He had, of course, overheard the conversations in the courtyard and had roughly pieced together the entire story. It was another struggle for power. Having been born in the Imperial Dynasty, the last thing he wanted to see was the chaos of war and the suffering of the people. This affair was originally none of his business, but for some reason, he had once been the commander of Green Mountain Pass, and with Cui Feng now involved, he wanted to end the matter quickly.
Staring at the indifferent face of Li Yan under the moonlight, exuding an aura that completely contradicted his appearance, everyone felt a chill creep into their hearts.
"Hmph, what arrogant words!" the red-caped person shouted. Although the opponent's bizarre methods had made him uneasy, he was still one of the world's peerless masters. He had plotted for so long and fought so hard to get to this point; how could he retreat just because he was told to?
Before his voice had even faded, he stomped hard on the roof. With a "BOOM!", the spot beneath his foot exploded, sending glazed tiles flying. He launched himself into the air. Silhouetted against the round moon behind him like a giant bat, a scorching gale erupted from his body as he floated towards Li Yan. His golden pestle thrust violently at Li Yan's throat with immense force.
The golden pestle magnified rapidly in Li Yan's eyes, yet he remained motionless. Beside him, Cui Yuanyi couldn't help but shout, "Be careful!"
Although Cui Feng had confidence in Li Yan's martial arts, he had just fought the Prince of the South and knew his skill was among the best of the Transformation Realm masters he had ever faced. He couldn't help but worry that Li Yan was being too careless. But then he remembered the marshal's past achievements and held his tongue.
Then, they saw Li Yan gently raise a hand. The movement seemed slow, yet it arrived first despite being launched second, appearing before him in an instant. He pointed a single finger at the tip of the thick golden pestle.
"This…"
As everyone watched, dumbfounded, the red-caped person's thunderous strike was stopped dead in the air by a single finger. The red-caped person felt an irresistible force transmit from the tip of the golden pestle. The next moment, his airborne body was sent flying backward even faster.
"Bang… Crash…"
He first slammed heavily into the distant courtyard wall. The hard, thick wall instantly exploded into a shower of bricks and stones. After sliding a great distance along the ground, the red-caped person crashed into a rockery and, with a final "thud," came to a stop.
"You… you…"
The hood of the red-caped person had been thrown back, revealing a dignified, square face of a man about fifty years old. He stared at the figure on the roof in disbelief. He tried to say something, but after managing only two words, he coughed up a large mouthful of blood, rendering him unable to speak further.
"Alright, let's end it like this."
In the dead silence, Li Yan made a claw with his five fingers and pressed down slightly. A roof tile was sucked into his hand. With a gentle squeeze, the tile shattered. Then, he waved his hand.
"Not good, run!"
In the distance, Lian Pinghai was the first to react. He gave a sharp cry and was the first to flee. Li Yan glanced indifferently at him. That day in front of the Duke's Manor, he had noticed that this person cultivated a demonic art. When Lian Pinghai had erupted with surprising strength at the end, black and red qi had seeped from several of his acupoints. Li Yan recognized it as an exceptionally vicious cultivation method from the martial arts manuals he had perused. This technique required the sacrificial refining of the pure-essence blood of seventy-two children, which meant Lian Pinghai was by no means a good person.
As Lian Pinghai shouted, several other masked night-prowlers reacted just as quickly. Knowing the situation was dire, they activated their movement skills and fled in all directions.
Unfortunately, the next moment, with a series of muffled grunts, figures tumbled from the air one after another.
Cui Feng, who had been standing on another rooftop with a smile, finally let the smile reach his eyes. "Many thanks to the Great Marshal for your assistance!" he said in a low voice, as if talking to himself. Amidst the noisy crowd, no one else heard him, but Li Yan looked over.
Then, Cui Feng's burly figure swayed a few times before he suddenly pitched forward and fell from the roof.
"General…"
"General!"
Lin Yuxing, who was closest, along with some of the soldiers who had come as reinforcements, cried out in alarm…
This was a spacious bedroom, filled with the lingering scent of sandalwood. On the bed, Cui Feng slowly opened his eyes and saw a crowd of figures before him.
"The General is awake!"
"General, are you feeling unwell anywhere!"
"…"
A series of joyous voices sounded out. Cui Feng saw the faces of Lin Yuxing, Song Duan, and the others. He collected himself and looked around, first seeing Cui Yuanyi and Cui Yuanying. His gaze finally settled on the chubby Cui Yuanyi, and his voice was no longer needed to hide the boy's identity. "Hehehe, the Fourth Prince was frightened just now. It's good that you're alright!"
"Duke, I have already sent someone to inform my Imperial Father. I believe he should be able to arrive in two days!"
"That's good. What about those villains?"
"Young Hero Zhang has already dealt with them. They are all currently held in the secret prison, personally guarded by Tong Buyou and Bao Feiyu. The Duke need not worry!"
Looking at the little fatty she had grown up with, a complex expression appeared in Cui Yuanying's eyes. "So he isn't an illegitimate son of the Cui Clan, but the current Fourth Prince, the one rumored to be the emperor's favorite." She now understood some of her great-grandfather's plans. She herself had been a pawn, or rather, bait. The rumor that the Fourth Prince might be in disguise was likely spread deliberately by her great-grandfather. The purpose was to draw attention to her as well, to provide cover for her "brother's" identity. Cui Yuanying held no resentment toward her great-grandfather for this. She had been raised with the principles of unwavering loyalty to the monarch, to the point of death. To be able to serve the ruler was a subject's greatest purpose.
