Minglong

Chapter 148 Assassination of the Emperor
Sunrise and sunset, and night has fallen again.

A night wind howled along the mountain ridge. Zhang Guan, dressed in a Taoist robe, hid among the bushes, watching two martial artists quietly patrolling the mountains half a mile below.

Li Jing, leaning against his sword, squatted down beside him, using the moonlight to peruse the books he had obtained from Xie Jinhuan.

Li Jing originally intended to return the book to Xie Jinhuan, but unfortunately, as soon as Xie Jinhuan woke up that day, he ran out of the academy and then went to the capital, so there was no chance for him.

To avoid being criticized by the younger generation for not having anything to bring next time they met, Li Jing always carried this hardcover book with him. He only took it out to pass the time when he was bored while keeping watch, and would occasionally comment on it.
"Look at Qingping Jushi's writing style, it's elegant without being vulgar, charming without being seductive, much more interesting than what that old bookworm Fan Li writes..."

Zhang Guan glanced at "Yangchun Yan" out of the corner of his eye, then quickly looked away:

"Elder Li, please don't disturb my resolve."

"The Dao heart is something young people care about. We old men, even with hearts of iron, can't withstand the relentless passage of time..."

After exchanging a few words, Li Jing put the book into his pocket and looked up at the valley:

"Judging by the situation, are they going to make a move?"

"I'm afraid so."

The imperial mausoleum built in the valley is still peaceful, but in the surrounding shantytown, you can see minor officials directing laborers to carry wine jars from the storeroom to an open space in the valley. The laborers are all wearing shackles, and they sniff the wine jars from time to time as they walk, and it is unknown how long it has been since they have tasted any wine.

Judging from the current situation, the "Drunken Bone Fragrance" should be mixed into the wine. It is used to forge imperial edicts or seduce officials to gather prisoners under the guise of rewards, and the soldiers will also receive rewards.

If they were to be more particular, they would even have people perform songs, dances, and operas, unknowingly drawing everyone into a state of bliss. By the time the bloodthirsty aura appeared and the Imperial Observer realized it, the work was almost over.

Li Jing scanned the crowd in the valley:

"The leader of the main force hasn't shown himself yet, when are we going down?"

"When everyone is consumed by lust and begins to collect blood essence, the person in charge of the formation will appear."

"It's still early..."

……

Meanwhile, on the opposite mountaintop, even further away.

Dressed in a black dress, Nangong Ye silently hid among the treetops, using her telescope to observe the situation in the valley.

Because of her tall and voluptuous figure, she was sitting on a horizontal tree trunk with her skirt hanging down. From below, it looked as if two round moons, one black and one white, were hanging on the tree.

Xie Jinhuan, with his two swords wrapped in black cloth around his waist, leaned against a tree. Having waited for a while and grown somewhat bored, he still had a blade of grass dangling from his mouth as he looked up.

"Are you sure we don't need to intervene?"

Nangong Ye hadn't taken the yin-yang poison, and her voice had returned to its usual aloof and ethereal tone:
"The master is lying in wait on the other side of the mountain. We don't need to show ourselves unless absolutely necessary. You can just observe from the sidelines and learn from the master's experience in slaying demons."

Observing masters fighting to the death can indeed help you quickly accumulate experience and gain insights, but the view is not very clear under the trees due to the obstruction of vegetation.

Xie Jinhuan thought for a moment, then quietly climbed up the tree trunk and sat down next to the black-clad female warrior.

At this moment, a crescent moon hangs above the treetop. A lone man and woman sit side by side on a branch, and a gentle breeze from the mountaintop stirs their skirts and leaves, creating a rather beautiful scene.

Nangong Ye glanced at it out of the corner of his eye, then subtly moved it to the side and pinched it.

Xie Jinhuan didn't follow suit. Instead, she plucked a leaf and brought it to her lips.

"Whoosh~..."

The sound was not loud; it dissipated into the mountain wind after traveling several meters.

But the melody is melancholic and plaintive, like a lover outside the pavilion, hoping that the departing lover will stop and turn around.

"?"

