99: Fan Xian was nearly deposed by the Iron Prime Minister! Wuzhu Pierces the Thirteenth Brother

Chapter 99: Fan Xian Almost Crippled by Prime Minister Tie! Wu Zhu Pierces the Heart of the Thirteenth Son! (23)

Among the Northern Qi Delegation, besides a small number of truly reverent individuals, most people cursed inwardly without stop.

The last two sentences of the divine oracle stated that Li Chang'an was the only Celestial Vein Holder, and that the deities would no longer descend to the mortal realm.

This meant that Haitang Duoduo was a fake, not a Celestial Vein Holder at all!

Moreover, the deities would no longer descend; not only would this deity not descend, but no other deities would descend either!

Northern Qi's attempt to imitate this would no longer work.

Fan Xian also secretly clicked his tongue, as Li Chang'an's invitation for a deity to possess him had absorbed the lessons of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

Otherwise, after the Heavenly Father descended, there would also be a Heavenly Brother descending.

In the end, a Heavenly God would descend every other day, with several Heavenly Gods descending in turns.

With Li Chang'an's declaration, no matter how Northern Qi tried to stir things up, it would still be a fake.

Looking at the bewildered Li Chang'an, the Crown Prince secretly admired him greatly; what superb acting!

The Great Priest patiently explained to Li Chang'an what the divine oracle had said.

Emperor Qing, hidden in the shadows, nodded in satisfaction, "Not bad! He recited it word for word!"

Hong Sixiang said in a deep voice, "From now on, the Great Qing's Northern Expedition will be in accordance with the will of Heaven, and there will be no need to find further reasons for it."

Emperor Qing smiled and said, "We must first get rid of Ku He and Si Gu Jian; after that, there will be no obstacles to unifying the world!"

Hong Sixiang asked, "Will Your Majesty appear at the Qing Temple to see off the delegation?"

Emperor Qing thought of Wu Zhu and barrett, and still shook his head, "Forget it. I'll just watch from the shadows."

"You convey a message to them, saying that I need to thoroughly study the divine oracle, so I will suspend court for three days and not see outsiders."

Emperor Qing had already thought of this reason; he would never leave the palace in his public identity.

Wu Zhu was nearby; who knew if he had recovered his memory? If Wu Zhu recovered his memory, he would definitely try to kill him.

In the Qing Temple, the sacrificial ceremony concluded in Perfection, and the people of Southern Qing were overjoyed, while those from the other two countries were dejected.

Everyone proceeded to the front hall, where a banquet had been prepared to see off the delegations of the two countries.

The Second Prince walked beside Li Chang'an, excitedly recounting what had just happened.

"Uncle Prince Yong, you don't know, you were just possessed by a deity!"

"The deity said that you are the only Celestial Vein Holder in the world, and that deities will no longer descend!"

Li Chang'an seemed to awaken from a dream, his Face filled with shock and doubt, "Eh? I'm actually a Celestial Vein Holder!"

The Second Prince said, "Yes, you've been exceptionally talented since childhood, excelling in poetry, calligraphy, and painting!"

"If you weren't a Celestial Vein Holder, how could you possess such astonishing talent!"

As Li Chengze spoke, he almost convinced himself; could Uncle Prince Yong really be a Celestial Vein Holder?

This thought secretly grew in the hearts of everyone present.

Only the identity of a Celestial Vein Holder could explain Li Chang'an's many years of miraculous achievements.

In the legends of this world, every few hundred years, a Bloodline left by Heaven in the human world would begin to awaken.

This Bloodline might represent an irresistible fighting force, such as the great general in the distant ancient kingdom of Nasi.

At a historical juncture when the country was about to be destroyed by barbarians, he, with his personal bravery and fighting power, assassinated most members of the barbarian's primitive council.

Other Celestial Vein Holders might exhibit great talent in art or wisdom.

For example, the Grand Master Bohr who died three hundred years ago in the West, and his wife, the playwright Fubo.

Therefore, regarding Li Chang'an's extraordinary artistic talent, many people had already secretly linked it to a Celestial Vein Holder.

Everyone settled down in the front hall of the Qing Temple, and the eunuchs and palace maids served plain wine and vegetarian dishes, but Emperor Qing was still late.

