There was seawater in all directions. It was as heavy as a giant rock pressing down on him. The ink-like seawater poured into his mouth, nose, and ears, making it impossible for him to breathe. His body swayed endlessly with the undercurrent. He looked like a fish that had been knocked unconscious. At any moment, he could be swept up by the undercurrent and smashed into the submerged reef.
Suddenly, Fan Xian opened his eyes. His pupils were calm. His cheeks gradually puffed up. Using the pressure of the qi in his body and the pressure of the seawater outside, he barely managed to achieve a balance. His right hand stretched out and created a line in the seawater. Suddenly, he grabbed the corner of a reef at the bottom of the sea and stabilized his body at the bottom of the sea. He was a full 40 feet from the surface of the water.
Earlier, the sword from outer space had not pierced his body, but the sword intent had already attacked his heart meridian and caused him internal injuries. This internal injury was even more terrifying than Yan Xiaoyi's arrow earlier.
The Tyrannical zhenqi in Fan Xian's body moved quickly, resisting the power of nature. Tianyi Dao's zhenqi moved gently along the circulation in his body, slowly smoothing out the injuries caused by Ye Liuyun's heaven-shaking strike.
Deep at the bottom of the sea, there was no way to immediately heal it. However, it could at least suppress the injury for a while.
However, the two different types of zhenqi in his body were moving at high speed, bringing a great burden to his body. A wave of power was expanding inside his body. Gradually, two streams of blood flowed out from his nostrils. Disturbed by the undercurrent of the sea, the blood quickly dispersed into a cloud of blood mist, covering his face. The arrow wound on his shoulder also began to bleed rapidly.
His entire body was like a leather bag filled with red paint. Someone had pricked two small holes. It looked very terrifying.
Fan Xian's cheeks puffed up, and his eyes were wide open. His face had already changed shape. With one hand clawing at the submerged reef, he looked at the surface of the sea like a toad. The problem was, this toad was bleeding and would die at any moment. Thus, he could not laugh, nor was he in the mood to laugh. Thinking of the dangerous scene earlier, he couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart.
The seawater scattered his hair, making it float around like seaweed. Amidst the seaweed, a complicated emotion flashed through the pupils on his deathly pale face. On the surface of the sea, Yan Xiaoyi's arrow was still waiting for him. He could not immediately float to the surface of the sea.
As for the Great Grandmaster breaking through the waves on a boat, presumably, he would have no interest in attacking him again after his attack had failed.
He didn't know how long he had been in the sea. The skin of his hand, which was gripping the submerged reef, already had a strange feeling. But, he stared wide at the surface of the sea. He had no way to escape. At this moment, he finally felt a trace of regret. Yesterday … he should have brought that box with him. If he had that box by his side, he wouldn't have been suppressed by Yan Xiaoyi's arrows.
Speaking of which, this only proved that the person Fan Xian was most wary of after his rebirth was still the Qing Emperor. Perhaps this was a shadow left over from history, or perhaps it was just a subconscious part of his intuition. However, he did not want to reveal his trump card in front of the Emperor.
. he as he could. as as he as he was, as, he with the Emperor as. and as he as, he, he, as he, and, and and, to, he.
He didn't know the Emperor's trump card. He didn't know how the Emperor would react once he knew he had a weapon that could kill gods and monarchs in this world.
This kind of thinking affected Fan Xian's decision, which was why he had sunk into his current dangerous situation. Fortunately, he had not died to those arrows and swords. He should be proud of this. If the story of the dance at the bottom of the cliff, the black arrow, and the sword breaking through the waves spread throughout the world, presumably, everyone's understanding of Fan Xian would enter a whole new level.
A Great Grandmaster and the world's most powerful ninth-level ace had not been able to kill Fan Xian. It was enough to make him proud.
…
…
The Tyrannical zhenqi in his body valiantly provided the nutrients his body needed. Without being able to breathe air, he would not be able to hold out for long. Fan Xian's nose and mouth were no longer bleeding. The wound on his shoulder had been soaked in the seawater until it had turned white. Like the stomach of a dead fish, it was no longer bleeding. A glimmer of determination flashed across his pale face. His right hand moved down again and picked up a large rock from the sand at the bottom of the sea.
