Chapter 329: Going to the East China Sea
After the spring rain, the blue brick floor inside the palace wall was still gleaming with moisture. On the glazed tiles at the eaves, a few drops of rain slowly slid down the tiles, reflecting a crystal light in the morning light.

An old pear tree leaned against the vermilion palace wall, its branches covered with tiny white flowers, as if a gentle snow had fallen last night. Amid the swaying shadows of the flowers, a few early-rising yellow orioles jumped on the branches, chirping in a clear and pleasant voice.

As early as dawn, the Queen Mother pushed Zhao Wumian off the bed and drove him out of the house.

Although with Zhao Wumian and Shen Xiangge’s martial arts, unless Mu Lier deliberately concealed her aura, no one could get close to Kunning Palace without being detected by the two, but the matter between the Queen Mother and Zhao Wumian was that the widowed Queen Mother was secretly communicating with the princes, and even brought her own niece with her privately…

Anyway, the empress dowager felt guilty as soon as the sun rose, and she didn’t dare let Zhao Wumian stay any longer… It was like they were having an affair.

But not long after Zhao Wumian left, he dressed neatly, pushed the door open from the side hall, and paid a visit in a dignified manner, just like Marquis Wei Ming paying his respects to the empress dowager.

Under the corridor, Lian Xue led several young palace maids, holding copper basins, hot towels and other toiletries, and walked slowly. When they saw Zhao Wumian, they stopped immediately. The clear water in the copper basins created tiny ripples, reflecting their pretty faces.

They bowed and said crisply:
“Good day, Lord~”

“My Lord, are you still feeling unwell?”

Zhao Wumian smiled and said, “Good day to you too. Thanks to the Queen Mother, I am much better now.”

This may seem like a compliment, but it is the truth, except that the source of the truth lies with Shen Xiangge.

Shen Xiangge’s refined martial arts were learned from Yan Rongfei. Strictly speaking, it was a trick, but her own talent in martial arts must be unrivaled, otherwise why would Yan Rongfei choose her?

Moreover, as long as the skills are passed on, the bridge between heaven and earth can be connected… How can it be so simple in this world? If so, every warrior who connects the bridge between heaven and earth looks for someone to pass on his skills before he dies, then this world would have been full of martial arts champions.

In recent years, Shen Xiangge has been practicing hard to avenge his master, and his martial arts have become more and more advanced. This has actually benefited Zhao Wumian. Through the dual cultivation method, not only have his injuries and physical strength been fully recovered, but even his physical strength and internal energy have been improved by several levels.

If Zhao Wumian fought with Tong Congdao again, he would definitely feel a lot more relaxed.

This is the Yuan Yin of the warrior who serves as the bridge between heaven and earth. Looking around the world, how many virgins are there at the martial arts champion level?
Although Zhao Wumian practiced dual cultivation with his master many times, his master had not yet achieved a breakthrough when they first had sex.

The real martial arts champion Yuan Yin, Shen Xiangge is the first, each has its own advantages, even better than the two Gu Kings Han Yu and Xia Yun combined.

When Zhao Wumian and Mu Lier had just confirmed their relationship in Shu, he had felt this in his heart. Now, he counted carefully on his fingers: his wife, his master, Meng Po, Yuan Mu, and even Miss Su who was in harmony with nature, and the nun Guan…

Huh? It seems that the few female martial arts masters in the martial arts world all have an unclear relationship with him.

No wonder Yuan Mu always said that he was bad at love affairs, but Zhao Wumian was not just attracted by women… He and the girls were all in love with each other.

However, dual cultivation is secondary, and Zhao Wumian doesn’t care much about these external things.

He thought that Shen Xiangge had gotten married last night and had their bridal chamber immediately. Once the effect of dual cultivation came into play, it was like a clear signal to Zhao Wumian that she was Empress Canghua…but at this point, neither of them cared about such small details.

