Chapter 303

"Ah, so it's Master Xuanzang. Just now an old injury flared up and I failed to notice; please forgive my discourtesy." Qingfengzi suppressed his worried expression and bowed respectfully.

The person before him was a mighty figure who rode a true dragon.

Golden Core? No, at least Nascent Soul!

And his relationship with the Grand Elder was ambiguous — inner demon, hmm, indeed an inner demon, but it always felt different from the inner demons everyone used to know.

Elder Hao Tian the Second's complexion had been turning green these past few months; it felt like he had never been normal.

Before such a person, how could Qingfengzi dare not comply? He could only honestly agree.

Qingfengzi's behavior made General Wang's originally delighted expression vanish completely — you've thrown away all the face of your Longya Dao Gate!

General Wang and Zhao De were like unlucky bear children at home getting a combined beating from both parents.

Suddenly a guest arrived at the house, and they instantly perked up — this life of mine was given by you, Guest.

As a result, that guest turned to leave, and that wasn't all; the parents even forcibly kept the guest to put on a show of beating the unlucky bear children on the spot.

At this moment, General Wang felt he was the spiritual incarnation of that unlucky bear child.

The physical incarnation was the Ninth Prince being trampled underfoot.

"Hmm." Tang Luo acknowledged, his right foot pressing on Zhao De's head lifting slightly.

Zhao De's body was about to tremble, about to climb up, but was stepped on the back by Tang Luo again, unable to move.

"Cough, General Wang, I believe the Master wouldn't shoot arrows without a target; we just need to watch." Qingfengzi said to the ugly-faced General Wang.

General Wang glared at Qingfengzi, but ultimately did not act.

Karmic retribution — he truly couldn't bear it!

"Ninth Prince, why did you go to that small village today? Was the framing of someone a spur-of-the-moment idea?" Giving Zhao De space to speak, Tang Luo asked.

"I want you dead — cough cough cough."

Zhao De's resentful voice turned into coughing; his originally stopped wounds and his mouth surged with fresh blood again.

"The Ninth Prince only needs to answer the questions this poor monk asks you." Tang Luo said, his right foot on the back moving slightly.

The force was controlled with extreme precision, making Zhao De suffer agony worse than death, yet not letting him die.

Although it wasn't spiritual conversion, for Zhao De it was still unbearable pain.

"No, it was my aide. When returning from a hunt he told me there was a beautiful village girl..." Zhao De spoke in fits and starts.

It wasn't that he directly softened; rather, there was no need to suffer such pain for a mere aide.

"Where is he?" Tang Luo asked.

"At his own residence, right at..." Zhao De gave the address.

Tang Luo looked at Qingfengzi.

Qingfengzi nodded, rose into the air, and shot into the sky; he had never flown this fast before.

Qingfengzi, giving his all and not daring the slightest slack, achieved unprecedented efficiency; it wasn't long before he returned with Zhao De's terrified aide.

No need to ask anything; seeing this formation before him, the aide spilled everything like beans from a bamboo tube.

The Ninth Prince listened and vomited a large mouthful of blood.

It turned out this aide of his had secretly been bribed by the reckless Eighth Prince; it was precisely he who designed the Ninth Prince's trip to the small village, creating conflict with A Fei.

In the end, the current situation came about.

The Ninth Prince had absolutely no idea that this petty A Fei, a mere Youyi Zongqi, would have such a close relationship with the National Preceptor's Mansion.

He didn't know A Fei at all.

"Watch him." Tang Luo said to A Fei, and walked toward the nearby Eighth Prince's mansion.

The two princes' mansions were right next to each other, very close.

The Imperial Guards involuntarily parted a path for Tang Luo, not daring to block him.

General Wang sighed; this matter was no longer something he could manage. Fortunately, the news had already entered the palace.

Wait a little longer, and someone who can manage things, who can speak, should come out.

Before long, an angry roar rang out from the Eighth Prince's mansion: "It wasn't me! I didn't! Don't talk nonsense!"

Then two figures flew out, falling straight into the Imperial Guards' encirclement, crashing in a heap.

One of them was precisely the Great You Eighth Prince Zhao Guang; the other seemed to be one of the several aides following the Eighth Prince, a confidant.

"It's him! I've been in contact with him all along!" The Ninth Prince's aide shouted loudly.

He defected to the Eighth Prince through this aide.

A spy, after all — contact is secret; one handler is enough.

He never truly met face-to-face with the Eighth Prince.

"You son of a bitch framing me!" The Eighth Prince, furious beyond control, moved to attack.

Tang Luo, just landing, kicked him into a faceplant, and looked at the Eighth Prince's aide: "Speak. Who —"

Before his words fell, that aide suddenly laughed wildly; he hadn't laughed twice before copious black blood gushed from his mouth — he had taken poison.

Without a doubt, compared to the Ninth Prince's aide who was used, this man was a dead soldier who knew something.

The poison he took was incomparably violent; the aide's body convulsed twice, a smile of conspiratorial satisfaction still on his face, and died.

The scene instantly fell silent — the matter suddenly cut off?

"It wasn't me! I didn't know he'd take poison! I didn't!" The Eighth Prince panicked. Damn! The black pot's too big! Almost made a tough man shed tears.

General Wang, however, breathed a sigh of relief; this should be the best outcome, right?

"Since the mastermind behind the scenes is dead, may the Master release the Ninth Prince..." General Wang said.

A few dead aides, some dead guards — nothing; as long as the princes don't die.

