Great Zhou Martial Immortal

Chapter 120 Vines as Bones, Flowers and Leaves as Clothes

The eleventh day has arrived in the blink of an eye.

The morning light is dim.

Outside the princess's residence, the female historian Yan Bingning, dressed in a plain official robe, stood solemnly. Song Zhenyue, the head of the Shanggong Bureau, stood beside her, while six female officials behind her lowered their heads and waited quietly for her summons.

"Lu Chenyuan, the head of the Heavenly Craft Academy, has been ordered to impart the essentials of the 'Heavenly Craft Scroll.' We have come here to receive instruction from His Majesty." Yan Bingning's voice was clear and cold, neither hurried nor slow.

The gates of the mansion opened slightly, and Yuan Qingshuang came out and bowed: "My lords, the princess and Lord Lu set off for the Qibao Garden in Lishan this morning."

"puff……"

Song Zhenyue was delighted upon hearing this, and almost burst out laughing.

I knew that Princess Lu wouldn't remain indifferent to Lord Lu's unjust punishment, but I never expected her to leave the capital without permission for him. How loving they are!
Yan Bingning said helplessly, "You left the city so early?"

Yuan Qingshuang presented the gilded letter box and nodded, saying, "The princess left a memorial."

Yan Bingning took the letter box, took out the letter paper, on which was written Li Lingyue's neat and beautiful small regular script.

—【Your son has recently encountered difficulties in cultivating the *Taiyi Yuchen Zhang*, with blocked meridians. The Imperial Medical Academy has advised that he should go to Mount Li for recuperation. I have instructed Lu Chenyuan to prepare the case files for all matters of the Heavenly Crafts Institute, which are placed in the study. I have also attached three volumes of cultivation notes. I hope Mother will understand.】

The letter was neatly stamped with Princess Taiping's seal at the end, giving it a respectful appearance.

Song Zhenyue and Yan Bingning exchanged a glance, both at a loss for words.

Her Highness appears to be behaving properly, but in reality... she's vanished without a trace...

"Go to the study."

Yan Bingning said calmly.

The group moved into the study in the west wing, where they saw neatly arranged items on the rosewood desk: Lu Chenyuan's copy of the manuscript of "Chen Gui", three volumes of "Tian Gong Juan: Basic Essentials", "Experiences in Making Wooden Oxen and Bamboo Magpies", and so on.

In the corner, there is also a bamboo magpie and a wooden ox.

Song Zhenyue ran her fingertips over the wooden ox's body and sighed softly, "Truly a successor of the Heavenly Craftsman. In the same amount of time, while we haven't even mastered the first-class weapons, he's already skillfully forging second-class war tools..."

"Your Majesty is also incredibly resourceful."

Yan Bingning took out a second edict from her sleeve, unfolded it, and read:
—If Lu Chenyuan is not present, act accordingly.

Song Zhenyue leaned closer to take a closer look and laughed out loud. It was a new deployment. It seemed that the Martial Emperor had known all along that Lu Chenyuan would leave behind the case file, and had arranged for other people to wait at the Heavenly Crafts Institute.

If Lu Chenyuan is here, then entrust everything to him; if he is not, then find another capable person to explain the teaching materials.

When Yuan Qingshuang saw the letter, she first breathed a sigh of relief. Since the Empress had anticipated this, but did not stop her, it meant that she tacitly approved of the princess's tantrum. But when she thought about it more deeply, she became a little alarmed—there were obviously Empress spies in the mansion who had guessed the princess's plan to go out through various clues!
Yan Bingning and the others said their goodbyes and left.

Yuan Qingshuang saw them off at the manor and was about to return to handle official business when she suddenly caught a glimpse of a burly figure out of the corner of her eye. He was wearing a crimson python robe, had a robust build, and a fierce look on his face.

Princess and Prince Consort, Wu Youji!

Yuan Qingshuang bowed respectfully, saying, "Qingshuang greets the Imperial Son-in-Law."

Wu Youji remained calm as he slowly approached, a small red and black spider crawling up and down the back of his right hand: "The princess went to Mount Li?"

