Great Zhou Martial Immortal

Chapter 7 The Hidden Immortal Record
"..."

Li Lingyue couldn't help but look at this insignificant person with new respect.

She never expected that the guy she casually pulled in as a shield would be so cunning.

Suddenly, she noticed something, a blue light flashing in her eyes, and she revealed a look of understanding: "So you've mastered the Golden Palace Scripture, no wonder. To be able to comprehend this scripture shows you have good comprehension. It's a bit of a waste to put you on guard duty... You suffered an undeserved calamity this time, so I should compensate you in some way. Tell me, what do you want?"

"Anything?"

Lu Chenyuan stared intently at her, opening his mouth as if to speak.

Li Lingyue immediately retorted, "Don't be so ungrateful and spout nonsense!"

Before she could finish speaking, Lu Chenyuan blurted out, "I want the 'Gold-Swallowing Treasure Book'... Eh? What did Your Highness say?"

"..."

Li Lingyue took a deep breath, her high chest heaving, gritting her teeth and glaring at Lu Chenyuan, wishing she could gouge out his hateful peach blossom eyes. She said, word by word, "Nothing! The 'Gold-Swallowing Treasure Scroll' is an unparalleled martial art, of great importance. Only those who make great contributions can be rewarded. You just ask for it? You're dreaming. No way!"

Li Lingyue refused outright, but what Lu Chenyuan wanted was the sentence she had just uttered.

He immediately stood up, his face serious, and knelt on one knee: "Then please, Your Highness, give me a chance to make a name for myself! I am willing to rely on my merits to obtain this unique skill, and after mastering it, I will gallop across the battlefield to protect my country!"

Li Lingyue's expression was extremely strange.

Am I talking to my nominal gigolo? It feels more like I'm giving a grand performance.

You've gone on with such ambition!

It's quite a novel feeling, isn't it? Everywhere you look, there are people who want to be your patrons, but now someone who's in a good position wants to make a name for himself.

For the past five years since Li Lingyue left the pass, she had been surrounded by flattery and sycophancy, which she regarded as fleeting clouds and rarely showed any emotional fluctuations. However, today, this guy's few words stirred up her emotions, leaving her with a lump of resentment stuck in her throat. Yet, she couldn't be accused of anything, and it seemed as if she had been deluding herself.

She was both angry and frustrated, her face turning pale. Instinctively wanting to save face, she mocked, "With your meager skills, you think you can conquer the battlefield?"

Lu Chenyuan pretended not to hear.

Emotional value isn't just about happiness; it's a range of emotions. A true master can make her laugh and cry, love and hate at the same time. When you go to great lengths to please her, she might just look down on you—a completed game has no emotional value.

Only games that you can never pass a level in will keep you hooked and unforgettable.

Lu Chenyuan is this kind of game.

So many people in my past life tried to pass the level, but they all died on the way.

All of Li Lingyue's emotional changes were within his expectations. Upon hearing the disdain, he smiled faintly and said, "In the past, Su Qin was a destitute and shameful youth. Later, he devoted himself to studying the 'Yin Fu' (a classic Chinese text), traveled to various states to persuade them, and wore the seals of six states, becoming famous throughout the world! Those who mocked him back then, the grass on their graves will soon be feeding the warhorses of the six states..."

"you!!"

Li Lingyue slammed her hand on the table and stood up in a rage.

How dare a mere bodyguard speak to her like that!
Lu Chenyuan changed the subject and laughed, "How about we make a bet? We'll bet whether you see me lying dead in the wilderness first, or I see you gritting your teeth at my military merit list first? If I lose, I'll pay with my life; if you lose..."

He raised an eyebrow and said, "Just a smile?"

That's too flippant.

Li Lingyue couldn't hold back any longer. Her eyebrows furrowed, and sword energy surged around her, gathering at her fingertips.

The entire world churned violently, dark clouds immediately gathered outside, and a fierce wind arose!

Just as she was about to explode, she heard Lu Chenyuan's second half of the sentence in her ear—he smiled, his tone full of longing and yearning, and sighed leisurely: "When that time comes, it will surely be the most beautiful scenery in the whole world."

Sword energy slammed into him, causing his robes to flutter wildly.

Lu Chenyuan remained expressionless, his gaze deep as he looked at Li Lingyue, as if he saw in her that beautiful smile that had never appeared before, a smile that seemed both real and unreal, like a dream, and he was captivated by it.

"..."

The room suddenly became quiet.

Li Lingyue fell silent, her ears turning slightly red again—after all, she was young, only in her early twenties, with ten years of grueling training ahead of her. Faced with such blatant praise from a man, she was mostly shy, and the love in his eyes was so sincere and intense that she was momentarily unable to look him in the eye.

His anger subsided, the sword energy at his fingertips dissipated, and the clouds outside were calm and the wind was gentle.

what the hell……

But just another boring man.

There's no need to get angry with him.

Besides, it's true that he was wronged by being used as a shield this time.

After a long while, Li Lingyue, with a stern face, deliberately avoided looking at him, took out a token, and broke the strange silence first, tossing it to Lu Chenyuan: "There are still remnants of the assassination attempt at the beginning of the month. Since you have such intentions, I will give you a chance. Take this token to the Iris Terrace and find Qianling Xie Tingyun. She will tell you how to make a name for yourself. You may leave now."

"Yes."

Upon receiving the token, Lu Chenyuan immediately resumed his composed demeanor, bowed respectfully, and turned to leave, quickly exiting the Xiaoxiang Pavilion. Seeing his decisive action, Li Lingyue opened her mouth, then closed it again, wanting to say something but unsure what to say. Her brows furrowed deeper, and her expression grew increasingly somber.

