The court lackeys of the eight-hour workday

Chapter 270 Grand Event
Inside the narrow cave, Li Miao stretched out his hand and placed it on Ruan Mei's pulse point, slowly transferring his true Qi into her.

After a moment, Ruan Mei slowly exhaled a breath, and her originally old face slowly became younger, revealing her heroic appearance when she was young.

Li Miao stopped and stood up, smiling.

"After hiding for half a year, your Five Decays have already stepped on your neck and started to jump. Add to that your injury, if it weren't for me, you would have died within a day."

Ruan Mei also stood up slowly and bowed deeply to Li Miao.

"Thank you for saving me, sir."

Li Miao waved his hand and looked around.

"Your place is quite secluded. Among all the refuges I have seen, your Emei Sect's is the most useful one."

At this time, Li Miao was in a cave. Although the entrance was small, the interior space was spacious enough to accommodate dozens of people. There was a stone bed at the innermost part, and several sacks were placed beside the stone bed, which should be some food for easy storage.

To carve out such a large cave on this steep rock wall requires the ability of at least a celestial being.

On one side of the stone wall, there was a wet cloth tied to a pottery jar, from which the sound of dripping water could be heard. It was the clear spring in the cracks of the stone that nourished the dead pine tree outside the cave.

This cave is located in the middle of Sheshen Cliff. There are stone walls and dead pines outside that cover the entrance of the cave. There is not much light inside the cliff itself. If Ruan Mei had not lost her strength after being injured and broke a few branches and leaves, even Li Miao would have found it difficult to find this place.

Moreover, there is food and running water in the cave, and the mountain breeze refreshes the air. Even if Li Miao does not come, these true disciples can probably hold out here for more than half a month.

Ruan Mei shook her head.

"This is where the founder of my sect practiced in seclusion, and later it was used as a refuge."

"However, this place is in the middle of the cliff after all. If there is no help from heaven and earth, the people inside will be trapped here and die. Therefore, this is the first time it has been used in hundreds of years."

"If I hadn't known that you would definitely come and find this place after I died, I would rather protect my disciples and flee down the mountain."

At this point, Ruan Mei smiled.

"I didn't expect you to come so soon. You came before I died."

Li Miao raised his eyebrows.

"Oh?"

"So, you know that I'm coming to your Emei Sect?"

Ruan Mei nodded.

"Yes, my Five Decays were about to break out, so I returned to Emei before the deadline, and I also received the news you sent from Hengshan."

"I have been waiting for you on Mount Emei."

"A few days ago, your subordinates arrived at the village at the foot of the mountain and deliberately showed up in front of the disciples who came down the mountain to buy things. I understood what you meant, so I have been waiting for you inside the mountain gate."

"But I didn't expect... Alas, a disaster would come."

Ruan Mei raised her hand and pointed at the several true disciples beside her.

"Most of the disciples and elders of my Emei Sect have been crippled. If it weren't for my nephew, the headmaster, not being in the sect, I'm afraid he would have died today too."

"I tried my best, but only these few seeds are left."

Li Miao raised his eyebrows, raised his hand to stop Ruan Mei from speaking, turned to look at the disciples of Emei Sect, and pointed to the corner.

"Children, don't listen to adults talking. Go squat in the corner and plug your ears. Whoever listens to what I say to your master will die."

Several true disciples quickly followed suit.

Only then did Li Miao turn around and look at Ruan Mei.

"What did you mean by that question you asked me just now, and by that sentence 'this time it's real'?"

Ruan Mei smiled bitterly.

"Even the few of us who escaped from the Imperial Mausoleum dared not tell anyone else about what happened that day, or else you would come and hunt us down yourself."

"The only one who can answer this question is you."

"And the reason why I recognized your voice and wanted to confirm your identity again is because the person who broke into the gate of my Emei Sect today, both in appearance and voice -"

"They are almost exactly the same as you."

Then, Ruan Mei told the story.

After she escaped from Shuntian Prefecture, she tried to deduce the formula she had obtained while avoiding the eyes of the Jinyiwei in the martial arts world.

But she got very few secret formulas, and because of her own character, she was unwilling to go along with the other evil priests. She only hunted and killed some big bandits in the martial arts world and tried to deduce the skills, but her progress was very slow.

Therefore, after realizing that she would never be able to deduce the skills, she returned to Emei before her deadline, wanting to return the celestial inheritance to her master.

