Xiao Yunlong was naturally unaware of the Grand Commander Wang Kezheng's schemes, nor that it was the latter who deliberately allowed Pan Chaofeng to escape to this courtyard villa. The intention was to use the Fusang Ambassador's office to deal with Xiao Yunlong.
However, even if he had known it was the Grand Commander's plot, Xiao Yunlong wouldn't have cared. He would have protected Pan Chaofeng regardless.
As for the Fusang Ambassador's office, Xiao Yunlong paid it no mind whatsoever!
Seeing Xiao Yunlong walk in with his hands behind his back, Pan Chaofeng, who was applying medicine to his wounds, struggled to get up and pay his respects.
"Thank... thank you, Mr. Xiao, for saving my life..."
Before he could finish speaking, the severely injured Pan Chaofeng felt a sharp pain and collapsed back onto the chair.
Xiao Yunlong waved his hand, "You are injured, there is no need for such formalities. Besides, it was I who told you to chop off the heads of those Ronin samurai that day, so it is my responsibility to protect you!"
Pan Chaofeng nodded, gritted his teeth, and sighed, "I truly never imagined that to give the Fusang Ambassador's office an explanation, the Fifth Commander Fan Xingchang and his men would actually be so ruthless. Of my thirty-plus brothers, almost all of them were wiped out. If it weren't for other brothers desperately holding them back at the time, a few of us wouldn't have been able to escape here."
Xiao Yunlong nodded noncommittally, offering no further response.
In fact, the intricacies of the situation were not lost on Xiao Yunlong's discerning eyes. The Fifth Commander Fan Xingchang was a genuine Hua Jin Grandmaster, and an established one at that. His martial arts cultivation was far superior to Pan Chaofeng's.
Given the circumstances at the time, and with Pan Chaofeng severely wounded, if Fan Xingchang had been determined to kill, Pan Chaofeng would never have made it to this courtyard alive.
From this, it could be inferred that the Fifth Commander Fan Xingchang, or rather the Grand Commander behind the scenes, had deliberately allowed Pan Chaofeng to reach this place, all to draw Xiao Yunlong into trouble!
"Truly a clever scheme, but no matter how you plot and scheme, in the face of absolute strength, you are destined to be a paper tiger!"
Xiao Yunlong snorted coldly in his heart. At the same time, he waved his hand, "For the time being, you all rest here and recover. As long as you don't go out, no one in the Eastern Domain Barracks will dare to touch you, nor will anyone be able to!"
"Yes, thank you, Mr. Xiao!" Pan Chaofeng and the others cupped their hands.
As Xiao Yunlong turned to leave, he suddenly seemed to recall something and said, "After your injuries heal, come to the backyard."
Pan Chaofeng blinked in surprise and asked, "Mr. Xiao, are you speaking to me?"
"Naturally, I am speaking to you. Your martial talent is good, but an old injury to your meridians left a hidden ailment, which is why you have been unable to break through to Hua Jin. If you trust me, come to the backyard then, and I can help you break through!" After speaking, Xiao Yunlong turned and left through the side door, returning to the backyard.
Pan Chaofeng, however, stood frozen in place. It wasn't until Tang Bowen nudged his arm that he said, "What are you standing there for? This is your fortune. Why don't you quickly thank Mr. Xiao!"
"Thank you, Mr. Xiao, thank you for your guidance, Mr. Xiao. I will definitely come to the backyard to seek your advice after my injuries heal!" Pan Chaofeng finally shouted.
At this moment, Xiao Yunlong had already walked into the backyard, lost in thought.
Currently, in the entire Eastern Domain Barracks, the Grand Commander Wang Kezheng held almost absolute power. As long as the King of the Eastern Domain was not present, he was the king behind the scenes.
It was difficult to say that the chaotic and dire situation in the Eastern Domain Barracks had nothing to do with the Grand Commander Wang Kezheng. Xiao Yunlong even had an intuition that this Grand Commander was not only connected to the Yin Ming Sect of the Western Domain but might also be colluding with those aristocratic clans in the capital.
The King of the Eastern Domain had been avoiding visitors. Originally, Xiao Yunlong had wanted to visit this Grand Commander, but now it seemed unnecessary.
"In that case, I must personally go and meet this old King of the East!"
Xiao Yunlong thought to himself. The current abnormal phenomena in the Eastern Domain Barracks could only be understood by meeting the King of the Eastern Domain.
With this thought, Xiao Yunlong decided against continuing his secluded cultivation and instead turned to walk back to the front hall.
"Jun Bufan, Tang Bowen, you two come with me!" Xiao Yunlong beckoned.
"Big Brother, where are you preparing to go?" Jun Bufan asked.
