This place is fun

Chapter 183 Sun Zheng
The Su family's East Courtyard.

Su Xianyi strolled leisurely into the small courtyard flower hall with his hands behind his back.

Inside the room, Madam Jiang, who was picking beans with her head down, looked up at the sound, glared at him, and handed the small winnowing basket in her hand to the maid Qinggan: "Go, give this to the kitchen and have them cook some porridge for the old lady. Send it over tonight. She hasn't eaten much these past two days."

"Yes." Qinggan took the beans, turned around, lifted the curtain, and went out.

Madam Jiang watched Qinggan leave through the window. Once she saw that no one was left in the courtyard, she glared at Su Xianyi, who was sitting at the table drinking tea, and asked, "What do you mean?"

"What else can I say?" Su Xianyi said indifferently, "I just got scolded by the old lady. The news from Hongzhao Palace came over just now, and she's calmed down now, so she kicked me and my older brother out. Only Xiaoyu, Xixi and Daochun, the younger ones, were left to keep her company."

“Who asked you that? You deserved to be scolded,” Madam Jiang said. “I was asking about the mountain. You went out last night and didn’t come back until dawn, so don’t tell me you went fishing…”

She sat down next to Su Xianyi, leaning forward with a curious look in her eyes: "Hongzhao Palace said that Daoshan saved his disciple, what exactly happened?"

Upon hearing Madam Jiang's question, Su Xianyi, who had been leisurely, seemed to have been struck by lightning. He put his teacup to his lips, his gaze fixed on the empty space in front of him, his expression shifting, before finally shaking his head.

"Will you talk or not!" Madam Jiang demanded angrily.

"If it's your own son, why don't you just ask him what he wants to know?" Su Xianyi shuddered and stood up.

“My son is no longer your son,” Madam Jiang slammed her hand on the table. “What, so now you two are working together to hide it from me?”

"Can you blame me? The brat was dull-witted since he was little, but who knew he would develop a talent for martial arts as he grew up? Now that he's in the Cold Valley and has his master looking after him, can we just keep following him around forever?"

"Besides, you know him too. He keeps everything to himself, he's very stubborn, as obstinate as a bull. If he doesn't want to tell us, we'll just pretend we don't know anything. Isn't he doing a great job? Everyone in the Su family is happy..."

As Su Xianyi spoke, he had already moved to the doorway.

"Su Xianyi, if you dare to run away and don't explain yourself clearly, see how I deal with you..." Madam Jiang slammed her hand on the table in a fit of anger.

"Oh, right..." Su Xianyi seemed to remember something and said to Madam Jiang with a serious expression, "Do you know who that senior sister Fan Caiyi from Daoshan is?"

"Who?" Madam Jiang was taken aback.

"Song Zhuo and your confidante Lu Yushu's youngest daughter. Her nickname is Xi'er," Su Xianyi said.

Madam Jiang froze abruptly, her eyes fixed on Su Xianyi, yet her gaze was unfocused. She seemed lost in some indescribable bewilderment and recollection.

The room was quiet. After an unknown amount of time, when Madam Jiang came to her senses again, Su Xianyi had already disappeared.

******
"So, so, what are the people in the front yard saying?"

As soon as Huamei entered the courtyard, Pingting, who was waiting anxiously, grabbed her and asked urgently.

"Good sister, let me catch my breath and have a drink of water before we talk." Huamei's face was flushed, and there was a little sweat on her forehead, but she couldn't hide her joy.

Chun Yuan, the little girl who had been watching eagerly from the side, quickly poured a cup of tea and offered it to him.

Seeing that Huamei had drunk her drink, Pingting quickly pulled her to sit down on the bench under the eaves, fanning her with a handkerchief while urging, "Can you tell me now?"

Hua Mei took a breath, sat up straight, and said excitedly, "I found Captain Feng. He said that Elder Liu of Hongzhao Palace just sent a message via falcon to the Hongzhao Palace disciples left here, asking them to come and deliver the message in person. The young lady received them..."

"Hongzhao Palace?" Pingting and Chunyuan both widened their eyes. "What did they say?"

"Just as we guessed, the young master was taken away by that Snow Fairy." Hua Mei snorted, then smiled and said with relief, "However, they said that the young master is now with Elder Liu and the others, and is safe and sound."

