Chapter 686
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A few days ago, there were still remnants of the last vestiges of summer heat left in the land. The first rains of autumn had not yet fallen. Only at dusk and dawn, when the light was dim, would the wind carry a crisp autumn chill as it blew through the mountains, woods, and fields.
Autumn wind raised people's worries. At this time, Fan Xian did not have many worries. He sat among the long line of black carriages and slept with the rising and falling of the carriage. It was a false sleep. He had only closed his eyes, opened up his mind, and allowed the two different zhenqi to gently circulate.
The natural Tianyi Dao zhenqi was placed in the upper circulations. It was soft, gentle, and needed to be chanted. His true power, the powerful Tyrannical zhenqi moved around his body, strengthening his body and hammering his intent.
Fan Xian had thoroughly memorized the contents of the small notebook Sigu Jian gave him right before he died. On this trip west, back to the capital, while he practiced his own cultivation, he also continued to follow the marvelous writing on the notebook. He opened up his mind to sense the possible or non-existent ripples of yuanqi in his surroundings. Perhaps he was too tired from the traveling, or perhaps there was a great deal of spiritual aura on the banks of the East Sea, but along the way, Fan Xian did not make much progress. However, he became faster at focusing his thoughts and sensing things in the outside world.
There was not a day he did not meditate. There was not a moment he was not practicing hard. This was probably the true reason for Fan Xian's present strength.
A gust of wind blew in through the curtain of the carriage. It made him narrow his eyes slightly. For some reason, his heart trembled slightly and felt a chill. It was as if something was happening in the world. Something that was certain to impact him was about to happen.
What could it be? He narrowed his eyes and looked at the murky mountains outside. Slowly, he dissipated the zhenqi in his body he had gathered and pulled his mind back from his surroundings. The Dongyi matter was pretty much settled. His father had left Ten Family Village and returned to Danzhou. It was all calm in Jingdou. Chen Pingping, that old cripple, should already be on his way back to his hometown. Everything was going as Fan Xian hoped, so why did he have such an ominous feeling?
His delicate and pretty brows furrowed slightly. After leaving Dongyi, the only thing that Fan Xian had found strange was the attacks by the volunteer armies of the countries subordinate to Dongyi. Although these hot-blooded men intended to die by coming forth to assassinate a powerful official of the Qing Kingdom, the guards around Fan Xian were much too strong. Besides, the Great Prince had also sent a 1,000-troop squadron to protect him. The attacks over a series of days only saw the volunteer armies take casualties, throwing down hot blood before scattering.
What put Fan Xian on guard was that his route from Dongyi back to the capital was very secretive. Even if someone found out in Dongyi, it would still require the support of a powerful system of intelligence reports to lay out all these attacks along the way.
His heart jumped as he arrived at a chilling answer. There was someone within the Overwatch Council sending these reports to the volunteer armies. Furthermore, these things began after he decided to leave Dongyi.
It seemed like there was a power in Jingdou that wanted to delay the speed of Fan Xian's return. What could happen in Jingdou? What matter concerned him that the other party was so resolute on ending before he returned return to Jingdou? Fan Xian's eyes grew cold. His body also grew cold. Unconsciously, he tightened the thin cloak around his body.
Only two people could make something go wrong within the Overwatch Council. One was the Emperor, and the other was Chen Pingping. It was also only these two who could stall his return to the capital if they wanted to. It was certain that what was happening in Jingdou was definitely related to the Emperor and Chen Pingping.
Fan Xian pulled his gaze back from the scenery outside the carriage window. He was silent for a moment. He then made up his mind, prompted by the powerful worry he felt. To Mu Feng'er riding beside the carriage, he ordered, "Change the formation. Open up the road in an arrow formation. Don't delay along the way with those people. Return to Yanjing as soon as possible."
Mu Feng'er's heart jumped. He thought that if they forcefully charged back, many people would die. The consequence brought by speed was damage. He glanced at Sir Fan Junior. He knew that he must have sensed something strange, which was why he wanted to rush back to Jingdou. Not daring to ask further, he quickly gave the order to move forward at full speed to the long line of carriages heading back to Jingdou.
The sound of the horses' hooves was thunderous. The carriages rang out metallically as they raced from Dongyi toward the Qing Kingdom.
In less than an hour, the entire group slowed down. A signal arrow rang out in front. Over these few days, the group escorting Sir Fan junior had gotten used to the ever-present ambushes, so they were not surprised. The signal arrow now was strange. It only rang out once before stopping. Immediately after, cries of "Safe!" rang out repeatedly from the front to the back of the group.
The Overwatch Council's cries were very short and quick. They were afraid that their colleagues in the back would accidentally hurt the messenger. The messenger was too quick, to the point that the defensive force of the carriages could only glance at the token on his waist and had no time to make any other reactions.
"Safe!" When the sound of the last cry rang out from beside Fan Xian's carriage, a light gray shadow moved like a flash of lightning and came to a stop by his carriage. The line of carriages was very long, yet this person moved just as fast as the Overwatch Council's message. It was truly astounding.
As the present Qinian Unit leader by Fan Xian's side, Mu Feng'er gripped the hilt of his knife cautiously as he looked at the dust-covered and sallow-faced Overwatch Council official who had just stopped by the carriage. This official's face was unfamiliar, so Mu Feng'er did not dare to be careless. However, seeing the token the official held up with his right hand, his heart jumped. He did not stop him climbing onto the carriage.
The Overwatch Council official, whose clothing was in unrecognizable tatters, wormed into Fan Xian's carriage and knelt down straight away. In a raspy voice, he said, "Director Chen returned to the capital, life and death unknown."
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When this official's lightning-like and wind-like figure appeared beside the carriage, Fan Xian's eyes had lit up and grown increasingly bright. He recognized the official who could move so quickly. He was someone he had missed for many years, who had been his closest subordinate in the past.
"Lao Wang…" Seeing this official enter the carriage, the light in Fan Xian's eyes grew and melted into joy. He laughed but stopped abruptly as he heard what Wang Qinian said.
The light and joy in Fan Xian's eyes coalesced into a bundle of burning ice, terrifyingly cold and terrifyingly hot. Straightforwardly, he asked, "From where did he turn back, when?"
Wang Qinian's chest rose and fell rapidly. As one of the wings of the Overwatch Council, he had headed northeast not far from Dazhou and had not rested in a long time. He had completely relied on his last breath to support his exhausted body. At the moment he finally saw Fan Xian, he was almost at the end of his line. He knew that Fan Xian's question concerned when the old Director would be able to reach Jingdou and how much time Fan Xian had, so he said the answer directly.
Fan Xian sat silently on his chair. He closed his eyes then opened them. He had already calculated the rough time Chen Pingping would be brought back to Jingdou, as well as how long it would take him to get from where he was to Yanjing and then to Jingdou.
Could he make it? The bundle of cold fire in Fan Xian's eyes grew. He looked at Wang Qinian kneeling in front of him and did not say anything. His earlier joy in their reunion had been overshadowed by an immense anger. Chen Pingping's escort home had been personally arranged by Fan Xian. Under the escort of the Overwatch Council, how could he be captured back by the Emperor?
Fan Xian had no idea about everything that happened in Dazhou was because Chen Pingping wanted to return to the capital to ask the Emperor some questions.
Time was of the essence. It was a desperate situation. Fan Xian's expression was cold as he said to Mu Feng'er by the window, "Turn the entire group back to Dongyi. Tell the Great Prince that unless he receives a personally written letter from me, he is to never return."
From learning that Chen Pingping had returned to Jingdou to Fan Xian giving the first order, only a few moments had passed. Fan Xian's first problem was dealing with this large group. Afterward, he had to ensure that nothing went wrong with the Great Prince, who was in Dongyi with more than 10,000 soldiers.
He had given the orders. Those below him would be responsible for carrying them out. Fan Xian would not say one extra word. He took out a flash of clear water from a compartment in the luxurious black carriage and tied it to his waist. He then rose and took a deep breath.
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The black carriage suddenly collapsed. The wooden wall directly in front that was not covered by iron boards shattered in an instant. A black shadow, like a streak of black lightning, swept out of the carriage. Tapping his toes against the horse's head, he shot forward. A giant crack rang out.
Fan Xian treasured every minute and second of time. The Tyrannical zhenqi in his body was raised to a peak condition. The magic he had just comprehended also helped make him more bird-like in the air. Taking advantage of the air currents, he moved quickly forward, dissolving his figure into a black shadow.
Like a streak of lightning, he stepped lightly on the heads of the Overwatch Council officials and floated away. In an instant, he was at the front of the line. This was probably the fastest speed Fan Xian could move at.
In midair, he kicked the general sent by the Great Prince off his horse and stole the best warhorse in the group. Immediately afterward, he ran his hand through his own hair and pushed a clean needle into the warhorse's neck. He used his finger to remove the warhorse's muzzle before feeding it an ephedra pill. In a very short time, he marvelously demonstrated the Black Knight's method of stimulating a horse.
On the horse, Fan Xian grunted. The horse flew out like an arrow. Leaving behind the main group, in an instant, he had become a little black dot on the road. In just a few hours, he had disappeared from these people's views.
Everyone stared in shock at the scene. While they marveled at Sir Fan junior's incredible and powerful cultivation, they were also very confused. What exactly had happened to make Sir Fan junior be anxious to such an extent?
Mu Feng'er had obtained Fan Xian's order, but he did not understand it at all. Why did they have to return to Dongyi? He unconsciously glanced toward the carriage. At this time, he had already guessed who the unfamiliar official wearing the highest ranking token of the Qinian Unit was. Sir Wang Qinian was a legendary figure in the Overwatch Council. Mu Feng'er wanted to learn from him what exactly had happened in Jingdou. When he pulled back the wooden board, he found that Wang Qinian had already burned through all his energy and was unconscious.
Using only two days to get from Dazhou to here, it was not a speed that humans could reach. Yet, Wang Qinian had done it.
