Chapter 277: Angry Iron Hands

Shangguan Haitang's expression was complicated after reading Ye Xiu's newly written diary.

Although Ye Xiu hadn't intentionally written about Shangguan Haitang before, she had deduced from fragments in Ye Xiu's diary that her adoptive father, Zhu Wusi, was plotting rebellion.

Recently, Shangguan Haitang had even been investigating intelligence on Zhu Wusi, uncovering a considerable amount. While most of it was insignificant,

taking it all together was enough to prove Zhu Wusi's rebellious intentions.

However, Shangguan Haitang hesitated over whether to hand over the evidence.

After all, Zhu Wusi had been quite honest recently, spending most of his time in seclusion cultivating, rarely engaging in matters within the martial arts world or even the imperial court.

It was precisely because of this that Shangguan Haitang's private investigation of Zhu Wusi had gone undetected. Otherwise, Zhu Wusi would have long since discovered her covert investigation through Shangguan Haitang's clues.

And if Zhu Wusi knew, Shangguan Haitang would have been in a state of panic.

It was also because Zhu Wusi had not shown up that the eunuch party headed by Cao Zhengchun in the court had the upper hand, and there was a vague feeling that

they were about to get excited and cause chaos. But even so, Shangguan Haitang still didn't want Zhu Wusi to jump out again.

"Godfather!" Shangguan Haitang closed the diary and couldn't help but sigh softly.

At the same time, Shangguan Haitang was also happy that Ye Xiu was able to use most of the content in the diary to write about herself this time, so that she could get more rewards and benefits in the next month's rewards, and her cultivation would have a significant improvement.

In fact, if Shangguan Haitang was not a secret agent of the Dragon Guard Villa, she had to deal with many things, and she also wanted to keep an eye on the Iron-hearted Divine Marquis Zhu Wusi to prevent him from doing anything bad.

If it weren't for this reason, Shangguan Haitang would have gone to find Ye Xiu long ago.

What Shangguan Haitang wanted to do most now was to improve her own strength.

Shangguan Haitang had thought it through. If she was strong enough to become a Grandmaster, then if Zhu Wusi had any thoughts of causing trouble, she could just suppress him. In this way, she wouldn't have to worry about problems with the court, nor would she have to worry about Zhu Wusi being punished by the court for his rebellion.

"Perhaps, I should have gone to the Sui Dynasty back then—" Shangguan Haitang couldn't help but mutter.

Shangguan Haitang felt that if she had followed Ye Xiu when he left the Ming Dynasty for the Sui Dynasty, she would definitely have gained more favor from Ye Xiu, and she could even have gotten Ye Xiu to write her name more often in his diary.

In this way, her strength might have improved, and she might even have been able to become a Grandmaster.

That way, she wouldn't have to worry about Zhu Wusi's affairs anymore.

"Godfather..." Shangguan Haitang looked in the direction where Zhu Wusi was in seclusion.

Back at Hulong Villa, in Zhu Wushi's secluded chamber, he sat cross-legged on a piece of white cold jade, constantly circulating his inner Qi, attempting to condense it.

For months, Zhu Wushi had repeatedly collided his own Qi with the Qi left behind by Dongfang Bubai and Yaoyue.

He had attempted to expel their Qi, but the Qi of a Grandmaster was far more powerful, refined, and condensed than that of a Grandmaster. Furthermore, over 90% of Zhu Wushi's Qi was absorbed through the Qi-absorbing technique, making it three points less pure than that of a normal Grandmaster. Therefore, expelling both Qi from Zhu Wushi proved exceedingly difficult.

The lingering Qi of these two Grandmasters had prevented Zhu Wushi from healing his injuries for so long.

Zhu Wushi, however, was remarkably persistent. He managed to remain still for months, constantly blasting his own Qi against the Grandmaster Qi of Dongfang Bubai and Yaoyue.

Through this repetitive blasting and blasting, Zhu Wushi discovered that his Qi, once three times more chaotic than that of a typical Grandmaster, was slowly becoming more refined.

Although each blast of Qi impacted Zhu Wushi's meridians, causing his injuries to worsen, and even for a time, Zhu Wushi practically consumed healing medicine like food, taking it in large quantities daily,

Zhu Wushi remained undeterred.

By now, the purity of Zhu Wushi's Qi had nearly reached that of a normal Grandmaster.

With this level of Qi, Zhu Wushi was practically capable of transforming it into the rank of Grandmaster.

Puff -

Zhu Wusi suddenly opened his eyes and spat out a mouthful of bright red blood, but a hint of joy flashed across Zhu Wusi's face. He grabbed a handful of healing medicine from the side and put it into his mouth. At the same time, Zhu Wusi thought silently in his heart: "According to this situation, I should be able to become a grandmaster in a month

or two at most." "After I become a grandmaster, I can use the power-absorbing technique to absorb the grandmaster's true energy to enhance my own strength. Maybe I can rely on the power-absorbing technique to become the pinnacle of the Vajra Realm Grandmaster, or the Zhixuan Realm Grandmaster or even the Tianxiang Grandmaster in a short period of time - If I can become the Zhixuan Realm Grandmaster or even the Tianxiang Realm Grandmaster, then it will become much easier for me to sit in that position at that time."

