10th of March. Early morning.
There were six words written on the almanac: Suitable for marriage, avoid traveling.
The Zhou family's ancestral home was decorated with lanterns and colored banners. It was very lively.
The big red "xi" character, exquisite palace lanterns, and gorgeous decorations all revealed that a lively wedding was being held here.
At the entrance of the mansion, Zhou Quan, dressed in luxurious clothes, was welcoming guests.
"Isn't this Lord Li?" Zhou Quan's face was full of smiles. He said to the person in front of him who looked like an official, "Your presence brings light to my humble dwelling!"
"Hahaha," the official said with a laugh, "How can I not come to celebrate Lord Zhou's wedding, hahaha …"
"Come in, come in," Zhou Quan hurriedly welcomed him inside, "Invite Lord Li to take a seat." As soon as he finished speaking, a servant immediately trotted over. He bowed and led Lord Li inside.
"Good, good, good." The official said as he walked into the mansion.
At this time, a housekeeper trotted over and whispered a few words into Zhou Quan's ear.
"Mm," Zhou Quan nodded, "Once you see him coming, immediately protect the guest. These people are either rich or noble. Many of them are officials of the imperial court. Don't cause unnecessary trouble, understand?"
The person nodded.
"The Japanese envoy has arrived!" The person in charge of welcoming the guest shouted.
Zhou Quan hurriedly waved his hand. The housekeeper immediately withdrew.
The Japanese envoy was none other than his adoptive father, Matsumoto Takeyoshi. Zhou Quan straightened his clothes and quickly walked forward to welcome him.
Matsumoto Takeyoshi, dressed in a grey kimono, walked over under the protection of two masked experts, one in green and one in white.
"Lord Envoy has arrived. Please excuse me for not going out to meet you." Zhou Quan bowed to Matsumoto Takeyoshi. Although his adoptive father was right in front of him, there were too many people here. He couldn't reveal his identity.
"I've heard that Lord Zhou is getting married. I've come to congratulate you." Matsumoto Takeyoshi said to Zhou Quan.
"Lord Envoy is too polite. Please come in." Zhou Quan said.
Matsumoto Takeyoshi nodded slightly and followed Zhou Quan into a remote room in the courtyard.
The four of them entered the house. Zhou Quan turned around and closed the door. Then, he turned around and knelt down on one knee. He cupped his fists and bowed to Matsumoto Takeyoshi. "Greetings, Godfather."
Matsumoto Takeyoshi waved his hand. "Get up."
"Yes, Foster Father." Zhou Quan stood up.
"How is it going?" Matsumoto Takeyoshi, who was sitting on the chair, asked.
"Reporting to Foster Father, everything has been arranged. It's fine if he doesn't come, but if he does, I'll make sure he never comes back, "Zhou Quan said.
"Do you have enough manpower?" Matsumoto Takeyoshi asked.
"Rest assured, Foster Father. I've already sent all the servants back home," Zhou Quan said. "I've already mobilized a large number of experts. They're all disguised as servants. There are also three hundred master archers waiting on the rooftops."
"Mm." Matsumoto Takeyoshi said. Then, he changed the topic. "Where's Taro?"
"Big Brother and Sister-in-law are inside right now," Zhou Quan replied.
"Everyone knows about your big brother's marriage. I'm sure that Ye Fan will come to snatch him away. When you make a move, you and Taro must be careful," Matsumoto Takeyoshi said.
"Rest assured, Foster Father," Zhou Quan said.
"This time, you must capture him no matter what, dead or alive," Matsumoto Takeyoshi said in a deep voice. "You must not let the tiger return to the mountain."
"Yes, Foster Father," Zhou Quan replied.
"How's Fujiwara No Chiko?" Matsumoto Takeyoshi asked. "Did she remember anything?"
"Everything's the same as before. In her memory, she and big brother were engaged when they were young," Zhou Quan said with a smile.
"Mm." Matsumoto Takeyoshi nodded. "Is Cui Ziwen here?"
"I've already sent him an invitation," Zhou Quan replied. "I just don't know if he'll come."
At this moment, they suddenly heard a loud voice from outside. "Master Cui has arrived!"
"He's really here?" Zhou Quan said in surprise when he heard the voice.
"There's no time to lose. Quickly go out and welcome him. Don't be slow," Matsumoto Takeyoshi said to Zhou Quan.
