The moon was big at night, and its cool white brilliance penetrated the thin clouds.

Cheng Wanli was instructed to find out about Gu Yunxi in Guiping Residence, only to hear that she could not hold the drink at the night banquet and had been arranged to sleep in the Residence.

Cheng Wanli immediately felt that something was wrong, but he did not dare to take her away forcibly, so he had to ride the horse back alone.

The horse ran wildly under the bright moonlight. The loess avenue was wide and empty, and the dense trees on both sides retreated at a high speed.

Suddenly, the night birds in front of him flew into the sky in groups, as if they had been frightened. The birds flapped their wings desperately under the sky, ramming each other and flying into the sky.

Normally, Cheng Wanli would immediately stop the horse, be alert to the surroundings, move forward or take a detour, and then make plans.

However, at this time, he was controlled by the secret magic and could only execute the command of the person who spelled the secret magic on him, so he couldn't even think about the abnormal situation in front of him. His eyes were hollow and round, and he continued to spur the horse.

Two black figures ran out from the bushes on one side and one of them ran straight to the horse's head, stretching out his arms to snatch the bridle rein.

Cheng Wanli flourished the whip fiercely.

The cold wind passed by their ears, swishing harshly.

The person who attacked Cheng Wanli instantly sensed the danger. His limbs clamped in the air, twisted and turned, and then escaped the attack in time.

Cheng Wanli spurred his horse urgently. The horse raised its head and screamed under the full moon. Its front hoofs were raised high, throwing Cheng Wanli off the horse's back.

As soon as he landed on the ground, another man in black pulled down the black cloth on his face, full of joy and excitement.

"Chiliarch Cheng, we are captain Bai's men in the fourth team. Don't you recognize us?"

Cheng Wanli's eyes showed a short stagnation, and then his facial features turned extremely vicious. He turned away to attack them.

"Master Chiliarch, what's wrong with you?"

"We are really from the fourth team of the Eastern Depot. Please stop that and listen to us!"

Two men in black jumped up and down around the burly man to dodge his attack, and tried their best to explain to him,

"Guards in the fourth team and the seventh team followed the Master to march south, and we were trapped on the way back. Thus, we are late to meet you. Please don't be angry..."

"Chiliarch Cheng, what's wrong with you on earth?"

The two of them were surprised. They couldn't figure out why Cheng Wanli would behave abnormally and fight against them as soon as they met.

They had gone fifty rounds in a short time. Cheng Wanli became braver and braver as he fought, and his moves became more and more brutal.

He found an opportunity to flip his hand and use the hard rod of the riding whip to slam one of them under his ribs. That person fractured immediately and his bones cracked loudly.

The man fell to the ground and kept wailing, and the sorrowful wailing resounded like a ghost crying in the bleak late night, which sounded so harsh and scary.

The other person turned horrified when he saw it, and his moves obviously slowed down. Cheng Wanli approached him sideways, and then cut out his eyeballs with two fingers cruelly.

His eyes were burning, and his face was full of blood.

The poor guard covered the two blood holes with his hands, and there was a steady stream of red blood between his fingers.

He was so painful that he lost all the strength to shout, and his body could only tremble violently.

Cheng Wanli laughed grinningly at the two defeated men, and threw away the completely mashed eyeballs in his palms.

As he was about to lead the horse to continue, there were two figures in black and red blocking his way.

"Wanli, can you recognize me?"

Leng Qingtang was dressed in nocturnal clothing and stood in front of the strong and mad man with his hands crossed behind. His high-stranded black hair was fluttering in the night breeze and he looked handsome and cold.

The fiery red figure beside him was undoubtedly Yu Xuanji, the former High Priest of Da Yi.

Cheng Wanli's muddy and gray eyes were fixed on Leng Qingtang's facial features. He frowned, as if his mind was trapped by some weird thing. His head tilted, and he was so puzzled.

Soon, he became more maniac with burning red eyes, and a weird low whimper sounded in his throat.

Cheng Wanli stared at the "blocking tigers" in front of him. With the sounds of fabric tearing, his two strong arms suddenly expanded for two circles, as if they were full of gas. The raised muscles completely burst his clothes.

The skin of Cheng Wanli's upper body looked so tight which seemed to be about to burst, and the lines of his muscles were undulating. Many green veins and blood vessels were tangled and raised, which could be seen clearly.

Leng Qingtang felt surprised secretly. He hadn't seen him for a few months. He really didn't know whom his most loyal subordinate had met and what had happened to him. Why did he become so weird?

Yu Xuanji looked directly at the Chiliarch of the Eastern Depot whose hair was dishevelled, and there was a shrewd light flashing past his cold eyes. He understood something in his heart, but he refused to speak it out easily. He just stood by silently, watching every move of him at any time alertly.

In front of him, Cheng Wanli's facial features looked evil and fierce, and he waved his arms to launch a fierce attack towards Leng Qingtang.

"Wanli!"

Leng Qingtang had found that something was wrong.

When he fought back, he felt that the arms of the Chiliarch were as rigid as iron.

No matter how proficient he was in Kungfu, the stiff muscles and bones were definitely not what a normal person should have.

In the blink of an eye, they had already fought for a hundred rounds. Cheng Wanli suffered great internal injuries, but he seemed to be completely unafraid of pain. He seemed to be tireless, falling to the ground and standing up, again and again, continuing to attack.

As time passed by, the fight between Leng Qingtang and Cheng Wanli still continued.

Leng Qingtang was excellent at Kungfu, so he had not suffered any loss in the process of continuous fighting.

However, Cheng Wanli's situation was so bad. His upper official clothes were torn, and the hot sweat and yellow mud were mixed on his body.

