Aftermath

The princess of the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons did not pursue; instead, her nine tails wrapped around Xu Qi'an, and she landed in front of Zhao Shou.

Nine tails unfurled and danced gently behind Xu Qi'an, then the nine fox tails disappeared one by one.

"Wait a minute, where is Fuxiang?"

Despite his weakened state, Xu Qi'an forced himself to ask.

A soft, seductive female voice sneered as the tail swayed.

"His life is about to end, and he's still thinking about women. What a philanderer."

As expected, she's a vixen with a bad temper, lacking any real discipline. Xu Qi'an understood the sarcasm, frowned, and seeing her fox tails dissipate one by one, he pressed on:

"If others treat me sincerely, I will treat them sincerely in return."

This is the basic etiquette of a sea king.

"I've betrothed her to a male member of my tribe."

The smiling voice of the princess of the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons drifted over.

"Is your mother missing?" Xu Qi'an's eyes widened instantly!

Just kidding.

The princess of the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons's next words calmed Xu Qi'an's anger. She said:

"Fuxiang has returned to my side. For her, being the top courtesan of the Imperial Academy of Music is nothing more than an ordinary task, a part of her life's journey."

Xu Qi'an nodded, replying listlessly:

"Then I'm relieved."

Even though he knew that Fuxiang was a spy for the Demon Race and that her death was just an excuse to escape, Xu Qi'an still breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that she was safe and sound. He decided to let the fish return to the sea for the time being.

I'll find an opportunity to take it back to the fishpond in the future.

Before the last fox tail disappeared, the princess of the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons smiled and said:

"By the way, Fuxiang's body was a corpse I found in a pile of dead bodies back then. It had only been dead for a short time, and the body was still usable, so I used the Soul Returning Technique to implant Fuxiang's soul into it."

"Although that body was no different from a living person, it was still a corpse. After a few years, it began to decay and rot uncontrollably. Fuxiang had no choice but to fake her death to escape."

Xu Qi'an's expression suddenly froze, like a still painting.

"Dalang, Dalang"

Second Uncle Xu, who was waiting anxiously, rushed over to check on his nephew's injuries as soon as the fox tail disappeared.

Xu Pingzhi's old face was filled with sadness, anger, worry, and lingering fear. He held his nephew's hand tightly, afraid that if he let go, his nephew would be gone.

"Why hasn't the wound healed yet? Aren't Rank 3 cultivators supposed to be immortal?"

Second Uncle Xu examined it for a while, then became anxious.

Because his nephew's injuries had not improved, the wounds from the two jade shattering incidents were still there, the nine demon-sealing nails were piercing his flesh, and thick, scarlet blood kept flowing from the wound in his abdomen.

With blood flowing from all seven orifices and a terrifying appearance, he looked as if he could die at any moment from his severe injuries.

"He is on the verge of death and urgently needs medical attention."

Zhao Shou sighed, enduring the excruciating pain in his head, and announced in a deep voice, "Stop the bleeding."

Those hideous and horrific wounds slowly stopped bleeding, but they were still not fully healed.

In Zhao Shou's view, the fact that Xu Qi'an was still alive at this time was a testament to the strong vitality of a martial artist.

He was greatly exhausted and seriously injured in his fierce battle with Joan of Arc, especially the two mortal wounds that caused him to lose eight hundred of his own lives in the process of killing a thousand enemies, which was quite terrible.

Then, a demon-sealing nail was embedded in him, locking away his vital energy and Qi and Blood, leaving him with the cultivation of a third-rank martial artist, yet unable to exert any of it.

Finally, he used a curse-killing technique recorded in Confucian School, sacrificing himself to cause the white-robed Warlock Xu Pingfeng to suffer a backlash of fate.

The backlash from killing someone with great fortune.

It's a case of killing eight hundred enemies while losing a thousand of your own.

The fact that he survived despite suffering multiple injuries is a testament to the incredible vitality of a martial artist.

"Let's go back to the capital first. Right now, only the Imperial Censor can save him."

Zhao Shou glanced at the battle in the distance. Even with his third-grade cultivation, he couldn't see the fight between a first-grade Bodhisattva and a first-grade Heavenly Mandate, because the area was shrouded in layers of formations.

The eunuch was cutting off the female Bodhisattva's escape route; he intended to kill her.

Xu Pingzhi picked up his nephew and nodded with a melancholy expression.

He remembered everything, including his elder brother who was once incredibly talented and influential.

It reminded me of the Xu Household's past glory and prosperity.

But all of that is now history. Every year, high-ranking officials and wealthy tycoons fall from grace and have their homes confiscated in the capital. With the secrets of heaven blocked, no one will remember the once glorious Xu Household of twenty years ago.