Mu Feng'er looked at this scene with shock and fear. Unconsciously, he raised his head and looked in the direction Sir Fan junior had disappeared in. He faintly guessed that this was probably a relay race or, perhaps, this was a race against the god of death.
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The icy cold and strong autumn wind sliced like a knife across Fan Xian's face with a whistle. The cold fire in his eyes had retreated, but it shone with a terrifying calm. He knew what he needed, what the old cripple in Jingdou needed. It was time. Although he could not understand and did not have to understand why everything that appeared to be going so well would suddenly take such an abrupt turn at Dazhou, he only knew that if the old cripple had returned to Jingdou, it was certainly for that matter in the past. The old cripple had gone to die.
Urgency burned like wildfire in Fan Xian's heart. It scrubbed against his heart like fine sand through a sieve. The warhorse beneath him seemed to be stepping on clouds and breathed like thunder. Under the stimulation of the drug, the warhorse maintained its top speed. It raced along the road between the mountain woods. Along the way, it rode through mountains and broke through fog. He headed straight for Yanjing.
For the entire night, Fan Xian never got off his horse or reduced his speed. Other than using the water in the flask at his waist to replenish his and the horse's fluids, he had no other movements. The road was long. They still needed time to get to Jingdou. They still needed energy.
The day had just broken. Yanjing was already in front of him. In just one night, he had returned to the Qing Kingdom. Fan Xian had done his best. His speed was almost unbelievable. Even the volunteer armies ambushed along the road could not react in time. They could only watch as the plume of smoke and a lone rider bravely charge forward.
Fan Xian treasured every second, so he would not enter Yanjing. Regardless of whether Yanjing had received any secret orders from the Emperor, he would not take this risk. He would not waste any time there. Just as the majestic city appeared in his eyes, he hooked his leg over the saddle and retrieved a signal arrow from his chest. Circulating the zhenqi in his palm, he sent it straight into the sky.
With a bang, a beautiful firework sliced through the quiet morning outside Yanjing. The faint moonlight of the crescent moon in the distance was overshadowed by this light. The rising sun in the east did not have the time to pursue this brilliant light that appeared and disappeared in an instant.
Most of the people inside Yanjing were still sleeping sweetly. However, this was, after all, an important intersection between Northern Qi and Dongyi. The guards standing watch responded quickly. At the first instant, they banged on the signal drum in the corner tower of the city walls. In an instant, the Qing soldiers on the city walls gathered together. Holding their weapons nervously, they looked at the horse and rider charging in from a distance.
When Fan Xian came close to Yanjing and could clearly see the reflected morning light on the weapons in the hands of the soldiers on the city wall, there was not a sliver of expression on his face. His heart did not jump at all. He pulled hard on the reins and forcefully changed directions during his gallop. He followed the direction of the old city walls and headed east.
The guards on the city wall watched this scene in shock.
Immediately after, a thunderous wave of hooves rang out densely. There was movement in the camp temporarily stationed outside of Yanjing. When Fan Xian turned east, the black-armored riders in that campground were already prepared to attack. They charged out of the camp and met with Fan Xian outside the east gate of Yanjing.
Five hundred Black Knights were waiting to receive Fan Xian as he returned to the capital. In the morning, they saw the signal that represented the Overwatch Council's most urgent command. They reacted in the shortest amount of time and met up with Fan Xian.
Fan Xian did not reduce his speed and merged in with the black stream. It was no longer possible to see his figure. There was only a storm cloud sweeping through.
Without any command or words, Fan Xian's figure rose. He abandoned the warhorse that had already run for an entire night. He floated to the horse of the deputy commander of the Black Knights beside him while the deputy commander had already moved to another emptied warhorse.
The horse switching was completed while still moving at a high speed without any obstruction. The Black Knights riding skills were the best in the world. It was indeed a well-deserved reputation. The Black Knights saw the Director's worried and cold expression. No one dared to ask anything. They knew something major must have happened, so they silently and valiantly followed Fan Xian's lead and sped toward the plains in the east.
The warhorse that had accompanied Fan Xian through the night frothed at the mouth and collapsed to the ground, sending up a plume of dust. Its four legs twitched as it died. It took just a moment and all 500 Black Knights disappeared into the plains beneath Yanjing, leaving behind only this warhorse and a layer of dust.
The guards on the city walls looked dumbfounded at the magical scene in front of their eyes. They could not speak for a long time. They knew of the power of the Black Knights. After seeing it for themselves, they were stilled stunned speechless. They particularly wondered who the first lone rider had been.
When the Commander of Yanjing, Wang Zhikun, learned about everything that happened in the morning, his face appeared worried. By the time he had ordered for the entire army to get ready and seal off the borders between the Qing Kingdom and Northern Qi and Dongyi, the Black Knights that had brought him boundless confusion and shock and the man who led the Black Knights in a wild gallop had already left the boundaries of Yanjing and were on the true path back to Jingdou.
All along the way, they passed through provinces and broke through all obstructions. They exchanged no words with any local officials in any province or region and disregarded every Qing law related to the movement of armies. The valiant Black Knights returned to Jingdou as fast as possible with Fan Xian in the lead.
It was now already a few days later. No one knew how many officials and commoners these 500 Black Knights had startled in their wild ride or the kinds of legends they left in Qing history. The Black Knights were first in the world for thousand-li attacks. However, in the past, this powerful netherworld group only launched ferocious attacks outside the Qing Kingdom for the interests of the Qing Kingdom and the Emperor. In the 10th year of the Qing calendar, they were charging across the Qing Kingdom's fertile land.
Amidst the autumn rain, the farewell pavilion outside Jingdou suddenly trembled. A thundercloud-like group of black-armored riders whistled by. They sent up plumes of dust. Leaves fell in their wake.
Jingdou was right in front of their eyes. Fan Xian, in the midst of the Black Knights, was exhausted to the extreme. He had not rested, slept, or ate for a number of days. He had only relied on clear water to support himself. The cold fire in his eyes and heart had kept his body going, stopping him from falling down.
He had to get back. He had to stop everything from happening.
"You have to wait for me." Fan Xian's black robes were covered in a layer of dust. His face was streaked with yellow dirt. There was even a layer of it on his eyelashes. His lips were dry, and his eyes were terrifyingly bright. Rain had fallen. It made this group of black riders appear particularly wretched. Even with the strength of the Black Knights, there were still some who were unable to keep up with Fan Xian's speed as they cut across the abdomen of the Qing Kingdom and had fallen from the group.
If Fan Xian had not fully used his powerful cultivation, he would also not be able to maintain such a terrifying speed. During the rain, there were warhorses that could not continue any further no matter the drugs they were given. Fan Xian had gone through 10 horses in a row and could not find any more horses to switch to. He had forcibly mugged a merchant group on the road and stolen 20 horses.
At this time, there were still 20 odd Black Knights by Fan Xian's side. Even such a small group made the ground tremble outside Jingdou. It was as if a difficult-to-oppose army was coming closer to the heart of the Qing Kingdom.
The Black Knights reached Jingdou and charged straight for Zhengyang Gate. The Jingdou city gates were all tightly closed. All defensive alerts had been raised to the highest level. The soldiers of the 13 city gate guards and cavalry of the Jingdou Garrison were sternly watching everything outside of Jingdou. However, these Black Knights came too quickly and decisively. They were so fast that the Jingdou Garrison were unable to make any reaction before they had arrived at Zhengyang Gate.
When they were about 490 feet away from Zhengyang Gate, Fan Xian wiped the mud and rainwater from his face. Without slowing, he roared toward the generals above Zhengyang Gate, "Open the gate! I am Fan Xian!"
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Sir Fan junior was back! The faces of the generals and officials above the city gate paled. They knew what was happening in Jingdou in front of the Royal Palace. These generals had been ordered to guard the city since the Palace was worried that the Overwatch Council may pull on other factions of power in the court. No one had thought that Sir Fan junior would suddenly appear beneath Zhengyang Gate.
Regardless of whether it was the Qing Emperor who used coldness to suppress his explosive anger or Chen Pingping who had done everything to try and stop Fan Xian's return to the capital, neither of them had thought that Fan Xian would arrive back at Jingdou now.
The last the Qing court had heard was that Fan Xian was still far away outside of the Qing Kingdom. He was still on the road back from Dongyi. Even if he flew, he probably wouldn't be able to get back in time. Unbelievably, Fan Xian had made it back.
"Guard the gate with your life! Archers at the ready!" One of the Commanders of Zhengyang Gate had finally come to. The order he had received was to close the Jingdou city gates. Any coming and going was strictly forbidden. With a trembling voice, he watched the approaching 20 or so Black Knights like he was watching an army about to attack the city. He gave his order with a pale face.
Even if Sir Fan junior got back, particularly now, he could not be allowed to enter the capital!
"Sir Fan junior, today…" The Commander of Zhengyang Gate wanted to give a few words of explanation to Fan Xian on his horse, but Fan Xian had no time for his explanations. The speed of the warhorse beneath him had not decreased. His gaze swept up over the Zhengyang Gate the waiting soldiers. His heart tightened. He knew that he although he had rushed desperately back to Jingdou, he had probably still come too late.
On the horse, two cold lights exploded in Fan Xian's eyes. He stared fixedly at the officials on the city wall. The soldiers all cowered back and drew back their gaze.
The Black Knights came closer and closer to the city gate. Fan Xian raised his right hand and brought it down hard in a chopping motion. The 20 or so Black Knights behind him moved into a triangular formation and reduced their speed, remaining outside of the range of the bows above the gate.
The people on the city wall relaxed a little. Although the aura of the 20 or so Black Knights was imposing, these people could not break through the wall. However, if they did come face to face with the Black Knights, who knew what would happen? As long as these Black Knights stopped and did not attack, that would be good.
