Chapter 146: The Second Surprise

Three days later, Zhu Yu finally left the imperial palace, where he had grown somewhat weary of staying. It is worth mentioning that, aside from the West Depot guards accompanying him for protection, Zhu Yu brought along quite a few people.

Wang Yuyan was, needless to say, definitely among them.

Hearing that Wang Yuyan had captured the Emperor's heart shortly after entering the palace, Jiang Yuyan, who had initially tried to be magnanimous, instantly turned petty. Making a fuss about wanting to go along as well, Zhu Yu had no choice but to agree.

Additionally, this trip featured special guests: the couple Hua Wuque and Tie Xinlan. When all was said and done, Tie Xinlan was also a child of the pugilistic world with a restless disposition. To be able to endure being cooped up in a small courtyard in the capital for so long was enough to show how deeply she loved Hua Wuque.

Recently, she simply could not hold back any longer, frequently entering the palace to chat and pour her heart out to Jiang Yuyan. Just as this opportunity arose, Jiang Yuyan seized the chance to mention it to Zhu Yu, and after pondering it for a moment, Zhu Yu agreed.

As for their child who had just learned to walk, he was ruthlessly abandoned by his parents and left with a clear conscience in the care of Xiaoyu'er.

Therefore, Hua Wuque and Tie Xinlan were true love, while the child was merely an accident.

Barely half a day into their journey, Zhu Yu looked at the dozen or so elite West Depot agents scattered around them and summoned Yu Huatian, asking, "Is this what you meant by the West Depot turning out in full force? Are you trying to hoodwink Me? How come I had no idea that My West Depot now has only a little over a dozen men left?"

"Please calm your anger, Your Majesty. The situation is like this: there are truly quite a few men in the West Depot. If we all traveled together, not only would it delay the journey, but it would also cause a great deal of inconvenience."

"You already informed Your humble servant earlier of where we are heading, so from the capital to Suzhou, and along the road from Suzhou to Leigu Mountain, men from the West Depot are stationed at the towns along the way. Absolute safety is guaranteed."

"I suppose you know how to talk your way out of it."

Hearing Yu Huatian's explanation, Zhu Yu felt relieved. What he was questioning wasn't really a matter of his own safety, but rather the issue of deception—that was a red line.

Speaking of safety? Zhu Yu reckoned that unless someone had run into eight lifetimes of bad luck or had committed heinous crimes in a past life, they would never dare to court misfortune by crossing Zhu Yu's party.

Setting others aside for the moment, including Zhu Yu, this party of about twenty people contained four grandmasters of martial arts. Aside from secluded grandmasters stepping into the fray, whoever crossed paths with them would meet their doom.

Come to think of it, Zhu Yu actually wanted to run into a few highwaymen and then carefully inquire about their feelings afterward.

Seeing that the Emperor had no intention of asking further questions, Yu Huatian prepared to return to the front to lead the way.

Yu Huatian's movement brought Zhu Yu, who had been lost in daydreams inside the carriage, back to his senses. He spoke up, "Something the matter? Very well, go ahead and get busy. Send Wei Zhongxian and that eunuch proficient in chess over here; I have something to say."

"Understood." Yu Huatian bowed and withdrew.

Although Zhu Yu had already accepted Wei Zhongxian's existence, every time he uttered that name, Zhu Yu felt a dull ache in his teeth.

Zhu Yu truly could not understand how such an honest person with a sweet mouth had managed to become the Nine-Thousand-Year-Old.

Actually, Zhu Yu hadn't held much hope for the trip to Leigu Mountain beforehand, purely adopting a blind-cat-hitting-a-dead-mouse mindset on the off chance they might strike it lucky.

Yet, upon learning of Wei Zhongxian's existence, a sense of underlying confidence inexplicably grew in Zhu Yu's heart.

With the destiny of the Nine-Thousand-Year-Old, demanding Wu Yazi's lifetime of genuine Qi shouldn't be too much to ask, right?

