Starting with the divine power of the Great Vajra, he traversed the heavens.

Chapter 280 This knife looks down on you! (Seeking monthly votes!)

He noticed that everyone's attention was focused on him.

Ding'an sat up straight, somewhat uncomfortably, and asked, "Why...why are you all looking at me?"

Hongxiu said, "Grandpa Emperor wants to see the Eagle Knife."

Ding An said blankly, "Look, look." As he spoke, he secretly channeled his inner strength, and with a clang, the Eagle Blade shot into the sky.

"Wow!"

"what are you going to do?!"

The old eunuchs were all startled and immediately became alert, shouting loudly, and the scene instantly became tense.

Ding An caught the thick-backed sword, then looked up and saw the scene had suddenly changed. Zhu Yuanzhang was staring intently at him, and he was momentarily stunned.

"Brother Li, are you trying to assassinate me?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked in a deep voice.

Ding An was stunned, and said blankly, "Didn't you want to see the knife?"

"Are you fucking offering up a knife?!"

"Yes." Ding An nodded, looked at Ren Shaoyang and the other man, and saw that they were smiling, so he felt relieved. "I think you're quite pleasing to the eye, so I thought I'd show you the knife."

Zhu Yuanzhang was silent for a moment, then smiled silently and said, "You're really interesting." As soon as he finished speaking, he actually took a step forward.

"His Majesty!"

Upon seeing this, the three old eunuchs in the hall became very anxious and hurriedly said, "Don't get too close, we can't protect you!"

"Heh~!" Zhu Yuanzhang chuckled, a surge of heroic spirit rising within him. "With the martial arts skills of the Three Fiends, if they wanted to stab me, what difference would there be between a distance of twenty or thirty zhang and a mere foot?" He glanced at Ding An, a kind smile appearing on his face. "King Li, you're offering this knife not to imitate Cao Mengde of yesteryear, are you?"

Ding An was taken aback: "Why do you say that?"

"Still don't understand?" Ren Shaoyang laughed. "The emperor is saying you won't use the pretext of presenting the knife to assassinate him, right?"

Ding An exclaimed "Ah!" and then said loudly, "You are a good emperor and a good man, why would I kill you?" He thought for a moment and then said, "Anyway, this thick-backed sword doesn't dislike you, so what's wrong with showing it to you?"

"Hmm? The knife doesn't dislike me?" Zhu Yuanzhang continued walking, actually standing in front of the three villains, his tone indifferent, "Could it be that weapons also have feelings?"

Seeing this, Ding An thrust the precious sword forward and shouted, "I am the swordsmith of the Lianfeng Company. Weapons that pass through my hands can be heard breathing and vibrating! Eagle Blade doesn't dislike you, it's just..."

"Just what?"

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the eagle-shaped sword so close to his eyes, his breathing became a little rapid, but he did not rush to take the sword. Instead, he asked in a low voice.

Ding An said, "Although it doesn't dislike you, it also doesn't bother with you."

"What are you saying!" Zhu Yuanzhang frowned deeply. "How dare you look down on me with just a weapon?"

"No, no!" Ding An waved his hand haphazardly and said, "It's not directed at you. Apart from me, no one here looks down on this knife."

The moment those words were spoken, the scene fell into a deathly silence.

The old eunuchs glared at Ding'an with murderous intent, conveying the message, "I'm going to kill you."

"Snap!" *2
Shao Yang and Hong Xiu both put their hands to their foreheads, looking quite helpless.

Zhu Yuanzhang remained silent for a long time, just staring at him in silence, like a butcher sizing up a pig waiting to be slaughtered.

Ding'an also sensed something was wrong. He looked around cautiously and asked, "Did I...did I say something wrong?"

"No." Zhu Yuanzhang's eyebrows twitched slightly, and he sighed, "It's a wonder you haven't been hacked to pieces for speaking such an infuriating word."

Seeing that he wasn't angry, Ding'an felt relieved and shook his head, saying, "Since I started traveling the world, no one has ever been able to bully me except for that little beggar!"

Upon hearing this, Hongxiu chuckled.

"Oh?" Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes lit up, and he turned to look at Hongxiu. "Is Miss Hongxiu also called Little Beggar?"

"Yes."

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed and said, "When I was young, I was called 'Stinky Beggar,' and I loved to eat 'Pearl, Jade, and White Jade Soup.' I actually got along quite well with you, little beggar."

Hongxiu laughed and said, "My favorite is pickled vegetables with tofu. It's so delicious that even the emperor can't compare to me!"

"It's so delicious?"

Hongxiu nodded repeatedly and exclaimed, "Extremely delicious! I must eat this in my lifetime!"

"I'd like to try it myself." Zhu Yuanzhang smiled, then turned to look at the eagle-shaped sword in Ding'an's hand and said calmly, "Emperor Li Dao, may I take a look at this sword?"

At this moment, Ren Shaoyang, who had been watching the show, laughed and said, "It seems that His Majesty is already confident?"

"I wouldn't say I'm completely confident; I just have a general idea in mind," Zhu Yuanzhang said calmly. "The will of Heaven is unpredictable, difficult to achieve and easy to fail. If it works, it works; if it doesn't, so be it. I won't be depressed about it."

As he spoke, the old emperor reached out and took the eagle-shaped sword. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, he held the sword horizontally against his chest and closed his eyes to feel its power.

Hongxiu turned to look at Ren Shaoyang. Although she didn't speak, her eyes conveyed a clear message: "The old emperor has a good hand."

Ren Shaoyang nodded, his eyes conveying the same sentiment: "Those in positions of power are never simple."

