136: Got a Barrett! One hundred rounds of ammunition! (33

Chapter 136: barrett in Hand! One Hundred Bullets! (33)

Hearing Wu Zhu’s suggestion, Fan Xian also felt that this matter could not be delayed any longer.

“Uncle, Yan Xiao Yi in the palace died on the border, and the Peak eighth-rank Gong Dian is much weaker.”

“However, there is a Great Grandmaster hidden in the palace!”

Wu Zhu said, “The Great Grandmaster in the palace should be the Head Eunuch Hong Sixiang.

I can lure him away; you sneaking into the Empress Dowager’s sleeping quarters to get the key shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

Fan Xian, who had already broken through to the middle eighth-rank, was very confident in his Overbearing True Qi.

“Yan Xiao Yi Cultivated archery and had strong sound-locating abilities, making him very difficult to deal with, but Gong Dian is much weaker.”

“The Supervisory Council has locksmiths skilled at configuring complex keys, and it’s not far from the Imperial Palace.”

“This time, entering the palace for the key, I have more than an eighty percent chance of success!”

After Fan Xian secured his positions as Commissioner of the Supervisory Council and Head of the Department One, he arranged for Guo Youzhi to be transferred to the Supervisory Council, as a repayment for Guo Baokun protecting him over a thousand li.

That night, Fan Xian, Guo Baokun, and He Zongwei met at Drunken Immortal Tavern for drinks.

Fan Xian once again used drunkenness as a cover, preparing to have an alibi in case the matter was leaked.

Without Yan Xiao Yi, this entry into the palace seemed very smooth on the surface.

Wu Zhu lured Hong Sixiang away, using the Si Gu Jian Swordplay, successfully confusing Hong Sixiang.

After all, Si Gu Jian’s disciples had brazenly committed assassinations in the capital more than once or twice.

Wu Zhu was puzzled that Hong Sixiang did not reveal any Great Grandmaster’s pressure.

To be safe, Wu Zhu did not expose his true abilities either, suppressing his strength to delay Hong Sixiang.

Fan Xian entered the Hall of Halcyon Light, where the Empress Dowager resided, and used a sleeping drug to knock out the Empress Dowager and all the palace maids and eunuchs.

He carefully opened a secret compartment under the Empress Dowager’s bed and found three items inside.

One was a strangely shaped key, another was an opened envelope, and the third was a white silk ribbon.

Fan Xian dared not delay; he first took the key and quickly left the palace, having the locksmith reconfigure a new one for him.

His poison was enough to keep the Empress Dowager and the palace staff unconscious for more than two hours.

Therefore, after placing the reconfigured fake key back into the secret compartment, he curiously looked at the other two items.

Because Yan Xiao Yi was not in the palace, the difficulty of Fan Xian’s infiltration was much reduced, so he was also bolder.

The white silk ribbon was nothing special; it should have been a white silk ribbon for hanging.

Fan Xian wondered why the old lady kept a white silk ribbon for hanging.

When he opened the envelope and saw the letter inside, he understood where the white silk ribbon came from.

It turned out that Ye Qingmei and Emperor Qing had feelings for each other back then, but she was unwilling to enter the palace and even made Emperor Qing distracted.

The Empress Dowager believed Ye Qingmei was an evil woman, causing chaos in the country, disregarding royal law, and seducing the Emperor.

Therefore, the Empress Dowager sent a white silk ribbon to Ye Qingmei in Taiping Villa, telling her to commit suicide.

However, Ye Qingmei had Wu Zhu return the white silk ribbon to the old lady overnight, placing it by her bedside.

This letter from Ye Qingmei was sent back with the white silk ribbon; the letter, in a joking tone, narrated the whole story and expressed her dissatisfaction.

The entire letter was about trivial domestic matters, with no other important information.

To avoid alerting anyone, Fan Xian put the letter back as it was, not knowing why the old lady kept the white silk ribbon and the letter.

