LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 80: Imported Soup
On this night, undercurrents surged in the capital.
Near the Imperial Announcements Bureau, one could vaguely hear the sounds of troops mobilizing, footsteps on rooftops...
Liu Yexi was secretly deploying defenses.
Several high-ranking officials of the Jing Nation were secretly arranging guards, replacing ordinary guards with well-trained special envoys.
As long as it wasn't someone at the Imperial Realm level coming to cause trouble, under the circumstances of being forewarned, even if there were assassins staying behind to attack, it was not impossible!
...
Gu Residence.
A certain peerless powerhouse supported the female Emperor, still maintaining their intimacy.
And in the distant General's Residence of Wuwei.
In a secret room, there were three people.
Wu Fan, dressed in casual clothes, sat in the main seat.
On the guest seats, there were two young men.
One was wearing Great Yu's attire, with a hint of nobility between his eyebrows. He was the Wind and Cloud Saint, Fang Yun, who volunteered to come to the Jing Nation that day.
The other person wore a straw hat and black clothes, making it impossible to see their face, but giving off a very cold feeling!
It was one of the Night Walkers that Gu Lan happened to see during the day.
"Brother Fang, regarding the matter of the mysterious Tianji Pavilion Consecrator, this general will not interfere at all... This was agreed upon in the letter!" Wu Fan arched his hand.
He stated the ugly truth beforehand.
"Don't worry!"
Fang Yun waved his hand expressionlessly. "Even if you want to interfere, I dare not. Our Grand Master has suffered such a big loss... Such an existence is not something we can provoke!"
"That's good!"
Wu Fan settled this matter and felt relieved. After all, his goal was only to use the power of Great Yu to control the Jing Nation.
The grievances and enmities with the Yu Emperor's Dynasty and the peerless powerhouse naturally had to be avoided!
"As for the assassination, Brother Fang, what plans do you have?" The hoarse voice of the Night Walker sounded.
He didn't ask Wu Fan, the host, because Night Walkers took bounties and were only responsible to the employers.
"Brother Yin, for now, please stay in General Wu's Residence. The next actions will be planned by General Wu to devise specific plans," Fang Yun said.
After finishing, Fang Yun introduced the Night Walker to Wu Fan, "General Wu, this brother is named Yin Liang, one of the thirty-six top assassins of Night Walkers. He brought many second-tier assassins this time, serving as powerful assistance!"
"Oh, Brother Yin, nice to meet you!" Wu Fan clasped his fist.
Yin Liang just nodded and remained silent.
"The plan is quite simple, actually. Now that female Emperor Mu Yuyan has returned, our idea of using private soldiers to besiege the city and seize power has failed. For the current situation, we can only start by killing the party members of the opposing factions in the court and proceed slowly," Wu Fan explained.
"The Grand Chancellor's faction?"
Fang Yun had apparently done some homework on the court of the Jing Nation.
"They are the biggest enemies, but not the only ones!" A murderous intent appeared in Wu Fan's eyes.
"What about the Grand Tutor and the literary circles representing the Jing Nation?" Fang Yun asked.
"Exactly!" Wu Fan revealed a sinister smile. "As long as the scholars of the Jing Nation still exist, even if we kill one group, countless more will emerge in the future!"
"If we kill them, the commotion would be too significant. Currently, it's not practical," Fang Yun shook his head.
"I didn't ask you to come," Wu Fan chuckled. "I'm just saying, this time, my trained private soldiers won't move. We'll leave them to deal with those sour scholars later..."
Before he could finish, Yin Liang, who was beside him, chuckled insidiously, "General Wu, you have quite a plan. After saying so much, are you suggesting to only use the assassins from my Night Walkers this time?"
Wu Fan was taken aback for a moment and then chuckled. He neither confirmed nor denied.
Yin Liang coldly snorted!
At this moment, Fang Yun intervened to ease the situation, "Brother Yin, listen to General Wu... After the success of this matter, I'll double the reward for you from the Wind and Cloud Sacred Land!"
