The Martial Arts Alliance's rules

Qiu Qian's expression twisted and he struggled; this was the first time Xu Qi'an had encountered such a situation.

Didn't Li Miaozhen say that when a person has just died and their three souls haven't fully reunited, they're like a landlord's foolish son, answering every question without question?

At this moment, Qiu Qian's expression gradually calmed down, his eyes unfocused, and he murmured, "I suspect he is the first Imperial Censor."

"."

It was like a thunderbolt exploding in Xu Qi'an's mind, shattering all his thoughts, leaving his head buzzing and in complete chaos.

It took him a long time to recover from the overwhelming amount of information before he realized that Ji Qian's answer was problematic.

Ji Qian used the word "doubt," and from these two words, Xu Qi'an can deduce two crucial pieces of information:

First, Ji Qian was not a core figure in his own faction and had no access to the most critical secrets.

Secondly, the fact that he has such doubts indicates that he possesses certain inside information.

Xu Qi'an composed himself and pressed further, "What is your basis for this?"

Qiu Qian answered in a flat, monotone voice:

"I once overheard him referring to the current supervisor as a traitor. Furthermore, he told me and my brothers and sisters that what belongs to us will eventually be reclaimed. Five hundred years of forbearance are for our own strengthening."

Xu Qi'an remained silent, analyzing the situation in his mind for a moment, and concluded that Ji Qian's guess was correct.

The first Imperial Censor did not die and had left a backup plan, which is why he was able to take away the emperor's descendants. This is why Emperor Wuzong was unable to eliminate them completely.

This makes sense and is logical.

At the same time, Xu Qi'an thought of many details to verify this.

"I'm going to have to review everything that's happened since I time-traveled, all the cases."

"The first case was the tax silver case. Zhou Xianping, the former Ministry of Revenue, was loyal to the lineage of the five-hundred-year-old orthodox dynasty. The whereabouts of the millions of taels of silver he embezzled over twenty years has finally been explained. What does a rebellion need most? Money."

"The Yunzhou case involved collusion between the Minister of War of the Qi faction and the Witchcraft Cult. However, during the investigation in Yunzhou, the mysterious Warlock, who was suspected to be the first supervisor, brushed past me, yet helped capture the spy and secretly aided me. What was his purpose in helping me? There's no reason for it."

The incident that happened in Yunzhou remained a thorn in Xu Qi'an's side, but he lacked the necessary clues and evidence to offer any speculation.

"The most recent case is the massacre of the city by the Prince of Zhenbei. In this case, the princess secretly went to Chuzhou with the delegation. This was because Emperor Yuanjing wanted to guard against traitors in the court. At that time, I had already deduced that many ministers in the court were secretly in contact with mysterious Warlock."

"Yes, if the mysterious Warlock is the first supervisor, and the power behind him is the Great Feng royal family from five hundred years ago, then all of this makes sense. You know, some officials have long been secretly dissatisfied with Emperor Yuanjing's cultivation of Daoism. They may have already been secretly turned against him by the first supervisor."

"Anyway, we're all members of the Great Feng royal family. Since your lineage is utterly useless, why don't I pledge allegiance to the lineage from five hundred years ago? They were the rightful owners."

"Furthermore, the fact that the mysterious Warlock helped the barbarians abduct the queen can also be explained quite reasonably. Since the first supervisor was going to rebel, he certainly couldn't allow the Prince of Zhenbei to be promoted to the second rank, and he even had to do everything he could to get rid of him."

"The existence of a second-rank military officer, who is also proficient in military strategy, will inevitably become one of the biggest obstacles to their rebellion. Therefore, all the plans of the first supervisor were aimed at weakening the power of the Great Feng Kingdom. As long as we grasp this objective and analyze it from the opposite perspective..."

Xu Qi'an's pupils contracted slightly as he thought of this: What about Wei Yuan?

If someone wants to rebel, the top person on the kill list is the Supervisor, followed by Wei Yuan.

Compared to the Prince of Zhenbei, Wei Yuan, a master strategist who defeated the seemingly invincible northern barbarian tribes in just a few months, and a military genius who orchestrated and won the most brutal battle in human history, the Battle of Shanhai Pass, was a far cry from the former king.

He is the one who truly needs to be eliminated; Wei Yuan's troublesome nature is second only to the current supervisor.

"Yes, Duke Wei has indeed been constantly attacked by his ministers. Those trolls in the Censorate are always shouting: 'Your Majesty, please behead this scoundrel!'"

"Who knows how many of them have already defected to the first supervisor? Holy crap, wait a minute!"

A bolt of lightning struck my mind, illuminating some small things that had been hidden in the darkness.

