Stealing the Pen: Kirin's Primordial Lotus

Chapter 505

"Is everything you said in the letter true?"

At midnight, Gong Shangjiao was sitting in the main hall of Jiao Palace, sipping tea while handling the external affairs of Jiao Palace.

In an instant, Xue Chongzi appeared at the entrance of the hall, followed by Master Xue.

"I didn't know about these things at first. Someone sorted them out and found them in Shangguan Qian's yard. When I went to investigate, I was led to the ancestral hall and met Gong Huanyu who was faking his death."

Gong Shangjiao poured a cup of tea for Xue Zhongzi and Xue Gongzi, "I got confirmation from Gong Huanyu!"

The teacup in Xue Zhongzi's hand instantly turned into powder. "This is ridiculous! Where are the people from the Council of Elders? What did they do? Why didn't they tell me about such a big thing!"

"The Elders' Council and Gong Hongyu should have reached an agreement in secret. Elder Hua probably knows a little about it, but because he has a son, he will not be wholeheartedly devoted to Gong Ziyu, so he was excluded by Elder Xue and Elder Yue."

Based on the attitudes of the elders in the Council of Elders after the previous confrontation between Yuanzheng and Gong Ziyu, Gong Shangjiao could roughly guess what was going on.

Xue Chongzi is the guardian of the back mountain and has a very high seniority. Although he looks like a young child, he is older than the white-haired old men in the Council of Elders.

He never imagined that the seemingly innocent and cute child in his childhood was actually designed to meet them, just so that they would turn a blind eye to him when he participated in the Three Realms Trial in the future.

"The marriage selection ceremony that Gong Hongyu held for Madam Lan was noticed by them. Otherwise, they wouldn't have said anything when Wufeng broke into the palace."

When Gong Shangjiao first entered the underworld, he was not only looked down upon by those in the underworld, but he was also often troubled by local officials when doing business. If he had not later challenged 18 gangs of Wufeng, making people in the underworld look at him differently, and had not found someone to smooth over the relationship with the higher-ups, some of Gongmen's businesses would have been closed down long ago.

"In the past, weddings at the palace gates were all kept low-key. Even if there were multiple people getting married, they would enter in batches instead of on the same day."

Gong Shangjiao thought of the time when his mother mentioned that his father came to ask for her hand in marriage when he was a child. He still remembers the smile on his mother's face and his father's restless look sitting beside him.

"My father personally came to ask for my mother's hand in marriage. My mother told me that he emptied out the entire Corner Palace just to marry my mother back home."

Gong Shangjiao recalled the scene when his parents were both present when he was a child, and the smile that flashed across his face was noticed by Xue Chongzi.

"Since Gong Hongyu took office, the original free marriage of the palace masters has become a centralized solution. Although the palace rules stipulate that people in the palace are not allowed to go out unless necessary, they can still walk freely in the Jiuchen Valley at the foot of the mountain."

Xue Chongzi's practice of martial arts causes him to lose his memory every four years. All his memories were recorded for him by Master Xue, and then wait for him to read them.

"Later, for some reason, we couldn't even go to the Old Dust Valley. There was even a rule that except for the Corner Palace, no one in the palace could leave the palace gates."

Xue Zhongzi looked at Gong Shangjiao and said, "In these years, besides you, Gong Yuanzheng is the only one who has left the palace."

"Brother Yuanzheng was taken away by someone from the Great Wilderness, and there were people or monsters protecting him along the way. No matter how many of Wufeng's men went, none of them came back."

Gong Shangjiao agreed that his brother Yuanzheng could leave the palace and go to a wider world. His brother Yuanzheng was so proficient in herbs in his youth, and it would be a pity if he could not display his skills.

"Are you the mountain keeper at the back of the mountain?"

Xue Chongzi and Xue Gongzi looked back and saw a locust leaf coming from outside the door along with the sound of a crisp bell.

"You! Are you the so-called guardian of the back mountain?"

As the locust leaves around him faded away, two gorgeous faces appeared inside. The young man with a little baby fat was the master of the closed palace, Gong Yuanzheng. The man next to him, wearing a black robe and holding a rattle that was glowing with lightning, was the big monster who had injured him last time.

"Gong Yuanzheng!"

Xue Chongzi, Xue Gongzi and Gong Shangjiao did not expect that Gong Yuanzheng would come.

"Yuanzheng, why are you here?"

"Brother is meeting such an important guest so late at night, so naturally I have to come and meet him! After all, it was my fault last time!"

Gong Yuanzheng still looked the same as Gong Shangjiao was familiar with, but there was something wrong. Gong Shangjiao did not think much about it and just thought that Gong Yuanzheng was upset because of what happened last time, so he brought Li Lun to his house when he heard that Xue Chongzi and the others had come at midnight.