They’ve been married, and he and Shen Xiangge are now husband and wife… They’re family, so they don’t need to worry about these twists and turns.

It would be great if Yuanmu and Chaoyan could be as considerate and understanding of each other as Shen Xiangge was towards the empress dowager. Unfortunately, this was nothing but a pipe dream. The two women almost killed each other when they met for the first time. Their situations were completely different from those of Shen Xiangge and the empress dowager.

While wandering in the outer world, he heard Lian Xue say with a smile: “The Marquis has woken up, but do you want us to report to His Majesty?”

Zhao Wumian came back to his senses and nodded slightly, “Thank you for the trouble.”

“No trouble~ The Marquis is too polite to us servants~”

The little palace maid behind Lian Xue had a slightly strange expression on her face. She thought to herself that in the past, it was usually the ministers who paid respects to the emperor. Now, it seemed that the emperor might have to come to Kunning Palace to visit Marquis Weiming…

But Weiming Hou is so handsome, and he is also very kind to the servants. No wonder many sisters always talk about the marquis late at night…

Zhao Wumian greeted the young palace maid and walked into Kunning Palace. Lian Xue followed him to help the empress dowager wash up, so Zhao Wumian had no way to say anything private to his aunt and nephew. But it didn’t matter, because Luo Chaoyan came hurriedly before long.

Her face was bare, but the dark circles under her eyes were visible. Although they were not deep, they made this emperor, who was less than 20 years old, look much more haggard. It must be because she had not had a good night’s sleep during Zhao Wumian’s coma…

But Luo Chaoyan’s face did not show any weakness, only joy, and he immediately felt Zhao Wumian’s pulse.

“How are you… Huh? How come your blood and energy are more vigorous than before you were injured? Is the effect of the Qingying Jade Cloth so good? Are you hungry? When did you wake up…”

Luo Chaoyan kept on chattering, and Zhao Wumian looked at the dark circles under her eyes, feeling in his heart that he was shouldering an extremely heavy responsibility.

As long as he is still alive, no, even if he is dead, he must find a way to make Luo Chaoyan and Xiao Yuanmu live in harmony.

The Empress Dowager sat at the small table drinking water. She glanced at Shen Xiangge who was dressing up at the dressing table and felt relieved.

Fortunately, my niece has already married Zhao Wumian. Although it is not formal, at least there is no need to worry that Shen Xiangge will have no chance after the emperor marries Zhao Wumian.

Before the morning court session, several people were having breakfast in Kunning Palace.

“I had a serious talk with my master last night. We were most likely tricked by Wugong Mountain. The Seclusion Sheath might have been snatched away by Guiyi.” Zhao Wumian said while holding a bowl of porridge.

Luo Chaoyan frowned, looking extremely unhappy. “I knew Guiyuan had something to hide when he escaped… I will mobilize the troops from Jiangyou on a chosen day, surround the mountain and force Guiyi and Guiyuan to hand over the Sheath.”

Zhao Wumian shook his head, drank the porridge, took a steamed bun, broke it open and put some vegetables in it, and said:

“If we launch an attack without evidence, Wugongshan will certainly pretend to be innocent and quibble. There are many believers in Dalijiangshan. If we send troops at the slightest disagreement, it will only make the emperor look tyrannical and irritable, not like a monarch.

We are the people of the Jianghu, and it’s okay to kill people if we don’t agree with them, but if the imperial court wants to launch an uprising, it’s better to have a legitimate reason and give the people an explanation.”

“You have been harmed by Gui Yuan. So what if I am tyrannical? If I don’t teach those two idiots a lesson, they will dare to kill you openly next time.”

Zhao Wumian wanted to say that his injury was not caused by Gui Yuan, on the contrary, Gui Yuan was almost beaten to death by him…but Luo Chaoyan obviously wanted to vent his anger for him.

