svetikya Page 140
Page 140
"Tomorrow morning, you will come with me to take care of some business."
Li Chang'an wasn't afraid that Haitang would run away; if she really wanted to, he could catch her and bring her back in the blink of an eye.
Haitang Duoduo was extremely depressed, so she found a corner to squat down and made do for the night.
Kyoto, Inspectorate.
Chen Pingping was also keeping an eye on Fan Xian's schedule.
The shadow emerged from the darkness and reported the latest developments.
"Dean, Uesugi Tora has already led his men south and will encounter the delegation tomorrow."
"Yan Xiaoyi violated military regulations and led his men to attack the delegation. It must have been the Princess who gave the order."
"Tianyi Daolang Tao and Haitang Duoduo left the capital, their target also being the envoy."
"Guo Baokun, along with a dozen or so veterans, followed Fan Xian's convoy from a distance, intending to rescue Fan Xian when the opportunity arose."
Chen Pingping's face remained calm and composed, as if he were weighing the strength of all parties and whether it was appropriate to withdraw the Black Riders now.
"Shadow, the veterans that Guo Baokun brought are all above the seventh rank, right?"
Shadow replied, "They are elite soldiers of the seventh rank or above, with rich combat experience and good at coordinated attacks and encirclements. They were secretly introduced by our people."
Chen Pingping and Emperor Qing had been plotting for over twenty years to get Fan Xian to reveal the secret of the temple from Xiao En.
The rapid promotion of Fan Xian was all in service of this plan, and now the most critical moment has arrived.
"Shadow, withdraw the Black Knights."
Shadow asked worriedly, "Dean, Fan Xian has encountered so many people, it's too dangerous to withdraw the Black Riders."
"Yan Xiaoyi, Shangshan Hu, and Lang Tao are all top-ranking ninth-grade soldiers. I can't defeat them all in a short time!"
Chen Pingping said in a deep voice, "Before Sean was injured, he was a ninth-rank official, just like me."
Currently, being sustained by Fei Jie's poison, he should only be at a barely ninth-rank level.
"His hearing has deteriorated considerably, but due to rigorous training in his early years, it is still superior to that of a typical ninth-rank master."
Shadow understood immediately and said, "Understood. Only by lying in wait nearby can I avoid being discovered by Sean."
Chen Pingping said, "After the encounters with all parties tomorrow, you will secretly lie in wait nearby and protect Fan Xian when the opportunity arises."
You don't need to help Fan Xian with whatever he wants to do.
Your responsibility is only to save his life or death. If his life is in danger, you just need to save him at the crucial moment.
Chen Pingping was confident in the Shadow's ability to infiltrate; at least Yan Xiaoyi, Shangshan Hu, Lang Tao, and Xiao En would not be able to detect it.
Since Fan Xian arrived in the capital, Chen Pingping and Emperor Qing's scheme has encountered many unexpected problems.
Fortunately, the two held considerable power and managed to turn things around.
Tomorrow's final step will be the most unpredictable.
If Fan Xian lacks quick wit, his efforts may be in vain.
Twenty years of hard work and planning—whether it succeeds or fails depends on tomorrow.
Several miles outside Fan Xian's camp.
A dozen or so veterans dressed as farmers were roasting sweet potatoes.
Guo Baokun, exhausted from his travels, rested under a tree not far away.
This pampered general, who had been raised in luxury since childhood, had never suffered such hardship before. However, he was determined to give it his all for the only chance to save Guo Youzhi.
Looking at the veterans holding sickles, axes, and rolling pins, he felt unsure whether they were up to the task.
At this moment, the veteran leader Zhao Da, with a big smile on his face, handed over a sweet potato.
"Young Master Guo, dinner is ready."
Guo Baokun glanced at the sweet potato and showed a look of utter disgust.
"Zhao Da, are these people you found... any good enough?"
Zhao Da's eyes gleamed with a fierce light, his expression menacing. "Fine! Murder and robbery, both are above average!"
Guo Baokun had absolutely no experience hiring hitmen, but just when he was thinking of hiring one, someone suddenly came knocking on his door.
He was pressed for time and had no better options, so he hired these veterans.
Zhao Da chuckled, "Young Master Guo, have some sweet potatoes."
Guo Baokun glanced at the dark, unappetizing sweet potato and still couldn't bring himself to eat it.
"I won't eat it! I'd rather starve to death than eat this!"
Guo Baokun, who lived a life of luxury, had never tasted such down-to-earth food.
Even though he had already eaten all the food he brought, he still couldn't accept it.
Zhao Da was very patient with his sugar daddy. "Okay, then I'll save it for you. Eat it yourself if you get hungry."
