Chapter 127: 30 Years of Change (1)

Walking along the streets, what he saw and heard greatly surprised Lin Jiufeng.

Everyone he met was positive towards life and was full of confidence in themselves.

Lin Jiufeng was really curious.

How exactly did Emperor De manage this dynasty?

The wet markets in the Imperial Capital were divided into the eastern and western markets. It was located in two directions and had a wide range of coverage. There were various shops, restaurants, tea houses, brothels, and so on…

Lin Jiufeng followed the crowd and walked into the eastern market.

In the biggest restaurant here, Lin Jiufeng saw customers exchanging toasts with each other.

There was also a storyteller, a distinguished official, a literary scholar, a scholar, a Daoist priest, and so on. There was an endless stream of customers in the nine-story restaurant.

Waiters shuttled back and forth inside, looking extremely busy.

Lin Jiufeng came in and asked for a seat by the window.

Then, he rejected the request of sharing a table.

He ordered a dozen delicious dishes and a jar of good wine.

The waiter immediately arranged for the dishes to be served.

Lin Jiufeng placed the white cat on the table. She took two elegant steps and stretched her body. Her snow-like fur was crystal clear, and her eyes that were filled with stars were even more attractive.

Two ladies in the restaurant couldn’t take their eyes off the white cat when they saw this scene.

They even came over to play with the white cat.

But the white cat rejected them in an extremely aloof manner.

Her attitude was arrogant and she completely ignored anyone else other than Lin Jiufeng.

Lin Jiufeng just smiled.

He apologized to the two ladies and reached out to stroke the white cat.

Meow!

The white cat called out lazily. She licked Lin Jiufeng’s palm and rubbed against it affectionately.

The two ladies became so envious that their eyes turned red.

Lin Jiufeng ignored them. While he was waiting for the delicacies, he saw that the storyteller old man had already stopped to rest.

Lin Jiufeng’s eyes lit up. He said, “Old man, do you mind having a drink?”

His voice echoed inconspicuously in the noisy restaurant.

Even the customers sitting closest to Lin Jiufeng didn’t hear him speak.

But the storyteller, who was very far away, heard his voice.

He looked over and saw Lin Jiufeng.

The latter wore a smile on his face.

He looked calm and elegant, like a dashing young man bathed inundated with a spring breeze.

Although the storyteller’s cultivation wasn’t high, he was knowledgeable and knew that Lin Jiufeng wasn’t just a simple young man.

Lin Jiufeng had invited him to a drink so politely.

He was just a storyteller, there was nothing on him that was worthy of Lin Jiufeng’s attention.

Hence, he put down the things in his hands and walked over. “Guest, what do you want to ask?”

The storyteller knew that his only advantage was that he knew a lot of things.

He was also smart enough to ask the moment he approached.

“Let’s talk while drinking.” Lin Jiufeng extended his hand and invited the storyteller to sit down.

It just so happened that the waiter brought over the food and wine he ordered.

Lin Jiufeng poured a cup of wine for the storyteller and asked, “How much do you know about the recent events of the Yuhua God Dynasty in the past 30 years?”

The storyteller took the wine glass respectfully and replied humbly. “I don’t dare to say that I know a lot, but as long as it’s something that the general public knows, I know it too. But I also know a few things that the general public do not know.”

Lin Jiufeng was satisfied with his answer.

Thus, he asked, “Can you tell me more about the major events that happened in the past few years?”

The storyteller thought about it carefully and said, “There were many major events. For example, the establishment of the martial temples, the Zenith Heaven Path Sect donating all of their cultivation techniques and secret manuals to these martial temples, and the assassination attempt of the eight great demonic sects against Princess Yulin…”

“Princess Yulin fought a bloody battle that lasted over 80,000 miles. She made a breakthrough by the riverbanks of the Wei River with a stroke of her sword. Upon becoming a Supremacy, she managed to escape.”

When Lin Jiufeng heard this, he raised his wine cup and asked, “Martial temples? Princess Yulin fought a bloody battle for 80,000 miles?”

The storyteller nodded. “Can you see the two girls over there?”

Lin Jiufeng nodded. They were the ones who came to greet the white cat just now.