A hint of ambition flashed across Zhu Wusi's eyes.

"And those two bitches, Dongfang Bubai and Yaoyue, after I become a Grandmaster, I'll absolutely use my Qi-absorbing technique to transform the Qi in your bodies into my own... Humph, you didn't expect that, did you? I never thought that I, Zhu Wusi, would have a blessing in disguise!"

The more

Zhu Wusi thought about it, the more excited and excited he became. After a moment of recuperation, Zhu Wusi couldn't help but enter his cultivation state again. He would practice even harder, striving to become a Grandmaster even sooner.

...

"Wuqing? You're here. What are your thoughts? What are you planning?" Ye Xiu asked with a smile upon seeing Wuqing approaching.

Seeing the man bearing An Shigeng's face, yet speaking in Ye Xiu's usual tone, Wuqing felt a little strange.

Wuqing shook his head: "While I did consider revenge, that guy's identity is too important. If I really kill him, the Mongols might launch an attack on our Great Song, and then there would be devastating devastation..."

Ye Xiu wasn't surprised to hear Wuqing say this.

One can only say that Zhuge Xiaohua's education was quite successful. At least Wuqing had been trained by him to be someone with a broad perspective.

Clap, clap, clap—

Ye Xiu clapped his hands a few times, then gave Wuqing a thumbs-up: "A true hero serves his country and his people! Wuqing, your realm is truly quite high."

"I didn't think that much about it. I just, I just don't want more people to be like me—" Wuqing shook his head.

"Whatever you think. After all, he's your enemy, not mine." Ye Xiu shrugged.

Hearing Ye Xiu say this, Wuqing was stunned, wanting to speak but stopping herself. She could faintly hear a hint of disappointment in Ye Xiu's words, as if he was a little unhappy that she was letting her enemy go.

"Ye Xiu, what do you think I should do?" Wuqing couldn't help but ask.

"That's up to you. People are different, and naturally their perspectives are different. Some prioritize family, country, and the world, while others prioritize the world over the country. Everyone's experiences and upbringing are different, leading to different perspectives and realms. For example, Wuqing, although you deeply hate the man who tore your family apart, you also care about the world and don't want the Song Dynasty to suffer a heavy blow because of you."

"And me? I put myself and my family first. So if I faced something like this, I would seek revenge by any means possible. If I couldn't, I might even collude with the Mongols and use the power of a Mongol invasion to exact revenge." Ye Xiu spoke with unwavering composure.

Wuqing was stunned upon hearing Ye Xiu's words. He wanted to say something, but seemed to have no idea how to speak.

"Surprised and shocked, right? I'm actually inviting a wolf into my house just because of a family enemy, right?" Ye Xiu smiled at Wuqing.

Wuqing nodded.

"This is why people have different experiences and different ideas."

Wuqing was a little shocked and even a little envious after hearing what Ye Xiu said.

Wuqing envied Ye Xiu's decisiveness, but she couldn't do that.

Because of Zhuge Xiaohua's education, her three views had long been determined. Because she received patriotic education since she was a child, in her opinion, the interests of the country should be put first, and one's own personal grudges are secondary.

Wuqing wanted to learn to be as willful and selfish as Ye Xiu. She wanted to learn Ye Xiu's pleasure in revenge, but her conscience prevented her from doing so.

"Wuqing, actually, there is a way to avenge you without affecting the country." Ye Xiu suddenly said to Wuqing.

"What is the way?" Wuqing's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but ask quickly.

"As you know, Ruyan and I are both masters of disguise. We can easily disguise ourselves as someone else."

Wuqing's eyes widened when he heard this: "Are you, are you trying to pretend to be the emperor?"

"The emperor of the Song Dynasty is not a wise ruler, and it's not like he's the only one who can handle the affairs of the Song Dynasty. Ruyan and I can kill him, then use disguise to look like him and sit in the palace. No one will ever discover any flaws. That way, you can get revenge and still maintain the stability of the court. The Mongols won't attack the Song Dynasty." Ye Xiu said with some nostalgia.

Wuqing was shocked. She had never expected that things could be manipulated in this way.

But then Wuqing couldn't help but look at Ye Xiu: "Are you saying all this because you want to be emperor?"

Ye Xiu rolled his eyes at that. "Emperor? Emperor? Stop kidding, okay? What's so good about being an emperor? Being a wise ruler is exhausting, being a foolish one is damned. Am I not good enough now? I have everything I want, why do I need to be emperor?"

Hearing Ye Xiu's complete disregard for the emperor, Wuqing knew she had said the wrong thing.

In fact, Wuqing knew she was wrong the moment she opened her mouth.

She had long known from Ye Xiu's diary that Ye Xiu was not a man who loved power. He had no desire for it at all. Besides power, Ye Xiu didn't seem to have a strong obsession with money either. At most, he was rather, uh, lustful when it came to beautiful women.

But lustful men seemed to be quite normal.

However, when Wuqing thought about Ye Xiu's lustful nature, his expression became strange, and even his gaze towards Ye Xiu was tinged with unease.

