txolops Chapter 182 The Great Yan Capital: A Fleeting Dream of Prosperity
Chapter 182 The Great Yan Capital: A Fleeting Dream of Prosperity
The autumn rains continued.
Rainwater flowed down the cracks in the moss-covered city wall bricks, constantly accumulating puddles of murky water at the base of the wall.
The water level of the moat rose sharply, and the surface was covered with broken branches and leaves, as well as several corpses that had drifted in from who-knows-where.
The official road was muddy, filled with the stench of horse manure and rotting grass.
Hundreds and thousands of refugees, wrapped in tattered straw mats, lined up in long queues outside the city gates like a group of numb ghosts.
Hua Moyang stood in the middle of the line.
She was wearing a coarse linen garment covered in mud, and a tattered straw hat on her head, with rain dripping from the edge of the hat onto her shoulders.
Her back was slightly hunched, and her shoulders shivered from time to time in the cold wind, making her look like a refugee who was on the verge of death from the torment of war and famine.
Beneath the straw hat, on that small face smudged with black ash, the eyes were calm and indifferent.
Six years ago, it was also a day with torrential rain.
She was shoved into an iron cage meant for dogs by two burly old eunuchs and pushed out of the tall, vermilion city gate.
Her mother was given poisoned wine, hastily wrapped in a tattered mat, and buried in a mass grave outside the city.
At that time, she lay on the iron bars of the cage, crying her heart out until her throat bled, only to be met with the mockery of the city gate guards and the cold stares of passersby who avoided her.
And today, she has come back.
He was no longer the royal bastard who could be slaughtered at will, but a demonic cultivator with a body full of overwhelming blood feud.
Beneath the wide sleeves of Hua Moyang's linen coat, her hands, once covered in frostbite and scars, are now as white as jade.
A drop of dark red blood flowed silently from her fingertip, radiating spiritual energy fluctuations at the ninth level of Qi Refining.
This power, enough to instantly shred the surrounding refugees into mincemeat, was tightly locked within her body by the breath-concealing technique taught by her master, without leaking out even a trace.
Suddenly, a cacophony of hoofbeats and shouts arose from ahead.
A troop of cavalrymen clad in black armor charged out of the city, brandishing barbed whips, and rampaged through the refugee ranks as if they were nothing.
"Get out of the way! The carriages of the Marquis of Dingnan are leaving the city. Anyone who blocks the way will die!"
The leading cavalry captain had a fierce face, and his leather whip cracked loudly in mid-air.
The refugees were terrified and scattered in all directions, trampling each other and splashing mud and water everywhere.
Hua Moyang didn't run away; she just followed the flow of people, pretending to be pushed over, and fell down into a muddy puddle by the roadside.
When the cavalry captain saw that Hua Moyang was moving too slowly, a look of savagery flashed in his eyes. Instead of slowing down, his tall horse spurred straight at Hua Moyang.
At the same time, the leather whip in his hand, accompanied by the whistling sound of wind, lashed fiercely at Hua Moyang's cheek.
To ordinary people, if this whip strikes hard, tearing the skin and flesh would be the least of their worries; if someone is in poor health, it could break their neck.
Hua Moyang lowered her eyes, not flinching, but instead, like a frightened village girl, instinctively raised her slender arm to block.
The whip lashed across Hua Moyang's arm with a dull thud.
The coarse linen clothes were torn, revealing a red bloodstain.
Hua Moyang let out a pitiful cry, rolled twice in the mud, and cleared the way.
The cavalry captain sneered and spurred his horse to gallop away.
Behind them, a huge carriage decorated with golden nanmu wood and gorgeous silk slowly drove by, its wheels crushing the puddles on the ground.
No one noticed the moment the whip struck Hua Moyang's arm.
The trickle of blood seeping from Hua Moyang's wound did not fall to the ground, but instead transformed into a blood streak that was completely invisible to the naked eye.
Blood trickled down the leather whip, like a transparent venomous snake, and with incredible speed, it burrowed into the palm of the cavalry captain who held the whip.
Hua Moyang crawled out of the mud, covered the wounds on her arm with her hand, lowered her head, and knelt by the roadside like the other refugees, staring at the direction the cavalry captain had left with the eyes of someone looking at a dead man.
