The Bad Guys: Everyone, let’s revive the Tang Dynasty together!

Chapter 423 Leg Disease (Part )

Yinquan Mountain is famous for its steepness, and there are almost no paved steps to climb. Most people can only climb the mountain by relying on natural stone paths and footprints carved by ancient people. Fortunately, the so-called "Zixia Stone Chamber", which is the stone chamber that Zixia is said to have opened for preaching, is halfway up the mountain, so there is no need to climb over some rock walls.

However, the mountain road was rugged and it was still an awkward journey for Li Keyong, who suffered from leg problems. The wheelchair had to be carried by strong men, and he had to lie on the back of his close followers to go up, which was quite embarrassing.

Li Siyuan chose this mountain top to meet, and his ill intentions were obvious.

Fortunately, the more than 100 people who followed Li Keyong to climb the mountain were all elite soldiers who could fight ten to one. Some of them had martial arts skills and internal strength, and some were the best warriors. Although the mountain road was dangerous, the straight-line distance was only a thousand feet. After a quarter of an hour, this mighty group of people had reached the mountainside and quickly dispersed to deploy defenses.

Zixia's stone chamber is located on the side of a cliff on the mountainside, with only a small platform in front. Although the stone chamber is not small, its depth is only about ten feet. Most of the Crow Army had to be scattered up and down the winding mountain paths. On the platform, there were only a few trusted personal guards.

Li Cunren's eyes were as cold as ice. She ordered five of her "Shang" to sneak into the stone chamber to investigate. After confirming that everything was fine, her cold eyes stabbed at Li Cunzhong, who was a little embarrassed, like a knife: "Where is Li Siyuan?"

Li Cunzhong gave a dry laugh and before he could answer, Li Keyong, who was sitting in a wheelchair and panting, pushed the wheelchair towards the stone chamber after his breath calmed down a little.

There is a stele on the front wall of the stone chamber, with the words "Shimen Dangxue" written on it. Li Cunren immediately stepped forward to explain that this stele was erected by Yu Shinan, one of the 24 heroes of Lingyan Pavilion during the reign of Emperor Taizong of Tang. His stele calligraphy is indeed round, vigorous, soft on the outside and strong on the inside, and it is in line with the style of a great calligrapher. Although Li Keyong was born a warrior, he could not help but marvel at it.

The King of Jin seemed to have come here to visit ancient sites. He looked up at the ancient relics on the stone wall while listening to the rushing water between the stone walls. The waves sprayed like snow. He was calm and did not show any anxiety. This detached attitude made the people around him, who were either holding their breath, or looking at each other as if they were facing a great enemy, or forcing a smile, become more and more weird and solemn.

"Godfather is really a very elegant person."

The voice arose suddenly, clear and with a hint of an elusive smile, as if it was seeping out from the cracks in the stone wall, or hanging on a dangerous cliff above one's head!

The sound moves people!

Li Cunren's reaction was faster than lightning. She didn't trace the source of the sound, but instinctively used her body as a shield! She twisted her waist like a taut bowstring, and her body left a shadow, and she instantly protected Li Keyong's wheelchair. At the same time, with a sharp "clang" sound, the narrow sword on her waist suddenly came out of the sheath, and the sharp blade pointed diagonally at the void in front of her. The murderous aura around her body was like frost exploding, and her eyes were as sharp as an eagle, locking onto the place where the sound came from!
And almost at the same moment when her knife flashed!

Five ghostly black shadows shot out from the dark doorway of the stone chamber. Without any unnecessary movements or dragging their feet, the five figures were like ink marks torn apart by the wind. As soon as they appeared, they disappeared without a trace. Their trajectories were bizarre and difficult to discern! The next moment, there was a sharp sound of "chi chi" breaking through the air. The five figures had already rushed up along the rugged and steep stone wall. Their figures were as erratic as smoke, so fast that only a few staggered cold afterimages were left in front of the human eye!
In a flash, everything was settled!

"Swish——" the crisp sound of a folding fan spreading out came from a distance.

Li Cunzhong, having just recovered from his shock, looked up hastily, and saw a middle-aged man named Li Siyuan, dressed in a scholar's robe and with a white and plump figure, standing on the top of the cliff, waving a folding fan and looking leisurely. However, his calm smile was not even fully developed, and it was obviously a bit forced at the moment.

