But before he could finish speaking, Liu Hong, as if he had made up his mind, gripped the oar tightly and, without hesitation, swung it violently at the head of the servant on the other side. Then, without any haste, he threw the two corpses directly into the river.
"Brother, you killed someone." Li Biao couldn't help but swallow hard, somewhat incredulous. Liu Hong, who rarely lost his temper and even less so took action, had actually killed two people, and seemed remarkably calm.
"Let's go all the way, Li Biao, are you coming with me or not?"
Liu Hong stared at Li Biao, his eyes revealing a chilling intent that sent a shiver down Li Biao's spine.
He wasn't stupid. If he didn't follow Liu Hong and get on his pirate ship at this point, Liu Hong would likely kill him anyway.
"Brother, I've followed you since I was a child. Do you even need to ask me this question?" Li Biao smiled to show his loyalty to Liu Hong.
Liu Hong nodded with satisfaction, then looked at Wen Jiao, who was tearful and full of sorrow, about to jump into the river to pursue her husband. He rushed up and hugged her tightly, saying, "If you submit to me, we'll pretend nothing happened. But if you don't, I'll first... and then kill you!"
Hearing Liu Hong's words of both persuasion and coercion, Wen Jiao calmed down. She was already pregnant with Chen Guangrui's child, but did not know the gender. If she were to think about it now, her child would also go to the Yellow Springs with her, and the Chen family line would end.
After much deliberation and weighing the options, he had no choice but to temporarily compromise and comply with Liu Hong's wishes.
"Boss, come and see!" Li Biao seemed to have discovered something extraordinary, his small eyes gleaming.
When Liu Hong came over and saw this, he was stunned for a moment, and his face turned ugly: "So this fellow is the newly appointed top scholar, on his way to Jiangzhou to take up his post."
Although Chen Guangrui has not yet taken office, he is still an official appointed by the imperial court.
Murdering an official of the imperial court is a serious crime!
As for Chen Guangrui's death, the imperial court will eventually find out the truth.
"Brother, what should we do?" Li Biao was also dumbfounded, realizing the seriousness of the situation.
After a long silence, Liu Hong smiled and said, "Anyway, apart from a few people in Chang'an, no one knows what Chen Guangrui looks like. With the addition of the Prime Minister's daughter, we should be able to fool them."
"Brother, what do you mean..." Li Biao was immediately startled, but after thinking about it carefully, he realized that this was the only way to proceed at present.
“Not bad.” Liu Hong nodded, then put on Chen Guangrui’s clothes and decided to steal the place and impersonate Chen Guangrui to take up his post in Jiangzhou.
"It really proves the old saying: those who flaunt their love will soon break up."
Zhang Yun, hidden in the shadows, quietly observed how things unfolded.
However, Zhang Yun knew beforehand that Chen Guangrui was doomed to die young, but he never expected him to die in this way.
Showing off your love in front of Liu Hong, a single guy, is definitely asking for trouble.
Zhang Yun's figure flashed and disappeared into the river, just in time to see the Yaksha patrolling the sea.
When Yaksha saw that Zhang Yun was surrounded by celestial light, he knew at a glance that he was a celestial being. Because Zhang Yun's temperament and aura were absolutely undeniable, Yaksha swam over without thinking and said respectfully, "I was unaware of your sudden visit, celestial being. I apologize for not being able to welcome you properly."
"Hmm." Zhang Yun put his hands behind his back, his eyes filled with majesty, and looked down at the Yaksha, saying, "Take me to see your Dragon King."
"Yes." Yaksha dared not slack off and hurriedly led Zhang Yun into the palace. At this time, the Dragon King was holding a ceremony. Upon hearing that a celestial being from the Heavenly Court had visited, he quickly straightened his clothes and went out to greet him personally. He laughed loudly and said, "I did not know that a celestial being would grace us with his presence. It has truly made my humble Dragon Palace shine. I am sorry for not welcoming you properly. Please come in quickly."
"No need," Zhang Yun said bluntly. "Yesterday, didn't a scholar release you back into Jiangzhou?"
Upon hearing this, the Dragon King was startled. Recalling the events of that time, he suddenly realized, "Could it be that all of this was deliberately arranged by the immortal?"
"I suppose so," Zhang Yun nodded slightly.
"Thank you so much, Immortal, for saving my life. I have no way to repay you!" The Dragon King bowed deeply to Zhang Yun, his face full of gratitude.
Whether the immortal is telling the truth or not, I'll thank him first. The Dragon King has been trapped in this small river for too long. How can I let go of this opportunity to curry favor with the immortal?
Zhang Yun said, "That scholar has been murdered by a villain, and his body has sunk into the river. You should send someone to bring him here and try to save his life."
"Reporting to the Immortal, that scholar wanted to eat me that day, but fortunately I was clever and used some trickery to scare the scholar away and send me back to the river."
The Dragon King said somewhat embarrassedly, "Immortal, you're asking me to go and save my enemy."
Zhang Yun shook his head and said, "Regardless of how that scholar initially intended to treat you, the outcome was that he released you. Strictly speaking, he should be considered your savior."
“What the immortal says seems to make sense.” The Dragon King seemed to have been unknowingly drawn into Zhang Yun’s scheme.
"However, Xiaolong's abilities are still limited, and he certainly does not possess the ability to bring the dead back to life."
"This is the Preservation Pearl. Place it in the scholar's mouth to prevent his body from decaying and to ensure his resurrection in the future." Zhang Yun took out the Preservation Pearl and handed it to the Dragon King, instructing, "Also, these are the Wish-Fulfilling Pearl and the Walking Pearl. Give them to him after his resurrection. Now, I will teach you how to help Chen Guangrui return to life. Learn carefully."
Upon hearing that the immortal was going to teach him the art of resurrection, the Dragon King was overjoyed and readily agreed.
Unexpectedly, after Zhang Yun taught him the method of resurrection, he said, "This method of resurrection can only be used once."
"I see." The Dragon King's eyes dimmed. When would this tiny Dragon King Palace ever end?
"However, I can teach you other immortal techniques to increase your cultivation level, so that you can be promoted and ennobled in the future."
Seemingly sensing the Dragon King's ulterior motives, Zhang Yun smiled.
"Yes, thank you, Immortal!" The Dragon King's sorrow turned to joy. "My body contains all the heavens and myriad worlds..."
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Chapter 280 The Curtain-Rolling General
After bidding farewell to the Dragon King, Zhang Yun had a sudden thought and arrived in Jiangzhou.
At this moment, Wen Jiao was sitting quietly in the yamen, her beautiful eyes filled with sorrow as she missed her deceased husband, mother-in-law, and parents.
Just then, she suddenly felt unwell, had abdominal pain, and fainted.