Chapter 81 Leaving the Capital
"My lord, the attack by Longdu has just ended. Will it be okay for you to go to the southern region with me now? If you need to stay in the capital, it will be fine as long as Brother Yuan and the others accompany me.” Huangfu Jie expressed some of his concerns.
He had originally hoped Fang Chen could go to the southern region with him. However, it might be safer if Fang Chen remained in the capital city in case of follow-up attacks by Longdu.
Fang Chen smiled and reassured him, "No need to worry about Longdu; it will take them some time to regroup. Besides... I haven't left the capital city for a long time. It's a good thing to go out for a walk. Moreover, with Xu Ge and Huang Sihai watching over the capital, there shouldn't be any major issues."
"That’s fine, but..." Huangfu Jie eyed drifted toward the abbess and Fairy Yu, who were beside Fang Chen. Wouldn’t it be too dangerous for these two delicate women to accompany them to the southern region?
His concerns were understandable; he didn't know the identities of the two, nor did he know that these two were by no means ordinary women. Even though Abbess Qinghe was only at the second stage of the Qi Condensation Realm, she was still a cultivator. There were hardly any martial artists below the Qi Core Stage that could pose a threat to her; spiritual energy triumphed over internal qi, easily.
Sensing his worry, Fang Chen couldn’t help but smile ambiguously. "But what?"
Huangfu Jie’s expression was strange, but in the end, he chose not to speak his mind, changing the topic awkwardly.
Yuan Zhuang and the other officials, as well as the constables they brought, remained silent.
To them, Fang Chen leaving the capital city with two women attending to him was pretty normal, but the fact that one of them was a nun secretly provoked their scorn.
Shortly later, fully prepared for the journey, the group departed on horseback, each riding a robust horse as they galloped away into the distance.
Xia Ye watched coldly as Fang Chen left. "Why is Fang Chen taking officials and constables from the Grand Brilliance Bureau to the southern region with Huangfu Jie?”
"I heard there was a strange case involving the four major sects in the southern region that they couldn't solve alone. My guess is that Huangfu Jie specially came to the capital to invite Fang Chen over,” Li Huafeng said indifferently.
"Well, there’s no problem with him going, but why bring Fairy Yu and that nun from his manor with him? He’s such a hypocrite,” Ye Qinghe said coldly, jealousy flashing in his eyes as he clenched his fists.
The fact that Fairy Yu was willing to accompany Fang Chen to the southern region made it clear that she had been his woman all along!
Tao Yu smiled lightly and glanced at Xia Ye. "She’s just a lowly woman from a humble background. Don't pay too much attention to it."
Xia Ye didn’t reply briefly, then he said coldly, "Indeed, she’s just a lowly woman. There's no need to get so agitated.”
After speaking, he looked at the others, “Back then there were rumors about Fang Chen’s dealings with the four major sects in the southern region. Now that it's confirmed, and he has followers both in the court and in the martial world, what do you think he intends to do?”
His companions hesitated for a moment, exchanged glances, and finally decided to remain silent, declining to answer Xia Ye’s question.
They didn't dare speak their minds, but they didn’t really believe the thought that had sprung up either.
"It's good that he's leaving the capital. This way, we can thoroughly investigate and see what kind of hidden dangers Fang Chen has planted in the capital over the years."
Xia Ye sneered and looked at Li Huafeng. "Minister Li, since you are so good at this, I'll leave this matter to you."
"Don't worry, Your Highness. With him out of the capital, my work will be much easier," Li Huafeng assured.
Li Huafeng added, "I’ll find people to investigate the mysterious experts who appeared that day and find out who they are as well as their connection to Fang Chen while I’m at it.”
Xia Ye nodded slightly, then he asked suddenly, "Has there been any updates from your Hidden Dragons? How is my third brother doing in the Qingsong Empire? Fang Chen has killed over a thousand of their martial artists, they won’t take that silently for sure.”
Li Huafeng didn’t answer, glancing at Tao Yu and Ye Qinghe.
Sensing his hesitation, Xia Ye said, "They are our men, there's no need to worry."
With that, Li Huafeng nodded, clasped his fist, and reported, "The Hidden Dragons reported that there hasn’t been any reaction from the Qingsong Empire. Meanwhile, the third Prince is still indulging in the pleasures of brothels, seemingly...given up.”
"My third brother is not simple; this is all just a facade. How can he be captivated by the women of the Qingsong Empire? The more he acts like this, the more uneasy I feel. How about this: have your spies just eliminate this potential threat once and for all,” Xia Ye said coldly and indifferently. There was a moment of silence, and he probed, “What do you say?”
Li Huafeng was surprised and tongue-tied. When he saw Xia Ye staring at him so intensely, his thoughts churned.
Ye Qinghe and Tao Yu remained silent, pretending to be enjoying the scenery outside the city.
"The Qingsong Empire won't allow him to die there," Li Huafeng said with a bitter smile.
Xia Ye remained indifferent. "If... Goddess Xiao, the daughter of Marshall Xiao Lang, doesn't return to Qingsong alive, do you think he will be enraged enough to kill my third brother?"
Li Huafeng was stunned. "Goddess Xiao!?" She should have returned to Qingsong long ago since she left the capital, but the Hidden Dragons made no mention of that in their reports...
Could it be...
"I'm getting a little impatient. Just have your spies do something. The death of my third brother will ultimately be blamed on the Qingsong Empire, and even on Fang Chen." Xia Ye chuckled. “Since you’re working for me, I won’t treat you badly. Back then, Fang Chen injured your foundation and caused you to be stuck at the Qi Detonation Stage. Otherwise, with your talent, you would have already entered the Qi Core Stage and would’ve been more than capable of fighting him head-on.”
Li Huafeng's expression shifted back and forth. That was his lifelong regret. He had advanced to the mid Qi Manipulation Stage early on, but Fang Chen's attack had caused him to fall back to the peak of the Qi Detonation Stage, and due to the damage to his foundation, he became unable to progress any further from that day on.
Suddenly, Xia Ye retrieved a pill from his person, and said, "I have a pill here, given to me by a senior Daoist. It can help you break through the bottleneck of Qi Detonation Stage and re-enter the Qi Manipulation Stage. You might even be able to surpass your former achievements with its help.” He chuckled and handed the pill to Li Huafeng.
Li Huafeng took it in a daze, his eyes showing disbelief. "Your Highness, does this pill really have such effects?"
Xia Ye snickered. "Why would I deceive you?"
Li Huafeng bowed immediately. "Thank you, Your Highness. I will definitely do my best to assist you!"
Seeing that, Xia Ye showed a smile. "I will also help you deal with Fang Chen and find an opportunity to eliminate him."
Li Huafeng didn't notice that when Xia Ye took out the pill, Ye Qinghe's eyes had lit up with greed. He had clearly already tasted the benefits of that pill.
*
After several days and nights of traveling, the group finally reached the south, officially leaving the northern region. The most noticeable difference here was the climate. While the northern region was already in the midst of summer, the south was like a blazing furnace. Most people on the road were half-naked due to the extreme heat.
It was widely known that the south could be extremely hot in summer and extremely cold in winter, making it less inhabitable. The people here had to battle against the climate all year round.
“It's too hot here. My lord, shall we go to the teahouse ahead for some tea? I can see that Brother Yuan and the others are already quite thirsty,” Huangfu Jie suggested as he wiped the sweat off his forehead.
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