Twin Palaces, One Throne

Li Fan observed from the air for a while. The soldiers of Xun Kingdom were indeed formidable. Not only were they battle-hardened and well-equipped, but they were also fierce and brutal. They were ruthless towards their own comrades, leaving corpses strewn across the fields and heads bleeding profusely, showing no mercy whatsoever.

Judging from the battle formation and the nearby barbarian villages that had been burned, destroyed, and almost wiped out, this guard force consisted of about ten regiments and more than 5,000 soldiers. Their original mission was probably to go deep into the mountains and attack the barbarians. However, some people planned to take this opportunity to ruthlessly eliminate dissidents and then pin the blame on the barbarians.

Those with strips of cloth wrapped around their sleeves were clearly part of a pre-planned surprise attack. About six groups of soldiers surrounded the other four groups from all sides, catching them completely off guard. The other four groups were caught off guard and had been sent to the front lines, fighting the barbarians first. Exhausted and in disarray, they were suddenly attacked by their own forces, leaving them with no chance of victory.

Although the soldiers were of excellent quality and could assemble into square formations to fight to the death, they were ultimately outnumbered and subjected to a barrage of powerful bows and crossbows. Unable to break through the encirclement, they could only scream and curse as they died on the battlefield.

Li Fan, watching from the side, frowned deeply. These kings and generals, once they got into a power struggle, became more ruthless than demons. They would slaughter their own people without hesitation, even beheading the corpses one by one. If a passerby were to witness their disgraceful deeds, wouldn't they be even more merciless in killing them to cover up their schemes?

Li Fan wasn't afraid of the three thousand soldiers. After all, they were just a few Golden Core generals leading the charge. Killing them wouldn't even lift his spirits; it would be a waste of effort. Besides, killing them would inevitably drag him into the struggle for the throne in Xun Kingdom. In the fight for the throne, the killing would be endless and never-ending.

Li Fan then concealed himself and returned to the flying boat, telling the two boys to hide inside. He then turned the boat around and circled the mountain to avoid the battle zone. To avoid running into the patrolling soldiers, he deliberately followed the tracks and roads on the ground. The flying boat traveled along the official road and found a town to settle down in.

I thought that once we got to town, the soldiers and bandits wouldn't cause too much trouble, but I didn't expect that the town would be a battle of words rather than a fight of violence.

Two groups of scholars and sons of officials were arguing incessantly in the street, almost ready to roll up their sleeves and fight. As scholars, they naturally had to express their opinions on the matter of vying for the throne. But the county officials actually joined in the commotion, even setting up a platform for them to challenge each other, as if they didn't want things to get any worse.

The county magistrate and the three local elders moved stools and sat on the platform, selecting representatives from both sides to debate. They discussed everything from which was wiser and which was more intelligent, the Crown Prince or the Prince of Lu, to major issues such as the people of the South and the North, and the campaign against demons and rebels. It was like a grand court assembly, with endless arguments and neither side able to convince the other.

They must have nothing better to do... But then again, there weren't many forms of entertainment in ancient times, so it's just like celebrities feuding and the public watching the drama unfold...

Li Fan also went to listen in and got the gist of it.

The struggle for succession in Xun Kingdom is far more complex than it appears in Li Country, where noble sons can simply choose a nephew over a drink. The talents and popularity of the Crown Prince and the Prince of Lu are not as crucial; the real power struggle lies with the political groups behind them.

The four major families sided with the Crown Prince. These were local gentry and powerful clans, deeply rooted and interconnected, forming a typical aristocratic family in the south.

Behind Prince of Lu were the gentry who had migrated Central Plains, the commoners who had passed the imperial examinations, the military generals who had risen through the ranks, and the local powerful families who had risen up to fight against the Mountain Ghosts. To put it more bluntly, they were the newly powerful forces that were attached to the royal family.

When the former Crown Prince and the second prince were still alive, the two brothers were friendly and respectful, and lived in harmony. Moreover, the Crown Prince crown prince was benevolent and virtuous, and was highly regarded, with both major factions submitting to his banner.

However, the first Crown Prince died young, and the second prince was disabled. The four powerful clans chose the third prince, while the other new nobles promoted the fourth prince to compete with him. The Ruler of Xun Country, for reasons unknown, although under pressure from the four powerful clans, appointed the third Crown Prince as crown prince, he also appointed the fourth prince as the Prince of Lu. He let both sides have their way and tried to smooth things over, which led to the trouble.

As a result, the new Crown Prince was unsteady on his feet and trembled with fear. Prince of Lu then had the illusion that he could succeed with just a little more effort.

Thus, the two palaces stood side by side, and the officials, generals, and ministers, both inside and outside the capital, divided the entire country in two.

