Great Zhou Martial Immortal

Chapter 42 Aggressive
Gongshu Jie was deposed and urgently needed medical treatment.

Yan Bingning immediately ordered someone to take him ashore, where there were skilled healers among the guards stationed there.

The hall was deathly silent, like a grave.

Everyone stared at the pool of molten iron that was gradually solidifying, their Adam's apples bobbing involuntarily.

Mao Poluo's calloused hands trembled slightly, while Huiming's sandalwood prayer beads spun rapidly. Even Jiang Zhanqiu and Ying Wuqiu, who were used to battlefield battles, broke out in a cold sweat under their armor.

"This is hardly a security mechanism..."

The golden bell on Song Zhenyue's wrist trembled slightly, her voice filled with deep shock: "...It is clearly a ferocious beast that chooses to devour its prey!"

Gao Jian, however, turned his gaze to Lu Chenyuan in the distance. He saw that Lord Lu had already retreated to a safe distance, still appearing indifferent and watching everything with a cold eye.

"Lord Lu."

Gao Jian gripped the porcelain bottle in his hand and suddenly spoke up, saying to Lu Chenyuan, "I've heard that you, sir, are also proficient in mechanical arts. You once broke through three major gates at the entrance and instantly unlocked three different arrangements of the Nine Palaces Thousand Machine Lock... Now that the situation is urgent, why are you standing by and watching without saying a word?"

The phrase "watching the fire from across the river" was emphasized so heavily that the atmosphere inside the hall instantly froze.

All eyes turned to Lu Chenyuan.

Lu Chenyuan raised an eyebrow, somewhat puzzled. Where did Gao Jian's hostility come from?

Does my silence bother you? It's because I'm afraid of disturbing your promotions and wealth! Weren't you just showing off? Now instead of stepping up to save the day, why are you giving me this nonsense?

Something is wrong.

Lu Chenyuan said calmly, "So you've finally spoken. Does Gongshu Jie listen to you?"

Everyone was speechless for a moment.

Yan Bingning gave a wry smile. This Lord Lu is really something...

Gao Jian frowned and took a step closer: "Does Lord Lu mean... that one cannot discuss ice with a summer insect?"

Damn it?

Lu Chenyuan's face darkened, and he grew impatient, which was also the reason he didn't want to come.

Throughout history, those who are confident in their talents, especially those who are truly capable of turning the tide, have, in critical moments, trusted only themselves deep down.

Moreover, given the current situation, offering suggestions is certainly fine, but one must be responsible for their words. If things go astray and ultimately lead to tragedy, who will be held accountable? Until the solution is found, no one knows the correct answer. This is not something that can be done by pooling wisdom and collective efforts.

Li Lingyue's idea was good, but unfortunately it was impractical.

Even if Lu Chenyuan revealed his answer to the public, few people would believe him.

If he were to solve it directly, others would think that the Four Symbols Heart Chakra is nothing special and that they could do it too.

He simply didn't want to work for free, nor did he want to take responsibility, which is why he chose to remain silent.

This won't work either?!
"Ah--"

Lu Chenyuan suddenly chuckled, his laughter filled with undisguised sarcasm. His gaze was sharp as a knife, piercing Gao Jian: "Young Master Gao, you've put a good label on him! You were smug when you deduced the Six Instruments Striking Punishment, saying that everyone was wrong. Now that you see the mechanism backfiring, you want to shift the blame."

"Let me tell you, you should be glad that Gongshu Jie used his own methods and brought this upon himself. If he had actually listened to you, it wouldn't have been the Vermilion Bird Burning the Heavens Formation, but the Azure Dragon Coiling the Pillar Formation—then it wouldn't have been molten iron, but hundreds of spears thrusting out from the five walls, tearing him to pieces! He would have been dead for sure!"

"hiss--"

A collective gasp filled the hall.

Gao Jian staggered backward, his face turning deathly pale, and the porcelain bottle in his hand shattered on the ground with a "crack": "You..."

"What am I?"

Lu Chenyuan raised an eyebrow and said disdainfully, "If you don't believe me, you can try it once the formation is restored!"

The words fell.

Suddenly, the heart wheel made a soft "click" sound.

Everyone retreated like startled birds.

A faint blue light emanated from the surface of the mechanism, and the seventy-two Earthly Fiend runes lit up one after another. A deep hum came from the ground, as if a giant dragon was turning over deep in the earth's veins.

Then a bizarre scene unfolded.

The solidified molten iron inexplicably melted again, wriggling like a living thing, and flowed back along the bronze patterns to the cracks in the dome.

Everyone's eyes widened.

In the blink of an eye, the charred marks disappeared without a trace, even the stench of blood was completely purified, the cracks in the dome were healed as before, and the heart wheel stood quietly, as if the tragedy had never happened.