Soon after, Eunuch Hou hurriedly delivered an oral decree, "Hearing of the descent of a deity and the divine oracle, I will suspend court for three days to receive the divine oracle on behalf of Great Qing."

"I must thoroughly study the divine oracle. Today's banquet to see off the delegations of the two countries will be presided over by the Crown Prince."

After Eunuch Hou left, the farewell banquet proceeded as usual, and the Crown Prince also felt relieved upon hearing the oral decree.

The Northern Qi Delegation ate this meal with trepidation, each of them worried about how to explain it to the Empress Dowager and the Emperor upon their return.

When the banquet was almost over, a fifteen or sixteen-year-old youth suddenly stepped out from the Northern Qi Delegation.

The youth had a tender Face, held a long sword, and his brows conveyed a stern arrogance. He was Wang Xi, who had adopted the alias Prime Minister Tie.

He cupped his hands and said to the Crown Prince, who was seated at the head table, "Your Highness the Crown Prince, this humble foreign official is Prime Minister Tie, the last Disciple of the Great General of Great Qi, Shang Shanhu."

The Southern Qing side was somewhat confused about this suddenly appearing youth.

"Shang Shanhu's last Disciple?"

"Shang Shanhu is a Ninth Rank Upper Level Master!"

"What if he's a Ninth Rank Upper Level Master? He was still defeated by the Great Qing Iron Army!"

The Crown Prince asked, "Prime Minister Tie, you can be accepted as the last Disciple by General Shang Shanhu, so you are indeed a Junior Martial Champion. Do you have something to say?"

Prime Minister Tie replied, "I have been studying under my Master for six years, and I have few rivals among the youths of Great Qi."

"I have long heard that Qing Kingdom was founded on martial arts, and in earlier years, there were even martial debates in front of the palace.

Duels were commonplace on the streets, and this humble official greatly admires such a martial spirit."

"I heard that your country held a Junior Martial Debate this year, and a Junior Martial Champion emerged. Is that true?"

Fan Xian was eating melon when he suddenly paused upon hearing this. This kid was coming for him.

In these few months, under Wu Zhu's guidance, Fan Xian had successfully achieved a Breakthrough to Eight Rank.

His Overbearing True Qi was quite formidable; a full burst from an Eight Rank initial stage might not lose to an Eight Rank Upper Level.

In the original plot, he had just achieved a Breakthrough to Eight Rank when he defeated the Eight Rank Peak Cheng Jushu.

Although Overbearing True Qi had side effects, it was far from the time for them to manifest.

Fan Xian was still very confident in dealing with peers.

Seeing Prime Minister Tie speak like this, the Crown Prince also roughly guessed his intention.

"Prime Minister Tie, this matter is known throughout Qing Kingdom. The Junior Martial Champion is Fan, the Harmonizer."

As he spoke, he pointed to Fan Xian, who waved at Prime Minister Tie.

Prime Minister Tie continued, "I am not talented, and I am also just sixteen years old.

Hearing that Fan Xian holds the title of Junior Martial Champion, I am simply unconvinced."

"Fan Xian is the top martial artist among the youths of Qing Kingdom, why does he not dare to compete with me?

Is he afraid that losing would tarnish Qing Kingdom's reputation as a nation founded on martial arts?"

Fan Xian sat calmly, lazily replying, "That's not it. I just don't want to bully a child, that's all."

Provoked by Fan Xian, Prime Minister Tie said coldly, "Don't just talk big. Let's follow the rules of your Southern Qing's Palace Martial Debate!"

"Either duel and compete, or admit defeat and kowtow, confessing your cowardice, and at the same time, relinquish the arrogant title of Junior Martial Champion!"

Officials from the Northern Qi Delegation also chimed in, "One is the top youth in Qi Country, and the other is the Junior Martial Champion of Qing Kingdom. They can certainly compete!"

"That's right, Qing Kingdom has always valued martial arts. How can someone not dare to step forward when challenged?"

"What's there to be afraid of? Let's have a fight and liven up the banquet!"

Fan Xian was a bit annoyed; he never liked being coerced.

However, he precisely obtained his official position by relying on the title of Junior Martial Champion, representing the strongest among the youths of Southern Qing.

Guo Baokun said solemnly, "Brother Fan, I've always had good judgment, and I'm very accurate at reading people!"

"I think that Prime Minister Tie, who looks soft and weak, is no match for you!"