Seeing that this rascal flirted with her whenever he had free time, and was even reciting Su Baiyu's most moving song for women, "The Song of Parting Sorrow," Nangong Ye couldn't help but put down her binoculars:
"Can you behave yourself? We're keeping an eye on you!"

With a ghost acting as his radar, Xie Jinhuan naturally knew his limits and paused the melody immediately.
"Just bored. Does Miss Mu know this tune?"

I can play it for you.
Nangong Ye felt that this boy was disturbing her Dao heart, so she kept an icy expression and continued to observe, pretending that no one was around.

"Duwuwu~~..."

Xie Jinhuan's kung fu skills were honed in recent years, while his ability to deceive girls was something he started developing at the age of three. The way he played this tune conveyed a sense of genuine emotion.

Nangong Ye genuinely liked Su Baiyu's zither music; otherwise, he wouldn't have used the pseudonym 'Muyunhong'. Listening to it now, he would inevitably enter a stage of appreciation and admiration, and further on, they would become like-minded and have a pleasant conversation...

But if she didn't listen, she wasn't deaf, so Xie Jinhuan blew into her ear!
After such a long stalemate, Nangong Ye could no longer bear it and handed the telescope to Xie Jinhuan:
"The blood sacrifice is about to begin. You stay here and don't move. I'll go down and keep watch so I can provide timely assistance."

Xie Jinhuan hesitated for a moment:
"Can you do it?"

"With the Yin-Yang Strange Qi Powder, I can barely manage to make a move. Your cultivation is too shallow to be of much help, so just stay here and deal with the demon bandits before you come over. If you rush in recklessly, I may not be able to protect you."

After Nangong Ye finished speaking, he took the "Soft Girl Powder" and silently made his way down the mountain.

Xie Jinhuan, unsure of the situation, didn't blindly join in the fun. He picked up his telescope and focused it on the woman in black. He discovered that the telescope was quite ingenious; with a slight rotation, it could magnify the image.

Then, the swaying black Great Fasting Technique instantly obscured the entire field of vision!
? !
Worried that the ice block would discover him, Xie Jinhuan quickly looked away and continued to observe the movements in the valley...
-
Meanwhile, Huaijiang.

The awning boat drifted downstream, and an old man with a dragon-headed cane stood at the bow, holding a 'sundial' in his hand. This was used by the Imperial Astronomical Bureau for timekeeping, with a rotating hand marking precise graduations.

He Hai, rowing the boat from the back, looked up at the mountains and rivers along the riverbank: "According to reports from our spies in the capital, Xie Jinhuan hasn't gone to the county government these past two days, saying he's been recuperating at the Prince's residence."

“This boy was seriously injured in Huaijiang Bay, but he still managed to get up and sneak off to look for clues about demons; after attending a banquet in the palace, he didn’t forget to slay demons at night; now he’s only slightly injured, but he’s resting for two or three days, which seems abnormal to me.”

The old man gazed at the sundial with its hands moving slowly and sighed softly:
"Kui Yunya was defeated at Iron Thorn Ridge, and although his soul was not destroyed, he did not return. That can only mean that something unexpected happened."

"Kui Yunya is a ghost messenger who knows all our plans. Even if we are loyal to the Underworld Temple and would rather die than reveal any information, we cannot withstand the strange methods of various sects and schools."

"If Xie Jinhuan doesn't show himself, then the worst-case scenario is that he has already arrived in Yunling."

"We've already risked everything and used any means necessary to save time, cutting the four- or five-day process into two days. If that still doesn't work, we'll have to resort to the worst-case scenario."

He Hai rowed the boat, looking slightly puzzled:
"The best option is to replace Lu Wuzhen and have our people monitor the Jingzhao Prefecture; the middle option is to find a way to evade surveillance and secretly refine the Blood Demon Pill; what is the worst option?"

"The worst course of action is to let children and grandchildren have their own blessings."

Click~
The needle rotates to the hour of Hai (9-11 PM).

The old man tucked the sundial into his sleeve, looked up at the faint glow of lights behind the mountain ridge, and sighed softly:
"Go. Success or failure hinges on this. Remember to act swiftly and decisively."

