Great Zhou Martial Immortal

Chapter 118 Hangu Pass Over the Central Plains, Swallowing the Purple Qi (5k)

In the bedroom.

Lu Chenyuan began to recite "Chen Gui" from memory, stroke by stroke. His elegant running script flowed out quickly from his pen, while his other hand flipped through "Yu Jing Mo Lu". He wrote and read at the same time, multitasking without wasting a moment.

Li Lingyue was wearing a lion-patterned nightgown, barefoot and curled up in the brocade quilt, her long black hair cascading down like a waterfall, the ends still damp from her bath.

She fiddled with a jade hairpin in her hand, occasionally poking the embroidery on the pillow with the tip, her little mouth chattering incessantly:

"Hmph, someone finally got what they wanted."

"Should we invite them to the mansion?"

"Hu Xuan Dance, Hu Xuan Dance, Hu Xuan Dance..."

"You just like the Western Regions!"

"Is the Hu woman's waist flexible?"

She got more and more excited as she spoke, and finally sat up abruptly, her almond-shaped eyes narrowed, deliberately drawing out her words: "Lord Lu—"

Lu Chenyuan continued writing, pretending not to hear.

Seeing that he remained unmoved, Li Lingyue snorted and threw a soft pillow at him.

"boom!"

Lu Chenyuan caught the pen casually, sighed, and finally put it down.

—When a woman starts getting jealous for no reason, she needs a shot!

He suddenly got up and strode towards the bed.

Seeing his aggressive approach, Li Lingyue completely forgot that she was at the fifth realm and subconsciously shrank back, but he grabbed her ankle and gently pulled her into his arms.

"Lu Chenyuan! How dare you!" She feigned anger, but the corners of her mouth were already curled up.

"This humble servant knows his crime." He admitted his mistake verbally, but his hands were restless, his fingertips sliding up her slender ankle, causing her to tremble slightly.

"You, you let go..." Li Lingyue pushed the person away with both hands, but the force was weak, as if she was trying to refuse but also welcoming.

Lu Chenyuan chuckled softly, leaning closer to her ear, his warm breath brushing against her: "Your Highness, didn't you just think I wasn't attentive enough? Then... I'll make amends properly?"

Li Lingyue's ears turned red, but she still retorted defiantly, "Who needs your apology? I don't want to talk to you right now!"

"Oh?" Lu Chenyuan raised an eyebrow, his fingertips gently untying the ties of her nightgown. "Then why is Your Highness... holding onto my clothes so tightly?"

Li Lingyue then realized that her hand had been gripping his shirt without her noticing. She let go in embarrassment and annoyance, but the next second, Lu Chenyuan lowered his head and kissed her.

At first, she pretended to be reserved and turned her head away, but his kiss was too familiar. From the corner of her lips to the side of her neck, and then to her collarbone, his kiss gradually broke down her resistance. She finally couldn't help but let out a soft moan, reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingertips running through his hair.

“Lu Chenyuan…”

She murmured softly, her voice so gentle it was almost unbelievable.

Lu Chenyuan stroked her waist with his palm, and with a gentle lift, he picked her up. Li Lingyue exclaimed in surprise, her legs instinctively wrapping around his waist, and she hung on him.

Their eyes met, and without saying a word, they began to kiss passionately.

The gauze curtains swayed gently, and the candlelight cast overlapping shadows onto the screen, like a flowing ink painting.

Li Lingyue tilted her head back slightly, her dark hair spreading out like ink on the brocade pillow.

Lu Chenyuan admired her aroused expression, his hands continuing their work: "Didn't Your Highness just ask if Hu Ji's waist was soft?" He leaned down and whispered in her ear, his hot breath filling her ear canal, "Why don't you compare them yourself?"

Before Li Lingyue could react, he suddenly pulled his hand back and ripped open his shirt...

I don’t know how long it took before the clouds and rain stopped.

