Datang: Just been appointed as the crown prince, the counterattack system is here

Chapter 383 A Trivial Skill, Yet Daring to Show Off Before an Expert? [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

The north wind was like a knife, whipping up the remaining snow on the official road.

Li Chengqian and his party of several dozen riders sped off towards Chang'an like arrows released from a bow.

Originally, Li Chengqian intended to return to Chang'an without permission, because given Li Shimin's fear of him, it was almost impossible for him to return to Chang'an at this time.

However, the reality was beyond his expectations. Li Shimin not only summoned him back to Chang'an, but also put him in charge of the anti-epidemic work in Chang'an.

This was like a godsend, allowing him to legitimately return to Chang'an.

However, there was another thing that also greatly surprised Li Chengqian.

That is, Li Shimin not only recalled him, but also allowed Li Ke to return to Chang'an.

Although through Princess Guanghua's confirmation and Pei Xingjian's investigation, he could be 100% certain that Li Ke was colluding with the Shouzhulang.

However, killing Li Ke is not so easy.

One of the main reasons is that he was in his own fiefdom.

Even if Crown Prince Li Chengqian could order him to return to Chang'an, if he refused to come back, there would be no way to deal with him for the time being.

Surprisingly, he took the initiative to return to Chang'an.

This left Li Chengqian both surprised and puzzled.

Could it be that Li Ke is very confident in his cooperation with Shouzhulang?

He simply did not believe that anyone could discover that the smallpox plague was his conspiracy.
In Li Chengqian's view, this was almost impossible; anyone with a brain would know that the truth would eventually come out.

Therefore, this conspiracy will be exposed sooner or later.

The consequences of exposing the truth are self-evident.

Unless Li Ke can stand in an absolutely safe position, the crime of plotting to murder the Empress and causing chaos in the capital will only lead to his death, even if he is a prince.

Therefore, Li Chengqian had to consider what Li Ke's purpose was in returning to Chang'an at this time.

Based on historical facts and the current situation, it is absolutely impossible for Li Ke to be in a completely safe position.

In other words, it was virtually impossible for him to become the crown prince or the emperor.

Unless all of Li Shimin's sons died out, leaving him as the only heir.

Thinking of this, Li Chengqian suddenly understood.

He finally understood why Li Ke had plotted against Empress Zhangsun and created this smallpox epidemic.

If he wasn't mistaken, Li Ke should have been well aware of Empress Zhangsun's influence on Li Shimin and the legitimacy of the eldest son.

That's why he decided to take the risk and kill Li Shimin's beloved Empress Zhangsun, as well as the other princes, in this plague.

In this way, he can rightfully inherit that position.

It has to be said that this move was truly ruthless.

However, there is still a problem. Even if Empress Zhangsun and all of Li Shimin's sons died in this smallpox plague, and he, as the crown prince, was still alive, Li Ke would have no chance at all!
unless
In just a moment, Li Chengqian realized that his journey home would probably not be smooth.

"His Royal Highness!"

Just as Li Chengqian was lost in thought, Pei Xingjian, who was riding beside him, suddenly spoke up: "Ahead is Didao in Lintao. After Didao, we will reach Lintao City. Should we enter Lintao City, or find a post station outside the city to rest for the time being?"

Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian snapped out of his reverie, glanced at the sky, and frowned, saying, "It's almost dusk. Didao is complicated, and it's not advisable to travel in the dark. Let's find a post station outside the city to rest first, and set off again at dawn tomorrow!"

"Alright! I'll send someone to scout ahead at the post station right away!"

Pei Xingjian responded and immediately dispatched two Imperial Guards to the post station about three miles away.

At the same time, Laifu rode up to Li Chengqian's side, took a pot of water and handed it to Li Chengqian: "Your Highness, are you thirsty? Have a drink of water first!"

Li Chengqian nodded and was about to take the kettle when suddenly his right eyelid twitched. He was startled and almost knocked the kettle out of Lai Fu's hand.

"What's wrong, Your Highness?"

Lai Fu looked at Li Chengqian with a puzzled expression, and even Pei Xingjian couldn't help but turn around.

"No, it's okay."

Li Chengqian forced himself to calm down, but at the same time, his heart was filled with excitement.

Just as I had guessed, the journey back to Chang'an was indeed not peaceful, and even the system issued a warning first.

However, in order not to alert the enemy, Li Chengqian did not inform Pei Xingjian and the others of the system's warning.

He wanted to have a good look at these assassins and see just how capable they were.

