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"I don't understand how you can keep holding on." There was no one else in the room in the Sword Hut. It was very quiet. Fan Xian sat on a chair by the bed and quietly said to the skinny old man on the bed, "You've held on so hard. Why?"
Fan Xian was still somewhat afraid of this Great Grandmaster. Otherwise, given his sharp nature under his gentle appearance, the words he would have said would have been even harsher. Although Sigu Jian was already at the end of his rope, he was still afraid that the skinny old man on the bed would suddenly become a large sword and ruthlessly hack toward him.
Sigu Jian lay on the bed and looked upward with soulless eyes. Although his breathing was not rushed, it was unusually deep. It sounded like a broken bellow, giving one the feeling that the flame in the furnace was about to go out.
This was exactly what Fan Xian did not understand. Sigu Jian had clearly been hit by Ye Liuyun's Sanshou and the Emperor's Way of the Emperor's punch on Dong Mountain. His life had long been extinguished. He didn't know what method he had used to be able to struggle at death's door for three years.
However, a month ago, after being stabbed twice by the Shadow's thunderous sword, this Great Grandmaster finally could not hold on any longer. The zhenqi in his meridians had completely dissipated, and he had become a piece of dead wood on the bed. Fan Xian could clearly sense the pain and price Sigu Jian had paid to forcefully extend his life. He didn't understand. Since living was so difficult and the agreement had already been reached, why did Sigu Jian continue to use the pure life-saving zhenqi in his body to forcefully drag on?
Sigu Jian's body was already very skinny. In this month's battle with the netherworld, he had used up a lot of energy. He had lost nearly 10 kilograms. His entire body's flesh had withered. His skin was almost sticking to his bones. He looked terrifying.
The sound of laughter rang out from the bed. In a raspy voice, Sigu Jian said in a low voice, "There is no reason for life and death. I don't want to die yet, so I want to live."
Fan Xian looked at him calmly. After confirming that he was already paralyzed in all four limbs, he couldn't help but sigh. Standing up, he said, "Logically speaking, your disciples have injured me many times in the past. Of the 100 Tiger Guards you killed on Dong Mountain, many were trusted subordinates whom I wanted to protect. For some reason, seeing you about to die, I don't feel much of the joy of revenge."
"Because … you … know that those Tiger Guards were killed by your Emperor through the sword in my hand." Sigu Jian's breathing gradually calmed. His words also gradually became steady. Only his eyes, sunken deep in their sockets, could no longer condense the sword light that had once dominated the world. They were cold and slack.
Fan Xian paused for a moment and then respectfully asked for guidance. "I really want to know how you've survived these years."
Sigu Jian was silent and didn't speak. Fan Xian walked forward and stood by the bed. He gently lifted the blanket and carefully pulled back the soft, light clothing covering the Great Grandmaster's body. Looking at the large wound on his chest, he didn't speak for a long time.
This was a rude and disrespectful action. No one else in the Sword Hut saw it, but Fan Xian still felt that his action was rude and inappropriate. He only glanced at it before carefully pulling the clothing on Sigu Jian's body into place.
A Great Grandmaster on the verge of death could only have Fan Xian look at him like he was examining a corpse. Presumably, Sigu Jian should feel angry in his heart. Strangely, Sigu Jian's gaze did not change at all. He only looked at the beam above his head. No one knew what he was thinking.
Fan Xian sat back in the chair and began to carefully think back to the wound he had seen earlier. The reason he was interested in Sigu Jian's wound was because he truly didn't know how this Great Grandmaster had extended his life by three years. He knew that the true cause of Sigu Jian's death was the punch the Emperor had landed on his body.
Even if he was a Great Grandmaster, the meridians in his abdomen had all shattered, and his organs had all rotted. How could he have survived?
In the manor of the Master of the City, when the Shadow had tried to assassinate Sigu Jian, Fan Xian had caught a glimpse of the strange wound on the Great Grandmaster's abdomen.
