Starting from the imperial palace guards, his clones spread all over the world.

Chapter 473 We must capture the Great Sage Master!

Liang Jin had just returned to the tent and had not had time to catch his breath and organize his thoughts when Wu Huan's familiar loud voice rang out outside the tent. Along with the sound of footsteps, he and Wang Quan hurried over.

This time they went to Liang Jin to discuss the matter of moving the tents.

Now that Liang Jin and Wang Quan have been promoted, their status and position have changed, so naturally they have to live in a new place.

Taking advantage of the fact that the time for guarding the palace had not yet arrived, Wu Huan immediately cheered up and loudly ordered a group of imperial guards to help Liang Jin and Wang Quan move the beds.

Now Liang Jin is the flag commander and Wang Quan is the flag deputy. They can live in one tent with two people, saying goodbye to the days when more than a dozen people were crowded in one tent with cramped space and constant snoring.

The place where the two were about to move in was where Wu Huan had lived before, so Wu Huan knew every corner of the place well.

He enthusiastically helped the two of them set up their beds, and while he was busy, he kept talking about the advantages of this place, such as good lighting, good ventilation, and a quiet night's sleep.

After settling them in, Wu Huan carefully handed over some relevant documents, lists and information in the tent to the two men.

After doing all this, Wu Huan dusted off his hands and enthusiastically took the two of them to the armory to get the martial arts secrets.

Along the way, Wu Huan talked incessantly about the types and levels of secret books in the arsenal, his eyes full of yearning and pride.

When you become a flag officer like Wang Quan, you can get a mid-grade yellow-level secret book; when you become a flag commander like Liang Jin, you can get a high-grade yellow-level secret book.

As the bank president, Wu Huan is even more qualified to receive the lower-grade Xuan-level secret book.

Such an opportunity was undoubtedly great news for Wu Huan and Wang Quan. Their faces were filled with irrepressible joy and their steps became lighter.

Only Liang Jin felt nothing about this. In his eyes, these yellow-level secret books were just ordinary stuff and could not meet his current needs at all.

What he lacks now is not the lowest level yellow-level secret book, but the legendary heaven-level secret book!
After entering the armory, Liang Jin took a casual glance and picked up a yellow-level secret book and finished it.

His movements were casual and free, and he showed no special attention to the secret book, as if he was just completing a trivial task.

After the three of them received the secret book, the sun was already setting and it was time to go into the palace to stand guard.

When Liang Jin came to the palace and went to his post, his eyes inadvertently met with Huaiyang King Zhao Yu who was in the iron cage.

With just one glance, Liang Jin understood what Zhao Yu was thinking.

He raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing an imperceptible smile, then continued to straighten his back and began to stand guard.

But after a while, the sound of footsteps broke the silence around.

An unexpected guest arrived.

The visitor turned out to be the chief historian of Huaiyang Palace.

The position of the Chief Secretary of the Prince's Palace is very special. In order to maintain the respected status of the vassal kings and handle the affairs of the royal family, the imperial court set up a Chief Secretary of the Prince's Palace in the prince's palace, who was a fifth-rank official.

The main function of the Prince's Palace Chief Secretary's Office is to handle the internal affairs of the princes and assist the court in handling the affairs of the royal family. To put it bluntly, it is a steward who handles all the affairs of the prince's palace on behalf of the prince.

However, being the Chief Secretary of the Royal Palace is not an easy job. This position mainly involves two things:
First, monitor the princes and report their behavior to the court regularly, just like the court's spies planted around the princes.

Secondly, to correct the behavior of the princes, due to their noble status, they could not be governed by ordinary laws. Therefore, persuading the princes to respect the emperor and observe etiquette to maintain local stability became a major task of the chief historian.

But in reality, this position is very difficult to hold.

First of all, it is difficult to get promoted, and it is even more difficult to keep the official position.

