Three days later, the atmosphere inside the Blissful Temple was lively.

The person who came from Beijing was said to be the Chief Minister of the Cabinet and the Minister of Justice, praying for the well-being of the people on behalf of the emperor.

However, Yanran City remained the same as usual, with yellow sand swirling around, and life going on as usual.

The court and the martial world maintained an extreme balance, as always.

When Hu Li intercepted the wine glass handed to him by Shi Yue for the third time, Shi Yue gave him a sidelong glance. Despite resisting, Shi Yue was soon defeated after just a few moves.

Every move of Shi Yue's was taught by Xu Ji himself, and after nearly ten years of learning, his moves were almost identical to Xu Ji's.

His master was not a good teacher.

Now Shi Yue had learned to drink from him. If he couldn't drink for three days, he would be grumpy.

"Senior brother, I bought this with my own money. If you want to drink, buy your own." When Shi Yue couldn't win, he opened his mouth to argue.

"Win against me first before saying these things," Hu Li snorted and then tucked the wine pot under his arm before leaving the hall.

Shi Yue could only sit there with a blank expression.

Hu Li entered Bai Huai Shui's room.

Surprisingly, Bai Huai Shui was sitting quietly in the room. Hu Li placed the wine pot on the table.

"Oh, another pot? Shi Yue must have a small treasury." Bai Huai Shui took out two cups and placed them on the table. "It's cheap for both of us."

Bai Huai Shui poured a full cup and took a sip. "Are you really not going to tell them?"

"The two weak disciples, it's better to worry less about them."

"Among the Zen fighters, after eight hundred years, your thoughts are the heaviest." Bai Huai Shui finished the drink in his cup and spread out the treasure map on the wooden table.

The door was closed, and the two men gathered around.

The map was only half complete, but the corner of the Liangwang battle flag, although faded, was still recognizable.

"The legend of the Liangwang underground palace has been circulating for a hundred years. Some people have been trying their luck, but explorations from all over the country have found nothing. Now, a map has suddenly appeared out of nowhere. It seems that the martial world is about to change." After finishing his words, Bai Huai Shui noticed that Hu Li was lost in thought. He tapped him and asked, "What are you thinking?"

"I'm just thinking. Since this map is so important, how did it end up in Uncle Shi's hands? What connection does Uncle Shi have with the Liangwang underground palace?"

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"Connection?" Bai Huai Shui chuckled. "It's probably an unreachable connection. When Liangwang rebelled and was defeated, twenty thousand people were implicated. Anyone who had any connection with Liangwang either died or was maimed. Those who escaped by luck would not go to the emperor to serve as officials."

Hu Li frowned, and Bai Huai Shui laughed, "You're holding onto a hot potato and still thinking about the origin of this map. Show it to Master, go to the prefectural yamen tomorrow morning, and throw the map in Jiang Yu's face. Then this matter will be settled, and whatever treasures are found will have nothing to do with you, Hu Li."

Jiang Yu dismissed his subordinates.

Standing at the gate of the Blissful Temple, he occasionally glanced inside.

The incense burner in the temple emitted wisps of white smoke.

The monks all wore new robes.

The Blissful Temple had been built for a hundred years. The tallest building had a mound next to it, with a gold-plated bell on top. The bell was hidden in the thin mist, appearing and disappearing, but its sound spread unhindered.

Li Lianqing, the official of the court, was chatting with the abbot. Although the abbot was full of Zen phrases, Li Lianqing, who came from a civil background, was not inferior. They exchanged words as if they had known each other for a long time.

Bai Huai Shui walked over slowly, his handsome features, and when he saw Jiang Yu standing at the door, he stopped at a distance and said with a playful tone, "Oh, Jiang Daren is standing at the door enjoying the northwest wind?"

Jiang Yu cast a cold glance at Bai Huai Shui, without saying a word. Bai Huai Shui's face was as thick as a city wall. He only cared about his own happiness. He ran over in three steps and stood beside Jiang Yu, saying, "Just now, I went to the yamen to intercept someone. I heard Daren from the yamen say that Jiang Daren came to serve at the Blissful Temple. You have to stay here to eat and pray at night."

