ushernet Chapter 112 Isn't it said that you are what you eat?
Chapter 112 Isn't it said that you are what you eat?
These past few days, the entire Chu Prince's mansion has become unusually busy.
It wasn't that the unsealing of the great formation within Shaolin Temple meant the end of the matter. The captured monks, especially the one impersonating the abbot, couldn't withstand the severe torture inflicted by the Dali Temple and blurted out everything he knew.
This includes the massacre of the entire Anping Marquis's family.
As many had guessed, the massacre of the Marquis of Anping's family was indeed the work of a mysterious person, whose purpose was to obtain the "Sea and Moon Bright" painting in the hands of the Marquis of Anping's family.
Just as the King of Chu was trying to find out some specific information, the fake abbot, who was tied to the frame, suddenly revealed a sinister smile. Then, his face was covered in bulging veins, and with a loud "bang," his entire body exploded, splattering blood and internal organs everywhere. The entire dungeon was filled with a stench and a foul smell.
Although he died, the things he told before his death were enough to clear Xuan Yi of suspicion and restore Weiyang Palace and Xuan Yi's innocence.
Of course, the only busy ones were Duan Chenke and Jian Yuheng, as well as Xuan Yi, who was asked by Jian Yuheng to help with the "interrogation" at Dali Temple.
The others, such as Gu Yan and the other girls, have been staying in the Prince's mansion for the past few days, doing nothing and practically getting bored to death.
"How boring." Gu Yan leaned on the railing of the pavilion, watching the koi swimming freely in the pond with a bored expression.
"How about we go to the Lin residence to see Sheng Sheng and the others?" Shen Mujin also leaned against the railing, staring idly at the roof of the pavilion.
Gu Yan pursed her lips. "We just went to see him yesterday. Sheng Sheng even told me to go less often because it's affecting his studies."
"How about we sneak out and go for a stroll in the streets?" Zhou Yuran's eyes lit up as she came up with a good idea.
"Sneak out? Are you sure you can sneak out?" Hua Yin asked with a look of disgust. "Don't forget you have spies watching you."
"Sigh! Aren't all the monks from Shaolin Temple arrested? Why is the Prince of Chu still keeping us here and not letting us leave the palace?" Zhou Yuran pouted, a little annoyed, and leaned against a pillar with her arms crossed.
"The monks have been arrested, but the men in black haven't been arrested. We should still be careful," Shen Mujin said reassuringly.
Gu Yan rested his chin on his hand, watching the koi swimming in the pond, their bodies shimmering in the sunlight. He couldn't help but swallow hard, and asked, "Would you like to eat some fish?"
"Huh?" Hua Yin didn't hear clearly for a moment and blinked blankly.
"Hey, do you want grilled fish for lunch?" Gu Yan turned his head and said again, word by word.
Zhou Yuran raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you the one who hates fish the most? Aren't you afraid of getting a bone in your mouth this time?"
Gu Yan pointed to the pond, "I'm scared, but I want to taste what koi tastes like."
Zhou Yuran was taken aback and asked, "Koi?"
Gu Yan nodded amidst the surprised gazes of the crowd. "They say you are what you eat. Maybe eating a koi fish will bring us some good luck. Let's just hope nothing else goes wrong."
"This..." Shen Mujin was at a loss for words when she heard Gu Yan's unreasonable yet confident remarks.
They could only watch helplessly as Gu Yan called over a guard, who, with the guard's help, successfully scooped up a koi carp.
"This is the King of Chu's lucky carp. We're just going to eat it like this, won't we get scolded?" Zhou Yuran asked with some concern, looking at Gu Yan carrying the wooden bucket.
"No, there are so many in the whole pool. If you don't say anything and I don't say anything, the King of Chu won't know if one is missing."
After saying that, Gu Yan rolled up his sleeves, picked up the wooden bucket, and walked towards the small kitchen in their yard.
Killing, cleaning, marinating, and finally cooking the fish—Gu Yan finally found something to pass the time.
After everything was finished, it was time to eat. Gu Yan took the largest plate he could find and placed it on the stone bench in the courtyard, followed closely by Zhou Yuran carrying the bowls and chopsticks.
Then Hua Yin and Shen Mujin saw a grilled fish that was roasted to a crisp and smelled delicious, along with tasty side dishes placed under the fish.
"Wow, Ah Yan, your skills are as good as ever." Hua Yin took a deep breath; the aroma of food is always the most captivating.
After Gu Yan sat down, he quickly invited everyone to taste the food.
"This is my first time grilling koi, so I'll just treat it like a carp. Give it a try, how does it taste?"
The four of them stopped being polite and started eating immediately.
It has to be said that koi fish truly live up to their name; the taste is indescribable. The flesh is rock hard and has a muddy taste, making it far less delicious than regular carp.
