Under One Person: My Inner Realm Connects to All Worlds!

Chapter 218 Yuan Qingjia

The World of Painting Rivers and Lakes: Bad Guys.

Yuan Tiangang stood outside the sword hut, the twilight stretching his shadow extremely long.

He didn't knock on the door, but simply stood there, as if he had become one with the twilight in the mountains.

The gate of the house opened from the inside.

Li Xingyun stood inside the door, his gaze calmly meeting the Senluo Mask. There was no surprise, no fear, not even a ripple of emotion, only an almost indifferent understanding.

"You came."

The boy spoke, his voice clear and melodious, yet carrying a composure and dignity beyond his years.

Yuan Tiangang's gaze, hidden behind his mask, narrowed slightly.

The young man before me still looked and acted like Li Xingyun, but his demeanor had undergone a complete transformation. It wasn't a feigned composure, but rather the calm and collected composure that only someone who had long held a high position and wielded power could cultivate.

"Your Highness seems to have anticipated my arrival." Yuan Tiangang's voice was low and hoarse, revealing no emotion.

"Yuan Tiangang, the Great Tang's Bad Commander, has painstakingly managed the dynasty for three hundred years, all for the purpose of prolonging the Tang dynasty and restoring the empire. Although he acts tyrannically, his heart is clear and his strength is usable."

"Now, you are the only one still loyal to my Great Tang, aren't you?"

Li Xingyun regarded Yuan Tiangang with a deep gaze, as if he were sizing up a qualified subject.

He immediately revealed Yuan Tiangang's identity, something Yuan Tiangang had never mentioned before. Even Uncle Yang was unaware that the Bad Commander was Yuan Tiangang.

How did Li Xingyun find out?

Yuan Tiangang remained silent after pondering for a moment.

The person in front of him was very different from the Li Xingyun he knew. At this moment, it was as if he was no longer the player, but a piece waiting to be placed on the chessboard.

It's been so long since I've felt this sense of being "controlled" again.

Only Emperor Taizong and Emperor Xuanzong in their youth possessed such magnanimity and breadth of vision.

Li Xingyun stepped aside: "Come in and talk."

He turned and went inside first, his posture casual, yet naturally exuding a sense of dominance.

Yuan Tiangang followed slowly, his gaze sweeping over the familiar furnishings of the Sword Pavilion before finally settling on the back of the young man standing with his hands behind his back by the window. Yang Shuzi was not there, nor was Lu Linxuan.

Where is Yang Shuzi?

“I’ve sent them down the mountain.” Li Xingyun didn’t turn around, his voice coming through the window as he gazed at the setting sun in the distance. “They don’t need to get involved in what’s going on here.”

"Your Highness seems quite different from before," Yuan Tiangang said slowly, each word carrying the weight of scrutiny.

Then, he actually took action to test the waters.

He sensed something was amiss when Yang Shuzi sent him the letter, and the letter explicitly stated that His Highness had invited him to come and have a chat.

Yuan Tiangang naturally knew who Yang Shuzi was.

He did not want Li Xingyun to be involved in these chaotic and dangerous situations, and truly regarded Li Xingyun as his beloved disciple, let alone restore Li Xingyun's status as "Your Highness".

Now, they insist on addressing him as "Your Highness".

Isn't that strange?

What's even stranger is Li Xingyun's demeanor. As the saying goes, "One's environment shapes one's temperament, and one's upbringing shapes one's body." How profound is the power of one's environment!

Li Xingyun's current demeanor is not something that can be cultivated in the mountains and fields; it can only be possessed by someone who holds a high position, wields power over the world, and controls the lives and deaths of all people.

Therefore, Yuan Tiangang had every reason to suspect that the person before him was no longer "Li Xingyun." Yuan Tiangang's attack was completely unexpected; with a flick of his sleeve, a finger silently struck Li Xingyun's vital acupoint in the back. The finger strike was condensed and tangible, yet carried no killing intent whatsoever; its sole purpose was to subdue the acupoint and then probe the opponent's true strength.

