Aoyama

Chapter 173: The Guardian
Jin Zhu said that he did not look back when he came out of Wu Nian Mountain, and he never trusted anyone again. This huge Si Li Jian is like a Gu cage, and the ones raised in it must be the most poisonous Gu insects.

Chen Ji never expected that Jin Zhu, such a smart man, would be pushed into an abyss of no return by his colleagues just because of carelessness once.

At this moment, the Tiger-Armored Cavalry locked the unconscious Golden Pig's ankles with iron chains and dragged him behind the horse.

Chen Ji's expression was hidden under his visor: "Mr. Feng, it's more than ten miles from here to the Liu family mansion. If we delay him to death like this, I'm afraid it will delay the drum beating and flag-raising ceremony tomorrow."

Mr. Feng smiled and said, "How can a master of the Xiantian realm be dragged to death so easily? Don't be too soft-hearted. If I show even a little bit of sympathy for the golden pig, I will not escape the eyes of Elder Liu."

Chen Ji silently watched as the golden pig was dragged out of the city and to the gate of the Liu family mansion, dragging it for more than ten miles. On the way, he clenched the hilt of the knife in his hand, then loosened it, and clenched it again.

Mr. Feng glanced at him sideways and said nonchalantly, "Don't do anything impulsive. It's good for a young man to have some blood and energy. Many things in this world are accomplished with this blood and energy. But if you mess up my plan, I will kill you first."

Chen Ji took a deep breath and let go silently.

When they arrived at the Liu family mansion, the clothes on the golden pig's back had been worn off, leaving a long bloodstain on the official road.

The high gray walls of the Liu family mansion were like a city. After the soldiers on the sentry tower confirmed everyone's identities, they waved the red flag and ordered everyone to open the gate.

The red painted door creaked open, and a skinny middle-aged man came out. He squatted beside the golden pig to check its face and injuries, then smiled and bowed to Mr. Feng: "Congratulations Mr. Feng for your great achievement. It is a good omen to have the heads of the twelve zodiac animals as sacrifices tomorrow."

Mr. Feng responded casually: "Master Liu, this is a great achievement made by General Qian and I. General Qian was also injured because of this, so it cannot be attributed to me alone."

"Oh?" Master Liu was surprised: "General Qian is injured?"

"Yes, in the carriage at the back."

Master Liu walked to the carriage holding up his coat in one hand and a lantern in the other and lifted the door curtain.

He got into the car, first touched the wound under General Qian's ribs, then rubbed his fingers and put them under his nose to smell it, and then ordered all the soldiers: "Hurry up and carry General Qian in to treat his wounds!"

After that, Master Liu turned to Mr. Feng and said, "Mr. Feng, please follow me to the ancestral temple to see the master. He is still waiting for you. By the way, bring the golden pig in and show it to him."

Mr. Feng smiled and responded, "I'll follow Mr. Liu's arrangements."

The Liu family mansion was pitch dark, with no lanterns hanging from the eaves.

Chen Ji and several others carried the golden pig on a stretcher and followed Mr. Feng through the long alley. They saw white mourning banners hanging under the eaves of the houses on both sides of the road. The long banners stretched like curtains into the depths of the mansion.

Liu Mingxian has not been buried yet, and his coffin is kept in this mansion.

Most people will only keep the coffin for three days, some wealthy families will keep it for seven days, and some families may keep the coffin for more than ten days or even several months in order to wait for officials from other places to return home for the funeral.

But what the Liu family was waiting for was not the return of the people, but the heads and blood of the enemies.

When passing by Liu Mingxian's mourning hall, Chen Ji turned around and saw Liu Mingxian's coffin placed alone in the hall.

Next to the coffin, bodies of women in white mourning clothes were hanged on the beams of the mourning hall with white silk.

When the wind blew outside the hall, the female corpses swayed left and right, like a string of wind chimes that never rang. Chen Ji felt his hair stand on end, and even the battle-hardened soldier beside him let out a low cry of shock.

Master Liu, who was leading the way, said slowly without even turning his head, "These women are all my Second Master's concubines. They can't cry in front of the mourning hall, so we have no choice but to send them to accompany Second Master to the underworld. I'm sure this is your first time in this house, so don't be startled."

