An Yurou caught a glimpse of the dark red blade, and her heart skipped a beat, thinking that Later Zhou must have gone mad!
Gold-Chasing Gentleman had been active in the Jingzhou for the past few months, and the Later Zhou dispatched a large number of agents to search for and arrest him.
Even so, this kid was able to move around as if he were in an empty field, smoothly bringing back the Fate-Robbing Saber.
The subsequent destruction of her kingdom was entirely her own doing; she had already done her best...
Upon seeing the Fate-Robbing Saber, Wu Yi felt reassured.
After all, once the Great Yan obtained the Fate-Robbing Saber, they would have had ten years to build up their ranks to at least First Rank, forcing Wu Chenglie out of the game.
With this shift in power, whether it was persuasion to surrender or reunification by force, the Great Yan could be said to have gained absolute dominance.
However, it is indeed a bit strange that Ye Xingge was able to come back alive, and so quickly.
Wu Yi pondered for a moment, then asked:
"Did you receive help from a master on this journey?"
Ye Xingge was showing off her spoils to the Baby Bunny when she heard this and nodded:
"Of course, one person couldn't possibly do that."
An Yurou had already realized that the situation was not good in the Later Zhou, and in order to gather some information, she interjected:
"Who? Could it be the Mountains and Rivers Association, the Eight Pillars Hall, or the Western Shu?"
Shen Yueyao quickly shook her head. "Impossible. If these three families wanted to surrender, they could just do so directly. Why would they secretly send a knife to plot against Later Zhou?"
An Yurou thought about it and agreed, then asked:
"Those are the Three Northern Mountains? They certainly have the ability to pull this off..."
Zhang Zhiqing's eyes flickered slightly. "Could it be that Lü Chuan and the others are secretly helping?"
Ye Xingge shook his head. "No, it's the Return to Origin Cult."
"Return...?"
Silence fell over the area in front of the building after these words were spoken.
Shen Yueyao, who was studying the precious sword, raised her eyes upon hearing the sound, her gaze filled with confusion:
" The Return to Origin Cult wants to surrender? The imperial court might not be so easy to appease..."
Giving the Fate-Robbing Saber to the Great Yan is clearly an act of surrender and goodwill.
But if the Return to Origin Cult were to actually surrender, Great Yan wouldn't dare accept such a huge offer.
Zhang Zhiqing felt there was probably more to this than met the eye, and after thinking for a moment, he turned around and said:
"Let's go inside and talk."
Seeing the Ye Xingge took out two plaques from his bundle along the way:
"I killed Winnowing Basket Water Leopard a few days ago and got the communication token. Since the whole family was wiped out, I figured the message wouldn't get out anytime soon, so I tried contacting Tail Fire Tiger..."
Zhang Zhiqing sat down in the main hall and asked his granddaughter to make tea.
"Is Tail Fire Tiger the same as the incense master Li Yi?"
"Right."
Ye Xingge waited until Lady of Anyang and Wu Yi were seated before continuing:
"I was lying in ambush at the abandoned shipyard when I heard Tail Fire Tiger say that he had been lying in ambush for Gold-Chasing Gentleman for the past few months..."
"I had just killed Tail Fire Tiger when I was surrounded by thousands of people from Black Dragon Island. I hid on the boat, hoping to wait for the Heaven-Observing Pavilion to come and rescue me."
"But after a moment's thought, the assessment isn't over yet, and with Gold-Chasing Gentleman included, we'll have exactly three people..."
Wu Yi exclaimed incredulously, "You little rascal, you actually dare to think like that?"
An Yurou's gaze was also incomprehensible:
"Surrounded by thousands of people, how dare you even consider this?!"
Shen Yueyao handed the teacup to Ye Xingge:
"Yeah yeah."
Ye Xingge did indeed think that way at the time, and even Great Beauty advised him to leave, but he thought, "Since I'm already here," and at this moment he was full of confidence.
"I'm surrounded, but aren't the Return to Origin Cult members in the same boat? The enemy of my enemy is my friend. I'll try to contact them and get them to join forces to kill Gold-Chasing Gentleman first..."
Gibberish...
After carefully listening to the points of interest and motives of both sides, Wu Yi nodded slightly, a hint of surprise appearing in his eyes:
"What a clever move to turn enemies into friends! But Gold-Chasing Gentleman is cautious; even if he didn't suspect your conspiracy, he won't act until he sees the benefits."