The Daqian law clearly stipulates that "if the king commits a crime, the chief historian will be questioned." In other words, if a vassal king makes a mistake and faces punishment from the emperor, the chief historian will be the first one to escape.

However, the princes enjoyed too many privileges within their own fiefdoms, which led to the fact that the princes of Daqian basically committed many evil things, and it was difficult for any vicious incidents to avoid occurring in their fiefdoms.

The Chief Secretary of the Royal Palace only has the power to report but not the power to enforce the law. They are simply unable to stop the powerful princes from making mistakes, which often leads to the Chief Secretary of the Royal Palace becoming a scapegoat for the princes.

Over time, the chief historian of the royal palace could no longer restrain the evil deeds of the princes, and even became involved in the evil deeds of the princes.

Because they understood that they were just dogs used by the emperor to monitor the vassal kings. What the emperor pursued was the stability of the vassal kings. As long as these vassal kings did not rebel, the emperor would generally not care about their affairs. Why should they create trouble and control those "little things" of the vassal kings?

Even some of the chief secretaries of the royal palaces would become the confidants of the princes, helping them to deceive the court and the emperor.

It is naturally impossible for the relatives of the Huaiyang Prince's Mansion to visit the Huaiyang Prince now, but the Chief Secretary is an official of the court. According to the law, he is indeed qualified and responsible to see the Huaiyang Prince.

Obviously, the chief historian of the royal palace took a great risk by coming here.

That's why he chose the evening when Liang Jin was on duty, to have a quick meeting before the palace gates were about to close.

This way you won't attract attention.

This time, the chief historian of the Huaiyang Palace came to reprimand and admonish the sinful Prince Huaiyang.

Liang Jin listened and laughed inwardly.

To rebuke and admonish a madman?
At least in the eyes of the world, King Huaiyang Zhao Yu is a real madman.

As the Chief Secretary arrived, Liang Jin walked away tactfully. His figure blended into the gradually darkening sky, leaving only a vague outline.

He roughly guessed that this chief official of the royal palace was probably no longer working for the court, but for the Prince of Huaiyang.

It was precisely because Prince Huaiyang's plan to fake his death and escape from the palace went wrong that those who wanted to rescue Prince Huaiyang took the risk of sending this chief historian.

really.

Although Liang Jin was standing far away, he could still clearly hear the conversation between the chief secretary of the palace and Huaiyang King Zhao Yu thanks to his super senses.

The content of the conversation was nothing more than whether King Huaiyang Zhao Yu got the pill last night and why he did not swallow it.

Prince Huaiyang did not have time to explain this in detail, and it was difficult to explain it clearly.

Zhao Yu only told the Chief Secretary to tell the Crown Prince to remain calm and wait for the situation to change.

The chief official of the palace was naturally puzzled. His brows were tightly furrowed and his eyes were full of doubts, but he had no time to ask in detail. The urging sound of the palace gate was about to close forced him to leave in a hurry, and his steps seemed a little flustered.

As the chief historian left, Liang Jin returned to the iron cage and continued to stand guard.

Soon, night fell completely, and darkness, like a giant beast, swallowed up the entire palace.

In the middle of the night, a quiet atmosphere enveloped the surroundings, and this was also the time when Zhao Yu and Liang Jin chatted the most.

And Zhao Yu finally asked the question he had always wanted to ask:

"Liang Jin, what major incident do you think will happen in the capital?"

"The situation is stable now. What major changes could happen?"

His voice was particularly clear in the silent night, with a hint of curiosity and uneasiness.

Liang Jin looked into the distance with a deep gaze and said slowly:

"If the emperor passed away, would that be considered an accident?"

These words were like a bombshell, shocking Zhao Yu so much that he was speechless for a long time.

His eyes widened and the expression on his face froze instantly. It took him a long time to come back to his senses and he couldn't help but think rapidly.

The moonlight shone on his face, reflecting his tangled and complicated expression.

After thinking for a while, Zhao Yu finally said:
"If this really happened... then what you mean is..."