The soldier just now turned his head quickly and said in panic: "I will go and get twenty military sticks myself."

Master Liu smiled and said, "General Qian's subordinates are indeed sensible."

Gradually, warm light shone through the bluestone alley ahead. In the ancestral hall with eight vermilion doors open, tablets of Liu family ancestors stood tall like a forest on the main niche. The highest one was that of Liu Xuning, the ancestor of the Liu family, who was once one of the three highest officials and had remained there for generations.

On the rosewood table under the main niche were plates of offerings, more than twenty incense sticks and hundreds of eternal lamps, illuminating the ancestral hall as bright as day.

Elder Liu knelt on the cushion in front of the table, bowed his head and prayed for something, just like a believer in front of the green lamp and ancient Buddha, extremely pious.

When they were three meters outside the door, Master Liu turned to Mr. Feng and said, "Mr. Feng, wait here for a moment. I will report to the master."

After that, he stepped into the ancestral hall with small steps, leaned down and whispered in the ear of Elder Liu: "Master, Mr. Feng is back, bringing with him the half-dead Golden Pig and the severely injured General Qian."

Without raising his eyelids, Liu Ge Lao asked: "Is it really the Golden Pig himself?"

Master Liu whispered, "It's confirmed. He didn't wear a human skin mask. He was chained by Mr. Feng and dragged back from the city. The ribs on the left side of his body were all broken. He must have been kicked."

Elder Liu slowly opened his eyes: "Finally, we brought him back. My son can be buried in peace tomorrow."

Master Liu sighed, "Don't worry, Master. It's just that the timing of General Qian's injury is a little strange. Tomorrow we will hold a ceremony to pay tribute to the emperor. The Liu family will gather together, and we need someone to lead the Tiger Armored Cavalry to protect them."

Elder Liu pondered for a moment, and suddenly asked, "Can Mr. Feng treat General Qian's injury?"

Master Liu replied, "It has been cured."

Elder Liu asked again: "Is there any problem with the medicine you used?"

Master Liu replied, "I smelled it and found that Mr. Feng used the medicine from the Taoist Temple on Laojun Mountain. There is no problem." Lord Liu slowly closed his eyes, not knowing what he was thinking about.

After a long while, he let out a long breath and said, "Call Mr. Feng in."

Master Liu went out and led Mr. Feng in, then he stepped out of the threshold.

Mr. Feng stood behind Elder Liu, bowed and said, "Master, I brought you the golden pig."

Elder Liu supported himself on his knees and slowly stood up. He looked up at the tablet in the ancestral hall, but did not continue Mr. Feng's topic: "Mr. Feng, our ancestors handed the Liu family over to me, but they did not expect that the Liu family might decline in my hands."

Mr. Feng smiled and said, "How could that be? The Shenwu Army of the Jing Dynasty has taken advantage of the ice to cross the Chunlei River. Four of the five camps in the capital have set out for Chongli Pass. We will march straight in, and the one in Renshou Palace will not be prepared at all. We are going to the capital to clear out the emperor's side. If we win, Prince Jing's position is not legitimate and his foundation is unstable, so he can only rely on you and Qi Ge Lao."

Elder Liu sighed, "The reason why a noble family can become a noble family is that they never seek 'victory', but 'invincibility'. But now the Liu family has made mistakes step by step and has fallen into a situation where they have no choice but to rebel. I just looked back on the past ten years and I don't know who to blame... Should I blame my stupid and ignorant sister? Or should I blame my reckless son?"

"I have been thinking about it tonight," Elder Liu looked at the ancestral tablet on the main shrine, his eyes somewhat confused. "Prince Jing showed his rebellious intentions in the early years, but now he is hesitant. Is he indecisive because of his age? Or maybe this is a trap carefully prepared for the Liu family. If this is really a huge trap, the Liu family is in danger."

Mr. Feng thought for a moment and said, "Perhaps he was worried about being criticized by historians, so he wanted to put all the charges of treason on the Liu family. Then historians would record that it was the Liu family who supported him, not his original intention."

