My father, Li Shimin, requests Your Majesty to become the Retired Emperor.

Li Chengan and Qin Ying rode their horses westward for over a hundred li.

Li Chengan looked back and, seeing that there were no pursuers behind him, slowed down.

Qin Ying took two quick steps forward and walked alongside Li Chengan.

Li Chengqian glanced at Qin Ying, whose arm was still bandaged, and who was covered in sweat from the journey.

"Qin Ying, I'm no longer the Crown Prince, why are you still following me?"

"Your Highness, how can you say such a thing? In my heart, you will always be the Crown Prince." Qin Ying wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.

Li Chengan gave a bitter smile: "This time, I'm likely doomed. You don't need to come with me anymore. Go back."

"I'm not leaving, please don't kick me out. Did I do something wrong that you want to kick me out?" Qin Ying immediately became nervous.

"No, that's not it," Li Chenggan paused, "Last night, I went to your grandfather's house and chatted with him for a while. Your grandfather's idea is for you to return to his side and stay with him every day."

This was his wish.

He doesn't want you to be with me either.

So, you should go back.

"What?"

How could my grandfather say such a thing?

Even so, it won't do. You're in danger right now; how can I leave you?"

"You have always been a great support to me, and you have suffered a lot and endured a lot of hardship with me. I am very grateful to you."

However, all good things must come to an end.

The imperial court is currently hunting me down; if you follow me, you will be in great danger.

Your Qin family doesn't have a very large population.

Your grandfather is counting on you to carry on the Qin family's legacy.

So, from now on, you don't need to follow me anymore.

Hearing Li Chengan say such things, Qin Ying was stunned and didn't know what to do.

They continued walking for a while longer.

Li Chengan turned around and saw that Qin Ying was still there.

There was a loud clanging sound.

Li Chengan drew the Qinggang Sword from his back and held it to his neck: "Qin Ying, are you leaving or not? If you don't leave, I'll die in front of you."

Qin Ying was also terrified when she saw it.

He sensed that Li Chenggan was truly enraged this time, and if he drove Li Chenggan to his death, he would be deeply guilty.

He quickly raised his hands: "Your Highness, please don't be impulsive, I'll leave, I'll leave right now!"

Li Chengqian stared intently at Qin Ying.

Having no other choice, Qin Ying turned his horse around and headed towards Chang'an.

Not long,

Li Chengan noticed that Qin Ying's figure was getting smaller and smaller, gradually turning into a black dot, and then disappearing from sight.

Seeing Qin Ying leave, Li Chengan breathed a sigh of relief, then sheathed his Qinggang sword and spurred his horse to gallop away.

It must be said that Master Xuanzang was a thoughtful man, providing Li Chenggan with a fine steed capable of traveling a thousand miles by day and eight hundred miles by night.

That evening, Li Chengan arrived in Dunhuang.

Dunhuang has a unique geographical location, situated at the end of the Hexi Corridor on the Silk Road. It is a hub leading to the Western Regions, with a long history and culture, and was an important military stronghold.

During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, he once sent troops to garrison Dunhuang and fight against the Xiongnu.

The war between the Tang army and Yanqi was sparked by the Yanqi army's capture of Dunhuang and the massacre of a nearby city.

Li Shimin was furious and decided to launch a military campaign against Yanqi.

After arriving in Dunhuang, Li Chengan first took a stroll around the streets.

Although Dunhuang is not as prosperous as Chang'an, it is still very lively.

Li Chenggan knew that this was because the Tang army had fought back fiercely and dealt a heavy blow to the Yanqi army, which was why the Longtuqi cavalry dared not send troops to harass them.

Li Chengan had long heard that the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang were a wonder of the world and had always wanted to visit them, but he had never had the opportunity due to his busy official duties.

Now that he's no longer the crown prince, he finally has a chance.

This is what is meant by "for every loss, there is a gain."

Li Chengan rode his horse to the Mogao Caves.

The Mogao Caves, also known as the Caves of a Thousand Buddhas, are built against the mountain and have five levels. They are magnificent and spectacular, and are one of the four major grottoes in China.

There are many tall Buddha statues here, lifelike and vivid.

As a time traveler, Li Chengan was amazed, because even with modern technology, it would be difficult to carve those Buddha statues so perfectly.

Li Chengan couldn't figure out how those craftsmen had carved it.

Just like the Great Wall, there were no machines in the Qin Dynasty, and a single boulder weighed more than a thousand pounds.

How were those massive stones stacked up to build the Great Wall? It's truly a mystery.

