0p0 Chapter 556 Joy of Life 112
Chapter 556 Joy of Life 112
On the other side of the mountain lies a continuous stretch of land and forest.
Here, countless plants grow wildly, much taller than those in other places.
In the height of summer, the canopy of these towering trees can block out all the sunlight, plunging Dadong Mountain into a gloomy atmosphere.
Fortunately, it is early spring now, and there is no greenery in the mountains yet, and the trees have not yet grown thick leaves, so the view and light are still quite good.
Standing atop the mountain, looking down from above, the magnificent scenery unfolds before your eyes, stirring a surge of heroic ambition within you.
However, at this moment, Fan Xian had no mind to admire the scenery; instead, he focused all his attention on Emperor Qing and dared not relax for a moment.
Therefore, he keenly caught the fleeting excitement on Emperor Qing's face.
Fan Xian's alarm bells suddenly went off. His hands, hanging at his sides, clenched quietly, exerting a slight force hidden by the wide sleeves of his robe. His body tensed up as well, ready to deal with any unexpected situation at any moment.
Instead of staying obediently in the capital, Emperor Qing made a grand entrance to Mount Tai for a sacrificial ceremony, allowing the news to spread throughout the country. There must be some hidden agenda behind this.
If anything unexpected were to happen, those accompanying them would likely all be doomed.
Thinking this, Fan Xian subtly slowed his pace and gradually fell to the back of the group.
Anyway, he was just a lowly eighth-rank official in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and unless Emperor Qing specifically mentioned him, no one would pay any attention to him.
Surrounded by his officials, imperial guards, and tiger guards, Emperor Qing followed the winding stone steps to the temple at the top of the mountain.
"Fan Xian".
Fan Xian, standing at the back of the crowd, felt a sinking feeling in his heart upon hearing this, and sighed inwardly: Just what I feared has come to pass.
He thought that by deliberately slowing down and hiding at the back of the group, he could avoid the limelight for a while, but he did not expect that he still could not escape the attention of Emperor Qing.
"Fan Xian".
Emperor Qing called out again, and everyone turned around, their eyes all falling on Fan Xian.
Fan Xian could only force a smile, step out from the crowd, and bow to Emperor Qing: "Your Majesty, what are your orders?"
"Come with me."
Having said that, Emperor Qing started walking and went around to the back of the temple.
Without orders, the others dared not follow rashly and could only turn their gazes to Fan Xian once again.
Fan Xian had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow.
The two walked through the temple and arrived at a quiet courtyard.
The courtyard was exquisitely decorated, with copper bells hanging from the eaves that made a clear and melodious sound in the mountain breeze, instantly calming any restless heart.
Emperor Qing's eyes showed a look of reminiscence, and he sighed, "After I met your mother, I stayed here for a while."
"My mother?" Fan Xian's heart skipped a beat, and his eyelids twitched uncontrollably.
He never expected that Emperor Qing would bring up Ye Qingmei. Could it be that this old man wanted to expose his true identity?
As if seeing through Fan Xian's thoughts, Emperor Qing turned slightly and looked into Fan Xian's eyes: "Yes. I am referring to your mother—Ye Qingmei."
Click!
The tension that had been building up in Fan Xian's heart snapped instantly.
Although he already knew about his background, he really didn't want to admit that his biological father was that old bastard, Emperor Qing, and he was even more unwilling to believe that Ye Qingmei, who was so bright and intelligent and admired and missed by countless people, actually liked this kind of person.
More importantly, this old man Deng had no good intentions.
It wasn't enough that he killed my mother back then; eighteen years later, he also exterminated everyone who was close to her.
All of this filled Fan Xian with deep disgust and vigilance towards this so-called "father".
Based on Emperor Qing's past actions, Fan Xian reasonably suspects that the other party wants to kill him.
Thinking of this, Fan Xian felt a cold sweat break out on his back, but he quickly suppressed his inner turmoil and forced himself to remain calm.
No matter what Emperor Qing's intentions were, he absolutely could not reveal the slightest flaw.
Otherwise, he might face an irreversible fate.
Looking at Fan Xian's respectful and courteous demeanor, Emperor Qing couldn't help but sigh with emotion: "I still remember when you first entered the capital, you were young and spirited, full of vigor. Your poem 'Ascending the Heights' spread throughout the entire capital. You composed dozens of classic poems in the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, which made the name 'Poet Immortal' resound throughout the world."
He paused for a moment, his gaze falling intently on Fan Xian's face, as if he could see a shadow of the past in the man before him: "Back then, your sharpness and carefree spirit were just like your mother's. But how long has it been, and you've become so sensible and polite."