A double reward was quite tempting for these assassins who lived by the blade, especially with Fang Yun offering it. Killing a few officials should not be too difficult. Yin Liang hesitated for a moment and asked in a deep voice, "Whom do we kill first?"
Wu Fan, hearing his agreement, smiled, his eyes slightly narrowed, "Capture the leader first... Five days later, kill the Grand Chancellor!"
Once Sima Qin was dead, the female Emperor would lose her right-hand man! By then, Wu Fan's party members could be smoothly arranged in the six ministries, and he would become the uncrowned king waiting to be crowned!
"Good!"
"At that time, I will act together with the second-tier assassins, striving for a one-hit kill!"
...
These two days, Gu Lan immersed himself in studying and quietly counted the rewards from the spoilers.
The Treasured Bone was not in use for now, but because it was from the fire-attribute divine beast Golden Crow, it might be useful for the future little Phoenix...
He had already mastered the immortal techniques and daoist arts.
As for the crystal-clear free attribute point in the system space, Gu Lan was still hesitating where to allocate it.
After all, this thing was unheard of in the outside world. The ability to elevate any artifact to any large tier was extraordinary!
"If I enhance the Primordial Sword and Sky-Cutting Dragon Roar Spear, it will undoubtedly make them break through their original grades and reach above the Heaven Treasure level!"
In that case!
In half a month, on the Heavenly Artifact Ranking, his divine weapons could overpower the state treasures of various dynasties, shocking the world!
Thinking of this, Gu Lan's eyes lit up. Finally, he chose to... allocate the free attribute point to the golden merit robe!
"Damn! What's the use of being in the limelight? Increasing survival means is essential!"
Gu Lan looked at the smooth integration of the free attribute point with the merit robe and let out a long breath.
Now the protagonist has probably left the small fishing village in the East Sea, right? Maybe he has some treasures!
He couldn't fall behind either!
Feeling the Sanskrit on the golden robe lighting up, a burst of Buddha light shone. The energy it contained and its grade had skyrocketed.
Faintly, Gu Lan felt that this thing seemed to possess a strength that didn't quite belong to this world...
As he stared at the golden robe in a daze, a graceful figure silently appeared at the door. Mu Yuyan had stewed a bowl of pigeon soup and, at this moment, seeing the merit gold robe in Gu Lan's hands, her beautiful eyes shook slightly.
Although the Jing Nation's library was not as comprehensive as the Tianji Pavilion and did not record this item, Mu Yuyan could sense its extraordinariness. It even seemed stronger than the Heaven Treasure.
Mu Yuyan felt extremely surprised, but when she looked back, Gu Lan had already put away the golden robe and continued to hold the scrolls, restoring his appearance as an ordinary and handsome scholar.
"Never mind, if Master Gu wishes to tell me, he will definitely inform me," Mu Yuyan shook her head.
She knew she had no right to inquire about anything from Gu Lan. After all, she had concealed her identity as the female Emperor since the beginning of their marriage.
"Master Gu, I've made some soup. Drink a bowl while it's hot," Mu Yuyan's eyes softened as she walked into the study, placing the soup on the table.
She then went behind Gu Lan and gently massaged his shoulders.
"Yeah, it's delicious," Gu Lan sincerely smiled, enjoying the soothing massage. He said softly, "My lady, I heard from Old Yang that our new teahouse is opening tomorrow. Shall I accompany you?"
"Yes."
"I'll go with you," Gu Lan said. In the past, when a new teahouse opened, Mu Yuyan, as the proprietress, always had to make an appearance.
Mu Yuyan was taken aback by his suggestion.
Recalling his warning about the Night Walkers' assassins and not going out alone a few days ago, she immediately understood his intention in accompanying her.
"When we were in Langzhou, I thought you were an ordinary scholar. I sent people to protect you. Now in the capital, you want to protect me..."
Mu Yuyan's cherry lips pursed slightly, finding it both funny and ironic. However, this silent support from him was more likely to touch the softest part of one's heart.
"Okay."
Mu Yuyan smiled and thought that Liu Yexi had already arranged the defenses in the capital.
