Chapter 1 The Palace of Yan

Zheng Fan had been to the Yan Jing imperial palace before, following behind Eunuch Wei Zhonghe, Wei Gonggong, for quite a while.

In reality, the Yan Kingdom's imperial palace wasn't large. Although the late emperor, indulging in extravagance, had expanded it, Ji Runhao, upon ascending the throne, drastically reformed its use.

Ji Runhao was not an emperor fond of enjoyment. He disliked palaces, grand architecture, and gardens. Even his daily imperial meals were somewhat simple.

As for women,

to quote what Xiao Liuzi once said to Zheng Fan,

his father should have been asexual,

because he was always ruthless towards his wives.

He was a heartless emperor. Xiao Liuzi hadn't seen a "machine," but if he had, he would have described his father as a cold-blooded one.

He didn't have many personal preferences when it came to the concubines in the harem. His choice of empress and consorts depended on the families behind the women. Women, for Ji Runhao, were merely political tools and symbols for procreation.

Emperors usually have some "romantic anecdotes" circulating, which the common people relish.

But Ji Runhao didn't. He couldn't be bothered with such things.

Two of his women had their families destroyed by him.

After meeting Zheng Fan, he once lamented,

Even if I don't care about my son, can this kid not care in his heart?

This was not just idle talk.

Tian Wujing exterminated his entire clan. The Third Prince was a tool for Tian Wujing to vent his resentment. Ji Runhao tacitly approved of this exchange and still viewed Zheng Fan, the "tool executor," with "admiration."

Many romance dramas often portray "the emperor's heartlessness" in a pretentious manner. In Ji Runhao, there was none of this artifice.

At this moment,

in the pavilion of the imperial garden,

right next to where Zheng Fan and the Marquis of Zhenbei had grilled lamb skewers,

snow was falling outside.

Ji Runhao sat inside the pavilion, facing an old man in a padded jacket. Between them was a chessboard, the game nearing its end.

The Yan region was bitterly cold. Even though Tiancheng County wasn't the northernmost part of Yan, its winter was still grueling.

However, this winter, too many people were suffering, so many that they seemed to have forgotten the weather's torment.

Inside the pavilion, a middle-aged man with a long beard knelt, his eyes closed as if asleep. Behind him, a small eunuch also knelt, ready to serve tea and water.

Wei Zhonghe, who was always inseparable from Ji Runhao, was not by his side at this time.

The white-haired old man playing chess with the Yan Emperor was the Minister of Rites of the Yan Kingdom, his face already showing age spots.

"Hehe, I've lost."

Ji Runhao reached out, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.

The Minister of Rites, Ning Fangcheng, cupped his fist and said,

"Your Majesty's chess skills have certainly improved."

This was a heartless emperor, a ruthless emperor, but also an emperor who was easy to get along with.

When playing chess with him, you didn't need to let him win or deliberately flatter him.

"You flatter me, Ning Lao. I haven't touched a chessboard in quite some time."

As he said this,

the Yan Emperor looked at the middle-aged man kneeling beside him.

He saw him slumped, his eyes closed, his lips moving slightly with his breath. If you listened closely, you could hear him snoring.

Although snow was falling outside the pavilion, it was covered with silk, and the inside was lined with woolen carpets and three charcoal braziers, making it quite warm.

"Zhao Jiulang."

The middle-aged man's body trembled, he opened his eyes, and muttered with some dissatisfaction,

"Your Majesty, I finally managed to fall asleep."

This middle-aged man was none other than the grand councilor of the Great Yan court.

"You've been through a lot these days."

The Yan Emperor didn't mind his attitude.

"Suffering is nothing. What I fear is not having a place to suffer. If I may be so bold, Your Majesty, although my body is about to fall apart from exhaustion, my heart is filled with joy."

"Spare me the pleasantries."

"Your Majesty, you know that I never say pleasantries to you."

