Chapter 40 The Fortieth Dungeon

Those sharp, piercing eyes were sheathed in an instant.

If he could be brought back to life by anger, that would be good. Qi Lingjun lowered his eyes and said calmly, "A person who has committed a crime, Grand Commandant, please be careful with your words."

Seeing that the officials around him were all secretly glancing this way, Huo Yinyu angrily said, "What are you looking at! What kind of evil wind is that vixen blowing! She's stirring up trouble in the court, and all you opportunists do is stand by and watch!"

Qi Lingjun's unpopularity has been a long-standing issue, something Lu Huantang is well aware of. Qi Lingjun's rapid rise to power initially drew criticism from his own side.

Lu Huantang couldn't help but admire the social skills he had learned from Jiang Linzhi, and went to a restaurant with several ministers. When the moon was high in the sky and they were preparing to go to the next event, Lu Huantang bowed to the officials and said, "I'm so sorry, my family is very strict, so I won't be going. I hope you all enjoy yourselves."

In official circles, personal connections are important, but Jiang Linzhi is even more important. Because of this connection with Jiang Linzhi, he has now obtained the right to oversee the cultivation of the Crimson Orchid. He discovered that after the Crimson Orchid is harvested, it doesn't need fertilizer or care; it will grow again the following year.

No wonder the production of Yunnan Baiyao is so stable.

Lord Zhang of the Ministry of Rites, unaware that he was daydreaming again, joked, "We should cherish the time we spend with Lord Lu. He's already afraid of his wife before they're even married. Once we bring him home, he'll definitely be a henpecked husband."

Lu Huantang neither agreed nor disagreed, and took his leave with a smile.

Just as he turned the corner, Lu Huantang bumped into Jiang Linzhi, who was playing ring toss. He slowly walked behind Jiang Linzhi and quietly watched her toss the rings. She hit three out of ten, just having fun.

On the last lap, Lu Huantang suddenly spoke up: "Take it easy."

Jiang Linzhi was startled, her hand trembled, and she accidentally threw in the middle string of copper coins. She laughed happily and said, "Go ahead and play!"

The two arrived at South Street, the most bustling street area. A kind auntie brought Jiang Linzhi warm water to wash her blackened hands, which she had apparently scratched. Jiang Linzhi then ordered two dishes and two bottles of wine from the auntie's stall and pulled Lu Huantang to sit on the eaves to watch a shadow puppet show.

When they clinked glasses, Lu Huantang touched Jiang Linzhi's cold fingers. After spending so much time together, the two had long been used to physical contact. He took Jiang Linzhi's hand in return, put it in his pocket, and shouted loudly amidst laughter and fireworks, "Miss Jiang, don't you have anything new to say?"

Jiang Linzhi, who knows how to eat and have fun, couldn't stand being called boring. She tapped Lu Huantang's firm belly and said, "There's something new, but I've been afraid you wouldn't be able to handle it, so I haven't taken you yet. Are you up for it?"

Lu Huantang carried Jiang Linzhi on his back and said, "You show me the way."

Lu Huantang carried Jiang Linzhi on his back, scaling walls and rooftops. Lu Huantang ran all the way to the desolate mountains to the north before Jiang Linzhi told him to stop.

Below them lay a deep abyss shrouded in clouds. Jiang Linzhi said, "Jump down."

Lu Huantang was startled and grabbed Jiang Linzhi, who was about to walk forward. "Stop joking. Last time you jumped down, it was in that village, not here! This is that desolate mountain to the north. Are you sure you're not mistaken?"

Jiang Linzhi slightly raised her chin, her alluring eyes defiantly tilting upwards: "Is this all you're going to do? Play with me even if it costs you your life?"

He was truly risking his life. Lu Huantang jumped down with Jiang Linzhi in his arms. After a brief moment of weightlessness and ringing in their ears, they were caught by something soft. When they came to a stop, Lu Huantang realized that they were standing on a large net.

The two followed the net for less than ten feet. After Jiang Linzhi had fallen his leg into the mesh of the net several times, they finally saw a masked servant holding a pile of masks guarding a stone wall.

