The Duo Parts Ways

"This isn't my fault; it's mainly because you didn't tell me about it beforehand!"

"I already told you he would come to my place!"

"But you didn't say you'd be coming last night!"

After midnight, the new emperor drove away in his carriage, while Li Shaojun returned through the darkness.

Not only was Zhang Xuezhou anxious, but Li Shaojun was too.

Zhang Xuezhou knew very well that Li Shaojun was talking nonsense, and Li Shaojun also knew he was talking nonsense, but at that time he had no other way to cover it up.

"Anyway, that's how it is," Li Shaojun said helplessly.

"What are you going to do?" Zhang Xuezhou asked.

"What can I do?" Li Shaojun snorted twice before saying, "If my alarmist words are to come true, then I can only find an opportunity to assassinate this Emperor!"

"I'm leaving this to you!"

Zhang Xuezhou thought of Li Guang, the general in charge of protecting the new emperor, and felt that Li Shaojun might have to die several times before he could resolve this matter.

"Unlucky!"

Li Shaojun muttered something.

He possessed a wide range of skills, making assassination relatively easy for him. The main problem was that he would inevitably be killed afterward, a terrible fate that left Li Shaojun feeling extremely dejected, as if being with Zhang Xuezhou would lead to repeating the same mistakes.

This made him very pessimistic about making any profits in Chang'an City.

But since he had already come all this way, and had even given away a precious gift, Li Shaojun felt that things couldn't just end so easily.

He would be very resentful if he couldn't recoup his losses.

Li Shaojun reached out and brushed his face, and his body quickly returned to a youthful state.

After taking off his Daoist robe and stuffing it into his pocket, Li Shaojun had already changed into a blue robe that young people usually wear.

"Is your attire suitable for assassination?" Zhang Xuezhou asked doubtfully.

"Don't underestimate me," Li Shaojun said. "When I get serious, even I'm afraid of myself!"

"Is it very impressive?" Zhang Xuezhou asked doubtfully.

"We must go all out!" Li Shaojun said. "I could beat up this little emperor without even blinking!"

"His Majesty's current strength isn't considered strong, but it's not weak either," Zhang Xuezhou cautioned. "The person driving his carriage is named Wei Qing. Wei Qing is a martial artist at the Divine Ability Realm. I don't know his exact strength, but he drives the carriage twice as fast as an ordinary coachman!"

"Just a coachman," Li Shaojun said dismissively, pursing his lips.

"There's also a guard named Li Guang inside the carriage!"

"He's just a guard... Wait, what did you say his name was?"

"Li Guang!"

Which Li Guang?

"The most famous one!"

When Zhang Xuezhou revealed the other two people who would accompany the new emperor, Li Shaojun couldn't help but start packing his bags.

"Where are you going?" Zhang Xuezhou asked curiously.

"What are you doing?" Li Shaojun muttered. "I didn't even see General Li Guang in the carriage when I entered the house, so what could I do but admit defeat and leave?"

Li Shaojun had meticulously planned his attack on the new emperor to activate his treasure, a tactic he typically employed by getting on board early and then paying the price later.

But with a powerful cultivator like Li Guang by the new emperor's side, Li Shaojun felt he couldn't make amends.

If Zhang Xuezhou can't come up with a solution, he'll have no choice but to give up and leave.

Let's go!

Zhang Xuezhou waved his hand.

He knew that his fate was likely to clash with that of the new emperor, and that no matter how he planned, schemed, or improvised, it might all come to Wuyou.

The current situation is proof once again that Zhang Xuezhou can no longer afford to mess around.

Anyway, now that the new emperor has met Li Shaojun, his mission in the imperial edict can be considered accomplished, so he won't suffer too much of a loss.

As for the medicated medicine he had planned, it had to be discarded, and Zhang Xuezhou simply considered it as him drinking a few more mouthfuls of northwest wind.

"You're really letting me leave?"

Li Shaojun was stunned.

He did have the idea of leaving, but this move was a strategic retreat, hoping that Zhang Xuezhou would come up with some solutions. Li Shaojun didn't expect that Zhang Xuezhou was completely unyielding and chose to let him leave directly.

