Chapter 169

"You might not believe it if I say it, but I really don't have any thoughts of rebelling."

Chu Yang felt he had been greatly misunderstood; he really had no interest in the throne.

"I will believe it, but His Majesty will not. The Prince should still be careful."

Old Guo looked at Chu Yang deeply. The feelings from years of getting along told him that Chu Yang was not lying.

However, there was an indisputable fact before them: the matter of rebelling was not something Chu Yang could decide with just his mouth. The person who could truly decide whether Chu Yang was to rebel was the Emperor.

If the Emperor thought he might rebel, then he would definitely rebel.

"He is already sitting in the highest position, holding the power of life and death over the world; he shouldn't be so petty..."

"If that is really the case, then he is not worthy of sitting in that position; he might as well abdicate early and let the virtuous take over."

A cold sneer appeared on the corner of Chu Yang's mouth.

Although everyone had a part in acting, the Emperor had been quite good to him over the years; at least he lacked nothing in terms of wealth and status.

It could be considered giving him a chance. If he didn't cherish it, then Chu Yang naturally wouldn't be polite.

Moreover, things like the throne were truly worthless in his eyes.

A billionaire wouldn't fight a beggar on the street for a hundred bucks, right? Old Guo was speechless, or rather, didn't dare to continue the conversation, feeling more and more that the air was becoming oppressive.

He even hoped that the people from the Eastern Depot would arrive quickly to shift the Prince's firepower away; anyway, let the friend die, not the monk.

Seeing Old Guo sitting like he was on pins and needles with him, and considering it was a bit strange for two big men to stay in the room, Chu Yang walked out of the room first.

Old Guo's hanging heart could finally be put down.

At this time, a group of people were sitting in the main hall talking about something. Guo Furong's emotions seemed to have stabilized; she had decided to stay at Tongfu Inn for a period of time.

Chu Yang asked with a smile, "Manager, can you make something to eat? I haven't eaten all day and am a bit hungry now."

Tong Xiangyu hurriedly stood up and said diligently, "Hero Chu, please wait. I will have Dazui make you something to eat right away."

Chu Yang nodded, "Trouble you to make a bit more; my master will also stay for a meal before leaving."

Tong Xiangyu smiled and agreed, calling Li Dazui to get busy in the back kitchen, but didn't see Bai Zhantang beside her sweating profusely, sitting on pins and needles.

Although he had the reward order in hand and theoretically could let bygones be bygones, Bai Zhantang still felt subconsciously afraid when he saw Old Guo.

The name of the Chief Catcher of the Six Fan School was the nightmare of every criminal.

Guo Furong asked in a low voice, "Senior Brother, are you going back with my father?"

Chu Yang shook his head, "I plan to see some friends, but before leaving, I still have to see a few people and chat with them."

Guo Furong asked curiously, "Is someone else coming? Could it be Senior Brother Zhuifeng and the others?"

"Your senior brothers all have important matters, unlike you, who are idle all day, good for nothing except causing trouble!"

Old Guo walked down slowly from the second floor with a cold face.

Guo Furong was like a mouse seeing a cat, shivering with fear, not daring to say a word.

In fact, Chu Yang could see Old Guo's intention. If Guo Furong went back to the capital with him, she would definitely be used as a topic, and punishment would be a small matter; he was afraid that people with ulterior motives would hold onto it.

Rather than being caught by others, it was better to let Guo Furong stay outside. Anyway, as long as she didn't return to the capital, no one would dare to do anything to her.

It was just that he didn't know if Guo Furong, this dim-witted girl, would be able to understand Old Guo's painstaking efforts in the future.

A moment later.

Li Dazui brought a few hot dishes to the table. Chu Yang and Old Guo sat down, the two drinking and eating while waiting for the people from the Eastern Depot.

Bai Zhantang, responsible for waiting tables, couldn't avoid contact with Old Guo. Perhaps because of the fear in his heart, in just a short while, he had already dropped seven or eight plates and teacups.

Tong Xiangyu was so heartbroken she was about to faint, saying with a crying voice, "My jade teacup! Zhantang, what is wrong with you today? You look like you've lost your soul!"

Bai Zhantang's face was pale, and he couldn't speak, acting timidly.

Seeing him like this, Tong Xiangyu immediately changed her expression and asked with concern, "Zhantang, are you feeling unwell somewhere? Do you want to see a doctor?"

"Manager, I'm fine. I'll go back to the room and rest for a while and I'll be fine!" Bai Zhantang waved his hand, eagerly wanting to leave the main hall.

Old Guo, who had long seen that Bai Zhantang was not right, frowned and shouted, "Wait!"

