Chapter 261: The Seven Mansions of the Azure Dragon (Subscriptions and Donations Requested)

"Ah!" The internal energy within Sheng Qi surged rapidly as he let out a loud roar, forcefully breaking free from the entanglement of the vines. Imbued with boundless fury, he slashed his sword toward the grand master of Yin-Yang. A sword Qi, far more powerful than before, instantly swept toward her.

The layers of leafy defensive rings formed by the Myriad Leaves Flying Flower technique in front of the grand master neutralized the sword Qi blow for blow, generating a violent wave of air that forced her delicate body to stumble backward.

"Are you alright, Xiaoyi?"

As she retreated swiftly, the grand master suddenly felt herself fall into a warm embrace. Startled, she prepared to launch a counterattack, but a familiar voice reached her ears, causing her to halt her resistance.

Turning her head, she saw that the person holding her was a man wearing a bamboo hat and a black robe. Because of their extreme proximity, she could easily see the familiar face beneath the hat. Who else could it be but Xiao Xie?

Having forced the grand master back, Sheng Qi turned to face Ganie and hurled the formidable Titan Heavy Sword from his hand. The weapon surged forward with immense momentum, slashing straight at Ganie.

"I finally found you!" Sheng Qi stared at Ganie with a fierce fighting spirit. Today was the day to wash away the humiliation of the past.

Facing the incoming Titan Heavy Sword, Ganie merely held a wooden sword, leveraging its momentum to spin gently along the side of the blade, effortlessly deflecting and dissolving all of its tremendous power.

"A wooden sword? Where is your Yuanhong?" Sheng Qi asked, looking at the wooden sword in Ganie's hand with shock.

Ganie ignored Sheng Qi's question. He glanced at Xiao Xie, nodded, and slowly retreated. Although Ganie's Yuanhong had been broken by Weizhuang's Shark Tooth, it was clear that Ganie's swordsmanship had not regressed but advanced, reaching the realm where grass and trees could all be swords.

"Didn't you defeat me once before? Why are you running away!" Sheng Qi felt extremely displeased by Ganie's direct retreat. However, he knew that with Ganie's lightness skills, he could not catch up if the man chose to leave. Thus, he merely slashed out a few sword energies to break several large trees, venting his frustration without giving chase.

...

"Lord Li is above everyone else beneath the emperor; all affairs of the empire should be entirely at your disposal!" In the general's mansion, the conversation between Weizhuang and Li Si continued.

"Li Si merely relies on the trust of His Majesty the Emperor to offer my humble efforts," Li Si replied modestly, though a hint of complacency and pride flashed deep within his eyes.

"That being said, Sheng Qi's actions are all under Lord Li's orders?"

"Did Master Weizhuang come here just to inquire about this from Li Si?" By this time, Li Si had grown increasingly calm. The longer the delay, the more advantageous it was for him.

"Actually, there is one question that I'm afraid Lord Li might not dare to answer." Hearing this, Weizhuang said with a teasing tone.

"What question?"

"It concerns Lord Li's fellow disciple, the royal grandson of Han."

Li Si's expression changed drastically. Deep within his heart, Han Fei was forever a scar he was unwilling to mention. Although Han Fei was not killed by him, it was ultimately related to him. This was also why his master, Xunzi, refused to acknowledge him as a disciple.

"What was the exact cause of Han Fei's death?"

"I know that you and Han Fei were once friends." Unwilling to dwell on the subject, Li Si tried to steer the conversation elsewhere.

"That is not important," Weizhuang said coldly, refusing to let him off so easily.

"But this is a matter of the past, many years ago, it really..."

Hearing this, Weizhuang's gaze narrowed. A flash of sword light crossed the air, and the Shark Tooth in his hand was instantly unsheathed, stopping a mere two inches from Li Si's throat. Li Si's life and death hung entirely on a single thought of his.

"I wonder if this can help Lord Li remember more clearly." Weizhuang said coldly.

