Stop it, Taoist, Your Fight almost Ruins the DAO!-Chapter 447 - 318: Strange Insects, the Taoist’s Match, Qin Ming, Flipping the Table on Each Other_2
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"Within our Haoran Academy, there are indeed some minor techniques that can extract the information from this person’s mind. If the disappearance of the monk is truly unrelated to Prince Ming, I, as an old man, will personally apologize to His Majesty and Prince Ming."
"I, Jiu Ru, must make it clear in advance that this action might bring some trouble to the Daoist, and even if you refuse today, I, Jiu Ru, will still acknowledge you as a friend."
Jiu Ru blurted out everything on his mind like a machine gun, then stopped looking at Yi Chen and proceeded to down three cups of drink in succession.
It was evident that begging others was something he had never done before.
He also harbored some embarrassment; just yesterday, he had resolutely stated that he did not want Yi Chen to confront Prince Ming directly, but today, he was ready to have him stir up trouble right under the Emperor’s nose.
Yi Chen looked at the elder, who continuously ’watched’ outside the window, his ears flapping rhythmically. Suddenly, he found this old chap rather endearing; although brash, he was not pedantic, and this method was indeed the most direct approach.
With the Haoran Academy supporting him in the foreground, what could he, Yi Chengzi, not dare to do?
The investigation into the monk’s disappearance had already dragged on for several days. Without speeding it up, it might even affect Old Han’s and Que Long’s five-star rating of him.
When Yi Daoist handled matters, he always sought to resolve them swiftly.
That’s settled!
He had already suspected the ruler of Zeyang City’s territory, but lacking evidence and an angle, he went undercover. Now, the words of Jiu Ru coincided perfectly with his thoughts.
Once he made up his mind, Yi Chen immediately lifted his cup and gently tapped the table.
"Jiu Ru, my friend, I apologize, but who asks for help without pouring a drink?"
Jiu Ru turned around, gave Yi Chen a firm gaze, and suddenly burst into laughter, filling up Yi Chen’s cup:
"My path is not lonely. Some say Hidden Dragon Daoist is fierce and cunning as a fox; I, Jiu Ru, must go back and teach that person a good lesson."
"A bunch of old-fashioned geezers. Hidden Dragon Daoist is noble and pure. I will definitely clear your name once I return to my sect. If everyone in the world were like Hidden Dragon Daoist, would there still be so many injustices?"
"Indeed, I am noble and pure. I have also studied many classic Confucian texts, including the "Book of Songs", which I have read many times and have some insights into!"
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"Jiu Ru, my friend, when you’re hitting that malicious slanderer, hit them hard!" Yi Chen puffed up his chest, proudly declaring with an abundance of enzymes in his body to counteract the alcohol, without the slightest blush on his face.
"Daoist is also a scholar of the "Book of Songs"?" Hearing this, Jiu Ru’s face lit up with excitement, sparkling with the glow of meeting a kindred spirit.
"Daoist, I have a couplet. Why don’t we set out now and head to Prince Ming’s mansion? Let’s think, act, and match our verses along the way, how about that?"
"Agreed!"
"Got it. Yesterday, the Daoist accompanied me to Zhengyang Sect, so the first line shall be, ’The moon shines while the Daoist heads to the green mountains.’"
"Daoist, take your time to ponder the second line, and let’s be on our way."
After another drink, the two made their way downstairs arm in arm. After walking for just seven steps, Yi Chen slapped his thigh, coming up with a line within seven steps, and loudly responded:
"I have it."
"The second line shall be ’Dawn brings the nun to the white waters!’"
At that moment, on the shores of the vast Youmeng Lake, a nun in sable robes was slowly walking by the lake, with the sunlight scattering on the lake surface, reflected back with a dazzling white brilliance.
Jiu Ru opened his mouth, looked at the triumphant Yi Chen, straightened his tall Taoist hat, and repeatedly said, "Daoist, this way, we must hurry to avoid any long-winded complications."
At that moment, Jiu Ru silently swore in his heart that he never wanted to publicly match verses with a certain Daoist again.
He now believed that the version of the "Book of Songs" read by the man in front of him was definitely not the original but a spiced-up version.
"Daoist, Prince Ming’s steward is an old servant who has been by his side since childhood, sharing a deep bond. Prince Ming always takes this man with him wherever he goes. When we arrive at the Royal Palace, we’ll do this, then this, and then that."
On their way, Jiu Ru continuously shared with Yi Chen strategies and intelligence about Prince Ming, as well as the details of their imminent action through secret voice transmission.
The two concealed their presence and rushed through the rooftops on either side of the street like a passing storm, quickly arriving at a grand palace complex that spanned a vast area.