Inside the Imperial Palace, after Fan Xian left, Emperor Qing emerged like a ghost from a corner.

A Great Grandmaster’s perception range was limited, but the Empress Dowager’s secret compartment was within his perception range.

The Inner Court secret agents who had been monitoring Fan Xian recently had suddenly disappeared, and Emperor Qing was already suspecting Wu Zhu’s return.

A quarter of an hour later, Hong Sixiang came to Emperor Qing, feeling ashamed.

“The person who came used the Si Gu Jian Swordplay; his Cultivation is profound and unfathomable!”

Emperor Qing asked, “How unfathomable?”

Hong Sixiang, uncharacteristically, knelt and said, “The person’s True Qi was deeply contained, not a trace of it leaked out, but his speed and strength were on par with this old servant.”

“This old servant failed to capture the thief; please punish Your Majesty!”

Emperor Qing understood that the person who went to the Empress Dowager’s sleeping quarters twice was Fan Xian; he could tell from the slight chuckle when that person read the letter.

Emperor Qing naturally guessed that Fan Xian took the key and left a fake, because Fan Xian entered and exited the Empress Dowager’s sleeping quarters twice.

In the original work, Fan Xian didn’t have time to put the key back and only entered and exited once; Emperor Qing only thought Fan Xian came to read Ye Qingmei’s handwritten notes.

But tonight, Fan Xian’s actions were smooth, and Emperor Qing immediately thought of the key, and of the box Ye Qingmei left behind!

The one who lured Hong Sixiang away, needless to say, must have been Wu Zhu.

Wu Zhu had returned, and the two of them were going to work together to open the box!

The guilty Emperor Qing, even as a Great Grandmaster, felt a chill down his spine!

What exactly was in Xiao Yezi’s box!

And what would Wu Zhu’s blindfold hide!

“Get up; that person’s strength is indeed too great for you to deal with; you can only seek help from the Qing Temple.”

“I thought he would need several years to recover from his serious injuries, but I didn’t expect him to return so quickly.”

“Without further ado, you are to leave the palace now and bring the High Priest into the palace.”

An hour later, Hong Sixiang brought the High Priest of the capital’s Qing Temple to the Imperial Study.

Ye Qingmei came out of the Qing Temple, but her actions had too great an impact on human society, violating the Qing Temple’s principles.

Therefore, after Ye Qingmei performed certain deeds, the Qing Temple sent an envoy to Southern Qing to eliminate Ye Qingmei.

At that time, Emperor Qing and the mysterious Qing Temple envoy completed their first collaboration.

The Qing Temple envoy lured Wu Zhu away, Emperor Qing himself took Fan Jian on the Western Expedition, and deployed Chen Pingping to guard the Northern Border.

Ye Qingmei’s side was vulnerable, and she was killed by a rebellion instigated by the capital’s Meritorious Nobles.

The High Priest of the capital’s Qing Temple was the person chosen by the Qing Temple envoy to communicate with the Qing Temple.

When the Qing Temple envoy left, he explicitly stated that if a betrayer was found, the Qing Temple should be contacted.

The so-called betrayer, of course, referred to Wu Zhu, whom Ye Qingmei brought out of the Qing Temple.

And the High Priest’s method could only send one-way messages to the Qing Temple; there would be no response from the Qing Temple.

If the Qing Temple decided that an envoy needed to be sent, and there was an envoy available in the Qing Temple, one would naturally be sent.

At this moment, the High Priest knelt on the ground, listening to Emperor Qing’s instructions.

“High Priest, use your secret method to send a message to the Qing Temple.”

The High Priest asked without showing any emotion, “The last time the betrayer appeared, you did not notify the Qing Temple.”

Emperor Qing absolutely had to notify the Qing Temple this time because Wu Zhu and Fan Xian had taken the key!

Emperor Qing felt that he was facing unforeseen dangers, and things might spiral out of his control.

Therefore, he would rather eliminate the hidden danger first!