At the same time, because he knew of Wei Zhongxian's existence, a wave of panic also arose in Zhu Yu's heart. For no other reason than this: in a perfectly good syncretic martial arts world, why on earth did historical figures from standard history keep popping up?

That fellow Zhu Yuanzhang was separated by ten thousand miles, which was fine, but this fellow Wei Zhongxian was right by his side. Although he knew it was impossible for Wei Zhongxian to do anything to him, a lingering sense of walking on thin ice remained.

Because of this, Zhu Yu finally understood how the paranoia of so many emperors throughout the successive dynasties of his past life had come about.

Why was it said that before knowing about Wei Zhongxian, Zhu Yu wasn't like this?

Because prior to that, regardless of whether they were friend or foe, as long as they were famous and named, Zhu Yu knew their personality, life history, deeds, martial arts, and even trump cards with crystal clarity. This gave Zhu Yu absolute self-confidence.

However, historical figures from standard history were different. Aside from knowing that they were formidable, or that they would inevitably become formidable in the future, nothing else was known.

Even if Zhu Yu currently had a computer with internet search capabilities in his hands, the search results would yield only a single brief biography. As for the rest, could that really be trusted?

How was Zhu Yu supposed to place absolute trust in someone like that?

Unlike characters from television shows, movies, or novels who—no matter how powerful they might be—stood before Zhu Yu as bare as if they had shed their clothes, holding no secrets whatsoever.

Zhu Yu's persecutory delusion, which had not flared up in a long time, relapsed. As he was daydreaming, two eunuchs came running from a distance and arrived before Zhu Yu.

The arrival of the two also interrupted Zhu Yu's anxieties about his future.

Needless to say, these two were precisely Wei Zhongxian and the selected eunuch skilled in chess.

Zhu Yu had seen Wei Zhongxian countless times over the past few days, so introductions were unnecessary. Zhu Yu turned his gaze to the unfamiliar eunuch, feeling somewhat surprised.

"How old are you? Are you truly the best at playing Go in the entire palace? I thought you'd be an old eunuch."

"Replying to Your Majesty, this humble servant is seventeen this year and is indeed currently among the better players of Go within the imperial palace. Older people who play Go merely possess a bit more life experience and background knowledge."

"The game of Go relies primarily on the brain. Moreover, as this humble servant is young and has grown up in the palace since childhood, unlike those seniors who have seen everything and know everything, this humble servant simply possesses a drive to forge ahead."

Seeing this young eunuch speak neither servishly nor arrogantly, with proper etiquette and quite a handsome appearance, Zhu Yu instantly felt a surge of goodwill toward him.

This made Zhu Yu secretly sigh with emotion. What a pity that he was born in this world and made a eunuch; if he had been reborn in Zhu Yu's past life, even if he weren't the Son of Destiny, he would at least be a winner in life.

"Not bad. Maintain this drive of yours, and you'll have a great future ahead. By the way, what is your name?"

Hearing Zhu Yu's question, before the young eunuch could reply, Wei Zhongxian, standing nearby, felt a twinge of jealousy.

Although both of them had been asked their names by the Emperor, when he thought of his own age compared to this young eunuch's age, and recalled the scene and tone when his own name was asked, and then compared it to just now...

Upon careful thought, the slight sourness in Wei Zhongxian's heart rapidly escalated into envy.

"Replying to Your Majesty, this humble servant's name is Wang Zhi."

Being asked his name by the Emperor filled Wang Zhi's heart with intense excitement, though he concealed it remarkably well.

As for Zhu Yu, upon hearing Wang Zhi's reply, he fell into deep contemplation.

Wang Zhi? This name sounded somewhat familiar, but why couldn't he remember it? Never mind; if he couldn't recall it, it was probably just a minor extra.

"Very well, understood. I called you here to tell you why you were taken out of the palace."