Chapter 201

201. Chapter 201: Ximen Chuixue's Shock! The Funny Guy Zhuifeng!

The southern Japanese pirates and the northern Jiannu were the two great scourges of the Ming Empire, causing even more troublesome problems than the Demon Race and consuming most of the Ming's military strength.

After generations of effort in Liaodong, a giant Profound Ice City was finally built on the northern border to guard against the harassment of the Jiannu.

Since the completion of the Ten Thousand Li Profound Ice City, the Jiannu rebellion had gradually faded from people's view and hadn't appeared for a long time; otherwise, Li Chengliang wouldn't have dared to come to the capital to take the position of Imperial Guard instructor.

But unexpectedly, his coming here really caused trouble.

The Demon Race migrated as a whole and annexed the East Island, and the result was that they almost captured Jinling City.

If it hadn't been for Chu Yang, who happened to be looking for Lu Xiaofeng and resolved the Demon Race's plan, once they captured Jinling City, they could have turned back and wiped out the Qi Family Army trapped in Wang Long City.

In that case, the fall of the entire south would only be a matter of time.

The other generals guarding the major cities were nothing but weaklings who couldn't resist the invasion of the Demon Race at all.

Conversely, the same was true for Liaodong. If a war broke out, apart from Li Chengliang, the garrison commander, the others wouldn't be worth looking at.

"Enough idle talk. I'll go into the palace first to report the news to the Prince."

After explaining the situation, Li Ge Xiao was in a hurry to bid farewell to Lu Xiaofeng and the others, but Lu Xiaofeng grabbed his arm.

"You don't have any status now. Why would the Imperial Guards let you in?"

Lu Xiaofeng reminded him.

"I forgot..." Li Ge Xiao felt a bit dejected.

He then remembered that he was no longer the Vice Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Let alone entering the palace, even wandering around the palace gate would get him thrown into the Celestial Prison.

With the Emperor having passed away, the guards inside and outside the palace were at their tightest. It would be very difficult for him to get in quietly.

"Come with me; I'll find someone to take you in." Lu Xiaofeng remembered that there was still a guy in the Virtuous Prince's Mansion who had nothing better to do.

"Will it work?" Li Ge Xiao looked at him skeptically.

"Just set your heart at ease." Lu Xiaofeng stood up, called the waiter to settle the bill, and then took Li Ge Xiao to the Prince's Mansion.

Sikong Zhaixing and Ximen Chuixue were also prepared to follow, but Sikong Zhaixing was stopped by Lu Xiaofeng.

"Monkey, there is an urgent matter that needs to be handed over to you."

Lu Xiaofeng said solemnly.

"What matter?"

Sikong Zhaixing instantly became vigilant. In the past, whenever Lu Xiaofeng had something to hand over to him, the result would always become very troublesome.

"Take a boat to Jinling today and help me bring a message to the yamen runners there—to anyone will do."

"Just say the Prince needs them."

Lu Xiaofeng pulled Sikong Zhaixing aside, and the two whispered for a long time before Sikong Zhaixing left reluctantly.

Li Ge Xiao asked curiously, "What did you ask him to do?"

Lu Xiaofeng explained, "In order to allow the Prince to show weakness to the enemy and gain some initiative in this struggle, I had the yamen runners suppress the news about Jinling City. Now that the Prince is ascending the throne, he needs to build momentum, so it is time to make it public and suppress some rumors unfavorable to the Prince."

Li Ge Xiao smiled, "No wonder the Prince always praises you for being smart. Your brain is indeed sharp. Not bad, not bad."

Lu Xiaofeng stroked his mustache and smiled triumphantly.

Hearing about Jinling City, Ximen Chuixue suddenly asked, "Is it about the Demon Race siege?"

Li Ge Xiao looked at him quite unexpectedly. "You know?"

Ximen Chuixue nodded. "News in the capital is blocked, but it's already known to everyone outside. They say that the Little Li Flying Dagger has reappeared in the Jianghu, leading the city's yamen runners and commoners to resist the Demon Race invasion."

"When I first heard Lu Xiaofeng's name, I thought I had misheard and confirmed it several times."

Lu Xiaofeng said irritably, "Is it worth confirming repeatedly? Do you still not trust my character?"

Ximen Chuixue shook his head decisively. "Most of the time I don't trust you, but between life and death, I can trust you."

"I'm very curious, did you really use the demon-killing weapon left by General Qi to shoot the Demon King?"

"Does the Demon King really exist? Or is it just a rumor?"

Li Ge Xiao and Lu Xiaofeng looked at each other and smiled.

"The Demon King is real, and even more powerful than the rumors say. There were two Demon Kings attacking Jinling City, and the one we dealt with was the Golden-winged Great Roc King."

"This demon's speed is terrifying, and since it's a bird, the crossbow arrows left by General Qi were hard to hit it with. Only Li Xunhuan's Little Li Flying Dagger could barely pose a threat to it."

"As for the other Demon King, we never saw it."

Ximen Chuixue, who was walking side by side with the two, suddenly stopped and asked, "Never saw it? Why is that? Wasn't it said that two Demon Kings were besieging the city?"

