Great Zhou Martial Immortal

Chapter 28 Dragon's Roar Over the Vast Sea
Lu Chenyuan carefully listened to her next words.

"Oh right, there's one more, which might be even above these three."

Li Lingyue suddenly remembered something and sighed with regret, "It's a pity it's been lost."

"Oh?"

Lu Chenyuan asked with a curious expression, "Which sect?"

Li Lingyue said, "It is the 'Canghai Longyin Pu' created by Luo Binwang in the past. 'When the sound of the zither moves, the north wind rises; when the sword energy surges, the Southern Dipper is leveled; when it is secretly hummed, mountains and rivers collapse; when it is shouted, the wind and clouds change color.' This unique skill is highly praised in the martial arts world as 'One string can stir up the wind and clouds, three melodies can settle the universe.' Unfortunately, it was only revealed once, a fleeting glimpse, and then it became a lost art, which is a great pity."

Lu Chenyuan glanced at the door: "Luo Binwang? He is a traitor! He helped Xu Jingye issue the proclamation against Wu Zetian and made many disrespectful remarks. It is inappropriate for the princess to praise him so highly."

Li Lingyue gave him a strange look: Do you even respect me? How dare you say you're disrespectful?

"Although Luo Binwang was a rebel, his mother once said: 'How could the prime minister lose such a person? It is a pity that he has such talent and regrets that he cannot be used for his own purposes.'"

A complex look flashed in her eyes: "This person wrote 'Ode to the Goose' at the age of seven, which made him famous throughout the world; in his early twenties, his poetic talent was unparalleled in Chang'an; in middle age, he wrote 'Ode to the Imperial Capital,' which was sung by the world; in his later years, he wrote 'A Proclamation Against Wu Zetian,' which even made my mother furious, but she had to admire his outstanding literary talent."

Lu Chenyuan asked, "Your Highness doesn't hate him?"

Li Lingyue chuckled lightly: "Hate? He was simply unlucky in his choice of advisor, the one who wrongly chose Xu Jingye. If someone had recognized his talent back then and brought him into the court, instead of letting him wander through the border regions and prisons, perhaps..."

She paused, her tone growing colder: "Perhaps he won't end up 'missing'."

Lu Chenyuan said, "Indeed, Luo Binwang was unlucky in his choice of men. Xu Jingye was a complete idiot!"

"Ok?"

Li Lingyue raised an eyebrow at him: "You seem to feel sorry for these rebels."

Lu Chenyuan laughed and said, "How could that be? I'm just happy for our Emperor Wu. If Xu Jingye had any ability, Emperor Wu's ascension to the throne wouldn't have been so smooth. Hasn't he done Emperor Wu a great favor?"

It's said that Wu Zetian was good at internal strife but bad at external warfare. The key question is, what kind of people were her opponents in internal strife? They were all brain-dead, with a terrible level of strategic thinking.

Xu Jingye is truly unworthy of being a descendant of Li Ji; he is not even one ten-thousandth as good as him.

Lu Chenyuan sighed inwardly. He understood why Wu Zetian was so composed in the face of the "Proclamation Against Wu Zetian." She knew how powerful the proclamation would be. But it was a pity that if Xu Jingye's brain was even capable of matching the proclamation, she wouldn't have changed the era name to "Chuigong" the following year, meaning to eliminate someone without any effort.

Li Lingyue stared at him for a long time, trying to figure out what he meant.

Lu Chenyuan met her gaze without flinching. What a joke! Let's see who gets embarrassed first!
"..."

Li Lingyue couldn't hold back any longer. She turned her head and snorted coldly, "I'm warning you, be careful what you say!"

Lu Chenyuan put on a hurt expression: "I was just speaking a few words from my heart to Your Highness... Your Highness, I meant no disrespect to the Martial Emperor, it's just..."

He paused, his voice lowering, "While Xu Jingye's rebellion with the princes was indeed treasonous, how many innocent people have been implicated in these rebellions over the years? Zhou Xing, Lai Junchen, and their ilk have fabricated charges, and everyone in the court is living in fear—is this the prosperous era that Empress Wu desired?"