"What's wrong? You don't believe me?" Ye Xiu frowned at Wuqing's look.

"I, I believe you wouldn't pretend to be the emperor just for power and money, but, but—but what if you're trying to impersonate the emperor because you covet the emperor's harem—"

Upon hearing Wuqing's words, Ye Xiu looked at him in shock. "How, how could you have such an idea? Do you think I'm that kind of person?"

"After all, you're quite lustful yourself..." Wuqing muttered softly, head bowed.

"...You say I'm lustful? Fine, then, you can stay here tonight!" Ye Xiu said to Wuqing unhappily.

"I—" Wuqing was surprised by Ye Xiu's sudden words and immediately blushed. "I, I—"

Wuqing was about to refuse, but then she remembered that Ye Xiu had told her the truth about the Sheng family's annihilation, even though that part was a bit wrong. She almost considered Zhuge Zhengwo an enemy.

Furthermore, Ye Xiu had given her the Divine Illumination Sutra, giving her hope of getting back on her feet.

Her deal with Ye Xiu had already begun, and it was perfectly reasonable for Ye Xiu to want her body.

So, after hesitating for a long while, Wuqing finally lowered her head and remained silent, tacitly accepting Ye Xiu's order for her to stay.

Seeing Wuqing's reaction, Ye Xiu's eyes twitched slightly. He hadn't expected Wuqing to be so obedient and actually not refuse.

However, looking at Wuqing sitting in the wheelchair, Ye Xiu shook his head: "Forget it, let's wait until you can get out of the wheelchair. I don't like women who are too passive in bed."

Wuqing lowered her head and blushed. While relieved, she felt a hint of disappointment in her heart.

"Alright, it's getting late. You should go back. If you don't go back, Tie Shou might come knocking on your door," Ye Xiu said to Wuqing.

When Wuqing arrived at the An Mansion, Tie Shou had already begun stalking outside.

Ye Xiu was certain that if Wuqing really didn't leave tonight, Tie Shou, and even Zhuge Zhengwo, would burst in with fists and spears.

Hearing the name Tie Shou, Wuqing's eyes flashed with a complex expression. Even now, she still didn't know how to face Tie Shou.

"Um, can I, can I see what you look like before I leave? I mean, what you really look like?" Wuqing paused as she prepared to leave, unable to resist asking Ye Xiu. Wuqing

was genuinely curious about Ye Xiu's appearance.

After all, Ye Xiu had repeatedly emphasized how handsome he was in his diary, claiming to be the most handsome man in the Ming Dynasty, the most handsome man in the world, and so on.

But until now, Wuqing had never seen Ye Xiu's true appearance.

The first time Wuqing met Ye Xiu, he looked merely delicate and handsome.

The second time they met at the Divine Marquis' Mansion, Ye Xiu looked very ordinary, a commonplace face.

And the third time, Ye Xiu had the face of An Shigeng.

They had met three times, but Wuqing had never seen Ye Xiu's true appearance. It was no wonder Wuqing made such a request before leaving.

"You want to see my real face?" Ye Xiu laughed. "Of course. I don't really want to keep wearing someone else's face, but there's no other way."

Ye Xiu began to work his magic, tapping his face a few times, causing some changes. He then took out some potion and washed off the ointment. Finally, Ye Xiu's true face appeared before Wuqing.

Wuqing stared at Ye Xiu with wide eyes. She hadn't expected Ye Xiu to be so handsome.

Even before she saw Ye Xiu's true appearance, Wuqing had a certain idea of what he looked like. She had imagined what Ye Xiu must look like to be hailed as the most handsome man in the Ming Dynasty.

It wasn't until now, upon seeing Ye Xiu's breathtakingly beautiful face, that Wuqing realized that when Ye Xiu wrote in his diary that he was the most handsome man in the Ming Dynasty, he hadn't been exaggerating. Ye Xiu was truly stunningly beautiful.

Wuqing had initially felt a little uncomfortable about handing herself over to Ye Xiu as part of a deal.

While the transaction was consensual, Wuqing was still a young woman, and she longed for a sweet love of her own.

A deal was a deal, so Wuqing had no intention of reneging.

But now, upon seeing Ye Xiu's face, Wuqing subconsciously felt that the deal she had made with Ye Xiu had been worth it.

When Wuqing realized this thought had occurred to her, her face flushed, and not just red, but intensely hot.

"I, I'm leaving, goodbye, Master Ye!" Wuqing said, and hurriedly used his mental power to push the wheelchair, and quickly left Ye Xiu's presence.

Looking at Wuqing's embarrassed appearance as she left like a shy little girl, Ye Xiu couldn't help but feel a little proud.

There are two things that Ye Xiu is most satisfied with when he traveled to this world of martial arts. One is that he has a diary plug-in that allows him to become stronger while lying down. The other is his face.

Wuqing left the An Mansion in a panic, but was caught by Tieshou who had been guarding outside the An Mansion.

Tieshou couldn't help but stare with his eyes wide open, and a surge of anger surged in his heart: "Damn it, damn Ye Xiu, damn An family, what did you do to Wuqing?"