Unexpectedly, as soon as she returned to the gate, she received news that the Jinyiwei Zhenfu Envoy had come down from Hengshan and was heading straight for Emei. She immediately understood that it was Li Miao who came to see her, so since she received the news, she has been waiting for Li Miao to come to the gate.

And then, it’s today.

"I have been sitting in the main hall waiting for you these past few days. This morning, someone walked into the mountain gate."

Ruan Mei looked at Li Miao.

"Although he's not wearing a flying fish suit, his body shape, appearance, and even voice are very similar to yours."

"Because I knew you were coming, and you happened to go up the mountain at this time, and you were a celestial being, so I subconsciously thought it was you who came, and I was not prepared."

"I was caught off guard and was seriously injured."

Ruan Mei sighed.

"It was only when he attacked that I realized that his temperament and martial arts were completely different from yours. But by then, I had already been seriously injured and it was difficult to recover."

"I could only barely stop him. I first let a few disciples escape to the Self-Sacrifice Cliff and use ropes to get down here. Then I escaped, cut the ropes and jumped down. I used the blood-stained robe to confuse him. I used the dead pine to stop my body and hid here."

“Then, it’s now.”

As Li Miao listened, he laughed and spoke slowly.

"You mean, someone pretended to be me and went up the mountain, attacked you and seriously injured you, and then destroyed your Emei Sect?"

"Ha ha……"

The laughter echoed off the stone walls of the cave. Ruan Mei suddenly felt cold all over and sweat oozed from her palms involuntarily.

The few true disciples who were facing the wall in the corner were already pale, with their chests heaving. They opened their mouths and noses to try to breathe, but their lungs seemed to be grasped by a big hand and they could not breathe in any air.

"grown ups……"

Ruan Mei said reluctantly.

"You... these useless disciples of my Emei Sect can't stand it anymore..."

Li Miao turned to look at Ruan Mei and smiled grimly.

"What method did that person use to suppress more than a hundred disciples in your sect and make your best disciple die in your main hall before he could even draw his sword?"

Ruan Mei said slowly.

"Xiao, that person used a Xiao."

"It uses sound to stimulate the Qi, similar to the Buddhist Lion's Roar. People below the first-rate level will faint immediately after hearing it, while those at the top level may be able to hold on for a few breaths, and even celestial beings will be affected."

“As for worshippers like us, we are forcibly suppressing the Five Degenerations of the Celestial Beings. Under this method, we are even more miserable than the Celestial Beings along the way.”

"His flute is also extremely powerful. Holding it in his hand is like using a stick technique, specializing in acupuncture. It is far more advanced than the inheritance of my Emei Sect. In just a few moves, he knocked away my Emei Spear and seriously injured me."

"I have never seen these two martial arts before."

Li Miao waved his hand.

"I see. What else did he do?"

Ruan Mei hesitated for a moment, turned to look at the several true disciples standing in the corner, and spoke in a low voice.

“He asked me two things.”

"Which two?"

Ruan Mei said in an imperceptible voice.

"What happened during the New Year's Day last year? Why did we, the worshippers, flee from Shuntian Prefecture?"

"And you."

"He threatened the lives of all the unconscious disciples of my Emei Sect and asked me these two questions."

Li Miao frowned and looked at Ruan Mei.

Ruan Mei's heart suddenly stopped and her hands clenched suddenly.

She understood that Li Miao had already decided to kill her.

She said quickly.

"My Lord, I didn't reveal any information!"

Li Miao looked her up and down and asked in a grim tone.

"You... don't you value your master very much? You committed yourself to the court because you were afraid of bringing disaster to your master, right? He threatened your master, but you didn't say anything?"

"I don't think I have any relationship with you, do I?"

Ruan Mei smiled bitterly.

"Yes, sir. I do care about my master, and I am not loyal to the court. I don't even know you."

"I don't say it, not because of loyalty."

"It's because I'm afraid."

Having said this, Ruan Mei immediately shut up and dared not say any more.

Li Miao understood what she meant.

Even if she didn't say it, there was still hope to save a few true disciples. The current head of Emei was also away and had not returned yet. Although Emei was seriously injured, it could not be said to be destroyed.

But if she said it... she would have to face Li Miao.

Who is Li Miao?
In terms of force, he was the murderer who killed five priests in one night and made Emperor Jianwen flee. In terms of character, he was born in the Jinyiwei and would kill people without hesitation if necessary.

Although the worshippers did not witness the incident in the imperial mausoleum with their own eyes, it is an indisputable fact that Li Miao was rebelling at the time.