He did not say much and smiled, “Then Your Majesty, please mobilize the troops from Jiangyou and go to the vicinity of Wugong Mountain. Use the excuse of training to put pressure on Guiyi Guiyuan. During this time, I will think of a way to get the Sheath of Retreat back directly.”

Luo Chaoyan put down the small bowl and looked at Zhao Wumian sideways. After a few seconds, she suddenly asked, “Are you leaving again?”

Zhao Wumian glanced at Luo Chaoyan, and his heart was moved by these four short words.

He took a few bites of the steamed bun silently, then smiled and explained:
“The four colored glaze jades are now in stock. I always go looking for the wrong Jinboshan furnace. This is the national treasure of Chen country. I have been looking for it before I lost my memory. This may be related to my memory recovery…

I must go in person. This is what I have been doing before, and it is time for me to continue doing it now… Although the mistake in finding the Jinboshan furnace was probably intended to overthrow the imperial court.”

“Oh.” Luo Chaoyan ate the porridge with a spoon somewhat unhappily, staring at the bowl with her eyes downcast. She was no longer in the mood to chat and laugh with Zhao Wumian.

Although she was the emperor, she had rarely interfered with what Zhao Wumian wanted to do since she came to Jin, and always let him do as he pleased. This time was no exception.

She didn’t say much, just asked: “When do you plan to go?”

“Wait a little longer.” Zhao Wumian thought for a while, and then said: “Wu Hongdan hasn’t been delivered yet. I think it won’t be too late to start this matter first, and then find the wrong Jinboshan furnace. Anyway, the wrong Jinboshan furnace is there and can’t run away.”

In fact, Zhao Wumian really wanted to leave Beijing to look for it as soon as he got the news about the wrong Jin Boshan furnace, but he could not ignore Luo Chaoyan’s thoughts.

After all, he had only been back in Beijing for less than half a month.

“Go ahead and look for me if you want. Can I lock you up in the capital?” Luo Chaoyan chuckled, knowing exactly what Zhao Wumian was thinking.

His kindness was enough to make Luo Chaoyan happy for half a day.

After breakfast, Luo Chaoyan went to court.

Zhao Wumian stayed with the aunt and nephew for a while before leaving the palace and going to Zeng Lengyue.

Zeng Lengyue had just been involved in a great battle and had been closed to visitors until now, but the lakeside was still crowded with people, most of whom were martial artists who came to see the site of the martial arts fight.

Dali has been away from the country for nearly half a century, but it is the first time that a martial arts master has fought like this in the capital. For these people from the martial arts world, coming here is probably no less than a pilgrimage.

“Hey, I was standing on the eaves that night. You can go up and take a look. If you have good eyesight, you can probably see my footprints. But if you watch the whole battle of Wu Kuang that night from beginning to end, I tell you, although Wei Ming Hou is the Knife …

When Zhao Wumian arrived at the lakeshore, he could hear many people talking and bragging about his deeds.

Zhao Wumian did not listen to any more. Seeing that there were people all around him and it was obviously difficult for Zeng Lengyue to go to the center of the lake quietly, he used his lightness skills to fly away.

The people around only saw a shadow flash before their eyes, and a few ripples suddenly appeared on the lake, as if blown away by a breeze. But when they looked closely, the lake was calm, as if the shadow was just an illusion.

In the upstairs wing of Zeng Lengyue, the mute princess Luo Xiangzhu was alone in the room, sitting in front of a small table, holding a bun that covered half of her face in both hands and biting it in small bites. There was also a bowl of white porridge in front of her, which was steaming.

There was a hint of worry on her pretty face. She was not afraid that she would be uncomfortable with a high fever in a few days, but was wondering when Zhao Wumian would recover.

Compared with other girls, Luo Xiangzhu is not that ambiguous with Zhao Wumian, but she has often stayed with Zhao Wumian in the past six months. How could she spend such a long time with a man in the past?
As the daughter of a vassal king, Luo Xiangzhu has always had strict family education. It is obviously impossible for her to spend much time with the opposite sex before getting married. If you think about it carefully, Zhao Wumian is her first friend of the opposite sex, so it is impossible for her not to worry.