After all, he had been practicing martial arts alone for the past few years. Even now, with his strength as great as a tyrant, he had only demonstrated his abilities on the battlefield. He had never truly fought against these martial arts assassins who engaged in delicate work, and he didn't know if he was their match.

"Your Highness! The forward post station has been checked and there are no abnormalities!"

Just as Li Chengqian and his group were about a mile from the post station, the two Imperial Guards that Pei Xingjian had sent out earlier returned in time to report the details of the post station.

"Okay! I'll stay here tonight!"

Li Chengqian calmly responded and then beckoned Pei Xingjian and the other Imperial Guards to enter the post station.

Although this post station was not large compared to other post stations in the Tang Dynasty, it was the last post station connecting the inside and outside of the pass. Most people who arrived here and found it was getting late would rest here and wait to enter the city the next day.

Therefore, the supplies and all kinds of living facilities here are readily available, and there are even hot springs for bathing.

"This humble official is Ma Hu, the postmaster of Taozhou Post Station. I greet you, sir. Please come in." As soon as Li Chengqian and his party entered the post station, the postmaster in charge of the post station greeted them with a smile.

"Yes, thank you for your trouble, Ma Yicheng. We'll just rest for the night, no need to go to so much trouble."

Li Chengqian nodded lightly and prepared to dismount.

At this moment, Ma Hu stepped forward with a smile and said, "I'll do it, I'll do it."

"what are you doing!?"

Before Ma Hu could even get close to Li Chengqian, Lai Fu shouted sharply to stop him, and instantly dismounted, standing in front of Li Chengqian.

At the same time, the other Imperial Guards also drew their swords instantly, exuding a murderous aura.

"Ah? This"

Ma Hu was startled, and even the innkeepers following behind him were so frightened that their legs went weak.

"It's alright, Laifu, don't be nervous. He's probably just here to help me hold the horse's stool."

Li Chengqian smiled and gestured to Laifu.

Ma Hu immediately realized what was happening and nodded like a chick pecking at rice: "Yes, yes, yes! I'm here to lead the horse and serve as a mount for the superior!"

"No need! Go and prepare the hay and feed! We'll lead the horses to the stables ourselves!"

Lai Fu said coldly, and then squatted down under Li Chengqian's horse without saying another word.

Seeing this, Ma Hu grinned awkwardly, then turned to look at Pei Xingjian.

Pei Xingjian looked at him warily and said in a deep voice, "Do as Steward Laifu says!"

"Yes"

Ma Hu muttered a reply in a low voice and then slunk back to the post station.

After watching him leave, Li Chengqian chuckled and teased Laifu, "Laifu! Look at you, you scared him. When we're out and about, we should win people over with kindness!"

“I’m not General Du, I can’t win people over with virtue! But I feel there’s something wrong with this postmaster!” Lai Fu said expressionlessly.

Li Chengqian smiled noncommittally, then looked up at the inn illuminated by lamplight and sighed, "I hope I can get some more sleep tonight. I'm quite tired after traveling for so long."

Upon hearing this, Pei Xingjian was greatly moved.

Time flies, and before we knew it, it was midnight.

In the dimly lit lobby of the post station, only an oil lamp flickered behind the counter.

In the other rooms, besides the thunderous snoring, all that could be heard was the sound of the cold wind blowing through the corridor.

After an unknown amount of time, several dark figures suddenly appeared in the corner. They moved quickly and silently, and in no time they reached the window of the room.

"Hiss. Hiss."

A very faint sound, like a snake flicking its tongue, came from the window.

Immediately afterwards, a thick cloud of smoke filled the room.

This sleeping gas has almost no smell, and if you are not prepared, it is easy to fall for it.

Fortunately, Li Chengqian's earlier remarks alerted Pei Xingjian.

The moment the smoke filled the air, he jumped out of bed and shouted, "Hold your breath! It's sleeping gas!"

Although Pei Xingjian's shout was very timely and the other Imperial Guards were already on guard, the few Imperial Guards outside the room still inhaled some smoke the moment they stood up, so much so that they were now swaying slightly.

At the same time, outside Li Chengqian's room, Ma Hu's voice suddenly rang out: "Shangguan, are you alright?"

"Oh!"

An object of unknown origin burst through the window the instant the words were spoken.

If Ma Hu hadn't been so agile, this thing would have hit him.

He quickly left Li Chengqian's room and went to the small courtyard outside.

"It seems Laifu was right! You really do have a problem!"

