at Xu Yuan's residence.

For Dafu, this "journey" was both courageous and fraught with great risk.

But this conspicuous white goose caused chaos in the princess's carriage during the day.

He walked through the camp openly and without a care, and all his retainers, advisors, princess's servants, and soldiers ignored him.

As we passed a dog pen, the mastiffs inside twitched their noses.

The mastiffs, which had been lying down, suddenly stood up and came to the cage together, like a line of guards, watching Dafu pass by.

One of them tried to bark, and Dafu turned to look at it.

The mastiff immediately whimpered and obediently lowered its head, not daring to bark.

After passing the animal pen, we walked a short distance and passed in front of another barracks.

Outside the barracks, there were ten armored soldiers guarding the area, and two servants attending to them.

They also ignored Dafu. One of the servants was knocking on the door and asking, "Mr. Wenqi, His Highness invites you to have dinner."

Inside the barracks, a plump old man was fast asleep on a bamboo mat spread out in the corner of the room.

Not far away was a bamboo bed, but he just didn't like sleeping on it.

Mr. Wenqi, a plump old man, was woken up and was very dissatisfied.

Just as he was about to vent his morning grumpiness on the servant, suddenly... his chubby nose twitched, and he smelled a spicy aroma coming from somewhere.

Then, a thought struck him, and he muttered to himself: Amazing!

He got up and went to the window, looking out: he saw Dafu swaying past.

Mr. Wenqi stroked his triple chin. If he hadn't been woken up by this servant, even he would have overlooked this goose!

He slept in his car all day, completely oblivious to everything else.

Xu Yuan and the other three's fight shocked everyone, but Mr. Wen Qi was completely unaware of it.

Once the camp was set up, he rolled up his own mat and went back to sleep.

The two servants outside the door were specially sent by His Highness to serve him.

During their journey from Beidu to Champa, the two had already gained some understanding of Mr. Wenqi's temperament.

His Highness would order them to invite the gentleman to every meal, but the gentleman was always too lazy to go.

You only think about eating when you wake up or feel hungry.

The two servants thought it would be the same this time, but to their surprise, the door suddenly opened and Mr. Wenqi came out: "Lead the way."

The two servants were taken aback for a moment, then quickly bowed and waved their hands, saying, "Please, sir."

……

Dafu appeared out of nowhere and lay listlessly at the foot of the rice trough.

Xu Yuan was taken aback: "You're back?"

Dafu raised his head and let out a "roar" in response.

Dafu more or less understood that he had gotten himself into trouble this time.

But it's not very bright and still hasn't figured out where it went wrong.

Liu Hu had already brought out all the food.

Xu Yuan picked up a rabbit leg and fed it to it: "It's okay, don't blame yourself. Here, have something good to eat."

Dafu took it, placed it at his feet but didn't eat it, and remained lying listlessly.

……

Princess Ruicheng was surprised that Mr. Wenqi actually accepted her invitation and came to dinner.

She smiled and asked, "Sir, have you just woken up, or are you just hungry?"

Mr. Wenqi shook his head: "No, I was woken up by your people."

Just as His Highness was about to apologize, Mr. Wenqi rudely pushed the low table in front of him, where the food was laid out, with his toe.

With a crash, the low table made of hardwood shattered into pieces.

The plates and dishes on top fell all over the floor.

"Is this pig feed even edible?" Mr. Wenqi asked bluntly. "Your Highness has plenty of delicious food in your camp, why don't you invite this old man to eat there?"

Princess Ruicheng knew the fat old man's temperament well, and said with a wry smile, "Did you only go out because you smelled that fragrance?"

"of course."

Princess Ruicheng shook her head and stood up, saying, "Alright, sir, please follow me."

……

Seeing that Dafu had no appetite, Xu Yuan stopped trying to persuade him and picked up his chopsticks himself—suddenly, a loud, drawn-out announcement rang out from outside: "His Highness has arrived—"

Xu Yuan couldn't help but think to himself: "They can't even let people eat in peace."

Xu Yuan stood up to go out and greet him, but a plump old man had already rushed in impatiently.

