Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
This was Lu Fan’s first seclusion.
He spent one day and one night in constructing a new Secret Realm on Dao Impartment Platform, which he combined with Dragon Raising Sites.
It was a huge project, which needed continuous refinement.
If the Secret Realm of the Immortal Palace of the Hidden Dragon Ridge were only on a small scale, then the construction of this Secret Realm was some real serious work.
After all, Lu Fan expected to see cultivators strong enough to achieve the Internal Organs Realm born at the end of this Secret Realm.
As to the Secret Realm, Lu Fan had not deployed it yet. It was still preserved on the Dao Impartment Platform, waiting for the right timing.
He opened his eyes. A breeze came in, stirring his white clothes.
He breathed out lightly.
Lu Fan lifted his hands to give his temples a gentle massage.
The construction of a Secret Realm would consume a significant amount of Soul Strength, especially for the improvement of a large-scale Secret Realm. Lu Fan was even a little lightheaded.
He waved his hand casually. Then the bronze liquor cup on the carved redwood table flew over.
The wine in the cup was already cold. Since Lu Fan was in seclusion, Ning Zhao did not want to come in without his permission to heat the wine.
He drank up the wine in the cup. The cool sour taste made Lu Fan’s mind clearer.
Then, using his mind, he heard the words carried over by the wind from out of the island.
Lu Fan raised his eyebrow.
In front of White Jade City’s pavilion…
Nie Changqing stood there with his knife. He was giving off intense energy.
While guarding the pavilion, he would not let anyone approach the building. Nor would Ning Zhao and Yi Yue.
As to Ni Yu, she was sitting on the ground far away, eating elixirs casually from a perfume satchel full of elixirs.
Young Master told her to cultivate while enjoying food…
And she really made it.
Nearby, Jing Yue, carrying his rosewood sword box on his back, was staring at Ni Yu, or the elixirs in her hand, bitterly.
Jing Yue had condensed Qi successfully after taking Gathering Qi Elixirs. He achieved Qi Core Realm.
He would never forget that wonderful feeling.
All of a sudden.
On the island, the oppressive air was gone.
They were all startled. They looked up at the second floor of White Jade City’s pavilion.
They saw on the terrace a white-clothed teenager enjoying the wind by the rail. He smiled at the people below.
“Young Master has come out of seclusion!”
Ning Zhao and Yi Yue exchanged a look, feeling glad.
If Young Master had stayed in seclusion longer, Beiluo City might be all muddled up.
Ning Zhao came onto the second floor, her white dress fluttering. She pushed the wheelchair down the terrace.
“Young Master, the emperor came from the capital city to see you in person, but we told him you were in seclusion. He is expecting you in Beiluo City now…,” Ning Zhao said.
Sitting in the wheelchair, with his forearms pressed against the wheelchair’s armrests, Lu Fan massaged his temples lightly.
“I already know,” Lu Fan answered calmly.
Ning Zhao was surprised.
“Sister Ning, find me a fishing rod…,” Lu Fan suddenly said.
Ning Zhao was surprised again. Next to her, Nie Changqing, carrying his butcher knife, could not help but raise his eyebrow.
“Young Master wants to fish?” Nie Changqing asked.
Lu Fan nodded slightly while looking at Beiluo Lake in front of him. A breeze came, stirring the glistening water surface.
Beiluo Lake was the first Dragon Raising Site Lu Fan chose.
“Yes.”
Ning Zhao went to look for a fishing rod without asking any questions.
“Young Master, the emperor is waiting. Won’t you go and see him?” Nie Changqing asked, his white clothes fluttering.
Massaging his temples, Lu Fan closed his eyes.
“Not until I finish my thing.”
Nie Changqing did not ask another question.
It was quiet. The wind stirred the Heaven Facing Spiritual Chrysanthemums in the distance.
“Crack. Crack…”
Suddenly, a weird noise came.
Lu Fan opened his eyes. He looked toward where the noise came.
Ni Yu, with her eyes widely open, took a sugar-coated Gathering Qi Elixir out of the bulging perfume satchel. She put it into her mouth and bit it. Crack.
