Dugong

Chapter 93 Accepting Him as a Dog
Xiao Yuanqiu accepted the Guan Ri sword, but he did not place it above his head with both hands. To do so in the palace would be considered improper and a breach of etiquette.

Seeing that he was just a naive young man from the martial arts world, the eunuchs on stage didn't seem to care about etiquette.

Li Pingan waved his hand, and Xiao Yuanqiu bowed and stood at the far left, becoming one of them.

Officials in red and green robes, eunuchs old and young, and today a young swordsman holding a sword, are arranged like a screen on the left and right, surrounding the red-robed admiral in the center.

Li Ping'an took a sip of tea: "How many are left?"

Little Yu kept a record of the count: "Godfather, there are seven left."

"The last three don't need to come."

Li Ping'an did not explain the reason, allowing his eunuchs to speculate and doubt, unaware that it was just something he said casually and had no deeper meaning.

Xiao Yu was startled. He had accepted money from the senior brother of the Cangyun Gang and instructed him to be the last to go upstairs, promising to say a few good words to his godfather.

Now all the plans have come to naught, and Xiao Yuzi is starting to wonder if his godfather is giving him a warning.

As for the money, of course it won't be refunded!

soon.

Another young hero came upstairs, dressed in snow-white clothes, and was very handsome, quite in line with the description in the storyteller's tale.

Xiao Yuzi whispered, "This is Liu Suifeng, a disciple of the Miaoshou Sect. This sect is famous in the martial arts world for its lightness skills and theft. Their actions are both righteous and evil, and overall they have a bad reputation."

"Our family doesn't care about right or wrong."

Li Ping'an only needs useful people, whether they are famous heroes or evil demons. Among the young heroes lying on the ground groaning, there are several evil disciples.

Upon hearing Xiao Yuzi's instructions, Liu Suifeng first bowed to Li Ping'an and then waved his hand, scattering a cluster of silver needles.

"Little tricks."

In order to better take care of Empress Dowager Zhou, Li Ping'an specially took out the "Taiyi Divine Needle" from the Martial Arts Pavilion and practiced the technique of condensing true qi into needles and stabbing acupoints from a distance.

It is usually used to calm the mind, aid sleep, and clear the meridians, but it is actually the most superb acupuncture and hidden weapon technique.

With a flick of his palm, his inner energy guided the dozen or so silver needles back, surrounding Liu Suifeng from all directions.

"rise!"

Liu Suifeng's expression turned solemn. He leaped into the air, and seeing that he was about to collide with the silver needles coming from above, he suddenly moved several feet to the side in mid-air to dodge them.

"The first move."

"what?"

Li Ping'an raised an eyebrow. He could do it too, relying on his solidified true qi to forcefully propel his body horizontally through the air.

Liu Suifeng was considered a promising young talent in the martial arts world, but his internal energy accumulation was inferior to that of the older generation, and he was far behind the palace eunuchs.

Li Ping'an asked curiously, "What kind of light-body skill is this?"

Liu Suifeng cupped his hands and said, "My lord, I enjoy traveling and sightseeing. Once, I used my lightness skill to explore the bottom of a cliff and discovered a cave of an ancient sage. I obtained a scroll of nameless lightness skill."

"You're having good luck."

Li Ping'an nodded slightly: "If you can dodge my second move, you can go to the capital garrison as a captain tomorrow."

"Thank you for your kindness, sir."

Liu Suifeng's expression was solemn. His master had been caught stealing from the Duan Prince's mansion and was being interrogated in the imperial prison. If he could get in touch with the Imperial Horse Administration, it would be easy to get him out.

Ordinary eunuchs don't have this ability, but Eunuch An is a favorite of His Majesty.

Li Ping'an waved his hand across the teacup, scattering countless water needles that, guided by his powerful true energy, blanketed the area.

Each needle is made of water, yet it emits a whistling sound as it cuts through the air.

"This……"

Relying on the mysterious lightness skill of the nameless one, Liu Suifeng has encountered many martial arts masters, including many famous heroes and villains.

Everyone was just reacting to each other's moves, depleting each other's true energy, and no one ever thought that someone could be enveloped in a sky full of true energy.

There is no escape, no avoidance.

Liu Suifeng knelt down with a thud: "My lord, this junior admits defeat."

Bang!
The water droplets burst open, turning into a misty rain. Li Ping'an casually waved his hand, and a gust of wind blew through, instantly dissipating the mist.

"Our family bullies the weak, so you've already passed two rounds."