As for severed arms and such, he could only leave it to fate and see what His Majesty ultimately decides.

"Dead?" Tang Luo grabbed through the air; the corpse of the aide who suicided by poison flew into his hand. "Did this poor monk permit you to die?"

Enlightenment to save a life!

Everyone saw a "Buddha's light" fall upon this person; the rigid, livid complexion caused by the poison returned to normal in just a few breaths.

Immediately after, the aide opened his eyes, his gaze full of bewilderment, not knowing whether he saw the mortal world or hell.

A group of people shuddered in shock.

Compared to killing with ruthless efficiency, such means of effortlessly bringing someone back from the dead were even more staggering.

And after the shock came fear.

This was true control over life and death in another's hands — even if you died, he could make you live again; death itself could not claim you.

Truly, unable to live when seeking life, unable to die when seeking death!

A chill gradually filled the heart.

Qingfengzi swallowed hard with difficulty, realizing that his treatment that night had been as gentle and warm as a spring breeze by comparison.

"Amitabha." After saving this aide, Tang Luo proclaimed a Buddha's name: "Such a sinner — it seems this poor monk must guide you to salvation."

Soul Guiding!

No one understood exactly how the guidance worked.

They only saw Master Xuanzang press lightly on the aide's head; the aide's body shook, and he instantly knelt on the ground weeping bitterly, confessing everything while he cried.

His true master was naturally not the Eighth Prince, that reckless scapegoat with courage but no wisdom.

This man was someone from the palace! He had been placed beside the Eighth Prince several years ago.

The one who contacted him and had him do this was a purchasing eunuch in the palace.

General Wang's face changed greatly; Qingfengzi's expression also changed, becoming grave.

The palace?

They could not deceive themselves that it was some eunuch meddling in politics, plotting schemes here.

The sole master of the imperial palace was the one on the dragon throne — Emperor Zhao Yan of Great You!

"That makes no sense? Your Majesty should know the Master's strength..." Qingfengzi couldn't help but speak up.

Zhao Yan knew only one aspect of Tang Luo's strength, not the second; yet that "one" alone was enough for Zhao Yan to make the correct choices and judgments.

Not to the point of doing something so utterly senseless.

This wasn't borrowing a knife to kill someone at all — it was hugging high explosives and perishing together with the other person.

And the object of mutual destruction was his own son, whom he could suppress with a flip of his hand.

No sense.

Qingfengzi couldn't figure out any reason for Zhao Yan to do this.

Zhao Yan might not count as a wise ruler, but he was definitely not stupid; say nothing else, just look at these past half-month-plus — the ambitious princes played like puppets in his palm proved it.

"Whether it is or not, ask and we'll know." Tang Luo remained as direct as ever.

Guess? There's nothing to guess — go straight to the person in charge and get the truth out.

Since just now, Tang Luo had been asking exactly like this — from the Ninth Prince to the deathsworn warriors, he had forcibly pried the truth out.

Now, of course, he would continue asking.

The imperial palace was a different place to others; to Tang Luo, it was no different from here.

Qingfengzi gave a dry laugh: "Then, Master, I'll head back first."

"Go." Tang Luo knew what Qingfengzi intended — now that the matter reached the Emperor, their Dragon Abyss Dao Gate could no longer stand by and watch.

This storm was enough to affect everyone.

He had to go to Chengtian Pavilion, explain the situation clearly, and ask the Grand Elder for a decision.

"Master Xuanzang..."

General Wang finally steeled his resolve; he could hesitate no longer — now that it involved the current Son of Heaven, if he, a General of the Imperial Guards, just stood watching, he might as well slit his own throat cleanly.

Just as General Wang decided to go all in.

"His Majesty arrives!"

A high-pitched, somewhat sharp and piercing voice rang out.

On the side of the street nearest the palace, a procession came in grand array.

In the very center was an incomparably magnificent dragon carriage; seated inside was Zhao Yan, and beside the carriage were several eunuchs.

Blade-bearing guards surrounded them on all sides, protecting them impenetrably; outside them were a crowd of attendants and palace maids.

At the very front, several blade-bearing guards were clearly dragging a few half-dead people, walking over.

"Imperial Guards, hear the order — protect His Majesty!" General Wang no longer cared about the princes.

He immediately led this portion of the Imperial Guards to meet them, joining the procession, momentum like a rainbow.

Seeing no one paying him attention, the Eighth Prince also sneakily sidled over that way.

Ninth Prince Zhao De still wanted to say something; Tang Luo casually kicked him, shattering all his teeth — his mouth swollen, he could only make "wu wu wu" sounds.

Qingfengzi had already rushed back to Chengtian Pavilion to report.

The procession stopped ten meters from Tang Luo and the others; the blade-bearing guards threw the half-dead people before Tang Luo, cupped a fist in salute, and retreated.

Zhao Yan descended from the dragon carriage borne by a dozen men, hurriedly stepping out of the protective ring of guards, stopping before everyone, a grieved and ashamed expression on his face: "Master Xuanzang, I failed to judge character! I am ashamed before you!" His voice was sorrowful and cutting.

Speaking, he bent down, bowing deeply.

"Your Majesty!"

Everyone behind shouted in unison — the Son of Heaven bows!

Any other minister hearing these words, with the Son of Heaven bowing, would surely be moved to tears, pledge utmost devotion, serve until death.

"Oh? Since you're ashamed, then tell me — where exactly is the shame." Tang Luo carried himself like a big shot.