68 Painting Supervisor

◎“A sign of dynastic change.”◎

The suggestion came so suddenly that not only was Du Zhijin caught off guard, but Ying Jianhua himself was also bewildered. However, he quickly realized that this was an opportunity to get close to the emperor, and bowed, replying, "This humble subject obeys the decree."

The emperor laughed, and the laughter seemed to travel in all directions, making it impossible to discern its location. Du Zhijin listened intently, but could only vaguely hear layers of echoing sounds.

It is everywhere.

"Guards, take him to the Imperial Painting Bureau."

With a command, the stone gate reopened, and Eleven and Twelve reappeared, leading them out. Throughout the entire ordeal, the emperor didn't utter a single word to Du Zhijin, as if she had merely been brought along by Ying Jianhua.

After emerging from the stone chamber, Eleven's attitude towards them changed drastically. He not only brought them the official robes befitting the Director of the Imperial Painting Bureau, but also led them to their new residence. However... this residence was still underground.

Cold stone walls stand on both sides, and an indestructible rock wall is overhead. The entire underground space is devoid of wind and sunlight, and lighting is provided entirely by torches.

The number of guards hadn't decreased at all; these Imperial Guards wore identical black robes and masks, revealing only a pair of calm, expressionless eyes. Du Zhijin couldn't help but ask, "Does the Emperor also live here?"

Along the way, they passed through many places, such as "Shenxingsi," "Yingzaosi," and "Duyusi," which were essentially miniaturized versions of the imperial palace above ground and moved underground. It seems that the emperor was not really sitting idly by and waiting for death; in just three years, another imperial city was built.

But is hiding all the time really useful? If the enemy is closing in step by step, and you are just cowering, no matter how tough your shell is, there will always be a moment when you are crushed into dust.

Twelve replied, "How dare you! The Emperor resides here. It is forbidden to inquire."

As soon as he finished speaking, Eleven gave him a disapproving glance, and Twelve immediately fell silent.

Du Zhijin noticed that there seemed to be something wrong with Eleven's eyes. There was more white in her eyes than usual, which wasn't so obvious under the shadow of the mask, but once she moved her eyes, large areas of pale white would be exposed.

How interesting! Twelve has a problem with his tongue, and Eleven has unusual eyes. Is the Jinyiwei's recruitment standard based on physical ailments?

"Please forgive me, but I have no comment." Eleven looked at them, bowed apologetically. Ying Jianhua waved his hand: "It's our duty as Imperial Guards, we understand."

Eleven explained: "Originally, there was no position of Director of the Inner Court Painting in the palace, so Ya Cheng had not prepared a residence and could only temporarily tidy up a room. I hope you two will understand."

Ying Jianhua was stunned and asked, "You call this place Asia City?"

Eleven handed him the key and nodded: "The part above ground is no longer safe."

Although it was a temporary place, apart from being empty and old, the stone and iron house in front of them was perfectly fine. Du Zhijin wiped the dust off the table and gave Ying Jianhua a look.

Judging from the dusty state, it has indeed been idle for three years.

Ying Jianhua nodded slightly and asked Eleven a few more questions, all of which were brushed aside lightly. Finally, Eleven and Twelve left, but before they did, Twelve returned to them and said, "Someone will come to deliver food. Please don't wander around."

Du Zhijin: "Understood."

After she finished speaking, she realized that she seemed to have said three more words. Sure enough, when she looked up, she met Twelve's angry gaze.

She scratched her face, pretending she hadn't seen it.

Ying Jianhua noticed the exchange of glances between her and Twelve, and after the two people left, she asked, "Where did he take you? Are you hurt?"

He knew that Du Zhijin was deliberately revealing clues to divert attention, which made him even more worried.

Du Zhijin shook his head to indicate that he was fine, and couldn't wait to tell his discovery: "My cultivation is suppressed, so I can't identify the emperor's location by his voice."

After confirming that there were no obvious wounds on her body, Ying Jianhua felt slightly relieved and continued, following her train of thought: "The emperor is more resourceful than we thought. This trip was an unexpected bonus, but it also brought trouble. Your cultivation was suppressed because you were close to the dragon vein. If you encounter a possessed demon... what are your chances of success?"

Without hesitation, she replied, "Ten out of ten."

He didn't believe it: "The Illusion Demon has Elder Jun backing him up, how dare you say it's 100% certain?"

Du Zhijin: "If the possessed demon's cultivation is suppressed like mine, and it can't use its demonic power, then I have a 100% chance of defeating it. If you don't believe me..." She glanced around and couldn't find any other substance besides stones.

Suddenly, she said, "If you don't believe me, I can have a match with Twelve."

Ying Jianhua was surprised: "Your cultivation has been suppressed to such a severe extent?" He had always thought that these guys who were paid by the government were all people with connections and actually had no real ability.

Sensing his unspoken meaning, Du Zhijin choked, trying his best to clarify: "No, no, no, it's not what you think! Don't you think that Eleven and Twelve are very different from the officials we've encountered before?"

She gestured and said, "Twelve is very thin, and there are no signs of training on his body, but he is very powerful. This shows that he did not gain his strength through training."