Xiao Yuzi stepped forward and handed Liu Suifeng a bronze token: "Take this to the Heavenly Prison, and you'll be able to get the person out." "Thank you, sir. Thank you, eunuch."

Liu Suifeng respectfully accepted the token. He had originally had some objections to the sect leader's arrangements, believing that matters of the martial world should be left to the martial world.

My master has fallen into the imperial prison. He should be rescued using the methods of the martial arts world. What kind of thing is it to seek refuge with a eunuch?

Now it seems that the sect leader truly deserves to be called the sect leader.

Liu Suifeng stood at the end of the right side, noticed Xiao Yuanqiu standing opposite him, and nodded with a smile, but Xiao Yuanqiu remained expressionless.

After a while.

The last young hero to go upstairs was the young master of the Yin Fu Sect, a sect that was both righteous and evil, leaning towards using talismans to exorcise evil spirits and swindle money.

He couldn't withstand Li Ping'an's palm strike. His true energy struck his chest from mid-air, and he fell to the ground, rolling more than a dozen times, screaming and howling in pain.

"All right."

As soon as Li Ping'an finished speaking, the young heroes instantly suppressed their pain, their faces turning red, and dared not groan or cry out again.

"We invited you here today to have a meal and get to know each other, so that you can serve well in the Beijing Garrison in the future."

The group struggled to their feet and, mimicking Xiao Yuanqiu and Liu Suifeng, kowtowed and bowed in unison, giving a chaotic reply.

"As ordered."

"Don't worry, my lord."

"The junior must perform his duties well..."

Li Ping'an showed a hint of disdain on his face. The outlaws of the martial world each had their own skills, but they were too scattered and couldn't even chant the proper kowtows. He would send someone to teach them the proper etiquette when he had time.

After showing off their power, it's time to treat everyone to a meal.

Dingxianglou, as one of the top restaurants in the capital, is backed by the founding nobleman, Duke Ningyang, who has now been demoted to Earl Zhao'an. He often entertains important figures in the court and naturally knows the etiquette and rules of dining.

From serving the dishes to plating them, the host's seat exudes prestige.

Xiao Yuanqiu received a sword from the governor and was exceptionally allowed to sit with the eunuchs, while the other young heroes were entertained by lowly eunuchs without official rank.

During the meal, I dared not touch my chopsticks easily, nor did I dare to offer toasts casually. I listened attentively to the conversations of the fathers-in-law.

Before long, Xiao Yuanqiu realized that he no longer thought much of the Heavenly Sword Sect.

It's not about disdain or mockery, but rather the vast difference in ability.

For example, the eunuch Fei, who sat to the left of the Grand Eunuch, looked like an old scoundrel and a sycophant. He had worked in the Imperial Palace and presided over several sacrificial ceremonies. His acquaintances were all important officials of the court.

Even a minor official like the magistrate of Faquan County is nowhere to be found, not even in some remote mountain village.

After three rounds of wine, five flavors of food.

The atmosphere was no longer as awkward as before. Few of the young heroes were fools, and they quickly became familiar with each other after figuring things out.

When Eunuch Fei came over with a glass of wine, Xiao Yuanqiu quickly bowed to greet him.

“We all work under our godfather, so there’s no need to be so polite. I’ve never been to Quzhou, but I’ve met a few officials from there.”

Xiao Yuanqiu asked, "May I ask which esteemed person this is?"

"Let's think about it..."

Eunuch Fei recalled briefly: "I don't remember, but a few years ago, Shen Da, the Assistant Magistrate of Quzhou, wanted to be transferred back to the capital and asked us to use our ancestors' connections."

This "ancestor" is naturally Eunuch Chu. Everyone in the palace knows that Li Ping'an is Eunuch Chu's successor.

Xiao Yuanqiu didn't know who the ancestor was, but he happened to know Shen Da's name.

I met him once years ago. My father, Xiao Ying, went to great lengths to get an invitation and rushed to congratulate Lord Shen on his birthday. He sent many gifts, but in the end, we could only eat in the side hall and didn't even get to say a few proper words.

However, it was during this birthday celebration that the problem of the Tianjian Sect's territory being constantly harassed by the county government was resolved.

Xiao Yuanqiu bowed even lower: "Father-in-law, let us toast you."

"Good good."

Upon hearing the word "us," Eunuch Fei looked at Xiao Yuanqiu with great satisfaction and took a sip of his wine cup, offering a suggestion.

"Godfather likes people who follow the rules. We've heard that the Yellow River Gang has been seizing the docks, robbing and killing for money, and their actions are no different from those of river bandits..."

(End of this chapter)