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

Chapter 345 Entering the Palace
Since Wu Chengyu transmigrated, he has never entered the imperial palace. When he attempted to assassinate Shi Miyuan, he had made his move at the gate of the Hangzhou palace, but unfortunately, the Shi Miyuan at that time was an imposter, and he did not have the opportunity to enter the inner palace.

There are differences between the real world and the novel. In the original work, Hong Qigong would occasionally sneak into the imperial kitchen to steal food, making the Southern Song Dynasty imperial palace seem undefended.

But based on Wu Chengyu's current understanding, the experts in the palace simply knew what Hong Qigong was there for and didn't want to fight him over some imperial food.

Wu Chengyu left Yangwu Guild Hall with Princess Yuzhu and Wu Qianyu. After about two incense sticks' time, they arrived outside the Western Xia Imperial Palace. Compared with the Southern Song Imperial Palace, it was just as heavily guarded, but the size of the palace was probably only half that of the Southern Song Imperial Palace.

Looking up, you can see several tall palaces, but the buildings outside the palaces don't have many carved beams and painted rafters, pavilions and towers. Only in some architectural details can you see the folk characteristics of the Tangut people. In terms of luxury and exquisiteness, they are not even as good as the gardens in Jiangnan.

Princess Yuzhu was naturally going home when she entered the palace, and Wu Qianyu was also familiar with the place. Only Wu Chengyu was thoroughly searched from top to bottom, and his pair of black and white impermanence were left at the palace gate, making it impossible for them to be brought in.

But just as he finished his search and was about to enter the palace, Wu Qianyu suddenly turned around and glanced at Wu Chengyu from top to bottom a few times. Then she smiled sweetly. The cross-dresser laughed heartily, her eyes subtle, as if she had a sense of vengeful pleasure.

“Brother Nie, your life will be very different from the moment you step into this place. I should be congratulating you, as you will soon become one of our own.”

The words "our own people" were emphasized. If Wu Chengyu hadn't already known what they were going to do, he probably would have thought he had finally gained their trust. But the truth was clear: only those who had been given the Life and Death Talisman would gain their trust.

At this moment, Princess Yuzhu strode ahead, about ten meters away from the two of them, talking to a palace guard beside her. She seemed uninterested in their conversation, which is why Wu Qianyu was so hypocritical in congratulating herself.

This was both a congratulation and an irony. Wu Qianyu seemed to have seen Wu Chengyu for a while, suffering from the Life and Death Talisman and unable to survive. Wu Chengyu was never one to suffer in silence.

Of course, he can't actually take action now, but Wu Chengyu can still annoy the other side.

"Brother Wu, alas, how can I possibly say anything to you?"

Wu Qianyu was a little surprised for a moment, completely not understanding what Wu Chengyu meant: "Just say what you want to say, we're all on the same side."

"That's good, then I won't stand on ceremony."

Actually, Brother Wu was smiling quite brightly just now, but unfortunately, there are rules to smiling. You can't open your mouth too wide, like you've eaten someone's pot lid, and you can't show your teeth, especially since your teeth aren't very white, which is unsightly.

The same goes for walking. Look at you, you walk with no manners at all. Have you ever heard of what it means to walk with composure?
You must walk slowly and gracefully. It's wrong to walk with your toes pointed outwards like that, as if to show off your size. It's really too undignified.

There's also the saying "don't show your feet." Look at your two big feet. What kind of woman walks with her feet sticking out? It's improper.

Finally, you walked way too close to me, a real man. That's not good. People will think you can't help yourself when you see a man.

"Aren't you right, Miss Wu?"

He started by calling her "Brother Wu," but ended by calling her "Miss Wu." All his words were criticizing Wu Qianyu for not knowing how to be a woman. Wu Qianyu was confused at first, but soon became furious.

Based on Wu Chengyu's interactions with Wu Qianyu these past few days, although this guy has turned himself into a cross-dresser through his martial arts practice, he still retains the most basic male physiological characteristics and considers himself a man in his mind. No one dares to gossip about him in front of him.

At the same time, when this guy comes out to meet people, he always dresses as a woman, and not just any woman, but the kind of charming beauty who can steal people's souls.

Wu Chengyu couldn't figure out what the unfortunate kid's mentality was, but one thing was clear: no one could call him Miss Wu or Miss Wu to his face.

As the saying goes, "A good bet is to hit someone in the face." Wu Chengyu's seemingly earnest advice immediately enraged Wu Qianyu. She staggered forward, used her hand as a knife, and launched an attack, stabbing Wu Chengyu in the ribs.

However, Wu Chengyu was prepared. As soon as he finished speaking, he sprinted to Princess Yuzhu's side. At the same time, Wu Qianyu's actions also attracted the attention of the guards nearby.

Princess Yuzhu turned around in time and stopped Wu Qianyu: "The palace is a forbidden area, violence is not allowed." At the same time, she turned her eyes to Wu Chengyu, her gaze carrying a threat.

Wu Chengyu's lips curled up, and he lowered his head to show his obedience. Wu Qianyu had no choice but to stop, even though he was so angry that his chest was trembling. When it came to verbal sparring, how could he possibly be a match for Wu Chengyu? If it weren't for the fact that Wu Qianyu didn't understand many of the terms used in later generations, Wu Chengyu would have cursed him until he was spitting blood.

Just as Wu Qianyu was trying to kill Wu Chengyu with her eyes, they soon arrived at a somewhat dilapidated palace.