Pingting's tense expression visibly relaxed.

Actually, the initial news had already spread throughout Sujiabao, but the details were unknown. Now that Huamei had confirmed it, a huge weight was finally lifted from my heart.

"Not only that, they also said that the young master saved several disciples of Hongzhao Palace. So this time they came to help let us know that we are safe and sound, and also to express their gratitude. Moreover, they made it clear to the young lady that if the Su family needs anything in the future, they can come to the camp to find them, and the entire Hongzhao Palace will definitely do their utmost to help."

The thrush grew more and more excited as she spoke: "These words were said in front of everyone. Not only did the clan elders hear them, but people from the Yue family, the Lin family, and the Zhu family were also present. Officers from the main camp's Fiery Army also accompanied us..."

"Ah!" Pingting covered her mouth in surprise and delight. The little girl Chunyuan next to her jumped up excitedly and clapped her hands vigorously.

As a native of Xiazhou, even the most ignorant person would know the status and influence of Hongzhao Palace among the sects in Xiazhou. No one expected that their young master, who had just become a disciple of Hangu, would now have a connection with Hongzhao Palace.

Even a fool could tell what it meant for Hongzhao Palace to come in person and say those words in front of so many people. It was clearly meant for those who harbored ill intentions towards the Su family.

Anyone who wants to deal with the Su family in the future should think twice about Hongzhao Palace's reaction!

"It's such a small thing, why did you take so long to find out? Don't you know how anxious we were waiting?" After the initial surprise, Pingting couldn't help but complain.

From last night until today, the entire Su family has been in chaos. As Su Daoshan's personal maids, they were even more worried and fearful, and didn't sleep a wink all night.

As she spoke, Pingting suddenly remembered something, turned her head to look around, and frowned, saying, "Where is that vixen? Wasn't she with you to the front yard to gather information?"

"I heard that the young master is alright and even saved the disciples of Hongzhao Palace. How could she stay still? She went out long ago. Right now, she's probably drinking tea and playing cards in Haitang Pavilion, showing off to her group of girlfriends," Huamei said with a pout.

"As for me... I was dragged along by those little sluts from the Central Courtyard and the West Courtyard, asking them about the young master." Hua Mei got angry when she mentioned this, gritting her teeth and saying, "Hmph, do you even need to ask me? They know more about this than I do. They even know who the young master saved."

"Oh," Pingting asked curiously, "who?"

"Legend has it that among the disciples of Hongzhao Palace who were rescued, the most famous was Liu Hua, the Moon Fairy, one of the Four Little Fairies," Hua Mei's pretty face fell down, and she pouted, "She was said to be a beauty of unparalleled grace and charm."

She grabbed Pingting's arm and shook it back and forth: "You know, a snow fairy came before, and after going out, she saved a moon fairy..."

The courtyard fell silent for a moment.

Xiao Chunyuan opened her eyes wide, looking left and right. She couldn't understand why her two beautiful older sisters, who were as lovely as figures in a painting, looked so worried after such a delightful piece of good news.

"What a womanizer. I wonder how many he'll bring back in the future."

She vaguely heard Pingting muttering something.

******
Chongguang City.

Sun Zheng stood on the city wall, gazing down at the Blazing Fire Army camp. Bugles sounded, ranks moved about, barracks stood in neat rows, and flags fluttered in the wind.

Sun Zheng's face was thin and dark, with a pair of narrow eyes that were half-closed and expressionless.

Sun Zheng is a second-level clerk in the Second Division of the Criminal Investigation Bureau. He has been in Xiazhou for several days since receiving a secret order from Division Chief Gu Mingxiu. Originally, this task was just a small matter that he would handle casually, and he did not think much of it.

After all, over the years, the Criminal Investigation Bureau has investigated the Crown Prince case, and its officers have lost at least eight or ten thousand lives. Countless once-powerful and influential families have vanished into thin air, let alone a small family like the Su family.

