Monster Appearance

The rain fell heavily.

The rumbling thunder engulfed the slowly darkening sky, and the streets that should have been bustling were deserted.

The carriage crossed the water on the long bridge.

Gui Yao looked back at her aunt who was taking a nap in the carriage, supported herself on the ground with one hand, turned over and sat outside the carriage.

The rain came in slantingly, and seeing this, Ren Beixi covered Guiyao's head with his hat.

It's covered tightly.

But there was stubbornness in Guiyao's eyes.

"If war had spread, they wouldn't have buried the bodies this way."

Upon hearing this, Ren Beixi simply tightened the reins as the wheels could easily slip in the rain.

Just like the truth.

The man shook his head.

"Most of my people are still in Wuhua City. After the body was dug out, Wuhua Mansion heard the news and quickly took over the entire case."

"It's closely related to Lu Qingshan's faction."

Ren Beixi looked at Gui Yao beside him, who was fiddling with her hat with both hands. She held the reins tightly with her right hand and lifted the hat slightly with her left arm, revealing Gui Yao's pretty face.

"After the Gao family changed dynasties, some of their Jiangnan branch remained in the ancestral home area. They were Concubine Gao's mother's family. In the 27th year of Yongchang, the imperial guards were mostly responsible for forcing the emperor to abdicate, and most of the imperial guards were the forces of Gao's grandfather."

Gui Yao finally adjusted the hat that was big enough to cover her entire body, with a serious look in her eyes.

She had heard from her uncle that the grandfather of the Jiangnan Gao family was the younger brother of the founding emperor and should have been a prince, but because he loved business and disliked power struggles, he volunteered to guard the ancestral tomb.

So the founding emperor waved his hand and let his brother do it.

Thunder rumbles.

Gui Yao came close to Ren Beixi, and the hat on her head almost poked his nose.

"So... there was no Ren family army when the abdication took place."

In the Battle of Zhulutai, the Ren family army defeated the Northern Barbarians and General Ren Dingshan died for his country. It snowed in June of that year. In December, the new emperor Gao Shun ascended the throne and changed the reign title to Chengwen. In the second year of Chengwen, the Northern Barbarians retreated and peace lasted for about ten years.

"Of course." Ren Beixi said.

Gui Yao leaned on his shoulder, stretched, and was silent for a while. Suddenly, her pretty little face looked a little sad.

Ren Beixi said, "Hmm?"

She simply said, "For some reason, that demon beast from earlier always makes me feel uneasy. I just don't understand whether this uneasiness is due to its connection with the Northern Barbarians, or is it related to Jiuchong's invitation tonight."

The monster appears.

Where exactly did it show?

"Have you heard that His Majesty hasn't attended court since that day? Could it be..."

"I'm afraid he hasn't even shown up."

"Be quiet, don't let the distinguished guest hear."

Now that's good, the servant in the distance felt more than twice as upset.

At first, I was curious about who stabbed the Imperial Master.

What was he thinking about then? The Grand Master of the Imperial Household had been quite gloomy these days, and only smiled more when Miss Pinyue came to his house.

Finally, Guiyao’s eyes were too direct.

The servant blushed with fear and muttered to himself, "Rumor has it that His Majesty is possessed by a demonic beast, which is why he held a grand banquet on the anniversary of General Dart Flag's death."

"This general's wife..."

Guiyao blinked.

Me? How do I look like a monster?

Ren Beixi, who was standing tall behind him, simply pinched the back of his wife's neck with one hand.

Guiyao looked back in confusion again.

Ren Beixi curved his eyes and said, "Nothing."

The Imperial Master's Mansion is located quite close to the Imperial Palace. It covers a large area and is elegantly decorated. It prefers to use red as the main color, which is the style of Jiuchong.

