PFC Chapter 130 Where there's a martial arts world, there are idiots.
Chapter 130 Where there's a martial arts world, there are idiots.
"Colluding with the demons? Plotting rebellion?"
Li Wudao frowned, lost in thought.
Based on his memory, Li Jing was upright and honest, and there was no reason for him to be associated with the demons.
Moreover, his father was not favored by the main line of the Great Yu royal family and was merely a leisurely prince from a collateral branch.
Although he had a fiefdom, he was not allowed to participate in politics, nor did he have military power. He was far from the capital city for many years, and even some powerful officials in the palace looked down on Li Jing.
Why would the demons be interested in such an empty shell of a prince?
Even if they did collude, what role could Li Jing possibly play?
Clearly, there's more to this than meets the eye.
It is highly likely that Li Jing was framed.
Thinking of this, Li Wudao turned his gaze to the steward, Uncle Wu, and asked in a deep voice, "Over the years, has my father offended anyone? Especially people from the imperial court?"
The fact that they were able to capture a prince suggests they must have official connections.
Uncle Wu pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "The Prince has always been kind to others and has never offended any important figures. Moreover, the Prince has been staying in his fiefdom for many years and has not been to the capital for quite some time..."
Upon hearing this, Li Wudao's expression flickered with uncertainty, and a bold guess suddenly arose in his mind.
Perhaps the other party wasn't targeting Li Jing, but rather him?
Following this line of reasoning, he quickly identified several individuals.
Aside from the Ruan family father and son whom he killed, it seems that the only people he has grudges against now are Cheng Yuanliang and Wu Shaotian.
Suddenly, Li Wudao felt a pang in his heart, realizing that he had overlooked someone.
Sun Qian!
This woman, who had clashed with him many times, hated him to the core because he had his cultivation crippled and was expelled from the sect.
Thinking of this, he immediately asked the steward, Uncle Wu, about the recent situation of the Sun family.
"They moved away a month ago?"
Li Wudao was slightly taken aback. "Do you know the reason?"
Uncle Wu shook his head. "The Sun family moved in such a hurry that by the time we realized what was happening, the place was already empty."
Although he felt something was amiss, Li Wudao didn't think much of it.
Firstly, the Sun family was just an ordinary third-rate family in Linyuan City, with no power or influence, and no powerful martial artists in the family.
Secondly, Sun Qian's cultivation has been destroyed, so there's nothing to be afraid of.
"Uncle Wu, I plan to go to the capital of Dayu. I'll have to trouble you to look after the palace during this time."
A sharp glint flashed in Li Wudao's eyes as he turned and left.
Regardless of who the other party is targeting, what their forces are, or what their purpose is.
One thing is certain: the person behind the scenes is still in the capital of the Great Yu Dynasty and has an inescapable connection with the imperial court.
Watching the boy's retreating figure, Uncle Wu said with some worry, "Young Master, the capital of Dayu is not like our Linyuan City. There are powerful and wealthy people everywhere, and officials collude with each other. You must be careful in everything you do and do not act rashly!"
At this point, he seemed to remember something and hesitated slightly: "If you encounter any problems that you cannot solve, you may ask the Grand Secretary for help."
Upon hearing the words "Grand Secretary," Li Wudao paused, his expression changing slightly, before saying calmly, "Uncle Wu, I understand. It's getting cold; you should go back now."
Leaving the palace, the green-haired turtle couldn't help but complain:
"Hey kid, the Xuantian Sect seems to be the overlord of this region, right? With your current status, you wouldn't be afraid even if you met the Emperor of the Great Yu, so why does that old man look like he knows nothing about it..."
Li Wudao remained calm. "It's not strange that Uncle Wu doesn't know my identity."
"Then why didn't you say so earlier?" the green-haired turtle stared blankly.
Li Wudao was silent for a moment, then said softly, "Uncle Wu is just an ordinary person who has never left Lin Yuan City in his entire life. In his mind, the Great Yu royal family is an untouchable heaven..."
Moreover, in the eyes of everyone in Lin Yuan City, he still carries the reputation of being a cultivation failure.
