Great Zhou Martial Immortal

Chapter 29 A Hundred Transformations
Wang Yizhi was still dressed as a guard, with a zither case on his back.

He first gave a formal bow, then smiled and sat down: "My lord, you jest. Given your relationship with the princess, let alone ruptured internal organs or damaged meridians, even with the most severe injuries, Her Highness would certainly spare no effort to save you with the most precious medicines. What I have done is hardly a life-saving favor... How about it? I heard you entered the princess's bedchamber, so you must have been in bed last night..."

He winked and made a knowing expression that all men would understand.

"what are you thinking?"

Lu Chenyuan pretended to be serious as he drank a glass of wine, then glared at him: "I'm so badly injured, I'm powerless to help!"

"Haha."

Wang Yizhi chuckled twice, then glanced at the third set of bowls and chopsticks on the table and asked in surprise, "What's this?"

Lu Chenyuan looked up at him: "Didn't the waiter tell you?"

Wang Yizhi said, "When he arrived at the Yuantai, he said that you had invited him there, and then he ran towards the Imperial Academy. I guessed there might be someone else there, but I didn't have time to ask."

"Oh……"

Lu Chenyuan nodded: "It's Zhang Shuo. Originally, I should have only invited you, but as you know, I'm not well-off. Yesterday, I not only owed you ten taels of gold to clean up Jin Ni's mess, but I also promised to invite people. This meal will cost a lot of money, so I might as well invite him too, and we can eat together. Don't mind, and it would be boring if it were just the two of us drinking."

Wang Yizhi sighed, "My lord still treats me like an outsider..."

Lu Chenyuan shook his head: "Even between brothers, accounts should be kept clear. One thing at a time, and borrowed money still needs to be repaid. Just now, before coming here, my little sister told me that the payment for helping me mix perfumes yesterday wasn't calculated correctly, and those few boxes of pastries weren't enough. She asked me to bring a few more boxes, otherwise she would start charging interest. Sigh, that girl..."

Wang Yizhi couldn't help but chuckle, but after laughing, he felt a little sad and sighed softly as he looked in the direction of Lai Junchen's residence.

"..."

Lu Chenyuan's eyes twitched as he watched, but fortunately, his acting skills were superb and he managed to keep it in check. He comforted her, "Don't worry, he wouldn't dare to do anything to her. Once the cunning rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked. These cruel officials are like grasshoppers in autumn; they won't be able to jump around for long!"

"I would like to lend you your blessing."

Wang Yizhi took a sip of wine.

Lu Chenyuan refilled his cup and casually asked, "How's things at Yuantai? Any news from the Imperial Guards?"

Wang Yizhi shook his head: "With the Jinwu Guards involved, Yuantai has remained silent for the time being. As for Qiu Shenji, he is still searching for people under the underground palace. He probably won't give up anytime soon... My lord, the credit will be his. Don't you have any thoughts on this?"

Lu Chenyuan laughed and said, "What thoughts could I possibly have? You saw that palm strike yesterday. Although Qiu Shenji is not as good as Wu Chengsi, he is still at the fifth realm. I don't dare to steal credit from him and take another palm strike. The princess's residence doesn't have an alchemy room. Even if it did, those kinds of spiritual herbs aren't readily available. I estimate that I'm only worth one. It's better not to court death."

Wang Yizhi was somewhat surprised: "This doesn't seem like an adult's temperament."

Lu Chenyuan laughed and said, "What kind of personality do I have?"

Wang Yi said, “Your character is like a raging fire. You are not afraid of the prince consort in the princess’s residence, nor are you afraid of your colleagues in the kite pavilion. Qiu Shenji is despicable and shameless, and he took credit first. You have the princess backing you up. Why should you tolerate him like this?”

Lu Chenyuan shook his head helplessly: "There's nothing I can do. Yesterday, I was young and fearless, but in the blink of an eye, I was half-dead by the tiger. Shouldn't I learn my lesson? Besides, what good is a princess? She can't even protect her male consort! First, I was beaten up by Wu Youji, then by Wu Chengsi. I'm only alive because I'm lucky!"

He looked depressed, raised his glass and drank it all in one gulp.

Wang Yizhi's expression was strange, and he was struggling to suppress his laughter.

