Chapter 49: Duel of Masters

  The queen looked at Nan Lingrui, not wanting him to fall asleep while talking, she thought of waking him up, but seeing that he looked extremely tired and exhausted, like he hadn't slept for several days. His tall body stiffly sat in the chair, able to fall asleep even in this position, it was imaginable how tired and sleepy he was. She thus held back her words.

  Inside the hall, there was no more sound of speech, only Nan Lingrui's even breathing and snoring sounds came out.

  The queen sat quietly in her chair, looking at Nan Lingrui's gaze rising with kindness and gentleness. After entering the palace for a year, she still had no children, while other concubines gave birth to children one after another. She knew that her sister-in-law was skilled in medicine, so she sent someone to ask her sister-in-law to enter the palace once. After her sister-in-law entered the palace and took her pulse, she only then learned that she would never be able to have children this lifetime. At that time, she felt both hatred and anger, but later thought that it was not a child of the person she loved, so it didn't matter if they weren't born. Later, when her sister-in-law had a young son, she was even more delighted than if she had given birth to one herself. During that period, the emperor didn't know what he was busy with and wasn't strict in his management of the harem, so she would secretly leave the palace every now and then to return to her residence and see her little nephew. Later, after a year, she simply brought the child into the palace to live for a few days every once in a while. She naturally loved this young nephew extremely.

  Three years later, her sister-in-law gave birth to a daughter named Moon, and she was overjoyed. Moon was born with a delicate complexion and features that people loved, and her big black eyes sparkled as the whole family gathered around her. The child lay quietly in her mother's arms, not crying or making a fuss, curiously looking at everyone. She looked gentle and calm, not like a child at all. Her sister-in-law smiled and said that Moon might grow up to be as virtuous and talented as Empress Zhen. Her sister-in-law just smiled and didn't say anything. She thought of herself, married into the Tian family, but still ended up leaving the Ronghua Palace in sorrow, her beauty withering away like a dead branch? And so she lost her smile.

  Two years later, her sister-in-law suddenly passed away without any warning, leaving behind a pair of children. She thought that from then on, she would love them as if they were her own children. However, the Emperor later turned against the Yun Wangfu and she could no longer leave the palace frequently like before. Every day, apart from accompanying the Emperor and Empress Dowager, she also had to compete with the other consorts for position, which left her exhausted. Fortunately, the two children would often come to visit her in the palace. In this way, several years passed by in a flash. Ten years ago, she didn't see her nephew for two consecutive months, and later found out that he had gone to Beijiang after suffering a great calamity. After that, her nephew became cold and distant, no longer visiting her palace, and her niece also changed greatly, starting to chase after the Crown Prince, and in the blink of an eye, ten years passed by. Even she felt that the ten years were like a fleeting moment, and the children had grown up before her eyes.

  The queen looked at Nan Lingrui, her eyes gradually becoming moist. Her nephew had become the crown prince of Nanliang, and her niece had inherited the fate of loving Jing Shizi of Rong Wangfu. The world had been peaceful for a hundred years, but the winds and clouds were finally going to change! All she could do was use her utmost ability to protect them.

  "The Emperor has arrived!" A loud shout suddenly came from outside the Ronghua Palace.

  The queen was startled and suddenly stood up.

  "Your Majesty, the Emperor has arrived..." The trembling voice of Sun Mama came hastily from outside.

  The queen looked out of the palace, turned her head and glanced at Nan Lingrui who was stiffly asleep, her face slightly pale. She calmed herself down and said to the outside: "Didn't I tell you that I'm not feeling well? The emperor has come but hasn't seen me."

  "Your Majesty, it's the Emperor!" Sun's voice was slightly trembling. "No one in the harem has ever not seen the Emperor, and even as the Empress, you are no exception!"

  "I say it's okay, then it's okay!" The queen frowned and looked outside, saying in a low voice: "Sun Shunü, you are the old servant by my side, the one I trust most. If even you are so flustered and fearful, does that mean I still have any chance of survival today? Crown Prince Rui cannot leave this palace today. No matter what method you use, you must stop the Emperor for me. Otherwise, not a single person in this Ronghua Palace, including myself, will survive today!"

  "Yes!" The old lady's body stiffened, and her panicked heart calmed down instantly. Although she had been frightened and shocked many times today, after all, she had followed the empress for more than 20 years and was used to seeing storms come and go. At this time, she could only muster up the courage to welcome them out.