Even if an explanation is given, it seems pale and in the end, it's like "you can't talk about ice with a summer insect"—it's just a waste of time.
"That's true."
The green-haired turtle wholeheartedly agreed.
Back then, when it openly admitted its identity, this annoying human brat in front of it didn't believe it at all, and even slandered it as a green-haired turtle!
"Then where do we go now? To find that Emperor of Great Yu and ask him for people?"
The green-haired turtle said listlessly.
A thoughtful look flashed across Li Wudao's eyes, then he shook his head.
On his journey to the capital of Dayu, he not only intends to expose the mastermind and rescue his father, but also to clear his name.
If he were to reveal his identity, even the Emperor of the Great Yu would have no choice but to release Li Jing; there is no doubt about that.
However, he also had the mission of annihilating the demon race on this trip. Before he had found out everything, he could not easily reveal his identity, lest he alert the enemy.
After thinking it over, Li Wudao pondered for a moment, "Let's go to the capital to find out what's going on first, and then we can make a decision later."
.........
Five days later.
In front of the imperial city gate of Dayu.
Li Wudao paid the city entry tax and drove his carriage into the city.
What comes into view is a bluestone road more than 100 meters wide, bustling with traffic and a constant stream of vendors.
As you walk along the imperial road, you can hear bursts of noise and glimpses of the bustling market inside the imperial city.
The roadside was crowded with people, and stalls were already set up. There were scholars selling calligraphy and paintings, women selling silk, and old men selling steamed buns...
At this moment, the green-haired turtle stretched out its dark neck and poked its head out from behind the carriage curtain, shouting, "Hurry up, find a place quickly, I'm starving!"
"........"
Li Wudao's lips twitched slightly.
Damn it, he'd been the driver the whole way and hadn't said a word, but this green-haired bastard's suddenly got all worked up.
"Kid, I want to eat that!"
The green-haired turtle stretched out its claws, pointed at the candied hawthorns on the street, and licked its lips.
Li Wudao glanced at it and immediately said irritably, "What are you, a turtle, doing eating candied hawthorns?"
With that, he drove the carriage away on his own.
Before long, he stopped in front of a magnificent restaurant in the inner city, intending to rest and have something to eat.
It was midday, and the restaurant was quite crowded.
Li Wudao went straight up to the second floor and chose a slightly secluded spot to sit down.
Green Turtle spoke first, saying to the waiter in front of him, "Bring on all the good wine and food, I'm not short of money!"
"Okay, wait a minute."
The waiter was quite knowledgeable; after his initial surprise, he quickly regained his composure and headed towards the kitchen.
Wow, a talking turtle!
At that moment, a five-year-old boy at the next table, with a bowl-cut hairstyle, his eyes shining, and holding a candied hawthorn in one hand, excitedly looked at the green-haired turtle.
"Little brat, how dare you talk like that? I'm not a turtle!"
The green-haired turtle turned its head unhappily, bared its teeth, and glared fiercely at the child.
Unexpectedly, the child was not afraid at all; instead, he was amused.
This greatly frustrated the green-haired turtle.
Immediately, it noticed the candied hawthorn in the child's hand, its eyes darted around, and an idea came to it.
"Little brat, how about I perform a magic trick for you?"
"Okay, okay!"
Seeing that the little boy agreed, the green-haired turtle grinned mischievously, and taking advantage of the boy's inattention, it bit into the candied hawthorn and ate it clean in the blink of an eye.
Afterwards, he licked his lips and returned to his seat as if nothing had happened.
"No...that's all?!"
The little boy stared blankly at the candied hawthorn stick that was now just a stick, feeling incredulous.
Didn't I tell you not to cause trouble?
While others were unaware of what had happened, Li Wudao was certainly aware of it. He was utterly speechless at the shameless behavior of the green-haired turtle.
You even scam a five-year-old? You're really something!
"How did I cause trouble? Is it wrong to tease a child?"
The green-haired turtle was indignant and harbored resentment in its heart.
This is a lesson learned; it's the brat who made fun of it.
