RNP Page 188
Page 188
“Very well, I promise that Deyuelou may open a branch within the territory of Daqin.”
"The funding and venue will all be provided by Daqin."
Chapter 138 Semicolon
As expected of a ruler, Zichu was quite generous.
“Besides Chang’an, you may choose any location within the Tang Dynasty to open a branch of Deyuelou.”
Within Chang'an, this matter would ultimately be decided by Wu Zetian, and Cang Qu had already made a promise.
Padmasambhava's eyes flickered slightly, and he slowly said:
"This humble monk has no authority to make decisions within the Yuan Dynasty."
"How about this: the losses suffered by Deyuelou will be borne entirely by our Great Yuan."
In fact, Padmasambhava held a highly respected position in the Yuan Dynasty, but he was wary of Ebisu, hence his evasive and dismissive attitude.
Ebizo seemed to have no other intentions, and his face immediately lit up with joy:
"Very well! Once this matter is settled, I will personally send someone to the three great dynasties to fulfill my promise."
"In that case, I shall take my leave."
Cang Qu had tried to leave several times today without success, and now he had no more lingering feelings. In a flash, he disappeared without a trace.
"Amitabha Buddha, this old monk also takes his leave. Take care, King Zhuangxiang."
Padmasambhava chanted a Buddhist mantra and led the three monks away.
Zichu also turned around and led Bai Qi and other Qin experts out of the Deyue Tower area.
After leaving the city, Bai Qi couldn't help but ask:
"Your Highness, since that Ximen Yu is an imposter, he probably hasn't gone far."
Why not press the attack?
Shang Yang explained on his behalf:
"Originally, the three dynasties intended to retain the 'Unwavering Devotion Pill' as their trump card against Ximen Yu."
"Now that the plan has failed, the alliance has crumbled."
"Even if we catch up with that imposter, what then?"
"If we detain Zhang Sanfeng and the others, and the real Ximen Yu returns, do you think the Green Dragon Society will let it go so easily?"
Bai Qi was horrified upon hearing this.
The Azure Dragon Society has now demonstrated strength far surpassing that of the Great Qin Dynasty. If this leads to a full-scale war, regardless of victory or defeat, the only beneficiaries will be the other two great dynasties.
This is precisely the root cause of the three dynasties' superficial alliance and their inability to truly join forces—they all wanted to incite the Azure Dragon Society to fight against other factions first.
"Has this trip been in vain? Is His Majesty's mission about to fail again?"
Bai Qi was unwilling to accept this. Since the emergence of the Azure Dragon Society, the once invincible Qin Dynasty had suffered repeated setbacks.
"Not at all! This trip was very fruitful."
Zichu stroked his beard and smiled.
"What do you mean by that, Your Highness?"
Bai Qi was puzzled. He was invincible in charging into battle, but he was really not good at these kinds of strategies and calculations.
266 - The Demon Lord Bai Suzhen Descends!
"General, have you ever considered why Ximen Yu would have someone impersonate him?"
Shang Yang once again spoke out on behalf of Zichu.
Bai Qi frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and then his eyes suddenly flashed: "Could it be... that Ximen Yu is unwilling to show himself, or is simply unable to show himself?"
"Excellent!" Shang Yang clapped his hands and laughed. "In my opinion, it's more likely that he won't be able to show himself."
"Since the emergence of the Azure Dragon Society, Ximen Yu has always acted domineeringly and forcefully, never taking more than three moves against an enemy."
"Given his arrogance, he would never stoop to having someone impersonate him to intimidate his opponents."
"So, Ximen Yu is in trouble?" A hint of joy flashed in Bai Qi's eyes.
After the Azure Dragon Society emerged out of nowhere, the three great dynasties of the Nine Provinces suffered repeated setbacks, and the once unstoppable momentum of the Great Qin Dynasty to unify the country was almost interrupted. Now that he learned that Ximen Yu might be in trouble, Bai Qi was naturally delighted.
"Most likely so!" Shang Yang was equally excited. The Qin Dynasty had been suppressing its anger for a long time, and finally, a turning point had arrived.
"However, the most important thing right now is to confirm Ximen Yu's true situation."
“Exactly!” Zi Chu’s gaze was steady, revealing the unique confidence of an emperor. “Xi Men Yu is the leader of the Azure Dragon Society. As long as he cannot make a move, the other six dragon leaders are nothing to fear.”
"Return to the Great Qin immediately, report to His Majesty, and dispatch elite troops to investigate the whereabouts of Ximen Yu!"
"Yes, sir!" the crowd responded in unison. After a long period of gloom, the first glimmer of dawn finally appeared.
On the other side, Ximen Yu walked slowly forward, but his steps seemed particularly heavy.
Just ten miles outside the city, Jiang Yuyan and her group caught up with them.
"Great Dragon Head, please wait!" Although Zhang Sanfeng was puzzled, he still quickly caught up.
"Pfft-"
Ximen Yu suddenly covered her mouth and chuckled, revealing a hint of coquettishness.
"Great Dragon Head, what is this...?"
Zhang Sanfeng and the Water God Ancestor looked at each other, momentarily stunned.
“Alright, Seventh Dragon Head, she is not the Great Dragon Head—” Jiang Yuyan said with a smile, “She is the Great Dragon Head’s personal maid, A’Zhu.”
Jiang Yuyan stepped forward quickly and, with a smile, exposed the true identity of "Ximen Yu".
