Well, Yan Li was too honest. All the civil and military officials in the hall were stunned.
Even though they were still suspicious, no one dared to question Wang Ba. What did it mean to be ranked seventh on the Asura List? There were only six people stronger than him in the entire Divine Land.
Wang Ba squinted his eyes, which were filled with a dangerous light like a prehistoric beast. "Do you know who you're talking to?"
The whole world seemed to have sunk into a stagnant swamp. Yan Li felt his body sinking. He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but no words came out. He knew very well that this was just an illusion created by the strong oppression of the other party.
However, even if he knew, he couldn't stop it or escape. The gap between the Spiritual God Realm was too big.
The swamp soon drowned him. He was trapped in the endless darkness. He couldn't see light and was overwhelmed by a deep sense of helplessness. He couldn't help but feel hopeless.
Cultivate the Tool Awareness first, then the Dao.
Tool Awareness could sometimes be seen as courage, which was the foundation of cultivation.
At this moment, Yan Li was scared out of his wits.
It was an irreversible process. Wang Ba was right in front of him. He poured all his malice on Yan Li. With Yan Li's current Spiritual God Realm, it was already praiseworthy that he didn't die right away.
In the eyes of others, Yan Li didn't say a word. His face was pale. If they looked closely, they could see that there were fine beads of sweat on his forehead.
It was a good sign. At least, it showed that his body was still functioning normally.
He provoked Wang Ba, and he was scared out of his wits?
The officials all sneered in their hearts. He was just a robber.
A beam of light suddenly fell from the darkness, accompanied by flying petals. Each petal seemed to represent a bit of memory. There were familiar scenes that kept repeating.
They were peach blossoms.
Yan Li suddenly realized that they were memories that he had forgotten. They were strange yet familiar.
Countless petals gathered together and turned into a huge mirror. It was the season of falling petals. A little girl stood under a tree. The flying petals were like elves, swimming around her.
The little girl said seriously and firmly, "You're my hero!"
Who are you?
Yan Li instinctively felt that she was very important to him, but he couldn't remember why.
Surrounded by peach blossoms, he felt as warm as a mother's embrace.
And so, the darkness was lit up.
Hiss!
Yan Li was like a drowning man who had come into contact with fresh air. He greedily took a big breath.
Wang Ba frowned and turned around to look at Ji Tiansheng thoughtfully. The latter remained calm and composed.
Yan Li gradually returned to normal, as if nothing had happened, and said, "Do you know who is talking to you?"
"Oh?" Wang Ba was interested. "I'm curious. Who are you? Robbers? Student? Or someone else's gigolo. "
The last sentence was full of sarcasm.
Yan Li calmly said, "General Wang, please remember, you're talking to a great hero of the dynasty. Western Liang has been invading for ten years, and General Wang has stopped them for ten years. That's a great contribution. However, it was us, Yanshan Robber, who ended the civil war. It was us, Yanshan Robber, who killed Lu Qizhong. It has nothing to do with you. Do you need me to remind you? "
As soon as he said that, everyone suddenly remembered that there was such a thing. They had almost forgotten about it.
In fact, the civil war had ended in the hands of Yanshan Robber. If they hadn't ambushed Western Liang's headquarters and killed Lu Qizhong, Bing State would have belonged to Western Liang long ago.
With the territory of several states, Qin Queyue would definitely be king. By then, Western Liang would have become an independent country regardless of whether the dynasty acknowledged it or not.
Moreover, once Bing State was conquered, it was equivalent to opening the pass to the Central Plains. The nearby Youzhou and Yongzhou would become food for Western Liang.
Feeling the increasing pressure, Yan Li stared at Wang Ba without flinching. He said coldly, "If it wasn't for Yanshan Robber, Bing State would have fallen into the hands of Western Liang. I'm sure General Wang knows what would have happened. I'm your savior. Is this how you treat your savior?"
All the officials gasped. They thought to themselves, How dare he offend a Martial God? He must be tired of living.
In fact, even if Yan Li chose to retreat, as long as the fact that he had killed Wang Yuanqing remained, Wang Ba would not let him go.
Wang Ba's eyes were cold. "I don't remember asking you to intervene. I'll kill Lu Qizhong myself. Yanshan Robber stole my prey and dared to speak rudely in front of me. Do you want to die?"
"Enough!"
Ji Tiansheng shouted, "Wang Ba, I'll ask you again. Do you know that Zhang Huanfa colluded with the underworld?"
At this moment, Wang Ba's aura was not as fierce as before because he had acted without a good reason.
In the beginning, he had been pressuring Ji Tiansheng. Apart from his extraordinary power, he had also contributed greatly to the dynasty's ten years of guarding Bing State.
However, when Yan Li pointed out that he was not the one who ended the civil war, he immediately extinguished half of his arrogance. It was impossible for him to achieve the effect he had at the beginning, and the officials in the court would not allow him to be impudent endlessly. After all, the court was their territory.
"I know nothing." Wang Ba gradually calmed down.
At this moment, Yan Li turned to Ji Tiansheng and bowed. He said, "Your Majesty, before I killed Zhang Huanfa, I heard him say, 'I'm also a cultivator.'"
"What do you mean?"