The name wasn't clearly written on the invitation, but apart from the servant, it seemed that Gui Yao was the only one sitting in the courtyard today, with Ren Beixi standing in the back. Why wasn't he called Xiao Hei? If Jiuchong couldn't recognize Ren Beixi's figure, then he must have been a substitute.

That's interesting.

The raindrops slowly fell along the pavilion.

It was more like a big shelter than a yard. There were many fruits on the table. Gui Yao didn't hesitate to peel some grapes and wanted to give them to Ren Beixi, but then she remembered that he was still wearing a mask.

"You're not showing your true face to others. Are you afraid that a wounded person like me will bully Gui Yao?"

Gui Yao looked in the direction of the voice and met Jiuchong's gaze, who was also wearing a mask. After a while, she chuckled.

The atmosphere became much more relaxed. Pin Yue, who appeared out of nowhere, silently stood behind Gui Yao. Seeing Ren Beixi who was trying to steal the job, she nodded slightly to her.

The food will be served as soon as you sit down.

The host's table was at that end, but Jiuchong insisted on sitting opposite Guiyao. After the tea was brewed, he asked the servant to bring two cups over.

"The wind direction in the capital seems to be wrong."

The rain fell in bursts, dripping on the edge of the empty flowerpot. Jiuchong opened the fan with one hand and waved it slightly. The servant turned and left. While the few people were silent, he sat beside the pavilion and began to play the flute.

Guiyao held her face.

"How is the recovery of the Imperial Master's injuries?"

Kunou clutched his chest and sighed.

"This is a personal vendetta. If it weren't for Sister Guiyao, I really want to kick the person behind you out."

Ren Beixi, holding the sword, said in a calm voice: "My wife is already your grandchild, so please be careful with your words, Imperial Master."

Guiyao paused while drinking tea.

These two people have been at odds with each other ever since Xiao Hui was stabbed.

It all comes down to age.

"General Ren, do you really want to be my grandson?" Jiuchong narrowed his eyes.

Stop.

Gui Yao raised her hand: "Grandpa Imperial Master, when can the food be served?"

Jiuchong smiled and put away his fan. He had specifically instructed that the dishes for tonight must be delicious and beautiful so as to show the importance of the guests attending the banquet.

He saw Pin Yue looking up at the sky, probably hoping that he didn't recognize the three of them. He looked at the masked Ren Beixi and smiled faintly. He stood up and held his sleeves, saying, "Everyone in the mansion knows us well. Please take a seat."

"The news coming out of the palace recently is not peaceful." Jiuchong said.

He said nonchalantly, "The celestial phenomena mentioned at the solar term banquet that day should mean that tomorrow the sky will be covered with clouds and rain, which will be the beginning of chaos. It is not good and will not end well."

Guiyao was not hungry. She had eaten too much at Xu's house at noon and had just eaten a lot of fruit, so she listened to the lecture attentively.

But Pinyue had no intention of speaking, and Ren Beixi didn't even take off his mask.

She curled her eyes helplessly and said, "Please enlighten me, Imperial Master."

“Boom!”

A roar of thunder.

"Ancient texts from the previous dynasty record a demon beast named Que, who delights in rain and floods. Legend has it that the previous emperor was named Xun. He was benevolent and powerful, wise and trustworthy, and he built water conservancy projects to benefit the people. Displeased, Que fell from the clouds and rain into the palace, possessing Emperor Xun. Since then, Emperor Xun's temperament has changed drastically. The Imperial Master said, 'When the demon beast appears, the emperor will be intact. Rivers and mountains will be destroyed, and great buildings will crumble.'"

Jiuchong turned the teacup over on the table, and the tea dripped down from the height to Guiyao's feet.

"Look, it's raining."

Gui Yao stared at him blankly, and could only see a faint sigh in his peach blossom eyes.

The rain was getting heavier, and the pavilions could no longer provide any shelter. The wet bricks and tiles were slowly soaked, and the remaining tea water merged into a stream.

"What's the ending of this story?"

Guiyao frowned.