He didn't dare to float up for now, so he chose a stupid method, a stupid method he had learned from watching Huo Yuanjia in his previous life.
However, back then, Huo Yuanjia had walked on the bottom of the river. Right now, he was walking on the bottom of the sea. Hugging the large rock, he used its weight to stabilize his body. Under the impact of the undercurrent at the bottom of the sea, he did not sway. Fan Xian stepped forcefully on the sand and advanced. He did not try to break out of the encirclement by following the shoreline.
There were aces blocking the two sides of Dong Mountain. He couldn't guarantee that his remaining zhenqi could support him on the bottom of the sea for long, so he chose the closest path to the surface of the sea.
He walked to the bottom of the Jiaozhou Navy's ship. Raising his head, he opened his eyes and calmly glanced at the bottom of the ship, which was darker than the color of the seawater. A powerful desire to escape made his six senses incomparably sharp. He could even clearly see the moss and shells at the bottom of the wooden ship.
He put down the heavy rock in his arms. The rock landed on the bottom of the sea and didn't make much noise. It only shook up some sand. His hands slowly drew two semicircles and carried out one last adjustment. Fan Xian relaxed his body and followed the buoyancy of the sea to float upward as naturally as possible. He was terrified of startling Governor Yan, whose eyes were like an eagle's, ears like a shark's, and nose like a dog's.
Maintaining the feeling of a piece of driftwood, Fan Xian slowly floated to the bottom of the military ship. Very carefully, he moved toward the outer edge of the bottom of the ship. He still didn't poke his head out of the water. Separated by about half a foot of seawater, he did his best to watch the movement on this side of the ship.
This was a gamble. The reason he had chosen this ship was because Yan Xiaoyi had not fired the arrow from this ship earlier. If the helper he was looking for was not on this ship, Fan Xian could only dive down again and search for an opportunity on another ship. He didn't know if he would be able to make it to the other ship.
Fortunately, his luck this time was not bad.
A strange smile rose to Fan Xian's pale face soaking in the seawater. He thought to himself that his luck in this life was indeed incomparable to that of others.
He saw a hand on the side of the ship. The hand was very naturally resting on the side of the ship. It was gently making noiseless knocks, maintaining a steady and strange frequency.
…
On the surface of the sea, there were five navy ships slowly cruising. Under the illumination of the moonlight, these ships were like demons searching for prey, slicing through the surface of the water, ready at any moment to nail the prey hidden at the bottom of the sea.
Another three ships sailed far away from the main group, maintaining a corresponding distance. They were responsible for providing support and keeping a wider watch.
On one of the ships, the lights in the middle of the hall were dim. The Jiaozhou Navy general in charge of this ship, Xu Maocai, was sitting coldly in an armchair. Of his three trusted soldiers, two were responsible for guarding outside the hall. One was responsible for communicating with the navy's flag ship.
There was only one trusted soldier left by his side. The soldier's face was hidden in the darkness behind the light. His facial features could not be seen clearly, but it could faintly be seen that his face was slightly pale. No one knew if he had been frightened by the battle array tonight.
It was completely silent on the ship. Suddenly, the trusted soldier opened his mouth to speak.
"Why did the Jiaozhou Navy also betray?"
Xu Maocai was now the third-ranked figure in the Jiaozhou Navy. He had enough power under his command. For a major matter like tonight, if he didn't know the inside story, he would not have followed the navy's flag ship to surround the sea around Dong Mountain.
He lowered his head and then slowly said, "Young master, the situation right now is not that the Jiaozhou Navy has betrayed. Rather, it is you who has betrayed?"
The trusted soldier was Fan Xian, whose luck was so good that he had quietly snuck onto the ship. Xu Maocai was an old member of the Quanzhou Navy. Furthermore, the hand that had been hanging outside the ship proved that he had been secretly hoping that Fan Xian would be able to escape from death. Thus, Fan Xian had enough trust in him. After hearing these words, Fan Xian still furrowed his brows.
Fan Xian and the Emperor had long guessed what the Eldest Princess would do. For such a major matter as the Dong Mountain attack, they could at most control the news for a few days. In the end, the Emperor would be assassinated and the Crown Prince would succeed. The matter of the Emperor being assassinated needed someone to take the blame.