“Last time, he appeared briefly, then was injured and hid. This time, he should stay by Fan Xian’s side.”

The High Priest was merely the messenger chosen by the Qing Temple; the Qing Temple’s true collaborator was still Emperor Qing.

After all, under the rule of a traditional emperor like Emperor Qing, there would not be a sudden technological revolution that would lead humanity in a direction the Qing Temple deemed dangerous.

The High Priest accepted the order, saying, “This subject accepts the order; I will return to the Qing Temple to perform the ritual!”

After Fan Xian and Wu Zhu succeeded, the two of them opened the box left by Ye Qingmei at Fan Manor.

The barrett M82A1 in the box completely overturned Fan Xian’s imagination, not to mention Ye Qingmei’s astonishing letter.

It wasn’t ancient times, but the future!

Fan Xian, who thought he had Transmigrated, had merely had his memories preserved before death, and then a new life form was injected into him.

Therefore, Fan Xian did not Transmigrate; rather, his memory was paused for over a hundred thousand years and then revived in an infant’s body!

With Ye Qingmei’s letter, combined with Sean’s story, Fan Xian finally completely understood his situation and this world.

The barrett sniper rifle in the box was an anti-materiel weapon, capable of hitting tanks; if it hit a person, half their body would be gone.

With such a powerful weapon, and bullets traveling at three times the speed of sound, it would be too late to dodge once the sound of the bullet was heard.

However, this sniper rifle was missing its trigger and bullets.

Wu Zhu recalled, “The trigger you mentioned should be able to be made in the Imperial Treasury’s Three Great Workshops in Jiangnan.”

Although the trigger was intricate, it was merely a metal structural component and not complicated to process.

“As for the bullets you mentioned, they might be in Cangshan Villa, Taiping Villa, or Young Miss’s subordinates might also have some.”

Fan Xian excitedly said, “You’ve already been to Taiping Villa; the secret chamber at the bottom of the lake also needs a key, but now we have the key!”

Wu Zhu nodded and said, “That’s right, although Taiping Villa is heavily guarded, it can stop you, but it can’t stop me!”

Fan Xian chuckled, “As far as I know, no one in this world can stop you!”

“Uncle, it’s best to act quickly; you should still go and check tonight.”

Wu Zhu agreed deeply, “Good! I’m leaving.”

Having said that, Wu Zhu suddenly disappeared from Fan Xian’s sight.

In the early hours of the morning, Wu Zhu returned with another wooden box.

Fan Xian, who had learned the truth of the world, was so excited that he stayed awake all night.

When Wu Zhu opened the wooden box, Fan Xian was even more overjoyed!

Because inside the box were gleaming barrett bullets, about a hundred of them!

“Uncle, my mother left me an arsenal!”

“Can this divine weapon kill a Great Grandmaster?”

Wu Zhu thought for a moment and said, “Not necessarily; it depends on which Great Grandmaster.

If the opponent has superb lightness skill, it would be more difficult.”

“Whether a Great Grandmaster can be killed depends on your understanding of that Great Grandmaster and your familiarity with the divine weapon.”

“The most important thing now is to go to the Three Great Workshops in Jiangnan and have the trigger you mentioned made.”

“That way, no matter how fierce your opponent is, you will be absolutely safe.”

Fan Xian thought of Emperor Qing’s promise to him; Emperor Qing still wanted to hand over the Imperial Treasury to him.

“Good! Tomorrow, I will ask Your Majesty for permission to go to Jiangnan to deal with the Ming Family!”

The Cui Family smuggling case had been investigated, and the Ming Family’s role in it was also unsavory.

Although Emperor Qing did not allow further investigation into Li Chengze, he did not say that the Ming Family could not continue to be investigated.

Early the next morning, the Empress Dowager’s palace eunuchs spread the news of fainting in the Hall of Halcyon Light last night.

This was an informant specifically arranged by Li Chang’an through Hong Zhu, watching the Empress Dowager precisely for this matter.