The Blood Lotus Heart-Piercing Curse is an extremely insidious assassination technique found in a jade slip bestowed by the Master.
The wisp of demonic blood had already seeped into the captain's heart through his meridians.
Three hours later, that drop of demonic blood will take root and sprout in his heart, shattering his heart meridian.
He will die without warning, and the coroner's examination will only conclude that he died of a sudden heart attack.
That is power.
This is what it means to control life and death. .
Hua Moyang suppressed the urge for revenge deep in her heart.
My master said that killing is just a means, and completing the mission is the goal.
She took a deep breath and, once again, slowly moved towards the city gate with the flow of refugees.
The city gate was dark and damp, with burning torches stuck in the walls, emitting a pungent smell of pine resin.
Several soldiers guarding the city are checking people entering the city.
"What are you doing?"
A soldier nudged Hua Moyang's shoulder with the shaft of his spear.
Hua Moyang lowered her head in fear and trepidation, her voice trembling and carrying a heavy rural accent.
"I am a refugee from Zhuozhou in the north. My parents starved to death. I heard that wealthy families in the capital are hiring kitchen maids, so I want to go to the city to find some food."
The soldier looked her up and down, noticing that she was covered in mud and emaciated, and a look of disgust flashed in his eyes.
He pinched his nose and waved.
"Get inside now! Don't die at the city gate and bring me bad luck. Go to Yazi Alley in the west of the city. There are palace eunuchs there picking people. As long as you're diligent, you won't starve."
"Thank you, sir. Thank you, sir."
Hua Moyang thanked them repeatedly, her back hunched, and walked into the capital of the Great Yan Dynasty, which she had not seen for six years.
Shops lined both sides of the street, and the red silk lanterns hanging high shone with a warm, decadent light in the chilly autumn rain.
Upstairs at Zuixianlou, the carved mahogany windows were half-closed, from which the faint sounds of string and wind instruments and the soft, delicate singing of courtesans could be heard.
The rich aroma of roasted lamb leg, mixed with the fragrance of century-old Shaoxing wine, transformed into a layer of warm white mist that drifted out from the second-floor window.
A wealthy young man, his face flushed and dressed in a Shu brocade robe, was embracing his beautiful concubine when he casually tossed half a roast goose that he hadn't finished eating out the window, where it landed in a foul-smelling muddy puddle on the street.
Right next to this puddle, under the dark, leaky eaves, hundreds of poorly clothed refugees huddled together.
When the half-eaten roast goose covered in mud fell to the ground, a dozen beggars pounced on it like mad dogs.
They tore and rolled around in the mud, disregarding everything. One emaciated man bit off another old beggar's ear in order to grab a piece of flesh.
Blood mixed with black mud flowed all over the ground, while a refugee mother with a deathly pale face numbly held her already frozen baby in her arms, seemingly oblivious to the bloody struggle that was happening right next to her.
In the middle of the street, a gilded sedan chair carried by eight shirtless, burly men paraded through the city.
The sedan curtain was lifted by a corner in the wind, revealing a high-ranking official dressed in an expensive fox fur coat inside.
His concubine giggled and took out a silk handkerchief scented with precious spices to cover her mouth and nose, looking at the sour beggar on the street with disdain.
The sedan chair bearers were arrogant, their large feet stomping heavily across the puddles, splashing muddy water that mercilessly slapped against the faces of the dying beggars.
The only difference between a life of peace and prosperity and a living hell is a thin, ornate wall and a street only three steps wide.
On one side is a paradise of wine, women, and extravagance; on the other side is a hell of frozen bones and cannibalism.
This is the capital of the Great Yan Kingdom, a prosperous and peaceful era praised by countless literati.
Beneath the glittering exterior lies a mass of rotting flesh, oozing pus and blood.
The prosperity of the Great Yan Kingdom was never the prosperity of the people; it was always an illusion built on the bones of hundreds of millions of ordinary people, a breeding ground for the powerful to exploit and exploit.
Hua Moyang withdrew her gaze and did not linger on the bustling main street. She skillfully navigated through several dark and narrow alleys and arrived at the West City Yazi Alley that the soldiers had mentioned.
This is the largest human trafficking hub in the capital.
