Rebellion

Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao, who were in front, suddenly froze, standing there stunned.

The other night Nightwatchers around them had similar reactions.

Zhu Chengzhu's pupils contracted slightly. The voice was both familiar and strange, having appeared in his dreams countless times, like a nightmare.

He was filled with hatred and Curse, yet also with fear and despair, believing he had no hope of revenge whatsoever.

Now, that person is right behind him.

He didn't even have the courage to turn around.

The footsteps approached slowly, and Zhu Chengzhu's legs trembled slightly, cold sweat beading on his back.

Unexpectedly, the footsteps passed him and headed towards Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao.

Dressed in a blue robe and carrying a weapon that resembled both a sword and a knife, Xu Qi'an kicked Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao once each, and mocked them:

"You two don't seem to be doing very well."

Zhu Guangxiao was visibly moved, with tears welling in his eyes.

Stubbornly, Song Tingfeng didn't turn around, choking back tears as he cursed, "You bastard, why haven't you left yet? Do you want to die?"

The surrounding night Nightwatchers were filled with surprise, confusion, and anxiety. Xu Ningyan hadn't left yet, and dared to return to the Nightwatchers's office. Didn't he know that the Zhu family father and son had returned? Didn't he know that Yuan Xiong had succeeded to the position of Duke Wei and become Duke Yuan?

Yes, he didn't know that all of this happened yesterday.

"Xu Ningyan, you'd better leave now."

Someone in the crowd whispered a reminder.

At this moment, Zhu Chengzhu seemed to have broken free of some kind of shackles, regained control of his legs, and ran wildly towards the depths of the yamen.

Now that the Nightwatchers had no more reservations, they all offered their advice:

"Xu Ningyan, you shouldn't have come back. Leave now, get out of the city."

"Ningyan, the Nightwatchers's office is now under Yuan Xiong's command. He has reinstated Zhu Yang and his son, and Zhao Jinluo is practically being sidelined."

"The Nightwatchers's office is now controlled by Yuan Xiong and the Zhu family, father and son. Zhu Yang is a fourth-rank official. You should leave immediately."

Xu Qi'an listened without changing his expression and looked at Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao: "What has happened these past few days? Tell me about it."

"How about I tell you about it?"

Zhu Yang's voice arrived before he did.

Inside the courtyard, everyone's eyes were suddenly filled with the imposing figure of Zhu Yang, dressed in the uniform of a Nightwatchers with a golden gong embroidered on his chest.

A few seconds later, Zhu Chengzhu caught up, pointed at Xu Qi'an, and said sharply:

"Father, this brat actually dared to go back to the yamen! Kill him! Kill him now!"

Zhu Yang remained motionless, facing off against Xu Qi'an for a moment, until Zhao Jinluo arrived.

Reluctantly, Zhu Yang scoffed inwardly and said calmly, "Zhao Jinluo, only if you and I join forces to capture and kill this traitor will Lord Yuan and His Majesty truly value you. Lord Yuan is watching from the Star-Gazing Tower."

Zhao Jinluo glanced back and saw a figure in a scarlet robe standing alone on the seventh floor of the Haoqi Tower, overlooking the area.

Zhao Jinluo withdrew his gaze, and said with a complicated expression, "Why did you come back?"

Xu Qi'an smirked. "Back to collect debts!"

More and more night Nightwatchers are paying attention to the commotion, while fewer and fewer Nightwatchers on site.

A battle between fourth-rank experts might just destroy the government office. They didn't know Xu Qi'an's cultivation level, but it was definitely not low.

However, this is the capital city after all. It wouldn't be difficult for the two Golden Roosters to deal with him together, but if experts from other places came, Xu Ningyan would be doomed.

Why is he back?

" With Duke Wei dead, who can support him now? He has thoroughly offended His Majesty; what use is he coming back?"

"Foolish! Why did Xu Ningyan come back? It's outrageous! We were colleagues, I really can't bear to see him die."

"We're just ordinary people, what can we do even if we can't bear it? Can you really risk the lives of your entire family to help him?"

"Yes, didn't you see that Zhao Jinluo has compromised? He plans to join forces with Zhu Yang to deal with Xu Ningyan. Yuan Xiong is watching from Haoqi Tower."

"A new emperor Nightwatchers. The era of Duke Wei is over; it will never return."

A group of Nightwatchers watched from a distance, discussing among themselves, some sighing, some feeling resentful, and some feeling helpless.

Zhu Yang flicked his thumb, and his sword was drawn with a clang, flashing a bright light in the air.

Every night Nightwatchers present felt a chill in their heart, and the hair on the back of their hands stood on end from the glint of the knife.