The wound was suffused with a terrifying green light. This green light was a color Fan Xian was familiar with. It was the color of poison. Fan Xian sat in the chair and was silent for a long time. Suddenly, he said, "How long did Sir Fei stay in Dongyi?"
Sigu Jian smiled with difficulty. A moment later, he quietly said, "Actually, you are smarter than you think."
Fan Xian sat woodenly in the chair and said, "To use a strong poison to cut off meridians and freeze rotten flesh, this kind of mysterious method of using poison is not something everyone can do."
He sighed and gently rubbed his temples. "I once heard Sir talk about this kind of realm when I was young, but I never thought that someone could actually do it. Of the three Great Grandmasters who use poison in the world, Xiao En is dead. I know the one in Dongyi was made up by you. Although he had some skill, other than Sir Fei, who else could truly use poison to let you live a few more years? "
"Furthermore, he always told me that he was going out to sea. If he didn't leave from Quanzhou, he would leave from Dongyi." It was as if Fan Xian was talking to himself. In a quiet voice, he said, "He cured you back then. It is not too surprising that he has come to cure you again."
"Hmm." Sigu Jian's body was frozen on the bed, unable to move at all. Coldly, he said, "Fei Jie stayed in the Sword Hut for a year and a half and then went out to sea."
A sense of confusion suddenly rose in Fan Xian's heart. When he saw Sigu Jian's injuries in the manor of the Master of the City, he had already become suspicious. He had thought that Sir Fei Jie was still quietly hiding in the Sword Hut. He had not thought that he had long left.
After he had been reborn into this world, other than his grandmother and Uncle Wu Zhu, his two relatives, Sir Fei Jie was the first elder he had met and the first person to wholeheartedly love him. Although he was a strange person, Fan Xian and Fei Jie had not spent much time together. The two of them were particularly close. It was a kind of intimacy forged through corpses and poison.
Sir Fei Jie had truly gone out to sea. He would probably never return to this land again. Fan Xian's heart suddenly felt cold. A faint sorrow welled up. He thought of how his father, Chen Pingping, and even the Emperor might all leave him one by one, leaving him alone in this world. This was a sorrow that was difficult to bear.
"Fei Jie and Ye Liuyun went out to sea together." Sigu Jian revealed another secret.
Fan Xian was silent for a long time. After Dong Mountain, Ye Liuyun had only recovered from his injuries for two months. Then, just like in the past few decades, no one knew of him again. Not even Ye Zhong and Ye Ling 'er knew. However, the Qing people were all used to this Great Grandmaster's carefree life, so no one cared too much.
Going out to sea? To a new land? Fan Xian smiled bitterly with difficulty. "Everyone left quite straightforwardly."
"Ye Liuyun was stabbed by me on the mountain. It is impossible for him to return to his original level," Sigu Jian said calmly as he lay on the bed. Sigu Jian lay on the bed and spoke calmly. There was not a trace of pride or ruthlessness. "Fei Jie followed him out to sea and could take care of his injuries. Ye Liuyun's hands could protect Fei Jie. These two old things live quite freely."
Fan Xian stood. After a moment of silence, he gazed at him and said, "The negotiations between the Qing Kingdom and Dongyi are still continuing. As you know, this matter cannot be settled in a short amount of time. The nobles of the vassal states will certainly still retaliate. You are about to die. You won't be able to control these problems. When the time comes, I may be ruthless. "
"This has nothing to do with me." Sigu Jian's small and thin body was buried under the blankets. He appeared very pitiful. "You're telling me this … cough … cough … are you leaving?"
"I need to make a temporary trip back to the capital and then come back to deal with the follow-up matters." Fan Xian nodded and walked toward the door. When his feet suddenly stepped on the doorstep, he suddenly said, "Just what message did Chen Pingping have Fei Jie bring you?"
It was like Sigu Jian had fallen asleep and did not reply.
