Fan Xian was shocked for three reasons. First, the Emperor's affection for his son in sending him down the mountain was truly beyond his expectations. Second, the Emperor's words seemed to lack his usual confidence. Third, it was the Emperor's last sentence...

Who would sit on that chair, let him decide? Was this a last will or something else? The problem was, even if he was lucky enough to return to Kyoto before the Eldest Princess proclaimed the established fact, what strength did he have to turn his ideas into reality?

This was not the Ming family of Jiangnan, nor the Cui family, nor the court officials in Kyoto, nor the pitiful people in the Imperial Observatory, but the Imperial Palace, the ownership of the world!

A bitter smile appeared on the corner of Fan Xian's lips. Even if he was a powerful minister in Qing, he didn't have a single soldier in his hands. How could he stabilize Kyoto for the Emperor? And on what basis could he decide who would sit on that chair?

"I will not lose." The Emperor's lips revealed a smile, a smile full of cold killing intent. "Even if I lose, what is there to fear if Ye Liuyun and Si Gu Jian accompany me in death? You don't need to worry. Dean Chen is in Kyoto, and the Empress Dowager is in the palace. Those people can't stir up much trouble. Take my decree, take my traveling seal, and if anyone dares to stop you... kill them all!"

Cold sweat dripped from Fan Xian's forehead. He thought that if the Ye and Qin families also rebelled, even if he was a Grandmaster, he could only fight a guerrilla war at best. How could he kill them all?

He had already seen the uncertainty in the Emperor's heart, and his mood couldn't help but become dim. If the Emperor really died on Da Dong Mountain, what would become of this world? Whether the Crown Prince or the Second Prince ascended the throne, Qing would probably no longer have a place for him. Was he really going to embrace that cornucopia and embark on a second path?

However, the situation had not reached its most dangerous moment. On the mountaintop, there were still Eunuch Hong and Uncle Wu Zhu, plus more than a hundred Tiger Guards. No matter what kind of strong enemy they encountered, they could hold out for a long time.

There was only one way to forcefully ascend Da Dong Mountain. The task of the five thousand archers at the foot of the mountain was obviously to cut off the connection between Da Dong Mountain and the world, at least for more than three days, to make time for the events in Kyoto. But these rebel troops could not play any role in truly assassinating the Emperor.

Because the Emperor would not be foolish enough to go down the mountain.

Then... Ye Liuyun would ascend the mountain.

This was indeed a gamble. If the situation in the three kingdoms was still the same as before - if the Qing Emperor set a trap to kill Ye Liuyun, both Northern Qi and Dongyi would be happy to see it happen. Ku He and Si Gu Jian would not abandon their identities and intervene.

But... the cold sweat on Fan Xian's forehead had dried, and he felt a chill all over his body. In Wuzhou, his father-in-law Lin Ruofu had reminded him that for a goal that was tempting enough, even dazzling, Grandmasters might naturally come together.

The taste in Fan Xian's mouth became increasingly bitter. If things really developed like this, where would there be any survivors on Da Dong Mountain? But didn't the Emperor anticipate this situation from the very beginning? He carefully glanced at the Emperor's face and found that the Emperor's complexion was a bit gloomy, and the pupils in the night were flashing with flames...

He didn't dare to continue thinking about these problems. He quickly analyzed the current situation in his mind. The outcome of the situation on Da Dong Mountain was unknown, but if it fell into a stalemate, there would be problems in Kyoto. He had to bring the news that the Emperor was still alive to Kyoto, to the side of the Empress Dowager.

Even if the Emperor died, he had to make the Empress Dowager believe that the Emperor was still alive when he returned to Kyoto. Otherwise, based on the judgment of a political figure like the Empress Dowager, once she learned of the Emperor's death, she would definitely choose to have the Qin family support the Crown Prince's ascension to the throne to stabilize the Qing court.

The Emperor was her son. If anyone wanted to harm the Emperor, the Empress Dowager would definitely not allow it. But if the Emperor's death became an established fact, as the eldest member of the royal family, the Empress Dowager had to consider the survival of the entire royal family and the survival of the world.

So, whether from the perspective of his own safety or from the perspective of the situation in Kyoto, Fan Xian knew that the Emperor's arrangement was very correct. He had to return to Kyoto with the Emperor's autograph letter and the traveling seal to stabilize the situation and deal with the post-Grandmaster era.

Yes, the post-Grandmaster era. In the battle of Da Dong Mountain, no matter who won or lost, there would definitely be one or two Grandmasters who would withdraw from the stage of history.