"To meet the King of the Eastern Domain. Zhuge Ya, you come along too!"
Xiao Yunlong was about to leave when he turned and instructed, "Wushuang, Tufu, you two stay here. If anyone dares to force their way in to apprehend someone, kill them without mercy!"
"Yes!" Tufu and Zhuge Wushuang immediately stood up and nodded.
Zhuge Ya drove, and after leaving the courtyard, the group swiftly headed towards the magnificent Eastern Domain Royal Palace on the mountainside.
The vermilion gates of the Eastern Domain Royal Palace remained tightly shut. Between the two massive gate pillars, four imposing guards stood erect.
"You, quickly go and report. Important guests wish to see His Highness, the King of the Eastern Domain!" Zhuge Ya shouted immediately after getting out of the car.
The four guards remained unmoved, merely stating coldly, "We've already said, the King of the Eastern Domain is in seclusion refining pills and does not receive visitors!"
"Today's visitor is different from the past and holds extraordinary importance. If you delay, you will not be able to bear the consequences!" Zhuge Ya said sternly.
However, this time, the four guards didn't even lift their eyelids, nor did they bother to speak again.
Zhuge Ya was furious but unsure what to do for a moment.
Xiao Yunlong stepped forward, took out a letter, and said in a deep voice, "Take this letter inside and deliver it to the Old King of the East personally. Remember, it must be delivered in person. Of course, you can also refuse. If you think you are stronger than this stone pillar, then by all means, give it a try!"
As he spoke, Xiao Yunlong gently poked the marble gate pillar, which would require two adults to encircle, with his right index finger. Instantly, a finger-sized hole appeared!
The expressions of the four guards standing at the gate changed drastically. Without further hesitation, one of them immediately took the envelope and ran inside.
After all, as Xiao Yunlong had said, their bodies were no match for this stone pillar. If the other party were to do this to them, they would be severely injured, if not killed. It was clear that this young man with the buzz cut was not to be trifled with.
In fact, given Xiao Yunlong's personality, if this were not the Old King of the East's residence, but any other mansion, he would have charged in directly. After all, regardless of anything else, the Old King of the East had a good relationship with the Old King of the North, and he had to give some face.
They did not wait long. Soon, the guard who had gone inside quickly came out.
"His Highness, the King of the Eastern Domain, has read the letter. He says it is temporarily inconvenient, but he will reply by tomorrow at the latest!"
The guard said, looking nervously at Xiao Yunlong, fearing that the man might act out if things didn't go his way.
"Very well, I will await his reply. Remember to inform the Old King of the East that if he remains in seclusion after sunset tomorrow, do not blame me for being impolite and forcing my way in!"
After saying this, Xiao Yunlong turned and left.
Zhuge Ya and Jun Bufan followed closely. After getting into the car, they sped away.
Watching the car gradually move away and disappear on the mountain road, the four guards looked bewildered.
"Who exactly is that young man with the buzz cut? He's so arrogant, daring to challenge the Old King of the East like that, his tone is practically defying heaven!"
"You ask me, who am I supposed to ask!" the guard who delivered the letter retorted with a pout.
Another guard couldn't help but ask, "When you delivered the letter, didn't you secretly glance at its contents? Hurry up and tell us what it said!"
"Damn it, am I crazy or tired of living? Didn't you see how terrifying that buzz-cut youth's skills were? His aura was so powerful, he clearly wasn't an ordinary person. Would I dare to peek? Is my brain waterlogged!" the guard who delivered the letter rolled his eyes and said irritably.
Just as they were speaking, the side door next to them opened, and a black, extended, luxury, limited edition, bulletproof car slowly drove out from within.
"This is... His Highness the King of the Eastern Domain's private car. The King of the Eastern Domain is actually coming out?" The four guards at the gate widened their eyes in astonishment.
They couldn't even remember how long it had been since the King of the Eastern Domain had last left the royal residence. In their memory, the King of the Eastern Domain was usually either in seclusion or on his way to seclusion. To see the King of the Eastern Domain leave the royal residence today was truly a surprising event.
"It seems the letter from that buzz-cut youth has had an effect. Could it be that the Old King of the East is rushing to find him?"
"How would we know? Let's not speculate. These are matters of the higher-ups, we can't worry about them. Let's just stand our posts!"
The four guards shook their heads repeatedly and then stood at attention to resume their guard duty.
In fact, the King of the Eastern Domain had no intention of going to find Xiao Yunlong. The extended private car, halfway down the mountain, suddenly turned and headed directly towards the Grand Commander's official residence.
The King's private car drove straight in, entering the backyard of the Grand Commander's mansion.
"Everyone listen, get out of the backyard immediately! Anyone who dares to trespass will be killed without mercy!"
