Chapter 530 - 262: Hundred Ghosts March

Chapter 530: Chapter 262: Hundred Ghosts March

Besides the dungeon leading to the Disaster Prevention Bureau, Zheng Xiu had long since cleared a tunnel to the secret chambers beneath the Imperial Palace.

He knew that beneath the Imperial Palace was a breach left behind a hundred years ago when Gongsun Mo opened the Darkness. Although he wouldn’t go there for no reason, the place still held many mysteries. Keeping a path open was never a bad idea.

「Late September.」

Far to the north of Daqian, near the border, Gu Qiutang sent back a secret message using the Eternal World Painting.

Gu Qiutang had already set out on the case long before Zheng Xiu went to Lu Town.

After a long journey, there was finally news from Gu Qiutang.

The matter began when commoners filed a report, claiming to have seen the "Hundred Ghosts March" in the Northern Wilderness late at night—a troop of raggedly dressed soldiers marching across the wasteland.

The story spread like wildfire locally, becoming quite sensationalized. Zheng Xiu took it very seriously and sent Gu Qiutang to investigate.

A few months ago, at Gu Qiutang’s secluded Valley, Zheng Xiu had beaten him into submission in one go.

"Are you sure?"

"Your Highness, this subordinate is certain."

Gu Qiutang said he had hunkered down in the ice and snow for a month, searching hundreds of square miles on foot, but he hadn’t seen the "Hundred Ghosts March" the commoners spoke of.

Seeing the once-unbelievably-handsome Swordman now looking disheveled and miserable in the mirror image, his hair frosted and flecked with snow, Zizi, who was secretly making trouble by the desk, couldn’t help but chuckle.

The grimy Immovable Saber in the image was hugging his saber, the cold wind blowing against him, completely still except for his lips.

"Stop messing around."

Zheng Xiu grunted and shot a glare to the side.

Gu Qiutang froze. "Stop messing around?"

’I’m not messing around!’

"I wasn’t talking to you." Zheng Xiu turned his head to the side and glared. "Go make tea!"

Zizi opened her mouth and gestured with her hands, which were as smooth as suet and glowing with white light. She mouthed the words: *I need to cultivate.*

"Cultivate my ass."

Gu Qiutang was even more stunned. "Cultivate whose ass?"

Although Zizi was usually impudent, after a few times she knew Zheng Xiu meant business. She pouted resentfully and went to brew the tea.

After Zizi left, Zheng Xiu wiped away a cold sweat and told Gu Qiutang to hunker down for another month and see.

Gu Qiutang was reluctant at first. He had already been trekking through the vast, snowy plains for over a month and hadn’t seen so much as a ghost’s shadow.

That is, until a single sentence from the clever Red King gave Gu Qiutang a sudden epiphany, and he was instantly enlightened.

"I’ve always said you’re practicing your Immovable Saber wrong. For you, the saber is always still, but your heart is in turmoil. Your form is still, but your spirit is racing. This is a test for you from the organization. Everyone in the Disaster Prevention Bureau, from top to bottom, is taking your mission very seriously. All the ’Pillars’ in the Bureau are eagerly awaiting your performance."

"You could actually pick a spot with a good view, set up camp, and cultivate your mind. Look down from above, unmoving. Endure the wind and snow, endure hunger and cold, endure your restless thoughts, and endure the cold winter of the tenth month. When you have forged your heart to be as hard as a rock, your Miracle Technique will naturally reach great success."

"If you still haven’t succeeded by then, it just means your heart isn’t hard enough. It’s still moving."

Gu Qiutang had an epiphany upon hearing this and thoughtfully closed the Eternal World Painting.

Although, as he mulled over the Red King’s words afterward, something felt off. There were only a few Pillars in the Bureau, plus a mascot. Who would be eagerly awaiting his performance?

However, there was indeed truth to what the Red King said. Back in the Valley, being beaten to a pulp by the Red King’s fists had completely shattered Gu Qiutang’s usual pride and arrogance. He began to ponder whether there really was a problem with his own rules and Restrictions.

After placating Gu Qiutang, Zheng Xiu once again found himself agonizing over the disastrous flood of Orchids at home.

Ever since the four golden flowers became "four-in-one," it was as if a switch had been flipped. They were becoming more and more... flowery, and Zheng Xiu was finding it hard to handle. It was supposed to be proper cultivation, but they had to make it seem like something else entirely.

But every time Zheng Xiu thought about it, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of bitter regret. If only he had been more careful back then, more vigilant, or if he had just chopped the Orchid Deceitful Object into smaller pieces, he wouldn’t have to deal with this mess.

The Orchids had established a new rule: the secluded Orchids in the empty Valley existed for him alone. If they didn’t follow this rule, they would never be able to advance another inch on their Path in this lifetime.

And Zheng Xiu couldn’t very well trouble anyone else with it.

Just as he was thinking this, Zizi pushed the door open and came in, holding a basin of clear water and a towel.

"Didn’t I tell you to make tea?"

The Prince’s face stiffened.

Hearing this, Zizi was suddenly at a loss, stammering weakly, "This servant thought..."

She thought the Prince was speaking in code.

"Forget it. Where’s Feng Bei?"

"Madam is in the rear garden, playing with the cat."

Zizi had already found this out. With a deft flick of her heel, her embroidered shoe kicked the door shut.

As she spoke, Zizi rolled up the towel and stuffed it into the Master’s mouth to stop him from groaning.

