Your Majesty, Please Stop!

Chapter 47: Lifu's Ten Liang Wager

Lifu held the book "Zi Chunqiu" in his hands, squatting next to an ancient Thousand Year tree, engrossed in reading.

He had forgotten his real name, as he had been called Lifu or Mr. Li by others during his seventeen years as a teacher in the Autumn Palace.

He did indeed resemble a pear, with a belly and thighs as thick as his head was small.

But his sword was large, as big as a door panel.

"Lifu, are you reading?"

Old Master Murong Zhe put away his "Wind-Cutting" sword and smiled warmly. He knew Lifu.

"No, I'm just reading while doing other things," Lifu replied without looking up.

Murong Zhe asked, "Isn't there a place to read in the Autumn Palace?"

"The Autumn Palace is big, there are reading places everywhere," Lifu replied.

Murong Zhe was puzzled, "Then why are you here?"

"Waiting for someone."

"Waiting for who?"

"You."

"Waiting for me?"

"Yes, I don't think you can kill Xin Zhuo."

"Oh?"

"Look at those figures."

Murong Zhe looked towards the hillside, his expression changed. Those figures were still moving, obviously several sets of tattered clothes hanging on the trees. "Did that kid guess that I would block them?"

"Yes!" Lifu turned a page of the book. "Not only did he guess, but he also dug pits under the clothes, with sharp branches inserted inside and covered with leaves. If someone steps on it carelessly, they might get scratched."

"He really is a cunning little bandit. No wonder my grandson followed him."

Murong Zhe sighed, "But I still think we should chase after them."

"I think it's better to let it go."

"My grandson followed him as a thief, and that fierce man's daughter was also violated by him. Giving him a sword, it should be acceptable to Heavenly King Daddy, right?"

"It may be acceptable to Heavenly King Daddy, but not to the teacher."

Lifu smiled and looked up.

As a teacher himself, there was only one person he would call a teacher. This person was going to be Heavenly King Daddy, at least in the land of Fufeng, where no one dared to say a word against him.

Murong Zhe furrowed his brows at first, then smiled, "Could it be that Mr. Dongfang, who has been in seclusion for fifteen years, has the intention to take in disciples as soon as he comes out?"

"The teacher has no interest in taking in disciples, unless he can turn the tables heaven-defyingly and defeat all four major families. Of course, this is difficult. When the teacher just came out of seclusion, he heard a sentence, 'Six against a thousand, the advantage is mine,' and he found it interesting."

"This... interesting?"

"Of course! A little bandit saying such arrogant words, daring to face thousands of pursuers with just six people, threatening and sparring, and then quickly observing and mastering the martial arts of others. Have you ever seen such courage and insight? If he ends up being killed by you, it would be boring, wouldn't it?"

"Um..." Murong Zhe stroked his three strands of long beard. "Looking at it this way, it is quite boring. Does Mr. Dongfang want to protect him?"

"Why would the teacher want to protect him? He just thinks that he should give him some more time to see how he survives. It's boring to sit and watch the world go by in the mountains, isn't it beneficial to cultivation?"

"Um, I understand. But if he dies at the hands of other juniors..."

"Juniors of the same level, not much difference in realm. If he still dies, then it would be too boring. If he only cares about escaping for his life and can't play with any tricks, it would still be boring. It would also be a letdown to his arrogant words. When that time comes, you don't need to take action, this teacher will stab him like a toad. This teacher has wagered ten liang of silver on him!"

Lifu tore out a page of the book, wiped it off, rolled up his robe, and stood up, walking to Murong Zhe's side and patting his shoulder.

A foul smell wafted from his shoulder, but Murong Zhe didn't mind at all. "My grandson may be useless, but I still have a granddaughter, fifteen years old, named Murong Yunxi. She's a bit mischievous, but she still has some talent..."

"She can join my sect and enter the Autumn Palace at the end of the month."

"Alright!"

The two men, who decided Xin Zhuo's fate with their interest and ten liang of silver, walked side by side and soon disappeared into the depths of the dense forest.

After waiting for a long time, the fleeing wildcat returned, cautiously picking up a bamboo rat and scurrying away into the distance.

...

"We're tired, and of course they will be tired too. We have provisions, but they don't. So, they must hunt to fill their stomachs. We just need to observe the smoke and fire around us."

Yuan Yourong, Chen Guiyan, and others rushed back to this mountain top like a gust of wind, and unsurprisingly, they were gone.

Murong Lei wiped the dirt off his face and analyzed, "So, everyone should work hard and carefully watch in all directions."

Yuan Yourong nodded in agreement, "Murong Second Brother makes a good point. However, I think it's better to split up and act separately. Let's use fireworks as signals..."

