The Emperor's Grand Ambitions Ultimately Came to Nothing

As Li Lin spoke, his gaze followed Li Canghai's graceful figure closely.

The martial arts of the Xiaoyao School are indeed elegant, beautiful, and graceful.

This made Li Canghai appear even more Sage Aura and otherworldly.

Upon seeing a real fairy, one naturally wants to take a few more glances.

After all, a true fairy can be looked at directly and defined, unlike Cthulhu who cannot be defined.

"It's amazing," Li Lin couldn't help but look at the girl beside him again. "It's the same face, but with an extra mole and dimple, she looks like a completely different person."

Wang Yuyan, as the embodiment of Xia Meng, the most beautiful girl in Jin Yong's eyes, is naturally extremely beautiful. But if she is a camellia with Dotty on the edge of a cliff in the morning, then Li Canghai is like a long bamboo forest.

But in any case, both of them exude a classical charm.

This was something Li Lin had never seen before.

Although Nymphadora Tonks has played roles such as Ling'er, Wang Yuyan, Zi Xuan, these are only one-to-one representations in appearance and physique; the temperament and charm they embody are completely different.

Just like a mediocre imitation of Longjing shrimp, although it has the aroma of tea and the sweetness of shrimp, the two are distinct and fail to blend together to complement each other and achieve their desired effect.

Wang Yuyan was unaware that Li Lin was comparing her to Li Canghai, and her thoughts even wandered to the lower realms because she thought of Nymphadora Tonks.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have been so calm, simply pointing to her lips with a finger that looked like it was carved from white jade, and asking, "Do I have the same face as my great-aunt?"

Then her chest heaved, "Luckily, it's just the face."

Huang Rong, carrying a porcelain plate, teased, "Are you afraid of your sweetheart—" Her voice trailed off, her lively gaze sweeping over Wang Yuyan and Li Lin for a moment, "Why don't you eat something first to calm your jealous heart?"

The plate contains three large bowls of dishes and three bowls of white rice.

The first two bowls didn't seem particularly special, except for their enticing aroma. They looked like ordinary grilled meat strips and steamed tofu.

Only the last bowl was completely different. The red, white and green colors complemented each other, the clear soup was emerald green, and it was topped with bright red cherries, pink petals, and a few tender bamboo shoot pieces. It was more like a beautiful oil painting than a dish.

"Why isn't mine?" Wu Yazi asked, feigning ignorance.

"You understand, Crow Lord." Huang Rong rolled her eyes at Wu Yazi.

Just like Li Lin would become infatuated with a beautiful woman and lose his focus for a short time.

Huang Rong and Wang Yuyan, both just beginning to experience romantic feelings, naturally fell in love when they met Li Lin, who was the same age and exceptionally handsome.

Huang Rong has always been quick-witted, and every word she says is meaningful. Although her dishes are full of ingenuity, they are mostly characterized by their complex flavors and simple recipes.

But since Li Lin came, the dishes he makes have become more complicated, and he uses more classical allusions. Dishes like "Swallows Flying in the Light Rain" and "Lotus Root of Longing" are just ordinary ones.

"Let me see." Wu Yazi looked like a crow, jumped onto the table and observed carefully. "This tastes like pigeon meat. The petals and cherries must represent a beautiful woman. The lotus is the gentleman among flowers, and the bamboo shoots and lotus leaves represent a gentleman."

"A gentleman, a beautiful woman, and a turtledove—it's all too obvious."

"The first poem in the Book of Songs is: 'The ospreys cry 'guan guan' on the river islet; a fair maiden is the gentleman's ideal.'"

The implication is probably all too obvious.

Worried that his junior sister would discover him, Wu Yazi, as the leader of the Xiaoyao School, skillfully shifted the pressure onto Huang Rong.

However, he still underestimated Huang Rong's boldness.

Her previous vulnerability, much like Wang Yuyan's, stemmed from being in a foreign land and the despondency of realizing she might never be able to return.

As the daughter of the Eastern Heretic, Huang Rong was not afraid to express her feelings.

So, following Wu Yazi's words, she smiled brightly and held up the soup in her hands, "Here—Brother Lin, 'Good Match Soup'."

Li Lin took the soup bowl and said, "The soup is delicious, and you are even more beautiful."

Having failed to see the outcome he desired, Wu Yazi turned his attention to his granddaughter.

Then I suddenly felt a sense of disappointment and frustration.

Yu Yan, be more careful! Your best friend is seducing your man, and you're not even reacting.

Wu Yazi really wanted to say that.

But regardless of blood ties, Huang Rong is lively, cute, sweet-talking, a good cook, and knowledgeable, is more favored by him.

He felt more pity for his granddaughter, who was always self-pitying, but was beautiful and had a photographic memory.

Therefore, Wu Yazi didn't say anything, but just looked at his granddaughter with a "you better stand up straight" look.

