Chapter 51 Lu Xiaofeng Arrives, Lu Xiaofeng Falls

Night fell like ink, and Lu Xiaofeng's figure moved like a wisp of light smoke.

His "Phoenix Dances in the Nine Heavens" had reached the realm of perfection. Combined with his Profound Finger cultivation, by intentionally concealing his presence, he bypassed even the heavily guarded Jiayuguan Pass without the ordinary patrolling soldiers noticing a trace of him.

However, when he arrived before the Tencai Mansion, no matter how proud Lu Xiaofeng was of his exceptional lightness skills, he dared not cross the thunderbolt boundary by even half a step.

Without reason.

Under the night sky, a warrior clad in armor stood atop the city wall of the Tencai Mansion, gazing right at him.

A chill gripped Lu Xiaofeng's heart: "A Heavenly Phenomenon Grand Master!"

Although Lu Xiaofeng had long known that the Tencai Mansion was a crouching tiger, hidden dragon sort of place brimming with powerhouses, the fact that a Heavenly Phenomenon Grand Master was guarding the gates of the Tencai Mansion in the dead of night still dealt him a massive shock.

"General, I must trouble you to announce my presence. Tell them Lu Xiaofeng seeks an audience with His Highness, the Prince of Su."

"No announcement is necessary. His Highness already knows of your arrival. Please, enter."

With a wave of the Tencai general's hand atop the city wall, the tightly shut gates of the Tencai Mansion groaned open.

Lu Xiaofeng was slightly startled, but with his brilliance, he quickly pieced it together.

Inside the Tencai Mansion, Zhu Jinzhen was reviewing military affairs in his study when a report came in that Lu Xiaofeng had arrived at Jiayuguan Pass and sought an audience at the Tencai Mansion. His expression remained calm. "Bring him straight in."

"Your Highness, I shall take my leave."

Sikong Zhaixing bowed with clasped fists, his figure flickering like a ghost as he vanished before Zhu Jinzhen amidst layers of lingering afterimages.

Zhu Jinzhen put down his brush and stretched his body.

Soon, led by a Tencai soldier, Lu Xiaofeng was brought before Zhu Jinzhen.

"Greetings, Your Highness, Prince of Su."

"Stand at ease. To make you run back and forth like this and seek an audience in the dead of night... it seems His Majesty the Emperor has something he wishes for you to convey to me?" Zhu Jinzhen nodded as he gestured to the maidservant in the room to serve tea.

"Your Highness's discernment is as sharp as a torch."

Lu Xiaofeng cupped his fists, filled with helplessness.

He had known his movements might not elude Zhu Jinzhen, but he had never expected that despite all his care and extreme caution, he had still been tracked.

"Your Majesty entrusted me with a message. He wishes to have a meeting with Your Highness to clear up any misunderstandings."

"The Emperor wishes to see me?"

"The Emperor made a public decree to inspect the borders, yet secretly traveled in disguise into my fiefdom. This matter alone is already intriguing enough. I have just received word that before leaving the capital, the Emperor secretly contacted masters from all sides. Now, he suddenly wishes to see me. What is his intention?"

The candlelight in the study suddenly flickered.

A flash of cold light crossed Zhu Jinzhen's eyes: "Is it truly just to clear up misunderstandings?"

Lu Xiaofeng's entire body instantly tensed up—an instinctive bodily reaction when facing a mortal threat.

Although Zhu Jinzhen was not targeting Lu Xiaofeng, under the state of Heaven and Man as One, his mind communicated with heaven and earth, radiating a murderous aura as vast as a mandate from the heavens. How could a mere Profound Finger grand master like Lu Xiaofeng possibly withstand that?

After freezing for a brief moment, Lu Xiaofeng bowed tremblingly, saying, "This humble commoner merely brought His Majesty's words. As for all other matters, I am entirely unaware."

For the first time, Lu Xiaofeng could perceive the proximity of death with such startling clarity.

The Earth Immortal realm!

In the past, Lu Xiaofeng had only heard tales of earth-roaming, living immortals whose gestures could shatter mountains and split the earth, altering the course of a grand war. He had never imagined they could be terrifying to such an extent.