The two took the masks and went inside.

It was an underground city! The ground and walls were covered in gold. Its scale was almost the same as the Wuliang City above ground, and it even seemed larger. Judging from its location and size, a large area of ​​land outside Wuliang City was submerged beneath this underground city.

Lu Huantang was somewhat shocked. He had been in the capital for more than two years and had never known such a place existed.

Looking eastward, one sees a place of entertainment, where people come and go wearing identical masks, freely releasing their repressed desires in a bloody and unrestrained manner, so sensual that love is unnecessary.

Looking west, one sees a normal market town, where many people are not wearing masks and are buying and selling goods, just like the outside world.

Jiang Linzhi pushed away several men who were pressing their way towards him and said, "This is the City of Three Crossings. This side of the city is the 'Human Realm,' and that side is the 'Ghost Realm.' Once you step into the 'Ghost Realm,' life or death is irrelevant. Which side do you plan to visit?"

Lu Huantang pointed to the area beyond the red stream in the "Ghost Realm" and said, "Shall we take a gamble?"

Jiang Linzhi stepped into the 'Ghost Realm' without any hesitation. As soon as he arrived, dozens of eyes shot towards him. Jiang Linzhi seemed oblivious, striding across the stream and squeezing into the crowd.

Lu Huantang deliberately slowed his pace, coldly glancing at the "ghosts" who were spying on him. Only when he saw them slowly retreat into the shadows did he feel at ease and follow Jiang Linzhi.

This place is full of gamblers. This table is for guessing numbers. There are two dice and eleven possible answers. It's not easy to guess correctly.

Jiang Linzhi took out all the money he had won from the ring toss game and said, "I was unlucky, how was your luck?"

"It's alright." Lu Huantang pressed down on Qi.

Three o'clock and four o'clock.

An excited voice came from behind Jiang Linzhi's mask. She excitedly swept a large pile of money from the table over and said, "Continue!"

Seeing that Jiang Linzhi was in high spirits, Lu Huantang played a few rounds and won nine out of ten times. This was something that luck couldn't determine.

More and more people flocked to the area, and the dealer's face grew increasingly grim. If the two in front of him kept winning, they would lose money. But with only the two of them, if things got really bad, they would just kill them.

Jiang Linzhi suddenly grabbed his hand and said, "Do you dare to make a bet with me?"

"What are we betting on?" Lu Huantang asked without the slightest fear.

"Let's play one last round. If I win, we'll get married today."

In the ghost realm, desires and emotions are laid bare. The jeers from the surrounding "ghosts" echoed through the underground city. Lu Huantang, who heard these words, froze for a moment. That moment seemed exceptionally long. The noise around him instantly quieted down in his ears. He wanted to see Jiang Linzhi's expression when she said these words, whether it was as playful and indifferent as ever.

After that moment of distraction, Lu Huantang, seeing Jiang Linzhi's playful gaze, shouted, "I wouldn't dare!"

The crowd fell silent for a moment, followed by a chorus of boos.

Jiang Linzhi, feeling humiliated, roughly grabbed his collar and roared fiercely, "Why?"

Lu Huantang didn't back down, grabbing Jiang Linzhi by the collar and yelling back, "I don't want you to marry me because of a bet! I want your true love!"

The confession, which was anything but romantic, left everyone stunned.

The roar still echoed among the stone walls when the gambling den owner arrived with his thugs. Jiang Linzhi, disregarding his surprise and embarrassment, quickly filled a bag with money and then scattered the rest of it into the crowd.

The two mingled with the chaotic crowd caused by the robbery and ran into the "human world".

The "ghosts" cursed from across the boundary, never daring to cross it. Jiang Linzhi took off his mask, panting, and laughed, "That was so exciting, hahaha!"

Lu Huantang asked, "Can't they come over?"

"The ancestors of the people here were people who surrendered after the Wu and Sui states conquered small tribes. The surrendered people were not well received, and some emperor dug a cave for them and drove them here to live. Originally, they were supposed to be left to fend for themselves, but who knew they would dig out a city." Jiang Linzhi found it more and more amusing as he spoke, laughing heartily.

