Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 459 Who Misled Whom
Three days later, Lu Xingzhou set off to return to Xiazhou.

The original plan was to disguise himself and disappear after leaving Beijing, so that no one would know where he went, but this plan was not actually carried out.

Their departure was a grand affair. Sheng Yuanyao and Pei Chuyun "threatened" not to see them off, but Qi Tuizhi and other subordinates from the Bureau of Guests escorted them ten miles outside the city, bidding them a reluctant farewell.

Accompanied only by Anuo, they didn't even bring the little pig. The master and apprentice flew leisurely towards Xiazhou, making no effort to conceal their presence.

"Your Majesty, it seems the Imperial Preceptor really did leave the capital secretly with Lu Xingzhou." The Grand Eunuch Hai Ruyuan reported in a low voice: "According to reports from the Imperial Observatory's undercover agents, when Lu Xingzhou left the capital, the Imperial Preceptor was no longer in the Observatory, and even Dugu Qingli was no longer there."

Gu Zhanting opened his eyes from his meditation, a cold smile on his face: "As expected. I thought Ye Tinglan was so noble, but it turns out she's just a slut behind the scenes."

Hai Ruyuan didn't know what to say. Although he didn't speak as harshly to Ye Tinglan as Gu Zhanting did, he still found it very absurd.

How could Ye Tinglan be the kind of person who would be interested in men? Back when the rumors circulated about the Holy Lord and the Demon Emperor vying for Lu Xingzhou, everyone in the know took it as a joke. They all thought that the two big shots were just valuing the young man's abilities and trying to poach him, which made sense. Who the hell would have thought that there was actually a secret affair between them?
Two of the world's most outstanding women are having affairs with the same young gigolo?
As it turned out, Ye Tinglan really did exist.

Based on this, the one about the Demon Emperor is also very likely true.

This is ridiculous. If that rumor had been true back then, it would have been enough for Gu Zhanting to kill Lu Xingzhou twice. With Ye Tinglan, that was stealing a woman—deserving of death; with Long Qinghuang, that was treason—deserving of death.

They treated it as a joke and didn't care at all. Instead, they promoted Lu Xingzhou and gave him a higher rank.

When Ye Tinglan maliciously intervened during the court's proposal, forcing the young man to propose to her as well, Gu Zhanting was filled with nothing but curses and lost all thought.

Fuck you.

"I ordered Lu Xingzhou to return home and get married after graduation, and sure enough, Ye Tinglan couldn't stand it and wanted to go with him to get married. She's so eager to throw herself at a man." Gu Zhanting sneered, "And Lu Xingzhou, he really left so swaggeringly. I overestimated him. Did he think that I made him a vice minister because I was still trying to win him over?"

The promise of a pie to the vice minister was never meant to poach or mediate, but rather to mislead and conceal his murderous intent.

The person Gu Zhanting hates most right now is Lu Xingzhou. However, if he wanted to kill him in the capital, he couldn't because Ye Tinglan was protecting him. He could only consider it after leaving the capital.

"First, observe Lu Xingzhou's movements to see if there's an opportunity to assassinate him directly."

"If the Imperial Advisor is secretly protecting them, no one can assassinate them."

"At least this will confirm to me that Ye Tinglan has indeed gone with him. This matter must be handled with care. You will oversee it personally; you don't need to intervene."

"Yes."

Lu Xingzhou and A Nuo flew slowly for a day, and landed in the countryside at night. They lit a campfire and leisurely roasted something to eat.

Several figures lurked in the darkness like ghosts, silently drawing their bows and nocking their arrows.

Several sharp cracks rang out simultaneously, and Lu Xingzhou and his apprentice seemed to suddenly realize what was happening, so they jumped up in shock, scattering campfire everywhere.

However, these deadly arrows could not harm Lu Xingzhou and his disciples in the slightest. Long before the arrows reached them, a ray of moonlight shone down, knocking all the arrows down without a trace.

"A first-class assassin..." Lu Xingzhou suddenly asked, "Where is Yama?"

The assassin did not reply and turned to flee.

The test has been conducted; the crescent moon hangs low in the sky, confirming that the Imperial Advisor was indeed secretly protecting Lu Xingzhou. Now, if he doesn't run, he has no choice but to run.

However, they still couldn't escape.

Suddenly, the path ahead disappeared, and all that remained was the clear, bright moonlight, as if the entire world had been occupied by the moonlight, with nothing else to be seen. And no matter where you wanted to run, it seemed as if you were only moving in place, unable to move forward even an inch.

Lu Xingzhou and A Nuo caught up quickly from behind, their fists already slamming into his back.

Hai Ruyuan, who was far away, did not continue to look and quickly left.

The moon of today is not the moon of old... The secret array of Tianyao Holy Land is of the highest quality. If we continue to observe, we will be discovered by the Imperial Advisor.

"Bang!" Lu Xingzhou punched the leader of the first-rank assassins from behind. The assassin twisted his body strangely, and Lu Xingzhou missed the punch at all, passing by.

The assassin turned and swung his sword, the blade suddenly bursting forth from silence, perfectly embodying the archetype of an assassin from the Underworld.

Not only this leader, but the other assassins who dealt with Ah Nuo also put on a very convincing act.

This is a royal assassin, who was prepared to die, determined to mislead Lu Xingzhou even in death; he is an assassin from the Underworld.