Five icy-cold, oddly shaped curved blades, like the fangs of poisonous snakes, were placed on his vital points with incredible precision.

One sword was pressed against the carotid artery on the side of the neck, and the coldness of the blade almost penetrated the skin; one sword stabbed diagonally from the back, and the tip of the blade pressed against the vital part of the spine; the left and right swords locked the shoulder blades, cutting off all possibilities of force; and another sword stretched out from the bottom at a strange angle, pressing firmly against the waist and kidneys.

Five "Shangs" appeared silently in front of him, behind him, left to right, and above him, like shadows condensed from thin air, blocking all his space to dodge and move. Five cold, deadly, lifeless eyes were fixed on him through the holes in the masks. The five knives were as steady as a rock, and the blades glowed with a blue death luster under the thin skylight.

It seemed that all it took was a glance from Li Cunren, or an unnatural twitch of Li Siyuan's muscles, and the five cold rays would strangle him to death in an instant!

The stone chamber platform, which was full of ancient charm and waves just now, was now completely frozen by the sudden and suffocating murderous intent.

However, even though Li Siyuan had been completely restrained, Li Cunren, who was protecting Li Keyong, did not relax at all. Her eyes were like lightning, quickly sweeping across the surrounding jagged stone walls, while her left hand was slightly raised. There was a burst of rapid and trivial sounds around, and more than a dozen elite Yaer soldiers were holding crossbows, guarding Li Keyong's left and right and back as if they were facing a great enemy. After confirming that there was no danger, Li Cunren's tense back relaxed a little, stepped back, and stood beside the wheelchair of the King of Jin like a silent shadow.

Following her actions, the five soldiers held Li Siyuan hostage and steadily dropped him down from the dangerous cliff, placing him face to face with Li Keyong. Li Cunzhong, who was standing by, had already turned pale, but Li Keyong just stroked his beard, squinted his eyes, and looked up and down at his adopted son, who was under control but still tried his best to remain calm, and said in a calm voice without a trace of emotion:
"Are you alone?"

Li Siyuan sneered, and subconsciously wanted to close the folding fan in his hand to maintain his demeanor, but the sharp edges of the five curved blades around him suddenly tightened, and the cold blades almost cut into his skin, forcing him to give up this pretentious action. He turned to look at Li Cunren, shook his head and laughed, "I have heard for a long time that the 'Shang' under the command of Thirteenth Sister is a real iron wall in front of my adoptive father. After seeing it today, it is indeed well-deserved and unpredictable. I don't know how Thirteenth Sister trained such an extraordinary weapon?"

Li Cunren held the knife and clasped her fists, her voice cold and calm: "Big brother, you are too modest. How can my little skills compare with those of you, the Saint Master of Tongwenguan?" She paused, and her tone suddenly became sharp, like a blade tempered with ice: "Big brother, you have committed a serious crime. Could it be that you asked to see my adoptive father this time just to say these irrelevant nonsense? And where is fourth brother Li Cunren?"

Li Siyuan's smile had not faded, and he was about to speak when the two dead behind him had already hit his knees with the precision of a venomous snake! With severe pain and great force, Li Siyuan groaned and fell to his knees in front of Li Keyong's wheelchair. Li Cunren then said indifferently: "Brother is a man of courtesy and integrity. Since you have met your adoptive father, you must bow."

Li Siyuan's face was instantly filled with embarrassment. He looked around and saw that Li Cunren was wearing a mask and his emotions were invisible. Li Cunzhong had also been pinned to the ground by several disciples of Ren. Only the foster father in the wheelchair was still calm and composed. He suppressed the humiliation and anger in his chest, and forced himself to be calm. He smiled at Li Keyong and said:
"After several months of absence, my foster father is even more majestic than before, and I am fascinated by him. Unfortunately, although I still regard my father as the same as before, my foster father regards me as a thorn in his side. Has the relationship between father and son become so weak?"

