Eyes Charming - Глава 117
A similar fragrance drifted in through the pried-open paper window, and the two people behind the bed immediately covered their mouths. The person outside waited for a while, and seeing no movement inside, slipped in, came to the bedside, glanced at the Holy Lord, and reached out to grab him. Before the Holy Lord could move, someone else was even more impatient and made the first move.
Hidden behind the bed, the so-called senior brother and Xiao Liuzi suddenly attacked the newcomers just as they were about to meet the Holy Lord. Clearly, there were also two newcomers. They were startled to discover that there were others behind the bed, thinking they had been discovered. They hurriedly went to meet the attack, and the two groups started fighting right in front of the Holy Lord. Even when the Holy Lord opened his eyes and looked at them with amusement, they were still unaware of what was happening.
"The martial arts of the Canghai Sect? Cangzheng?" The one addressed as the senior brother spoke coldly after fighting for a while. The fat meat that was about to be eaten had been ruined by him. He was courting death, and a murderous aura rose up.
"Thai style boxing? Taijiang?" The one called Cangzheng recognized the opponent's moves and said calmly. "That was close; he almost beat me to it."
Ha... They clearly know each other, but judging from how desperately they're fighting, someone who didn't know better would think they had a blood feud!
The two groups fought fiercely, each with bruises on their faces and minor injuries. Taking advantage of the moment when both groups were exhausted, another group arrived when that Taijiang appeared and immediately attacked, taking advantage of the moment when the Holy Lord was not paying attention. However, they were blocked by the other two groups that arrived, and the three groups were once again locked in a fierce battle.
The Holy King really wanted to just faint. His room had become a battlefield. Five groups of people ignored his presence as their master and started fighting each other. It was unclear which faction was fighting which faction. At their rate, they would fight until dawn without any result.
Suddenly, the dimly lit room lit up, and the five groups of people who had been fighting immediately stopped, all looking at the Holy Lord who should have been lying motionless on the bed, but was now leaning against the bedside, his unfathomable eyes calmly watching them; the woman in green with a cunning smile; the woman in green with a frown; and the woman in purple playing with a small purple snake—all of them were great beauties. What a terrifying scene!
"Heh... Cang Zheng, the leader of the Canghai Sect; Tai Jiang, the direct disciple of the Tai Family Fist; Wu Zhong, the leader of the Wuhua Sect; Zhen Hechu, the master of Zhengqi Manor; even the reclusive Jade Smoke Island Master, Fairy Jade Smoke, has come. Truly rare guests!" Sheng Qing glanced at the twelve people in the audience, a mocking smile playing on his lips. What a load of rubbish about prestigious families! They've actually resorted to thievery, humph...
The twelve stunned people felt a chill run down their spines upon hearing Sheng Qing's words, their legs trembling uncontrollably. They were especially taken aback when they saw the two strands of white hair floating on the forehead of the Holy Lord, his calm yet sharp eyes, which seemed completely detached from the matter, yet made them feel suffocated.
"Withdraw." Fairy Yuyan, who was the first to regain her senses, gave the order in a trembling voice.
This sound snapped the others back to their senses, and with a sense of侥幸 (a lucky escape), they all turned to run away.
The Holy Emperor slightly raised his eyes, and with a flick of his right hand, the twelve people who were trying to escape immediately felt a strong suction force behind them, pulling them towards the Holy Emperor. Their bodies were completely out of their control, and the suction force pulled them to a stop a few steps away from the Holy Emperor. They knelt down, their bodies trembling like leaves swept away by the autumn wind, beads of sweat pouring down their foreheads, their heads lowered, not daring to look at the Holy Emperor even once.
"What is your purpose?" The two cold and indifferent words slowly escaped from the Holy King's lips, not bothering to say another word.
The twelve kneeling people exchanged trembling glances, wondering what the Holy King meant. Already terrified, how could they possibly understand the Holy King's concise and to-the-point words?
"Useless indeed. What brings you here so late at night?" Sheng Qing glanced at them disdainfully, bent down, and chuckled. Sect Leader, Island Lord, what a bunch of cowards! Truly useless.
"Your Majesty, spare me! I was just confused for a moment and offended you. Your Majesty, spare me! I will never dare to do it again. Spare me!..." Taijiang kowtowed to the Emperor, begging for mercy. His head pounded so hard that it made a loud 'thump' sound. He cried and wailed, tears and snot streaming down his face.
"Useless, humph, Holy Lord. We're just unlucky to have been caught by you. Do whatever you want with us." Zhen Hechu, the master of Zhengqi Manor, glanced at Taijiang with disdain, then raised his head and looked directly at the Holy Lord with great pride.
