Great Zhou Martial Immortal

Chapter 30 The Poor Crown Prince

Yixianlou.

Lu Chenyuan continued drinking, and before long, another Wang Yizhi arrived.

"grown ups?"

Wang Yizhi looked nervous and said as soon as he entered the door, "Why are you drinking here? It's just one street away from the Prince of Wei's residence!"

"If you want to see something exciting, you should go to the nearest place."

Lu Chenyuan gestured for her to sit: "Don't worry, the princess and the Prince of Wei broke off relations last time for various reasons, and there was even a fake man to use as an excuse. This time, he dared to take action because he has made a complete enemy. He's not that stupid."

"That's too dangerous..."

Wang Yizhi breathed a slight sigh of relief and was about to sit down when he noticed the bowls and chopsticks on the table had been moved. He asked in surprise, "What's this...?"

These two words are exactly the same as the tone used by the counterfeiters earlier.

Lu Chenyuan couldn't help but laugh: "You."

Wang Yizhi was puzzled.

Lu Chenyuan explained, "I had already spoken with 'you' once before you came, and it ended unhappily."

Wang Yizhi realized what was happening and was immediately shocked: "Disguise? Could it be Ashina Yan? She was here?!"

"Not her."

Lu Chenyuan shook his head: "A skillful disguise technique can change one's appearance, but it still relies on true qi. A simple mask cannot fool a discerning person. Ashina Yan dared not use her internal energy from the Witch God Sect, so how could she easily reveal herself? Someone else came, much stronger than Xu He, but probably not even at the fourth realm. She was also a little wary of him. To be honest, I was just about to run away."

That means they didn't run away.

"you……"

Wang Yizhi was worried for him seeing his nonchalant attitude: "Your courage is really... You were just slapped yesterday, and your injury hasn't healed yet. How can you be so reckless in the face of trouble!"

"Haha."

Lu Chenyuan's expression softened slightly: "It's not that serious. Her injuries have almost healed, and she's even improved. I was just curious, so I took the opportunity to test her identity. Now I can basically confirm who's behind Ashina Yan."

Now that things had come to this, Wang Yizhi said no more. He sighed, sat down, and asked, "Who is it?"

"A self-proclaimed righteous anti-military force has invited me to uphold justice."

Lu Chenyuan's expression was strange, and he added, "She's from the Central Plains. Think about it, who are the vanguard of the anti-Wu movement, and who in this group is proficient in disguise? Then you'll understand."

There are far too many people who oppose Wu.

Even within the confines of the Central Plains, there are many, many more, such as the descendants of the Li Tang imperial family, the Wang Empress's family, the descendants of anti-Wu ministers exiled to Lingnan, and the subordinates of generals who were unjustly killed in the past, etc.

However, if we add anti-martial vanguard and disguise techniques, the scope immediately shrinks considerably.

"Disguise..."

Wang Yizhi pondered carefully: "Ashina Yan was able to escape from the palace, so her disguise skills must be extraordinary. In the entire martial arts world, only four or five sects can reach this level. If it's also related to the anti-martial arts movement... could it be the 'Thousand Illusions of Formless Technique' from the Wuxiang Sect? That's right. Xu Guhong, the sect leader of the Wuxiang Sect, was a close friend of Prince Han, Li Yuanjia. After Li Yuanjia's coup failed, his entire family was wiped out, and the Wuxiang Sect disappeared... Some people suspected back then that Li Yuanjia's descendants were all dead. Now it seems that some of them should still be alive... No wonder Ashina Yan has such exquisite disguise skills..."

Wang Yizhi sighed.

This is the last thing he wants to see.

These anti-military forces initially acted with some justification and their endings were quite sympathetic. However, once they began to use any means necessary to achieve their goals, indiscriminately killing innocent people and even joining forces with other races, even the most tragic endings became hateful.

If it were just an ordinary cultivation technique that was leaked, that would be fine, but it happened to be the "Thousand Illusions Without Form Technique".

