The moment the Spirit Dragon shook off Emperor Yuanjing, several high-ranking experts by the lakeside reacted, darting out like arrows, their feet creating explosive water vortexes on the surface.
Emperor Yuanjing stabilized himself in mid-air, his toes lightly touching the water’s surface as he floated towards the shore like a feather.
Although he had given up martial arts early due to royal obligations and producing heirs, he had made considerable progress in the Daoist system over the years by cultivating with the Imperial Preceptor. Otherwise, his gray hair wouldn’t have turned black again.
Emperor Yuanjing was both angry and surprised, never expecting the Spirit Dragon to treat him this way.
“Roar!”
After shaking off Emperor Yuanjing, the Spirit Dragon’s anger didn’t subside. It headbutted and sent flying a high-ranking martial artist who came to meet it. The energy burst in mid-air, causing the entire lake’s water to ripple.
The guards sprang into action, trying to subdue the inexplicably enraged Spirit Dragon.
“Don’t hurt it,” Emperor Yuanjing shouted.
Boom boom boom… Over ten water pillars shot up from the surface, accurately hitting the guards who were either in the air or treading on the lake. Having already reached the Bronze Skin Iron Bone realm, they were immune to the damage but were thrown into disarray by the water pillars, unable to surround the Spirit Dragon.
The Spirit Dragon was skilled in water control and was quite ferocious in the lake.
However, no one expected that this spiritual beast would raise its head high, let out a roar, and leave the lake surface, charging towards the shore.
What’s going on? The Spirit Dragon seems to have been stimulated by something… Emperor Yuanjing realized something was wrong and said in a deep voice, “Stop it!”
Crack crack crack…
The Spirit Dragon’s enormous body rushed ashore, breaking through snow cedars and junipers. It charged recklessly, its sharp claws easily crushing the paving bricks.
Where is it going?
“Father Emperor…”
“Your Majesty.”
The Crown Prince and Wei Yuan came running.
Emperor Yuanjing waved his hand, indicating he was fine.
“Father Emperor, what’s wrong with the Spirit Dragon?” The Crown Prince was a bit panicked. From childhood to adulthood, he had never seen the Spirit Dragon so out of control.
It was supposed to have a gentle temperament, always kind to the royal siblings, and never show violence.
“It’s escaping!” Emperor Yuanjing said with a grim face and a certain tone.
The Spirit Dragon is escaping? Why did the Father Emperor use the word ‘escaping’? What is it afraid of, what is it fearing?
But what place could be safer than the imperial city?
The Crown Prince was confused about this, but Emperor Yuanjing didn’t give him a chance to ask. He ordered the guards to prepare horses and chased in the direction the Spirit Dragon had fled.
As a symbol of royal legitimacy, a spiritual beast that absorbs purple qi to cultivate, the Spirit Dragon absolutely could not be lost.
Emperor Yuanjing followed the claw prints, with guards closely flanking him to prevent any mishap.
Before long, Emperor Yuanjing saw the Spirit Dragon on an arrow tower. Its sharp, hard claws were clinging to the tower body, deeply embedded in the stones.
The muscles of its neck were swollen, vibrating out a shrill roar, trying to drive away the palace experts obstructing it while lashing out with its tail to attack.
Both sides were at a stalemate. The Spirit Dragon’s scales were hard, and difficult to injure with swords. When enraged, its strength was not to be underestimated. The guards were also worried about hurting it and couldn’t subdue it barehanded. They could only engage while waiting for colleagues to bring magical artifacts that could restrain the Spirit Dragon.
Bang bang bang… The arrow tower kept cracking under the lashes of the dragon’s tail and finally collapsed.
More than a dozen guards rushed forward together.
Seeing this scene, Emperor Yuanjing just breathed a sigh of relief, intending to speak up and remind them not to hurt the royal spiritual beast.
Before he could open his mouth, he saw the Spirit Dragon rise in resistance, throwing off the guards on its body, and charging towards a certain direction with a clear target.
Looking in that direction, Emperor Yuanjing’s pupils contracted violently.
He saw a figure in red, saw his bright and lovely daughter, his most beloved Princess Lin’an.
At this moment, Lin’an had only two palace maids by her side, and a constable wearing the uniform of the Night Watchmen.
“Protect Lin’an!” Emperor Yuanjing shouted.
…
What the hell kind of gentle temperament is this?
Xu Qi An didn’t expect to encounter such a situation. He had been walking and talking with the Second Princess, using his conversation skills and diplomacy accumulated from his previous life. With his humorous and interesting language style, Xu Qi An amused the Second Princess, enhancing their mutual friendship.
He was thinking of escorting her to the small lake where the Spirit Dragon was, accompanying her for a while, and then returning to his investigation.