Lu Chenyuan continued to grumble, "I've already made up my mind. Merit and honor are unimportant. As long as I serve the princess well, these things will naturally follow. If she's really unreliable, I'll just turn around and serve Emperor Wu. This little brat is so hesitant and indecisive, progress is too slow! Look at Emperor Wu, the princess presented Feng Xiaobao to him on the first day, and he shaved his head, changed his name, and slept with him in one go. The next day, he arranged for him to become Pei Xuandu's disciple and even rewarded him with the abbotship of Baima Temple... Although he's a bit old, in his sixties or seventies, he's generous. This young one may be young, but he's stingy and indecisive, unlikely to amount to anything!"

Lu Chenyuan waved his hand dismissively.

"Ha ha……"

Wang Yizhi couldn't help but chuckle. He first kindly reminded him to be careful of eavesdroppers, then whispered, "Sir, you're only twenty this year, while the princess is five years older than you. You're hardly a little girl anymore."

What's the use of being old?

Lu Chenyuan shook his head helplessly: "Ten years of seclusion, and all you've gained is height, not brains..."

"Pfft!"

Wang Yizhi couldn't hold back any longer and burst into laughter, but there was an unusual tone in his voice.

Lu Chenyuan smiled slightly and lowered his head to drink.

It took Wang Yizhi a while to cough and regain his composure. He then refilled Lu Chenyuan's cup and said casually, "My lord, you are exceptionally talented. Are you content to be just a male concubine?"

Here comes the topic.

Lu Chenyuan glanced at him: "My talent is outstanding? Look at my cultivation level, does it look like I have outstanding talent?"

Wang Yizhi stared at him: "The eminent monk Huineng of yesteryear was also one who, when he spoke, astonished everyone..."

Lu Chenyuan said with a faint smile, "How come I don't see it? I only see a stray dog ​​who possesses the lineage of Zen Buddhism but has been fleeing in panic for sixteen years!"

Wang Yi choked, his face darkening: "You don't believe me, sir? Do you know what I'm talking about?"

Lu Chenyuan sighed, “Am I wrong? Huineng’s comprehension is outstanding. He can point directly to the Buddha’s heart without understanding words. He relies on his eyes, but these eyes cannot protect him from the wind and rain. On the contrary, they attract the wind and rain! I am only glad that there are many people with extraordinary talents in this world. Otherwise, I am afraid I would have to hide for a lifetime.”

Wang Yi said, “There are many jealous people in this world, but there are also many who are devoted to the righteous path. My lord, you don’t need to worry too much. If you destroy people with extraordinary talent, then the martial arts world would probably be devoid of geniuses long ago… But it’s the opposite! The young sect master of the Bashu Buqi Sect, at the age of seventeen, obtained the divine hammer [Tianxing] and recognized it as his master. At eighteen, he opened the furnace and in just three months, he forged the fifth-grade spiritual weapon [Jingzhe]. On the day the sword was completed, it attracted divine lightning from the nine heavens to strike down.”

The junior master of Longhu Mountain, born with yin-yang pupils, mastered the "Seven Tablets of the Cloudy Bookcase" at the age of three and drew the "Five Thunder Talisman" at ten, turning the old Celestial Master's secluded alchemy room into charcoal; the little poison fairy of Medicine King Valley, naturally immune to all poisons, mixed arsenic into osmanthus cakes as a snack, frightening her master into sealing the alchemy furnace overnight; and then there's the young master of Jiuyi Mountain—last month, during the Xiangxi corpse-driving incident, he used the pre-Qin "Shao" music to control a horde of corpses, causing a hundred ancient corpses to dance to the music, frightening the local chieftain into immediately commissioning ten statues of Shen Tu… These people didn't all reveal their talents after entering their sects; rather, their exceptional talents, protected by righteous masters, allowed them to enter sects and advance rapidly. If you, sir, are blessed by heaven, and instead conceal your talents, you will both underestimate the righteous path and waste a precious gift!

Wang Yizhi looked extremely serious.

Wow, quite a large network of connections...

Lu Chenyuan's mind raced, but he said calmly, "Do you know what a discerning eye is?"

Wang Yi said, "The Buddhist scriptures say..."

Lu Chenyuan interrupted him: "You need to understand, Buddhist scriptures are Buddhist scriptures, and talent is talent. The Vimalakirti Sutra, Chapter on Entering the Non-Dual Dharma Gate, says: 'Even those who truly see do not see reality, let alone what is not reality. Why is this? Because it is not seen by the physical eye, but by the eye of wisdom. And this eye of wisdom sees neither seeing nor not seeing.' Is that possible? If I truly saw neither seeing nor not seeing, would I need to go through all that trouble? Why would I specifically seek help from the Golden Lion? Wouldn't I just sweep it with my eyes and be done with it?"

