Chinese animation: Starting with Bad Guys

"Why did you bring this clown along?"

Heaven have mercy, from Luoyang to Chang'an, he listened to Hou Qing playing the five-note scale over and over again, his ears were tortured the whole way.

The out-of-tune flute music was even more jarring than the sound of swords clashing on a battlefield.

"Brother Hou, you only listen to Chi Meng."

Qin Chuan waved his hand, indicating that he would not take the blame.

He leaned against a broken stone pillar, the moonlight outlining his sharply defined profile:

"Besides, in this situation, some noise is better than complete silence."

"It's all because Brother Qin, you refused to bring Master along!"

Hou Qing suddenly leaped down from the wall, his white robes tracing an arc in the moonlight. He put away his bone flute and began to sternly reprimand Qin Chuan:

"My master was worried, which is why he let me come along. This has delayed my training!"

Qin Chuan chuckled softly, a complex expression flashing in his eyes:

"Blame that old geezer Yuan Tiangang."

He was determined to shift the blame, and his gaze became increasingly profound.

He stood atop the city wall, gazing towards the direction of Hidden Soldiers Valley. The night wind whipped his robes, making them flutter loudly.

What was Yuan Tiangang doing at this moment? Was he plotting a conspiracy for tomorrow, or making final preparations for his three-hundred-year-old obsession?

Before the Hidden Weapon Pavilion, the moonlight reflected on the rippling lake, casting a clear image of Yuan Tiangang's bronze mask.

The mask gleamed with a cold metallic sheen in the moonlight, concealing all his expressions except for a pair of unfathomable eyes.

He stood calmly, holding a yellowed old book and flipping through it.

On the cover, the three characters '乙巳占' are written in large characters. The ink has faded, but it is still clearly legible.

This is a classic divination text left by Li Chunfeng, which Yuan Tiangang has read countless times over the past three hundred years.

Suddenly, ripples appeared on the water's surface, and another figure appeared in the reflection—Li Chunfeng, dressed in white.

His image is blurry, yet it gives people a sense of detachment from worldly affairs.

"It's time to end this," Li Chunfeng spoke from the water, his voice echoing ethereally as if it came from afar. "Tomorrow, the world will be yours. Your three hundred years of waiting will not have been in vain."

"The world..." Yuan Tiangang sneered, his voice coming through the bronze mask, sounding particularly deep, "What does the world mean to me?"

He gently stroked the pages of the book with his fingers.

Three hundred years of waiting, is it for the sake of a mere world?

"Indeed, all you've done is to test your own tyranny," Li Chunfeng said with a sigh, his reflection shimmering on the water. "The world is merely your chessboard."

Yuan Tiangang remained silent for a moment, then suddenly looked up at the night sky. Countless stars twinkled, like countless eyes watching over the world.

"So what if it's domineering? So what if it's the will of Heaven?" he coldly scoffed. "This commander only believes that human effort can achieve anything!"

"But you still care about the last divination I performed." Li Chunfeng stared at Yuan Tiangang, as if he could see right through him. "Otherwise, why would you have sent people to deduce it day and night for three hundred years?"

The lake surface suddenly rippled violently, as if disturbed by some unseen force. Yuan Tiangang's robe sleeves fluttered even without wind, revealing his inner turmoil.

"Three hundred years have passed." After a long silence, Yuan Tiangang finally spoke, his voice low and deep. "The meaning contained in the changing lines of that divination is no longer what it was back then." He paused, "What the outcome will be, even Heaven doesn't know!"

The reflection in the water swayed slightly: "Yuan Tiangang, the sun and moon cycle endlessly, and no change can escape them. Do I need to teach you that?"

Yuan Tiangang abruptly closed "The Divination of Yi Si," the book making a crisp "snap" sound.

A strong gust of wind blew by, causing ripples on the lake's surface. Li Chunfeng's reflection vanished without a trace, like shattered moonlight.

Yuan Tiangang turned around and saw Jingxinmo standing humbly with his head almost touching the ground.

His breathing calmed, and his voice returned to its low, hoarse tone: "Why are your steps so slow?"

"I saw you talking to yourself for a long time just now, and I didn't dare to disturb you."

The Mirror Heart Demon lowered his head and looked extremely respectful.

"How about I have you perform a divination for me?"

Yuan Tiangang asked calmly, then turned to face the lake, his back to the Mirror Heart Demon.

Jingxinmo hesitated, his forehead beaded with sweat.

The copper coin he was clutching was soaked with sweat.

"Speak," Yuan Tiangang said succinctly, his voice leaving no room for doubt.

Mirror Heart Demon took a deep breath, his voice trembling: "The Gate of Life in the Gen trigram is tightly closed. If you leave the valley, you will surely die..."

As soon as he finished speaking, he knelt down on the ground, his forehead pressed against the ground, not daring to raise his head.

This great general has been invincible in the world for three hundred years. Who can take his life?

An image of a figure in a green robe with a long sword at his waist involuntarily appeared in his mind.