He Hai stood up, looked at Yunling Mountain, and bowed respectfully.
"Take care, Grandpa."

With that, he stepped on the water and vanished into the distance...
-
Beijing.

At 1:15 PM, the Buyuntai was still brightly lit, with several palace maids walking along the corridor.

Emperor Qian, dressed in a dragon robe, walked slowly along the corridor, occasionally glancing at the afterglow of the lights outside the palace, a hint of disappointment in his eyes.

Cao Fo'er walked up to him, holding a whisk in her arms, and asked softly:

"Has His Majesty changed his mind?"

Emperor Qian put his hands behind his back, pondered for a moment, then shook his head and smiled.
“Even a dog raised for twenty years will develop some affection, let alone a person. I knew I would regret it, so I made Li Gongpu end his own life that night to avoid any unforeseen complications.”

Cao Fo'er praised, "This is what makes His Majesty so remarkable. He has emotions and desires, but he also has self-awareness and is not controlled by them."

"Ha~"

Emperor Qian liked these words, but without his lapdog by his side, he was indeed a bit bored. After finishing his official duties late at night, he didn't know what to do to pass the time.

Emperor Qian was secretly pondering whether he should go on an incognito visit to the city when he saw the kind-faced Cao Fo'er suddenly stand up straight, step forward and stand beside him, looking up at the palace outside.

Emperor Qian looked slightly puzzled and followed the gaze outside, only to see a black cat that appeared out of nowhere leap onto the roof of the palace and run towards the Cloud-Stepping Terrace with small, quick steps.

stomping on...

The speed increased rapidly, giving the feeling of a tiger pouncing and a leopard leaping.

The attendant following behind was initially puzzled, but upon discovering that the black cat seemed to have red eyes, his expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly called out:
"Protect the Emperor! Protect the Emperor—!"

"Meow--!"

The black cat let out an eerie cry as it ran, and when it was still two buildings away, it leaped out from below, heading straight for the fence, before its entire body exploded in mid-air.

bang——

In an instant, a black cloud covering an area of ​​tens of feet exploded in front of the Cloud-Stepping Platform.

A soaring ghostly aura, accompanied by a hundred ghostly figures and mournful howls, burst forth from the clouds and mist, heading straight for the figure in a dragon robe behind the fence!
"upbraid--!"

At that moment, a loud shout came from the fence, a booming voice like that of a Buddha in a holy temple!

Cao Fo'er's red robe billowed, and with her hands clasped together holding Buddhist prayer beads, a transparent golden bell composed of golden incantations appeared around her, enveloping Emperor Qian and all his attendants.

“Ah~——”

The hundred ghostly figures, accompanied by mournful howls, vanished instantly upon impacting the golden bell.

Meanwhile, a dazzling white light flashed outside the Imperial Observatory outside the palace!
Boom——

A bolt of lightning pierced the sky, instantly covering the entire building.

The attendants felt a flash of lightning, and the ghostly mist that had been filled with the wailing of hundreds of ghosts vanished on the spot. In its place stood a Taoist priest in a black and white robe, floating outside the Cloud-Stepping Platform, his robes fluttering in the wind.

"Clang, clang, clang—!"

Warning gongs sounded from all over the palace, but there was no sound at all on the Bu Yun Terrace.

Emperor Qian stood with his hands behind his back, his expression calm, but a thunderous rage was brewing within him. After a moment of silence, he calmly gave the order:

"Master Lu went to the Sifang Pavilion to protect the Crown Prince, while the Crimson Scale Guard and the Celestial Officials patrolled inside and outside the palace to investigate the origin of the black cat. Buddha, escort me to the Lizheng Hall to visit the Empress."

"Yes."

Cao Fu'er nodded slightly and led the way, carefully examining every brick and tile around him, while the remaining attendants surrounded and protected Emperor Qian.

Lu Wuzhen carefully surveyed the surroundings, but found no other demons or evil spirits, so he vanished into the night sky...

……

(End of this chapter)