You, a tyrannical ruler, roam the heavens; you cannot understand my joy.

Offering oneself to the demon is an old tradition of Cihang Jingzhai.

While reading the original novel, Lu Zuo strongly suspected that the founder of Jingzhai, Di Ni, had once offered herself to the evil emperor Xie Tiao as a form of demonic offering...

Otherwise, how did he get his hands on "The Record of Demonic Path Thoughts"?

And you know what...

Lu Zuo pondered for a moment and realized that there really was a possibility of sacrificing oneself to feed the demon.

Firstly, Cihang Jingzhai is both a renowned martial arts family and a political brokerage.

Having chosen the Sui Dynasty, they would undoubtedly try every means to infiltrate the Southern Chen Dynasty, gather intelligence, and turn the important officials and martial arts forces of the Southern Chen court against each other.

Secondly, if this woman really wanted to assassinate him, she should have done so long ago.

of course……

It's possible she doesn't even know her own identity yet, but that's highly unlikely.

As the Holy Maiden of Cihang Jingzhai, and being located within the territory of Southern Chen, it is clear that she has come to preside over the overall situation of Buddhism in Southern Chen.

Given the state of the Southern Chen court and harem, which had been thoroughly infiltrated... it was truly hard for Lu Zuo to believe that she had never seen her own portrait.

Thirdly, her alluring gaze was too direct and unrestrained, revealing her intention to seduce others.

A Buddhist saintess, she is a martial arts master no less skilled than Zhu Yuyan and Zhang Lihua.

What it offers is probably not just a large amount of cultivation power, but also... Zen enlightenment!

Lu Zuo was somewhat tempted, but he wasn't sure what Fan Qinghui's intentions were.

What if they're here to kill me?

What if she doesn't know her own identity yet?

After thinking it over, Lu Zuo decided to hold back and wait until he arrived in Nantong before making any moves.

"What a coincidence..."

He smiled faintly: "When I first met Miss Fan, I also felt a strong connection with her."

snort!

What a lecherous and incompetent ruler!

I had barely shown them any respect when they started making flippant remarks…

Fan Qinghui snorted inwardly, but a faint smile played on her lips, and her beautiful eyes sparkled with affection.

"All beings are like illusions, the sea of ​​humanity is vast. To recognize fate with one's eyes is to understand the law of fate, to understand the wonder of fate, Young Master Lu..."

He paused abruptly before he could finish speaking.

She turned to look into the distance and saw Song Que gracefully approaching against the night wind under the moonlight.

"So, Miss Fan, you're here."

"I didn't see you just now, I thought... Young Master Lu was also here?"

Lu Zuo nodded: "The night was long and I couldn't sleep, so I wandered around and unexpectedly met Miss Fan."

The atmosphere was disrupted by Song Que, which made Fan Qinghui, who was already annoyed with him, even more annoyed.

She snorted: "Just now, I was discussing Buddhism with Young Master Lu and was having a profound realization when Young Master Song arrived."

"well……"

"A moment of enlightenment, already a bubble."

"Young Master Lu, Qinghui will not disturb you any longer."

With that, he lightly touched the ground with his toes, his figure darted away, disappearing into the nearby forest and vanishing from Song Que's stunned gaze.

Hey~~!

It wasn't until Fan Qinghui had been gone for quite a while that Song Que slapped his thigh in frustration!

Why should I bother her at this time?

To offend the goddess's sudden enlightenment is a grave offense deserving of death...

We should try to make amends properly.

Lu Zuo stood to the side, dumbfounded!

What kind of bewitching potion did this woman give you?

What is it about her that makes her so charming?

How could such a promising young talent, destined to become the number one martial artist in the Tang Dynasty, turn into such a sycophant?

Recalling the original plot, after breaking up with Fan Qinghui, Song Que married an extremely ugly woman, which shows that he was greatly traumatized and deeply in love with her.