This skill was created by Wuxiangzi, a strange man from the late Sui Dynasty. Wuxiangzi was originally a master of illusion. Later, in the chaos of the world, he witnessed people exchanging children to eat, and realized the principle that "all beings are forms, and all forms are illusory". He then created this skill and became famous throughout the world.

The cultivation conditions for this technique are extremely demanding. It requires innate talent and demands that the practitioner be born with "soft muscles and flexible bones" like Wu Xiangzi. Only in this way can one rely on super strong muscle control to change every bone and flesh in the body and reach a state of ever-changing, selfless and formless transformation.

This kind of talent is not rare compared to "innate superhuman strength" or "keen eyes," and is probably equivalent to "photographic memory." However, it is still a rare talent, one in ten thousand.

Because the requirements are extremely high, the mastery of this technique is also extremely powerful. One can change one's appearance while talking and laughing, without revealing any breath, and can deceive the real person.

The Wuxiang Sect has very few disciples, but each one is a top-tier assassin.

During the mutiny, he distinguished himself on the battlefield, killing thirteen generals of the army that was suppressing the rebellion, forcing the Imperial Guards to come down and protect him closely.

The Wuxiang Sect deliberately disappeared because they feared that the Martial Emperor would turn around and send a large army to massacre them.

"If the Thousand Illusions Without Form Technique falls into the hands of the Turks, the future will be... alas."

Wang Yizhi sat in another seat, sighing, and picked up a wine glass to drink.

Lu Chenyuan told the waiter to replace the bowls and chopsticks, and said to him, "It is indeed a bit troublesome, but don't worry too much. No matter how realistic the fake is, it can't become real. That person was already quite skillful, but upon closer inspection, there are still many flaws—his laughter reveals his true voice; to cover his own scent, he will have a lot of the target's incense scent, which is too much; she is a woman, and no matter how much she disguises herself, there will still be differences in her chest, hips, and body shape... As long as you are careful, it's not a big deal. What's scary is being caught off guard."

Wang Yizhi smiled wryly: "What they want is that moment of surprise, to win against the strong with the weak, and to achieve great things with little!"

"It makes sense."

Lu Chenyuan thought for a moment and said, "How about this, let's come up with a code. Next time you see me, ask me if I'm wearing black stockings or white stockings. The correct answer is lace. If you can't answer or hesitate, just make your move!"

"..."

Wang Yizhi opened his mouth, his expression strange: "Sir, this 'silk' you're talking about, it's not something proper, is it..."

"Nonsense!"

Lu Chenyuan rolled his eyes at him and said righteously, "This is the most serious thing!"

Wang Yizhi shook his head helplessly: "Okay, I'll remember."

He no longer needed to devise any secret signals for Lu Chenyuan. It was obvious that these people had nowhere to hide in front of his eyes and were being played like monkeys.

Lu Chenyuan threw out the bag of gold, and Wang Yizhi, feeling increasingly helpless, could only accept it. Then, he took out a small trinket from his sleeve and handed it to Lu Chenyuan.

Lu Chenyuan took it and examined it carefully.

It was a small box, about the size of a palm, with brass corners. It looked unremarkable, but when you opened the lid, you found a carved sound tube inside. It started to rotate slowly, and several tiny reeds, as thin as grains of rice, were plucked, producing the melody of "Breaking the Willow Branch". What was even more amazing was that the music seemed to have grown legs and went straight to the softest part of people's hearts, making it very pleasant to listen to.

Lu Chenyuan was a little surprised: "[Lü Lü Yi]?"

Wang Yizhi nodded: "The Imperial Guards have occupied the underground palace, and the Iris Terrace has turned to this object to investigate Pei Jiulang, to see if they can find any clues in his shop. This is the lowest level of musical instrument, with only a simple tune. The higher the level, the larger the size and the more complex and beautiful the sound. There is also a kind of [Dance Music Box], which has a small mechanical figure installed on the table that can dance to the rhythm. It is very exquisite."

click!
As soon as Wang Yizhi finished speaking, Lu Chenyuan took the box in one hand and, with nimble fingers, disassembled it into pieces in a few quick movements.

