Martial Arts Crossover: It All Started with Hijacking Li Canghai

Time flies, and it's already October 9th.

Ancestor worship ceremony in Lin'an City.

Before dawn today, a light drizzle began to fall.

Zhao Gou stood beside the imperial carriage in front of the ancestral temple, glanced at the gloomy sky, and wondered if today was truly a good day for ancestor worship.

An old eunuch bent down to shield him from the rain.

"Your Majesty... the auspicious time is approaching, it's time to ascend the steps."

Zhao Gou put his hands behind his back and stepped onto the first stone step.

Two thousand imperial guards stood in rows on both sides of the passageway, their red tassels on their halberds soaked by the rain.

Yuwen Huaji stood at the very front of the military officers, his eyes closed.

Other officials would wipe the raindrops and flick their sleeves from time to time, but he didn't make any unnecessary movements for a long time.

Cai Jing stood by the incense table, holding the eulogy in his hands, glancing at Yuwen Huaji every now and then out of the corner of his eye.

This person is unusually quiet today.

A chill ran down his spine for no apparent reason.

An official from the Ministry of Rites whispered a reminder from below.

"Left Prime Minister...it's time to read the eulogy."

Cai Jing then withdrew his gaze and pulled open the yellow silk eulogy with both hands.

"In the thirteenth year of the Shaoxing reign of the Great Song Dynasty... the year was Guihai, the first day of the tenth month was Renwu..."

Zhao Gou walked to the table with the incense burner, clasped his hands together, and bowed in preparation for kneeling.

Just then!

The sound of bells ringing came from behind the high walls outside the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

The commotion came one after another, and within seconds, the dense sound of horses' hooves and the clanging of armor came from all directions.

Zhao Gou turned around abruptly, his face drained of color.

"What...what's going on?!"

Before anyone could respond, the vermilion gate outside the Imperial Ancestral Temple was violently smashed open!

Yuwen Chengdu rode his chestnut horse over the threshold and into the courtyard. His dark gold heavy armor was covered in water stains, and he slid across the ground, dragging his phoenix-winged gilded halberd with one hand.

The sharp point of the cymbal rubbed against the bluestone slab, producing dazzling sparks.

Zhao Heng, the commander of the imperial guards, drew his sword and shouted, leading several iron guards with shields to surround them.

"Quickly...protect the emperor! Protect the emperor immediately!"

Thirty armored guards, holding rectangular iron shields, formed three human walls, blocking Zhao Gou behind them.

Zhao Heng held up his single-edged sword, pointing it directly at Yuwen Chengdu in front of him.

"Yuwen Chengdu! You...you dared to lead troops to trespass into the Imperial Ancestral Temple! This...this is treason, a capital offense!"

Yuwen Chengdu ignored the shouts in front of him, spurred his horse, and the chestnut horse began to sprint.

"Those who block the way...die!"

Zhao Heng opened his eyes wide, gritted his teeth, and charged forward, wielding the blade.

Yuwen Chengdu exerted force with his arm to the outside, sweeping his Phoenix Wing Gold-plated Axe horizontally!

The force sliced ​​through the rain in mid-air, broke through the iron shield in front of him, and pierced directly through Zhao Heng's waist.

Before Zhao Heng could strike with his sword, he lost consciousness and was even cut into several pieces by Yuwen Chengdu.

Several screams erupted from the crowd of officials behind them. They started running around in a panic, and the scene instantly descended into chaos. Some even crouched down and huddled under the incense table.

Some people used the railings to climb over and run towards the side hall, while several others fell to the ground, their faces ashen.

Yuwen Huaji then opened his eyes, looked around coldly, and shouted in a louder voice.

"Stop right there, all of you!"

He walked from the crowd to the open space in front, and despite having the power of a grandmaster, he let the rain beat down on him.

"Today, I only want this tyrant's life; I won't harm any of you. If you know what's good for you, stay where you are!"