The Grand Commander Wang Kezheng stood in the study and shouted coldly. After speaking, he turned to look at Zhang Quanche by his side and snorted, "You get out too!"
Zhang Quanche couldn't help but be stunned. He moved his lips as if wanting to say something, but in the end, he didn't speak and turned to leave dejectedly.
Soon, all the servants in the backyard had quickly departed. The three entrances to the backyard were also heavily guarded, presenting a scene of extreme alert.
Only then did the door of the King's private car in the backyard slowly open, and then a short old man stepped out of the car.
This old man was exceptionally short, perhaps only a little over a meter and a half tall. He wore a simple tracksuit and looked utterly ordinary. If it weren't for him alighting from this extremely extraordinary limited edition extended luxury car, he would have been no different from an old man buying groceries at the market.
However, who could have imagined that such an ordinary old man, who seemed to possess no imposing aura, was actually the highest authority in the Eastern Domain Barracks, the King of the Eastern Domain!
As soon as the King of the Eastern Domain got out of the car, he began to walk, shuffling towards the study.
The Grand Commander Wang Kezheng stood at the entrance of the study. Even though he saw the King of the Eastern Domain approaching, he still showed no intention of paying his respects.
Wang Kezheng stood there with his hands behind his back. In contrast, his aura was stronger, sharper, and more imposing, as if he were the true King of the East.
Even more incomprehensible was that the King of the Eastern Domain showed no displeasure at this, merely saying, "Let's talk in the study!"
After speaking, the King of the Eastern Domain walked in by himself. The Grand Commander Wang Kezheng followed closely behind and shut the door.
The King of the Eastern Domain did not choose to sit in the main chair but instead sat on a guest seat below. He said, "That brat Xiao Yunlong came to see me personally just now."
"I know, my people have already informed me!" the Grand Commander Wang Kezheng said leisurely, walking to the main chair with his hands behind his back and sitting down.
"That brat also said that if he doesn't see me after tomorrow, he will force his way in. What should I do next?" the King of the Eastern Domain asked.
The Grand Commander Wang Kezheng did not answer directly but instead grinned coldly and said, "For the past half month, he has repeatedly sent people to request an audience with you. It has indeed been too long. Avoiding him further will only arouse his suspicion!"
"You mean, you want me to meet him personally?" the King of the Eastern Domain asked.
"Besides that, do you have any better options? You know that brat's personality. If you continue to avoid him, he will definitely force his way into your royal residence!"
The Grand Commander Wang Kezheng snorted, then turned to glance at the King of the Eastern Domain and asked coldly, "During this past half month, have you memorized what I told you to memorize? Especially the part about the Old King of the East visiting the capital over four years ago and meeting with the Old King of the North and that brat. Have you remembered all of that?"
The King of the Eastern Domain replied, "Of course, I have remembered it all. I have memorized that past event thoroughly, just as you instructed!"
"That's good. You don't need to have any psychological burdens or be nervous. As long as you remember the precautions, you won't reveal any flaws!"
After speaking, the Grand Commander Wang Kezheng waved his hand and said, "You can go back now. Consolidate your memory again, then meet that young man named Xiao to allay his concerns, lest he ruin our great plan!"
The King of the Eastern Domain nodded and then stood up to leave. However, he suddenly asked again, "I want to know, how long will I have to continue this?"
The Grand Commander Wang Kezheng also stood up and snorted, "Not for long. After so many years of planning, it is about to bear fruit. In fact, you don't need to be too nervous. Perhaps tomorrow, before you even meet that young man named Xiao, he will have already met his end."
Speaking of this, the Grand Commander Wang Kezheng couldn't help but laugh triumphantly.
"I hope so!" the King of the Eastern Domain sighed slightly, then turned and left. After getting into the King's private car, he sped away.
The Grand Commander Wang Kezheng stood at the entrance of the study again, his hands behind his back, squinting at the departing Old King of the East. A murderous glint gradually appeared in his eyes.
"Xiao Yunlong, oh Xiao Yunlong, I have invested so much effort and planned for so many years. No matter what, I cannot let you ruin it. Therefore, you are destined to die. If you blame anyone, it can only be you for coming to the Eastern Domain Barracks!"
The Grand Commander Wang Kezheng gritted his teeth and snorted coldly, "The Eastern Domain Barracks, I must control it! Then, I will be the true King of the East!"
At this time, Xiao Yunlong was naturally unaware that while the King of the Eastern Domain and the Grand Commander Wang Kezheng were plotting, shortly after returning to the courtyard villa, he suddenly received a letter.
It was a letter from the Fusang Ambassador's office in Shanghai. Upon seeing this letter, Xiao Yunlong was instantly enraged, and a dense killing intent flared in his eyes!