Then, from a pile of sound tubes and gear sets, he picked out a piece of green jade the size of a copper coin.

"That's the secret to its unreplicability."

Lu Chenyuan placed the jade piece in front of his eyes; it was engraved with three cloud patterns.

[Rune Array: Qing Shang Rune Array] [Rank: Lower Sixth Rank]

[Note: One of the simplest talisman arrays, consisting of only three strokes, yet the stroke order, cinnabar, and carrier are all indispensable.]

The art of talisman arrays is a secret technique of Taoism that "borrows the power of heaven and earth to transform the principles of all things." It can summon wind and rain, move mountains and fill seas, and nourish things silently, nurture artifacts and protect the body.

While ordinary people may not have the opportunity to see profound talismans, low-level talisman arrays such as "fire-repelling talismans" and "feng shui arrays" have long been integrated into people's livelihoods in the city.

This "Qing Shang Fu Zhen" is one of them, specializing in tuning and nourishing instruments. Although it is only written in three strokes, it is derived from the meaning of "great music is in harmony with heaven and earth" in the Book of Rites. It can use music to draw on the primordial energy of heaven and earth to nourish the instruments.

Wang Yi said, "Qian Ling Ying Wuqiu is an expert in this field. He noticed long ago that Pei Ji's musical scales were extraordinary, but he still doesn't know what makes them special... According to him, the engraving technique of the talisman array and the material of the jade pieces are very ordinary, but for some reason, the sound quality of the imitation is muddy and prone to going out of tune..."

"It must be due to an unusual material ratio."

Lu Chenyuan squinted, carefully examining the vermilion color in each cloud pattern: "This vermilion is not ordinary vermilion; the color is wrong, it contains something else. If the imitator only uses vermilion, it will most likely end up looking like a dog instead of a tiger, which is not surprising."

"Material?"

Wang Yizhi immediately said, "Then we can trace it back to its source..."

"No."

Lu Chenyuan shook his head and put down the jade piece: "The three strokes contain three ingredients: [South China Sea Coral Powder], [Kunlun Jade Flakes], and [Aged Pine Resin]. These are all common materials used in weapon forging. These things are not like the Crane Shadow of the Cold Pool; they are too common and cannot be traced."

Wang Yi was startled and picked up the jade piece to examine it closely: "You can even see this, sir?"

"Unfortunately, I don't understand rune arrays."

Lu Chenyuan said with a hint of regret, "Otherwise, I should have been able to see even more. There's still so much to learn."

You mustn't learn that...

The pressure is mounting...

Wang Yizhi's lips twitched: "Ahem, martial arts cultivation focuses on the martial path, valuing quality over quantity. Even if one really wants to learn esoteric Taoist arts, it's not too late to learn them after one has established one's divine sense in the third realm..."

"What to study?"

As the two were talking, Zhang came up from the stairwell, cupped his hands and said, "I'm late, please forgive me. This meal is on me, no one can take it from me."

"I'm just waiting for your words."

Lu Chenyuan didn't stand on ceremony at all. He poured himself a glass of wine and laughed, "You didn't go to the princess's residence to recite poetry this morning? I even asked around. You can't do that. You have to persevere. The worst thing you can do in this kind of thing is to work hard for one day and then let it go for ten. Only time will tell. If you persevere, you can even make a stone pierce through metal!"

Wang Yizhi smiled and shook his head.

Zhang sat down casually and said in a serious tone, "What kind of person do you take me for? A friend's wife is not to be trifled with! Yesterday we didn't know each other, how could I do such a thing after we met!"

Lu Chenyuan shook his head: "Then you think too highly of me. She's at most a customer. She might dump me one day."

Zhang gave him a meaningful look and said, "You underestimate yourself."

Lu Chenyuan raised an eyebrow: "What do you mean?"

Zhang asked curiously, "Don't you know what kind of medicine you've taken?"

Lu Chenyuan paused for a moment: "I didn't ask. I guess it's very valuable."

"It's more than just valuable!"