Jiang Lin stopped at a small shop and bought a lot of rice, flour, and cooking oil. He continued, "To avoid conflict between tribes, a master from the Wu tribe drew this line. Crossing is allowed, but if you cross the line with malicious intent towards the other side, you will die. They just wanted us dead, so they dare not cross the line."

Jiang Linzhi stopped again at an old woman selling fermented rice wine and called out loudly, "Aunt Qin! Two cups of fermented rice wine!"

Lu Huantang asked curiously, "Can you really die?"

"I don't think so. It's like saying 'grave diggers will die.' It's just empty talk. Who would be willing to risk their life to prove it?"

As the two chatted and laughed, an old woman who barely reached Lu Huantang's waist walked out with a hunched back. She shakily used a bamboo tube to scoop wine, spilling half of it as she scooped. Finally, when the tube was full, the old woman tentatively handed the wine over.

It seemed the old woman was blind, so Lu Huantang quickly took the gift and said, "Thank you, Grandma."

Jiang Linzhi had already opened the small partition and moved all the money bags into her small kitchen, saying, "I brought you a bag of money, I put it in the kitchen."

The old woman, feeling the heavy bag, grew anxious and said, "You brat, here we go again! What was that young man who just spoke up about?"

Jiang Linzhi pulled out a delicate sandalwood hairpin from his hair, placed it in the old woman's hair, kissed her forehead, and said, "Friend! I'm going to find my master!"

The old woman called out in Lu Huantang's direction, "Young man! Come here!"

Lu Huantang rushed over, but the old woman grabbed him and stroked his face with her withered, vine-like hands, saying, "Old woman, I'm blind. Tell me, is the heart as beautiful as the face?"

Jiang Linzhi stood with his hands behind his back, watching leisurely.

Faced with such a direct question, Lu Huantang sincerely replied, "It's not the same for others, but it's the same for Miss Jiang."

The old woman patted him with satisfaction and said, "Let's go, there's still a long way to go."

Jiang Linzhi led Lu Huantang away, and Lu Huantang joked, "It seems you're quite familiar with the people here, Jiang girl."

Jiang Linzhi punched him and said, "I accidentally wandered into this place once, and that's how I became an apprentice here. I've spent more time here than in the manor."

Jiang Linzhi greeted the people on the street and continued, "When I was a child, I often went to Aunt Qin's house to steal rice wine. Oh, she is Qin Luofu."

Qin Luofu? That famous beauty? Lu Huantang still couldn't connect the hunched old woman he had just seen with the beauty in the book.

Jiang Linzhi sneered, "How can a beautiful woman with high aspirations but no power survive among wolves? Between beauty and dignity, she ultimately chose dignity. But without beauty, people bullied her even more, taking advantage of her blindness, using pebbles as money, and stealing other things when she bought things."

So many princes and wealthy merchants wanted to take her as a concubine, but she, a peasant girl, could scare away these wolves with a few sharp words.

Jiang Linzhi suddenly cheered up again, "But I'm a little jackal! I killed everyone who bullied her and hung their heads and the evidence on a street lamp. Anyway, Aunt Qin can't see them, and no one dares to tell her. After that, no one dared to bully her anymore."

The two walked and walked, and the number of people dwindled until they reached a stone forest, where Jiang Linzhi stopped. She silently recited a spell, but nothing changed around her. She recited it again, and the surroundings became so quiet that they almost merged with the darkness.

Jiang Linzhi roared, "Fan Wubai! Open the door! Your precious disciple is back!"

A strong voice came from behind the stone forest: "What? Your precious disciple can't open the door by himself?"

Shi Lin slowly backed away, making way for them. Jiang Linzhi laughed and said, "You must have changed the spell; it's definitely not my fault."

After traversing the dark path, the view suddenly opened up, revealing a brightly lit bamboo house under the starry sky. He had walked for so long, and all he'd seen above him were stone walls; here, he could actually see outside.

Suddenly, he heard a gasp in his ear, and Lu Huantang instinctively swung his sword.