110: Obtained the Heavenly Dao Law! Teng Zijing killed Yan Xiaoyi!

Chapter 110: Obtaining the Heavenly One Method! Teng Zijing Kills Yan Xiao Yi! (13)

Name: Xiao En

Age: 70 years old

Realm: Ninth-Rank

Talents: Espionage (Ninth-Rank), Martial Dao (Eighth-Rank), Stratagem (Eighth-Rank)

Abilities: Espionage (Ninth-Rank), Stratagem (Ninth-Rank), Poison Arts (Ninth-Rank), Politics (Sixth-Rank)

Emotion: 0

“Xiao En, people like you are too shrewd and too conceited. Every single one of your personality traits was firmly grasped by Chen Pingping.”

“Regarding the news from Danzhou, he simply wouldn’t reveal everything, telling you bit by bit, deliberately letting you guess.”

“Fan Xian learned poison arts from a young age, and his rapid promotion was indeed for the purpose of escorting you back to Northern Qi, for the ultimate secret in your heart.”

“You were very strictly guarded, and all the information you knew was filtered by Chen Pingping, yet you so conceitedly drew conclusions.”

“Fan Xian almost died a while ago; a Great Grandmaster with covered eyes saved him. That person is Ye Qingmei’s blind servant…”

Li Chang'an recounted Chen Pingping and Emperor Qing’s schemes to Xiao En one by one.

Xiao En also recalled Fan Xian’s every move since they met, including his reaction after Fan Xian mentioned Ye Qingmei just now.

As he thought, Xiao En’s face turned ashen, then became ferocious.

Xiao En was misled by Chen Pingping entirely because he had been imprisoned for too long and selectively fed information. In that closed environment, he could only repeatedly chew over the limited information he received.

In such an environment, Xiao En’s character flaws were further amplified. He was also constantly thinking about his grandson, and thus gradually fell into the thought trap designed by Chen Pingping.

This was a powerful psychological suggestion and brainwashing hypnosis. There was no such term in this era, but the smartest people in every era knew how to manipulate human hearts.

The most thrilling battles are those fought on the battlefield of the human heart.

Xiao En’s emotions suddenly became agitated, followed by a roar, “Impossible! You’re lying to me! What evidence do you have to prove what you said!”

“Since I took charge of the Great Wei’s Imperial Guards, I have never miscalculated, only to be caught because Chen Pingping exploited a loophole!”

“Chen Pingping, a man whose legs I crippled, how could he possibly defeat me!”

“Impossible, absolutely impossible!”

“Fan Xian… Fan Xian is my grandson!”

He shouted frantically, his emotions completely out of control!

Xiao En had already discovered the problem, he just couldn't accept reality right now.

People of supreme intelligence are all conceited and proud. Otherwise, he wouldn't have changed his surname to Xiao, not wanting to bask in the glory of his elder brother, Zhuang Mo Han.

Such a proud and successful person cannot accept failure. If Chen Pingping capturing him was a fluke, then this scheme was a complete victory.

Just then, Li Chang'an suddenly struck Fan Xian again with a True Qi.

“Since you like this grandson so much, I’ll just kill him.”

After Li Chang'an finished speaking, he suddenly disappeared into the depths of the cave.

Xiao En was baffled, thinking Li Chang'an had really killed Fan Xian.

“Fan Xian! Fan Xian!”

“My grandson! You are not allowed to die!”

“I’m not even dead yet, how could you die!”

He had only shouted a couple of times when his ears twitched, detecting someone approaching.

As this person drew closer, the last shred of hope in Xiao En’s heart began to dissipate.

Indeed, in the blink of an eye, a dark figure appeared at the cave entrance.

It was the Shadow Guard of the Supervisory Council!

Chen Pingping’s close subordinate!

The moment he saw the Shadow Guard, Xiao En immediately fell silent, his entire spirit and energy completely drained, like a Living Corpse.

He lost! He had thoroughly, completely lost to Chen Pingping!