The air was thick with the stench of cheap face powder, sweat, and excrement.
Simple wooden sheds were erected on both sides of the alley.
The wooden shed was crammed with young boys and girls who were treated like livestock and had their prices clearly marked.
Hua Moyang walked to a spacious courtyard at the deepest part of the alley.
Several royal guards with swords at their waists stood at the entrance of the courtyard, while the courtyard was bustling with people, forming a long queue.
At the very front of the procession sat a grand armchair. The latest chapter is packed with exciting plot twists! Come check it out!
An elderly man with a clean-shaven face and no beard, dressed in a purple python robe, sat in a grand chair.
The old man was holding a blue and white porcelain teacup and slowly sipping his tea.
His narrow eyes scanned back and forth among the girls in line.
The moment Hua Moyang saw the old man, her pupils suddenly contracted.
The look in his eyes beneath the straw hat gradually turned cold.
This old man was none other than Wang Deshui, the chief steward of the inner court of the Great Yan Imperial Palace.
Six years ago, it was he who held that glass of poison and forced his mother to drink it.
It was also he who ordered him to be thrown out of the city like a dog.
Hua Moyang never expected that she would run into this mortal enemy as soon as she returned to the city.
She could sense that Wang Deshui possessed a considerable internal force flowing within him; in the mortal martial arts world, he would at least be a master of the Innate Realm.
But in Hua Moyang's eyes now, these so-called martial arts masters are not even as good as a strong ant.
With just a flick of her finger, she could unleash a blood-red blade that would instantly sever the old eunuch's head.
But she held back.
Her master's task for her was to infiltrate the imperial city and find out the truth about the Heaven-Stealing Array.
Killing Wang Deshui now would certainly be satisfying, but it would also inevitably alert the guards in the palace and arouse the vigilance of the demonic cultivators from Zhongzhou who were lurking in the shadows.
A small leak will sink a great ship.
Hua Moyang took a deep breath, completely suppressing all her killing intent.
She squeezed into the crowd and joined the end of the line.
The procession moved very slowly.
Whenever a girl walked up to Wang Deshui, he would scrutinize her with a critical eye. Then, several old women beside him would step forward, pry open the girl's mouth to check her teeth, or measure the girl's frame and figure with their hands.
"Too thin, can't withstand the strain, go to the laundry department."
"He looks decent, but his pelvis is too narrow. Throw him in the servants' quarters."
Wang Deshui's voice was shrill and piercing, exuding an air of superior arrogance.
His casual remark determined the fate of these girls for life.
Finally, it was Hua Moyang's turn.
She lowered her head, pulling her straw hat down low, revealing a section of her neck covered in mud.
A burly old woman stepped forward and ripped off her straw hat.
"Raise your head and let the steward see you."
Hua Moyang pretended to tremble and slowly raised her face, which was covered in black ash and looked unremarkable.
She has used demonic energy to alter some of the bone structure of her face, so even those who know her best would never recognize her as the exiled royal princess from back then.
Wang Deshui glanced at her casually.
"His face looks pale, but his bone structure is still fairly well-proportioned. But how did he get that hand injured?"
Wang Deshui noticed the whip mark on Hua Moyang's arm.
Hua Moyang immediately knelt on the ground with a thud, her voice trembling.
"In reply to your question, my daughter accidentally bumped into your carriage outside the city gate and was whipped."
Wang Deshui snorted coldly.
"You're lucky. The palace is currently short of maids who know how to tend to flowers and plants. Judging from your clumsy appearance, you're quite strong. Someone, take her to the Plum Grove Garden in the north corner of the Imperial Garden. It's secluded there, so even if she's clumsy, she won't offend the ladies of the various palaces."
"Yes, Master Steward."
The old nanny responded, grabbed Hua Moyang from the ground, and roughly pushed her into the line that had already been chosen on the other side of the courtyard.
Hua Moyang lowered her head and followed the group, her heart filled with turbulent emotions.
Meilin Garden.
Isn't that the area near the Cold Palace where she and her mother lived back then?
The entrance to the secret passage leading to the underground river beneath the Imperial Ancestral Temple is hidden in a dry well behind the Plum Grove Garden.