"Go give him a beating; who told him to act so arrogantly on Great Qing's territory!"

Clearly, the officials of Southern Qing all hoped that Fan Xian would act, as Southern Qing valued martial arts.

The Crown Prince, with a serious expression, whispered to Li Chang'an, "Uncle Prince Yong, what do you think?"

Li Chang'an sat upright, "This King will watch while sitting."

"Oh, watching while sitting is good." The Crown Prince chuckled apologetically, then said to Li Yunrui, "Aunt, what do you think?"

Li Yunrui said, "Northern Qi lost the war, and now they are clearly trying to regain Face. Prime Minister Tie must have come prepared."

"Fan Xian is deeply trusted by His Majesty. Exercise extreme caution; under no circumstances can anything happen to Fan Xian."

Of course, the Crown Prince knew the stakes, but if Southern Qing, a nation founded on martial arts, were to back down, he would probably be reprimanded and dealt with by Emperor Qing again.

Li Yunrui knew that Fan Xian had no choice but to fight, and that the Crown Prince dared not lose national Face, which was why she dared to speak like that.

Indeed, the ministers on Qing Kingdom's side all urged Fan Xian to fight.

"Fan, the Harmonizer, your True Qi is Overbearing, and you recently advanced to Eight Rank. Beat him!"

"Fan, the Harmonizer, when you hadn't achieved a Breakthrough to Eight Rank, the Eight Rank Peak Cheng Jushu couldn't even kill you. What's there to be afraid of!"

"Fan, the Harmonizer, what Sharp Weapon do you need? This general will lend it to you!"

Xin Qiwu clenched his fists, his eyes wide with rage, "Lord Fan, you must teach that brat a lesson!"

"Fight him without worry; this official will cheer you on!"

Fan Xian sighed, "Once you enter officialdom, you lose your freedom."

"Prime Minister Tie, if you want to fight, then let's fight!"

Fan Xian stood up, facing Prime Minister Tie, both exuding the untamed spirit of youth.

Seeing Fan Xian step forward, the Crown Prince also breathed a sigh of relief, "Fan, the Harmonizer, you must uphold the national prestige of our Great Qing!"

The Second Prince, however, shouted, "Wait!"

"Prime Minister Tie uses a long sword, but Fan Xian is bare-handed. Isn't that a bit unfair!"

"My personal soft armor, a Sharp Weapon that cannot be harmed, can be lent to you!"

As he spoke, the Second Prince was about to take off his clothes.

Fan Xian quickly turned back and waved his hand, "Thank you, Your Highness the Second Prince, for your concern. This subject has a Sharp Weapon!"

He did not want to get involved in the succession struggle and was confident in his own strength.

So he stopped Li Chengze from taking off his clothes, then pulled a dagger from his boot.

Shadow, hidden in the dark, was also paying attention to the situation in the main hall. Knowing that there was a young Master in the Northern Qi Delegation, Chen Pingping had asked Shadow to follow and watch, just in case.

Prime Minister Tie said, "Swords have no eyes, and there's no space to properly use them here. Let's go outside!"

After saying this, Fan Xian and Prime Minister Tie both leaped out of the main hall and engaged in battle on the spacious plaza.

Prime Minister Tie was not using Si Gu Jian Swordplay; those who had achieved Sword Intent could long ago transcend being confined to a particular sword technique.

Li Chang'an's martial arts attainments were now far beyond what they used to be, and after a fight with Wu Zhu, his understanding of Dao was even deeper.

He found that Fan Xian's Overbearing True Qi was indeed extraordinary; with an Eight Rank lower level cultivation, he could actually fight Prime Minister Tie, who was at Eight Rank Peak, back and forth.

Moreover, he was skilled in Assassination techniques, his movements were extremely fast, and he often caught his opponent off guard.

Prime Minister Tie's long sword, against Fan Xian's short blade, surprisingly couldn't gain an advantage for a while.

His long sword danced impenetrably, with sword shadows overlapping in the plaza, but Fan Xian could always precisely parry the long sword.

"Clang, clang, clang!" The two had exchanged dozens of Moves in the blink of an eye!

Fan Xian seized an opening, parried the long sword with his short blade, infused Overbearing True Qi into his right fist, and punched Prime Minister Tie in the chest.

Prime Minister Tie retreated continuously with the force of the blow, and a faint wisp of smoke suddenly appeared between them.

