Chapter 237: Chapter 237: His Majesty goes to the rescue at Iron Buddha Temple

“That’s something between the empress and myself. What does it have to do with her brother?” Ning Xiaoyao didn’t understand what the two animals were playing at. “I admit that I’ve inherited my muddle-headed father’s status and properties, so I have no choice but to shoulder the weight of his crimes. But is that the case with the empress’s brother?”

Yellow Great Immortal looked uncomprehendingly at Ning Xiaoyao. “He’s still the empress’s older brother, ah.” It counts already if they’re one family. What does inheriting titles and properties have to do with any of it?

So just because he’s her older brother, he has to pay for his life if his sister turns murderous? What kind of logic is that? Ning Xiaoyao shook her head. Forget it, it’s more important to save lives than to think about something I don’t understand. “I’m going now. When Windy and the rest come back later, Black Tubby, tell them that I went out to buy some snacks in the streets.”

“Miaow!” Big Boss Black jumped onto Ning Xiaoyao’s legs and crawled all the way up to her shoulders. “Will your Windy be able to understand this cat’s words?”

That’s true, Ning Xiaoyao mused before glancing towards Yellow Great Immortal. Big Boss Black only scratched her in turn. This ninny, she’s so stupid it makes a cat depressed!

“Mm, Windy and the rest won’t understand Great Immortal’s words either,” Ning Xiaoyao remarked as she stroked Big Boss Black’s furry head. She walked to the table and picked up a brush, before writing a message on a strip of paper. Then she told Yellow Great Immortal, “I don’t know where the secret chamber is, so Black Tubby will have to come with me to Iron Buddha Temple. Great Immortal, do me a favor and deliver this message to Windy and the rest.”

“........” said Yellow Great Immortal. A weasel like me is going to interact with humans now? (Author: Hey hey! When you put it that way, it sounds like Xiaoyao isn’t a human!)

“Help me out, will you?” Ning Xiaoyao clasped her hands at him. “Otherwise, Windy and the rest will worry if I just disappear.”

“A-alright,” Yellow Great Immortal nodded in the face of her pleas.

“Then I’ll leave the paper on the table. Great Immortal, you can eat some of the snacks there too---no need to stand on courtesy,” Ning Xiaoyao patted her paper, then pointed at the plate of snacks, before flipping out the window with Big Boss Black.

Yellow Great Immortal jumped onto the table and ate a pastry before reading Ning Xiaoyao’s message. He was a somewhat cultured weasel, so the sight of her ugly handwriting only made him shake his head. But wait, Yellow Great Immortal suddenly came to a realization. Supreme Splendor Hall is full of humans. Why do I have to be the one to pass on her message? (o(╯□╰)o)

Ning Xiaoyao brought Big Boss Black with her as she ran straight out of the palace gates. Once she vanished in a gust of wind, the head imperial guard on gate duty looked with confusion at his subordinates. “What did His Majesty just say he was going to do?”

One imperial guard said, somewhat hesitant, “His Majesty said he was going to buy some snacks off the streets?”

All of the guards exchanged glances before nodding in unison. His Majesty’s voice had been loud and clear, so they’d all heard the words exactly.

“His Majesty’s gone off to buy snacks on his own?” the head of the imperial guards echoed as he stared off in the direction where Ning Xiaoyao had disappeared. After spacing out for a spell, he turned on his heel and bolted back into the palace. Shadowgale and the rest of the Dragon Guards had to be informed. Otherwise, he’d be in big trouble in His Majesty ran into danger beyond the palace!

While Ning Xiaoyao and Big Boss Black were madly racing to Iron Buddha Temple, Deng Rong arrived on horseback to the location of the military barracks. He walked briskly inside one of the buildings to meet with Lou Zigui and whisper in his ear, “Great Master Kumu rescued Zhou Junqi.”

Lou Zigui creased his brows.

“But that monk won’t admit he’s hiding him,” Deng Rong continued. “Supreme Commander, what’s that monk scheming by rescuing Zhou Junqi like this?”

Lou Zigui replied, “Since you dressed up as men from the military barracks, Kumu must have assumed that Xie Wenyuan wanted to kill Zhou Junqi and did this to win some favor from His Majesty’s side.”

“Then will that monk release Zhou Junqi if we give up our disguises?”

“If that happens, it’ll be hard to explain exactly who killed Zhou Junqi,” Lou Zigui murmured. “Who knew? That Grand Master Kumu knows how to behave with tact in delicate situations.”

“What do we do now?” Deng Rong asked anxiously.

Lou Zigui asked, “Did you at least manage to injure Zhou Junqi?”

“He was shot with one of my arrows,” Deng Rong replied, “Straight in the middle of his back. But this soldier saw him still running after being shot, so I expect it won’t be fatal.”

Lou Zigui rose to his feet.

“Supreme Commander, what are you doing?” Deng Rong asked.

“I’m taking a trip to Iron Buddha Temple,” Lou Zigui replied.

“You’re going to personally kill Zhou Junqi?” Deng Rong asked hastily.

“There will be chances to kill him in the future,” Lou Zigui spoke as he strode outside. “I just want to see whether or not he’s still alive. If not, I want to convince him to stay elsewhere.”

If Eldest Young Master Zhou hides away forever, we won’t be able to kill him again. Deng Rong mused as he nodded his head and followed behind Lou Zigui.

At this moment, the Lord Protector and a few of his bodyguards, as well as some military officers who had arrived at the capital recently to be by his side, all entered the courtyard.

“Supreme Commander is leaving already?” the Lord Protector asked, before hastily putting on a grin. “I was thinking of preparing some wine and preparing to drink a few cups with you.”

