Film and Television: The Villain's Life Begins with Joy of Life

The assassination of the emperor could not be kept secret from the people of the world.

As dusk fell, the twilight turned blood-red, and the entire capital was thrown into chaos.

The number of soldiers patrolling the city was several times greater than usual; their armor clanged, swords were like a forest, and the sound of horses' hooves was incessant.

Fortunately, just when everyone was in a state of panic, news came that their emperor was safe and sound.

But not long after, news came that Prime Minister Lin Ruofu had unfortunately been poisoned and medicine was ineffective.

Lord Fan, the Director of the Censorate, is a loyal protector of the emperor. He bravely took action while pursuing the assassin and was seriously injured, his life hanging by a thread!

The impact of Lin Ruofu's death was enormous, shaking the capital.

However, Fan Xian's safety also affects and concerns countless people.

Because Fan Xian is not only the Director of the Censorate, but also the son-in-law of Prime Minister Lin, the illegitimate son of Emperor Qing, and the poet of Qing Kingdom.

Fan Xian has always enjoyed a good reputation among the people. He has many identities, allowing people from different perspectives to find common ground with him. He is always a topic of endless discussion and a constant source of conversation for the people of the capital.

After learning that he was seriously injured and in critical condition, many Kyoto residents took lanterns to Keimyo Temple overnight to pray for him.

Fan Xian was sent back to the Fan residence, and a red lantern was soon hung at the back gate.

When the red lantern lit up all by itself, Zhou Cheng knew what Fan Xian was thinking.

Now that Fan Ruoruo is gone, at this critical moment of life and death, he still places his hopes on his fellow villager.

Zhou Cheng didn't actually want Fan Xian to get hurt, because it would cause a lot of trouble.

But given the circumstances at the time, he couldn't intervene.

Fan Xian is far more useful alive than dead.

The death of Lin Ruofu is enough.

So when it was completely dark, Zhou Cheng, wearing a mask and a black robe, appeared silently at the back gate of the Fan residence.

There are now too many eyes watching Fan Xian, inside and outside the palace, openly and secretly, layer upon layer.

Zhou Cheng could still manage to hide his tracks.

His figure blended into the night, skimming over the walls and through the corridors without disturbing anyone.

When he arrived at Fan Xian's residence, before even entering the courtyard, he could smell the strong stench of alcohol permeating the air.

Zhou Cheng immediately understood that Fan Xian was creating a safe environment for the surgery in advance.

After all, there was no disinfectant available in this era, so alcohol was the only viable alternative.

Fan Jian stood guard at the door of Fan Xian's bedroom.

The usually calm and composed Si Nanbo had red eyes and looked like he was on the verge of collapse.

His robes were still stained with dust and blood from the Hanging Temple, and his hair was disheveled, clearly indicating that he hadn't tidied himself up all day.

Because so much time had been spent, Fan Xian's condition was far from optimistic when he returned to the Fan residence.

Besides being accompanied by Senior Brother Leng from the Observation Bureau, who had prepared some things in advance as requested by Fan Xian, even his elderly father was not allowed to stay inside.

According to Fan Xian's explanation, each additional person increases the risk of infection.

Fan Jian didn't know what the so-called "infection" was, but he was willing to listen to Fan Xian.

Fan Xian told him to wait for someone at the door.

It is said that if a masked man in black robes comes, he will live.

If no one comes, please pass on a message to Lin Wan'er, Fan Ruoruo, and Wu Zhu.

Fan Jian didn't know who the man in black was or when he would arrive, but he trusted Fan Xian, so he kept waiting.

As we waited, time ticked by, and the last rays of the setting sun were gradually swallowed by darkness. Twilight surged in like a tide, drowning out the last glimmer of light.

Fan Jian's mood sank to rock bottom.

He was devastated that he couldn't save Ye Qingmei back then, and now he couldn't protect Ye Qingmei's son.

His hands unconsciously clenched into fists, his knuckles cracking as if they were about to snap.

