Ever since Chu Li mastered the Heavenly Star Insight Skill, he could pass through formations and directly step into the Imperial Residence's backyard.
Through the Omniscient Mirror, he could see an old man pacing in the backyard with his hands behind his back. He was observing the flowers and plants around him with a calm expression and was fiddling with a jade ball in his hands.
The jade ball glowed as if inner energy was flowing in and out. When the light shone on his body, it seemed to be a strange spiritual energy.
Chu Li glanced at the jade ball. It was a treasure that was extremely effective in healing the body. However, the strange thing was that the old man's cultivation level was not high. He was barely a Grandmaster.
He turned around abruptly, his eyes glowing like lightning.
He was of medium build with slightly bent legs. His face was square and his mustache gave off a sense of sharpness. His eyes were like a golden eagle looking down at him, shining brightly and threatening.
This gaze was not caused by his cultivation level but by his outward display of killing intent.
Chu Li was surprised. Logically speaking, after retiring, the killing intent should be restrained inside and would not be so overbearing and aggressive. It was obvious that this was his nature and could not be compensated by his cultivation level.
He had thought about it for a long time, but it only took a moment.
Hou Zhengming scanned their faces with his burning eyes. He was not in a hurry to speak. His gaze finally landed on Sun Mingyue and hesitantly asked, "Saint?"
Sun Mingyue nodded and took off her white veil, revealing her beautiful face. She quickly put the veil back on and gave a fist salute. "Greetings, Royal Highness Hou."
"Saint, please forgive me for not going out to meet you." Hou Zhengming gave a fist salute and looked at Chu Li.
"Chu Li." Chu Li gave a fist salute. "Greetings, Royal Highness Hou."
"Chu Li?" Hou Zhengming looked confused and carefully sized him up. "Are you the Chu Li who killed the Fu Dynasty's emperor?"
Chu Li nodded and smiled. "That's me."
"Sorry for not recognizing you!" Hou Zhengming's expression turned serious and he gave a fist salute. "Young Master Chu, you're a great person. Please come in!"
He turned and went to the gazebo. Soon, maids came forward to serve tea while a few protectors appeared around them. They were agitated for a while but soon calmed down.
Chu Li and Sun Mingyue had just barged into the backyard without making a sound. The Protectors did not notice at all. This was truly a humiliation to them. They had treated them as if they did not exist. Although their martial arts were much weaker, they still felt indignant.
Hou Zhengming waited for Chu Li and Sun Mingyue to take a sip before putting down the teacup. Hou Zhengming smiled and said, "Saint, you're very busy with a myriad of affairs every day. Why would you look for an old man like me who has nothing better to do?"
"Royal Highness, we would like to hear you talk about Zhong Wancheng." Sun Mingyue said, "I'm sure Your Royal Highness has heard that Zhong Wancheng is personally leading an army to invade Li Dynasty."
"Sigh …" Hou Zhengming smiled bitterly. "The situation is not good. It's a pity that my words are useless now. My old arms and legs can't go into battle and kill the enemy!"
"His Highness's health is very good." Sun Mingyue said, "He can go to the battlefield again."
"My heart is already old. It's not suitable for me to go into battle again." Hou Zhengming shook his head. "If we go up, we'll only drag our men down. An incompetent general will exhaust the entire army. If Marshal Zhong personally leads the army, it might be the last time, so he'll definitely do his best. That's why we're in danger. The Li Dynasty's combat power is still lacking."
Sun Mingyue said indifferently, "Zhong Wancheng is very spirited. It won't be a problem for him to lead the army for another hundred years."
Hou Zhengming was startled. "As far as I know, Marshal Zhong suffered a serious injury when he was young and was left with a lingering illness. His health has never been good."
"He was cured two years ago," Sun Mingyue said. "His body is strong now."
Hou Zhengming's expression changed slightly, and his thick eyebrows furrowed together.
Chu Li was using the Omniscient Mirror to look into Zhong Wancheng's mind and saw Zhong Wancheng's appearance.