"What a 'regarding father as an old friend', what a 'father-son relationship'!" Li Keyong sneered, full of undisguised sarcasm. He knew that this boy was eloquent, and that he had spent many years in the Tongwen Academy, and that all his knowledge had turned into sophistry. Although he had the righteousness of the father-son relationship, he might not be able to gain an advantage in the argument. He no longer entangled in false feelings, and his eyes were as sharp as a hawk, locking onto Li Siyuan, and went straight to the core:

"What is your purpose in setting up a trap to lure me up the mountain?"

"What else can I do?" Li Siyuan said without thinking, his tone carrying a bit of tragic and aggrieved tone, "In order to relieve my father's worries, I went to the grassland to spy on the military situation in Mobei. My whereabouts had to be kept secret, so I had to pretend that my fourth brother was in charge of Tongwenguan to cover up my tracks. Unexpectedly, my adoptive father was deceived by the treacherous villain, and suddenly put my third brother in jail, and put my fourth brother on the wanted list! I am not a cold-blooded and heartless person, how can I sit by and watch my brothers die? I am ready to be killed today, and I only ask for death! I only hope that with my head, my adoptive father will have a little mercy and stop being suspicious of the ten of us brothers!"

His voice suddenly rose, and every word was tearful and bloody, accusing: "Tongwenguan was established more than ten years ago. It is the foundation of Jin State. How many brothers have fought for it and shed their blood on the yellow sand, not seeking merit, but only seeking to avoid mistakes! We are loyal, and all we do is 'father and son are of one mind, brothers work together'! Such sincerity is witnessed by the sun and the moon! Could it be that your foster father really turned a deaf ear to it?!" He took a deep breath, as if making a huge sacrifice, "If your foster father and the prince are still not at ease, you can just strip all your brothers of their official positions and powers after the death of this child! Let them be rich men or free and easy! In this way, can your foster father and the prince rest assured?"

Li Keyong turned a deaf ear to this high-sounding and emotional performance. With a cold smile on his face, he only grasped the most crucial point:
"Spying on Mobei? Seeking Mobei? How could this king not know? Whose orders are you following? And who are you seeking Mobei for?!"

Li Cunzhong, who was kneeling beside him, was terrified. He could no longer hold back and tried to raise his head to explain: "Adoptive father, my elder brother..."

"Shut up!" Li Keyong's eyes pierced Li Cunzhong like an ice cone. His voice was not loud, but it contained unquestionable majesty. "It's not your turn to speak here!"

Li Cunzhong felt as if he had fallen into an icy cave, and instantly became silent. Li Keyong stopped looking at him and slowly pushed the wheelchair towards the kneeling Li Siyuan. The sound of the wheels rolling over the gravel was particularly clear on the dead silent platform. He looked down at his adopted son, and his voice was low but like a heavy hammer, and every word hit Li Siyuan's heart:

"Your actions are full of loopholes, and your ambitions are obvious. Why do you have to be so sweet and pretentious here?!"

Li Siyuan tried to remain calm and raised his head to argue. However, the cold light of contempt in Li Keyong's eyes completely ignited his long-suppressed anger and resentment. The sarcasm in Li Keyong's mouth became even more intense, and every word was like a poisoned whip:
"You are just a fake son! If it weren't for the king's grace, how could you be named Li? If it weren't for the king's support, how could you, a poor and pedantic scholar, have the false title of 'Saint Master of Tongwenguan' today? If it weren't for the king's mercy, your worthless life would have been buried in some ditch! You have received such a grace from the king, but you don't want to repay it with your life, but instead secretly cultivate your followers, buy people's hearts, and deliberately betray the master! I want to kill you, do I need to bother to find a reason? Look at your sanctimonious and hypocritical face, it's disgusting! Just based on you, are you worthy of coveting the throne of King Jin?!"

"I can't sit here?!" Li Siyuan, whose disguise had been completely torn off, finally exploded. Years of resentment erupted like a volcano. He ignored the cold blade on his neck, struggled to raise his head, and roared with red eyes, "Can your son Li Cunxu sit here?! As the crown prince of Jin, he only knows how to abuse his power and care about the people's livelihood! As the commander-in-chief of the three armies, he is unclear about rewards and punishments, and appoints people based on personal relationships, causing his soldiers and their families to suffer from delayed food and salary, and their livelihood is difficult! How can such an immoral and incompetent person sit on the throne of King of Jin?!"