  The queen turned her head to look at Nan Lingrui, came to his side and whispered softly, "Han... Ruirui, wake up..."

  Nan Lingrui was fast asleep, motionless.

  The queen stretched out her hand to push him, he slept extremely soundly, still motionless. After pushing for a while, she heard the emperor and the guards arriving at the gate of Ronghua Palace, she gritted her teeth, could only support him up, dragging him towards the screen behind.

  Nan Lingrui was still fast asleep, even when the empress dragged him along, without even opening his eyelids. Fortunately, the empress had some skills, but after being pampered in the palace for years, her skills were almost abandoned. After using a lot of effort to drag Nan Lingrui behind the screen and put him on the carpet, she wiped the sweat from her forehead, turned around and exited the screen, took off her outer clothes and hung them on the clothes rack at the head of the bed, then took a piece of silk cloth and wet it with water to place on her forehead. After doing all this, she lay back down on the bed.

  "The slaves (maids) pay homage to Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor! Long, long life to the Emperor!" Sun and others knelt on the ground as soon as they saw the old emperor arrive.

  "What about the Empress?" The old Emperor hadn't seen the Empress's shadow and asked out loud.

  "Reporting to Your Majesty, the princess's body is not feeling well. After Shallow Moon Miss left, she fell asleep. She ordered the servants that whoever came would not be seen. The servant saw that Your Majesty had arrived and the princess was still sleeping, so the servant did not go to wake her up." Sun Mama has one good thing about her, no matter how afraid she is, but when it comes to the critical moment, she will not be timid. This is also the reason why the empress values her highly.

  "What's wrong with your body? Have you seen a doctor?" The old emperor raised an eyebrow.

  "The mistress has been feeling unwell for the past few days, probably because her period is coming. The mistress said it's nothing serious, every month before her period arrives, she always feels uncomfortable. I didn't go to invite a doctor." Sun mama spoke out the excuse that had just occurred to her.

  "Is that so?" The old emperor frowned.

  "Yes!" The old nurse bowed her head in response.

  The old emperor looked at the palace, the main hall door and window were tightly closed. He was silent for a moment, then suddenly ordered behind him, "Wen Lei, I will turn over the empress's token today and stay in Ronghua Palace!"

  "Yes!" Brunei responded immediately.

  "Your Majesty, the Empress is not feeling well and cannot attend to you. Perhaps you should summon another concubine instead? Wait until the Empress recovers a bit..."

  "She's unwell, I can take care of her myself. She is my empress, who else's business is it to interfere? You don't need to say anything!" The old emperor walked past Sun Ruigui and headed towards the main hall.

  "Your Majesty, the princess really..." Sun Mama still wanted to stop her.

  "Hmm?" The old emperor suddenly stopped in his tracks, narrowing his eyes at Sun Laifu, "Is the empress hiding something from me? Sun Laifu, tell me the truth!"

  The eunuch was so frightened that his face changed color, and he hastily knelt down on the ground, not daring to move again. He hung his head and said, "Your Majesty, it's really true that Her Majesty is unwell, I don't dare deceive you."

  "The Empress is unwell, I'll go take a look!" The old Emperor stared at Sun for a moment before heading inside.

  Sun Aunt thought of a plan, but as a slave, she couldn't stop the emperor no matter what. She was momentarily flustered and saw the old emperor resolutely entering, so she quickly got up from her kneeling position and chased after him.

  Brunei glanced at Sun Shangxiang and also followed in a hurry.

  The old emperor arrived at the main hall and pushed the door with his hand. The door was locked from the inside. He furrowed his brow and shouted to those inside, "Empress!"

  Not even half of his voice was transmitted inside.

  "Empress! Open the door for me!" The old emperor shouted again, this time his voice was a few degrees lower.

  There was still no sound coming from inside.

  "Empress!" The old emperor shouted again, his voice a few degrees louder.

  There was still no sound coming from inside.

  "Wen Lai, open the gate for me!" The old emperor turned his head and ordered Wen Lai.

  "Yes!" Wen Lai stepped forward, just about to make a move, when the door suddenly swung open from inside, and the empress, dressed in a simple robe with a kerchief covering her forehead, looked at the old emperor with an extremely unpleasant expression. For the first time, she didn't greet him with the usual courtesy, but instead said with a scowl: "Your Majesty, why did you come here to bother me when you should be taking care of Cold Sister? This is when Cold Sister needs you most! I'm not feeling well today and can't attend to Your Majesty. You'd better go to Changchun Palace!"