Gu Yan and the others silently put down their chopsticks, looked at each other, and finally couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"I was hoping to get some good luck. It seems that good luck isn't something you can get easily." Gu Yan sighed slightly, picked out the koi from the plate, and then took the side dishes back.
"Luckily, I prepared a lot of side dishes, otherwise we would have had to eat rice for lunch today."
Just as the group was finishing their meal, an unexpected figure strode towards Gu Yan and the others' courtyard.
"Hey, Yu Bai, what brings you here?" Zhou Yuran spotted him immediately and stood up with her bowl in hand to greet him.
Although Yu Bai was Yu Zechuan's man, the Prince's Mansion had too many things to handle recently and was short-handed. In addition, due to Duan Chenke's relationship with Yu Zechuan, Yu Bai and his men were also requisitioned by Duan Chenke.
"Miss Fang, ladies, the young master has sent a letter."
After Yu Bai finished speaking, he took out a letter from his pocket and handed it to Hua Yin, who was closest to him.
After taking the letter, Hua Yin looked up at Yu Bai's expression and asked seemingly casually, "What did the letter say?"
"I didn't open the letter. I delivered it to His Highness the King of Chu immediately, but His Highness said to give it to the ladies first, so I rushed here to deliver it to them."
Hua Yin nodded, immediately opened the envelope, and took out the letter inside. Strong, vigorous handwriting came into view as she opened the letter.
The letter contained very little, only a few lines. Hua Yin quickly scanned it, then looked at the people around her and explained, "The letter says that when the young master and the others were investigating Weiyu Tower at night, they unexpectedly learned that the massacre of the Anping Marquis's family was the work of a mysterious person. Moreover, the token left behind and the only 'survivor' who beat the grievance drum to accuse Weiyang Palace were also deliberately created by the mysterious person to mislead everyone and completely frame Weiyang Palace."
"That's all? Did the letter mention Qiqi? How is Qiqi?" Gu Yan curiously peeked into the letter.
"No, that's all I said." Hua Yin shook her head and handed the letter directly to Gu Yan.
After taking the letter, Gu Yan glanced through it and confirmed that what Hua Yin had said was exactly what she meant. He sighed somewhat helplessly and handed the letter back to Yu Bai.
"Please take this back to the King of Chu. I think this letter will be of great use to him."
Yu Bai took the letter, nodded, put it back in its place, and then said goodbye.
Watching Yu Bai's departing figure, Zhou Yuran sighed, "I wonder how Qiqi is doing."
"Why don't we go find Qiqi? I think Qiqi will be very happy to see us," Gu Yan suggested excitedly.
Shen Mujin immediately poured cold water on Gu Yan's excitement, saying, "Don't forget that Qiqi has a mission. We're neither good at academics nor martial arts, so let's not go and cause trouble."
“Mumu is right. Let’s just stay here and wait for Qiqi to come back.” Zhou Yuran stood up, patted Gu Yan’s shoulder, and made a punching motion. “Don’t worry, she’s Qiqi, the Qiqi who can take down 108 men with one punch, so it’s not a big problem.”
The group burst into laughter at Zhou Yuran's actions and words, but upon closer reflection, they realized there was some truth to her words, so they had no choice but to continue staying in the Prince's mansion as "idle people."
"Others come here either as stunning imperial concubines or cold-blooded assassins, how come we're treated like salted fish?" Gu Yan complained as she cleared the dishes.
“Because you have no brains, no skills, and not even a single specialty,” Hua Yin replied mercilessly.
Gu Yan was somewhat unconvinced and stubbornly said, "Who said I don't have any special skills! I do experiments very well, otherwise why would I be chosen to work overtime?"
Hua Yin placed the bowl and chopsticks in Gu Yan's hands, her eyes full of mockery. "Is that so? Then give me a DNA sample, run a PCR test, and an electrophoresis test."
"I..." Gu Yan was speechless for a moment, and could only hum softly before taking the bowls and chopsticks back to the small kitchen to wash them.
"You always rub salt into other people's wounds," Shen Mujin said with a light laugh, watching Gu Yan's somewhat unconvinced back as she stood next to Hua Yin.
"If I don't add salt, am I supposed to add cumin? I'm just stating the facts."
Shen Mujin: "Okay, okay, you're right. If we keep talking, the barbecue might be coming out soon."
"Barbecue? What barbecue?" Zhou Yuran, who was wiping the table, immediately looked up and asked.
"Would you like to try some grilled koi meat?" Shen Mujin said with a smile.
"Thank you, but the food is too good for me." Zhou Yuran quickly waved her hand and continued wiping the table.
Gu Yan's side, the girls continued to stay in the Prince's mansion every day, laughing and joking, but Su Huaiqi, who went to the Five Mountains Alliance with Yu Zechuan, was not so leisurely.
