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

Inside Tingyuxuan, spring water is used to brew tea, and life is peaceful and serene.

Li Chengze and Lin Wan'er nestled together in the pavilion, enjoying a rare moment of tranquility.

However, beneath this warm facade lies the power center of Kyoto.

Inside the Imperial Study, a scheme targeting Fan Xian, or rather, the so-called "Net of Deception," is quietly unfolding.

Emperor Qing was still wearing that loose white robe, his hair casually draped over his shoulders, holding an arrow in his hand, carefully examining the patterns on the arrowhead in the sunlight.

"deliver an imperial order."

The eunuch waiting outside the door quickly bowed and went inside.

"Issue Fan Xian to immediately enter the Imperial Censorate and serve as the head of any department, fully responsible for investigating the assassination case on Niulan Street. Tell Chen Pingping to put that inspector's badge on Fan Xian and let him investigate freely. Whoever he finds out, I will pardon him."

Eunuch Hou was startled. No matter who they found out, this was clearly a ploy to send Fan Xian to wield the imperial sword and kill someone! And who else could that sword be pointing at but the Princess?

"Your servant obeys the decree."

With the issuance of this decree, Kyoto, which was already rife with undercurrents, instantly erupted into a frenzy.

……

Guangxin Palace.

Li Yunrui was pruning a precious orchid. When she heard Emperor Qing's decree, the golden scissors in her hand trembled violently, and with a "snip," a blooming orchid was cut off at the base and fell into the soil.

"What a brilliant move by my elder brother! He's cleverly used someone else to do his dirty work."

Looking at the withered flower, Li Yunrui's beautiful face revealed a cruel and crazed smile. "You believe that Luo Wang is Fan Xian's man, so you want to force Fan Xian to take action, use him to clip my wings, and incidentally test the strength of Luo Wang... My brother, you are truly ruthless."

She may be crazy, but she's definitely not stupid.

Emperor Qing's move not only put Fan Xian in the spotlight but also placed her in a very precarious position. If she continues to target Fan Xian, it will solidify the "Net of Heaven's" reason for retaliation, giving Emperor Qing an excuse to completely reclaim control of the Imperial Treasury.

"Since Your Majesty wants to see a show, then I'll put on a show for you."

Li Yunrui took a deep breath, and the madness in his eyes gradually subsided, replaced by a chilling coldness.

"Guards, summon Lin Gong to the palace."

Half an hour later, Lin Gong knelt in the main hall of Guangxin Palace, his face pale.

As the second son of Prime Minister Lin and Lin Wan'er's older brother, he was usually an arrogant and domineering person.

But at this moment, facing this aunt, he felt an unprecedented fear.

"Fan Xian has taken over one of the Investigation Bureaus and is arresting people like crazy all over the city. I heard he has already found clues about the two female assassins on Niulan Street, and soon... soon he will find me." Lin Gong's voice trembled, and his forehead was covered in cold sweat.

Although the assassination attempt on Niulan Street was ordered by the Eldest Princess, it was Lin Gong who carried out the actual operation and contacted the experts from Northern Qi.

Li Yunrui slowly walked up to Lin Gong, extended his slender fingers, gently lifted his chin, and looked at him with a tenderness as if he were looking at a dead man.

"Gong'er, what are you afraid of?"

"I...I'm scared..."

"Don't be afraid," Li Yunrui said softly. "You are Wan'er's brother. How could I watch you die? But the situation in the capital is too tense right now. Fan Xian, that mad dog, won't let go. If you continue to stay in the capital, not only will your own life be in danger, but you will also implicate Prime Minister Lin, and even implicate me."

Upon hearing this, a glimmer of hope flashed in Lin Gong's eyes: "Then... then what do you mean?"

"Let's go." Li Yunrui stood up, her back to him. "Leave the capital, go to Northern Qi, or to Dongyi City. Once things have calmed down, I'll bring you back."

"Escape...escape?" Lin Gong was stunned.

"If you don't escape, are you waiting for Fan Xian to arrest you and throw you into the Imperial Censorate's prison?" Li Yunrui's voice suddenly turned cold. "Tonight at midnight, I will arrange the guards at the city gates. You take your trusted men and leave the city immediately. Remember, the farther you go, the better."

Lin Gong trembled; he sensed the resolute determination in the princess's words.

He knew he had become a discarded pawn.

But he had no choice; staying in Kyoto meant certain death, while escaping might offer a glimmer of hope.

"Yes... Gong'er understands."

Lin Gong kowtowed and retreated dejectedly.

Watching Lin Gong's departing figure, Li Yunrui's lips curled into a cold smile.

