txolops Chapter 193 Jiang Ziya Protects Ji Chang
Chapter 193 Jiang Ziya Protects Ji Chang
For several days, Jiang Ziya waited by the roadside, covering his face when he was hungry and begging for food from passersby.
Just as he was wondering if Taibai had miscalculated the time, he saw an old man walk out of the gate of Chaoge City.
The old man was dressed in rags, and if you didn't look closely, he was no different from an ordinary vagrant or beggar.
However, when Jiang Ziya looked closely, he saw a hidden wisdom deep within those murky yet occasionally gleaming eyes.
A thought struck him, and he once again activated the divination technique, which was not always accurate. Although the hexagram was still blurry, it vaguely pointed to this person.
He quickly adjusted the cloth covering his face, strode forward, and said in a low voice:
"Old man, are you Ji Chang, the Marquis of Xibo?"
Upon hearing this, the old man paused almost imperceptibly, a flash of wariness crossing his cloudy eyes.
The old man slowly raised his head, his face filled with confusion and timidity. He shook his head vigorously, his voice hoarse:
"Master, you've mistaken me for someone else... I'm just a refugee, not some marquis..."
Jiang Ziya frowned slightly, and his heart wavered: Could it be that he had really miscalculated?
Just then, the sound of rapid hoofbeats came from the direction of the city gate.
A soldier rode up to the front, carrying a crude food box in his hand.
He dismounted and shoved the food box into the old man's hands without a word, his tone slightly impatient:
"Lord Xibo, your son Boyi Kao forgot to bring it, here!"
The word "son" struck the old man's heart like a thunderbolt, and Ji Chang trembled violently as he slowly turned around.
He reached out his trembling hands, took the food box, and hugged it tightly to his chest.
Tears welled up instantly in his eyes and trickled down his face along his wrinkles.
He didn't say anything, turned around, and walked towards Xiqi City.
Jiang Ziya, observing everything clearly, understood the situation but also felt somewhat helpless.
Given Ji Chang's heightened wariness, forcing him to acknowledge her at this moment might backfire.
He sighed inwardly and decided not to go forward again, but to quietly follow behind and protect them from a distance.
Meanwhile, inside Chaoge City.
After quelling several local rebellions, Wen Zhong rushed back to the Grand Tutor's mansion, covered in dust from his journey.
Before he could even change his clothes and rest, his trusted confidants had already reported all the absurd things that had recently happened in the court.
Wen Zhong's face grew increasingly gloomy as he listened.
He suddenly stood up, grabbed the King-Slaying Golden Whip, and strode towards the palace with the stride of a dragon and the gait of a tiger.
Inside the Nine-Room Palace, facing Wen Zhong's rage and golden whip, Di Xin's initial tyranny was gradually suppressed.
In the end, he bowed his head and admitted his mistake, swearing to the heavens that he would definitely reform himself and diligently manage state affairs.
However, when Wen Zhong changed his tone and sternly demanded the immediate execution of the bewitching concubine Su Daji to rectify the state, Di Xin reacted violently, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, and refused to budge no matter what.
Looking at Di Xin, who had become the emperor, Wen Zhong felt a deep sense of powerlessness and sorrow.
He missed the wise and powerful former crown prince, and even more so the young king who had worked diligently to govern the country when he first ascended the throne.
In order to maintain the monarch's final dignity and to avoid completely severing the bond between the monarch and his subjects, Wen Zhong tightened and loosened his grip on the whip, ultimately choosing to back down.
"You vixen, listen to me carefully. From this day forward, behave yourself and serve the King. If you dare to bewitch the King again, harm loyal officials, or wreak havoc in the palace... I may recognize you, but this whip in my hand will not!"
Su Daji's face turned pale, and she nodded repeatedly, not daring to say a word.
Wen Zhong snorted coldly and was about to take his leave.
Just then, a report came from outside the hall; it was the soldier who had delivered the food box to Ji Chang reporting back.
