Chapter 8

"Can you tell what kind of background that young man has, Brother Peng?" the old man with a youthful face and white hair asked curiously.

Peng Lianhu replied in a deep voice, "You don’t know, Immortal, that young man is as slippery as an eel. To be honest, when I passed by him just now, I used three powerful moves, but it was like hitting a stone into the sea; he didn’t react at all. I was trying to see how he would counter, but he didn’t give me any clues."

The old man, Liang Ziweng, was a famous martial arts master from Liaodong, and the monk, Lingzhi Shangren, was a renowned expert of the Hand Seal Sect from Qinghai, famous for his "Great Hand Seal" martial arts. Both were top-notch experts. Knowing that Peng Lianhu was known as the "Thousand-Handed Butcher," they understood how formidable his hand techniques were. The fact that a teenager of only sixteen or seventeen could elude Peng Lianhu was alarming, especially since they couldn’t figure out his background. Liang Ziweng, after hearing this, chuckled and said, "That young man is indeed peculiar, but his companion is no pushover either!"

Peng Lianhu’s face turned cold, "What you say is true, Immortal. I don’t know about his hand techniques, but his internal skills are quite advanced, and his foundation is solid. He must have been taught by a famous master." He had never suffered a significant loss in the Central Plains, but today, he couldn’t even handle two young men in front of his companions and the young prince, which was embarrassing. He could only blame his bad luck.

The young nobleman was Wanyan Kang, who smiled, "I don’t think those two have any ill intentions. Let’s just enjoy our drinks for now."

Liang Ziweng laughed, "As you say, Young Prince."

Although Wanyan Kang said this, he was actually quite concerned, especially about Li Zhichang’s last words, which seemed to hint at something he couldn’t understand.

Let’s split the story here.

"Since you put it that way, Brother, that young prince must be your junior," Yin Zhiping said in surprise.

Li Zhichang, who rarely corrected Wanyan Kang about his seniority, said, "Of course." "Then why didn’t we recognize him earlier, and why did we leave the tavern in such a hurry? The braised beef there was quite good."

Yin Zhiping said dejectedly. Li Zhichang, irritated, replied, "You’re pretending to be stupid. You know he’s a prince of the Jin Dynasty, a noble. If we had approached him rashly, he wouldn’t have given us the time of day. Look at his attendants; none of them are easy to deal with."

Yin Zhiping chuckled, "That’s true. I also know your strategy of feigning weakness to lure him into our trap, pretending that the Jin Dynasty is about to fall to make him give up his wealth and join our Daoist sect."

Li Zhichang rolled his eyes and sighed, "Zhiping, I finally understand whether you’re truly stupid or just naturally so, and there’s no changing it."

Yin Zhiping wanted to argue but was intimidated by Li Zhichang’s authority and kept quiet. Li Zhichang, with a twinkle in his eye, patted Yin Zhiping’s shoulder and said, "You said you didn’t eat well earlier, right? I know a place where the food is the best in the capital."

Li Zhichang led Yin Zhiping straight to the main gate of the imperial city, the Yingtian Gate. They looked up to see golden nails and red doors, carved beams and painted railings, and a roof covered in copper tiles with engraved dragons and phoenixes, all magnificent and dazzling. Yin Zhiping sighed, "How grand!"

He then asked, puzzled, "Brother, why are you bringing me to the imperial city?" Li Zhichang tapped his forehead, "Are you really that stupid? Where else in the world can you find better food than in the imperial palace?"

Yin Zhiping, afraid, said, "But this is the imperial palace. If we sneak in like this, is it really okay?" Li Zhichang, with a look of disdain, replied, "I’m not afraid, so why should you be?"

Yin Zhiping muttered, "Your martial arts are better than mine, and your lightness skills are superior. If we’re discovered, it’s more likely that I’ll be caught, so of course you’re not afraid."

Li Zhichang, as if reading his mind, said, "Don’t worry, I won’t leave you behind." Yin Zhiping replied, "That’s good. Brother, let’s hurry up."

Li Zhichang’s forehead twitched, "So all your fear earlier was just an act." Actually, Yin Zhiping, being sixteen or seventeen, was quite excited by the idea of sneaking into the imperial palace. He was eager to try and was about to walk in when Li Zhichang stopped him and took out two lifelike masks, "Put these on."

Yin Zhiping asked curiously, "Where did you get these masks?"

"I saw them at a stall earlier. They were so lifelike that I took two," Li Zhichang said without a hint of guilt.

Yin Zhiping said, "So you stole them." Li Zhichang tapped his forehead again, "Everything in the world is for the taking by those who live in it. How can it be called stealing?" "Hurry up and put the mask on, stop talking so much."

The two quietly leaped over the palace wall. The palace guards patrolled strictly, but Li Zhichang and Yin Zhiping’s lightness skills were already at a high level. Yin Zhiping’s Golden Goose Technique was on par with the Seven Disciples of Quanzhen, so the guards couldn’t detect them. They leaped over the wall and caught a young eunuch, asking him where the imperial kitchen was. It turned out that the Jin Emperor was hosting a grand banquet that night, so the palace was more relaxed inside. They sneaked past two palaces, feeling a cool breeze and hearing the sound of water. The night air carried a faint fragrance, and the deep palace courtyard felt like a mountain forest.

Li Zhichang, smelling the fragrance, knew there must be a large flower garden nearby. He thought the imperial garden must have many rare and beautiful flowers, so he followed the scent. The water sound grew louder, and they walked along a flower path, seeing tall pines and bamboo, with green canopies and layered mountains. They walked a few more steps and saw a silver waterfall cascading down from the mountain into a large pond. The pond had an outlet, so the water didn’t overflow.

In front of the pond was a grand hall with the sign "Rain Flower Pond." They walked to the hall and saw several basins of fresh fruits like lotus roots, sweet melons, loquats, and cherries on the table, and a few fans on the chairs. It seemed the Jin Emperor had been cooling off here before going to sleep.

Yin Zhiping asked, "Brother, where are we?" Li Zhichang, seeing him wearing a Zhang Fei mask, couldn’t help but chuckle, "Don’t blame me, I couldn’t resist."

Yin Zhiping was speechless. Li Zhichang continued, "I don’t know where we are either. Maybe the eunuch gave us the wrong directions." Yin Zhiping said, "Brother, I’m really hungry after all this activity." Li Zhichang picked up some fruit and threw it to Yin Zhiping, "Eat this first."

Yin Zhiping bit into the fruit, thinking it was incredibly sweet, much better than the wild fruits on Zhongnan Mountain. He said, "Brother, this fruit can only quench thirst, not hunger."

Li Zhichang kicked him, and Yin Zhiping dodged. Li Zhichang said, "Do you think I brought you here just to steal some food?"

Yin Zhiping asked, "Then why are we here?"

Li Zhichang said, "To do something great."

Yin Zhiping asked, "What is it?"

Li Zhichang said solemnly, "What could be greater than assassinating the emperor? The stories of Yao Li assassinating Qing Ji and Jing Ke assassinating Qin Shi Huang are famous throughout history. If we kill the Jin Emperor tonight, how will history remember us?"

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