Traveling through the Immortal Realm: Starting from Becoming a Top-Level Furnace Cauldron

Everyone rode their horses towards the city. When they arrived at the city gate, they saw Daiyu and Qingwen standing there with sleepy eyes.

Lu Yuguan hurriedly patted Zhao Zimo, signaling him to let him off the horse.

Zhao Zimo gently helped Lu Yuguan dismount from the horse and supported him as he walked towards the two maids.

"Daiyu, Qingwen, you waited for me all night like this?"

Lu Yuguan asked with concern.

Daiyu was extremely happy to see her young master, and Qingwen even went straight forward and hugged Lu Yuguan and cried, obviously frightened.

"Third Young Master, you scared us to death. We thought we would never see you again." Qingwen burst into tears.

"What unlucky words! Pah, pah, pah! Isn't the young master still fine?" Daiyu scolded Qingwen and said to Lu Yuguan, "Third Young Master, the master already knew about this matter before the court this morning, and he is now confronting the officials from the military department in the court. The eldest lady also asked her servants to look for you near the capital and guarded the city gate. She said that if we saw you, we should report back to her immediately to let her know you were safe."

Lu Yuguan felt warm inside. When she thought about how much her family cared about her, the unpleasantness of the night instantly disappeared.

Daiyu and Qingwen suddenly noticed the people around them and were so scared that they fell to their knees.

"Meet His Royal Highness the Crown Prince—"

"No need for formalities." Li Chonglin looked at Lu Yuguan's two maids with a frown on his face, looking unhappy.

First, Zhao Zimo was not friendly to him, and then he ignored his two maids at the first moment. Li Chonglin always felt that he, the prince, was getting worse as he grew older.

"Your Highness, this is a bit embarrassing for me, isn't it?" Zhao Zimo teased with a gloating look.

"If you say another word, I will kick you out of Longhua Country immediately." Li Chonglin shouted viciously.

Zhao Zimo immediately shut up. Although Longhua Kingdom and Xin Zhao had friendly relations and the people exchanged what they had and moved around freely, Li Chonglin's words might really get him expelled from the country.

"Yuguan, follow me to court."

Li Chonglin stepped forward to pull Lu Yuguan's hand. Zhao Zimo was about to stop him, but when he saw Li Chonglin's gloomy face, he immediately stopped.

"Hey - Your Highness, please be gentle -"

Li Chonglin pulled Lu Yuguan's little wrist so hard that it hurt. Before he could complain, Li Chonglin carried him onto the horse's back.

Zhao Zimo looked at Li Chonglin's actions and was obviously still upset about what he had just done.

"You too, you are the hero of what happened last night."

Li Chonglin shouted to Zhao Zimo, then hugged Lu Yuguan from behind and rode his horse towards the city.

Miao'er was muttering to herself about her master.

What a jealous person.

She extended her hand to signal Zhao Zimo to mount his horse, and said, "Young Master Zhao, please do as you please. I will not be going."

Zhao Zimo thanked Miao'er, jumped on his horse, and quickened his legs to chase after Li Chonglin.

Daiyu and Qingwen looked at the series of events in bewilderment.

what's the situation?

I feel like my master... is being robbed by others. Why?

Miao Er said to Daiyu and Qingwen, "Take me to the Bai family. I will tell the head of your household about what happened last night."

……

The city of Kyoto is also very lively in the early morning, with crowds of people and carriages passing by.

"Li Chonglin, slow down!——"

Lu Yuguan was so frightened by the horse's speed that his face turned pale. He had never been so shaken on a horse in his life.

"Aren't you seriously injured? You don't look like you're in pain."

Li Chonglin leaned close to Lu Yuguan's ear and said.

Lu Yuguan was so frightened that he yelled, "I'm almost dying of pain. I can't even straighten my back when I get up this morning."

Eh?

Lu Yuguan carefully felt his body and found that there was indeed nothing serious wrong with him.

