Chapter 362: Chief Succubus of the Guardian Hall

Chapter 362: Chief Succubus of the Guardian Hall

Chapter 362: Chief Succubus of the Guardian Hall

Day three.

In Xuehe North Garden, the sun shines under the eaves.

The robe was casually draped over the sword case, basking in the sun.

The courtyard was swept several times, and Qiu Ping'an brought some flowers and plants and planted them in the corners. The industry in Pingding City was fruitful, and the number of disciples in Beiyuan recovered to about a hundred, and several third-rate masters were recruited, which could be regarded as a slight recovery of vitality.

A green shadow flashed by, and the little toad jumped down from the wall, landed on the edge of the water tank, and drank a few sips of water.

"Cuck!"

It was quite satisfied with the environment under the Black Wood Cliff. In the past few days, it often left Zhang Yu's sight and went out for a stroll on its own.

"I haven't seen you for so long, I thought you weren't coming back."

"Quack quack!"

The little toad opened its mouth and spit out three blue scales, which sparkled in the sunlight, as if showing off its trophy.

It has a collecting habit and likes to bury things everywhere.

"Blue-scaled carp? Awesome, you're better than I was back then."

The little toad seemed to hear it as a compliment and quacked even more.

"Another dead one!"

In the afternoon, it is rare to have some quiet time.

Zhang Yu, wearing his undershirt, sat back down on the steps and continued to tend to two pots of Begonias.

Loosen the soil, prune branches, catch insects and water.

With his hands covered in mud, he seemed to be enjoying the process.

Blackwood Cliff was not a good place, but this small courtyard surrounded by maple trees could give him one of the few soothing feelings he could experience. He could really calm down and be an ordinary young man, not Zhang Liyu, a master of the Demon Sect, or a Ziwei Sword Immortal...

"Sir, I heard that you are going to be the hall master?"

Zhang Yu turned his head and saw someone walking up the stairs behind him.

The two long legs, shining brightly like knife blades, dazzle the eyes.

"A twenty-year-old Dharma Protector Hall Master is rare in the Divine Religion for a hundred years. He is young and promising, and has a bright future. Is it too late for me to curry favor with him now?"

Liu Ruyan was wearing a black horse-faced skirt with gold patterns. She had a beautiful face and if it weren't for the fact that there was nothing inside, she would have looked dignified and elegant. As she was walking down the stairs, she met the gaze and did not feel embarrassed at all. Instead, she threw a coquettish glance at Zhang Yu.

"Does your skirt have to be opened so high?"

"The body of the beautiful girl in her twenties is as soft as butter, and she carries a sword at her waist to kill ordinary people." It seems that Lu Dongbin was also deeply touched.

"Doesn't it look good?"

Liu Ruyan lifted the horse mask up lightly, and then quickly put it down. There were ordinary disciples coming in and out of the courtyard. When the commander came back, he found that another pot of his star-moon crabapple had died, and he got angry. They didn't dare to come over to cause trouble, and didn't see the bold move of Liu Xiangzhu.

Zhang Yu was no naive young man. He chuckled and turned away.

Liu Ruyan is somewhere between youthful and mature, in her prime, good at dressing up, and can be called the chief succubus of the Guardian Hall. Men covet her and women envy her, causing a lot of rumors in the hall.

"Master Liu Xiang, do you want to ask me for something?"

"Your Excellency and I are truly in tune with each other."

Liu Ruyan sat down on the steps next to Zhang Yu. The fragrance was light and subtle, neither strong nor weak. She was an expert at making incense. With this skill, she supported the orphanage by the river, and naturally all the things she made for herself were good things.

"There are a lot more people in the orphanage, and the expenses are not enough."

"We've divided up some money before, and I remember you took a lot home."

"After all the division, there's not much left. My Lord is about to become the head of the hall, so can't you... pamper me a little more?"

Liu Ruyan came closer again, her voice soft and docile like a cat.

"If you keep being a cricket pupa, I will spoil you until you are covered in mud."