Chen Pingping used a nearly twenty-year-long scheme to trick him out of his most important secret!

The Shadow Guard was Chen Pingping’s backup plan to save Fan Xian’s life. If Fan Xian were his, Xiao En’s, grandson, why would Chen Pingping allow the Shadow Guard to protect him in secret?

Why did the Shadow Guard come upon hearing Xiao En call out Fan Xian’s name a few times!

Chen Pingping sending the Shadow Guard to protect Fan Xian proved that Li Chang'an was right just now.

Xiao En had been thoroughly played by Chen Pingping from beginning to end!

Not long ago, the Shadow Guard woke up in the stone pillar cave, breaking out in a cold sweat.

Wu Zhu had no True Qi, and the person who attacked him could project True Qi!

Therefore, it must be one of the Four Grandmasters!

Which one it was, he really couldn't determine, nor did he dare to rashly judge.

Sometimes, the more you know, the faster you die.

He had made up his mind not to tell anyone about this matter for now, only Chen Pingping.

“Fan Xian! Fan Xian!”

After confirming that Fan Xian still had a breath, the Shadow Guard quickly roused Fan Xian.

Fan Xian slowly woke up, then looked at the Shadow Guard with a puzzled expression.

“Shadow Guard… why are you here?”

Xiao En snorted coldly, “Two sneaky bastards! Chen Pingping’s lackeys!”

“You don’t need to pretend anymore, if you have the guts, just kill me.”

Fan Xian stood up and said, “I never pretended from beginning to end. Everything was said by you.”

The Shadow Guard was very alert, and his intuition told him that they couldn't stay here for long.

Moreover, Chen Pingping’s instructions were very clear: save Fan Xian’s life, and ignore everything else.

Therefore, when Fan Xian saw the Shadow Guard, his heart felt warm.

Because Chen Pingping had still left a backup plan to save his life.

“Fan Xian, don’t say anything. Let Xiao En fend for himself, leave immediately!”

Xiao En said coldly, “Chen Pingping, and even your Emperor Qing, overlooked one thing.”

“I have told Fan Xian all the methods to enter the divine temple and obtain a great Opportunity.”

“But will Fan Xian tell those two old fogeys, hahaha!”

The Shadow Guard completely ignored Xiao En’s words and directly pulled Fan Xian out of the cave.

As soon as they exited the cave, Fan Xian was about to speak, but the Shadow Guard immediately interrupted him.

“Regarding the secret, don’t say another word. I’ll pretend I didn’t hear any words of discord.”

Shortly after the Shadow Guard left, Li Chang'an appeared before Xiao En.

“Old fox, you provoked the Shadow Guard to kill you, and I would definitely intervene to save you for the sake of the Cultivation Technique.”

“And once I intervened, in order to hide my tracks, I would inevitably have to kill both of them to silence them.”

“In that case, you would have gotten your revenge, but the Shadow Guard was too alert and didn’t fall for it.”

Xiao En sighed deeply, “If I could have imprisoned Chen Pingping for over a decade, I could have schemed against him too.”

Li Chang'an praised, “You’ve grasped the essence of the problem. Chen Pingping could defeat you precisely because you were imprisoned.”

“Your information all came from him; how could you not be manipulated?”

Xiao En asked bitterly, “How is my grandson?”

Li Chang'an said, “He was cultivated by Chen Pingping into the most loyal Great Qing guard, even more loyal than you were to Great Wei back then.”

Xiao En nodded, “Chen Pingping did say that back then, and he certainly followed through.”

“Great Grandmaster, I will exchange the Heavenly One Method for my grandson to know the truth of his origins.”

“As for how he chooses, whether to believe it or not, that will be up to him.”

Li Chang'an asked, “There’s nothing wrong with being a loyal Great Qing guard, seeking to have a wife and children provided for.”

Xiao En gritted his teeth, “How can a descendant of Xiao En be at the mercy of his enemies!”

“Deal!”