Wang Yuyan didn't care. Having experienced the betrayal of her cousin, the disappearance of her mother, the maid who served her, and everyone she knew, she didn't pursue the so-called monogamous relationship. On the contrary, she preferred a more lively atmosphere.

She is always quiet and doesn't like to talk much, but she prefers to be around lively people.

If Huang Rong were a man, she would have fallen for him long ago.

This is actually the situation she most wanted to see.

Huang Rong was the same. She had only her father, mute servant, and Old Urchin by her side since childhood. Suddenly, she arrived a hundred years ago. With no one to rely on, she became the support of another little girl and found her own value.

Furthermore, since she was the daughter of the Eastern Heretic, who despised traditional etiquette, she didn't care that Li Lin had other people, let alone that one of them was Wang Yuyan.

Thus, under Wu Yazi gaze, Li Lin began to openly embrace two women.

Is this even possible?

"You can do that?" Murong Fu exclaimed in surprise.

This was his forty-second attempt to escape.

His Transfiguration animal army immediately turned against him the moment the dragon's shadow passed by.

This made him almost forget the humiliation he felt when he had only been accommodating to Qiao Feng before he discovered him.

"It's actually possible to do that." Little did they know that Qiao Feng thought the same thing.

Upon learning of Song Emperor's death, he originally planned to arrest the two men immediately.

But to everyone's surprise, the masked giant who could wield the [Explosion Curse] with his bare hands suddenly changed his style, unleashing powerful and sweeping attacks, no longer dodging, as if he were seeking death.

Meanwhile, Murong Fu began trying every possible way to escape.

With the masked man seeking death and Murong Fu survival, Qiao Feng was genuinely stumped for a time.

After Qiao Feng quickly adapted, he was reluctant to give up such a good sparring partner.

He discovered and developed various strange and unusual uses of the Patronus Charm in battle.

It can transform the physical body into qi, seize the mind, restore energy, dispel fatigue, calm the spirit, relax muscles and promote blood circulation, and enhance one's power.

Taking away Murong Fu's control over his Transfiguration creations was just one of the small discoveries.

But his greatest discovery was not these uses of the Patronus Charm.

It was the masked man's strange attitude that struck me.

As a martial artist, reading an opponent's fighting habits from their moves, whether good or bad, is simply a fundamental skill.

Not to mention, due to his mastery of the Patronus Charm, he also seemed to have developed the ability to read minds.

If Murong Fu felt envy, jealousy, and hatred towards him, then this masked man felt only love and affection.

Combining the masked giant's Demon Subduing Palm technique with the figure that hadn't appeared since the very beginning...

The dragon shadow that had been roaming the sky transformed back into human form, a look of sorrow flashing in its eyes. "Could it be... you are..."

"No," the masked man cried out, realizing a terrifying possibility, and frantically denied it, "No, I'm not!"

At the same time, he swung a palm at Murong Fu, who was preparing to sneak away, but Murong Fu quickly conjured up a suit of armor to protect himself.

Seeing the burly man's reaction and actions, Qiao Feng became even more certain of his thoughts, "Why do you want to?"

The masked man confirmed that he had not guessed wrong. He regretted not destroying the tattoo on Qiao Feng's chest while he was still young, and at the same time, he had the urge to immediately reunite with his son.

This expression, these tears, this martial arts skill reminded Xuan Ci, who had collected the Song Emperor's body and arrived at the front mountain, of his Xuan Ci brother, Xuan Ku. As for his appearance, perhaps Xuan Ku had awakened Transfiguration. After all, one's appearance can change, but the skill of this [Demon Subduing Palm] cannot be imitated.

"Let him go," Xuan Ci sighed.

"Me?" Murong Fu was so desperate to run away that he was overjoyed and prepared to retreat, but was then crushed to the ground by the huge palm shadow unleashed by Xuan Ci.

Qiao Feng originally intended to let Murong Fu go, since Murong Fu hadn't done anything wrong. In this world, Murong Bo hadn't suffered a sudden cerebral hemorrhage, so he didn't shift the blame onto his son and make it harder for him to rebel.

But seeing Xuan Ci make a move, he abandoned that plan.

Seeing that Qiao Feng was no longer paying attention to his young master, Feng Bo'e and Bao Butong, who were preparing to help him, said, "Young master, you're running away, why are you saying such things?"

Xiao Yuanshan mistakenly believed that Xuan Ci knew he was not dead and wanted to let him go out of guilt. "I don't need your pity! Feng'er, I must die here!"

Xuan Ci: This attitude, hmm, it's not bad for my junior brother who always gives me the cold shoulder!

Qiao Feng: Although the voice is wrong, you still call me Feng'er with such sincerity. You are definitely my master.

So the two of them remained silent, looking down at each other as if Xiao Yuanshan were invisible.

Xiao Yuanshan, who was preparing to commit suicide to destroy the last evidence that Qiao Feng was Khitan, was about to continue his attack, but when he saw that Yale Guan, whom he had adopted since Tong Guan, was still alive and had a pleading look in his eyes, he flew away instead.