Following her train of thought, he pondered for a moment and found a clue: "Eleven has a problem with her eyes. I've read about her condition in a book. Logically, she should have impaired vision. But she seems to have very sensitive hearing, which mitigates the visual disturbances."

“Yes, that’s very strange. Could they be a special organization of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, specifically recruiting and training people with disabilities?” she asked.

Ying Jianhua: "It's not impossible. Deadpool usually picks from orphaned children, and people born with disabilities are more likely to be abandoned."

This topic was temporarily put aside. The two looked around the stone chamber they were in, and Du Zhijin judged: "It's all solid, with almost no gaps. Given the limitation of demonic power, the demon cannot pass through the walls."

Ying Jianhua knocked on the stone wall and, as expected, heard a dull thud. The commotion attracted the attention of the patrolling guards, and he explained to them, "I'm just cleaning the room."

The guard glanced at them, saw that both of them had empty hands and their expressions seemed normal, and then let them go: "Don't wander around, and don't be curious. Just do your job."

Ying Jianhua nodded, but looked doubtful as the guard turned away.

Why the repeated emphasis on not moving around? Is it because they're worried about revealing the location of the "dragon vein"?

Compared to the Imperial Painting Supervisors, they were more like "criminals" under surveillance.

After hearing his thoughts, Du Zhijin asked, "Amo, did your father mention anything about the past to you? Did he have some misunderstanding with the emperor that he never resolved until his death?"

She deliberately used "dad" instead of "your dad," which sounds a bit like an insult, and calling him "dad" directly shows intimacy.

Ying Jianhua, oblivious to her subtle thoughts, frowned: "It's been too long, I have no recollection at all..." In his memory, his mother's image was much more profound than his father's. His father was just an ordinary painter, and later he even stopped picking up his brush and devoted himself to helping his mother practice medicine.

He simply couldn't fathom what misunderstanding such a father could possibly have with the emperor.

Du Zhijin was more open-minded than him. Since she was already there, she decided to make the best of it. She picked up her official robes and teased him deliberately, "Director of Painting, please."

Ying Jianhua blushed at being called "My Lord," hurriedly snatched the clothes back, and retorted, "Master Huaizhou."

He thought she would be embarrassed too, but Du Zhijin was actually eager for someone to call her by her real name. She rubbed her ears, signaling him to call her again.

"Nonsense..." Ying Jianhua muttered to herself, "...Pah, shameless."

Du Zhijin laughed: "Where's the shamelessness? Once I get rid of this possessing demon, there will only be two left on the map. Sooner or later, I'll become the True Man Huaizhou. By the way, speaking of True Man, do you remember I said that the real True Man Tianshui is skilled at observing the stars at night?"

He nodded, puzzled. "What's wrong? Did you find Master Tianshui?"

“No. It’s something else.” She hesitated for a moment before speaking, “That day I observed something unusual in the stars. The handle of the Big Dipper pointed north, signifying winter throughout the land. The Southern Star returned to its position, indicating the arrival of spring. Later, I went to the Marquis’s library to check and discovered that this was…”

"A sign of dynastic change."

————

The world, after a long period of unity, will inevitably divide; after a long period of division, it will inevitably unite. No single family can truly hold power forever. The swallows that once graced the mansions of the powerful now fly into the homes of ordinary people. The only things that remain unchanged throughout history are the gentle breeze on the river and the bright moon in the mountains.

This would normally be a perfectly normal thing for cultivators. But if it involves dragon veins and demons, then things get a little strange.

But the two are currently "locked up" here, and Du Zhijin can't even extend his "divine sense" much, so he obviously can't do anything.

Unexpectedly, getting one step closer to the truth turned into a passive position. An hour later, the person delivering the food arrived; it was Twelve.

Du Zhijin treated him like family, warmly inviting him in to sit down. Twelve hesitated for a moment, then agreed.

Ying Jianhua glanced at the food box in his hand, which contained several fruits whose names he did not know.

Noticing that he was looking at the food box, Twelve explained, "Water is hard to store. Eat fruit."

This means that water was difficult to preserve and transport in Asia, so they used fruit to solve their thirst problem.

Du Zhijin picked up a fruit and took a bite. It tasted bland but was very juicy and filling. She examined the fruit closely by the torchlight and found that they were pure white without a single blemish.

Not drinking water can indeed prevent the demon blood from seeping in.

It was an angle she hadn't considered.

She glanced at Twelve again and sighed, "No wonder she's so thin if she only eats this."

Having completed his mission, Twelve was about to leave when Ying Jianhua stopped him: "May I ask, Your Excellency, where should I report for duty tomorrow?"

There's nothing in this empty room except for the furniture. We can't expect them to just stare at each other every day, can we?

As it turned out, the emperor really intended for them to stare at each other every day.

After two more aimless days, Du Zhijin couldn't help but release Xingyue and practice against himself.

Ying Jianhua spent two days creating the illustrations. The task wasn't heavy; one illustration a day could be completed in half an hour.

He couldn't help but wonder if the emperor had planned this all along, and had ordered their house arrest to prevent them from causing trouble.