She was seriously eating sugar-coated beans…
Lu Fan’s look gave Ni Yu a spooky feeling. With her shaking hand, she took a sugar-coated Gathering Qi Elixir out of the perfume satchel.
“Young… Young Master… Would you like one?”
The corner of Lu Fan’s mouth twitched. He waved his hand.
“Enjoy your elixirs. Take as many as you want. Remember, find a place where no one is around afterward…”
Ni Yu was a little puzzled.
Soon…
Ning Zhao came back.
Lu Fan took the fishing rod, though it was only an average rod. Then he gripped the sharp hook, and with his fair-skinned fingers pressed against it, he straightened the hook with effort. Then it became a straight, sharp “hook.”
“Young Master… How will you fish with a straight hook?”
Ning Zhao was dumbstruck.
Lu Fan did not speak. He only showed a smile.
On the boat alone, Lu Fan sat in his wheelchair at the front of the boat. He cast out the fishing line with the hook. When the hook fell into the water, it created ripples on the water’s surface.
Nie Changqing, Ning Zhao, Yi Yue, and the others were standing on another boat.
They were watching Lu Fan fishing in the lake with a straight hook.
******
At the lakeside of Beiluo Lake, it had been a total mess.
Lu Changkong’s face was cold. Luo Cheng, behind him, was staring at the officials kneeling on the ground with an aggressive look.
Who were these bastards cursing? Who was the wizard?!
It was quiet in the emperor’s wagon.
“Guys, watch your mouth,” Lu Changkong said with a cold face while looking at the officials who were kneeling on the ground, thumping their chests.
The old eunuch standing next to the emperor’s wagon also snorted lightly.
“A country can’t lose its emperor for even one day. Your Majesty has been in Beiluo for two days. The capital city is really in chaos.”
“By now the rebels have been repulsed. The Great Zhou Dynasty is facing an arduous task of restoring life to normalcy. Your Majesty shouldn’t linger here to wait for a wizard!”
“Your Majesty, please go back!”
A old fat, big-bellied man in luxurious clothes, kneeling on the ground, was bawling.
“Who is Lu Ping’an? How could he make Your Majesty wait like this?!”
“Although Lu Ping’an has an official rank, he is, after all, a subject, and Your Majesty is the monarch. The principles between the ruler and his subjects should not be violated!”
The officials of the Great Zhou Dynasty kept persuading Yuwen Xiu.
Outside of Beiluo City, wagons kept arriving, raising clouds of dust.
One after another, wagon took officials into Beiluo City. All of these officials intended to persuade the emperor to change his mind. If they were to succeed, then their names would be remembered forever.
However, the emperor in his wagon never responded.
Only the slight shaking of the wagon told the old eunuch the person in it was actually not calm at all.
******
In the camp ten miles away from Yuanchi City…
Mo Beike was holding a letter in his hand. His big eye bags slightly vibrated.
“Lu Ping’an from Beiluo in seclusion. The emperor was expecting him at the lakeside in person. All officials and ministers were going to Beiluo to persuade the emperor to go back to the capital…”
Mo Beike showed a faintly sarcastic smile.
Tantai Xuan was sitting in the seat of honor. Mo Ju was waving his feather fan. Both of them showed a sarcastic smile, as well.
“Great Zhou’s officials are just a group of doltish and useless men. They are good at scheming at each other, but when it comes to state affairs… They are nothing but some foolish dogs,” Mo Ju said bluntly.
Tantai Xuan leaned on the back of his chair. A smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
“At the moment, what we are trying to win is time…”
“Xiang Shaoyun is leading his army to the capital city. However, if we beat them to the capital city and bring those six cities under control, we will be in an invincible position. Even though Western Liang’s armored horsemen are said to be the strongest army in Great Zhou, they won’t be able to turn the tide,” Tantai Xuan said.
Mo Beike nodded slightly.
“Great Zhou’s capital city is like a pot of boiling water now. When the critical point is reached, it will certainly explode…”
“Even if the emperor can take Lu Ping’an back, what can he change?”
“It is impossible to reverse the trend…,” Mo Beike said.