Even on the Bureau of Investigation's wanted list, the Su family was seen as a joke by everyone—who had ever seen a fool who would run to the enemy the night before his master, whom he had served for many years, ascended the throne?
However, to Sun Zheng's surprise, this very Su family had now become a problem. On one hand, while the Su family was indeed foolish, they still shared a bond with the current emperor from their time as princes. And precisely because of their foolishness, they appeared innocent in the eyes of many. If they were to be publicly punished, the current emperor would inevitably gain a reputation for being ungrateful and lose face.

Under the orders of Director Gu Mingxiu, Sun Zheng could only push things forward covertly through clandestine means. The kind of brute force tactics employed by the Criminal Investigation Bureau, such as raiding Yishan City with their iron cavalry, were unacceptable.

On the other hand, just as Sun Zheng arrived in Xiazhou, he encountered the invasion of the You tribe.

Half of the troops in Chongguang City's main camp have now been mobilized to Yishan City. Countless armed forces from various sects and aristocratic families have also gathered there.

Under these circumstances, Sun Zheng had no chance to make a move.

But all of that is alright. At worst, it'll just be a bit more troublesome and time-consuming. What really annoys Sun Zheng is that he never expected that in just a few days, the Su family would become so different from the Su family before.

If the Su family was once just an insignificant clan that no one cared about, easily crushed with a flick of a finger, then the Su family now is a red-hot coal. Not only has it risen to become the most powerful clan in Yishan City, but it also has close ties with sects and the military.

The root of the problem lies with a direct descendant named Su Daoshan.

In just a few days, this kid used Xie Xunbai's help to bring down the Mi family, became Han Gu's disciple, and then unexpectedly saved Tang Mo'er, becoming a favorite of the military.

This left Sun Zheng somewhat at a loss.

While the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics is powerful, it's far from having absolute power. Besides, he's just a mere second-level clerk; how could he possibly openly challenge a top-tier sect like Han Gu in Xia Prefecture, let alone have the Blazing Fire Army? Whether it's Wei Zhifei or Han Luheng, who would he dare to provoke?

"My lord." A subordinate rushed over and handed over a report. "This is intelligence about the Su family from Yishan City."

Sun Zheng reached out and took it, but didn't open it immediately. Instead, he glanced at the military camp below, frowned, and asked, "Has there been any reply from above? What are the bureau's plans regarding Wanchang City?"

With the intelligence network of the Bureau of Investigation, they had already monitored the movements of several demonic sects and alien species in the vicinity two days ago, and found that many people were moving towards a certain location at the border of the North and West Counties of Xia Prefecture. Then, as Han Luheng set off for Wanchang City and sent the news back to the Chongguang City camp, the Bureau of Investigation had obtained the definite intelligence two hours later.

Although the conflict with the You Clan had nothing to do with the Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Investigation never stood idly by when it came to matters involving the internal sects, aristocratic families, and military of the Xi Kingdom, especially those concerning secret realms.

"They've returned, telling us not to get involved. The Imperial Guards from the First Division and the Imperial Household Department have already dispatched experts to Wanchang City," the subordinate reported.

Sun Zheng snorted, his expression turning somewhat unpleasant.

Because he was in Xiazhou and had access to the intelligence network of the Criminal Investigation Bureau, he was the first to notice something was wrong when Han Luheng led his men out, and then reported it to his superiors.

Even an idiot would know that this Wanchang City secret realm is definitely not simple.

Not only did all the demonic sects mobilize, but many of the notorious mutants on the wanted list also went. More importantly, all of this was directly ordered by the You Clan. Moreover, to cover for the demonic sects and mutants, the You Clan even launched a large-scale invasion, deploying an offensive posture in Wen'an City and Yishan City as a cover.

Sun Zheng wasn't unaware that events of this level were beyond his purview. However, compared to the thankless task of dealing with a small family with ties to the current emperor, he preferred to gain experience and merit in the mission in Wanchang City.

Sun Zhen, his face grim, opened the intelligence report in his hand, carefully reviewed it, and frowned: "Red Illumination Palace?"

"My lord," the subordinate said in a low voice, his brow furrowed, "this Su family is really strange. They just managed to get on good terms with Cold Valley and Blazing Fire Army, and now they've also made connections with Red Illumination Palace. If we make a move, I'm afraid..."

Sun Zhen remained silent for a long time, then said with a strange expression, "So, that kid named Su Daoshan is in Beizi Town now?"

