aircannonsinc Chapter 178 Leng Leng and Zhui Feng! The Civil Official's Counterattack!
Chapter 178 Leng Leng and Zhui Feng! The Civil Official's Counterattack!
Chapter 178 Leng Leng and Zhui Feng! The Civil Official's Counterattack!
After absorbing the Wedding Dress Divine Skill, Li Gexiao's power recovered to about 70-80%. The reason he couldn't recover to his peak was because the power of the Wedding Dress Divine Skill was greatly reduced after the transfer.
On the other hand, Li Gexiao also clearly felt that his martial arts had improved, and when he returned to his peak, he would be stronger than before.
"Lord Li, in addition to the Wedding Dress Divine Skill, I have also passed on to you the Divine Sword Technique that I created myself. If you focus your mind and sense it, you should be able to find the seed of sword energy deep within your Qi Sea."
"That is the essence of my life's swordsmanship. I hope it will be helpful for you in your future revenge."
Li Gexiao stood up, deeply moved, and said, "I am deeply grateful for Hero Yan's generous reward!"
Yan Nantian laughed and said, "Since I'm going to lose my power anyway, it would be a waste not to pass it on to you. Besides, my sworn brother and I are both weak and helpless now, so I'll have to ask you to take good care of us."
"We dare not delay Your Highness's sightseeing. Please drop us off when you pass through Jinling City."
Li Gexiao smiled and said, "What a coincidence, our trip is to Jinling City to find someone."
Jiang Feng was overjoyed and exclaimed, "We really are destined to meet!"
He thought this chance encounter would end there, but fate had other plans. Chu Yang shook his head, walked out of the courtyard, mounted his horse, and rode further and further into the distance.
"Hurry up and pack your bags. Remember to keep up, or we'll have trouble catching up if the prince walks too fast."
Li Gexiao gave a reminder, then sat directly on the large wolfhound, urging it to follow Chu Yang closely.
The caravan followed behind the two as before, except that there was now a world-class swordsman on the carriage.
As the group headed to Jinling City, news of the annihilation of the Twelve Constellations spread like wildfire throughout the martial arts world.
There were rumors circulating in the imperial court, but they never reached the emperor's ears, stopping at the Six Doors and the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
The two sides seemed to have reached some kind of consensus and were trying their best to cover up Chu Yang's every move in order to avoid causing unnecessary trouble and affecting the stability of the court.
The Six Doors were responsible for cleaning up the mess. They were in charge of sweeping away the complex underworld forces under the Twelve Constellations. Anyone who had seen Chu Yang would be killed on the spot.
The leader was Leng Feng, whose name Chu Yang had joked was his special skill, and who was also Leng Leng, as Li Gexiao had mentioned.
No one in the Six Doors dared to mention Leng Feng's name directly in front of her.
There's a high chance she'll cripple him.
Just because she had a man's name, she coldly broke ties with her father for many years.
"It seems the news was true. That guy surnamed Li is really cured. He even managed to kill Black Dog Star from the Twelve Constellations. That drunkard is recovering quite well."
Leng Leng had just extracted information about Li Gexiao from some prisoners and couldn't wait to share it with her senior brother, Zhui Feng.
"Lord Li is our senior, so watch your words. Don't let Master hear you, or you'll get scolded again."
Zhui Feng gave Leng Leng, who was speaking without thinking, a helpless reprimand, but he was thinking about something else.
"I know, senior brother. Why do you always look so gloomy? It's because of your bossy face that you scared away Ninth Junior Sister. She'd rather wander the martial world than marry you."
"I've said it countless times, there's no romantic feeling between me and Junior Sister Dog. I've always treated her like a younger sister!"
"Could you please correct your accent?"
"What's wrong with my usual, heavily edited speech that I've been torturing?"
"Sigh—forget it, what good is it if only we know your thoughts? You have to tell your master what you're thinking!"
"No, Master has been incredibly kind to me, I cannot let him down."
"Then you'll marry Ninth Junior Sister!"
"No, I've always treated her like a younger sister. How can we get married without romantic feelings? Free love is encouraged now!"
"This won't work, that won't work, are you trying to fool me? Get out of my sight right now and get lost!"
""
"The Six Doors are in a state of panic right now; it's truly a turbulent time."
Thinking of the current situation of the Six Doors, Leng Leng couldn't help but look worried, just like Zhui Feng's expression just now.
"Master was dismissed from his post for no reason. What did we do wrong to displease the Emperor?"
"I've been thinking about this too. I didn't have any clue before, but the current situation with the twelve constellations has given me some ideas."
"What?"
"It's most likely related to His Highness the Wise Prince —"
"The one who roamed the martial world with Ninth Junior Sister, and is now being protected by that drunkard?"
"It's him."
"You mean His Highness the Wise Prince threatens—"
"Junior sister, watch your words!"
