Guanfeng Square!
The last time Zhou Yi came here was during the Great Zhou state banquet. At that time, all nations came to pay tribute, all ministers bowed their heads, black-armored guards were on standby, brocade flags covered the sun, and hundreds of thousands of palace maids were waiting in line. What a grand scene, what majesty!
At this time, most of the Yulin troops guarding the imperial palace were withdrawn to the top of the city walls to strengthen the city defenses and prepare for battle. The small number of remaining imperial guards were completely unable to control the situation in the palace.
Moreover, when they heard the news that the Wu family was leading an army of 400,000 to counterattack Luoyang, the palace maids and eunuchs suddenly became powerless and began to steal some of the precious treasures in the palace and fled in panic. The majestic and magnificent Luoyang Palace was now in ruins and wailing was everywhere.
Seeing Zhou Yi dressed up as a soldier of the Great Zhou Dynasty, several imperial guards who were guarding the palace came out laughing, holding valuable treasures. When they passed by him, one of them asked, "Hey, why didn't you get any treasures?"
Zhou Yi tapped the large gilded wine jar that the man was holding and said with a smile, "It's too heavy. I can't move it."
Several people laughed out loud at his words and left with their things.
When Zhou Yi saw this scene, an unspeakable sadness suddenly surged in his heart, and he couldn't help but recite in a low voice.
"The mountains are like gatherings, the waves are like raging,
Tongguan Road is surrounded by mountains and rivers.
Looking at the Western Capital, I feel hesitant.
Saddened by the Qin and Han dynasties,
All the palaces have turned to dust.
When a country prospers, the people suffer; when a country perishes, the people suffer."
"Haha! I never thought that our 'most evil' who can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk can still have such a compassionate sentiment!" The one who spoke was Hahaer. At this time, the five big villains dressed up and swaggered to Zhou Yi's side.
Zhou Yi ignored Hahaer's words, but turned around to look at Du Sha, because among the several big villains, Du Sha's words were slightly more believable.
"I never thought that Luoyang Palace would be in such a mess today. Now I want to ask you for help, but it's a bit redundant!"
Du Sha laughed loudly and said, "Don't worry, we made a lot of money on this trip to Luoyang. We will definitely keep Brother Qianbei's affairs in mind!"
Zhou Yi sneered and nodded, ignoring them, he flew up and dived into the palace wall.
Zhou Yi had lived in Liqi Pavilion for a long time and was very familiar with the terrain of Luoyang Palace. Jumping and flying, they soon broke into the garden of Xianju Courtyard.
This Xianju Courtyard was a forbidden area for Wu Zhao. Even Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Juyi, Wu Zhao's lover, had no chance to enter. Therefore, Zhou Yi was still very much looking forward to Xianju Courtyard.
As you walk in it, you can suddenly feel an extraordinary atmosphere. The breeze blows, the lotus flowers sing softly along with the wind, the dew rolls back and forth on the lotus leaves like jade plates, and the air around is filled with a hazy water vapor, which makes people feel as if they are riding on the clouds and floating in the air.
Just after passing the lake, they came to a bamboo forest. It was so quiet and remote that Zhou Yi's mind became calm. Just as Zhou Yi was about to take another step, an elderly woman walked out at the right time.
The woman was dressed as a Taoist nun, wearing a gray Taoist robe that was spotless. She had a graceful figure. Although she was no longer young, she could still vaguely recognize the peerless beauty of her youth. There was a soft light flowing in her eyes, which immediately gave Zhou Yi a wonderful feeling of leaving all the troubles behind.
Although he had never seen her before, Zhou Yi had no doubt at this moment that the woman in front of him was the peerless enchantress who stirred up the world and created the Holy Gate world—the Imperial Teacher, Kankan!
"I've been waiting for you for a long time?" the woman spoke first.
"Greetings, Senior Xianxian!" Zhou Yi bowed and respectfully took out a package from his arms, handed it to Xianxian with both hands, and said, "I come here in the name of Your Majesty to return the Heshi Bi!"
Kanan smiled without saying a word, reached out to take the He Shi Bi, and then slowly opened the package.
A flawless jade seal, sparkling with precious light, was peacefully placed in the hands of Kankan. The seal was engraved with a pattern of five intertwined dragons, and the craftsmanship was exquisite, but a corner was missing, which was filled with gold.
"But what's the point of giving it to me?" Wan Wan shook her head helplessly and said, "I am already an outsider. I have no power or interest in the matter of the Heshi Bi!"
"But..." Zhou Yi suddenly became anxious, and his voice couldn't help but rise a few degrees: "Tens of thousands of Wu rebels outside the city are trying to overthrow the iron-clad empire of Her Majesty the Empress. Now Her Majesty's life and death are uncertain. Shouldn't Senior help Her Majesty to get rid of this disaster and rebuild the Great Zhou Dynasty?"
"Haha!" Kanan slowly turned around, walked through the bamboo forest and around the Buddhist temple, and entered a bamboo house. The bamboo house was very simple, with nothing else except a simple eight-immortal table and a bamboo recliner. Zhou Yi looked up and found that there was also a scroll here that was exactly the same as the one in the imperial study.
The painting shows three silhouettes standing in the deep snow, with Xu Ziling in the middle, Kou Zhong and Ba Fenghan on both sides.
"I can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk. Do you know that? For a woman, the so-called 'family and national affairs' and 'sect feuds' are actually very distant things." Kanan stared at Xu Ziling in the painting, and her old eyes suddenly became young: "A woman's heart is actually very small. After embracing a man, there is no room for anything else!"
After saying this, an aura of aging slowly emanated from Kankan's body. She stroked the yellowed scroll, looked at the graceful figure in the painting with satisfaction, and suddenly laughed.
"I'm old now, and the future belongs to you young people. You can keep the He Shi Bi! Oh! By the way..." Kanan seemed to suddenly remember something. She reached out and took out an exquisite wooden box carved with dragon ornaments from her bosom. It was two feet long and a foot and a half wide, and looked mysterious.
Zhou Yi asked: "What is this?"
Xianxian stared at the box in her hand with a nostalgic look in her eyes. She sighed and said, "This is one of the three folding bows made by the Archery Master. One was taken to the frontier with Ba Fenghan, and the whereabouts of the other is unknown. The one in your hand belonged to Kou Zhong and was given to Li Shimin. Try pulling it!"
Zhou Yi pulled the string casually, but the longbow didn't move at all. His face couldn't help but get hot. He quickly gathered the Nine Heavens True Qi and poured it into his arms. He was able to pull the bow for a full moon. However, he ran out of energy and let go of the bowstring before he could hold on for half a minute.
"This bow is too..."
Kanan smiled but did not answer. Instead, she turned around and continued to stare at the painting in front of her. However, she looked older and older. She stood there quietly, and the light in her eyes became dimmer and dimmer.
Zhou Yi's face changed drastically and he quickly reached out to help.
"I can't help but force it. My time is up. The future belongs to you young people. I'll leave everything else up to you!"
Zhou Yi quietly looked at Kankan who passed away quietly. After a long time, Zhou Yi sighed softly, helped Kankan's body to lie down on the bamboo chair, then put away the mural on the wall and quietly put it in his arms, then turned around, closed the door, and quietly retreated.
"Hahaha, since none of you want the Heshi Bi, why not give it to me?"
As Zhou Yi stepped out, a loud laugh sounded quietly behind him. (To be continued)