However, Fan Xian did not slow down. He continued to charge toward Zhengyang Gate. The 20 or so Black Knights behind him all coldly took out a crossbow from behind them.
With a series of thuds, the crossbows suddenly fired and shot grappling hooks toward the top of the city wall. With a clink, they caught firmly against the brick of the city wall. Dozens of black grappling hooks, like a net, turned the wall into a bridge. It was a bridge spanning life and death.
This was a grappling hook the Third Bureau had created many years ago. At that time, Fan Xian was out on a diplomatic mission to Northern Qi. The Council had given it to him to use. Fan Xian had his own life-saving tricks and had never used it. Now, they had to save on all time. If they had to forcefully conquer the city wall, Fan Xian was prepared.
He rode alone to Zhengyang Gate. As the rain lessened above his head, the black grappling hooks flashed like countless shadows through the air. Fan Xian gave a muffled grunt. Forcefully suppressing the zhenqi restlessness caused by physical and mental exhaustion, he released his Tyrannical zhenqi. Stepping on the back of the horse, he flew straight into the air using the flow of air around him that he acutely sensed. With a boom, his power was like thunder.
Like a big black bird, he danced in front of Jingdou's sinister city gate and rose higher and higher.
"Break the chains! Break the chains!" The Commander of Zhengyang Gate roared loudly. He didn't dare have the soldiers shoot at the black figure because he didn't know if the Emperor would behead his whole family if he killed Sir Fan junior.
The Commander of Zhengyang Gate had such fears, but Fan Xian had not a single concern. He gave a roar and forcibly raised the zhenqi in his body again. The tip of his toes tapped against the black chains. His entire body floated up like a wisp of black smoke as he moved along the chain toward the top of the loft city wall.
One chain broke, and then there was another. When a dozen chains had been broken by the soldiers of the 13 city gate guards, Fan Xian, exhausted and covered in dust, had already swept onto the city wall. With the flash of a harsh light, the sword of the Wei Emperor that Fan Xian always carried behind him came out from its sheath.
The tip of the sword pierced through the Commander's throat. Fresh blood sprayed out and was suddenly swept away. The Commander fell to the ground.
Fan Xian swept like the window over his corpse. Using the price of three shallow wounds of his body, he broke through the defenses of the valiant Qing troops on the city wall. Following the long steps down, his sword flashed again. Three more people died. Taking a horse, he squeezed his legs together and followed the straight road toward the Royal Palace.
All of this could only be described by one word: quick. Quicker than when he dodged Wu Zhu's wooden stick on the precipice in Danzhou, and quicker than when he sneaked into the Royal Palace and fiercely subdued the empress dowager. From the moment he learned of this news to when he entered Jingdou, Fan Xian had demonstrated a power beyond his realm in the seconds, minutes, days, and nights that had passed. The terror in his heart made him brave and cold-blooded as he had never been before.
There was fresh blood on him and his sword. His expression did not change at all, but he felt a terror and panic he had never felt before in his heart. Looking at the situation in Jingdou, he was afraid that the person who should have waited for him, would not be able to wait until his arrival.
You have to wait for me. Fan Xian repeated again in his heart. He allowed the autumn rain to strike as it wished on his dusty face as he rode like a madman toward the Royal Palace.
The Royal Palace came closer, and the autumn rain fell heavier. There were not many people on the streets. Where had everyone gathered? Fan Xian wondered with confusion and fear. Then, he heard waves of cheering and a death-like silence.
The people in Jingdou could not hear the silence. Only Fan Xian could hear it. He listened to it with terror. The people of Jingdou only heard the sound of hooves in the silence.
Ta-ta-ta-ta.
They then saw the black rider charging toward them like a bolt of lightning. They saw the tattered and dirty black robes and murderous face of the person on the horse.
Suddenly, there was movement in the people on the square in front of the Palace watching the execution. Shouts of surprise and pain rang out at almost the same time. The back of the crowd became very chaotic. A number of people were hurt from falling and being stepped on.
The lone rider did not reduce his speed at all. Instead, he cold-bloodedly charged toward the dense crowd of people.
Those who could dodge, dodged while those who could not were sent flying by the horse. In the autumn rain, the horse stepped on those in its path with unusual cold-bloodedness.
Amidst the terror of death, the sea of people parted to create a large opening. They squeezed desperately to the sides to open up a direct path to the small execution field in front of the Royal Palace for this rider.
The imperial soldiers closed in. Their long spears all pointed at the rider.
Fan Xian silently flew up over the forest of spears. In midair, with his sword in his hand, he sliced out like a bolt of lightning. With a number of thuds, he sliced through a few swords and sent a few internal court guards to the ground. He was already sweeping into the air above the execution field.
No matter what he did, Fan Xian's eyes remained locked on the small wooden stage and bloody and dying old man tied to the wooden scaffolding. Fan Xian's gaze grew increasingly cold and filled with hatred Then, he heard wind coming in from all directions.
Countless hemp-clothed shadows rose up, circling like flowers in the autumn rain and blocking off all of Fan Xian's paths.
Fan Xian did not retreat or dodge. He took three punches to his chest. His sword pierced ruthlessly into the face of a hemp-clothed man and through his eye. Blood and eye fluid seeped out at the same time and mixed in with the rainwater.
He roared and slammed out with his left palm full of Tyrannical zhenqi. He heard the crunch of bone and the organs of the hemp-clothed man to his left overflow with blood as he fell to the ground.
With a slap, Fan Xian's feel finally landed on the wet little stage. However, he had paid a great price. The injuries in his body exploded forth ferociously. He spat out a mouthful of blood. He paid it no attention. He just stared dazedly at the old man on the scaffolding who had suffered countless cuts and was exposed before the eyes of the people and endlessly humiliated.
With just a glance, Fan Xian knew that he had come too late. He could not make him live on. His dry lips rose slightly. He wanted to say something but could not say anything.
The autumn rain fell and swept across the bodies of the two people on the wooden stage. All around, there was a death-like silence. All of the imperial soldiers, Internal Court aces, and the powerful Ascetic Monks from the Qing Temple surrounded the wooden stage tightly. Suppressed by the valiant killing intent and desperation that Fan Xian demonstrated earlier, all of their bodies were rather rigid. No one could take a step.
Fan Xian moved forward with great difficulty. He pulled off the ropes and held Chen Pingping's thin body in his arms. Taking off his filthy and tattered black Overwatch Council robe, he placed it over his body.
With great difficulty, Chen Pingping opened his eyes. His old, murky, and disorientated eyes flashed with a very pure light. The old man was like a child huddled in Fan Xian's embrace. It was as if he was slightly afraid of the cold.
"I came back too late," Fan Xian said hoarsely. He held the thin body and felt the old man's warmth slowly seep away. His heart was filled, as never before, with a sense of failure, hopelessness, and pain.
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A few days ago, there were still remnants of the last vestiges of summer heat left in the land. The first rains of autumn had not yet fallen. Only at dusk and dawn, when the light was dim, would the wind carry a crisp autumn chill as it blew through the mountains, woods, and fields.
Autumn wind raised people's worries. At this time, Fan Xian did not have many worries. He sat among the long line of black carriages and slept with the rising and falling of the carriage. It was a false sleep. He had only closed his eyes, opened up his mind, and allowed the two different zhenqi to gently circulate.
The natural Tianyi Dao zhenqi was placed in the upper circulations. It was soft, gentle, and needed to be chanted. His true power, the powerful Tyrannical zhenqi moved around his body, strengthening his body and hammering his intent.
Fan Xian had thoroughly memorized the contents of the small notebook Sigu Jian gave him right before he died. On this trip west, back to the capital, while he practiced his own cultivation, he also continued to follow the marvelous writing on the notebook. He opened up his mind to sense the possible or non-existent ripples of yuanqi in his surroundings. Perhaps he was too tired from the traveling, or perhaps there was a great deal of spiritual aura on the banks of the East Sea, but along the way, Fan Xian did not make much progress. However, he became faster at focusing his thoughts and sensing things in the outside world.
There was not a day he did not meditate. There was not a moment he was not practicing hard. This was probably the true reason for Fan Xian's present strength.
A gust of wind blew in through the curtain of the carriage. It made him narrow his eyes slightly. For some reason, his heart trembled slightly and felt a chill. It was as if something was happening in the world. Something that was certain to impact him was about to happen.
What could it be? He narrowed his eyes and looked at the murky mountains outside. Slowly, he dissipated the zhenqi in his body he had gathered and pulled his mind back from his surroundings. The Dongyi matter was pretty much settled. His father had left Ten Family Village and returned to Danzhou. It was all calm in Jingdou. Chen Pingping, that old cripple, should already be on his way back to his hometown. Everything was going as Fan Xian hoped, so why did he have such an ominous feeling?
His delicate and pretty brows furrowed slightly. After leaving Dongyi, the only thing that Fan Xian had found strange was the attacks by the volunteer armies of the countries subordinate to Dongyi. Although these hot-blooded men intended to die by coming forth to assassinate a powerful official of the Qing Kingdom, the guards around Fan Xian were much too strong. Besides, the Great Prince had also sent a 1,000-troop squadron to protect him. The attacks over a series of days only saw the volunteer armies take casualties, throwing down hot blood before scattering.
What put Fan Xian on guard was that his route from Dongyi back to the capital was very secretive. Even if someone found out in Dongyi, it would still require the support of a powerful system of intelligence reports to lay out all these attacks along the way.
His heart jumped as he arrived at a chilling answer. There was someone within the Overwatch Council sending these reports to the volunteer armies. Furthermore, these things began after he decided to leave Dongyi.
It seemed like there was a power in Jingdou that wanted to delay the speed of Fan Xian's return. What could happen in Jingdou? What matter concerned him that the other party was so resolute on ending before he returned return to Jingdou? Fan Xian's eyes grew cold. His body also grew cold. Unconsciously, he tightened the thin cloak around his body.
