The court lackeys of the eight-hour workday

Chapter 355 Mother
Before Gao Anyu could ask, Wang Hai began to recount the events in detail.

Just as You Zi'ang brought back, he and Xiao Si followed the clues to Nanjing and found four guarding eunuchs.

Initially, the two secretly investigated the family property and whereabouts of the four guarding eunuchs, hoping to see if they were related to the group of eunuchs who had flowed into the martial arts world after the incident at the imperial tomb.

Wang Hai sighed.

"Actually, when we first started investigating, we also thought of directly forcing these four dead eunuchs to rebel, and then just beheading them. Anyway, now that most of the eunuchs in Shuntian Prefecture have been killed, it's time to clean up Nanjing as well."

"So we deliberately leaked some information to let these four guard eunuchs know that the Embroidered Uniform Guard was investigating them."

As expected of someone trained by Li Miao, Wang Hai's methods are exactly the same as Li Miao's methods for dealing with the Five Mountains Sword Sect.

Regardless of whether the four guarding eunuchs colluded with Liu Jin or not, they were all bad people. Now that they're dead, no matter if they colluded before, they can no longer collude.

"To prevent them from resorting to desperate measures, and to ensure a swift and decisive strike, we transferred four officials from Shuntian Prefecture... that is, four celestial beings from two different routes."

"With an imperial edict, a trusted advisor capable of assassinating them one-on-one, the Embroidered Uniform Guard stationed in Nanjing, and the covert cooperation of dozens of officials of all ranks in Nanjing... if nothing unexpected happens, this matter should be a sure thing."

At this point, both Gao Anyu and Gu Feixuan knew.

If nothing unexpected happens, then there will be an accident.

"The accident happened because of this Master Zheng."

Wang Hai said in a deep voice.

"On the very day we were about to take action, this man suddenly appeared before the four guarding eunuchs. Now all the strange occurrences in Nanjing are because of him."

"I won't go into details about what happened in between. You two only need to know that there were four imperial tutors, dozens of officials of varying ranks in Nanjing, three commanders of the Embroidered Uniform Guard stationed in Nanjing, and the men we brought—"

"Overnight, they all died at his hands."

Gao Anyu and Gu Feixuan were both stunned and shocked.

"What!?"

"Putting everything else aside, four Celestial Beings from two different factions are already capable of wiping out any major sect in the martial world. If they were to join forces, they could probably dominate the entire martial world... Are they all dead!?"

Wang Hai nodded.

"Yes, and it's not just a simple death."

"It's the kind of death where you try your best but can't shake the opponent in the slightest, and are finally killed in one blow without any power to resist."

"And that Master Zheng was completely unharmed."

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Zheng Yi's sword stopped.

Just as her thrust was swift, seemingly without any process, her sword stopped as if there had been no process at all.

When the tip of the sword reached an inch in front of Zheng Anqi's chest, it could not advance any further.

Zheng Yi looked up at Zheng Anqi.

Zheng Anqi was a human, not a god. The method he used to block Zheng Yi's sword was not some kind of magical technique, but simply martial arts, his inner energy.

Moreover, it is the Yingzhou internal energy, which shares the same origin as Zheng Yi's.

But it was precisely because it was true qi that Zheng Yi felt a chill run through her body.

Protective Qi is a technique that almost all Celestials possess to some degree. The battles between Celestials in the Great Shuo are too brutal, often resulting in bloodshed and carnage. Apart from healing techniques, all Celestials try to enhance their "defense" as much as possible.

Protective true qi is one of them, and Zheng Yi, as a celestial being who has cultivated to the point of Sumeru and is a disciple of the profound lineage of Penglai, naturally also possesses this skill.

Zheng Anqi used this method.

The protective aura surrounding him, as thin as a cicada's wing and flowing slowly like a tangible substance, seemed to drape him in a light veil, faintly reflecting the moonlight.