The night breeze blew, so the yellow mud quickly formed a thin hard shell on his body, making him look like a mess.

Seeing the appearance of his close subordinate, Leng Qingtang felt a sense of compassion for a while, and he couldn't bear to make a move anymore. He withdrew his hands, and his eyes softened,

"Wanli, tell me what happened to our men who stayed in the capital during these three months!"

Cheng Wanli suffered a blow and knelt on one knee, raising his numb head slowly and looking towards Leng Qingtang. His fierce eyes turned bloodshot.

The Adam's apple of him rolled up and down, and there seemed to be a backlog of resentful whimpers in his chest.

When the wind blew, the crouched legs of the Chiliarch suddenly kicked up on the ground, and he pounced towards Leng Qingtang again.

Leng Qingtang's pupils condensed. When he looked up and was about to block the attack, a fiery red figure appeared before his eyes.

Yu Xuanji stood in front of Leng Qingtang, twisted his long arms flexibly, and confronted the mad man for five rounds. Then he gathered his strength to throw three palms, hitting the Sanmen Acupoint of Cheng Wanli.

A tiny slender silver light shook out of the back of Cheng Wanli's neck, and he turned still immediately. After he held the palm-stretching posture for a short time, he collapsed in an instant like a puppet that lost the vertical line.

"Wanli! What did you do to him?"

Leng Qingtang came to him and squatted to check the injuries of his subordinate.

Yu Xuanji took a silver needle from a tree trunk, approached Leng Qingtang, and showed it to him.

"Don't worry. Cheng Wanli will be fine. He was just hit by the 'Puppet Art' of Tianyan Faction. Right now, the silver needle on his main acupoint has been forced out by my internal strength. He will regain consciousness after a short break."

Leng Qingtang lowered his eyes to look at the bloodstains on the needle. His heart jumped quickly for a moment, and the hairs all over his body stood up,

"What kind of evil magic is this? Could it be that someone took advantage of my southern expedition to control my subordinate with Puppet Art?"

Yu Xuanji smiled coldly, and his delicate eyes were stained with the cold light of the silver needle,

"The 'Puppet Art' uses the silver needle as a guide to pierce people's nervous centralis to achieve the purpose of the arbitrary control of people, which is really cruel. However, if the silver needle is shot out by internal strength, it will not kill people. Those who can use this evil magic freely must be the disciples of Tianyan Faction."

"Tianyan Faction..."

Leng Qingtang frowned and repeated. Suddenly he felt shocked, thinking of someone.

When he spoke, Cheng Wanli's slightly curved fingers trembled. His misty eyes suddenly widened, and he sat up then.

"Where am I? Master?"

Seeing the familiar face in front of him, Cheng Wanli was taken aback. He shook his head vigorously, forcing himself to try to remember the past.

Leng Qingtang put his both hands on Cheng Wanli's shoulders, asking him excitedly,

"How are you feeling? Is there anything wrong with you?"

Cheng Wanli looked at Yu Xuanji in confusion, and then turned his gaze back, staring at Leng Qingtang's face.

"Master, when did you find the High Priest? And when did the scar on your left face heal?"

Although Leng Qingtang was confused, he knew that his subordinate was not talking nonsense. Yu Xuanji and he then looked at each other.

Cheng Wanli thought of something suddenly, and shouted in astonishment,

"Gosh!"

...

Outside Guiping Residence, the new emperor Huanan Xin led a small team of Royal Guards and the attendant eunuch Lord Chen, Chen Ying, to meet with the owner of Nanzhu Jade secretly.

The man wore a brown-gray cloak, and his face was almost covered by the wide hood.

The silent moonlight shone on his shoulders, drawing his thin figure even more slender.

Under his feet was a square mahogany lacquer box with a gilded lid tightly closed.

From the angle of Huanan Xin and his subordinates, it was impossible to see his face, but it was no longer a mystery.

The process of submitting the Jade to the new emperor was a means of showing his true identity deliberately.

Huanan Xin stood tall, his sharp eyes fixed on his mouth and nose exposed outside the hood, and then he chuckled,

"I didn't expect that you are not only alive, but you even come to see me. What's more, I never expected that you still carry the Jade gifted by the deceased emperor to you."

The person cupped his hand in the other before his chest, and his cold voice was tinged with indelible fatigue,

"Your Majesty, I deceived you, so I deserve death. But I have been rewarded many times by the Imperial Huanan Family, and I will never forget it. Your Majesty, I come here late at night just to tell you something. I am grateful to you, so I just want to continue to work for the imperial court."

Huanan Xin raised his eyebrows cunningly,

"Oh? I have already made a decree to appoint a new fleet commander to take office. The emperor's words are to be taken seriously. Can you make me contradict myself and take my decree back?"

Without blinking, the person kicked out the lacquer box under his feet quickly,

"Even if there is no chance, I will create chances."

Huanan Xin looked down and motioned to Lord Chen.

Lord Chen stepped forward. As soon as he crouched and opened the box, he let out a harsh scream and fell to the ground, taking a few more steps back.

There was a human head in the box. Even if the unkempt face was bloodstained, Huanan Xin recognized the facial features.

The owner of the head was Yao Qi, who came to Guiping from the capital and was the incoming commander of Dongqing Fleet.

Huanan Xin gave high fives to the air, saying lukewarmly,

"Great. Great. You are really courageous. So, just tell me, what important news will you use in exchange for the position of the fleet commander?"

The person turned his hand and took off the hood, his face looking so pale in the cold moonlight.

With a smile, he bowed slightly and then said indifferently,

"Your Majesty, is the news that Leng Qingtang is still alive important enough to you?"