Chapter 794 A Regular Way to Buy a Virgin
The main grotto is located on the north bank of Shuangfengjian.
From the ferry crossing on the north bank to the main grotto, the entire route was littered with severed limbs, broken armor, and blood-stained clothing.
The cliff behind the Donglin Buddha had collapsed and cracked, and the golden Buddha was now somewhat dim and faded, with only some golden afterglow shining on the high platform below, enveloping the heavily injured and panting crowd.
The White Tiger Guards and the white-clad female officials, who were not protected by the golden light, had already suffered heavy casualties and were stubbornly defending the area near the high platform... This was their last line of defense.
The dark gold Buddha sits alone in place, still standing tall despite losing the support of the cliff behind it.
This is due to both the protection of the Emperor Wen's supernatural powers to transform reality into illusion, and the excellent craftsmanship and materials used in the Donglin Buddha itself.
It is conceivable that Ouyang Lianghan and Jiangzhou Datang never cut corners, but always used the most exquisite craftsmen and techniques to create it.
However, no one was paying attention to that at the moment; all eyes were on the white dragon soaring through the clouds and the tall, golden-haired Hu woman.
Xue Zhongzhu stood atop the ferocious head of the white dragon, coldly and indifferently looking down at the living beings below, like a goddess from legend.
Behind the woman and the dragon, on the dome, there is a lotus flower in bloom with inscriptions, which serves as the background.
After Xue Zhongzhu coldly declared that the person holding the hairpin would not be killed, the entire room fell into a brief silence.
On the high platform, Rong Zhen, who had just been helped up by Yi Qianqiu, had her small, pale face flushed red.
Sensing the silent gazes of everyone fixed on the jade hairpin adorning her temple, the palace-dressed girl was filled with shame and indignation. She abruptly raised her hand to pull out the hairpin, holding it high as if to smash it to the ground. But just as her jade hand was about to drop the hairpin, she suddenly slowed down, and finally... she forcefully stuffed the jade hairpin into her sleeve.
Freed from the only hairpin binding her, her long, black hair cascaded down her slender shoulders. Rong Zhen abruptly pushed aside Yi Qianqiu and Granny Song, her small face tilted back, glaring angrily at the "Dragon Girl" and the white dragon in mid-air. Her once clear voice was now hoarse as she shouted:
"Nonsense! I haven't lost yet! I don't need your hypocritical charity. It's still unknown who will walk out alive. It's all up to your abilities! Trying to demoralize me with your words is truly despicable."
Xuezhongzhu's lips twitched slightly.
At this moment, Wei Shaoqi, who was far away on the summit of Nanfeng Mountain, flew in as light as a feather and entered the main grotto, arriving beside Xue Zhongzhu. A picture of Peach Blossom Spring was floating beside him.
Today, I witnessed the mythical creature, the white dragon, saw the golden Buddha display its power, and even watched up close the dazzling battle between two top-level Qi cultivators.
The remaining officials of the imperial court inside the main grotto were already exhausted and weary, and they were no longer surprised or astonished to see the middle-aged scholar flying through the air.
Although riding the wind is a privilege of high-level Qi cultivators.
Far away on the southern peak of Shuangfengjian, after Wei Shaoqi left, Wu Daozi, holding a vermilion brush and with a traditional Chinese ink painting of Shuangfengjian in front of him, turned back and asked Yuan Huaimin with a smile:
"Does Xiao Huaimin want to fly?"
Yuan Huaimin hesitated, but couldn't help glancing at the painting in front of Mr. Wu, in which Wei Shaoqi was meeting with the candle in the snow inside the main grotto.
Just now, when Wei Shaoqi was still here, Mr. Wu inexplicably took out a vermilion brush and made a dot on the small figure of Wei Shaoqi on the scroll.
Immediately, the ink-wash painting of the little figure, as if the finishing touch had been added to a dragon painting, became as light as a feather and flew towards the grotto on the north bank. In reality, Wei Shaoqi also seemed to lose weight and float in the air, carrying the scroll of the Peach Blossom Spring painting as he flew towards the main grotto on the north bank.
