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

Chapter 539 Embers
When the Mirror Heart Demon led Zhang Zifan out of a tunnel, it was quite quiet all around. With the first light of dawn in the east, it was vaguely visible that this place was a desolate hill outside Jinling City, rarely visited by people.

Looking up, one can see the crimson glow that illuminates half the sky within the city.

Zhang Zifan carried the still unconscious Li Xingyun on his back, silently following behind. He didn't know what exactly happened after they left, but the raging fire behind them vaguely foreshadowed the final outcome.

The Mirror Demon paused at the exit, not leaving immediately, but suddenly turned around to face the towering flames.

He stared blankly for a moment, then suddenly lifted his robe and knelt down deeply in the direction of the burning flames.

When he looked up again, his face was devoid of any of its former fawning, only filled with sorrow. He cried out in a shrill voice, "Respectfully bidding farewell to the Commander-in-Chief!"

This shout seemed to have exhausted all his strength, leaving him lying there for a long time, his shoulders trembling slightly, before he could slowly straighten up.

After Jingxinmo got up, he stopped looking at Zhang Zifan and the other person. He simply patted the dust off his knees and stared blankly ahead, seemingly intending to leave.

“Tianzui Star…” Zhang Zifan was also somewhat bewildered, but couldn’t help asking, “What… should we do next?”

"What else?"

The Mirror Heart Demon seemed to only then notice him. It turned its head, glanced at Li Xingyun on Zhang Zifan's back, and then sneered, "Find a place to settle this piece of trash. Do I have to teach you how?"

Zhang Zifan was stunned, clearly not expecting Jing Xinmo's attitude to change so drastically.

Then Jingxinmo took two more steps forward, but stopped immediately, turned around and stared intently at Li Xingyun. He lowered his voice and said in a deep voice, "If he weren't so incompetent and indecisive, unable to take responsibility or let go, why would the commander-in-chief have to take such a desperate path and end it in this way... If he had even a shred of responsibility and decisiveness, how could the commander-in-chief have ended up like this!"

Zhang Zifan listened in silence. He could understand Jing Xinmo's grief, but he naturally could not agree with these accusations. However, he was powerless to argue at this moment.

"The Bad Commander..." Zhang Zifan paused, then changed the subject, "Is he really dead?"

Jingxinmo swayed slightly, then turned to look at the firelight that seemed to have shrunk, his voice becoming erratic: "If the commander intends to hide in the sea of ​​fire, with his cultivation level, perhaps... his yin and yang are unpredictable. But since he has already stepped out, his mind is made up... it's only a matter of time."

He seemed to be implying something, which Zhang Zifan didn't understand at first. He was about to ask again when he saw that Jing Xinmo was no longer looking at the fire. He just waved his hand listlessly and said coldly, "Let's go. The commander-in-chief has already made arrangements. The current emperor... can accommodate you. Head north to Yangzhou, and someone will meet you there."

After saying that, he didn't linger and turned to disappear into the fading night.

But just then, several riders galloped up from a distance and blocked their path.

The leader was a burly man with a fairly dignified and calm face. He crossed his arms and his gaze was fixed on Mirror Heart Demon.

When Zhang Zifan saw this person, his pupils suddenly contracted, and he exclaimed in a low voice, "Baal?"

He recognized the face; it was clearly Baal, whom he had met several times back in Tongwen Hall. This man was highly skilled in martial arts, belonged to the Li Zi School, and had been quite close to Li Siyuan back then.

He should never be here at this moment, especially since he is wearing the flying fish robe of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and his aura is completely different from that of the Commandant Ba in my memory.

Jingxinmo stopped and glanced at Sanzenin. His face was expressionless, and he said in a flat tone, "He is not Baal. This is Sanzenin, the leader of the Bad Guys. He borrowed Baal's identity and face for convenience."

After saying that, he seemed to remember something, or perhaps he was in a really bad mood, so he twitched the corner of his mouth and added with a self-deprecating tone, "What, has the Grand Master gotten so used to treating Baal's beautiful concubine as his own wife that he can't even bear to change his face?"

His words were somewhat incoherent, and anyone could tell that they were spoken without thinking due to his depressed mood.

After the Battle of Mobei, Taiyuan surrendered, and the whereabouts of the Sanqianyuan were unknown. Later, Xiao Yan heard from somewhere that "Ba'er's" wife had given birth to a son two years ago, so he specially sent someone to take care of him. After that, the Sanqianyuan, representing the Bad People, presented the roster to Xiao Yan and submitted to him. Although the latter had Yuan Tiangang's tacit approval or even instructions, the atmosphere suddenly became somewhat subtle when Jing Xinmo, in his daze, revealed this relationship.