That evening, Hua Moyang and dozens of other selected girls changed into gray coarse cloth palace maid outfits, were blindfolded, stuffed into an airtight carriage, and secretly transported into the imperial city through the Xihua Gate.
The train carriage was jolting violently, and the girls huddled together, making suppressed sobs.
Hua Moyang sat in the far corner with her eyes closed.
Every turn the carriage made, every uphill climb, clearly sketched out a map of the palace in her mind.
Although her eyes were closed, her perception, at the ninth level of Qi Refining, was already spreading outwards silently like invisible tentacles.
The towering palace walls, the patrolling imperial guards, the hidden traps, and even the imperial guards lurking in the shadows were all exposed to her perception.
As the carriage ventured deeper into the palace, a subtle, pungent smell of blood began to permeate the air.
The stench of blood was concealed by a sophisticated array, so much so that even ordinary cultivators would subconsciously ignore it, let alone ordinary people.
But for Hua Moyang, who had cultivated the Blood Demon Technique, this smell was as dazzling as a torch in the dark.
"The demonic cultivators of Zhongzhou are moving faster than expected. They have already set up support arrays inside the palace."
Hua Moyang thought to herself.
Half an hour later, the carriage finally came to a stop.
The blindfold was torn off.
Hua Moyang looked around and saw a desolate grove of red plum trees.
Several dilapidated palaces are hidden deep in the plum grove, their walls peeling and overgrown with weeds.
A stern-faced head maid stood on the steps, holding a rattan cane in her hand, coldly watching the group of newly arrived palace maids.
"Listen up, everyone. This is Plum Grove Garden. Your task is to take good care of every plum tree here, and you must sweep the fallen leaves clean every morning. Anyone who dares to slack off, run around, or disturb the esteemed guests will be punished with this vine."
The head maid lashed out with a rattan cane in mid-air with a sharp crack, startling the girls into shrinking back.
Hua Moyang lowered her head, appearing just as terrified as the other girls.
Her senses had already passed through the plum grove and locked onto a deserted courtyard several hundred feet away.
In the center of the side courtyard, there is a dry well covered by a huge stone slab.
The dry well was surrounded by faint fluctuations of an array.
That was the entrance to the underground ancestral hall, and also her true destination.
late at night.
The cold moon hung high in the sky, and the Plum Grove Garden was shrouded in a profound silence.
The girls were crammed into a dormitory room, and because of the day's fright and exhaustion, they had already fallen into a deep sleep.
Hua Moyang lay in the spot closest to the door, her breathing steady.
Suddenly, her eyes snapped open in the darkness, a strange red light flashing in them.
She didn't get up; her body, like a boneless snake, silently slipped out of the covers and out through the crack in the door.
The wind outside was biting cold, and Hua Moyang was wearing only a thin undergarment.
Her feet did not touch the ground, but were suspended half an inch above the ground, floating forward in mid-air.
This is the "Blood Shadow Escape" movement technique, which is a built-in movement-lightening skill in the Blood Demon Technique.
Using this spell, even though she was extremely fast, she made no sound and left no footprints.
She was like a real ghost, wandering through the desolate plum grove.
Having evaded the two patrols of the Imperial Guards, Hua Moyang arrived at the abandoned secluded courtyard.
She stood in front of the dry well, her gaze falling on the huge stone slab covering the well opening.
The stone slab was covered with intricate golden runes, a sealing formation passed down through generations of the Great Yan royal family, used to protect the peace of the underground ancestral temple.
If the stone slab is forcibly broken without the correct method of opening it, it will immediately alert the guards of the entire palace.
Hana Moyo stretched out her right hand, put her thumb in her mouth, and bit it hard.
A drop of bright red blood seeped out.
This is not demonic blood, but the original blood belonging to the Great Yan royal family within her body.
She pressed her bleeding thumb into a groove in the center of the stone slab.
The blood flowed rapidly along the grooves, filling the entire pattern of the formation.
With a slight whirring of machinery, the massive stone slab, weighing tens of thousands of kilograms, silently slid to one side, revealing a dark hole.
A cold, damp wind blew out of the cave entrance.
Without any hesitation, Hua Moyang flashed and jumped directly into the bottomless dry well.
The stone slab slowly closed above her head, and the side courtyard returned to deathly silence, as if nothing had ever happened.