Chapter 322: She Was the Late Emperor

The familiar cold, clear voice belonged to the Master he had encountered in the palace during the military coup that deposed the Crown Prince—back then, the man had appeared silently behind him, nearly taking half his life.

Every detail of that moment, he had locked firmly in his memory, never daring to forget for a single instant.

He never imagined he would meet this unpredictable Master again today, at this very moment, inside his own small house prepared for his wedding.

He instinctively wanted to run; his foot barely moved, and he was instantly locked in place. For a moment, he dared not stir.

"Hmm? There's a familiar little brat here too." The Master chuckled.

"Cheng Lingzi, Zhong's little girl is your final disciple—why didn't you say so earlier? If you had, I would've settled the Zhong family case for you. Why bother making the trip yourself?"

"Zhou Mobai, have you served as a eunuch so long that you've actually started believing you are one?"

Cheng Lingzi's words struck straight for his opponent's vitals.

Clearly, these two Masters didn't get along.

But at this moment, Chen Guanlou's mind wandered slightly. He suddenly remembered Zhou Mobai saying their last meeting had been fifty years ago.

So just how old were these two Masters?

He stole a glance at Cheng Lingzi, Zhong Susu's master—she looked young enough that someone might believe she was twenty. Yet her bearing and aura suited someone in her thirties.

Then he looked at Zhou Mobai: dressed in a green brocade robe, clean-shaven, face pale, features soft, smiling before he even spoke—clearly a handsome man in his early thirties.

These two old bastards had mastered the art of preserving youth—ancient in age, yet wearing youthful faces to deceive the world.

The power of a Master could be glimpsed even from their ability to preserve youth.

"Cheng Lingzi, you're perfect in every way—except for your mouth. Back then, I shouldn't have let you go."

"You thought you could hold me back? All these years, you still haven't changed your habit of overestimating yourself. You deserve to serve others your whole life." Cheng Lingzi, true to form, struck again—she clearly knew her opponent well, and exactly how to break his composure.

Zhou Mobai, seemingly possessing excellent restraint, still wore a smile. "Cheng Lingzi, you're a Master yourself. Don't you see the mystery in that little fellow down there?"

Cheng Lingzi's gaze shifted to Chen Guanlou. She snorted dismissively. "So what? Every one of us ancient wretches carries some mystery. Back then, you couldn't even keep up with me—yet suddenly you surged ahead. Did I ever ask you about your sudden breakthrough? Did anyone else pry into your secrets? The path of martial cultivation is about personal ability and personal fortune. Why dig so deep? Are you trying to kill me right here and seize my treasure?"

Excellent, Master Cheng Lingzi.

Everyone has their own mystery, their own fortune—why must anyone dig into the roots?

But Zhong Susu whispered quietly, "Brother Chen, are you also from the Hidden Line?"

"He's not from the Hidden Line," Cheng Lingzi saw through the truth at a glance. "He carries another mystery—still beyond my understanding."

"If you can't understand it, why not test it?" The moment the words left his lips, Zhou Mobai unleashed a lethal palm strike straight at Chen Guanlou.

Overwhelming killing intent. Absolute power.

Chen Guanlou didn't understand why, while these two Masters argued, he—the bystander—had become the sacrificial lamb.

It was like two older brothers fighting, and the third brother died.

Block!

Must block!

Otherwise, death!

A simple bamboo stick transformed into a blade, slicing toward that lethal palm.

"Brother Chen, be careful!"

"You dare touch my disciple? Zhou Mobai, you seek death!"

Zhou Mobai's palm was shattered by Cheng Lingzi's counterstrike. The two Masters suddenly clashed, their figures vanishing instantly, gone without a trace.

Zhong Susu clutched her chest, letting out a pained moan.

Hearing the sound, Chen Guanlou rushed forward to support her.

She had been injured saving him—he would remember this debt.

"Susu, are you alright? Where are you hurt? I have excellent healing medicine—don't worry."

"I'm fine!" Zhong Susu pulled a pill from her pouch and swallowed it outright. "I need to absorb the medicine's power. Please prepare a quiet room for me—thank you."

"Between us, why thank? You shouldn't have rushed out just now. That was a Master!" Chen Guanlou was still shaken.

After swallowing the pill, Zhong Susu's complexion visibly improved.

She said solemnly, "Precisely because he's a Master, I couldn't stand by and watch you being bullied. If I act, my master won't stand idle. To deal with a Master, only another Master can respond."

"I don't know how deep your cultivation runs, but I know that beneath the Master level, all are ants—crushed in a single blow by a Master. Zhou Mobai pretends to target you, but he's really targeting my master. Since a fight was inevitable, let me lend a hand—force my master to act sooner, and resolve your crisis at the same time."

What a clever little girl—in barely half a second, her mind had turned so many corners, and she acted decisively, sacrificing herself to force Cheng Lingzi into an early intervention against Zhou Mobai.

"Brother Chen, are you hurt?" Zhong Susu asked curiously.

"Me? I'm not hurt!" Chen Guanlou couldn't say he carried the Fruit of Eternal Life—his body healed instantly from any injury as long as he didn't die.

Zhou Mobai's palm had injured his internal organs, causing bleeding—but it was instantly healed by the Fruit of Eternal Life. Now he was again a lively, unharmed prison guard.

"You're not hurt?" Zhong Susu couldn't believe it. "How deep is your cultivation? You held a Master's blow without injury—yet you clearly haven't reached the Master level. You… no wonder he said you carry another mystery."

Chen Guanlou: …

Should he spit out some blood to fake it?

But his body was already healed. To spit blood, he'd have to bite his own lip—afraid he'd fake it poorly and be seen through. Compared to those officials, his acting was still terrible. He needed to study in the Jia-class prison to improve his performance.

Learn from this. Next time you're injured, remember to spit blood promptly to deter suspicion.

"No, actually—I did get hurt a little!" Chen Guanlou tried to recover, clutching his chest and abdomen. "But I can endure it. Prison guards—we've all lived through injuries that don't threaten life."

Zhong Susu's eyes softened with pity. She swiftly pulled out her last pill. "This is the final one I have—my master gave it to me personally. None of my senior brothers or sisters have it. Take it immediately—we'll absorb the medicine's power together. This pill doesn't just heal injuries—it enhances cultivation. A rare treasure."

"Such a precious thing—I can't possibly accept it!"

"Take it! Today you were dragged into this because of me. I never expected my master's arrival in the capital would draw the attention of the palace's Master."

"The palace must have more than one Master. Why did only Zhou Mobai appear?" Chen Guanlou asked curiously.

"Other Masters all give my master some respect. But Zhou Mobai is different. When they were both in the palace, they never got along."

Cough… cough… cough…

Chen Guanlou was stunned. "Your master also came from the palace?"

"She was an imperial consort of the late Emperor. You didn't know?"

Chen Guanlou: …

What merit did he have to know palace secrets?