"Alright, alright." Ji Runhao waved his hand and looked at the Minister of Rites, saying, "If I remember correctly, Ning Lao once passed the imperial examination in the Qian Kingdom?"

Minister Ning stroked his beard and nodded, saying,

"Your Majesty flatters me. I was indeed a bit unruly when I was young."

The Qian Kingdom implemented the imperial examination system. Passing the examination was equivalent to passing the provincial exam.

People from Yan were allowed to participate in the imperial examinations in the Qian Kingdom.

This all started a hundred years ago, when the first Marquis of Zhenbei defeated the Qian Kingdom's army, trampled over the northern three counties of the Qian Kingdom, and forcibly relocated the original people of the three counties into Yan.

Later, after the war ended, the Qian Kingdom, probably to promote "royal benevolence" or to expand its influence through "cultural" invasion, stipulated that the descendants of the original three northern counties could enter Qian to participate in the imperial examinations.

This tradition continued and slowly opened up to Yan scholars, regardless of their ancestral origin, who could enter the Qian Kingdom to participate in the imperial examinations.

It could be said that the people of the Qian Kingdom were proficient in everything except military force.

Correspondingly, the emperors of Yan had always maintained an open attitude in this regard.

One side dared to accept people for the exam, and the other side dared to let people take the exam.

As for whether talent was lost, it did happen, but there were always people who would return.

Ning Fangcheng, when he was young, passed the imperial examination in the Qian Kingdom all the way to becoming a successful candidate, but in the end, he didn't go to the capital to continue the exam.

"Ning Lao is being too serious. Great Yan didn't have imperial examinations before. It was Great Yan's fault, failing to give scholars like Ning Lao their due."

"Your Majesty is too kind, too kind."

Minister Ning immediately knelt down.

"Enough, enough, get up. Ning Lao, what I mean is that next year, I plan to start imperial examinations. I hope Ning Lao will be responsible for handling them. Ning Lao, please take back your memorial requesting retirement.

You are aware of my temper, Ning Lao. I really can't be bothered with the charade of three requests and three refusals."

"Your subject, for the scholars of Great Yan, thanks you for your great kindness!"

Minister Ning reached out and took the memorial for resignation that he had submitted earlier.

The Ning family could be considered a powerful clan, but not a top-tier one. When the Zhenbei Army trampled over the powerful clans, they voluntarily handed over most of their land and property, so they were spared.

But Minister Ning felt that he couldn't cling to his position any longer, so he submitted a memorial requesting retirement.

However, now that His Majesty the Emperor was going to start imperial examinations, the first imperial examinations in Great Yan in hundreds of years, Minister Ning had no reason not to continue in this position. The significance of this matter was too great.

In the past, it wasn't that no Yan emperor knew the benefits of the imperial examination system, but the power of the influential clans was too strong. Imperial examinations were equivalent to snatching political resources from the influential clans. This was digging at their roots, so the influential clans would naturally not agree.

But now, the problem had been solved.

Ji Runhao pointed at Zhao Jiulang and said with a smile,

"You also came from Huaiya Academy, why didn't you go to the Qian Kingdom to take the exam?"

Zhao Jiulang smiled and said,

"What's the point of going to all that trouble? I want to do something, but I don't want to be a paper tiger minister."

Minister Ning's face immediately turned red.

The Minister of Rites was the most prestigious among the six ministries, but also the one with the least real power.

Especially the "rites" and culture, were not highly valued in the Yan Kingdom.

Going to the Qian Kingdom to take the imperial examinations and then returning to the country to become an official was possible, but it was almost impossible to really do something in a powerful department. After all, background and stance would inevitably be ambiguous.

Zhao Jiulang's words were undoubtedly slapping Minister Ning in the face, but because Zhao Jiulang had great power and prestige in the court, and had shown great presence in presiding over the liquidation of the powerful clans, Minister Ning didn't dare to express any dissatisfaction with Zhao Jiulang's words.

"You, you, can't you speak properly?"