"Uh……"

Wang Yi was speechless.

Lu Chenyuan continued, "The Eye of Wisdom is merely an enlightenment, a form of intelligence and calculation, but not divine power. I am not an omnipotent god. Huineng was assassinated and had his robes taken from him hundreds of times throughout his life, all for the sake of a lineage. If his eyes truly possessed divine power, would he have survived so many near-death experiences? He became a high-ranking monk because of his sixteen years of hard work and arduous Buddhist practice, not because of his eyes. Don't overestimate me; I'm not as special as you think. Furthermore, what kind of people do you consider male concubines to be?"

Wang Yizhi was still pondering his earlier words when he heard the question. He opened his mouth, but found it difficult to speak.

Lu Chenyuan laughed, "A bunch of ignorant and shameless people who are just for people's amusement!" Wang Yizhi suddenly looked up at him, "You are an exception, sir."

"hehe."

Lu Chenyuan remained noncommittal and then asked, "What kind of people do you think like male concubines?"

Wang Yizhi: "..."

Lu Chenyuan said, “A group of powerful and influential people, but spiritually empty. There are countless ways to advance in this world, from bloody battles on the battlefield to open and covert struggles in the court. In my opinion, none of them are as good as exploiting human desires, the pleasures of men and women. Take Xue Huaiyi as an example. His current power is something he could never have obtained through the righteous path in several lifetimes. Just because he became a male concubine, the fame and fortune that others would fight to the death for have been easily obtained by this good-for-nothing! This is a shortcut, why wouldn't I take it?”

"..."

Wang Yizhi fell silent, staring intently at Lu Chenyuan, a look of disappointment gradually creeping into his eyes: "Male favorites gain power easily, but lose it just as easily. Empress Feng of Northern Wei's male favorite..."

Lu Chenyuan said, "Look at the current emperor. If she hadn't started as a concubine, how could she be where she is today? If she were a man, the only way to become emperor would be to rebel. But if she dared to rebel against the Tang Dynasty, those famous generals could easily tear her apart! But it is precisely because she was Emperor Taizong's concubine and Emperor Gaozong's empress that she was able to easily seize the throne as empress dowager! With such a good example, why bother looking at Empress Dowager Feng of Northern Wei!"

boom!
Wang Yizhi slammed his hand on the table and stood up.

His face was icy: "Is this the wisdom your discerning eyes have shown you? Since ancient times, traitors have usurped the throne and indiscriminately slaughtered the innocent. History will record their deeds with iron will. Do you also want to be infamous for ten thousand years?!"

They've revealed themselves...

"You've got some nerve today..."

Lu Chenyuan feigned surprise at first, then said disdainfully, "Infamy for ten thousand years? Neither you nor I are from later generations, how would we know how they would evaluate us? If I want a good reputation, I should befriend the historians! 'Wei Qi and Huo Qubing penetrated two thousand miles deep, their fame resounding throughout China and beyond, yet their biographies are worthless; Li Guang suffered defeat in every battle, his life filled with hardship, yet his biography still speaks of his heroic spirit!' Even Sima Qian was like this, so when I have great power, if I cultivate relationships with the historians, will I still have to worry about not having a good reputation?"

"..."

Wang Yizhi flew into a rage, turned around, and burst out of the door.

Not enough words to speculate!
Lu Chenyuan continued drinking, and only after listening to him walk away did he let out a long sigh and dissipate the golden light from his fingertips.

A smile slowly spread across his lips: "So that's how it is. The Turks are backed by anti-Wu factions... No wonder Ashina Yan is so skilled in disguise; they're from the same school."

……

Wang Yizhi stormed out of Yixian Tower, cursing under his breath: "Rotten wood can't be carved! Incorrigible mud can't be plastered on a wall! Shameless scoundrel! Treacherous villain! Coward! Useless trash..."

The first sentence was spoken in a deep male voice, but the voice became clearer and clearer as it went on, and the last few words were spoken entirely in a woman's voice.

She strode quickly to the banks of the Luo River, and her facial features began to rapidly change, revealing her true appearance—

His eyebrows were like cold blades, and his eyes were like deep pools.

A cold wind brushed against her raven-feather-like hair, and her anger had subsided by seven-tenths, leaving only a self-deprecating sneer at the corner of her lips.

