Niao Ni
Chapter 524: That Heart on the Sea Ship
Suddenly, Fan Xian opened his eyes. His pupils were calm. His cheeks gradually puffed out, using the air pressure inside his body to create a fragile balance with the pressure of the seawater outside. His right hand reached out, stirring a line in the water, and suddenly grabbed the corner of a reef on the seabed, stabilizing his body at the bottom, a good four or five zhang from the surface.
The celestial sword from before hadn't pierced his body, but its sword intent had already invaded his heart, causing internal injuries even more terrifying than Yan Xiaoyi's arrow from before.
Fan Xian's domineering true qi circulated rapidly within his body, resisting the power of nature, while the Heavenly Dao true qi gently flowed along the complete cycle within him, slowly smoothing out the damage brought by Ye Liuyun's earth-shattering sword.
He was deep in the sea, so he couldn't heal immediately, but at least he could suppress the injury for a while.
However, the rapid circulation of two different types of true qi placed a great burden on his body. A force swelled inside him, and gradually, two streams of blood flowed from his nostrils. Disturbed by the undercurrents, they quickly dispersed into a cloud of blood mist, enveloping his face. The arrow wound on his shoulder also began to bleed rapidly.
He looked like a leather bag filled with red paint, with two small holes pricked, quite terrifying.
Fan Xian's cheeks were puffed out, his eyes were wide open, and his face was distorted. He clutched the reef with one hand, looking towards the surface of the sea. He looked like a toad... The problem was, this toad was bleeding and might die at any moment, so he couldn't laugh, nor did he feel like laughing. Thinking of the perilous scene earlier, he felt a chill in his heart.
The seawater had scattered his hair, making it drift like seaweed. Among the seaweed, a complex emotion flickered in the pupils of his pale face. Yan Xiaoyi's arrow was still waiting for him on the surface; he couldn't surface immediately.
As for the Great Grandmaster who had arrived on a boat breaking through the waves, he probably wouldn't be interested in attacking him again after a failed sword strike.
He didn't know how long he stayed submerged in the water. The skin on his hand clutching the reef felt strange, but he stared wide-eyed at the sea surface above, unable to find a way out of danger. At this moment, he finally felt a trace of regret. Yesterday… he should have brought the box with him. If he had the box, he wouldn't have been so suppressed by Yan Xiaoyi's arrow, unable to escape.
This only proved that after his rebirth, Fan Xian's most wary target was still Qing Yu Nian's Emperor. Perhaps it was some lingering shadow of history, or perhaps it was just some subconscious instinct, but he was unwilling to reveal his trump card in front of the Emperor.
Even in the current situation, where he was tightly bound to the Emperor, facing the most powerful enemies in the world, he was still unwilling to let the Emperor know that the box was with him.
Because, like Chen Pingping, he didn't know the Emperor's trump cards. He didn't know what the Emperor would do once he knew that he possessed a weapon in this world capable of killing gods and emperors.
This way of thinking influenced Fan Xian's decision, leading him into the current dangerous situation. Fortunately, he hadn't died from the arrows and sword—he should be proud of that. If the story of the dance under the cliff, the black arrows, and the sword breaking through the waves spread throughout the world, everyone's perception of Fan Xian would enter another level.
A Great Grandmaster and the strongest long-range ninth-rank expert in the world had failed to kill Fan Xian, which was enough to make him proud.
……
……
The domineering true qi in his body powerfully provided the nutrients his body needed, but without air to breathe, he couldn't hold on for long. Blood no longer flowed from Fan Xian's nose and mouth. The wound on his shoulder had been whitened by the seawater, like the belly of a dead fish, and no longer bled. A look of determination flashed across his pale face, and he reached down again, lifting a large stone from the sand at the bottom of the sea.
Not daring to float up for now, he chose a clumsy method, a clumsy method he had learned from Huo Yuanjia in his previous life.
However, Huo Yuanjia had walked on the riverbed, while he was walking on the seabed. Holding the large stone, relying on its weight to stabilize his body, and not swaying in the face of the impact of the underwater currents, Fan Xian stepped forward forcefully on the seabed, but did not try to land along the coastline.