"Your Majesty, there are too many things to do. I don't have the energy to beat around the bush."

"I know you're working hard."

Ji Runhao stood up.

After he stood up, Zhao Jiulang and Ning Shangshu also stood up.

"Open it."

The eunuch outside immediately lifted the silk coverings from the pavilion.

Outside, it was still snowing, but the sky seemed much gloomier.

Outside the pavilion, there was a palanquin.

The Yan Emperor walked to the palanquin and sat down.

"Ning Lao, please sit for a while. The imperial kitchen will send over ginger soup soon. Warm yourself up before leaving the palace."

When Ning Shangshu saw Zhao Jiulang accompanying the Emperor to the outside of the pavilion, he knew that he couldn't refuse at this time, and immediately thanked him, saying:

"My Emperor is benevolent."

Ji Runhao looked at Zhao Jiulang again and said:

"The palanquin is too small, so I won't pretend to invite you to sit with me."

Zhao Jiulang smiled and said:

"I just took a nap inside, so I might as well walk around to relieve fatigue."

Ji Runhao nodded,

said:

"Qiming Hall."

"To Qiming Hall!"

The procession began to move. There were not many people in the procession. There were four strong eunuchs responsible for carrying the palanquin, one eunuch attending, and Zhao Jiulang.

"Jiulang, I am very curious about something."

The Yan Emperor sat sideways on the palanquin, looking at Zhao Jiulang.

"Your Majesty, please speak."

"The war in the south has been delayed until now. As the Prime Minister, you haven't mentioned a word in the court, not even a private memorial. Why?"

"Your Majesty, you are joking. I know my abilities. I don't understand the matter of fighting wars. Naturally, I won't ask too much about things I don't understand."

"As the Prime Minister, you should still understand a little."

"Your Majesty, anything in the world is either proficient or completely ignorant. What I fear most is understanding half and not understanding the other half. This is most likely to ruin things."

"Go back and read some military books."

"I obey your order. I will try to chat with you after reading the military books."

"You, you."

Qiming Hall arrived.

This hall was located in the northwest corner of the imperial palace. When the late emperor was in power, he built many new palaces. After Ji Runhao succeeded to the throne, they were basically changed into government offices, but this Qiming Hall was still retained.

Because that person lived in this hall.

On the steps of Qiming Hall, two little eunuchs were sweeping snow.

After seeing the Emperor's palanquin, they immediately put down their brooms and knelt down.

The palanquin stopped.

Ji Runhao got off the palanquin.

At this time, a figure in a black robe appeared at the entrance of Qiming Hall.

The five eunuchs around Ji Runhao all knelt down,

shouting:

"Greetings, Grandfather."

In this Yan Kingdom imperial palace, only one person could be called "Grandfather," and he was the ancestor of all the eunuchs in the inner palace.

Even Wei Zhonghe could not have this honor. Even if Wei Zhonghe came here in person, he would have to kneel down and kowtow respectfully.

Zhao Jiulang did not kneel, but bowed.

The old man in black robes on the steps, although his body was incomplete, had contributed to the entire Great Yan.

Without him, there would be no current Great Yan Emperor, and there would be no current good situation in Great Yan!

This bow was willingly given by Zhao Jiulang, the Prime Minister.

Ji Runhao went up the steps. After Zhao Jiulang straightened up, he followed two steps behind.

When Ji Runhao walked to the top and stood in front of the old man in black robes, the old man in black robes knelt down,

performing a grand ceremony:

"Xue Yi greets Your Majesty!"

Ji Runhao did not reach out to help him, but smiled:

"Uncle Xue, my father once issued an edict that in Great Yan, you do not need to salute anyone."

Xue Yi raised his head and said:

"This is what it should be."

There was another sentence that Xue Yi didn't say, but the Yan Emperor could understand in his heart that this might be the last time he saluted.

"Uncle Xue, is the rice cake ready?"

"Your Majesty sent someone to say so this morning. It has just been steamed and is at its stickiest."