It was merely a wisp of anger, and not even aimed at him, yet it carried the suffocating sensation of heaven and earth collapsing and mountains caving in upon him.

"I know you are unaware."

Zhu Jinzhen chuckled softly. The suffocating aura akin to a heavenly mandate instantly receded like a receding tide. Looking at Lu Xiaofeng with a faint smile on his face, he said, "Therefore, I intend to ask him in person."

"Your... Your Highness, what—what did you just say?"

Both Lu Xiaofeng's voice and body trembled as he looked at Zhu Jinzhen in disbelief.

"Zhu Shou?"

"A fine name."

Zhu Jinzhen's words struck Lu Xiaofeng like a heavy hammer, leaving him dizzy and disoriented.

Lu Xiaofeng's eyes went wide.

"Some people always like to act righteous and clever," Zhu Jinzhen said, looking at Lu Xiaofeng with an ambiguous smile. "Without considering that my fiefdom and princely residence are both in Lanzhou. How could anything happening within Lanzhou Prefecture escape my eyes and ears?"

"Furthermore, there was your guidance."

"Guidance? Me?" Lu Xiaofeng pointed at himself before his entire body trembled violently, overtaken by a sense of absurdity and terror.

He understood precisely what Zhu Jinzhen's final sentence implied.

"It seems you have guessed it." Zhu Jinzhen nodded calmly. "Your disguise arts are indeed exquisite, and your 'Phoenix Dances in the Nine Heavens' is also peerless. Ordinary Profound Finger grand masters couldn't catch up to you even if they tried."

"Yet you seemed to forget that your good friend, Sikong Zhaixing, is the King of Thieves. His mastery of disguise surpasses even yours. It is easy for you to deceive others, but deceiving him is no simple task."

"Besides, you only paid attention to enemies on the ground, ignoring the tracker in the skies."

Lu Xiaofeng's pupils constricted: "The skies?"

Zhu Jinzhen nodded: "Sikong Zhaixing and the secret guards under my command have raised a flock of falcons. They may seem unremarkable, but once targeted by them, unless a Heavenly Phenomenon Grand Master ascends into the clouds, no matter how extraordinary your lightness skills are, you cannot shake them off."

These words shattered the last lingering hopes in Lu Xiaofeng's heart.

Lu Xiaofeng had long considered the possibility that Sikong Zhaixing was tracking him. But no matter how he calculated, he never imagined the true hunter was watching him from above. No wonder that after leaving Jiayuguan Pass, he deliberately chose mountain paths and changed his disguise seven times, believing he had shaken off all pursuers, only to still have them follow the vine to unearth the melon.

It turned out the one truly watching him was up in the sky.

"So to speak... His Majesty the Emperor's side..." Lu Xiaofeng asked with difficulty. Although his heart had already guessed the answer, he refused to give up.

Zhu Jinzhen's gaze deep, his smile grew even wider: "They should have already arrived."

"Bang!"

Lu Xiaofeng collapsed limply into a chair.

He was a smart man and naturally understood what Zhu Jinzhen's words meant.

The Emperor had risked his life alone to enter Shaanxi territory, walking right into a dragon's pool and tiger's den. Now that he had been caught red-handed by Zhu Jinzhen, his life or death hung entirely on a single thought from this Prince of Su.

And as the one who exposed the Emperor's whereabouts—

Whether Lu Xiaofeng did it unintentionally or was being used mattered not in the slightest.

The Emperor's safety outweighed everything else.

The cabinet, the imperial clan, and the imperial court cared only for the final result.

It would be fine if Zhu Houzhao suffered no mishap.

The moment anything went wrong with Zhu Houzhao, Lu Xiaofeng would undoubtedly be torn limb from limb by every faction involved.

Watching Lu Xiaofeng's reaction, Zhu Jinzhen could not resist teasing, "It seems Hero Lu has already prepared himself to become a wanted criminal of the court and an enemy of the entire world."

Lu Xiaofeng rolled his eyes, nearly fainting on the spot.

What kind of mortal misery was this?

He had merely delivered a message; how had he suddenly become an enemy of the entire Ming imperial court?