The Demon-Slaying Grandmaster

Chapter 140 Running into the Muzzle

Just an hour ago, the retired emperor heard from Li Jingxiao that a demon had taken over a mountain in Goryeo and was worried about it.

Less than an hour later, Dai Quan ran back and said...

There were ape-like monsters that transformed into human form and entered and exited the capital city as if they were nothing.

They also sent Li Jingxiao a hundred jars of monkey wine, but the Eastern Depot, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the soldiers guarding the city knew nothing about it.

My heart immediately grew even more worried.

If a demon were to plot against the royal family, they wouldn't even know whether the demon was human or demon.

Moreover, last time Li Jingxiao wiped out a gang of cat demons and weasels in the mountains outside Jizhou City.

The palace was filled with all kinds of cats, and weasels would occasionally appear.

If a monster were to appear among these cats and weasels and run to one's bedside, the guards might not even notice.

How can one not feel uneasy when something is so difficult to defend against?

With that in mind, the retired emperor no longer cared about Li Jingxiao's friendship with the monkey.

He hurriedly asked Dai Quan to invite the Taoist priests who would assist him in his cultivation.

However, after hearing the Emperor Emeritus's explanation, the Taoist priests looked at each other in bewilderment.

Although we have some skills, they are extremely limited.

If someone were truly a highly accomplished spiritual practitioner, why would they want to come to the capital to serve as a royal retainer?
Fame and fortune are utterly insignificant compared to becoming an immortal or an ancestor.

It was only because he saw no hope in cultivating the Dao that he wanted to take advantage of the royal resources to pursue the path of external alchemy, hoping to refine a true golden elixir to help him become an immortal or achieve immortality.

The most suitable person to resolve the Emperor Emeritus's concerns about animals such as cats and weasels would definitely be the Marquis of Xing'an.

If only I could cultivate thunder magic like Lord Li.

As soon as he activated his internal energy, his entire body crackled with lightning.

With a single step, one can cover more than ten or twenty meters in an instant.

With that ability, if I just stood there in the palace, those cats, dogs, and rats that had just developed intelligence would definitely run faster than anyone else.

As for deceiving the retired emperor, the Taoist priests dared not do so casually at this point.

The retired emperor himself had already cultivated true qi; to deceive him further would be tantamount to courting death.

Moreover, Li Jingxiao's cultivation level is higher than that of his own sect leader and elders.

If the Emperor Emeritus were to seek out Li Jingyou for further discussion, it's possible that, as the two chatted, the Emperor Emeritus might come to the conclusion that they were deceiving him.

The dozen or so Taoist priests couldn't help but curse inwardly.

On one hand, they wondered why Li Jingxiao was so powerful.

While secretly regretting that the retired emperor had such talent, being able to cultivate true qi at such an advanced age.
As for Li Jingxiao's friendship with the monkeys, how dare these Taoist priests comment on it?
They even envied Li Jingxiao for being able to befriend the mountain spirits and receive a reward from the monkey.

Of course, what these Taoists envied most was that Li Jingxiao had actually given the monkey some pointers.

Judging from the fact that the monkey brought a hundred jars of monkey wine to express its gratitude, it must have received considerable benefits.

Otherwise, even with a large number of monkeys, collecting so much monkey wine wouldn't be easy.

It's clear that the monkey put a lot of thought and effort into delivering the gift.

When the Emperor Emeritus saw these Taoist priests, who had abandoned their usual flowery manner and were now all silent, he was immediately disappointed.

It seems that Jingyou was right.

True cultivators in this world would never want to wallow in worldly affairs and get entangled in karmic consequences.

Only Jingyou, who lives in the Zhenwu Temple in the capital, is only 16 years old. Although he is exceptionally talented, he is still just a child who has grown up.

Only then did he become obsessed with fame, fortune, and beautiful wives and concubines.

This, in turn, makes Li Jingxiao seem even more unique.