There were experts blocking both sides of Mount Dong, and he couldn't guarantee that his remaining true qi could support him for long enough to walk on the seabed, so he chose the shortest path to the surface.
He walked to the bottom of the Jiaozhou Naval Fleet ship on the surface, looked up, opened his eyes, and calmly glanced at the bottom of the ship, which was darker than the color of the seawater. The strong desire to escape danger made his senses extremely sharp, and he could even see the moss and shells on the bottom of the wooden ship.
He put down the heavy stone, which fell to the bottom of the sea without causing much disturbance, only stirring up some sediment. He slowly drew two semicircles with both hands, performing his last adjustment. Fan Xian relaxed his body, and with the buoyancy of the seawater, floated upward as naturally as possible, fearing to startle Yan, the Grand Commandant, whose eyes were like an eagle, ears like a shark, and nose like a dog.
Maintaining the stiffness and deadness of a floating piece of wood, Fan Xian slowly floated to the bottom of the warship, and very cautiously moved a position towards the outer edge of the hull. He still dared not stick his head out of the water, and through about half a foot of seawater, he tried hard to watch the movement of this side of the ship's side.
This was a gamble. The first reason for choosing this ship, of course, was because Yan Xiaoyi had not fired arrows from this ship earlier. But if the helper he was looking for was not on this ship, Fan Xian would have to dive again to find a chance on another ship. He didn't know if he could hold on until he reached another ship.
Fortunately, his luck was good this time.
A strange smile surfaced on Fan Xian's pale face, soaked in seawater. He thought that his luck in this life was unparalleled.
He saw a hand on the ship's side, which was naturally resting on the outside of the ship, gently tapping silently, maintaining a stable and peculiar frequency.
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There were a total of five naval ships slowly patrolling the sea. Under the moonlight, these ships were like demons looking for prey, cutting through the water, ready to nail any prey lurking on the seabed.
Another three warships sailed away from the main force, maintaining a corresponding distance, responsible for responding and for a wider range of surveillance.
On one of the ships, the light in the central hall was dim. Xu Maocai, the Jiaozhou naval general in charge of this ship, was sitting coldly on a Taishi chair. Two of his three personal soldiers were guarding outside the hall, and one was responsible for contacting the naval flagship.
Only one personal soldier was left by his side. The face of this personal soldier was hidden in the darkness behind the light, and his features were not clear, but it could vaguely be seen that his face was a little pale, perhaps frightened by the grand scale of tonight's event.
The warship was silent, and suddenly the personal soldier spoke.
"Why did the Jiaozhou Naval Fleet also rebel?"
Xu Maocai was now the number three figure in the Jiaozhou Naval Fleet, and had enough power under his command. If he didn't know the inside story of such a major event as tonight, he would never have dared to surround the sea area around Mount Dong with the naval flagship.
He lowered his head and then slowly said, "Young Master, the situation now is not that the Jiaozhou Naval Fleet has rebelled... but... you have rebelled?"
That personal soldier was naturally Fan Xian, who was lucky enough to sneak onto the warship. Xu Maocai was an old member of the Quanzhou Naval Fleet back in the day, and the hand that had been hanging outside the ship's side proved that this person had been secretly hoping that Fan Xian could escape with his life. Therefore, Fan Xian trusted him enough, but he still frowned after hearing these words.
Fan Xian and the Emperor had already guessed how the Eldest Princess would arrange things. The encirclement and suppression of Mount Dong on such a large scale could only control the news for a few days at most, and in the end, the Emperor would be assassinated, allowing the Crown Prince to succeed... The assassination of the Emperor would always need someone to take the blame.
And that person must have the power to kill the Emperor and have the motivation to do so in order to convince the Empress Dowager in the palace and the officials in the court.
Even if it wasn't to convince them, it was to give those people a psychological explanation.
And it was obvious that among the people who went to Mount Dong to offer sacrifices to heaven, the only one with the power to kill the Emperor was naturally Fan Xian, the Director of the Supervisory Council, who held five hundred Black Riders and secretly possessed some unknown experts.