Only the lingering heat in the air proved that the terrifying trap truly existed.

"The earth's veins will purify themselves..."

Mao Poluo's hoarse voice was filled with awe: "The Hidden Immortal actually turned the entire mechanical city into a living array, his skill is divine!"

"Please, young master Gao."

Lu Chenyuan leaned against a pillar, his posture as casual as ever. He glanced sideways at Gao Jian, whose face was ashen, gestured for him to enter, and said sarcastically, "I'll be waiting for your triumphant return!"

"Cough cough!"

Gao Jian suddenly arched his body, coughing violently, dark red blood seeping from between his fingers.

He clutched his chest tightly, as if trying to press his wildly beating heart back into his chest cavity.

Gao Jian raised his head, staring intently at the Four Symbols Revolving Heart Wheel. The runes on its surface flickered in the eerie blue light, like mocking eyes. It seemed to be something otherworldly, cold, precise, and ruthless. His proud calculation ability appeared utterly laughable before it. And Lu Chenyuan…

Lu Chenyuan could see through the whole situation at a glance?!
"You've miscalculated."

It was as if I could hear Master Tantai Wuchen's voice again.

—The man in white, as pure as snow, stood on the Star Platform, his fingertips lightly tapping the chessboard, his voice as indifferent as frost: "Stars fall like chess pieces, and all living beings suffer calamity. The art of chess is not mere divination; do not forget that the way of heaven is unpredictable."

At that time, he knelt in the snow, stubbornly raising his head: "This disciple does not believe! As long as the calculation power is sufficient, there is no problem in the world that cannot be solved!"

His master simply shook his head, and now, he felt as if he had returned to that snowy night, only this time, the one looking down at him from a high place was not his master, but Lu Chenyuan.

Gao Jian's fingernails dug deeply into his palms, blood dripping from between his fingers. He had been exceptionally talented and quick-witted since childhood, able to learn any martial art instantly, and could discern the depth of autumn from a single leaf, or the whole leopard from a glimpse of a spot. But now...

Lu Chenyuan did not even suffer any backlash from overusing his mental energy.

Are all these sayings—that excessive rigidity leads to breakage, excessive wisdom leads to premature death, deep affection leads to a short life, and extreme intelligence is bound to cause harm—false?

Why? !

"Master Gao?"

Yan Bingning's voice came from beside her, tinged with worry.

Gao Jian snapped back to reality and realized he had been staring at the heart wheel for too long. He slowly straightened up, wiped the blood from the corner of his lips, and gave a pale smile: "It's nothing... just an old ailment acting up."

Seeing his reaction, Yan Bingning quickly shook her head subtly at Lu Chenyuan.

This person was recommended by the King of Wei, so we shouldn't push him too hard. If something really happens, we won't be able to explain ourselves even if we're in the right.

Yan Bingning calmly stepped between the two: "Everyone, the most urgent task now is to unlock it..."

"Lord Yan is right."

Jiang Zhanqiu suddenly spoke, turning his gaze to Lu Chenyuan, his voice gentle yet meaningful: "Since Lord Lu was able to foresee the killing situation, surely... you already have a way to break it?"

The hall fell silent.

All eyes were focused on Lu Chenyuan. Even Gao Jian stopped coughing and stared intently at him with bloodshot eyes.

Lu Chenyuan said calmly, "If I could solve it, I would have done so long ago. Why wouldn't I accept the Martial Emperor's generous gift? Why wouldn't I learn the Hidden Immortal's ultimate technique? To be honest, I can only deduce up to the [White Tiger Carrying Corpse]. I'm really not confident about how to break the final barrier. I also witnessed Shen Candeng die suddenly after solving the wrong puzzle that day, leaving no trace of his body. I dare not try it lightly. I cherish my life very much and never do anything without certainty. Young Master Gao's confident assertion is more appropriate... Hurry up and go, I'm waiting to watch the show!"

Everyone: "..."

Yan Bingning rubbed her forehead and sighed helplessly. She had heard that this Lord Lu was good in every way, except that he was unforgiving and would not stop until he had cornered someone.

Ying Wuqiu's lips twitched. This Gao Jian, of all people to mess with, why did he have to provoke him? Doesn't he know that the King of Wei destroyed half of his mansion? He's just asking for trouble!
Mao Polu stroked his beard and nodded, his eyes full of admiration. In his view, the art of mechanisms was inherently extremely dangerous, and caution was the best policy.

Song Zhenyue covered her mouth and chuckled. She had known that this official was no ordinary person, and after meeting him today, she was right. She would have something to talk about when she returned to the palace.

Jiang Zhanqiu and Huiming showed no outward expression.

