The conversation between the father and daughter reached Mo Zhizhang's ears. He listened quietly and let out an almost imperceptible chuckle.
Li Zhao was really being modest.
This was the renowned Li Zhongshu, the youngest Zhongshuling in the history of the Chu State. Looking across the entire Dacheng, there was no second Li Zhongshu.
Jiang Mian had no idea. She looped her arm through Li Zhao's and nuzzled her forehead against his shoulder, pouting, "I don't care. My father is the smartest man in the world. No one can compare to him."
"Precisely because Father is so smart, that's why he has a smart and brave Mujin."
Li Zhao couldn't help but laugh. He reached out and pinched her nose. "What kind of young lady praises herself like this? Aren't you ashamed?"
Jiang Mian let out a soft snort. "I am smart. Otherwise, why would Master take me as his disciple?"
She blinked and gave a mischievous smile. "Master begged me to learn medicine for half a year."
Watching the deep affection between the father and daughter, Mo Zhizhang felt inexplicably irritated. He quietly slipped away. After walking out of the main hall, a cool breeze blew across his face, and he faintly heard someone talking.
He paused for a moment and then headed towards the source of the sound. Around the nearby corner, Taoist Yuanzheng was squatting down, talking to a yellow dog that was holding onto his sleeve.
As soon as Taoist Yuanzheng stepped out of the hall, the yellow dog had started pestering him.
The yellow dog bit his sleeve and tugged hard, baring its teeth, its eyes glinting with a cold light.
Taoist Yuanzheng covered his precarious robe with one hand and said,
"Hey hey hey, stop pulling. This is my only set of clothes!"
After turning the corner and making sure there was no one behind them, Taoist Yuanzheng squatted down to look the yellow dog in the eye.
"This rain is indeed not simple. This is what I told you before. There's a deeper intention behind it. Now it seems that the person behind it is using this as an excuse to start a war and seize the world."
Xiao Jingcheng let go of Yuanzheng's sleeve and squatted in front of him, barking once, urging him to continue.
"In our place, there's a forbidden technique. By using the essence and blood of a person who bears great fortune to draw runes, one can control the wind and rain."
The essence and blood of a person who bears great fortune?
Xiao Jingcheng frowned tightly. Just thinking that this rain was formed with blood and had brought disaster to the people of Cangzhou, making them homeless and causing many deaths, he felt a wave of nausea.
"However, this forbidden technique, in the end, goes against the will of heaven. So after using it, one has to pay a certain price, such as consuming one's lifespan or depleting one's fortune."
Taoist Yuanzheng said, "Therefore, after using it, one has to quickly absorb the fortune of others to strengthen oneself."
He sighed. "My senior brother is really willing to do anything to achieve his goal. He has completely forgotten all of Master's teachings."
Yes, Taoist Yuanzheng said this was a forbidden technique from their place. So the only person who could use this technique was his senior brother, Taoist Yuanqi.
And Taoist Yuanqi was on Xiao Yixuan's side...
Xiao Jingcheng narrowed his eyes.
No, Xiao Yixuan didn't deserve the title of "bearing great fortune." He was just the son of the noble consort. No matter how much he did, he couldn't surpass Xiao Jingcheng, the crown prince.
Sang Biao once said that after Xiao Yixuan met the eunuch beside the noble consort in Liuxiang Tower, he immediately counted his men and left in a hurry without even saying goodbye.
With a change in the capital, where could Xiao Yixuan go after leaving Dongli Town?
He must have gone to look for the emperor and the noble consort who had disappeared from the capital.
So this person who bore great fortune...
Could only be his father, the emperor.
At this thought, for a moment, Xiao Jingcheng was lost.
If it was really the emperor, why would he do this?
He was the emperor, and the people of Cangzhou were also his subjects. Could he really treat the people of Cangzhou like grass and ignore them just to seize the world?
There were many ways to seize the world. Why did he choose... this extremely insidious method that also depleted his own fortune?
Did the emperor know that Xiao Yixuan had almost killed him and that Taoist Yuanqi had played a big part in it?
If the emperor knew and still reused Taoist Yuanqi, then what was he...
To the emperor?
Xiao Jingcheng let out a bitter laugh in his heart.
Yes, the emperor could even bear to send his mother into the cold palace. When he fled, he only took Consort Feng with him. It seemed that in his heart, there was no place for his mother and him long ago.
Suddenly sensing something, Xiao Jingcheng pricked up his ears warily and bit Taoist Yuanzheng's sleeve, tugging hard. Taoist Yuanzheng was very in tune with him and immediately changed his demeanor, smiling and saying,
"Big Yellow, Big Yellow. I can tell you have an extraordinary air about you. Just now, I did a quick calculation and found that you are actually the Celestial Hound that has descended to the mortal world! Oh my, I've lived most of my life, and to actually see such a divine hound. I'm really lucky!"
"Divine Hound, please show your power and tell this poor Taoist which direction is the safest to go next. If it's south, bark once. If it's north, bark twice."
Xiao Jingcheng barked twice. Taoist Yuanzheng clapped his hands vigorously. "Oh, the Divine Hound and this poor Taoist think alike!"
Xiao Jingcheng snorted through his nose and bared his teeth menacingly at the corner behind Taoist Yuanzheng.
He knew it. It was that man surnamed Mo again!
This man was very skilled in lightness kung fu and always appeared silently. Xiao Jingcheng was very on guard against him. So when no one was looking, he had the dogs in Dongli Town sprinkle some fragrant herbs in the places this man often went. As long as he passed by, the soles of his shoes would be stained with the smell of the herbs.
Although this man could hide his tracks and make no sound, he couldn't hide his smell.
Taoist Yuanzheng got the hint from the yellow dog and stood up to look behind him.
Knowing that his whereabouts had been discovered, Mo Zhizhang didn't try to hide. He walked out from behind openly and said with a smile, "I heard someone talking outside just now, so I came over to take a look. It turns out it's the Taoist priest and Big Yellow."
Mo Zhizhang looked at the yellow dog and said with a faint smile, "I don't know why Big Yellow always seems to be a bit hostile towards me. He's never been close to me.没想到 he gets along so well with the Taoist priest."
Xiao Jingcheng let out a cold snort.
This man was skilled in martial arts. His actions and personality had a bit of an evil air about him. He was better at using poison than medicine. No one knew what his purpose was for coming to Dongli Town.
Although he had helped Jiang Mian treat the villagers on the mountain, if it weren't for Jiang Mian taking the lead, this man probably wouldn't have been so kind and would have just stood by and watched.
Mo Zhizhang didn't know that Xiao Jingcheng was inside the yellow dog. He only saw that after he said that, the yellow dog turned its head and turned its back on him, showing its dislike clearly.
Taoist Yuanzheng tried to smooth things over. He scratched the back of his head and said with a smile, "This poor Taoist and Big Yellow are quite fated. Does Doctor Mo have something to ask this poor Taoist?"
Xiao Jingcheng didn't get along well with Mo Zhizhang and was about to run away. But when he heard this, he stopped and squatted behind Taoist Yuanzheng, sizing up Mo Zhizhang with his beady eyes.
He wanted to see what this man surnamed Mo was up to when he found Taoist Yuanzheng.