Free Web NovelChapter 323: Chapter 122: Return to the Royal Residence, the Buddha’s Scheming
Li Xuan said, "Give me a copy of the intelligence on the royal city."
The fat man hurried away and returned shortly with a thick book, handing it to Li Xuan.
Li Xuan took it and quickly flipped through the pages.
He read at an astonishing speed, remembering everything he saw and analyzing it instantly.
From the information recorded in the intelligence, the royal city appeared calm.
However, since Li Xuan knew that many significant events had occurred in the royal city, with many people possibly replaced by Bear Puppets, this calmness seemed eerily terrifying.
It was a dark, chilling horror that made the hair on one’s head stand on end.
It was as if you were sitting in an ice cave full of evil spirits, yet you couldn’t see where they were.
However, such matters... surely couldn’t be uncovered by Yin Fu Paper Records.
Nonetheless, Li Xuan was not entirely without gain; at least he noticed some minor trifles such as "missing persons."
Li Xuan flipped through the pages again, tossed the book back, and said, "Keep recording."
After saying this, he sensed carefully again.
Fortunately, incense offerings had not decreased but increased, for everyone in the Great Yin believed in Xinci Temple.
He raised his hand to summon a wicker chair, then sat leisurely in the courtyard and began to "scan" the Great Yin.
Wherever the incense offerings were strong, the map was fully open.
His eyes seemed to be in the sky, yet could drop to the ground at any moment.
He glanced briefly from the highest point of the royal city.
The result: everywhere was calm, with no changes.
He then began to scan house by house, starting with the noble families where "missing incidents" had occurred.
As a result, a problem emerged upon this scanning.
He saw some young masters and ladies who had been "missing for days to several dozen days but returned unscathed";
He overheard the palace maids and eunuchs whispering that the Sovereign had become exclusively fond of Princess Consort De, neglecting morning court sessions and spending every day traveling with her, ignoring other consorts and even the Queen.
Thus, he focused his gaze on the Sovereign.
"Sovereign" Zhao She was originally a carefree Prince, often found in brothels with a lingering smell of alcohol and rouge. This was merely a disguise to deceive the Wang family, yet it did reveal his preferences to some extent.
And it was indeed true.
Once the Great Yin was somewhat at peace, he began to indulge in pleasures.
Pleasure meant nothing more than food, drink, and women.
Zhao She indulged in all of these without missing any.
Yet, this Sovereign, known for his fickleness and extensive "experience" in overturning the Wang family, focused solely on Princess Consort De and ignored morning court sessions.
Li Xuan was quite intrigued.
Before long, he spotted the Sovereign sailing on the Qingfeng Sea.
The so-called Qingfeng Sea was not a real sea but a large lake.
It was said that when the Yong Country and the Great Yin were on good terms, the Sovereign of Great Yong visited the Great Yin’s capital, was startled by the lake, and asked, "Could this be the sea?"
The Great Yong had many mountains and plains but few large lakes, and its territory did not connect to the East Sea. Hence, the king’s question.
Thus, "Qingfeng Sea" gained its name "Sea."
The lake surface shimmered with ripples, and the pleasure boat was empty, with only two people behind a curtain.
Li Xuan’s gaze followed the faint incense smoke to that spot.
He wasn’t physically there but felt as though he stood on the boat’s prow.
The wind blew, making the curtain rustle.
Behind the curtain, the light was dim...
In the dimness, there was the sound of "huffing" as food was devoured.
Two figures were hunched over, devouring large servings of fish and meat, candied fruits, and rice.
As the pleasure boat slightly swayed, a corner of the curtain was lifted by the wind, allowing sunlight to reveal Zhao She’s ravenous appearance.
He ate so quickly that even the skin on his body crumpled.
Beside him, the woman behaved the same.
That was Princess Consort De, eating so fast that her eyeball unexpectedly slipped down a bit, looking utterly horrifying.
Princess Consort De didn’t even bother to fix her eyeball but continued devouring the meat.
Li Xuan withdrew his gaze.
The wicker chair creaked softly...
Li Xuan clenched his fist, lightly held his chin, and fell into deep thought.
The sunlight cast a faint shadow of him, presenting a hint of eeriness.
...
...
That night, Li Xuan did not return home.
This pace of returning home was too swift for "Divine Martial Monarch" Li Xuan.
He went to the royal palace, to the bedchamber.
What should have been a scene of cloud and rain or dreams for the Sovereign and Princess Consort De was not so.
Princess Consort De was by the window, gazing outward, suddenly spotting a striped wildcat descending on a branch not far away.
Princess Consort De beckoned to the wildcat.
The wildcat approached, puzzled, and meowed.
When it came within a foot’s distance, Princess Consort De suddenly reached out, grabbed the cat’s neck tightly, and instantly shut the window, opening her mouth to bite the cat’s neck.
But at that moment, a loud, resounding voice stopped her from eating the cat.
"Amitabha."
Princess Consort De was startled and turned her head to see a monk appear in the darkness at some unknown point.
Before Princess Consort De reacted, the Sovereign was already furious and shouted, "Who are you, don’t you know this is the royal palace’s forbidden area!"
The monk said, "This humble monk is the Subduing Tiger Arhat under the Buddha."
"Subduing Tiger Arhat?" The Sovereign was baffled, his face blank, and then said, "No matter who you are, leave immediately, or I’ll call for the assassins."
This monk was, of course, a fake created by Li Xuan’s Illusion Skill.
Upon hearing this, Li Xuan was momentarily stunned.
Then he realized one thing: while Bear Puppets could retain some abilities from life, they couldn’t preserve all the target’s memories, holding only a bit of superficial memory.
Zhao She couldn’t possibly not know about the "Subduing Tiger Arhat."
This Bear Puppet’s words directly gave it away.
At this moment, Li Xuan heard and smiled slightly, raising his hand to make a gesture.