And seeing that he was now in the heyday of his career and his official rank had risen instead of falling, it was obvious that he had won the fight in the Imperial Mausoleum. It was possible that the Emperor was now a puppet controlled by him.

All power and authority are in Li Miao's hands.

And no one who died at Li Miao's hands was left with an intact body.

Leaking the matter of the imperial mausoleum and making enemies with Li Miao...are the worst choices under any circumstances.

The seven priests who escaped from Shuntian Prefecture were either good or evil, with different personalities, but none of them dared to tell others about the imperial mausoleum. This was the reason.

Ruan Mei said softly.

"My lord, that's it."

Li Miao looked at her deeply, then turned and walked out of the cave.

"I'll give you one day to deal with your master's affairs, and then you can go back to Shuntian Mansion by yourself."

"Most of the trouble in your Emei Sect is caused by me. I promise you to leave half of the celestial inheritance to prolong the life of your sect." "From today on, your life is mine."

Behind her, Ruan Mei knelt on the ground with a plop and lowered her head deeply.

"Yes."

When he looked up again, Li Miao had disappeared.

--------

Li Miao turned over and jumped onto the cliff, slowly walking towards the gate of Emei Sect.

Although the person who killed Emei Sect did not reveal his identity, it is obvious that this person is definitely related to the invitation.

Although the world is vast, there are only a small group of top players. After years of inheritance, they know each other well. Even if someone among them has a hidden inheritance from heaven, it is impossible that they can't see any background at all.

Only the hidden sects that had already traveled overseas before the founding of Dashuo could do this.

According to Ji Tianrui, in the previous dynasty, it was not uncommon for celestial beings to appear in the martial arts world.

If this force was a hidden sect that left the Central Plains before the founding of Dashuo and had not been harassed by the "Iron Fist of the Zhu Family" of Taizu, Emperor Jianwen, Chengzu, and Emperor - then they are likely to be stronger than all the sects in the world today.

Moreover, unlike the previous inexplicable invitation, the action of breaking into the Emei Sect had a very clear purpose - to investigate the imperial tomb and Li Miao's background.

No matter how big the trouble in the martial arts world was, it could not shake Li Miao's foundation. Although the invitation was sent in a mysterious way, it did not show any clear hostility towards any party. Therefore, Li Miao did not take the invitation seriously and only sent Wang Hai and others to various major sects to verify the situation.

Li Miao's original plan was to wait until August 15th, when this group of people would show up on their own initiative, and then go straight to their doorstep and kill them all at once.

But the plans of this group of people are obviously no longer limited to the martial arts world - instead, they are targeting the imperial court, and have even begun to target Li Miao himself.

Such people must die no matter what their purpose or plan is.

And the sooner the better.

Walking to the back door of Emei Sect, Li Miao reached out to push open the door, but suddenly smelled a bloody smell.

He frowned, pushed the door open, walked in, and looked sideways.

Hong Chou was leaning against the wall, his hands tightly covering his chest, blood constantly gushing out, his face showing signs of old age, and he looked like he was at the end of his rope.

Hearing the noise, he slowly raised his head and saw Li Miao in front of him.

The strength he had been holding on to suddenly weakened, his eyes went dark, and he lost consciousness.

--------

When Hong Chou opened his eyes again, everything in front of him was dark.

It was morning when I went up the mountain with Li Miao, but now it was already late at night.

He felt under his body and felt a piece of extremely soft and silky silk. He slowly stood up and looked around, only to find that he was lying in a guest room. There were some blood-stained silk and several basins of blood on the floor. He suddenly remembered that he was injured.

Reaching out to touch his chest, Hong Chou was confused and uncertain.

The huge wound that was originally opened by the middle-aged man who came from Taizhou by boat has disappeared.

Suddenly, he noticed something and raised his hand in front of him to take a closer look.

The many scars on his hands from years of wandering around the world had also disappeared. Even the pale, old skin on the back of his hands had regained its elasticity.

Hong Chou suddenly realized something, his pupils shrank suddenly, and he touched his face with trembling hands.

No wrinkles.

His exhausted look had completely disappeared.

Hong Chou still remembers that the person he saw before he fell into a coma was Li Miao.

In other words, it was Li Miao who healed his injuries and even prolonged his life.

Hong Chou's face flushed red, he got out of bed, and without even putting on his shoes, he quickly walked to the door and pushed it open.

"Li...Master!"

he shouted.

Li Miao, who was standing in the center of the square, turned his head, looked at him, and said lightly.

"Come here when you wake up."

Hong Chou nodded vigorously and walked quickly to Li Miao's side.

