Volume 4 Chapter 19

Mystery of the Golden Vat

Half an hour ago.

Jin Wangsun was unconscious, and no different to a corpse, after Ming Feizhen sent him flying with a palm strike.

His servants had tried many different means to wake him up.

When he came to, he slowly checked his surroundings and, in a hazy state, confirmed his status. He felt that his body and internal energy were inhibited, while his chest felt heavy and painful. He knew that his blood and qi had been disrupted by the attack he had gotten caught by just now. Making it impossible for him to utilise his energy for some time. However, he was fortunate to have not suffered anything more severe than numbness in his hands and feet. As such, he concluded he wasn't in too much trouble.

He rejoiced to himself, 'My skills are formidable, no matter what you say. Defeating me in one move is no simple feat. That guy merely has brute strength. I'll show him up the next time we meet!'

He had a fire in him that burnt brightly and confirmed that he was fine.

Except, he felt that he had trouble moving. His entire body was slightly numb, and he struggled to use his strength. He, therefore, had to turn his neck.

When he looked down, he saw a vat.

That's right. He didn't see a person, but just a vat.

"What's this?!!"

One of his servants respectfully replied, "Young Master, you just had a duel that lasted three hundred rounds with that man. It was intense..."

"Ptoo!" Jin Wangsun angrily spat saliva onto the shameless servant's face, "Three hundred rounds?! I got sent flying with one hit! Don't kiss ass. Tell the truth!"

"Yes. Yes. You were defeated, Young Master. And you landed into this vat. We have tried many methods, but this iron vat is too tough. We cannot break it."

Jin Wangsun couldn't help but recall the scene from before. His memory was similar to water in the ocean. It took him a long time to recall anything.

He remembered that he had totally lost control over his body when he collided with that man. It was as though that man was power itself. It was that power which sent him flying.

After landing with a heavy thud, with a painful sensation all over, he had passed out.

He concluded that the painful sensation he had felt was when he had crashed into this iron vat.

Jing Wangsun went into deep thought, which highlighted the calmness and eloquence of Jiang Nan's handsome man, like that of water in a lake.

He concentrated on his thoughts.

'How truly strange. Who exactly is he? I would have to say that he was born with overwhelming strength. His arm must produce over a thousand kilograms of strength. If that is the case, then it would be plausible for him to send somebody flying with a single strike. I don't have a single wound on me, though. Where did the strength he used to knock me into this iron vat vanish off to? How baffling.'

While Jin Wangsun was still thinking, one of his servants loudly exclaimed, "We made a long journey here. How can the Imperial Court treat us so poorly?! Young Master, let us report this to His Majesty. We will have him hand that guy over. He must take responsibility!"

His five other servants applauded him. However, just as they went to take action, Jin Wangsun made a hand gesture for them to stop; Albeit nobody was able to see it, since his hands were in the iron vat, "Stop!"

Jin Wangsun thought to himself for a moment and then explained, "This may be a trap."

"Young Master, you mean..."

Jin Wang sun replied in a muffled voice, "I was flamboyant on the way to the capital. The Imperial Court caught wind of that long ago. Therefore, His Majesty must've known what my intention was and prepared a counter. That guy's martial arts skills are negligible, but he's got tremendous strength. We are not his match."

"How despicable of them. They were the ones who made the agreement. How can they just go back on it?"

"Hmph. There's no end to the number of lies and traps in the world. If you're strong, he can't underestimate you even if he's the reigning monarch. But if you're weak, even dogs and cats can push you around." Jin Wangsun then took in a deep breath and paused before continuing, "The emperor was prepared. We must handle this cautiously. That guy just now... I didn't see his face clearly, but he wasn't dressed in the clothes of the top fighters of the Imperial Court. I've researched all of the Seventeen Hidden Dragons. Many of them are not in the capital, at present, so he's unlikely to be a warrior on Liu Shan's Elites Rankings. Perhaps he is somebody who can be of use to me."

"Young Master, since he moves about in the palace, he must be connected to the Imperial Court, even if he is not one of the warriors..."

Jin Wangsun snickered, "What are you afraid of? Is there anything in the world that can't be solved with money? Going forward, don't be flamboyant and don't show any emotion. Carefully observe in silence. If he really is in the palace, I'll be able to find him. While my Gold and Silver Sect is immensely wealthy in Jiangnan, our roots aren't yet strong. If I can't marry a princess and receive the assistance of the Imperial Court, then my Gold and Silver Sect will be in danger."

"But if we do not mention it, how will you get out...?"

"It's nothing. This iron vat may be tough, but it's just a common product. I can't shatter it, but it's absolutely possible to rip this apart. It's just that my internal strength hasn't recovered, yet I need to use a weapon. Where's my Yun Tou?"

"Umm... Young Master, it dropped inside with you."

Jin Wangsun reproached him, "Don't be ridiculous. Yun Tou's Sabre is longer than this vat. How could it have dropped inside? Go and find it."

When his servants prepared to go and search for it, they saw a low-rank eunuch approach them from in the distance. It appeared that Jin Wangsun was being called in.

Jin Wangsun quickly revealed a relaxed expression and quietly told his servants, "Stay calm! Stay calm! You must stay calm! Don't let the people in the Imperial Court laugh at us!"

The low-ranking eunuch wore a look of utter disbelief as he approached them.

"Master Jin, His Majesty has called for you. Hurry and come with me... But what are you doing inside that vat?"

Jin Wangsun responded with a suave smile, "Vats... are comfortable."

That folks, is how "Jin Dagang", also known as the large golden vat came to be.

===============

The large golden zongzi couldn't budge.

