Zongwu: Eavesdropping on the inner voices, the female warriors have become strange

Chen Liu had anticipated not being able to meet Duan Yu, so he had already prepared a copy of the Zhenlong chess game and had it delivered to him. Given Duan Yu's personality, seeing this copy would naturally excite him. In the original novel, he couldn't solve the Zhenlong chess game, and it seemed he wouldn't be able to do so now, so he was bound to come meet him.

Chen Liu handed the chess manual to the soldiers guarding the gate and gave them a tael of silver as a reward. The soldiers, unaware of Chen Liu's true identity, were hesitant to neglect his work, fearing that if the Crown Prince learned of this, they might not be treated well. Chen Liu gave them another tael of silver as a reward, which made them even happier. They quickly patted their chests and promised to hand over the chess manual to the Crown Prince.

Chen Liu, Zhong Ling, and Mu Wanqing had just left when Duan Zhengchun and his men emerged from the palace. Duan Zhengchun glanced at the graceful figures of Zhong Ling and Mu Wanqing as they retreated, thinking to himself, "Judging from their backs, they are truly rare beauties." What a shame, those two beauties seemed to already be taken.

Duan Zhengchun asked the soldier, "Just now, I saw those three people talking to you inside. Who are they, and what did they say to you?"

The soldier quickly replied, "Your Highness, that man claims to be from Gusu, Great Song. His surname is Chen, his given name is Chen Liu, and his courtesy name is Buqi. He is here to see the Crown Prince. He gave us a chess manual and asked us to pass it on to the Crown Prince."

"Oh? Chess records?" Duan Zhengchun immediately became interested when he heard that.

Although Duan Zhengchun is a humanoid self-propelled artillery piece and his martial arts skills aren't particularly impressive, he possesses considerable proficiency in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, and musical instruments. In ancient times, men were generally expected to possess five qualities to attract or pursue women: Pan An, Donkey, and Xiao Leisure. Duan Zhengchun's appearance was considered decent, with his square figure. He was also presumably as strong as a donkey, otherwise he wouldn't have captured the hearts of so many women. Duan Zhengchun was also a prince, possessing both wealth and status. He was also patient and considerate. While he was a scumbag, when he was with a woman, he truly treated her with sincerity, even willing to sacrifice his life for her. Many couldn't match this, and this likely contributed to his appeal to women. Finally, there was leisure and talent. Although Duan Zhengchun was the next heir to Dali, he preferred to wander the world and disliked handling state affairs, and he had plenty of time. If he wanted to attract women, he naturally needed talents, so although he could not be said to have reached the master level in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, he was quite proficient in them.

"What chess game is it?"

"Your Highness, I don't understand chess. I don't know." The soldier quickly presented the chess manual and said, "This is it."

Duan Zhengchun took the chess manual and opened it. It contained only one game, the Zhenlong game. Duan Zhengchun examined it closely, his mind growing more and more alarmed. The game was incredibly complex, like what chess players call a Zhenlong game: a game of calamities within calamities, a game of shared survival and eternal life. Duan Zhengchun's chess skills were considered expert even in Dali. But he couldn't predict the outcome of this game. While Black's victory seemed certain, White might still have a chance to turn the tables. Duan Zhengchun stared at it for a long time, the game becoming increasingly blurry. His mind involuntarily conjured up images of the women with whom he had entangled. Some, tearful, others with charming eyes, asked him why he hadn't visited them in so long, asking if he had forgotten them. Others, some with knives or swords in hand, glared at him, yelling, "Duan Zhengchun, accept your fate!" They drew their swords and struck at him...

"Ah!" Duan Zhengchun screamed and turned to run away...

"Your Highness! Your Highness! Your Highness!" Duan Zhengchun's four great ministers, Chu Wanli, Gu Ducheng, Fu Sigui and Zhu Danchen, who were collectively known as "Fisherman, Woodcutter, Farmer and Scholar", were shocked to see that Duan Zhengchun was shaking with fear on his face and screaming just by looking at the chess manual. They hurried forward to support him, shook his body and called out loudly.