Gao Jian's face was extremely pale, and his chest heaved violently, as if he might cough up blood at any moment.

His pride was trampled underfoot by Lu Chenyuan, yet he was powerless to refute him. Just as he was about to risk his life to try, Yan Bingning finally couldn't stand it anymore and interrupted, "The situation is urgent today, but forcing it will be useless. Everyone should go back for now and think of a solution. We will discuss it again tomorrow."

Her gaze swept over Gao Jian, her tone softening: "Young Master Gao is not feeling well, you should go back and rest." Gao Jian gritted his teeth, and finally turned and left without a word, his back stiff as if it might break at any moment.

Lu Chenyuan sneered.

Gao Jian paused for a moment, but ultimately did not turn around.

Seeing this, everyone took their leave and walked out of the barrier one after another.

Soon, only Lu Chenyuan and Yan Bingning remained in the hall.

"Lord Lu."

Yan Bingning said helplessly, "Don't pursue a cornered enemy. Why are you being so aggressive?"

He asked for it!

Lu Chenyuan rolled his eyes: "I didn't provoke him, but he's the one who's causing me trouble! I can't eat without kicking this kind of jerk who comes to my door!"

"..."

Yan Bingning shook her head and chuckled.

She paused, then suddenly lowered her voice: "You really can only deduce up to the [White Tiger Carrying a Corpse]?"

"Why did you lie to me?"

Lu Chenyuan replied without hesitation: "By the way, you should be able to contact Yuan Qingshuang, right? When you send the message, please also tell her that everything is fine here for the time being. I'm going to Suiming Pavilion to report for duty, so I won't have to run back and forth."

"it is good."

Yan Bingning nodded and watched him leave.

Lu Chenyuan left the barrier and headed straight for the Yuantai Suiming Pavilion.

Suiming Pavilion is a key location of the Inner Guard, located directly below the Yuantai Terrace. The entrance is in a secret room behind the Qiwu Hall.

Lu Chenyuan, dressed in a purple robe, strode into the platform, ignoring the others as usual, and headed straight for the secret chamber at the back.

His face has now reached the point where he doesn't need a badge or registration number; everyone along the way bows silently and lets him pass without hindrance.

Above the secret room is a plaque inscribed with the four characters "Encourage Agriculture and Sericulture," and iron bird-startling bells hang from the eaves.

Walk into it.

The interior decoration is very elegant and grand.

A painting of a secluded breeze hangs on the main wall, and behind the painting is the entrance mechanism.

Lu Chenyuan had already read through the Suiming Pavilion case file in detail. He walked straight to the painting, turned the mechanism behind it, and the bookshelf on the right, along with the entire wall, shifted, revealing a downward-sloping passageway behind it. The lampposts on both sides lit up at the same time.

Lu Chenyuan went directly down the passageway and officially entered the Suiming Pavilion.

The Suiming Pavilion is divided into four main sections: the Military Supervisor's Office, the Earth Fire Cave, the Rainbow Courtyard, and the Ghost Crafts Hall.

The Military Inspection Office was in charge of testing the power of various weapons, and the test subjects were usually death row inmates; the Earth Fire Cave was built on the earth fire of Mangshan Mountain and was in charge of smelting, responsible for forging superior weapons and firing precious ceremonial objects; the Rainbow Garment Academy was responsible for making fire-resistant brocade and creating nets; and finally, the Ghost Craft Hall was responsible for developing various killing weapons, such as the Breaking Crossbow and the Nine-Soul Chasing Lock.

Each workshop is headed by a junior craftsman, a sixth-rank official, with two master craftsmen, also sixth-rank officials, and then ordinary craftsmen.

The entire Suiming Pavilion, including Wang Yizhi's garrison and inner guards, numbered approximately four thousand people.

Lu Chenyuan came here today mainly to get to know people.

Rights and responsibilities are integrated.

After all, he had become the person in charge here, and if anything went wrong, he wouldn't be able to escape responsibility.

This matter needs to be taken seriously.

As soon as he stepped down the stairs, Wang Yizhi, who was now in charge of protection, strode over and greeted him with clasped hands: "My lord."

"There's no need to be so formal."

Lu Chenyuan was somewhat helpless about his attitude: "We've been through thick and thin together, so we can just call each other brothers. There's no need to keep calling him 'adult'."

Wang Yizhi smiled and said, "Private matters are private matters, and government offices are government offices; etiquette cannot be neglected."

Lu Chenyuan sighed: "Whatever you say. How's the situation inside?"

Having said that, he strode forward.

Wang Yizhi, half a step behind, said, "The relevant documents and files were handed over yesterday. In such a confidential position, some embezzlement is inevitable. However, the former pavilion master did not embezzle much, and there are not too many problems with the accounts. After Lord Xie reported to the princess, he was allowed to return the embezzled funds and was promoted half a rank and sent to an outside post. It can be considered a promotion in name only, and the past will not be punished."