At this moment, his hatred for Emperor Qing reached its peak.

Back then, he suspected that Emperor Qing had conspired with Chen Pingping to kill Ye Qingmei, but he had no evidence and no power to prove it.

But if Fan Xian dies, besides the assassins, the biggest culprit will be Emperor Qing.

Without Emperor Qing's order, Fan Xian would not have knowingly pursued the assassin despite being outmatched, ultimately suffering severe injuries and near death.

Just as Fan Jian was in a state of utter confusion and his thoughts were becoming increasingly dangerous, the firelight at the door was blocked out at some point, and a shadow fell over him.

Fan Jian was startled.

Although his thoughts were in disarray, he relaxed his vigilance and senses.

But having the foundation of an eighth-rank official, how could he not notice someone getting so close?

He suddenly looked up and saw a figure shrouded in black robes that seemed to blend into the night. Under the black hood, a strangely styled mask resembling a monkey was revealed.

Fan Jianfu felt a deep connection to Fan Xian; he knew this was the person Fan Xian had been waiting for!

He's finally here!

"Fan Xian has been waiting for you!"

Fan Jian disregarded everything else, his voice hoarse and urgent.

A glimmer of hope suddenly appeared in his bloodshot eyes.

Zhou Cheng nodded, said nothing more, and pushed the door open to go inside.

Fan Jian clenched his fists tightly. He hesitated for a moment, then did not follow Zhou Cheng inside.

He still remembered what Fan Xian had said about infection.

He still remembered what Fan Xian had said about infection.

They didn't want to put Fan Xian in even the slightest danger at this time!

Just as Fan Jian stopped outside the door, his heart pounding, Zhou Cheng casually closed the door and saw Fan Xian lying on the couch.

Several wrinkled white cloths were spread over his body.

The cloth appeared to have been soaked in boiling water and then quickly dried.

Fan Xian's consciousness was already on its last legs.

Just as Fan Xian felt he couldn't hold on any longer and was preparing to risk his last breath by having Senior Brother Leng operate directly as a last resort, Zhou Cheng arrived.

Zhou Cheng's arrival immediately invigorated Fan Xian.

Not only was he much more conscious, but his injuries and breathing also felt easier.

However, Fan Xian quickly realized that this was not a good thing. If he was not mistaken, he was probably experiencing a brief resurgence of energy before death.

"Great Sage... Help me..."

Fan Xian, barely breathing, let out a pitiful cry.

Although he often complained about this fellow villager, he always had a strange sense of trust in him.

Zhou Cheng also noticed that Fan Xian's life force was extremely weak. He didn't dare to delay, ignored Senior Brother Leng beside him, walked up to Fan Xian, and grabbed one of his hands.

A wisp of domineering true energy quickly circulated through Fan Xian's body.

Zhou Cheng frowned slightly.

Fan Xian's problem was more serious than he had imagined.

If he had arrived a quarter of an hour later, he would probably have been able to attend the banquet at the Fan residence in a few days.

Zhou Cheng pondered for a moment.

Fan Xian's meridians were damaged, and he lost all his vital energy, causing toxins to penetrate deep into his lungs and internal organs.

Losing your inner energy is a bad thing, but it's not all bad.

At least without true qi, there is no true qi repulsion.

He can't save people with domineering true energy, but he knows more than one kind of true energy!

Zhou Cheng switched to the Heavenly Dao Technique and transferred the Heavenly Dao True Qi into Fan Xian's body.

The Grandmaster-level Heavenly Dao True Qi possessed an incredibly potent life force; it merely circulated within Fan Xian's body once before effectively suspending his life.

Since it wasn't his own internal energy, Fan Xian couldn't clearly sense the condition inside his body, but he could feel a warm current flowing through him.

As Zhou Cheng moved, his whole body felt as if it were immersed in a hot spring, not only feeling warm all over, but even his breathing became easier again.

"Great Sage, you truly live up to your name! You're incredibly powerful!"

While feeling relaxed, Fan Xian didn't forget to gather his strength and offer a compliment.