Cai Jing leaned against the side of the incense table, his fingers trembling slightly uncontrollably.

He kept shifting his gaze, trying to find the men he had planted.

But when he looked up, he found that the high walls around him were already lined with guards holding bows, the arrows of their crossbows gleaming coldly.

Cai Jing swallowed hard, feeling a growing chill run down his spine.

Zhao Gou peeked out from behind the iron shield, his voice trembling with fear, yet he still forced himself to utter harsh words.

"Yuwen Huaji! You...you're insane! How dare you openly rebel?!"

Yuwen Huaji looked at him as if he were looking at a sick tiger.

"Your Majesty... you've become too comfortable in this position, and you don't even know what you really are anymore."

He walked up the steps one by one.

"The Song Dynasty was already beyond repair from the day your father was taken away by the Jurchens, from the day half of the Song Dynasty fell into the hands of the Qing dogs."

"Besides writing and painting, and indulging in comfort in this secluded palace, what other decent things can you do?"

Zhao Gou's face turned bright red as he held back his anger.

Yuwen Chengdu stopped his horse at the bottom of the steps, holding his phoenix-winged gilded halberd horizontally in front of him. The armored soldiers behind him had blocked all the passages.

"Father, those people at the palace gate have all been dealt with."

Yuwen Huaji has been waiting for far too long.

"Well done! Lead your men to wipe out the remaining members of the Palace Guard. Anyone who resists should be killed without mercy!"

Yuwen Chengdu nodded, and the red horse turned around and sped off.

"clear!"

Zhao Gou watched the figures disappear outside, his legs going weak.

"Yuwen Huaji... I have treated you well all these years!"

Yuwen Huaji stopped and looked up.

"Have you treated me well?"

He burst out laughing.

"You disregarded the lives of your own father and brothers, letting the Jurchens take them away. How can you be kind to anyone?"

"With your character... do you even deserve to sit in this position?"

Zhao Gou swallowed hard, his facial muscles twitching incessantly.

Cai Jing listened to their conversation and quietly took two steps back, trying to move out of the crowd.

Yuwen Huaji did not turn around, but flicked his wrist backward.

Mysterious Ice Force!

A chilling aura grazed Cai Jing's cheek and struck the large bronze incense burner behind him, instantly shattering the solid metal block!

"Prime Minister Cai... don't be in such a hurry to leave."

Cai Jing stopped moving and stood still, beads of sweat rolling down his face.

"Yuwen Huaji, we've served in the same court for so many years, why are you doing this...?"

Yuwen Huaji stared at the other party with a gloomy gaze.

"What? Are you trying to say 'why bother'?"

"Don't you have any idea how much benefit you've taken from my Yuwen family over the years?"

Today, as we pay respects to our ancestors, I think we should conveniently consider it your death anniversary.

Cai Jing's face turned pale, and his body went limp as he leaned against the broken pillar behind him.

At this moment, a soft sigh suddenly came from the main hall of the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and the sigh could be clearly heard outside.

Yuwen Huaji's smile faded, and his brows furrowed slightly.

Zhao Gou exclaimed with great joy, "This is... Daoist Qingxuan?"

The wooden door of the main hall was pushed open, and an old man wearing an old-fashioned Taoist robe came out.

He was thin and gaunt, with completely white hair. His wrinkled face was expressionless, and he held a steel sword in his hand.

Qingxuan Daoist looked at Yuwen Huaji and sighed, "Yuwen Huaji, if you intend to destroy the Zhao family's empire today, you'll have to get past me first."

The raindrops fell more heavily from the sky. Daoist Qingxuan drew his long sword, the tip of which touched the bluestone slab. A stream of true energy spread outwards from his feet.

Zhao Gou clung to the shield in front of him and looked out, gazing at the Qingxuan Daoist blocking his way.

"Master Daoist... Master Daoist, please save me..."

Qingxuan Daoist stood with his back to the person behind him, maintaining his original posture.

"Your Majesty, all I can do with these bones is this one sword."