Thirteenth Wang heard these words and thought for a moment. He didn't reply. Instead, he stood up in front of Fan Xian and slowly pulled out the sword at his waist. Thirteenth Wang was not the green banner fortune teller who walked the world and experienced people's hearts. Rather, he was a swordsman who followed Fan Xian and refused to live alone.
Fan Xian's expression became serious. His right hand climbed to his back and pulled out the Wei Emperor's sword. The light of the sword was like autumn water. It reflected the seawater not far away and rippled even more.
Without any warning, the silent sword stabbed a foot in front of Fan Xian's face.
This was the first time Fan Xian had truly seen Thirteenth Wang use a sword. Only now did he understand why Sigu Jian had entrusted all of his legacy to this young man. Without question, Thirteenth Wang's understanding of sword intent had reached a very high realm. With a thought, the tip of the sword arrived. It seemed to have already surpassed the restrictions of the environment.
This was the terrifying realm brought about by the tenacity of one's heart. Once Thirteenth Wang moved his sword, there were no stray thoughts in his heart. There was only this sword.
The Emperor's sword in Fan Xian's hand was still pointed 45 degrees into the sky. He had no time to react. His face was pale. The Tyrannical zhenqi at the back of his waist exploded. Without any delay, he forced himself up. Like a seagull, he flapped his wings and glided toward the back of the beach.
One slide was 150 feet. This was not a strange movement that a human should have.
Thirteenth Wang's sword was an assassin. The cold light at the tip of the sword slowly retracted. A sword mark appeared without reason on the beach in front of him. It was as if someone had walked by and a sword had passed by.
It was a deep mark.
…
…
The two of them were 150 feet apart. Fan Xian still held the Emperor's sword tightly in his hand. Suddenly, he had a feeling that Thirteenth Wang's seemingly light and direct strike had a hint of the startling strike the Shadow had made that day in the manor of the Master of Dongyi. The Shadow had gathered decades of cultivation and hatred.
He stared in a daze at the silent Thirteenth Wang. A moment later, he said, "What a Tyrannical strike."
As the words left his mouth, he realized his voice was a bit hoarse. Presumably, in order to avoid this simple strike, the zhenqi in his body had increased too much in a short amount of time and injured his lungs.
Fan Xian took a deep breath. The pale complexion on his face gradually returned to normal. He glanced deeply at Thirteenth Wang and said, "Pressing forward with indomitable will. This is indeed your method. Usually, you were not this fast or powerful."
"I've cultivated the Tyrannical True Qi, but I couldn't even pass the first stage. However, I've experienced the taste of this technique." Thirteenth Wang's attack was ineffective. He slowly closed his eyes and said, "I've already thought it through. I shouldn't bite off more than I can chew. I have the sword in my hand. Why should I learn the Qing Emperor's secret?"
The Nameless Art Formula was too domineering, especially at the first checkpoint. His mind and body were completely separated, completely conflicting, and uncontrollable. It was too similar to Qi deviation. Back then, Fan Xian had easily passed this trial because the last years of his previous life had all been spent in bed. He had long gotten used to being in a vegetative state where his entire body could not move and only his brain could move.
Thus, Fan Xian was not surprised that Thirteenth Wang had not stepped onto the path of the Tyrannical Martial Formula. He was only surprised at Thirteenth Wang's ability to comprehend. In such a short amount of time, he had sensed the dangers of the Tyrannical Martial Formula. Furthermore, he had such high intelligence to immediately stop his search in this area.
"If I couldn't dodge that attack just now, would you have killed me?" Fan Xian asked with slight mockery as the corners of his mouth twitched.
Thirteenth Wang was silent for a moment and then shook his head. He was a bit tired. He sat down directly on the slightly wet beach. That attack had appeared simple. It was just a basic bending of the elbow. To explode out with such speed and carry such a decisive stance, it had used up too much of his energy.
In a short amount of time, it was impossible for Thirteenth Wang to stab out a second time. It was just like how the Shadow could only stab out that attack against Sigu Jian in the manor.
Fan Xian clearly understood this point. Slowly raising his feet, he walked toward Thirteenth Wang's side. With a strange emotion, he said, "Many people say that one shouldn't bite off more than one can chew. Even you have such a clear judgment. Usually, I always thought that more skills did not weigh me down. Was I wrong?"
A faint trace of doubt flashed through his eyes. "There are four Great Grandmasters in the world. In addition to my blind uncle, of the five ultimate skills, I have grasped four. Even the Ye family's Flowing Cloud Sanshou has been mostly grasped by me."
He sat in front of Thirteenth Wang and furrowed his brows. "In the world, no, in all of history, I am the only one who has learned so many ultimate skills. Today, I was forced back by one attack from you. What is the use of learning so much?"
"To be able to learn so much already shows that you are the most terrifying person in the world." Thirteenth Wang's temperament was simple, but he was not like Da Bao. He acutely sensed the sense of defeat gradually rising in Fan Xian's heart. Looking into his eyes, he said, "Any martial technique requires us to use our most focused thoughts and a lifetime to cultivate, practice, and perfect. Furthermore, it is an ultimate skill left behind by a Great Grandmaster. For you to be able to cultivate four of them to the extreme in a short period of 20 years is already shocking enough."
