ATPnovel Chapter 243 Leaving the Capital
Chapter 243 Leaving the Capital
Yang Silang was greatly alarmed.
"Your Highness, what makes you say such a thing?"
You guessed right! No wonder you two have a grudge from a past life that you've carried over to this one.
If you two are one male and one female, that would be perfect.
Unfortunately, it's for females.
"I don't know," he denied immediately without even blinking.
Your Majesty, I did not mean to deceive you.
Some things are white lies, but telling the truth doesn't benefit anyone and only adds to the trouble, so why bother?
Hu Jiaoniang stared at him intently for a long time. Suddenly, five tails appeared on her body, displaying an astonishing aura.
Yang Silang seemed to have returned to the Niwan Palace, where he stood alone beneath the Five Finger Mountain, formed from the divine will of the Mausoleum-Suppressing Martial Saint.
The house is still the same house.
Yang Silang was sitting cross-legged on the bed, while Hu Jiaoniang was sitting in a chair, not far apart from him.
However, at this moment...
Yang Silang felt that everything in the room was being magnified at an extremely rapid pace.
Hu Jiaoniang, in particular, grew from an ordinary person's height to one zhang, three zhang, seven zhang, ten zhang in just a few breaths...
As it transformed into a giant, its aura surged wildly, becoming as imposing as a mountain and as powerful as a prison.
That invisible pressure, like a mountain pressing down on him, all landed on his shoulders.
"I too am a mountain!"
Yang Silang instantly understood that it wasn't that Hu Jiaoniang had grown bigger, but rather that his senses had been distorted by her magic, causing him to infinitely belittle and deny himself.
He silently used the earth element divine power he had just mastered to guard his soul, making it as firm as a mountain.
Even if your mountain is ten thousand feet high, so what?
My mountain doesn't need to be so high or so big. As long as it's as tough as diamond, even a ten-thousand-foot mountain can't crush or destroy it. Instead, I'll break a big hole in it.
The golden wheel of merit behind the soul body turned, its light penetrating the body. Sure enough, he had unknowingly fallen under the spell, and pink aura was being expelled from inside and outside the soul body.
Yang Silang roared inwardly at the same time.
"Pressure..."
The Power of Intimidation is a special ability to break through mental suppression and illusion-type supernatural powers.
Yang Silang instantly broke free from the control of his mind.
The woman before him was still the same woman, with five tails waving wildly behind her, but they could no longer affect him in the slightest.
"Fellow Daoist, Your Majesty," Yang Silang said calmly, his expression unchanged, even his breathing steady, "I truly do not know."
Hu Jiaoniang stared at him for a long time, then burst into laughter, her smile blooming like a flower.
"Good, good, good, as expected of the young husband that Mo Xinlian has chosen."
"To be able to withstand my illusions and still keep lying, that takes some skill."
"Remember, say the same thing when someone asks you."
Yang Silang chuckled.
"I've always told the truth, and it doesn't matter who asks."
Mo Xinlian has gotten herself into too much trouble this time; we can't afford to get involved at all.
Hu Jiaoniang was even more satisfied with his answer.
She said slowly.
"Emperor Yongchang has truly gone mad this time."
"This time, all the women in the palace are also included in the inspection."
"Everyone needs to have their abdomen checked; no one can escape."
"He even persuaded the Empress Dowager and the Imperial Concubine Dowager to set an example, which is truly insane."
Yang Silang glanced curiously at Hu Jiaoniang's lower abdomen.
Hu Jiaoniang rolled her eyes at him.
"What are you looking at? I'm not running away either."
"But that's a mad dragon. Now anyone who dares to disobey him will have to bear the full wrath of the royal family."
"It's impossible for the emperor to cause bloodshed for thousands of miles when he's angry, but it's not a problem for him to cause bloodshed in the capital."
Yang Silang asked curiously.
Why was Emperor Yongchang so angry?
Hu Jiaoniang gave a cold laugh.
