ATPnovel Chapter 2, one word: Decided!
Chapter 2, one word: Decided!
On the mountain path, Zhu Xixiao led 120 Imperial Guards deeper into the back of the mountain.
The further he walked, the more uneasy he felt.
Because the road is wrong.
In the twelfth lunar month, Wudang Mountain was covered in ice and snow. When they climbed up from the foot of the mountain, several brothers almost slipped off the cliff.
But the snow stopped halfway up the mountain.
The ground was dry, as if it had been swept.
The trees on both sides were lush and green, with dewdrops still clinging to their leaves.
Zhu Xixiao lived for over forty years and had never seen dew in the twelfth lunar month.
"Sir, this place is eerie."
The centurion beside him leaned over and whispered.
Zhu Xixiao took a deep breath.
No, he stopped.
The air is warm.
It's below freezing outside, but the air here is warm.
Zhu Xixiao gripped the hilt of the knife tightly.
His resolve began to waver.
What if... he really is capable?
But then he thought again, he had an imperial order to obey, and he had no way out.
If he fails to steal anything to take back, his whole family will die.
"Walk!"
The group continued forward.
After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the view suddenly opened up before us.
A flat piece of land, two large rocks, and two people.
A boy is roasting sweet potatoes.
An old man is eating a sweet potato.
Zhu Xixiao was taken aback.
That's it?
He had imagined many scenes... a cave shrouded in celestial mist, a golden magic array, or at least a decent Taoist temple.
So the two of them ended up squatting in the field eating roasted sweet potatoes?
The awe he felt instantly vanished by more than half.
"Step forward and surround them."
One hundred and twenty Imperial Guards quickly dispersed and surrounded the flat ground.
The sound of embroidered spring knives being drawn echoed throughout the valley.
Zhu Zaiyi did not look up.
He was still eating sweet potatoes.
Zhu Di glanced over, his gaze sweeping over the Imperial Guards, before he lowered his head and continued gnawing.
Zhu Xixiao stepped forward, stood still, and looked down at the boy sitting on the rock.
"Are you the Taoist priest who lives in the back mountains of Wudang?"
Zhu Zaiyi took a bite of the sweet potato, chewed it, swallowed it, and then slowly said, "He's not a Taoist priest, just a sweet potato grower."
Zhu Xixiao frowned.
"Stop trying to outsmart me."
He took out a gold medal from his pocket and held it up in front of Zhu Zai Rui.
"Zhu Xixiao, Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, is ordered by the Emperor to have you immediately accompany me to the capital to meet the Emperor. All your prescriptions, cultivation methods, and books must be handed over."
Zhu Zaiyi finally raised his head and glanced at the gold medal.
Then he lowered his head again and continued eating the sweet potato.
"Did you hear me?" Zhu Xixiao's voice turned cold.
"I heard you."
"Then why aren't you moving?"
"The sweet potato wasn't finished."
Several Imperial Guards standing nearby laughed.
The centurion strode forward, grabbed Zhu Zaiyi's shoulder, and lifted him up forcefully.
It wasn't mentioned.
The centurion paused for a moment, then exerted his strength again.
Still nothing.
The thin, frail-looking boy sat motionless on the rock, as if he were permanently attached to it.
The centurion's face turned red.
He boasted of his strength, claiming he could lift a 200-pound stone lock on a normal day, but a half-grown boy couldn't budge it.
"You son of a bitch..."
The centurion cursed for a moment, then loosened his right shoulder and reached for the embroidered spring knife at his waist.
Just then, Zhu Di, who was standing nearby, spoke up.
"Young man, take your hand away."
The voice wasn't loud, but each word sounded like a stone hitting the ground, heavy and weighty.
The centurion turned to look at Zhu Di and sized him up.
An old man dressed in coarse cloth, his face full of wrinkles and his hair white.
"Old man, who do you think you are? You have no right to speak here."
Zhu Di narrowed his eyes.
He reigned as emperor for twenty-two years, launched five campaigns against the Mongols in the north, and terrified them.
No one had ever dared to speak to him like that.
there has never been.
Zhu Di put down the sweet potato and slowly stood up.
Although his hair was white, his back was straight, and he was a full six feet tall, a head taller than most of the Imperial Guards present.