Fan Xian had cultivated the ultimate skills of the four Great Grandmasters. In front of Thirteenth Wang's attack, he had to temporarily retreat. Involuntarily, he thought of Sigu Jian's realm and the Emperor's realm. A sadness that was difficult to suppress grew in his heart.
Thirteenth Wang looked into his eyes and quietly said, "Your ability to comprehend is very good, particularly with your strong foundations. Additionally, with such good luck, you should be the most powerful person in the world."
"My ability to comprehend is only average, particularly in front of you and Haitang Duoduo." Fan Xian took a deep breath and said, "All I can rely on is hard work. However, there is a limit to one's strength. Even if I were to work twice as hard as I am now, I would still not be able to break through that piece of paper."
Fan Xian was able to easily and easily dodge Thirteenth Wang's attack that seemed to have come from the heavens. Additionally, he had long hidden the ultimate skills in his sleeves and body, particularly his sinister battle personality, and the ingenuity the Overwatch Council had given him.
He was confident that no matter which ninth-level ace he faced in the world, he would be able to defeat them. Even if it was Thirteenth Wang, Haitang, Lang Tiao, or Yun Zhilan, once they faced him, the one to die in the end would be them.
After Ye Liuyun left this world, regardless of whether it was power or personal cultivation, Fan Xian would, without question, be the second in the world.
Thirteenth Wang had also sensed this from Fan Xian's seemingly easy and casual slide earlier. A faint sense of awe rose in his heart. He looked at Fan Xian and still could not understand how a young man in his 20s could raise his cultivation to such a realm.
The realms of the three young people in the world were similar. However, Fan Xian was more ruthless and had more tricks than the other two.
"How did you retreat that time?" Thirteenth Wang asked him with narrowed eyes.
Fan Xian was silent for a long time and didn't reply. He only turned his head back and stared at the gradually rising and falling white waves on the ocean. He had already stayed in Dongyi for a long time. The booklet Master Ku He had left behind was deeply imprinted in his mind. Each time he meditated by the seaside, those words would pour into his mind. Although he still didn't understand most of the meaning, miraculously, as long as he thought about it, it seemed that there were minute factors inside and outside of his body that began to resonate with each other.
His body became lighter, and his movements became faster. The recovery rate of the zhenqi in his body also increased. It was as if there truly was a kind of invisible and untouchable yuanqi in the world that was willing to follow his thoughts to replenish what he had lost.
However, this kind of replenishment made his heart palpitate. Was this the magic of the West? Humans would always have a fear of things they did not know of. What made Fan Xian even more indifferent was that the changes the little booklet brought him were not enough to solve too many problems. The speed of replenishment was too slow, and the increase in realm was too small.
It seemed that the second in the world could only ever be the second in the world.
For a moment, Fan Xian even wondered if he had made a huge mistake. Regardless of whether it was Master Ku He, Sigu Jian, Ye Liuyun, or the Emperor, these people at the top of the world were far above him in terms of willpower and diligence in cultivation. However, these Great Grandmasters only cultivated their own unique skills and never had their hearts set on anything else.
He had learned too many things and knew too many things. It was too messy.
Fan Xian had a feeling that it would probably be easier for Thirteenth Wang and Duoduo to break through that piece of paper than him. This was probably the intention Sigu Jian had spoken of. His intention was still not as firm as those two people. Because he was too afraid, he did not care about the price to find a way to make himself stronger.
Perhaps this kind of purposefulness was inferior, but he was truly afraid. He was afraid of death. He was afraid of the people he cared about dying.
"I am returning to the capital the day after tomorrow." A slight smile suddenly rose to the corners of Fan Xian's lips. "As long as Dongyi does not fall into chaos, at least the world is still peaceful. Why should I worry about so many things?"
Dongyi belonged to the Qing Kingdom. Although there were waves of unrest, with the suppression of the Qing Kingdom's powerful military power and the cooperation of the upper echelons of Dongyi, it was impossible to raise any major waves.
The Emperor's trust in Fan Xian remained. Chen Pingping was about to leave the capital to retire. Thinking of this, Fan Xian stood against the sea breeze and felt very comfortable. Regardless of whether or not Uncle Wu Zhu would return, it seemed that as long as they followed this trend, he and the Emperor would always be able to find a second path.
Bloodshed was not necessarily necessary.
…
…
Bloodshed was necessary.
When the autumn wind began to pass through the small hills behind Dongyi, Fan Xian had finally taken care of most of the affairs in Dongyi. By the time the Great Prince and Yun Zhilan returned, the first major turmoil after Dongyi's surrender was finally extinguished within the borders of the Liang Kingdom with the cooperation of both sides. The flames that had been lit by the self-immolation of the great scholar, Sir Gu, were quickly extinguished by the blood and were unable to spread for long.
Over 400 people died in the Liang Kingdom. These hot-blooded Dongyi people unfortunately lay in pools of blood.