Shen Yueyao took out a small golden bell:
"Yeah, without a real divine weapon, this thing won't make a sound. He turned around and left."
Before Ye Xingge returned, he had already thought about how to explain.
It was still dark, and even though he had already entered the Third Rank, all that the Heaven-Observing Decree could see was the Fate-Robbing Saber occupying the main position.
To completely dispel any suspicion, Ye Xingge directly removed the " Heaven-Obscuring Arm " and handed it to Wu Yi, then gave the Gold-Chasing Bell to Eldest Miss Shen, while he took the Fate-Robbing Saber.
"Miss Shen, try sneaking in from the outside with the bell in your hand."
Shen Yueyao had never played with the Gold-Chasing Bell before. She ran outside and waited for Ye Xingge to come back. Then she held the bell and listened intently.
Before I had even passed two-thirds of the small square, a thought suddenly popped into my head:
Ding-a-ling~ Ding-a-ling~...
The sound was like coins falling into a bag, extremely pleasant to the ear!
Wu Yi roughly understood the use of the Gold-Chasing Bell. Holding the Heaven-Obscuring Arm, he saw Eldest Miss Shen's eyes slowly widen and asked:
"How many times did it ring?"
Shen Yueyao was also counting, but after exceeding "six," her eyes turned blank, and finally, inexplicable.
"Eighteen rings of a golden bell?!"
"Ah?"
An Yurou and Wu Yi stared blankly at each other.
When Zhang Zhiqing saw Ye Xingge remove the Heaven-Obscuring Arm and the Gold-Chasing Bell, he already understood the crime's modus operandi.
As the Heaven-Observing Decree, he could observe famous soldiers throughout the land.
In the sea of consciousness of a normal soldier, there are five elements and five colors.
The divine weapon gleams with a dark gold light.
There is one special thing, however, that can emit a seven-colored glow!
When he first mastered the " No-Strategy Bow " and saw such a strange phenomenon, he thought it was an object even more powerful than a divine weapon.
The previous Heaven-Observing Decree was very secretive, saying things like, "The supreme principle, the highest 'One,' the secrets of heaven cannot be revealed..."
He revered this as a deity for a long time, and only after carefully investigating the identity of the warlord did he finally understand what that seven-colored light was:
The Guest Overshadows Host!
This matter was a closely guarded secret throughout the generations of Heaven-Observing Decree!
After all, they've been fooled by those old fogies before; if they don't fool the next generation, they'll be missing out.
At this moment, Zhang Zhiqing merely feigned surprise:
"So that's how it is! With this object concealing him, Gold-Chasing Gentleman can't figure out the truth. With the Return to Origin Cult's assistance, he can only get close."
Ye Xingge nodded and continued:
"I chose a good spot; there's only one route on the left with no vegetation. And the Dust-Returning Robe doesn't make you disappear into thin air; there are details like footsteps, touches, and the sound of a sword being drawn."
"I was gambling at the time. Gold-Chasing Gentleman didn't come, I would have to run. Halfway there, I noticed someone approaching Sanbu, so I grabbed the Ravine-Leaping Tiger and stabbed him directly to the left."
Shen Yueyao's face was full of nervousness:
"And then you guessed right?"
"I'll die if I don't succeed."
Ye Xingge, having used himself as bait, was genuinely shaken. He stood up and gestured to the grooves on his chainmail side:
"I stabbed him with my knife, and his knife came right at me, but it was too close to break through his armor... The Return to Origin Cult heard the commotion and ran towards me. I was throwing 'Heavenly Maiden Scatters Flowers Scattering Flowers' while picking up things..."
Gibberish...
Just by looking at Ye Xingge's gestures and the marks on his chainmail, everyone could roughly judge the movements of both sides.
After listening to the whole story, Wu Yi nodded slightly, returned the Heaven-Obscuring Arm to Ye Xingge, and sighed with admiration.
"What a clever example of adapting to local conditions and discarding a used tool! You need real guts to pull this off. It's a shame, though; those Return to Origin Cult members probably had an informant in Dongyuan Lake, and they escaped afterward."
"Oh?"
