Chapter 112 Nan Shaocheng Arrested
"This journey is extremely dangerous; you must be extra careful." Li Tiankuo looked at the three of them. The morning sun was still a bit chilly, and he pulled his cloak tighter around himself. "I didn't expect..."
Unexpectedly, Li Tiankuo sighed, a sense of sorrow creeping up his spine and chilling him to the bone. The look in his eyes was complex, a complex emotion he couldn't quite describe.
"Take good care of yourself." Li Tiankuo patted Cui Mingcan on the shoulder and smiled. "I won't be accompanying you this time. Take care on your journey!"
Cui Mingcan laughed, "Great! When we return this time, we will definitely come to the capital to find you!"
Li Tiankuo smiled and said, "You are most welcome! As long as you come, the gates of my palace will always be open to you!"
The four of them looked at each other in pairs and remained silent for a moment.
Finally, Li Tiankuo focused his gaze, restrained yet direct, on Bai Yuheng, greedily staring at every feature of her face.
He knew that this parting might be the last time they saw each other, perhaps even forever.
He allowed himself to indulge one last time, just the very last time.
Li Tiankuo stared intently at her, taking in her smooth forehead, gentle eyebrows, affectionate eyes, delicate nose, and crimson lips...
Every delicate feature makes up her appearance.
She lost weight. From that day on, she lost weight and became different from before.
His eyes held a brilliance he had never seen before, a touch of humanity in them.
Li Tiankuo pursed his lips, unsure how to describe his feelings.
Should I be jealous?
It seems not.
He thought it was more of a regret.
He regretted that beautiful things never belonged to him, regretted that he never said what he wanted to say, regretted that he always lacked that little bit of courage. He regretted, regretted...
I don't know how long the silence lasted, so long that my warm limbs became stiff and cold, so long that the faint morning light shone on the earth, so long that people came and went in front of the city gate, one group after another.
I've seen you off for a thousand miles, but we must part ways eventually.
No matter how reluctant we are, the time for parting has come.
Li Tiankuo stood at the city gate, watching their receding figures. His gaze was heavy, and before he knew it, his eyes reddened. In a daze, before the chief eunuch beside him could speak, he couldn't help but take a few steps forward, almost wanting to follow. But the heavy burden on his shoulders forced him to stay.
Now, he is no longer a disciple of the Tianyan Sect, nor is he alone. He is the king of millions of people in the Great Zhou Dynasty. The heavy burden on his shoulders has rapidly transformed him from an ignorant boy into a young emperor who must shoulder the responsibility of a nation.
His carefree and unrestrained past came to an end at this moment.
The sky was a pale yellow, the wind was crisp and cool, and wisps of white smoke rose with each breath.
This time, instead of riding horses directly, they sat on Duobao's back and flew southeast.
Cui Mingcan looked back down, but the people standing at the city gate were no longer visible, and even the vast palace had become a mere speck.
"I never thought that after all this time, it would still be just the three of us left," Cui Mingcan sighed with relief.
Cen Ying couldn't help but slap him, pout, and glare back at him, telling him to shut up if he couldn't speak properly.
Cui Mingcan realized what was happening, his body stiffened, and he quickly slapped his mouth, inwardly lamenting that his mouth couldn't speak properly.
"Cough, the weather is really nice today..." Cui Mingcan was suddenly sneezed by a gust of wind.
"..." Cen Ying looked at him with disdain, saying he was more trouble than he was worth. Cui Mingcan scratched his head awkwardly.
Bai Yuheng naturally noticed the subtle exchange between the two and couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"Alright, alright, Xiaoying, stop glaring at him. If you keep glaring at him, Xiaocan will shrink and fall down." Bai Yuheng sighed, not as sad as they thought.
Seeing that she was indeed not wallowing in sadness, Cen Ying breathed a sigh of relief.
"Look how nervous you all are. I've lived several lifetimes longer than you, and I've seen countless partings and deaths. It's not like I'm going to get so caught up in this and become depressed."
Bai Yuheng laughed at the two of them.
"Hey, I was just worried about you..." Cui Mingcan grinned, "Once we get to the Netherworld Realm, find that Fusang Fruit, and meet Xuanlang Heavenly Venerable, Uncle Pei will be saved!"
Bai Yuheng nodded. Now, she could only place her hopes on Xuan Lang still being in the Netherworld, instead of him running around playing.
I wonder if she received her message...
After a month and a half of rushing, Duobao finally arrived at the entrance town of the Netherworld.
The Divine Netherworld is an ancient secret realm, home to numerous rare spiritual creatures and many extinct divine beasts. This secret realm is sought after by many cultivators. It is rich in spiritual energy, and one can feel the progress of one's cultivation simply by staying there for a short time, not to mention the precious and rare spiritual beasts that can be used for cultivation.
However, the Divine Netherworld has always been a legendary secret realm in the cultivation world. Many cultivators have tried and failed to find its true location. If it weren't for the fact that she once went down the mountain to save Xuan Lang, and both of them were seriously injured, and Xuan Lang brought her here to heal, she would never have come here.
The town closest to the Netherworld is called Nanshao City. This place is filled with miasma, dense forests, wild beasts and poisonous insects, and is sparsely populated with almost no outsiders.
So as soon as the three of them entered the city, they could feel the gazes, both overt and covert, sweeping over them.
Bai Yuheng said in a low voice, "Let's go to the clothing store first and buy some local clothes. Then we'll go in when the gate to the Netherworld opens at the turn of day on the 15th of each month."
"Um."
Bai Yuheng hadn't been here for a hundred years, and it was no longer the place she remembered. She asked many passersby, but the people in the city were extremely wary of outsiders with strange clothes and different accents. They stared at them curiously, and when they came over, they quickly avoided their gaze, waved their hands, and said nothing.