And given that the Buddhist holy woman is skilled in manipulative tactics, it's quite normal for her to manipulate a young man like him into becoming a sycophant...

"Cough cough..."

Lu Zuo coughed lightly, deliberately provoking Song Que, and said with a smile, "Young Master Song, your arrival is perfectly timed."

"Sigh..." Song Que came back to his senses, sighed softly, and said with a bitter smile, "I have committed a heinous crime by disturbing the goddess."

goddess……

Upon hearing these two words, Lu Zuo thought to himself, "She holds a very high place in your heart, doesn't she?"

"Oh, right."

"Which Buddhist scripture were you discussing with Miss Fan just now, Young Master Lu?"

Without thinking, Lu Zuo blurted out, "The Lotus Sutra."

I haven't read it...

Ever since Fan Qinghui told Song Que to read more Buddhist scriptures that day, he stopped reading military books and studying martial arts. He spent his days studying and comprehending Buddhist scriptures, but he never read the scripture that Lu Zuo mentioned.

He secretly resolved that once he arrived in Nantong, he would spend a fortune to collect this Buddhist classic.

"I never imagined that Young Master Lu not only possesses exquisite swordsmanship and extraordinary cultivation, but is also quite proficient in Buddhism."

"I know a little, just a little." Lu Zuo chuckled and turned back.

Song Que followed closely behind, walking alongside him: "I observe that your swordsmanship is ever-changing, mysterious and unpredictable."

"Would you mind taking some time to spar with me, Song, so we can both improve?"

"OK."

Lu Zuo casually agreed, thinking that with Tian Dao as his sparring partner in the future, his combat experience would improve faster.

Then, the two continued walking while discussing the art of the sword.

But as they chatted, Song Que steered the conversation back to Fan Qinghui: "Although Qingheng Dreamland is a Buddhist sect, it does not prohibit its disciples from getting married."

"Why are you saying this?"

Song Que chuckled: "To be honest, when I first saw Miss Fan, I was immediately captivated by her beauty and vowed that I would marry no one but her in this life."

"But……"

"Miss Fan is always lukewarm towards me."

"Cold weather chills you to the bone, while hot weather excites you..."

"Young Master Lu, could you please give me some advice on how to win over Miss Qinghui?"

You have to be a demon, you have to not treat her as a human being, but purely as a plaything, a tool.

She'll take a liking to you...

Lu Zuo only said this in his heart. Given Song Que's current infatuation with Fan Qinghui, if he were to actually say it out loud, he would surely kill his father!

That being said...

In the original novel, the Song clan of Lingnan seemed to resist the Sui army until the very end, and even after Chen Shubao became the last emperor of the fallen dynasty, they were still fighting against the Sui.

Later, seeing that the situation was beyond saving, he outwardly submitted to the Sui Dynasty, but in reality, he carved out his own territory and had other plans.

The reason for this is that the Song dynasty was a staunch nationalist who believed in the orthodoxy of the Han people.

The Song faction believed that the Sui dynasty and the Li family were not of pure blood, which is why they stood against the Sui dynasty and Li Yuan.

Unfortunately……

The Song clan's power was limited to Lingnan. Like the Zhang clan of Nanhai, they were powerful in the region but held little influence in the capital.

Otherwise, we could use the Song Clan and the Six Great Families to cause some trouble.

To prevent them from plotting against me all the time!

They were either thinking about how to manipulate the court or plotting to establish a new emperor for easier control.

but.

The Song dynasty could use this to resist the Sui dynasty and buy themselves time.

Lu Zuo did not want to be the ruler of a fallen country and wanted to rebuild his base of support, but it would take at least seven or eight years to complete the construction of his armed forces!

Would the Sui Dynasty give itself that much time?

However, how to utilize the Song clan is a skill in itself, and Lu Zuo needs to go back and study it carefully.

"this……"

"I, Lu, have never pursued a girl before. Young Master Song, you'd better figure out a way yourself."