"Yes." Zhou Quan nodded to Matsumoto Takeyoshi and hurried out. Only Matsumoto Takeyoshi and the two green and white emissaries were left in the room.
"I wonder what the result will be when they fight later," Matsumoto Takeyoshi said.
"Mr. Matsumoto, are you worried about the two of them?" The man in green asked.
"In my opinion, the two of them are definitely not Ye Fan's opponents," Matsumoto Takeyoshi shook his head and said. "Last time, we missed a great opportunity. Now that a month has passed, Ye Fan's cultivation must be much stronger than before."
"What do you mean, Mr. Matsumoto?" The man in green asked.
"Ye Fan went from a young boy to a top cultivator in just a few days. Now that his beloved wife has been taken away, he must be furious. It's easy to imagine what his cultivation will be like in a month," Matsumoto Takeyoshi said with a frown.
After hearing this, the man in white did not say a word.
"Don't worry, Mr. Matsumoto," the man in green said. "In a while, I will look after the two young masters. If they are really no match for them, I will naturally lend a hand."
"Right now, I'm very interested in that Cui Ziwen," the man in white who had been silent all this time suddenly said.
"He's right outside. You'll know when you see him," Matsumoto Takeyoshi said as he stood up. "We should also go out and meet Master Cui." As he said this, he walked towards the door with his hands behind his back. The two emissaries followed closely behind him.
Outside the door, Cui Ziwen, who was wearing a black robe with golden threads, floated down from the sky under the protection of his two subordinates, one red and one white. Everyone stopped to watch.
The two guards, one red and one white, were a man and a woman. The man had a handsome face and an imposing appearance. He was dressed in white. The woman's face was like a peach petal and her eyes were like autumn waves. She was dressed in red. The crowd had never seen such a scene before. They all pointed and whispered to each other. When they learned that this was the legendary Cuiming Hall's Headmaster, Cui Ziwen, everyone immediately became as silent as cicadas in winter, as if little ghosts had seen the King of Hell.
"Master Cui, we are honored by your presence. Please forgive us for not going out to meet you." Zhou Quan respectfully bowed to Cui Ziwen. He did not dare to be careless in front of this legendary Demon King.
"No need to be so courteous," Cui Ziwen said indifferently.
"Master Cui, please come in," Zhou Quan extended his hand towards the courtyard and then led Cui Ziwen and the other two inside.
Cui Ziwen slowly walked into the mansion under the guidance of Zhou Quan. As he walked, he glanced around with the corner of his eyes, and then the corner of his mouth revealed an imperceptible smile. On all the surrounding roofs, there were no less than hundreds of people lying in ambush. Cui Ziwen could tell at a glance that these people were well-trained Japanese ninjas. They had longbows and crossbows, hidden darts and swords, and were well-equipped. They were lying on the back slope of the roof using the Hidden Secret Art of Japanese Ninjutsu. Their bodies were covered with green curtains and blended with the green tiles. Such an ambush would be difficult for ordinary people to notice even if they were standing right in front of them. However, for Cui Ziwen, it was simply child's play.
"Headmaster, the roof," the woman in red next to him also noticed the people on the roof and whispered to Cui Ziwen.
Cui Ziwen waved his hand, indicating that she did not need to say anything more.
Zhou Quan, who had been leading the way, was shocked and frowned. His cultivation was not low, so he naturally heard the words of the woman in red. He did not expect that the trap he had carefully set up would be seen through by this woman. Cuiming Hall really lived up to its reputation of being full of experts. If even a bodyguard was like this, then wouldn't Cui Ziwen's cultivation have reached the Heaven Piercing Realm? Thinking of this, Zhou Quan secretly sighed. If his adoptive father could get this person's help, wouldn't the Imperial Hegemony be at his fingertips? He must find an opportunity to tell his adoptive father about this.
"Hahaha, Master Cui, I didn't expect you and I would meet here." Not far away, Matsumoto Takeyoshi slowly walked over with the two green and white envoys.
"So it's Mr. Matsumoto. What a coincidence." Cui Ziwen stopped and looked at Matsumoto Takeyoshi with a smile.
In the blink of an eye, Matsumoto Takeyoshi had already arrived in front of Cui Ziwen. The two green and white envoys behind him immediately sized up this Demon King of the Great Ming Dynasty.
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