The Ballad of Youth: Inheriting Daoji, Li Hanyi, the Escapee from Marriage

The first thing he did was to bow to the person in front of him, who, even with his back to him, exuded a strong aura of imperial majesty.

The person who performed the salute was named Jin Xian, the head of the Incense Bureau, one of the five major supervisors of the imperial palace. Opposite him, who accepted his respectful attitude and proper etiquette but still did not turn around, was none other than the supreme ruler of the Northern Li Kingdom, Emperor Xiao Ruojin.

"It's Jinxian."

"What did you just say? That white-haired immortal from the outer heavens dared to sneak into the Central Plains and even brazenly engage in a great battle with people?"

"Interesting. Tell me, who was this person who fought against him?"

"It certainly can't be one of those famous figures in the martial arts world, right?"

"Otherwise, just tell me your name directly. You, Jinxian, aren't the type to keep people in suspense, are you?"

Upon hearing what Jin Xian said, Emperor Xiao Ruojin slowly turned around, his tone revealing little emotion.

However, the emperor's power is omnipresent, and serving the emperor is like serving a tiger.

Upon hearing this, Jin Xian's expression immediately changed. She bowed again and replied somewhat nervously.

"I dare not, Your Majesty!"

He was shocked to see that even the chief eunuch who was always by his side and did not need to attend court was so wary of him.

Xiao Ruojin was silent for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"Hahaha, I know, I know. Alright, tell me, I'm actually quite interested."

"After all, being in this position, many things are readily available, but freedom and the world of martial arts are extremely far away!"

"Hmm... I don't remember that the white-haired immortal had already entered the so-called Free and Unfettered Heaven Realm twelve years ago?"

"Now you can definitely take another step forward, right? Does that mean that another master of the Great Freedom Realm has appeared in the martial arts world of Beili Kingdom?"

Upon hearing Xiao Ruojin's first two sentences, Jinxian's expression hardened again, and she dared not touch upon the matter.

After all, what's with all this talk about positions and titles? This is the throne!

The power center of the entire Northern Li! Throughout history, apart from the emperor himself, who would dare to question this position?

Jinxian lowered her head even further, pretending not to hear the other person's mutterings about this position, and addressed the other person's initial question.

"Your Majesty, the person who fought the white-haired immortal was indeed a figure who had never appeared before."

"He was a monk, who looked to be in his early twenties. He was dressed in tattered clothes and did not abstain from alcohol or meat."

"He's usually crazy and doesn't seem like a proper monk."

"However, considering his good martial arts skills, young age, and potential, I think... perhaps we could try to negotiate with him?"

"His Majesty once said that matters of the martial world should be settled within the martial world itself. Therefore, I believe that recruiting some martial arts experts would be more convenient."

After Jinxian finished speaking, she cautiously looked up at Xiao Ruojin.

But upon closer inspection, he realized that the other person was looking directly at him, so he quickly looked away.

"Hey, monks and江湖人 (jianghu people) are two different things. Negotiation is fine, but remember, you can't force anyone... Understand?"

As Xiao Ruojin spoke, she fiddled with the beads with her fingers.

If you look closely, you'll see that, unlike the fine jade bracelet in the original story, which was purely decorative, what he's holding now is a proper Buddhist rosary made of sandalwood!

"By the way, you said he was dressed in rags and didn't abstain from alcohol and meat, but that doesn't mean he's not a proper monk, does it?"

"Have you found out which temple they come from?"

Jin Xian didn't understand why Emperor Xiao Ruojin was so interested in a martial arts expert, especially since the expert was a monk.

However, since the other party asked, Jinxian had no choice but to answer!

"Your Majesty, based on their clothing, appearance, and other characteristics, we have made a preliminary deduction that the other party is from the Jiangnan region."

"They came from Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou!"

"However, there is still one point of doubt: Lingyin Temple is just an ordinary temple, and the monks there know almost nothing about martial arts."

"But how could such a temple cultivate such a master of the Great Free and Unfettered Realm? This is something that has not yet been investigated!"

As Jin Xian spoke, she kept her head down and couldn't see how wide Xiao Ruojin's eyes widened when she heard the word "Lingyin Temple"!

"Ruofeng, before that incident, you said you would come back when I asked about Lingyin Temple again."

"No matter what happens, you will come back!"

"But this time, the dead cannot be brought back to life. Can you really keep your promise?"

Xiao Ruojin's eyes gradually lost focus, her mind filled with a jumble of chaotic thoughts.

After a long while, Xiao Ruojin finally spoke again.

"Jinxian..."

"Your Majesty, Jinxian is here."

Upon hearing this, Jinxian immediately responded.

"You don't need to worry about that monk for now. Now let's talk about the White-Haired Immortal. Our dynasty has an agreement with the Outer Heaven."