"Silly child, only the dead can keep secrets forever. Since Fan Xian has the help of the Net, do you think you can escape? However... your death will make that old fox Lin Ruofu hate Fan Xian completely. This deal isn't a bad one."

……

The night was dark and windy, the moonlight was obscured by thick clouds, and the entire capital was shrouded in a somber atmosphere.

Thirty miles outside the city, on a desolate official road.

The rapid sound of hooves shattered the stillness of the night. Lin Gong, accompanied by a dozen elite guards, was galloping at full speed. He would occasionally glance back in fear, as if some evil spirit was chasing him.

"Faster! Faster!" Lin Gong roared, whipping the horse's rump wildly with his whip.

Once we pass that grove of trees, we'll enter Cangzhou territory, and then we'll be safe.

However, just as they were about to rush into the woods, a dark figure appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the road.

However, just as they were about to rush into the woods, a dark figure appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the road.

The man was dressed in black, with a black cloth covering his eyes, and held an iron stick that looked like a fire poker in his hand. He stood quietly in the middle of the road, as if he had blended into the surrounding darkness.

"Whoa—!"

The guards at the front suddenly pulled on the reins, the warhorse neighed, and its front hooves rose high.

"Who goes there! How dare you block Young Master Lin's path! Are you looking for death?" the guard captain shouted sternly.

The man in black didn't speak, and didn't even raise his head.

"Kill him! Charge!" Lin Gong shouted in terror from behind, his ominous premonition growing stronger.

A dozen guards drew their long swords and charged at the man in black with a roar.

"Whoosh!"

The wind stirred.

No one saw how the blind man moved. They only saw a dark shadow flash by, followed by the dull thud of a blade piercing flesh and the sound of bones shattering.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

In just a few breaths, more than a dozen skilled guards, along with their horses, were sent flying backward, crashing heavily to the ground and falling silent. Each of them had a bloody hole in their throat, from which blood gushed.

Lin Gong's warhorse was startled and threw him violently off.

He rolled around on the ground in a sorry state, and when he looked up, he saw the blind man covered with a black cloth, carrying the iron shovel that was not stained with blood, walking towards him step by step.

That sense of oppression was like the arrival of death.

"Who...who are you? What do you want?" Lin Gong was terrified, frantically moving backward. "I am the son of Prime Minister Lin! I am the Princess's man! You can't kill me!"

Wu Zhu remained silent. In his program, there was no option for idle chatter.

Since Fan Xian wants to investigate, and since this person is an obstacle, then kill him.

Wu Zhu raised the iron shovel in his hand, aiming it at Lin Gong's throat, ready to deliver the final blow.

Lin Gong closed her eyes in despair.

At this critical moment—

"boom!"

The air seemed to ignite in an instant!

A powerful and domineering golden aura erupted from the trees on the side, like a blazing sun falling to earth, heading straight for Wu Zhu's back!

For the first time, a noticeable tilt of the head appeared on Wu Zhu's usually impassive face. Within his computational core, the sheer density of this energy had triggered a data feedback signal of "danger."

Without any hesitation, Wu Zhu abruptly withdrew the iron halberd in his hand, ignoring Lin Gong, and instead used it to block the golden sun behind him.

"clang!!!"

A deafening clang of metal clashing resounded through the night sky, as if two great mountains had collided violently.

A violent shockwave emanated from the two people and spread wildly in all directions. The surrounding trees were instantly snapped in half, and the dust on the ground was swirled up several meters high, forming an earthen dragon.

Wu Zhu's figure suddenly swayed, his feet plowing two deep grooves in the ground, and he was actually forced back three steps by this blow!

The attacker, using the recoil, gracefully flipped in mid-air and landed lightly in front of Lin Gong.

The dust has settled.

Lin Gong opened his eyes with trembling hands, only to see a tall, slender man in black robes blocking his way. He wore a bronze mask that resembled both crying and laughing, and a faint golden aura swirled around him, making him appear both sacred and eerie in the darkness.

"Who are you?" Wu Zhu's emotionless voice finally rang out.

He tilted his head slightly, seemingly frantically analyzing the data of his opponent. In an era where Grandmasters were rare, there was absolutely no one who could knock him back with a single punch. Moreover, this true energy was extremely powerful and yang, unbelievably profound.

"nameless."

Li Chengze deliberately lowered his voice, which came through the mask and had a metallic quality. He put his hands behind his back, and the Heavenly Gang Technique was running wildly in his body. Golden energy protected his body, making him seem indestructible.

He came here tonight for two reasons: first, to protect Lin Gong, his pawn; and second, to use Wu Zhu, the best whetstone, to test the current level of his "Tian Gang Jue"!

"Nameless?" Wu Zhu repeated the unfamiliar name. "Never heard of it. Are you going to stop me?"