He was plump and had an honest smile on his face. He looked like a rustic farmer, and no one would believe that he was the commander-in-chief of an army or the Qiu Dynasty's God of War.
Chu Li also saw Zhong Wancheng talking to Hou Zhengming and teaching him horsemanship. He also saw Zhong Wancheng charging and breaking through enemy lines with Zhong Wancheng.
He could feel Hou Zhengming's gratitude and respect for Zhong Wancheng, as well as a hint of helplessness and sorrow.
Hou Zhengming was grateful to Zhong Wancheng. Without Zhong Wancheng, he would have died because Zhong Wancheng saved his life.
However, Zhong Wancheng wanted to go against the Li Dynasty. As a person of the Li Dynasty, Hou Zhengming had to protect his parents, relatives, and friends. Therefore, he could only leave Zhong Wancheng and return to the Li Dynasty. He trained the Li Dynasty's cavalry with the military training techniques he learned from Zhong Wancheng to fight against the Qiu Dynasty's cavalry.
Without the Li Dynasty's cavalry, the Li Dynasty would have been ravaged by the Qiu Dynasty countless times. Wherever the cavalry went, they were like locusts, leaving nothing behind. Who knew how many Li Dynasty's civilians would have died under the hooves of the Qiu Dynasty's cavalry.
Hou Zhengming retired from the imperial court at a young age and no longer cared about anything. First, his body was weak, and second, he was driven by conflicting thoughts. Since he had trained the Li Dynasty's cavalry, he did not want to meet Zhong Wancheng on the battlefield and fight each other.
Hou Zhengming sighed with a complicated expression.
When he heard that Zhong Wancheng had recovered, he was happy and sad. He was happy that Zhong Wancheng was healthy and could live for a long time, but sad that the Li Dynasty's civilians would have to suffer again. If the Qiu Dynasty lost Zhong Wancheng, the two countries would be able to coexist peacefully.
Chu Li asked, "What protectors does Zhong Wancheng have?"
Hou Zhengming was stunned and his expression changed. "You want to assassinate him?"
Sun Mingyue said, "Since we can't kill him, we can at least severely injure him. We can also stop this war and reduce the number of casualties."
"This …" Hou Zhengming sighed and said, "It's very difficult. In the military formation, you can't even use thirty percent of your strength. Moreover, the top experts in the army protect him too tightly, or else he would have been assassinated long ago. Over the years, he has faced thousands of assassination attempts, but not a single one succeeded."
"All the more reason to try," Chu Li said.
Sun Mingyue asked, "Other than the military formation, what other treasures do you have?"
"As far as I know, Marshal Zhong is also wearing a Heavenly Frost Treasured Clothing that can't be damaged by treasured swords. Moreover, Marshal Zhong's martial arts is extremely high, and I can't compare to him. Even you might not be able to defeat him," Hou Zhengming said.
Chu Li nodded.
He saw Zhong Wancheng's cultivation level in Hou Zhengming's mind. It was indeed unpredictable, and it was obvious that he had cultivated some kind of secret skill. It was not easy for a master in the military to cultivate to his level.
"Heavenly Frost Treasured Clothing …" Sun Mingyue nodded.
She thought about the news about the Heavenly Frost Treasured Clothing. It was said that it came from the ancient Heavenly Frost Sect and was made of an unknown material. It was impervious to fire and water, swords and spears, and even crossbows could not pierce through it.
Having this treasured clothing did not make one invincible on the battlefield. If one fell from a horse and was trampled by a herd of horses, no matter how powerful the clothing was, it would not be able to protect him and he would be turned into meat paste.
Having this treasured clothing could only protect him from sneak attacks and assassinations.
Chu Li said, "Since he has the Heavenly Frost Treasured Clothing, his protectors should not be so strict, right?"
Hou Zhengming shook his head. "Very few people know that he has the Heavenly Frost Treasured Clothing. He also wants others to know, so his protectors are very strict. He has at least twenty top-notch masters protecting him."
"Twenty top-notch masters …" Sun Mingyue looked at Chu Li.
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