Chapter 397

Li Miao spoke lightly and casually, without any surprise.

Rather, from the moment he saw Liu Jinyi in Zhu Yijing's house, he had already guessed it. The trip to the Yan residence tonight just confirmed his guess.

It was almost impossible for Liu Jin to cultivate Xuanlan.

Not to mention whether the Zheng family's cultivation method was compatible with Liu Jin, even with his own aptitude, the probability of being able to cultivate Xuanlan was one in ten thousand. Because the requirements for the Nature Cultivation Realm were already much higher than those for Life Cultivation. Even if the Yingzhou cultivation method were spread throughout the world, the number of people who could cultivate it probably wouldn't exceed the number of fingers on one hand.

So far, the people in the Great Ming who had cultivated the Perfection Nature Cultivation Realm were only Li Miao, Ji Tianrui, the Emperor, the Jianwen Emperor, and Zheng Anqi Sheng. Excluding Zheng Anqi Sheng, none of the other four cultivated it normally.

Difficult to cultivate, inheritance broken, the reason why Nature Cultivation had been lost for many years, besides the suppression by successive imperial courts, probably also had the factor of too high aptitude requirements.

Back to the present.

The Emperor had been standing in place for a long time without speaking.

And Li Miao also glanced at him intentionally or unintentionally, although it didn't show on his face, he had already secretly prepared to strike.

Would the amnesiac Emperor change because of Liu Jin's loyalty that risked his life? No one could say for sure.

Liu Jin coming to see the Emperor today should have been calculating this.

Fortunately, after a while, the Emperor sighed and turned back to sit at the table.

"Like Zhuang Zhou dreaming of a butterfly... he is loyal to the butterfly, not to Me. What he seeks is the Me of the past, and to achieve this, he must kill the Me of the present."

"In the end, it is an enemy, not a friend."

Li Miao raised his eyebrows and drank tea calmly.

The hall was quiet for a while.

After another moment, Zhu Zai said in a deep voice.

"So, will Yan Song still force the palace tomorrow?"

"He should."

Li Miao said unhurriedly.

"We are the Embroidered Uniform Guard, there aren't many people in the world with a worse reputation than us, not much better than eunuchs. Whether civil officials or military generals, they are already dissatisfied with you, it's just that they haven't acted on it before."

"Now that Yan Song has confirmed that what the Eastern Depot said is true, he has already eliminated the last trace of concern. If they win, with the help of Yingzhou's means, they can advance to hold the Emperor to command the vassals, and retreat to restore the Emperor's memory and be a great loyal official."

"So tomorrow is when they put things on the table and officially declare war on us, using the schemes of the Eastern Depot and Yingzhou."

Zhu Zai stroked his beard and thought, pondering.

"At that time, I'm afraid it will be a call to arms, and the imperial clan can't hold it yet."

"Still have to drag it out."

"Now the enemy is many and we are few, the Emperor's Wu Gong has not yet recovered, and the arrangements for response have not yet been completed. For the current plan, there is only the word 'drag'."

Li Miao nodded in agreement.

"I think so too."

"I went to the Yan residence today, and it wasn't without gains."

He held up two fingers and said with a smile.

"First, Zheng Anqi Sheng is already too old, his state is quite wrong, the longer we drag it out, the more likely something will happen to him."

"Second, Liu Jin can't last too long."

He shifted his gaze to the pool of blood in the hall.

"Although his means are strange, it is also a desperate move. He hasn't cultivated Nature Cultivation, these 'nature seeds' cannot be maintained in the host's body for long, and they will dissipate on their own. And as time goes by, the time and degree he can influence the host will also weaken."

"I estimate that in at most half a month, 'Liu Jin' will completely disappear."

The Emperor said.

"But they know their situation, will they let us drag it out?"

Li Miao shook his head.

"Naturally not, but they are also waiting, waiting for the moment when everything is ready. When the map is revealed and the dagger is exposed, it will be after today and before the end of the month."

