Chapter 658: Choosing the National Treasure
Chapter 658: Choosing the National Treasure
September 25, 2017
The eunuch leading Lu Haikong was clearly a young one, and he had neither the qualifications nor the courage to dare to take Lu Haikong around aimlessly, especially near the palaces of the imperial consorts.
As they wandered, the young eunuch would casually mention how beautiful the consorts in the palaces were whenever they passed by, trying his best to get Lu Haikong to notice them.
If Lu Haikong couldn't see through such an obvious test, wouldn't he be too foolish?
Sure enough, after Lu Haikong kept his eyes straight ahead, he seemed to have passed the test set by Emperor Ling of Han. The young eunuch finally stopped leading them in circles and started heading towards the Treasure Chamber.
Seeing this, Lu Haikong breathed a slight sigh of relief.
However, just as Lu Haikong relaxed, suddenly, a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl in Hanfu, accompanied by several palace maids, approached them.
Lu Haikong and the young eunuch had been wandering around the Northern Palace for almost two hours, and this was not the first time they had encountered such a situation.
Lu Haikong reacted quickly, immediately shifting his gaze to the young eunuch, unsure if this was another test set by Emperor Ling of Han. At this moment, Lu Haikong dared not let his eyes wander, as breaking this delicate situation would be such a pity.
While Lu Haikong could control his gaze, he couldn't do the same for the girl!
As the girl saw Lu Haikong and his group, her eyes lit up, and she approached them.
"Xiao Dezi, why aren't you attending to the Emperor here?" she asked.
Hearing the girl's voice, Lu Haikong clearly saw the eunuch named Xiao Dezi shudder. He then bowed to the girl and said, "This servant has met Princess Your Highness. In response to Your Highness, this servant has received the Emperor's decree to lead Lord Lu to the Treasure Pavilion to choose a treasure!"
"Lord Lu? Treasure Pavilion? Are you Lu Haikong?" the girl asked, rushing to Lu Haikong like the wind as soon as the young eunuch finished speaking. Her bright, large eyes flickered with curiosity as she asked, "I am Lu Haikong, Your Highness."
Lu Haikong, seeing the girl just a few centimeters away from him, frowned and took a couple of steps back before bowing to her.
The girl's eyes sparkled with amusement at Lu Haikong's reaction, and she stepped closer to him. "I heard you're a general. How can you be so thin? Can you fight like this? You seem so weak. Are you fake? Shouldn't generals be two-meter-tall strong men?"
As the girl asked, she moved closer to Lu Haikong, and the more he tried to avoid her, the closer she got. By the end, she was almost sticking to him.
In this situation, Lu Haikong was indeed a bit flustered. He couldn't help but notice her sparkling eyes and curious expression, and the scent of her perfume tickled his senses.
Fortunately, the young eunuch was quite chivalrous. Seeing Lu Haikong entangled with the girl, he quickly stepped in to help him out.
"Princess Your Highness, we still need to go to the Treasure Chamber, and it's getting late..." he said.
Hearing this, the girl turned and glared at the young eunuch, "Xiao Dezi, are you trying to rush me away?"
"This servant dares not, but it is indeed getting late," the young eunuch replied with a pained smile, looking helpless.
The girl's eyes flashed, and she turned back to Lu Haikong. "Then how about I accompany you to the Treasure Chamber?"
"I'm sorry, Princess Your Highness, but this isn't something I can decide," Lu Haikong replied.
Suddenly, Lu Haikong's expression turned cold, and the slight shyness he had earlier vanished. It was clear that he had realized something in those brief moments.
Seeing Lu Haikong's cold expression, the girl was taken aback, then angrily stomped her foot on Lu Haikong's leg. "You're so stingy and unmanly! We're leaving!"
After stomping, the girl left with her group of palace maids, looking as if she had been wronged by Lu Haikong.
It wasn't until they were out of Lu Haikong's sight that the girl's angry expression faded, replaced by a faint, playful smile.
Lu Haikong, however, maintained his cold demeanor, exuding a respectful yet distant aura.
The young eunuch, seeing that the girl had finally left, wiped the cold sweat from his face and secretly felt relieved that he had finally gotten rid of that little ancestor.
But as he looked at Lu Haikong, he was surprised to see him so calm and composed in front of that little ancestor.
From then on, their path was smooth, and it only took them half an hour to reach the Treasure Chamber.