"Huuu~"

Zheng Xiu closed his eyes as if being tortured.

"Allow this servant to wash the Prince’s head."

The next second, a flawless white Orchid bloomed brilliantly in the room, its fragrance filling the air. Zizi rubbed her hands together, and with a flash of white light, her expression instantly became as pure as ice and jade, like a pristine, unblemished Orchid.

Daily cultivation.

Meanwhile, inside the Red King Mansion, three beautiful figures lying idly on their beds began to squirm restlessly.

Their bodies squirmed, and their cultivation levels rose.

The cultivation of the Orchids was just that simple, unadorned, and joyful.

’Hmph. Humans.’

The Orange Cat, which had been basking in the sun in the courtyard, nestled in Feng Bei’s arms and happily munching on a fried fish cake, suddenly rolled its eyes, its expression turning complex.

「October arrived.」

Along the grand avenues, the golden fallen leaves filled one’s vision with the chill of autumn.

On the canal, the receding waterline was studded with water snails. Many barefoot children, unafraid of the cold water, mischievously carried baskets along the banks, plucking the snails one by one from the river’s edge.

Ever since Zheng Xiu became the Red King, the civil and military officials in the Court and the wealthy merchants in the city practically lined up to give him money. Whenever Zheng Erniang calculated the profits at the end of the month, she was dismayed to find that ever since Heaven on Earth was converted into the Disaster Prevention Bureau, the Zheng Clan’s revenue hadn’t decreased at all. In fact, it was soaring.

The dividends handed over by the various merchant associations last quarter had even broken new records.

As more and more silver piled up in Zheng’s Bank, Zheng Erniang found herself with quite a headache. Although no one would be audacious enough to rob a Prince’s silver right under the Emperor’s nose, this ever-increasing amount of money meant she needed to assign more people to manage it.

’What a headache.’

But what gratified Second Lady was that ever since Zheng Xiu became a Prince, the matchmakers who used to show up at their door without a clue had all vanished. This was because there were now very few families who were a suitable match for the Red King Mansion. Although Zheng Erniang was an adopted daughter of the Zheng Clan, with Zheng Xiu’s status as a Prince, her own position had naturally risen with the tide. Matchmakers could no longer bring themselves to introduce her to a bunch of riffraff, only to be rebuffed.

’Finally, some peace and quiet.’ 𝑓𝑟ℯℴ𝓂

A brother from the Brotherhood, reprising his old role, returned to his identity as a coachman to drive Second Lady. Today, Second Lady was going to the Fragrant Pavilion to pick up the account books and, while she was at it, distribute last month’s wages.

"Excuse me, is this lady Zheng Erniang?"

As Zheng Erniang was getting out of the carriage, a barefoot child of about six or seven timidly approached from an alleyway and handed a letter to the coachman. "An auntie asked me to give this letter to the lady."

The Zheng’s Coachman’s eyes flashed. He accepted it with a smile and, in return, gave the child a small piece of silver.

The messenger child ran off, overjoyed.

This incident also taught him an important life lesson: working for the Red King pays well.

The coachman cautiously held the letter under his nose and sniffed it. Then he casually tore it open. Seeing nothing unusual, he handed the letter inside to Second Lady.

Zheng Erniang opened the letter suspiciously. The next second, her whole body trembled. She covered her mouth in disbelief, momentarily speechless.

That afternoon, while Zheng Erniang was out fetching the account books, Zheng Xiu was also out.

He went to the Elder Divine Doctor’s clinic to pay him a visit.

He’d heard that after the events in Lu Town, the Elder Divine Doctor had been very seriously injured and had been lying in bed for over a month, screaming and groaning miserably.

Only afterward did Zheng Xiu find out what Jun Buxiao had done, and he also learned of the strange and unpredictable nature of the "Actor" Path.

Parking the carriage at the clinic’s entrance, Zheng Xiu went inside to visit, carrying a heavy bag of silver.

Approaching the clinic, Zheng Xiu immediately spotted Jun Buxiao, who was dressed like a servant boy. He was wearing a "crying face" mask and tending to a row of stoves, squatting on the ground and blowing hard into the flames.

"Yo! The Actor!" Zheng Xiu called out to Jun Buxiao with a smile. "Where’s the Elder Divine Doctor?"

"Hee hee hee! He’s inside!"

Jun Buxiao’s mask was crying while his mouth was laughing. He was a strange one.

Bypassing Jun Buxiao, he walked into the inner room. There, he saw the Elder Divine Doctor with all four limbs immobilized in splints, propped up against the wall in a star shape. He looked just like a man on the execution ground waiting to be beheaded.

He looked like a target.

The wall next to him was riddled with Flying Sabers.

Hearing footsteps, the Elder Divine Doctor’s furious curses echoed from inside:

"You son of a bitch Actor! Let this old man down! This is murder! Murder!"

"Someone! Help me!"

The Elder Divine Doctor cursed relentlessly.

Zheng Xiu was just wondering what this bizarre scene was all about.

Jun Buxiao walked in, munching on a piece of fruit. With a flick of his wrist, he sent the small knife he’d just used for peeling flying with a WHOOSH. It zipped precisely past the Elder Divine Doctor’s ear and embedded itself in the wall, leaving only the hilt exposed.

The Elder Divine Doctor instantly fell silent, not daring to move a muscle.

"The Red King is here to visit you!"

Jun Buxiao beamed happily. With a reverse grip, he produced another five Flying Sabers, holding them steadily in one hand.