Only two people could make something go wrong within the Overwatch Council. One was the Emperor, and the other was Chen Pingping. It was also only these two who could stall his return to the capital if they wanted to. It was certain that what was happening in Jingdou was definitely related to the Emperor and Chen Pingping.
Fan Xian pulled his gaze back from the scenery outside the carriage window. He was silent for a moment. He then made up his mind, prompted by the powerful worry he felt. To Mu Feng'er riding beside the carriage, he ordered, "Change the formation. Open up the road in an arrow formation. Don't delay along the way with those people. Return to Yanjing as soon as possible."
Mu Feng'er's heart jumped. He thought that if they forcefully charged back, many people would die. The consequence brought by speed was damage. He glanced at Sir Fan Junior. He knew that he must have sensed something strange, which was why he wanted to rush back to Jingdou. Not daring to ask further, he quickly gave the order to move forward at full speed to the long line of carriages heading back to Jingdou.
The sound of the horses' hooves was thunderous. The carriages rang out metallically as they raced from Dongyi toward the Qing Kingdom.
In less than an hour, the entire group slowed down. A signal arrow rang out in front. Over these few days, the group escorting Sir Fan junior had gotten used to the ever-present ambushes, so they were not surprised. The signal arrow now was strange. It only rang out once before stopping. Immediately after, cries of "Safe!" rang out repeatedly from the front to the back of the group.
The Overwatch Council's cries were very short and quick. They were afraid that their colleagues in the back would accidentally hurt the messenger. The messenger was too quick, to the point that the defensive force of the carriages could only glance at the token on his waist and had no time to make any other reactions.
"Safe!" When the sound of the last cry rang out from beside Fan Xian's carriage, a light gray shadow moved like a flash of lightning and came to a stop by his carriage. The line of carriages was very long, yet this person moved just as fast as the Overwatch Council's message. It was truly astounding.
As the present Qinian Unit leader by Fan Xian's side, Mu Feng'er gripped the hilt of his knife cautiously as he looked at the dust-covered and sallow-faced Overwatch Council official who had just stopped by the carriage. This official's face was unfamiliar, so Mu Feng'er did not dare to be careless. However, seeing the token the official held up with his right hand, his heart jumped. He did not stop him climbing onto the carriage.
The Overwatch Council official, whose clothing was in unrecognizable tatters, wormed into Fan Xian's carriage and knelt down straight away. In a raspy voice, he said, "Director Chen returned to the capital, life and death unknown."
…
…
When this official's lightning-like and wind-like figure appeared beside the carriage, Fan Xian's eyes had lit up and grown increasingly bright. He recognized the official who could move so quickly. He was someone he had missed for many years, who had been his closest subordinate in the past.
"Lao Wang…" Seeing this official enter the carriage, the light in Fan Xian's eyes grew and melted into joy. He laughed but stopped abruptly as he heard what Wang Qinian said.
The light and joy in Fan Xian's eyes coalesced into a bundle of burning ice, terrifyingly cold and terrifyingly hot. Straightforwardly, he asked, "From where did he turn back, when?"
Wang Qinian's chest rose and fell rapidly. As one of the wings of the Overwatch Council, he had headed northeast not far from Dazhou and had not rested in a long time. He had completely relied on his last breath to support his exhausted body. At the moment he finally saw Fan Xian, he was almost at the end of his line. He knew that Fan Xian's question concerned when the old Director would be able to reach Jingdou and how much time Fan Xian had, so he said the answer directly.
Fan Xian sat silently on his chair. He closed his eyes then opened them. He had already calculated the rough time Chen Pingping would be brought back to Jingdou, as well as how long it would take him to get from where he was to Yanjing and then to Jingdou.
Could he make it? The bundle of cold fire in Fan Xian's eyes grew. He looked at Wang Qinian kneeling in front of him and did not say anything. His earlier joy in their reunion had been overshadowed by an immense anger. Chen Pingping's escort home had been personally arranged by Fan Xian. Under the escort of the Overwatch Council, how could he be captured back by the Emperor?
Fan Xian had no idea about everything that happened in Dazhou was because Chen Pingping wanted to return to the capital to ask the Emperor some questions.
Time was of the essence. It was a desperate situation. Fan Xian's expression was cold as he said to Mu Feng'er by the window, "Turn the entire group back to Dongyi. Tell the Great Prince that unless he receives a personally written letter from me, he is to never return."
From learning that Chen Pingping had returned to Jingdou to Fan Xian giving the first order, only a few moments had passed. Fan Xian's first problem was dealing with this large group. Afterward, he had to ensure that nothing went wrong with the Great Prince, who was in Dongyi with more than 10,000 soldiers.
He had given the orders. Those below him would be responsible for carrying them out. Fan Xian would not say one extra word. He took out a flash of clear water from a compartment in the luxurious black carriage and tied it to his waist. He then rose and took a deep breath.
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…
The black carriage suddenly collapsed. The wooden wall directly in front that was not covered by iron boards shattered in an instant. A black shadow, like a streak of black lightning, swept out of the carriage. Tapping his toes against the horse's head, he shot forward. A giant crack rang out.
Fan Xian treasured every minute and second of time. The Tyrannical zhenqi in his body was raised to a peak condition. The magic he had just comprehended also helped make him more bird-like in the air. Taking advantage of the air currents, he moved quickly forward, dissolving his figure into a black shadow.
Like a streak of lightning, he stepped lightly on the heads of the Overwatch Council officials and floated away. In an instant, he was at the front of the line. This was probably the fastest speed Fan Xian could move at.
In midair, he kicked the general sent by the Great Prince off his horse and stole the best warhorse in the group. Immediately afterward, he ran his hand through his own hair and pushed a clean needle into the warhorse's neck. He used his finger to remove the warhorse's muzzle before feeding it an ephedra pill. In a very short time, he marvelously demonstrated the Black Knight's method of stimulating a horse.
On the horse, Fan Xian grunted. The horse flew out like an arrow. Leaving behind the main group, in an instant, he had become a little black dot on the road. In just a few hours, he had disappeared from these people's views.
Everyone stared in shock at the scene. While they marveled at Sir Fan junior's incredible and powerful cultivation, they were also very confused. What exactly had happened to make Sir Fan junior be anxious to such an extent?
Mu Feng'er had obtained Fan Xian's order, but he did not understand it at all. Why did they have to return to Dongyi? He unconsciously glanced toward the carriage. At this time, he had already guessed who the unfamiliar official wearing the highest ranking token of the Qinian Unit was. Sir Wang Qinian was a legendary figure in the Overwatch Council. Mu Feng'er wanted to learn from him what exactly had happened in Jingdou. When he pulled back the wooden board, he found that Wang Qinian had already burned through all his energy and was unconscious.
Using only two days to get from Dazhou to here, it was not a speed that humans could reach. Yet, Wang Qinian had done it.
Mu Feng'er looked at this scene with shock and fear. Unconsciously, he raised his head and looked in the direction Sir Fan junior had disappeared in. He faintly guessed that this was probably a relay race or, perhaps, this was a race against the god of death.
…
…
The icy cold and strong autumn wind sliced like a knife across Fan Xian's face with a whistle. The cold fire in his eyes had retreated, but it shone with a terrifying calm. He knew what he needed, what the old cripple in Jingdou needed. It was time. Although he could not understand and did not have to understand why everything that appeared to be going so well would suddenly take such an abrupt turn at Dazhou, he only knew that if the old cripple had returned to Jingdou, it was certainly for that matter in the past. The old cripple had gone to die.
Urgency burned like wildfire in Fan Xian's heart. It scrubbed against his heart like fine sand through a sieve. The warhorse beneath him seemed to be stepping on clouds and breathed like thunder. Under the stimulation of the drug, the warhorse maintained its top speed. It raced along the road between the mountain woods. Along the way, it rode through mountains and broke through fog. He headed straight for Yanjing.
For the entire night, Fan Xian never got off his horse or reduced his speed. Other than using the water in the flask at his waist to replenish his and the horse's fluids, he had no other movements. The road was long. They still needed time to get to Jingdou. They still needed energy.
The day had just broken. Yanjing was already in front of him. In just one night, he had returned to the Qing Kingdom. Fan Xian had done his best. His speed was almost unbelievable. Even the volunteer armies ambushed along the road could not react in time. They could only watch as the plume of smoke and a lone rider bravely charge forward.
Fan Xian treasured every second, so he would not enter Yanjing. Regardless of whether Yanjing had received any secret orders from the Emperor, he would not take this risk. He would not waste any time there. Just as the majestic city appeared in his eyes, he hooked his leg over the saddle and retrieved a signal arrow from his chest. Circulating the zhenqi in his palm, he sent it straight into the sky.
With a bang, a beautiful firework sliced through the quiet morning outside Yanjing. The faint moonlight of the crescent moon in the distance was overshadowed by this light. The rising sun in the east did not have the time to pursue this brilliant light that appeared and disappeared in an instant.
Most of the people inside Yanjing were still sleeping sweetly. However, this was, after all, an important intersection between Northern Qi and Dongyi. The guards standing watch responded quickly. At the first instant, they banged on the signal drum in the corner tower of the city walls. In an instant, the Qing soldiers on the city walls gathered together. Holding their weapons nervously, they looked at the horse and rider charging in from a distance.
When Fan Xian came close to Yanjing and could clearly see the reflected morning light on the weapons in the hands of the soldiers on the city wall, there was not a sliver of expression on his face. His heart did not jump at all. He pulled hard on the reins and forcefully changed directions during his gallop. He followed the direction of the old city walls and headed east.
The guards on the city wall watched this scene in shock.
Immediately after, a thunderous wave of hooves rang out densely. There was movement in the camp temporarily stationed outside of Yanjing. When Fan Xian turned east, the black-armored riders in that campground were already prepared to attack. They charged out of the camp and met with Fan Xian outside the east gate of Yanjing.
