Tianlong: Starting with Mantuo Manor as fertilizer

Chapter 72 Emperor Baoding

Xie Buruo noticed a handsome middle-aged man with three strands of black beard drifting in and subdued Dao Baifeng and the others with just three fingers.

He knew that this person must be the Emperor of Baoding.

At this moment, Duan Zhengming walked with the stride of a dragon and the gait of a tiger, slowly pointing out with a finger.

With a hissing sound, the wind whistled.

The force of the air arrived in an instant, just a few feet away.

Xie Buruo used the Lingbo Weibu (a martial arts technique) to slip away and avoid the attack.

The camellias on the vase in the hall were swept away by a gust of wind, their stems broke off, and they slowly fell to the ground.

Duan Zhengming praised, "Excellent footwork."

He intentionally wanted to test Xie Buruo's martial arts style, and as he spoke, he pointed out with his second finger.

This finger is different from the previous one.

Although the finger strike was slow, the force of the finger was incredibly swift.

But at this moment, the finger is exactly the opposite.

With a single finger, the force was immense and heavy.

The force of the fingers spread out in all directions, sealing off all gaps for dodging and maneuvering.

Xie Buruo was also a martial arts practitioner. Seeing the exquisite skill of the One-Finger Divine Skill, he also wanted to explore its depths.

Without dodging, he channeled his energy from his dantian, condensing the powerful true energy of the Great Vajra Pestle into his fist, and met the attack head-on.

Although he had not cultivated to the point of transcending physical limitations, the power of this punch should not be underestimated.

Fists and fingers crossed in the air, internal energy overflowed, and faint waves of energy surged.

The vase in the corner of the hall was affected by the residual force, and with a crack, fine lines appeared on its surface, like a spider web.

Xie Bu Ruo felt that the other party's finger strength was gentle and mellow, without any domineering force. It was indeed moderate and peaceful, and the way of the king was unrestrained.

With the fist and fingers touching, the powerful force of the Great Vajra Pestle was gradually dissipated, and the finger strength penetrated into the meridians.

Xie should take a step back and activate the Yi Jin Jing internal energy.

Like the blazing sun reflecting off snow, it instantly obliterates any foreign internal energy that has invaded the body.

Duan Zhengming's eyes lit up with surprise, and he praised, "Shaolin truly lives up to its reputation as the pinnacle of the martial arts world; the divine skills and unique techniques it has passed down are indeed remarkable!"

Xie Buruo replied, "The Dali One-Finger Divine Skill lives up to its reputation!"

Seeing that he showed no fear in front of the emperor and even praised his own martial arts skills, Duan Zhengming admired him and immediately stopped making any moves.

Although Xie Buruo and Duan Zhengming only exchanged one move, Duan Zhengchun and the others were extremely shocked.

Apart from a handful of people in the hall, everyone knew that Emperor Baoding was the number one lay master in Dali.

Even within Tianlong Temple, there are few who can defeat him.

Xie Buruo, at such a young age, was able to exchange a blow with Duan Zhengming. If this were to spread, it would be enough to make him famous in the martial arts world.

Gao Shengtai brought over a chair and invited Duan Zhengming to sit at the head of the table.

Having served as a ruler for so long, he naturally possesses a dignified and imposing demeanor.

The noise in the hall subsided for a moment.

Only Xie Buruo would occasionally and secretly pick up poisoned arrows in the hall.

Duan Zhengchun was about to speak up and stop him.

But his elder brother, Duan Zhengming, beat him to it.

"Shut up!"

Duan Zhengchun knew that his family affairs were absurd and had reached the ears of the emperor, so he had no choice but to stand at attention and obediently admit his mistake.

Dao Baifeng is the Princess Consort of Zhennan. Duan Zhengming took her status into consideration and did not seal her acupoints when he attacked, so she was able to move freely.

She knelt down with a thud.

"Your Majesty, you must save Yu'er!"

Duan Zhengming frowned slightly.

He arrived too late and was unaware of the situation.

Gao Shengtai whispered to him, explaining the whole story.

Duan Zhengming then asked Gu Ducheng about the circumstances of Duan Yu's kidnapping.

He sighed and lectured Duan Zhengchun.

"Second brother, can't you even recognize your own child?"

Duan Zhengchun lowered his head and said, "I didn't expect Yu'er to have changed into women's clothing."

Dao Baifeng listened and could only weep.

"Hey, quickly release my master's pressure points!"

Mu Wanqing kept trying to release her mother's acupoints.

Unfortunately, her skills were insufficient, and her attempts were all in vain.

Duan Zhengming, with his magnanimous spirit, was not offended. He strode over and, from a distance of a few feet, pointed two dots in the air.

Gan Baobao and Qin Hongmian immediately felt a gentle force enter their bodies, and their acupoints were instantly relieved.

Qin Hongmian was unwilling to stay in the Prince's mansion any longer and took her daughter's hand to leave.

Mu Wanqing hadn't seen her mother for a long time and wanted to go with her, but she was worried that Wang Yuyan was in a bad situation.

Duan Zhengming was quick-witted and already knew the cause and effect, and then spoke to his younger brother.

"Zhengchun, is this my niece? Your sister-in-law will surely like her. Let her stay in the palace for a few days."

Duan Zhengchun was overjoyed that his elder brother had stepped in to help him out of this predicament, as he had anticipated the difficulty of dealing with the matter once his wife returned.

With no more worries, Mu Wanqing was pulled away by Qin Hongmian.

The sounds drifted in from outside.