His voice trembled slightly, as if he was testing something.

Liang Jin squatted down and looked at Zhao Yu at eye level, his eyes fixed on Zhao Yu:

"Have you ever thought about ascending to the throne one day?"

After saying that, Liang Jin observed Zhao Yu carefully.

As long as Zhao Yu has this ambition and desire, Liang Jin's investment will definitely pay off.

And if Zhao Yu has no ambition in this regard at all, then Liang Jin will have to cut his losses in time.

Zhao Yu swallowed his saliva and made a gurgling sound in his throat. Of course, he had never thought about it.

But Liang Jin's words at this moment were like a flash of lightning, which suddenly made his mind active.

At this moment, he thought about many things he had never thought about before. Those desires that had been buried deep in his heart gradually awakened like sleeping beasts.

He pondered and replied:

"If that day ever comes...we need to do two things well."

"First, I need to gain the recognition and support of some important people."

"Secondly, when the Emperor passes away, there can be no one of royal blood in the capital except me."

When he said this, Zhao Yu was trembling all over.

His body twitched slightly, and fear flooded him like a tide. He knew that he shouldn't say such words. Once these words were spoken, it would very likely cause him death, so intense fear filled his whole body.

But he was also excited at the same time, because just thinking about this idea was exciting enough, and it made a strange light flash in his eyes.

A barely perceptible trace of relief flashed across Liang Jin's eyes.

Since Zhao Yu is already thinking seriously about it, it means that he really has great ambitions, and Liang Jin can make additional investments.

Liang Jin immediately said:

"Your Majesty, then we can start preparing now."

"If you need to contact the outside world, I can help."

His voice was firm and powerful, as if he was making a promise.

When Zhao Yu heard this, he understood that he and Liang Jin were now in the same boat.

He looked at Liang Jin sternly and stretched out his fat and trembling hand from the iron cage:
"Brother Liang Jin, we will advance and retreat together, and live and die together!"

There was a hint of determination in his voice.

Liang Jin also looked at Zhao Yu with a firm gaze. He stretched out his hand and held Zhao Yu's hand tightly.

But Liang Jin knew in his heart that all eggs should not be put in one basket.

It’s true that Zhao Yu is of royal blood.

But he has more than just Zhao Yu's royal bloodline in his hands.

If Zhao Yu fails, Liang Jin can still use other royal bloodlines to gain a foothold in this turbulent situation.

........................

........................

Qingzhou.

Shenlu Peak.

As the headquarters of the Taiping Dao, this place is like a shining pearl and has become a holy place in the hearts of the people of Qingzhou City.

Every day, countless devout men and women come here to burn incense and pray. Their figures form a long stream of people on the winding mountain road, like a pious river.

Shenlu Peak is located outside the city, majestically facing a large river flowing through Qingzhou City.

The name of this river is Xuan River.

As the plague in Qingzhou and Minzhou eased, cargo transportation on this river has become extremely frequent.

Merchant ships were shuttling back and forth like a swarm of carp crossing the river, their sails rustling in the wind, creating a lively scene.

On this day, a large ship was sailing slowly along the river towards Qingzhou City.

There were at least a hundred people on board the two-story ship.

Although these people were in plain clothes, they all had fierce looks and ruthlessness in their eyes. They were also well-trained. From their neat steps and tacit cooperation, it could be seen that they were not ordinary people.

And on the second deck of the big ship.

An old man with a kind smile sat on a throne, and a group of people stood behind him like stars surrounding the moon, treating him with great respect.

The old man had a ruddy face but no beard, and had several gold teeth in his mouth. Whenever he smiled, the golden light of the gold teeth would emerge from between his lips, sparkling brightly in the sun.

His face was very thin, like a dead tree carved by time, but his body was a little plump, and with his silk robe, he looked like an approachable rich man.

He played with the walnut in his hand, which spun rapidly in his hand, making a "crackling" sound. He slowly said to several key figures around him:

"I understand everything."