Before Lu Haikong and the others stood three pavilions, not particularly large, but each giving Lu Haikong a special feeling. He vaguely sensed that these three pavilions were all system-built structures.
"The hall on the left is the Martial Arts Hall, and the one on the right is the Divine Armory. The one in the middle is the Treasure Hall."
As Lu HaiKong observed these grand halls, the young eunuch beside him provided a timely introduction.
"Martial Arts Hall? Divine Armory?" Lu HaiKong was slightly puzzled.
"The Martial Arts Hall houses almost all martial arts secrets and various military strategy books in the world. It is usually open to royal family members. Oh, and His Majesty has instructed that if Lu Gong is interested, he may also enter and take a look."
"The Divine Armory, on the other hand, houses various divine weapons and is usually kept sealed off. Even royal family members cannot enter casually."
As the young eunuch spoke, he took out two tokens and handed them to Lu HaiKong, "Lu Gong, these two tokens are for entering and exiting the Treasure Hall and the Martial Arts Hall. Please keep them safe, as you'll need these tokens to access these two palaces."
After Lu HaiKong took the tokens, the young eunuch added, "Whether it's the Treasure Hall or the Martial Arts Hall, I'm not qualified to enter. Lu Gong, please feel free to explore, and I'll wait for you here."
Lu HaiKong nodded, played with the tokens in his hand, glanced at the Martial Arts Hall, and then headed straight for the Treasure Hall.
The Treasure Hall lived up to its name, with a dazzling and luxurious exterior. There were no guards outside, but without the entry token, Lu HaiKong likely wouldn't be able to enter such a high-level system building.
After Lu HaiKong entered the Treasure Hall, Xiao Dezi's footsteps could be heard again. Xiao Dezi turned around and immediately bowed, "Your servant greets the Princess!"
At this moment, a group of three girls and a loli appeared before Xiao Dezi, not the girl from before.
Leading them was a loli who looked around twelve or thirteen years old, dressed in a blue martial outfit with a long sword on her back. Her black hair was casually tied up, and her delicate features made her look like a porcelain doll.
This little loli was a bit dazed by Xiao Dezi's bow and nodded blankly. Then, leading the three palace maids behind her, she walked straight into the Martial Arts Hall.
Watching the loli's back, Xiao Dezi couldn't help but exclaim in confusion, "Princess San looks so gentle and delicate, but why does she like wielding swords and spears?"
At this moment, Lu HaiKong was unaware that Zhao Yue'er had already entered the nearby Martial Arts Hall. He stood there, looking perplexed.
The Treasure Hall before him was like a grand museum, with at least dozens of display cases inside. On these cases were various objects, each with its unique charm.
Among these objects were imperial seals, calligraphy, paintings, and even large bronze artifacts. Each item seemed more like an antique than a prop.
Seeing this, Lu HaiKong was also a bit dazed. Moreover, after entering the Treasure Hall, his Heavenly Eye Technique seemed to have lost its effectiveness, leaving him feeling a bit blind.
Although he could sense a mysterious power emanating from each item, genuine and valuable, he was at a loss for how to proceed.
"With so many props, it would be great if I could take them all!" Lu HaiKong thought to himself, feeling the urge to fulfill his duty as a mountain bandit and take all these treasures.
However, Lu HaiKong was well aware that such an action would not end well for him.
In a sense, the imperial palace could be considered the highest-level map in this world, and Lu HaiKong didn't believe it would be that simple.
Even in their prime, Zhang Jiao might not have fared well in such a place, and Lu HaiKong thought it best to stay cautious.
With great effort, Lu HaiKong controlled his impulsive hands and heart. He began to explore the Treasure Hall.
Although he couldn't see the attributes of these items, his experience with opening treasure chests and encountering various props allowed him to make rough guesses based on their appearance.
Of course, for the imperial seals and bronze artifacts that Lu HaiKong had never seen before, guessing their attributes was more challenging.
Initially, Lu HaiKong was interested in the imperial seal or bronze tripod, but upon further thought, he realized that these items held significant symbolic meaning. To avoid any misunderstandings, he decided not to take any unnecessary risks.
So, in this situation where he couldn't see attributes, had to rely on appearance, and needed to consider the potential impact, Lu HaiKong embarked on a journey to choose his national treasure!
(End of Chapter)
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