https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-612-The-Sucking-Sounds-of-Zhaobao/13464896/
Chapter 611: Family Reunion
Chapter 611: Family Reunion
After making the necessary preparations, Lu Yuan immediately set off for the Abandoned Palace.
This time, Lu Zhaoyan insisted on bringing Jifeng along.
Yu Zichuan also joined the group.
"Master, I'll go down first", Jifeng said, standing outside the dry well.
Lu Yuan replied, "I'll go down first to check if anyone has been here before us."
Jifeng thought for a moment and stepped aside.
They brought a rope to prevent any accidental triggering of traps upon landing.
Jifeng held the rope and slowly lowered Lu Yuan into the dry well.
Holding a torch, Lu Yuan noticed a barely visible silk thread near the bottom of the well.
This was a mark left by Chen Long.
It was intact, indicating that Prince Jin and Hu Lie's men had not beaten them to it.
"Alright, come down."
Lu Yuan released the rope, and with a rumbling sound, he disappeared into the well.
Without hesitation, Jifeng and Yu Zichuan jumped down after him.
Once they landed in the secret passageway, they realized it was much longer than they had expected.
The three of them moved through the pitch-black tunnel, with Jifeng leading the way and Yu Zichuan bringing up the rear.
"Master, we might have already left the palace", Jifeng said.
Lu Yuan nodded, "There must be an underground palace down here."
Jifeng fell into thought.
Lu Yuan asked, "You've been with my grandfather for so long, haven't you heard of this secret passage?"
Jifeng replied, "No."
"Neither has my father", Yu Zichuan added.
Lu Yuan said, "Are you two so tight-lipped that you've eaten too much salt?"
"Idle!"
Yu Zichuan thought for a moment and said, "The kitchen did put too much salt in today's meal."
After walking for a while, Jifeng stopped.
"Master, we've reached a fork in the road. There are three paths. Which one should we take?"
"The middle one."
"Understood."
Jifeng continued leading the way.
After a moment, he asked, "Master, do you know the way through the underground palace?"
Lu Yuan replied, "Just a guess."
Jifeng: "..."
They passed through seven more forks, and Lu Yuan always chose the middle path.
Jifeng hesitated several times but finally asked, "Master, isn't this a bit too... random?"
Lu Yuan said, "We're here."
"Alright", Jifeng muttered, finishing the last word.
A solemn and ancient palace came into view.
The palace gates were adorned with hundreds of night pearls, casting a moonlit glow over the area.
Two stone lions stood guard, their mouths open in a fierce stance.
The one on the left held a night pearl as large as a bowl in its mouth.
"Why doesn't the other one have one?" Yu Zichuan pointed at the right stone lion, his face showing a deep resentment.
Without a word, Lu Yuan pried the night pearl out.
Jifeng looked at the two of them strangely.
Lu Yuan tossed the night pearl to Jifeng, "Let's go."
Jifeng's eyes twitched as he looked at the night pearl in his hand.
Yu Zichuan asked, "Where did the first one go?"
Lu Yuan replied without hesitation, "The old man took it."
Jifeng said, "He really is... your maternal grandfather."
An unexpected incident occurred after they entered the underground palace.
They accidentally triggered a trap, and Yu Zichuan and Jifeng vanished.
Lu Yuan didn't stop; he picked up the night pearl and continued on.
Just a short distance later, a wave of killing intent washed over him.
Lu Yuan leaped onto the wall, dodging an attack.
As soon as he landed, the opponent's sword energy followed.
Lu Yuan said, "Enough, it's me."
"I know it's you", Chen Long replied, his heavy sword still at Lu Yuan's neck.
Lu Yuan chuckled, "Trying to kill your brother-in-law?"
He glanced behind Chen Long, "If you're just here to watch, come out openly. Don't hide and try to escape."
Lu Qi, whose thoughts had been read, reluctantly stepped out from behind a dragon-coiled pillar.
The area they were in resembled an abandoned temple, empty and desolate.
Chen Long sheathed his sword and glared coldly at Lu Qi.
Lu Qi quickly said, "I won't try to escape, okay?"
Chen Long put his sword away.
Lu Qi turned to Lu Yuan, "Why are you here? Do you know we can't get out of here? What are you doing?"
Lu Yuan smiled and pointed at Chen Long, "He didn't tell you?"
Lu Qi muttered, "Do you expect the ice block to tell me anything? Which move he uses to kill people?"
Lu Yuan tsked, realizing Lu Qi had been tormented by Chen Long.
Lu Qi clutched his stomach, "Did you see the latrine on your way here?"
"Oh, it's over there", Lu Yuan pointed back.
Lu Qi said to Chen Long, "I need to relieve myself. If you don't trust me, just follow me."
Chen Long didn't follow.
A moment later, Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow. "He's escaped."
