The Foolish Agent

Chapter 70

After Xuanyuan finished dealing with all the court affairs, he went back to change out of his dragon robe and hurriedly came to Qingfeng Residence to find Leng Jie to finish his business. As soon as he entered Qingfeng Residence, he saw the steward with a wrinkled old face anxiously greeting him.

"Greetings, Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

"No need for formalities!" Xuanyuan raised his hand and asked, "Where is Miss? Is dinner ready?"

"Your Majesty, dinner has been prepared as instructed by Eunuch Fu. Miss is in the medicine hut. She told no one to disturb her when she went in this morning. But she hasn't come out since she entered the medicine hut this morning, and she hasn't even had lunch yet!" the old steward replied worriedly.

Upon hearing this, Xuanyuan turned and ran towards the medicine hut next door. As soon as he entered, he saw her diligently working on a pile of dark, unsightly things, and blurted out a question:

"Xiaojie! What are you doing?"

Leng Jie, who was setting the fuse for a small landmine, nearly pulled it out with a jolt when he suddenly shouted. She broke out in a cold sweat. After a long while, she calmed her wildly beating heart, glared at Xuan Yuan, and roared:

"If you're looking to die, don't drag me down with you! I haven't lived enough yet!"

Xuan Yuan was stunned by Leng Jie's sudden deathly pale face and the cold sweat covering her forehead. He was then jolted awake by her angry roar. He had only greeted her; was it really that serious? He asked cautiously.

"What happened?"

Leng Jie glared at Xuan Yuan fiercely, then replied irritably:

"Didn't I tell the housekeeper that no one is allowed to come in? What are you doing here? Don't you know that if I had lost my grip and lost my hand when you suddenly yelled just now, we would both have been smashed to pieces immediately?"

Upon hearing this, Xuanyuan hurried forward, pointed at the small jar in Leng Jie's hand, and asked incredulously:

"You mean this thing? It's that powerful?"

Leng Jie curled her lip and said, "You don't believe me? Remember the lightning at the Jianzhou Prince's Mansion last time? This is called a landmine, and its power is several times stronger than the last one. It can level the entire Qingfeng Medicine House in an instant."

Thunder from the sky! Landmine! Xuanyuan stared at the small black thing in astonishment, as if trying to imagine just how powerful it was.

"Want to give it a try?" Leng Jie asked with a burning gaze.

Xuanyuan nodded unconsciously, following her words. Then, realizing this was Qingfeng Medicine Cottage, he quickly waved his hand and said:

"No, if you destroy Qingfeng's medicine hut, he will definitely come after me instead of you when he comes back."

A glint of light flashed in Leng Jie's eyes, and she grinned:

"I'm not stupid, why would I test it here? Let's find a secluded place to test it! And while we're at it, I'll show you some of my other secret weapons."

"Didn't you say his power was greater than that time at the Jianzhou Prince's Palace? This is the capital's imperial palace, where are we going to find a secluded place?" Xuanyuan shook his head in disapproval.

Leng Jie only smiled and didn't answer. She carefully removed the fuse from the landmine and put it into a wooden box. Then she carefully put several small hand grenades she had made into the wooden box. Finally, she filled the gaps with sawdust.

Finally, she took out a delicate little pistol, loaded it with bullets, and put it into the leather holster on her waist. This pistol was specially made for her by the head of the Jinghe First Weapon Family when she went to Cangyuan, based on her design drawings. However, the drawings she gave him were disassembled. Therefore, even the person who made the pistol didn't know its purpose or how to use it. The cartridge cases were also from when she fired them, but she filled the ammunition herself. While filling the ammunition, she added a lot of anesthetic-like substances that she had found in Qingfeng's pile of medicine. She was planning to go out and find someone to test if it would have any effect.

With everything prepared, Leng Jie said to Xuan Yuan:

"Come on, I'll take you to a secluded place to do the experiment." With that, he picked up the box and headed outside.

This girl is truly unpredictable! Xuanyuan hurriedly exclaimed:

"Xiaojie, aren't you hungry? You should eat first before you go!"

"No, it'll be dark by the time we finish eating. I'll treat you to a big meal after we're done with the experiment," Leng Jie said as they walked.

Xuanyuan followed helplessly, reaching out his hand and saying:

"Give me that thing!"

Leng Jie glanced at him and asked seriously, "Do you know their uses and characteristics?"

Xuanyuan could only stare and shake his head.

"Don't touch it if you don't know, or you'll be reduced to ashes without even knowing how you died," Leng Jie said in a warning tone. Seeing that Xuan Yuan's expression changed slightly, she softened her tone and said:

“I’m not exaggerating at all, so don’t feel wronged. Let’s go, we’ll leave the palace through the secret passage.”

