The World's Number One Medical Hall

Chapter 745 Do You Want Me Dead or Alive?

The next day, when it was fully light, the dark white door finally opened.

Although he possessed cultivation and a strong physique, he was still somewhat mentally and physically exhausted after many days of living outdoors in the wind and rain.

I didn't meditate or practice qigong last night; I just went to sleep and ended up sleeping past my appointed time, missing my daily morning prayers.

Standing at the doorway, he had just stretched when Dujuan's voice came from the east wing: "Your Highness, are you awake? Did you rest well last night?"

"Your Highness, are you awake?" Dujuan's voice came from the east wing: "Did you rest well last night?"

"I overslept, I'm sorry to have made you laugh, sir." Mo Bai cupped his hands in greeting.

Upon hearing this, Du Juan smiled and said, "Your Highness has been traveling and sleeping outdoors for days, so it's only right that you rest a bit. Breakfast is ready, Your Highness, please come this way!"

"it is good."

Under the morning sun, past old trees and through winding corridors, Mo Bai surveyed the courtyard and exclaimed, "This courtyard is quite nice."

"That's right. The original owner of this house was surnamed Liang. His family had been in business for generations and were very wealthy. It was only because of the war that they had no choice but to sell it. Otherwise, they probably would never have been willing to do so," Du Juan nodded.

Upon hearing this, Mo Bai nodded and didn't pursue the topic further. Instead, he asked, "How are the arrangements for meeting Fang Youqun?"

"I've already spoken with Magistrate Huaming. After breakfast, we'll head over. To avoid suspicion, there are two options: one is for me to ride in a carriage, with Your Highness accompanying me. However, I usually ride horses in Xijiang and rarely use carriages. Suddenly switching to a carriage might arouse suspicion. So, it's best if I continue on horseback, with Your Highness acting as my bodyguard," said Dujuan.

"Okay." Mo Bai nodded in agreement.

After having breakfast, the two went out.

In fact, not many people in this world have actually seen Mo Bai, and even fewer in the Xijiang area.

Mo Bai wore a cloak to cover his white hair and a fake beard. He was dressed in the same clothes as the others from Huang Tingfu, so he didn't stand out.

There weren't many people along the way.

Most of the shops on the street, except for some inns and restaurants, have closed down.

When the war broke out, almost all the people of Changping City who could leave did so, whether to seek refuge with relatives or to become refugees.

Those who remained had nowhere to go and dared not wander out.

Those who are still actively operating are over 90% intelligence agents with their own agendas.

With Mo Bai's perception, he could clearly sense the seemingly casual gazes that had actually been following them all along the way.

Some were peering through the cracks in the windows of an inn’s attic, others were vendors dressed in coarse linen clothes pushing carts, and still others were caravans dressed as merchants, seemingly in a hurry, passing by them.

The battlefield was indeed a place where all sorts of people gathered, and Mo Bai also discovered many cultivators lurking in the shadows.

However, there are basically none who have surpassed the Master Realm; most of them are young cultivators.

"Back in northern Jiangsu, there were quite a few Master Realm cultivators around. But after we came to Xijiang, especially after Lian Zun arrived, anyone who has reached the Master Realm is not allowed to set foot in Changping City without prior notification."

A slight sound was heard.

Mo Bai didn't turn his head to look; he knew it was Lu Changxian just by the voice.

Lu Changxian had already paid his respects to Mo Bai that morning. He was quite embarrassed at the time, since he hadn't even seen Mo Bai's person clearly last night before being knocked down.

However, Mo Bai's friendly attitude when he met him in the morning put his mind at ease.

Mo Bai simply nodded to indicate that he understood, but in his heart he couldn't help but wonder if these True Immortals and Great Venerables would be thrown into disarray after he was "blown up".

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"After the special train exploded, was there anything unusual at Lian Zun's place?" Mo Bai's lips twitched slightly.

When Lu Changxian heard Mo Bai ask him this, he was slightly taken aback, but then overjoyed. Mo Bai was clearly treating him as one of his own.

"I'm not aware of Lian Zun's situation. I don't usually see him. I've only seen that many Lian family cultivators are talking about His Highness's accident in private, but so far, he hasn't done anything out of line. The usual security measures are being implemented as usual," Lu Changxian replied.

"Yes, I've heard about your situation after the Lian family came. I hope you don't hold a grudge. Objectively speaking, the Lian family is indeed stronger than you. Even I wouldn't want them to be subordinate to you," Mo Bai said softly.

"Your Highness, please don't misunderstand. We have no resentment. It is true that we are not as skilled as others. However, when our family members first arrived at the ramp, they were not familiar with many things and they directly drove us away. After all, we were carrying out the mission entrusted to us by Your Highness and were worried about Commander Fang's safety, so we had no choice but to contact Mr. Du," Lu Changxian said immediately.

"Your considerations are very thorough, and you can rest assured. I know you've done your best to protect Commander Fang over the past six months, and I won't forget my promise to you, nor will I let you down. I know you don't want promotions or riches. I can promise you in person that as long as you're willing to serve the country, whatever skills I have that you desire, I will give you," Mo Bai said.

His voice was soft and his tone calm, but Lu Changxian could hear his sincerity. After a moment of silence, he said, "If we are willing to dedicate ourselves to the nation, would Your Highness allow us to erect the Bamboo Leaf Gate again in the future?"

"I have told you, and the entire Daoist sect, more than once that I have no old grudges against the 108 Mountains. Whether it's the Bamboo Leaf Sect or the Yellow Court Palace, as long as you are willing to fight for the people of the nation and drive the Qi barbarians out of Great Xia, if I am still alive by then, I will personally carry the plaque for you when you erect your gates again. How about that?"