  The words fell, and before the old emperor could speak, the empress "slammed" the door shut from inside, and the handle was quickly inserted into the door. She turned around and walked towards the bed. No one noticed that her palms were already sweating.

  The old emperor was refused entry to the harem for the first time, and he stared at the tightly closed door in disbelief, momentarily stunned. In his memory, the empress was like all the empresses of the Tian Sheng dynasty, gentle, dignified, knowledgeable and reasonable, and would never do such an impolite thing. She had always treated him with respect, without affection between husband and wife, but also wouldn't shut him out like this.

  The old lady didn't dare breathe loudly, her hands and feet were icy cold.

  Everyone from Brunei and others who followed the old emperor, as well as all the palace maids and eunuchs serving in the Ronghua Palace, held their breath.

  The old emperor was stunned for a moment, and did not get angry, but instead spoke in a gentle tone towards the door: "Empress Leng has fallen asleep! I will be staying at Ronghua Palace today. You don't need to attend to me since you're not feeling well. Come, open the door for me."

  The queen did not think that the old emperor would not leave. The footsteps walking to the front of the bed stopped, her hands clenched tightly, and she said coldly: "Your Majesty didn't understand? I am unwell and want to rest alone. Since Cold Sister can't attend to me, Your Majesty should go to Ming Sister's place. Ming Sister has been worried about the three princesses all this time. Your Majesty should go to Ming Sister's place more often."

  The old emperor frowned upon hearing this, but still didn't get angry, his tone remained gentle. "You're right! However, since I've come to Ronghua Palace, I don't want to rush around anymore. I'll stay overnight at Ronghua Palace today and go to Mingfei's place tomorrow. Open the door for me! Don't say anything more."

  The empress turned her head, looking as if the old emperor had made up his mind to stay in Ronghua Palace. A look of panic finally appeared on her face, but she calmed down and said coldly: "I'm not feeling well today and I'm in a bad mood, I don't want to see Your Majesty. Ronghua Palace is not far from the Sacred Sun Hall where Your Majesty resides. Since Your Majesty won't go to Ming's sister's place, let's return to the palace!"

  The old emperor did not think that he had said so, the empress dowager still drove him away, his face finally sank, and he said angrily: "Empress, open the door for me! Can't I stay in Ronghua Palace today, do you want to drive me away?"

  "Your Majesty, don't sympathize with me! I also don't want to force a smile and pretend to be happy for Your Majesty. This palace may belong to you, but the Ronghua Palace is mine too. Today, I don't want to serve Your Majesty, so please return to your own palace!" The Empress had made up her mind and refused to let the Emperor enter.

  "You...!" The old emperor was furious, "You have a lot of nerve!"

  The queen bit her teeth and remained silent.

  "Don't forget you are My Empress! Refusing to see Me, refusing at the door, what kind of dignity is this!" The old Emperor shouted.

  "I, the empress, have been following the rules and waiting in the palace for over twenty years, not daring to make a single mistake while serving the emperor. I've also held this position as empress for over twenty years, never once being discourteous or asking the emperor for anything. Now, I'm tired. The emperor knows what he wants to do, and so do I. From now on, there's no need for you to come to Ronghua Palace again!" The empress spoke harshly.

  "You..." The old emperor was momentarily speechless.

  "Your Majesty, please return!" The empress looked at the screen and shouted outside, "Sun Shunü, send off the emperor for me!"

  The eunuch immediately knelt down with a "thud" and said loudly: "Your humble servant sends off Your Majesty!"

  The old emperor was furious, staring at the tightly closed door, suddenly turned around and strode away. Wen Lai immediately followed him with his men.

  As the footsteps faded away, the queen let out a sigh of relief, and Sun Laohou also breathed a sigh of relief. But before they could even exhale, the old emperor suddenly stopped in his tracks, turned around, and walked back, ordering Wen Lei, "Open the door for me! I will stay at Ronghua Palace tonight, and go nowhere else!"

  Sun Auntie heard this and instantly collapsed onto the ground.

  The queen was drenched in cold sweat, from her toes to the top of her head.

  "Yes!" Brunei walked over and waved his hand to knock on the door.