As for the motive for assassinating the Emperor... presumably, with the Eldest Princess's wisdom, she would naturally revolve around the Old Ye family, which the Empress Dowager was most wary of.
"You didn't take any action, I believe you didn't report to Wu Gefei... You didn't report to Hou Jichang either."
Fan Xian stood behind Xu Maocai, coldly staring at his profile. To prevent anyone from suddenly entering the room, he had only slightly bandaged his wounds after boarding the ship, and had disguised himself as Xu Maocai's personal soldier, standing behind him all the time.
"I let you stay in the Jiaozhou Naval Fleet for today." Fan Xian's tone was calm, but it contained a trace of anger, "As a result, you didn't do anything... The Supervisory Council assassinating His Majesty might be able to convince some generals in the naval fleet, but how could you believe it? And why is Yan Xiaoyi on the naval fleet's ship? Don't these naval generals have any doubts in their hearts? Why would they believe in your loyalty in this regard and let you come to Mount Dong?"
Xu Maocai lowered his head and thought for a while before saying, "Some people should believe the assassination of the Emperor... After all, the Supervisory Council has a bad reputation, and yesterday I received news that five hundred Black Riders rushed from the Jiangbei Camp to Mount Xiao overnight, and suddenly disappeared in the Shandong area. So, if these five hundred Black Riders came to assassinate the Emperor, it would make sense."
Fan Xian's heart trembled slightly. He had transferred the five hundred Black Riders, but they hadn't approached the Mount Dong area. If the people in Kyoto were to scheme against him again, if the Emperor really couldn't escape this disaster, he would really have a hard time explaining himself... Fortunately, he still had a few trump cards in his arms.
Xu Maocai described the current situation in the army in detail again. The more Fan Xian listened, the more helpless he felt. He had been on the mountaintop for a day and a half, and it turned out that a completely different story had spread down the mountain. He colluded with Si Gu Jian of Dongyi City to assassinate the Emperor? Damn it... This method of framing was too naive.
However, Fan Xian knew that the means were always secondary. As long as the victory was finally determined by strength, even the most naive framing by the Eldest Princess would become an ironclad fact in the history books.
"Of course, most people in the naval fleet have doubts, and I even believe that some people... know the truth about the Mount Dong incident." Xu Maocai said coldly, "But even if they know the truth, so what? If it were still Chang Kun leading the army in previous years, with his and those naval veterans' respect for His Majesty, they would definitely never dare to participate in this matter. But Young Master, you killed a bunch of people in Jiaozhou last year, and many veterans have been killed. I don't know how many generals have begun to feel disheartened by the court. The current Jiaozhou Naval Fleet is already under the control of the Qin family. Even if it's really a rebellion, I believe the generals on the naval warships under Mount Dong will be very willing."
Fan Xian said calmly, "You should also know the truth. I have never doubted the evolution of the naval fleet... His Majesty is also clear about the Qin family, and I believe he must have follow-up measures. So, I'm still curious, how did you gain the trust of the Eldest Princess's side..."
He suddenly frowned and said, "Being disheartened by the court, I guess this matter has your contribution... Maocai, I asked you to stay in the Jiaozhou Naval Fleet, not to stir up a rebel army."
Xu Maocai was silent for a long time, then suddenly stood up, bowed deeply to Fan Xian, and said sincerely, "Young Master, I, Maocai, am incompetent and have never been able to completely control the Jiaozhou Naval Fleet. But now... since the Eldest Princess is rebelling and the Qin family has also joined in, you should have seen it... There's also that Great Grandmaster on the sea. The opportunity is rare."
His eyes stared at Fan Xian's pale face, a flash of loyalty and fervor, and he said with gritted teeth, "Young Master, use this opportunity to rebel!"
Fan Xian stared into Xu Maocai's eyes for a long time without speaking. He knew that this general's loyalty to himself, no, should be to his mother. He had guessed that he would make such a rebellious proposal, and then... he just shook his head gently.