Although……

Luo Xiangzhu recalled the scene in Qingcheng Mountain when Zhao Wumian was too weak and had to lie on her chest and eat bamboo shoots… How could a good friend do such a thing?

Besides, I am Chaoyan’s cousin, and I cannot have an affair with the man my sister loves.

Fortunately, Zhao Wumian had always been polite to her and did not pester or flirt with her because of that accident.

As the mute princess was in a state of confusion, she suddenly heard a familiar voice from the window:

“Huh? Why are you still in Zeng Lengyue? I thought you went back to the Sword Sect branch.”

Luo Xiangzhu’s body trembled slightly. She didn’t expect that she would hear that person’s voice just when she thought of him. She felt a little embarrassed, as if she had seen something embarrassing. She looked sideways and saw Zhao Wumian half-crouching at the window. He turned over and jumped into the room. He was wearing a white dress, like a bohemian son of a noble family, but he looked very good.

Luo Xiangzhu shook off the uneasiness in his heart and turned to joy. He stood up and walked in front of Zhao Wumian, walked around him and looked at him a few times, as if to confirm whether he had any wounds on his body.

After walking a few steps, Luo Xiangzhu stopped where he was and handed over the bun he had taken a few bites of with both hands.

Have you had breakfast?

Before Zhao Wumian took it, Luo Xiangzhu suddenly withdrew her hand, her face slightly reddened, and then she remembered that she had already bitten the bun, so she carefully broke the bun in half and handed the unbitten part to Zhao Wumian.

Zhao Wumian smiled, thinking it was cute, and casually stuffed the bun into his mouth and chewed it, while asking: “Do you feel uncomfortable staying here these days? This is a brothel.”

Luo Xiangzhu nodded slightly, then pointed outside the door and shook her little face.

She was not feeling well, but Xiao Yuanmu and the girls here were very kind to her and took good care of her.

Then she tilted her head and pondered for a few seconds, then stroked her chest with one small hand and her forehead with the other small hand. Her beautiful eyes were slightly closed, her delicate body swayed slightly, and she gasped for breath, looking weak.

“Jiangzhuyu, are you sick and have a fever?” Zhao Wumian looked at her in confusion, “I know you have a fever every June, but it’s only April now…”

Luo Xiangzhu put down her little hands, no longer looking weak, and instead looked at him seriously with her little face. She turned her head to look around, and quickly walked to the incense burner, preparing to pick it up and show it to Zhao Wumian.

As a result, her little hand was scalded as soon as it touched the stove. She took several steps back with a start, holding her scalded finger in her mouth, and looked at Zhao Wumian with tears in her beautiful eyes and aggrieved look.

“I see. You can help find the wrong Jin Boshan furnace after you have a fever.” Zhao Wumian wanted to laugh, but he held back his expression. He came in front of her, held Luo Xiangzhu’s small hand, explored his inner breath, and mobilized “Liu Wujing”.

Luo Xiangzhu’s pretty face turned slightly red, and she felt embarrassed. Her little hand was held by Zhao Wumian, which made her feel even more ashamed. She lowered her eyelids, too embarrassed to look at him.

“Zhao Wumian.” Xiao Yuanmu’s voice came from behind him. He turned around and saw Xiao Yuanmu waving a round fan, wearing a green dress, pushing the door open and looking at him for a few times.

“You’ve recovered quite well. Could it be that you absorbed the essence of some martial arts champion woman and used the dual cultivation technique to recover so well…”

Zhao Wumian felt a little guilty, so he let go of Luo Xiangzhu’s hand and talked about business, “Why is the princess having a fever in April?”

