Chapter 526 - 288: You Old Codger! You’re Really Planning on Snatching My Daughter
Chapter 526: Chapter 288: You Old Codger! You’re Really Planning on Snatching My Daughter
Lu Yuan took the report and began to read it in a formal manner.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty. The situation at our maritime borders has stabilized!" Lu Yuan said.
"You rascal, are you still playing dumb? In the last battle on Elephant Island, do you think that boy Gu Gaoxu could have returned alive if you hadn’t stepped in to save him?" the Emperor said, feigning displeasure.
Lu Yuan chuckled and said with a smile, "To be honest with Your Majesty, I did indeed go to Elephant Island to intercept the Wa Country forces."
"You, of all people, should know the strength of the Wa Country forces best. Do you really think the battle would go so smoothly?" the Emperor retorted.
"Well..." Lu Yuan hesitated.
"Speak your mind!" The Emperor’s tone softened considerably.
"I believe the Wa Country forces rely on their Spirit Capturing Devices, and that their devices will be of a higher grade than ours. The Da Xingzi they raise are profound in their Daoist cultivation and numerous, giving them formidable overall combat strength," Lu Yuan analyzed.
"The Three Guards of the Mansion don’t have the ability to restrain such profoundly cultivated Da Xingzi, yet they achieved such a great victory with fewer than a hundred casualties," the Emperor said.
Marquis Yongchang, Lan Yu, was a skilled commander, but his eagerness for quick success sometimes exposed his flaws.
Hearing this, Lu Yuan understood. ’The Emperor knows everything. For him to still send the Government Army Guard north to suppress the bandits, he must have a plan.’
"Your Majesty, we have our advantages too. We excel with various firearms, and the power of the Red Coat Cannons is enough to intimidate those scoundrels," Lu Yuan reminded him.
"Indeed. The number of Xingzi is limited, but the number of firearms is unlimited," the Emperor said. "I will order the Military Equipment Bureau to forge more firearms."
The Emperor’s tone shifted. "I have already ordered Navy Admiral Liao Yong’an to set out from Chaohu Lake with three hundred warships, three hundred patrol ships, and one hundred grain transport barges."
Lu Yuan was stunned. ’This isn’t about suppressing bandits at all!’
Such a large fleet represented one-third of the Divine Ling Empire’s entire naval power—more than enough to launch an attack on Wa Country.
Lu Yuan knew full well that "curiosity killed the cat." He just listened without asking a single question, putting on an air of worldly ignorance.
Seeing that Lu Yuan wasn’t taking the bait, Emperor Gu Yuanzhang smiled and said, "Alright, enough of this. Accompany me for a meal."
...
After having dinner in the Imperial Capital with Gu Ziye, Lu Yuan returned to their residence on Prince’s Mansion’s Mansion Street.
That night, after lulling her daughter Lu Ruyan to sleep, Su Liyan came to Lu Yuan’s room.
Gu Ziye, having been thoroughly worn out by Lu Yuan, lay beside him, fast asleep.
Gu Ziye’s breathing was even, a smile gracing her face as if she were having a sweet dream.
Su Liyan kicked off her high heels and tiptoed slowly to Lu Yuan’s bedside.
Su Liyan moved almost silently, shuffling her feet across the floor, afraid of waking the sleeping Gu Ziye.
Su Liyan slipped off her outer robe, revealing a flash of white. She hung the robe on a rack and stealthily slid into Lu Yuan’s blankets.
"So warm!" Su Liyan murmured.
Lu Yuan opened his right arm, pulling the smooth-skinned Su Liyan into his embrace. He pecked her on the cheek and whispered, "Has Ruyan fallen asleep?"
"She’s asleep!"
To Lu Yuan’s left was the sleeping Gu Ziye, and to his right was the newly arrived Su Liyan.
Lu Yuan was nestled between the two beauties, softness pressing in from both sides. It was pure bliss!
"Did you two have fun today?" Lu Yuan asked, his hands wandering, seeking out soft places.
"Brother, we ran into Daoist Longchuan at the market today. He’s reached the Great Celestial Master Perfection Realm.
He’s also taken an old man as his master, named Daoist Quanyi."
With his Great Celestial Master Perfection Realm, Daoist Longchuan could even establish his own Daoist Temple.
"The Hidden Immortal?" Lu Yuan murmured, holding Su Liyan. "Daoist Longchuan is quite lucky to have been accepted as his disciple."
Su Liyan turned her head to look at Lu Yuan and asked, "Brother, I haven’t even said it yet, and you already know his moniker. Who is this person, exactly?"
Lu Yuan said, "This old man is over a hundred years old. His Martial Arts and Daoist Skills are unparalleled, and it’s said he hasn’t been defeated in nearly sixty years."
"Doesn’t that just mean he hasn’t fought anyone in sixty years?" Su Liyan said earnestly, blinking her eyes.
Lu Yuan pinched the bridge of Su Liyan’s nose. "You really are a little smart-aleck, aren’t you?"
Su Liyan placed her hand on Lu Yuan’s chest and said coquettishly, "Brother, if this man is so famous, how come we’ve never heard of him?"
Lu Yuan replied with a smile, "I only heard about him from the Grand Elder of Le Shen Temple."
"Brother, what else do you know? I want to know more!" Su Liyan said.
"Oh? What’s gotten into my dear wife today? Since when are you so interested in prying into such matters? Don’t tell me this Daoist Quanyi is more handsome than me!" Lu Yuan teased.
Su Liyan pinched the small nub on Lu Yuan’s chest and said with feigned anger, "Brother, if you keep teasing me, I’ll rip it off! Now hurry up and tell me!"
"Don’t! I’ll tell you everything I know!" Lu Yuan said, grasping Su Liyan’s smooth, delicate hand.
"This man is quite strange. Before he turned one hundred, he founded a Sect. After he turned one hundred, his whereabouts became erratic. Some say he ascended to immortality, others that he retired to the mountains. That’s why people gave him the moniker: the Hidden Immortal!"
Lu Yuan told her everything he knew, then a thought suddenly occurred to him. "Wife, why are you so interested in him?"
Su Liyan stroked Lu Yuan’s chest and said, "It’s... it’s nothing. I just made a bet with him."
"A bet about what?" Lu Yuan asked, confused.
"I bet Ruyan," Su Liyan said calmly.
"What? You bet your own daughter?" Lu Yuan’s voice rose.
Su Liyan explained, "Brother, that old man wanted to take Ruyan away. He said he would teach her to cultivate, but I refused!"