Silver light flashed within the poisonous smoke, and several silver needles simultaneously shot towards Prime Minister Tie's chest.

"Thud, thud, thud!"

The silver needles struck Prime Minister Tie's chest but did not penetrate, indicating he was clearly wearing precious armor.

At the same time, Fan Xian saw Prime Minister Tie tightly closing his mouth and nose, clearly prepared for his poisonous smoke.

Fan Xian had never used the silver needle and poisonous smoke tactics during the Junior Martial Debate.

But now it seemed that his opponent was prepared for all his trump cards.

Prime Minister Tie retreated several zhang, escaping from the poisonous smoke, "As expected of someone from the Supervisory Council, your methods are quite vicious!"

Zhu Ge had long leaked Fei Jie's methods to Li Yunrui, and Li Yunrui had given them all to Zhuang Mo Han, so Prime Minister Tie was naturally prepared.

Yun Zhilan stood at the entrance of the main hall and said coldly, "These are all petty tricks unworthy of the stage when sparring!"

Li Chengze, however, said, "Great Master Yun, don't be offended. Fan Xian is a Disciple of the world's foremost Master of poison, so using poison and Assassination are his true skills."

Yun Zhilan said, "It's a pity that even with poison and Assassination, he's still no match for that little fellow from Northern Qi."

Li Chengze gave a charming smile, "Not necessarily, you see, Prime Minister Tie's sword is almost knocked out of his hand!"

Yun Zhilan no longer replied, only a hint of a smile crossed his lips.

Although Fan Xian wielded a short blade, he was now constantly taking the initiative, each sword thrust hitting Prime Minister Tie's weak points.

Prime Minister Tie could not use Si Gu Jian Swordplay; using other sword techniques, it was easy for the discerning Fan Xian to spot weaknesses.

With a whoosh, Prime Minister Tie directly threw his long sword away, engaging Fan Xian bare-handed.

Fan Xian frowned slightly, noticing that Prime Minister Tie's hands were like palms yet not palms, forming sword fingers.

Li Chang'an, watching from afar, was also slightly surprised. As expected of Si Gu Jian's Disciple, it seemed he could already condense Sword Intent.

Their movements were like lightning, and in a flash, they exchanged several more Moves.

Prime Minister Tie was grazed several times by the short blade, but with his precious armor, he remained unharmed.

Fan Xian was also poked several times in vital acupoints by Prime Minister Tie's sword fingers; his acupoints throbbed faintly, and his movements became increasingly sluggish.

Shadow, hidden in the dark, cried out inwardly, "Not good! Prime Minister Tie's technique is strange; it can scatter Fan Xian's True Qi within his Meridians!"

Li Chang'an also realized that Prime Minister Tie was using Sword Intent to penetrate Fan Xian's acupoints, and then using some method to condense the Sword Intent, leaving it within Fan Xian's Meridians!

It seemed this was the killing Move Ku He had lent to Zhuang Mo Han.

If this continued, Fan Xian's True Qi within his Meridians would be scattered by the external Sword Intent.

His speed was getting slower and slower, and the power of his Moves was getting weaker and weaker!

Indeed, the battle situation rapidly deteriorated in an instant, and Fan Xian was poked several more times by Prime Minister Tie's fingers!

"Pfft!"

Fan Xian spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, and Prime Minister Tie's sword fingers directly jabbed at Fan Xian's Dantian!

If this jab connected, Fan Xian's True Qi would be completely crippled, and he might even be in mortal danger!

"Hold your hand!"

The Crown Prince and the Second Prince shouted simultaneously, and Xie Bi'an and several Imperial Guard Masters were already about to intervene.

However, these people were still too far away, and it seemed they wouldn't make it in time.

Suddenly, a black shadow flashed past everyone, so fast that it didn't even leave an afterimage!

"Do not harm Fan Xian!"

When everyone saw the black shadow clearly, he had already tucked Fan Xian under his arm, and a steel skewer had pierced Prime Minister Tie's arm.

The tip of the steel skewer passed through the arm, deeply piercing Prime Minister Tie's heart!

Wu Zhu only wanted to cripple Prime Minister Tie's arm, but both of them were too fast.

Wu Zhu was simply too strong, and in his eagerness to save someone, he couldn't hold back.