Li Keyong's face suddenly became so gloomy that water seemed to drip out of it, and the wind in the mountains seemed to be stagnant because of this terrifying pressure.

Li Siyuan had already given up. Under Li Cunzhong's horrified gaze, he held the blade that was about to cut his skin and continued to roar like a madman:
"You said I deliberately betrayed my master?! Over the years, I have been servile and humble in front of you. Have I ever been disrespectful in the slightest?! Betraying my master? How can you say that? It was you! You pretended to be father and son with us, but in fact you were raising hawks and dogs to treat us like hawks and dogs! You were always on guard against and suspicious of us, and regarded us as enemies! Now, in order to pave the way for your son, you are just trying to follow the emperor's mentality of putting away the bow after the birds are all killed and throwing the rabbits away after the dogs are dead! Kill me if you want! Why bother to hypocritically label me as a 'traitor'?" His roar echoed among the cliffs, full of desperate accusations and overwhelming hatred, as if it was really true.

"Lock his mute point!" Li Cunren could no longer tolerate such outrageous words, and immediately gave the order in a cold voice. His voice was as decisive as the collision of cold iron!
However, before the fingertips of the Shang organization members touched Li Siyuan's acupuncture points, Li Keyong had already sneered with ridicule and raised his hand casually: "Let him speak." His eyes were deep, as if he was enjoying a funny show, "Such 'eloquent', I rarely hear it." "Foster father..." Li Cunren frowned under the mask, wanting to say something but stopping. She was not afraid of words, but she was deeply afraid that the madman's dirty words would pollute the ears of King Jin, and she was even more afraid that there was a mystery behind it.

"What are you afraid of?" Li Ke tapped the wheelchair armrest with his skinny fingers, looking down at his adopted son whose elegant mask had been torn off completely due to anger and whose face was distorted and hideous. A cold smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, as if he was watching an ant struggling. "I'm afraid that your three-inch tongue can't persuade me even a hair. Others may be deceived by your character, but how could I not know that? You are just a complete hypocrite!"

He changed the subject, speaking with a coldness that penetrated people's hearts: "If you say that the third brother (Li Sizhao), the tenth brother, or even this idiot -" He glanced at Li Cunzhong, who was shaking like a sieve, with contempt, and sneered even louder, "- if you say that they are willing to risk their lives for their brothers, I believe it. And you? You are a coward who only knows how to cherish your life and protect yourself, who is afraid of death and used to hiding behind others. How can you talk about the heroic spirit of 'exchanging your life for your brothers'? If you say that you are brave just because you are about to die? Humph, I would rather believe that it was some ignorant person who lent you some courage..."

Upon hearing this, Li Siyuan uttered a malicious sneer, trying his best to maintain his proud attitude. However, Li Keyong had completely lost his patience, and his voice suddenly turned cold, with a murderous aura that controlled life and death: "Forget it! I am too lazy to play this farce with you. Since the person behind you is still hiding at this time... well, it's as you wish."

His withered palm, like the guillotine's blade, casually but with tremendous force, swung lightly in the direction of Li Siyuan!
"Use your head in exchange for the lives of Lao San and the others."

This casual wave of the hand was the killing order.

The curved blades of the five "Shangs" showed no hesitation or mercy. They were like five cold lightning bolts of heavenly punishment, instantly tearing through the air and strangling Li Siyuan's neck, heart, back of the head and other fatal parts! Their movements were in unison, so fast that they transcended the boundaries of life and death. There were only orders and goals in their eyes, like cold killing machines. The will of King Jin seemed to be their only rule.

The ferocity on Li Siyuan's face instantly turned into extreme fear and disbelief. His pupils suddenly contracted, and the shadow of death had completely enveloped him. At this critical moment, he actually burst into a dying scream:

"Marshal! Do you really want me to die here?!"

"Heh-heh-"

A hoarse, low laugh, as if coming from the depths of Hell, rang out without warning.

This laughter did not come from one direction, but like an invisible devil's voice, it instantly permeated from the stone walls, the void, and even the depths of everyone's bones, completely covering the entire Zixia Stone Chamber platform. An indescribable, suffocating, terrifying pressure descended like a real tide.