"Oh...you really have backbone! As expected of the master of Righteousness Manor, you're truly righteous!" Sheng Qing, Sheng Lü, and Sheng Zi exchanged a knowing smile, then turned away, bowing their heads with harmless grins. They glanced at Zhen Hechu, who was forcing himself to stand upright, his hands trembling, and beads of sweat dripping down his cheeks. Sheng Qing sneered, stood up, and said coldly, "Master Zhen is truly remarkable! Even when you're a thief, you can be so 'righteous,' so self-righteous. I admire you." They emphasized the word 'thief,' expressing their utter contempt for such hypocritical so-called 'gentlemen,' deserving even more death than Tai Jiang.
Zhen Hechu's face turned pale and then red, his eyes filled with terror. Sheng Qing turned around and with a flick of his sleeve, Zhen Hechu immediately crashed into the table like a kite with a broken string, spitting out a mouthful of blood. His disciples didn't even dare to help him up, and they all trembled even more violently.
"Speak! What are you trying to do by sneaking into the main house?" Sheng Zi shouted impatiently, pointing at the so-called noblewoman kneeling on the ground, trembling and about to faint, her little purple snake coiled around her hand. Her little purple snake hadn't drunk human blood in a long time and had been malnourished lately.
"Holy Lord... spare... spare our lives! We were only momentarily blinded by greed, that's why... came to steal the treasure... We deserve to die... deserve to die..." Wu Zhong, the leader of the Wu Hua Sect, was terrified when he saw Sheng Qing send Zhen Hechu flying with just a flick of his wrist. He stammered incoherently, kowtowing repeatedly until blood streamed down his forehead.
"Get out." The Holy Lord frowned, watching the blood flow continuously, and said coldly. His upbringing destined him to never accept anyone kneeling and kowtowing before him, even if it was someone he disliked. Just seeing them annoyed him. What kind of prestigious sects were they? Hmph, they've always been the same. Anyway, he didn't need to learn the truth from them. Holy Orange should be back soon!
"Ah? Yes, yes... Thank you for sparing our lives, Your Majesty. We will repay you in the future." The kneeling man was stunned at first, seemingly unable to believe that His Majesty would let them go so easily. But seeing His Majesty's impatient expression, he quickly expressed his gratitude repeatedly and scrambled out of the door.
"I never want to see you again." Just as everyone ran out of the room, the Holy Lord's calm voice rang in their ears again, as if he were speaking right next to them. They stumbled, nodded repeatedly, and ran away as if a ghost were chasing them. After this experience, even if they were told that the Holy Lord was going to give them a secret manual, they wouldn't dare to accept it. Just hearing the Holy Lord's name made them tremble.
"Useless, Sect Master. How could you let these scoundrels go so easily?" Sheng Qing sneered, pouting in dissatisfaction. Actually, she had expected this outcome; the Sect Master was too kind.
"So what if we don't let them go? Kill them? If Qing wants to do that, I won't object. It's not too late to chase them now." The Holy Lord casually uttered these words, leaving Sheng Qing speechless for a moment. In truth, although Sheng Qing and the others had eccentric temperaments, they were all quite kind-hearted.
"The sect leader has already said to let them go, so I dare not act on my own." The cunning Qing was no joke; he immediately understood and said with a smile, even giving a respectful bow.
Beneath his veil, the Holy Lord smiled faintly, shook his head slightly, and then his usually indifferent eyes sharpened. He said calmly, "Cheng, how is it?" If he had initially sent Sheng Cheng to investigate simply to give himself an excuse to stay, then after what had just happened, he could no longer remain uninvolved. Even if he wanted to, those martial arts figures wouldn't let him have peace. Tonight's events were definitely just the beginning; they were all probably targeting him.
As soon as the Holy Lord finished speaking, Holy Orange appeared before everyone. His face no longer held its usual frivolity, but instead showed seriousness and worry. Seeing his expression, Holy Green, Holy Green, and Holy Purple also put away their playful expressions and sat down solemnly next to the Holy Lord, waiting for the results of Holy Orange's investigation.
"Sect Master, the reason why so many martial artists have suddenly gathered here is... they've all come for you, Sect Master. Or, to be more precise, for what you possess," Sheng Cheng said solemnly, observing Sheng Jun's expression.
"Secret manuals, treasure maps?" The Holy Emperor didn't react much, asking calmly, but his tone was quite certain.
"Does the sect leader know?" Sheng Cheng exclaimed in surprise. He glanced around and saw broken tables and chairs everywhere. He immediately realized that someone had already been here.