Fortunately, Sanzenin's face remained expressionless, as if he hadn't heard the rest of his sentence. He simply glanced at Zhang Zifan and Li Xingyun on his back and calmly said, "The Emperor wants to see you."

Zhang Zifan was taken aback at first, then a hint of silence flashed in his eyes.

If even the leader of the Bad Guys has appeared here and their whereabouts can be accurately located, then it is reasonable for the Emperor to know everything and summon them at this time.

He remained silent for a moment, then simply nodded slightly.

But Jingxinmo frowned, his face showing resistance: "See me? What do you want with me? The play is over, and the actors have left the stage. Now I just want to find a beautiful place with clear waters and lush mountains, and like Uncle Yang, build a thatched hut and live out my remaining years in seclusion."

"Where do you want to live in seclusion?" A cold female voice came along with the sound of horses' hooves.

Everyone turned around and saw two riders approaching rapidly, reining in their horses and stopping not far away.

Zhong Xiaokui sat upright on her horse, her flying fish robe accentuating her petite figure yet exuding an imposing aura. Shi Yao followed beside her, silently hanging her hands, her face revealing no emotion, like a jade sculpture in the morning light.

The former's gaze was cold and sharp as he swept over the Mirror Demon: "Under the whole heaven, all land belongs to the emperor. His Majesty's summons is both a grace and a decree. Do you dare not go because you want to seek a ship and sail out to sea like Xu Wen? Or do you think that there are places within the four seas beyond the emperor's sight, where you can hide?"

The muscles on Jingxinmo's face twitched. He glanced at the expressionless Sanzenin, then at Shiyao, whose thoughts were completely unreadable, and finally let out a sigh of dejection. He forced a smile that was more like a grimace: "Heh... fine, fine. Lead the way."

...

At this time, the sky was just before dawn, with a hint of pale light appearing on the eastern horizon, contrasting with the fluttering flags atop Nanjing city.

On the city tower, the wind was even stronger, making people's clothes flutter.

Xiao Yan stood with his hands behind his back in front of the wall, looking down at this ancient capital of six dynasties, his face revealing no emotion.

Yang Shuzi and the fake Li have been taken to the city wall and are being guarded by several Imperial Guards.

Yang Shuzi stood a little further away, also staring blankly at the remaining smoke and fire of the palace that had been extinguished.

Immediately, seeing Xiao Yan turn around, he stepped forward and bowed deeply:
"Your Majesty, I have something to say, though I cannot ask. If it weren't for my meddling in Anle Pavilion back then, insisting on revealing Your Majesty's identity and forcibly pushing Your Majesty to the front to confront the Bad Commander head-on... perhaps the conflicts in this world would have already subsided, and the people of Jianghuai would have suffered far less from war. All the troubles began with my momentary lapse of judgment back then. Therefore, I... have no face to live on, and only ask for death to atone for my sins."

Xiao Yan did not respond, but merely turned his head slightly and glanced at the fake Li huddled in the corner.

His ochre robe was now covered in dust and stains that were hard to tell whether they were from blood or water, and it was all crumpled and wrapped around his body, making him look no different from a beggar.

The fake Li was deathly pale, staring blankly at the ground in front of him. He showed no reaction to Yang Shuzi's words or anything around him. His lips moved unconsciously, and no one could understand what he was saying. He looked like a madman.

Yang Shuzi bowed and did not rise, and Xiao Yan did not bother to pay attention to him. Not long after, Zhong Xiaokui and Sanqianyuan led Zhang Zifan, Jingxinmo and Shi Yao up to the watchtower.

Upon hearing the sound, Yang Shuzi subconsciously looked up, his gaze passing over the people in front and immediately landing on Li Xingyun on Zhang Zifan's back.

His heart sank, and he subconsciously took half a step forward, as if he wanted to say something, seemingly fearing that Xiao Yan would order Li Xingyun's punishment at any moment. However, he only sighed in the end, slowly lowered his head, and his shoulders seemed to slump.

Immediately, Xiao Yan's indifferent voice rang out, "Wake him up."

Sanzenin followed the instructions and swiftly pressed a pressure point on the back of Li Xingyun's neck. Immediately, Li Xingyun trembled slightly, let out a muffled groan, and his eyelids struggled a few times before slowly opening.

His gaze was initially unfocused, but he subconsciously glanced around and immediately spotted Uncle Yang. "Master?!" Li Xingyun almost instantly struggled to his feet, "I..."

Zhang Zifan quickly steadied him and whispered, "Brother Li, be careful."

When Yang Shuzi saw his apprentice wake up, he was not very excited. He just shook his head slightly and gestured to him with his eyes to calm down and not to do anything rash.