The movements are synchronized and exactly the same.
Yuan Huaimin couldn't help but look at the painting of twin peaks. Although the landscape and figures on it were all in the style of ink painting, they seemed to have a life of their own, and the painting changed along with the changes in the real people and scenery.
Speaking of which, this painting paper was originally prepared by Yuan Huaimin, who planned to use it today to copy the tribute painting and present it to the Empress of Luoyang. This was also Qiu Niang's arrangement.
Mr. Wu took it and not only painted every detail of the Twin Peaks scenery on it, but also infused it with a spiritual quality, making it seem alive and incredibly mysterious.
At this moment, before Yuan Huaimin could answer, Wu Daozi smiled calmly, first drawing a red circle with his vermilion brush, and then touching the little figures of Yuan Huaimin and Du Shuqing in the scroll with the tip of his brush.
“Lingran”.
The old man smiled and uttered two words softly.
In reality, Yuan Huaimin suddenly felt as if he had detached from the ground, his whole body felt light and airy, as if a gust of wind could blow him away.
He turned his head and saw that his companion, Du Shuqing, was doing the same.
The two seemed to have obtained the authority to fly freely in this place.
"I have marked this place, and no outsiders can enter. Young Huaimin can wait here and keep Young Hero Du company. I will go and say goodbye to my old friend and then return. As for your friend Ouyang Lianghan, it seems that he is not at Shuangfengjian for the time being. Only your cousin Yi Qianqiu is here. After seeing off your old friend and after the Eldest Lady has had her fun, I will bring her here. You take your people and leave. If you see Ouyang Lianghan later, I will also help protect him... Consider it a thank you for lending me the painting today."
Wu Daozi put down his vermilion brush, put his hands behind his back again, and walked into the painting of the twin peaks in front of him.
Even though it wasn't the first time he'd witnessed this scene, Yuan Huaimin was still somewhat lost in thought; Du Shuqing, standing beside him, kept his eyes closed, a bronze longsword hanging in front of him, as if he were completely absorbed in it.
Meanwhile, inside the main grotto on the north bank.
The majestic Buddha sits alone, seemingly without support. The atmosphere on the high platform below is deathly still. The sound of the zither still lingers from the bamboo grove, but the golden light emanating from the Donglin Buddha is fading, like the setting sun at dusk.
Below the dome, Xue Zhongzhu stood motionless on the head of the white dragon. The white dragon also did not attack the Buddha or the platform again, nor did it continue to deplete the Buddha statue array.
A woman, a dragon, and a sword—they waited quietly like this.
Wei Shaoqi, who had rushed over with the painting, glanced at the crowd on the high platform below, and then at the dim golden Buddha.
"That was a good opportunity. Why didn't Your Majesty capture the True Immortal Princess? Did she offer herself up and you were afraid of a trap?"
The candle in the snow did not answer. Wei Shaoqi glanced at the lotus inscription pattern on the dome above and continued in a gentle voice:
"However, it seems that Princess Zhenxian cares a lot about this map. Just now, at the crucial moment of her battle with me, when it was so important, she was in a hurry to get away..."
Wei Shaoqi shook his head, somewhat puzzled.
Because the grottoes in the mountainside are prone to producing responses, his voice echoed throughout the entire area.
Rong Zhen stared intently at Wei Shaoqi with her reddened eyes, as if she wanted to devour him.
Xuezhongzhu raised his chin, somewhat aloof:
"It's not just because of Xiao Qi's kind and compassionate heart. Don't forget what we're here for today. It would be too boring to just destroy a Buddha statue and kill a few government lackeys."
Everyone heard the tall, blonde oriental woman say with a hint of regret:
"It's a pity that Zhang Shixiu left us so early. Didn't he always like to ask me and us how to preserve both the face and the substance of Yunmeng? Now it would be a good opportunity for him to see for himself, but unfortunately he's no longer here."
Wei Shaoqi nodded somewhat helplessly:
"Yes, Your Majesty is right."
