King Jing sighed and said, "Chief Chu, Father has decided not to use you anymore."
Chu Li nodded. "Deceiving the Emperor is a very serious crime!"
"Even the next emperor wouldn't dare to use you." King Jing looked up at him and said in a low voice, "Once you step into the Imperial Mausoleum, you're destined to be trapped there for the rest of your life. You won't be able to come out."
"No one has ever come out of the Imperial Mausoleum?" Chu Li frowned.
King Jing shook his head slowly. "No."
"In that case, my fate has already been decided?"
"Yes."
"Forget it, I have to accept my fate. Since my fate is like this, and I can't go against the Emperor, I can't just run away and be chased by the entire world!"
"There's only one way to escape from the Imperial Mausoleum!" King Jing said in a low voice, "The only way!"
"I'm all ears!" Chu Li sat up straight.
King Jing took a deep breath. "Become an Enlightened Master!"
Chu Li frowned and remained silent.
King Jing said, "Rumor has it that the Imperial Mausoleum contains the secrets of the Enlightened Masters. If you can understand it, you can become an Enlightened Master! … Others might not have much hope, but Chief Chu, your comprehension is amazing. I heard from Yurong that your aptitude is rare in the world, so you might have a glimmer of hope! "
"Enlightened Master …" Chu Li smiled and nodded slowly.
King Jing said, "There's always a way out. From the looks of it, Chief Chu, this is the only way out!"
"Thank you, Your Royal Highness." Chu Li closed fist saluted and nodded slowly.
"This King has said what he wanted to say." King Jing put down his teacup, stood up and fist saluted. "I'll take my leave now. Let me know when you're leaving the capital city. I'll send you off!"
"Alright." Chu Li nodded in agreement.
King Jing turned around and walked out. Chu Li walked him to the main gate.
Just as King Jing was about to leave, he heard a muffled rumble and the ground shook. More than twenty horses galloped over. Twenty riders surrounded two elderly men who were dressed in luxurious clothing and had a graceful bearing. They arrived at the main entrance of King An's Imperial Residence.
In front of the Imperial Residence of King An was a spacious piece of flat land. It was spacious enough for twenty-two horses to gallop.
"Greetings, Seventh Uncle, Eighth Uncle!" King Jing gave a fist salute and bowed.
Chu Li fist saluted. "Your Royal Highnesses."
The twenty cavalrymen parted to the sides. Two graceful and luxurious-looking elders rode their horses in front of King Jing and leaped down from their horses nimbly. They were Prince Bao and Prince Kang.
Prince Bao sized up King Jing and smiled. "Sixth Brother, you're here too!"
King Jing said, "Yes."
Prince Bao laughed. "Aren't you afraid that the Emperor will be angry if you come?"
King Jing smiled. "You don't have to be angry, Father."
"Mm." Prince Bao nodded in satisfaction.
Prince Kang said with a smile, "Now, everyone is afraid of avoiding Little Chu. You've put in a lot of effort to come here."
"I have something to discuss with Chief Chu." King Jing glanced at Chu Li. "I'm not just here to visit."
"Oh?" Prince Bao stroked his beard and smiled, "Young Chu is going to guard the Imperial Mausoleum soon, what else is there?"
He looked at Chu Li and shook his head.
"It's about Fourth Brother," King Jing said.
"Sigh … looks like Fourth Sister is really sad!" Prince Bao shook his head. "Who wouldn't be sad when something like this happened to them? They were originally a family, but now they're all alone. How could they not be sad? Fortunately, he's still young. He should quickly marry a consort and settle down. "
Prince Kang scoffed. "I heard that he wants to guard the Imperial Mausoleum. He's willful and mischievous!"
"He's been killing enemies at the frontlines, but his nest has been raided. He's in pain and regret. I think Fourth Brother has aged a lot." Prince Bao sighed. "Encountering such a huge change, it's going to be tough for him!"
King Jing nodded slowly.
Chu Li smiled. "Your Royal Highnesses, since you're here, come in and have some tea."