"This time, the princess rescue operation is not just involving our Investigation Bureau. The Six Gates' God of Constables has even sent the famous detective Canxin to Qingzhou."

"Whoever can save the princess will achieve great success."

"That God of Capture and our factory owner have always been at odds, so this time, we must successfully rescue the princess before Canxin does!"

The old man's voice lacked the roughness of a masculine voice, but instead had a hint of femininity and sharpness, like the cry of a night owl, echoing on the deck.

Upon hearing this, everyone responded in unison, their faces filled with deep awe.

Because this old man was not just anyone else, but the third in command of the Investigation Bureau, Gu Jinfu!
Gu Jinfu just hooked his finger:

"Cao Xian."

Immediately, a skinny old eunuch with gray hair came to Gu Jinfu's side quickly. His steps were light and agile. He bowed and replied:

"Sir, the little one is here."

This old eunuch was Cao Xian.

Although Cao Xian is considered a capable backbone in the investigation agency, he is still one level lower than the four big bosses.

Gu Jinfu said:

"You are most familiar with Taiping Dao, and you have fought against them before."

"So, tell us what the situation is with Taiping Dao?"

Cao Xian agreed immediately.

Then, he stood up straight, cleared his throat, and began to explain to the detectives:
"The Taiping Dao is a religious sect that has emerged in Qingzhou in recent years. Its leader is called the Great Sage Master."

"This man's origins are mysterious, and no one can fully understand his true identity. He specializes in using talismans and water to heal illnesses. During the plague, he saved countless lives, leading to a surge of followers."

"This man's martial arts skills are also very strong. He once defeated Ding Feng, the princess's second-class guard. Later, in the battle outside Qingzhou City, he defeated several fourth-rank warriors."

"Among them are Di Moyu, the leader of Guiyi Sect, Wang Daizhen, the leader of Senluo Sect, Liang Qizhi, the leader of Qingzhou Liushenmen, and... me."

Upon hearing this, everyone present couldn't help but look surprised, their eyes widened, and their faces were full of shock.

Two of the bosses had serious expressions on their faces, their brows tightly furrowed, as if they were thinking about how to respond.

It was not difficult for them to defeat a fourth-grade warrior.

However, defeating multiple fourth-grade warriors in a row requires extremely strong strength, which is far beyond their capabilities.

Could such a master be a third-grade warrior?!

Cao Xian seemed to notice everyone's surprise. He paused slightly and continued:

"Don't worry, everyone. Although the Great Sage Master is very powerful, he is not a third-grade warrior. He is a genuine fourth-grade warrior. Moreover, his strength is far from the late fourth-grade or peak stage."

"But his martial arts are highly skilled, especially his zither skills and swordsmanship, which are extremely powerful and suspected to be earth-level martial arts! Moreover, his martial arts attainments are very deep, and he may have already practiced these two martial arts to the ninth level of perfection."

After hearing the first sentence, everyone felt a little relieved and breathed a sigh of relief.

But after hearing the second sentence, everyone's hearts were lifted again, and their eyes were filled with worry again.

Two earth-level martial arts!

Are you fully trained yet?!

No wonder this person is so powerful!
But this is still not something they can deal with.

Everyone's eyes subconsciously turned to Gu Jinfu.

Perhaps only Gu Jinfu, the third-rank leader who is the best among the third-rank officials, has the ability to defeat the great virtuous teacher.

It's a pity that the famous detective Canxin from the Six Gates is not on the same page with everyone else. Otherwise, if Canxin helped, it would be much easier to deal with the Great Sage Master.

Gu Jinfu smiled slightly at this time and said:
"Among the Taiping Dao, only the Great Sage Master has some ability. The rest are just chickens and dogs."

"As soon as the Great and Good Teacher dies, everyone will scatter like birds and beasts."

"The imperial army in Yangzhou is ready to assist us. Once the princess is rescued, the army will immediately march into Qingzhou to wipe out the Taiping Dao."

