Chapter 463 - 255: Walking at Night, Aren’t You Afraid of Running Into Little Ghosts?
"You little rascal, you gave me a scare!"
Lu Yuan summoned a treasured Eight Trigrams Mirror with his right hand, and it hovered in the air.
Lu Yuan chanted a spell, made a series of gestures with his right hand, and pointed at the Eight Trigrams Mirror in the air. He infused it with a stream of incredibly pure Celestial Master’s Power and shouted, "Freeze!"
The Eight Trigrams Mirror erupted with brilliant golden light, shining like a sun over the entire Training Ground.
Everyone raised an arm to partially shield their faces from the dazzling glare.
A pillar of light shot out from the front of the mirror, striking the Da Xingzi.
The Evil Qi surrounding the Da Xingzi began to recede, and its body was frozen in place, unable to move.
The Grand Elder of Le Shen Temple’s duster slashed straight down. With this single strike, the Da Xingzi’s soul was scattered on the spot, leaving not a single trace behind.
The surrounding sinister winds and Evil Qi dissipated along with it.
Seeing this, the lead Little Easterner shot to his feet. He swayed and staggered back two steps.
’I can’t believe it. The Da Xingzi we so carefully nurtured is gone, just like that. How am I going to explain this to my Great Emperor when I get back?’
If the other two Little Easterners hadn’t rushed forward to support him, their leader would have collapsed to the ground.
Lu Yuan retrieved the Eight Trigrams Mirror from the air, tucking it into his sleeve, then turned and bowed to the Emperor with his hands clasped.
Although Emperor Gu Yuanzhang was curious why Lu Yuan would carry an Eight Trigrams Mirror on his person, he didn’t ask. He simply gestured with a downward press of his hand, indicating for him to sit.
So, Lu Yuan sat down to one side.
On the Training Ground, the Grand Elder of Le Shen Temple sat slumped on the ground, completely weakened. Large beads of cold sweat rolled down his face, and his body felt as if it had been hollowed out.
The Grand Elder of Le Shen Temple propped himself up with his right hand, trying to stand. But his strength failed him, and he plopped back onto the ground, panting heavily.
A few eunuchs shuffled forward with their heads bowed, silently making their way to the center of the Training Ground. They helped the Grand Elder up and brought him before the Emperor.
It was less "helping" and more "dragging."
Supported by the eunuchs, the Grand Elder of Le Shen Temple bowed to the Emperor and said, "His Majesty the Emperor, this old Daoist has not failed his commission. The demon has been vanquished."
"Good! Good! Good!"
The Emperor exclaimed three times, walked up to the Grand Elder, and said, "Elder, you have demonstrated our nation’s might! A reward!"
When the Emperor stood, everyone else rose from their seats.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I must also thank the Prince Consort for his assistance. The Prince Consort is truly a young hero in the making." The Grand Elder of Le Shen Temple looked at Lu Yuan and nodded as he spoke.
Lu Yuan clasped his hands and said, "Grand Elder, you are too kind."
The Little Easterner snapped out of his disappointment and grief, strode into the center of the group, and said with his head held high and chest puffed out:
"Great Emperor, your nation’s masters are truly remarkable. We are immensely grateful for you eliminating this vile creature for our country."
How could the Emperor not see through the Little Easterner’s petty scheme?
The Emperor walked over to him, patted his shoulder, and whispered, "Don’t get too carried away. It’s useless."
"Ah?"
The lead Little Easterner didn’t seem to understand. He thought to himself:
’Is that a Western language?’
’May the force be with you?’
’May the force be with me?’
Talk about saving face for the Little Easterner; he even managed to hear a reprimand as a blessing.
Through this test, the Little Easterners now understood that the Divine Ling Empire’s national power was far beyond their own country’s. At the very least, their top-tier combat strength was inferior to the Divine Ling Empire’s.
This was merely a probe; their covetous designs on the Divine Ling Empire had not changed in the slightest.
The Emperor was very pleased with the Le Shen Temple’s Grand Elder’s "Inviting God" technique.
The Emperor said to a few little eunuchs, "What are you standing around for? Quickly help the Elder away to rest."
"As you command!"
"This humble Daoist takes his leave!"
The three Little Easterners also popped up and said, "Great Emperor, we have imposed on you today. We shall take our leave."
The Emperor waved his sleeve and said impatiently, "Go on, go on."
The Emperor had not arranged a banquet to entertain these envoys from Wa Country. He would let them go back to their guesthouse to eat.
’Weak countries have no diplomacy,’ Lu Yuan thought, feeling a sense of satisfaction. ’You can’t blame the Emperor for not giving your delegation any face.’
Of course, if there were even a few good people in Wa Country, the Emperor wouldn’t be so dismissive of them.
But that Wa Country... they were rotten from the core, just born bad!