The princess's helpless voice followed: "Sir, please be more reserved."

“Being reserved my foot,” Mr. Vincent said. “If we’re going to eat this delicious food like you, it will all be eaten up.”

The plump old man came in without even looking at Xu Yuan or being invited. He plopped down at the table, snatched Xu Yuan's chopsticks, and tasted every dish on the table.

Princess Ruicheng then walked in—Xu Yuan was slightly taken aback when he finally saw the princess's true face.

Princess Ruicheng was dignified and beautiful, with her eyebrows raised and her whole being seemed to radiate a kind of light from the inside out.

She was about the same height as Xu Yuan, and her clothes were brightly colored with intricate patterns.

Wearing various pearls, jade, and phoenix hairpins.

If it were an ordinary woman, such an outfit would definitely appear very vulgar.

But the princess's demeanor somehow manages to suppress it.

If we only consider appearance, she is superior to Miss Jinxi.

Miss Jinxi is still somewhat naive and hasn't lost her childlike innocence.

Xu Yuan clasped his hands and bowed, saying, "Welcome, Your Highness."

The princess waved her hand: "No need for formalities. Let me introduce you: This is the eccentric scholar from the Northern Capital, a third-rate literary scholar named Mr. Wenqi."

Xu Yuan also clasped his hands in a gesture of respect and said, "Greetings, sir."

It would be perfectly reasonable for His Highness to have a third-rate person by his side.

Mr. Wenqi had already eaten several bites of a plate of braised pork with bamboo shoots on the table, praising it highly: "It's really delicious."

He ignored Xu Yuan and instead beckoned to Princess Ruicheng: "Your Highness, come and have a taste."

"It's been a long time since I've had such delicious meat."

Xu Yuan didn't react for a moment, then corrected him, "It's wild goat meat, not fragrant meat..."

"I'm talking about meat, not fragrant meat. And certainly not wild goat meat. How can wild goat meat compare to the fragrance of two-legged mutton?"

Xu Yuan immediately understood, his expression changing drastically: "You mean this is..."

Mr. Wenqi picked up another piece with his chopsticks, put it in his mouth and chewed: "What's the big deal?"
All living beings under heaven are essentially the same.

Under the laws of Heaven, what difference is there between humans and pigs, cattle, sheep, and dogs?

Princess Ruicheng covered her mouth and ran out.

Xu Yuan shouted, "Liu Hu!"

Liu Hu was originally outside the tent, and when he saw the important person coming by following the scent, he was quite pleased with himself.

Suddenly, he saw His Highness running out, covering his mouth, and then his lord roared and rushed in, asking in a panic, "My lord, what's wrong?"

Xu Yuan snatched the plate of braised pork with bamboo shoots—Mr. Wenqi, still wanting more, took an extra bite: "Sigh, I knew that if you tell the truth, you won't get any more to eat."

I crave meat, I crave meat! Once I've had some, I want to eat it again!
Xu Yuan had calmed down and did not immediately question Liu Hu. Instead, he turned to Mr. Wen Qi and asked, "Sir, you said this is about wanting meat. Is that true?"

Mr. Wenqi chuckled coldly: "You arrogant brat, how dare you doubt this old man?"

"If the meat is fresh, and we check if anyone is missing from the camp, wouldn't that make everything clear?"

Liu Hu's expression changed drastically, and he stammered, "Want...meat?!"

Xu Yuan immediately noticed that Liu Hu's expression was strange, grabbed him and asked, "What do you know? Tell me the truth!"

Liu Hu's knees buckled and he was about to kneel down, but Xu Yuan grabbed him again.

"My lord... when I was cutting the meat, I did feel that the texture was a little different. I didn't think much of it at the time, assuming that it was wild game and different from ordinary livestock. I never expected... that it was this kind of meat!"

A shout came from outside, and three hundred armored soldiers had surrounded the entire Exorcism Division!
In less than half an hour, the entire camp was searched.

Indeed, someone has gone missing.

Luqiu Rock.

(End of this chapter)