Li Chang’an knew Fan Xian would definitely come to steal the key and had been prepared since last year.

Because Wu Zhu could appear at any time, having people closely watch Fan Xian was not feasible.

Li Chang’an was afraid of alarming Emperor Qing too early, so he had never personally taken the key.

Now that Fan Xian had acted, it meant Wu Zhu’s injuries had healed, and he had returned.

Because Fan Xian alone would not dare to enter the palace for the key.

That barrett also needed to be acquired somehow.

Because Wu Zhu was present, this matter could only be handled by Li Chang’an himself; no one else could do it.

Acquiring the barrett couldn’t be rushed; Li Chang’an also took the opportunity to visit Li Chengze.

Li Chengze was under house arrest, so ordinary people naturally couldn’t enter.

At this moment, the Second Prince was sitting in a pavilion, eating grapes barefoot, and reading Li Chang’an’s poetry collection.

Xie Bi’an was practicing swordplay, and Fan Wujiu was reading, preparing for next year’s Spring Examination.

The other six retainers were scattered throughout the princely manor, protecting Li Chengze.

Li Chengze, free of distractions, was engrossed in reading poetry when he suddenly heard Li Chang’an’s voice.

“Two ninth-rank, six eighth-rank, and a permanent hundred Red Armor Army; the Crown Prince cannot kill you.”

Looking at Li Chang’an who suddenly appeared before him, the grapes in Li Chengze’s hand fell to the ground.

Xie Bi’an quickly rushed over, exclaiming in surprise, “Your Highness Prince Yong, you have achieved a Breakthrough to ninth-rank!”

Li Chang’an said, “Indeed, but don’t tell anyone, okay? Right now, only this prince genuinely protects Your Highness.”

“You two may withdraw; I want to speak with Second Brother.”

Li Chengze narrowed his eyes and said, “Uncle Prince Yong, you truly keep your abilities hidden!”

“But I think I should be very safe; Li Chengqian wants to kill me, but he’ll have to wait until he ascends the throne.”

“However, with you around, his ascension will likely be harder than ascending to heaven.”

Li Chang’an sat down and said, “The one who wants to kill you now is not Li Chengqian, nor Li Yunrui, but Chen Pingping.”

How could Chen Pingping miss this opportunity to have the imperial family kill each other? All he had to do was kill Li Chengze and frame Li Chengqian.

Li Chengze never imagined Chen Pingping would kill him, “Director Chen? I haven’t offended him!”

Li Chang’an said, “Your father offended him; it’s better you don’t know about this. I will have the Shadow Guard strengthen patrols in this area.”

Li Chengze raised a hand to stop him, saying, “Don’t tell me those trivial matters; just focus on protecting me!”

Li Chang’an was very satisfied with Li Chengze’s current state, “Very good, that’s right.”

“There aren’t many masters in the Supervisory Council who can kill you, but you must be wary of them poisoning you.”

“I will send two highly skilled poison experts to look after you; you can rest assured and enjoy your retirement.”

Li Chengze nervously said, “Then you must hurry; I’m only in my early twenties; I don’t want to die!”

It seemed that the Second Prince not being a whetstone was indeed much more interesting.

Emperor Qing greatly approved of Fan Xian going to Jiangnan to investigate the Ming Family, even enthusiastically encouraging him and promising him the Imperial Treasury after his success.

Fan Xian then reported to Chen Pingping, who provided him with the strongest personnel and spent several days investigating the information on the Three Great Workshops’ managers.

However, just as Fan Xian was about to depart, a major incident occurred.

First, Wu Zhu fought another blindfolded Great Grandmaster; although Wu Zhu killed the opponent, he himself was severely re-injured.

After Wu Zhu was severely injured, he repeatedly instructed Fan Xian to go to the Three Great Workshops to make the barrett trigger before heading to Da Dong Mountain for healing.

However, when Fan Xian was ready to go to Jiangnan, he discovered something even more terrifying!

The barrett was gone, and a box of bullets was also gone!