Elder Liu sighed again, "I can only make this guess. Mr. Feng, you and I have been master and servant for many years. The Liu family has treated you well, and you have also served our Liu family and made great contributions. Now General Qian is seriously injured, and the other generals have already led their troops. I will hand over these 6,000 tiger-armored cavalry to you, and please don't let them down."

Outside the ancestral hall, Chen Ji watched as Mr. Feng lifted up his clothes with both hands and knelt down to kowtow sincerely: "I am deeply grateful for the trust of the master. Please give me the surname Liu. From now on, I, Feng Wenzheng, and the descendants of the Feng family will change my surname to Liu. Generation after generation, I will go through fire and water for the Liu family without hesitation."

When he looked up again, Mr. Feng was already in tears.

Elder Liu immediately helped Mr. Feng up and sighed, "Mr. Feng is so talented, how can he be a slave of my Liu family? In the future, when we conquer the country, Mr. Feng's talent can make him a general or a prime minister."

After that, he took out a tiger talisman from his sleeve and handed it to Mr. Feng: "Go to the Tiger Armor Camp to take over, and lead the Tiger Armor Cavalry to deploy defenses. It's already the yin hour, and in another hour we will beat the drums to call for the troops, so don't delay."

Mr. Feng held the tiger talisman tightly in his hand and kowtowed again: "Thank you for your trust, Patriarch."

……

……

Mr. Feng left in a hurry.

Chen Ji stood outside the ancestral hall holding the golden pig and watching his back, but he still didn't know what the Imperial Household Department would do next. The golden pig had become a real abandoned pawn.

I don’t know when this long night will end.

Elder Liu came to the stretcher and looked at the golden pig quietly: "Wake him up."

Master Liu pulled out a small porcelain bottle from his bosom and shook it under the golden pig's nose.

The Golden Pig suddenly opened his eyes and tried to struggle to fight. However, Master Liu only tapped his forehead lightly and he could not move.

Chen Ji was shocked. This plain-looking Master Liu was actually a high-ranking official who had kept a low profile. No wonder Lord Liu kept only him by his side, and there was not even a single guard near the ancestral hall.

Elder Liu looked at the golden pig with pity: "In this chaotic world, you and I are helpless. Don't blame me. If you want to blame someone, you can only blame the Imperial Household Department for never thinking of leaving a way out for my Liu family. Master Liu, take it to my son to see. Slice the golden pig in front of its coffin and chop off its head. My son will feel at ease after seeing this."

As he spoke, it seemed as if it was not him who decided to kill Liu Mingxian, and it was only the eunuch party who were wrong.

Master Liu hesitated and said, "Master, why don't you wait until the flag-raising ceremony before beheading him?"

Elder Liu waved his hand wearily and said, "Go ahead. My son has waited too long. You can just place your head on the table tomorrow."

Master Liu waved to Chen Ji and the others and said, "Carry him, follow me."

Several people carried the golden pig to Liu Mingxian's mourning hall. All the soldiers lowered their heads, unwilling to look up at the female corpses above their heads, and held their breath to avoid smelling the stench in the mourning hall.

Master Liu, however, acted as if nothing had happened. He pulled out a silver dagger from his sleeve and, while humming a little tune, he cut the tendons of the golden pig's hands and feet, and then cut the flesh and blood of the golden pig with the blade.

Chen Ji watched the golden pig struggling with bloodshot eyes, suffering from the pain of being tortured. In the end, he said nothing and did nothing.

After an unknown amount of time, Master Liu suddenly asked, "How many cuts did you make during the Ling Chi process?"

The soldiers looked at each other, and no one could answer.

Master Liu smiled and said, "It's okay, three hundred and sixty dollars should be enough."

The next moment, he drew the sword from Chen Ji's waist and slashed at the golden pig's neck.

However, when the knife was about to hit the golden pig, Chen Ji saw a strange smile on the golden pig's face. With the knife, no blood spurted out, and no head fell to the ground.

The golden pig's entire body suddenly turned into countless copper coins and silver ingots, which scattered all over the ground.

It was as if what was lying in the clothes was not a golden pig, but a puppet filled with money!
Master Liu was stunned at first, and then he cursed angrily: "It turned out to be a way to take the official away! A self-torture trick, there is something wrong with the surname Feng! Quick, quick, go after that surname Feng!"

(End of this chapter)