Two hours later, the veteran fell into a deep sleep, but Guo Baokun was starving and couldn't sleep.
He picked up the sweet potato that Zhao Da had left for him, peeled it with disgust, and took a couple of bites.
After those two bites, Guo Shao's eyes immediately lit up!
"It smells so good! It smells so good!"
dozens of miles away.
Yan Xiaoyi's eyes were sinister as he led a troop of cavalry at breakneck speed.
On his way here, his route overlapped with that of Li Chang'an's convoy. Fearing that his whereabouts would be discovered by a ninth-rank expert, he deliberately took a detour.
Looking back, Yan Xiaoyi's time to intercept Fan Xian before he left the country was rather tight, so he had to travel overnight.
Fan Xian's camp.
Inside the steel prison van, bound by layers of chains, Sean was trying to force Fei Jie's poison out of his body little by little.
Sean is not only the head of intelligence, but also a master of poisons on par with Fei Jie, whose poison skills are so formidable that they are impossible to guard against.
Chen Pingping arranged for Fei Jie to teach Fan Xian poison from a young age, also as a preparation for Fan Xian to escort Xiao En away.
The art of poison is too sinister; if one is not skilled in poison, one might die after exchanging just a few words with Sean.
Therefore, Fan Xian must be a master of poisons in order to successfully complete Chen Pingping and Emperor Qing's plan.
Fan Xian only had two skilled bodyguards by his side: Zong Zhui and Gao Da. Zong Zhui was Fan Ti Si's staunch subordinate.
Gao Da is the leader of the Tiger Guards that Fan Jian lent to Fan Xian. He is a peak eighth-rank master and is known as invincible below the ninth rank.
The rest were the mission's regular guards, the Inspectorate's experts escorting Sean, and a dozen or so Tiger Guards of the seventh or eighth rank.
These forces are not weak, but compared to the opponents he is about to face, they are still somewhat insufficient.
The next morning.
Li Chang'an, Si Lili, and Haitang Duoduo walked out of the tent together.
Wang Qinian feigned surprise and asked, "Your Highness, who is this young lady?"
Li Chang'an pointed to Haitang Duoduo and introduced her, "The Holy Maiden of Northern Qi, Haitang Duoduo, has come especially to welcome this king."
Wang Qinian exclaimed, "Your Majesty is truly hospitable, coming into my tent to greet me so late at night. I admire you!"
Li Chang'an said to Wang Qinian, "Today, the Holy Maiden and I are going south to take care of some business. Teng Zijing will come with us, and you will lead the caravan and proceed slowly."
After arranging the camp, Li Chang'an, along with Haitang Duoduo and Teng Zijing, headed towards Fan Xian's camp.
The reason for bringing Teng Zijing along was to let him spar with Yan Xiaoyi. When experts fight one-on-one, they can improve their understanding of martial arts.
Teng Zijing is a ninth-grade hidden weapon, and Yan Xiaoyi is a ninth-grade arrow; both are powerful long-range weapons and have some similarities.
After walking for several dozen miles, Haitang Duoduo suddenly asked with a look of disgust, "Who did you hire to impersonate me and kidnap Lili? You didn't dress up as a woman yourself, did you?"
In Haitang Duoduo's opinion, there aren't that many ninth-rank masters in the world; there are only a handful who are truly outstanding.
Li Chang'an casually said, "I have another subordinate of mine. I'll introduce you to him sometime in the future."
In fact, Haitang and Jingni had met before, but Li Chang'an was too lazy to admit it.
Haitang Duoduo frowned and said, "Li Chang'an, you're hiding your cultivation level and concealing powerful experts. You're not planning a rebellion, are you?"
"If you want to rebel, that's wonderful! I, the whole nation, will support you. The Empress Dowager and His Majesty will also support you!"
Li Chang'an smiled calmly, "What if I were to rebel against your Northern Qi Kingdom?"
Haitang Duoduo suddenly became mute, Kuhe was still recovering from serious injuries, and Li Chang'an seemed to be able to do whatever he wanted to cause trouble for the Northern Qi Kingdom.
Grandmasters are vital assets to a nation, and an injury to a Grandmaster is an absolute matter of utmost importance.
If Grandmaster Qing hadn't been too guilty to leave the palace, he would have personally come to Northern Qi to cause trouble after Ku He was injured.
The three walked very fast and soon arrived at a stone forest on the border.
Li Chang'an glanced at the stone forest and then said, "Alright, we'll wait here. Teng Zijing, go and scout the surrounding area and be careful to conceal your movements."
Teng Zijing's current attire is similar to that of his shadow; his face cannot be easily shown to others.
"Yes, Your Highness!"