The Emperor Chases His Wife

Chapter XXIV

CHAPTER XXIV: Robbers At The Great Merchant's Treasure Pavilion (1)

The night sky was like a heavy navy blue curtain, obscured by very thick clouds. If one was to describe it, they'd say it was the perfect night to commit a crime.

In the shadows of the night, two black silhouettes were speeding across the sky towards the Great Merchant's manor, their faces covered in black and the only left out was their eyes.

One of them was Liuyun while the other was Lei.

Liuyun had told Nian that they needed to make a trip to Kunlun Ridge for a Green Fire Deer. While the easiest thing for him to do was to send an imperial edict which demanded her presence in his court, he knew it would stir up questions and cause more trouble.

Liuyun knew that Nian was quite capable of scheming on her own but since he'd been planning a crime for a while, he figured he'd kill two birds with one stone.

The Great Merchant's manor was always heavily guarded since the Great Merchant had a lot of valuables in his possession. The manor was considered to be impenetrable with all the heavy security and it would take a clever mind to figure out how to sneak in and how to escape.

Unknown to Liuyun, Nian had managed to escape from this fortress once before. She only got caught due to her sickly being. If it hadn't been for that, Nian would have been hiding in a cabin in the hills and living out the rest of her days merrily.

Liuyun's mind was tactful and sinister and without much effort, entering the Great Merchant's manor was like taking a leisurely stroll through his own back garden.

Liuyun had brought Lei along since he was the strongest of the four messengers and while Lei had questions about his master's actions, he knew better than to question it. Whatever Liuyun was planning, chaos was going to be guaranteed.

As they neared the manor, Liuyun's blood red lips tilted up into a demonic smile of exhilaration. It had been a long time since he felt the adrenaline rushing through his blood and the feeling of it excited him.

The two landed in a tree in the utmost parts of the manor and Lei instantly put up a Wizardry Barrier around them to conceal their spiritual talents and to make their conversation inaudible for anyone who could be lurking around.

"I need you to deliver this to Nian's courtyard then wait here for me." Liuyun took out a jade token and handed it to Lei.

Without asking a question, Lei took off into the night. Liuyun waited until Lei was out of sight before fixing his eyes on the building before him.

The Great Merchant's Treasure Pavilion.

The Great Merchant's Treasure Pavilion was forbidden ground and was not a place that a normal person could get close to. The Great Merchant's Treasure Pavilion was only three stories high with an outside that looked very plain and old; it completely lacked any magnificent and luxurious feelings. If one was ignorant, you could mistake this place as another courtyard instead of a treasure storage room.

At this time, the interior of the pavilion was pitch-black. Not a trace of lamplight could be seen, and its main entrance was locked with a special mysterious iron padlock. The gate was not protected by a guard and a devilish smirk appeared on Liuyun's face.

This was going to be easier than he thought.

With a devilishly charming smile, he jumped down from the tree and leisurely walked toward the large gate.

His movements were very clean and fast, like a streak of light. If anyone could see it clearly, they would only see a clump of shadows, and perhaps believed that their vision had become hazy. Liuyun's footsteps like a dragonfly that skipped on water; his footsteps seemed as if they never touched the ground.

Reaching the gate, Liuyun took a step in the air like he climbing a staircase and hurried past the first floor up to the second floor of the pavilion. But right at this moment, in the depths of the darkness, a strong wind suddenly headed directly toward him.

A cold and frightening look appeared in Liuyun's eyes paired with a demonic smile. If anyone was to actually see his face under the mask, they'd be frightened to death. He really looked like a sinister assassin who took pleasure in killing people.

He's here!

Liuyun did not retreat. Instead he halted his movement and faced the strong wind head on. His fingers make a quick gesture and a halo of crackling purple lightening formed in his palm. Using the force of the wind, he threw the halo of lightening in the direction of the person.

The attack was mounted against none other than the guardian of the Great Merchant's Treasure Pavilion.

This guardian was an elderly man who was covered in a black robe and his face could not be clearly seen. But one could feel his ice-cold and murderous eyes. This elderly man, even though worn with age, was a force to reckon with.

This elder was Nian's grandfather.

He was the Great Merchant's father. Since he was a child, he immersed himself in martial arts and while traveling with the caravan, he would learn various steps and techniques from the other regions, combining them to form his own martial art technique which was the Shanghai's most prized skill, the Dual Ying Yang Swordsmanship.

After growing in age, although his body physically looked like a man of fifty, and handing over the caravan to his son, Shanghai Cheng retired to the family's treasure pavilion, deciding to guard it all year round while practicing and cultivating in hopes of reaching the immortal realm before he passed away.

Due to the fact that a level nine guardian protected the pavilion, only visitors were allowed into the pavilion as robbers had all lost their lives when they attempted any crimes.

The fact that Shanghai Cheng was a level nine martial artist was a secret kept by the Shanghai family. Outsiders were only aware of a gate keeper but they didn't know what level the guardian was at. But naturally, Liuyun was an exception.

How he knew such a secret, no one really knew.

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Don't get it confused. Nian's father is Chengfeng and her grandfather is Cheng. They aren't the same person.