Fellow Daoist, I gladly accept this heaven-defying opportunity.

Ying Zhengying's heart was burning with excitement at this moment, and he wished he could cut off the chicken's head and burn yellow paper with Xu Mofeng on the spot and become sworn brothers.

Fortunately, Ying Yunying reacted quickly and grabbed him, preventing the seventh prince from dying on the spot.

"Seventh Brother, weren't you guarding the imperial tombs? Why did you suddenly come back to the palace?"

Ying Yunying tilted her head and asked.

Upon hearing this, the joy on Ying Zhengying's face vanished instantly, and his expression darkened.

"Ninth Sister, you don't know, something terrible has happened at the Imperial Mausoleum."

Immediately afterwards, Ying Zhengying recounted the whole story in detail.

It turns out that during this period, the imperial tombs of the Jin and Liang dynasties were haunted by some unknown evil spirit.

The guards would disappear without a trace every few days, and after searching the entire mausoleum, not a single trace was left. This caused widespread panic throughout the imperial mausoleum, and there were no patrols at night.

As the head of the imperial tombs, Ying Zhengying naturally had to rush back to the palace to report to the emperor after such a major incident.

He submitted several memorials, but they were all intercepted on the way. He couldn't even get a chance to see the emperor, let alone touch the threshold of the main hall.

At this point, Ying Zhengying couldn't help but sigh, his face full of bitterness: "Those people are clearly trying to frame me. If something really goes wrong at the imperial mausoleum, my father will definitely pin the blame on me, and then it's hard to say whether I'll even be able to save my life..."

Ying Yunying exploded upon hearing this, her eyebrows furrowing as she angrily exclaimed, "These bastards! Can't they even tell what's important? Seventh Brother, don't be afraid, I'll take you to see Father Emperor right now. I want to see who dares to stop me!"

Just then, Xu Mofeng suddenly interjected, "Seventh Prince, may I ask if the imperial mausoleum is in that direction?"

He raised his hand and pointed to a certain location outside the palace.

Ying Zhengying paused for a moment, then nodded and said, "Exactly. Why does Brother Xu ask this?"

Xu Mofeng's eyes flickered slightly. The direction he had just pointed was exactly where the golden line of opportunity on Ying Zhengying's body extended.

As expected, Ying Zhengying's good fortune was inextricably linked to the strange events at the imperial tomb.

If this matter were to reach the emperor, and the court officials got involved, the situation would only become more complicated. As an outsider, he wouldn't stand a chance to take advantage of the chaos and change his fate.

Therefore, Ying Zhengying must absolutely not be allowed to see the emperor!

Not at least not now.

Xu Mofeng had made up his mind, but his face remained calm as he slowly spoke: "Seventh Prince, in my opinion, it would be best not to report this matter to the Emperor for the time being."

Ying Zhengying and Ying Yunying were both taken aback, and asked in unison, "Why?"

Xu Mofeng said calmly, "Your Highness might want to consider this: guarding the imperial tombs is your duty. Now that something unusual has happened at the imperial tombs, no matter the reason, once the Emperor finds out, you will be the first to be blamed for negligence. Rather than waiting to be held accountable, you should suppress and resolve the matter before the Emperor notices, and naturally no one will be able to find fault with you."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Speaking of which, those petty people in the palace deliberately made things difficult for you, preventing you from having an audience, which actually did you a great favor."

Ying Zhengying and Ying Yunying exchanged a glance, and after thinking about it carefully, they instantly broke out in a cold sweat.

you do not say!

No matter who is responsible for the incident at the imperial tomb, Ying Zhengying will definitely be the one to take the blame.

If those scoundrels then add fuel to the fire by whispering a few more words in the emperor's ear, not only will he lose his job guarding the tomb, but he might even be exiled to a desolate place and never be able to return for the rest of his life.

I was so busy reporting that I didn't even understand such a simple principle.

Ying Zhengying's back was instantly soaked with sweat. He quickly bowed to Xu Mofeng and said, "Thank you for reminding me, Brother Xu! Otherwise, I would have been in deep trouble without even realizing it!"

Ying Yunying also breathed a sigh of relief and said admiringly, "Xu Mofeng, you really thought of everything. Otherwise, my seventh brother would have been in big trouble."

"But... but if we don't report it to Father, how can we resolve the strange occurrences in the imperial tomb?"

Ying Zhengying's heart, which had just been at ease, was raised again, and his face was full of worry.

If he had a way to solve it, he wouldn't have rushed to the palace to walk right into their trap.

Xu Mofeng stood aside, his mind screaming: Watch me! Watch me! Quickly, let me make a move!

Sure enough, Ying Yunying's eyes lit up, and she immediately clapped her hands, saying, "What's so difficult about that! Let Xu Mofeng go and take a look! He's so powerful, what demons and monsters could he possibly defeat with ease!"

That's exactly what I've been waiting to hear!

Xu Mofeng mentally gave Ying Yunying a big thumbs up; this girl was simply a natural-born wingman.

Ying Zhengying's eyes lit up instantly, and he was about to plead when he saw a troubled look on Xu Mofeng's face. Xu Mofeng hesitated and said, "This... I'm afraid that's inappropriate. The imperial mausoleum is a forbidden area for the royal family. How can I, an outsider, enter without permission?"

"Yes...it's against the rules..."

Ying Zhengying's face dimmed again, and he said awkwardly.

Holy crap, they're giving up already? No wonder they've been bullied for so many years!