"Sir, the inner sect disciple you saved..."

Li Miao waved his hand.

"He ran away a long time ago, so leave him alone for now."

Hong Chou nodded, stood beside Li Miao and said nothing more.

A moment later, a noisy sound of footsteps came from outside the mountain gate, and they were heading towards the square. One person rushed in first, and in a flash, he was in front of Li Miao, kneeling on one knee, and clasping his hands.

"Suppressing Envoy!"

Li Miao nodded.

Dozens of Jinyiwei rushed into the mountain gate, knelt on one knee in front of Li Miao, and shouted in unison.

"Suppressing Envoy!"

Hong Chou quickly glanced at these dozens of people. Their martial arts skills were at least at the advanced level. They looked murderous and were obviously the elite among the Jinyiwei.

Li Miao took a few steps forward and put his hand on the shoulder of the person who came in first.

"You Ziang."

You Ziang suddenly lowered his head.

"The pacification envoy."

"I have something for you to do."

Li Miao said lightly.

"You have been under my command for nearly a year. The others, even An Ziyang who came later than you, are now thousand-householders. Only you are still a small flag officer."

"You are not good at martial arts. Although you have good talent, it is not good enough. It is difficult to find a job suitable for you at the moment. So I will just let you wander around and practice martial arts."

"Now, it's time to do something."

You Ziang's face flushed and he spoke loudly.

"Your subordinate, I will not refuse even if I die!"

Li Miao said slowly.

"You don't have to work hard, but you have to work harder."

"You also know about the invitations Wang Hai and his team are handling. Today I discovered that this group of people are not targeting the martial arts world, but the Jinyiwei——"

"Come for me."

Before You Ziang could say anything, the Jinyiwei behind him suddenly looked up with murderous eyes.

"Since they are coming for me, I can't just sit there and wait for them to cause trouble."

Li Miao said calmly.

"On August 15th, let's celebrate together."

"Ha, it's so mysterious."

"He was being secretive and didn't say what the event was or where it would be held."

"It doesn't matter. My Royal Guard will take care of it for him. No matter what 'grand event' they prepare, you have to come and participate in my Royal Guard's 'grand event'."

Li Miao turned around.
"Everyone obeys orders."

Click.

Dozens of Jinyiwei suddenly clasped their hands in front of them, making a uniform sound of fists colliding.

"Set out immediately. Each person has three horses. Do not stop. If a horse dies, go to the local government to rob it. If there is no good horse, run away. Within five days, notify all the Jinyiwei strongholds in the southern prefectures."

"Yes!--"

All the Jinyiwei answered in unison.

"You Ziang."

You Ziang clasped his fists.

"Yes."

"Your talent is all in Qinggong. I have trained you in the advanced Qinggong inherited from the Celestial Beings. Now your Qinggong should be no less than that of an ordinary Celestial Being."

"I want you to notify Wang Hai, Xiao Si, Mei Qinghe, and An Ziyang within ten days. Then hurry back to Shuntian Prefecture."

"From today on, everyone will stop what they are doing. From the moment you receive this message, everyone will be on the road immediately. Even if you have to die, you must die on the road."

"Before the end of the month, I want all second-rate and above forces in the world to receive this message."

Li Miao looked up at the sky with his hands behind his back and spoke softly.

"Since last year, the underworld has been in turmoil."

"Since I took over the Northern Pacification Office, I have not made a public appearance in the martial arts world. As the Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, I, the Jinyiwei, invite all the heroes in the world to go to Songshan Mountain to enjoy the moon together."

"By the way, let's set the rules for the future of the martial arts world."

"Also, I will only state my rules once at this conference. If someone doesn't hear them and accidentally crosses the line in the future, their life or death will be their own fault."

"Masters of all clans, if you are injured or sick, please bandage your wounds and come here. If you are dead, please choose a new one and send it here."

"Those who didn't make it to Songshan on August 15th are dissatisfied with the rules of our Jinyiwei, the laws of the court, and Dashuo."

Li Miao chuckled.

"That's a bit disrespectful."

"Go."

"yes!!!--"

Everyone responded in unison and stood up to leave.

Li Miao looked up at the sky with his hands behind his back.

"Join us in this grand event... Oh, I've gone to so much trouble to send out invitations, let's see how many people can join you in this 'grand event'."

"A hidden sect."

"Since you've already left Central Plains, can you come back whenever you want?"

"If you want to know about me, don't bother. I'll be waiting for you at Songshan Mountain."

"I will crush you into scum in an upright manner."

(End of this chapter)