After being shaken awake by the four ministers, Duan Zhengchun was still a little frightened and gasping for breath, while the soldier who received the chess record from Chenliu was so scared that he knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly, his face full of despair, thinking to himself: It's over, it's over, I didn't expect that there was something strange about this chess record, it almost killed the prince, I was killed by that Song man.

"There may be something wrong with this chess record. You three take good care of the prince. I will go and capture those three people." Chu Wanli said to Gu Ducheng, Fu Sigui and Zhu Danchen.

"Come back!" Duan Zhengchun called out to Chu Wanli.

"Your Highness." Chu Wanli was a little confused.

"What an amazing game of Zhenlong chess." Duan Zhengchun waved his hand, indicating that he was fine. He said, "There's nothing wrong with the chess record. It's just that this game is too amazing. I was unknowingly immersed in it, and it triggered hallucinations."

Chapter 41 Duan Zhengchun (Part )

"Your Majesty, this chess game..."

Chu Wanli, Gu Ducheng, Fu Sigui, and Zhu Danchen are collectively known as the "Fisherman, Woodcutter, Farmer, and Scholar," a reference to their attire. Chu Wanli is dressed as a fisherman, reflecting his love of fishing; Gu Ducheng is dressed as a woodcutter; Fu Sigui is portrayed as an elderly farmer; and Zhu Danchen is dressed as a scholar. Of the four, Zhu Danchen also dabbles in chess, and upon hearing the prince's description of the impressive Zhenlong chess game, he couldn't help but feel a pang of excitement, eager to see it for himself.

"If you want to see it, just say so." Duan Zhengchun said with a smile.

After Duan Zhengchun handed the chess manual to Zhu Danchen, he saw that the soldiers guarding the gate were still kneeling on the ground in fear and kowtowing repeatedly, so he said, "Get up, this is none of your business."

"Thank you, Your Highness, for your mercy! Thank you, Your Highness, for your mercy!" The gatekeepers were overjoyed and kowtowed several times before standing up again.

"Besides giving you the chess manual and asking you to pass it on to the prince, did that person say anything else?" Duan Zhengchun asked.

The soldier thought carefully and said, "Your Highness, the man said he was visiting Dali. He heard that the Crown Prince loved music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and was an excellent chess player, so he came to ask for advice. He also said that if the Crown Prince asked, he would tell him that he was staying at the Yuelai Inn."

Duan Zhengchun nodded, thinking to himself, "I don't think that person has any bad intentions and is genuinely here to chat and play chess with Yu'er. Otherwise, he wouldn't have given me their address." The reason I fell into this hallucination is, firstly, because this Zhenlong chess game is truly amazing. Secondly, my concentration is lacking. As for the third reason, well, I have to go see Bao Bao and Xing Zhu and the others when I have time. Where should I go first? Bao Bao and Hong Mian are nearby. How about going to see them first? And then go to Zhongyuan to see Xing Zhu and Min'er?

As for Li Qingluo, Duan Zhengchun actually wanted to visit her, but the Gusu Wang family of this world was not the Gusu Wang family of Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils. The Wang family of this Zongwu world not only held considerable influence in the Song Dynasty court, but also in the martial arts world. If he dared to go to Mantuo Villa to have a secret meeting with Li Qingluo and the Wang family discovered it, the combined forces of the court and the martial arts world would surely bring disaster to Dali. Duan Zhengchun's penchant for romance didn't mean he didn't know the importance of things, so he didn't dare set foot on Mantuo Villa to see Li Qingluo.

"Brother, brother, how are you?"

As Duan Zhengchun was pondering which lover to meet first, the voices of Chu Wanli, Gu Ducheng, and Fu Sigui reached his ears. He quickly turned around and saw Zhu Danchen sweating profusely, with a look of fear in his eyes. He said, "What an amazing game of Zhenlong chess."

Chu Wanli, Gu Ducheng, and Fu Sigui: ...

This Zhenlong chess game is a bit weird. Fortunately, they don’t like it and don’t know how to play chess.