Moreover, if Li Wudao bought it candied hawthorns on the street to satisfy its craving, it wouldn't even look at the candied hawthorns in the child's hand.
So, putting aside the facts, it's not wrong!
Li Wudao's lips twitched slightly; he was too lazy to argue with this bastard.
He immediately turned his gaze to the woman beside the child and apologized, "I'm sorry for the trouble."
The woman must be the child's older sister, around sixteen years old, with fair skin and a beautiful appearance.
Judging from his simple clothing, he probably comes from an ordinary family and his circumstances are not very good.
Thinking of this, he pondered for a moment, then took out a thousand-tael silver note and handed it over, saying, "Consider the candied hawthorns from earlier as a purchase by me."
Upon seeing the amount, the woman was startled, her pretty face turning pale. She quickly waved her hand in refusal, saying, "It's just a string of candied hawthorns, it's nothing. I can't accept this money."
A string of candied hawthorns costs only five coins, but a thousand taels of silver is enough to support her family for twenty or thirty years!
Seeing that the woman absolutely refused to accept the money, Li Wudao raised an eyebrow and had no choice but to give up. He thought he would ask the waiter to bring more good dishes later as a way of making up for it.
"Young Master, please wait a moment, someone is coming upstairs."
Just then, a commotion arose downstairs, and the waiter's flattering voice could be heard from afar.
Soon, a flamboyant young man, dressed in fine clothes, with his hands behind his back and his head held high, walked up to the second floor, surrounded by several guards.
"Please move aside, you by the window, make room for our young master!"
The guards shouted at the top of their lungs.
As soon as he finished speaking, many people's expressions changed slightly. They didn't even bother to finish their meals and left in a hurry without saying a word.
"Damn it, who is this bastard? He's putting on a bigger show than I am!"
The green-haired turtle pouted, its eyes full of displeasure.
Beside him, Li Wudao took a sip of wine and ate his food with a nonchalant air.
He's just a spoiled brat; there are spoiled brats everywhere. It's nothing to be surprised about. Just don't provoke him.
"Young Master, look! We have some excellent goods!"
Suddenly, a guard pointed excitedly to the table where the siblings were sitting.
"Tsk tsk, that skin, that figure, that aura—truly a rare beauty!"
Upon hearing the sound, the arrogant young man looked over, his eyes widening instantly. His lewd gaze swept over the woman from head to toe, and his breathing became rapid.
The woman sensed something was wrong, her pretty face turned pale, and she took the child's hand and got up to leave.
However, she was stopped by the arrogant young man, who leered and said, "Little sister, where are you in such a hurry to go? Why don't you stay and have a couple of drinks with your brother?"
"I...I don't drink alcohol, please let me go."
The woman's delicate body trembled, her beautiful eyes filled with fear, like a frightened mouse, her face full of panic and helplessness.
Not far away, Li Wudao took in the whole scene and couldn't help but sigh.
The classic scene has occurred again...
Sure enough, wherever there are people, there is a world of intrigue; and wherever there is intrigue, there are idiots.
"You bad guy, let go of my sister!"
Seeing the arrogant young man's fierce appearance, the little boy shouted in a clear voice.
"Damn it, where did this little bastard come from? Get out of here!"
The arrogant young man, his body contorted with impatience and his eyes hardening, suddenly shoved the child to the ground.
Immediately, ignoring the child wailing on the ground, he rubbed his hands together, picked up the wine glass on the table, walked towards the woman, and said, "Little beauty, shall we have a toast together?"
At this moment, the woman, tears streaming down her face, collapsed to the ground, utterly terrified and at a loss. She could only look pleadingly at the crowd, hoping to get help.
However, everyone avoided him like the plague, remaining silent for fear of getting into trouble, and even avoiding eye contact.
Just as the woman's gaze gradually dimmed, and she could only watch in despair as the arrogant young man's claws reached out.
A voice broke the silence.
"I'll drink with you in her place."
In the nick of time, Li Wudao grabbed the arrogant young man's groping hand, and with his other hand, he elegantly raised his wine glass, his gaze cool and casual.