Chapter 442: Killing An Old Master with Random Sword Moves (3)

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

The long night had not ended.

The Imperial City was silent. Some palace maids and eunuchs had already gotten up and were preparing breakfast in the imperial kitchen.

In the Longevity Palace, located in the northwest of the Imperial City, because the empress dowager had the habit of waking up late due to not being able to sleep for a long time, the palace maids serving her could also nap for a while. There was no movement at the moment.

In the resting palace, Hongyu was resting in her room. In the bedchamber with a phoenix bed, two faint breaths sounded.

At the open window near the garden, the faint fragrance of cinnamon wafted over in the night breeze. Beside the window, the place where the Vendor Selling Chickens Painting had been hung had changed to a painting of a sea of people on Jun Mountain Terrace.

Daoist Xuanji was wearing white pajamas. She was lying flat on the outside of the bed and looking at the painting on the wall. From time to time, she would pick up her wine gourd and take a sip. Her eyes were already a little blurry as her mind recalled the past.

Daoist Xuanji had a free and easy nature. When she first stayed on Void Jade Mountain, she ran all over the mountains and fields. But ever since her disciple ascended the throne and arranged a mission for her, she had completely become a wanderer in Jianghu.

Over the past ten years, she had been to the northernmost part of the world, where there were endless snowfields and basically no living creatures could be seen. She had once taken a boat deep into the Eastern Sea and had seen the largest fish and the most spectacular waves in the world. She had ridden a camel in the westernmost Sand Sea and listened to the ballads brought by the wind and sand.

She had seen sceneries that most of the world had never seen before. She thought there was nothing in this world that could arouse her interest anymore. But this time, when she came back, she had inexplicably met someone she would subconsciously recall when she dreamed at night…

Daoist Xuanji was lying on the pillow with countless thoughts running through her mind. She didn’t know what she was thinking about. In her half-asleep state, her ears suddenly moved slightly, and she heard the faint sound of wings tearing through the air outside the palace.

Whoosh!

Daoist Xuanji immediately woke up and sat up on the bed. She put on a white dress and went to the window to look around. She saw the big bird land on the roof of the corridor in the distance. It looked left and right and even waved its wing at her.

Then a cold figure in night clothes appeared in the corridor. After seeing her standing in front of the window, he approached her quietly.

Daoist Xuanji tilted her head slightly, tapped her toes lightly, and sat on the windowsill. She lifted a strand of black hair and twirled it on her fingertip, her eyes half-smiling. She was extremely charming. “Young Master Ye, you’re dressed like that in the middle of the night and going to a girl’s room. Do you want to be a rapist? Who is your target?”

Ye Jingtang was still wearing his bamboo hat, but he had pulled down his mask. With a sword in his hand, he passed through the white stone platform and quickly arrived under the window. “Fairy Lu, please don’t joke. I have something to discuss with you.”

Daoist Xuanji sized Ye Jingtang up carefully and suddenly found that there was a hole in his sleeve, which seemed to have been pierced by a weapon. The flirtatious look on her face immediately disappeared. She flipped her slender legs over the winderwill and jumped down from the window, landing in front of him. She pulled his sleeve and looked at it. “Are you hurt?”

Her mature voice full of demonic charm suddenly turned serious, cold, and fairy-like. It was as if she had changed into a different person, causing Ye Jingtang to be stunned.

But Ye Jingtang wasn’t in the mood to pay attention to this. He looked at his clothes. “Just now, when I was investigating something, I encountered an expert using a cane sword. After exchanging a few moves, I was afraid that my identity would be exposed, so 1 deliberately let him stab me. I’m fine.”

Rip-

Daoist Xuanji tore open the hole with her fingers and checked his arm. Seeing that there was a dark blue mark on the inside of his arm from a blunt object, she breathed a sigh of relief. She let the dozing bird sleep on the windowsill and led Ye Jingtang to the side hall. “What were you investigating?”

After Ye Jingtang received the information from Ning’er, he originally planned to investigate on his own to prevent the Imperial Court from reacting too strongly when they found out, causing the Pacifying Heaven Cult Master to discover that he and Ning’er were helping the Imperial Court out of trouble.

But the Prince of Yan’s heir’s security was tighter than he had imagined. The Red Flower Pavilion couldn’t find out the exact details, so he could only start from the Imperial Court. If he asked Yuhu or Dumdum, they would definitely be puzzled about the source of the information, and he wouldn’t be able to explain it. Only Daoist Xuanji was different.

Daoist Xuanji knew about his identity as the empress’s favorite official, her best friend’s traitorous lover, and the young master of the Red Flower Pavilion. She knew about Ning’er’s background long ago. Even if she really guessed the source of the information, she wouldn’t say anything.

Moreover, this matter concerned the safety of the empress, and Daoist Xuanji was the empress’s personal bodyguard. If there were hidden dangers, but she wasn’t prepared, something might go wrong. It would be beneficial to tell her.