"The Nine Dragons Spirit-Binding Array of the Capital City actually has two array eyes, one yin and one yang."
"The so-called Yin-Yang array eye is located in the imperial tombs on Longevity Hill; the Yang-Yang array eye is in the imperial palace."
"I guess the Yin-Yang array's main core is in the mausoleum of Emperor Taizu, but there are also sub-array cores under the tombs of other emperors."
"The Jinghe Emperor's tomb was breached, and what happened inside is a taboo subject; even I can't find out."
"But there must be something wrong with the key point of the formation, otherwise there would be no problems in the capital city and the imperial city walls, and the whole city would not have been shaken up."
"The earthquake was not very strong and there were not many deaths, but it mainly tore a hole in the Nine Dragons Spirit-Binding Formation."
"You've felt it during these few days of cultivation, haven't you?"
Yang Silang nodded.
Having stayed in the capital for two and a half months, my cultivation progress is probably about the same as what I would gain in a month outside.
However, his cultivation speed has improved in the past few days, which is of course due to the damage to part of the spirit-suppressing array.
"When Emperor Qitai built the Nine Dragons Spirit-Binding Array, it almost exhausted the national treasury."
"Given the current state of the nation, Emperor Yongchang can barely afford to raise enough silver to reward the guards protecting the imperial tombs. Where would he find the funds to repair the grand formation?"
"Not to mention that it also uses many rare and precious materials."
"Perhaps he can complete the repairs by scavenging secret realms and the royal family's old resources, but it will take time."
"If, during this period, the rebel kings from other regions truly gain momentum and march on the capital, the once impregnable defenses will now have weaknesses. Do you think they will be extremely anxious?"
Finding the breaches in the city wall is quite easy. Wherever there's a crack, that's where the formation is weak. Just attack that spot.
"It's good that you leave this place now, so you don't get involved in trouble." Hu Jiaoniang waved her hand.
A jade tablet appeared on the table.
"I have found this Thunder Body Refinement Technique for you in the treasure vault."
"Its name is Thunder Essence Cast Golden Body, where 'golden body' refers to both the physical body and the soul."
"Purple Cloud Thunder Copper is a rare and precious material found in the Great Secret Realm, and it is extremely rare."
"Only when a large piece of precious copper is repeatedly struck by lightning in a place of thunderous surge for more than a thousand years can such a small piece be formed."
"It contains supreme lightning power, enough for your cultivation."
Yang Silang was truly grateful and bowed deeply to the ground.
"Thank you for your guidance, Your Majesty."
During this trip to the capital, I had the deepest bond with Mo Xinlian, and we could rely on each other; but if I were to say who gave me the most gifts, it would naturally be Hu Jiaoniang in front of me.
Strictly speaking, the other party only listened to him tell a story once, presenting it in two versions, old and new, but he showered him with gifts and rewards, showing great generosity.
Although he suspected that Mo Xinlian was involved in the other party's generosity, he was still the one who benefited, and his thanks were sincere.
Seeing his sincere attitude, Hu Jiaoniang smiled.
"Young friend, don't be in such a hurry to thank me. I have something else for you to give to that person."
Yang Silang understood immediately and asked what it was.
Hu Jiaoniang reached into her sleeve pocket and pulled out two items.
One was a small, tied-up bag decorated with runes; it was clearly a storage bag.
There is also a jade box.
Hu Jiaoniang pointed to the jade box, and the box opened, revealing an old rag doll inside.
"This is a magical artifact I acquired in my early years, called the Substitute Doll. By dripping a drop of my essence and a wisp of my soul onto it, it can replace the original body and appear just like a real person."
"Although it has little combat power and can only exist for half an hour, its aura and soul are exactly the same. As long as no expert searches its soul, it should be able to hide from you."
"This magic weapon isn't particularly advanced, but if used correctly, it can have miraculous effects."
Yang Silang nodded and accepted the jade box.