Zhu Yang took a step that covered more than ten feet, and then swung his blade straight at Xu Qi'an's head.

Regardless of whether the rumors about Yuyang Pass are true or not, Xu Qi'an's current cultivation level is enough to fight against a fourth-rank cultivator. He alone might not be able to defeat this fiend.

But as long as Zhao Jinluo follows behind, the two of them working together will make capturing and killing Xu Qi'an a piece of cake.

Xu Qi'an slapped him across the face!

Snap!

His head exploded like a watermelon, with bone fragments, brain matter, flesh, and eyeballs splattering out, leaving scattered marks on the bluestone pavement of the courtyard.

Zhu Yang staggered forward a few steps before collapsing to the ground.

In an instant, the Nightwatchers's courtyard fell into a deathly silence.

Zhu Yang's tough exterior couldn't withstand his slap. I couldn't have blocked that casual slap either; I would have been slapped to death. Zhao Jinluo's pupils shrank to pinpoints, as if he had been suddenly struck by a bright light.

Zhu Yang, a fourth-rank official, was killed just like that? He, he single-handedly killed hundreds of thousands of enemies at Yuyang Pass, is that true?! The night Nightwatchers from afar were collectively speechless, suddenly realizing that the rumors circulating in the mortal world were not exaggerated, but were actually true battle achievements.

Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao were in a daze, finding it hard to accept that their colleague, who often frequented brothels and Imperial Academy of Music with them, had unknowingly grown into such a terrifying figure.

To shatter the head of a fourth-rank Golden Gong Fan with a single slap—what terrifying cultivation level that is!

Xu Ningyan, what rank is he now?

An absurd thought flashed through everyone's minds, but they quickly suppressed it, for it was too crazy, too absurd, and too contrary to common sense.

Zhu Chengzhu's face was ashen, his lips trembled slightly, and his whole body trembled like a tree branch swaying in the wind.

His father, whom he revered like a god, his sole support, his father who was a fourth-rank military officer, was slapped to death by this man.

It's no harder than swatting an ant.

A tremendous fear exploded in Zhu Chengzhu's heart. He suddenly shuddered as a stream of murky, foul-smelling liquid flowed down from his groin.

"Go back, and I won't kill you. Otherwise, you'll suffer the same fate as Zhu Yang."

Xu Qi'an looked at Zhao Jinluo.

Zhao Jinluo suppressed his fear, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, and quickly left.

Xu Qi'an then turned to Song Tingfeng, pointing at Zhu Chengzhu: "He's in your hands now."

After saying that, he strolled forward and headed towards the Haoqi Tower.

Many eyes followed him, wanting to catch up but lacking the courage. Until Xu Qi'an's figure disappeared, everyone turned to look at Song Tingfeng.

Song Tingfeng walked up to Zhu Chengzhu, spreading his legs wide. "If you want to live, crawl through here."

"I'll drill, I'll drill!"

Zhu Chengzhu hurriedly knelt down, trembling with fear, crawling and begging for mercy as he went, squeezing between Song Tingfeng's legs.

Suddenly, Zhu Guangxiao drew his sword and slashed down fiercely, and a head rolled off.

Zhu Chengzhu's face was frozen in terror, tears glistened in the corners of his eyes, his lips moved slightly, but he ultimately fell into eternal silence.

Hahahaha!

Song Tingfeng covered his face, crying and laughing at the same time, as if he had gone mad.

He finally vented his pent-up frustrations.

At this moment, someone pointed to the top of Haoqi Tower and exclaimed, "Xu Ningyan is going to kill Yuan Xiong!"

Suddenly, everyone looked over and saw Xu Qi'an grabbing Yuan Xiong by the collar on the seventh-floor observation deck, pinning half of his body outside.

"Yuan Xiong, oh no, Lord Yuan!"

Xu Qi'an smiled as he scrutinized Yuan Xiong, whose face had turned pale and who was struggling incessantly.

"I heard that Lord Yuan painstakingly compiled a list of Duke Wei's ten major crimes, imprisoned the corrupt officials in the Nightwatchers watchman's office, and cleaned Nightwatchers watchman's office. This played a crucial role in exposing Duke Wei as a traitor who harmed the country."

Yuan Xiong saw the chilling killing intent in his eyes and said in a deep voice, "Xu Qi'an, I am an official appointed by the imperial court, Principal Third Rank official. You... you cannot kill me."

Seeing that Xu Qi'an's gaze remained cold, he assessed the situation and quickly changed his attitude, pleading:

"His Majesty forced me to do it. I had no choice. As a subject, how can I refuse? I truly had no choice. This was not my intention. Please forgive me, Xu Qi'an, please forgive me."