Moreover, as Li Jingxiao's cultivation deepens, he will likely become indifferent to worldly fame and fortune, much like those Taoist masters.

Therefore, we must not let our guard down when it comes to guarding against Li Jingxiao.

But there's no need to guard against them like you would against princes or generals, constantly treating them like thieves.

The retired emperor waved his hand, dismissing the dozen or so Taoist priests.

Then he said to Dai Quan, "I heard that Jingyou has a very good relationship with Maoshan, and was even invited by the Maoshan leader to address each other as fellow disciples?"

Dai Quan guessed what the Emperor Emeritus was thinking and quickly nodded, saying, "Your Majesty, this is indeed the case."

According to the report from the Imperial Guard, three true disciples of Maoshan have been invited by the Marquis to take up positions in the Daoist Records Office.

He usually addressed the Marquis as "Uncle-Master" and often received guidance from him.

Two of the Taoist priests, one of whom was a practitioner of Maoshan Lightning Thunder Fist, used the same thunder technique as the Marquis during the New Year's Eve banquet in the palace.

Another Taoist priest, Master Lin, was skilled in talismans and spells.

These Taoist priests, Master Shi and Master Lin, were dispatched by the Marquis to frequently patrol the area around the capital with their soldiers.

In the past few months, the two Taoist priests have indeed dealt with several cases of evil spirits and strange occurrences plaguing the village.

The other Daoist priest, Liu, seemed to have a relatively shallow level of cultivation, and had been doing clerical work in the Daoist Records Office.

The retired emperor couldn't help but consider inviting the leader of Maoshan Sect to the capital.

However, upon further reflection, Li Jingyou, who already had an excellent relationship with Maoshan, was already in the capital.

If we invite people from Maoshan to Beijing, they will inevitably become the dominant force in the future.

It would be better to target the Celestial Master's Mansion or the Zaoge Sect, also known as the Lingbao Sect.

In just a short while, the retired emperor sided with the Lingbao faction.

In reality, the Celestial Master's Mansion had long held a dominant position among the talismans of the Three Mountains.

She dared to marry Zhu Yuanzhang's son during the pre-Ming period, which is why she was severely suppressed by Zhu Yuanzhang.

In this dynasty, the Celestial Master's Mansion produced another unconventional Celestial Master, who was then severely suppressed.

The Lingbao School is also proficient in talismans, and to some extent, their skills are comparable to those of the Celestial Master's Mansion.

Yet they are much more low-key.

Naturally, this became the Emperor Emeritus's first choice.

He ordered Dai Quan to draft an imperial edict to invite a master of the Lingbao School to the capital.

Meanwhile, he ordered Dai Quan to send people to remove all the weasels, rats, snakes, hedgehogs, and other animals from the palace and Daming Palace.

As for raccoons and foxes.

Foxes are indeed extremely rare, while raccoon dogs were mostly kept by the concubines in the palace as companions to alleviate their loneliness.

Even the retired emperor had some reservations.

Dai Quan could also see the Emperor Emeritus's hesitation. In the past, the old eunuch would have just given him a perfunctory response.

But now, even if we don't consider the royal family, we have to think about ourselves.

After thinking for a moment, he reported, "Your Majesty, some palace servants are restless. Why not release those who worship the Five Immortals out of the palace?"

The retired emperor immediately understood Dai Quan's meaning.

Without the eunuchs and palace maids who worshipped and venerated the five immortals—Hu, Liu, Huang, Hui, and Bai—these animals, which were prone to becoming spirits, naturally had fewer opportunities and less food.

To a certain extent, the biggest problem was the palace servants' worship.

This time, the retired emperor had no more reservations and nodded, instructing Dai Quan to carry it out.

At the same time, the emperor was informed of the matter to prevent him from being unaware of the truth and secretly protecting those palace servants.

After hearing this, the emperor's thoughts were naturally similar to those of the retired emperor.

With the support of the father and son, a purge was quickly launched in the palace.

