"Your Majesty's decree: The situation in Jiangnan is strange and unprecedented in a century. This matter concerns the fate of the nation. As the heir apparent, the Crown Prince should shoulder the responsibility for the country at this critical juncture. I hereby entrust the Golden Dragon Guard to the Crown Prince, hoping that he will live up to expectations and successfully resolve the Jiangnan issue!"
"Your subject receives the decree!"
Those who supported the Crown Prince's faction were all excited, while the military generals and nobles, led by the Duke of Duke of Qin, looked solemn.
The Golden Dragon Guard was originally the private army of the Xiao Household. It was the most solid force in the Xiao Household's hands. They had made great contributions in battle following the Prince of King of Qin and were the Xiao Household's greatest trump card. Since the founding of the Great Jin Dynasty, they have been stationed in the capital and have never been moved!
The fact that 300,000 troops have been mobilized and that command has been handed over directly to the Crown Prince is truly unexpected. Even the Duke of Qin of Qin, who has always known His Majesty well, was momentarily unaware of the Crown Prince's intentions.
Upon receiving the imperial decree, the crown prince immediately went to his tent to prepare for his journey to the main road to take command of the approaching army.
"Your Highness, this is His Majesty's test!" Fei Jun said excitedly as he helped pack the things. "Even back then, none of the Crown Princes could directly command 300,000 Golden Dragon Guard. His Majesty is entrusting the fate of the nation to them!"
"Be careful what you say!" The Crown Prince's face showed a hint of smugness, but his words remained serious. "Father is in the prime of his life, and the country still needs him to steer it. I am still young and inexperienced, and cannot bear such a heavy responsibility. It is my good fortune to be able to experience such a great responsibility under Father's leadership. I will tread carefully and live up to Father's expectations."
"Your Highness's words are excellent!" Fei Jun led the way in praising, and the many nobles who were part of the Crown Prince's Faction's faction behind him also bowed in agreement. Their previous dejected expressions were gone, after all, the rumors that His Majesty disliked the Crown Prince had been too widespread in recent days, which made those of them who had pledged allegiance to the Crown Prince too uneasy.
In hindsight, they had worried unnecessarily; His Majesty truly values His Highness the Crown Prince!
This is understandable, since among the Xiao Household's bloodline, only His Highness the Crown Prince can perfectly inherit the Golden Crow Bloodline.
The crown prince packed his things with a sense of triumph, but a complex emotion flashed deep in his eyes.
There are worries and doubts.
Before setting off, the crown prince finally arrived at the Duke of Qin's camp.
"Your Highness, at this time, we should avoid suspicion!" The Duke of Qin coughed a few times, his face growing increasingly pale, clearly indicating that his illness was not serious.
"Uncle Lu, please take care of your health." His Highness the Crown Prince frowned. "Even if you injured your lungs and internal organs back then, your health should be such that you haven't recovered by now. Uncle Lu, have you found out the reason?"
"The reason?" A strange glint flashed in the Duke of Qin's eyes. "Perhaps."
"Perhaps what?" the crown prince quickly pressed.
"Let's put that aside for now, and talk about you instead." The Duke of Qin changed the subject, saying, "His Majesty has now dispatched the entire Golden Dragon Guard and entrusted them all to you. What do you think?"
"I don't know." The Crown Prince shook his head. "My father has rarely let me get involved in military affairs over the years. This sudden entrustment of such great power makes me feel uneasy."
"That's to be expected," the Duke of Qin sighed. "That one, when it comes to using his own children, has never been ruthless."
Upon hearing this, the crown prince inexplicably trembled.
Everyone said he was inferior to his two older brothers, but apart from the Duke of Qin, no one knew that he was precocious.
He was only one year old when his elder brother died, an age when he should have been too young to understand anything. But he knew the truth about his brother's early death and how the King of Qin had been plotted against.
"Don't you feel that some of your movements are similar to those from back then?" the Duke of Qin asked with a smile.
The prince nodded, his face pale.
"Rest assured," the Duke of Qin said earnestly to the Crown Prince, " The King of Qin of Qin instructed me back then to ensure your ascension to the throne. Although I don't know the reason, since it was his order, I will not stand idly by and watch your father use the same methods he used on the Crown Prince on you!"
"I believe in Uncle Lu!" The Crown Prince nodded excitedly, "With you here, I have nothing to fear."
Upon hearing this, the Duke of Qin smiled and shook his head, "You, after all these years, you still haven't grown up."
The Crown Prince smiled and said, "Uncle Lu could tell I was mature beyond my years back then, but now he says I haven't grown up. That's not a good thing to say."
"Go quickly," the Duke of Qin waved his hand, "If anything happens, contact me immediately. No matter where you are, I can find you instantly."
Hearing this, the Crown Prince's unease gradually subsided. He trusted the man before him because, over the years, the man had always been the first to appear by his side in times of danger.
He couldn't understand why the other party was so devoted to a single sentence from the King of Qin; perhaps only the ancients possessed such loyalty!
"They've left?"
"He's gone," the Duke of Qin said with a smile.
Inside the tent, a shadow emerged, which would have surprised Chen Qing and Murong Yunji if they were there.