"Within twelve years, no one is allowed to enter the Central Plains privately. So, does that mean it's already been twelve years?"

Jin Xian respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, it is exactly twelve years away, so there is still some time to go."

"In my opinion, even if it's only one day late, they... have still broken the agreement."

"This white-haired immortal is clearly taking advantage of our dynasty's lack of talent. I request permission to capture him!"

Although I don't know what Xiao Ruojin was thinking during that long pause, I also don't know why she changed the subject so abruptly.

But Jin Xian knew very well that he didn't need to know any of this!

When the other party asked about the White-Haired Immortal, he immediately changed from bowing to kneeling and pleaded for permission.

"Well, since Tianwaitian has already taken action, then you can go and wade into these muddy waters for me!"

Seeing that the emperor did not blame them for failing to detect the unauthorized entry of the people from the Outer Heavens into the Central Plains, but instead gave them a chance to make amends, Jin Xian couldn't help but feel relieved.

But then, he suddenly realized that the twelve-year agreement to lock the mountains and rivers had come to an end, and what about that hostage...?

"Your Majesty, I suddenly realized that the hostage took two people with him when he left the caravan heading to Kowloon Gate."

"Those two people themselves are nothing special, but I heard they have a good relationship with that monk."

"And His Majesty just told me not to interfere with that monk..."

When Jinxian got to this point, she was actually asking Xiao Ruojin what to do with the hostage.

If that hostage were just him alone, even though the other party was very talented, for him, whether to kill or release him was just a matter of a single thought.

But now, with someone the emperor specifically pointed out, causing him to change his initial intention to negotiate, Jin Xian... really couldn't make up his mind!

"I see... You can decide about the hostage yourself. If that monk tries to stop you..."

"You can try his skills, but remember... never kill him."

After saying this, Xiao Ruojin waved her hand, indicating that Jinxian could leave.

Seeing this, Jinxian said nothing more. She stood up, bowed again, and slowly withdrew from the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

"Master, where do we go next?"

As he walked out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, two eunuchs who were also his apprentices approached him and asked him questions.

Upon hearing this, Jin Xian fell silent for a moment, seemingly lost in thought.

"Go to Master Yu, Dafanyin Temple!"

…………

On the other side, in the main hall of the Red King's Palace.

A man dressed in a crimson robe embroidered with dragon patterns, with a somewhat arrogant appearance and a rather heroic demeanor, sat at the head of the table.

Below him, you are a man in black, kneeling slightly, with a rather mean and petty appearance, saying something.

The two were master and servant. The master was none other than the seventh prince of Beili, the Crimson King Xiao Yu, and the servant was naturally his most trusted guard, if not the most useful!

"Oh? You mean that after Father heard the news about Sangu City, he didn't say anything about dealing with that monk?"

"Interesting. Could it be that that guy has some kind of powerful background? But that doesn't make sense, he's the emperor!"

"The supreme emperor! You could say it would be one thing if you were restrained by the combined forces of the officials, but what about a mere江湖人 (jianghu person)!"

"Even the most powerful families can be easily defeated by hundreds of thousands of troops, can't they?"

"Then why would he choose to avoid talking about such a powerful individual?"

When Red King Xiao Yu said, "He is the emperor," his eyes were filled with longing and ambition.

When he spoke of the emperor's supreme authority, his tone was extremely firm. After all... it was precisely because imperial power was so great that he so desperately desired the throne!

“Your Highness, those two eunuchs in the Hall of Mental Cultivation were trained by the ‘Grand Eunuch’ from childhood and went through countless rounds of maneuvering before they were allowed to enter the Hall of Mental Cultivation.”

"Although they dared not look up to observe the other person's expression due to rules and their own fear, they at least heard the conversation!"

"They believed that this news might be useful to His Highness, so they risked being discovered to send the message."

After hearing these words, Crimson King Xiao Yu nodded slightly, then spoke with a rather cold expression.

"After they finished delivering the message...did you handle it?"

Upon hearing this, Long Xie quickly nodded in response.

"It's all been taken care of. After all, secretly conveying the emperor's thoughts is a serious crime."

"In some special places, eunuchs are subjected to intense daily scrutiny by individuals possessing special martial arts skills." (m.23sk.net)

"If even the slightest thing is found to be wrong, you'll be arrested and severely tortured!"

"So, after receiving the message, I immediately disposed of them all!"

Hearing that Long Xie's finishing touches were still to his liking, a slight smile slowly appeared on the lips of the Crimson King.

He truly deserves to be his most trusted subordinate! But... he's just a subordinate after all!

If one day the other party does something similar to what those two eunuchs did, and it gets discovered...

He would not hesitate to "deal with" the other party as well!

"I understand. In that case, I'll summon the Longbow Chasing Wings and the Hundred Ghosts Parade. I'm going to the Western Regions!"