Zhu Danchen returned the chessboard of Zhenlong Chess to Duan Zhengchun and said, "Your Highness, this Zhenlong Chess game is a bit strange. It can trigger fear and obsession in people. Should we still give it to the Crown Prince? I'm worried..."

Duan Zhengchun pondered for a while and said, "It's okay, but Yu'er needs someone to watch over him while he's watching the chess game. If he gets into a hallucination, someone will be needed to wake him up."

"Your Highness, do I need to investigate the background of the three people who came to deliver the chess manual to the prince?" Zhu Danchen continued to ask.

"You might as well go and take a look. If they really are staying at Yuelai Inn, then they have no bad intentions and you don't need to pay any more attention to them. If they are not at Yuelai Inn, come back and let me know." Duan Zhengchun said.

Although Duan Zhengchun didn't think Chen Liu had any bad intentions, what bad intentions could a man with two beauties by his side have? It would be better to go and confirm it.

"Yes, Your Highness." Zhu Danchen clasped his fists towards Duan Zhengchun and turned to head towards Yuelai Inn.

Duan Zhengchun had originally been preparing to go out, but because of this incident, he returned to the palace with Chu Wanli, Gu Ducheng, and Fu Sigui, waiting for Zhu Danchen to return after investigating the details of the three people from Chenliu.

After arriving at Yuelai Inn, Zhu Danchen inquired about the innkeepers, Chen Liu, Zhong Ling, and Mu Wanqing. Those who could open "Wanjie Inns" or "Yuelai Inns" in various worlds were no ordinary people, and these "Wanjie Inns" were generally not bad, most of them being among the highest-end inns in the area.

The owner of the Yuelai Inn was deeply impressed by Chen Liu Zhong Ling and Mu Wanqing. Mu Wanqing was incredibly aggressive, threatening to gouge out an innkeeper's eyes simply because he'd glanced at her twice. Fortunately, Chen Liu intervened, saving the innkeeper from blindness. Because of this incident, it was hard for the owner not to be deeply impressed by them. Of course, the innkeepers were terrified of the woman in black from then on. No one dared to look at her again, fearing disaster.

The innkeeper also knew Zhu Danchen and knew that he was one of the four great ministers of the Zhennan Palace. He did not dare to hide it and said, "Master Zhu, that Master Chen and the two girls are indeed staying at our inn, but the three of them are not here now. It seems that they are out for fun..."

"Do they all possess martial arts skills?" After carefully inquiring about the innkeeper and the three men, Zhu Danchen suddenly became wary. If the three men were just ordinary people, he wouldn't have cared much. But since they all possessed martial arts skills, clearly belonging to the Jianghu, he couldn't help but be wary. After all, Duan Yu had no martial arts skills. What if he came to see these three men and was kidnapped?

"You must not let Mr. Chen and the other two know what I came to ask you. If the news leaks out, you will no longer be able to run this inn. Prepare the coffin." Zhu Danchen sternly warned the innkeeper before leaving.

"Yes! Yes! Yes! Don't worry, Lord Zhu, I won't have to do it." The innkeeper nodded and made an assurance quickly.

When Zhu Danchen returned to the Prince of Zhennan's mansion, Duan Yu had already returned from Yuxu Monastery, his eyes fixed on the Zhenlong chessboard, his brow furrowed. Duan Zhengchun sat across from him, leisurely sipping tea.

"Your Highness, Crown Prince." Zhu Danchen saluted Duan Zhengchun and Duan Yu with his fists clasped.

"Danchen is back? How is the investigation going?" Duan Zhengchun asked.

"Your Highness, those three seem quite capable. They all possess martial arts prowess, and appear to be from the Jianghu," Zhu Danchen reported. "Mr. Chen seems alright, but the woman in black beside him is incredibly vicious. The innkeeper nearly had his eyes gouged out for merely glancing at her a few times. He doesn't seem like a good person. While Mr. Chen stopped the woman in black and appears to be a kind person, we can't rule out the possibility that he's deliberately disguising himself. If Your Highness wishes to see him, I suggest inviting him to the palace and arranging more personnel to prevent any unforeseen circumstances."