Late at night, in the Imperial Study.

The candlelight shone brightly, as bright as day.

The prince sat behind a major case belonging to the emperor, with mixed emotions, including emotion, sadness, excitement, excitement, and anxiety. Just like ordinary people facing the only marriage in their lives.

The crown prince knew that whether he could successfully ascend the throne depended on tonight.

At this time, the officials were still waiting in the side hall, drinking hot tea and eating pastries, waiting for the meeting to begin.

With the emperor executed and the court leaderless, it was only natural for the crown prince to step forward and take charge. This was the very reason for his existence.

A country cannot be without a ruler for a single day, nor can it be without a crown prince for a single day.

The role of the crown prince becomes apparent at this time; if the Great Feng did not have a crown prince, things would probably be in chaos by now.

After the daytime reassurance efforts, the capital city was generally calm. The most disruptive group was the common people, who gathered at the gates of the imperial city and various government offices, clamoring to see Xu Yinluo.

The common people suspected that Xu Yinluo had been secretly arrested or even killed by the imperial court.

The Grand Secretary Wang ordered the Crown Prince to mobilize the Imperial Guards to suppress the unrest in the town, while simultaneously commanding officials in the capital to intervene and appease the local populace. This two-pronged approach successfully prevented a potential riot.

"Your Highness, the Grand Secretary has arrived."

The old eunuch stepped over the threshold, stood below, and whispered.

The Grand Secretary, dressed in a scarlet robe and wearing an official hat, strode steadily into the Imperial Study.

In contrast to the anxiety of the court officials, the chief minister Wang appeared calm and in excellent spirits, as if he had been reborn and had shaken off his chronic illness.

Your Highness!

The chief minister bowed.

"Your Excellency, what should we do at this critical moment?"

The Crown Prince looked down at the Chief Minister.

He knew that Chief Minister Wang would be a crucial asset in his ascension to the throne and a figure he could rely on in the future. As long as he formed an "alliance" with Chief Minister Wang, he could suppress the various factions and secure his position on the throne in a short period of time.

This is not difficult, because there are many princelings in the royalist party.

The reason why the Grand Secretary himself did not take sides was because he had been restrained by his father, the Emperor, in the past, so the Grand Secretary naturally could not take sides.

But in reality, Chief Minister Wang was a member of the Crown Prince's faction, or at least biased towards him; otherwise, he wouldn't have stood by and watched as members of his faction secretly defected to him.

The Grand Secretary Wang said, "Your Highness has three things to do: First, stabilize the people's hearts. Second, stabilize the army's hearts. Third, stabilize the court."

The Crown Prince leaned forward slightly and smiled, "What does the Grand Secretary think is the best way to stabilize these three parties?"

As if he had prepared his speech beforehand, Chief Minister Wang proceeded methodically and slowly:

"Your Highness, everyone knows that Xu Qi'an beheaded the late emperor outside the capital. This matter cannot be concealed. Forcibly covering it up will only fuel public anger and cause them to lose trust in the court."

Now, the people of the capital have remembered Xu Qi'an again, remembering that he was the master who killed the emperor.

The crown prince sighed; this was exactly what he had expected.

Wang Zhenwen continued:

"The late emperor's actions were made known to the public and announced to the world. He cut off the army's food supplies, harmed virtuous ministers, and caused the deaths of 80,000 soldiers at the hands of the witch doctor cult. Afterwards, you, as the crown prince, denounced the late emperor in the name of a son, forbidding his tablet from being placed in the ancestral temple and his remains from being buried in the imperial mausoleum."

"Subsequently, Xu Qi'an was commended, reinstated to his original position, and granted a noble title, which was announced to the world. In this way, the hearts of the people and the army can be stabilized. Although the actions of the late emperor will certainly cause great loss of face and prestige to the court and the royal family, the actions of the crown prince will be applauded by the people and wise men of the world, who will expect the dynasty to usher in a new era under the new emperor."

The late emperor Wang Zhenwen referred to was Emperor Yuanjing.

"This is unacceptable!"

The crown prince was horrified, thinking to himself, "Are you trying to make me disrespect my son?"

No matter how perverse the late emperor's actions were, father and son will always be father and son. Others may criticize the late emperor, but his son cannot do so.

Even if they are in the right, they will still be branded as an inhuman person.

This infamy may not appear in the short term, but it will certainly be recorded in history books.

Throughout history, even if a son forced his way to the throne, he still had to treat his father well and imprison him in the palace.

Whipping Lao Tzu's corpse is an extremely taboo act, found nowhere throughout history, because it is too taboo for any intelligent person to do.