Bai Huai Shui's mouth was as sharp as Hu Li's, without any inferiority.

"Jiang Daren, my nephew is not bad, right? Consider taking him back to Beijing with you?" Bai Huai Shui squinted, trying his best to pull his nephew out of Yanran City and throw him into the big dye vat of Beijing.

"Even if you don't want to let him go, what's the point of saying that?" Jiang Yu finally responded to Bai Huai Shui, sparing him from a monologue.

Bai Huai Shui crossed his arms, raised his eyebrows, and looked at the distant mountains, finally getting to the point. "Even if I don't want to let him go, I have to let him go. Hu Li is still alive when he follows you, Jiang Daren. Hu Li helped you solve a case, and now he's used as a live target with the map. Now that you're still in Yanran City, no one dares to openly oppose the court. But when you return to Beijing for your future, my poor nephew won't even know how he died."

With these words, Bai Huai Shui was impeccable in his humility, but he didn't spare any sarcasm. Bai Huai Shui came to find Jiang Yu today for this purpose.

The meaning was clear, both overtly and covertly.

They lent Hu Li to do the hard work and made him a target. Were they easy to bully, the Zen fighters?

Jiang Yu smiled twice. "Your courage is getting bigger, Bai Huai Shui."

"In an urgent situation, in an urgent situation. Jiang Daren, please don't take offense." Bai Huai Shui pursed his lips, pretending to be humble.

Jiang Yu stared at the stones on the ground for a while, then said after a while, "The prayer ceremony will close the gates of Yanran for two days. Before noon, Hu Li will leave Yanran."

"Where to?"

"To the Wall City." Jiang Yu threw out a location. "After the matter in Yanran is settled, I will go to the Wall City."

"What about me?"

"You?"

"Staying by Jiang Daren's side as a little errand boy isn't bad." Bai Huai Shui folded his arms and found himself a position. Then he stood with his hands behind his back, looking pleased with himself as he pretended to walk into the Blissful Temple.

May 2nd, Southwest, on the Wall City.

Hu Li wore a straw hat and swayed on horseback. Xu Ji couldn't see him for a day and was anxious. In order to respect his master and the path of righteousness, Hu Li had to take away the straw hat from his master's heart.

The sound of horse hooves on the ground was particularly clear.

On the Wall City, the gates were dilapidated, and the guards were nowhere to be found.

The pass token given to Hu Li by Jiang Yu was of no use, so he directly entered the city.

In the city, every household had their doors and windows tightly closed. The belongings were scattered on both sides of the doors, as if the place had been abandoned and no one lived there anymore.

Hu Li walked most of the way down the street and didn't see a single person except for two lonely crooked-necked trees standing on either side of the street.

A gloomy bird call sounded from above, and Hu Li stopped his horse to look up at the sky.

The sky was like a huge curtain, with no sun in sight, and the light was dim. Southwest was entering the rainy season, and the rain from the sky never stopped. At this moment, the roofs of the houses were leaning at an incredible angle. The houses were painted with white walls in a regular pattern, and the white walls were connected to the darkening sky, forming a gray patch.

The bird flew away and perched on a branch, moving its eyes to look at the only living thing in the middle of the street, Hu Li.

This vast Wall City seemed like a deserted city.

He searched two streets and finally found a small inn in the depths of an alley.

The doors and windows were still tightly shut, with no sign of anyone inside.

Hu Li looked up at the flag hanging high at the door, dismounted, and knocked on the door.

He heard footsteps inside the door, so Hu Li stopped and stood at the door, waiting. After a while, the door opened a crack, revealing only a pair of eyes.

The person inside saw the young man standing outside with a long knife on his back, and squinted his eyes, then opened the door to let Hu Li in.

"Is the guest staying at the inn?" Hu Li responded and chose a table to sit down. The innkeeper carefully looked outside, confirmed that no one was following, then closed the door and latched it, finally relaxing.

In the Wall City, there were no people on the streets during the day, and the doors and windows were tightly locked. Even the innkeeper of this inn was cautious, fearing that something was amiss in the city.