"Besides, isn't there still a piece on the chessboard that hasn't fallen onto the board?"

The Emperor and Zhu Zai looked at each other and said in unison.

"Jianghu!"

————————

Outside the capital, on the official road.

Cao Hanyan and Gao Anyu galloped all the way.

But they subconsciously avoided pedestrians, only choosing remote sections of the road to walk. Just because their current situation was truly strange.

Because behind them, an old Daoist was "floating."

He was truly floating, only using one hand to lightly rest on Cao Hanyan's shoulder, his whole person like a piece of grass paper without weight, floating up as they moved, lying straight in the air.

Today is October 15th, and only four days have passed since they arrived at Wudang, so logically, with their light skills, they shouldn't be able to reach Shuntian.

It was still because of that old Daoist.

As Cao Hanyan ran, he felt a subtle and profound true energy pouring into his body from the hand the old Daoist rested on his shoulder, building a circuit in his leg meridians on its own.

And as this wisp of true energy constantly circulated, Cao Hanyan's speed also skyrocketed, and the fatigue of traveling day and night was also dispelled.

After traveling more than ten miles, the old Daoist's hand lightly lifted and rested on Gao Anyu's shoulder.

Gao Anyu's eyes immediately widened, he shouted excitedly, swung his arms, and ran forward, leaving Cao Hanyan behind.

"Brother Gao!"

It was only after Cao Hanyan shouted that he stopped.

The three of them moved forward like this, and finally, at the time when the morning light was faint, they saw the towering city wall in the distance.

"Brother Cao! We must be the fastest!"

Gao Anyu shouted excitedly.

"We will definitely be able to help Uncle Li!"

Cao Hanyan also nodded, slowly slowing down his pace.

"It's not yet time to open the city gate, let's slow down and enter the city later."

"Hmm!"

As the two stopped, the old Daoist also landed.

By this time, the old Daoist still hadn't opened his eyes, and his mouth kept muttering, as if he were sleepwalking, his hand resting on Gao Anyu's shoulder, following step by step.

The two were also used to the old Daoist's style, and they knew that no matter what they said, the old Daoist couldn't hear it, and politeness was useless, so they found a clean place on the side of the road to sit down, took dry food from their bags and chewed it, waiting for the city gate to open.

The three of them sat like this for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

Suddenly, the old Daoist opened his eyes.

Cao Hanyan and Gao Anyu were both shocked for a moment; all along the way, the old Daoist neither ate nor relieved himself, and even when they ran into mountain bandits and he was splashed with blood while hanging behind Gao Anyu, he didn't open his eyes, so why did he suddenly open them?

If something is abnormal, there must be a demon!

The two clenched their weapons in their hands, ready to act at any time!

Just at this moment, they heard the old Daoist say hoarsely.

"Wait a moment."

Before the words fell, Cao Hanyan and Gao Anyu's eyes blurred.

Looking again, the old Daoist had disappeared.

The two looked at each other and sighed long.

"Could it be that people who cultivate the Dao are all this mysterious?"

Let us speak of this old Daoist, stepping forward, his footsteps not fast, but as if stepping on ice, one step covering dozens of zhang, and in the blink of an eye, he had darted far away.

A moment later, he slowly stopped.

In this short time, the old Daoist had darted several miles.

Standing in the open field, he said hoarsely.

"Come out."

No response.

Only the morning wind passed through, rubbing against the grass leaves, with no other sound.

But the old Daoist didn't waver in the slightest, and after saying "Come out," he stood silently in place, without any movement, as if he could stand here until the end of time.

Time passed bit by bit.

Suddenly, the morning wind paused.

Dust flew!

The ground at the old Daoist's feet exploded, a short man drilled out from under the ground, his short sword taking aim at the old Daoist's face!

"Stinking bull-nose! I hid from you, and you still come to find me!"

"Are you also here for that Xuanlan cultivation method! Good, good, good—let's see the real thing under our hands!"

(End of chapter)