However, this commotion caused the fake Li to suddenly look up. He stared intently at Li Xingyun, as if he had instantly regained his senses. However, because his meridians were completely shattered, he could only extend one finger and point it at Li Xingyun:
"It's you! It's all because of you! If it weren't for paving the way for you, you piece of trash, how could he have died! How could he possibly have died!"

Xiao Yan looked at Li Xingyun, who was still somewhat bewildered, and glanced at the fake Li: "Before Yuan Tiangang left, he shouted to me, 'Have you come to collect your tenth brother's body?' Don't you understand what he meant?"

Upon hearing this, not only did the madman, the fake Li, freeze in place, but the newly awakened Li Xingyun also trembled violently, and even Uncle Yang was stunned. In an instant, almost everyone on the city wall looked at Xiao Yan, each one astonished and puzzled.

Xiao Yan didn't even look at them, but only glanced at Shi Yao, who was lowering her eyes and remaining silent, before pointing at Jing Xinmo, who was also stunned and whose expression was constantly changing: "You tell me."

Jingxinmo had not expected that the Emperor would suddenly reveal his secrets, or rather, he had not expected that Xiao Yan would know about them. His body trembled involuntarily.

But when he looked up and met Xiao Yan's gaze, he could only tremble slightly. He glanced at the seemingly crazed fake Li and the bewildered Li Xingyun, a struggle flashing across his face. Finally, as if resigned, he pointed at the fake Li and sighed:
"Your Majesty, he is indeed not an orphan without a name or surname, but is a descendant of Emperor Zhaozong, and his birth mother was a palace maid."

At this point, he subconsciously glanced at Xiao Yan's figure, but ultimately didn't dare to reveal the palace secret that it was the Empress who sent someone to kill the fake Li's mother. He only said, "According to the order of age, he is the tenth son of Emperor Zhaozong, and Li Xingyun should be the eleventh son of Emperor Zhaozong. They are actually brothers, both of whom are of imperial blood..."

These words had an effect no less than a thunderclap on the city wall, shaking everyone except Xiao Yan and Shi Yao as if the earth were shaking and their ears were ringing.

Fake Li froze instantly, his face showing only an almost absurd blankness.

He glanced at Jing Xinmo, then at Xiao Yan, and finally his gaze fixed on Li Xingyun, as if he were seeing this person for the first time. He opened his mouth, his throat gurgling, but he couldn't utter a single word. Only his body began to tremble uncontrollably, as if it would fall apart at any moment.

Li Xingyun was completely stunned. He stared blankly at the fake Li, then suddenly turned to Xiao Yan, his face drained of color.

brother?

The person who hated him so much was actually his brother, who shared the same father.
In an instant, memories flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern, and everything seemed to have an absurd yet reasonable explanation. He murmured to himself, "So that's how it is..."

The city gate was deathly silent, with only the howling wind sweeping past the stiff figures of the crowd.

Looking at the man who was crying and laughing uncontrollably, Xiao Yan's tone remained indifferent: "Before Yuan Tiangang died, he personally crippled all your meridians, rendering you powerless and practically useless. This was his way of showing me his stance and offering you a chance to live. He was willing to bear the full responsibility for the division of the country with his own death, and to prevent a potential fratricidal conflict like the Xuanwu Gate Incident during Emperor Taizong's reign. I accept this favor. Therefore, you can live."

Before the fake Li could reply, or perhaps Xiao Yan hadn't even considered that the fake Li could say anything that would satisfy him, he simply looked at Li Xingyun again.

Li Xingyun met Xiao Yan's gaze without hesitation and said, "I know my sins are grave, and I dare not seek life, nor dare I sully the Emperor's blade and cause the Emperor to bear a stain. I am willing to accept imprisonment and spend the rest of my life here, never to concern myself with worldly affairs again, only asking... that the Emperor forgive others."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan chuckled softly: "Imprison you?"

Seeing Yang Shuzi and Li Xingyun looking at him together, he shook his head. "If I need to imprison my own brothers to stabilize the country and worry that the people will be unsettled because of you, and that the state will be shaken and overthrown because of your name... then it only shows that the people's hearts are not with me, and that virtuous governance has not been implemented for the people. What use is it to imprison you to death in such a country? It's just burying my head in the sand and deceiving myself."

He casually remarked, "Not only that, I will also preserve your status as members of the imperial family. Li Xingyun, you can continue to travel the world, practice medicine, and understand the hardships of the common people. But I require you to write a letter to me every six months, reporting directly on what you have seen and heard, the integrity of local officials, and the benefits and harms to the people's livelihood. But before that, I want you and him..."

Xiao Yan pointed his chin at the fake Li and said, "I want you two to go and invite someone out of seclusion on my behalf, by whatever means necessary."