Li Chengan went up to the first floor to get a closer look.

It features wooden structures, murals, painted sculptures, and flying apsaras—all national treasures.

Because it was already late, there weren't many people coming to watch.

Li Chengan looked through one cave after another until he came to a Buddha statue.

This Buddha statue is four or five zhang tall, and its appearance is different from other Buddha statues.

It looks fierce, with bared teeth and claws, and its two eyes resemble two lanterns.

Although Li Chengan didn't really believe in gods and Buddhas, and didn't know what kind of Buddha this was,

However, Li Chenggan still intends to offer his prayers.

However, in the instant Li Chengqian lowered his head,

He observed out of the corner of his eye and discovered that the left eye of the Buddha statue could move.

Li Chenggan felt extremely strange, and his scalp tingled.

Immediately afterwards, a hidden sword shot out from the left eye of the Buddha statue, heading straight for Li Chengqian's brow with lightning speed.

Li Chengqian reacted quickly, immediately doing two somersaults backward.

The hidden arrow missed Li Chenggan and struck the ground, the arrowhead embedding itself in the floor.

Just as Li Chenggan regained his footing, the Buddha statue opened its right eye and shot out another hidden arrow, heading straight for Li Chenggan's throat.

Li Chengan quickly dodged to the left, but to his surprise, the head of the stone statue turned.

follow closely,

The Buddha statue opened its mouth wide and spewed out fire, the flames being over ten feet long.

Li Chengan quickly leaped back seven or eight steps to avoid the flames.

The fire scorched the ground, turning it a deep red.

Although Li Chengan dodged the hidden arrows and flames, he was still terrified and broke out in a cold sweat, his heart pounding.

Just as Li Chengan was catching his breath, the Buddha statue's right arm suddenly moved, moving flexibly and freely.

What Li Chengan found even more incredible was that the Buddha's right arm could extend and retract. When retracted, it was about seven or eight feet long, but when extended, it was three or four feet long.

The Buddha statue's right arm quickly reached out to grab Li Chenggan, its five fingers like five pillars.

Li Chengqian's head was buzzing.

At this moment, a virtual panel appeared in front of him, displaying: [Host, the opponent has been detected to have broken down. Their emotional fluctuations are abnormal, and they have reached the brink of rage.]

Li Chenggan thought to himself, "I can see it clearly. Do you need to say all this nonsense?"

"Then you should offer a solution."

The best solution this system provides for you, based on analysis, is: roll around on the spot eighteen times.

This effectively lowers your altitude and narrows your target area.

Li Chengan was speechless after hearing this.

At that moment, a loud "bang" was heard, and the cave door closed automatically.

Li Chengan wanted to leave, but he couldn't.

He ran back and forth inside the cave.

The Buddha statue's arms reached out and danced in the air.

Sometimes, instead of catching Li Chenggan, they might grab a huge rock instead.

With a single grip, the boulder was crushed.

This completely overturned Li Chengqian's understanding. In his imagination, the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang were a treasure of the Tang Dynasty, and also something static.

For some reason, the Buddha statue seemed to come alive and began to move, and it became so ferocious.

Li Chengan had to guard against not only the hidden arrows and flames, but also the "hands" of the Buddha statue.

sometimes,

Li Chengan had no choice but to roll around on the spot, so he became very disheveled, covered in dust and dirt, his hair was messy, and he was covered in dirt.

Before Li Chengan could regain his footing, the Buddha statue's left arm grabbed him again.

Li Chenggan knew that if he were caught, he would be crushed into mincemeat in an instant.

This time, Li Chengan was cornered; it was too late for him to escape.

In desperation, Li Chengan drew his Qinggang sword and fiercely slashed at the left hand of the swinging Buddha statue.

It struck four of the Buddha statue's fingers in one fell swoop.

The Qinggang Sword truly lived up to its reputation as a treasure; it could cut through iron like mud. With a flash of sword light, the four fingers of the Buddha statue fell to the ground.

Li Chengan looked down and discovered that there was a mechanism inside the four fingers.

Li Chenggan thought to himself that someone had installed a mechanism inside the Buddha statue, which explained why the statue could move.

At this moment, the bronze statue's right arm also stretched out.

Li Chengan struck again with his sword, slashing the Buddha statue's right wrist. The Buddha's right hand fell to the ground, stirring up a cloud of dust.

The Buddha statue's head could still move up, down, left, and right.

Immediately afterwards, a fat man jumped out from behind the Buddha statue.

The fat man was tall and fierce-looking, dressed in strange clothes, and it was obvious at a glance that he was not from the Central Plains.