Yuan Qingshuang, recalling his recent changes, became secretly wary and said, "Yes."

Wu Youji said calmly, "Did they say when they'd be back?"

Yuan Qingshuang shook her head: "The princess went to Lishan to recuperate. She only said that she would return once she recovered, but she did not set a specific date."

"Lu Chenyuan went too?"

"……Yes."

"Hehe. Alright, you can go ahead and get busy."

"..."

Yuan Qingshuang bowed and strode away.

Watching her departing figure, Wu Youji suddenly raised his right hand, held it to his eyes, and stared intently at the eerie red spider, muttering, "He's finally left the capital... Our chance has come..."

……

Inside the Zichen Hall.

The gilded incense burner emitted wisps of blue smoke.

Wu Zetian leaned against the dragon-patterned soft couch, her fingertips holding a newly presented secret report.

She glanced down at the letter, chuckled softly, shook her head, and casually tossed it into the charcoal brazier beside her.

"This girl..."

In the instant the flames engulfed the writing, the words "princess," "Lishan," and "Wentang" could be vaguely seen.

Li Ruohua, who was standing to the side, said softly upon seeing this, "Your Majesty, should we send someone to bring the princess back?"

Wu Zetian raised her eyes, a half-smile on her face, and said, "Chase her? She even wrote her memorial perfectly. If I forcibly summon her back, it would make me seem heartless. Besides, I might not even be able to catch her..." She tapped the table lightly with her fingertips, her tone tinged with helplessness, "She said her cultivation was not going well and she needed to go to Mount Li to recuperate. She also said she received a suggestion from the Imperial Medical Academy... Whose suggestion? What can I do? Punish her for deceiving the emperor?"

The female officials in the hall held their breath and lowered their heads, not daring to speak.

Wu Zetian suddenly snorted coldly: "Lu Chenyuan is quite clever, he has prepared all the case files and materials, he has not forgotten his identity as the head of the Heavenly Crafts Academy... Fine, let them be!"

She turned her gaze to the outside of the palace, where the clouds in the direction of Mount Li were gradually turning red. She smiled slightly and said, "Send an order to the Mount Li Palace! Since the princess has gone to 'recuperate her health,' we cannot wrong her. Her Seven Treasures Garden is too small. Order her to move into the palace, and double all her provisions. Also, send the Imperial Physician to wait on her and report her medical records daily."

Li Ruohua understood, bowed in agreement, and chuckled to herself.

This isn't condoning her. It's telling the princess: I'm fully aware of your little tricks!
If you're not sick, then at least pretend to be sick!
……

On the official road to the west.

A blue-canopied carriage was moving slowly. Its exterior was simple and unadorned, no different from ordinary merchant vehicles. However, if someone were to lift the curtain, they would be amazed by the hidden world inside.

The walls of the carriage were not made of wood, but were pieced together with thin pieces of Xuan Yin Cold Jade, which was warm in winter and cool in summer, and impervious to swords and spears; the floor was covered with fire-resistant cloth, which was spotless and self-cleaning when it got dirty; the curtains hanging by the windows were not ordinary gauze curtains, but silk gauze, which was as thin as a cicada's wing but extremely tough, allowing light to pass through while also protecting against arrows and hidden weapons.

Li Lingyue, wearing an unfamiliar yet equally beautiful face, leaned against a soft couch carved from thousand-year-old sandalwood. The couch was covered with snow fox fur, which was soft and comfortable. She held a grape between her fingers, with water droplets still clinging to it, clearly having just taken it from the icy jade box beside her.

At this moment, he picked up a grape and fed it to the goddess. The goddess was a little shy, but she still closed her eyes and ate it.

Li Lingyue smiled and asked, "Is it sweet?"

The goddess nodded: "Sweet."

Li Lingyue handed her a bunch of grapes: "Then eat more."

Lu Chenyuan's voice came from outside the carriage: "Where's mine?"

Li Lingyue retorted without any politeness, "What are you eating for? You're a coachman now!"

The goddess smiled and wanted to give the grapes in her hand to her brother, but she had already understood some things, so she did not move. Instead, she picked a grape and handed it to the golden kitten curled up beside her, which was the shrunken golden lion.