Five hundred Black Knights were waiting to receive Fan Xian as he returned to the capital. In the morning, they saw the signal that represented the Overwatch Council's most urgent command. They reacted in the shortest amount of time and met up with Fan Xian.
Fan Xian did not reduce his speed and merged in with the black stream. It was no longer possible to see his figure. There was only a storm cloud sweeping through.
Without any command or words, Fan Xian's figure rose. He abandoned the warhorse that had already run for an entire night. He floated to the horse of the deputy commander of the Black Knights beside him while the deputy commander had already moved to another emptied warhorse.
The horse switching was completed while still moving at a high speed without any obstruction. The Black Knights riding skills were the best in the world. It was indeed a well-deserved reputation. The Black Knights saw the Director's worried and cold expression. No one dared to ask anything. They knew something major must have happened, so they silently and valiantly followed Fan Xian's lead and sped toward the plains in the east.
The warhorse that had accompanied Fan Xian through the night frothed at the mouth and collapsed to the ground, sending up a plume of dust. Its four legs twitched as it died. It took just a moment and all 500 Black Knights disappeared into the plains beneath Yanjing, leaving behind only this warhorse and a layer of dust.
The guards on the city walls looked dumbfounded at the magical scene in front of their eyes. They could not speak for a long time. They knew of the power of the Black Knights. After seeing it for themselves, they were stilled stunned speechless. They particularly wondered who the first lone rider had been.
When the Commander of Yanjing, Wang Zhikun, learned about everything that happened in the morning, his face appeared worried. By the time he had ordered for the entire army to get ready and seal off the borders between the Qing Kingdom and Northern Qi and Dongyi, the Black Knights that had brought him boundless confusion and shock and the man who led the Black Knights in a wild gallop had already left the boundaries of Yanjing and were on the true path back to Jingdou.
All along the way, they passed through provinces and broke through all obstructions. They exchanged no words with any local officials in any province or region and disregarded every Qing law related to the movement of armies. The valiant Black Knights returned to Jingdou as fast as possible with Fan Xian in the lead.
It was now already a few days later. No one knew how many officials and commoners these 500 Black Knights had startled in their wild ride or the kinds of legends they left in Qing history. The Black Knights were first in the world for thousand-li attacks. However, in the past, this powerful netherworld group only launched ferocious attacks outside the Qing Kingdom for the interests of the Qing Kingdom and the Emperor. In the 10th year of the Qing calendar, they were charging across the Qing Kingdom's fertile land.
Amidst the autumn rain, the farewell pavilion outside Jingdou suddenly trembled. A thundercloud-like group of black-armored riders whistled by. They sent up plumes of dust. Leaves fell in their wake.
Jingdou was right in front of their eyes. Fan Xian, in the midst of the Black Knights, was exhausted to the extreme. He had not rested, slept, or ate for a number of days. He had only relied on clear water to support himself. The cold fire in his eyes and heart had kept his body going, stopping him from falling down.
He had to get back. He had to stop everything from happening.
"You have to wait for me." Fan Xian's black robes were covered in a layer of dust. His face was streaked with yellow dirt. There was even a layer of it on his eyelashes. His lips were dry, and his eyes were terrifyingly bright. Rain had fallen. It made this group of black riders appear particularly wretched. Even with the strength of the Black Knights, there were still some who were unable to keep up with Fan Xian's speed as they cut across the abdomen of the Qing Kingdom and had fallen from the group.
If Fan Xian had not fully used his powerful cultivation, he would also not be able to maintain such a terrifying speed. During the rain, there were warhorses that could not continue any further no matter the drugs they were given. Fan Xian had gone through 10 horses in a row and could not find any more horses to switch to. He had forcibly mugged a merchant group on the road and stolen 20 horses.
At this time, there were still 20 odd Black Knights by Fan Xian's side. Even such a small group made the ground tremble outside Jingdou. It was as if a difficult-to-oppose army was coming closer to the heart of the Qing Kingdom.
The Black Knights reached Jingdou and charged straight for Zhengyang Gate. The Jingdou city gates were all tightly closed. All defensive alerts had been raised to the highest level. The soldiers of the 13 city gate guards and cavalry of the Jingdou Garrison were sternly watching everything outside of Jingdou. However, these Black Knights came too quickly and decisively. They were so fast that the Jingdou Garrison were unable to make any reaction before they had arrived at Zhengyang Gate.
When they were about 490 feet away from Zhengyang Gate, Fan Xian wiped the mud and rainwater from his face. Without slowing, he roared toward the generals above Zhengyang Gate, "Open the gate! I am Fan Xian!"
…
…
Sir Fan junior was back! The faces of the generals and officials above the city gate paled. They knew what was happening in Jingdou in front of the Royal Palace. These generals had been ordered to guard the city since the Palace was worried that the Overwatch Council may pull on other factions of power in the court. No one had thought that Sir Fan junior would suddenly appear beneath Zhengyang Gate.
Regardless of whether it was the Qing Emperor who used coldness to suppress his explosive anger or Chen Pingping who had done everything to try and stop Fan Xian's return to the capital, neither of them had thought that Fan Xian would arrive back at Jingdou now.
The last the Qing court had heard was that Fan Xian was still far away outside of the Qing Kingdom. He was still on the road back from Dongyi. Even if he flew, he probably wouldn't be able to get back in time. Unbelievably, Fan Xian had made it back.
"Guard the gate with your life! Archers at the ready!" One of the Commanders of Zhengyang Gate had finally come to. The order he had received was to close the Jingdou city gates. Any coming and going was strictly forbidden. With a trembling voice, he watched the approaching 20 or so Black Knights like he was watching an army about to attack the city. He gave his order with a pale face.
Even if Sir Fan junior got back, particularly now, he could not be allowed to enter the capital!
"Sir Fan junior, today…" The Commander of Zhengyang Gate wanted to give a few words of explanation to Fan Xian on his horse, but Fan Xian had no time for his explanations. The speed of the warhorse beneath him had not decreased. His gaze swept up over the Zhengyang Gate the waiting soldiers. His heart tightened. He knew that he although he had rushed desperately back to Jingdou, he had probably still come too late.
On the horse, two cold lights exploded in Fan Xian's eyes. He stared fixedly at the officials on the city wall. The soldiers all cowered back and drew back their gaze.
The Black Knights came closer and closer to the city gate. Fan Xian raised his right hand and brought it down hard in a chopping motion. The 20 or so Black Knights behind him moved into a triangular formation and reduced their speed, remaining outside of the range of the bows above the gate.
The people on the city wall relaxed a little. Although the aura of the 20 or so Black Knights was imposing, these people could not break through the wall. However, if they did come face to face with the Black Knights, who knew what would happen? As long as these Black Knights stopped and did not attack, that would be good.
However, Fan Xian did not slow down. He continued to charge toward Zhengyang Gate. The 20 or so Black Knights behind him all coldly took out a crossbow from behind them.
With a series of thuds, the crossbows suddenly fired and shot grappling hooks toward the top of the city wall. With a clink, they caught firmly against the brick of the city wall. Dozens of black grappling hooks, like a net, turned the wall into a bridge. It was a bridge spanning life and death.
This was a grappling hook the Third Bureau had created many years ago. At that time, Fan Xian was out on a diplomatic mission to Northern Qi. The Council had given it to him to use. Fan Xian had his own life-saving tricks and had never used it. Now, they had to save on all time. If they had to forcefully conquer the city wall, Fan Xian was prepared.
He rode alone to Zhengyang Gate. As the rain lessened above his head, the black grappling hooks flashed like countless shadows through the air. Fan Xian gave a muffled grunt. Forcefully suppressing the zhenqi restlessness caused by physical and mental exhaustion, he released his Tyrannical zhenqi. Stepping on the back of the horse, he flew straight into the air using the flow of air around him that he acutely sensed. With a boom, his power was like thunder.
Like a big black bird, he danced in front of Jingdou's sinister city gate and rose higher and higher.
"Break the chains! Break the chains!" The Commander of Zhengyang Gate roared loudly. He didn't dare have the soldiers shoot at the black figure because he didn't know if the Emperor would behead his whole family if he killed Sir Fan junior.
The Commander of Zhengyang Gate had such fears, but Fan Xian had not a single concern. He gave a roar and forcibly raised the zhenqi in his body again. The tip of his toes tapped against the black chains. His entire body floated up like a wisp of black smoke as he moved along the chain toward the top of the loft city wall.
One chain broke, and then there was another. When a dozen chains had been broken by the soldiers of the 13 city gate guards, Fan Xian, exhausted and covered in dust, had already swept onto the city wall. With the flash of a harsh light, the sword of the Wei Emperor that Fan Xian always carried behind him came out from its sheath.
The tip of the sword pierced through the Commander's throat. Fresh blood sprayed out and was suddenly swept away. The Commander fell to the ground.
Fan Xian swept like the window over his corpse. Using the price of three shallow wounds of his body, he broke through the defenses of the valiant Qing troops on the city wall. Following the long steps down, his sword flashed again. Three more people died. Taking a horse, he squeezed his legs together and followed the straight road toward the Royal Palace.
All of this could only be described by one word: quick. Quicker than when he dodged Wu Zhu's wooden stick on the precipice in Danzhou, and quicker than when he sneaked into the Royal Palace and fiercely subdued the empress dowager. From the moment he learned of this news to when he entered Jingdou, Fan Xian had demonstrated a power beyond his realm in the seconds, minutes, days, and nights that had passed. The terror in his heart made him brave and cold-blooded as he had never been before.
There was fresh blood on him and his sword. His expression did not change at all, but he felt a terror and panic he had never felt before in his heart. Looking at the situation in Jingdou, he was afraid that the person who should have waited for him, would not be able to wait until his arrival.
You have to wait for me. Fan Xian repeated again in his heart. He allowed the autumn rain to strike as it wished on his dusty face as he rode like a madman toward the Royal Palace.
