You, a tyrannical ruler, roam the heavens; you cannot understand my joy.

Lu Zuo planned to go to the palace tonight to investigate. If there were no experts above the Heaven and Earth realm in the palace, he would kidnap Emperor Huizong and have Liu Ruyan take his place.

After dressing and washing up, he took Ji Yaohua and Liu Ruyan and left the mountain palace, heading towards Bianliang.

……

More than an hour later...

Lu Zuo suddenly stopped in the open field, staring intently ahead, where he saw more than a dozen brightly colored venomous snakes slowly swimming in the grass.

Strange, why are there so many poisonous snakes here?

Was it raised by An Shigeng?

Clang!

Just then, a blade flashed beside him!

shhhhh......

Ji Yaohua drew her sword and moved with lightning speed, the cold blade light weaving a fine net that precisely swept across the ground.

In the next instant, more than a dozen venomous snakes, heads raised and tongues flicking, were all severed into several pieces, their foul-smelling blood splattering everywhere, their mangled bodies still writhing.

Ah~~!

"Little stone!"

"I'll kill you, you beast!"

Just then, a mournful and desperate cry came from the woods not far ahead.

Curious, Lu Zuo immediately moved slightly, like a gentle breeze, and flew away into the distance.

Ji Yaohua and Liu Ruyan exchanged a glance, then immediately gathered their strength and leaped forward, following closely behind.

A short while later.

Lu Zuo walked through the woods and stopped. What he could see was a narrow, ancient path. At the end of the path were about twenty or thirty low mud-brick houses and thatched huts, which was obviously a small mountain village.

Not far away, a woman in her thirties, dressed in a linen long gown, sat slumped on the ground, tightly holding a boy of about seven or eight years old in her arms. Her expression was blank, and her eyes were somewhat unfocused...

The child's face was bluish-purple and his breathing was weak; it seemed he had been poisoned.

Lu Zuo glanced around and saw a venomous snake lying on the grass beside him, smashed to pieces by a stone.

He frowned slightly, instantly understanding the situation, and then stepped forward.

"How dare you!"

"How dare you kill the sacred snake that the steward released for blessings?"

Just then, a harsh shout suddenly came from the village.

Lu Zuo looked up and saw several slovenly dressed men with open shirts and exposed chest hair rushing towards him menacingly.

The leader was a burly man with a fleshy face, a scar near his eye, and a hurried pace.

When he reached the woman's side, he put one hand on his hip, pointed at the dead snake on the ground with the other, and shouted, "Liu, you heartless woman!"

"Not only did they kill my third brother, but now they dare to kill a sacred snake released by the government?"

"Do you know that this is defying the imperial will, a grave offense punishable by exile!"

Several of his henchmen immediately surrounded her, pointing and whispering about the trembling woman, shouting, "Ninth Brother is right!"

"These are sacred animals that the emperor personally released to pray for rain and blessings!"

"If you kill the spirit snake, the heavens won't send rain, and the entire village will be blamed for your sins!"

"Pay up!"

"Hurry up and pay up to avoid trouble!"

"Or I'll take you to see the authorities!"

Hearing what these people were saying, Lu Zuo roughly understood what was going on.

Emperor Huizong of Song Dynasty often released rare and exotic animals he had collected from various places at great expense into the wild in order to demonstrate his benevolence.

His kindness, however, caused great suffering to the people near Bianliang.

Without him...

The rare and exotic animals collected by Emperor Huizong of Song were mostly ferocious creatures, such as tigers, bears, wolves, and venomous snakes...

If ordinary people are bitten, they can only accept their bad luck.

But if you resist, things will get really serious!

Even if they don't exile you, they'll at least give you dozens of lashes, then imprison you and make you do hard labor for several years.

"Hey, what are you looking at?"

While he was pondering, someone looked at Lu Zuo and said in a deep voice.

Lu Zuo ignored him and walked to the woman, squatted down, activated his wood-based Yin-Yang technique, and touched the boy's forehead with his fingertips.

As the pure wood-elemental true essence seeped into the child's body, his originally bluish complexion began to fade at a visible speed.

Black blood was dripping from the blackened snake fang wound on his calf, falling to the ground in thin streams.

In the blink of an eye, the bruises on the boy's face faded and his complexion returned to normal. His eyelids trembled, he hummed softly, and then slowly opened his eyes, looking around blankly.

The woman, who had been in a state of despair and blankness, noticed the change in the child in her arms, quickly looked down, and then froze on the spot, looking astonished.

"Stone... Stone, how are you feeling?"

"Mom, it doesn't hurt anymore." The little boy looked at his right leg and murmured, "And it feels really good too."

The scene left the burly men speechless!

Master!

This person is definitely a legendary martial arts master!

it's over...

The person who had been yelling at Lu Zuo earlier changed his expression drastically, inwardly lamenting.

Having offended such an important figure, I'm afraid I'm going to get a severe beating today...

Ji Yaohua and Liu Ruyan were also somewhat surprised by Lu Zuo's actions.

This person is ruthless and vicious. When he killed An Shigeng and others, he slaughtered them all without even blinking an eye. He is clearly not a kind person.

But he...

How could someone do such a chivalrous thing?

puff.

While pondering, the woman realized what was happening and quickly knelt down to kowtow to Lu Zuo.

