Stealing the Pen: Kirin's Primordial Lotus

Chapter 551

Zhuo Yichen looked at Yinglei, who was still immersed in his sleep, and felt relieved. He decided not to disturb his sweet dreams. He carefully placed Bai Jiu in the house and said to her softly, "Xiao Jiu, the situation outside is unclear. Yinglei is still unconscious. You should stay in the house for now and don't run around."

Bai Jiu's consciousness seemed to be not yet fully awake. He nodded dazedly, and then, as if he had lost his support, he leaned limply against Ying Lei's bed. His hands tightly grasped the quilt on Ying Lei's body, as if it was his last resort.

Seeing this, Zhuo Yichen felt helpless. He knew Bai Jiu was very scared and helpless at the moment, but he had no better solution. He turned to look at Xie Yuchen, a hint of help in his eyes.

Xie Yuchen naturally understood Zhuo Yichen's thoughts. He sighed helplessly and then took out a magic weapon from his sleeve. This magic weapon emitted a faint light, which was obviously not an ordinary item.

"This is the defense tower my father gave me," Xie Yuchen explained, "I will place it above the Zheng Palace. Only someone stronger than my father can break its defense." After that, he chanted a spell, and the defense tower in his hand slowly rose, then quickly enlarged, and finally enveloped the Zheng Palace, forming a solid barrier.

After doing all this, Xie Yuchen finally breathed a sigh of relief. He glanced at Zhuo Yichen, and after the two of them exchanged glances, they walked out of the Zheng Palace together.

Wen Xiao and Pei Sijing were standing side by side in the open space outside Zheng Palace. They heard footsteps and turned around at the same time, seeing Zhuo Yichen and Xie Yuchen. However, when they glanced behind them, they found that Ying Lei and Bai Jiu were nowhere to be seen.

"Xiao Zhuo, Xiao Jiu and Ying Lei? How are they?" Wen Xiao asked worriedly, with obvious worry in his voice.

Zhuo Yichen quickly comforted him, "Wenxiao, don't worry. Xiaojiu was probably just frightened by the roar just now, and Yinglei was just sleeping too soundly. I've asked my brother to place a magic weapon in Zheng Palace. They are very safe now."

When Wen Xiao heard this, a huge weight lifted off his shoulders. He patted his chest several times and breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good! That's good!"

At this time, Pei Sijing stood quietly aside. Although the roar had long since disappeared and the miasma shrouding the palace gate had gradually dissipated, her nerves were still tense and she did not relax her vigilance at all.

Zhuo Yichen noticed Pei Sijing's condition. He turned to look at her and asked with concern, "Master Pei, do you know what happened at the palace gate?"

Zhuo Yichen had been busy settling and comforting Bai Jiu and Ying Lei, so he didn't immediately go to investigate the situation inside the palace gate. However, he knew Pei Sijing well and knew that she was a very responsible person and would definitely not sit idly by at a time like this.

"It seems to be coming from the mountain behind the palace gate. And after the miasma that enveloped the palace gate dissipated, the people at the palace gate cheered and rejoiced, as if the miasma was some kind of disaster."

Pei Sijing pondered this inwardly as she escorted Wen Xiao back to the Zheng Palace. Although she didn't linger at the palace gates for long, she overheard a few comments from others on the way back with Wen Xiao.

"Daddy, you're back!"

This sudden shout instantly interrupted Zhuo Yichen and Pei Sijing's thoughts. They both turned their heads and saw Xiao Huayu, who had not been seen all morning, standing not far away, holding a snow-white little monkey in her arms.

"Daddy, what is in your arms?" Zhuo Yichen asked curiously.

Hua Yu seemed to be deliberately keeping the topic in suspense. He teased the little monkey in his arms while looking at Zhuo Yichen with a grin, and then slowly replied, "You're talking about this little monkey?"

Xie Yuchen had a playful smile on his lips. He looked at Hua Yu with a half-smile, then raised his hand to gently cover the smile on his lips, as if he didn't want others to notice his true thoughts.

Wen Xiao's attention was also drawn to the monkey in Hua Yu's arms. The monkey looked familiar, but he couldn't recall where he had seen it before. Unaware of Hua Yu's intentions, Wen Xiao chose to remain silent and wait and see.