'If that Prince of the South knew that the first target they captured was the Fourth Prince, I wonder if he would go mad with anger!' Cui Yuanying thought. At that time, the Fourth Prince had truly been captured in one fell swoop. The enemy had essentially accomplished their goal for attacking the Duke's Manor. Who would have thought that in the end, they would fail at the last moment?
Seeing that Cui Feng's spirits had improved considerably, everyone's anxious hearts slowly began to settle. Cui Feng took the opportunity to give Lin Yuxing and the others some more instructions. "Alright, just proceed according to the plan. Is Young Hero Zhang still here? Please call him in. The rest of you may leave!" Cui Feng circulated his internal energy to keep himself from falling asleep.
"Cui Yuanyi" looked at Lin Yuxing, who had just been checking Cui Feng's injuries. Lin Yuxing nodded. He had just fed Cui Feng a Lesser Restoration Pill and had confirmed that there was no serious damage to his internal organs.
A short while later, everyone had withdrawn, and Li Yan's figure slowly walked in.
"Great Marshal, thank you for your help!" Cui Feng tried to get out of bed to salute, but Li Yan waved his hand, and a gentle force pressed Cui Feng back onto the bed. Feeling this force, a strange look flashed in Cui Feng's eyes.
"Alright, say what you have to say. You should know your own condition by now. You won't live for more than three days," Li Yan said slowly, walking to the bedside. He stood there, looking calmly at the white-haired old man.
Cui Feng nodded, his own face unperturbed. "Thank you, Great Marshal!"
In the life-or-death battle with two Transformation Realm masters, every breath had been on the edge of mortality. In the end, he had taken a direct hit from the red-caped person's weapon on his back while simultaneously inflicting a heavy wound on Zhong Wusi. His internal energy was exceptionally pure and had protected his internal organs at the critical moment. However, Li Yan could see at a glance that Cui Feng only had a few years left to live anyway; his lifespan was reaching its end. Now, after taking that blow, the sliver of Innate True Qi he had cultivated was completely depleted. He would die soon.
Li Yan did have medicinal pills that could prolong his life for a while, but that was all. Besides, Li Yan had been planning to perform a soul-search anyway. He was now hesitating whether to do it immediately.
"Even now, you still believe I am the Li Yan from back then?" Li Yan asked indifferently.
Cui Feng was startled, then gave a bitter smile. "Great Marshal, why would you say such a thing? Your appearance has not changed, and who else in this world possesses your abilities!"
"Oh? Is that so? Then tell me, how similar do I look to this person?" As he spoke, Li Yan suddenly extended his right hand. A scroll appeared, and with a flick, it unfurled. A wanted poster with a portrait appeared before Cui Feng. Li Yan then held the poster next to his own face, his eyes staring coldly at Cui Feng.
Cui Feng was stunned. When he saw the poster, he understood Li Yan's meaning and looked at him in confusion. "Great Marshal, this is the wanted poster the court issued after your disappearance back then. You found it. There's no significant difference between you and this portrait. What's wrong?"
"Oh? No significant difference? Are you saying I look exactly like this portrait?" Li Yan nearly grabbed Cui Feng and shook him. The man was spouting nonsense. He and the person in the portrait were almost completely different people.
This made Cui Feng even more confused. He could hear the unfriendliness in Li Yan's tone. "Great Marshal, this portrait was drawn by the best painter in the imperial court. While not a perfect likeness, to say it's eighty or ninety percent similar is no exaggeration!"
Li Yan almost choked with anger. This old fellow was doing it on purpose. And to think he had just helped him. A dark light began to flicker in the palm of his left hand, hidden in his sleeve. He no longer wanted to ask questions. Soul-searching would be the most direct way to the truth.
But as he stared into Cui Feng's eyes again, Li Yan's heart stirred. He couldn't detect a trace of falsehood in the man's gaze, only genuine confusion.
"Great Marshal, this subordinate also has a question he doesn't understand. I wonder if you could enlighten me?" Just as Li Yan was about to act, Cui Feng's gaze, fixed on him, filled with a complex emotion. As a grandmaster of martial arts, if he didn't get this question answered, he would not be able to rest in peace.
"You still have questions? Let's hear it!" Li Yan's voice was filled with an endless calm.
"Are… are you a cultivator?" Cui Feng hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and asked the question that had been weighing on his mind.
"Yes!" Li Yan answered immediately, without a moment's hesitation. His reply was so swift that Cui Feng, who had been full of anticipation, was momentarily stunned. Then, a look of melancholy finally appeared on his face, and he whispered, "I knew it… why else would the Great Marshal's appearance not change after decades! The martial arts you displayed today are unheard of. I have cultivated my entire life, diligently studying the arts of every sect and school, and I have never heard of anyone reaching such an unbelievable level. With a mere wave of your hand, both first-rate masters and Transformation Realm experts are turned to dust. This is simply not something martial arts can achieve…"
Cui Feng muttered continuously. Having solved the mystery in his heart, he seemed to have entered a state of enlightenment. Li Yan simply watched him.
Just a dozen or so breaths later, Li Yan's expression suddenly changed. His hand shot out like lightning and grabbed Cui Feng's shoulder. Cui Feng, who seemed to be deep in thought with his head bowed, suddenly stopped muttering.