"I was wrong to hit you last time, but you shouldn't have spied on Zhiren's whereabouts!"

A flash of embarrassment passed across Xue Chongzi's face, as if he remembered how he was pushed into the wall by the sleeve of the man next to Gong Yuanzheng, and Gong Ziyu and the others took a long time to dig him out.

"Why would I spy on the whereabouts of that idiot Gong Ziyu! That day, I just happened to pass by the roof of Yugong, and you flew out of the house just as I arrived."

Gong Yuanzheng curled his lips and sat down next to Gong Shangjiao. Li Lun didn't like sitting with others, so he found a seat by the window where he could see them but wouldn't be disturbed by them.

Xue Chongzi glanced at Li Lun by the window and asked, "Who is that? I don't remember such a person in the palace!"

Gong Yuanzheng curled his lips and smiled, "This is the great demon of the Great Wilderness, the ancestor of all locust trees in the world - the locust ghost Li Lun! He was also sent by my father to protect me."

Master Xue had been in the back mountain for a long time and didn't know much about the front mountain, but he knew something about Gong Yuanzheng's father. "Master Zheng's father? But didn't the former Palace Master of Zheng Palace already? How?"

Gong Yuanzheng certainly knew what Master Xue meant. "My mother is the eldest daughter of the Zhuo family in Tiandu. When I was eleven years old, they found my mother's whereabouts. Unfortunately, my mother had passed away for more than five years, so they recognized me."

Gong Yuanzheng looked at the person who was more innocent than Gong Ziyu, and couldn't help but want to tease him, "It's normal that Master Xue didn't know about me staying in the back mountain for a long time. When I was recognized, I took Gong Ziyu, Gong Huanyu and Gong Zishang to Tiandu Zhuo Mansion to stay for a few days."

An expression of envy flashed on Master Xue's face, while Xue Chongzi's emotions were very stable, but the fleeting envy in his eyes was still noticed by the two brothers opposite.

"The Zhuo family is a great family in Tiandu, and their ancestors were related to Bingyi by blood. Although my second brother is the only one left in the Zhuo family, his Bingyi bloodline is the strongest. Not only is he the leader of the Monster Collection Division, he has also been canonized as the King of Wings by the Emperor."

Although Xue Chongzi has lived in the mountains for a long time, he still knows a thing or two about what is happening outside. Only Xue Gongzi is the only one who has nothing.

"My second brother is not one of those marquises who has a title but no power. He is a prince with legitimate fiefdoms and military power."

Master Xue took a deep breath after hearing Gong Yuanzheng's introduction. "Master Zheng, your second brother has a title, then what about your eldest brother? Doesn't he have one? Why didn't you introduce your eldest brother?"

When Gong Yuanzheng heard Master Xue talking about his elder brother, he was in a trance for a moment. Xue Chongzi saw it and could probably guess what he meant.

Gong Yuanzheng slowly said, "My eldest brother unfortunately suffered a lot in the process of collecting monsters a few years ago, and he has passed away! Now my second brother is the only one left in the Zhuo family."

Mr. Xue was visibly panicking. He wanted to comfort her but didn't know where to start. He could only look at Xue Chongzi for help.

Xue Zhongzi couldn't help but sigh in her heart. What else could she do with the child she had raised? She could only clean up the mess for him herself!

Xue Chongzi said, "Xiaoxue has been brought up by me to be a little naive. She doesn't know about your situation, Master Zheng. He did it unintentionally. Please don't take it too seriously, Master Zheng!"

Gong Yuanzheng always felt that he had heard this line of speech somewhere before, but he couldn't remember who said it.

Master Xue looked at Gong Yuanzheng's expression, pulled Xue Zhongzi's sleeve, and whispered in his ear: "Master Zheng doesn't seem to be that angry anymore! But, didn't I ask about his father? Why does Master Zheng keep asking us to introduce his second brother?"

Xue Zhongzi couldn't figure out the reason why Gong Yuanzheng did this. "Maybe he wants us to behave ourselves! Otherwise, he would ask his second brother to bring the army to demolish our palace gate!"

Everyone present had good hearing, and the whispers between Xue Chongzi and Xue Gongzi could be heard clearly by Gong Yuanzheng, Gong Shangjiao, and Li Lun who was just a few steps away from them.

Gong Yuanzheng had been talking for such a long time that his mouth was already dry. Fortunately, Gong Shangjiao had already poured him a cup of tea. Gong Yuanzheng drank the warm tea and said, "You can speak out openly. We can all hear you!"

Mr. Xue turned his head and glanced at Li Lun, who was sitting by the window reading a book some distance away from them, and pointed at him with his finger, "Can he hear such a small sound?"

