Lin Wan'er and Fan Ruoruo watched the scene and couldn't help but be dumbfounded. Although the two girls knew that Fan Xian had killed an eighth-level master on Niulan Street, the thrilling scene of him rushing down the cliff was completely different from how they felt about the so-called martial way.
Accuracy, calmness, and strength. These were the things that had shocked them.
Even Fan Ruoruo, who had always trusted her brother and was much calmer than Lin Wan'er, couldn't help but let out a soft cry. "Brother, how did you do that?"
Fan Xian walked up from the meadow and looked at the two girls. He couldn't help but shake his head. He put his hands on the girls' heads and gently rubbed them. "It's just a daily practice." He thought to himself, If you had seen the terrifying scene of Wu Zhu jumping down the cliff outside Danzhou, you would definitely not have cared about what had just happened.
He frowned. "Why did you come out so early in the morning? There are beasts in the mountains. "
Fan Ruoruo looked at Lin Wan'er and smiled. "My wife often wakes up and doesn't see you, so she dragged me out to find you. She's curious about what you look like when you practice every day."
Fan Xian looked at his wife, whose face was red from the cold. He reached out and rubbed the tip of her cold nose. Lin Wan'er was not used to him being so affectionate in front of her sister. She shyly moved away. She was still immersed in the scene she had just seen. It turned out that her husband was such a powerful master.
Seeming to guess what she was thinking, Fan Xian smiled and shook his head. "Don't think too highly of me. Someone once said that I was above the fourth level, but not yet the sixth."
Lin Wan'er looked at him in disbelief. "I grew up in the palace. I've seen many seventh-level masters. Husband, you are much more powerful than them."
"Really?" Fan Xian smiled and didn't take it to heart. Instead, he said with a headache, "Although Teacher Fei's medicine is very useful, the wind is strong in the mountains in the morning. What if you catch a cold running out like this?" As he spoke, he tightened the scarf around her neck and said with concern, "I've been used to practicing martial arts every day since I was a child. It's my fault that I didn't tell you before. Don't come out again in the future."
Fan Ruoruo was happy to see her brother and sister-in-law so affectionate. She smiled and didn't say a word. Unexpectedly, Fan Xian turned his head and coldly said, "Ruoruo, you too."
Seeing that her brother was angry, she panicked and her eyes became misty. In a low voice, she said, "Sister is wrong. In the future, I will …" She was about to say that she would take good care of her sister-in-law, but Lin Wan 'er was also anxious to defend her. She was the one who dragged her out.
Fan Xian rubbed her frozen ear and warmly said, "Your sister-in-law's health is not good. How much better can your health be? If you freeze yourself, how will you get married in the future? "
Only now did the two young women realize that he was angry about something else. Thinking of how this young man in front of them cared for his wife and his sister, Lin Wan'er and Ruoruo couldn't help but feel a sense of happiness.
— —
Fan Xian was actually the happiest person. His days in Cang Mountain passed day by day. It seemed that he had already forgotten everything in the capital. Every once in a while, Count Sinan would send a secret letter to him, and Wang Qinian would report to him through Fan Xian's own channels.
The capital was calm. The only major movement was that Yan Xiaoyi, the commander of the palace who had shot Fan Xian with an arrow, had been transferred north to take up the post of Commandant of the Godly Will Army of Xubei. Although it was only a transfer of rank, it had to be said that the Emperor had given Yan Xiaoyi a warning.
The peace treaty between the Kingdom of Qing and Northern Qi had come into effect last month, so the Godly Will Army of Xubei was no longer of use. Although he was the Commandant of the North, Yan Xiaoyi couldn't do much in the current situation. He was probably very depressed.
Fan Xian looked at Wang Qinian's letter and frowned slightly. Everyone knew that Yan Xiaoyi's sudden rise to power was partly due to his superior ninth-level martial prowess, and partly due to the Eldest Princess's help. If the Emperor in the palace wanted to get rid of the Eldest Princess, he would certainly keep Yan Xiaoyi in the capital so that the Overwatch Council could keep an eye on him. In the worst case scenario, Yan Xiaoyi could be promoted to the Bureau of Military Affairs and promoted to a civil position. There was absolutely no reason for him to be transferred north to take charge of the army.
Fan Xian lightly knocked on the table twice and shook his head. He understood what was going on. It seemed that the Emperor still had no intention of making a move. This was only a warning to another power in the court. It seemed that the capital would be much safer. But how could a ruler who had been on the throne for more than ten years allow someone else to safely rise? If he used the power of the Emperor, the power of the Overwatch Council, and the loyalty of the Ye family, it would be very easy to kill the Eldest Princess and the hidden prince in one fell swoop.