He took a step forward.
The centurion instinctively took a half step back.
For some reason, at that moment, he felt that the person standing in front of him was not an old man, but a mountain.
Zhu Xixiao sensed the tense atmosphere and said in a deep voice, "Old man, we are the Embroidered Uniform Guard, carrying out the Emperor's duties. You'd better not meddle in other people's business."
"The Emperor?"
Zhu Di chewed on those two words, his lips twitching downwards.
"Which emperor?"
"His Majesty the current Emperor, Jiajing."
Zhu Di snorted and turned to look at Zhu Zaiyi.
"Rui'er, how long will it take you to eat these sweet potatoes?"
Zhu Zaiyi stuffed the last piece of sweet potato into his mouth and patted the dust off his hands.
"I'm done eating."
"Alright then." Zhu Di took a step back and sat back down on the rock. "You handle it."
Zhu Xixiao was getting impatient.
He was the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, a military officer of the third rank, a figure in the capital who did not need to kneel before the Grand Secretary.
I ran into this wretched mountain ravine and got played like a monkey by an old man and a young boy.
"Someone come here!"
Zhu Xixiao suddenly waved his hand.
"Seize these two men! Anyone who disobeys will be executed on the spot!"
As soon as he finished speaking, 120 Imperial Guards drew their embroidered spring knives and rushed in from all directions.
The blade flashed like snow.
A murderous aura emanated from them.
Zhu Zaiyi stood up.
He patted the dirt off his backside, raised his head, and glanced at the Imperial Guards around him.
His gaze was calm, without anger or fear.
It's like watching a group of ants.
"Great Ancestor, please sit tight."
Zhu Di nodded and leaned against the rock.
Zhu Zaiyi slightly opened his mouth and uttered a single word.
"Certainly."
The sound was very soft.
It was so soft that Zhu Xixiao, who was standing closest to it, almost didn't hear it.
The next moment...
An invisible force emanated from Zhu Zaiyi, spreading outwards like ripples on water.
Everyone froze at the same time.
Zhu Xixiao's right hand remained in a slashing posture, suspended in mid-air.
The centurion's foot had barely taken half a step when it was suspended there, unable to land.
One hundred and twenty Imperial Guards, along with their Embroidered Spring Blades, all froze in place.
It's not that I don't want to move.
It cannot be moved.
Zhu Xixiao was conscious.
He could see, hear, and feel the mountain wind blowing on his face.
But his body was completely unresponsive.
He can't lift even a single finger.
He tried to open his mouth to speak, but his chin remained motionless.
He tried to move his eyes, but they remained fixed in place.
He could even feel his heartbeat actually slowing down.
Fear poured over my head like ice water.
It's not martial arts.
It's not a hidden weapon.
This is not something he knows.
This is……
Only one thought remained in his mind.
Immortal.
The rumors about the back mountain of Wudang are true.
This boy eating roasted sweet potato is a true immortal.
Zhu Zaiyi stood still, walked slowly a few steps among the 120 human-shaped statues, casually picked up the gold medal in Zhu Xixiao's hand, looked at it, and then put it back.
"Your Majesty, this gold medal is quite finely crafted."
Zhu Di glanced at it: "The workmanship of the Embroidered Uniform Guard is naturally excellent. Back when I established this office..."
He paused, then didn't continue.
Zhu Zaiyi walked back to the stone and sat down.
"What should we do?"
Zhu Di looked at the Jinyiwei guards who were unable to move and remained silent for a while.
"Keep it for now. I have a few questions I'd like to ask their boss."
"OK."
Zhu Zaiyi yawned.
"Then I'll take a nap. This immobilization spell can last for twelve hours."
After he finished speaking, he leaned against the rock and closed his eyes.
The mountain wind continued to blow.
The leaves continued to rustle.
One hundred and twenty Imperial Guards stood still, like terracotta warriors under a spell.
Zhu Xixiao stood frozen in place, watching helplessly as the boy closed his eyes and fell asleep...
It’s over.
It's all over.
He not only failed to complete this mission, but he might even lose his life...
The faint sound of horses' hooves could be heard from the mountain road in the distance.
Many hoofprints.
And... the dull thud of wheels rolling over mud.
That's the sound of an artillery piece.