"The Crown Prince wants to quickly build prestige, win the people's love, and give them confidence in the new dynasty. This is a necessary price to pay. With a wise ruler like Your Highness ascending the throne, and with Xu Qi'an being granted a title and sitting in the court, the overall situation can be stabilized."

"This is unacceptable." The crown prince shook his head again.

Chief Minister Wang nodded and stated the second plan:

"Then they falsely claimed that His Majesty was controlled by the Witch God Cult with sorcery, which is why he committed these perverse acts. Xu Yinluo intervened and stopped the Witch God Cult's conspiracy."

"The battle between the Great Feng and the Witch God Sect has just ended. The people are angry because 80,000 soldiers died in the Northeast. No one will suspect that this is the perfect opportunity to divert the conflict and let the people's anger be directed at the Witch God Sect."

"However, Xu Qi'an's actions should still be praised, as this will help restore the court's image. The fact that people are gathering at government offices and the gates of the imperial city today is the best proof of this."

The crown prince remained silent for a long time, offering no rebuttal.

Seeing this, Chief Minister Wang continued:

"Finally, it's about stabilizing the court. What you gentlemen are worried about is nothing more than the saying 'a new emperor, a new court.' Your Highness should try to win them over."

How to win them over?

The Crown Prince asked.

Winning people over isn't just about making verbal promises; it requires offering tangible benefits. Therefore, to win over one group of people, you must suppress another.

The crown prince was actually asking: Whom should we suppress?

Chief Minister Wang said calmly:

"Yuan Xiong, Right Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, and Qin Yuandao, Vice Minister of War, colluded with the Witchcraft Cult to control His Majesty and attempted to overthrow the Great Feng. Their crimes are unforgivable. Their entire families should be executed. All other accomplices should have their homes confiscated."

"But since the Crown Prince has just ascended the throne, a general amnesty must be granted. Yuan Xiong and Qin Yuandao will be beheaded and their property confiscated. The women in their families will be sent to the Imperial Academy of Music, but their clansmen will be exempted from punishment."

"Accomplices will be punished according to the severity of their crimes, including confiscation of property, dismissal from office, and beheading. Their family members will be exempt from liability."

The timing and method of the action have been provided.

After pondering for a long time, the crown prince slowly nodded. "Good!"

With that, he turned and instructed the old eunuch, "Notify the officials to enter the hall for a meeting."

Cloud Deer Academy.

Xu Pingzhi returned to the courtyard, looking exhausted.

Because of his sudden departure, his aunt and daughters returned to the academy to wait for him.

"Sir..."

The beautiful and voluptuous aunt came forward, her face somewhat unpleasant, and said in a low voice:

"I... I feel like I've forgotten a lot of things."

For example, the reason why my aunt's father, that old scholar, married her off to Xu Pingzhi was not because she was simple-minded or bad at domestic power struggles.

Rather, it was because the Xu Household was once a very wealthy and powerful family, Xu Pingzhi's elder brother held a high position and wielded great power.

The old scholar relied on his daughter's unparalleled beauty to marry her off to Xu Pingzhi, the Erlang of the Xu Household.

But my aunt realized that she had forgotten these things all these years.

Furthermore, Xu Pingzhi's elder brother was not some veteran of the Battle of Shanhai Pass; he was clearly one of the high-ranking officials in the imperial court, a powerful and influential figure.

Second Uncle Xu glanced at his wife, his face etched with weariness, and said softly:

"Forget it, forget it. It's better to forget. Some things, once remembered, only hurt; some people, once remembered, only cause heartache."

The aunt opened her mouth, her beautiful and delicate face blank, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't.

Xu Lingyue ran out of the house, the sixteen-year-old girl standing on tiptoe, constantly looking back, and said urgently:

Where's my older brother? Where's my older brother?

"He's at the Bureau of Astronomy, and he's doing well now."

Xu Pingzhi comforted his daughter, then said, "I think we probably don't need to leave Beijing."

Inside the Star-Gazing Tower, in the bedroom.

Chu Yuanzhen, Lina, Li Miaozhen, and Master Hengyuan sat around a square table, silently drinking tea.

They already knew about Xu Qi'an's later fate, the existence of Xu Pingfeng, and that he had used his son as a vessel and was now planning to kill his son to obtain his fortune.

Xu Qi'an told them the whole story.

Having reached this point, there was no need to hide anything anymore. Joan of Arc had been killed, the father and son had laid their cards on the table, and everything had come to light.

I'm coming clean: I am the chosen one.

Of course, Xu Qi'an wouldn't publicize this matter widely, but informing his closest friends would be perfectly fine.

"It's unbelievable, his background is so bizarre, so unsettling," Chu Yuanzhen murmured.

"Amitabha."