Bai Zhantang gave a violent start and asked with extreme stiffness, "Hero Guo, do you have any instructions?"

Old Guo stared at Bai Zhantang without saying a word. That terrifying aura gave Bai Zhantang the illusion that he was about to suffocate, and he subconsciously didn't dare to look at Old Guo.

With just this action, Old Guo could be sure that the Bai Zhantang before him was definitely a criminal.

Just as he was about to make a move, his shoulder was suddenly pressed by someone.

"Master, be forgiving where you can be forgiving." Chu Yang said with a smile, "He just got the reward order. Even if he had an inglorious past, it can be written off now!"

"Am I right, Senior Thief Saint?"

Bai Yutang, the Thief Saint, had been famous for many years; Chu Yang calling him a senior was not a tease.

It was just that this "Senior Thief Saint" became the last straw that broke Bai Zhantang's psychological defense.

He sat on the ground with a thud, his whole body limp, breathing heavily as if he were drowning.

There were no other guests in the inn, and these words only fell into the ears of Tong Xiangyu and the others. Combined with Bai Zhantang's reaction, they had to believe what Chu Yang said.

Everyone looked at Bai Zhantang with strange eyes.

Thief Saint!

A thief who could be mentioned in the same breath as Chu Liuxiang was living right beside them! "Oh, so you are the Thief Saint Bai Yutang."

"How come you chose such a path at such a young age..."

Old Guo's expression softened a bit.

Unlike other criminals, Bai Zhantang's background was quite special. Although his mother, Bai Cuiping, was also a famous flying thief in the Jianghu, she was secretly a hook for the Six Fan School—that is, an undercover agent responsible for passing on information about the Jianghu underworld.

She was playing the game of "Infernal Affairs."

Strictly speaking, Bai Zhantang could also be considered one of their own, so in Old Guo's eyes, he still needed to be treated differently.

"Hero Guo, please spare me! I really haven't stolen many things in all the years I've been in the business; they were all framed on me by others!"

Bai Zhantang cried bitterly, tears and snot everywhere, fearing that the famous Hero Guo would throw him into the Heavenly Prison and have his limbs severed like his mother.

Old Guo looked at him playfully. The Thief Saint Bai Yutang before him was completely different from what he had imagined.

"I know. Get up quickly. With the reward order in your hand, what are you afraid of? That thing is more than enough to erase your criminal record."

Trying to have a good meal, but having Bai Zhantang cry until he lost his appetite, Chu Yang helplessly put down his chopsticks.

BOOM!!! The main door of the hall suddenly exploded.

Two figures attacked Chu Yang from left and right, as if they were treating him as a treasure to be fought over.

"Presumptuous!"

Seeing this, Old Guo was furious. He stood up and blocked in front of Chu Yang, meeting the incoming people with two palms!

In an instant, the air vibrated and hummed! Surging Waves!

Why was the Surging Wave Palm called the Surging Wave Palm? It was because when a palm was struck, the palm power gathered to the peak, like giant waves in the sky!

In terms of ferocity, if the Surging Wave Palm claimed second in the world, no one dared to claim first!

Old Guo struck with one palm, the terrifying power directly forcing the two back, forcing them out of the inn door, and then he rushed out after them.

Tong Xiangyu, Scholar Lü, and the others hid under the counter as fast as they could, shivering.

"Oh my god, with all this commotion every day, how can we live!"

"My golden silk wood door~~~"

Tong Xiangyu's wailing was mournful and lingering; at first listen, there was even a bit of a tune in it.

"Manager, wasn't this door picked out from the scrap market in Shibalipu?"

Li Dazui looked blank.

"Don't you worry about it! I say it's golden silk wood, so it's golden silk wood. If you talk back again, I'll deduct your wages!"

Tong Xiangyu was anxious, losing her previous weakness, and her clawing appearance looked like she wanted to eat someone.

Bai Zhantang, trembling, wanted to lean towards Tong Xiangyu and the others, but was suddenly blocked by Chu Yang with a smile, who said, "The food and wine have all been overturned. Trouble Senior Thief Saint to help me bring a pot of wine."

Someone is attacking the door, and you still have the heart to drink? Complaining aside, Bai Zhantang knew he couldn't afford to offend the person in front of him, so he obediently ran to the kitchen and brought a pot of wine.

Chu Yang picked up the wine pot and drank it himself, looking at Old Guo teaching the two guys outside who didn't know the rules with a smile.

This scene, in Bai Zhantang's view, further confirmed that Chu Yang's identity was unusual. There was not a shred of the master-disciple relationship between him and Hero Guo.