Fan Xian turned around at the doorstep. His eyes were full of worry. He continued to ask, "Ku He wants to prolong Chen Pingping's life, and Chen Pingping wants to prolong your life. Why must you old people suffer so much? Sometimes, I truly cannot believe that the old Director would choose such a path. It is not in line with his sense of beauty. "
"I am also very surprised." Sigu Jian laughed in a very ugly way. "That old dog has clearly always been loyal to the Qing Emperor. Why would he help me protect my life? Is he not afraid that I will slaughter through the Hanging Temple?"
Fan Xian didn't open his mouth to speak. He thought darkly in his heart that the things that the old cripple was thinking of were just using human nature. What a wretched and painful plan this was.
"Three years ago, before the Jingdou rebellion, the Director was poisoned." Fan Xian suddenly lowered his head and said, "That person was someone from Dongyi."
After saying this, he walked out of the room. He walked out of the lifeless room filled with murderous intent. He stood beside the large pit in the middle of the Sword Hut and raised his head to look at the sky. He was silent for a long time and didn't speak. White clouds floated in the sky. The round and bright sun was at the end of the long clouds. It looked like a burning brush drawing an eye-piercing picture in the blue sky.
Burning itself to illuminate others. The universe was originally dark, but its eyes could not tolerate any darkness. It furiously burned the fuel from the beginning of time, wanting to illuminate all of the darkness hidden behind the stars.
Fan Xian stood beside the sword pit and took a deep breath. The two circulations in his body slowly moved. Tianyi Dao's zhenqi protected his heart and meridians. He raised his Tyrannical true method to the highest realm. The zhenqi in his body was abundant. It surged until his clothes flapped loudly in the windless environment.
A seemingly endless stream of zhenqi flowed along his arms and into his steady palms, slowly being released.
This was a method of circulating zhenqi. Not everyone knew it. It was a useless method Fan Xian had thought of to climb the cliff. However, he had practiced it for 20 years and was very familiar with it. The zhenqi was released and moved according to his will. It was very natural. It was an interesting idea. Who would have thought that many years later, it would have such an effect?
Fan Xian stood beside the sword grave with his arms spread out in both directions.
The countless swords in the pit began to jingle. It was as if they felt the call of this zhenqi and began to tremble endlessly.
A simple sword was the first to be unable to withstand this kind of power. The tip of the sword cried out sorrowfully and broke free of the yellow earth at the bottom of the pit. The scrap of paper and trash that Sigu Jian had thrown in flew up and into Fan Xian's hand.
Fan Xian looked calmly at the sword in his hand and compared it to the sword of the Wei Emperor he often used. He found that it was indeed not eye-catching at all. He couldn't help but laugh bitterly and say, "It's also fate."
On the bed in the darkness of the room, the dying Great Grandmaster Sigu Jian smiled and said to himself, "It's still not enough."
Fan Xian looked at the sword in his hand and sighed. "It's still far from enough."
… …
In the darkness of the night, three carriages headed west as fast as they could. The group of carriages carried the honored guests of the Qing Kingdom. Under the current situation, no one dared to stop these carriages for inspection within the territory controlled by Dongyi. Thus, the group of carriages moved quickly.
Furthermore, the color of these carriages was black.
Mu Feng 'er carefully poured a basin of hot water and placed it in front of the Commissioner. He was terrified that as the carriages moved forward, he would spill the water.
Fan Xian's daily life could be considered luxurious. He didn't know where these Overwatch Council officials obtained hot water. He scooped up a scalding towel from the basin and forcefully wiped his tired face. "Is there any news from Jingdou?"
"Everything is as usual," Mu Feng 'er replied quietly as he glanced at him. He didn't know why the Commissioner was in such a rush to return to the capital. Although the negotiations with Dongyi were troublesome and he needed to return to the capital to hand the details of the negotiations to the Emperor to decide, why did he have to make the time so tight? He even had to take the risk of traveling at night. Fortunately, there were no mountain roads near Dongyi. Otherwise, if the carriages flipped, no one would be able to bear the responsibility. The Emperor would probably execute all of the Overwatch Council officials accompanying him.