The Royal Palace came closer, and the autumn rain fell heavier. There were not many people on the streets. Where had everyone gathered? Fan Xian wondered with confusion and fear. Then, he heard waves of cheering and a death-like silence.
The people in Jingdou could not hear the silence. Only Fan Xian could hear it. He listened to it with terror. The people of Jingdou only heard the sound of hooves in the silence.
Ta-ta-ta-ta.
They then saw the black rider charging toward them like a bolt of lightning. They saw the tattered and dirty black robes and murderous face of the person on the horse.
Suddenly, there was movement in the people on the square in front of the Palace watching the execution. Shouts of surprise and pain rang out at almost the same time. The back of the crowd became very chaotic. A number of people were hurt from falling and being stepped on.
The lone rider did not reduce his speed at all. Instead, he cold-bloodedly charged toward the dense crowd of people.
Those who could dodge, dodged while those who could not were sent flying by the horse. In the autumn rain, the horse stepped on those in its path with unusual cold-bloodedness.
Amidst the terror of death, the sea of people parted to create a large opening. They squeezed desperately to the sides to open up a direct path to the small execution field in front of the Royal Palace for this rider.
The imperial soldiers closed in. Their long spears all pointed at the rider.
Fan Xian silently flew up over the forest of spears. In midair, with his sword in his hand, he sliced out like a bolt of lightning. With a number of thuds, he sliced through a few swords and sent a few internal court guards to the ground. He was already sweeping into the air above the execution field.
No matter what he did, Fan Xian's eyes remained locked on the small wooden stage and bloody and dying old man tied to the wooden scaffolding. Fan Xian's gaze grew increasingly cold and filled with hatred Then, he heard wind coming in from all directions.
Countless hemp-clothed shadows rose up, circling like flowers in the autumn rain and blocking off all of Fan Xian's paths.
Fan Xian did not retreat or dodge. He took three punches to his chest. His sword pierced ruthlessly into the face of a hemp-clothed man and through his eye. Blood and eye fluid seeped out at the same time and mixed in with the rainwater.
He roared and slammed out with his left palm full of Tyrannical zhenqi. He heard the crunch of bone and the organs of the hemp-clothed man to his left overflow with blood as he fell to the ground.
With a slap, Fan Xian's feel finally landed on the wet little stage. However, he had paid a great price. The injuries in his body exploded forth ferociously. He spat out a mouthful of blood. He paid it no attention. He just stared dazedly at the old man on the scaffolding who had suffered countless cuts and was exposed before the eyes of the people and endlessly humiliated.
With just a glance, Fan Xian knew that he had come too late. He could not make him live on. His dry lips rose slightly. He wanted to say something but could not say anything.
The autumn rain fell and swept across the bodies of the two people on the wooden stage. All around, there was a death-like silence. All of the imperial soldiers, Internal Court aces, and the powerful Ascetic Monks from the Qing Temple surrounded the wooden stage tightly. Suppressed by the valiant killing intent and desperation that Fan Xian demonstrated earlier, all of their bodies were rather rigid. No one could take a step.
Fan Xian moved forward with great difficulty. He pulled off the ropes and held Chen Pingping's thin body in his arms. Taking off his filthy and tattered black Overwatch Council robe, he placed it over his body.
With great difficulty, Chen Pingping opened his eyes. His old, murky, and disorientated eyes flashed with a very pure light. The old man was like a child huddled in Fan Xian's embrace. It was as if he was slightly afraid of the cold.
"I came back too late," Fan Xian said hoarsely. He held the thin body and felt the old man's warmth slowly seep away. His heart was filled, as never before, with a sense of failure, hopelessness, and pain.
A few days ago, there were still remnants of the last vestiges of summer heat left in the land. The first rains of autumn had not yet fallen. Only at dusk and dawn, when the light was dim, would the wind carry a crisp autumn chill as it blew through the mountains, woods, and fields.Autumn wind raised people's worries. At this time, Fan Xian did not have many worries. He sat among the long line of black carriages and slept with the rising and falling of the carriage. It was a false sleep. He had only closed his eyes, opened up his mind, and allowed the two different zhenqi to gently circulate.The natural Tianyi Dao zhenqi was placed in the upper circulations. It was soft, gentle, and needed to be chanted. His true power, the powerful Tyrannical zhenqi moved around his body, strengthening his body and hammering his intent.Fan Xian had thoroughly memorized the contents of the small notebook Sigu Jian gave him right before he died. On this trip west, back to the capital, while he practiced his own cultivation, he also continued to follow the marvelous writing on the notebook. He opened up his mind to sense the possible or non-existent ripples of yuanqi in his surroundings. Perhaps he was too tired from the traveling, or perhaps there was a great deal of spiritual aura on the banks of the East Sea, but along the way, Fan Xian did not make much progress. However, he became faster at focusing his thoughts and sensing things in the outside world.There was not a day he did not meditate. There was not a moment he was not practicing hard. This was probably the true reason for Fan Xian's present strength.A gust of wind blew in through the curtain of the carriage. It made him narrow his eyes slightly. For some reason, his heart trembled slightly and felt a chill. It was as if something was happening in the world. Something that was certain to impact him was about to happen.What could it be? He narrowed his eyes and looked at the murky mountains outside. Slowly, he dissipated the zhenqi in his body he had gathered and pulled his mind back from his surroundings. The Dongyi matter was pretty much settled. His father had left Ten Family Village and returned to Danzhou. It was all calm in Jingdou. Chen Pingping, that old cripple, should already be on his way back to his hometown. Everything was going as Fan Xian hoped, so why did he have such an ominous feeling?His delicate and pretty brows furrowed slightly. After leaving Dongyi, the only thing that Fan Xian had found strange was the attacks by the volunteer armies of the countries subordinate to Dongyi. Although these hot-blooded men intended to die by coming forth to assassinate a powerful official of the Qing Kingdom, the guards around Fan Xian were much too strong. Besides, the Great Prince had also sent a 1,000-troop squadron to protect him. The attacks over a series of days only saw the volunteer armies take casualties, throwing down hot blood before scattering.What put Fan Xian on guard was that his route from Dongyi back to the capital was very secretive. Even if someone found out in Dongyi, it would still require the support of a powerful system of intelligence reports to lay out all these attacks along the way.His heart jumped as he arrived at a chilling answer. There was someone within the Overwatch Council sending these reports to the volunteer armies. Furthermore, these things began after he decided to leave Dongyi.It seemed like there was a power in Jingdou that wanted to delay the speed of Fan Xian's return. What could happen in Jingdou? What matter concerned him that the other party was so resolute on ending before he returned return to Jingdou? Fan Xian's eyes grew cold. His body also grew cold. Unconsciously, he tightened the thin cloak around his body.Only two people could make something go wrong within the Overwatch Council. One was the Emperor, and the other was Chen Pingping. It was also only these two who could stall his return to the capital if they wanted to. It was certain that what was happening in Jingdou was definitely related to the Emperor and Chen Pingping.Fan Xian pulled his gaze back from the scenery outside the carriage window. He was silent for a moment. He then made up his mind, prompted by the powerful worry he felt. To Mu Feng'er riding beside the carriage, he ordered, "Change the formation. Open up the road in an arrow formation. Don't delay along the way with those people. Return to Yanjing as soon as possible."Mu Feng'er's heart jumped. He thought that if they forcefully charged back, many people would die. The consequence brought by speed was damage. He glanced at Sir Fan Junior. He knew that he must have sensed something strange, which was why he wanted to rush back to Jingdou. Not daring to ask further, he quickly gave the order to move forward at full speed to the long line of carriages heading back to Jingdou.The sound of the horses' hooves was thunderous. The carriages rang out metallically as they raced from Dongyi toward the Qing Kingdom.In less than an hour, the entire group slowed down. A signal arrow rang out in front. Over these few days, the group escorting Sir Fan junior had gotten used to the ever-present ambushes, so they were not surprised. The signal arrow now was strange. It only rang out once before stopping. Immediately after, cries of "Safe!" rang out repeatedly from the front to the back of the group.The Overwatch Council's cries were very short and quick. They were afraid that their colleagues in the back would accidentally hurt the messenger. The messenger was too quick, to the point that the defensive force of the carriages could only glance at the token on his waist and had no time to make any other reactions."Safe!" When the sound of the last cry rang out from beside Fan Xian's carriage, a light gray shadow moved like a flash of lightning and came to a stop by his carriage. The line of carriages was very long, yet this person moved just as fast as the Overwatch Council's message. It was truly astounding.As the present Qinian Unit leader by Fan Xian's side, Mu Feng'er gripped the hilt of his knife cautiously as he looked at the dust-covered and sallow-faced Overwatch Council official who had just stopped by the carriage. This official's face was unfamiliar, so Mu Feng'er did not dare to be careless. However, seeing the token the official held up with his right hand, his heart jumped. He did not stop him climbing onto the carriage.The Overwatch Council official, whose clothing was in unrecognizable tatters, wormed into Fan Xian's carriage and knelt down straight away. In a raspy voice, he said, "Director Chen returned to the capital, life and death unknown."When this official's lightning-like and wind-like figure appeared beside the carriage, Fan Xian's eyes had lit up and grown increasingly bright. He recognized the official who could move so quickly. He was someone he had missed for many years, who had been his closest subordinate in the past."Lao Wang" Seeing this official enter the carriage, the light in Fan Xian's eyes grew and melted into joy. He laughed but stopped abruptly as he heard what Wang Qinian said.The light and joy in Fan Xian's eyes coalesced into a bundle of burning ice, terrifyingly cold and terrifyingly hot. Straightforwardly, he asked, "From where did he turn back, when?"Wang Qinian's chest rose and fell rapidly. As one of the wings of the Overwatch Council, he had headed northeast not far from Dazhou and had not rested in a long time. He had completely relied on his last breath to support his exhausted body. At the moment he finally saw Fan Xian, he was almost at the end of his line. He knew that Fan Xian's question concerned when the old Director