I meet all the requirements for becoming a god in this world!

Chapter 234 Let's go together

Cheng Laiyun's voice was very loud.

This caused Hai Wuyai to drop the cake in his hand to the ground. Just as Zhu Yuanzhi was about to ask what happened, Cheng Laiyun dismounted and, with a thought, countless points of light surged from his sea of ​​consciousness, and the dark golden armor leaves exploded in the afternoon sunlight.

"Bang!"

The psionic conduit glowed with a ghostly blue light, and a colossal statue, eighteen feet tall, rose from the ground.

Gao Heyun grabbed the giant statue's arm: "What happened?"

Cheng Lai turned his head, his gaze behind his goggles landing on her face. He paused for a moment, as if considering his words.

Then he spoke, his voice coming through the colossus, deep and clear:

"Something big is about to happen in the capital. Of course, it's also possible that I'm being paranoid—but I must go back and see."

"What's wrong?" Gao Heyun pressed. She had known Cheng Laiyun for so long, and she had never seen him with such an expression.

Cheng Laiyun pursed his lips, stared at her, and said, word by word:

"Someone might be planning a rebellion." A rebellion. The moment those two words were uttered, everyone was stunned.

The pancake that Hai Wuyai had just picked up fell back to the ground, and the flesh on his chubby face trembled twice.

Zhu Yuanzhi stood beside the prison cart, his mouth agape, wide enough to fit an egg. His thin, bamboo-like body stood frozen in place, like a nail driven into the ground.

Shen Yingyue subconsciously placed her hand on the cloth bag at her waist.

Her brows furrowed—she knew Cheng Laiyun wasn't the type to speak carelessly, but the word "rebellion" carried too heavy a weight, so heavy that no one present could bear it.

The last person convicted of treason was the third prince, Prince An, who died in the imperial study. His body was still wet with blood when it was carried out.

"Boss—" Zhu Yuanzhi had just opened his mouth when Cheng Laiyun raised his hand to stop him.

"Lord Gao," Cheng Laiyun said very quickly, "when you were chasing the spirit fox in Langzhou, the spirit-chasing disc was not damaged. Senior Sister Shen personally checked it, and the spirit-chasing disc is intact."

"But you didn't see the spirit fox with your own eyes from beginning to end, not even once. Tell me—is that normal?"

Gao Heyun narrowed her phoenix eyes slightly, without answering immediately.

Cheng Laiyun continued:

"You chased it for hundreds of miles, from the capital all the way to Langzhou, with the spirit compass always pointing the way." "But you never saw its face with your own eyes."

"A powerful demon with weak combat strength and injuries can remain completely hidden even under the lock-on of the Spirit-Tracking Disc—Lord Gao, tell me, is that realistic?"

Gao Heyun's pupils contracted slightly.

She recalled those nights she spent staking out outside the abandoned temple in the west of Langzhou, and how the pointer of the spirit-tracking compass drifted back and forth between the west and east of the city.

She recalled how every time she arrived at the location indicated by the pointer, the spirit fox had already left—sometimes just a short time, sometimes just a street away.

She had always thought that the fox spirit was avoiding her, but if Cheng Laiyun's speculation was correct, then she hadn't been chasing the fox spirit at all.

"You mean..." Her voice turned somber.

"I fought the spirit fox in the Imperial Study back then," Cheng Laiyun stared into her eyes. "At that time, I was only at the sixth level of cultivation. The fact that I could injure it shows that its true strength lies in its innate divine abilities, not its combat power."

"A powerful demon that is weak and wounded cannot possibly remain hidden while you are pursuing it—unless it is not even in the direction you are chasing."

"What you've been chasing is a fake target set up for you by someone else." He paused, his voice deepening. "The Spirit Tracking Disc isn't broken, but someone has tampered with it."

Shen Yingyue, who was standing to the side, suddenly raised her head:

"Only disciples of the Mo Clan at the seventh rank or above know how to decipher the Spirit Tracking Disc." "To be able to decipher it and mislead the tracking direction—one must be at least a fifth-rank cultivator."

As she spoke the last few words, her voice unconsciously slowed down, as if she were mentally matching the number with someone's face, yet still couldn't believe it.

Zhu Yuanzhi scratched his head, looked at this person and then at that person, and finally couldn't help but ask:

"But... what's the point of making this?"

Cheng Laiyun's gaze swept past the crowd and looked toward the capital.

The afternoon sun shone on the wild grass on both sides of the official road, making the withered yellow grass blades shine, but there was no warmth in his eyes.

He uttered two words: "Redemption."

Zhu Yuanzhi blinked blankly, and Hai Wuyai also looked bewildered.

Only Gao Heyun suddenly raised her head.

She knew what those two words meant.