******
A Dragon Raising Site certainly meant a place where dragons were raised.
Lake Island was White Jade City’s base. With Lu Fan deploying Spirit Qi here, Beiluo Lake around the island was also affected.
If there were really places in the world that were endowed with the fine spirits of the universe, Beiluo Lake was certainly ranked first.
Other than a Dragon Raising Site, the dragons raised here could even protect Beiluo Lake from danger. So why not chose this place?
A fog was rolling on the lake surface.
Lu Fan was fishing alone on the boat with undivided attention. In the lake, a great number of fishes approached him, jumping under the bottom of Lu Fan’s boat.
Everything has a soul. These fishes seemed to be able to perceive something.
They were chasing the straight hook, although there was no bait.
However, the hook was like the most delicious thing in the world. They were attracted to it.
Lu Fan was calm. He was setting up Mountain River Strategy on the chessboard while grasping the fishing rod.
No matter how the fishes in the lake chased the hook, the fishing rod always stayed motionless.
The fog rolling over the water became thicker.
The boat and the white-clothed teenager became blurry.
Ning Zhao, Nie Changqing, and the others could hardly see Lu Fan’s figure.
After a long while…
There were no more noises produced by jumping fishes.
Lu Fan’s indifferent voice came through the thick fog.
“Sister Ning, please invite the emperor over…”
On the boat, Ning Zhao’s hair was stirred by the wind.
She tucked her hair behind her ear. Her red lips moved. “Yes.”
Then, Ning Zhao stepped forward gently. When her white embroidered shoes touched the lake surface lightly, ripples appeared on the water’s surface. In such a surprising way, she went to the lakeside, stepping on the water surface.
When Ning Zhao was gone…
In the fog, Lu Fan seemed to be pondering.
He said, “Nie, Yi Yue…”
“Yes.”
Yi Yue hurried to bow. Nie Changqing lifted the knife to cup his hands.
“Beiluo is not the capital city. They can’t talk nonsense like that.”
“But I’m good-tempered, so I’ll allow them to continue…”
Lu Fan’s indifferent voice came together with the sound of chess pieces placed onto the chessboard.
Yi Yue and Nie Changqing squinted.
The two left by boat.
At the center of the lake, only Lu Fan’s boat remained there.
******
At the lakeside of Beiluo Lake…
Stepping on the lake surface, Ning Zhao came like a fallen Immortal.
The sight of her astonished many officials that they even stopped cursing.
“Your Majesty, Young Master is ready for a meeting.”
Standing on the lake surface, Ning Zhao bowed slightly.
In the emperor’s wagon, Yuwen Xiu lifted the curtain abruptly. An exciting light flashed in his eyes.
The old eunuch helped Yuwen Xiu get off the wagon and onto the boat, which had been there waiting.
“Your Majesty, don’t!”
“Don’t be confused by the wizard! Wizards will sabotage the country! Great Zhou will fall apart!”
“Lu Ping’an is hateful! This man will endanger the country! The country will be endangered!”
One after another, the ministers started to bawl, thumping their chests.
Ning Zhao looked at them indifferently.
On the boat, Yuwen Xiu closed his fists tightly. His face was quite red.
The old eunuch waved his fly-whisk lightly. He did not look happy. Those people thought the emperor was weak, so… They pushed it and went even further!
All of a sudden…
In the lake covered with thick fog…
A boat approached at high speed, producing white waves that were churning like white snakes.
Yi Yue and Nie Changqing jumped out of the boat and landed steadily before those kneeling officials.
Yuwen Xiu, already on the boat, was dumbstruck. He looked back.
The old eunuch waved his fly-whisk. He perceived threatening energy!
Nie Changqing’s white robe was fluttering in the wind.
The butcher knife he had been holding flew out. It turned into a black glow. Before anyone realized it, the knife had moved across the body of a minister who was bawling and cursing the “wizard.”
“Puff.”
Blood spattered.
The curses stopped.
Blood dripped off the butcher knife. The officials felt chilly.
Nie Changqing, turning the butcher knife slowly and curling his lip, spoke in an indifferent voice.
“Young Master is good-tempered, so he allows you to continue…”