Xiao Yuanmu snorted coldly, thinking that Shen Xiangge was neither the Queen Mother nor the Emperor of Dali, so he didn’t care about the matter. He slowly poured himself a cup of tea and said:

“The Crimson Pearl Jade has been in her body for too long. Taking it out hastily will kill her. We can only rely on the secret method left by our Chen Nation. The high fever is actually the Crimson Pearl Jade responding to the inverted gold Boshan furnace. It’s just that Luo Xiangzhu’s body is too weak to bear it, so this is the case…

You pack up and make preparations in advance. This time is not like the time in Shu. There is no room for error.”

Zhao Wumian pondered for a few seconds, “Will there be any sequelae?”

“If there are any sequelae, then you should marry her home so that she won’t be a virgin even after she dies?”

Luo Xiangzhu’s face immediately turned red and she shook her head repeatedly.

“She was just teasing you.” Zhao Wumian said to her helplessly, and then said: “Wait a few days, I have some things to deal with in the capital.”

Xiao Yuanmu snorted lightly, said no more, and just waved his hand towards Zhao Wumian.

When Zhao Wumian came to her side, she stretched out her little hand to feel his pulse, her face serious.

Zhao Wumian looked at her and couldn’t help laughing, “We can still travel around the world together… That’s great. I used to travel around the world with Jiu’er, and I rarely went out with you.”

“Hmm.” Xiao Yuanmu was not moved at all. He made a nasal sound indifferently. After diagnosing Zhao Wumian’s body for a while, he suddenly probed into his internal breath to sense it, and then his pretty face suddenly turned cold.

“Don’t you know that after practicing dual cultivation, the yin and yang flow, and your internal energy has some traces of Lady Canghua?”

Zhao Wumian looked at Luo Xiangzhu, “Don’t worry, when you have a fever, I will definitely watch over you day and night and will not let anything happen to you…”

Before she finished her words, the mute princess realized something was wrong. She took a few steps back, picked up her porridge and walked away in small steps.

As soon as I closed the door, I heard Xiao Yuanmu’s cold voice faintly coming from inside.

“Zhao Wumian, I am here worrying about your injuries, but you are going to have fun with Lady Canghua. You are so happy. She is a martial arts master and a seductress as famous as me. You must be very happy, right?”

“It’s something we both agree on… You’re talking as if I were some kind of flower thief…”

“Isn’t it? The number one flower thief in the capital? Tong Congdao has been picking flowers for half his life, but he still doesn’t have the ability to touch even one of the women on the Jingzheng Peerless List. But you are different. You have touched eight out of ten women on the list… You are better at picking flowers than Tong Congdao. What? This Jingzheng Peerless List is actually the harem list you wrote?”

“What are you talking about? Can I still be the master of the Jade Palace? Even if I am, writing you first proves that…”

Luo Xiangzhu didn’t listen to the rest of the conversation. Her face turned red for some reason… She was also on the “Jingzheng Beauty List”.

She didn’t dare to listen any more and left quickly.

Perhaps it was because Zhao Wumian embraced both the Queen Mother and Shen Xiangge in one night, the lady was not very happy in her heart, so the next day she did not dress up as Lady Canghua to go to Zhao Wumian for a drink, but stayed in the Shen Mansion, sending orders to all the branches of Canghua Tower in Jianghu to take charge of the overall situation.

She kissed Zhao Wumian in public, and the whole martial arts world knew that Marquis Weiming had an affair with Empress Canghua. As her directly affiliated sect, Canghua Tower must have been in disarray by now.

These disciples called themselves the enchantresses of Huanzhen Pavilion, but in the blink of an eye, their boss defected to the imperial court and joined the Marquis Weiming. If it weren’t for the pressure from the leaders of the various branches, Canghua Tower would have been in chaos long ago.

Shen Xiangge had to deal with the important affairs of the sect, and actually he really had no time.

Zhao Wumian knew that she was busy, so he didn’t disturb her. He basically stayed with Zeng Lengyue during this period of time.