Fan Xian still couldn't understand this. He didn't know what the Emperor was relying on to be so bold, to look at the other side so carefreely, and not to make the first move.
Since he had confirmed that Jingdou was safe, Fan Xian's mood relaxed. However, he also felt a bit of regret. Starting the war of leaflets in Jingdou was a choice he had no choice because he was not as powerful as the Emperor, so he didn't dare wait. However, he had helplessly eased the situation.
He and the Eldest Princess had a fight over the palace treasury. Originally, it was not a big deal. Later, the two sides had secretly exchanged blows a few times, and Fan Xian had always taken advantage. Given the Eldest Princess's personality, once she turned the tables, she would certainly not let him go. If the Emperor continued to play this seemingly dangerous game, how should he deal with it?
Killing the Eldest Princess seemed to be a very wise path, but it also involved many problems. First, could Wu Zhu guarantee that after he killed her, he would not leave any traces? This kind of brazen challenge to the dignity of the royal family was probably something that the Emperor would not be able to tolerate. Second, the Eldest Princess was, after all, his wife's mother. If she actually died by his hand and Lin Wan 'er found out about this, how would the husband and wife get along? After all, the death of his second brother-in-law was already like a thorn in Fan Xian's heart.
Most importantly, Fan Xian and Wu Zhu did not have the confidence to kill the Eldest Princess. She had already returned to the fief of Xinyang, and they had no idea how many aces were there. As for the gun in his hand … Fan Xian did not dare use it. He was worried that the nobles in the capital would associate it with the deaths of the two princes and think of the name Ye Qingmei.
Fan Xian glanced out the window. It was early in the morning on Cang Mountain. Tonight, there were already light snowflakes drifting down from the sky, making the mountain manor exceptionally plain and clean. He sighed, burned the letter from his father and Wang Qinian, and then walked out. After that rainy autumn night, he had already made the decision to bury the matter of his mother in his heart until one day, when he could truly control the situation.
In the middle of the corridor, a fire was lit in the central room, and it was as warm as spring. Lin Wan 'er and Fan Ruoruo were playing a game of mahjong with three singing girls sent from the manor. There was an extra person on the side to help out. Fan Xian smiled as he walked in. The three girls hurriedly rose and bowed. The servant girl who was making the bed in the inner room also hurried out to greet the young master.
Fan Xian waved his hand, indicating for them to continue. He then sat down between Fan Ruoruo and Lin Wan 'er. He smiled. "If Sizhe came, I bet you would all be crying."
Lin Wan 'er smiled. "We played once in the manor. I didn't lose anything."
Fan Xian did not believe that with Sizhe's perverted and stubborn calculating abilities, he would not be able to beat his lovely wife. Fan Ruoruo smiled to the side. "Sizhe did not lie. That night, Sizhe only won two strings of money from her."
Fan Xian's eyes brightened. He looked at Wan 'er. "I didn't expect Wan' er to be so amazing."
"There's nothing going on in the palace all day. The ladies all like to play mahjong." Lin Wan 'er smiled mischievously. "You know, when it comes to calculating, the women in the palace are all shrewd. Naturally, it's the same when it comes to playing mahjong. I've lived in the palace for so many years, of course I'm a bit better."
Fan Xian smiled bitterly. "I see."
— — —
The other servants in the manor were all drinking and chatting in the side courtyard. Fan Xian walked out, stepping on the snowflakes on the bluestone pavement. Behind him was the dim light, and he could hear the faint sound of mahjong tiles falling to the ground, and the excited cries of girls. He suddenly remembered that Stephen Chow had a similar scene in Tang Bohu's Autumn Fragrance. But Stephen Chow was miserable, and Fan Xian was happy. That was the difference.
Wan 'er and Ruoruo both knew that he went out every night, but after seeing the scene of him practicing martial arts that day, they obediently did not ask again. They just tacitly agreed to this fact.
Walking out into the snow, Fan Xian stepped on a secret path and went straight into the depths of the bamboo forest. At the edge of the plum cliff, he stopped.
This was the most secluded corner of the Cang Mountains. Fan Xian casually stretched out his hand. Wu Zhu's hand seemed to reach out from the heavens, and he grasped Fan Xian's hand. Their hands intertwined, and Fan Xian's body swung up to the peak. The view was wide, but it was not easy for others to see that he was there.
The Cang Mountains were quiet and beautiful under the moonlight on a snowy night. Fan Xian took the cold, black metal object that Wu Zhu handed him. He lay on the ground and began to aim at the rocks in the snow.
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