Time Travel: The Survival of Li Zhi

Chapter 450 Mr. Ma

The night had not yet completely faded, and only a faint light was visible behind the clouds in the sky. Zhuang Zheng hurried to where Li Zhi and others were staying.

He looked a little anxious, and his voice was filled with urging: "Master Li, hurry up and pack up, we have to prepare to enter the palace."

Li Zhi yawned and quickly nodded in response: "Okay, I'll tell everyone to be more agile."

After saying that, Li Zhi hurriedly turned around, walked quickly to where everyone was resting, and loudly instructed everyone to move quickly.

After all, this time they were going to the palace to meet the Emperor of Wei. This was a big deal and could not be delayed at all.

Everyone knew the importance of this matter, and they all acted quickly, carefully tidying up their appearance.

In just a moment, everyone was ready.

Upon seeing this, Zhuang Zheng hurriedly left the Honglu Temple with Li Zhi and his party.

It was the hour of Yin, and the sky was still dark, but the streets of the capital were already crowded with people.

There were vendors carrying loads on their shoulders, preparing to go to the morning market, and there were also officials like Li Zhi and his companions, dressed in court robes, rushing to attend the morning court.

In this dim sky, people walked hurriedly, occasionally a few officials whispered greetings could be heard, and the rest was only the sound of hurried footsteps echoing on the stone road.

Li Zhi and others followed Zhuang Zheng closely and came to the outside of the Wei Imperial Palace.

Li Zhi looked up and couldn't help feeling surprised.

Li Zhi has traveled to many countries and seen many palaces along the way. Even the palace of his own country, Yongguo, is extremely luxurious and magnificent.

However, the Wei imperial palace in front of him was completely different.

The overall color tone is mainly dark black, which is solemn and dignified, but not oppressive at all. Instead, it exudes an indescribable majesty that makes people afraid.

Just as Li Zhi was immersed in the shock of the Wei Imperial Palace, a voice suddenly came from beside him: "Are you the envoys from Yongguo?"

The sudden sound interrupted Li Zhi's thoughts, and everyone subconsciously turned their heads to look.

They saw a man with a smile on his face walking slowly towards them.

The man had one hand behind his back and was gently stroking the goatee on his chin with the other hand, looking relaxed.

Li Zhi took a quick look at him and saw that he was wearing the official uniform of the Wei Dynasty. Although he did not know his specific official position, Li Zhi understood that as an envoy from a vassal state, he should address him as "Sir" even when facing a low-ranking official of the Wei Dynasty.

Li Zhi then hurriedly bowed slightly and said respectfully, "Greetings, sir. I and others are the envoys from Yong State to the Great Wei."

Zhuang Zheng, who was standing by, immediately said, "It's you, Lord Ma. I'm Zhuang Zheng, the head of the Ministry of Rites. Nice to meet you, Lord Ma."

Master Ma smiled and waved his hand, saying, "When I entered the city yesterday, I happened to see you arguing with the gate guards..."

When Lord Ma said this, Li Zhi's heart tightened slightly and his brows frowned unconsciously.

He didn't know why Lord Ma brought this up, and fearing he might use it as an excuse to attack him, he could only respond cautiously, "Although I am from a vassal state and of humble status, my country's dignity is inviolable. If that guard hadn't spoken harshly and humiliated my Yong State yesterday, I would never have clashed with him."

Lord Ma looked at Li Zhi deeply and said with a smile, "Don't be nervous. I'm not blaming you. I'm the head of the City Defense Department. My subordinates' rude words are indeed my fault for not being strict with them. I've already ordered a severe punishment for that guard yesterday..."

Li Zhi was startled. Lord Ma's gesture of goodwill left him somewhat bewildered. He glanced at Zhuang Zheng, only to find him also looking bewildered, clearly not expecting Lord Ma to say such a thing.

In desperation, Li Zhi could only bite the bullet and respond: "Master Ma, your words are too serious. It's just a verbal dispute."

Lord Ma then asked, "Li Zhi, I heard you say yesterday that the Yongguo means eternal... Do you think there is a truly eternal kingdom in this world?"

Li Zhi was slightly stunned by Lord Ma's sudden question. At the same time, he felt an inexplicable chill and got goose bumps.

He really didn't understand why Lord Ma asked this question.

You know, the Wei Dynasty has been established for more than three thousand years. Can such a powerful and prosperous country be called eternal?

What exactly is Mr. Ma’s intention?

Could it be that he was setting a trap for him and trying to harm him?

Li Zhi frowned and looked at Lord Ma, only to see that the other party had a calm expression, making it difficult to guess what he was thinking.

Li Zhi pondered for a moment and could only answer politely, "Of course there is. In my humble opinion, the Great Wei Dynasty is an eternal kingdom."

A hint of subtle disappointment seemed to flash across Lord Ma's eyes, but he did not dwell on this topic any further. Instead, he turned to talk to Li Zhi about other things.

As they were talking, more and more officials were waiting to attend court, so Lord Ma kindly introduced the officials around him to Li Zhi.

As Li Zhi listened to Lord Ma introducing the official positions one by one, he suddenly remembered the Dragon Tamer of the Great Wei mentioned in the book "Strange Stories" that he had seen in Yongguo before.

Although he later asked Yu Yong, a passerby he met by chance, about this matter when he was in Wukou City, Yu Yong said that he had never heard of the official position of "Dragon Tamer" and that creatures like dragons were just human imaginations and did not exist at all.

At this moment, when Li Zhi heard Lord Ma talking about the various official positions in the Wei Dynasty, he couldn't help but ask, "Lord Ma, does the Wei Dynasty have the position of Dragon Tamer?"

When Lord Ma heard Li Zhi's question, his expression changed slightly, but returned to normal in an instant. The change was so subtle that Li Zhi didn't even notice it.

Lord Ma asked, "Where did you hear the title of Dragon Tamer?"

Li Zhi smiled and explained, "When I was in Yongguo, I read a book that said the Wei Dynasty once raised a dragon and had an official position specifically responsible for this, called the Dragon Tamer."

Lord Ma laughed upon hearing this, but his smile seemed a little unnatural. He said, "I have never heard of the Dragon Tamer. I guess the author of the book made it up to attract attention."

After hearing what Lord Ma said, Li Zhi couldn't help but doubt the records in "Yiwenlu".

As they were talking, the brown-black gate of the palace slowly opened.

The officials waiting outside to attend court walked slowly inside in order.

At this moment, Zhuang Zheng turned to Li Zhi and the others and said, "Let's go, it's time for us to go in."

Li Zhi nodded and looked at Lord Ma again.

I wanted to let Lord Ma go first, but I heard Lord Ma say, "You guys go in. Although I am the director of the City Defense Department, I don't need to attend the morning court."

After saying this, Lord Ma turned around and walked away.

Seeing this, Li Zhi hurriedly called on others to follow Zhuang Zheng and walk towards the palace.

Just as Li Zhi and his companions stepped into the palace, Lord Ma, who had already walked far away, suddenly stopped. His body did not move, but his face slowly turned to the back.

At this moment, there was a sinister look in his eyes.

The gaze was like that of a wolf or an eagle, cold and sharp, staring intently at the palace behind him, just like the look of a wolf or an eagle when it looks down at its prey!