It was more like a master and a hired thug.

Thinking of this, Bai Zhantang was shocked. There weren't many people in the world who could treat the Chief Catcher of the Six Fan School as a thug...

"Senior Brother, who are those two outside?"

Watching Old Guo fight with others, Guo Furong was not worried at all, because she had absolute confidence in Old Guo. The world's number one catcher—how could a few stray cats and dogs hurt him? "Looking at their clothes, they should be people from the Eastern Depot and Western Depot. The situation is a bit interesting; I thought only people from the Eastern Depot would come..."

Chu Yang smacked his lips, his eyes playful, looking like he didn't think the show was big enough.

"So it was that bunch of eunuchs. They are used to bullying the market on weekdays, and today they even provoked us. It's simply outrageous!"

Guo Furong was furious. If it were usual, she would have rushed up long ago, but now she hadn't walked out of the shadow of the demon, and even using her internal energy was a bit difficult.

Judging from the signs of the attack just now, Bai Zhantang felt that the people from the two guards were clearly targeting Chu Yang, and it had nothing to do with bullying the market.

Chu Yang, who was calm and composed, only cared about drinking and seemed not to take the situation outside to heart at all, which made Bai Zhantang panic.

On the other side, Cao Shaoqin and Ma Jinliang also had bitterness they couldn't speak of. They never dreamed that the Chief Catcher of the Six Fan School, Guo Buqing, would appear here.

After a few rounds, Old Guo's heavy palm power had already shattered their swords. One had to know that those were not ordinary swords; the materials used to forge them were at least hundred-refined steel at the worst.

"Magistrate Guo, please calm your anger. This subordinate did not know you were inside; I did not mean to offend!"

Cao Shaoqin gritted his teeth and fought Old Guo head-on with one palm, immediately feeling his internal organs churning. Taking advantage of the retreat, he hurriedly explained.

Ma Jinliang was the same, holding the bare sword hilt, unable to stop arguing. "You didn't know I was here, but you didn't know the Prince was inside? Old Dog Cao and Old Dog Yu have such great guts to let you treat the Prince like this!"

"Two rebellious bastards!"

Old Guo laughed coldly in his extreme anger, and murderous intent gradually appeared in his eyes.

He had thought that no matter how outrageous the two depots were, they would maintain the most basic etiquette towards the Prince. As a result, these two actually dared to attack the Prince directly in front of him.

Cao Shaoqin and Ma Jinliang were now unable to argue. Their actions just now were not specifically targeting the Virtuous Prince.

In order to compete with each other, before coming, they had already fought several times on the road and forgot to stop in time.

Now, saying anything was wrong. The two looked at each other and actually knelt down on the street in unison, performing a grand kowtow to Chu Yang in the inn, shouting, "This subordinate deserves to die. I beg the Virtuous Prince to forgive my sins!"

Old Guo, in his anger, forgot that Chu Yang had asked him to keep it a secret. Combined with the loud voices of Cao Shaoqin and Ma Jinliang, everyone on the street knew Chu Yang's true identity.

Chu Yang acted as if he hadn't heard, licked the mouth of the pot, swallowed the last drop of wine, and showed a satisfied smile.

Guo Furong, sitting on the side, was already stunned. From childhood to adulthood, she had guessed that Chu Yang might be the son of some high official, but she never expected him to be the notorious Virtuous Prince.

Although Senior Brother was a bit strange and lived a bit extravagantly, he couldn't be compared to the Virtuous Prince in the rumors. That guy was a well-known scumbag in the capital.

How should she face Senior Brother in the future...

Chu Yang glanced at Guo Furong's expression and could roughly guess her thoughts, unable to help laughing, "Is my reputation really that bad? Even you want to draw a line with me?"

"No, don't talk nonsense. I don't think that at all." Guo Furong's face turned red, and she immediately denied it three times.

Chu Yang said indifferently, "What's wrong with admitting it? I know better than anyone how outrageous I am."

The uneasy Tong Xiangyu brought the others over, knelt down without a word, and shouted in a long voice, "This commoner pays respects to the Prince."

Bai Zhantang's legs went soft, and he also knelt on the ground.

Looking at the people in the room kneeling in a row, and two more kneeling outside, Chu Yang didn't have a shred of happiness in his heart.

"Get up. I don't like watching people kneel."

Hearing this, Tong Xiangyu pulled the others up quickly, but didn't know what to say.

Just when everyone was in a dilemma, Chu Yang suddenly looked at the street outside and said coldly, "You two continue kneeling!"