Fan Xian read through the general memorials and gave some instructions to the Great Prince. He then boarded the carriages leaving Dongyi. He was once again returning to Jingdou to debrief.
Conquering a piece of land brought about daily nervousness, busyness, and killing for these expeditionary officials.
After the Great Prince parted with Fan Xian, he led the garrison troops and coldly watched every movement in Dongyi. At this time, he and Fan Xian both felt that the general situation was set. If they continued to slowly struggle like this, regardless of whether it was the Qing court or the general situation of the world, they would all be within a controllable range.
Thus, the two brothers were in good moods. In the crisp autumn air, their hearts were incomparably refreshed and had thrown away all their worries.
Fan Xian could even temporarily not think about the problem of Ten Family Village and the problems of the past. As for the popular man in court, He Zongwei, in his eyes, he was just a clown and could not affect anything at all.
Today was a good day. These few days were rare good days in Fan Xian's life.
The black Overwatch Council carriages left Dongyi and slowly made their way back to the capital. Fan Xian was not in a hurry to return to the capital. Looking at the golden, slightly yellow, and deep yellow leaves around him, as well as the autumn mountains that had been painted into an oil painting, was also a rare enjoyment.
Of course, blood continued to flow nonstop along the way. As a powerful official of the Qing Kingdom, the Master of the Sword Hut, the representative of the invaders, and the Qing Emperor's favorite illegitimate child, Fan Xian became the Emperor's favorite. On his way back to the capital, Fan Xian became the first target of the volunteer armies of the vassal states around Dongyi and the rebellious people.
Perhaps it was not appropriate to call them rebellious people. They were righteous people. Most of the righteous people in Dongyi refused to accept surrender and bravely entered the mountains to fight the Qing invaders. Most of the people in Dongyi who refused to accept surrender and bravely entered the mountains to fight the Qing invaders were people of the jianghu. These people, who had martial strength, were clearly more direct when it came to protecting their own moral principles.
No one knew how these people found out when Fan Xian left Dongyi and grasped the route of the Overwatch Council carriages back to the capital. Along the way, they began to launch assassinations and even suicidal attacks on the powerful Qing officials in the black carriages.
After arriving in Yanjing for about 20 days, the black carriages had been attacked seven times. The troops from Yanjing and the Black Knights stationed at the border had not come to receive them. The Great Prince had only given Fan Xian a thousand-man army. Thus, dealing with these seven major attacks was rather difficult.
Fan Xian no longer had any interest in admiring the scenery. Instead, he sank deep into thought. His personal safety was not a problem. The attacking volunteer armies often had no choice but to retreat after leaving behind countless corpses. However, his subordinates, especially the Great Prince's Western Expedition Army, had also paid a great price for this.
Because they had sunk into a nonstop attack, the top-secret Council reports from Jingdou had not arrived for three days.
Fan Xian lifted the curtain of the carriage and looked west with narrowed eyes. He silently prayed for Jingdou and the people he cared about to be safe.
…
…
While Fan Xian was traversing through the mountains, within the Qing Kingdom's borders, there was also a long group of carriages moving through the lonely night. This group of carriages was also pure black. In the very wide carriage in the middle, there was an old man with a woolen blanket covering his knees. His gaze was slightly turbid. Looking at the night road, he felt that this road seemed to never end.
The former Director of the Overwatch Council, the person who had secretly controlled the Qing Kingdom's dark powers for decades, the Qing Emperor's most loyal official, the most hated enemy of the Qing civil officials, the old thief that Northern Qi and Dongyi people feared the most, and a major figure who had once influenced the entire situation under heaven, Sir Chen Pingping had finally embarked on his journey to retire.
This time, he was not leaving Jingdou to return home to visit his family. He was returning home to settle down. First-class merit, countless rewards, and returning home to retire was a rare honor the Emperor had given this old dog. All of the Qing civil officials thought so.
Chen Pingping's home was to the east of the Qing Kingdom. If one looked at it from a map, it was below Dongyi. However, it was a great distance from Danzhou and Jiaozhou. On the contrary, it was closer to Jiangnan. It was an impoverished area that was not very developed.
The solitary group of carriages returning home was still far from home. Today, the group only passed through Dazhou. This was a province that Chen Pingping had to pass through on his way home.
The group of carriages did not notify the officials along the way to avoid startling all of them into coming out in fear and trepidation to kowtow to the old Director.
However, Dazhou was brightly lit today. The bailiffs of the government were busily searching for something under the strict scolding of the Ministry of Justice's officials.
Chen Pingping narrowed his eyes. He didn't remember any important figure in Dazhou. He lifted the curtain and summoned an unfamiliar official beside him. In a quiet voice, he asked a few questions.
The official's face was unfamiliar, but there was a craftiness in his eyes that came from understanding the affairs of the world. He smiled warmly and replied, "When the Commissioner returned to the capital, we had arrived a long time ago."
Chen Pingping hummed tiredly, but a complicated emotion flashed through his eyes. He thought of the conversation he had with the Emperor in the Royal Palace before he left Jingdou. He had already seen the deepest meaning in the Emperor's heart.
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