Zhang Xuezhou had been wandering around for more than half a year, and Li Shaojun had spent nearly a month traveling from the Northern Border to Chang'an City. As a result, their operation ended abruptly after only one day.

This absurd situation was almost identical to their experience when they entered the Mohists's Mechanized City. Back then, Li Shaojun was also stabbed to death with a spear as soon as he entered the treasure land.

"This is terrible!" Li Shaojun muttered. "This is absolutely awful! Why am I so unlucky?"

"An emperor is a person who embodies the fortune and destiny of the Great Han Dynasty. It's impossible not to bring bad luck if you scheme against an emperor," Zhang Xuezhou replied.

"Then why was I so unlucky before? I drowned after finding the Beast Taming Sect's treasure vault, I was killed after finding the Mohists's mechanical city, and I was also drowned after finding the Abbot's Secret Realm," Li Shaojun said. "Surely this wasn't some scheme against the emperor?"

"Don't talk about that. I've experienced everything you're talking about, and it makes me furious just thinking about it!"

"Anyway, I can't afford to play this game anymore, and this is no longer a viable option," Li Shaojun complained. "To cooperate with this charade of yours, I even brought out our ancestral treasures, and now I'm giving one away for no reason!"

"You offered to give it to me, so don't try to pin it on me!"

Zhang Xuezhou quickly sorted out his thoughts and drew a line, wary of Li Shaojun blaming him for losing the treasure.

"Tell me, what treasure did your ancestors leave you? I noticed it looked a bit tattered when I saw it," Zhang Xuezhou asked suspiciously.

"My ancestors' possessions are all precious treasures," Li Shaojun said. "The fact that these treasures, though broken and worn, have been passed down to this day proves that they are extremely high-grade, far superior to ordinary mortal objects!"

"Cut!"

"Don't underestimate me," Li Shaojun tried to argue, then muttered, "I only know that the treasure is called the Apricot Yellow Banner. It's unusable under normal circumstances; it only shows its power to protect you when you're in danger and almost lose your life!"

"You need to understand one thing: His Majesty's status is extremely high; he wouldn't carry anything tattered or worn on him," Zhang Xuezhou said. "Even if he accepted it in front of you, who knows where he might have left it tonight!"

"Then I can't risk his life tonight!"

After thinking it over, Li Shaojun realized that things were going to be difficult.

He and Zhang Xuezhou looked at each other in bewilderment.

Both wanted the other to reveal their secrets and get them to work for them, but neither of them had anything to reveal right now. Even though Li Shaojun mentioned that he was leaving and Zhang Xuezhou was giving someone away, neither of them uttered a single reliable word.

"Looks like we're really going to break up," Li Shaojun said dejectedly.

"You've come all the way to Chang'an City, it's not easy for you. If things don't go well, stay a few more days and see how things go," Zhang Xuezhou said. "If there's a chance, we'll make do; if not, we'll call it quits!"

"This is the only way!"

Li Shaojun dejectedly agreed.

He idly flipped through another ancient bamboo scroll, feeling that everything was absolutely terrible.

The treasures passed down from their ancestors are very valuable, but Li Shaojun cannot use them, nor can he think of any way to deal with the current situation.

In his dejection, he saw a purple light flash across the ancient bamboo scroll in his hand, almost causing him to lose his grip.

The feeling that the ancient bamboo scrolls were about to fly away surged into Li Shaojun's heart, and he stood up with a whoosh.

"My treasure has been activated; it must be the Apricot Yellow Banner that's working. That young emperor either used someone to test the treasure's power, or he's truly in danger!"

Li Shaojun picked up the bamboo slip, a faint sense of direction emanating from it, which made him quickly turn his head towards Zhang Xuezhou.

The time was short; the new emperor and his entourage had been gone for less than a quarter of an hour. It was difficult to conduct any dangerous tests in the carriage, and the latter scenario was undoubtedly highly probable.

However, for the new emperor, whom Li Guang and Wei Qing were protecting, to be in danger, it must have been no ordinary event.