The little beggar smiled and said, "Those martial arts practitioners in the Yangtze River waterway are lining up to die. But the old emperor, on the contrary, knows how to be respectful and acts extremely amiably." "So he is the founding emperor." Ren Shaoyang blinked. "He is flexible in body but tough in hand! He dares to risk his life to come within twenty feet of us, and that's how he can touch the Eagle Blade."

Hongxiu nodded repeatedly: "Although I know that this person is suspicious, cruel, and ruthless, I have to admire his unique charm and amazing spirit!"

Ren Shaoyang's eyes flashed: "But things are unpredictable. When fortune smiles, heaven and earth lend their strength; when fortune turns, even heroes are powerless. He too has reached the age of waning heroism."

The two looked at each other, blinked, and said in perfect unison, "It's a pity he's destined to get nothing."

"Hey~!"

A sigh filled with regret and resentment followed.

Zhu Yuanzhang slowly put down the eagle-shaped sword and handed it back to Ding An, saying with some disappointment, "Perhaps this sword is truly not meant for me."

Ding An quickly sheathed his sword. These past few days, he and the Eagle Blade had become inseparable, and he was gradually developing a sense of oneness with the blade. So, the first thing he did upon returning the Eagle Blade was to sheath it, treating it with the utmost care.

Zhu Yuanzhang was not affected by the frustration, and suddenly laughed and said: "Life is like this, in the end, we can't do everything according to our own wishes."

“Yes,” Ren Shaoyang said calmly, “After all, no one is God’s favorite child.”

He glanced at the simple-minded Ding An and silently added to himself, "Except for this idiot!"

Zhu Yuanzhang remained silent for a moment, stroked his long beard, and his white eyebrows twitched: "Sword God Ren, before you came, I did indeed consider taking you under my command. To deal with the powerful Mongol invaders, the Angry Dragon Gang, and other major threats, and to help me rule the martial world!"

Ren Shaoyang didn't seem surprised by his words and laughed, "Has His Majesty changed his mind now?"

"That's right!" Zhu Yuanzhang sighed. "I would never have misjudged you. You are too carefree and unrestrained. You are like three donkeys that you can be easily pleased. It's best not to provoke you and to keep a distance!"

Ren Shaoyang sighed, "Your Majesty has a truly accurate eye for people."

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned and said quietly, "What a pity. I thought that with you three villains around, the Ming Dynasty would surely be even greater."

Ren Shaoyang chuckled and said, "The Ming Dynasty is vast, and it can still produce many famous ministers and generals even without us."

The room fell silent again.

After a long silence, Zhu Yuanzhang finally sighed and slowly said, "It's a pity I'm old. If I were young, I would have pestered you relentlessly to invite you to join me!"

Ren Shaoyang smiled, thinking to himself, "I wouldn't dare! When Empress Ma was alive, you were still a human being, but after she died, you became a complete political monster, ruthless and cruel."

Suddenly, Zhu Yuanzhang chuckled and waved his hand, saying, "Alright, although I haven't fulfilled my greatest wish today, I have at least met such extraordinary talents as the Three Fiends. I'm tired, so let's stop here. Liaowu, take them out of the palace and don't neglect them."

"According to the order."

A shadowy figure slowly emerged from behind him; it was the old eunuch in white. He looked at the three of them and said leisurely, "Please!"

Ren Shaoyang and the other two cupped their hands in greeting and then went out the door.

Zhu Yuanzhang was left alone, his hands behind his back, staring at them thoughtfully.

The old eunuch led the way, turning left and right, his white figure desolate and ghostly. Only when they reached the palace gate did he say with a smile, "Gentlemen, this is as far as I can take you."

Ren Shaoyang cupped his hands and smiled, "Thank you very much, sir."

The old eunuch looked at him deeply and said sincerely, "To meet Sword Master Ren is like meeting the Buddha. I never imagined that your Buddhist cultivation has reached the state of 'perfect enlightenment'." He paused, then said, "If you have the time, I hope you will visit Jingnian Temple to preach and teach the monks. This old monk would be eternally grateful!"

Ren Shaoyang smiled and said, "Next time, definitely!"

The old eunuch cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, then turned and left.

The three of them turned around, got on the donkey cart, and headed towards Lion Mountain outside the city.

The little beggar asked, "Crippled man, why did that old eunuch want us to go to Jingnian Temple?"

Ren Shaoyang, driving the donkey cart, laughed and said, "His true identity is the senior brother of Abbot Liaojin of Jingnian Temple, the Holy Monk Liaowu. This man is over a hundred years old and has extremely high martial arts skills. Back then, Lang Fanyun also found him extremely troublesome."

"Clam?"

Ding'an was somewhat stunned: "A monk becoming a eunuch?"

Ren Shaoyang said, "When the Mongols entered the Central Plains, their cruelty and inhumanity were unprecedented. When Zhu Yuanzhang restored China, there were naturally capable and righteous people to help him. Therefore, the Jingnian Temple dispatched eighteen of the most skilled monks to voluntarily purify themselves and protect him. This was also the key to repeatedly repelling Mongol assassination attempts."

Hongxiu said, "I see. Fortunately, Pang Ban wasn't among them, otherwise Zhu Yuanzhang would have been dead long ago."

“It’s no use him going,” Ding’an suddenly interjected. “The old emperor is favored by Heaven and cannot be killed.”

Ren Shaoyang nodded and smiled, "If others say that, I'll think they're delirious, but if it's about a severed hand, I'll believe it!"

Ding'an scratched his head and chuckled sheepishly.

Hongxiu asked, "Crippled man, when are we going to dig for treasure?"

Ren Shaoyang said, "Let's go to the 'Lulong Temple' where Elder Xi once lived to rest and make full preparations before we go dig for treasure!"

"okay!"

Hongxiu and Ding'an instantly perked up and loudly agreed.

(End of this chapter)