A'Zhu raised her hand and brushed her face, instantly restoring her original appearance.
"Sister Yuyan, how did you recognize me?"
"Silly girl, how could the mighty Dragon King need the Water God's help to destroy the elixir?"
Jiang Yuyan affectionately tapped Azhu's forehead.
The situation is perilous today, and even if the two dragon leaders were to emerge from seclusion, they might not be able to resolve the crisis. Fortunately, A'Zhu is quick-witted and used the divine disguise technique taught by Ximen Yu to impersonate him, successfully intimidating the people of the three great dynasties.
"So that was the flaw. I thought Sister Yuyan had recognized the disguise technique."
Azhu playfully stuck out her tongue, which made everyone smile.
"We're not far from the city. Although Miss A'Zhu's disguise is flawless, Cang Qu and Zi Chu are no ordinary people. Let's quickly return to Azure Dragon Peak and discuss this further."
Zhang Sanfeng spoke up, interrupting the two men's banter.
"We really should leave as soon as possible."
Jiang Yuyan had just nodded in agreement when she suddenly saw Li Xunhuan arriving with Lin Shiyin. Just as she was about to leave, an unexpected event occurred.
"Are you Lin Shiyin?"
A woman dressed in pure white suddenly appeared beside Li Xunhuan, surrounded by an eerie black mist.
"Who goes there!"
Startled, Li Xunhuan's throwing knife shot through the air. This throwing knife, which even Cang Qu admired, was instantly reduced to dust by the white-clad woman's flick of her finger.
Who are you?
Jiang Yuyan and the others quickly went on alert. Just as Zhang Sanfeng and the Water God Ancestor were about to make their move, two strange figures blocked their way—the one confronting Zhang Sanfeng was a bewitching woman, while the Water God Ancestor stood before a strange monk wrapped in a white cloth.
"The Demon Lord has come with no ill intentions; please do not mislead yourselves."
The speaker was none other than the Grim Reaper, Kurohime.
"I'll ask you one more time, are you Lin Shiyin?"
The Demon Lord Bai Suzhen ignored the changes around her and simply stared at the trembling Lin Shiyin.
"I......"
Lin Shiyin trembled all over and tightly gripped Li Xunhuan's sleeve.
"I am Li Xunhuan, the leader of the First Month Hall of the Azure Dragon Society. This is my cousin, Lin Shiyin. May I ask what brings you here?"
Li Xunhuan had already sensed the unfathomable cultivation level of the Demon Lord Bai Suzhen, though it was not as terrifying as that of Ximen Yu.
But his intuition told him that even the Second Dragon Head, after breaking through his realm, might not be able to defeat the woman in white before him.
Therefore, although he mentioned the name of the Green Dragon Society, he still maintained a certain degree of politeness in his speech.
"I see. And what about the Unwavering Devotion Pill you possess?"
The Demon Lord Bai Suzhen's actions were solely aimed at the immortal god, and she was indifferent to everything else.
"It's...damaged."
After a moment's hesitation, Li Xunhuan finally revealed the truth.
"Destroyed? Good thing!"
Bai Suzhen's aura suddenly burst forth and then instantly subsided.
She was inherently kind and good, and the elixir she sought was merely to restrain the god of immortality.
Since the elixir has been destroyed, there's no need to cling to it.
Why not return to Shaolin Temple in Yunzhou and continue to study the Six Great Demonic Principles in the Wooden Dummy Alley?
Just as he was about to leave, Black Eyes suddenly spoke:
"My Lord Demon Lord, something is amiss."
Bai Suzhen cast an inquiring glance.
"Why does this Miss Lin possess the aura of the 'Sea Treasure Anomaly'?"
His dark eyes suddenly drew close to Lin Shiyin, almost touching her face.
Li Xunhuan was about to stop him.
Black Eyes had already retreated and said to Bai Suzhen in a deep voice:
"Your subordinate would never be mistaken; the aura of this 'Sea Treasure Anomaly' is still recognizable even if it were reduced to ashes!"
"That's true."
Bai Suzhen waved her jade hand lightly, and a wisp of black mist rushed straight at Lin Shiyin.
Li Xunhuan thought she was going to harm his cousin and was about to step forward to protect her, but he found that his whole body was stiff and he couldn't even move his fingers.
They could only watch helplessly as the black mist completely enveloped Lin Shiyin.
When the fog dissipated, Lin Shiyin was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, she became a stunning beauty who could make any man's blood boil.
But this face is clearly not Lin Shiyin!
"You are... Lin Xian'er?"
But Li Xunhuan recognized this face.
"In the end, it couldn't be hidden forever."
This is none other than Lin Xian'er, the most famous courtesan of Deyuelou in the capital, hailed as the most beautiful woman in the Ming Dynasty.
"Where is my cousin? Why are you here?"
Li Xunhuan was completely bewildered. He had gone to rescue Lin Shiyin, but unexpectedly brought Lin Xian'er along with him.
"It seems you are not Lin Shiyin."
The Demon Lord Bai Suzhen spoke with a smile, her voice cold and majestic, "Tell me Lin Shiyin's whereabouts, and where the Unwavering Devotion Pill is, and I can forgive and forget."
Deceiving the Demon Lord is by no means a wise move!
But if the Lin Shiyin before us is Lin Xian'er in disguise, where is the real Lin Shiyin? Does the legendary Unwavering Devotion Pill still exist in the world?
"Don't even think about it—"