The sky was pitch black, the darkest hour before dawn. The cold wind chilled Yuan Xiong to the bone, and his heart was also ice-cold.

"You must leave the capital immediately. I will buy you some time. If you delay, those scoundrels below will report you, and once the city gates are closed, you won't be able to leave."

He was unwilling to give up his chance to survive, thinking only of first groveling to avoid disaster, and then informing His Majesty to execute this scoundrel.

"Forgiving you is Duke Wei's business; my task is to take you to see him."

Xu Qi'an released his grip.

Yuan Xiong fell backward, plummeting from the seventh floor with a loud thud. He lay there, his eyes bulging, staring intently at the sky.

He died on the spot.

The Nightwatchers, who witnessed this scene from afar, was dumbfounded.

"Xu Ningyan, he... he's planning a rebellion!"

A high-ranking official of the third rank, killed without hesitation—this was a truly important figure, one of the most powerful men in the land.

"I've been fed up with them for ages, good riddance," someone muttered in a low voice.

After a brief silence

"Good riddance!"

"The Nightwatchers is Duke Wei's Nightwatchers; what is Yuan Xiong anyway?"

"The Zhu family father and son betrayed the government and were dismissed long ago. Bah, good riddance!"

The pent-up emotions that began yesterday have now been completely released.

Xu Ningyan is still the same Xu Ningyan, lawless and unruly. He's back, and all resentment and bitterness will vanish.

Xu Qi'an returned to the tea room. The furnishings were as they always had been, but there would never again be a woman in a blue robe sitting at the table, waiting for him with gentle eyes.

Upon opening the teacup, the water in the teapot was still hot, presumably ordered by Yuan Xiongchen to be boiled that morning.

Xu Qi'an emptied the teapot, poured two cups of water, took a sip, shook his head, and said, "Drinking tea is boring. I want to drink wine today. What do you think, Duke Wei?"

The opposite side was empty, the tea room was quiet, and no one answered.

He took out the fragment of the Earth Book, poured out a jar of fine wine that he had prepared beforehand, broke the mud seal, and drank heartily from the jar.

The first sip was bold and exhilarating, but the second sip became slower, taken in small sips, and soon most of it was gone.

As Xu Qi'an drank, he muttered to himself about the past.

He was becoming slightly tipsy, a state of mild intoxication but not yet fully drunk, a state of being at the peak of life.

In a daze, Xu Qi'an seemed to see a man in a blue robe with graying temples sitting opposite him, his eyes filled with the vicissitudes of time, looking at him gently.

"Duke Wei, this humble servant will sing a song for you."

You've been wanting to hear it, so I'll sing it for you now.

He carried the wine jar and slowly walked to the lookout tower. A biting morning wind blew against him. Recalling the past, he sang aloud:

I stand in the fierce wind, wishing I could sweep away all the lingering pain in my heart.

He pointed his fingers like a sword, surveying the capital with disdain, his voice suddenly rising in pitch:

"Gazing at the vast sky where clouds drift in all directions, sword in hand, I ask the world, who is the true hero?"

Then, he slowly turned his head, looking towards the palace and then towards the harem, his voice gentle:

"Of all the beauties in the world, I love only you. When we parted, who was any different? So many years of love were hastily buried."

In my heart, you are the most important. We share joys and sorrows, life and death. Your tenderness is etched into my bones, and in return, I am filled with boundless passion.

"In my heart, you are the most important; my tears flow to the heavens. In the next life, I will also be a hero, returning as the setting sun shines brightly."

"The setting sun is high as I return."

He raised the jar and drank it all in one gulp.

Xu Qi'an threw the wine jar off the high building, turned around, looked at the man in blue, and laughed loudly, "Duke Wei, how was my singing?"

In my ears, I seemed to hear that gentle voice. "Very good."

Xu Qi'an laughed loudly, but tears welled up in his eyes. He dared not look in that direction any longer and staggered out of the tea room.

What is your purpose in going there?

Shatter the heavens.

What if they go and never return?

And then he never returned!

The Golden Palace.

Emperor Yuanjing sat high on his dragon throne, looking down solemnly at the officials in the hall.

His gaze swept over an empty seat, and he said in a deep voice, "Why isn't Minister Yuan here?"

Yuan Xiong did not ask for leave, yet he was absent from the court assembly. According to the laws of the Great Feng, being late or absent from the court assembly would result in a penalty of three months' salary and fifteen strokes of the cane.

After fifteen strokes of the cane, the frail scholar would truly be confined to his bed for ten days to half a month.

Emperor Yuanjing was not angry because Yuan Xiong was absent; it was just that he still needed Yuan Xiong as a vanguard soldier to charge into battle.