"There are also some righteous warriors in the Jianghu who are willing to help us."

His voice was calm and confident, as if everything was under his control.

Gu Jinfu had just finished speaking when he suddenly heard a sound.

I saw four figures flying up from the bank of Xuan River. They had extremely high martial arts skills and were like four big birds, flying towards the deck of the ship with agile movements.

Their figures were particularly eye-catching in the sunlight, as if they were divine soldiers descending from the sky.

"careful!"

"Protect your lord!"

The soldiers on the deck immediately took action.

They all drew their weapons, the sound of swords being unsheathed echoed in the air, cold light flashed as they rushed towards the newcomers.

However, the martial arts of these four figures were very powerful. With just a wave of their hands, strong winds forced the foreigners to retreat again and again, staggering and almost falling to the ground.

"who?"

"How dare you act so presumptuously in front of an adult?"

Cao Xian and the two foremen roared in anger, the sound was as deafening as thunder, and they immediately rushed towards the four figures without hesitation.

Among the four figures, three of them headed towards Cao Xian and the two guards.

The two sides immediately engaged in a fierce battle on the deck.

There were figures intertwining, fists and feet fighting, shouts of killing, and the sound of weapons clashing intertwined together. The scene was very intense.

The two gangs fought each other for a short time and it was difficult to determine who would win.

This shows that these warriors are actually quite powerful.

But the last figure landed steadily in front of Gu Jinfu.

This person was a thin old man with an unsheathed long sword on his back.

His cheekbones were like cliffs cut by a knife, and his skin and flesh were wrapped in iron-gray veins, as if someone had imprinted the gnarled branches of the poplar trees in the Great Wall on his face.

There was an old scar running diagonally from the left eyebrow to the jawbone. The scar was as thin as a cicada's wing, obviously a sword wound.

His pupils were grey, and when he stared at someone, it was like a frosty blade scraping at bones. However, his eyelashes were thick as crow feathers, making it difficult to tell whether the sinister look in his eyes was a piercing blow or a false alarm.

This man was particularly imposing. He stood firmly on the deck with both feet, his body straight as a pine tree, and his clothes rustled in the breeze from the river.

His whole body seemed to be emitting an invisible aura, and that majestic and powerful momentum came like a surging tide, even stronger than Cao Xian and others who were in a fierce battle.

This momentum caused the surrounding air to stagnate, making people's breathing become heavy unconsciously.

"A third-rank warrior?!"

During the fierce battle, Cao Xian glanced at the old man quickly, and his heart was suddenly filled with shock and he was secretly surprised.

He knew very well that third-grade warriors were rare in the martial arts world, and each of them was a well-known and renowned figure in the world.

In his mind, Cao Xian quickly compared the appearance of the old man in front of him with the many martial arts masters in his memory. After a moment, he had the answer in his mind - Jiang Duanchao!

This person is a martial artist from the north. Why would he come all the way to the south?
at this time.

A group of foreigners stared at Jiang Duanchao in shock and anger, their eyes wide open, and they were about to attack with knives.

At this moment of tension.

Suddenly, the figure turned around and knelt on one knee in front of Gu Jinfu. His movements were smooth and respectful, and he said loudly:

"Jiang Duanchao, the head of the Purple Cloud Sword Sect, pays his respects to Master Gu!"

The sound was loud and echoed on the surface of the river.

As this figure saluted, the other three figures who were fighting with Cao Xian and Dangtou also stopped. Their movements were in unison, and they quickly came to Jiang Duanchao and knelt down together, saluting Gu Jinfu.

In an instant, the atmosphere on the deck changed from a tense battle atmosphere to a respectful one.

Cao Xian and the two waiters looked at each other, their faces filled with astonishment and confusion.

I originally thought that today would be a fierce battle, and I was even prepared to fight to the death, but I didn't expect that the battle would end as soon as it started?

Puzzled, Cao Xian couldn't help but secretly glance at Gu Jinfu who was sitting on the armchair.