After passing through a succession of palatial structures and archways numbering in the teens, Jiu Ru, appearing to hold a respectable position within Great Qin, was quickly escorted to the front of the most majestic palace by two armored guards.
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Prince Ming’s taste for opulence was evident, with his residence featuring a flight of stairs ninety-nine steps tall.
Most people could not even fathom the height and length of this stairway at Zeyang Royal Palace!
Here, the steps were made of white jade and golden horses adorned the scene, with ornately carved beams and painted rafters. Two statues of mythical creatures stood erect at the entrance of the palace, constructed with arrays that twisted the space around.
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However, at this moment, the statue of the mythological creature in front of the palace doors was entwined with three feet of white silk, and white banners and elegiac couplets hung upon the palace steps.
As the Scholar scanned his gaze, his complexion instantly turned ashen.
He had shockingly recognized the name upon the elegiac couplets—it was that of the Ming King’s chief steward.
This person had actually died.
A nameless fury began to rise within the Scholar’s heart.
The Ming King had offered no explanation, nor had he allowed his chief steward to assist in the investigation, but had simply started the feast.
Looking at the time on the elegiac couplets, it was shockingly just last night.
Such a ruthless method, a clean sweep, clearly confident in his plans.
At this moment, the Scholar had basically determined that this matter must be inextricably linked to the Ming King, and the very thing he least wished to see had already happened.
Upon this thought, he steadied his spirit with a silent chant, forcefully suppressing the anger in his heart, ready to ascend the steps.
Just at this moment, a middle-aged man in embroidered golden robes, sporting a flippant demeanor, appeared at the top of the steps, his arm around a strikingly beautiful woman in red, his voice coming from above, not quite smiling nor completely somber.
"I wondered why the magpies were singing so early this morning, it turns out that it’s the esteemed Scholar gracing my humble abode, truly making my travel palace brill with splendor," he said.
"Regrettably, last night my chief steward succumbed suddenly to a grave illness and has passed away, and now we are in a period of mourning. Today, unfortunately, I can’t join the esteemed Scholar for a banquet."
Having finished speaking, the Ming King, as if to show off, tightened his embrace around the waist of the woman beside him.
Yi Chen’s expression remained usual, his eyes continuously roving over the middle-aged man and the woman in red beside him.
Eventually, his gaze settled on the woman in red.
After all, what’s there to see in ’Zhong Deng’; it’s the woman in red beside him who’s exciting~
The woman’s features were exquisite as if painted, her aura now transcendent, now seductive, now dignified, now stately—any temperament a man might imagine could be found in her presence.
Barefooted with jade-like feet, she wore a verdant green dress that faded like a lotus, resembling a blossoming lotus herself, her fair legs exposed beneath the skirt—when the wind blew, the light from above the steps made her figure seem to appear and disappear.
The angle of the light at this spot was perfect, and since Yi Chen could not get a hold on the Ming King’s Achilles’ heel, he decided to take a good look at his wife to please his eyes.
"The chief steward has been accompanying Your Highness since childhood and held great affection for you, I’ve heard you once called him ’Second Father’ in your youth," he said.
"Unexpectedly, the chief steward has passed away so suddenly. I wonder if the esteemed Scholar could step forward to see him for the last time and offer three sticks of incense in respect?"
The Scholar glared at the middle-aged man atop the steps. Without waiting for a reply, he began to ascend the stairs, stepping after step, until he met the Ming King’s gaze.
"Teacher."
"Don’t call me teacher, I’ve only taught Your Highness ’The Book of Songs’ for two and a half months, I do not deserve the title of your teacher," the Scholar said icily.
Yi Chen stood below the stairs, snacking on a melon, never having imagined that the Ming King and the Scholar had other connections.
"Well... alright then, esteemed Scholar, please, and the Daoist friend below, please come up too," he said.
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A tea’s time later, the Scholar was in a secluded mansion within Zeyang City, standing face to face with Yi Chen.
"Esteemed Scholar, what are we to do now?"
"Wait!"
"Wait?"
"Yes! The current Millennium Emperor does not tolerate even a speck of sand in his eyes, and that’s true even for the Ming King despite his lofty status. My dearest friend will arrive tonight, and at that time the three of us, along with the Daoist, will join forces to capture the Ming King. Before the sacred ’Heaven’s Conscience Mirror’ of our Confucian sect, the Ming King’s secrets will have nowhere to hide."
"With the three great Daoist True Monarchs allied, even if the Zeyang royal palace is filled with numerous mechanisms and formations, we will definitely be able to capture the Ming King alive," he said.
"Good!" Yi Chen, watching the Scholar who seemed hesitant to speak, immediately nodded in agreement.