As time went on, Emperor Yuanjing no longer counted on Yuan Xiong and glanced at Qin Yuandao, the Vice Minister of War.

With Yuan Xiong absent, the task of charging into battle naturally fell to him, a core member of the Imperial Party. He immediately stepped forward, bowed, and said:

"Your Majesty, the war against the Witch God Sect and the arrangements for Wei Yuan's funeral have been delayed for so long. We cannot delay any longer. The families of the fallen soldiers are still waiting for compensation."

Emperor Yuanjing nodded slowly and asked, "What are your thoughts, Minister Qin?"

Qin Yuandao was heartbroken. "Wei Yuan was greedy for merit and acted rashly, disregarding the overall situation. He forcibly attacked Jingshan City, resulting in the sacrifice of more than 80,000 soldiers and causing our Great Feng to lose 80,000 elite troops. Wei Yuan, his death is not a pity."

"After the Battle of Jingshan City, the armies of Yan and Kang approached Yuyang Pass. Although they eventually retreated, their elite troops remained and could return at any time."

"The situation in Xiangzhou, Jingzhou, and Yuzhou is critical. They could be captured by the army of the Witch God Sect at any time. The people of the three states are in imminent danger. The best course of action now is to send envoys to the Witch God Sect to negotiate peace and make up for the disaster caused by Wei Yuan."

"As for Wei Yuan, I remonstrated with him to the death. I request Your Majesty to posthumously grant him the title 'Li'."

Wu Li means cruel and fierce.

Emperor Yuanjing glanced at the assembled officials and said leisurely, "What are your thoughts, my dear ministers?"

No one spoke; some looked towards another empty seat—the seat of Wang Zhenwen, the Grand Secretary of the country.

In the eyes of the officials, Chief Minister Wang had given up.

Since the Grand Secretary is no longer involved in this matter, they no longer need to fight to the death for Wei Yuan and His Majesty.

Those who stand here are all intelligent people; how could they not see through Emperor Yuanjing's scheme after the changes in the situation these past few days?

Wei Yuan's reputation is now ruined; there's no point in trying to get him a title or the title of Loyal Warrior.

You have to overturn his case first, but the key point is that the person on the dragon throne won't allow it.

What can be done?

As for the former Wei faction members, they had long been disappointed with Yuan Jing and turned their attention to the new dynasty, waiting for the new emperor to ascend the throne so they could exonerate Duke Wei.

Emperor Yuanjing's lips curled into a slight smile, but his tone was low and deep. "Very well, as Minister Qin says."

Before he could finish speaking, a commotion suddenly erupted outside the hall.

The sound waves rose and fell in layers, continuous and unending.

Chaos reigned.

What's all this noise about?

The officials were greatly alarmed. Inside the hall, they heard the uproar and the sound of their fleeing officials scattering like birds and beasts.

This made the officials realize that something was wrong, but they couldn't guess what had happened.

The officials, bewildered, rushed to the palace gate, only to find the hypocrites fleeing for their lives in the square below, running around in all directions.

A figure dressed in green, wielding a knife, stormed into the Golden Palace. Behind him lay a pile of corpses, all of them palace guards.

The men were deeply shaken, overwhelmed by a sense of absurdity and unreality.

In the six hundred years since the Great Feng Dynasty, apart from Emperor Wuzong who seized the throne, has anyone else stormed into the palace and stormed the Golden Palace?

No!

At this moment, even these civil officials at the pinnacle of power in the Great Feng, seasoned veterans of the bureaucracy, and masters of shrewdness and cunning, found it difficult to maintain their composure using the so-called "calmness of mind."

Their expressions changed drastically, some showing shock and anger, others fear and despair, and still others terror.

The man in green robes, holding a knife with a small octagonal bronze disc hanging from the hilt by a red rope, stepped through the gates of the Golden Palace. Amidst the panicked retreat of the officials, he hurled the knife at the emperor on the dragon throne.

Accompanied by a thunderous roar:

"Dog--Emperor--"

The long sword whistled as it flew away.

Only one thought remained in everyone's mind:

Xu Qi'an has rebelled!

P. S.: Recommended book. "Becoming Stronger Starting from Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio," also a crime-solving novel. Author: Selling Newspapers for Prosperity.

I recommended it because of its name.

Additionally, the author will mention below the activities of the Great Feng Girls' Group.

The page for the Great Feng Girl Group auditions is now live on the Qidian Reading app. You can participate through: ① the link at the end of the latest chapter; ② scrolling down the book's details page to find the event page; ③ scrolling down the discovery page to the event section. Come and support your favorite characters in forming a girl group! You'll also have a chance to share 100,000 Qidian coins and a mystery prize!