Lou Zigui smiled and cupped his fist at the Lord Protector. “His Majesty still has business to take care of, so I need to go back. Lord Protector, I’ll have to trouble you to take care of the military barrack’s affairs.”

The Lord Protector glanced over at Deng Rong, who was standing behind Lou Zigui, before returning his gesture with a cupped fist of his own. “Since it’s His Majesty’s business, I won’t keep you. Let’s feast again another day, Supreme Commander.”

Lou Zigui smiled and nodded, both towards the Lord Protector and the men behind him, then prepared to leave. But he suddenly stopped and added, “For the morning court assembly on the day after tomorrow, all of you can enter the palace and pay your respects to His Majesty so he can see your faces.”

The various men behind Lord Protector all quickly muttered their assent. It was all one could wish for to meet the emperor in person. Deng Rong only privately esteemed his Supreme Commander for having the mood to talk and laugh about unrelated matters when he was setting off on a murder mission.

“Then I’ll be taking my leave now,” Lou Zigui cupped his fist against before departing with Deng Rong.

“That’s Lou Zigui?” one of the officers by the Lord Protector piped up once he was gone.

The Lord Protector felt his forehead before turning to the uncle-like man by his side. “Yes, he’s Lou Zigui. Uncle Wei, are you thinking that he’s too young?”

The so-called military officer named Uncle Wei shook his head. “Age doesn’t mean much. Lou Zigui’s fame came about when he was young to begin with. I just never expected him to have such a pleasant smile.”

The Lord Protector opened his mouth to speak, but ended up chuckling instead. “Uncle Wei, you’ll see what kind of man Lou Zigui is if you keep looking.” Him, an amiable and pleasant man? Just wait until you see his gloomy moods and icy glares. You’ll come to know exactly what he’s like.

Lou Zigui mounted his horse at the entrance of the military barracks and whipped it towards the direction of the northern city gates.

By now, Ning Xiaoyao had already arrived at Iron Buddha Temple. After punching five soldiers from the military barracks unconscious, she flipped over the wall and jumped inside.

“This way,” Big Boss Black pointed with his paw from atop her shoulder.

Ning Xiaoyao looked at the temple hall before her and saw that it was a large and magnificent building that was no less splendid than the palace.

“God,” Ning Xiaoyao remarked, “Are all the houses here this big?”

One of the monks inside heard her voice and walked out to take a look, only to start at the sight of Ning Xiaoyao. Right now the entire Iron Buddha Temple was surrounded by troops, so how had this person slipped in?

“Who are y---”

Ning Xiaoyao punched him. The poor monk fell to the ground, out cold.

“Ah!” Big Boss Black exclaimed. “Ninny, how could you hit a monk?”

“Idiot,” Ning Xiaoyao shot back. “We’re on a rescue mission. What if his shout gives us away? Hurry and show me the way, where should I go? Eh? Why does that Buddha statue look so fierce? Just what kind of Buddha is that?” Ning Xiaoyao raised her head to peer at the four towering statues inside the hall.

Big Boss Black looked askance at her. “You just came here to fool around, didn’t you?” Is this the attitude of someone on a rescue mission?

Ning Xiaoyao gave a tch and remarked, “Will the empress’s big brother die if we’re late by a few minutes? Don’t joke with me.”

“These are statues of the Four Heavenly Kings,” Big Boss Black licked his whiskers as he explained, “You don’t even know as much as me, a cat. Ninny, aren’t you a bit ashamed?”

Ning Xiaoyao glanced at him and said, “To this day, you still haven’t convinced Jiao Jiao to make kittens with you yet. Should you go die by now?”

“Miaow!” Big Boss Black’s fur stood on end. “You haven’t bore any whelps for Supreme Commander either! Why haven’t you gone and died yet?”

The human and cat glared at each other. At the critical moment, Ning Xiaoyao sniffed and said, “Point out the way, I’m in a rush to save people.”

Big Boss Black extended his claw and said, “Straight ahead.”

Ning Xiaoyao ran past the monks’ living quarters before reaching the very back wall of the temple. Here, Big Boss Black pointed at a patch of empty ground by the wall and said, “It’s right under here.”

Ning Xiaoyao reached out to touch the ground and saw that it was actually a stone lid. Although it looked identical to the ground around it, Ning Xiaoyao could still tell the minute differences in the rock.

“But this cat doesn’t know how to open it,” Big Boss Black added.

“Oh,” Ning Xiaoyao replied before digging out a dagger. She pried at the lid a bit before sticking the edge of the blade into a crack, then pushed upwards to easily lift the stone covering. Big Boss Black licked her on the face. This ninny might be a fool, but she’s super, super strong, ah.

“I smell blood,” Ning Xiaoyao said as she descended onto the flight of endless winding steps below. She turned back briefly to replace the stone lid over the opening before heading into the darkness.

--

In the stone room at the foot of the stairs, the ground was littered with blood-soaked bandages. Grand Master Kumu and his two disciples were at their wit’s end before Zhou Junqi’s body. They’d used all the medicine they could, but the man was still bleeding from his wound.

“Is senior brother dying?” one of the little disciples sobbed.

Great Master Kumu murmured an Amitabha under his breath, utterly helpless.

“Huh?” Ning Xiaoyao walked through the door at this moment and saw Zhou Junqi lying on the bed. “You can’t stop the bleeding?”

Both of the little monks screamed with fright at the stranger appearing out of thin air. They hugged each other tight, while a badly startled Grand Master Kumu forced himself to calm down. This person shouldn’t be here to kill Eldest Young Master Zhou. Otherwise, he would have done the deed already instead of asking after his wound.

“That’s Kumu,” Big Boss Black whispered to Ning Xiaoyao.

“.......” said Ning Xiaoyao. Why does that holy fraud look so kindly?