Chapter 8

Master's wife was a virtuous woman who could handle both the hall and the kitchen, at least that's what Ling Xiao thought. He waved to the master's wife, who was crouching under the table, with a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth. The master's wife nodded with a smile and pointed to the inner room. This kind of scene was nothing new; based on past experience, in two seconds, Ling Lingfa would rush out and pull the master's wife inside.

One!

Two!

With a loud bang, Ling Lingfa burst out, his face stern, and pulled the master's wife inside. Then came a half-minute argument, followed by the master's wife using her noodle-cooking magic, which resulted in the master surrendering.

Sighing, Ling Xiao began to wait quietly. After this routine, the two would spend the whole night... But this time, if he guessed correctly, it was time to pack their bags.

Before long, the two emerged, hugging each other. "Honey~~ I'll go pack our bags, wait for me!" The master's wife blinked and returned to the house. Ling Lingfa, with a determined look, said, "Little Lingzi! Serve your lord faithfully! Although the emperor looks down on us, and although I am often called to wash dishes and clean toilets, which makes you suffer too, but! But the country cannot be without a ruler! For the sake of the nation and the people, I will do my best this time!"

"Why do I suddenly feel a bit reluctant to go?" Ling Xiao said, a bit awkwardly.

Ling Lingfa, as if he hadn't heard, patted Ling Xiao's shoulder with tears in his eyes: "Good disciple! You are the most understanding. Go pack our bags, we are leaving!"

"Alright, you never asked for my opinion anyway." Ling Xiao obediently returned to the room, secretly pleased. But he didn't notice that Ling Lingfa's gaze on him was somewhat strange.

...

Another full moon night, the bright moonlight illuminated the entire capital city. With the huge, round moon overhead, many thieves took the day off. But there were always some who couldn't resist the excitement. The imperial city gates, which were usually tightly closed at night, now opened with a loud creak. It was a loud creak, not just an opening, because the main gate was usually only used for major events, such as military expeditions, imperial coronations, and sacrifices to heaven. The last time the main gate was opened was when a foreign princess was sent for a marriage alliance, and the emperor opened it to show his respect. Whether the main gate would ever be opened at midnight in the future was unknown, but this time it was unprecedented.

Perhaps the main gate needed lubrication, as the loud noise was enough to wake half the city. Who knows how many men in the act were startled and lost their momentum!

A group of over twenty people emerged from the main gate, with a very luxurious sedan chair in the center, surrounded by people in black night clothes, except for three.

The first person was tall and imposing, with a serious face and a steady aura, exuding a slight air of dominance. The person on the left rear of the sedan chair had strong arms and sharp eyes, always on guard. The person on the right rear had a steady gait, with a braid swaying behind them, looking light and graceful. The three wore silk and brocade robes, showing no restraint, and if not for their noble air, many people would have wanted to be their friends.

"Stop!" A commanding yet somewhat capricious voice came from the sedan chair, and the curtain was pulled back to reveal a handsome face.

"This time we are traveling incognito. I don't want to be too conspicuous, and I don't want others to know I am the emperor! Do you understand?"

"Understood!" ×3

The handsome man, the emperor, satisfied, retreated into the sedan chair, and the three returned to their positions.

"Depart!"

After the shout, the group of guards left the main road, showing off their might...

The next morning, Ling Lingfa, Ling Xiao, and the master's wife set off with their luggage. Movies are deceptive; how could two people travel a thousand miles to the Jin Kingdom with just a couple of small bags? First, they needed a carriage, and of course, Ling Xiao was the driver. They also needed money; silver and gold were hard currency in any country, and Ling Xiao, who was carrying the bags, felt the weight. Don't think that wearing a lot of gold and silver makes you a tycoon; after all, it's not paper money, and even Ling Xiao's current body felt the discomfort. When did tycoons ever suffer such discomfort!

This world was truly vast, and Central Plains was the true center of the world, rich in resources and coveted by other countries. To the north of Central Plains was the Jin Kingdom, a harsh and fierce land with a constant desire to conquer Central Plains. To the west were the Western Regions, a collection of small countries like Loulan and Dayuan.

Between the north and the west was an endless grassland, home to the Mongol and Liao Kingdoms, two military powers known for their cavalry. If not for their mutual checks, Central Plains would have another formidable enemy.

The climate and environment in the south were pleasant, and the country was also good, with the rumor that the women were even better. As Ling Xiao put it, Dali was a tourist country, and if it didn't pay tribute every year, it would have been swallowed by the Ming Dynasty long ago.

To the east was the sea, with many island countries, such as Goryeo and Japan. Due to limited resources, there were often ronin raiding the coastal areas of Central Plains.