The Yan Emperor rubbed his hands and said:

"Then I really can't wait."

The furnishings in Qiming Hall were extremely simple. It was said to be a palace, but it had a bed, a table, and a kitchen.

Usually, Xue Yi would not leave the scope of Qiming Hall at will.

The steamer on the stove was still steaming. The Yan Emperor found a futon and sat down, signaling Zhao Jiulang to sit down as well.

Soon, Xue Yi brought two rice cakes over, tore off two pieces by hand, gave one to the Emperor, and handed the other to Zhao Jiulang.

"Lord Prime Minister, please try it too."

Zhao Jiulang hurriedly thanked him and took it. He didn't dare to be arrogant in front of this old man.

The Yan Emperor tore off a piece and put it in his mouth to chew. The cake was very fragrant and sweet. In fact, nothing was added to it, but it was delicious.

Zhao Jiulang followed suit and ate, chewing it more and more flavorful. It was indeed delicious.

"I will never forget Uncle Xue's cake in my life. I want to eat it from time to time. It is best to use it as breakfast in the morning, paired with porridge after steaming. It is so comfortable to eat."

Xue Yi said:

"I have taught the method of steaming this cake to a clever boy below."

In the future, he will make it for Your Majesty.

Zhao Jiulang looked at Xue Yi, then looked at His Majesty. He noticed something, but there was nothing wrong, just focusing on eating the cake.

"Drink sugar water."

Xue Yi also made two cups of brown sugar tea.

The sugar cubes were not very pure, with many impurities, but after eating a cake and then pressing down a cup of sugar tea, the taste was really good.

The Yan Emperor ate most of the cake alone, licking his fingers while saying:

"I remember when I was a kid, Liang Ting and I liked to pester Uncle Xue to make cakes for us to eat the most."

When Xue Yi heard this, a kind smile appeared on his face,

said:

"The Marquis of Zhenbei rarely got to eat anything good when he was a child, so he pestered me to make cakes for him."

"I have to bring two cakes out later and have someone send them to him to try."

It was winter now, and the cake could be stored for a long time. Even if it was frozen hard, it could be steamed on the stove when cooking and then eaten.

The Yan people like to steam cakes in winter, and it is also a good gift to give during the New Year.

"Yes, yes, I steamed a lot this time, enough, enough, also let the princes taste it."

The princes, of course, referred to the Yan Emperor's princes.

The Yan Emperor shook his head and smiled:

"These cubs don't like this kind of food. Alas, they haven't lived a hard life."

"Your Majesty, isn't it precisely so that future generations can enjoy happiness that predecessors suffer?"

The Yan Emperor nodded, "Uncle Xue is right. The predecessors suffer so that future generations can enjoy happiness."

"Whirr... whirr... whirr..."

A burst of noise came from outside.

Zhao Jiulang looked at the outside of the hall and said to the Emperor:

"Your Majesty, it is hailing outside."

The Yan Emperor stood up and walked to the door of the hall.

Above the imperial palace, it was dark and heavy. Small hailstones fell in large patches.

Xue Yi walked to the Yan Emperor's side and bowed, saying:

"Your Majesty."

The Yan Emperor's face was calm,

slowly said:

"What's coming will always come."

"Roar!"

A low roar came from below Qiming Hall.

It is said that in the Yan Kingdom's imperial palace, there lived a grandfather of all the eunuchs;

It is also said that in the Yan Kingdom's imperial palace, there was a Pixiu with the highest bloodline.

"Your Majesty, I have been nourished by the Yan Cauldron for decades and have been prepared. I have always been worried, worried that I would die of old age before I could wait for this day.

May the ancestors bless you, Your Majesty, you did not let me continue to wait."

Suddenly,

on the small square in front of Qiming Hall, more than ten chief eunuchs in red eunuch robes appeared.

These chief eunuchs were all in charge of a department in the palace, and they were all influential figures both inside and outside the palace.