But then this happened…
Xu Qi An was just about to say “Princess, it’s dangerous here, this humble official will escort you back,” when the Spirit Dragon, as if in tacit understanding, came crashing towards them.
This spiritual beast was very powerful, its strength not below that of a sixth-rank martial artist. Xu Qi An instinctively wanted to run away, but when he turned his head to look at the Second Princess, he found that the girl was scared stiff.
Her round and charming oval face was colorless, her gaze frozen, too frightened to think.
Xu Qi An swept his peripheral vision around, seeing the palace experts pouncing over, Emperor Yuanjing galloping on horseback, and the dazzling unusual light shining in the Spirit Dragon’s eyes, which were like black buttons.
That feeling was like a frightened child seeing their parent, joyfully throwing themselves into their father’s arms.
Huh?
This creature didn’t sense my arrival and rushed out to find me, did it?
In that instant, Xu Qi An understood the Spirit Dragon’s gaze. It was a spiritual beast with intelligence.
Besides joy, there was still fear lingering in the Spirit Dragon’s eyes. Time didn’t allow him to think much more.
The ground trembled slightly, and the Spirit Dragon was about to pounce in the blink of an eye.
Xu Qi An immediately made a judgment. Without hesitation, he stepped forward, shielding Princess Lin’an behind him, giving her a tall and straight back to look at.
Xu Qi An placed one hand on his sword hilt, slightly bent his knees, sank all his emotions, and after a brief gathering of strength, lightly flicked his thumb.
Clang… In the crisp sound of the sword leaving its sheath, a faint golden thin line flashed by, slashing a deep sword mark three zhang long and two fingers wide about ten feet in front of him.
An astonishing scene occurred. The wildly enraged Spirit Dragon suddenly halted its momentum, its four claws bent, its toes plowing furrows in the ground, actually stopping right at the sword mark.
It didn’t dare to cross this line?
This scene was deeply imprinted in Princess Lin’an’s heart and also fell into the eyes of Emperor Yuanjing, Wei Yuan, and the Crown Prince.
“Roar…”
The Spirit Dragon lay on the ground, calling out somewhat anxiously.
Xu Qi An easily understood its emotions. The Spirit Dragon was telling him to run away, or more accurately, to run away together.
It was very agitated, very afraid, seemingly under some threat… But in front of me, it became calm and stable… But the fear still hadn’t diminished… It wanted me to take it and run, or it to take me and run… Xu Qi An gradually formed a guess in his heart.
“Don’t be afraid, I’m here,” Xu Qi An said.
The Second Princess thought Xu Qi An was saying this to her, and her heart was suddenly filled with a sense of security.
Hearing Xu Qi An’s words, sure enough, the Spirit Dragon was no longer anxious. It called out listlessly.
At this time, a batch of guards finally arrived, jointly dragging a large dark golden net.
Swoosh!
The large net was thrown open, covering the three-meter-long beast.
Clop clop clop… Emperor Yuanjing rode over on horseback, carefully examining Princess Lin’an. Seeing that the Second Princess was indeed unharmed, he breathed a sigh of relief.
“Father Emperor…” Princess Lin’an’s little mouth pouted, and she ran to the side of the horse, grasping Emperor Yuanjing’s sleeve.
Emperor Yuanjing was most susceptible to this and gently comforted her with a few words.
Then, the emperor, over fifty years old with black hair, looked Xu Qi An up and down.
“This humble official greets Your Majesty,” Xu Qi An bowed with clasped hands.
The Great Shang Dynasty had an advantage: except for some special occasions, one only needed to bow when meeting the emperor, not kneel.
Emperor Yuanjing nodded slightly: “Well done. What’s your name?”
“In response to Your Majesty, this humble official is Xu Qi An.”
Emperor Yuanjing paused for a moment, examining him again, somewhat surprised: “You are Xu Qi An?”
“Yes!” Xu Qi An said, and facing Emperor Yuanjing’s puzzled expression, explained: “This humble official encountered some difficulties while investigating a case and specially came into the city to consult with Her Highness the Imperial Princess.”
Emperor Yuanjing didn’t pursue the question, just nodded, his gaze falling on the sword in Xu Qi An’s hand. “Let me see your sword.”
Xu Qi An presented the black gold long sword with both hands.
A guard stepped forward to receive it and handed it to Emperor Yuanjing, who carefully examined it and praised it, “A good sword!”
Wei Yuan walked over, smiling as he interjected: “A gift from the Director.”
The Director? Emperor Yuanjing’s eyebrows raised slightly, probably not understanding why the Director would give a precious sword to a minor constable.
“Your Majesty, Xu Qi An is proficient in alchemy and has good relationships with the astronomers of the Astronomical Bureau. I once saw him giving a lecture to alchemists,” Wei Yuan said casually.