Duan Zhengchun nodded and said, "Good! It's better to be careful. Then, Danchen, go to the inn again and invite Mr. Chen and the two girls over. We will meet them with Yu'er."

Chapter 42 Duan Zhengchun (Part )

"But is it Master Chen from the Song Dynasty?" Zhu Danchen asked, bowing towards Chen Liu.

Although Chen Liu wanted to see Duan Yu, he didn't know why he had returned. Zhong Ling was very interested in exploring Dali City, and he couldn't bear to spoil her fun, so he accompanied her and Mu Wanqing for the entire afternoon, returning to the inn around three or four o'clock. As soon as Chen Liu, Zhong Ling, and Mu Wanqing returned to the inn, they discovered that Zhu Danchen had been waiting there for a long time.

"That's right, may I know who you are?" Chen Liu returned the greeting.

"My name is Zhu Danchen." Zhu Danchen said.

"So you are the writer of 'Fisherman, Woodcutter, Farmer and Scholar'. I have long heard of your great name. I am from Chenliu, the Great Song Dynasty. Nice to meet you, Mr. Zhu." Chenliu greeted again.

Zhu Danchen also returned the greeting and said politely, "I never thought that Mr. Chen, a distinguished figure in the Song Dynasty, would know me, a humble person from a humble place. It is truly an honor."

"Mr. Zhu, you are too polite. Who doesn't know the names of the four ministers of Prince Duan of Dali, namely, the fisherman, the woodcutter, the farmer and the scholar?" Chen Liu continued to be polite to Zhu Danchen.

Everyone loves to hear nice words, and after being complimented by Chen Liu, Zhu Danchen's slight wariness towards Chen Liu immediately disappeared, and he smiled a little too hard. After some pleasantries, Zhu Danchen said, "My prince has been waiting at home for a long time. Please, Master Chen and the two girls, please move in."

"Prince Duan?" Chen Liu was a little surprised.

"Exactly."

"In that case, please wait for a moment, Mr. Zhu. We will bathe and change clothes before heading to the palace to pay our respects to Prince Duan."

"Young Master Chen and the two ladies, please make yourselves at your convenience." Chen Liu's decision to bathe and change clothes first wasn't meant to disregard Duan Zhengchun's invitation; it was, in fact, a sign of respect for him. That's why he went to see him afterward. Zhu Danchen understood this, and naturally, without a trace of impatience, he felt even happier. He thought to himself: This Young Master Chen is indeed a member of the upper class of the Song Dynasty. Only the upper class of the Song Dynasty would pay such close attention to etiquette.

After packing up, Chen Liu, Zhong Ling, and Mu Wanqing followed Zhu Danchen to the palace. After entering the palace, Zhu Danchen asked Chen Liu, Zhong Ling, and Mu Wanqing to wait for a moment while he went to report to Duan Zhengchun and Duan Yu, who was still deep in thought.

Although Duan Zhengchun and Duan Yu did not come out to greet them, they stood up and waited together in the side hall of the palace. This was because of the precious chess game sent by Chen Liu. Otherwise, Chen Liu, an unknown man, would not be able to meet Duan Zhengchun and Duan Yu at all.

After being led into the side hall by Zhu Danchen, Chen Liu took a look at Duan Zhengchun. He saw that Duan Zhengchun had a square face, a dignified appearance, thick eyebrows and big eyes, a fierce look, and three strands of beautiful beard on his chin, which made him look even more handsome.

Duan Yu, on the other hand, was dressed in a blue shirt, with a face as beautiful as jade, bright and gentle, and was also a rare handsome man.

But when Zhong Ling and Mu Wanqing entered, Duan Yu was completely transfixed, his entire being utterly bewildered. He felt as if he had suddenly fallen in love. Though Mu Wanqing's face was covered with a veil, her eyes, which seemed to speak, and the glimpse of her skin, as white as snow, made him feel, even without seeing her face, that she must be a truly stunning beauty. Add to that Zhong Ling's charming demeanor, and he felt a sense of soul-transfer. He couldn't help but exclaim inwardly: How could such a beautiful girl exist? She was like a fairy from heaven, descended to earth? For us, stinking men filled with foul air, even just breathing the same air as her was a blasphemy.