At this time, more than ten red-robed eunuchs knelt down together:

"This servant greets Your Majesty, and pays respects to the Grandfather."

On the palace walls, teams of imperial guards began to deploy defenses.

Ji Runhao waved his hand,

said:

"Such a big formation is really giving them face."

Xue Yi then said:

"Your Majesty, what does it matter if we give them this face?"

Saying that,

Xue Yi took a step, walked out of the hall door, and a layer of black energy began to surround him. The hailstones in the sky, when they were about to touch his body, directly turned into water mist and dispersed.

The Yan Emperor stood with his hands behind his back,

said:

"Xue Yi, listen to the decree!"

…………

"Ah-choo! Ah-choo! Ah-choo!"

The old master sneezed several times in a row,

then,

pinched the end of his nose with two fingers,

"Humph..."

He shook his hand,

and then wiped it with his sleeve.

The down-and-out swordsman smiled:

"Tell me, what would the expressions of those disciples and grandchildren in the country be if they knew that their ancestor ran to the Yan Kingdom and almost died of a cold?"

The old master glared at the down-and-out swordsman,

said:

"What I am cultivating is the great Dao, what do you understand? What I am doing is sacrificing a small body to seek the great Dao!"

"Okay, okay, everything you say is right, everything is right."

This was a thatched cottage in the suburbs of the capital. The old master sat cross-legged, and then spread his hands.

In an instant, eighteen white lotuses rose up in the dark room.

Immediately, the room was filled with the fragrance of lotus flowers.

"Eighteen white lotuses, seventeen of them have bloomed, why is one still withered?"

The old master replied:

"The most fearful thing in the world is going too far, leaving a line for everything is the right way."

"Stop talking nonsense, it's clear that the last one can't be raised."

"Shut up!"

"I said, why don't you borrow some luck from the Zhao family's emperor to help you open this last lotus?"

"Heh, do you think I can be like the one in the palace in front, who can cultivate with the blessing of national fortune?"

"Tsk, this Yan Emperor is also a generous person, even this thing can be said to be borrowed if you want to borrow it, our emperor seems a little stingy.

I heard that the one in the Yan Emperor's palace once saved the Yan Emperor's family, why didn't you find me earlier, I will find a chance to assassinate our emperor, and then you come out to save him, maybe you can get a piece of the action?"

The old master scolded:

"Bullshit, his Great Yan is now at the height of its national fortune, like boiling water, it doesn't matter if you divide a part out, what is the Zhao family's emperor like, don't you know in your heart?"

The down-and-out swordsman shook his head,

said:

"I only know how to practice swords, but I don't understand your ways, but I think you old man is very interesting, are you cultivators all like this, cultivating to the end, one by one, you don't have the strength to even truss a chicken?"

"The path of cultivation resonates with the sky, abandoning the mortal body is a natural thing, and besides, staying in the human world, every move is easy to involve karma, so you can't kill people at will, karma is easy to form but difficult to resolve."

"Mumbo jumbo."

"You just wait and see, the path we take is different, your sword can kill people, but my sword can cut its national fortune!"

"Okay, I'll wait and see."

After saying that,

The down-and-out swordsman pushed open the broken door of the thatched cottage and walked out, closing the door behind him.

Outside the courtyard, a eunuch in a green robe was standing, who else but Wei Zhonghe?

The down-and-out swordsman didn't seem surprised at all by Wei Zhonghe's appearance,

just carrying his sword,

said:

"I'm sorry to trouble Eunuch Wei to greet me personally."

Bai Li Feng, nicknamed Bai Li Jian (Hundred Mile Sword).

In the early years, some well-meaning people in the jianghu had rated the swordsman list, the clichéd "Four Great Swordsmen," and they were also extremely clichéd in that each of the four great countries had one.

Jin had a Sword Saint, and Chu had a Sword Maker.

Qian was Bai Li Jian.