They finally found a kind older brother to give them directions, and that's how they found a clothing store.
The shopkeeper was a beautiful, alluring, and voluptuous woman with a cheerful disposition. She didn't stare at them with strange or direct eyes just because they were outsiders, nor did she ask them where they came from. She simply talked eloquently while introducing her clothes and tried her best to bargain down the price.
"No, no, this price is too low! I couldn't earn that much in half a year!" The proprietress raised her eyebrows and smiled, her tone a little irritable but her enthusiasm was palpable. "Raise it a bit higher! I see you're all from out of town. You've come all this way, shouldn't you try on our local clothes?"
Bai Yuheng and the other two weren't really trying to rip her off, so they paid the original price in the end. The proprietress was overjoyed, took a bite of the silver coin, and said happily, "Dear customers, please come to our shop whenever you need to buy clothes! I'll give you a 50% discount!!!"
The proprietress stretched out a hand and waved it, smiling beautifully.
Bai Yuheng also took the opportunity to ask her, "Yes, yes, I wonder if I could ask the innkeeper which inn in the city is the best and closest to the city gate?"
The landlady wiped the silver coins clean, blew on them until they shone, and said, "Alright, that's it. Keep going straight ahead, then turn right... See that? Guang'an Inn! This is the biggest inn in our Nanshao City. You can stay, have a meal, enjoy dancing, and listen to music!"
Having not been here for many years, I was unsure if the situation in the city differed from that in Jiangzhou, and fearing I might offend someone, I asked a few more questions.
The proprietress also expressed her understanding.
Thank goodness I asked; otherwise, I probably would have been arrested by the town's soldiers as soon as I stepped out the door.
"Did you see that?" The proprietress gestured in a certain direction. "If you do anything unusual, you'll be arrested and interrogated by the authorities as soon as you leave this door."
"Why is this happening? We haven't done anything wrong. Why are they arresting us?" Cui Mingcan asked, puzzled.
"There's nothing we can do. A while ago, many strangers came here and stole the chieftain's treasure, and then they died mysteriously on Wangyue Mountain outside the city gate. But the treasure has never been found. Whenever outsiders enter the city, some of those plainclothes constables follow you, and some go to inform the chieftain. Look, speak of the devil, and he appears! They're already here. Don't be afraid, you're not suspected. You'll just have to spend one night in the jail and they'll release you..."
A group of government soldiers armed with weapons and guards of the local chieftain surrounded the clothing shop, their eyes watching them warily and cautiously. If they made any move, their spears and swords could kill them instantly.
"Please come with us."
With the landlady's prior notice, the situation didn't escalate to the point of drawing swords against the person who was pointing them at them.
"If you cooperate properly, you will be released after one night. If you dare to resist, don't blame us for being lenient and cutting off your heads immediately!" The person who spoke understood some of the official language of the Great Zhou Dynasty, but he spoke somewhat unsteadily. It took them two tries before they could clearly understand what he meant.
“Alright.” Bai Yuheng nodded and said to the man, “We can go with you, but let me make it clear beforehand that we are not the ones who stole your master’s treasure. We only arrived today, so we hope you won’t take up too much of our time…”
"Stop talking nonsense! Get out of here!" A man dressed differently from the officials spoke, his tone impatient and fierce. "Whether it's true or not, our magistrates will know for sure!"
After saying that, a group of people surrounded the three of them, and the cold, sharp tips of their swords were about to pierce their bodies.
Bai Yuheng and the other two could not use their magic to deal with the defenseless mortals, so they had no choice but to have their hands tied, their faces covered, and be dragged in a certain direction.
They walked through bustling streets, stepped over high thresholds, and navigated complicated paths before finally stopping. The journey involved thousands of steps.
"My lord! The suspicious person who appeared today is here."
As soon as he finished speaking, the hall, or rather the palace, became as noisy as a bustling marketplace.
Who are you?! Why are you arresting us?!
"We were just visiting, passing through, and we haven't done anything wrong, so why are you tying us up?!"
"Is there no law anymore?! Is this how you treat ordinary people?!"
"Untie me right now! Do you even know who I am?! Once I get out of here, I'll make you pay!!!"
"Waaah... Mother, save me! Father, save me..."
"You scoundrel! Let us go!!!"
"Help! Help!"
In an instant, the entire hall was filled with all sorts of sounds: cursing, crying, begging for mercy...
Each word, like a summer rain, came suddenly, catching people's ears off guard and causing a momentary ringing.
Unfortunately, with my eyes covered, I couldn't see the people in this place clearly, but I felt a little restless listening to the constant wails and curses.
"Clang clang clang—"
Suddenly, several angry bells rang out from the upper left. In an instant, all the curses and wails fell silent, like a rooster being strangled. The hall was completely silent.
"What's all the noise about!"
"This is outrageous!"
The bell ringer was cursing, but after a couple of curses, he saw someone coming from outside and hurriedly and obsequiously pushed aside the people blocking his way to make way for the person walking in front.
"Miss Fang, you've arrived!"
The sycophantic voice made people scoff.
"Well, I've come to check on things for my father. I heard you've caught a few more people today?"
"Yes, yes, Miss Fang, please have a seat... Someone! Bring up the person we just arrested!"
Bai Yuheng and the other two were pulled to the middle and forced to kneel.
"Take off your veil," the woman sitting in the main seat said calmly.
"Yes! Remove it quickly!"
The candlelight in the hall was blinding, and the three of them squinted to adjust their eyes, finally seeing the beautiful young woman sitting in the main seat.
"!!!"
After their eyes adjusted to the scene, the three of them looked at the woman in the main seat and couldn't help but gasp softly.
"What, it's you guys?!"
"Miss Peony!?"
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