……

……

He silently nodded and said, "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, nothing will happen in Kyoto."

The Emperor looked at him deeply and said, "The road ahead is difficult and dangerous. Be careful."

Fan Xian was slightly stunned. Originally, he had been quite sarcastic and self-deprecating about the Emperor's previous words "My four sons," but he didn't expect to hear such a sentence, and his heart softened a little.

————————————————————

Fastening his belt and confirming that his equipment was complete, Fan Xian quickly transformed from a court official into a ninth-rank night traveler. He restrained his aura all over his body, as if he wanted to merge with the scenery of Da Dong Mountain's peak.

Only those annoying silver moonlight shone inharmoniously on his body.

He carried the Emperor's traveling seal and the personal letter to the Empress Dowager in his arms. It wasn't very heavy, but he felt it was very heavy - he knew that the news of Da Dong Mountain being besieged would definitely return to Kyoto soon. At the same time, the news that would return to Kyoto would be that the Emperor had been assassinated - the Eldest Princess was playing a perfect timing game. She didn't even need to prepare anything in Kyoto. As long as she confirmed the Emperor's death, the Empress Dowager had to walk out from behind the curtain in grief and choose one of the three princes to succeed to the throne.

At this time, the Heaven Worship Ceremony had not been completed, and the decree from Heaven had not been issued. Although the world knew that the Crown Prince was about to be deposed, the Crown Prince was still the Crown Prince. From the perspective of political stability or anything else, the Empress Dowager would choose the Crown Prince to succeed to the throne.

This was not a conspiracy, but simply taking advantage of the situation, taking advantage of the natural course of events. Even if the Emperor had left countless backhands in Kyoto, and Chen Pingping and the Imperial Guards were unswervingly loyal, who would dare to openly defy the Empress Dowager's decree after the news of the Emperor's death spread throughout the world, unless... they wanted to rebel a second time.

Fan Xian stretched his limbs, seemingly wanting to lighten the burden on his body. He knew that he was equivalent to carrying the Qing dragon throne on his back.

"They are, after all, your own brothers." The Emperor stood beside Fan Xian, who was dressed in black, and said coldly, "If you can avoid killing them, then don't, especially Chengze. But... if you have to kill them, then kill them all."

Fan Xian's heart trembled slightly, and he nodded.

The Emperor's lips curled slightly as he looked at the small boat on the distant sea, and said sarcastically, "Why is Uncle Liuyun so slow? Could it be that as a Grandmaster, he still can't control his timidity in the face of me? Does a Grandmaster need help?"

Fan Xian smiled, said nothing, looked up at the bright moon in the sky, and frowned.

……

……

"During the day, I told you why I chose Da Dong Mountain for the Heaven Worship Ceremony." The Emperor suddenly said, "The primary reason, of course, was to invite Lao Wu (Wu Zhu) to come out of the mountain."

Fan Xian looked at the Emperor.

The Emperor looked at him calmly and said, "The second reason is... Da Dong Mountain is an isolated peak by the sea, the best place to die. Yunrui had Yan Xiaoyi surround the mountain, and then asked Uncle Liuyun to leisurely climb the mountain to assassinate me. I had nowhere to go."

Da Dong Mountain was isolated by the sea. There was only one dead end to the mainland at the foot of the mountain, and the side facing the sea was a stone wall as smooth as jade. Even a Grandmaster could not use their lightness skill to climb it. If the Emperor was assassinated here, it would truly be impossible to escape.

"My choice of Da Dong Mountain as a place to die was to give Yunrui an illusion." The Emperor seemed to have broken free from the news that Si Gu Jian might be coming and returned to that confident look, quietly looking into Fan Xian's eyes, as if he wanted to see through his true heart.

"She thought she could block all the news from Da Dong Mountain and mess around in Kyoto, but she forgot... I chose this place to die because I have someone by my side who can... fly out of this place of death."

Fan Xian smiled bitterly, thinking that his unique skills had not escaped the Emperor's eyes. It seemed that the Emperor knew almost everything about him - in this world, probably only his unique method of circulating Qi could help him slide down that smooth-as-mirror Da Dong Mountain. The Emperor had brought him to Da Dong Mountain, and it turned out that he had laid an ambush here.

The Emperor's thoughts were indeed far-reaching. Fan Xian's heart suddenly moved, and he was no longer as worried as before. Since the Emperor could even use him, how could he not have made plans to deal with the most dangerous situation?

The Emperor smiled and said, "I once told Gong Dian that your wall-climbing skills are very similar to mine... much stronger than mine."