Zhou Cheng ignored him.

Fan Xian's condition seems to have improved a lot, but it is still not optimistic.

The Heavenly Dao True Qi could only temporarily keep Fan Xian alive; at this moment, the most deadly thing in Fan Xian's body was poison.

"What are you planning to do about the poison in your body?"

Zhou Cheng asked the question knowing the answer already.

"Surgery!" Fan Xian replied with only two words.

Zhou Cheng nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

This reaction brought Fan Xian a sense of genuine relaxation.

A fellow villager is a fellow villager; no one can replace them.

He doesn't need to explain things to others like he does; he can simply speak, and they will understand.

"Scalpel!"

Zhou Cheng's words were concise and to the point.

Fan Xian took a deep breath and laboriously turned his head to look at his senior brother Leng to the side:

"Senior brother, here are the knives I asked you to prepare."

As if waking from a dream, Senior Brother Leng hurriedly arranged the knives and a pile of utensils that Fan Xian had instructed him to prepare.

The various gleaming knives, lined up in a row, shone coldly in the candlelight, sending chills down one's spine; they were hardly the kind of knives one would use to save a life.

Zhou Cheng pulled out a small knife that resembled a scalpel from later generations and held it in his hand.

He knew that this kind of knife was usually used by interrogation departments for torture, but now he was using it to save someone.

While Senior Brother Leng was setting out the utensils, Zhou Cheng had already moved a candlestick over.

He picked up the knife, held it over the flame for a few seconds, and then dipped it into the bowl of strong liquor.

The flames licked the blade, making a soft hissing sound, and the wine evaporated, raising a wisp of white smoke.

After cooling it down, he used his inner energy to evaporate the wine, then removed the bandage from Fan Xian's chest, measured it slightly with his hand, and without hesitation, stabbed him!

Zhou Cheng had never dissected a human body, but as a Grandmaster, he had an extremely thorough understanding of every detail of his own body.

Fan Xian's build was similar to his, and he had just used his inner energy to probe his internal condition, so now that he was about to strike, it was just the right time!

Fan Xian's eyes widened, and he almost cried out. He hadn't expected his fellow villager to be so decisive in his attack.

Before he could even explain, a gash had been cut open in his chest.

The incision was small, about four fingers' width, large enough to allow fingers to be inserted for manipulation.

Fan Xian thought he was going to be in excruciating pain, but unexpectedly, his chest became numb.

There is still pain, but it is within a tolerable range.

He didn't know that Zhou Cheng had deliberately used his internal energy to numb his nerves.

In the original storyline, Fan Xian, in order to relieve his pain, had his senior brother Leng administer a substance called 'chloroform'. .

Too little of this dosage will have a strong numbing effect, while too much can quickly cause unconsciousness.

It is indeed an essential medicine for stealing women and robbing willows, and for silencing witnesses.

However, to prevent Fan Xian from hallucinating and talking nonsense after taking the medicine, Zhou Cheng directly used his true energy to wrap his nerves and relieve his pain.

With his master-level skill in manipulating internal energy, running multiple tasks simultaneously is not difficult for him.

"Great Sage, you're amazing! Your sword is so steady. Did you study medicine in your past life?"

Fan Xian had completely forgotten that there was an outsider like Senior Brother Leng present, and blurted out the answer directly.

Zhou Cheng didn't even look up: "No, this is my first time performing surgery on someone. The reason I'm so confident is because you're the one getting the cut."

Fan Xian's lips twitched, and he was speechless.

Zhou Cheng disinfected his hands with strong liquor, then with a burst of internal energy, he inserted two fingers into Fan Xian's chest cavity.

Fan Xian's body was filled with toxins, and his Heavenly Dao True Qi had just guided the toxins to aggregate as much as possible.

The liver has the strongest recovery ability in the human body.

Zhou Cheng tried his best to transfer the poisonous blood in Fan Xian's body to his liver.

The poison of minerals dissolves in the blood.