"Because before we even saw it, it was already dead!" Li Ge Xiao whispered mysteriously. "It was beaten to death by the Prince's bare fists. There wasn't a single piece of good flesh left on its body."

"From its appearance, that Demon King had both the features of a lion and a tiger, and its physique was as robust as an elephant. It was a Demon King that relied entirely on its physical body, yet it was still beaten to death by the Prince. You tell me, how scary is that!"

Ximen Chuixue subconsciously swallowed his saliva. He had been thinking about finding the Virtuous Prince one day to spar, hone his sword path, and seek a breakthrough. Looking at it this way, it seemed he had thought too much.

"That's not right. Shouldn't the Virtuous Prince be a sword master?" Ximen Chuixue turned his head to look at the palace. "Otherwise, how could he have displayed such supreme sword art?"

"What sword art?" Now it was Li Ge Xiao's turn to be confused.

Lu Xiaofeng sneered, "His talent is just there; what's there to be surprised about? The Prince is also a Daoist master. That Daoist technique of his is supernatural—no, with the Prince's cultivation, he is very likely a Heavenly Monarch."

Ximen Chuixue had never been so bewildered in his life. Reason told him that it was impossible for one person to be proficient in so many things simultaneously, and to reach an extremely profound level in each.

If someone else had told him this, he would definitely have stabbed them with his sword; it sounded just like bragging.

The road back to the Virtuous Prince's Mansion was not long, and they soon arrived. Ximen Chuixue had not yet recovered from the shock. Lu Xiaofeng saw this and expressed understanding; his own state before was about the same as Ximen Chuixue's.

There are always some incomprehensible things that break one's inherent cognition. It doesn't matter; you get used to it after it breaks a few times, just like that.

Lu Xiaofeng entered the house and dragged out Chai Hu, who was catching up on sleep. This guy had spent the whole night in the palace yesterday looking for Guo Buxing and Chu Yang, completely becoming a bystander.

After tossing and turning all night without doing anything, Chai Hu felt ashamed and could only return to the Prince's Mansion to cover his head with a quilt and sleep soundly.

He had just fallen asleep when he was dragged away by Lu Xiaofeng.

"What's the meaning of this, Lu? Want to fight? Let me tell you, I'm in a bad mood right now, don't mess with me!"

Chai Hu cursed and shook off Lu Xiaofeng's hand.

"There's a serious matter for you, concerning the lives of all under heaven."

"What matter?"

"Never mind what matter; you just need to take him into the palace."

"Are you trying to rebel?"

"Stop talking nonsense, can you do it or not?" Chai Hu muttered and walked up to Li Ge Xiao, looking the travel-worn man up and down.

Li Ge Xiao was also looking at him.

Two people destined to meet had finally met.

…………

The Four Great Constables and the Four Great Divine Constables entered the palace at the same time. Both sides ignored each other, busy looking for their own masters, and only saw Chu Yang and the others sitting on the ruins when they reached the vicinity of the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

The posture vaguely held Chu Yang in the highest position.

Seeing this, everyone felt a chill in their hearts.

Sheng Yayu sat in her wheelchair and led her fellow disciples toward Zhuge Zhengwo, just in time to hear what her master was saying.

"Your Majesty, the matter of the expedition must not be rushed. We know very little about the Demon Race. A rash attack will likely lead to a great loss. Why not plan it carefully?"

Your Majesty?

The Four Great Constables looked at each other, not knowing who their master was calling.

Isn't His Majesty the Emperor lying in his coffin? Master must be getting old...

Sheng Yayu followed Zhuge Zhengwo's gaze and found that he was talking to the Virtuous Prince. Her expression suddenly became stiff.

The lecher wants to become Emperor?

How can this be?! Master, you are confused!

"What's the rush? I didn't say we'd fight now. The situation in the south is so rotten; we must first clean up those warlords. Let's just treat it as training the troops."

Chu Yang still remembered the phrase "troops passing like a comb." If left unchecked, the harm caused by warlord chaos would be no less than a Demon Race siege.

"If it's just to deal with the warlords, then this old subject agrees with Your Majesty's opinion. However, it must be done quickly. If the Demon Race senses the internal friction of the Ming, they will definitely stage a comeback."

Zhuge Zhengwo urged earnestly, fearing that Chu Yang would get a hot head and want to lead the troops to strike directly at the heart of the enemy.

Sheng Yayu finally managed to calm her mood, but when she turned her head, the other three fellow disciples were staring blankly, listening to their master affectionately calling the Virtuous Prince "Your Majesty." Their brains were all a bit overloaded.

Although Sheng Yayu was the eldest sister, she was the youngest of the four. She was forced to become the eldest sister only because she entered the sect early.

The other three were the second constable "Iron Hand" Tie Youxia, who had deep internal strength; the third constable "Chasing Life" Cui Lueshang, famous for his leg techniques; and the fourth constable "Cold-Blooded" Leng Lingqi, who had superb sword skills.

Chasing Life was the oldest, even much older than Li Ge Xiao. To make a joke, he could even be Sheng Yayu's father.

Next was Iron Hand, then Cold-Blooded. Both were older than Sheng Yayu.