Li Lingyue nestled in Lu Chenyuan's arms, her cheek pressed against his chest, listening to his strong heartbeat.

Lu Chenyuan smiled and said, "Are you still angry?"

Li Lingyue was too tired to speak, her face flushed slightly, and she rubbed her nose against his chin.

Lu Chenyuan smiled and hugged her even tighter. The air inside the gauze curtains was filled with the scent of their lovemaking, and their heartbeats gradually synchronized.

"I have a feeling that at this rate, I won't be able to write it a thousand times in ten days... Each time there are more than four thousand words..."

"……Shut up."

"His Majesty entrusted you with this supervision; wouldn't you call this embezzlement?"

"Shut up!"

Li Lingyue was so embarrassed that she opened her mouth and bit him hard on the shoulder.

Lu Chenyuan couldn't help but gasp; this little vixen was ruthless with her words!

Seeing this, Li Lingyue snorted, then licked her lower part of her mouth again, her eyes dangerous as she said, "Serves you right for being disobedient! If you dare to look around again, I'll bite you to death!"

"..."

Lu Chenyuan's heart skipped a beat, a sense of foreboding washing over him.

I think I just watched a dance!

Several people watched it together!
The key is that I didn't watch it for very long...

Li Lingyue was unaware of his wild thoughts; she simply held him tightly, her fingertips unconsciously gripping the fabric of his back, as if afraid he would disappear at any moment.

She buried her face in his chest and said in a muffled voice, "After we finish copying 'The Minister's Code' and have received our 'punishment'... let's go to Chang'an together."

Lu Chenyuan was taken aback, then softened his voice: "What's wrong? Suddenly you want to go to Chang'an?"

Li Lingyue didn't look up, but her voice tightened slightly: "'Arrogant and presumptuous, overstepping one's bounds'... 'Serving one's father and ruler requires strictness and respect. Filial piety should be exerted to the utmost, and loyalty should be given to the death.'... She's doubting you, warning you..."

Lu Chenyuan then understood what she was worried about and chuckled: "Just because of this? It's just the way of the emperor. It's good enough that she didn't punish me directly. She probably considered the reputation of the two divine arts, you, and the three old ministers. Just confiscating the books and confining me to my quarters is already an act of leniency."

He spoke in a relaxed tone, even with a hint of sarcasm: "After all, there are examples of cruel officials before us. If she really wanted to punish me, she could fabricate evidence even if there was none."

"But I don't like it!"

Li Lingyue suddenly looked up, her almond-shaped eyes staring straight into his eyes, her expression unusually serious: "Today you can issue a warning without evidence, and tomorrow you can be thrown into the dungeon without evidence! We can't afford to offend you, but can't we at least avoid you? I'm going to Lishan to soak in the hot springs, and of course my male favorites will come with me! I'll leave the matter of the Kite Guards to Qing Shuang."

Lu Chenyuan was amused by her self-righteous attitude: "Are you just being stubborn with her..."

"so what?"

Li Lingyue snorted lightly, her chin slightly raised, her pride tinged with a hint of defiance: "Anyway, she always says I'm willful and capricious, so she won't find it strange that I do something like this."

She paused, then whispered, "Besides... I'm not really being willful, I just..."

It's really the same principle as ceding five cities today and ten cities tomorrow.

What's wrong with saving someone?

Their crimes have been proven, but they still hold official positions; even the lowest-ranking official is still an official.

Whether for public or private reasons, there is absolutely nothing wrong with Lu Chenyuan's act of chivalry!
You wanted to eliminate dissidents, so you didn't hesitate to let assassins run rampant and disregard the laws of the court. Even so, you should punish me. She wouldn't say a word and would obediently follow orders, but she wouldn't just let it pass in such a resentful way. Winter is coming, and I want to go to Lishan to soak in the hot springs. Is there a problem?

This isn't being willful; it's making a statement.

The squeaky wheel gets the grease, and the more submissive you are, the more you get bullied!