Time seems to be frozen at this moment.

The five curved blades that were about to drink blood were only millimeters away from Li Siyuan's flesh. However, at the moment when the fatal blow could be completed in just one breath, a sudden change occurred.

The lingering sound of the hoarse laughter had not yet dissipated when an afterimage, so fast that it was beyond the limit of vision, suddenly appeared in the battle like a ghost tearing through space!

"Bang!" With a dull sound, the "Shang" closest to Li Siyuan was hit by an invisible giant hammer. Without even being able to scream, he flew backwards without any warning and slammed heavily into the stone wall several feet away, causing gravel to fly everywhere!

Almost at the same moment, Li Siyuan, who was kneeling on the ground, was snatched away by an invisible giant hand and suddenly disappeared from the spot.

In the next moment, he appeared on the top of the dangerous cliff where he had just stood as if he had teleported, and the cold sweat of surviving the disaster instantly soaked his back.

As for the person who replaced him and faced the deadly knife net of the remaining four "Shang", it was a tall and strong figure with one hand behind his back.

He was wearing an old straw hat and an old robe made of coarse cloth that had been washed so much that it looked bleached. There was no trace of his aura from his body, and he looked ordinary and unremarkable.

However, this seemingly ordinary figure, with only two equally ordinary fingers, firmly clamped the tip of the curved blade in the hand of one of the "Shang" like an iron clamp. The fierce blade that almost made Li Siyuan bow his head in an instant was now as if it was cast in death, and it did not move at all.

What was even more shocking was that the back of the clamped blade actually and perfectly blocked the deadly blades of the other three "Shangs" that attacked from different angles.

Four "Shangs", four scimitars infused with all their strength, powerful enough to split stones and crack monuments, were held firmly in the air by the backs of the two casual fingers. No matter how they urged their internal strength or how they burst out their power, the four swords were like being welded to an invisible anvil, unable to move even a little bit. The four top assassins were like being cast into a spell, unable to move.

The man just stood there quietly, with the shadow of his hat covering most of his face, seeming real and fake, as if he didn't exist.

An invisible and intangible sense of absolute oppression, which was enough to eclipse the heavens and the earth, swept violently from him. The air on the platform seemed to solidify into a block of lead, so heavy that it was impossible to breathe. All the elite soldiers of the Crow Army, including those who were holding crossbows and pointing them at him, felt a chill from the depths of their souls, and their blood seemed to freeze.

"The love between father and son is truly wonderful." From under the bamboo hat came Yuan Tiangang's hoarse voice, like the friction of sandpaper. It was calm and peaceful, yet contained a heart-pounding indifference. "I did not want to disturb you, but..."

He tilted his head slightly, and the shadow of his hat seemed to "look" at Li Keyong in the wheelchair.

"The King of Jin has strongly invited me to see you. How can I refuse?"

Before he finished speaking, he casually raised the hand behind his back and shot it in the air towards the distant mountain path.

"Swish——" A sharp whistle broke through the air, and a round object, as if pulled by an invisible silk thread, shot out from dozens of feet away like lightning and fell steadily into Yuan Tiangang's palm.

He didn't even look down, he just casually flicked his wrist, and the thing shot out like an arrow, with a shrill whimper, straight towards Li Cunren who was protecting Li Keyong.

Li Cunren's pupils suddenly shrank, and all the muscles in his body tensed instantly. He did not dare to delay for a moment, and he gathered all his internal strength and stretched out his hands like lightning.

"Snap!" With a dull sound, the object was firmly grasped in her hand.

The tentacles were cold and sticky, with a slight rusty smell that had not yet dissipated.

Li Cunren looked down subconsciously——

a head.

A head with hair and beard standing on end, eyes wide open, and a look of horror and unwillingness frozen on the face.

That face... was Li Siyuan!
A bone-piercing chill instantly spread from Li Cunren's fingertips to her limbs and bones, rushing straight to her head. She raised her head suddenly and looked at the living Li Siyuan on the dangerous cliff, who looked a little proud of having survived a disaster. Then she looked down at the lifelike head in her hand, which seemed to have just been chopped off...

The chill instantly turned into bone-deep fear.

(End of this chapter)