Chapter Eight, Regicide

Although Wanyan Kang said this, he actually kept the matter in mind, especially since Li Zhichang's last remark was clearly pointed, which left him even more perplexed

Yin Zhiping silently said: "Your martial arts are better than mine, and your light industry is stronger than mine. When the time comes, if we are discovered, it is more likely that I will be the one caught, so of course you are not afraid"

Li Zhichang said: "Isn't it a monumental task to be natural?"

Li Zhichang cast a glance at him, then shook his head and sighed, "Zhiping, I finally understand now, you are either truly foolish or it is simply in your nature, and there is no way to change it"

Yin Zhiping chuckled and said: "Indeed, I am aware that this move of yours is called 'to capture by letting go', deliberately using alarming rhetoric about the imminent downfall of the Jin Dynasty, in order to extinguish my junior's aspirations for wealth and glory, and to lead him into our sect."

Yin Zhiping asked curiously, "Senior brother, where did you get that mask?"

Yin Zhiping said, "Senior brother, where are we now?" Li Zhichang saw him wearing a mask of Zhang Fei, and although this was a prank of Li Zhichang's own making, he couldn't help but chuckle. He replied, "Junior brother, don't blame me; I really couldn't hold it in any longer"

The two individuals quietly leaped over the palace wall. Inside the palace, the guards patrolled with knives, but Li and Yin had already mastered the art of stealth; Yin Zhiping's Golden Goose skill was already on par with the Seven Disciples of Quanzhen, so how could the guards detect them? After crossing the palace wall, they casually captured a young eunuch and inquired about the location of the imperial kitchen. It turned out that tonight, the Golden Emperor was hosting a grand banquet for the ministers, with tight security outside but lax inside, which saved them a lot of trouble. In the darkness, they stealthily navigated past two palaces, suddenly feeling a cool breeze brush against them, and faintly heard the sound of water. The still night air carried waves of subtle fragrance, and in the depths of the palace courtyard, there unexpectedly emerged a sense of wildness akin to a mountain forest.

Li Zhichang's forehead broke out in a black line, "So you were just pretending to be timid all along." In fact, Yin Zhiping was only sixteen or seventeen years old, with the heart of a youth, and felt quite excited at the thought of sneaking into the palace. Yin Zhiping was eager to try, and as he approached the palace wall, he was about to enter. Li Zhichang grabbed him and took out two vividly expressive masks from his body, "Put these on."

Li Zhichang said in a low voice: "Do you think there is anything greater than killing an emperor under the heavens? The deeds of Li Zhi's assassination of King Qingji and Jing Ke's assassination of King Qin are both renowned throughout history. If we were to kill the Golden Emperor tonight, how would future historians record it?"

"If what you say is true, then the young prince is indeed my junior brother," Yin Zhiping remarked in surprise.

Yin Zhiping said with frustration. Li Zhichang replied irritably: "You are pretending to be foolish again. You know very well that he is a young prince from the Jin Kingdom, a person of noble birth. If we rashly approach him to make an acquaintance, he wouldn't even spare you a glance. Just look at the attendants around him; which one of them is easy to get along with?"

Yin Zhiping wanted to refute, but was intimidated by Li Zhichang's accumulated authority, so he could only silently endure. Li Zhichang's eyes shifted, and he patted Li Zhichang on the shoulder, saying: "Junior brother, didn't you just say you didn't eat well? Senior brother knows of a place where the food is absolutely the most delicious in the entire city of Zhongdu."

The old man, known as Liang Zi Weng, is a renowned martial arts master from the Liaodong region. The monk, referred to as 'Ling Zhi Shang Ren', is a master of the Hand Seal Sect from Qinghai, famous for his 'Great Hand Seal' martial arts in the Southwest. Both are top-tier experts, aware that Peng Lianhu is known as the 'Thousand-Hand Butcher', which indicates the exceptional skill in his hands. They ponder that the young man, merely sixteen or seventeen years old, is someone even Peng Lianhu cannot handle. What is even more terrifying is that they cannot discern his lineage or background, causing them to feel a sense of unease. After hearing this, Liang Zi Weng's eyes twinkled as he burst into laughter, saying, 'That kid is indeed a bit peculiar, but his companion should not be underestimated either'

"Brother Peng, can you tell what that kid is all about?" the old man with a youthful face and white hair asked curiously

Liang Zi Weng chuckled and said: "What the young prince said is true"

The noble son is none other than Wanyan Kang, and he smiled, saying: "I see that those two do not harbor any ill intentions, so let us first enjoy some wine."