Seeing her like this, Lu Chenyuan knew exactly what she was thinking. His heart warmed, and he lowered his head to kiss her forehead, smiling as he said, "Okay, whatever you say. After we finish copying the book, we'll go to Lishan, soak in hot springs, enjoy the snow, and drink wine. You can do whatever you want."

Li Lingyue was finally satisfied, and the corners of her lips curled up: "That's more like it! It also saves you from always staring at those Hu Xuan dancers..."

"..."

It's not over, right?

Lu Chenyuan was both amused and exasperated. He grabbed her wrist, flipped her over, and pressed her into the brocade quilt. His voice was deep and menacing: "How dare I? One look from Your Highness and I'm completely captivated. How could I possibly see anything else?"

Li Lingyue's ears burned, and she still wanted to be stubborn, but he sealed her with a kiss.

The gauze curtains hung low, and the candlelight flickered red.

Outside the palace, a white cat, with a letter in its mouth, quietly landed and tilted its head to look towards the sleeping quarters.

It sniffed gently to confirm the location, and then waited in the shadows to ensure it was delivered to the right person.

at the same time.

Inside the Lingni Palace, the golden lion, which had been dozing with its eyes closed, suddenly raised its head and looked towards the sleeping quarters.

The goddess was leaning against it while reading when she noticed something was wrong. She turned around and asked, "What's wrong, A-Tuan?"

Another one of our kind has arrived.

He has some skills, but not many.

There was no malevolent aura about him...

The golden lion sniffed and knew the extent of the "cat's" presence. It lazily snorted, shook its head, and continued to sleep on the Sumeru pedestal.

Seeing that it made no unusual move, the goddess didn't take it seriously. She turned her head and glanced in the direction of the sleeping quarters. Her glassy pupils reflected the night. Looking at her mechanical body, her eyelashes trembled slightly, her eyes stung, and a slight feeling of tightness came from her heart. There was no flesh and blood there, only intricate springs and the core of the soul jade, but at this moment it felt as if it was being tightened by invisible threads, causing a dull pain.

She looked down at her flawless palms.

These hands can play the piano, hold a pen, pour tea... they can do everything that humans can do.

But it wasn't real after all.

She is merely a puppet. — The more real she is, the more she will fall into a predicament of being neither human nor thing when she truly understands the ways of the world.

This is both a great fortune and a great tragedy.

These were the unfinished words that Zen Master Yunhe had taught her that day.

The goddess now finally understood why... there was pity in his eyes...

They resemble humans, yet are ultimately not human.

The moonlit night was silent. The goddess was curled up, all alone, appearing exceptionally lonely.

"elder brother……"

A tear rolled down her cheek and landed on the back of her hand; it was icy cold.

……

The next morning.

Yuan Qingshuang came to deliver breakfast.

Her face flushed crimson, and she stopped a short distance away. She listened intently for a long time, but heard nothing suggestive, before finally letting out a sigh of relief. In her mind, Lu Chenyuan and Li Lingyue were synonymous with "inseparable" and "utterly licentious," shameless and endlessly promiscuous!
This always made her, an unmarried young woman, blush with embarrassment.

She had just reached the doorway when she suddenly sensed something was wrong and turned back behind the pillars.

A cute white cat was squatting behind, holding a letter in its mouth, its face showing a human-like expression of helplessness and powerlessness.

Yuan Qingshuang understood, almost as if by magic!

—This looks like a very long wait.

She expressed her deep sympathy: Be content, you've only waited a short time. Have you ever heard of 'five days and five nights'?

squeak-

The palace door opens.

Lu Chenyuan walked out in his pajamas and saw Yuan Qingshuang staring at a snow-white Persian cat with heterochromia.

Lu Chenyuan looked at it carefully and remembered that Lu Ke'er had said that there was such a cat, Celine's cat.

It seems to be called...

"The Five Emperors' Throne?"

The Records of the Grand Historian, Treatise on Celestial Offices, states: "In the court of the Three Lights of Taiwei, the five planets within serve as the seats of the Five Emperors."