Xuanyuan remained silent, quietly following Leng Jie out of the palace through the underground passage. The two used their lightness skills and quickly arrived at the moat.

Leng Jie pointed to the wide moat and said:

"This is it! Let me show you another way to fish."

He gently placed the wooden box he was clutching tightly on the ground and took out a hand grenade. He explained to Xuanyuan:

"Look closely, this is called a grenade. In battle, you just pull the pin like this and throw it at the enemy." He then demonstrated by throwing the grenade in his hand towards the center of the river.

With a loud "bang!", a ten-zhang-high column of water shot into the sky from the river surface. Immediately afterward, with a series of splashing sounds, many large and small white fish bellies were seen floating on the river surface.

Although Xiao Jie already knew that it would be very powerful, Xuan Yuan was still quite shocked when he witnessed it for the first time. You could tell from his dumbfounded and speechless expression.

Leng Jie, who hadn't played like this in a long time, was incredibly excited. Although she had now learned to use ancient internal energy techniques and cold weapons, she still found modern weapons more thrilling and exciting. After throwing two more, she excitedly patted Xuan Yuan's shoulder and asked:

"How about that? I didn't seduce you, did I?"

At this moment, Xuanyuan was soaked to the bone by the blasted river water, looking like a drowned rat. He vigorously shook the water off his head and nodded in response:

"This thing is terrifying. If it were thrown into a crowd, it would cause a bloodbath immediately."

Leng Jie was relieved that Xuanyuan hadn't reacted as she'd expected, excitedly contemplating world domination upon seeing such advanced weaponry. As a ruler, his first thought was of the weapon's devastating consequences for humanity—this was truly remarkable. She gazed at Xuanyuan and said with agreement:

“You’re right, this thing is indeed terrifying, but no matter what weapon is used, war will always result in rivers of blood. So what’s truly terrifying is war, not weapons.”

Xuanyuan froze, his face darkening instantly. His voice was low and tinged with helplessness as he said:

"But the war is about to begin! I personally experienced the war with Xiping six years ago, and I witnessed the five thousand soldiers who followed me to the battlefield fall one by one beside me..."

Seeing that Xuanyuan seemed lost in painful memories, Leng Jie unconsciously reached out and grasped his cold, trembling hand, softly comforting him:

"Forget about the past. Now you just need to think that we didn't start the war, and that our responsibility is to eliminate war."

Encouraged by Leng Jie, Xuan Yuan quickly composed himself, naturally pulled Leng Jie into his arms, and said firmly:

"Xiao Jie is right. Since war is inevitable, we have no choice but to end it as soon as possible."

Leng Jie's clothes were soaked from the river. The evening breeze, combined with the fact that she hadn't eaten all day, made her feel chilly. Xuan Yuan's broad, sturdy chest provided warmth, and she wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head against him as she asked:

"Then what do you think about ending the war with the weapons we just used?"

The first time Xiao Jie hugged him from behind, Xuan Yuan felt a warm glow in his heart. He knew his Xiao Jie was the kindest girl in the world. However, he also knew that to win her favor, simply showing weakness wasn't enough, because that would only earn her pity at best. Therefore, he immediately nodded in agreement:

"Of course! How can we not use such a powerful weapon that Xiaojie made? Besides, this way we won't have to fight those hungry wolves from Xiping Kingdom in close combat, and our casualties will naturally be minimized."

"Okay, then I'll go back and prepare more." Leng Jie nodded in response. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew by, and Leng Jie shivered. She involuntarily snuggled closer to Xuan Yuan's arms.

Xuanyuan felt Leng Jie's body trembling, and thoughtfully used his internal energy to dry their clothes. Once the chill was gone, Leng Jie immediately felt the heat of Xuanyuan's body. She gently pushed him away and said:

"We don't need to try the rest, right? Let's go to the city for a big meal." With that, she subtly slipped out of his embrace.

"Is it alright to bring these dangerous items to a restaurant?" Xuanyuan asked, pointing to the remaining items on the ground.

Leng Jie squatted down, scooped up several handfuls of sand to fill the spot where she had removed the grenades, then closed the caps, scooped them up, and shoved them into Xuan Yuan's arms, giving him a sly smile:

"Hehe! I went a bit overboard just now to give you a little mental preparation. Actually, as long as you don't unplug them, put them in a fire, or touch them hard, they won't explode."

"You just said you didn't piss me off?" Xuanyuan immediately roared, feigning anger. "You're paying for dinner later!"

Knowing full well she had no money, he still made her treat. Leng Jie made a face at Xuan Yuan, turned and ran towards the embankment. After running a distance, she turned back and laughed, "Okay! I'll treat you, you pay!"

Xuanyuan, carrying the wooden box, chased after him with a smile.

They arrived at the northern city, where nobles lived. The streets were quiet during the day, but bustling and prosperous at night, filled with dazzling lights and a decadent world. Leng Jie and Xuan Yuan walked half a street without seeing a single decent restaurant.