It's just that blood type testing wasn't possible in this era; otherwise, giving Fan Xian a direct blood transfusion would have been the most effective solution.

Zhou Cheng uses his true qi, combined with his liver as a filter, to intercept toxins in his blood as much as possible.

After Fan Xian's blood had circulated several times, he didn't use the knife. Instead, he used his inner energy as a knife at his fingertips to make an incision in Fan Xian's liver.

Thick, black blood, tinged with iridescent colors, shot out.

Zhou Cheng used his true energy to divert the flow of black blood, and then began to use his true energy to stop the bleeding in his liver.

He had to admit, this internal energy was truly a wonderful thing.

Not only are they skilled at killing, but they are also skilled at saving lives.

Without true qi, even if he cut open Fan Xian's chest, he wouldn't be able to perform the operation.

With the main problem resolved, Zhou Cheng began stitching up Fan Xian's wound.

Since catgut was unavailable, sterilized cotton thread had to be used instead.

Zhou Cheng's hands were very steady.

In his eyes, Fan Xian in front of him was just a piece of pork that wouldn't move, just like the knife that opened his chest. He had no psychological burden, so he could sew it up quickly and accurately.

After doing all this, Zhou Cheng used the Heavenly Dao True Qi to circulate in Fan Xian's body for several weeks, and soon Fan Xian's condition stabilized.

The person survived.

As for the various issues that follow, they can be left to more professional people.

"Great Sage, I owe you a life..."

Fan Xian said weakly.

Zhou Cheng's methods were far more sophisticated than he had imagined.

It can only be said that a grandmaster is indeed a grandmaster; he is extraordinary in every field.

If this method were used in modern society, it would probably shock even professional doctors.

Zhou Cheng didn't know whether the doctor's eyes popped out of their sockets, but Senior Brother Leng's eyes were definitely about to pop out!

His mouth was wide open, and his comical little mustache twitched up and down.

"Incredible skill! Absolutely incredible skill!"

He stared at me incredulously, his voice trembling.

"You can save lives like this! You can stitch up wounds like this!"

Although he had heard some of it from Fan Xian before, he was still so shocked by Zhou Cheng's actions that he was speechless.

This scene was like opening the door to a new world for him.

Zhou Cheng, however, showed little expression beneath his mask.

As he washed the bloodstains off his hands with warm water, he said to Fan Xian:

"You can repay the life you owe me later. The problem now is that I don't want anyone else to know I was here."

I trust your father Fan Jian's words, but this one..."

After saying that, he turned to Senior Brother Leng and narrowed his eyes slightly.

Before Senior Brother Leng could react, Fan Xian had already shakily raised his hand.

"No, no, Great Sage, please spare Senior Brother Leng!"

Senior Brother Leng trembled, realizing that Zhou Cheng wanted to kill him.

"I, I, I..."

He was at a loss.

Fifteen minutes later, Zhou Cheng left the room.

Senior Brother Leng is not dead; Fan Xian made a guarantee.

The two eventually reached a consensus: it was not him who saved Fan Xian, but Wu Zhu.

The man in black that Senior Brother Leng saw was not wearing a mask, but rather a black cloth covering his eyes.

When Zhou Cheng left, he didn't say much to Fan Jian, only telling him that Fan Xian was alive.

Fan Jian's excitement and gratitude were unknown and unconcerned.

In any case, Fan Jian had no place in his plan to begin with.

As for how Fan Jianhui will view him, Fan Xian will arrange everything.

......

The news that Fan Xian had survived reached the palace overnight.

Through the report, Emperor Qing also learned that Fan Xian was determined to return to the Fan residence to see and wait for someone!

His earlier guess was correct.

"The fifth brother has this kind of ability?"

Emperor Qing, dressed in a black and yellow dragon robe, stayed up all night in his study. He squinted, his gaze flickering in the candlelight.

He knew that Wu Zhu was capable of killing, but this was the first time he had ever heard of him saving people.

"Black hair, black robe, blindfolded—it's Fifth Brother... Has this monster, Fifth Brother, changed over the years...?"