Song Que added, "Last time I renovated the Buddhist hall at Qixia Temple and gilded the Buddha statues, Miss Fan didn't say anything, but she was quite happy inside."

"How about I donate 100,000 taels of silver directly to Qingheng Dreamland this time?"

Go to hell, you simp!

Lu Zuo ignored him. Wouldn't it be better to use that money to help disaster victims?

……

Two days later, at dawn.

A majestic city is bathed in the morning light, its walls stretching for miles, the gray bricks slightly mottled, embracing a region within them.

In front of the city gate, a straight official road stretched out, with tea stalls, cake stalls, wonton stalls, fortune-telling stalls, and so on on both sides.

But the official road was deserted, mostly with poor people dressed in rags and covered in mud. Even though the aroma wafted into their noses and made their stomachs rumble, they couldn't get a single penny out of them.

"well……"

"In this year of great disaster, business has plummeted."

An elderly man with a weathered face and slightly dark skin muttered to himself as he boiled water in front of a tea stall, "If I can't make any more money, I'll have to go begging on the streets."

"Old Wang."

Just then, a rough male voice suddenly came from not far away: "The magistrate has ordered that all vendors must pay one hundred coins as a roadside tax before sunset."

Still need to pay taxes?

In just over ten days, the road occupancy tax was collected three times, along with various other miscellaneous taxes, totaling nearly two thousand coins!

How much do I earn this month?

Old Wang muttered to himself, then looked at the approaching constables and put on a smiling face: "Yes, Seventh Master. I will definitely pay the taxes at the yamen before sunset."

The one known as Seventh Master was Kui Qi, the head of the fast patrol team in Qingchuan County, Nantong Prefecture.

He strolled over to the tea stall, his gaze sweeping over a rough earthenware jar: "New tea in again?"

"Newly bought Longjing tea."

Old Wang chuckled, grabbed a handful from the jar, carefully wrapped it up, and respectfully handed it over: "I was just thinking of giving this to Seventh Master."

"Hehe, you old rascal, you're sensible."

Kui Qi took the tea bag, grinned, and strode toward the next stall.

"What is it?"

Not far away, Chen Wu, who was sitting in front of a wonton stall and eating wontons, cursed inwardly.

Shortly after the palace coup, he was dispatched by Lu Zuo to Nantong to oversee the secret agents of the Black-Clad Guards in the area.

After receiving the message that Lu Zuo was about to arrive, he waited for him at the first stop in Nantong, in front of the city gate of Qingchuan County.

"Judging by the days, it should be time..."

"Why hasn't His Majesty arrived yet?"

Chen Wu glanced back at the sparse carriages and pedestrians, and muttered to himself.

"Brother Chen."

At this moment, a plump, richly dressed middle-aged man with a white jade thumb ring on his finger and several jade pendants around his waist ran over and whispered in his ear, "His Majesty has entered the city."

"They came with the Ironclad Escort Agency."

As soon as the city gates opened today, Lu Zuo and his group entered the county town. Because he was sleeping under the covers in the caravan, Chen Wu did not see him.

……

Yingbafang Inn in Qingchuan County.

"Finally, I don't have to eat these hard, dry rations anymore..."

Lin Yue looked at the sumptuous dishes on the table, smiled and muttered to herself, then turned her gaze to Song Que: "Young Master Song, please take a seat."

Song Que turned to look at Lu Zuo: "When we entered the city, Chief Escort Jiang said that he would specially prepare a banquet to entertain our benefactor."

"Young Master Lu contributed the most in the previous battle against the bandits, so you should sit in the first seat."

"Oh dear." Lin Yue tugged at Song Que's sleeve and pulled him to the head of the table. "Young Master Song has also done a lot of work; he is our benefactor."

"Please sit here."

"Young Master Lu is a free spirit in the martial world, he doesn't have many rules, he can sit anywhere."

