The Last Sentinel

"How do I record this?"

Yun Zhongzi chewed on his pen, his brow furrowed in worry. "During his battle with the Daoist of Cause and Effect, the Martial Arts Myth learned the Great Dao of Cause and Effect and defeated the Daoist of Cause and Effect by using the Dao himself against him?"

"But this is just too ridiculous!"

"Would anyone believe me if I wrote this down?"

"Isn't this just telling everyone that Meng Xinghun's twenty years of cultivation are no match for Ye Feng's twenty minutes of enlightenment?"

"This isn't just a matter of difference in ability between the two; Meng Xinghun isn't even worthy to carry Ye Feng's shoes!"

"Old Ding? How do you think I should write this part of my 'Travels in the Martial World'?"

"Old Ding! I'm talking to you. How do I write this part?"

Beside him, Ding Xiu stared at a painting of a beautiful woman, his eyes shining, as if a drunkard had discovered fine wine and was hopelessly infatuated.

In the painting of the beauty, the young girl is graceful and charming. Her face is slender and oval-shaped, with a porcelain-white complexion. Her eyebrows reveal a wild and tenacious spirit, and the corners of her mouth are habitually curved up—not with gentleness, but with three parts playfulness mixed with seven parts of "what can you do to me?" savagery.

Ding Xiu's calloused hands stroked the girl's slender waist and long legs, and he murmured, "Run, big butt and slender waist, you're sure to have a son!"

Yun Zhongzi glanced at the portrait of the beautiful young woman in Ding Xiu's hand and couldn't help but say, "Wake up, Lao Ding! Stop looking at that!"

Ding Xiu said unhappily, "My wife has disappeared without a trace. Is there a problem with me glancing at her portrait a few times?"

Looking at Ding Xiu's appearance, Yun Zhongzi could only think, "What a tragedy!"

Yun Zhongzi initially thought that Ding Xiu, an old-fashioned wandering swordsman, would be somewhat resistant to a beautiful girl who had transformed from a man.

What Yun Zhongzi didn't expect was that when Ding Xiu saw that Ye Feng had uninstalled Meng Xinghun's QQ and turned into a beautiful woman, he was instantly captivated.

As for Meng Xinghun's past as a man, Ding Xiu actually considered it a plus.

What others perceive as pain points become pleasure points in Ding Xiu's eyes.

This made Yun Zhongzi think that the more honest a person is, the more perverted they are. No wonder Ding Xiu has been in the martial arts world for so many years without a single scandal. It seems that his values ​​on love are so twisted and perverted. It is a misfortune for my sect to encounter such a guy!

Ding Xiu suddenly looked up, seemingly lost in thought. "Damn, I almost forgot something! We haven't caught Zhou Yunyi yet!"

"Hey, I'm outta here!"

"I have a mission to complete, let's talk another day!"

Ding Xiu got up and was about to leave.

Yun Zhongzi patted Ding Xiu's shoulder and chuckled, "Old Ding, I've found you such a beautiful wife, aren't you going to show your appreciation?"

Ding Xiu pointed at the wine gourd in Yun Zhongzi's hand, "Didn't I already offer you drinks?"

Yun Zhongzi said, "How can these be the same?"

Ding Xiu said, "But I still haven't gotten my wife! Meng Xinghun has run away! He's run away, do you understand?"

Yun Zhongzi said, "That's because you lack ability. I have done my best; you just didn't seize the opportunity!"

Ding Xiu, preoccupied with Zhou Yunyi's matter, impatiently asked, "Then tell me, what do you want!"

Yun Zhongzi's expression turned serious. "I'll spare Zhou Yunyi's life."

Ding Xiudao said, "What's your relationship with Zhou Yunyi? Zhou Yunyi should be from the lineage of Liu Bowen of Qingtian, while you're a disciple of Tongtian Temple. You two have absolutely no connection. What are you trying to do by pleading on his behalf?"

Yun Zhongzi sighed, "I can't explain it to you in a few words, but if you kill Zhou Yunyi, I won't be able to explain it to my sect. I came here specifically to save Zhou Yunyi's life because I foresaw that he was in mortal danger!"