Many eunuchs and palace maids were inexplicably released from the palace, but the operation to reorganize the inner palace was surprisingly harmonious.

No eunuch or palace maid lost their lives because of this.

Ultimately, Dai Quan and Xia Shouzhong were afraid that among these people, there might actually be someone who could communicate with the Five Immortals, or even borrow their magical powers.

So even when they chased people away, they did so very gently. As for getting rid of the raccoon dogs, the matter was ultimately left unresolved.

Firstly, the palace was plagued by rats, and secondly, no one dared to knowingly drive away the raccoon dogs that accompanied the concubines.

Especially the raccoon dogs around the Dowager Empress, the Empress, and the Imperial Concubine.
-
Li Jingxiao received the imperial decree and was busy getting married to Yuan Chun as soon as possible, so he naturally had no time to care about palace affairs.

The Jia family was both excited and worried.

The imperial court issued two decrees. The first one designated Yuan Chun to be betrothed to Li Jingxiao.

This time, the imperial decree has been granted to bring the wedding forward, which can be considered a great favor from the emperor, and his honor remains undiminished.

However, things in the palace are never easy to keep secret.

Not to mention the fact that the relationship between the retired emperor and the emperor in secret was far from harmonious.

With two suns hanging in the sky, it became even harder to keep secret what was happening in the palace.

After Li Jingxiao's marriage, he was to lead troops north to resist the Tatars' southward advance. The Jia family found out about this in just two days.

Now, not only were Grandmother Jia and the others extremely worried, but Yuan-chun was also deeply concerned.

Otherwise, according to common sense, the wedding would be postponed until Li Jingxiao returned victorious, which would be a double celebration.

This is the normal choice.

They're in a rush to get Yuan Chun married off, and there's still no news of Qin Keqing getting pregnant.

It's hard not to worry; Li Jingxiao's trip north this time will definitely be very dangerous.

There was a hint that he wanted to leave an heir for the Marquis's mansion before going to war.

Upon realizing this, Yuan Chun immediately became uneasy.

Qin Keqing's thoughts were no less complex than Yuan Chun's.

If Yuan Chun could think of it, Qin Keqing could naturally think of it too.
-
Li Jingxiao practiced sword control during the day, thinking that while there was still time, he should quickly master the sword control technique (812/1000) and reach the proficiency level as soon as possible.

When I got home in the evening, after dinner, my wife dragged me to play a game.

And they won't give up until they're completely exhausted.

Even Baozhu and Ruizhu wouldn't let him go, insisting on having two or three matches.

Li Jingxiao realized it in just one night.

Qin Keqing wanted to get pregnant as soon as possible while she was still at home.

Even if Qin Keqing herself didn't get pregnant, as long as Baozhu and Ruizhu could get together, she didn't care about anything else.

Li Jingxiao found it somewhat amusing and wanted to offer some advice to his wife.

You only get 400-500 experience points in the morning, and then another 200-300 experience points from two or three games in the evening.

In a day, you can gain 600 to 800 experience points, and the leveling speed is quite noticeable.

两天下来，就从21级（1180/4200），涨到了（2680/4200）

Just two more days and you'll be able to level up to level 22.

Li Jingxiao couldn't suppress his words of advice and began to enjoy himself.

Qin Keqing oversaw the wedding preparations herself during the day, while also entrusting Jingxi with some of the management.

As for the selection of 2 light cavalry, Li Jingxiao not only entrusted it entirely to Erfu and others, but also explicitly refused any requests for favors.

To be selected and go north to make contributions, it all depends on your ability.

Of course, very few noble sons actually dared to go north.

That kid Jia Rong has been faking illness for the past two days.

He never appeared before Li Jingxiao, and he didn't even go to the Left Garrison Command.

When Li Jingxiao found out, he couldn't help but feel secretly angry.

My first thought was, what if Jia Rong wasn't punished?

This will inevitably affect the morale of the Imperial Guard and the 2 light cavalry.