Chen Long's face darkened.
Lu Qi had indeed fled.
Ever since falling into Chen Long's hands, he had been constantly plotting his escape. Unfortunately, Chen Long's martial arts were far too advanced, making it impossible for him to slip away unnoticed.
Today, Lu Yuan's arrival forced Chen Long to put on a show of authority, giving Lu Qi the opportunity he needed.
He darted through the underground palace with lightning speed.
However, he never expected that just as he was about to cross a narrow log bridge over a dry pond, a shadowy figure suddenly grabbed his throat and threw him into the pond with a heavy thud.
The pain in his back was excruciating, as if all his internal organs had shifted.
The man's hand continued to tightly choke him.
He wore a mask, and his breathing was strange. His bloodthirsty eyes showed no sign of life.
What in the world... is this thing?!
Lu Qi tried to pry the man's hand away.
But no matter how hard he struggled, it was futile.
Veins bulged on his forehead, and cold sweat poured down his face.
Gradually, he couldn't breathe, his face turning blue, and his lips turning black.
Was he... going to die here?
If only he had known... he might as well have...
Just as he was on the brink of death, a terrifying sword energy, carrying the force of a mountain-splitting strike, slammed into the back of the black-clad man.
The black-clad man tried to block the sword energy with his bare hands.
Lu Qi's eyes widened in shock.
This man must be insane!
The sword energy shattered the black-clad man's sleeve, revealing a muscular arm covered in tattoos.
The black-clad man's body shook, and he released Lu Qi.
Lu Yuan leaped forward, lifting Lu Qi onto the arch bridge.
Lu Qi gasped for air, leaning against the bridge and coughing violently.
Lu Yuan said to Chen Long, "We're leaving. You can deal with this drug warrior."
Lu Qi, still struggling to catch his breath, was carried away by Lu Yuan's light footwork.
Lu Yuan didn't stop until they reached a cemetery.
Lu Qi sat on the ground, panting heavily.
Lu Yuan looked at the tombstones with interest, a thoughtful expression on his face.
Lu Qi, who had been on the brink of death, felt numb.
He gasped, "You mentioned a drug warrior just now?"
Lu Yuan glanced at a tombstone, his tone light. "Never heard of them?"
Lu Qi frowned. "I've heard that the Medicine King often tests drugs on people. Over time, these people become immune to all poisons and develop extraordinary abilities. They have no humanity, no memory, and no pain. They are demons of death."
Lu Yuan replied, "Pretty much."
Lu Qi asked, "Why would the people from the Medicine King Valley want to kill me?"
Lu Yuan said casually, "The drug warriors from the Medicine King Valley can be bought."
Lu Qi paused. "So, who would buy a drug warrior to kill me?"
Lu Yuan moved to the next tombstone. "It's definitely not the Crown Prince's Mansion."
Lu Qi didn't argue.
Because if someone wanted to kill him, Chen Long alone would have been enough. There was no need for such elaborate measures.
But in the imperial city, he didn't seem to have any other enemies.
"Do you know something?"
He asked Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan waved him over. "Come and take a look."
Lu Qi, slightly annoyed that Lu Yuan hadn't answered his question, frowned but eventually got up and went over.
It was then that he realized they were in a cemetery.
His gaze swept over the tombstones in disbelief. "These..."
Lu Yuan said, "They seem to be the Lu clan members who made great contributions to the Qin Wang Mansion."
Lu Qi was stunned. "Lu clan members? Could this be..."
Lu Yuan nodded. "Yes, it's the Imperial Mausoleum, the true Imperial Mausoleum."
The Qin Wang Mansion in the southwest had a feng shui treasure site for burying the dead. After the founding of the Liang Dynasty, the Liang Emperor immediately turned it into the Imperial Mausoleum.
But who would have thought it was just a decoy?
The true Imperial Mausoleum was actually beneath the Abandoned Palace.
No, they had walked for a long time to reach this place.
It was far from the palace, with an entrance in the Abandoned Palace.
"Lu Yuan, we can't get out."
Lu Qi said calmly.
Lu Yuan looked at him with amusement. "What happened to that desperate urge to escape? You changed your mind so quickly?"
"This is the Imperial Mausoleum."
Lu Qi said, "Have you ever heard of a country's Imperial Mausoleum that allows people to leave? Unless, of course, you're royalty—"
"Prince Rui is dead."
Lu Yuan said.
Lu Qi was shocked again.
Lu Yuan said nonchalantly, "Prince Rui should have the right to be buried in the Imperial Mausoleum, right?"
Lu Qi asked seriously, "Tell me the truth, what exactly happened in the imperial city?!"
Lu Yuan met his gaze with a playful look. "Do you really want to know?"
Lu Qi clenched his fingers.