However, before his fingertips could reach Yuan Tiangang, Li Xingyun seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. He slightly turned his body, and with a seemingly casual flick of his right hand, his sleeve swirled like clouds obscuring the moon, lightly resting on Yuan Tiangang's wrist.

There was a muffled sound of "bang".

The energy is released slightly and then withdrawn.

Yuan Tiangang felt a pure and peaceful yet unpredictable internal force surging from the other party's sleeve. Its momentum was grand and righteous. He lowered his wrist, deflected the force, took half a step back, and his gaze under the mask suddenly became as sharp as a hawk.

"Heavenly Gang Technique? No, that's not right..."

Yuan Tiangang's voice was deep, with a hint of disbelief and inquiry: "His skill has been refined to such a high level, and its operation is smooth and unimpeded, reaching the pinnacle!"

“Yuan Qing.”

Li Xingyun spoke, his tone calm yet weighty, "For three hundred years, you have devoted yourself to the cause of continuing the bloodline of the Li Tang dynasty. Now, I am right here."

He slightly raised his hand, palm facing upward, and an invisible aura emanated from it: "Where this power comes from is it important? What is important is that I am here. Your chess game, your schemes, I will now take over."

Yuan Tiangang's body trembled almost imperceptibly.

The name "Yuan Qing" has not been heard for many years. Throughout the history of the Tang Dynasty, some emperors respected Yuan Tiangang greatly, some regarded him as a confidant, and some even suspected and distrusted him.

Without exception, to this day, only Emperor Taizong has addressed Yuan Qing with the same familiarity and naturalness he has shown.

Moreover, the way the young man referred to himself as "I am alone" sounded so appropriate, carrying an undeniable sense of destiny.

At this moment, Yuan Tiangang looked slightly dazed, as if he saw the shadow of that person in Li Xingyun.

"As for the differences you mentioned..."

Li Xingyun continued, "Perhaps it was Emperor Taizong's spirit manifesting, giving me a great dream and allowing me to glimpse some remnants of the future. If I continue to live in a daze, wouldn't I be betraying the will of Heaven?"

"Oh? Emperor Taizong has manifested? What kind of future has Your Highness glimpsed?" Yuan Tiangang took a step forward, and an invisible sense of oppression spread out.

The young man seemed oblivious, even a faint smile playing on his lips: "I saw the iron hooves of the northern desert trample through the three passes, I saw the people displaced, I saw my dearest friends and relatives perish one by one, I saw... you die before my eyes, Yuan Tiangang."

He spoke the last sentence very softly, yet it struck the silent air like a heavy hammer.

Yuan Tiangang's body trembled almost imperceptibly, and his eyes, hidden behind his mask, suddenly sharpened like a hawk's, locking onto the young man before him. The outcome of that divination three hundred years ago was known to no third party!

The room fell into a deathly silence, with only the mournful sound of the mountain wind whistling through the treetops outside the window.

After a long silence, Yuan Tiangang let out a very low, hoarse laugh, filled with complex emotions that were hard to describe: "It seems that Your Highness is indeed no longer the ignorant fool he once was."

Does he believe what Li Xingyun says?
Naturally, I don't believe it, but I have no choice but to believe it.

The Heavenly Gang Technique was created by him, and only three people in the world have mastered it: himself, Li Xingyun, and the fake Li.

Surely it can't be a fake Li standing in front of me, right?

As for his own death, he could glimpse the secrets of heaven and know a sliver of the future. Apart from Li Chunfeng, no one else had that ability.

Could it really be Emperor Taizong manifesting his power?

The invisible pressure emanating from Yuan Tiangang receded like a tide: "In that case, Your Highness should know what I seek."

Before Li Xingyun could answer, Yuan Tiangang replied, "What I seek is only the restoration of the Tang Dynasty's golden age and the well-being of all people under heaven."

Yuan Tiangang cupped his hands, his tone solemn: "For this, I am willing to give everything, including my life."

(End of this chapter)