"I'm from Gusu, Chenliu, the Great Song Dynasty. I wanted to visit Prince Duan today, but I ended up disturbing Prince Duan. I hope Prince Duan will forgive me if I've disturbed you."

Chen Liu greeted him with a bow, and couldn't help but tut a few times in his heart, thinking to himself, "Duan Zhengchun is indeed quite handsome. Although he is already middle-aged, he can still be called a handsome middle-aged man. In addition, he is rich, idle and sweet-mouthed. No wonder women like Gan Baobao, Qin Hongmian, Li Qingluo and Ruan Xingzhu have always been obsessed with him. Only Kang Min, a woman who even strangled her own son to death, is cruel enough. She will destroy what she can't have. Duan Zhengchun is also a womanizer. I didn't expect Kang Min to want to kill him and almost died at her hands. Duan Zhengchun probably didn't expect that his only biological son would die at Kang Min's hands."

Zhong Ling: ...

Mu Wanqing: ...

Zhong Ling and Mu Wanqing were also carefully examining Duan Zhengchun. After all, he was their biological father! Their curiosity was understandable. However, upon hearing Chen Liu's inner voice, they couldn't help but feel a sense of shock and doubt. Their stepfather's only biological son had been strangled to death by that Kang Min? And what about this idiot Duan Yu? Couldn't this fool be their stepfather's biological son?

Ah this...

Zhong Ling and Mu Wanqing no longer doubted Chen Liu's true feelings. He said Duan Yu wasn't Duan Zhengchun's biological son, so he definitely wasn't. Zhong Ling and Mu Wanqing couldn't help but look a little strange. Didn't this mean that Dao Baifeng was cheating on Duan Zhengchun? Duan Zhengchun was cheating on someone else's wife, and someone else was cheating on his wife, and he didn't even know it, and he was even helping raise someone else's son. What a lie! Zhong Ling and Mu Wanqing felt a mixture of laughter and tears.

Duan Zhengchun couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed when he saw the two young women who came with Chen Liu staring at him intently. He wondered what was wrong with these two girls? How could they look at me like that? This was too rude. Of course, Duan Zhengchun felt rude, but he couldn't help but feel a little proud. He thought to himself: Although I'm a little older, I'm still quite attractive to young girls.

When Duan Zhengchun saw that Chen Liu met him with the courtesy of the underworld, he also returned the greeting with the courtesy of the underworld.

The Duan clan of Dali is very strange. If the other party is an official, they will receive him with official etiquette. If the other party is a Jianghu person, they will meet him with Jianghu etiquette. The reason for this is that the founding monarch of the Duan clan was a Jianghu person. Although Dali has been established for many years, they still consider themselves Jianghu people. In many cases, they also follow the rules of Jianghu when they act. For example, in the original novel, Duan Yu was captured by Zhong Wanchou and the four evil men and taken to Wanjie Valley. When they went to rescue him, they also followed the rules of Jianghu people. They only sent martial arts masters to rescue him, and instead of sending a large army to attack Wanjie Valley, they sent a large army to attack Wanjie Valley.

Duan Zhengchun smiled and said, "Young Master Chen, there's no need to be so polite. It's me who's being nosy. Today, I saw the exquisite chess game Young Master Chen sent to me. I was delighted and wanted to study it, but I couldn't figure out how to crack it. So I wanted to meet the person who created it. Now that I've met Young Master Chen, I realize he's truly extraordinary. He's truly a distinguished figure in the Song Dynasty."

Although Chen Liu was tall and strong, he had soft features, handsome looks, and was gentle and courteous in his dealings with others. He was not the kind of rough warrior with a face full of flesh. Instead, he looked more like a graceful and elegant young man. Duan Zhengchun couldn't help but praise him secretly when he saw him, and he felt a good impression of him.