  The door was kicked open from outside with a loud "bang", and the hand that had been holding it was severed into two pieces. Fortunately, the door wasn't damaged, which showed just how skilled Wen Lei was.

  This slap was like a blow to the queen's heart, and at this moment her heart was in her throat. She stood motionless in the middle of the inner hall, pale-faced, staring at the old emperor outside the door. For a while, she couldn't think of any way to stop the old emperor from coming in. His martial arts skills were clear to her; as soon as he entered, he would surely discover Nan Lingrui behind the screen.

  The old emperor stood outside the door with a gloomy face and looked at the inner hall for a moment, then stepped forward and walked in, standing in front of the empress and looking at her.

  The queen suddenly walked around the old emperor and went out of the palace, "Since Your Majesty insists on staying here, I can only leave!"

  "Halt!" The old emperor bellowed, reaching out to grab the empress's wrist. "Don't think that I truly dare not punish you!"

  "That's perfect! Anyway, the Emperor has long had the intention to depose me as Empress, so I might as well be deposed now." The Empress was forced to stop in her tracks. Fortunately, she had been in the palace for twenty years and was no longer a young girl, so she could still speak calmly in front of the old Emperor.

  "You... you refuse to know what's good for you and provoke me?" The old emperor glared at the empress, his forehead bulging with rage.

  "It is Your Majesty who insists on forcing me." The Empress refused to budge an inch.

  "Nowhere is allowed to go!" The old emperor pulled the empress back and walked towards the bed. Just two steps away, he saw the empty bowls and plates that had not been collected in the hall, and suddenly asked: "I heard that you asked the imperial kitchen for lunch twice today. Can one person eat so much?"

  "The moon was here with me earlier!" The empress's heart tightened, her face unchanged.

  "Didn't Moon Yuet leave with Tian Yi? After leaving, you ordered another table, and now all of this is for you to eat?" The old emperor began to suspect. It was impossible for the empress to finish off all the dishes so cleanly. This wasn't something that any young lady from a good family could do, let alone the current empress.

  The queen's heart skipped a beat, unsure of what to say, when suddenly a faint noise came from behind the screen. The old emperor immediately let go of the queen's hand and walked towards the screen. The queen's heart was in her throat as she saw the old emperor lift up the curtain, and a cat ran out from behind it. There was no one else behind the screen except for the cat. The queen's heart sank, not caring where Nan Lingrui had gone, as long as she wasn't seen by the emperor.

  "It was just a cat!" The old emperor looked around the screen, didn't find anything unusual, he turned back to look at the empress, "Where did the cat come from? I remember the empress doesn't like cats!"

  "This cat followed her when she came last month. After she left, she didn't take it away, and I was afraid that when she comes back, she would ask me for the cat again, so I didn't drive it out." The empress's expression calmed down, "Your Majesty wasn't asking who ate those dishes? It was this cat that ate them. How could I eat so much by myself?"

  "This cat's belly is quite fat, looks like a female cat, probably about to give birth to kittens, can eat normally." The old emperor looked around the hall again with his old eyes, didn't see anything unusual, and his face relaxed.

  The queen does not speak.

  The old emperor looked at the empress, walked over and held her hand. The empress was a step slower and didn't dodge being held by him. He said: "How come your hands are so cold? Are you sick? I'll call the imperial physician to take a look."

  "That's enough! The Emperor has also come in, seen it and can leave now!" The Empress was no longer afraid of anything at this point. She realized that after following the rules for over twenty years in the palace, she had had enough! It was time to stop pretending. Moreover, her nephew was now the Crown Prince of Southern Liang, her niece liked the eldest son of the Rong Wang Fu, and as the aunt, the Empress would eventually be deposed by him one day. Even if not, she didn't expect any good outcome anyway. She had given up.

  "Are you really trying to drive me away?" The old emperor raised an eyebrow and looked at the empress with a stern face.

  "Your Majesty's concubine bids farewell!" The empress shook off the old emperor's hand and knelt on the ground.

  The old emperor looked at the empress, his eyes flashing with anger. The empress hung her head, her waist straight as a pen, motionless. Suddenly, the old emperor turned around and strode out in large strides, flinging down a sentence in anger, "Fine, I'll do as you wish!"

  The queen said no more.

  The old emperor stepped out of the threshold and shouted at Wen Lai: "Prepare the carriage! Return to Shengyang Hall."