"Why?" Xu Maocai lowered his voice and said anxiously, "Now all the real experts in the world have been attracted to Mount Dong. Kyoto is just an empty fortress. Young Master, you take the opportunity to land, contact the five hundred Black Riders in the Mount Xiao area, make a lightning raid on Kyoto, and cooperate with Director Chen from within to take control of the Imperial Palace in one fell swoop... When the fighting on Mount Dong has caused heavy casualties on both sides, you, as a prince, raise your arms and shout in Kyoto, and great things... can be accomplished!"
"Completely infeasible." Fan Xian tried to smooth his tone, so as not to hurt the person in front of him, and said gently, "The Emperor is strictly guarding against me and has never allowed me to command the army. How can a mere five hundred Black Riders enter Kyoto? There are ten thousand Kyoto Garrison Soldiers outside Kyoto, the Thirteen City Gate Divisions in Kyoto, and three thousand Imperial Guards... How can I possibly cope with them?"
"The Commander of the Kyoto Garrison Soldiers is a confidant of the Eldest Prince, and the Imperial Guards are all under the control of the Eldest Prince. The Thirteen City Gate Divisions are directly under His Majesty's command, and once His Majesty is not around, they will be without a head." Xu Maocai was obviously well prepared, and said methodically, "Since Young Master took the risk to break through, you must have His Majesty's token with you, which should be a handwritten letter or the Imperial Seal. You enter the palace alone, persuade the Empress Dowager, and then gain the support of Consort Yi... Outside the palace, please Director Chen to take action and sweep away the forces of the Crown Prince and the Second Prince in one fell swoop..."
Fan Xian waved his hand to interrupt him and said, "All this is based on the premise that the Eldest Prince supports me."
Xu Maocai interrupted him before he finished speaking and advised, "If the Emperor is dead, and you have the Imperial Seal and His Majesty's handwritten letter, and you have a close relationship with the Eldest Prince, who else can the Eldest Prince support if he doesn't support you?"
"What about the Qin family?" Fan Xian stared into his eyes and said, word by word, "And the Ye family of Dingzhou? How many troops do the two sides have combined? The Ye family has managed the Kyoto Garrison Soldiers for twenty years, and the Eldest Prince cannot completely control them."
"So what?" Xu Maocai lowered his voice and said, "My Great Qing Dynasty has seven elite troops. Yan Xiaoyi is in Mount Dong, and the Conquering North Camp cannot be mobilized. The Ye and Qin families only have two subordinate troops, and there are still four elite troops... As long as Young Master can control the palace, these four elite troops will all belong to you. Even if the situation in Kyoto is dangerous at first, the whole situation can be reversed in less than half a month!"
"The reason why you are hesitant is because you have never carefully analyzed how much power you can mobilize." Xu Maocai stared into Fan Xian's eyes and said, word by word, "With the Emperor being assassinated in Mount Dong, and you having the Imperial Seal and His Majesty's handwritten letter as proof, the crime of assassinating the Emperor can easily be placed on the Eldest Princess and the Crown Prince and the Second Prince. This is having a righteous name... In less than half a month, this righteous name can gain the recognition of those four elite troops. Although you have no one in the court, Prime Minister Lin... I'm afraid he left a lot of people for you. As for the turbulent situation in Kyoto at the beginning of the major event... Director Chen is the best expert at this kind of thing. Also... don't forget Minister Fan, he will definitely support you."
Fan Xian was silent for a long time, admitting that Xu Maocai had put in a lot of effort and planned for himself for a long time in secret for the matter of rebellion. If things were to develop in this way, if he could stay away from the sea, escape Yan Xiaoyi's pursuit, and return to Kyoto... Perhaps, the power of this Qing kingdom would really be incredibly close to his hand.
Was this temptation great? Fan Xian didn't know, because his mind was clear and he didn't even think in that direction.
"First of all, I have to ensure that I can return to Kyoto alive." Fan Xian looked at Xu Maocai and said calmly, "And the most important question, all your inferences are based on the assassination of the Holy Emperor in Mount Dong... But, who told you that His Majesty will definitely die this time?"