The stars in the Taiwei Enclosure are generally dim, with the brightest being the Five Emperors' Seat.

"Meow~"

The white cat's eyes lit up. It took a liking to the man who had called it by name upon their first meeting. It meowed sweetly and placed the letter in its mouth at Lu Chenyuan's feet.

Lu Chenyuan glanced at it and knew it wasn't poisonous. He bent down, picked it up, unfolded it, and saw that it was written in Persian.

"Oh, Persian..."

Before he finished speaking, a fragrant breeze blew over.

Li Lingyue appeared behind him at some point. She was naturally beautiful and still looked stunning even without makeup. However, she had just gotten up in the morning and her nightgown was loose. She was originally not in good spirits, but when she saw that someone had delivered a letter, which was written in Persian, she immediately perked up and looked at Lu Chenyuan with a deep gaze.

Lu Chenyuan's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly pulled her into his arms to prevent her from drawing her sword: "What are you thinking... We only met yesterday, and I helped her with a small favor. I guess it's just a thank you..."

He was actually starting to panic; if those sentences were really too harsh, he wouldn't be able to explain himself no matter how hard he tried.

Li Lingyue snorted lightly, not being unreasonable. Even if she were to send a love letter, she shouldn't do it so openly to the princess's residence. Was she courting death? Besides, she had already done her research. Anle Pavilion was practically an open branch of the Persian Ming Cult. That Celine was quite a figure, not only a descendant of the Persian royal family but also a holy virgin of the Ming Cult.

According to religious rules, the Holy Maiden is a symbol of the brightness and purity of the Ming Cult, and must sever all emotional attachments and love, and must not be swayed by personal feelings for men or women.

She rolled her eyes at him and leaned closer to read the letter: "What does it say?"

Lu Chenyuan quickly glanced through it and breathed a sigh of relief: "It's intelligence, very useful intelligence! She traveled south to the capital and passed through Hangu Pass in Guozhou. She discovered traces of the mechanical puppets. Since they didn't have any mechanical masters or puppeteers, they couldn't subdue them, so they gave me this intelligence."

"Hangu Pass..."

Li Lingyue's spirits lifted: "One of the ten lines of poetry is 'Hangu Pass faces the rising sun, swallowing the purple aura'! Could it be...?"

"Don't get too excited yet."

Lu Chenyuan shook his head: "This riddle is too easy to guess! Hangu refers to Hangu Pass, and purple qi refers to the purple qi coming from the east, which is a story of Lao Tzu. Among the ten divine arts, there is only one related to Lao Tzu..."

Li Lingyue understood and murmured, "The Divine Talisman Scroll..."

The art of talismans was first created by Lao Tzu.

The scroll of divine talismans must be hidden at Hangu Pass!
The problem is... the "Divine Talisman Scroll" has already appeared in the world.

The city was destroyed, and everything inside was looted.

The painting of a hundred ghosts was destroyed, and the underground palace of Mount Song was completely empty.

By the same token, now that the "Divine Talisman Scroll" has appeared, what else is there to visit at Hangu Pass?

This is also why Lu Chenyuan, despite having guessed it, still didn't take any action.

Others are not fools.

Moreover, he now possesses two divine arts, making it extremely dangerous for him to go out. If the "Divine Talisman Scroll" had not yet appeared in the world, this risk would be worth taking. However, the so-called treasure trove that has already appeared in the world is completely unnecessary!
but……

Now the situation is different.

Lu Chenyuan looked at the letter in his hand. Celine said that when she passed through Hangu Pass, she saw a mechanical puppet killing someone near Xiaoshan. Most importantly, it seemed to be hiding a strange magic weapon on its body. With just one arrow, it killed Pei Hualin, a master of the Hedong Pei family branch, a peak fourth-realm expert, known as the "Star-Picking Feathered Warrior"!

