Great Zhou Martial Immortal

Chapter 67 Mangshan Ghost Market
Wang Yizhi said, "According to them, since you took over as the leader of Suiming Pavilion, a bounty has appeared at the Ghost Market's 'Judge Pavilion' for destroying the ceremonial artifacts of the Luoshui Grand Ceremony, worth ten [Qingfu Knives]."

Lu Chenyuan was slightly surprised: "You really think highly of me!"

The Qingfu Dao is a type of "Qi Dao" used as currency in the Ghost Market; it is not just money, but also a "transaction certificate."

Holding a knife signifies the formation of a contract, and violators will be severely punished.

Outside the ghost market, it's "extremely hard to find," and even if you have money, you can't buy it anywhere; it only circulates in the ghost market.

As long as you are in the Ghost Market and have enough Green-Leg Blades, you can buy any kind of thing, whether it's hiring someone to commit murder, information, martial arts manuals, divine weapons, supplies and medicine, rare and precious materials, or even the buying and selling of people and slaves.

The exact value of the Qingfu sword is uncertain.

In some places, a knife can be worth a hundred gold pieces, but in others, it might only buy a piece of candy or a pot of liniment. Its value depends on the contract between the two parties.

At the "Judge's Pavilion," a single knife coin can buy the lives of ten martial artists in the lower three realms!
Ten sword coins are enough to buy the lives of those in the Four Realms!
"Who exactly is trying to make things difficult for me?"

Lu Chenyuan frowned, his mind racing.

Logically speaking, the most likely candidate is Wu Chengsi. This man has already resorted to any means to become the crown prince, targeting Li Dan and Li Lingyue, who intends to protect Li Dan. Although he doesn't dare to harm Li Lingyue, he still has the audacity to openly and secretly fight for her, causing her to fall out of favor and be marginalized!

Suiming Pavilion is a subordinate agency of Yuantai. With Li Yuzhen in trouble, Lu Chenyuan, the pavilion leader, will definitely be implicated, and Li Lingyue, the general manager of Yuantai, will also be affected. It's a win-win situation.

But others might be too.

The timing of Lu Chenyuan's succession to the Suiming Pavilion was quite special.

At that time, the underground palace had just been destroyed and Ashina Yan had been captured, exposing the Mechanized City. He had ruined such a big deal, and the Turkic Witch God Cult and the Netherworld Palace might have spent money on it. Xiao Hanchuan spread the news of the Mechanized City throughout the martial arts world through the Ghost Market, which may have been an easy thing for him to do.

And then there's Gao Jian, so petty and narrow-minded, he's also highly suspicious.

After all, he was Yun Zhejun's disciple. With Yun Zhejun's cultivation and abilities, he could easily sell any item for a good price in the Ghost Market. The Ghost Market might even send knife coins to Zongheng Peak to attract big customers like him to enter the market for transactions.

Gao Jian was naturally not lacking...

Lu Chenyuan thought and thought, but still couldn't be sure. The feeling that someone was plotting something behind him made him very uncomfortable. He looked up at Wang Yizhi and asked, "Old Wang, do you have the Green Robe Blade?"

Wang Yi was taken aback: "Sir, you're going to the Ghost Market?"

Lu Chenyuan nodded: "To find out who put the bounty on us, we have to find the judge at the Judge's Pavilion and borrow the 'Book of Life and Death.' I'm going to go there. At least we need to figure out who the enemy is. This feeling of not knowing is too unbearable!"

Wang Yizhi shook his head: "Too dangerous, and it's not easy to borrow the Book of Life and Death."

Lu Chenyuan felt alright: "The silk threads bind the bones of the living, the jar steams the skull of the holy monk. A thousand pieces of gold are thrown away and the impermanent laughs, the blood dice fall and the judge weeps... The Ghost Market has thrived for a thousand years, and the most important thing is the rules. The Ghost Market has two ironclad rules: 'Contracts cannot be violated' and 'Harmony brings wealth.' Fighting is strictly prohibited in the Ghost Market, so there won't be too much danger. There is only trading in the market, and even the judge can trade... Besides, I'm not going there like this. I have to disguise myself. After disguising myself, there won't be any problems."

Wang Yizhi breathed a sigh of relief, then looked troubled: "I do have some... but I didn't bring any."

"..."

Lu Chenyuan looked at him speechlessly.

What's the difference between that and nothing? The Wang family in Taiyuan isn't even close to here!

The goddess, who was reading, looked up and gave him a strange expression. Her expression became increasingly vivid.

"cough!"

Wang Yizhi was a little embarrassed, and chuckled, "My lord, give me some time. Recently, because of the matter of the Mechanical City, a few friends have entered the Divine Capital. I can borrow them, it will be quick!"

