The Young Wanderer 07

Sure enough, upon returning to his manor, a shadow guard informed him that someone had been waiting for him for quite some time and had brought a message.

Prince Xuan opened the letter with a bitter expression, looking at the nine names written on it, each representing a different faction.

He felt like crying. He had originally thought Fang Zhiyi was loyal and honest, but it seems people ultimately change. How he regretted his past decisions!

It was fortunate Fang Zhiyi wasn't there, or else he would have told him that the original host never revealed him, even unto death.

The capital was seething with undercurrents. Emperor Tianyan had always been deeply suspicious of Prince Xuan, and the Prince knew he couldn't clear his name. But how could he explain? By saying he cultivated a pawn to draw attention for a future rebellion? That would be just as bad.

After pondering for a long time, he seemed to have only one choice left: send someone to eliminate this Fang Zhiyi who had suddenly undergone such a drastic change in temperament.

But strangely, his secret orders sank without a trace once they left the capital.

"The higher-ups have suddenly suspended our operations, Commander. What should we do?" a masked man asked his superior.

The superior took a sip of wine. "Wait for the Prince's command."

"Could it be that Fang has noticed something..." the subordinate's voice lowered.

The superior sneered. "So what if he has? Without the Prince, could a commoner like him have built such a large business? Could it have provided cover for us? Even if he knows, he can only obey obediently."

He paused and sighed. "Originally, he just needed to keep playing his part as Lord Fang honestly. But now... hmph."

Suddenly, two coughs came from outside the door.

Then the door was pushed open, and two faces peered in. "Good evening."

"Ghost Reaper! Wine Sword Immortal! What are you doing here?"

"Here to... silence you."

"What?"

At the same time, hidden strongholds everywhere were being bloodily purged. Courtyards, taverns, backrooms of gambling dens—the leaders of assassin organizations, intelligence networks, and smuggling caravans all died mysteriously overnight.

Fang Zhiyi rubbed his hands together, looking at Golden Abacus reporting the progress before him, and asked out of the blue, "Do you play chess?"

Golden Abacus was taken aback, then nodded.

"Let's have a game."

Golden Abacus looked at his lord, puzzled. After orchestrating such a major event, his lord wasn't the least bit flustered? Little did he know that for Fang Zhiyi, a purge was merely the most conventional means.

Prince Xuan, having received no response for a long time, wilted. He wasn't stupid and immediately guessed that all his moles planted within the Treasure Pavilion were finished.

Realizing the problem, Prince Xuan was both anxious and furious, yet he could do nothing. In a way, Fang Zhiyi and he were now in the same boat; if things blew up, neither would come out unscathed.

Especially now, with Emperor Tianyan watching him so closely.

With no other choice, Prince Xuan simply threw caution to the wind. He emerged from the shadows and began frequently interacting with various sects and noble families.

These were the four words Fang Zhiyi had someone relay to him.

"Borrow a knife to kill."

Sure enough, wherever the closely watched Prince Xuan went, that sect or family would be promptly investigated and reported to Emperor Tianyan. Seeing the several families his younger brother had visited most recently, the Emperor's suspicions grew heavier and heavier.

"My lord, I truly don't understand this move of yours," Golden Abacus said respectfully as he placed a piece.

Fang Zhiyi glanced casually and dropped a white piece. "You don't need to understand. Sometimes, doing the opposite yields better results."

"My lord is profound and unfathomable..." Golden Abacus placed another piece.

"Less flattery. One, two, three, four, five—I win!" Fang Zhiyi threw down his last piece.

Golden Abacus's face twisted like a bitter gourd. "My lord, this game of Gomoku is too..."

"What? Going back on your word?" Fang Zhiyi raised an eyebrow.

Golden Abacus pursed his lips. "Fine."

Fang Zhiyi put an arm around his shoulders. "That's right. You're just testing it out, just a little bit."

Golden Abacus gave Fang Zhiyi a resentful look, thinking to himself, "Test my foot! Wine Sword Immortal dodged this, and Blind Man and Ghost Reaper are still laid up..."

But he had no choice.

"One, two, three!" Fang Zhiyi counted.

Golden Abacus circulated his spiritual energy to protect himself.

"Ready?"

Golden Abacus closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and nodded.

"Fire!"

With a loud bang, Golden Abacus felt a heavy blow to his chest, taking two steps back. Then he slowly opened his eyes to look at his chest—unharmed! Hahaha.

He nearly jumped for joy.

Fang Zhiyi nodded with understanding and gestured to the several subordinates holding the gunpowder guns.

Still immersed in the joy of a narrow escape, Golden Abacus watched as those fellows across from him picked up another gun.

Fang Zhiyi watched intently.

According to the manufacturing principle, spiritual energy could be used as kinetic energy. Ordinary gunpowder guns couldn't break through high-level cultivators' defenses, but what about spiritual energy guns? He had researched for a long time to find a way to seal spiritual energy into bullets.

Only when he saw Golden Abacus, a third-grade cultivator, vomit blood and fly backward did Fang Zhiyi clap his hands hard.

Success!

Of course, he still had to quickly bring the man back to calm him down.

The Nine Youths of Qingyun had been having a very hard time lately. Wherever they went, they were expelled, because warrants related to them had been issued everywhere.

This left these hidden second-generation youths deeply dissatisfied. How could they, as talented young wandering heroes, receive such treatment?

Thus, in their youthful impetuosity, conflicts with the authorities were constant. Interestingly enough, they had originally wanted to cause trouble for the Treasure Pavilion, but the Pavilion now simply reported them to the officials. So, in the end, it was the government troops they clashed with. For repeatedly injuring soldiers, they were now barred from even entering cities.

But even so, the Nine Youths of Qingyun hadn't forgotten their original purpose: to champion justice and act on behalf of heaven.

So, when they saw a group of prisoners being escorted looking pitiful, they rescued the prisoners, setting all of them free.

Watching the prisoners express their gratitude, the nine youths finally regained a sense of accomplishment.

But this act quickly made them "major criminals."

As cultivators, you could behave a little outrageously, but frequently slapping the court in the face was asking for death.

When he realized things had spiraled out of control, the leader, Li Wenyan, finally let go of his pride.

Facing the encirclement by local cultivators and seeing his sworn brothers injured, Li Wenyan shouted those words: "Stop! I am Li Wenyan, eldest son of the Li family of the capital!"

There was a hint of helplessness in his voice, as if he were forced to rely on his family's influence.

Even if a scion of a noble family killed someone, they would merely be taken back home for a reprimand. It was embarrassing, but for the sake of his companions, he threw caution to the wind!

But the third-grade cultivator leading the opposition was taken aback for a moment, then scoffed. "The Li family of the capital? You mean the Li family that was imprisoned by the Imperial family? I didn't expect there are still fish that slipped through the net!"

Li Wenyan was stunned.