"Your Majesty, the food box has been delivered. After receiving the food box, Marquis Ji Chang of Xibo has left Chaoge and headed towards Xiqi."
"What?"
Wen Zhong suddenly turned around and stopped in his tracks.
"Your Majesty! How...how could you let Ji Chang go? You've made a fool of yourself!!"
"Grand Tutor, you're exaggerating. Ji Chang is over fifty years old and has been imprisoned for a long time. He's extremely weak, and it's uncertain whether he'll even make it back to Xiqi alive. What's the big deal about releasing him?"
"The two southeastern lords are dead, and nine out of ten of their two hundred subordinate lords will surely rebel. Now that the Western Lord Ji Chang is imprisoned by us, the two hundred lords of Xiqi are hesitant to act rashly, fearing the consequences. Your Majesty, you have now personally thrown away this bargaining chip!"
"If all four hundred feudal lords in the east, west, south, and north simultaneously rise up in rebellion... the foundation of the Shang Dynasty will be as precarious as a pile of eggs! Your Majesty, you are destroying your own Great Wall!"
Di Xin abruptly stood up from his throne and roared at the messenger soldier:
"Quickly! Ji Chang has only been gone a short while. Send troops immediately to bring him back to me! I want to see him alive or dead!"
Wen Zhong also rushed out of the Nine Rooms Hall and headed straight for Ji Chang.
When a Golden Immortal unleashes their full power, their speed is incomparable to that of ordinary soldiers.
He was confident that, given his speed, capturing a weak and old Ji Chang would be a piece of cake.
A moment later, Wen Zhong caught up with them.
Jiang Ziya sensed his presence and immediately shielded Ji Chang in front of him, making a hand seal with his right hand.
"Who are you? Why have you been following me?"
Ji Chang was, after all, a mortal, and was completely unaware of Wen Zhong's whereabouts, thus he was greatly puzzled by Jiang Ziya's actions.
However, as Wen Zhong's figure gradually became clearer, Ji Chang immediately became alert.
He had seen Wen Zhong before and recognized him at a glance. Wen Zhong's urgency likely meant he was coming for him.
The most nervous person was Jiang Ziya, who was only a human immortal. He would probably be destroyed by Wen Zhong's whip.
In desperation, he could only use the invisibility spell again in an attempt to confuse his opponent.
"Alas, Wen Zhong has finally caught up with you. It's a pity that you were so focused on protecting Yin Shang, unaware that your king had already fallen into a trap. As for Jiang Ziya, he's really a handful."
In mid-air, Taibai took in everything, shaking his head and whispering.
He then flicked his sleeve, secretly enhancing Jiang Ziya's invisibility technique.
With the blessing of the Primordial Golden Immortal, the power of this invisibility technique was greatly increased.
Wen Zhong, unaware of Jiang Ziya and Ji Chang's presence, continued to pursue them.
Upon hearing that Zhong had left, Jiang Ziya breathed a sigh of relief, and his whole body immediately relaxed.
"Thank you for saving me, Immortal Master! If you do not despise me, Ji Chang wishes to appoint you as the Prime Minister of Xiqi!"
Having witnessed the situation just now, Ji Chang knew that the person in front of him must be a great talent and a highly skilled cultivator, at least capable of dealing with Wen Zhong.
However, Jiang Ziya looked troubled:
"Alas, it is not that I am unwilling to assist the Marquis of Xibo, but that the time is not yet ripe."
"Then may I ask, Immortal Master, when will the time be right for you to leave the mountain and offer your assistance?"
Jiang Ziya raised his right hand with feigned profundity, calculated with his fingers for a moment, and then said slowly:
"After you return to Xiqi, you may visit me by the Wei River. Perhaps then, we will meet again."
After saying this, he said no more, took Ji Chang's arm, and flew around towards Xiqi City.
Meanwhile, Wen Zhong had almost reached the outskirts of Xiqi City, but still could not find Ji Chang, which made him feel puzzled.