Lu Chenyuan breathed a sigh of relief: "Thank you."

Wang Yizhi shook his head, walked to the desk, picked up his pen, and was about to write a letter to borrow money.

Suddenly, a maid from the princess's residence descended from Suiming Pavilion and hurried over, bowing respectfully and saying four words to Lu Chenyuan:

—His Highness has summoned me!
Wang Yi smiled, turned to the Empress, and calculated the time. The princess had probably just finished her patrol of the Luo River and was coming to find someone.

Lu Chenyuan sighed, "If this continues, she'll get tired of it sooner or later!"

Wang Yizhi was both amused and exasperated: "It must be related to Miss Lingxi."

Lu Chenyuan stood up: "Then I'll go first, I'll leave you here in your care."

Wang Yizhi clasped his hands and bowed as he saw him off.

"Lingxi, let's go."

"Ok!"

……

Princess's Residence, Xiaoxiang Pavilion.

Sunlight slanted through the carved window lattice, casting dappled patterns of light on the jade table.

Li Lingyue changed into a moon-white casual dress and sat upright at the desk, her fingertips holding a scroll of documents, her expression indifferent.

Yuan Qingshuang lowered her eyes and ground ink, her wrist steady as still water. The other maids stood on either side, their breathing barely audible.

The atmosphere inside the museum was somber.

The palace door was pushed open silently, and Lu Chenyuan, carrying a small package, stepped over the threshold, followed by a girl in a white dress. The girl was extremely beautiful and slender. When she walked, her skirt flowed like water across the bluestone without being touched by dust.

Li Lingyue continued to look at the documents, her eyes fixed straight ahead, but her face grew even darker, and her knuckles turned faintly white.

Lu Chenyuan stopped seven steps away, feeling the deliberately created atmosphere inside the hall, and couldn't help but laugh.

This is going to be a court hearing...

Lu Chenyuan feigned ignorance and looked at Li Lingyue: "Princess?"

Li Lingyue turned a page of the document, lightly dipped her vermilion brush in the inkstone, and asked, "Who comes here?"

"..."

Lu Chenyuan thought to himself, "I really want to say to you: 'You were kissing me like crazy yesterday, and you've already forgotten? Do I need to remind you?'" But he could only say that to himself.

A faint expression of sadness appeared on his face. He bowed deeply and said in a solemn voice, "This humble servant, Lu Chenyuan, greets Your Highness the Princess." After speaking, he lightly touched the wrist of the girl beside him.

The goddess immediately followed suit, but her movements were a beat slower than her mistress's: "The mechanical goddess greets Your Highness..."

Her voice was clear and cool, yet also had a soft, sweet quality.

"Oh, so it's Lord Lu."

Li Lingyue deliberately avoided looking at the Empress, her expression indifferent: "What brings you here to me today?"

Yuan Qingshuang was about to burst out laughing. She lowered her head to grind the ink and pursed her lips tightly.

Lu Chenyuan opened his mouth. This little vixen was putting on quite a show. Just be gentle with your hands, she was about to tear the document up. He cleared his throat: "I was just about to report to His Highness that just now..." Li Lingyue interrupted him, raising her head coldly: "Just now, Lord Lu was strolling through the streets with his new favorite, enjoying the scenery. He was having quite a good time!"

I was catching a thief!
Lu Chenyuan said helplessly, "Your Highness, can we be reasonable?"

"You're saying I'm being unreasonable?!"

Li Lingyue jumped to her feet, utterly enraged yet also somewhat aggrieved. Pointing her dagger at the Empress Dowager, she said coldly, "What's wrong with her?! Why didn't you say yesterday that her true form was like this? Are you wary of me, or of His Majesty?! Are you afraid I'll offer your treasure to the Emperor?!"

Her anger was not murderous, but she was, after all, a peak fifth realm expert, a powerful figure of her time.

The Empress inevitably reacted; she instinctively moved closer to Lu Chenyuan, wanting to protect him.

This completely enraged Li Lingyue.

Consumed by rage, she abruptly pointed to the door: "You all, get out of here—"

She paused abruptly at this point.

"roll?"

Lu Chenyuan calmly finished the rest.

moment.

The entire Xiaoxiang Pavilion was deathly silent.

Li Lingyue's face suddenly turned pale, her fingers trembled slightly, and the air in the hall suddenly became extremely oppressive!
Yuan Qingshuang and the maids around her truly sensed that things were about to spiral out of control, and their expressions changed.

Lu Chenyuan raised his head and looked at Li Lingyue with a calm gaze.

"..."

Li Lingyue was filled with anger and grievances. Seeing that he seemed indifferent, she bit her lower lip, her eyes glistening with tears, but she stubbornly raised her head.