"Redemption is one of the fox spirit's talents."

Cheng Laiyun explained, "It's about enhancing supernatural powers at the cost of lifespan."

"During the spell, demonic energy soars into the sky, and it takes the time it takes for an incense stick to burn to complete."

"It was injured by me in the Imperial Study and it will be unable to use its Fate-Changing talent for a short time, so it must use Redemption to strengthen itself."

"When Redemption is cast, it will release a large amount of demonic energy and then fall into a five-month period of weakness, during which it will be unable to move. Only after five months can it return to normal and cast the talent enhanced by Redemption again."

"And I possess a supernatural ability that allows me to sense... the demonic aura of a spirit fox, thereby pinpointing its location."

These words were spoken.

Gao Heyun's body trembled violently.

Then he suddenly looked up, staring intently at Cheng Laiyun, his voice as cold as a quenched blade:

"So the fox spirit witnessed your methods in the Imperial Study, and it knows that once it performs Redemption, you will definitely find its location."

"And it needs someone to take your attention while it's performing its redemption..."

As she spoke, her eyes flashed with a sharp, piercing light:

"You were assassinated five months ago outside Changle County." "The timing of that assassination attempt—"

"It perfectly coincides with the timing of the Spirit Fox's Redemption! So, it wasn't an assassination attempt, but rather... a diversionary tactic! The Spirit Fox was afraid you'd discover her casting Redemption!"

Gao Heyun speaks extremely fast:

"Three seventh-rank martial arts practitioners, well-trained and working in perfect harmony, would rather be disfigured than reveal their identities."

"Such assassins cannot be trained by ordinary noble families."

"At the time, everyone thought that the implementation of the new policy had affected the interests of certain people, so they wanted to kill you. Now that I think about it... it was to use that assassination attempt to hold you back!"

She paused, a faint, cold glint flashing in her phoenix eyes:

"If I can hold you off for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the spirit fox's redemption will be complete."

Shen Yingyue felt her throat tighten: "That assassination attempt... wasn't it to obstruct the new policies?"

"There is no conflict."

Gao Heyun's gaze swept over everyone present, her tone as calm as if she were stating a case that had already been solved:

"The Spirit Fox needs someone to divert Cheng Laiyun's attention, and those people also need the Spirit Fox to undermine the cause—change His Majesty's destiny, support a new emperor to ascend the throne, and completely abolish the new policies." "Both sides get what they need, and they hit it off immediately."

"The person who cooperated with the spirit fox is..." Shen Yingyue asked, somewhat bewildered.

Cheng Laiyun pursed his lips and slowly uttered a name: "Duke of Dingguo, Yang Shi'en."

Shen Yingyue frowned even more deeply. "Senior Brother Yang... he's fine."

Cheng Laiyun looked at her expressionlessly: "I also hope it wasn't him."

"But every link in the chain of evidence points to the father and son."

"What evidence?"

Cheng Laiyun remained expressionless.

"When you were investigating the assassin who tried to kill me, you found the Mo Clan armor in the Suining Marquis's residence."

"Those armors can't be made by just any blacksmith; they must be forged by the Mo Clan."

"Who manages the treasure vault within the Mo Sect? Yang Qianwan."

Gao Heyun added from the side, "When I was chasing the spirit fox in Langzhou, the spirit-chasing disc was tampered with."

"And you also said that only Mo Sect disciples of the fifth rank or above can tamper with the Spirit Chasing Disc."

"What rank is Yang Qianwan?"

Shen Yingyue's lips moved:

"Fifth rank."

Gao Heyun continued, "After the redemption, the spirit fox will have a five-month period of weakness."

"During its weakened state, it is unable to move and must have an absolutely safe place to hide. Someone must provide it with shelter and spiritual resources."

"It has been exactly five months since Cheng Laiyun was assassinated—the fox spirit's period of weakness has passed."

"This morning, Yang Qianwan took the initiative to tell Cheng Laiyun that there were clues about traitors of the Mo Clan in Liangzhou."

She stopped, looked at Shen Yingyue, and narrowed her phoenix eyes slightly:

"He's not helping. He's trying to lure us away from our prey."

"He's afraid that if Cheng Laiyun stays in the capital, the Spirit Fox's location will be locked by Cheng Laiyun's supernatural powers when it starts its operation tonight." Shen Yingyue's gaze swept back and forth between Cheng Laiyun and Gao Heyun, her lips pressed into a thin line.

It's not that she doesn't believe, it's that she doesn't want to believe.

She was Cheng Laiyun's senior.

Naturally, he had quite a few contacts with Yang Qianwan.

She was somewhat unwilling to believe that Yang Qianwan, the gentle and refined gentleman she remembered...

