Of course, it wouldn't be long before he realized just how naive he was.
However, the dark future didn't bother Xu Xian in the slightest. This was the bliss of the ignorant!
Correspondingly, those who could see further into the future couldn't help but bear some responsibility for the future that seemed unpredictable, but was actually unwavering.
Xu Xian stretched lazily.
"Why are you so happy all of a sudden?
Did reconciling with that monk make you so happy? "Hu Xinyue asked doubtfully.
"Isn't it something to be happy that I don't have to fight against someone like that?" Xu Xian said with a smile. No one could possibly understand what he was feeling right now.
Hu Xinyue thought for a moment, then said, "He seemed pretty good just now."
"Huh?" Xu Xian didn't understand.
"A man who can stand in front of a woman isn't a terrible person."
Hu Xinyue's voice grew softer. She suddenly raised an eyebrow. "You're working so hard. Could it be that you have some improper thoughts about me?"
Xu Xian hurriedly waved his hands. "Absolutely not!" Even though they were sisters, she was different from Bai Suzhen's virtuousness. He definitely couldn't deal with her.
Hu Xinyue said resentfully, "Do you really dislike this servant that much?"
"Yes, yes."
Xu Xian obviously wouldn't take her insincere resentment to heart. He didn't know what expression to make, so he just brushed it off.
Thus, the conversation returned to its normal trajectory.
Several days passed. King Liang paced back and forth in the estate, feeling restless all day long, waiting for news from Liang Lian.
Only the secret agents sent by Liang Lian returned. Everyone else had vanished without a trace, as if they had evaporated into thin air.
No matter how many people he sent out, how could they possibly find the people who had been eliminated by the monsters?
Liang Lian's group had always been up to no good. They had stealthily snuck all the way to Hangzhou, so it wasn't easy for the authorities to search for them, let alone find an excuse to search the Xu Estate.
King Liang's heart gradually sank into despair, and his mood became more and more irritable.
The porcelain vase in his hand was smashed to smithereens.
At this time, the housekeeper came in, bowed his head, and said carefully: "Your Highness, the Mutants you were looking for have been found. There are a total of four, and they are all waiting in the reception hall."
King Liang was displeased. "Why are there only four?"
In fact, even with the Liang Family's manpower and resources, it was already quite difficult to find four people who knew spells in such a short period of time.
However, the butler knew that King Liang was in a terrible mood, so he didn't dare argue with him.
In the reception hall, there were a monk, a daoist, a layman, and a hero.
The monk and the Daoist were old, but the other two were young. The young man was wearing a tight robe and was carefully wiping the sword in his hand. The young man was looking at the ancient painting on the wall with his hands behind his back.
King Liang walked into the hall, and the four of them greeted him. Then, they introduced themselves.
Both the monk and the daoist were from an obscure mountain temple. King Liang only nodded slightly.
The young man who had been examining the ancient painting said, "I am Lu Jingxiu from Mao Mountain."
Only then did King Liang say, "Oh, so you are from the Mao Mountain Sect." Even if he wasn't a cultivator, he had still heard of the Mao Mountain Sect's spells.
Lu Jingxiu smiled modestly, displaying the demeanor of a great master.
The last young man was still wiping his sword.
The guards on either side of him were displeased, and were about to step forward.
King Liang waved his hand to stop them. Instead, he said amiably, "Little brother, where are you from?" He was a shrewd person. The more arrogant this person was, the more capable he was.
He was here to avenge his son's death, so there was nothing he couldn't tolerate.
Of course, he wouldn't mind killing an idiot who thought so highly of himself.
The young man suddenly raised his head. "I heard that you are a treacherous official?"
Everyone in the hall was shocked when they heard this. King Liang was even more furious, but he didn't let it show on his face. "Do I look like one?"
The young man stared at King Liang's face, then sheathed his sword. "Not really."
Even though King Liang was a treacherous official, he didn't seem crafty or wretched at all. On the contrary, he seemed rather dignified.
Moreover, his actions just now had clearly demonstrated his magnanimity. Forget a young man like him, even those who were well-versed in the ways of the world might not be able to see through his true intentions.
"Then tell us your name and where you came from."
The young man cupped his fists and said, "I am Tu Zhian of the Mount Shu Sect."
King Liang said, "There are many mountain ranges in Sichuan. May I know which mountain you are from?"
The young man said impatiently, "The Mount Shu Sect is the Mount Shu Sect."
Lu Jingxiu said, "I have cultivated for many years, but I have never heard of this Mount Shu Sect."
The monk and the Daoist priest echoed, "Us too."
"Hmph, that's because you are ignorant and inexperienced."
The three of them were annoyed. Lu Jingxiu was young and full of vigor. "I think you are the one who is here to make up the numbers."
Tu Zhian was furious. He was about to draw his sword.
Lu Jingxiu also held a paper figurine in her hand.
King Liang said, "Why don't the three of you show off your special skills? Let this king experience it and broaden my horizons."
Lu Jingxiu casually tossed out the paper figurine in her hand. It floated into the air and transformed into a bladesman. He brandished his Damascus Steel Blade and charged straight at Tu Zhian.
Tu Zhian said disdainfully, "Insignificant tricks. Go."