Lu Chenyuan suddenly spoke, his voice soft yet clear, saying, "First, I do have selfish motives. This is a treasure I obtained with great effort. I cannot willingly give it up, but if you ask me to, I will do so without hesitation. Did I ask you for anything on the way yesterday?"

Li Lingyue's lips trembled, her eyes filled with conflicting emotions.

"Secondly, it's true I have discerning eyes, but not X-ray vision. I have absolutely no idea what her true form looks like! Yesterday, I walked all the way from the Mechanized City to the Zichen Palace. Not only were there many people around, but I was also preoccupied with Zhou Guanfu's matter. This matter can only be put aside for now. We'll discuss dealing with those Jianghu people when we get back to my palace... I'm not a god. There are so many things to deal with, I can't possibly attend to everything. I forgot for a moment and brought it up a night later. The next morning, I took her directly to the Xuanji Pavilion to see you. I just didn't expect you to accompany me. Am I hiding something? If I were hiding something, I should have kept her hidden forever!!"

Yuan Qingshuang disappeared without a sound, and the surrounding maids quickly retreated.

Li Lingyue's eyes welled up with tears, her expression filled with regret.

"Third, the matter of Suiming Pavilion has not been smooth sailing. Just now, the Cui brothers, the Ghost Thieves, secretly plotted to approach the Ghost Workshop. If it hadn't been discovered in time, once the two brothers obtained the internal layout, they might have been able to destroy the sacrificial artifact with the power of the [Shadow Shifting Jade]. My life is tied to this matter, and I'm doing my best for it. I was just preparing to storm the Ghost Market to find the mastermind behind it all. You called me here, and then you told me to get lost?"

Lu Chenyuan held up the bundle: "This was prepared for you last night, I've put it here. Empress, let's get out of here!"

He turned and left.

"You stop!"

Li Lingyue immediately called out to stop him, her voice no longer cold and stern, but instead carrying a barely perceptible tremor.

Lu Chenyuan paused, but did not turn around.

Li Lingyue could no longer suppress the bitterness and grievance in her heart, and her voice choked with sobs: "You...you knew perfectly well that's not what I meant! Of course I know what's important and what's urgent, I prepared money and manpower for you! I'm just angry that you kept it from me! You even said yesterday that you were going to find people from the Western Regions and Persia!!"

She became angrier and angrier as she spoke, and the last sentence was half-shouted out with a sense of righteous indignation, her voice and expression full of accusation.

It seems that Lu Chenyuan is a lecherous glutton.

"...???"

The museum fell into a deathly silence.

Lu Chenyuan turned around, completely dumbfounded. He didn't even know what expression to make.

You could say she was foolish, but she did everything she was supposed to prepare and do.

She's not stupid, but she can take jokes seriously and deduce that he intentionally concealed something, which was actually premeditated!

What the fuck...

How can we even have a proper argument now?
"Puchi-"

Lu Chenyuan couldn't help but laugh out loud. Looking at her face full of affection, he sighed, "I shouldn't have gotten angry with you."

Li Lingyue felt a sense of relief when she saw him smile, but then she sensed something was wrong. He was looking at her as if she were a fool, and she instantly became furious and embarrassed: "You—"

Before she could finish speaking, Lu Chenyuan strode forward, grabbed the back of her neck, and kissed her.

Li Lingyue's pupils suddenly contracted, and she froze on the spot.

"I need to take care of some important business first."

After a deep kiss, Lu Chenyuan raised his head and gazed at her intently, speaking in a coaxing tone like he was speaking to a child: "You stay here obediently in the manor, don't overthink things. If you have nothing to do, play backgammon with the maids and solve the Nine Linked Rings puzzle..."

"Lu Chenyuan!"

Li Lingyue was filled with shame, anger, and fury: "What do you mean by this! Do you think I'm a three-year-old child?!"

"You don't even understand this? Then I'll sing you a nursery rhyme when I get back tonight."

"you you you!"

Li Lingyue was so angry that she raised her hand to hit him. This person was too hateful!

"Don't make trouble."

Lu Chenyuan grabbed her wrist, his expression suddenly turning serious, a dark current surging in his eyes. "Wait for me to come back." He then kissed her forehead, turning to leave as his purple robes fluttered in the wind, leaving Li Lingyue standing there, stunned, her heart pounding.

Yuan Qingshuang handed the prepared Qingfu sword and manpower to Lu Chenyuan.

Lu Chenyuan set off for the Ghost Market.

When she returned to the building, Li Lingyue still had a mix of anger and laughter on her face, and couldn't help but admire Lord Lu's abilities.

She had never seen a man who could stir up a woman's emotions to such an extent.

She can easily make her cry and laugh.

Perhaps the princess herself didn't realize that she was becoming more and more dependent on him.

(End of this chapter)