As soon as the words were spoken, two figures slowly walked out of the room and stared coldly at Ma Hu.

But Ma Hu asked in surprise and doubt, "You... how did you discover the flaw? Those two Imperial Guards clearly didn't notice it..."

"To show your courtesy for nothing is to be either an adulterer or a thief!"

Lai Fu sneered, then said in a deep voice, "It was precisely because the previous Embroidered Uniform Guards didn't find any flaws that you were careless and thought we were unprepared!"

"So, who are you anyway?"

"Heh! Interesting! It seems that hiding and concealing oneself is indeed not my forte!"

Ma Hu chuckled, then reached out and ripped his face off, tearing his entire face off.

Li Chengqian and his companion frowned deeply upon seeing this.

Immediately afterwards, the face that was originally Zhang Hu's was replaced, revealing a completely unfamiliar face.

But then the man said with a half-smile, "My name is Gui Jiu, and I am a general of the Shouzhulang. I have come on the orders of our Shouzhu Envoy to invite the Crown Prince of the Great Tang to leave with us!"

"General?" Li Chengqian frowned, then suddenly remembered Yang Nannan's detailed description of the garrison commander.

The so-called Langjiang are actually the twelve guardians of the Shouzhushi.

Each protector has different abilities and strengths.

His status was second only to the Garrison Commander.

Generally, when a general is dispatched, it is a major event involving the capture of a general.

Such a major event concerns the very survival of a nation.

In other words, when a general rises to prominence, the empire perishes.

"Ah! I see, Shouchuro is indeed generous!"

Li Chengqian suddenly laughed.

But then Gui Jiu asked again, "So, does the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty want to come with us?"

"What do you think?"

"It seems you're unwilling to cooperate, so we'll have no choice but to forcibly take you away!"

After saying this, Guijiu's figure moved like a ghost, heading straight for Li Chengqian.

He was extremely fast and his angles were very tricky.

"Your Highness, be careful!"

Lai Fu shouted and was about to step forward to stop Gui Jiu.

However, at that moment, a loud bang, as if falling from the sky, suddenly rang out, startling everyone present.

A man clad in iron chains, shaped like a tower, approached Laifu with a muffled whooshing sound, as tall as a small mountain.

"boom!"

Lai Fu's reaction speed was also quick. The moment the man in the iron tower appeared, he kicked out, aiming for the opponent's weakest point.

After all, he didn't have that thing, so he knew the most about it.

However, the man in the iron tower was not afraid of Lai Fu kicking his weakest spot at all, and directly charged at Lai Fu.

"Snapped!"

The impact was like a human tank, sending Lai Fu flying backwards.

"Laifu!"

Upon seeing this, Li Chengqian's face darkened, and he was about to step forward to help Laifu.

But then Gui Jiu's voice was right next to his ear: "Your Highness, where are you looking?"

"Be careful, Your Highness!"

Just as Gui Jiu was about to attack Li Chengqian, Pei Xingjian's voice suddenly rang out.

At the same time, a gleaming embroidered spring knife was also present.

"Damn it!"

Gui Jiu cursed in frustration, then deftly dodged the Embroidered Spring Blade by sidestepping, and shouted sharply, "Kill all these Imperial Guards!"

The moment the words were spoken, dozens of masked assassins dressed in black surged out of the darkness of the entire post station.

They were seen wielding sharp blades and charging towards Pei Xingjian and the other Imperial Guards.

Li Chengqian rushed to Laifu's side and asked with concern, "Laifu, are you alright?"

"No, it's okay..."

Lai Fu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and shook his head, saying, "This scoundrel is incredibly powerful, far more so than the group of assassins we encountered in Haozhi County!"

"Ok, I know."

Li Chengqian nodded, then turned to look at the man in the iron tower, his eyes flashing with a sharp light: "I'll go and meet him!"

"Your Highness, be careful! This fiend, cough cough..."

"Alright, Laifu, you go with Pei Xingjian to deal with that Ghost Dove. I'll take care of this guy!"

Before Laifu could finish speaking, Li Chengqian interrupted him without any room for argument.

He then stretched his neck, stood up, and laughed, "Hey! You big idiot, what's your name? Are you also a general?"

"court death!"

With a sharp shout, the man in the iron tower charged towards Li Chengqian without saying a word.

In his opinion, Li Chengqian's physique was probably too weak to withstand a single impact, so he deliberately reduced the speed of his impact, intending to knock Li Chengqian unconscious.

However, to his utter surprise, Li Chengqian, instead of dodging his impact, laughed, as if he were waiting for him to bump into him!

what happened?