"This man must not die tonight," Li Chengze said calmly, his tone exuding an undeniable domineering aura.

"He must die."

Before Wu Zhu could finish speaking, his figure had already disappeared from the spot.

Fast! Extremely fast!

Only a fleeting shadow remained in the air as the iron shovel, imbued with a deadly intent, pierced towards Li Chengze's throat.

"Well done!"

Li Chengze's eyes, hidden beneath his mask, flashed with a sharp light. Instead of retreating, he advanced. He didn't use any weapon; instead, he raised his right hand, his five fingers forming a claw, and golden qi instantly condensed in his palm.

"Heavenly Gang Technique - Huayang Needle!"

Although it was named "Needle," with the support of Li Chengze's profound internal strength, this palm strike produced the sound of wind and thunder!

"Bang!"

The fleshy palm collided violently with the iron spike.

If it were an ordinary ninth-rank cultivator, their hand would have been crippled long ago if they dared to take Wu Zhu's iron halberd bare-handed. But Li Chengze's palm was covered with a layer of golden qi that seemed almost tangible, and its hardness was in no way inferior to that of divine weapons!

"Sizzle sizzle—"

The iron shovel rubbed violently against the qi in his palm, sparks flying everywhere.

"Open it!"

With a roar, Li Chengze unleashed his Heavenly Qi, which surged forth like a river bursting its banks, unleashing a devastating force that hurtled towards Wu Zhu along the iron shovel.

Wu Zhu flicked his wrist, causing the iron shovel to spin rapidly in an attempt to deflect the force, but the extremely strong and yang energy was like a bone-deep infection, causing his tiger's mouth to go numb slightly.

The two instantly engaged in a fierce battle.

For a moment, golden light crisscrossed the official road, and black shadows flickered.

Wu Zhu's moves are simple, precise, and deadly, without any frills. Every strike is aimed at vital points, like a sophisticated killing machine.

Li Chengze, on the other hand, unleashed powerful and sweeping attacks, each punch and kick carrying a devastating force. The Heavenly Gang Technique granted him terrifying defensive and explosive power; no matter how fast Wu Zhu was, as long as he couldn't break through Li Chengze's protective Heavenly Gang, he couldn't harm him in the slightest!

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The two had exchanged over a hundred blows in just a few breaths.

The surrounding ground was blasted into deep craters, as if it had been baptized by artillery fire.

Lin Gong, who had been terrified, finally came to his senses. Looking at the scene before him, which resembled a battle of gods, he knew that this was his only chance to escape.

"Giddy up! Giddy up!"

He scrambled to find a surviving warhorse, mounted it, and galloped off into the darkness without looking back.

Wu Zhu "saw" Lin Gong escape and wanted to break away to chase after him.

But Li Chengze would never let him have his way.

"Your opponent is me!"

Li Chengze sneered, his figure flashing like a golden lightning bolt, blocking Wu Zhu's path. He clasped his hands together, his body radiating golden light, and a terrifying aura instantly locked onto Wu Zhu.

"Heavenly Protection!"

The iron staff in Wu Zhu's hand transformed into a sky full of staff shadows, slamming heavily onto Li Chengze's protective aura.

"Clang clang clang clang!"

The dense impacts were like raindrops hitting banana leaves. The ground beneath Li Chengze's feet cracked inch by inch, but he remained as immovable as a towering mountain!

Finally, after a violent collision, the two were thrown backwards simultaneously.

Wu Zhu landed, his figure slightly unsteady. Several holes were burned into his unchanging black robe by the qi.

Li Chengze used the momentum to drift away, landing on the top of a tree more than ten feet away. He moved up and down with the branches, like a banished immortal.

He looked at Lin Gong, who had already vanished without a trace, and a satisfied smile curved his lips beneath the mask.

He did not use his full strength in this battle, but it was enough to prove that with the "Heavenly Gang Technique", he was qualified to compete with the world's top combat power.

"Uncle Wuzhu, you truly live up to your reputation."

Li Chengze thought to himself, then cupped his hands in greeting to Wu Zhu and said in his hoarse voice, "Your skills are extraordinary, and today was a pleasure. May we meet again someday."

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Chengze's figure blurred, transforming into a golden streak of light and instantly disappearing into the vast night.

Wu Zhu stood still and did not chase after him.

He lowered his head slightly, looking at the slightly bent iron shovel in his hand, and a hint of confusion seemed to appear on his emotionless face.

"Extremely masculine and intensely yang...incomprehensible...nameless..."

Wu Zhu deeply engraved this name and the data from the battle just now into his core.

Then, he turned around, picked up the iron shovel, and walked towards Kyoto.