He turned his body, as best he could and smiled proudly, "May I ask what you have asked for Wangsun for, Your Majesty?"

"Huh?"

'You're going to listen to me like this? Are you treating Jinluan Hall as if it's a stage for your monkey show?!'

His Machesty said, "Erm, I have a few things to say about your marriage agreement, but it is not convenient for us to speak while you are in the vat, Wangsun."

Jin Wangsun smiled the same way you would when a clear, soothing breeze blows by. "It is comfortable in this vat, but I am afraid it would be rude for me to remain in here. Please have somebody destroy it, Your Majesty."

I honestly wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't witnessed it with my own eyes.

A few warriors walked over, as per the emperor's orders.

However, as Jin Wangsun was inside, they looked around and couldn't help but scratch their heads, for they had no way of dealing with it.

A few civil servant officials then leaned over to take a closer look. They seemed especially interested in the large golden vat, so they gradually put Jin Wangsun in the centre.

The big golden zongzi inside the vat revealed his head.

He resembled a vegetable on display for everybody to view, but he wore a faint smile on his handsome face, as though he didn't feel bad about it.

Princess Hongzhuang slowly walked up close to me. Suddenly, she faintly said, "I will have to trouble you for tomorrow."

I glanced at her with surprise.

Princess Hongzhuang was dressed in clothing that females wore when travelling in the pugilistic world today. She wore a pair of tight pants that made her long legs appear more prominent and firm. She was dressed in red from head to toe.

She has the "hong" character in her name, which means red, and unexpectedly, loves to dress in red.

Needless to say, her red clothing today looked unbelievably becoming of her, as it was a perfect fit for her snow-white skin and bright eyes.

I rarely see girls dressed in red that look as beautiful as her.

She still possessed the noble aura she had when we first met. She didn't wear any expression on her snow-white, handsome, melon-shaped face.

When she spoke, she emitted a polite aura, as though she was a thousand miles away from you. She seemed to have faint eye bags underneath her beautiful eyes. Her eyes were the same as Boss Shen when she pulled all-nighters.

If I had to guess, I would say that it was because she couldn't sleep at night.

'His Majesty said she fell for me. Could that be why...?'

'Sigh... '

I scratched my head.

'God damn! I can't help it when I'm so darn good looking.'

'I don't have any feelings for the princess, but there's no man who wouldn't be happy to know a beauty liked him, now, is there?'

Princess Hongzhuang, who was in the dark, didn't know what I was smiling like an idiot for. When she swept her gaze over to me, her gaze was akin to a pair of sharp swords stabbing at me.

I immediately stopped daring to smile anymore.

Princess Hongzhuang has a serious personality. She's serious with those around her and even more so with herself. I could tell what her personality was like based on her sabre techniques. Her execution was neither careless nor lazy.

I have to admit, she gave me a fright when I first witnessed her skills with a sabre on that night in the palace. The first move she unleashed was Emei Sect's passed down sabre style. The move was called Green Jade Home.

Her execution of it was so fantastic, it was as though the leader of Emei Sect herself had personally executed the move. Her physical execution and spirit made her every move the perfect embodiment of Emei Sect.

That was evidence that she was not only very talented but also possessed a spirit stronger than many other sabre wielders.

'I'm very surprised to hear that such a princess would like a strange man with white hair wearing a mask... Yes, that was me, but if we're being objective, this princess has weird taste.'

Princess Hongzhuang then said, "I am close to Yiren and I got to know Su Han today. They told me what sort of person you are. If you will do your best for me, then okay, sure. Otherwise, you can turn down the job now."

I swiftly replied, "Do not worry, Princess. I will definitely do my utmost. Even if he falls into a rodent hole, I will pour boiling water into the hole, on your behalf, to flush him out."

'But, I can't promise you'll find him~'

Princess Hongzhuang suddenly looked up. A tinge of surprise surfaced in her eyes.

"You are... very much like."

"Huh?"

The princess looked at me for a while before shaking her head, "Nothing. I just thought you were very similar to him. He sounds just like you just now when he jokes..."

The cat suddenly caught my tongue.

I reflected on myself and realised I should control myself. The atmosphere immediately turned incredibly awkward, because I stopped speaking and the princess wasn't a girl of many words, either.

Suddenly, somebody in the distance exclaimed, "Watch my Divine Mountain Splitter Palm Strike!"

What we saw was a military official violently hit the iron vat with a palm strike. After a loud bang, the big golden zongzi got rocked so roughly his face turned purple. Unfortunately, the iron vat didn't even have a scratch.

His Machesty, sitting in the distance, was getting a headache. He just rested his forehead on his hand without a word.

Princess Hongzhuang fumed, "What insolence in the conference hall!"

Like a red cloud, Princess Hongzhuang glided over to the centre of the hall. She passed by the iron box in front of the Imperial Throne, kicked it open, and took out the Golden Crow Moon Eater sabre lying inside.

The shiny blade lit up the entire hall as soon as it saw daylight. The aura of the blade surged forth.

The princess delicately leapt high. Despite holding such a huge and wide sabre, she didn't show any signs of effort, which was a testament to her strong arm strength.

She spun around in the centre of the hall and slashed three times, separating the iron vat into pieces as though it was butter into boiling oil.

Jin Wangsun finally escaped from the large golden vat.

Princess Hongzhuang returned the sabre to the box and let out a breath, nonetheless, maintaining a cold expression.

I looked into the eyes of Jin Wangsun who just had been rescued. It appeared as though he had done away with some of his arrogance and had more respect. He made a cup fist salute to thank the princess, "Thank you for your assistance, Princess."

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