He thought of a case, one that appeared to be targeting the Empress and involved the struggle for the crown prince, but actually implied Wei Yuan.

The case of Consort Fu!

"Imagine if I hadn't been involved in this case, the consequences would have been that the Empress would have been deposed, the Fourth Prince would have been demoted from the legitimate son to a son of a concubine, and would have had no chance of inheriting the throne."

"Supporting the fourth prince to the throne was the beginning of Duke Wei's ambition. In doing so, Duke Wei and Emperor Yuanjing broke off their relationship as ruler and subject. An irreparable rift would be left between them."

"And the mastermind behind the Consort Fu case is Consort Chen. It's a fact that Consort Chen has someone backing her up. Hmm, thinking about it this way, it's quite interesting that the maid named He'er was able to wear a magical Law Artifact that could shield her aura."

Thinking of this, Xu Qi'an pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed helplessly, "Warlock are all old fogies."

The case of Consort Fu is likely just the tip of the iceberg in dealing with Wei Yuan, not even a prelude. It remains to be seen what other actions will follow.

Why is Xu Qi'an the one with the best luck?

He finally asked the crucial question.

Qiu Qian stood there blankly, then replied, "I don't know. I only know that for some reason, his destiny had to be stored within him. Originally, he was supposed to be sent out of the capital during the year-end tax Capital Evaluation."

Why go through all this trouble to "send" Xu Qi'an "out" of the capital? Couldn't you just send people to abduct him?

Qiu Qian stared blankly, muttering, "I don't know."

Xu Qi'an asked, "You said you wanted to cut Xu Qi'an into a human stick and take him back. You hate him so much, why don't you just kill him?"

Qiu Qian replied, "It is a container for destiny; the container cannot be broken before the destiny is extracted."

The container must not break before the luck is extracted; this is good news for me. Xu Qi'an asked again, "How do I extract the luck?"

Qiu Qian: "I don't know, but my father and that official have been making preparations for many years."

Extracting the national fortune is a difficult, or rather, tedious process. Just as the first supervisor of the imperial court had to scheme and plot to steal the national fortune, it seems that this first supervisor of the imperial court is no longer at his peak and can only lie low and plot.

From another perspective, if the power of the Great Feng Kingdom continues to decline, will the current Supervisor also face the same predicament?

Yes, this is crucial information.

Xu Qi'an thought to himself.

"Do you know what happens to the container after the luck is extracted?" He stared at Qiu Qian and said in a deep voice.

"Of course, it's death."

"Damn it! "Xu Qi'an cursed inwardly.

He'll die after his luck is extracted?!

Therefore, there is no doubt that the first supervisor was his mortal enemy, and there is no room for negotiation.

The problem is, the current Censor is also his mortal enemy.

He is now a pawn in the power struggle between two generations of supervisors, and the supervisors mostly show him goodwill. However, no matter what the process is like, the outcome is already predetermined.

The current supervising official will surely reclaim the fortune within him.

Only by returning the fortune to the Great Feng Great Feng strength be restored. The national fortune of a dynasty is closely related to the power of the supervisory authority; when the national strength weakens, the power of the supervisory authority will also weaken.

This matter concerns his own interests; how could a contemporary supervisor not reclaim his fortune? The reason he hasn't done so now is simply that the time is not yet ripe.

What about the future?

Xu Qi'an felt a deep chill, as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

"When do you plan to start your uprising?" Xu Qi'an asked.

"Wait until Wei Yuan dies, until I reclaim the fortune within Xu Qi'an, until I advance to the fourth rank," Qiu Qian replied.

Why should we wait until you advance to the fourth rank?

He had already anticipated the first two answers and was not surprised.

"If I advance to the fourth rank, I will be able to absorb this immense fortune. I am my father's legitimate son, the future ruler of the Nine Provinces, and this fortune belongs to me."

No wonder he hates me so much, is jealous of me, and claims that everything I have now is just because I've taken advantage of him. Xu Qi'an thought for a moment and asked:

"Your father told you that?"

"Of course, if he hadn't chosen me as his successor, why would he have handed over 'Dragon Fang' to me?" Qiu Qian said.

Where are you hiding?

"In Xuzhou."

Xuzhou? Does such a place exist in Great Feng? Xu Qi'an frowned, quickly recalled, and confirmed that he had never heard of such a place.

However, the thirteen prefectures of the Great Feng were further divided into numerous smaller prefectures.

In his previous life, he was a complete geography idiot, not even knowing the criteria for dividing the South and the North.

"Where is Xuzhou?" Xu Qi'an asked directly.

"I... I don't remember," Qiu Qian murmured.

"?"

What do you mean by "don't remember"? How could you not remember your own family?