She knew that Zhang Yu would keep his word and was capable of doing anything evil, so she quickly moved away to avoid his clutches.

"I'd rather play with two pots of broken flowers, but that's right..."

Liu Ruyan complained in a low voice.

Of the four pots of Begonias sent by Qi Queqiao, only half were left in less than half a year. Zhang Yu heard from Qiu Ping'an that using mugwort ash and mixing it into a thin paste could be used as fertilizer and to repel insects, which was the most effective method.

"What do you want? The Garden will give you a sum of money every year?"

Liu Ruyan was delighted: "This is the best."

Zhang Yu thought for a moment and said, "Adopting the orphans of the disciples who died in battle is a good thing, but the public account of the garden cannot be used for your private affairs, unless you turn the orphanage into a public institution and send a coach to teach them martial arts."

Liu Ruyan sighed softly and shook her head, "Grow up and join the Divine Religion? Live a good life on the edge of a knife and lick blood like their parents? Eat pie in the sky, and die gloriously in a war?"

Zhang Yu nodded slightly, it was true.

Liu Ruyan did not want her orphan to join the Sun Moon Divine Sect, as she felt it was not a job with a bright future.

Among ordinary believers, there may not be a minority who think like this.

He looked at the blood crane flag fluttering in the air, and remembered what Lan Fenghuang said by the Nanchang Lake.

The knowledgeable people in the religion of God have already realized the problem.

How did the Sun-Moon Divine Sect become a demonic cult?
Is it all due to the slander of the Orthodox Church? That is absolutely unacceptable.

Ultimately, they betrayed their original ideals and beliefs, the sun and the moon were no longer clear, the religion was no longer divine, and because of the emergence of many strong men who possessed great power and acted in an extreme manner, they gradually became a demonic cult.

Orthodoxy has the 'chivalrous way'.

There used to be 'fairness' in the religion of God.

Two big flags coexist at the same time.

Theocracy has cut down its own flag and is unable to rally the people's hearts. Over time, it will be unable to compete with Orthodoxy.

“How do we change that?”

Hard!

Things that you don't believe in and don't mention, will not be recognized by the world.

Zhang Yu covered his hands with yellow mud and smeared it on the roots of the crabapple tree. Some things are useless to just sit here and think about, you have to do it!

He looked at the enchanting woman. Her good deed, though seemingly insignificant, meant more to the Sun Moon Divine Sect than killing ten orthodox masters.

"Then there is nothing we can do! The silver that our brothers shed their blood for cannot be used by you alone to do charity."

Liu Ruyan did not insist. Looking depressed, she stood up and was about to leave after hearing what was said.

"and many more."

Liu Ruyan stopped.

"Have you changed your mind, my Lord?"

"I cannot give you any money from the public treasury, but I will lend you half of my own savings, which you can put inside your robe."

Liu Ruyan was half-believing and half-doubting. She walked to the sword box and picked up the black robe that had been washed several times. It had been dried, but it was not washed very cleanly. There were still dark marks and blood stains. She took out two crumpled silver bills from her sleeve pocket.

"Ten thousand taels, still ten thousand taels!"

Liu Ruyan's eyes widened.

"You can only take one!"

"My Lord, you have a kind heart. You will definitely survive the decisive battle at Blackwood Cliff tomorrow."

Zhang Yu raised his head, looked at Liu Ruyan, nodded and said, "I see. You calculated that I would die in the battle at Blackwood Cliff tomorrow, and you came here to get money in advance? Then you should borrow both banknotes. You don't have to pay them back anyway." "I don't know what others say, but I believe you can win!"

Zhang Yu stood up, picked up two pots of Begonia and placed them in the sun. He walked to the water tank. After Liu Ruyan took the silver note, she looked very sharp, picked up the gourd ladle, scooped it full of water, and the mud fell off. Her ten fingers were slender and her skin was white like jade, like a pair of hands playing the flute or the piano.

"Thank you, Master Liuxiang, for your good wishes. In case I don't come back, please take good care of these two pots of flowers."