After a moment of cold silence, he slowly said, "Senior brother, I understand what you mean, but hasn't Master's diligent work over the years earned him the emperor's trust?"
Zhui Feng said meaningfully, "Once you sit on that dragon throne, suspicion becomes your nature—"
Leng Leng suddenly found the vast imperial court utterly boring, including the so-called Six Doors and Four Great Constables. Everything they did seemed meaningless; the one on the dragon throne could turn their efforts into a joke with just a thought.
"Senior brother, please help me with the cleanup of the twelve constellations."
Where are you going?
"Let's go for a walk. It's so oppressive here that it's hard to breathe. I think I understand why that prince left with Ninth Junior Sister. He probably felt the same way."
Northern Garrison Command.
Zheng Dongliu sat upright in the main hall, listening to Zuo Qianhu's report, his fingers constantly rubbing against the chair, unable to hide his excitement.
"That brat really does have a chance to recover!"
"He didn't even come back to tell me such great news in person!"
"The destruction of the twelve constellations is a great achievement. I can plead with the Emperor to reinstate him to his original position."
"Why don't you come back?!"
As Zheng Dongliu spoke, he began to sigh.
Commander Zuo said softly, "My lord, there is something I am not sure if I should say."
Zheng Dongliu frowned and said, "Speak! It's just the two of us, what's there to hide?"
Commander Zuo explained, "The reason Lord Li hasn't returned is probably because he doesn't want to involve us. He's afraid that you'll be suspected by the Emperor like Guo Juxia."
Zheng Dongliu said, "His Majesty is only worried about Lord Guo's health, don't talk nonsense!"
"Whether I'm making this up or not, it's an undeniable fact that Lord Li is currently traveling with His Highness Prince Xian. Coupled with his feud with Grand Secretary Yan, if he returns, not only will he become a thorn in the Emperor's side, but the Embroidered Uniform Guard will also be affected."
"We are wearing these flying fish robes entirely because of His Majesty's support. If we can't get along with His Majesty, we're basically not far from death."
Zuo Qianhu spoke very frankly, and Zheng Dongliu understood what he meant.
Li Gexiao will return one day, but only for Yan Song's head. From the moment he chose to travel with Chu Yang, he stood on the opposite side of the current emperor.
As the emperor's henchmen, the Embroidered Uniform Guard may one day stand on the opposite side of Li Gexiao, and Zheng Dongliu, as the commander, may even turn against Li Gexiao with swords drawn.
This is the cruelest thing.
Compared to a carefree prince leaving the capital to roam the martial world, Guo Bujing's dismissal was a major earthquake in the court.
Most officials believed the emperor's explanation and understood the burden of Guo Bujing holding two positions. However, a very few high-ranking officials still noticed something amiss.
Grand Secretary Yan Song hosted a small tea party at his home, inviting a host of high-ranking officials from the court. The hall was filled with officials of the third rank and above.
The lineup of Xu Jie, the second-in-command of the cabinet, Zhang Juzheng, the grand secretary of the cabinet, and the ministers of the six ministries resembled a small imperial court, and Yan Song was no different from the emperor in this setting.
The vacancy for the Imperial Guard instructor was so tempting that even the civil service officials were eyeing it.
With strong military support, the civil service could shake off its decline, rise above other forces, and regain its former power.
Since ancient times, civil and military affairs have been irreconcilable.
It has become commonplace for civil and military officials to fight each other.
Although there are struggles among the two marquises, the two bureaucrats, and the one guard, they still stand on the same side when facing the civil official group.
Since the formation of the six major powers in the court, the lives of the civil officials have become increasingly difficult, as if dark clouds were pressing down on them, making it hard to breathe.
The Embroidered Uniform Guard was alright; under Zheng Dongliu's control, they merely inspected officials and sometimes dealt with those who were not in the proper conduct.
The Eastern and Western Depots never stopped cracking down on civil officials. Anyone who overstepped the bounds would have their property confiscated or their entire family exterminated.
The feeling of having a knife held to your neck all the time is awful.
Scholars are no match for warriors; they can't kill anyone with just words.
Sometimes they envy the Buddhist and Taoist sects next door, because since that great upheaval decades ago, monks and Taoists can really kill with their words.
"Speaking of sages, how come there isn't a single Confucian sage whose words carry the weight of Heaven's authority?"
"It's a waste to let those old Taoist priests and bald monks gain face. Nowadays, there are more people reading Buddhist and Taoist scriptures than reading the classics. What kind of nonsense is this?"
Whenever he thought of this, Yan Song would be furious and, in front of everyone, would smash the teacup in his hand.
"Minister Yan, please don't be angry. Everyone is still waiting for you to take charge. The most urgent task is to find a way to turn the Imperial Guard instructors into our people."
Second Grand Secretary Xu Jie spoke slowly, his tone as gentle as a young wife.