For example, right now in this town, two groups of people are having a big argument, discussing a major event that recently happened in Xingye City Kingdom: the core of the Crown Prince's faction, Grand Master of Ceremonies Gu Mo, has been implicated and dismissed and exiled.

This matter is somewhat related to Baiyue Mountain. About two years ago, the Thunder Department withdrew, and the Xun Kingdom, in accordance with the orders of the Three Enclosures, sent a large army to conquer the Kun Country in the west. As a result, the military strength was once depleted, and the troops on the front line to suppress the various tribes of the Mountain Ghosts were severely lacking, which led to a loophole in the defense line.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Baiyue Mountain launched a counterattack, almost completely capturing the seventy large camps that Xun Kingdom had set up on the outskirts of the mountain to suppress the Mountain Ghosts. The situation was extremely critical at one point. The Luo Feng Old Lord lineage also displayed astonishing fighting power, and a large number of Xun Kingdom generals were even killed on the battlefield. The Xun Kingdom army was driven to the brink of collapse several times.

In this critical moment, it was only thanks to Zhang Shusi, the eldest son of the Zhang Family, and Gu Family, the second Gu Zhi of the Gu family, who took the lead, leading the personal guards, retainers, and private soldiers of the four major families, that they put up a tenacious resistance, fought to the death, and managed to stabilize the situation and prevent the entire army from collapsing. Subsequently, Quan Huang, the Ruler of Xun Country and the Quan Huang Commander, led his sons to reorganize the army and seize the opportunity to launch a counterattack. After another fierce battle, they finally repelled the Baiyue Mountain.

In this battle, the Xun Kingdom offered rewards for meritorious service. Grand Master of Ceremonies Gu Mo presided over the court discussion and believed that the merit of stationing the enemy was greater than that of repelling them. The Quan family had led the army, suffered an initial defeat but ultimately won, and stabilizing the defense line was simply their duty and a matter of course. As a result, Zhang Shusi Gu Zhi were promoted to General Yangwei Fenwu. The Quan family's other sons were only promoted to two lieutenant generals.

Grand Commander Quan Huang's trusted men were almost all killed or wounded. After such a bloody battle, he couldn't even get a proper reward, so he was naturally very dissatisfied. He personally intervened and accused the Zhang and Gu families of conspiring with the military commander to falsely report military achievements. The matter escalated, and eventually the entire court was drawn in, forming factions and attacking each other.

The Quan family, which challenged the four great families, was naturally a staunch supporter of Prince of Lu. Although everyone knew this was a pretext for a power struggle for the throne, Quan Huang had witnesses and evidence in hand. Moreover, the Quan family had been military families for generations, with outstanding achievements. They were trusted and beloved generals under the king. Quan Huang had also married the eldest princess of Xun Kingdom. With all the advantages of being a maternal relative, former subordinate, trusted confidant, and personal guard, his family background was much closer to the imperial family than that of the four great families.

The infighting raged on, with shouting filling the court and arguments erupting in the harem. Court officials impeached and remonstrated day and night, driving the king to his wits' end. He issued an edict reprimanding Gu Mo and ordering him to reflect on his mistakes behind closed doors. However, Gu Mo immediately broke down, refusing to admit his wrongdoing and instead berating the king in court for listening to slander and destroying his own defenses, calling him senile.

There are some things you can only think about, not say, and that's why the four major families lost this time.

The two meritorious officials, Gu and Zhang, suddenly became prisoners. Gu Mo was also almost imprisoned. In the end, it was only because of the face of the four family elders that the three of them were spared from imprisonment, but they were all dismissed from their posts and exiled, and were not allowed to return to the capital without an imperial edict.

So now the local magistrate and elders have gathered the gentry and scholars to discuss whether to treat the Zhang and Gu families, who have been exiled, as criminals, or to treat them as loyal and renowned officials of Xun State who have been framed by treacherous ministers, and send envoys to receive them well and host a welcoming feast.

Li Fan broke out in a cold sweat. These three were all doomed... Well, this is going to be interesting. The powder keg of Xun Kingdom is probably about to explode...

Li Fan didn't plan to stay any longer tonight. He set off in his flying boat overnight to finish this damned mission so he could make a clean getaway.

Yang Sheng's injuries had healed somewhat, and he was able to get out of bed. Seeing that Li Fan was acting unusually again, traveling day and night, he took the initiative to talk to Li Fan about the situation in Xun Kingdom. After hearing about Gu Mo's matter, he agreed that the situation in Xun Kingdom was extremely dangerous at the moment.

"The four powerful clans and the imperial family are still maintaining a facade of harmony. The three of them have just been dismissed from their posts and left the capital to stay away from trouble. But now that someone has broken the rules and caused their deaths, the ensuing struggle will likely be bloody."