Lu Yuan found a step and sat down. "My grandfather suddenly regained his memory and had a fierce battle with my maternal grandfather, the Miao King, in the palace. He accidentally fell into a secret passage. Your father and your uncle took the opportunity to seal the mechanism and seize the throne."
Lu Qi’s nails almost dug into his palm.
Lu Yuan observed his reaction, "You’re not surprised, so you must have already guessed your father’s ambitions."
Lu Qi asked, "You brought me to the underground palace to make my father open the entrance?"
Lu Yuan replied, "The dry well in the abandoned palace can’t hold a coffin, so there must be a true entrance to the imperial mausoleum. It’s likely already under control of your father and Hu Lie. You’re right; you are the bait. You’re his only son, and he will certainly let you out."
"Since the Rui King is dead, why go through all this trouble?"
"Pausing the funeral and chanting scriptures, waiting for the body to be moved to the imperial mausoleum—no one knows when that will happen. We can’t afford to wait."
Lu Yuan stood up and brushed the dust off his clothes, "Have you rested enough? If so, let’s get moving."
Lu Qi said with a self-deprecating smile, "He won’t open the entrance to the imperial mausoleum for me."
Lu Yuan chuckled, "You know your heartless father well. Without you, his ascension will face obstacles, but if he lets you go and the Emperor is released, he will surely die. Of the two evils, letting you go is the better choice for Prince Jin."
Lu Qi frowned, "Then why—"
Lu Yuan said nonchalantly, "But Hu Lie doesn’t see it that way. Hu Lie will save you."
Lu Qi didn’t know much about his maternal grandfather, but he remembered that his grandfather had always doted on him, teaching him everything without reservation.
He asked curiously, "Is he not afraid of the Emperor’s wrath?"
Lu Yuan smiled, "He is. So, he will send someone to infiltrate the imperial mausoleum and kill the Emperor, cutting off the root."
Lu Qi was stunned.
As they talked, a familiar killing intent approached.
It was the drug warrior who had nearly killed Lu Qi, pursuing them again.
Lu Yuan and Lu Qi instinctively moved to the sides.
Lu Qi asked suspiciously, "Chen Long didn’t kill him? Could Chen Long already be—"
Lu Yuan replied, "He’s a tough one, but my brother-in-law has a strong life force and won’t die easily."
From his experience on the journey, it was likely that the two had triggered a mechanism in the underground palace during their fight, causing Chen Long to split off.
Lu Yuan engaged the opponent.
The opponent had no weapon, but his iron-like hands were as formidable as divine weapons.
He clawed at Lu Yuan’s chest.
Lu Yuan dodged in time, unharmed, but the bag on his back was ripped away.
The black-clad figure continued with relentless attacks.
Lu Yuan had to focus all his energy to defend himself.
Lu Qi fled again.
Lu Yuan and the black-clad figure were in a fierce battle, but the black-clad figure suddenly turned and left, likely sensing Chen Long’s presence and going after him.
Lu Yuan brushed the dust off his wide sleeves and straightened his slightly disheveled clothes.
Turning around, he saw Lu Qi standing expressionless behind a tombstone.
Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow, "You didn’t run?"
Lu Qi threw the bag he was carrying to Lu Yuan, "I don’t like owing people favors."
Lu Yuan didn’t mention that he could find it himself.
When he opened the bag, he saw that the contents were covered in dust and grass, indicating they had been scattered on the ground.
In the underground palace, where traps were everywhere, gathering them all would have been a dangerous task.
"Thanks."
Lu Yuan put the bag back on his back.
"Go on."
As he spoke, a voice full of curses came from a distance.
"Are you kidding me? Why me again? The kid is yours, but the dirty work is mine? Do I owe you? How about you put the kid down and fight me!"
"Maternal grandfather?"
Lu Yuan’s voice suddenly appeared behind him.
The Miao King, about to punch the Liang Emperor, froze as if struck by lightning, his whole body trembling as he turned around.
"Damn! Am I seeing ghosts? Why do I see my grandson? Am I so hungry I’m hallucinating?"
The Liang Emperor was already weak, sitting in the grand hall with a sleeping child in his arms, like a dying emperor looking back on his unfulfilled ambitions with his last breath.
The Miao King’s punch landed weakly.
The dry rations they had brought had accidentally fallen into a trap, and he and the old man hadn’t eaten for several days.
Was he really so hungry he was seeing things?
Not only did he see his grandson, but he also saw a large chicken leg.
"Hey."
He lay on the ground, weakly pulling at the Liang Emperor’s sleeve, "Can you smell that?"
The Liang Emperor didn’t respond.
He hung his head, his stiff body maintaining a protective posture over the child.
The child’s breathing was shallow.
But he was no longer breathing.
Lu Qi’s eyes welled up, and he fell to his knees, "Grandfather—"
The Liang Emperor pinched his mouth, "Be quiet."
(End of Chapter)
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