"Where is Xuzhou?" Xu Qi'an asked again.

"Me, me"

Qiu Qian's blurred face showed intense pain. He clutched his head with both hands and groaned in agony, "I don't remember."

Bang!

The soul exploded, transforming into a chilling wind that swept through every corner of the room.

On the hillside outside the dense forest, the white-robed Warlock withdrew his gaze, flicked his finger, and crimson flames licked at the corpses and jackals, turning them to ashes.

With a flick of his sleeve, the ashes rose up and drifted into the distance.

"The Prince of Huai is dead. After Emperor Yuanjing issued an edict of self-reproach, the dynasty's fortunes have declined further. The next one will be Wei Yuan. Ji Qian, your mission is complete. You died a worthy death."

He was in a great mood, his hands behind his back, and he walked away with a smile.

In the height of summer, the room felt like late autumn, with a refreshing chill in the air.

Xu Qi'an stood in the silent room, stunned for a long time. Had his question touched a taboo, causing Ji Qian's soul to self-destruct?

That's not right. He already mentioned Xuzhou. Logically, when I asked him that question, his soul should have felt some kind of resistance and then self-destructed. That would have been more reasonable.

Now, even if I don't know where Xuzhou is, I can just go back and look it up.

He sat at the table, calmed himself down, and silently processed the intelligence he had gathered that night.

The first Imperial Censor did not die; descendants of the Zhengtong lineage from five hundred years ago still exist. Twenty years ago, it was the first Imperial Censor who stole the fate of the Great Feng. They have been plotting a rebellion all along.

If this information were released, it would cause a huge uproar.

It's no exaggeration to say that the whole country was shocked.

"The first dynasty treated me as a tool, to contain their fortune; the current dynasty treats me as a pawn, to be used in games; Emperor Yuanjing wants to kill me, so I might as well not stay in this court anymore, I wish someone would drag him off the dragon throne."

"But Wei Yuan treated me like a son, and Biao Biao and Huai Qing are my confidantes."

Xu Qi'an deeply understood what it meant to be caught in a dilemma. He pinched his brow and exhaled.

"As always, when in doubt, consult the bigwigs. I'll tell Duke Wei about this, and he'll have a headache dealing with it."

Having made his decision, he stopped thinking about it and took out Ji Qian's leather pouch from his pocket. Inside were heavy magical Law Artifact such as ballistae and cannons, as well as magical Law Artifact such as armor and weapons.

Xu Qi'an didn't search for long before he found a box made of sandalwood, about three feet long, with dragons and phoenixes carved on its surface.

Take the wooden box out of the leather bag, place it on the table, open it, and on the smooth, bright yellow silk lies a slightly curved tusk, somewhat like a miniature ivory.

The pristine white surface was covered with densely packed runes. Just one glance made Xu Qi'an feel dizzy, nauseous, and want to vomit.

He dared not look any longer and immediately closed the sandalwood box.

"This must be the Dragon Fang. Wow, this Law Artifact is a bit too powerful."

According to Ji Qian, the Dragon Fang seems to be the most precious treasure of their lineage, and only the heir in line can possess it?

Xu Qi'an intuitively felt that this dragon tooth would be of great use in the future.

In a small town, inside a two-courtyard house, candlelight shone brightly. Cao Qingyang, dressed in a purple robe, sat upright in the hall, calmly looking at the sect leader and gang leader on either side.

There were sixteen gang leaders and sect masters present, twelve of whom were fourth-rank experts and five of whom were senior fourth-rank experts.

To Cao Qingyang's left sat Tianji, who wore a golden mask.

This martial artist, who led the largest Jianghu organization in Jianzhou, held a cup of tea in his hand. The lid of the teacup gently tapped against the rim of the cup. The room was silent except for the faint, crisp sound of the lid and the rim of the cup colliding.

"Yang Cuixue, Fu Jingmen, are you two really going to withdraw from this operation?" Cao Qingyang said calmly.

Yang Cuixue is the head of the Ink Pavilion, and Fu Jingmen is the leader of the Divine Fist Gang. Last night, the two joined forces to block three Lotus Daoists for Xu Qi'an.

They were injured and their faces were pale.

Faced with Cao Qingyang's questioning, the two men remained calm and nodded.

Fu Jingmen said in a deep voice, "Alliance Leader Cao, while lotus seeds are indeed a treasure to us, they are not indispensable. However, I cannot agree to make you an enemy of Xu Yinluo."

Cao Qingyang exclaimed, "Ah! Xu Yinluo did you a favor?"

Fu Jingmen shook his head. "The essence of our Divine Fist Gang's boxing style lies in its strength, its directness, and its open-mindedness."