At the same time, it also froze Zheng Yi's sword in mid-air.

Zheng Yi suddenly recalled the words Zheng Anqi had recited inside the house when they first entered the courtyard: "Can one cleanse one's mind of all impurities?... To give birth without possessing, to act without relying on one's own power, to nurture without dominating—this is called profound virtue..."

Zheng Anqi smiled.

"Has our esteemed guest finally come to his senses?"

"That's right. Flawless and spotless, everlasting and eternal. This is—"

“Xuanlan”.

"The method of longevity among the three natures of mind, spirit, and will, the fundamental realm connecting nature and destiny, one of the realms of spiritual cultivation that has been lost for thousands of years, and also the foundation of my Yingzhou heritage... How about it, have I been honest enough?"

Zheng Yi remained silent, desperately channeling her inner energy in an attempt to break through Zheng Anqi's protective inner energy and push the longsword forward another inch.

It was just an inch away from piercing Zheng Anqi's chest.

But that tiny inch seemed like an insurmountable chasm. Even though Zheng Yi's internal energy had surged wildly into her meridians, leaving behind hidden injuries, this sword, capable of splitting boulders, could not advance even an inch further.

Zheng Yi released her grip and quickly retreated!

She had done all she could. If she had to say what she learned from accompanying Li Miao on this journey, the most important thing was, "Fight if you can win, and fight again another time if you can't."

Things haven't gone smoothly. Li Miao is just not here, but he'll arrive in Nanjing by tomorrow at the latest. Now that she's already figured out the foundation of "Xuanlan," the most important thing right now is to save her own life and deliver the news to Li Miao.

Although she didn't want to admit it, Zheng Yi had a strange sense of certainty—she couldn't deal with Zheng Anqi, but Li Miao definitely could!

As long as you escape, you've won!
Zheng Yi dodged more than ten feet away in a flash, then leaped several feet into the air with a somersault. At the same time, she suddenly waved her hand, and powerful true energy enveloped the roof tiles, shooting them through the air behind her! Then, she touched the rooftop and prepared to fly away!

But it suddenly stopped.

Because Zheng Anqi appeared in front of her.

"Since our distinguished guest has arrived, why leave without saying a word?"

He flicked his sleeves and looked at Zheng Yi with a leisurely air.

“I have been waiting here for this distinguished guest for a whole month, just to have you come to our door. If you leave now, wouldn’t all my hard work over the past month have been for nothing?”

After saying that, he raised his hand and grabbed Zheng Yi's shoulder!
Zheng Yi tried to dodge to the side, but suddenly froze in place.

It's that strange protective aura again!

The moment she touched the protective aura, her body was enveloped and immobilized like a long sword!

If she were to force herself to move, her body, which was wrapped up, would likely be torn apart... In that case, even without Zheng Anqi's intervention, she would be severely injured, making it even more impossible for her to escape from Zheng Anqi's grasp!
Zheng Yi had run out of options and could only watch helplessly as Zheng Anqi's hand got closer and closer to her shoulder, about to firmly grasp it!

In that instant, Zheng Anqi's expression suddenly changed.

"finally reached!"

"I thought you weren't coming!"

Bang!
A hand reached out from behind Zheng Yi and collided with Zheng Anqi's hand... The two protective true qi, which were as solid as physical energy, collided and then exploded!

Zheng Yi felt a sudden tightening at the back of her collar, as if someone had grabbed her clothes and thrown them behind her.

Has Li Miao arrived?
Zheng Yi's face lit up with joy as she looked at the person who had saved her, about to speak.

"plum--"

He stopped abruptly before he could finish speaking.

Shock crept onto Zheng Yi's face, her pupils trembled violently, and her fingers slowly clenched until they turned white.

Looking at the familiar figure blocking her way, Zheng Yi trembled and slowly uttered a name she hadn't called out for years, yet which appeared in her dreams almost every night.

"Mother?"

(End of this chapter)