“They are students from the main branch of the martial temple. They are already so powerful despite being so young. Once they’ve graduated from the Martial Temple, their contributions to the god dynasty are bound to be great,” the storyteller replied.

“The very first Martial Temple was built by Emperor De, 20 years ago. He focused most of the Yuhua God Dynasty’s resources on building these martial temples and even ordered powerhouses to teach and nurture the next generation. Emperor De even placed the royal library into the Martial Temple and opened branches of it on a large scale…”

“With the very first Martial Temple as the prime example, branches of the Martial Temple were also built on provinces and rural villages. As long as you are young and you want to cultivate, you can become a student of a martial temple to learn…”

“These martial temples have been around for over 20 years now, and it has nurtured countless geniuses for the Yuhua God Dynasty. They are now the cornerstones of the dynasty itself.” When the storyteller was done, his face became full of pride. He cupped his hands in the direction of the Forbidden City as a sign of respect to the ruler.

Back then, Emperor De ignored every resistance and forced the construction of these martial temples. With the help of the court officials, he suppressed the aristocratic families and firmly established the very first Martial Temple along with its branches.

Once the Martial Temple was established, it became free of charge for all to enter and learn.

The pressure on the state treasury had become rather large.

There were many mocking voices among the ranks of the aristocratic families, sects, and even from the imperial court.

But Emperor De didn’t say a word.

He silently persevered for a few years. Then, an explosion in the number of geniuses blossomed. Countless geniuses appeared in the martial temples, one after another, their presence relieved the pressure on Emperor De.

Lin Jiufeng listened with a smile on his face.

He was truly praising Emperor De’s methods and ways of handling the dynasty in his heart.

“Then what happened to Princess Yulin?” Lin Jiufeng asked.

“The chase was caused by a monk who went around harming women, causing widespread havoc and indignation. As a response, Princess Yulin chased after him for eight days and eight nights before finally decapitating him.”

“However, the demonic sects caught wind of this chase and set up an ambush for Princess Yulin. With that, another chase began. This time, it lasted for 80,000 miles…”

“In the end, Princess Yulin escaped to Wei River. Fortunately, an epiphany came upon her and she unsheathed her sword to unleash a move that allowed her to make a breakthrough into the Supremacy Realm.”

“With her breakthrough, she managed to escape.”

Lin Jiufeng asked, “What happened after that?”

“Afterwards, the demonic sects were suppressed by the war machine sent by Emperor De. As a result, the demonic sects directly declined to obscurity,” the storyteller replied with a bragging look.

“The war machine appeared?” Lin Jiufeng raised his brows.

“The war machine protected the Yuhua God Dynasty all these years and has helped our dynasty against many dangers. But with the increasing number of powerhouses in recent years, the war machine has started to become less effective.” The storyteller sighed.

“Less effective?” Lin Jiufeng looked at the storyteller in surprise.

“Last year, a swordsman from overseas delivered a heavy blow to the Yuhua God Dynasty. The war machine didn’t manage to stop him,” the storyteller replied.

“An overseas swordsman gave the Yuhua God Dynasty a heavy blow?”

Lin Jiufeng was puzzled.

What heavy blow?

Was it defeating the war machine?

“An overseas swordsman challenged Princess Yulin to a duel close to the sea. After three moves, Princess Yulin was suppressed,” the storyteller replied softly.

“Princess Yulin was suppressed?” Lin Jiufeng’s eyes narrowed.

“Yes…”

“After that swordsman defeated Princess Yulin, he didn’t kill her. He only suppressed Princess Yulin. Then, he came to the imperial capital and asked Emperor De to give up the imperial capital in exchange for Princess Yulin’s life.” The storyteller added.

“What happened then?” Lin Jiufeng asked.

“The war machine made its move…”

“But the seemingly omnipotent war machine only managed to tie with that swordsman.”

“He managed to stop the swordsman, but he also couldn’t rescue Princess Yulin.”

“It has been a year since that swordsman built a thatched hut by the sea. He said that he wanted to practice his swordsmanship first and that he would come to snatch the Imperial Capital of the Yuhua God Dynasty next year.” The storyteller looked aggrieved.