To outsiders, Lu Xingzhou was a traitor to the Underworld, having been assassinated by them in Xiazhou. Ye Wufeng in the capital also attempted to assassinate him. It was perfectly reasonable for members of the Underworld to continue the assassination attempt. To avoid revealing that the actions were orchestrated by the royal family, the Underworld was the perfect source of misinformation.

What seemed like a successful attack left Lu Xingzhou's first reaction upon being attacked as "Where is the King of Hell?" The next moment, a hand slammed down from above.

At first, it was like the gentle moonlight, cold and high above, a typical Taoist cultivation method. But as the palm wind approached, it suddenly roared violently, a fierce killing intent arose, and even the surrounding shadows howled, as if they came alive, emanating a chilling prison.

What prevented everyone from escaping was not Tianyao Xuanyue at all, but... the Netherworld Forgotten River!
"You're not the Imperial Advisor, you're the King of Hell!" the assassin leader exclaimed in horror, his mind filled with nothing but "Holy crap!"

Lu Xingzhou was still putting on an act, asking "Where is Yama?" But the person protecting him is none other than Yama himself! No wonder she didn't show herself earlier, and her skills were control-based rather than lethal; because once she started killing, her Yama-like aura would be unmistakable. She only started killing recklessly after knowing Eunuch Hai was gone!
But even if it's a control-type ability, how could you, Yama, simulate Tianyao Xuanyue so perfectly?

There won't be a chance for them to pass the message back.

In the blink of an eye, the death knell had already struck him on the head. The assassin leader had no power to resist; his brains splattered, and he died with his eyes wide open in disbelief.

At the same time, all the other assassins let out a scream as shadows pierced their bodies, hanging up like corpses displayed in a marketplace.

Yuan Muyu, whose cultivation had fallen to the edge of the Super Grade, still managed to easily defeat a First Grade cultivator and several Second and Third Grade cultivators.

Ultimately, even when she was still at the first rank, she was invincible among those of the same level.

Looking at the corpses around him that were instantly killed, Lu Xingzhou took out the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, which he hadn't used for a very long time, and took advantage of their last breath to collect their Yin souls into the banner.

Then he sighed, "Your ruthlessness is even more pronounced than before."

Yuan Muyu shook her head: "Actually, it's too light."

"Hmm?" Lu Xingzhou looked at her strangely.

In the past, Yama was known for his ruthless killings and bloody hands, but he would never desecrate corpses. This shadow, like a wooden pole impaling everyone in the wilderness, was something that would never have happened before.

And you still say it's lighter than before?
Yuan Muyu didn't explain. After breaking through to the Super Grade, her killing intent had indeed become more intense than before. But this time, with her realm dropping, her state of mind was different, and her path seemed to have changed. She knew that her killing intent had become much lighter than before.

This time, the reason for the attack was simply because they wanted to kill Lu Xingzhou.

But would you believe that Xingzhou would say that?

Lu Xingzhou didn't pursue the topic further, but simply said, "Gu Zhanting wants to mislead me into thinking that the King of Hell wants to kill me, and we'll mislead him into thinking that my husband has already left the capital. This game has just begun... Is my sister still coming back to the capital with us?"

Yuan Muyu's beautiful eyes were fixed on his face: "Why do you ask that? Even if you refuse... and can't turn back, aren't you still my sister? Why would I ask if I'm helping you?"

“No, that’s not it. I didn’t hesitate to ask my sister to protect me this time,” Lu Xingzhou said. “But this time, I’m returning to the capital to help Mr. [Sir]. You’ve had a falling out with her for ten years. Are you willing to help her?”

Yuan Muyu lowered her eyes slightly: "As long as you say so, then it's fine."

Lu Xingzhou and A Nuo both opened their mouths slightly, but ultimately said nothing.

Sister Fish is acting so strange these days.

She seemed to have transformed from her previous muddled state into a completely different, unrecognizable version of herself. This gentle and obedient demeanor didn't bring Ah Nuo any comfort; instead, it filled her with apprehension.

If Sister Fish keeps going like this, won't she go crazy?
Gu Zhanting received Hai Ruyuan's report and nodded slightly: "A standard Tianyao Xuanyue, a superior achievement. Ye Tinglan has indeed been protecting her lover all along."

Hai Ruyuan dared not respond.

Gu Zhanting stood up and slowly left the palace.

The direction they were heading was the altar on the outskirts of the capital that Lu Xingzhou and Dugu Qingli had investigated together before.

The altar had been abandoned and there were no guards around it, but now a group of guards had inexplicably appeared out of nowhere, their auras sinister and unlike those of humans.

The abandoned altar, which had been devoid of energy, now emitted a faint crimson glow. As the snow fell on the altar, the snowflakes melted instantly, leaving not a drop of water. Instead, the crimson glow intensified, making the scene even more bizarre.

"Ye Tinglan investigated this 'abandoned altar' several times but couldn't find anything. She assumed I had used witchcraft to treat it, and it was abandoned after it failed." Gu Zhanting slowly ascended the steps, chuckling softly. "She thinks she's the strongest in this world, with such high knowledge... but no matter who you are, there are always things you don't know. This ancient realm, demonic arts, witchcraft, and demonic aura—these symbiotic things can only be fully grasped by an emperor. How could a mere woman like her understand?"

As he spoke, Gu Zhanting had already reached the top.

Originally, it was a snowy and icy place, with no stars or moon in the sky.

But the moment he stepped onto the center of the altar, the clouds in the sky suddenly broke, revealing a blood moon.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

P.S.: Please vote for me! Please vote for me!
(End of this chapter)