CHAPTER 552: CHAPTER 322: THE LEGEND OF TAOIST LIU_2

Listening to Zhang Ze’s excuses, Lu Chen still coldly said, "You just ran out of ideas."

Zhang Ze paused for a moment and then replied with a hum.

"I’m not an Immortal, how can I be perfect in everything? Just being able to sneak out of the Imperial City is already impressive, alright."

Upon hearing this, Lu Chen sighed, feeling quite weary. But as the person covering for him, she could only be on high alert, preparing for the worst, ready to lead people in an escape at any moment.

...

At this moment, more than one person was feeling weary.

In the Imperial City.

Because of his tiredness, Taoist Liu’s back subconsciously slouched, and he rubbed his eyes, hoping everything before him was fake.

How did this happen?

Where is my apprentice?

Where’s my big Old Cyan Ox?

I just went to attend a meeting, how come everything is gone when I return?

Taoist Liu looked at the empty animal shed and the Sound Transmission Jade in his hand, which had changed color due to half of it being shattered, feeling a bit at a loss.

He somehow felt that the things he lost might not be as simple as just his apprentice and that old ox.

A sense of crisis loomed over him, as if a great building was about to collapse and everything was about to end.

But soon, Taoist Liu calmed himself down.

Because suddenly he realized something.

That is, the two old ancestors were currently in seclusion in that room, preparing for tomorrow’s flag-raising and ascending to immortality, and would not come out temporarily.

And all the other big shots were either guarding the four gates or watching the altar outside the city.

This situation in the Imperial City suddenly became interesting.

No one stronger than him, Taoist Liu, was around.

And among those who were confidants of the old ancestors like him, none could fight better than him.

So, by a twist of fate, he, Taoist Liu, temporarily became the big deal in the Imperial City.

Except for the Emperor, he feared no one now.

After figuring things out, Taoist Liu suppressed the unease in his heart, feeling that regardless of what happened, he could redeem himself somehow, or...

Buy some time for an escape...

He waved a Eunuch over.

"Where’s my ox?" Taoist Liu asked.

The Eunuch heard the words, feeling uneasy inside, but still replied honestly, "You took it away..."

Taoist Liu said, "Hmm? Why don’t I remember?"

The Eunuch, realizing his slip, hurriedly explained the cause and effect clearly, "Returning to Lord, it’s like this...".

He detailed how Zhang Ze took the ox and the two Dragon Steeds and ordered him and others to prepare the carriage.

After listening, Taoist Liu cursed inwardly, good, good, good, not only did I lose the ox, I also lost a carriage.

"Did you notice anything strange? For example, did my Cyan Ox look vacant-eyed, lifeless, and like it was possessed?" Taoist Liu further inquired.

Upon hearing this question, the Eunuch felt even more uneasy.

Though he didn’t understand what possession was, as a servant waiting on others, his eyes weren’t blind.

Thinking back, he mused that when the Old Cyan Ox pulled the carriage away, it looked happier than usual when ridden by him, and its Essence Qi was visibly good, moreover it would charge at anyone trying to stop it.

For those unaware, they would think the ox was stolen by him, and the owner came looking for it.

But these words were absolutely not to be spoken.

The Eunuch already sensed something strange about this, something not suitable for little characters like himself to get involved in.

After hesitating for a moment, he answered according to Taoist Liu’s line, "My knowledge is shallow, lacking understanding of Immortal Techniques, but reminded by Lord, your old ox indeed appeared vacant-eyed when it was taken away, looking... looking enchanted."

Taoist Liu nodded, "Where did they go?"

"Over there..." The Eunuch pointed toward the direction of the rear palace.

With such a large ox cart not being invisible, Taoist Liu asked around and searched along the way, quickly finding the route of the ox cart’s departure.

And he discovered Song Yi and Wang Shan were involved as well, feeling increasingly strange.

He traversed through twists and turns but didn’t find the ox cart, instead he came face to face with another group.

A skinny and a fat Grand Chief Eunuch were leading a bunch of Eunuchs, searching for something like scraping the ground.

Judging by their demeanor, they seemed eager to turn the Imperial Palace upside down.

Although Taoist Liu didn’t really like these two, seeing them with a lost look improved his mood slightly.

People are like this, suffering losses alone is painful, suffering together brings happiness.

’It’s not the first time, I imagine they lost some gold or silver again, ha, serves them right.’

Taoist Liu intended to bypass them, but the two Grand Chief Eunuchs beside the Emperor saw him as a savior, lifted their robes and jogged over.

"Did you see it? Did you see it?" The fat Chief Eunuch asked, tugging Taoist Liu’s sleeve.

"Please help us find it, please help us find it?" The skinny Chief Eunuch tugged Taoist Liu’s other sleeve, shaking it like a child.

Seeing these two speaking in riddles, Taoist Liu grew annoyed, his aura surged, shaking their hands off his sleeves.

"Matters of the rear palace have nothing to do with me, please, two Chief Eunuchs don’t block my way, I still have to find my ox."

Saying this, he tried to bypass them, but unexpectedly he was stopped again.

"Oh dear, at a time like this, you’re still looking for an ox! Help us first, once settled, I’ll give you a thousand or ten thousand oxen." The fat Chief Eunuch pleaded.

"Lord Liu, you must help us think of a way, you can’t escape responsibility in this matter, we’re all grasshoppers on the same string, this is a crime that leads to execution." The skinny Chief Eunuch quietly threatened.

"What exactly is it? Speak clearly, what did you lose this time?" Taoist Liu stopped in his tracks, puzzled.