Cao Qingyang then looked at Yang Cuixue, expressionless. "Sect Leader Yang, your Mo Pavilion's Swordsmanship has many insidious moves. Why do you do that?"

Yang Cuixue cupped his hands and sighed, "I most enjoy befriending young heroes, and I admire Xu Qi'an, nothing more."

Cao Qingyang said calmly, "Therefore, in your eyes, my orders are nothing more than the insignificant barking of wild dogs, something you hear and forget as soon as it's over."

Throughout, his tone remained calm. Those who knew him well, however, understood that for the usually forthright Chief Cao to act this way meant he was in a very bad mood.

It's very dangerous.

Xiao Yuenu, the mistress of Wanhua Tower, said softly, "Alliance Leader Cao, Senior Yang and Brother Fu did not intend to disobey your orders. It's just that a true man has things he should do and things he shouldn't do."

"Furthermore, when the Martial Alliance was established, the first leader made an agreement with each of our sects: we would obey orders but not proclamations. If we felt that the Martial Alliance's orders violated morality or went against our own will, we could refuse."

"What a fine example of obeying orders but not declaring them!"

Tianji sneered, "Alliance Leader Cao, I've long heard that the Martial Alliance holds absolute power in Jianzhou, and your word is law. I never imagined that rumors are just rumors. If this matter were to spread, how would you maintain your standing in the martial world?"

Cao Qingyang asked coldly, "What does Your Excellency think we should do?"

Tianji took out the imperial gold medal from his robes and gently placed it on the table, his voice icy. "According to the court's regulations, openly disobeying orders is punishable by death."

Cao Qingyang sighed, "My lord, please think about it again."

Tianji sneered, "Chief Cao, no matter how big the Martial Alliance is, it can't be bigger than the imperial court. If we join forces to seize the lotus seeds, it will be mutually beneficial. But now the Ink Pavilion and the Divine Fist Gang are openly siding with Xu Qi'an, His Majesty will not tolerate them."

"The Martial Alliance can salvage its situation by cutting off an arm, thus making amends. Otherwise, you should know the consequences if His Majesty sends troops to punish them in the future. Even if the old leader is still alive, is it worth going against the court for the sake of just two people?"

Tianji has come to demand an explanation.

A mere Jianghu gang almost ruined His Majesty's important event. They clearly don't take the imperial court seriously.

This trend should not be allowed to continue.

"Then there's nothing more to say." Cao Qingyang sighed.

Upon hearing this, Tianji sneered inwardly. Although His Majesty's edict of self-reproach had greatly diminished his prestige and the court's deterrent power, the court was still the court, an insurmountable behemoth for these commoners of the martial world.

It's inevitable that one or two reckless individuals will occasionally cause trouble, but as long as the culprits are eliminated and the trend is nipped in the bud, the problem will be solved.

The next moment, Cao Qingyang pressed a palm against Tianji's forehead and pushed him out of the courtyard.

The air exploded like thunder, and pillars and walls collapsed one after another.

From inside the hall to outside the courtyard, a distance of only a dozen or so feet, the two men clashed their auras no less than a hundred times.

Tianji, shrouded in a black robe, crashed heavily onto the street outside the courtyard house. His mask cracked, and blood streamed down his forehead.

Cao Qingyang simply shook his hand, as if he had done something insignificant.

"Cao Qingyang, do you want to destroy the Martial Alliance's six-hundred-year-old foundation?" Tianji roared in fury.

He was a seasoned fourth-rank cultivator, and although he was still quite far from the peak, he shouldn't have been so weak. Yet, in the exchange just now, he was completely unable to withstand Cao Qingyang's aura.

He felt that he was far inferior to him, and that if they were to actually fight, he would surely die within a hundred moves.

The top three martial artists on the martial arts ranking are so powerful that they inspire fear.

"The Martial Alliance has its own rules. In six hundred years, it has had one leader after another. Has it ever served as a dog for the imperial court?" Cao Qingyang said calmly.

"Go back and tell the emperor, whether he sends troops to punish us or assassinates us, let him come. Even if the Martial Alliance is destroyed because of this, our ancestors will still give me a thumbs up and say: 'I have not disgraced the Martial Alliance.'"

Tianji's face was gloomy, but he dared not say anything harsh.

"I'm not killing you today out of fear, but because you're insignificant." Cao Qingyang finished speaking, turned around and went back, his purple robe sleeves swaying.

P. S.: I'm giving out double monthly votes, but I won't be releasing any new chapters. I just want everyone to help me maintain our current position. Thank you.

I'm going to sleep now; I'll correct the typos tomorrow. Lately, I've been staying up until the early hours of the morning, or even all night, and my condition is really bad. Sleeping well and sleeping poorly are two completely different things.