Duan Zhengchun had originally only wanted to meet Chen Liu, to see him in person, and had no intention of engaging in a deeper conversation. Now that he had met him, he felt that Chen Liu was no bad person, so he wanted to leave and leave the reception to Duan Yu. However, when he turned to look at Duan Yu, his face darkened. What a disgrace!

Chapter 43 She’s Your Sister!

Duan Yu, a devout Buddhist and compassionate man, initially resented the violence of the Jianghu. Later, as he ventured into the martial arts world, he gradually lost touch with his initial principle of abstaining from killing, but he still retained a pure and kind heart. Duan Yu received a fine education from the Dali royal family, and was well-educated, gentle, honest, humble, and considerate of others. However, he was often ridiculed as a nerd for his dullness.

Duan Yu also has another characteristic: he is obsessed with women, especially beautiful women, much like Jia Baoyu, who is obsessed with beauty. He believes that beautiful women are the best gift from God, and that men are filthy creatures. If they offend beautiful women, it would be disrespectful to God.

For example, now, when Zhong Ling and Mu Wanqing found that Duan Yu was staring at them infatuatedly, they glared at him angrily, but Duan Yu actually thought that Zhong Ling and Mu Wanqing looked so beautiful even when they were angry. Not only was he not angry, he also showed a silly smile.

Zhong Ling became even angrier, and glared at him fiercely, putting on a fierce expression. However, Duan Yu still felt that even though Zhong Ling was fierce to him, she was still so cute.

Zhong Ling had no other choice but to reach out and hold Chen Liu's arm, giving Duan Yu a provocative look, as if to say, "I already have a partner, so go back to where you came from." Duan Yu was heartbroken and looked at Chen Liu, who seemed to be smiling, wanting to say something but not knowing how.

Duan Zhengchun really wanted to slap Duan Yu flat on his face. It was so embarrassing, it was a disgrace to the Song Dynasty.

"Master Duan, stop looking, this is your sister!" Chen Liu suddenly said.

Everyone present, except Chen Liu, froze. Even Zhong Ling and Mu Wanqing froze. Although they knew Chen Liu had considered revealing their identities to Duan Zhengchun, they hadn't expected it to be revealed so soon.

In fact, the reason why Chen Liu exposed the identities of Zhong Ling and Mu Wanqing at this time was also after careful consideration. Even without him, when the four evil men came to Dali in a while, Duan Zhengchun would also know the identities of Zhong Ling and Mu Wanqing. Even if he had changed Zhong Ling's feelings, it would be difficult to change this ending. After all, the four evil men and Zhong Wanchou not only wanted to kill Duan Zhengchun and Duan Yu, but also wanted to embarrass the Duan family of Dali, so they would capture Duan Yu and Mu Wanqing, lock them up together, and feed them aphrodisiacs. As long as Duan Zhengchun went to Wanjie Valley to rescue people, he would inevitably meet Gan Baobao and renew his relationship with her, so he would know that Zhong Ling was his daughter.

"Duan Zhengchun will know Ling'er and Mu Wanqing are his daughters sooner or later anyway, so it's better to tell him sooner rather than later." Chen Liu thought to himself, "This way, after I leave, Ling'er will have the identity of the Princess of Dali, and I can protect her personal safety. After all, after solving the Zhenlong chess game, I will be leaving Dali for Leigushan. And I don't plan to take Ling'er with me for the time being. Ling'er is still too young, and she sticks to me all the time. I'm also a normal man, and I'm also afraid of any accidental discharge of weapons, okay?"

Zhong Ling was a little shy, but also a little happy. She wished she could grow up immediately so that her brother Chen Liu could use a real gun on her without having to worry about so many things.

"Of course, there's another point. If I bring Ling'er with me, it will be difficult for me to go see the female warriors. There are so many beautiful female warriors, witches, and saints in this Zongwu world. If I don't take a look at them before they get married, wouldn't it be a waste of my trip?"

Zhong Ling: ...