Emperor Qing muttered to himself, his voice so low that only he could hear it.

Although Fan Xian denied it outright, he had long guessed that Wu Zhu was right next to him.

At the Hanging Temple, he had Fan Xian chase after the assassin, not only to test the assassin but also to find out where Wu Zhu was.

Now, he's certain.

Wu Zhu plays an important role in his plan, and to utilize Wu Zhu, one must go through Fan Xian.

Therefore, Fan Xian cannot die.

Now that Fan Xian is alive, he can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"This is such a hassle..."

Fan Xian's safety can be put aside for now, but Lin Ruofu's death means the trouble is just beginning.

Emperor Qing could already imagine what the court would be like at tomorrow's morning court session.

.......

Time flew by and it was the next day.

The news that Fan Xian's life had been saved had already spread.

The common people, scholars, and students who lined up overnight to pray at the temple were overjoyed and spread the news far and wide.

In stark contrast to this popular jubilation was the atmosphere in the imperial court.

As Emperor Qing had anticipated, after confirming that he was safe and sound, the officials mentioned Lin Ruofu and urged a thorough investigation into the assassin's origins and the entire capital, to eradicate the assassin's accomplices.

The officials were unusually united in their opinions, and their voices were strong, so Emperor Qing naturally did not refute them.

After issuing an edict summoning Chen Pingping to court and ordering the Imperial Observatory to conduct a full investigation, Emperor Qing mentioned the handling of the palace affairs.

The palace guards failed in their duty and arrived too late to rescue the emperor, resulting in the death of Prime Minister Lin Ruofu. As a result, he was stripped of all his official positions and beheaded at the Meridian Gate.

The civil and military officials in the court had no objection to the punishment of Gong Dian, since Gong Dian was primarily responsible for Lin Ruofu's death.

Ye Zhong disagreed. He believed that Gong Dian was not wrong to investigate the source of the fire under those circumstances.

He stepped forward, knelt down, and pleaded earnestly for the sake of the palace official.

Emperor Qing was furious and sternly rebuked Ye Zhong, saying that if he dared to plead for Gong Dian again, he would be punished as well.

Ye Zhong remained silent, but handed over a memorial pleading for leniency.

Emperor Qing laughed in anger upon reading it.

He angrily denounced Ye Zhong's deep brotherly affection and said that Gong Dian's crimes were unforgivable, but if Ye Zhong shared the burden, he could spare his life.

Ye kowtowed deeply and readily agreed.

Emperor Qing seemed to have never expected Ye Zhong to be so loyal and righteous.

After giving Ye Zhong some pointers, he kept his word.

Finally, the sentence was changed to dismiss Gong Dian from his post and exile him to the frontier, while Ye Zhong was removed from his post as the garrison commander of the capital and sent to the Dingzhou camp.

Tears streamed down Ye Zhong's face as he trembled as he accepted the imperial decree and expressed his gratitude.

While Emperor Qing was issuing decrees in court, he received news that Fan Xian had been spared. The Crown Prince prepared generous gifts and went directly to Fan Xian's residence to visit him.

He didn't see the person, of course, but he left behind the gift.

He made a gesture before Zhou Cheng, giving Fan Xian face. He was very satisfied, always feeling that with his perseverance, he would one day win Fan Xian's support.

Zhou Cheng was unaware of the Crown Prince's thoughts.

He didn't go to see Fan Xian to show anything, but instead received a message from Li Yunrui early in the morning and then quietly went to Guangxin Palace.

As dawn broke through, the bluestone slabs on the palace path still carried the dampness of the night.

Upon arriving at Li Yunrui's palace, the female official was still guarding the door. When she saw Zhou Cheng, she bowed slightly, pushed open the door without saying a word, and stepped aside.

The gate closed, and Li Yunrui, dressed in a loose-fitting light-colored palace dress, rested her hands on her belly. Her first question to Zhou Cheng was:

"Did you kill Lin Ruofu?"

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