Joy of Life: Me, the Second Prince? Summon Yuan Tiangang!

"Fan Xian has Wu Zhu protecting him, who is a master who can rival a Grandmaster."

Zhao Gao stood to the side, his eyes filled with worry.

"Wu Zhu is very strong, but I'm not made of clay either," Li Chengze smiled faintly, his figure flickered, and he disappeared from the spot.

……

The atmosphere in the courtyard was extremely heavy.

Fan Xian had already disassembled the Barrett and was trying to put it back in the box. This thing was too conspicuous and could not be shown to anyone easily.

Just then, the courtyard gate suddenly exploded!

Countless wood chips shot into the courtyard like projectiles.

Wu Zhu flashed forward, blocking Fan Xian's path. The iron shovel in his hand danced like a black shadow, knocking away all the wood chips.

As the smoke cleared, a man in black wearing a bronze mask stood at the doorway.

He didn't speak, but just stared quietly at the black box on the stone table, his eyes revealing undisguised greed.

"Who are you?" Fan Xian asked coldly, while his mind raced with calculations.

This person dared to barge in alone and remained so calm in front of Uncle Wuzhu; he is definitely not an ordinary person.

The man in black did not answer, but instead stomped his foot and charged forward like a cannonball!

He was incredibly fast, and a soft sword had appeared in his hand without him even noticing. The sword light was like a snake, aiming straight for Fan Xian's throat!

"court death!"

Wu Zhu snorted coldly, and his iron shovel, as swift as a dragon, struck first despite being behind, piercing straight into the black-clad man's chest.

This strike was simple, direct, and incredibly fast.

However, the man in black's movements were extremely unpredictable. He inexplicably twisted his body in mid-air, barely dodging Wu Zhu's fatal blow, and his soft sword entangled with Wu Zhu's iron shovel.

"Ding!"

Sparks flew everywhere.

Using the recoil from the attack, the man in black changed direction again in mid-air, aiming directly at the black box on the stone table!

"Trying to steal? No way!"

Fan Xian also realized what was happening at this moment, and his domineering true energy erupted instantly, striking the back of the man in black with a palm.

The man in black seemed to have anticipated this, and countered with a palm strike.

"Bang!"

As their palms met, Fan Xian felt an extremely cold internal force penetrate his meridians, causing him to stagger back several steps, his chest heaving with blood and qi.

"Such powerful internal energy!" Fan Xian was shocked. This person's internal energy cultivation was actually above his own, even approaching the ninth rank!

When did Kyoto produce such a person?

At this moment, Wu Zhu had already arrived again.

He seemed to be enraged, and the iron staff in his hand transformed into a sky full of staff shadows, engulfing the man in black.

Although the man in black moved with unpredictable skill, he was immediately overwhelmed and in grave danger under the absolute power of Wu Zhu.

"snort!"

The man in black suddenly snorted coldly, pulled a black sphere from his pocket, and slammed it hard onto the ground.

"boom!"

A thick plume of purple smoke erupted instantly, filling the entire courtyard.

"Poisonous!" Fan Xian shouted, immediately holding his breath and backing away.

Although Wu Zhu was not afraid of poison, the purple smoke seemed to have some special component that interfered with perception, and his movements were slightly slowed down.

In that split second, the man in black unleashed an unprecedented speed.

He ignored Wu Zhu's attack and bravely took a blow from Wu Zhu's iron shovel. He then rushed to the stone table like a black lightning bolt.

"puff!"

The man in black coughed up a mouthful of blood, but the fanaticism in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest.

His hand grabbed the black box containing the Barrett components.

"Leave!"

Wu Zhu's voice was as cold as iron, and the iron halberd in his hand whistled as it smashed straight at the top of the man's head.

If this blow lands squarely, even a ninth-rank expert would have their brains splattered.

However, the man in black did something that neither Fan Xian nor Wu Zhu expected.

He suddenly threw the soft sword in his hand at Fan Xian!

This sword strike, imbued with his life's work, was as swift as a shooting star, aimed straight for Fan Xian's brow!

To relieve the siege of Wei by attacking Zhao!

Without any hesitation, Wu Zhu instantly changed the direction of the iron halberd in his hand, knocking away the deadly soft sword at the last second.

In that brief moment, the man in black, clutching the black box, used the purple smoke as cover to leap into the air and scale the courtyard wall.

"Chase!"

Fan Xian's eyes widened in fury, and he turned to give chase.

"Don't chase after him." Wu Zhu stopped him.

"Uncle! That's..." Fan Xian was sweating profusely with anxiety.

"There's an ambush." ​​Wu Zhu listened intently, and faintly heard the rapid sounds of crossbows being cocked coming from outside the courtyard.

Fan Xian stopped in his tracks, his face so dark it seemed to drip water.

He looked at the empty stone table, his heart filled with frustration and anger.

That black box, that Barrett—that was the ultimate weapon his mother left him, and it was just stolen like that!

"Who is that person?" Fan Xian asked through gritted teeth.

Wu Zhu remained silent for a moment, then slowly said, "His movements were strange, and his internal energy was extremely yang and strong. He was the person from that night."

Fan Xian took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

That night!

The person who rescued Lin Gong!

Whose side is he on?

Could it be someone from Emperor Qing's faction? Or the Empress Dowager? Or perhaps the Eldest Princess?

No, that's not right.

If it were someone from the palace, they could have simply sent a large army to encircle and annihilate them; why send a skilled fighter to launch a sneak attack?

……

At this moment, in a dark alley several miles away from the courtyard.

Li Chengze leaned against the wall, panting heavily.

He removed his mask, revealing a face as pale as paper. A trickle of blood hung from the corner of his mouth, and his chest was caved in, clearly indicating several broken ribs.

Although Wu Zhu's attack didn't kill him, it severely injured him.

"Cough cough..." Li Chengze coughed violently, each cough bringing up a mouthful of bloody foam.

But he was smiling because he had succeeded. He had successfully gotten the item into his hands.

"Your Highness!"

Zhao Gao arrived hastily with several assassins. Upon seeing Li Chengze's horrified state, he exclaimed in shock, "You're injured!"

"It's alright..." Li Chengze waved his hand and struggled to stand up straight.

"Walk!"

Several dark figures flashed in like ghosts through the back gate of the Second Prince's residence.

Supported by Zhao Gao, Li Chengze practically dragged his feet through the dark corridor.

"Your Highness, watch out for the steps." Zhao Gao's voice was filled with barely concealed anxiety. He could feel Li Chengze's hand on his arm trembling uncontrollably, his palm covered in cold sweat.

"It's alright... I won't die." Li Chengze gritted his teeth, a strange, excited smile on his pale face. "Quick, to the study."

The study was brightly lit by candlelight.

Li Chengze pushed away Zhao Gao's helping hand and went to the table covered with expensive Xuan paper.

He placed the heavy black box heavily on the table.

"Clatter".

The box was opened.

The flickering candlelight cast a chilling glow on the cold metal parts inside the box.

"What is this?" Zhao Gao asked, puzzled.