Zhang said solemnly, "That's a high-grade third-rank [Holy Spirit Pill], capable of bringing the dead back to life and healing flesh and bone! Even the dead can be revived within twelve hours! It's a rare elixir left behind by the Medicine King when he retired. There were only five in total, and the Martial Emperor bestowed two upon the princess. In the martial world, countless people would fight tooth and nail for it! But one was missing yesterday, and you ate it..."

Wang Yizhi was stunned and immediately looked at Lu Chenyuan.

"..."

Lu Chenyuan's expression changed slightly, and his brows furrowed: "How did you know?"

"Have you forgotten my official position? I am a seventh-rank official, the Crown Prince's Collator."

Zhang pointed to himself and said, "The reason I'm late is because I was in the Eastern Palace copying books with the Crown Prince. I don't need to say more about who the princess is. If he says something, is it false? Brother Lu, you're a celebrity now. Not only are you famous throughout the court, but even in the palace, there are many people who are interested in you!"

Third rank...

Lu Chenyuan had thought it was a fifth-rank or at most a fourth-rank, but he was surprised to find it was a third-rank.

The world's divine weapons, miraculous elixirs, and rare treasures are divided into nine grades.

The lower three grades are still at the level of mortal objects, the middle three grades are at the level of spiritual objects, and the upper three grades, whether weapons or pills, possess extraordinary power and are called "divine objects"!
Anything that reaches the top three grades is priceless!
Lu Chenyuan broke out in a cold sweat instantly.

This is probably mostly out of guilt...

I reckon most other people wouldn't hesitate to spend that much either...

But it's already a bit dangerous. We need to be careful in the future. We must not overdo it with the favorability rating. Li Lingyue has superb martial arts skills and holds a high position of power. If we go too far and she turns out to be a yandere, then we're completely finished...

"Brother Lu?"

Zhang Yue noticed that Wang Yizhi was sweating profusely and looked quite frightened, which was very unusual. He turned to Wang Yizhi and asked, "Was he like this when you met the King of Wei yesterday?"

Wang Yizhi shook his head, carefully observing Lu Chenyuan's expression: "He didn't react like this after taking that blow..."

Zhang thought his injury had relapsed and was about to take his pulse when Lu Chenyuan came to his senses: "It's nothing..."

Zhang looked you up and down and said, "You don't look like you're alright."

Lu Chenyuan took a sip of wine to calm his nerves and changed the subject: "What books are you copying? Do imperial heirs have to copy books?"

"Not exactly new."

Zhang Shuo sighed deeply, his face full of sympathy and a bitter smile: "He must be the most pitiful crown prince in history. Since Emperor Wu ascended the throne, in just one month, the emperor who once 'understood the greater good' and abdicated has become the heir apparent. Not only can he not leave the Eastern Palace or see the court officials, but he also has to copy the 'Rules for Officials' and 'New Admonitions for All Officials' every day. If there is any mistake, he will be reprimanded by the censors in the palace... Last month, at the coronation ceremony, the heir apparent presented the 'Commentary on the Classic of Filial Piety' as a congratulatory gift, but Zhou Xing accused him of 'using filial piety to satirize the emperor.' That night, he was escorted by the Imperial Guards to the western city and made to kneel in front of the Buddhist hall to copy the 'Great Cloud Sutra' for three days... Apart from the princess, only a lowly official like me can still see him."

After saying this, Zhang sighed again, raised his cup, and drank it all in one gulp.

The smile on Wang Yizhi's face also disappeared.

Lu Chenyuan toyed with his wine glass expressionlessly. This was just the beginning; he would suffer much more in the future!
We must never relinquish our power and allow ourselves to be exploited by others.

Li Dan is a living example!

Lu Chenyuan looked out the window. Under the sunlight, the ruins of the Wei Prince's Mansion gleamed with a blinding white light. He squinted at the ruins, the palm mark on his chest faintly burning as he circulated the Golden Palace Scripture—a humiliating mark of being severely injured by Wu Chengsi's palm strike.

In this world, ultimately, it's all about force.

Wu Chengsi, you just wait!

(End of this chapter)