Ding Xiu pushed Yun Zhongzi's hand away. "Alright, I understand. I'll try my best to spare his life!"

"Thank you very much," Yun Zhongzi said. "I will continue to provide you with Meng Xinghun's latest coordinates, and I will definitely help you win the heart of your beauty soon!"

"You're a true friend!" Ding Xiu turned and disappeared.

Upon seeing this, Yun Zhongzi sighed, then looked in Ye Feng's direction and disappeared.

At this moment, in the larger audience seats, the discussion has only just begun.

In the Hall of Longevity, all the wise men and women were gathered.

With a clear, crisp sound of a golden chime, the riddle-solving Emperor Jiajing put away his chime and began to play riddles with his favorite ministers.

The ministers of the Ming Dynasty were at a loss when faced with the Jiajing Emperor, yet they could not remain silent.

After all, the leader personally held a video conference. As a subordinate, even if you don't offer any useful opinions, you should at least know how to flatter him! If you say nothing, what use is the court to you?

At this moment, Grand Secretary Yan Shifan stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the martial arts legend lives up to his name. On the surface, this battle appeared to be a close contest between Meng Xinghun and Ye Feng, but in reality, Ye Feng was toying with Meng Xinghun from beginning to end. Ye Feng cultivated both physical strength and the Dao of Cause and Effect from the start, making his victory inevitable. Meng Xinghun never held the initiative. In my opinion, Ye Feng's victory greatly dealt a blow to the arrogance of the Chaotic Star Sea and enhanced the prestige of our Great Ming Empire. Ye Feng should be rewarded!"

At this moment, Zhang Juzheng, the prodigy opposite, stood up and said, "Young Grand Secretary, you are mistaken. As we all know, Meng Xinghun is the reincarnation of a Dao King Realm expert in the field of cause and effect. However, this time he failed to awaken the projection of his previous life's King Realm, which is why he was defeated by Ye Feng. In my opinion, the strength of the martial arts legend is indeed not to be underestimated, but he is still far from being invincible and unrivaled, as you say. Moreover, Ye Feng is young and prone to arrogance. It would be better to postpone the reward until Ye Feng makes a greater contribution and then settle the reward together."

Yan Shifan slammed his fist on the table, pointed at Zhang Juzheng's nose, and cursed, "Zhang Prodigy, I've tolerated you for too long! What do you mean Meng Xinghun didn't use his ultimate move? What do you mean Meng Xinghun let Ye Feng win? What do you mean Ye Feng's strength is limited?! It's easy for you to talk when you're not in his shoes! I'm asking you, if you were put in Ye Feng's current 2.0 level and had to fight Meng Xinghun one-on-one, would you dare to go and fight Meng Xinghun?"

Zhang Juzheng said, "Young Grand Secretary, this is the imperial court, not a marketplace!"

Yan Shifan said, "The imperial court also has its principles! I know all the dirty tricks you Qingliu people are up to every day! It's just that Ye Feng isn't one of yours, and you don't want him to gain power. In your eyes, everything and everyone is about stance first, then reason! You value party interests over imperial interests. You are a bunch of complete hypocrites!"

Hearing this, Zhang Juzheng also lost his temper, "Yan Shifan, you can eat what you've already said, but you can't say what you've already said! This is slander!"

"So what if I've slandered him? I'm going to demand justice and a reward for what happened to Ye Feng today!"

"Ye Feng's duel today violated imperial rules and should not be commended!"

"Then let's have a competition!"

"..."

Just as the full-blown martial arts spectacle of the Ming Dynasty was about to unfold at the Wanshou Palace, Jiajing suddenly struck the golden chime, the crisp sound echoing around, and the entire hall fell silent.

The Jiajing Emperor's voice was ethereal and distant: "Summon Ye Feng to the capital, enroll him in the Imperial Academy, and appoint him as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy."

With Jiajing's decision finalized, anyone who disagreed was now considered an enemy of Jiajing.

The ministers all agreed and dispersed.

However, the question of Ye Feng's final allegiance and the faction that will receive the award remains a long and drawn-out battle.