Hui Yeqing stood on the riverbank and took out a deep blue mermaid pearl from his bosom. The pearl's surface gleamed with a faint, cold light.

"He was overestimated..."

She whispered something, and suddenly leaped into the river!

"Wow—"

The pearl glowed upon touching the water, and a blue light burst forth from her palm. The rushing river parted as if by command, forming a shuttle-shaped channel two feet in diameter. Hui Yeqing's clothes fluttered as she swiftly traversed the damp riverbed. Wherever she passed, the water curtain was like a glass screen, and not even the hem of her clothes got wet.

I don't know how long it took.

When she reached the end of the culvert, the entrance was hidden under a blue stone slab at the bottom of the river. She skillfully activated the mechanism.

The moment the stone slab was moved aside, the turbid river water was blocked by the blue light of the mermaid pearl.

The underground palace passageway is deep and winding.

The fluorite embedded in the wall sensed the aura of the mermaid pearl and lit up with a pale green light. Hui Yeqing walked swiftly like the wind, the jade pendant at her waist jingling and echoing in the silent passage.

Turning past the third bronze door, a breathtaking view suddenly opened up before me—

A thousand mermaid lanterns hung from the dome, illuminating the entire mechanical city as if it were daytime!

Seventy-two coiled dragon stone pillars support the six-story pavilion. Each dragon's eye is inlaid with a luminous pearl, which rotates mysteriously with each step. The yin-yang bricks paving the ground conceal deadly dangers; a wrong step will trigger a barrage of crossbow bolts.

Ashina Yan was standing in front of the central control platform, wearing a Tang-style half-sleeved garment over her Turkic leather armor. The wolf's head embroidered in gold thread was clearly visible in the lamplight. She held a bronze ruler in her hand, studying how to decipher the central mechanism. Hearing the voice, she looked up and said, "Senior Sister, you're back. How did it go? Did he recognize you?"

"No."

Hui Yeqing said calmly, "People overestimate the power of discerning eyes. They can only distinguish between illusion and reality, not truth and falsehood. His ability to see through the illusion of the Falling Petals Step and the mechanisms in the corridor should be considered 'wisdom' in its ability to see the big picture from small details." She sneered, "But in my opinion, he's just a shameless scoundrel. Even if he has some cleverness, he uses it all for crooked ways and is not worth mentioning!"

"what happened?"

Ashina Yan asked in surprise, "Didn't you praise him highly yesterday...?"

Hui Yeqing couldn't say whether she felt regret or pity: "He's already terrified of Wu Chengsi... Don't worry, Qiu Shenji won't be able to find this place, and Lu Chenyuan doesn't even dare to come again. There's still time." She held up the [Mermaid Pearl] in her hand: "It's a pity that there's only one pearl, and its water-repelling range is too small. Otherwise, it could be more reliable."

Ashina Yan said, "It's already good enough to have one of these rare treasures. Senior Sister, don't be greedy."

After speaking, she looked at Hui Yeqing: "Since this person cannot be used by us, he is a threat. In my opinion, Senior Sister should—"

"kill him?"

Hui Yeqing shook his head and said, "You're thinking too simply. I can ambush Pei Jiulang and Xue Wushe, but I'm not confident about this person. He has the protection of the Golden Palace Scripture, the lightning-fast Lone Goose Shadow Step, and a pair of discerning eyes. If I miss the first strike... let's wait for Senior Brother to return before making any decisions."

Ashina Yan's face suddenly darkened.

Following her gaze, the passageway leading to the "Heavenly Crafts Scroll" was covered with bloodstains, and countless dark red splatter marks outlined strange patterns on the blue bricks.

At the end of the passageway, in front of the secret chamber, the ground was made of countless moving bronze trigrams pieced together to form a wheel. Each piece was engraved with the secret text of "Qimen Dunjia". An old man with white hair and shackles sat cross-legged in the wheel, his fingertips constantly calculating, beads of sweat seeping from his forehead, looking somewhat powerless.

"The Four Symbols Revolving Wheel is the final test, a masterpiece of mechanisms. Based on the Qimen Dunjia system, it rotates with the four symbols of Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise. Every wrong step will cause the mechanism to evolve into a new form."

Ashina Yan's expression was grave as she pointed deep into the passage: "Yuan Jiuzhang has been calculating for seven days, yet he remains trapped in the 'White Tiger Carrying Corpse' formation. I think he won't be able to hold on much longer..."

(End of this chapter)