Chapter 99 Taoist Priest and Buddhist Monk

Chapter 99 Taoist Priest and Buddhist Monk

Under the moonlight.

Bai Li moved swiftly through the palace without making a sound. Despite the heavy guards, he moved freely, slipping through gaps in the guards in the blink of an eye.

Following his intuition, Bai Li arrived at the Imperial Garden and spotted a red figure in the distance.

Dongfang Bubai stood by the pool with her hands behind her back, her heroic figure as striking as a red spider lily, both alluring and dangerous.

What is she doing here?

Sensing the presence of his aura, Dongfang Bubai slightly turned his head, his stunningly beautiful face expressionless, his voice magnetic: "Bai Li?"

Bai Li flashed to within ten meters of Dongfang Bubai, his gaze sharp and wary: "Master Dongfang, are you also interested in watching the duel between Ye Gucheng and Ximen Chuixue?"

Dongfang Bubai raised an eyebrow, not responding to the question, but instead asking, "Why did you kill Yingying?"

Bai Li was stunned. Ren Yingying? He had almost forgotten that name. "Master Dongfang, do you want to avenge her?"

Why kill? Since they've already been killed, it's not important. Bai Li was too lazy to answer. "You're asking me, so I'm giving you face."

Dongfang Bubai gently stroked her fingertips, a hint of nostalgia flashing in her eyes, her voice barely audible: "A pet I've raised for over ten years was beaten to death. If you were in that situation, what would you do?"

As she finished speaking, she looked up at Bai Li and said, "However, I have important matters to attend to at the moment. Once this matter is resolved, I will seek your guidance."

Bai Li pursed his lips, being so hesitant and indecisive; this was unlike Dongfang Bubai's usual style.

Important business? Could it be that she's also going to assassinate the emperor?

Yes, that must be it. No wonder Ye Gucheng didn't pretend to be hit by the Soul-Chasing Sand back then. It turns out he had a helper. A powerful alliance indeed.

Upon hearing this, Bai Li dared not relax in the slightest. Facing a master of Dongfang Bubai's caliber, no amount of caution was excessive; a slight misstep could lead to certain death.

Strangely, wasn't she supposed to be assassinating the emperor? Why was she lingering in the Imperial Garden?

Bai Li's heart skipped a beat, and he asked, "Master Dongfang, don't you find anything strange about this palace?"

"Strange?" Dongfang Bubai murmured. It was indeed strange. From the moment she stepped into the palace, she had a feeling of being watched, but she searched everywhere without finding any trace of the watcher.

Moreover, the closer she got to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the stronger the feeling of being spied on became. It was precisely for this reason that she stopped in the Imperial Garden, wanting to find the source of the spying before making any further plans.

For a moment, the two, each with their own thoughts, were locked in a stalemate, neither moving an inch.

On the palace rooftop, a hundred meters away from the two, two figures stood quietly, silently watching them.

With a distance of only a hundred meters, Bai Li and Dongfang Bubai should have noticed that there were people here long ago, but they turned a blind eye to it, which was extremely strange.

On the eaves, a man dressed in a deep blue crane robe, with flowing black beard and an air of otherworldly grace, exuded an aura of transcendence. He was none other than Liu Ji (Liu Bowen), the founding hero of the Ming Dynasty and the Earl of Chengyi.

Liu Bowen stroked his long beard, a smile in his eyes, and said, "Destiny is intertwined, cause and effect are entangled; it's been a long time since I've seen such an interesting thing."

The other man, dressed in a black monk's robe, with a beard under his chin and deep, bright eyes, was none other than Yao Guangxiao (Daoyan), the black-robed prime minister who helped Emperor Taizong of Ming successfully seize the throne.

Dao Yan said calmly, "That's why you secretly reminded that girl not to get involved in these trivial palace affairs, lest she lose her life."

Liu Bowen remained calm and said, "That's not entirely true. I heard from Master Zhang that a very interesting young fellow had come to Wudang, and out of curiosity, I went to see him."

"That little fellow named Wu Tengkong was destined to die a tragic death in the Western Regions and return to a foreign land, but his fate changed on its own without his knowledge, reversing his inevitable demise."

"I followed his movements and traced him all the way to that kid named Bai Li, but I can't see through his fate or figure it out. He might end up like one of us in the future."

Dao Yan lowered his eyes and pondered. Although this Taoist priest usually talked nonsense, when it came to the art of fortune telling, he was indeed the best among the three. Even he couldn't see the fate clearly. This Bai Li must have a great secret.

