As the great show was about to draw to a close, Jiang Moran lost interest. By coincidence, just as he emerged from the imperial palace, he ran into Fengqingzi, who was holding a roasted rabbit.
“Senior?” Fengqingzi was somewhat surprised. He had just been planning to sneak into the imperial palace from this direction.
Jiang Moran snatched the rabbit from his hands. “And here I was wondering what took you so long. Turns out you went to catch a wild rabbit. Nice skills!”
Fengqingzi gave an embarrassed laugh. Seeing Jiang Moran take a bite and seem in high spirits, he finally asked the question he was curious about.
“So... Senior, how are things inside the palace?”
“How else? The old Emperor is incredibly scheming. He knew the Third Prince was going to rebel ages ago.”
Fengqingzi's eyes widened. So the Emperor had known everything all along.
Just as he was still immersed in his shock, Jiang Moran's hand paused mid-bite.
“My friends, the Emperor requests your presence.”
A raspy, grating voice sounded from the darkness. Fengqingzi whipped his head around to look.
A blurry silhouette stepped out of the darkness. His figure was hunched and skeletal, his face like tree bark and dry bones, looking as though he might be blown away by the wind at any moment.
Yet, it was this very unremarkable elder who gave Fengqingzi an unfathomable feeling.
His expression turned grave, and his heart churned uncontrollably.
Clearly, he could attack from any angle, yet his sixth sense told him that he must not do so...
“Who are you?” Jiang Moran asked, squinting slightly at him.
He could feel the other party's aura even more clearly than Fengqingzi. In this vast world, the number of people who could match this elder definitely did not exceed the fingers on both hands.
The elder let out a dry laugh, though it was somewhat chilling.
“This old man is the Inner Palace's Number One Enshrined Master. You may call me Elder Li.”
The elder's words made Fengqingzi's heart tremble. The Inner Palace's Number One Enshrined Master?!
That was someone personally recruited by the Emperor!
The heavens are truly trying to end me...
Fengqingzi let out a bitter laugh. Abandoning his vigilance, he simply gave up and resigned himself to his fate.
“Not going,” Jiang Moran said flatly.
Both Elder Li and Fengqingzi were taken aback. The former had not expected Jiang Moran to refuse, while the latter had not expected Jiang Moran to be so gutsy.
In his despair, a trace of relief washed over Fengqingzi. As it turned out, he was this arrogant with absolutely everyone...
“Haha, quite the courage. This old man will see what capabilities you junior possess,” Elder Li chuckled, slowly bringing down his hands from behind his back.
Boom!
A fierce blast of air surged toward Fengqingzi, making it hard for him to even open his eyes. Elder Li had already struck, but his lightning-fast blow was caught by Jiang Moran.
The shockwave generated by their clash swept outward, causing Fengqingzi to stumble back several steps before he could stabilize his stance.
“He actually blocked it...” Fengqingzi muttered to himself, a trace of disbelief flashing in his eyes.
Jiang Moran's strength had once again exceeded his wildest imaginations.
Elder Li did not halt his fist momentum. He unleashed strike after strike, his wood-like, withered body bursting with terrifying power.
Each of his punches was accompanied by a piercing sonic boom, striking dread into the heart.
Yet, the more Elder Li fought, the more startled he became. Though his attacks appeared peerlessly fierce, each fist had remarkably little effect. His opponent was neutralizing his strikes with a strange movement technique and Taiji.
Shifting stances, redirecting force—the hand movements and footwork coordinated seamlessly!
If this dragged on, he would undoubtedly lose...
Thinking of this, Elder Li was shocked. The jianghu had changed far too much in recent years; since when had such a peerless expert appeared?
Right at that moment, Jiang Moran shifted from his defensive stance. Exerting force through his hands, he shook off Elder Li's offensive and abruptly closed the distance between them.
This split second was far too fast, and the strength far exceeded Elder Li's expectations. By the time he wanted to dodge, it was already too late.
Jiang Moran's curved index finger pressed gently against Elder Li's solar plexus—light, yet incredibly lethal.
At this moment, the victor had been decided.
Absolute silence filled the area. Fengqingzi was utterly dumbfounded. Senior... actually defeated the Inner Palace's Number One Enshrined Master?!
Elder Li was also stunned. Having looked down on the world for half his life, this was the first time he had been defeated so easily by another.
“Incredible... Hahaha! The youth are truly to be feared!” Elder Li burst into loud laughter, not showing even a hint of embarrassment or anger from his defeat. “Kid, you are formidable. This old man admits defeat.”
Jiang Moran retracted his hand and gave him a faint smile.
He could tell that the elder harbored no malice. Though the opponent's punch momentum seemed fierce, they had actually held back.
Had the other party not been careless, he would have had to waste the time it took to burn an incense stick to subdue him.
“I'm leaving first, old man. Help me make up an excuse to the Emperor.” Jiang Moran waved his hand, giving him a deep look before leaving.
He hadn't expected to be discovered. It seemed the imperial palace was indeed a place of crouching tigers and hidden dragons. He would have to be more careful next time.
Watching Jiang Moran's retreating back, Elder Li shook his head. “Alas, what a waste of the fine wine and food the Emperor prepared.”
Fengqingzi's lips twitched. Oh, no.
Sure enough, in the next instant, Jiang Moran slung an arm around Elder Li's shoulders, wearing a highly enthusiastic expression.
“How can you say that? How could we possibly decline the Emperor's invitation? Let's go, let's go, let's go.”
“Hahaha, quite a character you are, young friend.”
The two walked further and further away, both acting as if they had only regretted not meeting each other sooner, leaving Fengqingzi to stand alone, completely bewildered in the wind.
The imperial palace, Yutai Lake.
A wide wooden bridge led straight to the pavilion in the center of Yutai Lake. Led by Elder Li, Jiang Moran and Fengqingzi stepped onto it. Looking from afar, they could see a table set with fine wine and delicious food inside the pavilion.
Sitting beside it was a man, who was none other than the reigning Emperor.
Having shed his five-clawed golden dragon robe, his aura of supreme ruler of the world was slightly diminished, replaced by a touch of casualness.
Elder Li stepped forward to bow slightly. The Emperor waved his hand. “There is no need for such ceremony. In private, everything should be simple.”
He then looked at the two behind Elder Li.
“These two must be of the jianghu. There is no need for ceremony either. Please, have a seat.”
Fengqingzi was rather surprised. He had not expected the reigning Emperor to be so approachable. The tension in his heart eased a bit as he nodded and took a seat along with Elder Li.
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