Yan Li smiled and said, "Zhang Huanfa is the Martial God's brother-in-law, but he hasn't made any major breakthroughs in his cultivation. I think the Martial God is not very satisfied with this brother-in-law. Otherwise, why didn't he teach him anything all these years? He is too eager to make a breakthrough, even if it means betrayal … "
He was not satisfied, but it was enough.
He was giving Wang Ba a way out. Of course, he was also giving himself a way out.
Ji Tiansheng nodded slightly, knowing that the invisible crisis had been defused. He said, "Actually, I also believe that General Wang is innocent, but gossip is a fearful thing. I hope General Wang will not take it to heart."
"I dare not." Wang Ba looked calm on the surface.
"In that case, General, rest for two days and then return to Bing State. The frontline still needs you to guard."
"Yes."
…
Two hours later, after a fierce competition, the candidates for the Minister and the Capital Governor had been decided.
The new Minister, Yan Li, was no stranger. It was Gu Shiyu, who had caused him to hand in a blank paper. He was also the key culprit in the Bai Residence's extermination case. He would never forget that face even if he died.
As for the Minister of Central Affairs, Li Yixiu, as Ji Tiansheng's close official, he was arranged to be in the Capital Governor's Office.
After observing the system in the court, Yan Li had a direct understanding of the "factional strife" that Ma Guanshan had mentioned.
After the end of the court session, he was asked to stay and go to Zichen Palace for an audience.
Ji Tiansheng let him into the inner hall and dealt with the memorials without raising his head. He said, "You'd better not provoke someone like Wang Ba."
Yan Li sat in an unseemly manner and said lazily, "I can't help it. I'm too vain and love to be in the limelight. If I don't show off when I have this kind of opportunity, I'll feel uncomfortable."
"Don't be so talkative," Ji Tiansheng said, "But I won't thank you. You should understand."
"I understand. I have to prove my value in order to continue living."
"As long as you understand."
Then there was a long silence.
Yan Li was tired, so he laid down and soon fell asleep.
The only sounds left in the hall were his snores and the sound of him flipping through the memorials.
Ji Zhiyuan looked up at Yan Li, who looked like a dead pig, and couldn't help but smile. "Aren't you afraid that I'll sell you out?"
Then she looked left and right. The palace maids and eunuchs had all been sent away by her, so there was no one to order around. She thought about it and walked into the back hall. She took out a blanket from the temporary bedroom and covered Yan Li with it.
By the time she finished reading the rest of the memorials, it was already noon. As if they had a tacit understanding, she had just put down her pen when Yan Li sat up and stretched comfortably.
"You really think you're at home." Ji Tiansheng rolled his eyes.
Yan Li found that there was an extra blanket on his body. He immediately picked it up and sniffed it. "Hmm — the fragrance of flowers, the fragrance of beauties, flowers don't speak, beauties don't speak. From this fragrance, I can tell that her master must be a gentle, kind, considerate, lovely, and beautiful woman."
Ji Tiansheng said casually, "This blanket is for Eunuch Yang's use."
Yan Li was stunned and felt his stomach churning. He threw away the blanket as if he had seen a ghost and said angrily, "Why didn't you say so earlier!"
Ji Tiansheng mimicked his lazy expression and said innocently, "Why didn't you ask earlier?"
"Well, I'll make it up to you to eat here." She tried to hold back her laughter.
"My young and pure heart has been severely damaged. You want to send me away with a meal!"
However, he was really sent away with a meal. Ji Tiansheng specially asked the imperial kitchen to prepare an exquisite meal to bribe him.
After lunch, Ji Tiansheng said seriously, "After waiting for two days, it should be about time."
Yan Li also became serious and said, "The Black Mountain is not ordinary. We need a detailed plan."
"You thought of one?"
"I thought of one, but it still needs to be discussed."
The clues left behind by Gui Thirty-Three first introduced the structure of the Black Mountain. For example, the ruler, the Night King, the four hall masters of Yan Luo Dian, the master of the Phantom Pavilion, and the master of the Phoenix Pavilion.
Yan Luo Dian had seventy-two ghost officials and many of them were martial artists. The Phantom Pavilion had seventy-two White Impermanence who were experts in formations and bewitching. It was said that they could form ever-changing formations. The Phoenix Pavilion had countless thugs and most of them were wanted criminals who were taken in by the Black Mountain. It was possible that even a pimp was a great thief with a bounty of tens of thousands of gold. It was not surprising that there were some experts among these people.
There was also a topographic map of the Black Mountain, including the secret passage that Yue 'er escaped from.
In addition, it was emphasized that everyone must drink a bowl of Meng Po's soup before entering the Black Mountain. On the surface, it was to let the guests forget the troubles of the mortal world and enjoy themselves to the fullest. In fact, it was a special method to monitor the guests' movements.
Gui Thirty-Three called it the Mark of Death. It was like being pulled by an invisible thread and would be discovered no matter where they went.
Yan Li deduced that the reason why their escape failed was because of this mark.
There were two ways to enter the Black Mountain. One was to disguise as a captured slave and the other was to disguise as a rich person who wanted to buy slaves and seek excitement.
Gui Thirty-Three did not know the specific way to enter the Black Mountain, but he knew the process.
"What is the plan? Tell me." Ji Tiansheng said.
Yan Li thought for a moment and said, "It is obviously inconvenient to disguise as slaves, so we can only disguise as rich people. As for the specific execution …"
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