He looked directly at Li Lingyue, his tone sincere: "This humble servant remembers that in the first year of Yongchang, Li Chong, the governor of Bozhou and the Prince of Langya, raised an army. Afterwards, dozens of families of the Li clan were implicated, and even infants in swaddling clothes were not spared... Do you think this was a case of everyone being guilty, or that Zhou Xinglai and Junchen took advantage of the situation to frame others and highlight their own role, or... that Emperor Wu himself wanted to eliminate the root of the problem..."

"presumptuous!"

Li Lingyue let out a sharp shout, her fingertips trembling slightly, her eyes burning with anger, but she suddenly froze when she met the other party's frank gaze.

Those images flooded in uncontrollably—

The death of her eldest brother, Li Hong, as pale as paper... the despair in her second brother Li Xian's eyes as he drank the poisoned wine... and the orphan of the Li family she met by chance in Yeting Lane last year on the Lantern Festival, who was only six or seven years old but had already learned to bow like an old woman...

"enough!"

She suddenly turned around, her eyes moist, her voice hoarse: "I... don't want to hear any more of this!"

The hall fell silent for a moment; even the golden lion shrank back, not daring to utter a sound.

Lu Chenyuan's eyes flickered slightly, and he suddenly chuckled, "My father was right after all."

Li Lingyue's eyelashes fluttered, and she subconsciously turned around: "...What?"

Lu Chenyuan said in a serious tone, "Actually, I didn't want to go into the manor yesterday. I was afraid that the prince consort would drag me out and beat me up again. My father said that Her Highness the Princess is beautiful and kind-hearted, and would definitely not stand idly by. I didn't believe him at the time..."

Li Lingyue's eyes widened, her gaze dangerous. Lu Chenyuan raised his hands in surrender and laughed, "You can't blame me for this. I only noticed her beauty before, and now I realize that she is indeed..." His gaze lingered on the corners of her reddened eyes for a moment, and his voice suddenly softened, "...kind-hearted."

Li Lingyue looked into his eyes, where there was no mockery, only a serious expression.

In an instant, all the grievances of being misunderstood and the loneliness of being misunderstood seemed to well up from the bottom of my heart.

She immediately looked away and murmured softly, "So that's what you think of me..."

Lu Chenyuan nodded: "Yes, I miss it. I think about it day and night."

Li Lingyue was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening, and her face immediately turned red: "You—" She subconsciously grabbed the lid of the food box on the table and was about to throw it at him, but Lu Chenyuan nimbly dodged it while holding the bowl of porridge: "This porridge is so delicious... ptooey! This porridge is so tasty..."

Li Lingyue glared at him, her face flushed, but she ultimately didn't throw the food box in her hand.

The pent-up frustration that had been building up in my heart for years had somehow dissipated.

She suddenly realized that in this vast capital city, there were still people who did not regard her as a high and mighty princess, nor as an ambitious noblewoman of a military family, but tried to understand her with the mindset of an ordinary person.

This feeling was unfamiliar, yet it inexplicably brought tears to my eyes.

"They're all glib and smooth-talking."

She turned her face away, her voice softening, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the edge of the food box, where fine, intertwined patterns were carved, much like the turmoil in her heart at that moment.

Jin Ni keenly sensed the change in atmosphere and nuzzled her skirt with its large head in a fawning manner.

Li Lingyue casually rubbed its ears and suddenly remembered that her second brother, Li Xian, had once raised a dog. At that time, she was still in the palace and was very young, but she had already started cultivating. One day, the dog bit her skirt and she couldn't break free. She cried in distress and forgot to fight back. Her second brother was both amused and exasperated. He patted her head and said, "Yue'er is the most soft-hearted. She can't even bear to kick a dog away."

Times have changed, and now everyone says that Princess Taiping was ruthless, indulged her henchmen, and slaughtered her own people, but little do they know...

"Your Highness?"

Lu Chenyuan's voice pulled her back to reality. He had put down his porridge bowl at some point, and his expression was unusually serious: "If there were still any rebels like Luo Binwang alive, in Your Highness's opinion, would you be willing to spare their lives before the Martial Emperor?"

"That depends on whether they realize their mistake and turn back from the wrong path."

Li Lingyue lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes concealing the turmoil within: "If one is willing to serve, now that the world is at peace, it is time to show leniency to win people's hearts. Mother will most likely pardon their crimes and allow them to atone for their sins through meritorious service, just like Wan'er. If one insists on going their own way, then there is only death ahead..."