However, Gao Heyun's logic was so tightly linked that there was no room for rebuttal.

She remained silent for a long time before finally speaking: "I still think... it might not necessarily be Senior Brother Yang."

"Then let me ask you," Gao Heyun stared at her, a faint, cold smile playing on her lips:

"How many people in the entire capital can do all three things at the same time: help the Spirit Fox assassinate Cheng Laiyun, tamper with the armor in the Mo Clan's treasury, and manipulate the Spirit Chasing Disc?"

Gao Heyun's voice wasn't loud, but every word felt like a blade scraping against the ears of everyone present:

"There's only one. Yang Qianwan." She turned her head, looking towards the direction of the capital, her voice suddenly turning somber, like the last silence before a storm:

"Most importantly—the Imperial Guard under the Duke of Dingguo has now replaced the Supervisory Office in patrolling the Imperial City."

"The defense of the imperial city is now in Yang Shi'en's hands."

……

The last sentence was spoken.

Everyone remained silent.

Even the most foolish Zhu Yuanzhi and Hai Wuyai understood it.

"All correct."

In the silence, Cheng Laiyun suddenly clapped his hands and a cold smile appeared on his face.

All eyes turned to him.

He stood inside the colossus, his eyes behind his goggles gazing towards the capital. After a moment of silence, he spoke:

"Yang Shi'en and Yang Qianwan—this father and son have kept their secrets well." "They stood up for the Mo Clan in the imperial court, and they set up a trap in the treasury to catch the traitor. They did everything flawlessly."

"If all the clues hadn't converged at the same time today, I wouldn't have suspected them by now."

"That's the effect they wanted—to make me believe them, to make everyone believe them."

"Then, when everyone is off guard, help the spirit fox change its fate."

"Boss," Zhu Yuanzhi weakly raised his hand, "what do we do now?"

Cheng Laiyun did not answer.

He simply turned his head, his gaze sweeping over everyone present—Gao Heyun, Shen Yingyue, Zhu Yuanzhi, Hai Wuyai—before finally settling on the direction of the capital.

His voice wasn't loud when he spoke, but every word was like a nail driven into everyone's bones:

"Go back to Beijing."

"From now on, everyone must be prepared to work their butts off."

At this point, he took a deep breath: "I just hope that we discovered it early enough to stop their plot in time."

Just as he was about to urge the giant statue to soar into the sky, Gao Heyun grabbed the statue's arm, her knuckles turning white.

"Cheng Laiyun." Her voice held a hint of hesitation.

"Under the command of the Duke of Dingguo, there are at least five thousand Imperial Guards."

"How do we fight?"

Cheng Laiyun looked down at her.

His expression was obscured by the goggles, but his voice, coming from inside the colossus, was softer than usual:

"Who said I was going to fight?"

"Not going to fight?"

"Go back first, find out the situation, and then we'll decide. If there's still time, stop them; if not, then—" He paused:

"Act according to the situation."

Gao Heyun did not loosen her grip.

She looked up at the colossal, dark golden statue, at the eyes she couldn't see clearly behind the goggles, and remained silent for a long time: "Wait, let me send a message to my grandfather—"

"I can't wait."

Cheng Laiyun interrupted her, his voice not loud, but the firmness in his tone made her swallow back what she was about to say:

"I am stopping them not for myself, nor for His Majesty, nor for any imperial power."

"I am doing this so that the new policy can be successfully implemented, and so that millions of people across the country can benefit."

"The people of Changle County have just begun to enjoy a better life, and the reform of land tax into poll tax has just begun to show results."

"If the spirit fox changes His Majesty's destiny and Yang Shi'en supports the new emperor to ascend the throne, the new policies will be abolished tomorrow, and all efforts will be in vain."

"Those ordinary people—?"

He paused, his voice suddenly lowering to a level so low it was almost a soliloquy, yet every word was clearly audible to everyone present:

"I know how dangerous this trip back to Beijing will be. But some things just have to be done."

"It's not because I'm particularly good at fighting, it's just that I happened to be there, and I had the ability to stop it."

"With great power comes great responsibility." "If I were to cower here today waiting for reinforcements, waiting for everything to settle down before going back—then I wouldn't be myself."

Gao Heyun stared at him for a long time.

Then she released her grip, took a step back, and looked up at the dark golden colossus, at the eyes she still couldn't see clearly through her goggles:

"When you rushed into the poison cloud last time, I asked you if it was worth it."

"You said it was what my heart desired, and I would not regret it even if I died nine times. This time I won't ask."

She turned around, mounted her horse, and her knuckles turned white as she gripped the reins.

But her voice remained as cold as ever, yet within that coldness lay a resolute determination that only those who had walked on the edge of a knife could understand.

"Let's go together."