Ye Xingge truly hadn't expected that group of people could escape. He retrieved the Heaven-Obscuring Arm, then took out the " Dragon Tail Talisman " and tried to activate it. A line of text appeared on its surface:
"If I can't catch the Gold-Chasing Gentleman, can't I catch you?"
Even through the sign, you could feel the resentment of someone who had been scammed.
Shen Yueyao's eyes lit up, and she leaned closer to encourage him:
"Oh, quite the temper. Reply to them that you've arrived at the Heaven-Observing Pavilion and tell them to come."
Ye Xingge really wanted to try, but Zhang Zhiqing, after briefly sensing the other plaque, shook his head and said:
"The other party has cut off contact, and the badge is now invalid. Be careful in your future actions. Everyone knows the Return to Origin Cult's ways; even if they didn't discard you after you've served your purpose, they would still hunt you down until you reach the First Rank."
Ye Xingge was well aware of the Return to Origin Cult's reputation and had anticipated this. He nodded, then asked with a puzzled look:
"By the way, did Lord Luo and the others go to rescue me?"
"..."
After he finished speaking, the hall suddenly fell silent.
Wu Yi was still full of enthusiasm when he heard this, and he suddenly slapped his thigh and stood up:
"It's over. I ordered those four to rescue people and retrieve the Fate-Robbing Saber, but now they'll never find it, and they can't report back. They'll probably slaughter everyone on Black Dragon Island..."
As he spoke, he wanted to send orders to withdraw the troops, lest the imperial court, having already obtained the divine weapon and with everyone safe and sound, still smash up the Forgetful River Mouth and force the martial arts forces to rebel.
But it was almost dawn, and by the time the news reached them through normal channels, the entire Forgetful River Mouth would have already been ransacked.
Considering the overall situation, Zhang Zhiqing stood up and said:
"I'll send a message to Chu Hannu. Wu Yi, take Xingge to treat her injuries first."
He then looked at Ye Xingge:
"The divine weapon has recognized its master, and you will naturally control this blade from now on. However, the divine weapon is both a blessing and a curse. Remember to restrain your greed and do not lose yourself in it."
"As for the other items, take them as your means of livelihood, but don't flaunt your wealth, and always remember to be careful in the future."
With Ye Xingge's current strength, if he brought all of Gold-Chasing Gentleman's gear and added the Fate-Robbing Saber, it would practically be a "come and rob me" statement written all over his face. He bowed and said:
" Duke Zhang."
An Yurou sat to the side, having said little until now, when her eyes flickered slightly, and she stood up and said:
"I'll take Young Master Ye to get treatment. Lord Wu, you can continue with your work."
"Yes, yes, I'll show you the way."
Shen Yueyao was full of curiosity about these famous soldiers. She helped carry the bundle and the watermelon knife, walking with a bouncy, girlish air. Halfway through, she couldn't help but brandish the Fate-Robbing Saber.
Upon noticing Yu Rou behind him, he straightened his posture.
Ye Xingge found the scene somewhat amusing, but after walking a short distance along the covered walkway, he heard a strange noise coming from the top of the Heaven-Observing Pavilion:
Whew~
The rain curtain over the entire Yong Capital seemed to be shifting, and there were even faint rumbles of thunder in the sky.
Rumble...
Ye Xingge noticed the unusual celestial phenomenon and quickly peered out, only to see boundless wind and rain seemingly converging on the top of the five-story building. However, due to the angle, he couldn't see what was happening up there.
Whoosh~
Soon, the black line pierced through the misty rain, leaving a clear trail in the sky before disappearing into the clouds without a trace.
Hearing the noise, Shen Yueyao turned around, her eyes filled with pride.
"That's my grandfather's No-Strategy Bow, isn't it amazing?"
Ye Xingge knew that the No-Strategy Bow was the " Wisdom Weapon " among the Five Divine Weapons of Confucianism, and its inscription read, "The bow conceals the power to slay immortals, the heart guards the gate of right and wrong."
The legendary effects of the No-Strategy Bow" are said to be: [ Observe Heaven and Gaze at the Moon ], [ Pierce Peaks and Penetrate Armor ], and [ One Mistake in a Thousand Considerations ].
The establishment of the Heaven-Observing Pavilion, and even the listing of the Gold List, are all closely related to this divine bow.
However, Ye Xingge was not yet clear on the specifics and did not see anything particularly unusual at the moment, so he quickly left with the two girls...