Xu Mofeng rolled his eyes inwardly, feeling utterly disappointed in his son.

Fortunately, Ying Yunying added insult to injury: "Rules are rules, but people are flexible! Let's sneak in quietly without anyone knowing!"

Ying Zhengying was clearly tempted, his eyes sparkling as he looked at Xu Mofeng, full of anticipation.

Xu Mofeng was still pretending to be reserved, putting on a troubled look.

Ying Yunying simply ran over, hugged his arm, and shook it, pleading, "Xu Mofeng, please help my seventh brother! You said you owed me a life-saving favor before, so helping him this time will make it up to you!"

Ah, women!

Who said I don't owe you anything? It's clearly you who owes me!

However... that's a well-chosen statement!

Xu Mofeng was secretly pleased, but on the surface he pretended to ponder for a moment before reluctantly nodding: "Alright, since Your Highness is in trouble, I will accompany the Seventh Prince to the Imperial Mausoleum."

"Xu Mofeng, you're so kind!"

Ying Yunying was so happy she almost jumped for joy.

Ying Zhengying was so moved that he grasped Xu Mofeng's hand again, his eyes reddening: "Brother Xu, I will never forget your great kindness!"

He knew very well how serious a crime it was for an outsider to trespass on the imperial tombs. Even the Marquis of Dingfeng, who was at the height of his power, would be in deep trouble if caught.

Xu Mofeng was willing to take such a great risk to help him; this kindness is heavier than a mountain.

Without further ado, the three left the palace and headed straight for the Jin-Liang Imperial Mausoleum, which was thirty miles away.

The imperial mausoleums of the Jin and Liang dynasties are situated in a geomantically auspicious location outside the capital, nestled against mountains and beside water, boasting a rather impressive landscape. However, even the most beautiful scenery becomes tiresome after eight years of living in this desolate wilderness.

To avoid attracting attention, Xu Mofeng changed into a guard's uniform and followed behind Ying Zhengying and Ying Yunying, discreetly heading deeper into the imperial mausoleum.

As soon as Xu Mofeng stepped into the imperial mausoleum area, he felt an inexplicable sense of oppression wash over him, as if a huge boulder was pressing down on his heart, making him feel indescribably depressed.

Dragon energy!

Xu Mofeng's heart stirred.

Dragon energy is invisible and intangible, originating from the same source as the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, yet it is even more domineering and mysterious.

It is said that many martial arts passed down by the royal family require the aid of dragon energy for cultivation, possessing unfathomable divine power. Today, I personally experienced it, and it is indeed true to its reputation.

As Ying Zhengying walked, he explained to him, "The guards who have gone missing these past few days all vanished into thin air inside the imperial mausoleum. There wasn't even a trace of struggle left at the scene; it was as if they had evaporated into thin air. The imperial mausoleum is heavily guarded, so it's impossible for anyone to sneak in. Besides, there aren't any valuable burial objects inside that would be of interest. So, people below are saying... it's haunted."

"Because of this, the entire imperial mausoleum is now in a state of panic, and many guards don't even dare to patrol at night."

Xu Mofeng's gaze followed the golden thread on Ying Zhengying's body, and as it landed directly on an exceptionally magnificent tombstone deep within the imperial mausoleum, he asked, "Seventh Prince, whose ancestor's tomb is this?"

Ying Zhengying followed his gaze and immediately became solemn and respectful: "This is the tomb of the founding emperor of my Jin-Liang dynasty."

"Our founding ancestor of the Jin-Liang dynasty was a great ruler. Not only did he have lofty ambitions, but he was also a martial arts expert at the Mahayana realm. During his reign, the territory of Jin-Liang encompassed most of the Southern Region, and its national strength was more than a hundred times greater than it is today."

"It's a pity that our ancestor died suddenly in the prime of his life. Without him to hold down the fort and deter the heroes, the strength of the Jin and Liang states plummeted, and in the end, they could only cower in this tiny place and eke out a living."

At this point, Ying Zhengying's face also showed a hint of dejection and resentment.

Ying Yunying listened with great interest and asked curiously, "Seventh Brother, where did you hear about these things? I've never heard of them before!"

Ying Zhengying smiled wryly and said, "I've guarded the imperial tomb for so many years, keeping company with the spirits of my ancestors every day. When I'm bored, I flip through the ancient books in the tomb and slowly I've learned about them."

"Alas, it's a pity that I, Ying Zhengying, am of mediocre talent, and my martial arts and official career have not made much progress. If I had the strength of Marquis Dingfeng, I would definitely follow the example of my ancestors, reclaim our old territory, and restore the former glory of Jinliang..."

As soon as he finished speaking, the light of opportunity emanating from Ying Zhengying suddenly surged, and the tombstone of the ancestral mausoleum shone with golden light, soaring into the sky.

All these astonishing phenomena were witnessed by only Xu Mofeng.

Seeing that the light of opportunity emanating from Ying Zhengying was shining brighter and brighter, Xu Mofeng was afraid that something unexpected might happen, so he quickly changed the subject and smoothed things over: "Seventh Prince, the most urgent thing is to find out the strange things in the imperial tomb. We can talk about other trivial matters later."

Ying Zhengying, reminded by him, immediately came to his senses and nodded, saying, "Brother Xu is right. I will tell you the inside story of the imperial tomb in detail."

As the topic shifted, the restless light of opportunity gradually subsided and returned to Ying Zhengying's body.

Xu Mofeng secretly breathed a sigh of relief and quickly led the people to a quiet side, afraid of causing any more commotion.