Could it be that after the physical evolution... the status has been refreshed?

Before Lu Yuguan could hesitate for long, Li Chonglin behind him pinched his waist hard.

"What are you doing!" Lu Yuguan screamed. He was still shaking on the horse, but his soul had already flown away.

"Hmph, if I don't teach you a lesson, you won't learn your lesson," Li Zhonglin threatened. "Didn't I tell you to wait for me to pick you up at home tonight?"

Lu Yuguan said aggrievedly: "I just want to come out and take a look. Can you bring a gift or something? You invited me, and I would be embarrassed if I didn't bring anything."

Li Chonglin was stunned after hearing this, and he pulled back the galloping horse, and the two of them and the horse stopped abruptly in the middle of the road.

"Hey hey hey, why did you stop? You scared me to death."

As Lu Yuguan spoke, he fell down and nestled in Li Chonglin's arms.

Li Chonglin sighed helplessly, patted Lu Yuguan on the back, and said, "As the crown prince, I never lack anything. Why do you have to be like this?"

"My mother said we must observe etiquette."

Lu Yuguan said seriously.

The words of the person in his arms were like a pot of warm tea, which made Li Chonglin feel warm in his heart.

During his long time as the crown prince, countless people had been trying to curry favor with him, use him, and gain benefits from him. This was the first time someone as innocent, straightforward, and naive as Lu Yuguan had appeared.

Li Chonglin's heart couldn't help but feel a little complicated. He was obviously just interested in Lu Yuguan's sword spirit furnace physique and wanted to make use of it, but he didn't expect this man to be so tactful, which made him a little dazed.

"Ok?"

Li Chonglin looked down from the collar of Lu Yuguan's clothes, where he saw a bruise and some bite marks.

The person I have chosen...could it be that someone else got there first?

Li Chonglin frowned, and an inexplicable anger surged in his heart.

He lowered his head, stared at Lu Yuguan sharply, and asked in a low voice, "What's going on?"

Lu Yuguan said nonchalantly, "It's nothing. I got it during the fight last night."

"Fight?" Li Chonglin obviously didn't believe this explanation. His gaze fell on Lu Yuguan's collar again. The bruises and bite marks were so obvious that they could not be explained by a simple fight.

What kind of fight could leave someone bruised and blue?

Could it be that he started to talk while fighting?

"Don't lie to me. Tell me, how did you get this injury?"

Li Chonglin's eyes became increasingly gloomy, and his heart became empty, as if something had been taken away.

He was certain that Lu Yuguan just didn't want to tell him, so he used such a clumsy lie.

Lu Yuguan looked at Li Chonglin as if he were an idiot and said, "Haven't you been looking for me all night? You don't know how you got injured? Then why are you looking for me?"

Li Chonglin was anxious. What did he mean by "how come he didn't know"? If he hadn't seen it accidentally, he wouldn't have wanted to know at all.

"You still won't tell the truth, right?"

Lu Yuguan was almost speechless to the person behind him. No matter how he explained, he just looked like he didn't believe it at all. He was more stubborn than the cow in his grandmother's house.

"I really don't know. How about you tell me what you want to hear and I'll sing a song for you?" Lu Yuguan said.

Li Chonglin looked at Lu Yuguan's clear and innocent eyes, and his originally angry temper was suddenly diluted, and turned into suspicion.

Am I really overthinking it?

But how do you explain the bite marks?

It can't be that he was bitten by a dog, right?

The two of them stayed on the avenue for a long time. Although the surrounding vendors didn't recognize them, they all avoided them for fear of offending some dignitaries.

"What are you doing here?" Zhao Zimo, who was riding a horse behind them, caught up with them and asked with a puzzled look on his face.

Lu Yuguan rolled his eyes and said, "Your Highness the Crown Prince said I was lying."

"What lies are you telling?" Zhao Zimo raised his eyebrows.

"He always said that the injuries on my body were not caused by fighting." Lu Yuguan replied.