Gong Yuanzheng raised his eyebrows, "Of course! The five senses of the great demons are extraordinary, even if the sound is very quiet, it is like whispering in their ears."

Master Xue suddenly realized that Gong Yuanzheng had mentioned the word "big demon" in his words, "He he he! He is a demon!!!"

Gong Yuanzheng looked at Master Xue, who was speaking in a breathy voice with his eyes wide open, "You just found out about this? I thought you and Gong Ziyu had such a good relationship, he would tell you!"

Xue Zhongzi lifted up Master Xue's chin, which was unable to close, and said, "But you still haven't told me who your father is!"

"My father is the prince of Dahuang!"

"So is your father also a demon?"

Gong Yuanzheng put down the teacup heavily, frowning, "My father is a god! Who says that those who live in the wilderness must be monsters!"

When Gong Yuanzheng glared at Master Xue, he was so frightened that he shrank behind Xue Chongzi and murmured softly, "Didn't they all say that the Great Wilderness is where the demons live?"

"Nonsense! There are twenty-eight mountain gods in the Great Wilderness. Could they also be monsters? There are also descendants of divine beasts in the Great Wilderness. Some of them are worshipped by people. Could they also be monsters?"

Seeing that the topic had completely gone off track, Xue Chongzi had to quickly bring up the purpose of his visit in the first place, in order to divert Gong Yuanzheng's attention.

"I'm not here to investigate Mr. Zheng's background, but for the people in the Council of Elders and the things about Yu Gong!"

Gong Shangjiao had not spoken a word since just now, but had handed over full authority over the battlefield to Gong Yuanzheng. Now that Xue Chongzi mentioned it, it was natural for him to show up.

"Now that Gong Hongyu is dead, it's too late to hold him accountable! But according to what Gong Huanyu said, Madam Wu Ji of Yugong is the assassin without a front. We have to make a decision!"

Xue Zhongzi answered Gong Shangjiao's question without any hesitation, "Kill!"

Gong Yuanzheng leaned forward and asked, "Why don't we arrest him and interrogate him?"

Xue Zhongzi said that it was not necessary, "Since I can betray you once, I can betray you a second time. Once you are unfaithful, you will never be unfaithful again! Master Zheng may not know this truth, but Master Jiao, you must know it!"

Xue Zhongzi's gaze shifted from Gong Yuanzheng to Gong Shangjiao, "Master Jiao has been out in the world for so many years, he should know these principles!"

Gong Shangjiao naturally knew that Xue Chongzi was testing him. After all, his dissatisfaction with Gong Ziyu's promotion was known to everyone in the palace, and even the three palaces in the back mountain had heard about it.

"To survive in the underworld, you need more than just your brains. You also need to see who can bring you greater benefits. After all, people won't completely trust you just because of what you say."

Gong Shangjiao replied to Xue Chongzi calmly.

"I still need to think carefully about what you said. I can't give you an answer right now!"

After Xue Zhongzi finished speaking, she stood up and left the Corner Palace with Xue Gongzi.

"Xue Zhongzi, maybe you should investigate the Moon Palace carefully. After all, the female assassin without a sword that my brother Yuanzheng captured was taken away by Master Yue, but she disappeared within a few days."

Gong Shangjiao finally gave Xue Zhongzi some kind advice.

Before Xue Chongzi stepped out of the hall, he suddenly turned around and looked at Gong Shangjiao, who was sitting there with a confident look on his face.

Xue Chongzi did not say anything, but just looked at Gong Shangjiao quietly, until Master Xue tugged at his sleeve, then Xue Chongzi withdrew his gaze and left with Xue Chongzi performing Qinggong without alarming any guards in the Jiao Palace.

The two returned to the Snow Palace in the back mountain and sat under the shed. Xue Chongzi was still thinking about the meaning of Gong Shangjiao's last words. Xue Gongzi had already prepared snow lotus tea and handed a cup to Xue Chongzi.

"Sir, are you still thinking about what Master Jiao said? But Master Yue has grown up with us, so he shouldn't do anything to let down the palace!"

Xue Zhongzi shook his head and put down the teacup in his hand. "Gong Shangjiao is not someone who would do anything without a purpose. The Yuegong is the same as the Zhenggong. Although Master Yue is not as good as Gong Yuanzheng, he is still more than enough compared to some people in the clinic."

Xue Chongzi stood up and planned to go to the Moon Palace to find out what was going on.

Master Xue stood up and planned to go with them, but was stopped by Xue Chongzi, "Xiaoxue, you don't have to go with me. This matter involves too much. I can go alone."

Mr. Xue bit his lip. Although he was a little overwhelmed, he still accepted Xue Chongzi's arrangement.