The sword on his back turned into a streak of white light. Before anyone could react, it danced around the bladesman's body, instantly shredding him to pieces.
Lu Jingxiu's expression changed drastically. This sword was as fast as lightning. If it was aimed at him, there was no way he could have dodged it.
The monk and the priest's expressions turned ugly as well. They were shocked by the power of this sword.
"As expected of a genius. Please, take a seat."
Only King Liang was overjoyed. This strange technique could take someone's life with the flip of a palm. No matter how skilled one was, it was impossible to dodge it. It was probably even more powerful than that of Fahai, who only knew how to preach.
The reason why he had this kind of understanding was because Fahai rarely revealed his techniques in front of him. He mostly treated him like an ordinary person.
Afterwards, a banquet was held in King Liang's Manor. King Liang wanted to befriend Tu Zhian, and in order to suit his tastes, he appeared to be even more generous and upright.
He spoke of the various criticisms of him, as if he had suffered a thousand grievances.
Tu Zhian ate and drank heartily as he said, "I originally heard that you were a treacherous official, and that I came to kill you. However, now that I've seen you for myself, I realize that the rumors of the marketplace cannot be trusted."
Seeing that the time was right, King Liang revealed his true intentions. "I invited all of you here today because there is something weighing on my mind."
"What is it?"
"You all might have heard about the strange phenomenon that took place in the capital a few days ago."
"Is it about the smoke signal?"
"Exactly. However, the source of the smoke signal was that the evil cultivator had bewitched His Majesty into refining pills in order to bring chaos to the world.
As the prime minister of a country, how could I sit idly by and do nothing? I could only try to persuade His Majesty.
His Majesty has been bewitched too deeply by that evil cultivator, and he refused to listen to my advice. Instead, he almost stripped me of my position. "
King Liang wouldn't have dared to say something like this, but ever since he learned that his only son had died, he couldn't care less about anything else. All he cared about was revenge.
"Bam —" Tu Zhian slammed the table. "What a fatuous ruler!"
These words gave King Liang a fright. He forced himself to calm down. "This old man has no choice but to resort to this method. Please lend this old man a hand."
"I will go to the imperial palace and kill that evil cultivator." Tu Zhian drew his sword and stood up.
King Liang hurriedly stopped him. "Young hero, there is no need to be in such a hurry. Our top priority right now is to destroy those pills, lest that evil cultivator continues to bewitch the emperor."
"That makes sense. Where are those pills right now?"
"They are currently in the Western Mountains' White Cloud Monastery. However, that evil cultivator has sent his disciple to watch over them. He is quite skilled."
Lu Jingxiu's aura had been completely suppressed by Tu Zhian, and she hadn't been able to interrupt. She hurriedly said, "With us taking action, we will definitely be able to capture him."
King Liang's expression darkened. "That evil cultivator's disciple has committed all sorts of evil. Please eliminate him completely, and don't tolerate him."
Lu Jingxiu couldn't help but feel troubled. "We cultivators should not kill recklessly." Even if they could be proud for a moment, they would still be punished by the heavens.
Tu Zhian said, "Rest assured, Your Highness. I will definitely use this sword to take his head."
King Liang's expression darkened. Servants brought in three treasure chests. When they opened them, they saw neatly stacked silver ingots.
The gazes of the few people were all attracted over.
Even though they were cultivators of the path of immortals and buddhas, as long as they hadn't transcended the tribulations and become immortals, they were still mortals.
In this world, who didn't need to spend money? Even if they didn't seek luxuries in clothing, food, and shelter, not many people were willing to spend the night in the open.
Otherwise, Toad King Dao Ling wouldn't have to sell fake pills on the streets.
Demons could disregard merit, but humans couldn't. They could only hunt ghosts and exorcise evil. It wasn't as relaxing as Yu Xuanji's fortune-telling stall.
Now that they saw so much silver, there was no way they wouldn't be tempted.
King Liang said, "These silver taels will be given to you as a gift. If you can accomplish this and get rid of the villain, this old man is willing to repay you with a thousand taels of gold."
At this, the other three couldn't say anything else. They all nodded in agreement.
After the banquet, the sky darkened.
King Liang sent a butler to escort the four of them to the west wing. He muttered, "Lian 'er, your father will avenge you right now. I will send that Xu Xian to accompany you in the underworld."
But when he thought about the state of the underworld he saw in Fahai's purple gold alms bowl, he couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart, but he quickly suppressed it.
The next morning, just after the morning court had ended.
King Liang's palanquin made its way to the Furong Garden. He stopped the palanquin and walked up the tall willow pavilion. With the permission of the guards outside, he entered the room. His expression was full of respect, and he fell to his knees. "Long live Your Highness!"
Sure enough, the empress' voice came from behind the beaded curtains. "Prime Minister, it isn't convenient for me to meet an outsider, but since you have something important to report, please speak."
The Furong Garden was the property of the Yin family, and the one in charge of this place was the empress' younger brother, the imperial uncle. It wasn't difficult for him to find a secluded place.
"Your Highness, this old subject indeed has something important to report. Otherwise, I wouldn't have dared to disturb Your Highness. This is something this old subject learned by chance, but it concerns the safety of the world."
"Oh, what is it?"
King Liang said, "The relationship between the Hanlin Xu Xian and that demon."