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After the Four Seasons Inn closed down, Chen Kangnian brought everyone, including Xi Ming, to the Five Mountains Alliance. Xie Zhi was overjoyed to see the person he had longed for for so many years finally back by his side, wearing a smile on his face all day, which made everyone in the Five Mountains Alliance extremely uncomfortable.
After Chen Kangnian returned to the Five Mountains Alliance, two of his close friends rushed to the alliance to meet with him upon hearing the news.
The four were already close friends who could talk about anything. As soon as they met, Chen Kangnian told Xie Zhi and his two friends everything that had happened in Wuzhou.
After hearing this, Xie Zhi recalled that his father had once given him a wooden box containing half a screen painting, and made him swear on his life that he would never let the box fall into the hands of evil people.
Thinking of this, Xie Zhi immediately lowered his voice and said, "There is a screen painting in the Five Mountains Alliance."
Gongsun Rang, who was standing nearby, frowned slightly upon hearing this, and then Xie Zhi said, "There is also a screen painting like this in the Gentleman's Mansion. The task of each mansion master is to protect it and keep it a secret from the world."
Gongsun Rang, the former head of the Gentleman's Mansion, naturally knew about this news. However, the screen painting is now under the care of the current head of the mansion, Shangguan You. The events in Wuzhou were not accidental, so it seems he still needs to write a letter to remind Ayou.
The Five Mountains Alliance and the Gentleman's Mansion, along with the screen painting in Xi Ming's hands, suddenly occupied half of the seven screen paintings.
The next day, Xie Zhi and Chen Kangnian specially invited Xi Ming, along with their two friends Gongsun Rang and Xuan Zhang. They intended to exchange news, but before they could discuss anything, they heard an announcement at the door.
"Reporting to the Alliance Leader, a bamboo arrow was suddenly shot from outside the door. A small cloth bag was hanging on the arrow, but the person who shot the arrow was not caught."
Xie Zhi took the small cloth bag but didn't open it immediately. Instead, he waved his hand and said, "Okay, go down and strengthen the guard."
After the guards left, Xie Zhi briefly felt the bag; it seemed to be a ring. Upon opening it, he found it was actually a jade bracelet.
The emerald green jade bracelet still bore a trace of chilling blood.
Xie Zhi held up the bracelet with some confusion, and was about to say something when he saw Xi Ming rush towards the bracelet with an anxious look on his face, murmuring, "Zhenzhen, Zhenzhen, this is Zhenzhen's bracelet."
The moment Xi Ming saw the bracelet, he panicked. It was his daughter's bracelet, a keepsake left by his late wife.
Xie Zhi quickly handed the bracelet to Xi Ming. Seeing Xi Ming holding the jade bracelet with a pained expression, he could only comfort him, "Sect Leader Xi, please don't be anxious. Everything is still unknown, and we must not panic."
Chen Kangnian even took the initiative to help Xi Ming up and helped him back to his chair, asking, "Where should your daughter be right now?"
Xi Ming gripped the jade bracelet tightly, exhaled a breath of stale air, and tried to calm himself down. He then explained to the others:
“I have a daughter named Zhenzhen. Last year, when she went out to travel, she met a disciple of Weiyu Tower by chance and they fell in love with each other.”
Although this disciple was just an ordinary disciple, Xi Ming was an enlightened father who did not care about social status. Seeing that his daughter and this disciple liked each other, he directly married his daughter into Weiyu Tower.
"So Zhenzhen should be at Weiyu Tower right now."
"Since Zhenzhen has already married into Weiyu Tower, why did the archer shoot the bracelet at the Five Mountains Alliance instead of Weiyu Tower?" Xuan Zhang, who hadn't said much until now, suddenly asked, his eyes filled with a hint of inquiry as he looked at Xi Ming.
"Or rather, what was the archer's purpose in letting you obtain this jade bracelet?"
“I can’t think of any other purpose besides the screen painting.” After saying this, Xi Ming was silent for a long time before finally looking up at everyone. “But the screen painting is not on me, but on Zhenzhen, and I am the only one who knows about this.”
Xi Ming was in a state of panic, fearing that the picture on his daughter's body would harm her instead.
"Your daughter doesn't know either?" Xie Zhi asked.
"I don't know." Xi Ming shook his head. "I'm afraid that telling her would bring her unnecessary trouble."
"Does not telling them mean they won't come forward?" Xuan Zhang sneered. "I'm afraid they'll die unjustly."
"Xuanzhang, be careful what you say." Gongsun Rang shook his head at Xuanzhang and quickly stopped him.
"The archer only sent the bracelet to try and throw you off balance. I think we should write a letter to Weiyu Tower first, to see if Zhenzhen is still there. If she isn't, we'll know why she left Weiyu Tower, which will be a clue for us."
After Chen Kangnian finished speaking, he looked up and exchanged a glance with Xie Zhi. They both saw the unease in each other's eyes, fearing that the martial arts world was about to descend into chaos again.