"Finally... finally..."

Unexpectedly, Yuan Tiangang did not get angry; instead, he sighed softly.

This sigh seemed to pierce through three hundred years of time and space, containing endless complex emotions, and lingered for a long time.

After a long silence, he spoke again, his voice eerily calm: "They've arrived?"

"The young marshal and the emperor have arrived in Chang'an, and the various lords will arrive no later than noon tomorrow." Jing Xinmo remained kneeling on the ground, not daring to get up.

He could feel the oppressive aura emanating from Yuan Tiangang, as heavy as a physical substance.

"You may leave."

Yuan Tiangang waved his hand, and the bronze mask gleamed coldly in the moonlight.

Mirror Heart Demon hesitated, his lips trembling slightly, before finally bowing deeply and quietly retreating. His figure appeared exceptionally small in the moonlight, quickly disappearing into the darkness.

Yuan Tiangang stood alone by the lake, gazing at the starry sky. The three-hundred-year wait was finally drawing to a close.

He slowly removed his mask, revealing a hideous and terrifying face.

A red figure suddenly appeared silently, breaking the silence of the night.

It was the fake Li Xingyun. His face was almost identical to the real Li Xingyun, but his eyes were filled with fanaticism and obsession.

"You dare to come back?"

Yuan Tiangang didn't turn around; his voice was as cold as ice. He slowly put his mask back on, concealing all his expressions.

The plan of the fake Li Xingyun to seize the Blood-Weeping Record and exchange it for dragon blood failed, and the plots to assassinate Li Xingyun several times also failed.

According to the rules of the scoundrels, such a piece of trash only has one way out: death.

"Li Xingyun is not fit to be emperor, Commander-in-Chief, you need me!"

The fake Li Xingyun shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice particularly jarring in the quiet night.

He also knew Li Xingyun well, and was aware of his determination to die rather than become emperor.

"All he has left is his bloodline! But I'm different. You gave me the heart to restore the Tang Dynasty, and you gave me the face of a descendant of the Tang! I am the real Li Xingyun!"

The fake Li Xingyun knelt on the ground, his hands clenched into fists, his nails digging deep into his palms, drawing blood.

Yuan Tiangang finally turned around, his eyes beneath the bronze mask coldly staring at the crazed double.

After a moment of silence, he slowly spoke: "This is your last chance."

Before he finished speaking, Yuan Tiangang's figure flashed and disappeared without a trace, leaving only the fake Li Xingyun kneeling on the spot.

"Thank you, Commander!"

The fake Li Xingyun kowtowed heavily, his forehead hitting the ground with a dull thud.

When he looked up again, his eyes were burning with a mad flame.

In the distance, the outline of Chang'an City was faintly visible in the moonlight, like a sleeping giant.

When the sun rises tomorrow, this ancient capital with a history of thousands of years will witness the fate of the world.

Chapter 98 The Death of the Big-Eared Thief!

The morning mist, like gauze, gradually dissipated under the gentle caress of the rising sun, making the dilapidated outline of Chang'an City even clearer in the dawn light.

The mottled city walls cast jagged shadows, and every crack silently tells the story of this ancient capital's long and eventful history.

King Meng Zhixiang of Shu stepped over the rubble in front of Xuanwu Gate, the clanging of his armor producing a dull metallic sound.

He walked with a steady and powerful gait, as if he wanted to make the land echo with his steps.

The large banner bearing the character "Shu" held high by the personal guards behind him fluttered in the biting morning wind, only to be torn apart by a sudden gust of wind, much like the shocking scar of war on the city wall.

"Grand Preceptor, it's been a long time." Meng Zhixiang looked up at the city tower, his voice deep and powerful.

His gaze fell on the figure standing with his hands behind his back—Qin Chuan's robes fluttered in the morning breeze, as if he were a banished immortal descending to earth.

"Should I change my title? Young Marshal? Or... Dark Star?"

The news that the three great heroes of our time were actually one person had already spread like wildfire throughout the world.

Meng Zhixiang's eyes gleamed with undisguised admiration. He firmly believed that the young man before him was the true chosen one.

"It's just an empty title; the King of Shu will name whomever he likes."

Qin Chuan's lips curled slightly, his voice unhurried yet possessing a captivating majesty.

Just then, a clear, crisp sound of golden bells came from afar.

The royal carriage of King Yang Pu of Wu slowly came to a stop, and as the beaded curtain swayed gently, Princess Shangrao peeked out.

The welding demon had already extended its broad palms, and the moment their fingers intertwined, even the air seemed to soften.

"If it weren't for the Grand Preceptor acting as matchmaker, how could I have such a fine son-in-law?"

Yang Pu stroked his beard and smiled, then solemnly cupped his hands in greeting to the city tower.

Qin Chuan's gaze softened slightly:

"In that case, I truly deserve this toast as a token of my gratitude to the matchmaker."

Even the usually aloof Hou Qing couldn't help but soften his stern expression upon seeing this scene.