After composing himself, he continued, "The sect leader is right. Rumors are circulating throughout the martial world that the sect leader possesses a peerless martial arts manual. Whoever obtains this manual will become the supreme martial artist, mastering the greatest martial art in the world. Moreover, when the sect leader destroyed the Seven Killings Tower, he also obtained their treasure map. Obtaining the treasure map grants immense wealth, making one the richest person in the world, surpassing even the Eastern Manor. What's worse, the person who spread this rumor revealed the sect leader's whereabouts to everyone in the martial world, so almost everyone in the martial world has gathered here, all for the sake of 'seizing the treasure.'" With that, he angrily struck the only remaining intact table in the room, instantly turning it to dust.
The sage king lowered his eyes and tapped the edge of the bed intermittently without making a sound, as if he was thinking about something!
Sheng Zi couldn't hold back any longer and roared, "Who's so despicable! How could they fabricate such baseless accusations? And those so-called righteous sects of the martial world, they're all ungrateful scoundrels! When dealing with the Seven Killings Tower, they knew to ask their sect leader for help. Now that their sect leader has destroyed the Seven Killings Tower and restored peace to the martial world, saving them, they've turned against their sect leader for some fictitious, worthless secret manual or treasure, resorting to all sorts of despicable sleeping potions! They're truly heartless, ungrateful, and selfish bastards! I'm going to kill them!" Sheng Zi grew angrier as she spoke, suddenly standing up, her face filled with murderous intent. The little purple snake on her shoulder hissed and flicked its tongue, seemingly agreeing with its master's words.
"Zi, don't be impulsive, Shengcheng, who deliberately spread such news?" Shengqing's face was solemn. He grabbed the agitated Shengzi and asked Shengcheng, his eyes full of trust.
Seeing the unwavering trust in Sheng Qing's eyes, Sheng Cheng felt a surge of emotion, but ultimately could only sigh, "Alas, we can't find anything at all. We only vaguely know that a very powerful force is secretly targeting the sect leader, and this mysterious force seems to be very familiar with the Holy Immortal Sect, or at least very familiar with the ways of the Orange Pavilion, always managing to evade the Holy Pavilion's investigation." Her eyes were filled with worry as she looked at Sheng Jun.
"What? Such a thing has happened? Could there be a traitor within the Holy Immortal Sect?" Sheng Lu exclaimed in surprise, unable to help but speculate.
Saint Orange, Saint Green, and Saint Purple fell silent for a moment. They also had this thought in their hearts, but who could it be?
"I believe there are absolutely no traitors among my people," the Holy Emperor, who had been silent all along, suddenly said firmly, his eyes filled with unwavering trust.
"Sect Master..." The four of them looked at the Holy Lord with deep emotion. To have the Sect Master's trust in them, they would have no regrets even if they had to die.
With a flick of his robe, the sage interrupted their conversation. He gracefully rose, walked to the window, opened it, and welcomed the first rays of light of a new day. It was dawn.
"A new day has begun. The real battle of this journey through the martial world has only just begun." The Holy Lord narrowed his eyes, tilting his head back to greet the first rays of the rising sun, speaking with a meaningful yet detached air. A gentle breeze stirred his white hair, which didn't belong to him, making him appear ethereal and otherworldly, a softness tinged with coldness and ruthlessness.
The Strategist and the Princess: Chapter 81 - Is the Holy Ruler the Sovereign?
In the bamboo courtyard, the holy ruler, dressed in white, leisurely reclined on a long bench, holding a book and reading, completely ignoring the noise around him.
Outside the bamboo courtyard, swords clashed and shadows flashed as various sects and factions of the martial world, their faces covered with black cloths, clashed with the leaders of the various pavilions of the Holy Immortal Sect. Although they outnumbered each other, they were no match for Sheng Cheng and his group! After a short while, they were all thrown out, and only then did Sheng Cheng and his group clap their hands and return to the bamboo courtyard.
"Sect Master, you are truly unfazed by the situation!" Sheng Cheng smiled and sat down in front of Sheng Jun, appearing completely at ease as if he hadn't participated in the fight at all.
"Aren't you all here?" The Holy Emperor said calmly, still looking at his book, without raising his head.
"These people are so annoying. They come in several groups every day. I'm so tired of embarrassing them. If it weren't for the sect leader's order not to kill people indiscriminately, I would definitely make them taste my newly refined 'Hundred Poisons Powder' and kill them without leaving a complete corpse. They won't even be able to live a peaceful life. It makes me so angry!" Sheng Zi said angrily.