  "Yes! The Emperor has returned to the palace!" Wen Lai shouted loudly.

  The great emperor strode forward alone, his steps swift and urgent. Clearly enraged, he had wanted to depose the empress, but never expected that instead of deposing her, she would turn around and drive him out! His forehead bulged with rage as he walked at a furious pace. The imperial guards followed closely behind the old emperor, leaving Ronghua Palace in an instant and heading towards Shengyang Hall.

  After the old emperor left, Sun Shangshu immediately ran in and hurriedly helped up the empress who was kneeling on the ground, "Your Majesty..."

  "Shut the door!" The queen commanded.

  "Yes!" Old Lady Sun hastily turned around to close the door.

  The queen got up and walked behind the screen, lifted the screen, and there was no one inside. She looked around and still didn't see anyone, just as she was wondering, a red shadow flashed in front of her eyes, and someone flew down from the top of the main hall, with a loud "bang" sound, throwing down a heavy object, which heavily smashed onto the ground.

  "Princess Ye?" The empress was shocked to see the person who had fallen, and upon seeing that the heavy object thrown to the ground was Nan Lingrui, her face turned pale. She hurriedly bent down to check on Nan Lingrui, worried about whether she was injured from being thrown down like that.

  "Your Majesty, don't worry, he's dead asleep! He's also very sturdy, with thick skin and flesh, so even if he falls, he won't get hurt or die." Ye Qian glanced at Nan Lingrui on the ground and said to the empress.

  The queen saw Nan Lingrui still sleeping soundly, and it seemed that the fall didn't even hurt him. She checked him out and found that he wasn't injured at all. Standing up straight, she looked at Ye Qian and asked, "How did Princess Ye end up in my palace?"

  "This princess originally came here to find Yun Shangyue for something, just arrived and saw the emperor smashing the door, so she rescued this guy on a whim." Ye Qian said, "Fortunately I arrived in time, otherwise he would have moved house with his brains asleep! Indeed a fool!"

  "So it was! Thank you, Princess Ye, for saving Crown Prince Rui." The empress nodded in gratitude.

  "The queen doesn't need to thank me! It was just a matter of convenience for this princess. If possible, this princess wouldn't have wanted to save her." Ye Qian kicked Nan Lingrui and asked: "Where did Yun Shuoyue go?"

  "What is Princess Ye looking for Moon for? She's not in the palace now." The empress looked at Ye Qian, knowing some of the entanglements between Princess Ye and the Crown Prince of Nan Liang, who later fell out due to Night Light's influence.

  "Isn't she supposed to be living in the palace from today on? Not here? Where did she go?" Ye Qian glanced at the sky and saw that the Empress was just staring at her without answering, so she said: "I just wanted to ask if she knew where Ye Qing went."

  "It turned out that Princess Ye was looking for Xiao Wangye. Yue'er probably didn't know about it. She had been with Jing Shizi for the past two days." The Empress did not reveal that Yun Shangyue had gone to Lingtai Temple. In her opinion, lifting the Phoenix Tribulation was a big deal and couldn't afford any mistakes. The fewer people who knew, the better. Otherwise, if everyone went to Lingtai Temple, it would be crowded and prone to accidents.

  "Where will Na Ye go tonight?" Ye Qian frowned.

  "Is Lord Ye looking for His Highness Xiao Wangye because of an urgent matter?" the Empress asked, glancing at Nan Lingrui.

  "No, either. I haven't seen him since last night until now, and I'm getting a bit worried." Ye Qian shook her head.

  "The little king's martial arts skills are very strong, and after seven years of training outside, he will be fine. Nothing bad will happen to him." The queen also couldn't figure out the relationship between Ye Qian, Ye Qingran, and Nan Lingrui at this time, so she could only comfort her.

  "Me too!" Ye Qian yawned, "This princess has been searching for a whole day and is now exhausted. I don't want to move anymore, if Her Majesty the Queen doesn't mind, this princess will take a nap here."

  The queen was taken aback, seeing Ye Qian looking as exhausted as Nan Lingrui, indeed very tired, and didn't know how she had been struggling from yesterday to today, so tired that she hesitated for a moment, nodded, "If Princess Ye doesn't mind, it's okay to stay here in the palace for one night."

  "Thank you, Your Majesty!" Ye Qian saw the empress nod in agreement and quickly walked over to the bed, slipped off her shoes and got into bed, pulling the covers up to her neck and closing her eyes. In an instant, she fell fast asleep. Her movements were smooth and uninterrupted.