However, Gu Jinfu looked calm and composed, as if everything that happened before him was within his expectations.

This made Cao Xian understand instantly that it seemed that the Ziyun Sword Sect was the martial arts master specially invited by Gu Jinfu.

really.

Gu Jinfu smiled and said:
"With Sect Leader Jiang's help, why worry about this not being successful?"

"Everyone, please stand up quickly."

Jiang Duanchao and his three men stood up immediately and swiftly.

They stand tall and straight, with a look of pride in their eyes.

Gu Jinfu looked at Cao Xian again, with a hint of expectation in his eyes:
"Cao Xian, the Great Sage Master, besides being the leader of the Taiping Dao, has another identity."

"Talk to Sect Leader Jiang and explain it to him."

Upon hearing this, Cao Xian frowned slightly, as if thinking about something.

He immediately took two steps forward, stopped, cleared his throat, and said to Jiang Duanchao:
"That great and virtuous teacher is also the head of the Red Fire Sword Sect."

"It is said that he has recovered the long-lost secret manual of the Red Fire Sword Sect, 'Red Fire Burning Heaven Sword Technique', and has already mastered it to the ninth level."

At this point, Cao Xian's eyes flashed with fear:
"In the battle outside Qingzhou City, he used this sword technique to defeat several fourth-grade warriors."

"That sword technique was filled with flames, as if it could burn the heavens and the earth."

As soon as these words were spoken, Jiang Duanchao and his three subordinates couldn't help but look at each other, their eyes full of surprise.

Jiang Duanchao frowned slightly, and a look of surprise and anger appeared on his face.

Then, he snorted coldly, his voice full of disdain and hatred:
"So they are the remnants of the Scarlet Fire Sword Sect. I thought I had wiped them out in the north, but I didn't expect them to come to this southern land and revive."

"The Red Fire Sword Sect is an old enemy of my Purple Cloud Sword Sect. Now that we have met them, I will definitely wipe them out with my own hands!"

His voice was firm and contained a sense of determination.

These words obviously made Gu Jinfu very satisfied.

He nodded slightly, a relieved smile on his face, and was about to ask someone to give Jiang Duanchao a seat.

But Jiang Duanchao suddenly asked:
"I wonder if Lord Gu and the other lords came here this time and invited us, the common people, to help them. Is it just for a small Red Fire Sword Sect?"

Having said this, Jiang Duanchao did not wait for anyone to answer and continued:

"I heard that this time, an important figure in the court is involved?"

After saying this, Jiang Duanchao maintained a respectful attitude, but his eyes were fixed on Gu Jinfu, as if he wanted to see through everything from Gu Jinfu's expression and eyes.

Upon hearing this, all the supervisors in the investigation office couldn't help but exchange glances secretly.

This matter was no secret within the investigation agency.

However, it must not be known to outsiders.

After all, this matter concerns the royal reputation.

It is shameful that a princess was kidnapped.

Especially since the princess is a noble and beautiful woman, yet she is alone and has been with a man from Taiping Dao for such a long time. It is really not nice to tell others about it.

Therefore, whether it was the Investigation Bureau, the Six Gates, or other forces in the court, even if they knew about this matter, they would all conceal it from the outside world.

Naturally, he couldn't say anything to this group of martial artists at this time.

Gu Jinfu immediately said lightly:
"She's just the daughter of a court official. You don't need to ask any more questions."

"In this operation, you only need to eliminate the Great Sage Master to be the first to achieve great success!"

His tone was flat, without any ripples.

When Jiang Duanchao heard this, he lowered his head slightly, thought for a moment, and then stopped asking questions.

He saluted Gu Jinfu again, his posture respectful:
"The villain understands!"

Gu Jinfu nodded and looked into the distance.

At this time, a towering city gradually appeared in the sight on the bank of Xuan River in the distance.

We have arrived at Qingzhou City.

(End of this chapter)