At the carriage shaft, Lu Chenyuan was dressed in a coarse hemp outfit, wearing a tattered straw hat, with a face mask covered in pockmarks, and even his eyebrows were drawn in an inverted V shape.

He cracked his riding crop and sighed, "Why can't we dress up as young masters and ladies? Why do we have to dress up as a young lady and her coachman? Didn't you say that when you're out and about, there's no distinction between high and low? Look at your conscience, am I not lowly enough?"

Lu Chenyuan touched his disfigured face and complained, "Being a coachman is one thing, but to look like this, even the horses would be frightened..."

Li Lingyue lifted the carriage curtain and said matter-of-factly, "I...I'm doing this to reduce trouble!"

"hehe."

Lu Chenyuan cracked his whip and said irritably, "Then why don't you put some pockmarks on your face? Those mountain bandits and evil cultists love to kidnap pretty girls. With your current appearance, you'll probably attract even more trouble."

Li Lingyue retorted confidently, "What do you know? If I were to dress up as ugly, it would only arouse suspicion. The ladies of ordinary merchant caravans should look like me!" She rolled her eyes and said mischievously, "On the contrary, some people are born to attract attention. If they don't dress up as ugly, they might be snatched away by some young lady to become her son-in-law."

"..."

Lu Chenyuan opened his mouth to say he couldn't ask for it, but then he thought that this jealous guy might really mean it, and if he made it even uglier, it would be completely unbearable to look at. So he could only hold back, shake his head helplessly, crack his whip, and shout "Giddy up!"
Inside the carriage, Li Lingyue's lips unconsciously curled into a smile.

She would never admit it, but she just didn't want anyone to look at him. This wicked guy, with his refined and cultured demeanor, couldn't be hidden even with a mask on. If he didn't make himself look ugly, who knows how much trouble he would cause!
Hangu Pass consists of three sections: Qin Pass, Han Pass, and Wei Pass.

The place associated with Laozi is Qin Pass, located in Guozhou, more than 300 li from the capital.

Lu Chenyuan, his two companions, and their beast walked at a leisurely pace, enjoying the scenery along the way.

Two days later, the carriage slowly approached the Xiaohan region.

The Xiaoshan Mountains have been a natural barrier for Guanzhong since ancient times. The mountains are steep and the forests are deep. During the Spring and Autumn Period, the Battle of Xiaoshan between Qin and Jin was fought here, and the battlefield was littered with corpses. A thousand years later, the mountains still seem to echo with the sobs of the war spirits of that time. The ancient road is flanked by sheer cliffs, allowing only one vehicle to pass at a time. Looking up, you can only see a sliver of sky.

"Shut up!"

As the carriage turned the corner, Lu Chenyuan suddenly pulled on the reins.

"What's wrong?" Li Lingyue asked.

Lu Chenyuan did not answer; his expression was grave.

Li Lingyue frowned, lifted the veil, and was immediately met with a strong smell of blood.

The goddess's expression changed slightly.

Jin Ni suddenly awoke from his dozing, letting out a low growl as he looked out from behind the carriage curtain.

—The official road ahead is littered with corpses!
More than ten people dressed in light brown short-sleeved shirts lay dead on the spot, their deaths bizarre. Some had sharp blades piercing their chests, but instead of blood gushing from the wounds, they were dry and cracked like withered wood. Others had their arms still in a hand seal position, but withered yellow vines extended from their fingertips and fell to the ground.

Even more chilling were the shattered "corpses"—

Several tigers with wooden patterns were cut in half at the waist, and the sap that should have flowed at the cut surface had solidified into glue; several humanoid puppets were scattered around, dressed in light clothes woven from flower petals, but now they were tattered and broken, and the delicate flowers were withered like autumn leaves, but still exuded a faint and alluring fragrance.

Lu Chenyuan jumped off the carriage shaft and bent down to pick up a broken wooden plaque.

"Green vines form the skeleton, flowers and leaves form the clothing..."

He traced the patterns on the wooden plaque with his fingertips, his brow furrowed. "A mechanical sect, the Wooden Armor Sect..."

(End of this chapter)