That person had to have enough power to kill the Emperor and have the motive to do so. Only then would they be able to convince the empress dowager in the Palace and the officials in court.
Even if it wasn't to convince, they had to give those people a psychological explanation.
It was clear that among the group of people heading to Dong Mountain to worship heaven, the only person who had the power to kill the Emperor was the Commissioner of the Overwatch Council, Fan Xian, who held 500 Black Knights and had a few unknown aces in secret.
As for the motive to assassinate the Emperor, presumably, given the Eldest Princess' intelligence, she would circle around the matter of the old Ye family that the empress dowager was most wary of.
"You didn't respond. I trust that you also didn't send a message to Wu Gefei. You also didn't send a message to Hou Jichang."
Fan Xian stood behind Xu Maocai and stared coldly at the side of his face. In order to prevent someone from suddenly entering the room, he had only slightly bandaged his wound at the back of the ship and disguised himself as Xu Maocai's trusted soldier, standing behind him the entire time.
"I had you stay with the Jiaozhou Navy for this day." Fan Xian's tone was calm, but there was a glimmer of anger in it. "In the end, you didn't do anything. The Overwatch Council assassinating the Emperor may have convinced some of the generals in the navy, but how could you believe it? Furthermore, why was Yan Xiaoyi on the navy ship? Did these navy generals not have questions in their hearts? Why would they believe in your loyalty and have you come to Dong Mountain? "
Xu Maocai lowered his head and thought for a moment. He then said, "As for the matter of assassinating the Emperor, there should be some people who would believe it. After all, the Overwatch Council's reputation is not good. Furthermore, we received news yesterday that 500 Black Knights had traveled overnight from the Jiangbei Camp to Xiao Mountain. There was suddenly no news of them in the East Shandong Road area. Thus, it makes sense to say that these 500 Black Knights had come to assassinate the Emperor."
Fan Xian's heart trembled slightly. He had moved the 500 Black Knights here. However, they hadn't gotten close to the area of Dong Mountain. If the Jingdou people came here again and the Emperor was truly unable to escape disaster, it would be difficult for him to explain. Fortunately, he still had a few trump cards.
Xu Maocai once again described the current military situation in detail. The more Fan Xian listened, the more helpless he felt. He had been at the top of the mountain for a day and half a night. Apparently, the rumors at the foot of the mountain had become completely different. Had he colluded with Dongyi's Sigu Jian to assassinate the Emperor? Damn it … This kind of method of investigating the evidence is too childish. '
However, Fan Xian knew that methods were always secondary. As long as victory and defeat were decided by strength, no matter how childish the Eldest Princess's investigation was, it would become an iron-clad fact in the history books.
"Of course, most people in the navy have doubts. I even believe that some people know the truth of the Dong Mountain matter," Xu Maocai said coldly. "Even if they know the truth, so what? If it was still Chang Kun leading the army in the past, given his and the old navy generals' respect for the Emperor, they would certainly not participate in this matter even if they were beaten to death. Young master, you went on a killing spree in Jiaozhou last year. Many of the old generals have already been killed. Who knows how many generals have begun to feel cold toward the court? Presently, the Jiaozhou Navy is already the world of the Qin family. Even if it was truly a rebellion, I believe the generals on the navy ships at the foot of Dong Mountain would be very willing. "
Fan Xian calmly said, "You should also know the truth. I have never doubted the changes in the navy. The Emperor also knows about the Qin family. I believe he will certainly have follow-up plans. Thus, I am still curious as to how you obtained the Eldest Princess's trust. "
He suddenly furrowed his brows and said, "Their hearts are cold toward the court. Presumably, you have contributed to this matter. Maocai, I had you stay in the Jiaozhou Navy, not to have you create a rebel army."
Xu Maocai was silent for a moment. He then suddenly rose and bowed deeply toward Fan Xian. Sincerely, he said, "Young master, I am not talented. I have never been able to completely control the Jiaozhou Navy in my hands. Since the Eldest Princess has rebelled and the Qin family has also joined in, you should have seen it. There is still that Great Grandmaster on the sea. This is a rare opportunity."