Jiuchong kindly asked and answered her questions.

“The story doesn’t necessarily have to have an ending.”

“Not recorded?”

"It's not necessarily that there won't be an ending."

"The original ending was destroyed."

Ninth level paused slightly.

He saw the seriousness in Gui Yao's eyes clearly. He suddenly put down the teacup he was stroking and asked inquiringly, "Why do you always get involved in these things? What is your desired outcome?"

What is the ending I want?

Gui Yao suddenly felt that the fingers that were clenching her sleeves were held by the man beside her, and a strand of her lingering hair was also put behind her ear by him.

Ren Beixi placed the mask on the table and said, "You will see our end, won't you?"

Jiuchong rarely responded immediately.

For a moment, the only sound at the table was the sound of rain.

He said, "Perhaps, I will die before you."

Pinyue, who was drinking tea nearby, was very quiet.

Gui Yao frowned and raised her eyes.

She was asking why, and he seemed to be able to see through her, and replied with a smile: "I calculated it."

I thought it was before it got completely dark.

The rain could be lighter.

Unexpectedly, thunder rumbled, bringing a completely unexpected piece of urgent news.

When Ren Hui ran to the Imperial Master's residence, the people at the door wouldn't let him in, so he turned over and used his lightness skills to enter the residence. If Jiuchong hadn't asked the guards to take away the hidden weapons, the two of them would have fought back and forth again.

Let’s not talk about this for now.

Ren Huiya said, "The one in the palace ordered a new army to be raised, intending to capture the Nine Strongholds of the Northern Barbarians."

The man in black stood with his hands behind his back.

After a while, he lowered his eyes and said, "Return to the palace."

"No!" Ren Hui knelt down and said, without even having time to wipe the rain off his face. "His Majesty fainted after giving the order. Now everyone in the palace must go to the prison to find the general."

"Who is in the palace?" Jiuchong asked.

Ren Hui gritted his teeth and said, "Prime Minister Qiu and Censor Li will enter the palace at noon with their subordinates. They will also be accompanied by Wuhua City Governor Lu Qingshan..."

"And the Imperial Master."

Ren Beixi's sword fell in front of Jiuzhong's neck again.

The man's dark eyes were silent.

Gui Yao heard this and said carefully, "Then we must return to the palace now. If we are caught and try to escape, it will be considered disobedience and our crimes will be several times more severe."

"Jiu Chong, do you want to go to the palace with me?" she suddenly said.

The man in red waved his fan and said, "I don't want to waste my breath. The substitute is trustworthy. Just call him Xiaojiu. Go quickly and come back quickly."

Guiyao and Pinyue nodded, and then pulled Ren Hui, who still wanted to show his teeth, away.

It's raining at this time.

A carriage traveling outside the palace was considered inconspicuous.

Ren Hui wore his own conical hat and drove the horse. In the carriage, Gui Yao took off Ren Beixi's mask with her slender hands. Their eyes met, and before she could speak, she heard the man say in a deep voice.

"Emperor Xun cut off the Imperial Master's head and hung it at the Meridian Gate for seven days. After that, there is no further record of him."

The man looked at Guiyao's face and said nothing.

Gui Yao was silent for a moment, then obeyed him, reading out his inner voice word for word: "The story of the monster beast Que ended up with the same fate as her brother's Phoenix Drink."

"In the last years of the late emperor's reign, Gao Shun had an imperial decree drafted, banning this story on the grounds that it violated the palace's taboo of perfection and was too mysterious to be believed."

Ren Beixi praised: "It works well."

As Gui Yao elbowed him, she saw the carriage galloping onto the long bridge at the palace gate.

She lowered her eyes: "If there really is a monster, how can we break this situation..."

The man suddenly lifted Guiyao's thin chin with his knuckles, looked into her eyes, and pinched her face.

Gui Yao was startled for a moment, then suddenly smiled and said, "It works!"