This man was a disciple of Taiyi Mountain, skilled in both martial arts and magic, and possessed exceptional lightness skills; he was a renowned hero of his time.

Even against an ordinary fifth-level opponent, it wouldn't be killed in one blow, clearly indicating that the magic weapon is extraordinary!

Furthermore, considering that the purple-robed man and Yin Fujun each received half of the inheritance, this Hangu Pass might really be hiding a treasure!

Just like the [Condensed Splendor Lamp] in "The Hundred Ghosts of the Azure Underworld"...

Perhaps the two of them did not completely pass the test and retrieve all the treasures...

Lu Chenyuan quickly wrote a thank-you letter and handed it to Xiao Wu to pass on to Xi Lin. Xiao Wu rubbed against his boots, turned around, jumped over the wall, and disappeared.

Lu Chenyuan did this in order to get it away as quickly as possible.

Li Lingyue understood, so she didn't react.

Lu Chenyuan secretly praised her. The princess was indeed capable. She was jealous, but she was not just jealous. She was much better than the average woman who only knew how to love.

What Lu Chenyuan hated most was people who made unfounded accusations and lacked a sense of priorities when dealing with serious matters. He then laid out his thoughts in detail.

Li Lingyue became interested and clapped her hands in praise, "Good! We'll be passing through Guozhou on our way to Chang'an, so we can take the treasure along the way!"

Lu Chenyuan said, "I'm afraid it won't be that easy. It also involves the Pei family of Hedong, the Ghost Market, and the Netherworld Palace..."

Li Lingyue proudly raised her chin: "It seems that Lord Lu has little confidence in me!"

Lu Chenyuan raised an eyebrow: "Which aspect are you referring to? Someone said they would treat me, and they were so confident when they said it, but when it came to actually doing it, they couldn't keep up for long. They were all bark and no bite, just like a lump of soft mud..."

Li Lingyue quickly covered his mouth, her face burning red, and gritted her teeth as she growled, "I'm talking about martial arts! Martial arts!!"

Yuan Qingshuang blushed, turned her head away, and covered her ears.

"Oh."

Lu Chenyuan drawled, "Then I'm definitely confident. I thought..."

Li Lingyue quickly reached out and pinched the soft flesh of his waist, then spun him around hard.

Lu Chenyuan winced in pain.

A sly glint flashed in Li Lingyue's eyes, and she tightened her grip on Lu Chenyuan's waist, saying, "Lord Lu, shouldn't you have a few stitches sewn into your mouth to keep it quiet?"

Lu Chenyuan gasped, but remained stubborn: "Princess, are you willing to do this? You've turned your back on me again. You made me read it last night..."

"you!"

Li Lingyue's ears turned bright red, and she reached out to pinch him, but then she heard the familiar sound of jade pendants coming from outside the corridor.

A maidservant stepped forward and said softly, "Princess, Shangguan Daizhao requests an audience."

Although she claimed to be requesting an audience, Li Lingyue granted Shangguan Wan'er special permission to enter the mansion without reporting her arrival, allowing her to come and go as she pleased.

No sooner had the maid finished speaking than Shangguan Wan'er gracefully arrived.

She wasn't wearing her official robes today; instead, a dark skirt armor accentuated her tall and straight figure. A guard token hung at her waist, and the hem of her skirt armor swayed gently with her steps, revealing both her feminine grace and battlefield heroism. Seeing the two of them being intimate, she paused almost imperceptibly, then smiled faintly, "It seems... I've come at the wrong time."

Li Lingyue quickly straightened her sleeves and scolded, "Wan'er!"

He then noticed her military uniform and his expression immediately turned serious: "What are you doing...?"

"By imperial decree, I will accompany the army on the expedition."

Shangguan Wan'er spoke softly, but her gaze inadvertently swept over Lu Chenyuan, "Lead the Kite Guards and accompany General Tang Xiujing to the Songmo region."

She paused, a faint smile playing on her lips: "I came here... to say goodbye."

(End of this chapter)