His eyes stared at Fan Xian's pale face. A glimmer of loyalty and passion flashed through them. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Young master, take the opportunity to rebel!"
Fan Xian stared into Xu Maocai's eyes and didn't speak for a long time. He knew this general's loyalty toward him, no, toward his mother. It wasn't that he hadn't guessed why he would bring up such a rebellious suggestion. He only gently shook his head.
"Why?" Xu Maocai lowered his voice and said anxiously, "Presently, all the truly powerful people in the world have been attracted to the great Dong Mountain. Jingdou is just an empty stomach. Young master, take the opportunity to go ashore and contact the 500 Black Knights in the Xiao Mountain area. Travel a thousand li to attack Jingdou and coordinate with Director Chen from the inside and outside. In one move, you can control the Royal Palace. Once both sides have suffered heavy losses at Dong Mountain, you can, as a prince, climb high in Jingdou and raise your arms.
Everything will be done! " Fan Xian did his best to calm his tone to avoid hurting the heart of the person in front of him. Warmly, he said, "The Emperor is very guarded against me and has never let me command the army. How could a mere 500 Black Knights enter Jingdou? There are 10,000 Jingdou Garrison outside Jingdou, 13 city gate guards in Jingdou, and 3,000 Imperial Soldiers. How could I deal with them? "
"The Commander of the Jingdou Garrison is the Great Prince's trusted aide. The Imperial Army is completely under the Great Prince's control. The 13 city gate guards are directly under the Emperor's command. Once the Emperor is not present, they are headless people." It was clear that Xu Maocai was prepared. Methodically, he spoke one thing at a time. "Young master, since you have taken the risk to break through, you must have a keepsake from the Emperor on you. It should be a personally written letter or jade seal. You can enter the Palace alone, convince the empress dowager, and obtain Yi Guipin's support. Outside the Palace, ask Director Chen to take action and sweep away the Crown Prince and Second Prince's power in one move."
Fan Xian waved his hand and cut him off. "All of this is built on the premise that the Great Prince supports me."
Xu Maocai didn't wait for him to finish and admonished, "If the Emperor dies, you also have the jade seal and imperial letters in your hands. You are also close friends with the Great Prince. If the Great Prince doesn't support you, who will he support?"
"What about the Qin family?" Fan Xian stared into his eyes and said each word clearly. "And what about the Ye family in Dingzhou? How many soldiers do the two sides have combined? The Ye family has run the Jingdou Garrison for 20 years. The Great Prince is unable to completely control them. "
"So what?" Xu Maocai lowered his voice. "There are seven Roads of elite soldiers in the Qing Kingdom. Yan Xiaoyi is in Dong Mountain and cannot move the Northern Expedition Camp. The Ye and Qin families only have two subordinates. There are still four Roads of elite soldiers. As long as you can control the Palace, these four Roads of elite soldiers will all be in your hands. Even if Jingdou is in danger at the beginning, in less than half a month, the entire situation can be reversed!"
"The reason you hesitate is because you have never carefully analyzed just how much power you can mobilize in your hands." Xu Maocai stared into Fan Xian's eyes and said each word clearly. "The Emperor was attacked by assassins in Dong Mountain. You have the jade seal and the Emperor's personally written letter as proof. The crime of assassinating the Emperor can easily be placed on the heads of the Eldest Princess, Crown Prince, and Second Prince. This is a righteous reason. In less than half a month, this righteous reason will receive the approval of the four Roads of elite soldiers. Although you have no one in court, Prime Minister Lin has probably left a number of people for you. As for the beginning of the major event, the situation in Jingdou will be turbulent. However, Director Chen is the best at this kind of thing. Also, don't forget Minister Fan. He will certainly support you. "
Fan Xian was silent for a long time. He admitted that for the sake of the rebellion, Xu Maocai had secretly put in a lot of effort and schemed for him for a long time. If the situation continued to develop like this, if he could leave the sea, escape Yan Xiaoyi's pursuit, and return to Jingdou, perhaps the power of the Qing Kingdom would truly be incomparably close to his hands.
Was this kind of temptation great? Fan Xian didn't know because his state of mind was clear. He had not thought in that direction at all.
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