Upon hearing this, regardless of what others thought, the fake Li involuntarily looked up abruptly, his expression one of utter disbelief and extreme agitation. He seemed to want to say something, but seeing Xiao Yan's calm and composed expression, he ultimately just clenched his fists tightly, glanced at Li Xingyun, and lowered his head.

Li Xingyun didn't ask any further questions. He simply took a deep breath, cupped his hands, and said in a deep voice, "Your subject... accepts the decree."

Xiao Yan then ignored them and looked at Zhang Zifan, saying, "Zhang Zifan, you have been assisting Li Xingyun for quite some time, are familiar with the affairs of Jiangnan, and also have connections with the Celestial Master's Mansion. I hereby appoint you to the Imperial Academy, where you will be given a position in the future."

Zhang Zifan was startled, but he immediately realized that Xiao Yan's actions were partly out of consideration for Zhang Xuanling and his wife. So he suppressed his inner turmoil and bowed, saying, "This sinful subject... obeys the decree."

Xiao Yan then turned to Yang Shuzi, and then glanced indifferently at Shi Yao, who remained silent with her eyes lowered:

"Uncle Yang, you and Yuan Tiangang risked your lives to put on this clumsy show in front of me. Did you really think you could force me to submit and that I had to spare your lives?"

Upon hearing this, Shi Yao immediately bit her lower lip and was about to kneel down.

But Xiao Yan didn't wait for their reply; he just sneered:
"Uncle Yang, your greatest mistake in life was not your loose tongue at Anle Pavilion, but your excessive selfishness. You constantly proclaim your dedication to healing and your concern for the world, yet the only person you truly care about, even at the cost of your life, is Li Xingyun. Your vision and your perspective are ultimately confined by this personal bond between master and disciple, unable to transcend it. Therefore, I order you to travel the world under an assumed name, compiling medical books to help the world. I want you to see how vast the world is and how much suffering there is, so that your 'helping the world' can truly be put into practice, rather than being confined to just one person."

Yang Shuzi gave a bitter smile, having no intention of refuting or mentioning death again, and simply said in a hoarse voice, "This humble subject... will humbly obey Your Majesty's teachings."

"Go down."

Xiao Yan waved his hand listlessly, as if these decisions were nothing more than casual gestures to him.

But at that moment, the Mirror Heart Demon suddenly stepped forward again, knelt down on both knees, and took out a book carefully wrapped in oilcloth from his bosom, raising it high above his head with both hands.

Xiao Yan lowered his eyes and glanced at the book, and saw the three characters "Yi Si Zhan" on the cover.

"Your Majesty, this book is a relic of Li Chunfeng. The late General Yuan Tiangang's dying wish was that it should be passed on to Li Xingyun to continue the legacy. However... in my humble opinion, Li Xingyun, and even this fake Li, are both limited in their vision and unworthy to inherit this mantle and glimpse this heavenly secret. I originally intended to take this book and hide in the mountains, letting it be buried here, which would also... fulfill a small selfish wish of mine."

At this point, Jingxinmo raised his head, his gaze meeting Xiao Yan's for the first time. He said, his emotions still running high, "However, having witnessed everything today and observing Your Majesty's demeanor, thoughts, and considerations, I believe that this item... may only be truly useful in Your Majesty's hands, even if it is merely for show. I am willing to offer it to Your Majesty."

Xiao Yan looked at him, then at the so-called "Yi Si Zhan" (Book of Divination in the Year of Yi Si), and picked it up with amusement. He flipped through a couple of pages and then handed it to Zhong Xiao Kui beside him: "Give it to Hou Qing."

Jingxin Demon stared blankly, his lips moved, but in the end he said nothing, only bowed deeply.

Immediately, everyone with their own thoughts withdrew one by one.

After a while, Zhong Xiaokui returned, holding something in her hands. She walked to Xiao Yan's side and whispered, "Everyone, the fire has been controlled by the Duke of Wei using Gu magic, but most of the main hall has been destroyed. After clearing the fire site... I isolated the inside and outside and did a brief search, but I did not find... any corpses. I only found this."

She presented a bronze mask, severely deformed by the intense heat of the fire, with both hands.

Xiao Yan remained silent for a long time, until the pale light of dawn on the eastern horizon was gradually tinged with a warm golden-red hue, reflecting on his profile, which revealed no emotion.

"Your Majesty, should we allow the Embroidered Uniform Guard to operate in various places..." Zhong Xiao Kui hesitated before speaking.

But in the end, all that could be heard was Xiao Yan letting out a soft sigh:

"It's not a good place to die."

"A great fire destroyed one of my palaces."

(End of this chapter)