Compared to the confusion in age and seniority of the Four Great Constables, the Four Great Divine Constables seemed very normal. Their ages were consistent with their rankings, and there was no awkwardness in their titles.

Wuxin, Tie Zhi, Zhuifeng, Leng Leng.

If there was anything different, it was the fourth-ranked girl, Leng Leng, who was always trying to become the eldest sister. The reason was simple: Sheng Yayu, who was also a girl, was the eldest sister, so she should also be the eldest sister.

Leng Leng was a girl with a lot of "Ah Q" spirit. Although she couldn't beat the three senior brothers above her, she felt she could outlive them. Anyway, she was very young.

Wuxin and the others didn't know the junior sister's thoughts; otherwise, they would definitely have given her a good lesson.

Zhuge Zhengwo calling Chu Yang "Your Majesty" brought not only a significant shock to the Four Great Constables but also to the Four Great Divine Constables.

While shocked, they also heard their master affectionately calling him the Virtuous Prince.

"Your Majesty, since you intend to reorganize the country, this humble subject has a request. Please allow me to resign from the position of Chief Constable of the Six Doors and join the army on the expedition."

Guo Buxing's voice trembled slightly, hoping that Chu Yang would agree to his request.

"I know you want to do something for the people of the world, but I won't allow it. The responsibilities of the Six Doors are heavy, and your disciples cannot yet shoulder them. When they can stand on their own, I will let you go."

Chu Yang said indifferently.

Hearing that their master wanted to resign, the Four Great Divine Constables immediately grew anxious, rushed forward to surround Guo Buxing, and began to urge him to think twice.

The third one, Zhuifeng, who had a bit of a funny-guy attribute, directly hugged Guo Buxing's thigh and cried bitterly, "Master, this disciple hasn't even married yet. How can you just leave like this? What will you have this disciple do in the future?"

"I'm not dead yet, what are you howling about!" Speaking of marriage, Guo Buxing got angry and couldn't help but scold, "I told you to marry Fu'er, but you wouldn't. Now you're kneeling on the ground shouting—what does it have to do with me who you marry!"

"Master, I really have no feelings for the dog junior sister. A forced melon is not sweet; please don't force me anymore." Speaking with a Cantonese accent, Zhuifeng cried even more sadly, wiping all his snot and tears on Guo Buxing's clothes.

Next to him, Chasing Life saw his appearance and couldn't help but feel his scalp tingle. He said with a look of bad luck, "I am actually ranked alongside this kid; it's truly shameful! If it really doesn't work, I'll go back and change my name."

Sheng Yayu glanced at him and reminded, "Don't look at him like a lunatic who likes to be startled, but his martial arts are truly not below yours, especially his leg techniques."

Chasing Life sighed, "I know, that's why it's even more uncomfortable."

Zhuge Zhengwo stood up, first bowed to Chu Yang, then walked toward his disciples and asked, "How did you four come here?"

Sheng Yayu replied, "Master, in recent times, the frequency of demons harming people has been much higher than before. Without the containment of the Ten Thousand Demon Nation, there will be more and more demons within the Ming Empire. What should be done about this?"

Zhuge Zhengwo stroked his beard and smiled, "When soldiers come, block them; when water comes, cover it with earth. His Majesty happens to want to merge the Dragon Protection Villa with the Divine Marquis Mansion. When there are more people, there will naturally be a solution."

Sheng Yayu shouted in shock, "The Dragon Protection Villa is merging with the Divine Marquis Mansion?! How could the Iron-Gall Divine Marquis agree to such a thing?"

Zheng Dongliu sighed on the side, "Zhu Wushi's attitude is no longer important. After all, no one cares about the opinions of the dead."

Sheng Yayu screamed, "The Iron-Gall Divine Marquis is dead?"

The others were also shocked.

"Didn't you see that giant demon before you came? That was what Zhu Wushi became after he fell into demonic ways. Because he used the Great Law of Absorbing Power to absorb various forces without restraint, he eventually suffered a backlash."

Zhuge Zhengwo said.

"It's not just demons; the activities of demon-men are also becoming frequent. Among the criminals we have captured recently, there are several demon-men."

"Their activity is without reason, without warning, as if they were stimulated by something."

On the other side, the eldest brother of the Four Great Constables, Wuxin, was reporting the situation to Guo Buxing. Recently, the number of cases had increased a lot, and almost every case had the shadow of demon-men at the end.

There was a feeling that a storm was about to break.

Just at this moment, Chai Hu led Li Ge Xiao into the palace. His status as an Imperial Guard meant he was not stopped.

The two headed straight for the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

Facing the ruins, the corners of Li Ge Xiao's eyes twitched twice, but he soon found Chu Yang and walked up respectfully.

Chu Yang looked at him happily, "You arrived quite in time."

Li Ge Xiao shook his head, "I should have arrived last night, but because I was delayed on the road, I didn't get to see the Prince display his divine power."

Chu Yang saw the worry in his eyes and asked, "You rushed over so urgently; you must have something to say."

Li Ge Xiao told him about the movements of the Demon Race. (End of chapter)