Dao Yan's gaze fell on Dongfang Bubai, his eyes glancing at Liu Bowen, and he said, "The Ming Dynasty is at its peak. That little girl should have died today, pierced by ten thousand arrows. You deliberately lured her to the Imperial Garden, then waited for Bai Li to arrive, hoping to use Bai Li to change her fate, didn't you?"

A smug smile played on Liu Ji's lips: "Indeed, when the two met just now, the young girl's fate truly changed on its own, allowing her to avoid a certain death. Dao Yan, do you know what this means?"

Dao Yan pondered for a moment, then his eyes lit up, and he sighed, "So that's how it is. You Taoist priests really know how to calculate."

at the same time.

Your Highness, Lu Xiaofeng noticed that Bai Li had disappeared, and the tension in his heart rose again.

He knew Bai Li too well; he was a born troublemaker who caused deaths wherever he went. This was the imperial palace, so he hoped things wouldn't get out of hand.

On the roof of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Ximen Chuixue closed his eyes to rest, exuding an aura of coldness and aloofness.

At the other end of the eaves, another figure in white robes descended.

Ye Gucheng, also wielding a sword, with skin as white as jade and eyes like stars.

"They're here, they're here!" someone whispered in the crowd. The entire Taihe Square fell silent. Everyone held their breath, staring intently at the two peerless swordsmen on the rooftop, afraid of missing a single exciting moment.

Ximen Chuixue opened his eyes, his gaze as deep and unfathomable as an abyss, his voice icy and chilling: "You've come."

"Hmm." Ye Gucheng nodded without saying a word.

Even more aloof than me? Ximen Chuixue pressed his left thumb against the hilt of his sword, his right hand gripping the handle: "Make your move."

"Hmm." Ye Gucheng nodded, still remaining silent.

Ximen Chuixue tilted his head. What does that mean? Are you waiting for me to make the first move before looking for my weakness?

But in a sword duel, shouldn't the opponent seize the initiative?

Moreover, he hasn't even put down his sword yet. If I make a move, won't people think it's a sneak attack?

"Ye Gucheng, draw your sword."

"Hmm." Ye Gucheng nodded, still remaining silent.

Seeing that he remained motionless, Ximen Chuixue became annoyed, and then noticed that his body was trembling slightly and that he was gripping the hilt of his sword tightly.

Is he excited?

Good, good, good, Ye Gucheng! You're ruining my mood. What insidious tactics! I guess I misjudged you.

Hmph, if you don't move, I won't move either.

Half a cup of tea's time passed, and there was still no movement on the roof of the Hall of Supreme Harmony. The two peerless swordsmen stood there silently, the atmosphere eerie.

They remained motionless, and the nearly 30,000 martial arts practitioners present dared not move either, all assuming that the two were competing in terms of momentum, and fearing that they might disturb them.

Only Hua Manlou, after a long silence, finally couldn't help but lean close to Lu Xiaofeng, his voice extremely low: "What's going on now? Why is there not a sound?"

Lu Xiaofeng was also completely confused, not knowing what the two people on the roof were doing. Was this how sword fighting was done?

Something's not right.

Hua Manlou murmured something and listened carefully. He had amazing hearing; he could hear the faintest sounds from a hundred meters away on ordinary days. Now that the scene was completely silent, he could hear it even more clearly.

He circulated his inner energy, focusing it on his ears, and listened carefully to the auras of the two people on the roof. In less than three breaths, Hua Manlou frowned and whispered, "Lu Xiaofeng, the aura of the person on the right is wrong. His aura is very chaotic. This is not the aura of a top swordsman."

Chaos? Lu Xiaofeng was surprised; this word should never have appeared in Ye Gucheng's life.

A thousand thoughts raced through his mind, and then a flash of inspiration struck him—Oh no! This isn't Ye Gucheng!

Lu Xiaofeng unleashed his inner strength, his body soaring into the sky like a phoenix spreading its wings, while shouting loudly, "Ximen, make your move quickly!"

Clang!

Without hesitation, Ximen Chuixue had absolute trust in Lu Xiaofeng. He drew his longsword, and with a soft hum, his sword intent intertwined with solitude, absoluteness, and pride. Without holding back, the tip of his sword was instantly delivered to Ye Gucheng.

Ye Gucheng's reaction was shocking. He panicked and didn't even draw his sword before Ximen Chuixue pierced his chest with a single strike.

puff!

Blood gushed out, staining Ye Gucheng's white robes and the tiles of the Taihe Hall red.

This scene left everyone in Taihe Square speechless, and an uproar ensued.