Pei Sijing simply believed that Hua Yu had accidentally encountered this monkey that caught her eye in the back mountain, and she loved it so much that she took it home, without speculating too much about other possibilities.

However, among the five people present, except Hua Yu and Xie Yuchen who knew the inside story, Zhuo Yichen, Pei Sijing and Wen Xiao would never have imagined that this seemingly ordinary white monkey was actually Zhao Yuanzhou who had been missing for a whole day!

Zhuo Yichen stared at the white monkey in Hua Yu's arms, and a sense of déjà vu surged in his heart, but he could not remember when and where he had seen this monkey.

At this moment, the white monkey in Hua Yu's arms suddenly let out a clear and loud "squeak." Then, as if startled by something, it suddenly jumped out of Hua Yu's arms and, like a naughty child, skipped all the way towards Zhuo Yichen.

After the white monkey ran to Zhuo Yichen's feet, it grabbed the hem of Zhuo Yichen's clothes with its small claws without any hesitation, as if it wanted to climb up along the clothes.

Zhuo Yichen had not anticipated the monkey's sudden action and was completely bewildered. He was worried he might accidentally hurt the monkey, but he didn't know how to handle the situation. So, he could only carefully bend down and hold the monkey in his arms.

Zhuo Yichen held the white monkey in his arms and gently touched its fur. A sense of joy rose in his heart. "Dad, you haven't told me where you got this white monkey from!"

At this moment, Xie Yuchen finally couldn't help but burst out laughing. Although the laughter was not loud, it was like a stone on a calm lake, stirring up ripples and instantly attracting the attention of Zhuo Yichen, Pei Sijing, and Wen Xiao.

"Brother, what are you laughing at?" Zhuo Yichen asked curiously.

Xie Yuchen quickly suppressed the gloating expression on his face, coughed lightly, and said in a serious tone: "Yuanbao, do you still remember what I said to you this morning?"

Zhuo Yichen paused for a moment, then nodded blankly. However, Wen Xiao and Pei Sijing, standing by, suddenly seemed to have a sudden realization. They exchanged glances, each catching a sly glint in the other's eyes.

Zhuo Yichen was increasingly baffled by this. He looked at Wen Xiao and Pei Sijing, who suddenly laughed, puzzled, and asked, "Brother, you said this morning that Dad had something to do with Zhao Yuanzhou, so they were both away from the Zheng Palace. What does this have to do with this white monkey?"

As Zhuo Yichen spoke, he carefully reviewed his words. Suddenly, as if realizing something, his eyes widened and he stared at the white monkey in his arms with an expression of disbelief. "Brother, you mean... this white monkey... he... he... he is Zhao Yuanzhou!"

The white monkey in Zhuo Yichen's arms suddenly heard someone calling its name. It immediately became alert and looked around. When its eyes met Zhuo Yichen, who was looking at it in surprise, it seemed to understand something and started to squeak non-stop.

The white monkey kept extending its finger while shouting, first pointing at itself, then at a jade pendant on Zhuo Yichen's body. Zhuo Yichen saw this and looked in the direction of the white monkey's finger, and found that it was pointing at a honey-colored jade pendant with a peach relief on his waist.

Zhuo Yichen stared at the jade pendant, feeling an indescribable emotion welling up in his heart. He looked at the white monkey and asked hesitantly, "Are you really Zhao Yuanzhou?"

The white monkey seemed to understand what Zhuo Yichen said and nodded vigorously, as if to say, "It's me."

Zhuo Yichen showed a look of surprise on his face, and he couldn't help but sigh: "How did you become like this?" As he said that, he touched the white monkey's head, and the joy in his eyes was revealed without any concealment.

However, Zhao Yuanzhou seemed to be under a spell, unable to speak. He could only look at Hua Yu and Xie Yuchen, who were standing behind him, watching the excitement with a playful look on their faces. His eyes seemed to say, "You two, why don't you come and help me explain it!"

Just as Zhao Yuanzhou was filled with resentment, Wen Xiao and Pei Sijing quietly approached him like ghosts. Their gazes, drawn to the white monkey like a magnet, fell firmly on it.

Wen Xiao looked at Zhao Yuanzhou with curiosity, and then, unanimously, reached out and gently stroked the monkey's proud fur. This touch made Zhao Yuanzhou shudder all over.