Song Que was pulled and dragged into the seat of honor by her, and had no choice but to stop saying anything.

Lu Zuo shook his head and was about to sit down when Lin Yue pulled over the chair he was about to sit on, saying in a somewhat ingratiating tone, "Miss Fan, please sit here."

Fan Qinghui smiled faintly, sat down in the second seat, and said softly, "Young Master Lu, please sit next to me."

"No need, I'll just sit at the back."

Lu Zuo didn't want to get too close to her, so he sat down at the end of the table.

Just then, the door to the private room opened, and Jiang Che walked in. His expression stiffened slightly when he saw the seating arrangement.

But he couldn't say anything, he just glanced at Lin Yue with a hint of anger in his eyes.

The moment he opened the door, Lu Zuo's eyes pierced through the crack and he saw Chen Wu.

The other person was looking into the private room and nodded to him.

"Finally, I can deal with Fan Qinghui with peace of mind..."

Chen Wu appeared and nodded in acknowledgment, indicating that he had already secretly arranged for guards.

Over the past two days, Lu Zuo has become much less wary of Fan Qinghui.

After all, she not only didn't make a move, but also repeatedly displayed her charm, flirted with him, and tried various ways to get close to him and please him.

The more I look at it, the more it seems like someone has come to offer themselves as a sacrifice to the demon...

But it's never wrong to be cautious.

Now that Chen Wu and others are secretly protecting her, even if her strength is comparable to Zhu Yuyan's, Lu Zuo can still be alone with her to see if she is really here to kill him.

……

Although the Ironclad Escort Agency was stationed in Nantong, this shipment was actually delivered to Qingchuan County.

After the handover in the morning, everything was fine, so we decided to rest here for a day and then head back to Nantong tomorrow morning.

That's how this thank-you banquet came about.

After all, escort agencies do not drink alcohol while escorting goods.

After several rounds of drinks and dishes, the banquet to express gratitude came to an end, and everyone returned to their rooms to rest.

……

Second floor, room number 100.

"Isn't this tyrant always known for his lustful nature?"

Fan Qinghui stood by the window, gazing at the street scene, frowning as she muttered to herself, "I've repeatedly tried to be nice to him, but he hasn't responded at all..."

dong dong dong.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"They're here."

Fan Qinghui closed the window, turned around and went to the door, gently pushing it open with a hint of surprise in her eyes: "Young Master Lu?"

"Why is it you?"

Lu Zuo walked into the room and asked, "Did you think it was Song Que?"

"Mmm." Fan Qinghui nodded, her tone carrying a hint of coquettishness: "After all..."

"Young Master Lu has been avoiding being alone with Qinghui... Ah~~!"

Before she could finish speaking, Lu Zuo reached out and roughly pulled her into his arms.

"Young Master Lu...you, what is this...?"

She whispered softly, her pretty face flushed as if painted with rouge, her delicate hands resting on his chest with a soft, yielding touch.

"Oh……"

"Didn't Miss Qinghui speak of fate, of its wondrous nature?"

"What's wrong?"

"Now I don't like it anymore."

"I, I..." Fan Qinghui stammered, secretly pleased, while feigning a shy demeanor. "I'm not... although..."

Lu Zuo didn't care about any of that. He forcefully pulled her closer and said in a deep voice, "Do you know who I am?"

"No, I don't know..."

"I am the Emperor of the Great Chen!"

Lu Zuo scooped her up in his arms, his mind wary, and walked towards the bed: "Within the territory of the Great Chen Dynasty, everyone and everything belongs to me, including you!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he roughly threw Fan Qinghui onto the couch.

"ah."

She cried out in surprise, quickly feigning shock and staring wide-eyed at Lu Zuo.

dong dong dong...

Just then, there was another knock on the door.

"Miss Fan, are you alright?" Song Que asked from outside the door.

"No, it's nothing..."

I accidentally stepped on my hair.