"We're just here to ask for a cup of tea!" Prince Kang smiled.
The two followed Chu Li into the residence. King Jing watched them enter, then looked at the main door of King An's Imperial Residence for a long time. After a while, he turned around and left.
—
"This Sixth Brother doesn't visit for no reason. Something must've happened, right?" Prince Bao sat on the armchair and took a sip of tea. "He's only concerned about the imperial court. He's so busy that he doesn't have the time to visit."
Chu Li smiled. "King Jing is worried that the border is unstable."
"If the border is unstable, why would he look for you?" Prince Kang asked.
Chu Li said, "I can talk to King Ping, so he asked me to help."
"Understood!" The two Princes were smart. They suddenly understood King Jing's intention. They shook their heads and laughed. This was King Jing!
"How is it, Young Chu? Your good days are over, aren't they?" Prince Kang chuckled. "Are you worried?"
"Yes," Chu Li said helplessly. "The Emperor won't let me live."
"Young Chu, do you know that one can enter but not leave the Imperial Mausoleum?" Prince Bao stroked his beard and sighed. His expression turned solemn. "In terms of importance, the Imperial Mausoleum is much more important than the Imperial House. That's why once you step into the Imperial Mausoleum, there's almost no chance of coming out."
Chu Li nodded.
"However, almost no one knows that the Imperial Mausoleum is separated into the inside and outside. Once you step into the Imperial Mausoleum, it's indeed impossible for you to come out. It's impossible for the Emperor to summon you back. However, if you're outside the Imperial Mausoleum, there's a chance for you to come back! "
Chu Li nodded slowly. He was deep in thought. That was more like it.
When he was escorting Xu Huande, he realized that Xu Huande was not too pessimistic. There was still a faint hope for him to return to the Fairy's Capital. However, after he received the Imperial Decree, he received news that no one could return from the Imperial Mausoleum, including King Jing who had just left.
"This is supposed to be confidential. Ordinary people can't come into contact with it, including King Jing and the others." Prince Bao's expression was solemn. He said, "Only the Emperor, us, and a few confidants know about it. However, it won't be spread."
Chu Li asked, "Do you know about the Secret Guardians Hall?"
"The Secret Guardians Hall might know about it." Prince Bao nodded.
Chu Li asked, "Your Royal Highness wants to tell me?"
"Of course." Prince Bao smiled. "We know what you did to Fourth Brother. How can we just stand by and watch?"
"Thank you, Your Royal Highness!" Chu Li fist saluted.
Prince Bao said, "Although we know the method, we can't guarantee that you'll be able to use it."
Chu Li said, "I'm all ears."
"It's very difficult to enter the Inner Mausoleum. Without sufficient cultivation, you won't be able to enter the Inner Mausoleum. If your martial arts are completely crippled, you won't even be able to enter the Outer Mausoleum!" Prince Bao smiled.
Chu Li's eyes lit up. "My martial arts are completely crippled?"
"Yes!" Prince Bao smiled. "Once your martial arts are completely crippled, you won't be able to enter the Outer Mausoleum. You can only guard outside the Imperial Mausoleum. This is also considered guarding the mausoleum. It's not against the Emperor's edict. Although you still won't be able to leave the Imperial Mausoleum, there's still hope for you to come back!"
Prince Kang grinned. "After a while, when the Emperor's anger has cooled down, we'll put in a good word for you. Who knows, the Emperor might be happy and relent, and transfer you back!"
Chu Li nodded slowly.
Prince Bao said, "But for a master like you, having your martial arts crippled will be worse than death. I'm afraid you won't be able to take it. Moreover, once your martial arts are crippled, you'll become a useless cripple. The Emperor won't use you anymore, so the risk is very high."
Prince Kang sighed. "Let's not talk about anything else. Once your martial arts are crippled, even if you return to the Fairy's Capital and the Imperial Residence, will you have a good life? I'm afraid you might as well stay in the Imperial Mausoleum. "
Chu Li smiled.
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