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the hall.

Li Lingyue quickly concealed her vulnerability and reverted to her haughty and aloof self, Princess Taiping: "You should focus on learning the zither."

Having said that, he walked out of the hall with his head held high and chest out, bowed to Zen Master Yunhe who was walking towards him, and strode away.

Lu Chenyuan felt relieved and continued eating and drinking.

Zen Master Yunhe walked into the main hall and looked at him with a complicated expression: "You've got some nerve, kid!"

"Isn't it all for you?" Lu Chenyuan rolled his eyes: "By the way, how did you enter the manor in the first place? What were you thinking? I really want to know."

Zen Master Yunhe sat down beside him and watched him wolf down his food without being affected at all. He wondered, "The Lu family has been in the military for four generations. How could such a boy like you emerge? It's really strange!"

Lu Chenyuan laughed and said, "What else could it be? Of course, it's because the Lu family's ancestral graves are emitting auspicious smoke, and our ancestors are blessing us so that a genius like me could emerge, bringing glory to our family!"

"Hahaha……"

Zen Master Yunhe couldn't help but laugh; he was growing to like this lad more and more.

"Back then..."

Zen Master Yunhe, also known as Luo Binwang, a literary giant of yesteryear, gazed wistfully as he reminisced about the past: "After our defeat, we fled to Hailing, intending to escape to the East China Sea to make a comeback. However, Wang Naxiang, a subordinate of the Duke, suddenly betrayed us, assassinating the Duke and Xu Jingyou before surrendering to the court. I fled to the sea for refuge. To escape capture, I disguised myself as a monk and wandered around trying to survive. I originally intended to enter the capital to kill Wang and assassinate Wu to avenge the two Xus, but... I was stopped by someone..."

Lu Chenyuan asked curiously, "Who?"

Zen Master Yunhe sighed: "Ye Fashan."

Lu Chenyuan was surprised: "Imperial Preceptor?"

Zen Master Yunhe nodded: "He truly deserves the title of one of the two saints of the Central Plains. Below the saints, all are but ants... He displayed the divine and demonic abilities of the sixth realm. I know that with him around, it will be impossible to assassinate Wu and restore the Tang Dynasty to its rightful place in the world. Disheartened, he wandered the streets, just as the princess's new residence was being built, and she was hiring musicians to please this little lion..."

Lu Chenyuan nodded and said, "So you're planning to kill Princess Taiping instead..."

Zen Master Yunhe glared at him: "Every wrong has its perpetrator, every debt its debtor. Do you think I'm such a despicable person?!"

Lu Chenyuan smiled ingratiatingly: "Of course not, look at you, you exude such righteousness!"

"Humph!"

Zen Master Yunhe snorted coldly: "My whereabouts are already under Ye Fashan's notice. My life and death are in his hands. At the time, I only thought that since Princess Taiping was his disciple, and I had entered the mansion as a traitor, he could report me to protect his beloved disciple, or even kill me directly, so that I wouldn't have to live in fear. But I didn't expect..."

Five years have passed, and Ye Fashan has secluded himself at Jinglong Temple, without uttering a single word.

Lu Chenyuan said softly, "Actually, you should have understood after the first night that his not reporting it was already an act of protection."

Zen Master Yunhe nodded and sighed, "Five years have passed in the blink of an eye... I am also a little curious about how you knew my identity last night. Even if I had intended to reveal it, you grasped it too quickly."

How many questions and answers were there?

Lu Chenyuan laughed and said, "It's very simple. It's just that line: 'In ancient times, Xiang Tuo became Confucius's teacher at the age of seven, and Cao Chong astonished the world by weighing an elephant at the age of six. In our Tang Dynasty, Wang Bo could write essays at the age of six, composing poems with ease. I, this old monk, merely traveled far to observe the battle. What's so remarkable about that?'"

Zen Master Yunhe asked in surprise, "What's the problem?"

"It's a big problem."