It was time to go out with Gu Lan and relax a bit. After all, practicing in the bedroom every day was too exhausting!
"Master, drink the soup."
Mu Yuyan sat on Gu Lan's lap, speaking softly as she held the spoon and brought it to Gu Lan's lips.
Glancing at her, Gu Lan smiled and shook his head, "No, I want to drink imported soup."
Mu Yuyan was puzzled, her beautiful eyes showing confusion. "What do you mean by imported?"
"Imported. In my hometown, it refers to trade from other countries."
"Oh... But this soup I made, there's no way it can come from another country, right?"
"Heh, in that case, we can only take it literally."
"Huh?... Mmm!"
...
Amidst the days of house arrest, Wu Yuan was going crazy in the Residence!
If it weren't for the servants holding him back, he almost made a move on General Wu Fan's concubine.
Afterward, Wu Yuan gave the servant a beating! On the fourth day, the servant couldn't take it anymore. Fearing he would be beaten to death if he delayed further, he bribed the gatekeeper and secretly took Wu Yuan out.
"Young Master, this time when you go out, don't stir up trouble. Otherwise, the General will definitely chop off my head!"
"Hey, don't worry!" Wu Yuan chuckled and patted his shoulder. Breathing in the air outside the General's Residence felt really comfortable!
"So... Young Master, where are you going this time?" Wu Yuan thought for a moment, his eyes filled with enthusiasm. "Of course, I'm going to Dulcet Pavilion. It's been so long since I last saw Miss Fei'er, and I miss her dearly!"
"Young Master, aren't you afraid the General will find out you went to Dulcet Pavilion and break your legs?"
"Hmph! The old man won't find out this time for sure!" Wu Yuan said confidently. The servant looked puzzled.
"A few days ago, I overheard a guy in black clothes with a hat conspiring with the old man. They're planning something big tonight, and they don't have time to bother with me!"
Something big... The servant's heart skipped a beat. "Oh, oh, that's good..."
"What are you standing there for? Hurry up! The sun has just risen. Going early will give us a whole afternoon of fun!"
Wu Yuan headed towards Dulcet Pavilion in a brisk run!
...
Meanwhile, on the same day, at noon, Gu Lan and Mu Yuyan were in the newly-built teahouse, celebrating its grand opening.
Old Yang and Lin Tan'er were busy downstairs, welcoming guests and even hiring a storyteller sitting on a stage, talking animatedly.
Mu Yuyan, elegantly dressed, accompanied Gu Lan upstairs. The two leaned against each other, observing the surroundings.
This place was in the bustling market, adjacent to West Straight Street. From here, they could see the colorful silk fabrics on Dulcet Pavilion and catch a faint scent of powder.
Whether it was the teahouse, Dulcet Pavilion, or the Spring and Moon Tower on the opposite side, they all had a view of the flowing Changting River and the flower-floated platform resembling a small island.
On the platform, people were already sparring and practicing martial arts.
They wore various outfits, including independent martial artists from the Jianghu, apprentices from the Great Jing Dynasty's sects, and students from the Jixia Martial Arts Academy.
"It seems these people have already started competing for positions on the Tianji Pavilion's Expert Rankings?" Gu Lan murmured softly.
"Yes, that's right." Mu Yuyan smiled and explained in a gentle voice, "People in the Jianghu seek fame for their entire lives. If they really climb the Tianji Pavilion's Expert Rankings, it will be a lasting reputation, respected by everyone, even the court will highly value them!"
"You understand these things so well?"
Gu Lan's eyes flashed with surprise.
He chuckled, saying, "Even staying in the Residence, Lady knows so much affairs of both the martial world and the imperial court?"
"Oh, before meeting you, I also traveled extensively, so I know some things." Mu Yuyan bit her lip, casually explaining.
Gu Lan nodded after hearing that.
The couple continued to sit and enjoy their tea. At this moment, downstairs, the storyteller Wake Wood slammed the table and began narrating a story about the current renowned master, the Tianji Pavilion Consecrator, who had secluded himself in the capital.