"Thank you, benefactor, for saving my son's life!"

"My benefactor's kindness is boundless; even if I were to serve him like a cow or a horse, I could never repay even a fraction of it!"

"I only ask that you leave your name, my benefactor, and I will pray for you day and night from now on..."

"Come, Stone, quickly kowtow to your benefactor."

Lu Zuo quickly reached out to help the mother and child up, saying, "No need for that, no need for that."

"Ma'am, your child is alright now. Go home and rest well."

"Home?" The woman paused slightly, then shook her head, saying, "My husband is dead, and my home is..."

"They've taken over my home too!"

She pointed at the burly men and shouted angrily, "Your houses and fields have all been robbed by those bastards!"

"Son of a bitch!"

"When Stone's father was alive, did he ever mistreat you?"

"Now that he's dead, you've driven my daughter and me to the brink of death. Don't you have any conscience?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Zuo's eyes darkened: "Ji Yaohua, someone has spoken disrespectfully to your master. Is your sword just for show?"

Clang!

Upon hearing Lu Zuo's words, Ji Yaohua's heart trembled violently. She immediately drew her sword and charged towards the burly men.

*Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle...*

The muffled sound of a sharp blade slicing through throats rang out one after another, and blood gushed from the throats of several burly men, splattering the ground in a bloody red.

In the blink of an eye, they were all dead!

……

After finishing his business, Lu Zuo gave the mother and son some silver and then left with the two women. Amid the woman's repeated thanks, they continued their journey towards Bianliang.

Following behind him, Ji Yaohua secretly felt annoyed.

Why didn't I strike and kill those hooligans immediately?

It wasn't that she was particularly loyal to Lu Zuo.

I'm just worried about upsetting him and having a hard time afterward...

and also……

Why did he only reprimand himself and not Liu Ruyan?

They're all your subordinates, yet the difference in their treatment is too great!

Just because Liu Ruyan slept with you?

"Like smoke".

After walking for a while, Lu Zuo suddenly remembered something and said, "Your martial arts skills are too low; you need to improve them as soon as possible."

"My lord, I wish so too."

"But the meager martial arts I've practiced are not enough to make any difference even if I practice them more."

Lu Zuo smiled and said, "Now that I've brought this up, I will naturally teach you martial arts."

The stronger a woman like Liu Ruyan is, the more cultivation attributes she can provide.

Moreover, he also needs a highly capable subordinate.

"Really?"

Liu Ruyan's face lit up with joy: "Thank you, young master. I will serve you even more diligently in the future and will not dare to be negligent in the slightest."

Upon hearing this, Ji Yaohua felt a sudden pang of sadness welling up inside her...

In terms of aptitude and talent, I am far superior to Liu Ruyan!

We're all your subordinates, so why does she get guidance while I don't?

……

More than an hour later, at the city gate of Bianliang.

The massive city gates were wide open, and a constant stream of carriages, horses, and pedestrians filled the air, creating a bustling and vibrant atmosphere that showcased the prosperity of the imperial capital.

On the official road not far away, a long procession of countless laborers was slowly inching its way into the city.

These laborers were all dark-skinned, dressed in rags, with sweat constantly streaming down their bronze backs and cheeks, leaving muddy streaks in the dust.

They worked in groups of two or four, using heavy wooden levers to carry huge, oddly shaped, rugged, and porous Taihu stones.

The laborers' muscles were taut, their veins bulging, and each step they took made the ground tremble slightly.

Huge stones pressed down on the wooden beams, creaking and groaning, the air thick with the stench of sweat and dust...

"Oh."

Lu Zuo stood with the two women on the open ground on the other side of the official road, looking at the scene before him and sneer: "Zhuge Zhengwo is known as a man of both literary and military talent, and he cares deeply for the common people."

"Is this the kind of person you've trained?"

In this world, Zhuge Zhengwo once served as Grand Tutor, was Emperor Huizong of Song's teacher, and was also his loyal follower.

The group watched outside the city gate for quite some time, until the entire procession transporting Taihu stones had entered the city, before stepping into the capital of the Great Song Dynasty.

After entering the city, the three of them first found an inn and booked two rooms.

Subsequently, Lu Zuo taught Liu Ruyan the Yin Meridian Eight Curses and the Skull Blood Hand Seal.

As for the Ji Yao flower...

She had no intention of serving Lu Zuo, so Lu Zuo would neither force her nor help her improve her strength.

……

It wasn't until late at night that Lu Zuo left the inn and sneaked into the palace alone.

He didn't know where the emperor lived, and he was just checking tonight to see if there were any powerful experts in the palace.

After entering the palace, he used the Ethereal Steps to wander aimlessly around.

They explored the entire palace without being discovered by anyone.

"Looks like I was overthinking it..."

"That's true. If there were a master in the palace whose strength surpassed even Zhuge Zhengwo, how could the original story have allowed An Yunshan to usurp the throne without any intervention?"

If that's the case, then let's try to find the emperor's residence...

"Godfather, did His Majesty go to the red-light district tonight?"

A shrill voice came from afar, interrupting Lu Zuo's thoughts.

"Shh!"

"Keep your voice down!"

"Are you out of your mind?"

"How dare you or I speak so casually about His Majesty leaving the palace late at night to see that Li Shishi?"

"If word gets out, they'll be beaten to death!"