Xu Qi An saw a flash of surprise in Emperor Yuanjing’s eyes, but it was quickly concealed. The old emperor smiled and said, “I remember now, you demonstrated your alchemy skills in the tax silver case.”
Emperor Yuanjing handed the sword to a guard to return to Xu Qi An.
Wei Yuan is helping me build the image of a capable official, increasing my weight… He’s not Wei Yuan, he’s Papa Wei! Xu Qi An felt slightly moved in his heart.
Princess Lin’an shook the emperor’s sleeve and said in a coquettish voice, “Father Emperor, Xu Qi An saved me, you should reward him.”
“He should indeed be rewarded,” Emperor Yuanjing nodded, gazing at Xu Qi An, and said in a loud voice, “Night Watchman Xu Qi An, for the merit of saving Princess Lin’an, you are awarded a thousand taels of gold and five hundred bolts of fine silk.”
“Father Emperor!” Princess Lin’an was not satisfied. She pointed at Xu Qi An and said, “He just saved my life. I want to return the favor of a life. I request that you exempt him from the death penalty.”
Emperor Yuanjing immediately looked at Xu Qi An with sharp eyes. Seeing his submissive and docile appearance, Emperor Yuanjing softened the edge in his eyes a bit and shook his head, saying, “I have already allowed him to atone for his crimes through meritorious service. If he solves the Sangbo case, naturally, his death penalty will be waived. My imperial word cannot be changed halfway.”
Lin’an was not convinced and clamored, “But if he doesn’t solve the case, he’s still doomed. What use is it to reward him with a thousand taels of gold?”
Emperor Yuanjing said helplessly, “When the time comes, I will deal with it at my discretion.”
He originally didn’t want to say these words in front of Xu Qi An, lest he become overly confident and delay the investigation.
So he added, “The deadline is still half a month. If you can solve the case, I will naturally exempt you from the death penalty. If you fail, even with Lin’an’s plea, I may not execute you, but I will exile you to the frontier. Do you understand?”
“Thank you, Your Majesty!” Xu Qi An said loudly. He saw Princess Lin’an playfully wink at him, her smile as beautiful as flowers.
This investment has paid off big time. Even if I can’t find the mastermind behind the Sangbo case in the end, I won’t have to die, at most I’ll be exiled. Heh, exile is a small matter. With Wei Yuan, Lin’an, and Huaiqing, as a servant of three families, I have nothing to worry about.
Emperor Yuanjing looked at the now obedient and complacent Spirit Dragon, his anger rising. He angrily said, “Drag this beast back to the lake for me.”
The Spirit Dragon looked at Emperor Yuanjing, raised its body with its claws, and snorted heavily at Emperor Yuanjing.
“Fine, go back yourself,” Emperor Yuanjing scolded.
The guards removed the large net, and the Spirit Dragon indeed leisurely went back by itself.
After comforting the Second Princess, Emperor Yuanjing squeezed his horse’s belly and followed behind the Spirit Dragon.
Xu Qi An silently watched Emperor Yuanjing’s receding figure.
Just now, when Princess Lin’an was pleading for me, he looked at me with piercing eyes… Does he think I’m bewitching or inducing Lin’an?
The rumors weren’t wrong, Emperor Yuanjing is indeed a person with a strong desire for control… Well, it makes sense, that an emperor who craves longevity also has a strong desire for power.
It’s tiring… In front of such a master of power games, I don’t dare to make too many small moves. A glance or a change in expression might let them guess my inner thoughts… Well, my acting skills are still pretty good, I played the reverent and fearful expression well.
…
By the lakeside, on a high platform.
Emperor Yuanjing stood on the shore, speaking in a low voice. The Spirit Dragon poked its head out of the water’s surface, resting it on the edge of the platform.
The man and the beast communicated for a long time. Emperor Yuanjing left angrily, flicking his sleeve.
Wei Yuan approached Emperor Yuanjing. Seeing his gloomy face, he comforted, “Why should Your Majesty be angry with a beast?”
“Hmph, this dog is increasingly disrespectful towards me,” Emperor Yuanjing said, his anger not yet dissipated. “When I speak to it, it barely responds.”
Naturally, he hadn’t found out the reason for the Spirit Dragon’s sudden frenzy.
“The Spirit Dragon wouldn’t go berserk without reason. Wei Yuan, convey my imperial edict: strengthen the defense forces of the imperial city. After curfew, no one is allowed to enter or leave the imperial city.”
Wei Yuan nodded and accepted the order.
Emperor Yuanjing walked in silence for a long time, then suddenly said, “How did that beast suddenly calm down earlier?”
Wei Yuan shook his head, “Maybe its temper had run its course.”
In his heart, he had a vague guess, but it was too absurd.