"Is Your Highness's statement true?"

"I always keep my word."

Outside the south gate of Changping City, it faces northern Jiangsu and the Qimanbing Peak.

If one were a cultivator, standing atop the city wall, with all one's eyesight, one could even see the battle flags of the Qi Barbarians.

Fang Youqun was an absolutely qualified military commander. Even on days when there was no major battle with the Qi barbarians, he would still go up to the city wall to inspect the city every day.

In fact, what a great commander needs is strategic planning, not leading from the front. But there was no other way; Fang Youqun had to make this trip every day so that his soldiers would see that he, Fang Youqun, was there.

Today was no different; while inspecting the city gate, he saw azaleas.

His brows furrowed immediately, and he said to a general beside him, "Haven't we already given instructions? No one unrelated to this is allowed to come up."

The general gave a wry smile: "General, she came up today carrying the nameplate of the Ming King, the Ming King..."

The general originally wanted to say that the matter concerning the commander-in-chief was being presided over by Prince Ming, and that even if he could refuse, he should not offend Prince Ming's mansion at this time.

But what she said changed to: "The Ming King is now in charge of the General Supervisory Commission against the barbarians. Since Du Juan has taken the Ming King's token, we have no right to stop her."

Upon hearing about the Prince of Ming, Fang Youqun remained silent for a moment, then turned to look at Hua Mingfu: "By the way, is there any news about the Prince of Ming?"

"The imperial court is still intensifying its investigation," Hua Mingfu said after a moment's hesitation.

"Sigh!" Fang Youqun sighed deeply in front of others, a rare occurrence for him.

The generals around him, including Hua Mingfu, exchanged glances, all somewhat surprised. They never expected that the commander-in-chief, who had always kept his distance from the Ming Prince's residence, would actually sigh for the Ming Prince.

"Let's go!" Fang Youqun glanced south again, then turned to go downstairs, clearly not intending to say goodbye to Du Juan.

But as soon as he turned around, he saw Lian Zun, who rarely appeared in public, suddenly standing beside him. Fang Youqun was somewhat surprised and cupped his hands in greeting, asking, "Why have you come, Your Excellency?"

However, the generals around him immediately became serious upon seeing Lian Zun, and formed a circle around Fang Youqun.

The appearance of Lian Zun must mean there is danger here.

Lian Zun stared at Du Juan and her group, about to speak, but then suddenly stopped and said to Fang Youqun, "It's alright, I came up to take a look."

After saying this, he bowed slightly to Fang Youqun, turned around, and disappeared from sight.

It was a false alarm, and everyone relaxed.

Fang Youqun, however, stared at the spot where Lian Zun had just stood, his eyes filled with worry.

Lian Zun's unusual behavior made him feel uneasy, and he couldn't help but connect the matter to the "Ming Wang being blown up".

In fact, ever since the news came, he had been somewhat uneasy, worried that the Daoist sect would change its attitude because of the Ming King's life or death.

He wasn't afraid of death, but at this stage, the battlefield needed people from the Daoist sect; otherwise, his life or death was a minor matter compared to the overall situation of the battle.

He kept his thoughts to himself, said nothing, and turned to lead everyone downstairs.

Du Juan, seeing Fang Youqun turn and leave, was not surprised. She turned to look at Mo Bai, about to say something.

But he discovered that Mo Bai, who had been standing not far from him just moments before, had vanished without a trace.

Inside a city gate, Mo Bai stood with his hands behind his back, quietly gazing out of the city.

Suddenly, Lian Zun appeared behind him, who had been standing alone. He looked Mo Bai up and down before bowing and saying, "I knew that apart from Your Highness, no expert would dare to sneak up in front of me without a word. It seems I was right. Your Highness is indeed safe and sound."

"What? Do you also think I was blown up?" Mo Bai slowly turned around.

Lian Zun smiled slightly: "I didn't think that much about it. It's just that old man Yuqing said he had investigated thoroughly and that even someone in the Xiaoyao Realm would definitely die if they were in the center of the explosion."

"Really? I wonder if he wants me to be blown up?" Mo Bai's expression remained unchanged, as if he hadn't understood Lian Zun's provocation at all.

"That's unclear. Old man Yuqing is a man of deep thoughts; no one knows what he's thinking," Lian Zun shook his head indifferently.

"And what are your thoughts, Your Excellency?" Mo Bai asked with a smile.

Lian Zun turned to meet his gaze: "Didn't Your Highness see? I'm still here, and even my family hasn't left."

"Hmm." Mo Bai gave a noncommittal "hmm": "I haven't shown my face these past few days, and I'm sure you've all weighed things up. Whether it's Yuqing, Taiqing, or the four great families of you, if I really die, it won't do you any good."

Lian Zun did not answer. When the news of Mo Bai's death by explosion came, they certainly could not remain indifferent.

In the past few days, they have naturally been weighing the pros and cons repeatedly.

It's impossible to say there was no wavering; the fact that the Gu family head agreed to withdraw from the Ninth Prince's palace meant he was already considering his options.

However, they still didn't dare to make any rash moves. Even the head of the family stayed by Fang Youqun's side, maintaining his loyalty to the Ming King.

Besides fearing that the Ming King was not dead, they also realized that even if the Ming King was gone, the best way for them to maintain their position was to continue upholding the Ming King's mansion.

Apart from that, whether it's siding with the imperial court or a warlord, it's a poor choice.

So in the past few days, Mo Bai has given them a chance to rethink things. Obviously, the final result is that it is more beneficial for them to live than for Ming Wang to live.

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