These three were all jianghu figures, free and unrestrained, which was very much in line with people's imagination of jianghu and swordsmen;

The Sword Saint of Jin was a sword fanatic, traveling through countries to practice swords and looking for people to challenge;

No one had seen the Sword Maker of Chu make a move, but the Sword Saint's sword and Bai Li Feng's sword were both given by him. In his opinion, only a real swordsman could be worthy of the sword he forged.

Perhaps because of mutual flattery, the reason why the Sword Maker of Chu, who basically never made a move, was ranked among the Four Great Swordsmen was because of a sentence from the Jin Sword Saint:

The reason why he is making swords is to make a sword that he thinks is worthy of him.

Jianghu needs hype, and this hype of the Jin Sword Saint directly raised the status of this Sword Maker.

I don't know if this was just a compliment that the Sword Saint said after receiving someone else's sword.

And the other one, that is, the one from Yan, was not a jianghu person. Zheng Fan had seen him. His name was Li Liang Shen, and he was one of the seven chief military officers of the Zhenbei Army.

"Tsk tsk, Eunuch Wei, don't be polite, I don't know how to speak." Bai Li Jian replied.

Wei Zhonghe shook his head,

said:

"I only ask that Mr. Bai Li not dislike me for being long-winded."

"Where, where, but why is only Eunuch Wei here alone?"

Bai Li Jian stabbed the scabbard in his hand into the frozen soil under his feet, supported it with both hands, and asked while looking around.

"Jianghu matters are settled in the jianghu."

Wei Zhonghe put his hands on his side, and a faint green light could be seen swirling around him, and continued:

"I am not here today as the Seal-Holding Supervisor of the Directorate of Ceremonies."

"Hmph, the Yan Emperor has a lot of courage, I was still thinking that this sword could drink more blood today."

"Mr. Bai Li is joking, your sword can kill me, but after killing me, your sword will be half-destroyed.

Of course, if Mr. Bai Li is willing, I am willing to accept this sword intent that has been accumulated for so long, even if I die here, it is my honor."

"Eunuch Wei, I don't look down on eunuchs."

"Um."

"But I still think that if my sword intent falls on you, I think it's a bit of a loss."

"That's it, you can't kill me without that sword intent, I can always stand here, and you can't go anywhere."

Bai Li Jian turned his head and glanced at the thatched cottage behind him,

said:

"What about the one inside, you don't care?"

Wei Zhonghe smiled:

"His Majesty said that it is too demeaning to care too much about the affairs of the jianghu."

"Oh, tsk tsk tsk, it's a pity that your Yan Emperor doesn't practice swords."

Wei Zhonghe smiled without saying a word.

"That madman from Jin, with one sentence, forcibly pushed that sword idiot who made swords to the seat of the Four Great Swordsmen, if His Majesty the Yan Emperor also practiced swords, wouldn't it be easy to seal out eight or even eighteen great swordsmen in this world?"

Wei Zhonghe continued to smile without saying a word.

Seeing that he didn't get a response, Bai Li Jian continued in a very puzzled tone:

"You, really don't care about that old bastard?"

Wei Zhonghe smiled and shook his head:

"Don't care."

"Then I ran all the way here, hungry and cold, and didn't have anything to do?"

The old master asked Bai Li Jian to come together,

just to ask Bai Li Jian to protect him.

Because the old master needed to get close to Yanjing City, he needed a certain amount of time, and he needed someone to protect him.

Wei Zhonghe pointed behind him,

said:

"If Mr. Bai Li is willing, there is warm wine and hot dishes prepared under the city wall."

"No no no no..."

Bai Li Jian shook his head,

"That would be too inappropriate, the old bastard inside is too stingy, let's just stand like this, you don't move and I don't move."

Wei Zhonghe nodded,

"Okay."

"Um, but it's still too boring, and you are a eunuch, so I can't chat with you about lewd things, it's boring."

Wei Zhonghe continued to smile without saying a word.

"Isn't Li Liang Shen in Yanjing?"