As they passed a place called Lianxianglou, the aroma of roast duck suddenly wafted from inside. Leng Jie stopped and said:

"This is the place!"

"This place won't do!" The moment Xuanyuan saw the glamorous women standing at the entrance, he felt nauseous. Besides, how could he let his Xiaojie go into a place like that? Therefore, he unusually contradicted Xiaojie and firmly replied.

Leng Jie had only initially wanted to go in because of the aroma of food, but after seeing Xuan Yuan's expression, she suddenly had a mischievous thought. Imagining Xuan Yuan being groped by those ravenous courtesans, she almost burst out laughing. She turned to Xuan Yuan and said:

"Fine, if you're not coming in, then so be it. I'm definitely going to eat this duck today." With that, she walked over.

"Do you have any silver on you?" Xuanyuan called out loudly from behind her.

Leng Jie turned around and smiled mysteriously, saying, "You're right, I don't have any money, but I have something more useful than money."

"Women are not served there?" Xuanyuan asked, still unwilling to give up.

"She doesn't entertain other women, but she wouldn't dare not entertain me. If you don't believe me, let's make a bet. If she lets me in, you have to come in too. How about it? Are you in for the bet?"

Would he really let her into a place like this alone, given his gambling addiction? Xuanyuan could only pin his hopes on the madam at the door, her mouth agape. He hoped they would stick to their policy of not accepting female customers.

Seeing Xuan Yuan nod in agreement, Leng Jie's eyes flashed with a triumphant light. She walked a few steps to the door, and just as Xuan Yuan had said, she was stopped by a madam whose face looked like it was covered in a layer of whitewash.

Seeing this, Xuanyuan, who was standing still, unconsciously let out a long breath, then smiled easily and waited for her to come back obediently after touching her nose.

The madam, with her alluring eyes now lined with fine lines, glanced sideways at Leng Jie and said in a strange, affected tone:

"Miss! Please look at the sign; this is Lianxiang Pavilion!"

Leng Jie glanced at her sideways and replied in the same tone:

"Madam! I can read and know this is Lianxiang Pavilion!"

As she spoke, she revealed the only valuable thing she possessed. The madam was initially startled, then immediately tried to kneel down. Leng Jie glared at her, warning her not to make a sound. If Xuan Yuan found out she was using the token he gave her for this purpose, he would surely take it back! She had to admit, his tokens were quite useful. The madam, being a woman of her time, immediately composed herself after receiving Leng Jie's warning look, regaining her professional smile, and said tremblingly:

"What brings you here, Miss?"

Leng Jie put away the invincible golden plaque and shouted at the madam:

"What brings you here, Miss?"

Leng Jie put away the invincible golden plaque and shouted at the madam:

"I smelled the aroma of roast duck coming from here, so I came here. What? Does this place not serve female guests?"

The shrewd madam loudly replied, "Yes, yes, yes. An old woman like me opens her door to do business; how could I refuse customers? How many ladies are in your party? Would you prefer a private room or a room in the main hall?"

Leng Jie turned back to Xuan Yuan, who was standing dumbfounded in the middle of the street, and waved to him triumphantly, signaling him to come over. Then she whispered an order to the madam:

"I'd like a private, elegant room, and I'll bring out your best dishes and most beautiful girls."

The madam followed Leng Jie's gaze and exclaimed, "My God! What a handsome man!" She thought she had been surrounded by men for decades and had never seen such a beautiful and imposing man. As she looked at him, she unconsciously drooled.

Leng Jie glanced at the brothel madam's lecherous, lustful expression when she saw Xuan Yuan, suppressed her disgust, and disdainfully reminded her:

"Auntie! Your saliva is going to be a disaster! Also, let me remind you, if you want to live, don't stare at that young master with those eyes anymore, or even the Heavenly King himself can't save you!"

Hearing Leng Jie's chilling warning, the madam felt a cold sweat run down her spine and shivered. She immediately averted her gaze, wiped the drool from her chin with her handkerchief, and composed herself. She nodded repeatedly and replied in a trembling voice:

"Miss is right, I will never dare to do it again! Please go upstairs to the private room for a meal!" After saying that, she led the way upstairs.

Seeing that Xuanyuan was still standing there without moving, Leng Jie didn't call him again. Instead, she turned around, smiled at him, made a farewell gesture, and then followed the madam upstairs.

Meanwhile, Xuanyuan was angrily wondering if he should issue an imperial edict to shut down all the brothels and entertainment venues in the city, especially the one in front of him. He even wanted to use it to test the effectiveness of the landmine he was holding, which he had never seen before, to see if its power was really as great as Xiaojie said, and whether it could raze this eyesore of his house to the ground in an instant.