Liu Ruyan said softly, "I heard that Elder Bao is a master of the Xiantian realm. Why don't you give in?"

He smiled and said, "Have you ever seen me being soft, sir?"

"no!"

Zhang Yu shook off the water droplets between his fingers and looked at the two pots of Begonias that were full of vitality in the sun.

"The world is dangerous, and it's not easy for them to survive."

After Liu Ruyan left, Zhang Yu dragged the bamboo chair to the sun and rocked it gently. Just as he was about to close his eyes and take a nap, a disciple from Beiyuan came in to report that someone was coming to see him. He was silent for a moment and ordered, "Let them in."

Not long after the disciple went out, a man and a woman came over.

"Deputy Hall Master Zhang, I am sorry for coming here uninvited and disturbing you."

"Why do you say that, Commander Wen? I'm glad you can come."

Wen Mengjiu was wearing a green robe and jade belt, and he was handsome and fit to be a general in front of the palace. Zhang Yu knew that he and Di Baiying had been friends for many years, and as for the girl next to him, he was even more familiar with her.

Xie Xiaoman, the former Beiyuan incense master, who had met Zuojiazhuang once, was Di Baiying's adopted daughter. She had empty eyes. After walking into the yard, she stared at Zhang Yu blankly, without moving or speaking, but she had taken off the two swords at her waist.

"Please take a seat, both of you."

The disciples from Beiyuan brought round chairs and a tea table to the courtyard.

In case of a fight, the place is spacious enough.

After Wen Mengjiu sat down, he saw that all the disciples of Beiyuan had left, and then he said.

"According to the order of the Saint Lady, I secretly went to Chengde Hall to meet Bao Dachu, and threatened him with the lives of 73 people in my hometown of Zhuozhou, forcing him to deliberately lose to you in tomorrow's battle and give up the position of the head of the Dharma Protector Hall. Bao Dachu agreed verbally, but there was no telling what he was thinking in his heart."

"Ah."

Zhang Yu filled two cups of tea, not surprised, but curious.

"Commander Wen, are you also starting to work for Saint Aunt?"

Wen Mengjiu chuckled and said, "Saint Aunt is wise and intelligent, highly respected by the public, and she is also the daughter of the old leader Ren, the niece of the Eastern leader, the future owner of the Chengde Hall, and the new leader of the Sun and Moon Sect. It's not just me, Wen, who is running around under her tutelage, isn't it also the deputy hall master Zhang?"

Zhang Yu nodded and said, "That's right, I just didn't expect the Saint Lady to be so powerful."

The cicadas are awake even before the autumn wind blows. These days, rumors are flying everywhere, many of which are about the Eastern Sect Leader.

The door of Ren Yingying's mansion in Pingding City was visited by many people. The masters of the Divine Sect came to her to establish relations with her. Even the four powerful hall masters and elders sent people to contact her. It was only a matter of time before she overshadowed Yang Lianting on the Black Wood Cliff.

Wen Mengjiu suddenly asked, "Some people say that the Eastern Sect Leader has already left Blackwood Cliff, and the one sitting in Chengde Hall is just a paper tiger created by Yang Lianting in order to seize power and isolate China from the outside world. What do you think, Brother Zhang?"

“This kind of news comes every year.”

No one dared to bet on whether the person sitting behind the pearl curtain was the real leader or the fake one. The loser would die.

During these years, some people wanted to seize power during the chaos, some were lured by Yang Lianting, and many heads were chopped off. Even Ren Yingying was fooled several times and almost lost her life.

"This time, it seems a little different."

Although Wen Mengjiu also worked for Ren Yingying, they were not close enough to discuss these secrets. Zhang Yu was frugal with words and wanted to see what kind of person he was.

His intuition told him that Miss Ren's skills were not enough to subdue someone like Wen Mengjiu.

"Commander Wen, what do you think is different this time?"

Seeing that he was unwilling to say more, Wen Mengjiu smiled and said, "Nothing, maybe I'm overthinking it."