Lu Chenyuan said, "You deliberately avoided mentioning your own name. Both are renowned child prodigies of the Tang Dynasty, yet you only cited Wang Bo as an example, and in such a matter-of-fact tone. I'm certain you must also be a child prodigy! Only a fellow child prodigy would look down on other prodigies. Add to that your Jiangnan accent, your entry into the manor five or six years ago… and that phrase 'All that is past, not worth mentioning,' an obvious avoidance of deep-seated hatred… Famous child prodigies are rare to begin with, and to be from Jiangnan, having experienced deep-seated hatred, possessing unparalleled zither skills, and constantly mentioning the Tang Dynasty… you practically have 'I am Luo Binwang' written on your face!"

"..."

Zen Master Yunhe remained silent for a long time, even he himself began to have doubts: "Is it really that obvious?"

What are your thoughts?

Lu Chenyuan looked at him and said in a low voice, "The situation has changed. The Empress Wu of the past is now Empress Wu, and she is even harder to control. Prime Minister Wang has also died suddenly. You have done right by the two Xus and by the Li Tang dynasty. There is no need to... If you want to restore your status, you know what the princess means, and Empress Wu's thoughts are pretty much the same. The only trouble is Lai Junchen and his group. They will definitely urge her to kill him, but I estimate that she will most likely let him go. Even someone like Qiu Shenji has to be dealt with. There is no need to hold on to him. It just means you will have to humble yourself and soften your stance..."

"So be it."

Zen Master Yunhe shook his head: "I'll write a secret manual another day. You can take it out and hide it somewhere. Find a few guards to find it together. At worst, we can hand it over to the Xuanji Pavilion. Then we can use it openly and legitimately."

This was entirely for Lu Chenyuan's sake.

This time, Lu Chenyuan did not refuse, but instead bowed solemnly and said, "I'm sorry to have troubled you, Master."

"No grievance."

The old man's face was full of kindness and his countenance was radiant: "I am overjoyed that I have a successor!"

He never imagined that Lu Chenyuan would be unable to master the "Dragon's Roar Manual of the Vast Sea".

The master and apprentice smiled at each other.

Lu Chenyuan said, "There's no need to be too honest. Just use a book that you can't understand."

Zen Master Yunhe asked, "Will this work?"

"Of course."

Lu Chenyuan said matter-of-factly, "I was able to master it because I have high comprehension; they can't understand it because they're stupid!"

"..."

Zen Master Yunhe's expression was strange. He remained silent for a long while, then shook his head and chuckled, "You..."

……

Time flies.

Lu Chenyuan had already comprehended the "Qin Fu" (a zither poem), and Zen Master Yunhe began to formally teach him sonic techniques. After studying for a whole morning, around noon, he took a few boxes of pastries home to comfort his father and younger sister. In the afternoon, he took a bag of gold, ordered a table of food and wine, and asked the waiter to invite Wang Yizhi and Zhang Shuo from the Yuantai and Guozijian (Imperial Academy) respectively.

The location of the restaurant he chose was quite interesting; it was in Jishanfang, just across the street from the Prince of Wei's residence.

I had nothing better to do, so I came to see what was going on.

Yixianlou, private room on the third floor.

Lu Chenyuan sat casually on the windowsill with one leg bent, the other dangling outside. Holding a wine pot in one hand and a glass in the other, he filled his glass with wine, tilted his head back, and drank it all in one gulp. His gaze was fixed on the distance.

The ruins of the Prince of Wei's mansion were particularly glaring in the sunlight. Amidst the broken walls and rubble, one could vaguely see severed beams and shattered glazed tiles. Dozens of servants were carefully and methodically clearing away the debris and beginning the reconstruction.

Lu Chenyuan pressed his chest, the memory of the death he had suffered from yesterday's palm strike was still fresh!

"Ah……"

He suddenly chuckled softly, but his eyes were chillingly cold.

Tuk Tuk.

A knock sounded on the door, and a voice came from outside: "My lord, it is Wang Yizhi."

"Enter!"

Wang Yizhi pushed open the door, entered, and then turned to close it.

Lu Chenyuan turned to look at him, and for a moment, the smile on his face froze slightly as his guard was raised. But he quickly recovered, smiled, jumped out of the window, and said warmly, "Brother Wang, thanks to you yesterday, otherwise I'm afraid I would be crippled. Please sit down! I specially ordered a table of good food to thank you for saving my life..."

(End of this chapter)