would be able to reach Jingdou and how much time Fan Xian had, so he said the answer directly.Fan Xian sat silently on his chair. He closed his eyes then opened them. He had already calculated the rough time Chen Pingping would be brought back to Jingdou, as well as how long it would take him to get from where he was to Yanjing and then to Jingdou.Could he make it? The bundle of cold fire in Fan Xian's eyes grew. He looked at Wang Qinian kneeling in front of him and did not say anything. His earlier joy in their reunion had been overshadowed by an immense anger. Chen Pingping's escort home had been personally arranged by Fan Xian. Under the escort of the Overwatch Council, how could he be captured back by the Emperor?Fan Xian had no idea about everything that happened in Dazhou was because Chen Pingping wanted to return to the capital to ask the Emperor some questions.Time was of the essence. It was a desperate situation. Fan Xian's expression was cold as he said to Mu Feng'er by the window, "Turn the entire group back to Dongyi. Tell the Great Prince that unless he receives a personally written letter from me, he is to never return."From learning that Chen Pingping had returned to Jingdou to Fan Xian giving the first order, only a few moments had passed. Fan Xian's first problem was dealing with this large group. Afterward, he had to ensure that nothing went wrong with the Great Prince, who was in Dongyi with more than 10,000 soldiers.He had given the orders. Those below him would be responsible for carrying them out. Fan Xian would not say one extra word. He took out a flash of clear water from a compartment in the luxurious black carriage and tied it to his waist. He then rose and took a deep breath.The black carriage suddenly collapsed. The wooden wall directly in front that was not covered by iron boards shattered in an instant. A black shadow, like a streak of black lightning, swept out of the carriage. Tapping his toes against the horse's head, he shot forward. A giant crack rang out.Fan Xian treasured every minute and second of time. The Tyrannical zhenqi in his body was raised to a peak condition. The magic he had just comprehended also helped make him more bird-like in the air. Taking advantage of the air currents, he moved quickly forward, dissolving his figure into a black shadow.Like a streak of lightning, he stepped lightly on the heads of the Overwatch Council officials and floated away. In an instant, he was at the front of the line. This was probably the fastest speed Fan Xian could move at.In midair, he kicked the general sent by the Great Prince off his horse and stole the best warhorse in the group. Immediately afterward, he ran his hand through his own hair and pushed a clean needle into the warhorse's neck. He used his finger to remove the warhorse's muzzle before feeding it an ephedra pill. In a very short time, he marvelously demonstrated the Black Knight's method of stimulating a horse.On the horse, Fan Xian grunted. The horse flew out like an arrow. Leaving behind the main group, in an instant, he had become a little black dot on the road. In just a few hours, he had disappeared from these people's views.Everyone stared in shock at the scene. While they marveled at Sir Fan junior's incredible and powerful cultivation, they were also very confused. What exactly had happened to make Sir Fan junior be anxious to such an extent?Mu Feng'er had obtained Fan Xian's order, but he did not understand it at all. Why did they have to return to Dongyi? He unconsciously glanced toward the carriage. At this time, he had already guessed who the unfamiliar official wearing the highest ranking token of the Qinian Unit was. Sir Wang Qinian was a legendary figure in the Overwatch Council. Mu Feng'er wanted to learn from him what exactly had happened in Jingdou. When he pulled back the wooden board, he found that Wang Qinian had already burned through all his energy and was unconscious.Using only two days to get from Dazhou to here, it was not a speed that humans could reach. Yet, Wang Qinian had done it.Mu Feng'er looked at this scene with shock and fear. Unconsciously, he raised his head and looked in the direction Sir Fan junior had disappeared in. He faintly guessed that this was probably a relay race or, perhaps, this was a race against the god of death.The icy cold and strong autumn wind sliced like a knife across Fan Xian's face with a whistle. The cold fire in his eyes had retreated, but it shone with a terrifying calm. He knew what he needed, what the old cripple in Jingdou needed. It was time. Although he could not understand and did not have to understand why everything that appeared to be going so well would suddenly take such an abrupt turn at Dazhou, he only knew that if the old cripple had returned to Jingdou, it was certainly for that matter in the past. The old cripple had gone to die.Urgency burned like wildfire in Fan Xian's heart. It scrubbed against his heart like fine sand through a sieve. The warhorse beneath him seemed to be stepping on clouds and breathed like thunder. Under the stimulation of the drug, the warhorse maintained its top speed. It raced along the road between the mountain woods. Along the way, it rode through mountains and broke through fog. He headed straight for Yanjing.For the entire night, Fan Xian never got off his horse or reduced his speed. Other than using the water in the flask at his waist to replenish his and the horse's fluids, he had no other movements. The road was long. They still needed time to get to Jingdou. They still needed energy.The day had just broken. Yanjing was already in front of him. In just one night, he had returned to the Qing Kingdom. Fan Xian had done his best. His speed was almost unbelievable. Even the volunteer armies ambushed along the road could not react in time. They could only watch as the plume of smoke and a lone rider bravely charge forward.Fan Xian treasured every second, so he would not enter Yanjing. Regardless of whether Yanjing had received any secret orders from the Emperor, he would not take this risk. He would not waste any time there. Just as the majestic city appeared in his eyes, he hooked his leg over the saddle and retrieved a signal arrow from his chest. Circulating the zhenqi in his palm, he sent it straight into the sky.With a bang, a beautiful firework sliced through the quiet morning outside Yanjing. The faint moonlight of the crescent moon in the distance was overshadowed by this light. The rising sun in the east did not have the time to pursue this brilliant light that appeared and disappeared in an instant.Most of the people inside Yanjing were still sleeping sweetly. However, this was, after all, an important intersection between Northern Qi and Dongyi. The guards standing watch responded quickly. At the first instant, they banged on the signal drum in the corner tower of the city walls. In an instant, the Qing soldiers on the city walls gathered together. Holding their weapons nervously, they looked at the horse and rider charging in from a distance.When Fan Xian came close to Yanjing and could clearly see the reflected morning light on the weapons in the hands of the soldiers on the city wall, there was not a sliver of expression on his face. His heart did not jump at all. He pulled hard on the reins and forcefully changed directions during his gallop. He followed the direction of the old city walls and headed east.The guards on the city wall watched this scene in shock.Immediately after, a thunderous wave of hooves rang out densely. There was movement in the camp temporarily stationed outside of Yanjing. When Fan Xian turned east, the black-armored riders in that campground were already prepared to attack. They charged out of the camp and met with Fan Xian outside the east gate of Yanjing.Five hundred Black Knights were waiting to receive Fan Xian as he returned to the capital. In the morning, they saw the signal that represented the Overwatch Council's most urgent command. They reacted in the shortest amount of time and met up with Fan Xian.Fan Xian did not reduce his speed and merged in with the black stream. It was no longer possible to see his figure. There was only a storm cloud sweeping through.Without any command or words, Fan Xian's figure rose. He abandoned the warhorse that had already run for an entire night. He floated to the horse of the deputy commander of the Black Knights beside him while the deputy commander had already moved to another emptied warhorse.The horse switching was completed while still moving at a high speed without any obstruction. The Black Knights riding skills were the best in the world. It was indeed a well-deserved reputation. The Black Knights saw the Director's worried and cold expression. No one dared to ask anything. They knew something major must have happened, so they silently and valiantly followed Fan Xian's lead and sped toward the plains in the east.The warhorse that had accompanied Fan Xian through the night frothed at the mouth and collapsed to the ground, sending up a plume of dust. Its four legs twitched as it died. It took just a moment and all 500 Black Knights disappeared into the plains beneath Yanjing, leaving behind only this warhorse and a layer of dust.The guards on the city walls looked dumbfounded at the magical scene in front of their eyes. They could not speak for a long time. They knew of the power of the Black Knights. After seeing it for themselves, they were stilled stunned speechless. They particularly wondered who the first lone rider had been.When the Commander of Yanjing, Wang Zhikun, learned about everything that happened in the morning, his face appeared worried. By the time he had ordered for the entire army to get ready and seal off the borders between the Qing Kingdom and Northern Qi and Dongyi, the Black Knights that had brought him boundless confusion and shock and the man who led the Black Knights in a wild gallop had already left the boundaries of Yanjing and were on the true path back to Jingdou.All along the way, they passed through provinces and broke through all obstructions. They exchanged no words with any local officials in any province or region and disregarded every Qing law related to the movement of armies. The valiant Black Knights returned to Jingdou as fast as possible with Fan Xian in the lead.It was now already a few days later. No one knew how many officials and commoners these 500 Black Knights had startled in their wild ride or the kinds of legends they left in Qing history. The Black Knights were first in the world for thousand-li attacks. However, in the past, this powerful netherworld group only launched ferocious attacks outside the Qing Kingdom for the interests of the Qing Kingdom and the Emperor. In the 10th year of the Qing calendar, they were charging across the Qing Kingdom's fertile land.Amidst the autumn rain, the farewell pavilion outside Jingdou suddenly trembled. A thundercloud-like group of black-armored riders whistled by. They sent up plumes of dust. Leaves fell in their wake.Jingdou was right in front of their eyes. Fan Xian, in the midst of the Black Knights, was exhausted to the extreme. He had not rested, slept, or ate for a number of days. He had only relied on clear water to support himself. The cold fire in his eyes and heart had kept his body going, stopping him from falling down.He had to get back. He had to stop everything from happening."You have to wait for me." Fan Xian's black robes were covered in a layer of dust. His face was streaked with yellow dirt. There was even a layer of it on his eyelashes. His lips were dry, and his eyes were terrifyingly bright. Rain had fallen. It made this group of black riders appear particularly wretched. Even with the strength of the Black Knights, there were still some who were unable to keep up with Fan Xian's speed as they cut