Before she could finish her sentence, a firelight appeared in the distance.

Before the group could even rejoice, another firelight appeared from a different direction, followed by more and more.

A total of twelve firelights, in twelve different directions.

The group looked around in confusion, unable to say anything, and angrily cursed, "Damn thieves!"

...

The next day, in the afternoon.

At the northern foot of the Fufeng Mountains, seven disheveled people emerged from the dense forest.

Each person held a skewer of roasted fish and ate while walking.

"It's been a long time since I had roasted fish. It's delicious," Huang Dagui said, his face blackened except for a yellow tooth. "Originally, we could have caught fish to eat, but those people from Qiugong Pavilion are not human!"

"Second Brother is absolutely right!" Han Jiulang sighed. "I suddenly want to compose a poem: 'Everyone, come and eat fish...'"

"Shut up!"

Han Qiniang, with a face covered in dirt like a spotted cat, scolded Little Brother and then approached Xin Zhuo, handing him half of her fish that she had already eaten. "Elder Brother, you can have this half, eat some more."

"It's tasteless, too many bones, I'm full, thanks!"

Xin Zhuo shook his head and looked at the forest behind him. Throughout the day and night, they had flown kites with the people from the four major families, giving various hints and setting traps, but Murong Xiu's grandfather was nowhere to be found.

According to the Realm's theory, releasing sixth rank True Qi externally, with a three-zhang-long technique like a dragon, and being able to cut someone with a sword from ten meters away, was quite intimidating.

Murong Xiu seemed to have guessed his thoughts and smiled, "Elder Brother, rest assured. Yuan Yourong, Chen Guiyan, and the others are probably dizzy from going around in circles two hundred li away. And my grandfather has poor eyesight. With all the traps and suspicions we've set up, he won't be able to find us."

Xin Zhuo nodded, "You said it well. If your grandfather does come, you're responsible for holding onto his thigh!"

Murong Xiu was taken aback, "Ah, well, even if I hold onto it, what about the others from the four major families? There's nothing we can do, right?"

"Leave the others to me. I'll find a way to deal with them!" Xin Zhuo said.

The phrase "deal with them" touched upon Murong Xiu's blind spot of knowledge, and he fell into contemplation.

Cui Ying'er glanced at the peaks ahead and asked in confusion, "We should be close to Menghu Village, right, Xigou?"

"This is Baitiao Mountain, about thirty-eight li away from Menghu Village. We should be able to arrive before nightfall," Bai Jianxi replied. He had been to Menghu Village several times and was the group's guide. He accurately pointed out the name of the place.

"Very good!" Xin Zhuo rubbed his hands together and smiled, "Is there meat to eat in Menghu Village? I heard they have mountain springs and hot water there too?"

"And women with smelly feet!" Huang Dagui nodded heavily.

...

"Ah, what a blunder!"

Menghu Village, warm as spring. In the Juyi Cave, where a whole goat was being roasted, Sun Wu, who had gained weight, sneezed and wiped his nose absentmindedly. "Who's cursing me? Er Lv, go see who's cursing me and give him thirty slaps!"

"Watch closely, Elder Brother." A lackey with a donkey face hurriedly ran out.

"Comfortable!" On the other side, military advisor Wang Calabash took a big bite of the lamb, mumbling, "It's really comfortable. Xin Zhuo led all the soldiers over there, and we looted the county treasury of Ping'an County without anyone caring."

"Cough cough..." Sun Wu coughed twice, one hand stroking his beard, the other smoothing his clothes.

Wang Calabash understood immediately and immediately offered a flattering smile, "I can only say that Elder Brother's strategy is brilliant, decisive, and a thousand miles ahead. With just a few letters, that kid Xin Zhuo was tightly controlled. Amazing! Truly amazing!"

"Elder Brother is wise!"

A group of elite bandits next to them shouted in unison.

Sun Wu became a little shy. He pressed his hands down, gesturing for everyone to be quiet, and sighed, "I just saw the situation clearly, accurately predicted the intentions of the government, and then used Xin Zhuo to my advantage. To be honest, in terms of intelligence, I'm definitely much smarter than Xin Zhuo. But... after all, I'm the leader, with the righteousness of a hero. I heard he's being besieged over there, and the four major families have also sent people. They've attracted so many troops. Sigh! I'm ashamed!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the donkey-faced lackey, Er Lv, returned, "Elder Brother, don't be ashamed. King Xin Zhuo has arrived."

"Smack!"

Sun Wu trembled, and the lamb leg in his hand fell to the ground.

PS: The word count got out of control, it's even longer. It's about to be published, and it's hard to catch up with the ghost readers. How can I write more than a dozen chapters? I beg everyone to read and follow, flip through it every day, and bow with tears!

(End of this chapter)