You mentioned witnessing the infighting among the Xun Kingdom's troops earlier, which was probably to protect the lives of Zhang and the other two. After all, the core members of Crown Prince's faction were exiled to this remote border region; who wouldn't know this was a golden opportunity to eliminate them? How could the Prince of Lu's faction allow them to return to the capital alive?

In my opinion, leaking the information to Baiyue Mountain was just a side hustle. Even if no immortals came to assassinate them, as long as they controlled the garrisons in the nearby garrisons, they would have the Gu and Zhang families by their Mingmen. If anything unexpected happened in the capital, as long as the garrison blocked the news, a fake imperial edict could be used to poison them with a cup of wine.

Logically speaking, the Ruler of Xun Country still holds considerable authority, yet someone in the army is still making such a big move. It's likely that the entire family is pulling the strings behind the scenes, both openly and secretly. However, I am too foolish to figure out their motive for personally getting involved.

If the discord truly arose from a dispute over merits, expelling political enemies from the capital would have been sufficient; annihilating them would have been overstepping boundaries. Given their family's status and prestige in the military, whether the Crown Prince or the Prince of Lu succeeds to the throne, they will be indispensable, and their official ranks and rewards are unlikely to advance further. Why involve them so deeply?

I'm afraid there's something else going on behind the scenes, maybe someone else is pulling the strings...

Seeing that he looked better, Li Fan said, "After all, the assassination of the Gu Family's eldest son at Baiyue Mountain has caused trouble, and I'm afraid the Xun Kingdom will launch a large-scale military campaign against us again. But I have other matters to attend to and need to go into the mountains. Yang Sheng, why don't I find you a safe place to recuperate, so you won't be implicated?"

Yang Si'an nodded and said, "Master, you are too kind. I am grateful for your care over the past few days. On the contrary, I feel that my energy is stronger than before, and my mind is sharper than before. How could I be implicated?"

Although the Xun Kingdom's court is currently in chaos, it shouldn't interfere much with the common people. This is a good time to observe the methods and magnanimity of the local aristocratic families and clans, and broaden my own experience. So, farewell."

"Okay, see you again sometime."

So they chose a place near a post station where Yang Sheng disembarked, shared some travel expenses with him, gave him some healing pills and replenishing spiritual fruits, thus establishing a good relationship.

Li Fan didn't delay any longer, turned his flying boat around, and flew straight towards the territory of Baiyue Mountain Luofeng Mountain.

As the name suggests, Baiyue Mountain is not a single mountain range. Like the Ten-thousand-mountains Thousand Mountains, it is a general term used to refer to the mountainous area inhabited by six tribes of different ethnic groups: Shanyue, Manyue, and Baiyuexi. Of course, there are actually far more than just these six tribes. This is a general term used by Luo Feng Cave Heaven to refer to the barbarian tribes that are under its command and have submitted to it. In fact, over the years, the clothing, appearance, and customs of the mountain barbarian tribes have become quite similar to those of the Central Plains.

However, the Xun Kingdom and the entire Central Plains still have a broader name for these indigenous people.

Mountain Ghosts.

This is certainly not to say that these creatures in the mountains are ghosts that have been resurrected, but rather a derogatory term for the original inhabitants of the Xun Kingdom region.

In the past, the inhabitants of the Baiyue Mountain lived a life of fishing and hunting. Perhaps due to their growing environment and dietary habits, they were slightly shorter and thinner than people from the Central Plains. Moreover, they traditionally liked to tattoo their faces, which made them look like ghosts at first glance.

So although they share the same origin, probably being branches of humans who migrated south in earlier times, these Mountain Ghosts do not submit to the rule of the king, are ignorant of etiquette and teachings, and their customs are very different from those of the people of the Central Plains. They do not worship the gods and kings of the Three Great Sects, and have their own set of traditions and civilization. From the time when the immortals conquered the world, the conquest of the Mountain Ghosts by the Central Plains began.

However, Baiyue Mountain is a high mountain with deep forests, complex terrain, poisonous miasma, and is difficult to access. Each tribe of Mountain Ghosts has its own guardian deity and unique witchcraft, and they also join forces with the Demon Race to fight against the celestial army. Therefore, the celestial soldiers and generals of the Immortal Palace have suffered considerable losses here. So much so that when it came to developing the more distant Li Country later on, the Immortal Palace didn't even plan to send troops, outsourcing the work directly to independent cultivators...

The lineage of the Luo Feng Six Palaces can also be traced back to that period. Strictly speaking, this lineage should be called the Luo Feng Immortal Palace. This is because they were originally elite soldiers under the command of the Immortal Venerable, proper generals guarding the Xun Kingdom, and the first batch of immortal soldiers responsible for the Xun Kingdom and suppressing the Mountain Ghosts.