"Xiao Zhuo, don't say it!" Wen Xiao said to Zhuo Yichen with a smile while stroking Zhao Yuanzhou's monkey hair, "Although Zhao Yuanzhou often lies to us, this monkey hair of his is really genuine. He didn't lie to us at all!"

Pei Sijing, standing by, still had a cold expression on her face, but she nodded gently, agreeing with Wen Xiao. However, her hands seemed to be glued to Zhao Yuanzhou's white fur, and she refused to let go.

Zhuo Yichen looked at the white monkey in his arms, and his curiosity grew. He turned to look at Hua Yu and asked doubtfully, "Dad, was Zhao Yuanzhou like this when he went out with you today?"

"Yuanbao, Zhao Yuanzhou ate a lot today and felt bloated, so he could only transform into his original form to digest what he ate."

Hua Yu took the note handed over by Xie Yuchen and took the time to answer Zhuo Yichen's questions.

Zhuo Yichen was still thinking about asking this question, but when he saw that his father and brother seemed to have a serious expression, he did not ask it. Instead, he took Zhao Yuanzhou, Wen Xiao and Pei Sijing back to Zheng Palace.

Hua Yu and Xie Yuchen only spoke freely after seeing Zhuo Yichen take the three of them away.

"Dad, everything has been arranged according to your instructions."

It turned out that last night Hua Yu and Xie Yuchen had discussed in the room how to drive out some unimportant people in the palace, and also arrested those who had secretly tripped Gong Yuanzheng while they were away.

"How dare a few old guys give Yuan Zheng a hard time!" Hua Yu got angry whenever he thought about Yuan Zheng being harassed by this group of incomprehensible people in a place where they couldn't see him.

"Father, we neglected Yuanzheng's situation in the past, but that won't happen anymore! We must make them pay back what they owe Yuanzheng one by one!"

Xie Yuchen also didn't expect that they sent in large amounts of supplies just to ask them to take good care of the expedition, but who knew that these old guys at the palace gate would accept the supplies and do nothing!

Fortunately, the palace guards and maids knew their place! Although they held low positions, they were well aware of the power structure within the palace and the relationships between various factions. The palace guards understood that even though the leader of the palace might not be able to see the situation clearly, this did not affect their understanding of the other palaces.

Xie Yuchen sighed inwardly: these palace guards and maids were truly intelligent. They knew that the Jiao Palace was where they were paid, while the Zheng Palace provided them with subsidies and medicinal materials. These seemingly insignificant details revealed the complex power dynamics within the palace.

In contrast, the situation in the Shang Palace was somewhat regrettable. Although the eldest daughter of the Shang Palace wanted to change some things in the Shang Palace, she was blocked by the short-sighted old palace master.

Not only that, she also has a brother who is ignorant of the world, which makes her situation in the palace even more difficult. Although she has a kind heart, facing such a complicated situation, she can only feel powerless.

The situation of Yumiya was even worse. Ever since the previous master passed away, the more capable young master also followed in his father's footsteps and left, leaving Yumiya's power in a state of emptiness.

However, it was unexpected that a young man named Yu, who spent his days drinking, drinking, and gambling, was appointed as the swordsman. Everyone in Yu Palace was extremely disappointed because they knew that this young man was not qualified for such an important position.

Since Master Yu came to power, life in the Yu Palace has become extremely difficult. Not only is he incapable of managing the Yu Palace, but he is constantly stirring up trouble, bringing countless problems to the Yu Palace. The people of the Yu Palace can only helplessly follow his buttocks and clean up the mess he leaves behind.

"It's just that Yuanzheng is kind-hearted that he spared Gong Ziyu's life! If it were me, I would have let him go down to see his father who is rotting in the mud." Xie Yuchen trembled all over when he mentioned Gong Ziyu.

"Yuan Zheng has always been a soft-hearted child. He's just a bit harsh with his words. Besides, the tragedy of the previous generation of Gongmen was caused by Gong Hongyu. Gong Ziyu is just a vested interest who was kept in the dark. His current state is another kind of price to pay."

Hua Yu knew very well why Gong Yuanzheng kept Gong Ziyu alive. He wanted Gong Ziyu to witness with his own eyes everything his father had worked so hard for, disappearing in his hands.