But then he thought about it again, and realized that he was just worrying about how to enforce strict military discipline, and Jia Rong had just jumped out and given him a reason.

Zhao Junming was ordered to lead a dozen or so strongmen from the Left Garrison Command.

Upon arriving at Ningguo Mansion, they barged into Jia Rong's courtyard.

Ignoring the boy's pleas for mercy and threats, as well as Jia Zhen's pleas for leniency.

They grabbed Jia Rong and appeared outside the gate of Ningguo Mansion.

He was tied to a pillar on the gate of Ningguo Mansion, his outer garment was pulled open, and he was whipped ten times in public.

With just a few lashes, Jia Rong, this delicate young master, had his back torn and bleeding, crying out in pain.

Jia Zhen wanted to take his own son back, but seeing the Left Garrison Commander's flag held by Zhao Junming, he hesitated.

Even if Jia Zhen was stupid, he knew that if he tried to seize someone, these Imperial Guards wouldn't care about his status as a third-rank general and the head of the Ningguo Mansion clan.

While they might not necessarily draw their swords to kill themselves, they certainly have the guts to be whipped a few times with the back of a blade.

They even went so far as to hang them up and whip them.

If that were the case, we would lose all face.

Jia Zhu and Jia Lian, who had rushed over from the Rongguo Mansion, were relieved to see that Jia Zhen was still standing there.

She hurriedly walked to his side, one on each side, seemingly intending to restrain Jia Zhen.

Then he whispered, "Brother Zhen, the old lady said that Rong-ge'er is confused; he's run into trouble."

Jingyou made them a target for upholding strict military discipline.

Jia Zhen was furious upon hearing this, and Jia Lian quickly grabbed his arm.

He continued urgently, "The old lady also said that I must take this beating. Otherwise, it won't be as simple as just 10 lashes."

After saying that, he said in a low voice, "To lie about one's illness and evade going to war is tantamount to desertion in the face of battle, a crime punishable by death."

Even though Jia Zhen was filled with a thousand kinds of anger, upon hearing these words, it was all extinguished.

Jia Zhu continued, "Moreover, the old lady estimates that if Jingyou doesn't punish Rong'er, the censor will find out and report it to His Majesty."

"Don't even mention Rong'er, even Brother Zhen and my Jia family are in trouble."

Jia Zhen finally calmed down completely.

He was still slightly sweating, and then nodded gratefully to Jia Zhu and Jia Lian.

He said with lingering fear, "Fortunately, the old lady was there, otherwise we would never have imagined the dangers involved."

When Jia Daihua and his cousin Jia Daishan were still alive, the Ning and Rong mansions were governed by military law.

That's when Grandmother Jia realized that Jia Rong had brought this trouble upon himself.

However, Li Jingxiao's sending people to punish Jia Rong made Grandmother Jia realize that no matter how well her granddaughter married, she was still marrying into another family.

No matter how capable a grandson-in-law is, he will never treat his in-laws' house as his own.

Fortunately, Grandmother Jia was not senile, nor did she get stuck on trivial matters.

It's actually the most normal thing for Lee Kyung-hyo to make this choice.

This is why Jia Zhu and Jia Lian rushed to Ningguo Mansion, making sure that Jia Zhen and Li Jingxiao didn't clash.

Jia Zhu and Jia Lian nodded in agreement when they heard Jia Zhen's sigh.

Just as he was about to speak, Jia Rong had already finished delivering the ten lashes.

He hurriedly followed Jia Zhen and had someone untie Jia Rong from the pillar.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Junming walked over holding a command flag and looked at Jia Rong, who was lying on the soft cushion, and said...

"Young Master Rong, the magistrate has given you a deadline to enter the Imperial Guard Office at 5:45 AM tomorrow to report for duty."

Then, he led the clerks to inspect the provisions and weapons needed for the cavalry to go into battle.

"If there's even the slightest mistake, the adults said they'll just use you as a sacrifice."

(End of this chapter)