Food gives me an entry, I will be invincible if I stay alive

Chapter 209 A Satisfactory Answer
In the hall, all the servants from the other courtyards were dismissed.

Gongsun Jiuniang then asked Chen Xu, "My second reason for coming here is to ask you, when you killed that Ghost King, did he leave any last words?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Xu raised an eyebrow slightly.

Gongsun Jiuniang had said a lot, but Chen Xu had actually been mentally prepared for it.

After all, when he killed Xie Huaizheng, he had almost read through Xie Huaizheng's entire life story.

Therefore, Chen Xu had already considered the potential problems that killing the other party might bring.

Even though there are still many secrets in the world that Chen Xu cannot understand, he can deduce many possibilities based on the ones he can understand.

So at first, Gongsun Jiuniang just kept talking, but Chen Xu's expression hardly changed at all.

He remained calm and composed, neither angry nor impatient.

At this moment, Gongsun Jiuniang asked him for Xie Huaizheng's last words.

Is this really a dying question?
Chen Xu's mind raced for a moment, and he immediately realized that the question the other party was asking wasn't about any last words, but rather about the dam breach ten years ago—

During the breach of the Yuancang River dike, Xie Huaizheng collected evidence related to the corruption of the treacherous minister Liu Shao!

Gongsun Jiuniang might have wanted to ask Chen Xu: Did you get the things Xie Huaizheng had collected before he disappeared?

That incriminating evidence, enough to shake the world, once caused Xie Huaizheng, an imperial envoy, to lose his reputation and his life in Tiannan.

Now even Xie Huaizheng's ghost has been scattered, but those old stories seem to have never truly ended.

In a flash, Chen Xu understood everything. Things seemed terrible, but he was not alarmed.

He simply sighed and said, "Where are there any last words? The evil spirits of Pufeng Mountain eat people and kill them; they have long lost the humanity and reason they had when they were human."

I went to Pufeng Mountain only because they wanted to eat me, and I fought back.

He seemed completely unaware of Xie Huaizheng's identity and background, only saying, "A life-or-death battle is extremely dangerous; I'm doing this to save my own life..."

At this point, Chen Xu's previously calm expression finally changed slightly.

He gave a bitter smile and said, "To save my life, I actually used a treasure given to me by an elder, and only then did I manage to kill that cave of evil spirits at the critical moment."

To be honest, it was because of that elder that I had the confidence to venture into Pufeng Mountain; otherwise, I would never have dared to do so.

Do you know, Xuanming Envoy, when I infiltrated Pufeng Mountain, I saw countless white bones scattered across the mountain, blood covering the ground, and ghosts going mad and devoid of reason...

I was deeply moved at the time.

Chen Xu shook his head slightly at this point, a look of deep sorrow on his face.

Looking back on Xie Huaizheng's life, it seems that all the tragedies stemmed from the breach of the Yuancang River.

That was the second time in recent decades that the Yuancang River had breached its banks.

The time before that was forty years ago, and the most recent one was ten years ago.

Each time the Yuancang River breached its banks, it brought profound disaster and suffering to the seven prefectures of Tiannan.

Chen Xu's words immediately made Gongsun Jiuniang show a look of shame.

This Xuanming Envoy of the Prison Guard has always possessed a sharp and cold aura, but the moment she showed shame, her unparalleled sharpness immediately diminished by more than half.

For a moment, Gongsun Jiuniang was almost at a loss for words.

She was silent for a moment before finally finding her voice and saying:

"Are all the ghosts insane? That's true. Those evil ghosts dared to sneak into the city and try to kidnap the top candidate in the provincial examination of Yunjiang Prefecture in broad daylight. That shows how outrageous they are."

"Whom the heavens wish to destroy, they first make mad. So that's how it is..." Gongsun Jiuniang's tone was slightly lost in thought.

She sighed softly, and after a moment said, "This is our dereliction of duty. We never realized that the evil spirits of Pufeng Mountain had gone so mad."

These evil spirits must have consumed too much human blood, which corrupted their minds and caused them to lose their reason.

We shouldn't let this den of demons go unchecked just because we're not strong enough..."

At this point, she solemnly apologized to Chen Xu.

Chen Xu immediately replied, "The officers of the Zhenyu Division are responsible for guarding Yunjiang every day. It is normal for them to have difficulty taking care of everything. How could I possibly blame them?"
Xuanming Envoy, please do not blame yourself, otherwise I will be ashamed to face you.

"If it weren't for the rescue by the Xuanming Envoy that day, I would probably have been kidnapped in the street long ago, and none of what happened afterward would have occurred."

Gongsun Jiuniang was still ashamed. Through Chen Xu's words, she clarified the development of events at that time.

It is likely that Chen Xu was nearly kidnapped by evil spirits, which alarmed the "elder" he mentioned. The elder then sent him treasures and secretly escorted him, instructing Chen Xu to go to Pufeng Mountain to seek revenge.

This is perfectly reasonable, and everything makes sense.

Otherwise, Chen Xu, whose cultivation was clearly insufficient and whose mind and soul were clouded by the evil spirit's six senses, was almost kidnapped on the street—

Given this ordeal, how could he possibly have easily wiped out the entire group of ghosts from Pufeng Mountain later on?

Who can advance their cultivation to this level in such a short period of time?

Of course, it's also possible that Chen Xu's initial abduction was just an act, and he may have already planned to use the "abduction" incident to infiltrate Pufeng Mountain.

But Gongsun Jiuniang wasn't stupid. She carefully recalled everything she had experienced before and was certain that Chen Xu had indeed been "kidnapped" when the academy exam ended.

In short, Chen Xu seemed to have explained everything clearly.

Having successfully warned the other party and received a satisfactory answer, Gongsun Jiuniang nodded slightly and said, "In the end, it is our Zhenyu Division who should thank you for the matter of Pufeng Mountain."

There are rewards for eliminating evil spirits; this is a customary practice of the Prison Administration Bureau, and all rewards are distributed by the imperial court, with established precedents.

Therefore, Mr. Chen, there is no need to refuse. I will send someone to deliver the reward to your door another day.

After speaking, she prepared to get up and take her leave.

But how could Chen Xu just let her go like that?

But then Chen Xu waved his hand, and suddenly a wine pot and two wine cups appeared on the table beside him.

One of the small, white porcelain wine cups spun around and landed in front of Gongsun Jiuniang.

Chen Xu personally poured two cups of wine and gestured to Gongsun Jiuniang, saying, "Since the Xuanming Envoy has come, I have nothing of value to offer but this cup of wine to entertain him."

Please, Xuanming Envoy, do not find this cup offensive; drink it all before you depart.

These words are very humble.

But as soon as the wine in the pot was poured out, Gongsun Jiuniang keenly sensed that this was no ordinary wine, but a spirit wine filled with spiritual energy!
Gongsun Jiuniang looked at Chen Xu in surprise.

Offering fine wine to guests at every turn is not the behavior of someone from a poor family.

Of course, Gongsun Jiuniang already had a decision in mind when she thought of the "elder" Chen Xu mentioned.

It is reasonable for some people, even if they come from ordinary farming families, to possess extraordinary talent and be noticed and secretly cultivated by certain experts.

Otherwise, how can we explain the sudden rise of this talented scholar from Jichuan County to Yunjiang?

Gongsun Jiuniang then picked up the wine cup in front of her and took a sip.

Chen Xu raised his cup to drink with her, wondering how many likes Gongsun Jiuniang would give him if she praised the wine.
(End of this chapter)