Li Zhi often smelled this fragrance and knew that there must be a large cluster of flowers nearby. He thought to himself that the inner palace gardens must be filled with rare and beautiful flowers, and it would be a shame not to broaden his horizons by following the scent of the flowers. Gradually, the sound of water grew louder as the two of them walked along a flower path. They saw tall pines and slender bamboos, lush and verdant, shading the sky, with layers of strange peaks and quiet depths winding in. After walking a few more paces, they saw a silver waterfall resembling a ribbon cascading down from the mountainside, pouring into a large pond. It seemed that there was another drainage channel beneath the pond, which is why the water did not overflow.

Then he questioned: "Senior brother, why have you brought me to the imperial city?" Li Zhichang tapped his forehead and said: "Really foolish, is there anywhere in the world that serves better food than the palace?"

Yin Zhiping expressed his fear, saying: "This is through the inner palace; is it really alright for us to sneak in like this?" Li Zhichang, with a look of disdain, replied: "I am not afraid at all; why should you be worried about anything?"

Two flowers bloom, each on its own branch

Yin Zhiping was at a loss for words. Li Zhichang then said, "I don't know either, where this is. Perhaps that little eunuch misled us earlier." Yin Zhiping replied, "Senior brother, after all this activity, I am really a bit hungry." Li Zhichang casually tossed some fruit to Yin Zhiping.

Yin Zhiping asked: "What is the matter?"

Yin Zhiping said: "So it turns out it was stolen." Li Zhichang then tapped his forehead and said: "All things in nature are free, and people are free to take from the world; how can it be called stealing?" Quickly put on the mask, why so much nonsense.

In front of the pond stands a magnificent hall, with the three characters "Yuhua Tang" inscribed above. The two individuals approached the hall, where several pots of fresh lotus roots, sweet melons, loquats, and other fruits were placed on the table inside. A few round fans were carelessly thrown on the chairs, suggesting that the Golden Emperor had been resting here before going to sleep

Peng Lianhu's expression turned cold as he said, "What the old immortal said is indeed true. That young man may not be skilled in techniques, but his internal strength is quite formidable, and his foundation is exceptionally solid, undoubtedly taught by a renowned master." He had traversed the Central Plains without suffering significant losses, yet today, in front of several companions and the young prince, he could not even subdue two young men in their prime, which was truly embarrassing for him, and he could only secretly curse his bad luck

Li Zhichang also rarely corrected the fact that Wanyan Kang entered the door earlier than him, saying: "Naturally." "Then why didn't we acknowledge him just now, and that beef brisket at the restaurant we just visited was quite delicious, why were we in such a hurry to leave?"

Li Zhichang suddenly sat down, and Yin Zhiping instinctively dodged. Li Zhichang said: "Do you really think I called you to the palace just to steal food?"

Yin Zhiping said: "So what are we here to do"

Li Zhichang seemed to know what he was thinking, "Rest assured, I won't abandon you when the time comes." Yin Zhiping said, "That's good, Senior Brother, let's hurry and go."

"Just now, I passed by a stall, and seeing that the masks were vivid and lifelike, I bought two," Li Zhichang said without changing his expression.

Li Zhi often brought Yin Zhiping directly to the main gate of the imperial city, the Ying Tian Gate. The two looked out and beheld the golden nails and vermilion doors, the painted beams and carved railings, the roofs entirely covered with copper tiles, adorned with intricate carvings of dragons and phoenixes soaring majestically, grand and magnificent, dazzling to the eyes. Yin Zhiping sighed, "What a spectacle!"

Peng Lianhu said in a deep voice: "Old Immortal, you may not know, that kid is as slippery as an eel, making it impossible to grasp him. To be honest, just now when I brushed past him, I used three heavy strikes simultaneously, yet it was as if a mud cow had entered the sea; that kid showed no response at all. I originally intended to observe how he would counterattack, thinking I could discern some clues, but I never expected him to respond in such a manner."

"You should eat this first." Yin Zhiping gnawed on the fruit, thinking to himself that its taste was truly sweet, far superior to the wild fruits found on Zhongnan Mountain. However, he said, "Senior brother, this fruit can only quench thirst, but it cannot satisfy hunger"