Zhao Zimo's nerves tensed after hearing this. He coughed a few times, barely perceptible, and said firmly, "It was just a fight."

It's just another game.

Li Chonglin looked at Zhao Zimo's expression and immediately became suspicious. He snorted coldly and said, "After the court session, go to the Dali Temple to take a statement, and everything will be clear."

Zhao Zimo smiled awkwardly and said quickly, "Your Highness, let's leave quickly, or we'll miss the morning court."

"Humph."

Li Chonglin swung the reins hard and galloped towards the palace, with Zhao Zimo following closely behind.

The Longhua Palace was peaceful in the morning light.

The emperor was dressed in court robes embroidered with golden dragons and a dazzling crown on his head. He sat upright on a dragon throne carved with dragons and painted with phoenixes, his eyes as sharp as torches, examining the civil and military officials below.

Inside the hall, the atmosphere was solemn and silent.

Civil and military officials dressed in court robes, wearing official hats and holding tablets, lined up neatly on both sides of the hall.

The emperor's eyes were sharp as he scrutinized each of his subjects, as if he could read their minds.

The eunuch's voice rang out in the hall: "If you have something to report, please come forward. If not, please dismiss the court." The voice was clear and echoed in the hall.

The man on the dragon throne looked at everyone present coldly, with an extremely low aura around him, as if he was about to explode in anger.

The officials were silent, but they all knew why the emperor was angry.

They had heard about what happened in the Flower Street Parade before going to bed last night.

How could such a terrible thing happen under the feet of the emperor, not to mention that it involves evil cultivators.

It’s not that the Dragon Guard Army has poor management. General Chen Zizai leads the Dragon Guard Army to patrol the streets every day, and there is no way they would give the evil cultivators any chance to take advantage.

However, the evil cultivator came in so brazenly, and chose the time when the Dragon Guards were changing shifts to act, and slaughtered people indiscriminately.

Someone must have opened the door to convenience.

But who dares to speak now? If you act like a scapegoat and shout a few words, you may not be able to show your loyalty to the emperor, but may end up being retaliated against by someone with ulterior motives.

The emperor snorted coldly, and the pressure of the Jindan stage was released instantly, spreading to the entire hall.

All the ministers below the Jindan stage were so frightened that they broke out in cold sweats and tried to hold up their bodies, at least not to lose their composure and kneel on the ground.

"Why, among all the officials of Longhua State, not even one can vent his anger?" the emperor said, looking at the officials seated before him. "Could it be that all of you beloved ministers are dead?"

"If you want to be with the people who lost their lives last night, I can help you."

All the officials turned pale. In this situation, who would dare to come forward and make a report?

The Shaoqing of the Dali Temple is still recuperating, Cao Yin of Damang Mountain is still seriously injured and unable to get out of bed, even these talented and outstanding people were beaten without any chance to fight back, the Dragon Guards also failed one after another, and no one can guarantee when the next attack will be.

"Your Majesty, I, Bai Zheng, have a report."

Finally, someone stepped forward and broke the dead silence.

The emperor looked at Bai Zheng's tall figure standing out, and his frown relaxed slightly.

"Accurate."

Bai Zheng looked at the emperor sitting on the dragon throne. He knew that he could not complain at the moment, even though his child was still missing and his life or death was unknown. Instead, he had to give a reasonable answer.

"Your Majesty, I have heard about the tragedy on Flower Street last night. I believe this was caused by the officials' dereliction of duty and laziness. If officials at all levels had not been so fearful, how could that demonic cultivator have taken advantage of this opportunity?"

"I suggest that the Ministry of Personnel be allowed to thoroughly investigate all officials, re-evaluate them, and remove those who are lazy."

As soon as Bai Zheng said this, the entire hall became restless.

I was hoping they would come up with a plan, but who knew they would start by destroying everyone's jobs? How could this be tolerated?

