Southern Brightness Fire Countered the Yang Corporeal Soul Incarnation
"Why are you at the Prime Minister's residence?"
The Imperial City District was heavily patrolled, and Zhang Xuezhou and his group were only allowed to pass through at night after presenting their tokens.
Even with their tokens, they were checked eight out of ten times along the way.
Upon reaching the location of the Night Owl, Tian Fen's Prime Minister's residence came into view.
When the Empress Dowager was in power at Changxin Palace, many officials were directly selected from Tian Fen's residence.
Without making any meritorious contributions or getting promoted step by step, these people directly became high-ranking officials.
For many people, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that this is a meteoric rise to success.
This led to a constant influx of people seeking official positions to the Prime Minister's residence, and many were willing to become Tian Fen's retainers.
Tian Fen once hosted a banquet for his retainers, which was attended by 3,200 people, and that was a year and a half ago.
The number of these retainers continued to increase, and Tian Fen was no longer able to manage them. He could only select the top retainers through monthly tests and fill various positions in the imperial court with them.
This isn't entirely Tian Fen's fault; once a crack is opened in the court, those with ulterior motives will inevitably flock to it.
It's quite normal for some outcasts to mix in among the retainers.
Where are the night owls?
"On the rooftops two miles away!"
Zhang Xuezhou asked Yi Zong in a low voice, and the four of them circled around for a while before entering the west gate of the Prime Minister's residence.
The new emperor took a yellowish bamboo tablet, which the guards at the west gate flipped through, and then gestured for everyone to proceed.
A single retainer's token allows four people to pass through, making it so easy to sneak into the Prime Minister's residence that it's beyond ridiculous.
Upon entering the West Gate, the group saw many newly built houses brightly lit, with numerous retainers loudly gambling and making a racket, creating a scene as noisy as a marketplace.
Not only were Hongku and his group inconspicuous in the Prime Minister's residence, but Zhang Xuezhou and his group were as well.
The noise masked much of the chaos, and the guests, coming and going in twos and threes to participate in various riddle-guessing games, did not seem unusual when walking outside at night.
"Let's send some zongzi (rice dumplings) to cause trouble and pick a fight with that guy we've never even met!"
With a sweep of his gaze, Zhang Xuezhou spotted the tamed night owl of Yizong.
This is a bird that resembles a cat. Its round head looks somewhat endearing, but its sharp claws and hooked beak prove its status as a bird of prey.
Standing quietly on the rooftop, the night owl was like a clay sculpture, hard to attract attention.
When Yi Zong mentioned that the night owl flew almost silently, Zhang Xuezhou couldn't help but marvel, feeling that this kind of bird was almost born to spy in the dark.
Through the gap in the window, he could already see Hongku's familiar figure in the lamplight, clearly indicating that the tracking was very accurate.
After waving his hand in acknowledgment, Yi Zong nodded, then picked up a nearby stool and crawled over.
Before long, the room where Hongku was located was filled with Yizong's shouts of losing money, picking fights, and demanding protection money.
The Beast Taming Sect has a corrupt atmosphere, and even the sect leader has resorted to robbing people across the river. Over the years, Yi Zong has followed suit and has done a lot of theft and robbery in order to survive and cultivate. Yi Zong's provocation was not intentional at all.
The sounds of arguing and Hongku filled the room.
"That Honghu merchant has met someone before, could it be...?"
He will cooperate!
The new emperor was somewhat worried that Hongku might have met Yizong and thus discovered his intentions, but Zhang Xuezhou shook his head.
Given Hongku's current awkward situation, being watched and controlled, and having to report everything in order to continue negotiations, Hongku probably hopes that the sorcerer traveling with him will get into trouble in a reasonable way.
However, once the two parties reach an agreement, the task of transporting medicinal materials and retrieving elixirs can be completely replaced by other cultivators, thus allowing Hongku to act as the middleman.
Putting aside the fact that it would be impossible to profit from, Hongku's own value would inevitably decrease significantly, which is not the situation Hongku would want to see.
Hongku was very clear about Zhang Xuezhou's character, and Zhang Xuezhou was obviously also very clear about the character of his former teacher.
Furthermore, Hongku has another characteristic: he is extremely good at patience and restraint, and when he does act, it is as swift as thunder.
The opponent can be all smiles one minute and draw their sword the next; they'll inevitably gamble when they see an opportunity.
"Never mind, it's better to lose money than to suffer a greater disaster!"
"It's just a little money, let's just give it to him!"