"Junior sister, the couple is having a reunion, aren't you leaving?"

Gan Baobao glanced at the Duan brothers, then clasped her hands in a fist salute and said, "My husband and I will welcome you all from Wanjie Valley outside Shanren Ferry."

With that, he leaped into the air and gracefully disappeared through the window.

Duan Zhengchun reached out to stop her, but seeing the unfriendly look in his first wife's eyes, he withdrew his hand.

Duan Zhengming sat back down in his chair and turned to Gao Shengtai, saying, "Brother Gao, Yu'er is your future son-in-law, so you'll definitely need to lend a hand in this matter."

Gao Shengtai said, "I understand. My daughter must be very worried about this matter as well."

Thinking of Gao Mei, the Duan brothers' faces darkened simultaneously, filled with guilt.

Duan Zhengming was quite surprised when Gu Ducheng told him that Xie should have known in advance that the Four Evils were going to make things difficult for the Duan family.

Xie Bu Ruo claimed that he had heard it from Shaolin: "Master Xuanbei went to Dali for this very reason."

Duan Zhengming knew that Shaolin disciples were all over the world and their information network was probably even better than that of the Beggars' Sect, so he had no doubt about it.

He pondered for a moment, then said, "But my Duan family of Dali has never had any dealings with the Four Evils. Why must they be enemies of my Duan family?"

Xie looked around, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopped himself.

Duan Zhengming waved for the guards to leave.

Xie Ruo remained hesitant to speak.

Duan Zhengming was slightly taken aback, knowing that the matter was of great importance, and then waved his hand again.

At this moment, all the guards, eunuchs, and outsiders left the house.

The guards stood guard ten paces away from the flower hall, not allowing anyone to approach.

Only the Duan brothers, the Three Dukes of Dali, Gao Shengtai, and Dao Baifeng remained in the hall.

Xie Buruo then asked, "Does Your Majesty know who the leader of the Four Evils is?"

Duan Zhengming said, "Duan, whose evil deeds are beyond measure—"

Before I could finish speaking, a thought struck me.

Xie Buruo said, "Shaolin has discovered that Duan Yanqing is very likely the former Crown Prince Yanqing."

These words caused an uproar among the crowd.

Duan Zhengchun pondered for a long time: "Crown Prince Yanqing is an outstanding figure in my Duan family. Why should I make things difficult for a member of the same clan?"

Xie Buruo added, "Someone saw Duan Yanqing and said that his face was completely disfigured, his legs were crippled, and his throat had been cut, so he couldn't speak and could only communicate using ventriloquism."

With each sentence he heard, Dao Baifeng trembled slightly.

After Xie Buruo finished speaking, she almost lost her balance, but fortunately Duan Zhengchun was there to support her.

Emperor Baoding sighed, "This man is crippled all over, so his temperament is naturally very different, and he cannot be judged by ordinary standards. Moreover, since I am now on the throne of Dali, he must be resentful and want to ruin my brother and me."

Duan Zhengchun added, "Fortunately, he still doesn't know Yu'er's identity and only thinks of her as my illegitimate daughter."

Xie Buruo was not so optimistic: "Don't forget Yun Zhonghe, one of the Four Evils."

Duan Zhengchun gasped for breath, then calmed down: "I heard that Yun Zhonghe has no homosexual tendencies. Once he discovers that Yu'er is not a girl, he will definitely stop."

Ba Tianshi said worriedly, "Duan Yanqing is known as the leader of villains. If it were him—"

Upon hearing this, Dao Baifeng's mind went blank, and she nearly fainted. She seemed not to hear what the others said afterward.

After a while, she heard Xie Buruo say, "Dig a tunnel!"

Hua Hegen, the head of the three dukes of Dali, clapped his hands and exclaimed, "This plan is brilliant!"

Duan Zhengming pondered for a moment and asked, "But where exactly is the Valley of Ten Thousand Calamities?"

Duan Zhengchun said, "Just now, baby—"

He glanced at his wife and was surprised to find that she didn't react at all.

Duan Zhengchun cleared his throat: "Madam Zhong just said that Wanjie Valley is outside Shanren Ferry. We can look for clues there."

"I also think it's possible. Hmm, as Young Master Xie suggested, we sent someone to track the messenger; perhaps we can find its exact location."

Dao Baifeng's resentment towards Duan Zhengchun deepened after learning that Xie Buruo had suggested tracking the messenger.

"A father isn't as thoughtful as his sworn brother!"

Duan Zhengchun was speechless and remained silent, his head bowed.

Xie Buruo secretly sympathized: "It seems that even if one becomes a prince, one cannot escape becoming a laborer."

Unfortunately, the men Duan Zhengchun sent to track the messenger were incompetent and lost track of him.

Fortunately, thanks to Zhong Ling's report, Zhu Danchen and the others finally found out the location of Wanjie Valley.

Zhong Ling even thoughtfully drew a map.

The place where Duan Yu was imprisoned was carefully marked on it.

Meanwhile, Gao Shengtai returned to his residence and told his daughter in detail about Duan Yu's disappearance.

Gao Mei, who was in seclusion, was furious.

A rumbling sound came from inside the stone chamber, as if a mountain of flesh was moving in a rage.

"Wow!"

"How dare they bully my husband! These Four Villains have no respect for the Gao family!"

"Father, you must teach them a good lesson."

Gao Shengtai nodded and said no more.

As they were leaving, a servant brought in a whole roasted lamb through the passageway below the stone chamber.

Soon, the sound of chewing came from inside the stone house.

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