The Minister of Revenue next to Bai Zheng could hardly hold it back, and the wrinkles on his old face were about to be twisted into chrysanthemums.

"Your Majesty, I don't think it's possible." Minister of Revenue Xu Sheng walked out and said with a bow.

"Oh? Lord Xu, why is this?"

The emperor looked at the elderly minister. Although he was old, he was definitely not a confused person with blurry eyes. On the contrary, all the expenses of the Longhua Kingdom were carefully calculated by this elderly minister.

"Your Majesty, re-examining the affairs of all officials will consume a lot of manpower and material resources and take a long time. The national treasury does not have enough silver reserves and it is difficult to sustain the consumption." Xu Sheng said.

Bai Zheng immediately complained, "When did the Ministry of Personnel need to waste money and labor to investigate officials? Minister Xu, stop your nonsense."

Xu Sheng was not in a hurry and spoke slowly, "There are countless officials of all ranks in Longhua State. Can Minister Bai really check them all? Not to mention the matters that need to be examined, which are all very detailed. There is no benefit in checking too broadly or too strictly. If the check is too broad, nothing will be found in the end. If the check is too strict, it may force some people with ulterior motives to take evil paths. Wouldn't it be you, the Ministry of Personnel, who will benefit?"

"You!" Bai Zheng was furious, but considering Xu Sheng's age, he couldn't get angry with him and could only endure it.

The Emperor looked at the two of them and spoke slowly, "What Xu Aiqing said is not without reason. It's just that things have been too peaceful these past few years, and I've been too lenient with you. As a result, some of you have lost track of yourselves."

"Where is the Chief Censor?"

"The minister is here."

Another official from the Censorate stepped out and said.

"Bai Zheng, this time we will start the investigation in Kyoto. I will have Pei Yuan, the Imperial Censor, accompany you. If we find any problems, we will hand them over to the Ministry of Justice for handling!"

"The minister obeys the order."

"The minister obeys the order."

Pei Yuan lowered his head and looked at Bai Zheng, a look of satisfaction appearing on his face.

The Emperor continued to address his ministers, "My dear ministers, do you have anything else to say about what happened last night?"

Bai Zheng looked at the emperor and continued, "I implore you to have the Dali Temple conduct a thorough investigation into this matter, apprehend the demonic cultivator, and bring justice to the victims!"

Bai Zheng's deafening voice echoed throughout the entire hall, and the ministers broke out in cold sweats again.

The Emperor looked at his ministers and said solemnly, "Regarding this matter, I have already ordered all officers and staff of the Dali Temple to be dispatched to investigate the location of the demonic cultivators' stronghold. Furthermore, Minister of Rites Fei Xianwen will immediately establish a direct-affiliated school for the Cao family of Damang Mountain, allowing more of the Cao family's loyal and capable men to serve me."

Everyone present was stunned. The academy built by the emperor's personal order was a place where countless people would fight to get in. Kyoto Lixue School was one of them, and some places also had such schools, but this was the first time that one was built solely for a clan.

The Cao family is really blessed!

All the ministers were filled with envy. Such a supreme honor was more difficult to obtain than getting a promotion or a higher rank.

"Report——"

The servant outside the door ran into the hall and shouted loudly.

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, along with Crown Prince Xin Zhao and the third son of the Bai family, requests an audience with His Majesty!"

As soon as these words were spoken, there was another uproar.

After hearing this, Bai Zheng breathed a sigh of relief, and his nerves, which had been tense for a long time, finally relaxed.

Pei Yuandu Censor approached him, patted Bai Zheng on the back, and said, "Congratulations, Minister Bai, your son is safe."

Bai Zheng turned around and smiled in return, but Xu Sheng next to him was serious, as if all this had nothing to do with him.

"Crown Prince Li Chonglin, Crown Prince Zhao Zimo of Xin Zhao, and Lu Yuguan, the third son of the Bai family, enter the palace—"

At the eunuch's command, three people from outside the hall walked in at the same time.