Wei Zhonghe shook his head,

"General Li is not in Yanjing."

"Unbelievable, unbelievable, you obviously knew I was coming, but didn't call Li Liang Shen to accompany me, this is too disrespectful, I'm really afraid that my sword heart will be itchy and I can't control it."

Wei Zhonghe still maintained that smile that seemed to never change,

said:

"If Mr. Bai Li's sword heart is itchy, you can come to my Great Yan jianghu to take a walk. My Great Yan is not as big as the territory of Qian, but the jianghu of Great Yan is equally exciting."

"Heh, I don't have that much free time."

"Mr. Bai Li can also go to Yinlang County, or go to the three borders of Qian. The iron cavalry of Great Yan is waiting for Mr. Bai Li there."

"Are you threatening me?"

Wei Zhonghe nodded,

said:

"You finally heard it."

"Oh, your Great Yan iron cavalry is very impressive!"

Wei Zhonghe continued to nod,

said:

"It is indeed very impressive."

"..." Bai Li Jian.

Just as the two were talking,

Inside the thatched cottage,

Suddenly there was a loud shout,

Like the sound of thunder echoing out:

"I, Cang Fuzi, greet His Majesty the Yan Emperor!"

………

"I, Cang Fuzi, greet His Majesty the Yan Emperor!"

On the field outside Qiming Hall,

A phantom of an old man appeared,

Around the old man, eighteen lotus flowers loomed.

As soon as the old man appeared,

More than a dozen red-robed chief eunuchs immediately surrounded him.

Xue Yi took three steps forward,

Facing the old man,

Said:

"Cang Fuzi, I have heard of you for a long time."

In the East, the style of qi refiners is prevalent.

Small to street fortune-tellers who mix food, drink, and money, big to those who decide the fate of a country with a word.

Unlike the Four Great Swordsmen and the Four Great Kingdoms each having one,

Among the qi refiners,

Only one person stood at the peak,

That is Cang Fuzi of Qian.

"Heard of me for a long time?" Cang Fuzi looked at Xue Yi, who was standing on the steps in front of him, and a sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth, and said: "Just you, if it weren't for absorbing decades of Yan Kingdom's national fortune to eke out a living, you wouldn't even have the qualifications to stand in front of me!"

Xue Yi nodded, and said:

"Indeed."

The style of qi refiners is most prevalent in Qian, because many emperors, including the predecessor dynasty of Qian and Qian itself, were obsessed with qi refiners.

What the superiors like, the inferiors will inevitably do even more.

Xue Yi was not the most talented qi refiner in the first place, and he was able to have today's realm because two generations of Yan emperors allowed him to use the Yan Cauldron to absorb national fortune to cultivate.

Cang Fuzi's gaze passed through Xue Yi, and looked at the Yan Emperor standing behind,

said:

"Your Majesty the Yan Emperor, a humble countryman wants to talk to you about a deal."

The Yan Emperor did not speak.

Cang Fuzi smiled and continued:

"Your Majesty the Yan Emperor, look, your Great Yan's national fortune dragon vein is really enviable."

As soon as the words fell,

Three of the eighteen lotus flowers around Cang Fuzi directly collapsed.

The next moment,

Above this Qiming Hall,

A phantom of a black dragon appeared, like a mirage.

The black dragon hovered, its head facing the sky, with an aura of overlooking the world!

A few months ago, when all the qi refiners in the world who were qualified enough risked paying a huge price to divine the national fortune, they were shocked by the power of this black dragon!

This meant that the national fortune of the Yan Kingdom was like a raging fire, reaching its peak!

When Tian Wujing exterminated his entire clan, his uncle once said similar words to him.

Zhao Jiulang still held a rice cake in his hand, took a bite, looked up at the sky, took another bite, and looked up again.

He actually felt quite satisfied in his heart.

Because he knew that he had also contributed to this black dragon.

Xue Yi spread out his hands, and streams of black energy quickly rose from his body, echoing the black dragon in the sky.