Suddenly, the candle in the snow pointed downwards and said:
"After preparing for so long, is this all the trick you have? Don't you have any new tricks? Show them to me, stop dawdling, I'm very busy."
Yi Qianqiu's eyes widened in anger, Wei Wu's face was dark and gloomy, and Old Yang's wrinkled face was somewhat numb.
Rongzhen clutched the white jade prayer beads in her hand, looking down at them silently, her face obscured.
Granny Song looked rather disheveled, her white hair disheveled, her purple-gold palace dress tattered and ragged, the Han-style palace lantern lying askew on the ground, and the candle flame flickering out like a candle in the wind.
The old woman with the white eyes tightly covered the wound on her right shoulder with her right hand. The injury was not serious, but the bleeding had stopped. On the wrinkled skin at the wound, some strange dark blue patterns could be faintly seen.
She covered the pattern with her palm, rolled her eyes, and stared at Xue Zhongzhu and Wei Shaoqi, who were in the lead. Her face was gloomy, and she remained silent, seemingly lost in thought.
No one refuted Xuezhongzhu's words for a time.
Wei Shaoqi couldn't help but chuckle.
Because he knew that the Great Queen's words were not just some impromptu insult to show off; she genuinely meant what she said.
Wei Shaoqi clearly remembered that when Zhang Shixiu questioned her face-to-face that "it would be difficult to preserve both face and substance," the answer from this proud and arrogant lady was very simple.
In summary, it boils down to three words: crush them.
Yunmeng wants both face and substance. It's simple, just crush it, like a car wheel casually crushing an ant, unstoppable and dominating the whole scene!
It would be best to let the imperial court do its best to prepare, give them ample time, and then let the Great Queen and her people arrive and crush them like a whirlwind.
Only in this way can Yunmeng's face and substance be preserved. Only in this way can the pseudo-Zhou court truly feel pain and fear, deeply fear, and clearly remember who is in charge in the Jianghu of Tiannan.
It's that simple and straightforward.
Even today, the imperial court is fully prepared with thousands of troops for defense, while these "rebels from the southern Jianghu" only sent four people, plus a white dragon, and yet they have created such a situation.
Nothing is more intimidating than a situation where the odds are stacked against you, yet the outcome changes drastically...
This is the face that Yunmeng Jianze wants to save.
Xue Zhongzhu's eyes were cold and indifferent, ignoring everyone. After a moment, his gaze fell slightly on a defeated opponent on the high platform.
The strange blue Taoist patterns exposed on Granny Song's damaged right shoulder did not escape her eyes.
The previously dull look in Xuezhongzhu's eyes sparked with interest.
They deliberately waited.
Just then, Yi Qianqiu, who was glaring angrily on the high platform, suddenly took off the silver-white tiger mask, crushed it in her hand, and a ball of silver light shone in her palm.
At the same time, an anomaly occurred.
The white mist that had been shrouding both sides of the Twin Peaks suddenly began to gather wildly into the main grotto.
These white mists were not originally meant to enter the main grotto, but at this moment, they surged in like madmen, and the white mist on the river was being emptied out.
The main grotto was filled with a gray-white mist.
The candle in the snow, suspended in mid-air, completely obscured Wei Shaoqi's view.
The white fog was so thick that two people standing close together couldn't even make out each other's figures.
Not to mention the view of the high platform and the Buddha statue below.
Xuezhongzhu tilted its head slightly, and the white dragon beneath its feet suddenly sank, plunging alone into the viscous, watery sea of mist below, rampaging wildly.
Apart from the sounds of rocks and ground cracking, there was no other noise.
The white dragon's ferocious power vanished like a stone sinking into the sea, yielding nothing.
Xuezhongzhu raised an eyebrow slightly.
Wei Shaoqi was also somewhat surprised.
Not far away, in a small courtyard with bamboo groves, a smiling old man pushed open the door and walked to sit down opposite an old musician.
The old musician bowed his head and played his instrument, ignoring the visitors.