  The queen stared blankly at Ye Qian, seeing that she was breathing evenly soon. She turned her head to look at Nan Lingrui sleeping on the carpet, and suddenly felt a little amused. Turning back, she saw Sun Shunang's eyes wide with surprise, and sighed: "Sun Shunang, help me lift Prince Rui onto the soft couch! Sleeping on the floor for a night will definitely catch a chill."

  "Yes, milady!" Sun replied, walking towards Nan Lingrui.

  Two people worked together to lift Nan Lingrui onto the soft couch, and Sun Shangshu didn't need the empress to instruct her again, taking a quilt to cover Nan Lingrui. She thought that this was truly an extraordinary event since ancient times, and the Ronghua Palace had become a shelter. After settling Nan Lingrui in, she looked at the empress, who waved her hand at her, "You can go down and rest now!"

  The old lady took down all the empty bowls and plates from the table, closed the door, and backed out.

  Nan Lingrui and Ye Qianyi were both fast asleep on the soft couch, but the Empress was wide awake. She sat down by the window, thinking about how she had driven the Emperor away that day, which was the most comfortable day for her in the past twenty years. Looking at the purple bamboo outside the palace, she couldn't help but smile. After smiling, she sighed again, thinking that it had been two hours since Moon and the Seventh Prince left for Lingtai Temple, and she didn't know how they were doing.

  But as soon as Yunshang and Yitian left the palace, they saw two horses tied up outside the palace gate, one white and one black. It was clear that the black and white horses were of a good breed, both excellent fine horses, no less than the Tapsnow horse given to her by Ye Qianyu.

  "This is a fine horse from the northern border, named: Red Phoenix. You once told me that you've always wanted a horse like this, but it's too eye-catching, so I couldn't give it to you for the past five years. This time when I returned to the capital, I brought back two horses." said Ye Tianyi.

  Yun Shallow Moon pulled the corner of her mouth, not knowing what to say, nodded, stretched out her hand to untie the reins of the white horse, turned over and got on the horse, looking at the night sky. Ye Tian Yi smiled at her, also untying the reins, turning over and getting on the horse.

  The two of them stopped talking, clamped their legs on the horse's belly, and the two horses left the palace gate together. Along the way, they didn't speak a word, the two horses galloping one after another, soon leaving the city behind, half an hour later arriving at the foot of Lingtai Temple Mountain. Unable to proceed further ahead, Yun Qian looked towards Ye Tianyi.

  Yitian Yi flipped over and got off his horse, smiling at her: "Let's use our lightness skills to climb the mountain! I've already sent a message to Master Pushan one step ahead. Master Pushan will be waiting for us in the Chan Hall behind the Dahma Temple. It's that Chan Hall we went to last time."

  "Good!" Yun Qian Yue nodded and dismounted her horse.

  The two of them let go of the reins, and Ye Tianyi took a step ahead, using his lightness skill to head towards the mountain. Yun Qianyue looked at Ye Tianyi's elegant figure and followed him up the mountain as well.

  Before long, the two of them arrived at the mountain and walked towards the Chan temple in the backyard of Damo Hall.

  After walking for a while, Yun Shangyue found that today's Lingtai Temple was unusually quiet compared to yesterday and the past. Last time they came, they saw monks guarding each mountain pass as soon as they went up the mountain. Today, they walked for a while without meeting a single monk, nor anyone on guard. Moreover, when she and Rong Jing left yesterday, there was nothing unusual, but today even the entire Lingtai Temple's atmosphere was out of the ordinary, her eyebrows slightly furrowed.

  The man in front, Ye Tianyi, also seemed to have noticed something unusual. He turned around and reached out to grab Yun Qianyue's hand, but she dodged him. His face darkened, and he said in a low voice, "Stay close to me! Something doesn't feel right."

  "Hmm!" Yun Qianyue nodded.

  Ye Tian's footsteps slowed down a bit, and Yun Shang Yue's footsteps also followed suit.

  Two people arrived at Damo Hall, only to see all the monks gathered outside the courtyard of Damo Hall, each holding a stick in their hands, with an air of being on high alert. Seeing the two arrivals, they all looked over at them for a moment, then turned their heads back, their eyes fixed tightly on the backyard of Damo Hall, where Master Puxian's quarters were located.