“Yes.” The subordinate nodded, somewhat puzzled, but then a thought struck him, and his eyes lit up. “Sir, you mean…”

"I originally thought it was a small matter, and I could just have the Wanmo Sect handle it. But now Yishan City is like an iron barrel, and those shady guys are unwilling to take the risk. They've been haggling with me for the past two days."

Sun Zhen chuckled, his eyes flashing with a fierce light: "And the most crucial figure in the Su family right now is that kid. If he had stayed obediently in the city, there wouldn't have been much we could do with him. But since he ran off to Beizi Town on his own..."

The subordinate immediately understood, and while excited, he cautiously added, "But sir, this lad is now under the care of the Red Illumination Palace..."

Sun Zhen laughed, glanced at his subordinate, and said calmly, "Right now, all sorts of people from the demonic path are heading towards Wanchang City. Didn't the bureau send people there too? If we're going to take advantage of the chaos to loot, we can use more than just those few from the Wanmo Sect."

******
Beizi Town.

As dusk settled, the last rays of the setting sun cast a golden glow only on the mountaintop opposite the town. The shops, barracks, and post stations in the town had all lit braziers, and the troops and caravans traveling along the road had also lit torches.

However, the dim light had no effect on Su Daoshan's eyes. Even in the dimmest light, he could see everything clearly.

Several caravans and merchants on the road stopped, dismounted, and made way for each other.

Soon, two wagons full of wounded soldiers sped into the town and drove into the makeshift field hospital in the barracks. Only when the row of stretchers following behind also entered the camp did the road return to order under the direction of the soldiers at the transit station.

On the mountainside opposite the town, rows of densely packed pits had already been dug by laborers. These pits would be used to bury the corpses carried back from the battlefield.

Of course, it was already lucky that the bodies could be brought back. Many had already become flesh and blood in the mouths of the mad puppets.

Su Daoshan turned his gaze away from the window.

In the afternoon, after Liu Xiangyi and Li Yulian left, Liu Hua came to visit and they chatted for a while. Although it was their first meeting, and she was a little reserved, they had plenty to talk about. Poetry, songs, classics, and historical texts…

The girl was indeed a voracious reader, especially fond of history. Moreover, the Liu family had been a scholarly family for generations, possessing a considerable collection of books dating back to the old era, many of which were unique copies. Therefore, she could recount many historical events that had been lost or interrupted in the present day in great detail.

It was through Liu Hua that Su Daoshan discovered that in the Old Era, the continent of Lanzhuo was vast and boundless, with a long history and countless dynasties. Furthermore, the development of human civilization was far more extensive than what he had witnessed while confined to a remote town like Yishan.

After chatting for a while, Wen Yilan, Pan Gang and others came to invite us again, so we went to a private room in the lobby of the inn to drink tea and chat until after dinner before coming up.

The news they received from the disciples of the sects coming and going was not good.

The passage of numerous experts from demonic sects has already caused casualties among their disciples. Along with this, large numbers of mad puppets and strange beasts have gathered in the surrounding area.

It is said that this is the work of a different species.

If there are still those among the demonic cultivators who refuse to collude with the Nether Clan, then these alien beings have become complete vassals of the Nether Clan. They possess the ability to command mad puppets, and normally rely on this ability to enjoy themselves in the refugee camps. Now that the Nether Clan has invaded and the main camp has begun its purge, they naturally create chaos everywhere.

Once the mad puppets and alien beasts have a commander, it will be much more troublesome than when they are scattered.

Under these circumstances, the danger level around Beizi Town has increased significantly. Not only are the major sects trying their best to gather their disciples back, but even the Yishan City camp has dispatched additional troops southward as a precaution.

In addition, news of the You Clan's overnight capture of several cities continued to spread. Even now, no one can clearly explain how the enemy broke through the Fengyuan Palace's exorcism array.

Amidst the fear brought about by this unknown, all sorts of true and false news and rumors circulated everywhere, creating a turbulent and unsettling atmosphere.

This made Su Daoshan feel insecure as well.

Back on the bed, Su Daoshan sat cross-legged, opened the brocade box, took out the Marrow Strengthening Pill, and swallowed it decisively in one gulp.

(End of this chapter)