After leaving Cangzhou, the diplomatic mission, under the protection of the Black Knights, slowly but surely made their way north. Northern Qi was not to the north of the Kingdom of Qing, but to the northeast. At the border of the two countries was a large number of powerless vassal states. On the easternmost coast was the largest city in the world, the most prosperous port: Dongyi.
The route the diplomatic mission chose did not pass through the vassal states, because the more cities they passed through, the harder it would be to guard against them. Of course, the secret agreement between the two countries could not be carried out by Dongyi. If the once demented Sigu Jian suddenly went crazy and provoked a war between the three countries, who could bear the consequences?
So the diplomatic mission followed the wasteland north, and then took a detour to the east at the great lake. Although the journey was a little long, it was quiet. Aside from a few mounted brigands, there shouldn't be any powerful forces with ill intentions.
Silence. Xiao En was silent. Si Lili was silent. Even the most important person in the diplomatic mission, Fan Xian, was silent. Everyone had their own reasons for being silent.
...
...
Fan Xian pulled the needle out of Xiao En's hand and carefully examined the old man's weary face. Xiao En suddenly opened his eyes, and a cold light shone from them, as if it were real. He smiled. "I am thick-skinned. I am not afraid of being stared at."
"I have a question." Xiao En slowly closed his eyes. "Why did you tie that cloth around my arm? I can guess. This method makes my blood vessels stand out even more. But was it necessary for you to inject poison into my blood vessels so painstakingly?"
"Yes." Fan Xian smiled. Intravenous injection was, of course, faster and fiercer than food poisoning. No one in the world knew how to use intravenous injection, but that did not mean Fan Xian did not know how to do it. The terrifying Xiao En in front of him could not be affected by ordinary poisons, and his zhenqi was too astonishing. Only an intravenous injection would be effective.
Xiao En frowned. After a while, he suddenly said, "This method seems familiar, and I must admit, it is very effective. Unfortunately, I am really old, and have forgotten who it was."
Fan Xian was shocked, but his face showed no reaction. He smiled. "Take your time, Mr. Xiao."
...
...
"Those cavalrymen in the distance should be Chen Pingping's underlings, right?" Xiao En suddenly said in a very casual tone.
Fan Xian was slightly taken aback. He remembered that his carriage had no windows on either side, and that it was separated by a layer of iron plates. It was amazing that Chen Pingping knew about the situation of the Black Knights in the distance. He replied warmly, "It is the Black Knights. That year's thousand-mile raid was carried out by the ancestors of this cavalry." He was referring to the time, many years ago, when Chen Pingping had led the Black Knights to abduct Xiao En from his wedding.
That incident was the greatest humiliation Xiao En had ever suffered in his life, and it had left him with an indelible wound.
"When are you going to kill me?" Xiao En asked in a very ordinary tone. There was not a trace of emotion in his voice.
There was some kind of psychological hypnosis hidden in this series of questions. If it was an ordinary person, they might have subconsciously fallen into the trap. But Fan Xian was not an ordinary person. He was a little surprised and said, "What?"
Sean smiled faintly, and a faint redness appeared in his squinted eyes. "I think Chen Pingping would not want me to return to the north."
Fan Xian shook his head. "I don't care about the thoughts of the older generation. As long as I do my job well, that's all."
"You are a very good young man." Xiao En looked at him calmly. He slowly moved his wrist and put the heavy iron chain on the table.
"Why do you say that, Mister Xiao?"
"We traveled together for many days. Although Master Fan often stayed in that girl's carriage, you did not forget your duty because you were greedy for the pleasures of the night." Xiao En said calmly, "The key is that you trained twice a day, in the morning and at night. You never stopped. This kind of perseverance, even when I was young, was far inferior to you."
Fan Xian smiled. "Clumsy birds fly early. I know my strength is not enough, and my talent is not enough. Naturally, I have to train more."
Xiao En shook his head. "Your talent is very good, and your strength is already very strong. But you have never challenged a truly strong individual, so you have not been able to stimulate the true strength of your body."
Fan Xian quietly looked at the old man's aged face. His eyes were as deep as an ancient well. He couldn't help but think to himself, Are you the first truly strong individual I will face alone?