Yan Song nodded, then asked, "Do any of your clans have highly skilled martial artists who could serve as instructors for the Imperial Guards?"
The crowd exchanged bewildered glances, then lowered their heads in silence, their long silence serving as the answer to Yan Song's question.
How can a scholarly family produce a warrior?
Instead of studying proper books, you run off to practice martial arts. Aren't you afraid your ancestors will break your legs?
"I do have two people I can recommend, but both are from the military. I wonder if Prime Minister Yan would be interested—"
Tell me first.
"The general who defended the north against the Jurchens was Li Chengliang, the deputy commander of Liaodong, and the other was Qi Jiguang, who was responsible for fighting against the Japanese pirates and guarding Nanjing."
"Both of them are highly skilled in martial arts and have outstanding leadership abilities, making them more than qualified to serve as instructors of the Imperial Guards."
Yan Song knew the reputations of these two men, but still shook his head and said, "They both come from military families—"
Zhang Juzheng said in a low voice, "Prime Minister Yan, it's not just us who have suffered these past years; the generals guarding the borders of the Ming Dynasty have also had their share of complaints about those few people."
"The responsibilities of the two marquises and their families are too great, and have already encroached on the power of the military."
"It's still unknown which side the general will stand on!"
Upon hearing this, the Second Grand Secretary Xu Jie nodded and said, "Uncle is right. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Before these six major powers existed, we were indeed irreconcilable with those commoners, but that is the past."
"To regain control of the civil service, we must cooperate with them once."
Others followed suit.
Yan Song hesitated for a moment, but then agreed to Zhang Juzheng and Xu Jie's suggestion, nodding and saying, "In that case, which of the two is more suitable?"
Zhang Juzheng had the answer in his heart, but he didn't say it directly. Instead, he looked at Xu Jie.
Xu Jie smiled and said, "The situation in the south is complicated. Not only are Japanese pirates frequently harassing the people, but demons and monsters are also rampant. As the person in charge, Qi Jiguang should not act rashly. The situation in the north is better. Those Jurchens have not shown up for several years."
Upon hearing this, Yan Song immediately made a decision: "Then let's recommend Li Chengliang to return to the capital as the head instructor of the Imperial Guards. This is a rare opportunity, and we must firmly grasp this position!"
Having achieved their purpose, the group exchanged pleasantries for a while before departing.
As soon as they stepped out of the Yan residence, Zhang Juzheng hurriedly found Xu Jie and said, "Master, I was just about to recommend Qi Jiguang. Li Chengliang is quite ambitious, and I'm afraid he will be difficult to control once he becomes the head of the Imperial Guards."
Xu Jie nodded and said, "I know what you're thinking, but it's really not advisable for Qi Jiguang to act rashly. I received an urgent report this morning that the Japanese pirates in the south are making unusual moves, and it seems that some kind of sorcerer is involved this time."
"Qi Jiguang's departure at this time is detrimental to the overall situation!"
Zhang Juzheng was startled and quickly asked, "How could the Japanese pirates be in contact with demons? The Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons is busy dealing with demons, where would they find the time to provoke us?"
Xu Jie sighed, "I have a bad feeling. In recent years, the demons have become increasingly rampant. I'm afraid the Demon Kingdom won't be able to hold on and has decided to take a desperate gamble!"
"Utter chaos is imminent!"
After leaving the deserted village, Chu Yang and his companions traveled for half a month before finally arriving at the bustling city of Jinling.
Compared to the grandeur of the capital, Nanjing is more ornate, exuding an air of magnificence. If the capital is likened to a mighty general, then Nanjing is like a stunningly beautiful woman.
Because of its extremely convenient water and land transportation, Jinling City had everything imaginable. All sorts of exotic items from across the Ming Dynasty could be found here, as well as many foreign items.
In short, if you can't find it in Jinling City, you won't find it anywhere else either.
Li Gexiao had worked in the Southern Garrison of Jinling City for several years and was quite familiar with the place, so he volunteered to be a guide.
Yan Nantian had a simple house in the city as a temporary place to stay. He originally planned to take Jiang Feng's family overseas after a short rest.
In his youth, he participated in the fight against Japanese pirates and unexpectedly found a small island with birdsong and fragrant flowers, where he settled down. That was the final resting place for Jiang Feng and his wife.
But now he has to rebuild his skills and has to change his plans, which may require him to stay in Jinling City for a while.
For Jiang Feng, living in Jinling City was not a problem. He was so poor that all he had left was money, so buying a big house to live in was not an issue at all.
After bidding farewell to Jiang Feng and the others, Li Gexiao led Chu Yang to the largest brothel in Jinling City—Xianyu Tower.
It wasn't that the two were in a hurry; rather, they were going there to find someone.
He was known in the martial arts world as having four eyebrows.
Lu Xiaofeng.
>