His tone carried a hint of melancholy, as if he were reminiscing about the old days, or perhaps lamenting something that could never be undone.
However, such reminiscences sounded particularly jarring to Fan Xian.
On the surface, he listened silently to Emperor Qing's rambling, but in reality, his heart was in turmoil.
"It's utterly disgusting." Fan Xian thought to himself with a sneer, but on the surface he maintained a respectful expression.
Fan Xian is no longer the arrogant and ignorant youth he was when he first arrived in the capital.
At that time, he may have still harbored some ideals and naivety, but now he already knew the cause of Ye Qingmei's death and had personally witnessed how Emperor Qing forced Fan Jian, Chen Pingping, and the Crown Prince to their deaths step by step.
These bloody facts made Fan Xian even more disgusted with Emperor Qing's so-called "nostalgia".
It was nothing but an extremely hypocritical performance.
Since Emperor Qing is willing to act, then he will cooperate.
Emperor Qing recounted his past with Ye Qingmei to Fan Xian with great interest.
The thought that after today, there would be no more Grandmasters in the world, and that Ye Qingmei's last connection with this world would be erased, filled Emperor Qing with a sense of pleasure.
There's no need to feel sorry for this child. He's so capable; it's really hard for him to let him go.
However, this reluctance was only a fleeting emotion and did not cause much of a stir in his heart.
Emperor Qing has always been a man with clear goals, and in order to achieve his objectives, any sacrifice is acceptable in his eyes.
As darkness fell, clusters of fire suddenly lit up at the foot of the mountain, rapidly approaching the summit like stars.
Accompanying the flames were shouts of battle and screams of agony.
The sound was deafening, extremely jarring in the quiet night.
Fan Xian's eyes darted around, and he immediately stepped forward to block Emperor Qing, shouting loudly, "Guards, protect the Emperor!"
As he spoke, he immediately mobilized a squad of Tiger Guards, who quickly rushed towards the foot of the mountain.
The Imperial Guard Commander Yan Xiaoyi stood there, watching his figure disappear into the night. His eyes flickered slightly. He glanced at the composed Emperor Qing out of the corner of his eye, then at the Imperial Guards around him and the remaining Tiger Guards. His hands unconsciously tightened their grip on the bow and arrow.
Fan Xian led Gao Da and the others down the mountain at breakneck speed, almost exceeding his physical limits.
Throughout the journey, Fan Xian kept a close eye on Emperor Qing's every move.
Before he arrived, he had a vague understanding that Emperor Qing had a purpose for coming, but due to insufficient information, he couldn't figure out what that purpose was.
Regardless, a plan that could get Emperor Qing involved personally must be extraordinary.
So the chaotic army at the foot of the mountain, though seemingly in danger, might just be their only way out.
"He probably called me over to talk on purpose because he thought Uncle Wuzhu would protect me secretly, so he used me as a human shield. Unfortunately, he didn't know that Uncle Wuzhu had already disappeared. If I stayed there, I would only die."
Fan Xian's mind raced, but his feet never stopped. He quickly reached the foot of the mountain, and Gao Da and the others behind him barely managed to keep up with his speed.
Although Gao Da and the others were sent by Fan Jian to protect Fan Xian, they were, after all, Emperor Qing's Tiger Guards and royal bodyguards.
Therefore, after Fan Xian returned to Kyoto, he was recalled to the Tiger Guard Camp.
However, since they were familiar with Fan Xian, they naturally followed him when he suggested leading a team of Tiger Guards to stop the rebels.
The group hid behind a small hill in the woods, quietly observing the battle unfolding not far away.
They then discovered that it wasn't an attack, but rather that the garrison at the foot of the mountain had spontaneously split into two groups and begun fighting each other.
Gao Da said in a low voice, "Sir, why have the garrison at the foot of the mountain suddenly started killing each other?"
Fan Xian glared at him: "Do you even need to guess? The leader is obviously Si Gu Jian's disciple. Clearly, someone in the army has joined forces with Dongyi City, intending to launch a surprise attack and assassinate His Majesty while he is on the mountain."
"Dongyi City?"
Gao Da followed Fan Xian's gaze and saw that the leader was holding a sword that gleamed coldly in the moonlight. With one strike, several Qing soldiers would surely be knocked away.
"Concerned about the front but not the back, concerned about the left but not the right, truly the Four-Looking Sword Technique." Gao Da's gaze turned cold, and he nodded to the other Tiger Guards: "To capture the thief, first capture the king."
After saying that, Gao Da and the others rushed into the battlefield like arrows released from a bow, heading straight for the leader.