"Gamblers who are blinded by greed are capable of anything; it's normal for them to be blind to reality!"
In the side room, Hongku kept trying to break up the fight, repeatedly stopping the other sorcerer's hand, which led to Yizong slapping the other three times.
This method of mediating and breaking up fights may seem like helping, but it often ends up making things worse.
Anyone who has a friend like this is truly unlucky.
The sorcerer who was keeping an eye on Hongku was pulled and tugged several times, uttering a few curses in broken Chinese before Hongku covered his mouth again.
"Take the money and get out of here!" Hongku cried out.
"That old fellow is quick-witted; otherwise, I'd show you what the Horse King's third eye is all about!"
Yi Zong snorted twice, weighed the money bag in his hand, and then slammed the door and left.
"Damn it..."
Hongku released his hands from the fight, then quickly closed the door and bolted it shut. Low curses could be heard from inside the room.
"Did that guy's spirit manifest as a being to take revenge?"
"It seems it's still a bit too early. We'll have Yizong go kick down the door again and demand money in a bit!"
Zhang Xuezhou waved to Yi Zong, then stared intently at the door and window of the side room.
The sorcerer who was tailing Hongku held his breath, but suppressed his desire for revenge and did not follow Yizong.
"Let's go again!"
After waiting quietly for nearly ten minutes, Zhang Xuezhou indicated that he would come to the door again.
It's unclear how Yi Zong managed to get involved with so many people, but after spending a short time at the Shefu Casino, he already had two retainers who were blinded by their losses.
The three of them started causing trouble in the room where Hongku and the others were. Some of the retainers even pried open the window and broke into the room, which caused a lot of cursing and shouting inside.
"Going alone is one thing, but bringing others along makes him a target of resentment!"
The new emperor murmured.
The new emperor was shrewd, but he never resorted to such underhanded seduction tactics.
Yi Zong's methods were unscrupulous, yet highly effective.
Not to mention the sorcerer who was pulled away by Hongku, the new emperor himself found that he too could be broken down after putting himself in that situation.
Guan Zhizong acted very naturally when he caused trouble, without showing any sign of deliberate intent.
"Is he your brother-in-law? I've never seen him before. What does he do?"
The new emperor asked a few questions in a low voice, and after learning the details, he found it difficult to express his dissatisfaction.
Yi Zong wasn't acting; the other party was simply being himself.
In short, it's natural for someone who's been a bandit to do this kind of thing.
Upon hearing that Zhang Xuezhou wanted his brother-in-law to reform his ways, the new emperor glanced at the night owl who had tracked him down and felt that the court could give such a person a chance, and might even promote him exceptionally.
Emperor Gaozu's origins were also humble, and the founding generals of the Great Han Dynasty included minor officials, soldiers, farmers, butchers, small craftsmen, small merchants, musicians, and vagrants. As long as one had the ability, the new emperor would not be concerned about his background.
He and Zhang Xuezhou whispered to each other for a while, and only stopped talking when Yi Zong and the others slammed the door and left again.
"They're out!"
The wait wasn't long, just a few minutes. Zhang Xuezhou and the others, who were sitting on stools in the corner pretending to chat, noticed a faint shadow appearing.
Provoked by Yi Zong's repeated visits, the sorcerer finally couldn't resist the urge for revenge.
Zhang Xuezhou and the new emperor glanced at Gongsun Hong, who took a deep breath.
After chanting the incantation softly, a tiny, pitifully small flame appeared on the tip of his right finger.
The new emperor frowned as he read it; even with Zhang Xuezhou's prior notice, he still found it hard to believe.
"Walk!"
The three of them sensed the avatar of Yang Po gradually approaching Yi Zong, and they all stood up at the same time.
"Hey, are you blind? Do you know who's behind me?"
I don't care who you are!
Zhang Xuezhou lowered his head slightly and bumped into Yi Zong. Yi Zong was only slightly taken aback, then cursed back and pushed and shoved Zhang Xuezhou.
In an instant, several people started shouting and cursing, then pushed and shoved each other into a chaotic brawl.
"Dogs fight!"
A soft, satisfying sound came as Zhang Xuezhou shoved Gongsun Hong in the shoulder. As Gongsun Hong staggered, Zhang Xuezhou slapped him with his right hand.
The flame held between his fingers ignited, like piercing a bubble rising to the surface of water, creating a human-shaped fire circle that then transformed into speckled flames that fell away, followed by flames that extended like lightning.
A agonizing scream came from the room where Hongku was. The group exchanged glances and then scattered.