  Yitian's eyes swept around in a circle, his footsteps uninterrupted as he walked further inside.

  Yun Qian Yue thought to herself, no wonder she didn't see the monk on duty at the mountain pass, all the emotions have gathered in the backyard of Da Mo Hall! This array would make anyone suspect that something big has happened in Ling Tai Temple. She saw Ye Tian Yi walking inside, so she also followed him inside.

  Thousands of monks saw the two, but it was unclear whether they had learned in advance that the two were going up the mountain or if someone had instructed them. In any case, no one blocked their way. The two walked smoothly all the way to the backyard.

  As soon as he arrived at the backyard, he saw Master Ci Yun, the abbot of Lingtai Temple, and several elderly monks standing at the door. Everyone's face was solemnly looking inside the main meditation room. Upon hearing footsteps approaching, Master Ci Yun and the elderly monks turned their heads in unison. Master Ci Yun looked at Ye Tianyi and spoke first, "Seventh Prince, I'm afraid Master Pu Shan won't be able to keep your appointment today. You'd better come another day! Amitabha!"

  "What happened? Or has someone come to the temple?" Night Sky asked Ci Yun Dashi, stopping in his tracks.

  Yun Shallow Moon stopped in her tracks, looking towards the Zen room. The door was tightly closed, and nothing could be seen or heard from inside. However, with her martial arts skills, she could sense that a powerful aura was being released from within, as if two great masters were engaged in a fierce battle. Their skills had reached an extremely high level, so they were able to control the fight within the Zen room without affecting the outside. Still, the bricks and tiles on the roof of the Zen room were emitting a faint tremor. One of them was undoubtedly Master Pu Shan. The other person she had never met before, and didn't know who it was. But Master Pu Shan's skills had reached an extremely high level, and she had learned his Thousand Mile Transmission Secret Technique yesterday. Under the sky, there were very few people who could rival Master Pu Shan, and based on her limited understanding of this world over the past two months, she really couldn't think of anyone.

  "It's a worldly affair before Master Poshan entered the temple! Alas...” Master Ci Yun sighed and said with some sadness, "Nowadays, our temple only has this one elder of the Pu generation. Can't we avoid losing him today?"

  "It turned out that the enemy of Master Pu Shang had arrived!" Ye Tianyi nodded and looked at Yun Qianyue.

  Is Yun Shang Yue thinking of Pu Shan Master's arch-nemesis? Looking at the situation, today Pu Shan Master is either dead or seriously injured. How can he help her lift the Phoenix Tribulation? She also looked at Ye Tian Yi, who pursed his lips and suddenly walked towards the main meditation room door.

  "Seventh Prince, please stay back!" Ci Yun Dashi was startled and hastily blocked Ye Tianyi, "Pu Shan Shifu has ordered that no one is allowed to approach the Chan room by a single step."

  "I am not a temple person, I don't have to follow the rules of Master Pu Shang. Don't worry, Master, I know my limits." The Seventh Prince looked at Master Ci Yun. Master Ci Yun also looked at Ye Tian Yi and thought that since the Seventh Prince's martial arts skills were deep, he might be able to resolve the conflict between the two people inside and avert the temple's crisis. He nodded and stepped aside.

  Digression

  The old emperor will be furious to death... o(n_n)o Ha!

  What Americans have been expecting... will be around tomorrow ~ (^o^) ~/

  I've seen all the monthly tickets you guys sent! Love you all!

  Thank you for the diamond rewards and flowers from everyone below! Mwah!

  szbanban (100 diamonds), ycf526 (95 diamonds 15 flowers), keykey131488 (50 stones 100 flowers), mo mo ji ji (20 diamonds 100 flowers), lü nǎi nǎi (100 flowers), hóng xiù tiān xiāng 1973 rose (12 diamonds), xueli416010111 (10 diamonds), wangjun1234 (4 diamonds), bù tǎo xǐ de wán zi (20 flowers), cauld (2 diamonds 4 flowers), xú xī lín (2 diamonds), fēng méi lán (1 diamond), bā jiāo shí yǔ (10 flowers), kikilovejie (100 rewards), lǐ qiān qiān 0805 (1 diamond), bīng yōu ruò rú (3 flowers), má yàn yàn 1 (2 flowers), guì qín 580231 (188 rewards), mǎ yàn yàn 1 (2 flowers), mei mei o (n_n) o~