Fan Xian looked at the abyss-like cliff under his feet, twisted his neck, and rarely joked, "Having a son who climbs over the wall is only a pity that the moonlight is too bright tonight."

"The moon has its phases of waxing and waning, as you once said." The Emperor looked up at the sky and said, "I can't predict all the things that will happen, but I know that the moon can't always be so bright."

As soon as he finished speaking, a layer of dark clouds floated over the sky, covering the round moon behind the clouds. The silver light suddenly converged, and darkness returned to the earth. The top of Da Dong Mountain was pitch black.

Fan Xian was no longer beside the Emperor.

———————————————————

In the night forest at the foot of the mountain, the smell of blood filled the air, more fishy than the sea breeze. Occasionally, moonlight filtered through the forest, and one could vaguely see corpses everywhere in the forest. Some corpses were lying on the ground, and some corpses were leaning weakly against the tree trunks. Most of the dead were wearing the uniforms of the Imperial Guards, and even more consistently, several feathered arrows had pierced through the bodies of these Imperial Guards who had been sniped and killed.

The feathered arrows were deeply embedded in the bodies of the dead, nailing them firmly to the trees and the ground. The scene was very tragic and terrifying.

The forest at the foot of Da Dong Mountain was dense, and the official road was obscured by the night and the forest. It was impossible to see its general appearance. One could only see countless corpses and blood. The closer one got to the foot of the mountain, the more intense the previous fighting was.

A fire started and then went out. Only some trees near the mountain gate were still burning, illuminating a corner of the silent night. The scorched smell gradually rose from the ground, suppressing the smell of blood and the sea breeze, causing both armies to become nervous.

"Swish!" With a sharp whooshing sound, a long feathered arrow shot out like lightning, hitting an Imperial Guard on the edge of the forest closest to the periphery!

The Imperial Guard clutched the long arrow in his chest, trying to pull it out, but in the midst of the pain, he didn't have the strength and slowly sat down.

As he sat down, three more feathered arrows came piercing through the air, stabbing fiercely into his body!

The Imperial Guard's head tilted to the side, blood spurted from his lips, and he died.

……

……

The foot of the mountain was quiet. Five thousand rebel troops arrived at Da Dong Mountain without anyone knowing and launched the most despicable and sudden night attack on the two thousand Imperial Guards. The Imperial Guards were caught off guard, and since they were accompanying the Emperor on the Heaven Worship Ceremony, they had not prepared the heavy armor needed for field battles...

The attacking rebel army was Yan Xiaoyi's personal battalion, over five thousand longbowmen and sharpshooters. They feigned attacks in Cangzhou and the vicinity of Yanjing and then fled. With Si Gu Jian's tacit consent and deliberate concealment, they traversed the sixteen vassal states of Dongyi City and came out of a secret passage north of Danzhou. It took them nearly twenty days to seal off Da Dong Mountain like five thousand ghosts.

The scouts along the Da Dong Mountain line were sniped and killed by the masters in the rebel army, without having time to send any news - it was conceivable what a heavy price two thousand Imperial Guards without heavy armor would pay when ambushed by five thousand longbowmen.

And what made these Imperial Guard soldiers the most angry and painful was that the first wave of attacks by the attacking rebel archers used fire arrows!

In that instant, the foot of Da Dong Mountain seemed to light up thousands of sky lanterns at the same time, drifting and floating toward the Imperial Guard's camp. The fire arrows ignited upon landing, the camp burned, the forest burned, and everything burned, with great momentum. At that time, it was the lights that the Emperor and his entourage saw on the top of the mountain.

But the Imperial Guards could not spare any attention to put out the fire, because the burning fire and the suddenly bright night forest exposed the figures of all of them in the eyes of the opposing archers. Although the Imperial Guards were well-trained and immediately sought suitable terrain for cover in the first instance, they still paid more than two hundred lives in the round of arrow rain that followed closely!

After that, it was a bloody and boring counterattack, a break-out attempt, failure, and annihilation.

The ground was covered with corpses, and the mountains were covered with blood.

In just a few rounds, the rebel army defeated the Imperial Guards, gained an initial victory, and sealed the Imperial Guard's troops in an area of half a mile around the mountain gate of Da Dong Mountain. At this time, the rebel army's offensive suddenly stopped. Only occasional cold arrows were shot, mercilessly killing the Imperial Guards who intended to break through and report the news.

The occasional sound of arrows made the suddenly dead and silent forest at the foot of the mountain even quieter, deathly quiet.