Cao Shaoqin and Ma Jinliang, who had already stood up, paused and knelt down again with awkward expressions. The moment they lowered their heads, murderous intent flashed in their eyes simultaneously.

Just a useless Prince. When you lose the Emperor's favor, I will definitely return what you humiliated me with today a hundredfold in the future.

Subsequently, the two secretly exchanged glances. In order to take revenge, they decided to cooperate.

Cao Shaoqin cupped his hands and said, "The Director has ordered us to escort the Prince back to the capital. I ask the Prince not to make things difficult for us two subordinates."

Ma Jinliang said in a hoarse voice, "This is also the Emperor's intention. Prince, please come back with us."

This statement was also to remind Old Guo not to meddle randomly and not to openly defy the Emperor's wishes.

Old Guo frowned and looked at Chu Yang.

Chu Yang's gaze swept coldly over the two. With a flick of his finger, an invisible sword energy was slashed out. After two "puchi" sounds, Cao Shaoqin and Ma Jinliang each had an arm severed in full view of everyone.

The two didn't have time to scream in pain, staring at Chu Yang in shock and anger.

"Tell that person in the capital that I don't want to go back for the time being, and I have no thoughts about his throne. Let him be a good Emperor, and we will mind our own business."

Were Cao Shaoqin and Ma Jinliang weak? As the Chief Archivists of the two depots and the future Directors of the two depots, their strength was not much different from the sect leaders of various major sects in the Jianghu.

It could even be said that apart from the leaders of a few top sects, they could suppress most of the first-class experts in the Jianghu.

Looking at the court, it was the same! Among the two Marquises, one sect, two depots, and one guard, apart from their respective leaders who could steadily suppress them, the so-called pillars like the Four Great Secret Agents, Four Great Famous Catchers, and Four Great Divine Catchers under their command were at most fifty-fifty against them.

It was these two people who could be said to have few rivals in the world who were easily stripped of their arms without any power to fight back.

Only horror remained in Old Guo's eyes!

If it were him, it wouldn't be difficult to defeat Cao Shaoqin and Ma Jinliang, but to easily cripple two people like this was simply impossible.

The few people whose strength was on par with his also couldn't do it.

From this, one could see the gap between him and Chu Yang.

"The Prince's strength is unfathomable!"

"If His Majesty knows about this, I am afraid he will not be able to sleep or eat in peace in the future. I don't know what kind of bloody storm the Ming Empire will face..."

As the Prince most favored by the late Emperor, although he was dissolute now, he was ultimately different from others.

Chu Yang kept saying he didn't care about the throne, but his words were already very disrespectful. What made Old Guo even more afraid was that he had such strength and yet had endured silently until today...

A moment later, Chu Yang walked out of the main door carrying the wine pot. In the aftermath of the battle just now, the street outside had been beaten into a mess.

It wasn't that Old Guo wasn't restrained enough, but the destructive power of martial artists today was just that terrifying. If he really fought with his hands off, he could even destroy the entire Seven Heroes Town.

Cao Shaoqin and Ma Jinliang each held their severed arms and knelt in the ruins. After they came to their senses, they immediately restrained their gazes, not daring to look at Chu Yang who had walked in front of them, their expressions ferocious as they lowered their heads.

Chu Yang said leisurely, "I still like the way you looked before, unruly and rebellious."

Hearing this, the two kowtowed in unison, making the ground bang loudly.

"Offending the Prince, this subordinate deserves to die! I beg the Prince to spare my life."

"I beg the Prince to show mercy!"

Chu Yang showed an amiable smile, "The reputations of you two, from the court down to the Jianghu, can stop children from crying at night. You can be considered figures of some size. How about this, you take one more move from me. Whoever can survive, this matter will be written off."

"It can be considered the last bit of decency I give you."

Cao Shaoqin didn't answer, just kowtowed continuously, blood already soaking the stone slab beneath his knees.

Ma Jinliang was the same.

They didn't even know how their arms were severed, only feeling a terrifying sword energy brushing past them. Facing such an enemy, there was no suspense in the outcome.

Even when facing their respective Directors, the two had never been this afraid.

"Disappointing. How did you two reach the position of Chief Archivist?"

"Those Jianghu ruffians you look down upon are more bloody than you."

Chu Yang waved his hand with disdain, "Get lost!"

The two were like receiving an amnesty, holding their severed arms and pacing through the air, disappearing soon after.

With their thick blood and energy, if they could reattach their arms within a day, there basically wouldn't be too much of an impact.

Looking at the two who had left, Old Guo just wanted to speak but was stopped by Chu Yang. He looked at the dark corner of the alley and said indifferently, "If you keep hiding there and watching the show, your arms won't be saved either."