It took half a month to travel from the capital to the Jin Kingdom border by carriage, so Ling Lingfa, Ling Xiao, and the master's wife traveled leisurely, showing no concern for the state. The master's wife was the happiest, bouncing around, looking at everything, and wanting to play with everything.

Although Ling Xiao and Ling Lingfa smiled throughout the journey, they had many concerns. Ling Lingfa worried about the emperor's safety, the journey, and the plots they might encounter in the Jin Kingdom. Ling Xiao, on the other hand, was familiar with the plot and wasn't worried about the emperor's safety. He was more concerned about when other plot points would unfold.

With the emperor not in the capital, Ye Gucheng wouldn't challenge Xi Men Chuixue at the Forbidden City. As for the rest, it was uncertain. Without the emperor's restraint, would Jia Jingzhong take advantage of the situation? Would the Black Stone's Wheel King intensify the search for Zeng Jing? The couple usually had a good relationship with Ling Xiao, and if he could help, he would.

"What are you thinking about?" Ling Lingfa noticed Ling Xiao's distracted look.

"Uh, nothing, just worried about the emperor!" Ling Xiao replied casually.

"Hmm, I'm worried too. By the way, I haven't asked you, how did you know the emperor was going to the Jin Kingdom?" Ling Lingfa looked at Ling Xiao suspiciously.

Ling Xiao's heart skipped a beat. He had been a bit lax in his vigilance recently and never thought that even after becoming so familiar with Ling Lingfa, he would still suspect him. Ling Lingfa was indeed meticulous, even noticing such a small detail. He never mentioned the emperor's trip to the Jin Kingdom, but Ling Xiao wasn't surprised by the journey, which raised Ling Lingfa's suspicions. Concerned about the emperor's safety, a wrong answer could lead to Ling Lingfa pulling out his firearms!

Quickly, he replied, "It's all Foyin! He always complains about the emperor making him wash dishes and talks about all sorts of nonsense. He also mentioned that you suspected the Jin Kingdom had a plot, so when you were about to leave, I guessed it. Besides, as a secret agent of the Bao Long clan, if the emperor didn't go, how could the master go?"

Ling Lingfa couldn't help but complain, "I knew that baldy would cause trouble, always spouting secrets! I despise him!"

Ling Xiao nodded in agreement, feeling relieved. It was a good thing he was quick-witted, because if the plot unfolded as it did, Ling Lingfa and Foyin had washed dishes together that night. Foyin left early and had plenty of time to tell Ling Xiao, and since Ling Xiao wasn't there, he wouldn't have known about the dishwashing. Ling Lingfa was aware of Ling Xiao's relationship with Foyin, so his suspicions were dispelled.

"What are you two talking about?" The master's wife suddenly waved from the front, holding a flower pot with a cactus in it.

"Honey! Look! This plant doesn't need water!" The master's wife's eyes sparkled as if she had discovered something amazing.

"Wow, you've been tricked, that's a cactus, which grows in deserts and other dry environments. It's not that it doesn't need water, just that it needs less." Sometimes Ling Xiao didn't understand women; why would a plant full of thorns be so interesting?

The master's wife looked at the cactus in her hand and immediately lost interest. She turned and saw a fruit stand, and bounced over to it.

Ling Lingfa watched his wife run off with a smile, his eyes filled with happiness. Although the master's wife had many flaws, this imperfect life was exactly what he had always wanted. Ling Xiao, seeing Ling Lingfa's contentment, felt many emotions, but then the topic changed: "Little Lingzi, I've noticed you have a lot of knowledge! You even know about desert plants, have you been to the Western Regions before?"

This question again. When Ling Lingfa first took him out of the Jinyiwei, he asked many questions. Since Ling Xiao was a beggar by birth, his background wasn't a concern, but as time passed, not only Ling Lingfa but even the master's wife noticed something was off.

His extensive knowledge, elegant speech, and refined style, even in poetry and literature! This wasn't something a beggar could have, so a thorough investigation began. The results were disappointing; despite the Jinyiwei's extensive resources, they found nothing! Ling Xiao always used the excuse of amnesia, and they couldn't do anything about it.

They even investigated Ling Xiao's horn, but the Jinyiwei, despite having many experts, couldn't reach the innate realm, so they found nothing and returned it. The Jinyiwei gave up, but Ling Lingfa became interested. Whenever Ling Xiao revealed something, he would look at him expectantly, asking if he remembered anything.

"No!" Ling Xiao's answer was as usual.

"Uh, what a pity!"

"Honey! Come quick, they're knocking melons here!" Just as Ling Lingfa was feeling sorry, the master's wife shouted again.

Knocking melons? Ling Xiao was taken aback, not expecting it to happen so soon. A scene flashed through his mind of someone's head being smashed. According to the plot, the three great masters of the Bao Long clan should have died one after another.