Hearing Mu Feng 'er's reply, Fan Xian's mood relaxed greatly. It was now the 10th year of the Qing calendar. It had been five or six years since he had officially entered the Overwatch Council. More accurately speaking, from the day he was born, he had been raised by Chen Pingping in preparation to take over the Overwatch Council. At the age of five, other than learning poisons from Sir Fei Jie, he had spent most of his time studying the Overwatch Council's regulations and organizational planning. Now, Fan Xian had firmly grasped the terrifying organization that was the Overwatch Council. He had his own judgment of his subordinates' loyalty and abilities.
The black carriage moved forward silently in the dark night. Although the oil lamp in the carriage was wind-proof and shakproof, the light still flickered. Fan Xian rubbed his tired eyes and raised them. Suddenly, he calmly said, "Xiao Feng 'er, you are Mu Tie's distant nephew, right?"
Mu Feng 'er paused. He thought that Sir had long known of this matter, but he still replied respectfully, "He is my uncle, but … there has never been a third generation."
"If someone wanted to kill Mu Tie, what would you do?"
Mu Feng 'er jumped in fright and stared at Fan Xian in a daze. For a moment, he couldn't say anything.
Fan Xian smiled and said, "I'm just giving an example. How about this, if Mu Tie and I had a grudge and he wanted to use his death to incite your hatred toward me, would you kill me because of this?"
Mu Feng 'er repeatedly shook his head and didn't say a word.
Fan Xian shook his head in boredom and sighed. He then lowered his head again, thinking, How could there be such a stubborn person in this world?
… …
As Fan Xian moved forward through the night and returned to Jingdou to explain the Dongyi matter in detail to the Emperor, the Northern Qi Emperor had already returned to the quiet Shangjing. The intersecting black and green eaves of the Palace were still as beautiful as ever. Although she had left the Royal Palace for a while, with the empress dowager's powerful suppression and the cooperation of trusted officials in court, no one had discovered anything unusual.
In comparison, the Northern Qi royal family, which had long been thought by the Qing court to be at odds with mother and son, was actually as united as a metal plate. They knew much more clearly than the Qing Kingdom.
The Northern Qi Emperor stared in a daze at the dark night outside the Palace. She turned her head to glance at the beautiful woman reading a book behind her. Suddenly, she asked, "You and Fan Xian were only in the room for an hour. Was he in such a rush? Or were you in the throes of love and unable to control yourself?"
After returning to the Palace, although the little Emperor's favor toward Imperial Consort Li had not decreased, the sharpness in her words could not be stopped. Si Lili had grown up with her, so of course she knew what kind of person she was. She had endured for half a month without explaining, but today she smiled and said, "Your Majesty, I know you are jealous. There is no need to show it so obviously."
When Fan Xian had said those words, the little Emperor's expression had become ugly. After hearing Si Lili's words, she couldn't help but huff coldly.
Si Lili stood up, walked behind her, and rested her cheek on her thin shoulder. She wrapped her arms around her and gently caressed her belly. Her breath smelled like orchids. "Fan Xian's words are simple. If you're pregnant, then of course I'm the only one who's pregnant. No matter which one of us is pregnant, we have to tell him as a father."
The little Emperor fell silent and suddenly said, "I wonder if that pretty boy is having a good time in Dongyi."
Si Lili didn't reply. She only thought that Sir Fan junior was the most dashing man in the world, but he had caused so much trouble. He was probably caught in the middle and would become the most troubled man in the world.
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…
The most troubled man in the world finally returned to Jingdou with great difficulty. The black carriage quickly passed through the double checks of the Jingdou garrison and 13 city gate guards and came to the gates of the Royal Palace.
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