The man with the highest martial arts skills among us is the one we need to eliminate first. Then the rebellious soldiers will be no threat.
Although that person was a ninth-rank expert, the rest of them were all eighth-rank cultivators and proficient in encirclement tactics. The seven of them could deal with a ninth-rank expert.
If I perform normally, killing the leader should be no problem at all.
"Hey? Come back! Who let you out?"
Upon seeing this, Fan Xian couldn't help but curse under his breath.
Dongyi City has the most ninth-rank masters in the world. Now that they have decided to assassinate Emperor Qing, they will definitely come out in full force just in case. Even that grandmaster is very likely to come in person.
What use are these few eighth-rank martial artists in front of a Grandmaster?
Fan Xian was annoyed that he hadn't analyzed the pros and cons with Gao Da and the others earlier. Now that they had acted rashly, his hiding place had also been exposed.
But it's too late to say all this now.
Seeing that soldiers were already charging towards him, Fan Xian had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow the others into the battlefield.
While a chaotic battle raged at the foot of the mountain, the summit was also in disarray.
Although Yan Xiaoyi was the commander of the Imperial Guards, he was actually always loyal to Princess Li Yunrui.
So when he received Li Yunrui's message, instructing him to kill Emperor Qing and Fan Xian amidst the chaos, he agreed without hesitation.
Unfortunately, Fan Xian reacted quickly and rushed down the mountain the moment he realized someone was attacking, thwarting his plan to kill two birds with one stone.
Yan Xiaoyi felt a deep resentment towards this, but there was nothing he could do about it.
The fourth Grandmaster hidden in the Qing Kingdom could appear at any moment. He dared not risk being distracted by pursuing Fan Xian, so he could only watch helplessly as the other party left. Then he drew his bow and aimed the arrow at Emperor Qing's chest.
Everything the eldest princess planned was ultimately aimed at killing Emperor Qing.
He absolutely cannot let a small matter ruin the big picture and jeopardize the Princess's important affairs.
At worst, we can wait until we kill Emperor Qing before pursuing Fan Xian.
Gong Dian was startled when he saw Yan Xiaoyi pointing the arrow at Emperor Qing. His voice was filled with shock and anger: "Yan Xiaoyi, what are you doing?"
He never expected that the highly regarded Commander Yan would betray His Majesty, and he immediately stepped forward to protect Emperor Qing behind him.
Unfortunately, Yan Xiaoyi's archery skills were unparalleled in the world, and his movements were as fast as lightning. Almost at the same time that Gong Dian spoke, the arrow had already left the bowstring.
No one except a Grandmaster could dodge or catch the arrows shot by Yan Xiaoyi.
Even though Gong Dian was already at the peak of the eighth rank, and even though he rushed towards Emperor Qing the moment he saw Yan Xiaoyi's movements.
But he was too late; he could only watch helplessly as the arrow, imbued with fierce true energy, hurtled toward Emperor Qing with overwhelming force.
At this moment, time seemed to stretch out.
Everyone instinctively held their breath, and even the howling mountain wind stopped.
It seemed that Emperor Qing was about to die on the spot—
However, in the blink of an eye, Emperor Qing suddenly took a step to the right.
His steps were neither too big nor too small, seemingly casual yet incredibly precise, perfectly avoiding the fatal arrow aimed at his chest.
The sharp energy grazed his arm and struck an accompanying official behind him.
Before the official could even let out a scream, his meridians were destroyed by the true energy carried by the arrow, and he instantly collapsed and died.
Yan Xiaoyi looked at himself and realized he had failed, his eyes showing a slight look of surprise and uncertainty.
However, the battlefield situation was changing rapidly, and he had no time to think about why Emperor Qing was able to dodge his arrow. He simply drew back the bowstring in silence, and his inner energy condensed into a more powerful arrow, which shot towards Emperor Qing with a "whoosh".
At the same time, the Imperial Guards following Yan Xiaoyi also tore off their cloaks, revealing the weapons hidden inside, and then charged towards the Tiger Guard Battalion and the group of officials without hesitation.
In an instant, the flashing of swords and the shouts of battle intertwined.
Gong Dian, who was too late to block the first arrow for Emperor Qing, used his body to block Yan Xiaoyi's second arrow.
The immense impact caused him to stagger back several steps, blood gushing from his wound.
For martial artists below the Grandmaster level, there is only one way to block Yan Xiaoyi's arrow: risk their lives.
Gong Dian stood in front of Emperor Qing without hesitation, sacrificing his own life to buy the emperor a chance to survive.