Hu Jiaoniang was absolutely certain that Mo Xinlian was the one who committed the crime at Jinghe Mausoleum.
This stand-in doll cannot fight, but it can be used to impersonate the real person for a short time to avoid being examined in the abdomen.
It's fair to say the guess was spot on, but it's not very useful.
The only thing she hadn't expected was that Yang Silang and Mo Xinlian, those two bumbling cobblers, had actually managed to heal her injury.
"Here's another storage bag for you. It contains several thousand spirit stones to facilitate your cultivation, as well as dozens of bottles of Sea Essence Shell Marrow."
"If you want to become a Grandmaster, you've now reached the Marrow Refining stage."
"The marrow of the sea oyster shell has miraculous effects. Its marrow can maintain the body's longevity and is also beneficial to qi, blood, true qi, and spirit. It costs several thousand taels of silver per bottle."
"Please accept it..."
Yang Silang was a little embarrassed.
"Fellow Daoist, Your Majesty, you have already granted me the Thunder Origin Golden Body."
Hu Jiaoniang chuckled softly.
"One thing at a time, this is to thank you for helping me pass this doll on to that person."
"If I deliver it to her door, she won't dare to see me or accept it."
"Alright, it's getting late, farewell..."
"I've taken that clone away. Be careful, if you encounter a Martial Saint True Person's attack, no one will be there to block it for you."
"If we meet again by chance, you can tell me the story of Investiture of the Gods."
Hu Jiaoniang flicked her sleeve.
Yang Silang felt a sharp pain in his arm, and sure enough, the fox tattoo was gone.
This demon immortal came and went in a hurry, very decisively.
Yang Silang called out "Fellow Daoist, Your Majesty" a few times, but only his echo remained in the room. He rubbed his arms, feeling a mix of relief and reluctance.
I feel relieved because I finally don't have that fox tattoo on my arm anymore.
This thing is essentially an avatar of Hu Jiaoniang. If she suddenly has a thought, it's practically the same as running naked in front of her.
However, judging from the fact that he let Mo Xinlian turn the alter ego puppet to see it, he really kept his promise and did not spy on it.
There was a touch of reluctance, because this thing had taken hold of me as soon as I entered the capital. Such a generous demon immortal, leaving just like that.
It's probably difficult to say we'll meet again someday.
Jiangdong Province is not close to the capital.
I probably won't be back here for the next few years or even ten years, so how can I possibly see you again?
Unless Mo Xinlian angers the empress again, and the two chase each other all the way to Jiangdong Province, which is highly unlikely.
Or, it's even more unlikely that she would give up being an empress and travel the world.
Yang Silang laughed heartily and clapped his hands.
do not care.
I've been away from home for almost four months, it's time to go back.
-
A few days later.
Inside the outer city gate of the capital, not far away on the street, there is a large mansion.
This courtyard actually occupies an entire street on its own, and it's even larger than the Fu Family Inn.
Outside the back door.
A flag bearing the two large characters "Yuanwei" was suspended high in the air.
Under its banner was a long procession of mule and horse carts, a large group of about a hundred people.
The outermost group consisted of lean, well-built men dressed uniformly in black short-sleeved shirts, carrying knives, guns, and bows; they were clearly elite soldiers.
Many of the wagons inside were loaded with heavy wooden crates, which were the very crates that Bao was escorting.
Because the escort agency has been setting off from here for many years, deep ruts have been left on the bluestone slabs on the ground, silently telling the story of the prosperity and past glory of this escort agency that has been passed down for hundreds of years.
Of course, there were also many four-wheeled carriages with people inside; and quite a few men on horseback, who were also entrusted with transporting "escorts".
In other words, this trip was a mixed cargo and personal shipment.
Yang Silang and Wang Daniu were also at the back of the line, waiting to depart.
This shipment will head south to the southernmost province of the Shun Dynasty, called Nanling Province, and Jiangdong Province is a place they must pass through.