Li Chang'an sealed the deal, and Xiao En very cooperatively recited the Heavenly One Method.

The Heavenly One Mind-Cultivation Technique highly advocates the harmonious unity of man and nature, which is the resonance of True Qi and the Origin Qi of heaven and earth.

Li Chang'an now had a deep understanding of the martial arts of this world and initially judged that the Cultivation Technique had no problems.

Moreover, he wasn't going to Cultivate the Heavenly One Method; he was merely comprehending its principles to help himself accelerate the Cultivation of the White Level Futu.

Not long after reciting the Cultivation Technique, Xiao En gradually lost his breath, “Damn it… I’m so unwilling.”

Fan Xian returned to the diplomatic mission, incorporated Guo Baokun and all the old soldiers, and then continued north.

More than half a day later, Fan Xian sent people to the bottom of the cliff to retrieve Xiao En’s body, so as to have an explanation for Northern Qi.

At least there were Lang Tao’s knife wounds on Xiao En’s corpse, but even so, Fan Xian handing over a dead Xiao En to Northern Qi would not be too smooth.

After all, the two countries had agreed to exchange a living Xiao En for a living Yan Bingyun.

After Li Chang'an returned to the convoy, Teng Zijing limped back that very night.

He had been hit by three arrows, but he had brought back Yan Xiao Yi’s head.

“Your Highness, your subordinate pursued Yan Xiao Yi for over a hundred miles, killed five of his confidants, and finally caught and killed him!”

Li Chang'an looked at Yan Xiao Yi’s head, whose eyes were wide with anger, then disdainfully tossed it aside.

No matter how good one’s appearance or how great one’s ability, once one becomes a sycophant, one can never rise again, becoming utterly worthless.

“Teng Zijing, from today onwards, you are the Deputy Commander of the Shadow Guard, on par with Xing Yusen.”

“Your identity still needs to be kept secret for a while. You shall use the surname Jing for now, and be called Jing Wuming.”

Teng Zijing was publicly considered dead, so he had to use a pseudonym.

“Thank you, Your Highness!”

Wang Qinian patted Teng Zijing’s shoulder, looking like an old Senior.

“Your Highness, Commander Jing came from the Supervisory Council, and it won’t be easy to restore his identity.”

Li Chang'an said casually, “What’s so difficult? Just destroy the Supervisory Council.”

Wang Qinian immediately shrank his neck. The strongest intelligence agency in the world, the Qing Kingdom’s primary organ of power, seemed to be nothing in His Highness’s eyes!

After everyone dispersed, Haitang Duoduo raised an eyebrow, “Li Chang'an, you really want to rebel, don’t you?”

Li Chang'an shrugged and said, “This King said, I’ll rebel against Qi Country first. Just wait and see.”

Several days later.

Southern Qing Capital City.

Chen Pingping entered the Imperial Study with a memorial, “Your Majesty, Your Majesty, it’s done!”

Emperor Qing immediately dismissed his attendants and eagerly picked up Chen Pingping’s memorial to read it.

In the original plot, Fan Xian met Xiao En alone, so only Fan Xian himself knew whether the plan succeeded or not.

But now, due to the appearance of the Shadow Guard, Chen Pingping already knew that the plan had completely succeeded; Xiao En had confessed everything.

In his memorial to Emperor Qing, he recounted everything Fan Xian encountered, and then how he fell off the cliff and gained Xiao En’s trust.

As for the Shadow Guard’s personal protection, that was entirely Chen Pingping’s own decision, and of course, he wouldn’t mention it.

The Shadow Guard had also explained to Fan Xian at the border that the matter of his personal protection should be kept a secret.

Emperor Qing let out a long sigh after reading the memorial, “It’s been almost twenty years, and we’ve finally pried open Xiao En’s mouth!”

Chen Pingping continued, “Fan Xian, this child, is brave, resourceful, and quick-witted; he can be of great use.”

“However, Xiao En’s secret is too significant. This old subject believes it’s better not to send a pigeon message, but to wait for Fan Xian to return and report in person; that would be more appropriate!”