It can be said that Luo Feng Immortal Palace is to Xun Kingdom what Nangong Immortal Palace is to Li Country. Both are border troops of the Immortal Palace with the same border defense function, and are legitimate immortal armies that are specifically responsible for suppressing demons, eliminating evil spirits, and expanding territory.

However, in the long process of sweeping away and suppressing the various Mountain Ghosts spirits, demons, monsters, and evil gods, the former Luo Feng Immortal Army suffered heavy casualties and eventually became sparsely populated. In order to gradually evolve from a military organization into a sect management model, it now only retains the name of the Six Palaces.

The six barbarian tribes under Luofeng Mountain are now actually subjects who have been incorporated into the Luofeng Six Palaces. Of course, there are still many wild ghost tribes in the mountains, but they are no longer a threat, and many demon god seals are still being suppressed by the Luo Feng Immortal Palace.

But as everyone knows, Immortal Palace's favorite pastime is infighting.

The direct descendants of the former Immortal King of the Luo Feng Immortal Palace also lost their heads because they got involved in an internal power struggle among the Three Enclosures, chose the wrong side, lost power, and were all exterminated by the Three Enclosures. The collateral branches of the royal family who ruled the Xun Kingdom also suffered a great misfortune and were also executed. The generals who once served under them even seized the imperial seal and usurped the throne with the support of the Three Enclosures.

With official certification from the Immortal Palace, the local powerful clans naturally surrendered without any psychological pressure. The four great families had received many favors from the previous dynasty, yet they turned their backs on them. That's why traitors are the most hateful.

From then on, with the strong support of the Three Enclosures, the new Xun Kingdom, together with the elite troops of the Thunder Department sent down, specifically targeted these leaderless remnants of the previous dynasty.

Overnight, they became a traitorous demon army hated by everyone in their own tribe, suffering betrayal and ambushes from all over the place. Ironically, the subdued Mountain Ghosts took in these remnants of the immortal army.

Can you believe that a ghost with disheveled hair and tattooed face is far more righteous and trustworthy than a respectable scholar-official? Uh, that seems pretty normal, cough cough!

In short, the Thunder Department once captured a Ghost King and asked them why they had conspired with the rebels. The Ghost King replied, "Since we promised to submit to the Luo Feng Immortal Army, how could we betray our oath? We swore an oath in the name of our ancestors! We pledged allegiance to Luo Feng, and we pledge allegiance to Luo Feng! We don't care about the Three Immortal Palace or the Four Great Families; even if an Immortal Venerable came, we wouldn't recognize you!"

This embarrassed the four major families so much that they quickly set him on fire. Of course, what does face matter? It can't put food on the table. In this day and age, those who value loyalty and keep their promises die first...

So the Xun Kingdom continued to use the pretext of harboring rebels from the previous dynasty to plunder the Mountain Ghosts tribe, burning, killing, looting, and robbing the wealth and people of the foreign people. The oppressed Mountain Ghosts were once again forced to rebel.

Thus, the remnants of the old forces of Luo Feng Liu Gong, under the cover of the Mountain Ghosts, and despite the encirclement and suppression by the Xun Kingdom and the Thunder Department, rose up again, led the six Mountain Ghosts in an uprising, rebuilt the six palaces, and became a deep-seated problem that the Three Enclosures could not eradicate.

These people from the Luo Feng Immortal Army, in this way, fell from the Immortal Palace into the demonic path and became the new ghosts of Baiyue Mountain.

Honestly, if it weren't for the remnants of Luo Feng's Six Palaces constantly causing trouble under the noses of the Three Palaces, thus tying down the elite of the Thunder Department and the Three Palaces' attention, the Nangong Family probably wouldn't have been so lucky. They all jumped out to plant their flags and rebel, only to surrender in the end, have their ringleaders executed, and be easily dealt with.

After all, Luo Feng alone had caused so much trouble in Xun Kingdom for so many years, and the Three Palaces were still quite shaken. One could only say that the Nangong Family, those scourges, were truly lucky...

So to put it bluntly, Baiyue Mountain is now a natural barrier for Ink Bamboo Mountain.

No matter what, Baiyue Mountain cannot be destroyed. Otherwise, after the Immortal Palace wipes out Xun Kingdom, the next stubborn and unruly local power that refuses to submit to the king's rule will be Ink Bamboo Mountain in Li Country.

Of course, given the current situation, if the great battle between Kun Country and the Divine Sect were to suffer another setback, it would likely be the Immortal Palace and Xun Kingdom that would be the first to collapse, rather than Luo Feng Six Palaces.