Looking at the man and his zither, Wu Daozi asked curiously:
"Aren't you leaving yet? It's getting late. If it weren't for me, that Great Queen would have already come and chopped off your head."
He lightly twirled a vermilion brush between two fingers and admitted with a smile:
"However, it is precisely because I am here that no matter where you hide, they can move over and behead you at close range. You should run away and stop doing useless things. It's not worth it for those good-for-nothings."
The old musician earnestly corrected him: "It wasn't for them, it was for myself."
Wu Daozi suddenly turned his head, glanced outside the courtyard, and laughed;
"They're stalling for time again. Is this formation the White Tiger Guard's? Interesting. Who were they originally planning to deal with? Just like your zither playing, it's all in vain."
"It's really an eyesore, move it away."
The squinty-eyed old man raised his vermilion brush and drew a circle in the air in front of him.
The sea of fog inside the main grotto vanished instantly.
At the same time, at the top of Nanfeng Mountain, Yuan Huaimin suddenly widened his eyes. A cloud of white mist suddenly appeared in the ink painting of the twin peaks suspended in the air in front of him, obscuring the twin peaks in the painting.
However, in reality, the white mist has completely disappeared from both sides of the Twin Peaks, including the main grotto.
All of them were incorporated into the painting by the old artist.
The main grotto, now free of white mist, reveals the Donglin Buddha and the high platform beneath its feet once more.
The situation on the platform has changed somewhat.
Wei Wu stood respectfully behind Rong Zhen, who was much shorter than him, and took something out of his pocket, solemnly handing it over.
Yi Qianqiu, Granny Song, and Old Yang surrounded the girl in purple palace attire in the center, subtly protecting her.
Old Yang moistened his fingers with saliva and quickly flipped through the Confucian classics.
Yi Qianqiu stood in front, leaning on his silver spear. His mask was shattered, but some color had returned to his tiger-like face. He was chewing something, which seemed to be some kind of healing and energy-replenishing pill.
The white robe and cloak on her back disappeared and were now wrapped around the white-eyed old woman next to her.
Granny Song was hunched over, her blood-stained white robe tightly wrapped around her to conceal the wound on her shoulder. In her hand was a Han-style palace lantern, its flame now slightly restored, illuminating the old woman's wrinkled face in a sinister light, especially when combined with her upturned white eyes, which were staring intently at the two people and the dragon above.
Wei Shaoqi narrowed his eyes slightly. His intuition told him that the Deputy Director of the Imperial Observatory, who was known for his ruthlessness and the saying "old but not dead is a thief," was emanating an aura that was faintly dangerous, like... some kind of deathly aura.
The level of danger is even greater than when they first met.
Rong Zhen was dressed in purple, her long black hair cascading down her shoulders like a waterfall. The bloodstains on her lips had been wiped away, and her once pink lips were now as red as ripe cherries.
At this moment, she silently listened to Wei Wu's words, silently accepted the item he solemnly handed her, turned around, and looked coldly at the confidant of the King of Wei behind her with her dark eyes. The latter had his head down.
It was vaguely visible that what she received was a wad of red cloth, wrapped around something.
In the snow, the candle stood with its hands behind its back, its eyes lowered as it looked down.
Seeing that Rong Zhen and the others seemed to have finished getting ready, he calmly spoke:
"That's more like it. Stop holding back. Show us all your tricks before you die."
Rong Zhen coldly ignored her and quietly opened the red cloth bag. The red cloth was lifted to reveal a dark green one inside.
It is a very rare jade Maitreya Buddha, round and deep green, looking somewhat rich and festive.
This item is also called a "portable Buddha," and it was very popular among ladies in Luoyang. It was said that carrying it with you could bring you peace and protection.
Having obtained this genuine and unique counterfeit sword, the palace-dressed girl, who had experienced the despair of a broken heart that day, felt her chest heave for a moment. She turned to the side and bowed respectfully towards the bamboo forest:
"Thank you for your help, Mr. Yu. I will leave this to you. As agreed, you may return home now. Please forgive Senior Song's harsh demands. I will make the decision. You should leave quickly. What follows is between me and the rebels of Tiannan, and has nothing to do with you."