Before leaving, he slapped Murong Fu again.

Almost exhausted, Murong Fu managed to conjure an iron plate to block the attack, then collapsed, coughing up blood.

Feng Bo'e and Bao Butong rushed out of the crowd, no longer concealing their actions, and helped Murong Fu up.

"Kill me if you want, I want to die with you, young master."

"No, no, Gang Leader Qiao is kind-hearted, and Abbot Xuan Ci is a monk. How could he kill unarmed people like us?"

Qiao Feng was moved by their loyalty and righteousness, saying, "The death penalty can be avoided, but punishment is still a possibility."

Xuan Ci continued, "You may all spend your lives in the Discipline Hall, practicing Buddhism and remaining a solitary figure."

Murong Fu was naturally unwilling to accept this, as he didn't even have a son yet.

However, he fainted, and Feng Bo'e and Bao Butong made the decision for him, nodding repeatedly.

Inside the bamboo house, Wang Yuyan, immersed in happiness, briefly thought of her mother.

Wu Yazi looked at his granddaughter, asking with his eyes whether he should intervene.

Wang Yuyan shook her head. Being imprisoned for life, forced to eat only vegetarian food, and forced to give up her imperial ambitions was worse than death for her cousin.

She was not saddened by her mother's death; her mother deserved to die for the sins she had committed.

Her hatred for Murong Fu stemmed more from his betrayal and the death of her maid.

"What's wrong?" Xuan Ku returned to the front mountain. "Why are you all looking at me?"

Qiao Feng and Xuan Ci exchanged a glance.

If they watched Ultraman, they would definitely understand the strange emotions in their hearts.

After Ultraman disappeared, the team members who had also disappeared returned in the sunset.

They were even more certain that the masked man was Xuan Ku.

"It's nothing," Qiao Feng said, never one to lie. He had seen the Song Emperor's body. "The Emperor is dead."

Xuan Ci chanted Buddhist prayers, his expression unchanged, and said, "I'm pondering what should happen to the Beggar's Gang and Shaolin Temple after the government disappears—"

"Of course it's Gang Leader Qiao," Tong Guan replied. "Since we have no sons and regard Gang Leader Qiao as a brother, it's only natural that the elder brother should pass the throne to the younger brother."

"If it were you, Feng'er," Xuan Ku pondered for a moment, "You would definitely do a great job."

Xuan Ci and Qiao Feng exchanged another glance. They were certain that the big man was Xuan Ku!

Xuan Ci nodded, "We are ultimately people outside the secular world. If it were Gang Leader Qiao, this old monk would have no objection."

The beggars and monks below the stage seemed to have completely forgotten their previous conflict, and joined the heroes in chanting "Gang Leader Qiao" to express their support.

This even includes those who caused trouble before, were captured, and remained in the community.

This was the scene that Murong Fu saw when he woke up, and he fainted again.

At this moment, the beautiful young woman appeared in front of the cliff where the Lingjiu Palace forces were seated, tilting her head in thought, "Is it Senior Sister?"

Crack!

A voice, making no attempt to conceal its Apparition, rang out.

"It's me." The tall, elegant woman nodded. "Junior Sister, it's been many years."

A great opportunity to strike up a conversation!

"It's not you." Li Lin appeared silently. "The location you sensed is correct."

With a slight bend of his slender fingers, as if stirring the clouds in the sky, a wisp of white mist split into two as Li Lin's fingers moved, appearing in front of the two women.

"The smell of the Bei Ming Divine Skill." The elegant and noble woman frowned.

For the first time, human emotions appeared on the beautiful young woman's Sage Aura face—disdain mixed with longing. "Sister or Senior Brother?"

"Wu Yazi?" The elegant woman sneered. "He's long dead. Our sect leader died at the hands of his own disciple."

As the master of the Lingjiu Palace, she was incredibly well-informed. She knew that after Wuyazi succeeded to the Wu Yazi, he abolished the tradition of passing down knowledge through martial arts and instead studied miscellaneous subjects such as music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. She also knew that he was eventually knocked off the cliff by his second disciple Ding Chunqiu, who was more skilled in martial arts but was not valued.

"If you want to learn from our master, you must at least learn everything."

"They're still hiding things from us, not teaching us martial arts, but instead suppressing us."

"My master at least gave me Lingjiu Palace and didn't hold anything back from me."

"Senior Sister, be careful what you say." After hearing Wu Xingyun's sarcastic remarks about Wu Yazi, Li Canghai offered a perfunctory piece of advice, "After all, he is the sect leader chosen by Master."

He then looked at Li Lin, "Young Master, who are you?"

"Naturally, it's the gigolo your sister found," Wu Xingyun said bluntly. "Who else could it be?"

She looked Li Lin up and down. "I'm attracted to this face, let alone your sister."

Li Canghai shook his head, "I don't think you're that kind of person, young master."