"Junior Brother Han tried his best to dissuade His Majesty the Emperor from attacking Han, which enraged the emperor and led to his imprisonment. Originally, His Majesty's anger was merely a momentary impulse and he did not truly intend to sentence Junior Brother Han to death. Who could have expected that Junior Brother Han would suddenly die in prison, and under very peculiar circumstances?" At that moment, Li Si felt as frustrated as wrestling with a phantom; dealing with an unreasonable scholar was impossible when meeting a soldier. No matter how eloquent Li Si was, it was useless against someone like Weizhuang, who drew his sword at the slightest disagreement.

"He was struck by the Six Souls Fear Curse of the Yin-Yang family; naturally, the method of death was peculiar." Weizhuang paused, then continued, "Although the death of Han Fei fulfilled your wishes, it was not ordered by you."

"Oh?" Hearing this, Li Si showed a curious expression. Although he had always denied killing Han Fei, no one believed him. He had not expected Weizhuang to trust him.

"You only hoped that Han Fei would not be heavily favored by Ying Zheng, but you did not want him to die, because of the secret hidden within him." Weizhuang stated calmly, yet he voiced the greatest secret buried in Li Si's heart.

Seven nations, seven stars, the mystery of the Canglong Qisu (Azure Dragon Seven Mansions). This mysterious legend passed down for a millennium had always been controlled by the direct descendants of the seven states. Legend had it that whoever knew the secret of the Canglong Qisu could control the world. Such a secret was an irresistible temptation to many. Those who knew this secret were all searching for the key to unlock it, and Li Si was one of them.

"Master Weizhuang, what is your true purpose in coming to see Li Si today?" Li Si asked Weizhuang with a solemn expression. He felt that in front of Weizhuang, all his secrets were completely exposed, and this feeling was extremely unpleasant.

"As a prime minister, Lord Li is second only to the emperor and above tens of thousands. But as for a single life, it takes only one sword. From now on, before Lord Li makes a decision, you must carefully consider whether that decision will bring this sword one step closer or one step further. No matter what Lord Li decides, Quicksand will know every single move of the Prime Minister like the back of our hand." Weizhuang put away the Shark Tooth and said coldly.

"Hmph, you underestimate the empire too much. No matter how extraordinary Quicksand's abilities are, I would like to see how you can plant spies around me within the heavy guards of the imperial cavalry," Li Si said disdainfully. He believed Weizhuang had the ability to kill him, but he did not believe Weizhuang could plant spies around him without being discovered.

"My lord, Zhao Gao is here awaiting orders," Zhao Gao's voice suddenly came from outside the door.

Hearing this, Li Si wore a triumphant smile. Zhao Gao was always accompanied by the Six Swordsmen and never separated from them. Now, the initiative was gradually falling back into his hands. If Li Si remained silent and failed to respond, Zhao Gao and his men would certainly sense that something was wrong.

However, before Li Si could revel in his triumph for long, a sudden chill crept down his back. The sound of heavy breathing reached him, making his entire body stiffen. Then, the black-robed Black Kirin slowly stepped past Li Si, transformed into Li Si's appearance, and under Li Si's watchful gaze, walked up to the door, dismissing Zhao Gao with just a few casual words.

"I hope you live, because you still have value to me!" Ignoring the deeply shocked Li Si, Weizhuang turned and left with Black Kirin.

"Hoo..."

After Weizhuang and Black Kirin departed, Li Si tremblingly took out a handkerchief and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. There were only three people in the world who could instill such fear and powerlessness in him.

The first was naturally Emperor Ying Zheng. Although Li Si was the prime minister, his life and death rested entirely on a whim of Ying Zheng.

The second person was Xiao邪 (Xiao Xie), the master of the Ascending Heaven Tower. Xiao Xie's danger lay in his lawlessness; one should never try to second-guess Xiao Xie's intentions with normal logic. In particular, the last time Li Si accepted Ying Zheng's command to demand the newspaper production method from Xiao Xie, he had almost been killed by Murong Feng and Murong Huang.

In the battle to suppress the Ascending Heaven Tower, the entire fifty thousand elite black-armored troops were wiped out, yet Ying Zheng did not send troops to attack the tower again, which was a tacit surrender of sorts. At least, until he figured out the trump card of the Ascending Heaven Tower, Ying Zheng would not dispatch troops against it again. From this perspective, Xiao Xie might even be more dangerous than Ying Zheng. In any case, Li Si never wanted to face Xiao Xie again.