This palace was clearly located in a corner of the Western Xia imperial city, far from the main halls, and surrounded by a relatively open space. It was planted with many flowers and plants, which were obviously carefully cultivated; otherwise, the place would have been quite desolate. The palace itself wasn't large, probably only a few hundred square meters, and it was very clean, but there were many places on the outer walls where the plaster had peeled off.

Above the main gate of the palace is a plaque with the words "Palace of Broken Dreams" written on it. The plaque is relatively new compared to the palace itself, so the palace probably didn't have this name before.

As Wu Chengyu observed the palace's overall location within the entire imperial palace, he suddenly recalled that when he interrogated the chief of the gang who had allowed his men to eat people at Helian Fort in Ziwu Ridge, the chief had also mentioned the location of Li Qiushui's former bedroom.

Upon comparing the two, Wu Chengyu immediately knew that he had found his destination. This palace was called Ninghe Palace during Li Qiushui's time, but it must have been renamed by the current owner. Remnant Dream was an extremely inappropriate name for a palace in the imperial palace, as it had an ominous meaning.

Therefore, the owner of this palace, who is also Princess Yuzhu and Wu Qianyu's master, inherited Li Qiushui's legacy and, for some unknown reason, obtained a portion of the martial arts from the Tianshan Lingjiu Palace. He then went into seclusion in this palace.

Wu Chengyu knew he was finally about to come into contact with the biggest boss in Western Xia, and he was extremely curious about this person's identity.

There weren't many palace maids in the Remnant Dream Palace. Princess Yuzhu led the two of them step by step to a side hall. This side hall was a bit strange. It was nearly seventy or eighty square meters in size, but it had no windows and was very dark. There were just many candles lit in the hall.

The palace's four walls should have been entirely made of stone, but paintings covered them completely, obscuring the walls.

Wu Chengyu immediately had a thought. When the Western Xia princess was choosing a husband, Duan Yu and the others were taken to a side hall, where the walls were covered with calligraphy and paintings. Later, when the Tibetan prince was fighting with someone and was knocked down, he accidentally tore off the murals, and that's when people discovered the martial arts skills carved behind the calligraphy and paintings.

That side hall is located within Li Qiushui's palace, which is the Remnant Dream Palace right before our eyes.

The Remnant Dream Palace is not large, and it also includes the sleeping quarters and the resting place for many palace maids, so it is unlikely that there is a similar side hall. Wu Chengyu must have just happened to arrive at the place from back then.

It's a pity that Wu Chengyu's three-dimensional map doesn't have the ability to see through objects; otherwise, he could memorize all the martial arts techniques here right now.

“Our master rarely receives outsiders at his Remnant Dream Palace. If he has something to tell us, he will sometimes meet us here. Brother Nie, please sit here first. My junior brother and I will go and pay our respects to our master. He will come in a little while if he is in the mood today.”

After speaking, Princess Yuzhu left with Wu Qianyu, leaving Wu Chengyu behind. Meanwhile, four palace maids were serving in the side hall.

Wu Chengyu first found a grand chair and sat down. A palace maid came over to serve him tea. The palace maid was not young and had an ordinary appearance. The other three palace maids were about the same age as her, but Wu Chengyu could tell from their posture and breathing that these palace maids were also skilled in martial arts.

They are certainly far inferior to Princess Yuzhu and Wu Qianyu, but they already have a very solid foundation in internal strength, and their internal skills must be quite remarkable.

Wu Chengyu observed the entire side hall again. There was no main seat here. In the center of the side hall was a daybed, somewhat similar to a Luohan bed from the Ming and Qing dynasties. There were several armchairs on each side. In addition, the calligraphy and paintings on the walls were not simply hung up; the edges of each painting were fixed.

It's no longer like before, where you could see the writing on the stone wall just by lifting the calligraphy and paintings. Here, you can't see the wall behind the calligraphy and paintings unless you forcibly tear them open. So even if Wu Chengyu pretends to appreciate the calligraphy and paintings and then accidentally lifts them open, it won't work and will inevitably arouse suspicion.

However, Wu Chengyu was willing to take the risk to come here today, and he will be testing the taste of the Life and Death Talisman later, so he must not be completely unprepared.

He first took a few sips of tea, then pretended to be a little impatient and walked around the side hall on his own. When he approached the calligraphy and paintings on the wall, he immediately felt the four palace maids' hearts beat faster and their breathing quicken. It was obvious that these palace maids knew the secret on the wall and were secretly on guard against Wu Chengyu.

But Wu Chengyu did not turn around and leave immediately. He kept clicking his tongue as he slowly walked around admiring the calligraphy and paintings, always staying less than a foot away from them.

Only after he had finished looking around did he leave the area of ​​the calligraphy and paintings. At this moment, the four maids breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed their guard against Wu Chengyu. This was exactly the moment Wu Chengyu had been waiting for.

He was standing near the candlestick next to the bed. The door to the side hall was open, facing the bed, while the four maids stood in the four corners of the side hall, unable to sense the wind direction from the door.

Wu Chengyu used the "Shifting Stars" technique to forcefully create a gust of wind that rushed in directly from the main entrance. The candles near the entrance were blown about by the wind, and the candle in front of Wu Chengyu was extinguished.

A palace maid saw this and was about to come over, but Wu Chengyu shook her head, picked up the candle herself, found the candle flame next to her, lit it again, and then put it back on the candlestick.

The palace maid didn't suspect anything and slowly returned to her position. Wu Chengyu raised an eyebrow, feeling smug.

　Chapter One is here, Chapter Two will be before noon.

　　Thank you to Tianjuan Lanchenlin and Sister Hulu for the donations.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)