At this moment, An Ruming’s figure was concealed as he slipped into the Daoist temple.
His entire body’s muscles and bones underwent changes, even his Qi was altered.
It would be difficult for ordinary Daoists to notice the changes in him.
After scaling over the West Mountain Temple, familiar with the way, he deftly bypassed several patrolling teams formed by blue-clad Daoist nuns, and then, after crossing several courtyards, he finally arrived at the side of a secluded hall.
Beside the secluded hall, there was an independent courtyard, which was additionally guarded, with female attendants and old maids dressed in Daoist robes.
The owner of the house seemed to have an extraordinary status.
An Ruming hid in the shadows and, after seeing everyone leave, his figure appeared by the window.
"Who is it?"
A slightly panicked voice came from within the window, having seemingly detected his presence.
Though a bit panicked, the voice was gentle and pleasant, spoken in soft Wu dialect that made one’s heart swell with beautiful imaginings.
"Your Highness, it’s me!"
An Ruming’s expression was somewhat cautious, but there was a blazing heat in the depths of his eyes that couldn’t help but drive him to take a few steps forward.
Upon hearing An Ruming’s voice, the slightly panicked figure within seemed to calm down, but immediately a melancholic voice came out.
"General, you should not have entered this place again. If someone sees us, both our lives will be at risk, and it will bring disaster to my family."
Hearing this, An Ruming raised his eyes and, clasping his hands together, said towards the inner room, "Your Highness, for you, not to mention entering this place, even if it’s a mountain of blades and a sea of flames, I would not fear!"
With a slight pause, his eyes revealed a determined look.
"Your Highness, let me take you away from here. We can leave everything behind and start anew elsewhere!"
Hearing this, the figure inside remained silent for a long time, and after a moment spoke softly.
"General, why do you do this? You have a promising future ahead; there’s no need to ruin your bright prospects for someone like me, plagued by illness and misfortune!"
Pausing slightly, she continued, "We can’t escape. The Emperor’s wealth spans the world, and there are numerous capable people under him. How could they possibly let us leave!"
Hearing this, An Ruming’s face was overjoyed. He took a deep breath, glanced around, and spoke softly.
"Your Highness, I will find a way regarding this matter. As for your illness, please don’t worry. I am also thinking of ways to cure you!"
There was a passionate glimmer in An Ruming’s eyes as he heard the change in her attitude from the voice inside, which couldn’t help but fill him with ecstasy.
They had known each other for four or five years, yet her attitude had never changed until now, finally giving him hope and immense joy.
An Ruming originally intended to step into the attic, but at that moment, a series of coughs came from inside, filled with a strong sense of frailty and weakness.
Unable to hold back any longer, An Ruming stepped into the room.
"I didn’t expect An Ruming to be entangled with Princess Consort Song!"
At this moment, on a mountain beside the West Mountain Temple, a figure stood proudly, seeming to merge with the bright moon in the sky, his figure stepping through the air, overlooking the mountains below.
Zhang Jian was practicing the Taiyin Refining Form Technique. The highest realm of this Daoist Technique was to transform into the Taiyin Divine Aspect, commanding Taiyin for one’s use. As the creator of this Daoist Technique, Zhang Jian had long cultivated it to this level.
He was clad in the Taiyin Dharma Aspect, appearing as if walking upon the moon.
In his gaze, under the extinguished lights, the two figures entwining in intimacy were exposed in his vast Yin God Divine Sense.
Even the Dragon and Tiger Qi of this place seemed unable to conceal his penetrating divine sense.
Princess Consort Song was not one of the Four Concubines, but one of the Nine Concubines, the legitimate eldest daughter of Marquis Fei Cheng, rumored to be beautiful and favored by Emperor Jingwu.
However, several years ago, Marquis Fei Cheng, Song Dingshan, fell out of favor with the Emperor due to factionalism and corruption.
Recently, she fell seriously ill, just as the Empress Dowager’s grand birthday was approaching, so Emperor Jingwu sent her to the West Mountain Temple to recuperate, to avoid offending the Empress Dowager and spreading her illness.
Nevertheless, An Ruming had been targeted this time; it’s not only Zhang Jian who had eyes on An Ruming, but also another group of people.
With a contemplative gaze, Zhang Jian thought, An Ruming bore the Greedy Wolf Fate, a fate known for being exceedingly fierce, rebellious, and prone to volatility; a difficult individual to control. However, Zhang Jian was confident he could subdue him.
The present moment was an opportunity.
If he could recruit this General of the Divine Strategy Army, he might play a crucial role in future events.
...
At that moment, beside the West Mountain Temple, two figures were gazing from afar at the temple’s direction, both Daoists being extremely cautious.
They were cultivators of the Golden Maiden Sect.
They had been surveilling An Ruming for some time, and now they had finally discovered a clue, following An Ruming as he changed disguises and entered the West Mountain Temple.
The two Daoists were wary of Jingyue Daoist’s Dao Practice within the temple and dared not approach to investigate, unable to determine precisely who An Ruming was meeting, but this find was already quite satisfying to them.
"This General An is full of greed, anger, ignorance, and hatred, embodying the five poisons. There’s no need to worry about being unable to manipulate him for our use!"
"This Star Lord of Greedy Wolf is truly audacious, daring to touch even the Emperor’s concubine. Such a weakness saves us the trouble!"
The other Daoist nodded slightly, a faint smile in his eyes, as he turned to the other Daoist and said with a smile.
"We should report this to the Elder and let them handle it. After all, he is a General, and the Elders’ involvement would ensure success!"
His gaze fluctuated, "Let’s continue observing the others. It’s also necessary to investigate the Military General who has gathered the White Tiger Star Aspect and see if we can find a weakness to exploit!"