After a few days of preparation, Luo Xiangzhu had a high fever and was bedridden, unconscious.

Late at night, the moonlight shines down and reflects on the lake. A bright moon is reflected in the center of the lake. Standing on Zeng Lengyue’s terrace, at a glance, you can see two bright moons one above and one below, and the night view is extremely beautiful.

Many girls stood on the terrace, chatting and laughing in low voices.

In the side room, the yellow light was dim, and there was curling smoke above the incense burner. The doors and windows were closed, and the room was warm, but there was a slightly rapid panting sound.

Behind the curtain, Luo Xiangzhu was wearing a nightgown, lying on the soft couch, her eyes closed, her red lips slightly parted, breathing softly.

Zhao Wumian sat beside her and touched his forehead. “I’m afraid the temperature must be around 40 degrees… Will it really burn the princess’ brain? Could it be that her muteness was caused by the burn and has nothing to do with the Crimson Pearl Jade?”

“Forty degrees?” Xiao Yuanmu didn’t understand what this meant, but she didn’t care. Zhao Wumian had used these inexplicable words many times.

She fanned Luo Xiangzhu with a round fan and touched Luo Xiangzhu’s forehead, saying:
“Who knows? But according to the records of Chen country, her fever will subside after two or three days of coma, but this process is not comfortable. We should take good care of her these days. Her mother was once a female doctor in our Taixuan Palace, so we can’t mistreat her daughter.”

Zhao Wumian nodded slightly, and then saw Su Qingqi holding a basin of water, wetting a towel, and using the cold towel to cool down Luo Xiangzhu.

Guan Yunshu stood outside the curtain, looked at Luo Xiangzhu for a few times, and then went into the temple, probably to beat a wooden fish, chant scriptures and pray for Luo Xiangzhu.

Although the nun was unkind, she had a considerable degree of compassion for Luo Xiangzhu, a poor little mute who had never been able to speak since childhood.

Mu Lier came here to look after Luo Xiangzhu for a while and then left, leaving the responsibility of taking care of her senior sister to Zhao Wumian, and went to the palace to become the emperor’s personal master.

Luo Xiangzhu knew nothing about what was happening outside. She only felt dizzy and confused. Although she had a high fever every year, this time it was particularly severe.

Vaguely, she could only feel someone holding her hand.

Occasionally, her high fever eased a little, and she squeezed out the strength to open her eyes a crack. The scene in front of her eyes was hazy, and she could only see a figure sitting beside the couch looking at her, but before the scene in front of her eyes became clear, she lost consciousness again.

Her only response to the outside world was to keep gasping for breath.

Blurred, Luo Xiangzhu seemed to be dreaming, with many bizarre images emerging in his mind.

Luo Xiangzhu was used to this… He would usually have some very strange dreams when he had a fever, but this time it was different.

There are only scenery in the dreams, sometimes it is continuous deep mountains, sometimes it is the vast Huangshan Mountain, and sometimes it is a narrow underground palace.

I had many dreams, but in the end, the dream was fixed on a blue sea with an island on it, lush and natural, like the fairyland of Penglai.

Occasionally I would fly over this island in my dreams, and see the endless coastline, but mostly islands.

One of the islands… was known to Luo Xiangzhu.

When she was a child, she was taken by King Yan to many places and saw the many beautiful mountains and rivers of Dali.

This is the East China Sea.

Luo Xiangzhu suddenly opened her beautiful eyes, but felt a stuffy sensation in her lower abdomen.

When she lowered her eyes, it seemed as if someone was sleeping on her belly.

Her vision was blurry, and when she calmed down a little, she saw that it was Zhao Wumian.

She was slightly stunned, then looked sideways. The room was dark and there were stars outside the window. It must be late at night.

Luo Xiangzhu retracted her gaze, but did not wake him up. Instead, she gently raised her hand and touched Zhao Wumian’s hair, as if she was coaxing a baby to sleep…

(End of this chapter)