……

……

Suddenly, a blood-soaked man stood up from a pile of corpses. In such a moonlit night, in such a killing field, the sudden appearance of such a scene caused both sides of the soldiers to feel terrified, but they immediately became numb. So many people had died, so why would they be afraid of a corpse changing?

The fingers of the archers of Yan Xiaoyi's personal battalion trembled, and ten arrows shot over. Each arrow's target was not repeated, aiming at a certain point on the blood-soaked man's body, completely enveloping him. It was extremely shrill, making it impossible for the man to avoid.

This was a military order, strictly prohibiting anyone from breaking through. Therefore, every time the attacking rebel army shot someone, they had to ensure that the person died. Suddenly finding someone walking out of the pile of corpses, the archers subconsciously shot their arrows, thinking, "Won't you die?"

But no one could have imagined that the more than ten soul-devouring arrows in front of the blood-soaked man did not care at all. He simply picked up two corpses beside him and brandished them like shields!

A series of muffled sounds rang out. More than ten arrows almost simultaneously hit the blood-soaked man, but the next moment it became clear that they had only hit the corpses that the blood-soaked man was waving, spraying countless blood, making the blood-soaked man even more terrifying.

Corpses were heavier than shields, but this blood-soaked man could wave the corpses and block the extremely fast arrows. It had to be said that this person's arm strength was very amazing, and his vision and realm were even more shocking.

Someone in the rebel army seemed to have given an order, so the situation of ten thousand arrows firing at once did not occur.

The blood-soaked man slowly put down the corpses in his hands, grinned, seemingly grieving for something, sympathizing with something, sighing with emotion for something, and then he slowly walked towards the mountain gate, without the disturbance of arrows. He walked very calmly.

He walked to the foot of the mountain gate, and a thunderous cheer erupted from the Imperial Guards.

They didn't know who this blood-soaked man was, but they knew that this blood-soaked man was an official of the Supervisory Council, a confidant following Supervisor Fan, and an absolute expert... In the third wave of attacks by the rebel army, this official of the Supervisory Council killed more than forty longbowmen alone, until he was finally knocked down by the crowd and submerged in the pile of corpses.

Everyone thought he was dead, but they did not expect that he was still alive. On such a terrifying night, at a time when the rebel army could kill all the Imperial Guards at any time, they suddenly discovered that their side had such a strongman, which was enough to boost the morale of the surviving Imperial Guards.

That was why there was that thunderous cheer.

Wang Shisanlang walked to the charred mountain gate, slowly sat down on the stone steps, took the towel handed over by a member of the Qinian Group, wiped the blood off his face, revealing his bright, handsome face.

He grinned, revealing a mouthful of healthy white teeth, looking at the other side in the dark night, smiling at the rebel army.

Thirteen Lang, a true warrior, has learned to use corpses to block arrows tonight, and is no longer a reckless man. If Fan Xian saw this scene here, he would sigh with such emotion.

……

……

The sound of horses' hooves rang slightly. The rebel army's camp split open, and several horses came out. A person was sitting on the leading horse. This person was shrouded in black from head to toe, covering his face as well.

Yan Xiaoyi's personal soldiers did not know who this man in black was, but they only knew that General Du Yan had strictly ordered that all the battles in this trip were to be commanded by this person. Originally, although the personal soldiers strictly obeyed military orders, they were still somewhat unconvinced in their hearts. But until they crossed mountains and rivers to the foot of Dong Mountain, this man in black issued several military orders, dividing and encircling the Imperial Guards, beating them to the ground...

They were all very simple orders, all very direct arrangements, but they were extremely cleverly matched with the terrain at the foot of Da Dong Mountain and the environment of the dark night. This man in black used his troops... truly like a god.

Facts proved everything. At this time, the eyes of the five thousand longbowmen in the field looking at the man in black were filled with nothing but admiration and awe. Even the sudden military order to stop the attack that had previously been incomprehensible was no longer dared to be questioned.

The man in black was tall and burly. He looked even more majestic sitting on the horse. It was just a pity that he was shrouded in black, unable to see his true face and the power hidden under the black clothes.

The man in black looked at the young man with a blood-soaked face and jade-like white teeth under the mountain gate from afar, and a voice came through the black cloth, very emotional.

"Magnificent... He has been killed three times and has not died. He is a true warrior. If this person joins the army, within a year, there will be one more fierce general in the world."

The man in black suddenly smiled, "But the overall situation has been established. How can the power of a single person reverse the heavens? It's just a pity that after a while, this warrior will die."

Someone beside him suddenly sighed. The man in black turned his head and looked over, gently asking, "Does Master Yun feel sorry for his talent?"