across the abdomen of the Qing Kingdom and had fallen from the group.If Fan Xian had not fully used his powerful cultivation, he would also not be able to maintain such a terrifying speed. During the rain, there were warhorses that could not continue any further no matter the drugs they were given. Fan Xian had gone through 10 horses in a row and could not find any more horses to switch to. He had forcibly mugged a merchant group on the road and stolen 20 horses.At this time, there were still 20 odd Black Knights by Fan Xian's side. Even such a small group made the ground tremble outside Jingdou. It was as if a difficult-to-oppose army was coming closer to the heart of the Qing Kingdom.The Black Knights reached Jingdou and charged straight for Zhengyang Gate. The Jingdou city gates were all tightly closed. All defensive alerts had been raised to the highest level. The soldiers of the 13 city gate guards and cavalry of the Jingdou Garrison were sternly watching everything outside of Jingdou. However, these Black Knights came too quickly and decisively. They were so fast that the Jingdou Garrison were unable to make any reaction before they had arrived at Zhengyang Gate.When they were about 490 feet away from Zhengyang Gate, Fan Xian wiped the mud and rainwater from his face. Without slowing, he roared toward the generals above Zhengyang Gate, "Open the gate! I am Fan Xian!"Sir Fan junior was back! The faces of the generals and officials above the city gate paled. They knew what was happening in Jingdou in front of the Royal Palace. These generals had been ordered to guard the city since the Palace was worried that the Overwatch Council may pull on other factions of power in the court. No one had thought that Sir Fan junior would suddenly appear beneath Zhengyang Gate.Regardless of whether it was the Qing Emperor who used coldness to suppress his explosive anger or Chen Pingping who had done everything to try and stop Fan Xian's return to the capital, neither of them had thought that Fan Xian would arrive back at Jingdou now.The last the Qing court had heard was that Fan Xian was still far away outside of the Qing Kingdom. He was still on the road back from Dongyi. Even if he flew, he probably wouldn't be able to get back in time. Unbelievably, Fan Xian had made it back."Guard the gate with your life! Archers at the ready!" One of the Commanders of Zhengyang Gate had finally come to. The order he had received was to close the Jingdou city gates. Any coming and going was strictly forbidden. With a trembling voice, he watched the approaching 20 or so Black Knights like he was watching an army about to attack the city. He gave his order with a pale face.Even if Sir Fan junior got back, particularly now, he could not be allowed to enter the capital!"Sir Fan junior, today" The Commander of Zhengyang Gate wanted to give a few words of explanation to Fan Xian on his horse, but Fan Xian had no time for his explanations. The speed of the warhorse beneath him had not decreased. His gaze swept up over the Zhengyang Gate the waiting soldiers. His heart tightened. He knew that he although he had rushed desperately back to Jingdou, he had probably still come too late.On the horse, two cold lights exploded in Fan Xian's eyes. He stared fixedly at the officials on the city wall. The soldiers all cowered back and drew back their gaze.The Black Knights came closer and closer to the city gate. Fan Xian raised his right hand and brought it down hard in a chopping motion. The 20 or so Black Knights behind him moved into a triangular formation and reduced their speed, remaining outside of the range of the bows above the gate.The people on the city wall relaxed a little. Although the aura of the 20 or so Black Knights was imposing, these people could not break through the wall. However, if they did come face to face with the Black Knights, who knew what would happen? As long as these Black Knights stopped and did not attack, that would be good.However, Fan Xian did not slow down. He continued to charge toward Zhengyang Gate. The 20 or so Black Knights behind him all coldly took out a crossbow from behind them.With a series of thuds, the crossbows suddenly fired and shot grappling hooks toward the top of the city wall. With a clink, they caught firmly against the brick of the city wall. Dozens of black grappling hooks, like a net, turned the wall into a bridge. It was a bridge spanning life and death.This was a grappling hook the Third Bureau had created many years ago. At that time, Fan Xian was out on a diplomatic mission to Northern Qi. The Council had given it to him to use. Fan Xian had his own life-saving tricks and had never used it. Now, they had to save on all time. If they had to forcefully conquer the city wall, Fan Xian was prepared.He rode alone to Zhengyang Gate. As the rain lessened above his head, the black grappling hooks flashed like countless shadows through the air. Fan Xian gave a muffled grunt. Forcefully suppressing the zhenqi restlessness caused by physical and mental exhaustion, he released his Tyrannical zhenqi. Stepping on the back of the horse, he flew straight into the air using the flow of air around him that he acutely sensed. With a boom, his power was like thunder.Like a big black bird, he danced in front of Jingdou's sinister city gate and rose higher and higher."Break the chains! Break the chains!" The Commander of Zhengyang Gate roared loudly. He didn't dare have the soldiers shoot at the black figure because he didn't know if the Emperor would behead his whole family if he killed Sir Fan junior.The Commander of Zhengyang Gate had such fears, but Fan Xian had not a single concern. He gave a roar and forcibly raised the zhenqi in his body again. The tip of his toes tapped against the black chains. His entire body floated up like a wisp of black smoke as he moved along the chain toward the top of the loft city wall.One chain broke, and thenthere was another. When a dozen chains had been broken by the soldiers of the 13 city gate guards, Fan Xian, exhausted and covered in dust, had already swept onto the city wall. With the flash of a harsh light, the sword of the Wei Emperor that Fan Xian always carried behind him came out from its sheath.The tip of the sword pierced through the Commander's throat. Fresh blood sprayed out and was suddenly swept away. The Commander fell to the ground.Fan Xian swept like the window over his corpse. Using the price of three shallow wounds of his body, he broke through the defenses of the valiant Qing troops on the city wall. Following the long steps down, his sword flashed again. Three more people died. Taking a horse, he squeezed his legs together and followed the straight road toward the Royal Palace.All of this could only be described by one word: quick. Quicker than when he dodged Wu Zhu's wooden stick on the precipice in Danzhou, and quicker than when he sneaked into the Royal Palace and fiercely subdued the empress dowager. From the moment he learned of this news to when he entered Jingdou, Fan Xian had demonstrated a power beyond his realm in the seconds, minutes, days, and nights that had passed. The terror in his heart made him brave and cold-blooded as he had never been before.There was fresh blood on him and his sword. His expression did not change at all, but he felt a terror and panic he had never felt before in his heart. Looking at the situation in Jingdou, he was afraid that the person who should have waited for him, would not be able to wait until his arrival.You have to wait for me. Fan Xian repeated again in his heart. He allowed the autumn rain to strike as it wished on his dusty face as he rode like a madman toward the Royal Palace.The Royal Palace came closer, and the autumn rain fell heavier. There were not many people on the streets. Where had everyone gathered? Fan Xian wondered with confusion and fear. Then, he heard waves of cheering and a death-like silence.The people in Jingdou could not hear the silence. Only Fan Xian could hear it. He listened to it with terror. The people of Jingdou only heard the sound of hooves in the silence.Ta-ta-ta-ta.They then saw the black rider charging toward them like a bolt of lightning. They saw the tattered and dirty black robes and murderous face of the person on the horse.Suddenly, there was movement in the people on the square in front of the Palace watching the execution. Shouts of surprise and pain rang out at almost the same time. The back of the crowd became very chaotic. A number of people were hurt from falling and being stepped on.The lone rider did not reduce his speed at all. Instead, he cold-bloodedly charged toward the dense crowd of people.Those who could dodge, dodged while those who could not were sent flying by the horse. In the autumn rain, the horse stepped on those in its path with unusual cold-bloodedness.Amidst the terror of death, the sea of people parted to create a large opening. They squeezed desperately to the sides to open up a direct path to the small execution field in front of the Royal Palace for this rider.The imperial soldiers closed in. Their long spears all pointed at the rider.Fan Xian silently flew up over the forest of spears. In midair, with his sword in his hand, he sliced out like a bolt of lightning. With a number of thuds, he sliced through a few swords and sent a few internal court guards to the ground. He was already sweeping into the air above the execution field.No matter what he did, Fan Xian's eyes remained locked on the small wooden stage and bloody and dying old man tied to the wooden scaffolding. Fan Xian's gaze grew increasingly cold and filled with hatred Then, he heard wind coming in from all directions.Countless hemp-clothed shadows rose up, circling like flowers in the autumn rain andblocking off all of Fan Xian's paths.Fan Xian did not retreat or dodge. He took three punches to his chest. His sword pierced ruthlessly into the face of a hemp-clothed man and through his eye. Blood and eye fluid seeped out at the same time and mixed in with the rainwater.He roared and slammed out with his left palm full of Tyrannical zhenqi. He heard the crunch of bone and the organs of the hemp-clothed man to his left overflow with blood as he fell to the ground.With a slap, Fan Xian's feel finally landed on the wet little stage. However, he had paid a great price. The injuries in his body exploded forth ferociously. He spat out a mouthful of blood. He paid it no attention. He just stared dazedly at the old man on the scaffolding who had suffered countless cuts and was exposed before the eyes of the people and endlessly humiliated.With just a glance, Fan Xian knew that he had come too late. He could not make him live on. His dry lips rose slightly. He wanted to say something but could not say anything.The autumn rain fell and swept across the bodies of the two people on the wooden stage. All around, there was a death-like silence. All of the imperial soldiers, Internal Court aces, and the powerful Ascetic Monks from the Qing Temple surrounded the wooden stage tightly. Suppressed by the valiant killing intent and desperation that Fan Xian demonstrated earlier, all of their bodies were rather rigid. No one could take a step.Fan Xian moved forward with great difficulty. He pulled off the ropes and held Chen Pingping's thin body in his arms. Taking off his filthy and tattered black Overwatch Council robe, he placed it over his body.With great difficulty, Chen Pingping opened his eyes. His old, murky, and disorientated eyes flashed with a very pure light. The old man was like a child huddled in Fan Xian's embrace. It was as if he was slightly afraid of the cold."I came back too late," Fan Xian said hoarsely. He held the thin body and felt the old man's warmth slowly seep away. His heart was filled, as never before, with a sense of failure, hopelessness, and pain.