Master Hengyuan, with a bitter and resentful expression, said, "Father killing son, a human tragedy, Lord Xu's background is truly heartbreaking."

Li Miaozhen's face was gloomy as she held her teacup without saying a word.

She felt a mixture of sympathy and pity, along with overwhelming anger.

Even tigers don't eat their cubs, I'll stab Xu Pingfeng to death sooner or later!

The Heavenly Sect Saintess's youth has returned.

"In one tribe in our Southern Frontier, it's the same. When a son comes of age, if he thinks he's strong enough, he can challenge his father. If he wins, he inherits everything from his father, including his birth mother. If he loses, he dies."

"And if a father feels that one of his sons poses a great threat, he can challenge him and kill him honorably to protect his own position and interests."

Lina said.

It was a tribe where fathers were kind and sons were filial.

Chu Yuanzhen and the other two ignored her. Many tribes in the Southern Frontier were still in a state of ignorance, living like animals eating raw meat and drinking blood, and had all sorts of strange customs.

But this is Great Feng, with its own ethical principles and norms.

Xu Qi'an's background evoked their deepest sympathy and a shared sense of hatred for the enemy.

Lina puffed out her cheeks, looking somewhat unhappy. Just as she was about to speak, she suddenly clutched her stomach, her brows furrowing.

"Ouch, it hurts so much, it hurts so much!"

"Seven, Seven Deadly Gu"

The moon was bright and the stars were few.

A series of coughs could be heard from the Eight Trigrams Platform of the Star-Gazing Tower.

A cold wind howled, Xu Qi'an, wrapped in a blanket, sat at the table, holding a bowl of medicinal soup in his hands.

Zhong Li squatted in front of the small stove, brewing medicine for him, while Chu Caiwei focused on stitching up his wounds and applying pain-relieving ointment.

Upon hearing that his close friend was seriously injured and on the verge of death, Song Qing also expressed his willingness to come and help.

There was no need for Xu Qi'an to drive him away.

After taking the medicine prescribed by the supervisor and drinking several bowls of medicinal soup, and with Chu Caiwei forcibly stitching up his wounds that could not heal, Xu Qi'an finally caught his breath. Although he was still sickly, his injuries were indeed improving.

If it were during the time of Yuyang Pass, he probably wouldn't have lasted until the supervisor returned before passing away.

However, the Demon-Sealing Nail was still inside his body and had not been removed.

If the nail isn't removed, his cultivation will be sealed along with his divine power.

"The female bodhisattva named 'Liuli' is dead?"

Xu Qi'an looked at the white-clad figure whose back was turned to him.

The supervisor shook his head slightly. "Killing a first-rank official is not that simple. We only severely injured her; she won't be able to leave the Western Regions for at least two years."

Xu Qi'an took a deep breath and said with a smile, "This Bodhisattva seems to be a bit weaker than Salun Agu."

He caught a faint, virginal fragrance emanating from Chu Caiwei, along with the strong aroma of meat buns.

Hungry

"Those who can reach the first rank are not weak; each has their own strengths. The outcome of a battle between first-rank individuals depends on the right time, place, and people. Within the Great Feng territory, only those of the highest rank can defeat me. However, the Great Feng's national strength has declined to this day; two first-rank individuals could stop me."

The supervisor paused, then continued, "My entanglement with Salen Agu has been purely to avoid harming the people of the capital. Furthermore, it's not convenient for me to interfere in your and your father's affairs."

inconvenient?

Your apprentice is going to betray you, and you're still not comfortable with that?

Before Xu Qi'an could ask, the supervisor gave an explanation:

"The secrets of destiny cannot be revealed; they can only be laid out subtly and secretly. Success or failure is determined by fate."

The supervisor meant that he had used divine intervention to uncover Xu Pingfeng's scheme, which was equivalent to uncovering heavenly secrets. Therefore, he could not forcibly interfere or reveal heavenly secrets. His action to defeat the female bodhisattva had nothing to do with revealing heavenly secrets; it was purely to defeat an external enemy. Xu Qi'an suddenly realized what was going on.

He immediately asked, "Did you know all along that the female bodhisattva would come?"

The supervisor grabbed a wine cup from the table, drank it all in one gulp, and let out a satisfied sigh.

"The Lapis Lazuli Bodhisattva possesses two great Bodhisattva attainments: the Five-Colored Lapis Lazuli Dharma Form and the Practitioner Dharma Form, the latter allowing one to travel to the Western Regions in the morning and Jing Mountain in the evening."

So? Xu Qi'an didn't understand what the supervisor meant.

The supervisor smiled and said, "Next, I have two things to tell you, and they are very important."

Xu Qi'an sat upright, listening attentively with a serious expression.