"Your Highness."

Yuan Qingshuang appeared in the back hall, holding a book in her hand, and asked curiously, "That piece just now, was it the Hundred Feather Token...?"

Bai Ling, an official of the sixth rank, is three ranks higher than a low-ranking guard.

"Yes!"

Recalling Lu Chenyuan's coldness as he left, Li Lingyue felt a surge of irritation. What kind of attitude was that? Not even a thank you? He got the official position and immediately turned his back on her? What a despicable man! His words just now were indeed sweet talk, deceiving me! He probably only meant to anger me; his heart is truly despicable!

Li Lingyue gritted her teeth inwardly and said coldly, "I want to see what merits he can achieve and what career he can establish!"

His tone was full of disdain.

Yuan Qingshuang thought to herself, "Since you're so angry, why are you treating me so well?"

That makes sense, though. This guard Lu is undeniably handsome. Everyone appreciates beauty, and people are always more forgiving of such a pleasing sight.

Yuan Qingshuang glanced at the chessboard, raised the book in her hand, and laughed, "I underestimated him in the past. This Lu Zhishou, no, Lu Bailing, is quite insightful. The sentence he recited comes from Emperor Taizong's essay 'On Calligraphy,' which discusses the art of calligraphy and does not involve the principles of chess. But judging from his appearance, it really seems like he has integrated His Majesty's teachings and gained some understanding."

Li Lingyue looked at the chessboard and saw that the white pieces were dwindling. Remembering the massacre she had just suffered, she became even angrier. She grabbed the white pieces and slammed them all onto the chessboard to see who had more pieces!
"He's got a little bit of cleverness, yet you think so highly of him! Humph!"

"..."

Yuan Qingshuang was both amused and exasperated. His Highness had been acting a bit childish since just now.

After Li Lingyue finished speaking, she realized that she had a problem with her emotions. Her first reaction was to think that Lu Chenyuan had used some kind of method, such as Miao poison or evil Taoist magic. Otherwise, he would not care so much about a small fry. She had shown her love many times in the past and had put on a show many times. No one had ever stirred her emotions like this.

She immediately used her inner energy to examine herself carefully, but found nothing unusual. Then, considering Lu Chenyuan's cultivation level, she realized that even with her eyes closed, he couldn't possibly use any special methods. She dismissed her worries, took a deep breath, silently circulated her inner energy to calm her mind, and when she opened her eyes again, she had suppressed her emotions. She glanced at the sky: "It's past 9 AM. The intelligence from various places should have been delivered. Have they been archived?"

"All have been archived."

"Is there anything I need to know now?"

Yuan Qingshuang straightened her expression and said respectfully, "News has come from Lijing Prison. Qiu Shenji has been interrogating the high shaman of the Witchcraft Sect for several days and finally learned a secret from him—the remnants of the assassination attempt are lingering in the capital, most likely for the Hidden Immortal Records."

"As expected."

Li Lingyue sneered: "He did his best, but it was useless. Once the cunning rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked; once the birds are gone, the good bow is put away. She has already obtained the position, and these rotten people will be thrown out to appease public anger. Their fate has already been decided."

Yuan Qingshuang remained calm and silent.

Li Lingyue didn't need her to speak, and casually asked, "Which chapter of the secret record?"

Yuan Qingshuang replied, "The Heavenly Craftsmanship Scroll."

Li Lingyue said, "The ingenious craftsmanship of the master craftsman surpasses even the work of the gods, and the skillful hands of the master craftsman transform things into spiritual wonders. A thousand years of profound secrets are hidden in a tiny piece of wood, and the myriad changes of the universe are contained within a single lineage... The Heavenly Craft Scroll is actually in the capital? Is this news reliable?"

Yuan Qingshuang said, "It should be reliable. On the day of the assassination attempt, the divine weapon used by the assassin, the Yuanrong Divine Crossbow, was a mechanical artifact created by the Hidden Immortal. Perhaps the Turks have found other clues in the past few decades..."

At this point, she said with a hint of helplessness, "During the Zhenguan era, all nations came to pay tribute. Emperor Taizong was the ruler of the world. He was magnanimous, and so were his ministers, which allowed Chinese culture and martial arts to spread far and wide. But now, although the Central Plains has two sages guarding the country, the Turks and Tibetans are also flourishing in martial arts. I'm afraid the seeds that were sown to the barbarians in the past may cause disaster..."

Li Lingyue waved her hand: "In the end, it's because my descendants are incompetent and can't control the barbarians. How can we blame the old man?"

"Your Highness!"

Yuan Qingshuang hurriedly knelt down to explain, "Qingshuang didn't mean it..."

"I understand what you mean."

Li Lingyue reached out and gently lifted her hand, an invisible force supporting Yuan Qingshuang. She smiled and said, "No need to be nervous. You should learn from that guy surnamed Lu! He compared me to a blind fool who mocked Su Qin, and I didn't do anything to him. So why should you be so careful?"

Yuan Qingshuang breathed a sigh of relief, but she still felt that there was something strange about what he said.

"At this point, further contemplation is pointless."

Li Lingyue ordered, "You must send more people to keep a close eye on this matter. The Heavenly Craft Scroll is no small matter and must not fall into the hands of foreign races! Also, keep a close eye on Qiu Shenji and his group. They know their situation, so be careful to prevent them from resorting to desperate measures."

"My subordinate understands."

"Okay, back off."

"Yes."

"……etc."

"What do you want, Your Highness?"

"After the night watch is over, summon that man surnamed Lu to come and keep watch for me!"

"……Yes."

(End of this chapter)