Immediately, two people walked out of the dark alley. One looked sloppy like a beggar and smelled of alcohol, looking a bit decadent; the other wore a flying fish suit and had a small mustache, his face resolute.

The two stood together, like light and dark, the contrast very strong.

Chu Yang looked them over with interest.

"Li Ge Xiao? Zuo Xiong?"

"Why are you here?"

Old Guo seemed to know these two, his tone becoming much friendlier, not as bad as when facing Cao Shaoqin and Ma Jinliang.

Zuo Xiong, with the small mustache, cupped his hands and said, "Magistrate Guo, it was Magistrate Zheng who sent us. He was worried that those two castrated dogs would be disrespectful to the Prince."

Li Ge Xiao picked up the wine gourd at his waist and took a gulp, sitting on the ground, his eyes blurred, as if he didn't care about anything.

Seeing his decadent appearance, Old Guo couldn't help but shake his head in disappointment. As Zheng Dongliu's personal disciple, Li Ge Xiao was once the most dazzling person in the Brocade Guards, and in terms of strength, he was even above Cao Shaoqin and Ma Jinliang.

But a past event had destroyed him into what he was now...

Several years ago, the Emperor was traveling incognito to observe the people's feelings and happened to pass by the small wine workshop run by Li Ge Xiao's wife, Jing Ruyi. During a rest, he took a fancy to the beautiful Jing Ruyi.

After knowing that Jing Ruyi was already married, the Emperor sat in the small wine workshop for a long time before leaving.

And the regret in the Emperor's eyes fell into the eyes of the treacherous prime minister, Yan Song.

In order to please the Emperor, Jing Ruyi was kidnapped by Yan Song's men afterwards, and at that time, Li Ge Xiao was out on a mission.

Before she could be sent to the Emperor's bed, Jing Ruyi bit her tongue and committed suicide in Yan Song's house to preserve her purity, and was later abandoned in the wilderness by Yan Song.

When Li Ge Xiao found Jing Ruyi's corpse, it had already been eaten beyond recognition by wild beasts in the mountains.

Nearly insane, Li Ge Xiao ignored Zheng Dongliu's obstruction and rushed into the Golden Throne Hall with a knife, preparing to kill Yan Song to avenge his wife, but was captured on the spot by the two Divine Marquises.

The Emperor was furious. Even after knowing the ins and outs of the matter, he still couldn't suppress the anger in his heart because Li Ge Xiao had offended his majesty, which was the thing he valued most.

Therefore, not only did he not punish Yan Song, but he also threw Li Ge Xiao into the Imperial Prison.

If it weren't for Zheng Dongliu risking his life to protect Li Ge Xiao, and the Emperor sympathizing with his many years of loyalty, Li Ge Xiao would have been beheaded long ago.

Li Ge Xiao, who suffered all kinds of torture in the Imperial Prison, was left with a body full of illnesses and hidden diseases, his power less than one-tenth of what it was, becoming a veritable useless person. He and Chu Yang were known as the two great useless people of the capital in the rumors.

The two also became friends because of this, often hanging out in wine workshops, and also got to know another scumbag with four eyebrows.

Thanks to Li Ge Xiao, the Emperor's "concern" for Chu Yang dropped rapidly during that period, allowing him to gain quite a bit of freedom.

As for Zuo Xiong, who traveled with Li Ge Xiao, he was quite famous in the market. This person loved to slay demons and eliminate devils most in his life, and his ability was not below the Four Great Famous Catchers of the Divine Catcher Department.

Thousand-man Commander Zuo was both his title and his nickname in the Jianghu. Ordinary demons would turn and run when they heard this name, just like seeing the King of Hell.

Zhuge Divine Marquis had asked Zheng Dongliu for Thousand-man Commander Zuo more than once, intending to turn the Four Great Famous Catchers into the Five Great Famous Catchers, but was refused by Zheng Dongliu every time.

Without Li Ge Xiao, if the Brocade Guards lost Thousand-man Commander Zuo again, Zheng Dongliu would truly be unable to support the situation alone. Zhuge Zhengwo had always admired Zheng Dongliu's character, so he was unwilling to make things difficult for him and could only treat this matter as a regret in his heart.

Chu Yang carried the wine pot, ignoring the surprised eyes of others, sat beside Li Ge Xiao, and toasted him.

Li Ge Xiao smiled knowingly and toasted back.

The two sat on the ground just like that, drinking happily and laughing at the sky.

A useless person toasts a useless person.

(End of chapter)