Li Chengqian stared at the fat man, thinking to himself, "So it was you who was causing trouble behind this stone statue."

The fat man suddenly lowered his body and lay down on the ground.

However, his movements were different from those of someone who usually lay on the ground.

He placed his hands on the ground, arched his body, and curled his legs up, resting them on his arms.

This movement is very difficult and requires a great deal of arm strength; otherwise, it is difficult to support the weight of the entire body.

The man's head was very flexible; looking left and right, it looked just like a giant toad.

Li Chengan wondered, could this be the legendary Toad Kung Fu?

The man's hands moved back and forth on the ground at a very fast speed, and he could even shoot out hidden arrows from his mouth, although those arrows were much smaller than those shot out by the Buddha statue.

The man and Li Chengan started fighting inside the cave.

Li Chengan had never seen such bizarre martial arts before.

The man ran incredibly fast; it felt like his hands and feet were off the ground. His head seemed to have turned into a diamond drill as he crashed into Li Chenggan.

Li Chengan dodged to the side, and the man was slammed into the stone wall, creating a large hole that sent rubble flying to the ground.

Li Chengan was even more shocked, thinking to himself that this guy really had a head of bronze and an iron butt.

Li Chengan calmly faced the challenge, wielding the Qinggang Sword.

The two fought for more than ten rounds, but neither could gain the upper hand.

As Li Chengan fought, he asked, "Who are you? Why are you trying to kill me?"

"Don't ask any more questions. You'll know once I catch you."

Li Chengan could tell from the man's deep, resonant voice, with a metallic echo, that this person was no ordinary individual.

Li Chenggan thought to himself that this was strange. He had just fled from Chang'an to Dunhuang and had already been tricked. It seemed that this person had planned this all along.

Li Chengan thought to himself that he had to dodge the Buddha statue's arms, the hidden arrows, and the flames, while also dealing with the toad.

It's so frustrating not being able to fully utilize my abilities.

If we keep fighting like this, we'll exhaust ourselves to death.

Li Chengan tried to open the door to the grotto, but it was tightly shut and wouldn't budge.

At that moment, the Buddha's left arm swept across again, and Li Chenggan leaped onto the Buddha's left arm.

Li Chengan climbed up the Buddha statue's left arm and instantly reached the statue's left shoulder.

The Buddha statue's head turned around to face Li Chenggan, and it was about to breathe fire again.

Li Chengan leaped onto the left ear of the Buddha statue, and with a powerful push of his feet, he stepped onto the top of the Buddha's head.

In this way, although the Buddha's head could move, it could not harm Li Chenggan.

Moreover, the Buddha statue's arms cannot touch its own head.

The top of the Buddha statue is a flat area.

Li Chenggan thought to himself, "I'll rest here for a while and recharge my strength before fighting again."

But the fat man didn't give him a chance to catch his breath.

At this moment, the fat man seemed to have already noticed that Li Chengan had reached the top of the Buddha statue.

That open space was a safe zone; neither hidden arrows nor flint could reach it.

The fat man leaped up in a few bounds.

The two men started fighting on top of the Buddha statue's head.

The lights on the walls of the grotto flickered, sometimes bright and sometimes dim.

The top of that grotto is about ten feet square. If you fall in by accident, you could fall several feet down, which is quite dangerous.

Because Li Chenggan had mastered the Perfect Union Sword Technique, the sword energy he wielded carried immense destructive power.

As a result, the stone wall above his head began to crumble downwards.

After a while, a bright light appeared above their heads.

A hole had appeared on the top of the Buddha statue's head.

The bright moonlight shone down from outside.

Upon seeing this, Li Chengan was overjoyed, thinking to himself, "Heaven has truly spared me!"

He originally thought he couldn't open the cave door, and that the fat man's Toad Kung Fu was also very powerful.

Add to that the Buddha statue's hidden arrows, flames, and enormous arms, wouldn't I be exhausted to death?

As the saying goes, when you think you've reached the end of the road, a new path opens up before you.

Unexpectedly, the way out was right above us.

Li Chengan said to the fat man, "I'm giving you one last chance. Tell me who you are."

Wait a minute, I'll kick you down right now, and then you might not have a chance to say anything.

"You're so arrogant! I'll show you the power of my copper head!" The fat man roared in anger and headbutted Li Chengqian in the stomach.

Li Chengan leaped forward, stepping on the fat man's back, and sure enough, kicked the fat man off the Buddha statue's head.

At the same time, Li Chenggan used the momentum to leap off the top of the cave.