After Ye Jingtang considered his words for a while, he said, “There seems to be a force in Yan Province plotting a big move. The target is Her Majesty. A few days ago, I was ambushed on Dragon Creek Alley. It might be this group of people behind the scenes… 1 just checked the list of officials from Yan Province in the capital and found that the heir of the Prince of Yan has the greatest background, so I started investigating from him. But in the end, the guards beside the heir were more vigilant than 1 expected, and I didn’t find anything…”

Daoist Xuanji went to the tea room in the side hall and got Ye Jingtang to sit down on the soft couch. After some thought, she asked in doubt, “Where did you get your information?”

Ye Jingtang said solemnly, “It’s hard to say the source. Anyway, it’s mostly true. Only you and I know this information. Remember not to tell anyone, and don’t make a big fuss to avoid alerting the enemy.”

Daoist Xuanji was very smart. When she heard this, she understood that Ye Jingtang’s information source wasn’t very formal, so she didn’t ask much. She touched her waist and took out the wound medicine that martial artists always prepared. “Alright, as long as the information is true, 1 won’t ask anything else. What did you find?”

Ye Jingtang thought for a moment. “The guards around the heir of the Prince of Yan are extremely vigilant, and there seem to be birds and beasts as lookouts. When I went to Parasol Street just now, I only paid attention to people but not birds and beasts. In the end, I alarmed a bird. Then an old man with a goatee came out of the Golden Screen Building. His martial arts skills with a cane sword are very high…”

Daoist Xuanji sat sideways in front of him and asked Ye Jingtang to raise his arm. She gently touched the wound with her fingers. “Goatee, cane sword… He should be Fang Shijie, a guard of the heir of the Prince of Yan. His swordsmanship is indeed extraordinary. As for birds and beasts… There are countless profligate sons who raise birds and eagles. There are also many who know how to raise them to look after the house. However, they aren’t as smart as the stupid little bird.”

Ye Jingtang chuckled and continued, “When I fought with Fang Shijie, I almost castrated him by mistake. When he kicked the wall and dodged to the side, his explosive power was very strong. He seems to be hiding his strength. That’s all the information I found out. If we want to continue investigating, you have to help me find the movements and manpower of the Prince of Yan’s heir. You have always been carefree and casual, so you can do whatever you want… Hiss—”

Before he could finish speaking, she pinched her waist hard.

Daoist Xuanji’s eyes were cold and charming as she got closer. “You don’t have a conscience, do you? You came to my room in the middle of the night and asked me to treat your injuries, but you still say that I’m not proper?”

Ye Jingtang raised his hand to take the medicine bottle, but he was stopped. He could only say, “That’s not what I meant. You suddenly investigating the Prince of Yan’s heir is in line with your strange style. Liren and Her Majesty won’t find it strange. I’m different. I’m very pragmatic. If I say that I’m investigating the Prince of Yan’s heir, Liren will definitely know that 1 have secret information. I won’t be able to explain the source if she asks.”

Daoist Xuanji harrumphed lightly and continued applying medicine to his arm. “Got it.”

“You have to investigate secretly too. Don’t casually deploy people, lest they alert the enemy.”

“Sure. What benefits are you going to give me?”

??

Ye Jingtang was stunned. He raised his arm and turned around. “You and I both receive our salaries from the Imperial Court. It’s our duty to protect the safety of Her Majesty. Why are you asking me for benefits? It should be you giving me benefits. I’m not Her Majesty’s personal guard.”

Daoist Xuanji blinked and felt that it made sense, so she changed her words. “So, what benefits do you want?”

H ii

Ye Jingtang didn’t want to joke, but after some thought, he tried asking, “The internal martial arts of Void Jade Mountain are very powerful. Can you teach me?”

?

Daoist Xuanji pressed his arm in disbelief. “It’s late at night. A man and a woman are alone, and a beauty is beside you. I asked you what benefits you want, but you actually want to learn martial arts?”

Ye Jingtang spread out his left hand. “I want other things. But Fairy Lu, will you really give them to me?”

Daoist Xuanji blinked. “As long as it’s in accordance with the rules and etiquette, I won’t be stingy.”

“Then, can you paint a painting that I can hang in my central hall? It should be ten feet tall. It’s best if it has my horse, saber, and the bird. Hmm… It has to highlight the atmosphere of Jianghu. It should be domineering but not too rough. The artistic conception should be vast and distant, and it can reflect love…”

???

Daoist Xuanji’s peach blossom eyes twitched imperceptibly. She was stunned. You’re not even going to pay a single copper coin to ask me to paint a ten-foot-tail painting, but you’re still asking for so much. Do you really have the cheek to ask?

Why don’t you ask Liren to paint it?

But she had just said that she wouldn’t be stingy. This request was also in line with etiquette. It seemed too late to regret it now.

After a moment of silence, Daoist Xuanji applied the medicine with force. “Alright. But this won’t be a matter of a day or two. I’ll paint slowly. You wait slowly.”

Although Ye Jingtang grimaced from being rubbed hard, he still smiled and said, “Thanks..”