Chapter 203: Collusion

Zhu Zai looked at Li Miao blankly.

Although Li Miao looked like he was relaxed and satisfied, his state at this moment was extremely tragic.

His clothes were broken, revealing his strong upper body, covered in wounds that were healing or in the process of healing, the most serious of which was on his waist and abdomen, as large as a sea bowl, penetrating through from front to back, as if someone had stabbed him through with an arm.

On that heroic face, from the right temple to behind the ear, there was an even longer scar.

This was the second time Zhu Zai had seen Li Miao in such a sorry state.

It reminded him of fifteen years ago, when Li Miao lay in his arms.

He had intended to scold him after entering the door, but felt his heart suddenly gripped, choking his throat.

"You, this..."

Zhu Zai's lips moved, and the beard on his face trembled. The fingers inside his long sleeves trembled uncontrollably, and he forcibly clenched his fists to stop it.

Seeing Zhu Zai lose his composure, Li Miao also put away his smile.

He had fought a battle with the Jianwen Emperor and already knew that his "eight-hour work system" was related to the "Jizhao" realm, at the very least from the same source; this harvest was not small.

In his joy, he habitually wanted to tease Zhu Zai.

But seeing the old man's appearance, he knew he was genuinely heartbroken.

So he lost the mood to tease the old man.

The Jianwen Emperor was indeed powerful, able to wound him to this extent. But to Li Miao, as long as he wasn't beaten to death on the spot, missing an arm or a leg was no different from clipping a fingernail.

"Alright, alright, I won't die."

Li Miao waved his hand, raised his hand and wiped his forehead, and the scar disappeared.

"Look, all small matters."

Zhu Zai first widened his eyes, then suddenly turned his back to Li Miao, gnashing his teeth and scolding.

"Beast!"

"Hey~"

Li Miao walked behind Zhu Zai and poked his head out to look at the old man's face.

"What is this?"

"Get lost!"

Zhu Zai scolded angrily, turned around, wiped the corners of his eyes without a trace, took a few deep breaths, calmed his emotions, and then looked at Li Miao with a face full of anger.

Li Miao spread his hands.

"Calm down, I just had a fruitful harvest and thought I'd be happy with you; who told you to take it seriously?"

Zhu Zai felt his blood rushing up, his temples bulging, making his brain ache.

Look at what you're saying!?

You went to dig my family's ancestral grave last night, and you're still "fruitful"?

And you want me to be happy with you?

You deliberately kept your wounds untreated and made yourself look like this in front of me, and you want me to be happy?

Happy your grandmother!

Zhu Zai's veins bulged.

Seeing that he was genuinely angry, Li Miao didn't dare to tease him anymore, fearing he would give the old man a stroke. He hurriedly put on a solemn face, changed the subject, and talked about the serious business.

"There are dozens of Heaven-Man corpses in the Emperor's mausoleum, and a secret room for raising insects."

"?"

"The Emperor might have been replaced by Ji Tianrui."

"!?"

"The Ming Sect dug your ancestors out of the grave."

"!!?"

"Your family's ancestor has come back to life, and my wounds were dealt by him."

"!!!?"

"No, wait, wait a moment."

Zhu Zai raised his hand to pinch his temples and knocked on his forehead.

"I won't argue with you about the previous matter. But if you're making up lies to tease me with these few sentences... just roll to somewhere else for the New Year!"

"True and certain, absolutely no joking."

Li Miao spread his hands.

"Ha—"

Zhu Zai let out a long breath.

Although Li Miao was annoying, he wouldn't joke about serious matters. Zhu Zai also believed that if Li Miao didn't have full confidence, he wouldn't speak nonsense.

It was just that these four sentences were all earth-shattering events; even though Zhu Zai had been in a high position for a long time, he couldn't clear his thoughts for a while.

Li Miao chuckled.

"You think about it first, I've been running around all night, and now I'm hungry and tired. Is your family's cook up yet? Get me some food to pad my stomach?"

Zhu Zai glared at Li Miao and said helplessly.

"Go wait in the side room, I'll arrange it."

After saying that, he flicked his sleeves and left.

————————

Li Miao put down his bowl and chopsticks, loosened his shoulders, and let out a long sigh.

"Ha—"

"Still have to be your family's cook; I'm used to eating it, and no one else's is as smooth."

Zhu Zai sat on the side, holding a bowl of white porridge in his hand, not moving a bite, frowning and pondering secretly. He didn't hear Li Miao's words at all.

Ever since he finished listening to Li Miao's detailed account of what happened last night, he had been like this.

Seeing Zhu Zai not moving, Li Miao grabbed the plate of snacks in front of Zhu Zai out of thin air. After eating, he sent it back to Zhu Zai with true energy.

After Zhu Zai finally finished thinking about the matter and reached out to take a snack to pad his stomach, he grabbed empty air.

Zhu Zai looked at the empty plate and looked up at Li Miao.

"Don't look at me, Commander, you ate it while thinking about things just now."

Li Miao spread his hands.

"I finished eating long ago, I've been waiting for you for a long time."

Zhu Zai looked at Li Miao suspiciously, but didn't have the heart to argue with him, sighed and said.

"I really regret letting you handle the Five Mountains Sword Sect assignment now."

"Forget it, can't blame you. You didn't handle it too poorly, you handled it too well, so well that I couldn't take it."

Zhu Zai looked at Li Miao.

"What do you want to do?"

Li Miao chuckled.

"This matter doesn't depend on me, it depends on you."

Li Miao leaned back, put his hands behind his head, and rocked on the chair.

"I'm just a martial artist, I only know how to kill and set fires. If it were up to me, it would be nothing more than testing whether the Emperor was replaced. If he was really replaced, find an opportunity to see if I can kill him."

"Anyway, he is in the light, I am in the dark. Even if I can't kill him, there's no loss."

"As for the Jianwen Emperor, the Ming Sect, it's just a matter of going over and killing them when they show up, nothing to talk about."

Zhu Zai's expression turned cold.

"No."

"Not many people recognize the Jianwen Emperor now, and the current imperial clan is not his bloodline, so he can't stir up much trouble. The Ming Sect is just a minor ailment."

"But, the Emperor cannot be moved easily, even if he is fake."

Zhu Zai let out a long sigh.

"My Great Ming has been passed down for nearly two hundred years, even if I am of the imperial clan, I have to admit that perhaps the heavenly mandate of my Zhu family has come to an end."

"Factions in the court are fighting constantly, the court's taxes are increasingly unable to meet expenses, and now there are not many places left that can do things with peace of mind."

"The Japanese pirates in the southeast have been making more and more trouble in recent years, and the Tatars in the north have repeatedly invaded the border. The guard stations are decaying, and the practice of eating empty pay and drinking soldiers' blood is repeatedly banned."

"The Great Ming is leaking from all sides."

"If something happens to the Emperor now... I fear it will be, chaos in the world."

Li Miao nodded.

"I think so too, these days are not easy to live in, I can't just kick it randomly, I don't know how many people will be crushed to death."

"So, look, who should I kill, how to kill, when to kill?"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 204 =====