The person who sighed was none other than Yun Zhilan, the chief disciple of Si Gu Jian of Dongyi City, and a master of swordsmanship!

Fan Xian was indeed not mistaken. Dongyi City did send their most elite team of assassins to help the Eldest Princess's rebel army, and it was actually Yun Zhilan who led the team!

Yun Zhilan glanced at the man in black beside him, smiled somewhat reluctantly, but did not answer this question. Because among everyone in the field, he was the only one who knew who that young man with a blood-soaked face but still stubbornly maintaining a smile was.

That person was not an official of the Supervisory Council, and not even a citizen of Qing! He was Wang Shisanlang, the youngest disciple most beloved by his master, and his most accomplished little brother.

"Have they all gone crazy?" Yun Zhilan muttered to himself. He thought, "Since his little brother knows that the master's school has sent people, why is he still guarding the mountain gate like a fierce tiger? What exactly is he thinking?"

"The master sent you to follow Fan Xian, but not to truly become Fan Xian's assistant." Yun Zhilan looked at the blood-soaked man under the distant mountain gate, thinking with incomparable confusion in his heart: "Do one thing and be loyal to one thing? Even disregarding the interests of the school? Is this madness... or the clear killing intent that the master admires the most?"

"If you don't go crazy, how can you survive?" The man in black replied indifferently to Yun Zhilan's sigh.

Yun Zhilan shook his head and said nothing. Although he didn't know why his little brother would do this, as a descendant of the Jianlu, he respected his little brother, so he would not reveal his little brother's secrets in front of this man in black.

He did not know who this man in black was, but at present, all the troops were led by this person, and after observing for a long time, he had to admit that this man in black's use of troops was indeed extraordinary. There were no risky tricks, all were steady and sure, but he allocated the resources of the entire rebel army to a nearly perfect state, without giving the Imperial Guards of Qing any chance to counterattack or break through.

Yun Zhilan led most of the masters of the Jianlu and came out in full force to cooperate with Yan Xiaoyi's personal battalion. There were originally great problems with the cooperation between the two sides. If the sword masters of the Sixth Bureau of the Supervisory Council on the mountain or those tiger guards with high martial arts skills broke through, it would not be so easy to completely seal them off.

But the man in black riding on the horse seemed to possess a pair of divine eyes that could see all the details on the battlefield. At the beginning of the surprise attack, he forcibly ordered the masters of Dongyi City to go to seemingly insignificant places to set up ambushes.

At first, Yun Zhilan did not understand, but when ambushes occurred in the dark one after another, when the breakthroughs from Da Dong Mountain were suppressed again and again by this man in black's methods... Yun Zhilan finally understood that this man in black was definitely not an ordinary person. He could lead the entire battlefield, but he did not let go of any possible loopholes.

Such use of troops could not be achieved without being immersed in the battlefield for decades - so Yun Zhilan was very puzzled. Why did Yan Xiaoyi not personally lead the troops and who exactly was this man in black?

He was guessing. In fact, many people in the rebel army were guessing the identity of the man in black. This man in black joined the ranks of the rebel army with only two guards, but he used his troops as if he was moving his fingers, freely and fiercely killing, which was very admirable.

The man in black did not explain the intention of stopping the attack at this time to his subordinates, but coldly looked at the towering mountain that suddenly rose in front of him. Leading the rebel army on this trip was only a part of the agreement. If he did not temporarily take this force into his hands, His Majesty... would find it difficult to make that decision.

Suddenly, a dark cloud floated over the sky, completely covering the bright moon. It was dark near the mountain gate. The man in black sat motionless on the horse, only the short weapons in the cloth bags held by the two guards beside him were shining with a faint light.

——————————————————

Fan Xian did not know how long the dark cloud would cover the moon. He silently slid down the mountain, neither slowing down nor speeding up, terribly maintaining a stable speed. The side of Da Dong Mountain facing the sea, which was like jade during the day, emitted a faint deep light in the dark night, perfectly merging with him, who was dressed in night clothes.

The dividing line on both sides of Da Dong Mountain, like a knife, inserted straight into the ground by the sea. There were experts from Dongyi City lying in ambush there, so he could not choose that route and could only descend from the side directly facing the sea breeze.

No one in this world could slide down from such a desperate situation except for Fan Xian - so he was not worried that the people on the sea or the rebel soldiers on the land would discover his traces, but he was still extremely nervous because he always felt that there was a pair of eyes behind him that were piercing through the darkness and the howling sea breeze, calmly watching him.

……

……

(Smiling and continuing to ask for monthly tickets.)