The music gradually stopped, and a faint sigh from an old man could be heard.
Inside the bamboo courtyard, the old musician paused his playing, looked up and said, "I can leave, I don't care about the others, but don't hurt Rong'er, I'll take her with me."
"Let's put one here and one there, and just go home today."
Wu Daozi chuckled and squinted as he said:
"Her surname is Wei."
The old musician remained silent.
On the high platform of the main grotto, Rongzhen's eyes were red, and she clutched a jade Maitreya Buddha, her sleeves fluttering.
In an instant, three different illusory Buddha images appeared, located in the three directions of the main grotto, together with the Donglin Buddha that had been rekindled with golden light, surrounding the white dragon from all four directions.
Xuezhongzhu nodded in satisfaction: "Finally here."
The white dragon beneath her feet had icy vertical pupils, staring at the four great Buddhas. Then, carrying the "Dragon Girl," the white dragon swooped down like a meteorite.
"boom--!"
The impact was deafening.
It was a real earthquake.
In the next instant, the sound of a zither emanated from all four Buddha statues.
A golden sword light descended upon Xunyang Grottoes from thousands of miles away, accompanied by the sound of a zither.
A streak of azure fell from the sky, as if the blue sky had lost its paint.
Wei Shaoqi laughed loudly: "True Immortal Princess, your opponent is me, don't be distracted."
Beneath the blue sky and above the white clouds, the swords of the "poor scholar" and the "Emperor Wen" clashed.
In the snow, Zhu, accompanied by a white dragon, battles four great Buddhas.
The former can fly, so they are able to maneuver with ease and become more and more courageous in battle.
However, the Buddha statue remained stationary.
On the high platform, apart from Granny Song who could fly, Yi Qianqiu, Wei Wu, and Old Yang Tou were unable to take off and had no chance to attack. All the archers on the surrounding high buildings had perished in the claws of the white dragon, and everyone could only let Xue Zhongzhu roam freely on the platform.
They have completely lost air superiority.
Worse still, just ten breaths later, the four phantoms gradually dimmed.
Rong Zhen's lips were bleeding and her face was pale.
Still can't hold on...?
Upon seeing this, the expressions of the people on the high platform became serious once again.
Xuezhongzhu seemed to be bored, so he began to lead the white dragon to wander around the high platform, slaughtering the female officials and armored soldiers around the platform who were not temporarily protected by the golden light.
The hunter in the sky and the prey on the ground—this scene is like an eagle hunting a rabbit in the wild, effortlessly and vividly depicted.
In an instant, blood stained the high platform, and the number of people on the court's side dwindled.
"Is that all?"
The tall, blonde oriental woman spoke eloquently, albeit somewhat awkwardly, and her words were brimming with sarcasm. However, what made Yi Qianqiu, Wei Wu, and the others tremble was that they could vaguely sense that she wasn't doing it on purpose; she genuinely thought that way and truly had low emotional intelligence.
What's even more infuriating than the enemy's sarcastic remarks is their genuinely indifferent attitude.
This is especially true for equally proud people.
On the high platform, some people's eyes gradually turned to despair.
Granny Song's expression shifted between light and dark. She covered the markings on her right shoulder with one hand, while simultaneously reaching into her sleeve with the other to touch a certain emerald green pill.
Xuezhongzhu let the white dragon slaughter him, his green eyes glancing sideways at the seemingly insignificant old woman with white eyes on the high platform after she was injured, as if waiting for some kind of counterattack.
Just as the golden light of the four great Buddhas was about to be exhausted.
Suddenly, a lone boat appeared on the river behind them.
The lone boat docked at the broken ferry crossing on the north bank. A group of people disembarked, and a young man in a scholar's robe walked ahead alone, while the blue-clad constable and a pair of sisters remained behind, watching him go with complicated expressions.