At this point, only the Emperor, the Crown Prince, and Lu Yuan remained in the tent.
The three men’s presence created a somewhat awkward silence.
In countryside terms, the two men before Lu Yuan were his father-in-law and his brother-in-law.
But this was the palace. Even with no one else around, he couldn’t use such titles; he had to address them by their official positions.
And weren’t their positions the lofty Emperor and Crown Prince?
’What niche job titles.’
Crown Prince Gu Biao stood between the two, slightly to one side, waiting for his father, the Emperor, to speak.
Emperor Gu Yuanzhang said very casually, "Let’s go."
Lu Yuan also replied casually with an "Oh," which made the Crown Prince stare at him with wide, astonished eyes.
The Emperor walked in the lead, with the Crown Prince and Lu Yuan following close behind.
A contingent of the Imperial Guard and Jinyi Guard followed them.
Today’s incident had been no small matter. It had scared off all the civil and martial officials, and several of them had received quite a fright.
These guards remained on high alert, protecting the Emperor, afraid another Xingzi might leap out.
But no matter how powerful a Xingzi was, it could never harm the Emperor, who was protected by Dragon Dao Fortune.
The reason these guards protected His Majesty the Emperor was mostly for show.
As they walked, the Emperor asked, "Prince Consort, what was that you were holding just now?"
’An Eight Trigrams Mirror. In an age where Xingzi run rampant, who wouldn’t recognize one? He’s clearly asking a question he already knows the answer to.’
’Don’t tell me he found out?’ Lu Yuan thought. ’Impossible. I hid it very discreetly.’
A moment ago, Lu Yuan had been holding an Eight Trigrams Mirror in his right sleeve and a Top Grade Spirit Capturing Device in his left.
Even so, Lu Yuan had to answer respectfully, "Replying to Your Majesty, it was an Eight Trigrams Mirror. A family heirloom."
He didn’t mention the Top Grade Spirit Capturing Device at all.
"Not bad at all. I’ll credit you with a meritorious deed for today as well." After speaking, the Emperor turned to the Crown Prince. "Let’s go together. We’ll go see the Empress."
Today was also the day of Gu Ziye’s traditional homecoming visit. If it weren’t for the Little Easterners stirring up trouble, the family would have had their meal long ago.
Lu Yuan and Gu Ziye stayed in the Imperial Capital for the entire day, and by the time they were ready to leave, the sky was growing dark.
As they parted, His Majesty the Emperor walked out of the Empress’s chambers with Lu Yuan and Gu Ziye and asked, "When do you plan to set off for Taiping City?"
Gu Ziye looked at Lu Yuan, who replied, "In the next few days. We’ll pack up and prepare to leave."
"Is the Capital City not fun? Or is the residence not to your liking?" the Emperor asked again.
Lu Yuan said, "We’ve been away for many days. As the Prefect of Dongchang, I haven’t checked on Dongchang City in a long time. It’s about time I went."
Lu Yuan was just making an excuse.
"If you ask me, you should just come to the Capital City. I’ll grant you a high-ranking but leisurely post. Wouldn’t that make it more convenient for Yue’Er to return to the Imperial Capital?"
Hearing the Emperor’s words of persuasion, Lu Yuan knew he didn’t want to stay and be an official in the Imperial City.
Being an official right under the Emperor’s nose was truly a difficult job.
Standing to the side, Gu Ziye glanced at Lu Yuan and immediately knew what her man was thinking.
Gu Ziye linked her arm with Lu Yuan’s, stamped her foot, and said, "Father~ please don’t make us stay. We want to go see the wide world."
Emperor Gu Yuanzhang smiled, gently tapped Yue’Er’s high-bridged nose, and said, "You, still so playful. You can never have enough fun. Alright, it’s getting late. Go on back."
"Don’t worry, Father~ We’ll come back to see you."
"Alright, alright..."
After Lu Yuan and Gu Ziye left through the Imperial City Gate, Gu Ziye said she wanted to walk back to their mansion on Prince’s Mansion Street.
Doting on his new bride, Yue’Er, Lu Yuan sent his confidant on ahead to inform the household they would be back shortly.
The mansion on Prince’s Mansion Street was only a street away from the Imperial City Gate, a short walk.
Lu Yuan walked along the street holding Yue’Er’s hand. The shops on both sides were already closed for the night, their doors boarded up to prevent intruders.
Occasionally, one or two people would hurry past on the road. It was impossible to know if the passerby was someone’s husband, or if it was someone’s wife waiting by the dinner table for her man to come home.
Gu Ziye said, "Yuan~, did you know?
I really enjoy walking at night, hand in hand, with the person I love.
On this quiet road, it’s just you and me."
Lu Yuan spoiled the mood by replying, "Walking at night, aren’t you afraid of running into little ghosts?"