After leaving Cangzhou, the diplomatic mission entered the area under the jurisdiction of the Northern Army. This was a grassland, and the military camp was a hundred miles away. Fan Xian did not want to encounter the superior ninth-level Yan Xiaoyi, so the diplomatic mission naturally took a detour. In any case, with the protection of the Black Knights along the way, no one in the world would dare to do anything to them. A few days ago, there had been a few mountain bandits who had sent scouts to investigate, but seeing the power of the diplomatic mission and the Black Knights in front of them, they had long since retreated into the mountains in fear, not daring to come out for months.
Xiao En remained silent, and so did Si Lili. She gradually became more and more haggard.
Fan Xian looked coldly at the two people he had escorted, but he didn't know what he was thinking. After these days together, for some reason, he felt a little pity for Si Lili. First, he felt pity for her past, and second, he felt pity for her future misfortune. But Fan Xian was confident that his mind was clear. He would not do anything to save something small and lose something big. If something really did happen between him and Si Lili, then the Overwatch Council's plans in Northern Qi would be a big problem.
He didn't know how the young Emperor of Northern Qi knew that Si Lili was still a virgin. But if he found out that Si Lili had lost her chastity, then the Red Sleeve plan would naturally be rendered useless.
But Fan Xian didn't seem to want to see Si Lili's somewhat confused face. It seemed that he didn't have enough confidence in himself, so he never boarded Si Lili's carriage again. Instead, he boarded Xiao En's carriage more often. From this seemingly silent old man, he learned a lot of gossip and jianghu secrets from many years ago. On the one hand, he really wanted to learn a lot from this once most terrifying spy leader. On the other hand, Fan Xian didn't want Xiao En to have too much time to plan a contingency plan.
As the journey progressed and the temperature outside the carriage dropped, the conversation between the shadowy figures of old and young gradually shifted from Northern Wei to the present world.
"No one can truly unify the world," Xiao En said lightly, looking at him. These days, he had gradually gotten used to the conversation between him and Fan Xian. This young official named Fan Xian was indeed a good person to talk to.
"His Majesty the Emperor of our country had two chances. The first was after the Third Northern Expedition. " Fan Xian frowned. "Given the Kingdom of Qing's immense military power at the time, it was more than enough to go north and destroy Northern Qi."
Xiao En shook his head. "Although I was already in prison at the time and didn't hear any news, after listening to your explanation these days, I think that the Emperor of Qing suddenly stopped because of two reasons. One was internal problems in the court, and the other was that he encountered some powerful resistance. After making his choice, he felt that going north was a very risky idea."
Fan Xian thought about it. At the time, the Ye family affair had not yet erupted, and the court was basically under the control of the Emperor and his mother's subordinates. Logically speaking, there shouldn't have been any internal problems. As for external enemies … he frowned. Was there any power in the world that could stop the powerful Kingdom of Qing?
"The Temple." Xiao En seemed to have guessed what Fan Xian was thinking, and gave him a reference.
Fan Xian shook his head. "An illusory object is not enough to resist human ambition, or perhaps the desire for power. To unify the world and unify the four seas is too tempting for an Emperor."
Xiao En smiled and acknowledged his words. "The north and south have been at war for years. Even if the South Kingdom of Qi were to be defeated, it would take at least a decade for them to truly stabilize the situation and destroy all the forces of restoration. Besides, don't forget Dongyi … it is the place where the ninth-level masters of the world are gathered. Although this power is not enough to protect the country and open up new territory, if it is combined into a stick, under the leadership of that idiot Sigu Jian, it could really do some crazy things. "
"The triangle is the most stable. The three countries stand in a tripod, and it is also the most stable structure." Fan Xian nodded. "Even if there is a difference in strength between the three powers, whoever wants to break this balance first will most likely suffer a backlash."
"The Kingdom of Qing's court is the same." Xiao En looked at him with a faint smile. "The Emperor, the courtiers, and the seemingly crazy but actually sinister Eldest Princess make up the triangle you speak of. Whoever wants to break this balance first will suffer."
These days, Fan Xian didn't hide anything. He talked about the affairs of the Kingdom of Qing's court. It wasn't a secret, and if this old man didn't die at his hands after returning to Northern Qi, there must be many ways to find out.
Fan Xian's temples ached faintly. He didn't know why, but he began to miss Si Lili's gentle fingers. "If everyone is smart enough, let's first maintain the current balance," he said quietly.
"Impossible." Xiao En looked at him. "Because you made the first move, the other side must have reacted. I'm willing to bet that the capital has long since become a pot of porridge. Master Fan, when you sent me back to the north, you missed this excitement. It is a pity."
Fan Xian was surprised. He began to listen to Xiao En's cold analysis of the situation in the capital.
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