The old man who appeared in the Duke of Qin's tent looked exactly like the old sorcerer who had died tragically at the foot of Azure Dragon Mountain a few days ago.
"Did you see clearly what it was that was used to kill you in Liuzhou?"
"The power is ancient, that's for sure," the old man said in a hoarse voice. "But the identity of the person who made the move is quite interesting. Indeed, we can't underestimate this generation of the Shen Family."
"This generation of the Shen Family is indeed not to be underestimated." The Duke of Qin nodded. "Ancient times, huh? It's finally here. It's time to verify what the King of Qin of Qin said back then, don't you think?"
"Yes," Mr. Black Cloud chuckled, "If they don't come soon, this old man can't wait any longer!"
"I'll trouble you to make another trip to West Sea City, sir."
Hei Yun nodded. "My substitute can be used three more times, Your Highness, please take it easy and don't make me use this old man too often."
"No, he won't," the Duke of Qin said with a smile. " Lu Hong is one of my most outstanding sons; he won't let me down."
"I hope so," Hei Yun nodded, transforming into a wisp of black smoke and disappearing into the mist on the river's surface. This time, however, it was the location of West Sea City.
--
Chen Qing returned to Liuzhou on the third day, later than expected. After all, breaking through the blockade required the Nine Heavens Mirror Valley to calculate that Liuzhou could be used to send new zombies. Just like a program, it always needs time to run. Moreover, it seems that Liuzhou is being targeted. The retinues of the Nine Corpse Worms are all trying to get to the entrance of Liuzhou. Even if the number of zombies there is reduced, they have to fight for positions to temporarily fill the gap. This point is not easy to control.
Chen Qing waited at the entrance for nearly two days and two nights.
It's easy to go out, but hard to come back.
Chen Qing couldn't help but sigh. As soon as he arrived in Liuzhou, before he even entered the city, Wei Gongcheng sensed him. Even while they were still at the port, that guy couldn't wait to find Chen Qing.
Chen Qing frowned slightly and said in a low voice, "Your safety is very important now. There's a high chance that top-tier family members could infiltrate this port area. If you're targeted, it'll be troublesome."
"It was my oversight," Wei Gongcheng quickly replied, but immediately returned to the main topic. "My lord, something has happened to your accomplice in Liuzhou."
"I know," Chen Qing nodded. "Tell me about what happened that day."
Wei Gongcheng quickly recounted the entire incident from that day, Chen Qing frowned deeply after listening to the account.
Are the words "Mr. Five Poisons" taboo?
Why?
Was Mr. Shen Er killed by no one?
Is the most terrifying enemy one's own people?
Why play games? Why not just tell the truth?
Chen Qing looked at Wei Gongcheng and immediately understood that his clone probably realized these things couldn't be said directly, because if they were, Wei Gongcheng, the messenger, would probably die on the spot.
But here's the question: if the other side had that ability, why didn't they just kill Wei Gongcheng directly?
If you give me a hint and I don't take any action, are you betting that I won't be able to figure it out?
There's only one possibility: the program!
Chen Qing's eyes suddenly lit up. Master Yang had a program that would be triggered if someone touched on certain secrets, allowing something to take action.
Conversely, as long as the program is not directly activated, the thing on Master Yang's body cannot make a move!
It's a technique!
Chen Qing immediately understood the situation. A Li's words were probably true; Master Yang was indeed the Mr. Five Poisons. However, Master Yang's memories were currently disordered because he carried too many secrets. A powerful being had set a forbidden spell on him. Once someone tried to uncover the truth about him, the spell would be triggered. This spell was unbreakable, so his clone dared not reveal the truth, because if it were, Wei Gongcheng would die, and everyone who heard the truth would die.
Therefore, what I'm facing isn't a specific person, but rather a method left behind by those people in the past.
Thinking of this, Chen Qing analyzed the second piece of information left by his clone as he walked.
Mr. Shen Er was not killed by anyone!
Wei Gongcheng couldn't understand it, but Chen Qing understood it immediately.
" Gongcheng, besides what just happened, has anything else happened these past few days?"
"Yes!" Wei Gongcheng hurriedly replied, "There's a problem with the Underworld. Originally, the dungeons were filled with vengeful ghosts from the Yin-Yang Road. Since the establishment of the Underworld, no new vengeful ghosts have appeared. Just as you said, Liuzhou has been completely cut off from the Yin-Yang Road. But just yesterday, a force shook that place. I was about to investigate when that force disappeared, but it reappears every now and then."
Chen Qing nodded. "What about inside the city?"
"There's a sinister force lurking within the city; I suspect it's Shen Laojiu!"
"It's not Shen Laojiu," Chen Qing shook his head. "It's Shen Lao'er!"
" Second Master Shen?" Wei Gongcheng was taken aback. "His ghost?"
I guess so.
"Didn't the Lord say that no ghost can escape my inspection?"
"But it's different if there's a vessel," Chen Qing said quietly. " Shen Laojiu is a perfect vessel. His body is infected with corpse poison, and his soul is extremely weak, making him the best candidate for possession!"
Possession?
"I underestimated Second Master Shen." Chen Qing sighed. "He's really clever. After observing the Underworld for only a day, he dared to make such a choice. He's truly a ruthless man. Let's go, let's go meet our Second Master Shen!"