Lu Chenyuan nodded and entered the corridor.

The people in charge of the four departments rushed over and saluted their new superior.

It's said that a new broom sweeps clean, so it's best to be cautious to avoid incurring his wrath.

Lu Chenyuan didn't actually mean to "start a fire." The Suiming Pavilion had a simple structure and few supervisors, most of whom were craftsmen. They didn't have many tricks up their sleeves, and the supervisors were all honest and upright people. Who would they be burning the fire for? Only the young craftsman from the Jianbing Workshop had a fierce look and a strong murderous aura, probably because he had been experimenting on death row inmates for many years.

Lu Chenyuan was not one to judge people by their appearance and didn't care about this.

—After all, by his standards, apart from him, everyone else has their own way of being ugly.

After a few brief pleasantries, I told them to do what they were supposed to do.

The position of head of the Suiming Pavilion was a sinecure.

He doesn't need to do any work. As long as the pavilion functions normally, it's just a change of scenery for studying and cultivating. It's also convenient for Li Lingyue to summon him at any time to do things that are not suitable for children. Wu Zetian's arrangement can be seen as putting herself in others' shoes and going to great lengths.

The two arrived at the main hall. Lu Chenyuan sat on the largest chair, crossed his legs and put them on the table, and sighed comfortably.

Finally, there's nothing annoying anymore.

Wang Yizhi, who was also quite free, glanced at him and said, "Sir, about the Mechanical City..."

Lu Chenyuan casually asked, "You got the news too?"

Wang Yizhi nodded: "Someone from my family informed me... After all, that is a secret technique of the hidden immortals. If it were to spread throughout the martial arts world, I'm afraid many people would come to the capital to plot against it. Since you are in the center of the vortex, sir, you should be careful."

"It's a blessing, not a curse. It's a curse that cannot be avoided."

Lu Chenyuan wasn't worried about this. Anyway, his father and sister were protected by his family. The rest of them were just targeting him. Before today, they might have had murderous intent, but after today, as long as they still wanted the Heavenly Craft Scroll, his life would not be in danger.

Hearing is unreliable, seeing is believing; the fate of Gongshu Jie speaks volumes.

As a top expert in mechanical arts from the Gongshu family, his severe injuries were enough to make some people realize the reality.

—The Four Symbols Heart Chakra is not something everyone can understand!

Besides, this is the capital region after all, with two great sages in charge and a wealthy woman backing them up, so there shouldn't be any major problems.

In comparison…

Lu Chenyuan frowned and said, "Do you know Jiang Zhanqiu? And Gao Jian?"

These two people are hostile.

Wang Yizhi thought for a moment and said, "Jiang Zhanqiu is the deputy commander of the elite Imperial Guard 'Thousand Cavalry'. Although he comes from a military background, he is proficient in military strategy and tactics, and is a talented person. He has a set of 'Wildfire Halberds', which is extremely powerful. As for Gao Jian... the Gao family of Bohai? Never heard of him..."

Those who could be mentioned by Lu Chenyuan must be extraordinary, but the Gao family of Bohai really doesn't have many outstanding members.

Wang Yizhi thought about it again and again, but he didn't think any of the Gao family members were better than him.

Lu Chenyuan asked, "Who promoted Jiang Zhanqiu?"

Wang Yi said: "The Right General of the Martial Might Guard, concurrently serving as the General of a Thousand Cavalry, is Wu Youyi."

"understood."

Lu Chenyuan skipped over the topic and turned to Gao Jian: "This Gao Jian is physically weak and has a feminine temperament, unlike a scion of a noble family. He has high comprehension, but there's a problem... Old Wang, have you ever seen a genius who racks his brains to the point of having a splitting headache, so painful that his knuckles turn white and he's covered in cold sweat?"

Wang Yi was stunned: "There are geniuses like this? Can this even be called a genius?"

"I haven't seen it either."

Lu Chenyuan shrugged and laughed, "A truly intelligent person's thoughts flow like clouds and water. Even when they're deep in thought, they only furrow their brows and concentrate. But he's different. When he's thinking about a problem, his brows are tightly furrowed, and after he's finished, he has a splitting headache, just like..."

"A forbidden technique to unleash potential? Post-operative backlash?" Wang Yizhi pointed out the obvious, frowning. "I've never heard of such a technique to enhance intelligence... Does Your Excellency mean..."

Lu Chenyuan laughed: "Either he is exceptionally talented and cannot be judged by ordinary standards, or... the person behind him has extraordinary methods and can turn the rotten into the miraculous, artificially creating a genius!"

(End of this chapter)