Has this kid gone mad?
There was no time to avoid it, because once he charged, there was no way to stop him!

Even though he knew that their orders were to capture Li Chengqian alive, he could only tell him to leave it to fate and not to kill himself.

However, a strange scene happened.

The moment he collided with Li Chengqian, his entire body felt as if it had hit an iron wall, causing his muscles, including his face, to twist and deform rapidly, and even the sound of his bones cracking could be heard.

"what--"

He couldn't help but scream, and then, due to the enormous reaction force, he staggered backward, his eyes filled with terror, confusion, bewilderment, and helplessness.

"Tieshan! Watch out!"

Gui Jiu, who was fighting Pei Xingjian and Lai Fu, was also terrified by this scene, and even his moves seemed somewhat flustered.

It should be noted that among all the generals, Tieshan was the strongest.

Before they arrived, they had heard that Li Chengqian possessed superhuman strength, which is why they sent Tieshan.

Because Tieshan was also incredibly strong from a young age, and could easily lift heavy objects like the Overlord Lifting the Cauldron.

But now, he is no match for Li Chengqian at all.

Because Li Chengqian's power was far greater than his.

"That's it?"

Seeing the massive mountain of flesh flying backward, Li Chengqian raised an eyebrow: "I haven't even moved yet, and you're already stabbing yourself in the back. Isn't that a bit much?"

"Pooh--"

Tieshan spat out a mouthful of blood, filled with unprecedented frustration and anger, and roared, "You brat! Don't you dare move! This time I'm going to use my full strength!"

"Alright! Let me see just how capable you are!"

Li Chengqian grinned and then adopted a "bring it on" stance.

Tieshan took a deep breath, mustered all his strength, and his enormous body moved with lightning speed, hurtling straight at Li Chengqian with a whooshing sound.

Seemingly sensing the immense impact, Li Chengqian gradually withdrew his smile and adopted a look of dread.

However, just when everyone thought he was going to withstand the impact head-on, he suddenly changed his position and stepped aside to avoid Tieshan's charge.

At this moment, Tieshan's mind was about to crash.

Damn it!
He really wanted to utter those three words.

But the next moment, just as he rushed past Li Chengqian, Li Chengqian suddenly leaped into the air and kicked him in the back.

Immediately afterwards, a cracking sound was heard as his spine was kicked and broke, emitting a scream that was not human.

"Boom——!"

Smoke is everywhere!

Tieshan was buried under bricks and rubble like a broken sack, and there was no sound of it anymore!
Kill with one kick!
Extremely domineering!

On the other side, Gui Jiu, who was fighting with Pei Xingjian and Lai Fu, witnessed the horrific scene of Tie Shan being killed and was shocked!

His ghostly movement technique, which made him famous, showed an unusual sluggishness!
"You dare to be distracted while fighting us? Die!"

Pei Xingjian's eyes flashed with icy coldness as he seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

His swordplay suddenly changed, transforming from sweeping slashes into deadly thrusts like a viper spitting its tongue!
The Embroidered Spring Blade transformed into a silver lightning bolt that tore through the darkness.

"Pfft!"

A soft sound, like a hot knife cutting into butter.

Guijiu froze instantly, the fear in his eyes solidified, and his body slumped to the ground.

One of the generals was killed by a single kick, and the other was stabbed through the throat!

The backbone collapsed instantly!
Seeing their two generals so easily killed like chickens and dogs, the remaining guards' courage collapsed instantly!
The pressure on the Imperial Guards eased, and they roared as they launched a counterattack.

Swords flashed and blood flew everywhere!
The post station had become a complete battlefield.

Moments later, the battle ended.

The inn was filled with a strong smell of blood and a faint, sweet, pungent odor.

The bodies of the guards lay scattered about, none of them alive.

Pei Xingjian clutched his chest, his face pale, clearly having inhaled some of the sleeping powder.

He walked up to Li Chengqian, looked at the tragic state of Tieshan on the ground, and his eyes were filled with shock and awe: "Your Highness is so powerful!"

He simply couldn't find the right words to describe it.

Li Chengqian glanced at the messy post station and said disdainfully, "A mere trick, yet you dare to show off your skills before an expert?"

After saying that, he turned to Pei Xingjian and the others and said, "Clean up the post station thoroughly, check all the drinking water and food, and pay special attention to the horses!"

"Also, be careful on your journey; this should just be an appetizer."

"promise!"

(End of this chapter)