In mid-air, Xue Zhongzhu and Wei Shaoqi stopped and turned their heads, their eyes narrowing.
On the high platform, Yi Qianqiu, Granny Song, and the others were stunned and turned their heads to the side.
Looking at this somewhat familiar figure.
The young man, dressed in a blue robe, with a gourd hanging from his waist, a mask on his head, and carrying a zither case, jumped off the boat, stepped onto the north bank, and walked slowly towards us.
The young man in the scholar's robe seemed to know the way well. He stopped in front of the main grotto, wearing a bronze mask, and looked up at Xue Zhongzhu and Wei Shaoqi in the sky.
The two men who had driven the court to the brink of despair looked down at the young man in scholar's robes.
If viewed from above, his slender, frail body appeared as small as an ant.
The crowd recognized the young man in the scholar's robe.
Whether in the sky or on the ground, everyone looked at his arrival with some surprise.
“Ouyang Lianghan…” Yi Qianqiu murmured.
She couldn't help but turn around to look at Rongzhen, and found that the princess's small face was somewhat blank.
In the distant bamboo forest, the smiling old man, who was about to speak to his old friend, also turned his head slightly and looked towards the Buddha. The old musician followed his gaze.
Above the main grotto, the image of the young man in the scholar's robe was reflected in the snow-covered, emerald-green eyes, and he nodded to himself.
"We didn't catch you, but you delivered yourself right to our doorstep."
On the high platform, Song Mama and Wei Wu were initially somewhat suspicious, thinking that they were in cahoots. However, after hearing Xue Zhongzhu's words, the two couldn't help but look at each other.
They've come back to find Princess Zhenxian and them, to... help?
Rongzhen stood rooted to the spot, having regained her senses. She stared intently at the familiar figure she would recognize even if he turned to ashes, her hand clenching the hairpin trembling uncontrollably.
Wei Shaoqi asked with a curious expression:
"Are you the master of Butterfly Love Flower? Who exactly are you? I have just heard a rumor that you may be an old friend. Could you please remove your mask and show yourself?"
The young man in the scholar's robe ignored him, glanced around, and calmly said:
"They're all here. That's perfect. Miss Zhi Shuang, may I ask where your virgin Yue is?"
Upon hearing the title he used, Xue Zhongzhu stared coldly at the familiar bronze mask on his face, as if he were looking at a dead man.
As Wei Shaoqi carefully studied the young man in the scholar's robe's voice, his eyes filled with reminiscence, and he became increasingly interested: "Your voice sounds very familiar..."
Ouyang Rong ignored him and patiently asked those around him, "Does anyone know where Yue Chuzi is? Is she here? I'll pay you to answer."
Wei Shaoqi, acting on behalf of Xuezhongzhuwen:
"What business do you have with the Seventh Lady?"
"Oh, is that so?"
The young man in the scholar's robe turned around, his tone gentle, and took out a string of copper coins from his sleeve, about a string of cash. He casually tossed them into the dirt in front of him.
"I bought it."
With just three simple words, the young man in the scholar's robe spoke in a relaxed tone, as if he were an ordinary person who had seen something he liked while out shopping and was in a good mood, so he was a little generous.
The entire room was silent.
Wei Shaoqi looked puzzled:
"What did you say? Buy...buy what?"
The candle in the snow nods, the elegant words are stiff:
Say it again.
The young man in the scholar's robe looked around and said with a smile:
"One string of cash isn't enough to redeem your clan's Yue maiden? Hmm, it's been quite a few years, so it's normal for the price to go up a bit. Well... then we'll add your lives to the bill."
The young man in the scholar's robe discussed the matter openly and generously, rhythmically patting the wine gourd at his waist with his right hand.
The main grotto seemed to be shrouded in a deathly silence.
A series of strange glances fell on the young man in Confucian robes who had come to redeem Yue Chuzi.
The tall, blonde oriental woman smiled for the first time ever. Her mixed-race features were beautiful, but her eyes held a chilling coldness like that of millennia-old ice.
(End of this chapter)
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