"Cang Fuzi, with me here, I want to see if you can cut off my Great Yan's dragon vein!"

The disdainful smile on Cang Fuzi's face still did not fade,

said:

"Okay, I really don't believe you can stop me, but I came here only to talk to His Majesty the Yan Emperor behind you about a deal.

Your Majesty the Yan Emperor, I can not cut off your Great Yan's dragon vein, but I want you to immediately withdraw your troops, and personally issue an imperial edict, that you will not attack Qian to the south during your reign!"

As he said that,

Another lotus flower beside Cang Fuzi collapsed,

A silver-colored wave swept up, forcing upwards towards the black dragon phantom,

"Otherwise, today your Great Yan's dragon vein will cease to exist!"

Today, the world's number one qi refiner is in the imperial city in spirit and form, using the dragon vein as a guide to force the human king to yield!

Xue Yi looked up at the front,

said:

"You just try!!!"

A desolate death wish has already spread out.

Zhao Jiulang put the last bit of rice cake in his mouth, and then, imitating the Emperor's previous actions, ungracefully put his fingers in his mouth and licked them a few times.

Thinking to himself, no wonder he felt strange when he saw this grandfather of the palace eunuchs today. The previous scenes were not about explaining the aftermath.

Faced with this situation, the Prime Minister of Great Yan did not have any fear.

In fact, when Tian Wujing exterminated his entire clan, Tian's uncle once reminded Tian Wujing to be careful of the world's Xuan practitioners, who came with esoteric arts.

Now, Tian's uncle's prediction has been fulfilled.

Faced with this threat,

There was still no fluctuation on the Yan Emperor's face,

Just said:

"Xue Yi, listen to the decree!"

The old man in black robes in front heard the words, his body trembled, and he looked back at his Majesty with some incomprehension, but he still took a few steps back and knelt down,

Sincerely said:

"Your subject is here!"

"Return to Qiming Hall, do not take action."

Xue Yi looked up at his Emperor with some astonishment,

Want to know,

Even if he tries his best to protect this dragon vein, there is a certain probability that it will not be protected. If he does not take action, that Cang Fuzi will definitely be able to cut off the dragon vein!

"Receive the decree."

The Yan Emperor said.

Xue Yi's face showed a struggle.

"Xue Yi, receive the decree!"

Xue Yi finally lowered his head,

And kowtowed:

"Your subject, Xue Yi, receives the decree!"

Xue Yi got up,

Walked back into Qiming Hall and stood beside Zhao Jiulang.

The Yan Emperor raised his head and looked upwards,

laughed:

"This is the first time I have seen such a scene above the palace where I live."

Cang Fuzi looked at the Yan Emperor with some doubts.

The Yan Emperor looked at Cang Fuzi, this was the first time the Yan Emperor opened his eyes to look at him since Cang Fuzi's spirit and form appeared here!

"Quickly, quickly, aren't you going to cut this dragon vein, cut it for me to see, I'm waiting to see it."

"..." Cang Fuzi.

"..." Xue Yi.

"Hehe." Zhao Jiulang laughed, walked out of Qiming Hall, stood behind the Yan Emperor, looked up at the sky, and said: "Your Majesty, not to mention you, I am also waiting to see this spectacle."

Cang Fuzi looked at the Yan Emperor and his subjects a little inexplicably.

The Yan Emperor pointed at Cang Fuzi, urging:

"There are still many memorials in my imperial study that I haven't read, don't delay, start cutting quickly."

Cang Fuzi let out a sneer,

said:

"Your Majesty the Yan Emperor, the backlash of cutting off the dragon veins of a country, even I can't bear it, but Your Majesty the Yan Emperor, do you really think I dare not?"

The Yan Emperor stood with his hands behind his back,

said:

"Start cutting quickly!"

"Okay, today, I will cut off your Great Yan's dragon veins and cut off the blessings of your Ji family!"

The next moment, except for that withered lotus flower that still existed, all the