"The second one is a private matter."

Wen Mengjiu looked at Xie Xiaoman who looked like a dazed man at the side, and smiled bitterly.

"Since we met, Xiao Man has only said one sentence to me."

"What?"

"She wants to return to Xuehe North Garden and continue to follow Deputy Hall Master Zhang!"

Wen Mengjiu looked at Zhang Yu, then at Xie Xiaoman who was standing there.

"If it's inconvenient for you, I think we should just forget it."

At the same time when Di Baiying was assassinated, Ren Yingying led the masters of Suzaku Hall to capture the people of Xiyuan, including Xie Xiaoman. She could at least guess that Di Baiying's death was related to Ren Yingying, so it was not surprising that she thought of herself.

Zhang Yu didn't want to bury a gunpowder in Beiyuan and was about to refuse.

"Deputy Hall Master Zhang, my adoptive father died in the war and I have nowhere to go. As long as you are still willing to take me in..."

Xie Xiaoman took out something from his sleeve, which was an iron flute that recorded the twenty-eight notes of Gong and Shang.

"I'll leave this to you."

Zhang Yu thought about it for a while and realized that his foundation in the religion was shallow and he needed help.

He looked at Xie Xiaoman and sneered in his heart. The rivers and lakes are deep, even Di Baiying broke his wings in Jiangnan and never came back. How can this little bird flutter? Do you think you will be afraid of Wen Mengjiu standing behind you?
"Miss Xiaoman, I am an old acquaintance of mine, and it's fine if she wants to stay."

Wen Mengjiu stood up and said, "Then I would like to thank Deputy Hall Master Zhang on behalf of Xiao Man."

They talked for a while, but tacitly did not mention Di Baiying and Ren Yingying again.

Afterwards, Wen Mengjiu stood up and said goodbye, leaving only two people in the yard.

Zhang Yu looked at Xie Xiaoman, the iron flute in his hand, and smiled.

"Twenty-eight friends of Gong Shang, I never thought that he would give you such an important thing to keep. I heard that your whole family is gone, and it was Wen Mengjiu who saved you. Master Di adopted you as his adopted daughter. What a deep father-daughter love! It's a pity that such a good person died in a foreign land after going out for a trip."

He looked at Xie Xiaoman, who was standing in the yard in a black dress with a slender waist. Her eyes were cold. When she heard about the deep love between father and daughter, hatred flashed in her eyes, but then she returned to normal. After all, she lacked experience in the underworld, and she thought she had hidden it well.

"Master Di died a tragic death. It is said that he was stabbed dozens of times and his body was like a dustpan. Have you ever seen it?"

Xie Xiaoman suddenly raised her head and looked at Zhang Yu: "I'll give you the iron flute!"

"Bring it here."

Zhang Yu did not stand up either. He sat on the bamboo chair, picked up the teacup, and gently blew away the tea powder. He seemed completely unaware of the woman's deep hatred.

"Okay, I'll give it to you!"

Xie Xiaoman held the iron flute and gradually approached. Within three steps, his hand loosened and the iron flute fell.

"go to hell!"

She had an iron hairpin in her hand and suddenly stabbed it towards Zhang Yu's neck.

"Evil thief!"

As expected, this crude assassination had no hope of success from the very beginning.

"I really overestimated you. I thought you could at least endure it for a while."

Zhang Yu stood up, grabbed Xie Xiaoman's wrist, and pressed three acupoints on her.

"You haven't discussed your assassination plan with Commander Wen, have you? How stupid! You're throwing blood at the people of Hebeiyuan."

Xie Xiaoman stood in the yard, with her right hand stretched forward, holding an iron hairpin, as if she were an immortal pointing the way, looking very funny.

“You guessed right!

Zhang Yu passed by her, picked up the fallen iron flute, checked it, and seeing no signs of it being opened, he put it away. He turned around and looked at Xie Xiaoman, who looked so stupid, and sneered disdainfully.

"Di Baiying was killed by me."

(End of this chapter)