Emperor Qing paced back and forth in the room anxiously, “I originally thought Fan Xian would only be able to accomplish this after reaching Northern Qi, but I didn’t expect it to be done midway.”

“Fan Xian must not be harmed. Have him turn back immediately; there’s no need to exchange Yan Bingyun anymore!”

Chen Pingping’s heart tightened. Twenty years of planning had come to fruition, and Yan Bingyun was no longer important.

“Your Majesty, intelligence always has a delay. Fan Xian might have already entered Wushui Pass.”

Emperor Qing thought for a moment and then said, “All border garrisons are to advance thirty miles to pressure Northern Qi. If anything happens to Fan Xian, we will immediately launch a full-scale invasion of Qi!”

Ever since Li Chang'an completed his divine descent, Southern Qing believed it had received the heavenly mandate to unify the world, and there was no need to find any excuse for invading Qi.

Emperor Qing continued, “You are to send the Shadow Guard to infiltrate Northern Qi and have him personally protect Fan Xian. There must not be the slightest mistake!”

Chen Pingping had originally intended to do this, after all, he also wanted to know the origin of Ye Qingmei and the secret of the divine temple.

Ku He was not in the capital city, and the Shadow Guard going to the capital city would not be easily discovered.

Northern Qi Capital City.

The Empress Dowager and the young Emperor also received news of Xiao En’s death.

“Mother Empress, it’s good that Xiao En is dead. If he had returned alive, Shang Shanhu would have gained even more power.”

“It’s just a pity that the secret you spoke of, Mother Empress, might be buried forever underground.”

The Empress Dowager said helplessly, “Lang Tao and Haitang still have to listen to the Imperial Uncle on this matter.”

“The Imperial Uncle, being a Great Grandmaster, is truly the pillar of the Zhan family. Without him, we, mother and daughter, would not be able to stabilize the court.”

Zhan Doudou naturally understood this principle, “Without Great Master Ku He, Southern Qing’s northern expeditions would not always be superficial.”

“Ever since Great Grandmasters appeared in this world, they have been the foundation for the existence of various countries.”

“Recently, Western Qin has been quite aggressive, and there have been several skirmishes on the border.

This child truly doesn’t understand why they are so rampant when they don’t have a Great Grandmaster!”

The Empress Dowager sighed slightly, looking at the map on the table, “In two months, when the Imperial Uncle has fully recovered, I will ask him to kill all of the Western Qin imperial family.”

“Western Qin and Great Qi both originated from Great Wei. They don’t have a Great Grandmaster, so they can only be our vassal state. Now, wanting to rise up might not be so easy!”

Northern Qi already faced considerable military pressure from Southern Qing, and now with a vassal state rebelling in the west, they were indeed in a predicament.

At this stage, with Ku He seriously injured, it was Western Qin’s Opportunity to grow. Li Chang'an had already ordered Zhao Gao to give Zhan Doudou and her mother a big surprise soon.

Northern Qi was already weak, yet because Zhan Doudou and her mother wanted to consolidate power, capable officials like Shen Zhong and Shang Shanhu became thorns in their eyes.

No matter how bad Emperor Qing was, if he were in Northern Qi, he would still be able to subdue these two capable officials.

Therefore, Li Chang'an always felt that Northern Qi had an illegitimate claim to power and could not tolerate loyal officials.

Because of the illegitimacy of Zhan Doudou and her mother’s claim to the throne, they feared any power they could not control, which is why they were wary of Shang Shanhu and Shen Zhong.

There were indeed outstanding empresses, but these two were definitely not.

So, in Li Chang'an’s plan, Zhan Doudou should take off her dragon robe and obediently enter the imperial harem to enjoy her good fortune.

As for this Great Qi Country, without Ku He, it would probably collapse in an instant!

Currently, I can still maintain three chapters a day, but I can never write three chapters by 12 o’clock. I will work hard to return to a state of updating three chapters at once!