The Legend of the Condor Heroes: From Being Expelled from Peach Blossom Island

Chapter 147 Imperial City Avenue
Wu Chengyu dared not stop. He continued to run at full speed, first out of the city, and then for a full half hour until he was completely exhausted. Only then did he confirm that the other party was really not chasing after him.

If the other party hadn't been distracted by the shifting stars, Wu Chengyu would have been in grave danger tonight. He never imagined that there was someone in the world who could so effectively restrain him.

This old woman had a strange appearance and even more troublesome methods. As long as she continued to guard the Shi residence, Wu Chengyu would not dare to set foot inside again.

Therefore, Wu Chengyu still had no idea what Shi Miyuan actually looked like.

After Wu Chengyu circulated his internal energy and recovered most of his strength outside the city, it was already dawn. He then re-entered the city as he had the day before, and just like yesterday, he was noticed by the constables who were watching him on the street and followed him all the way.

According to Wu Chengyu's deduction, Shi Miyuan's real target was still Yue Family Army, which he saw as potentially rebellious at any time. Therefore, as long as Yue Family Army did not arrive, this situation would continue.

Wu Chengyu feinted a few times and shook off his pursuers, then quietly returned to the inn.

Over the next few days, Wu Chengyu spent his time inquiring about news in Hangzhou, but found nothing except that many righteous men in the martial arts world had been killed in assassinations.

Where exactly is Shi Miyuan now? And what about Wanyan Hongyu, the fourth prince of the Jin Dynasty? He came to Hangzhou to negotiate peace, but he didn't stay at the Banjing Pavilion, which was specially used to receive envoys from the north. Presumably, he didn't want to see the Manjianghong inscription inside the pavilion.

However, Wu Chengyu had no idea where these Jin people were hiding in Hangzhou.

Without a proper network of connections, Wu Chengyu was like a headless fly in Hangzhou, helpless and without any recourse.

Soon, on the fifth day after Wu Chengyu arrived in Hangzhou, just at the hour of Yin (3-5 AM), Wu Chengyu quietly left the inn and came to the Southern Song Imperial Street, which had been visited and photographed many times in later generations.

At this time, the Imperial Street was called Zhonghe Road, which was the main thoroughfare of Hangzhou, running from north to south. It was also the political and cultural center of the Southern Song Dynasty and a gathering place for merchants.

Yin Shi is between 3 and 5 a.m. The reason Wu Chengyu came here so early was because this street was the route for Southern Song Dynasty officials to go to court.

In the Southern Song Dynasty, the morning court session was usually held at 5:00 AM to 7:00 AM, but it was not held every day. Instead, it was held every five days, and only civil and military officials of the third rank or above were required to attend.

When Wu Chengyu first entered Hangzhou, it was the day of the morning court session, which he missed, and he had to wait five more days.

Shi Miyuan is currently the Privy Councilor, a first-rank official, not yet the future Right Chancellor, but he will definitely attend this morning court session.

Wu Chengyu arrived early at the end of the Imperial Street, at the gate of the Southern Song Dynasty's imperial city. He found a high place nearby to hide, waiting for the officials who were going to court to arrive. He thought that whether they came by sedan chair or carriage, they would get off at the gate of the imperial city.

Shi Miyuan should not need to use a body double to attend court, as that would be a crime of deceiving the emperor.

As soon as Shi Miyuan shows his face, Wu Chengyu will not only know what he looks like, but will also relentlessly pursue him to find Shi Miyuan's hiding place in Hangzhou.

This was the only clumsy way Wu Chengyu could think of to find Shi Miyuan.

He arrived too early; it was still pitch black at the hour of Yin. As dawn broke, many sedan chairs and carriages began to appear on the Imperial Street, but they were all small sedan chairs carried by two or four people, and the carriages were not of high standard.

If Shi Miyuan were to travel in person, he would undoubtedly be accompanied by numerous guards, and high-ranking officials would not arrive early, as there would still be considerable time before dawn. As time passed, many officials arrived at the gate of the imperial city, alighted from their sedan chairs and carriages, and entered the palace gate, their entourages gathering on both sides of the gate.

Finally, Wu Chengyu saw the eight-bearer sedan chair, surrounded by guards, all carrying swords and guns, numbering over a hundred. Other officials of the first rank and above would also have guards when they traveled, but they would never make such a grand display.

Sure enough, when the eight-bearer sedan chair arrived at the palace gate, the people inside stepped out. Some officials who had seen the sedan chair arrive early and were waiting at the palace gate bowed and greeted him in unison: "Greetings, Lord Shi."

Having been in Hangzhou for many days, he kept saying he wanted to kill Shi Miyuan, but only today did he finally find out what Shi Miyuan actually looked like.

Actually, it's pretty much the same as Shi Shun's description, or rather, it's not very original for a man to describe another man.

He was indeed of medium build, with regular features, slightly overweight, and a very ordinary person. However, due to his high position and power, he appeared very imposing, with a gloomy expression, and did not show any smile even when people bowed to him.

In any case, Wu Chengyu has now completely memorized Shi Miyuan's appearance and no longer needs to wander around like a headless fly.

However, Wu Chengyu's eyesight was exceptional. After careful observation, he suddenly realized that the reason why Shi Miyuan was so serious was largely because his face could not move freely and his features were somewhat stiff. This Shi Miyuan who was about to enter the palace gate to attend the morning court was also a fake, and he had obviously disguised himself.

Wu Chengyu is also in disguise now, a Southern Song Dynasty version of Yanzu, but his method of disguise comes from the Murong family's collection, and is by no means comparable to ordinary disguise methods in the martial arts world.

The person who uses this disguise method must first be proficient in internal energy cultivation and have reached a very high level of skill. Then, they must control their facial muscles to gradually achieve the effect of changing their appearance. Such disguise will not be exposed unless the user loses all their internal energy.

During the Tianlong era, A'Zhu of the Murong family was also skilled in disguise, but her internal strength was not very good and could not reach the perfect level, so her flaws were quickly discovered.

Wu Chengyu is now a master of disguise, and with his sharp eyes, he quickly discovered the flaws in Shi Miyuan's face.

The fake Shi Miyuan's disguise technique wasn't that sophisticated. It involved piling various drugs or human skin masks on his face, making it easy for anyone with a discerning eye, or someone equally skilled in disguise, to spot.

"After all that fuss, it's all fake again," Wu Chengyu muttered to himself, his brows furrowing as he caught that stale, sour smell of rouge.

A figure suddenly appeared beside Wu Chengyu, looking at the fake Shi Miyuan at the palace gate just like him, with that same old and affected voice.

"You have a good eye. You saw right through it at a glance." She turned to look at Wu Chengyu. Wu Chengyu's face was no longer covered by a black cloth. Yan Zu's beauty transcended time and appeared in the eyes of women. Her eyes lit up on the spot.

"You have good eyesight, and you're even more beautiful. You're so pitiful that I'll capture you in a moment, sever your tendons, and take you back to my room to play with you properly."

Wu Chengyu immediately became wary, but the woman said with a smile, "Don't be so nervous. I came here to watch the show today. Who would have thought that I would run into you here by chance? I chased you all over Hangzhou before, but now you've come to me on your own. Who says we're not destined for each other?"

Don't rush, there's a big show coming up, don't miss it!

　Sorry, it's still only the fourth update today. I'll keep trying.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)