Smoke curled, mist rose.

Chen Yuan exhaled a long breath, completely entering a selfless state of mind, as if he had no desires or needs for anything, which was very mysterious.

At this moment, he was a sage.

After a long time, Old Yang finally finished smoking. The choking smoke was so strong that his eyes rolled back and he almost fainted.

This parting would last at least a year, and they had to leave each other with a deep impression.

Chen Yuan sat upright, eyes fixed straight ahead, pondering for a long time.

Consort Yang came back to her senses, and both sides were silent.

Speaking of which, they had been in a state of mutual hostility before. Chen Yuan had crippled her younger brother and sent him to the Liangzhou border, where he almost died in the last war, but was left half-crippled.

But she couldn't bring herself to hate him.

Especially as she was about to see him off, she even felt a little reluctant.

She couldn't explain it, but it was definitely present in her heart.

Therefore, after learning that Chen Yuan was about to leave, she risked sneaking out of the palace, just to see Chen Yuan one more time, and by the way, smoke another strong native tobacco.

"Be careful in the South, prioritize stability above all else, and don't be reckless when things happen." Consort Yang lowered her head, took a sip of cool tea, and exhaled like an orchid.

"Don't you know my personality?"

"That's why I'm worried."

Consort Yang snorted softly, acting like a young girl.

Chen Yuan's personality wasn't universally known, but anyone who had come into contact with him understood that although he wasn't impulsive or hot-headed, he was definitely not a stable person.

Either he would kill someone, or someone would kill him.

If one were to recount Chen Yuan's deeds since leaving Ping'an County, they would find that he had truly reached this point by stepping on the bones of others, being ruthless, iron-blooded, and merciless.

"Heh."

"I also heard about what happened in the Golden Luan Hall the other day. Actually, you didn't have to refuse. In that situation, if it weren't for the two Dukes of State speaking up to help, and you yourself didn't have any major faults, the Emperor wouldn't have let you go."

"I know."

He understood Jingtai's personality to some extent, although he hadn't had much contact with him. He wasn't exactly a tyrannical and overbearing tyrant, but he had tendencies in that direction.

He was most wary of ministers who defied their superiors.

Even if Chen Yuan had made great contributions to the court, he was still just a minister and couldn't resist the Emperor, as that would be disrespecting imperial power.

But at that time, it was impossible for him not to resist.

If it was just suffering some losses, he would have endured it for the sake of future plans, but if they wanted to tie a rope around him while he still had a fighting chance, that was absolutely impossible.

One of them had to die!

Sooner or later.

"I've already met with Pingyang and tested her intentions, and the hope is very high." Consort Yang was silent for a long time before finally speaking.

This was one of the few things she could do for Chen Yuan.

Chen Yuan glanced at her. Although this wasn't necessary, her intention was still there. He nodded:

"I understand. It's getting late. You have to go back later. Do you want to smoke another one?"

Consort Yang hesitated for a moment, then nodded slightly.

In the blink of an eye, it was the next day.

Chen, who had smoked several times last night, woke up early, his eyelashes fluttering slightly. He opened his eyes and spaced out on the bed for a while before finally getting up.

Looking at all the familiar decorations in the room, Chen Yuan exhaled a long breath of stale air.

He didn't feel particularly reluctant.

No matter how good the capital was, it wasn't his home.

No matter how dilapidated Ping'an County was, it was always the first home he had come to in this world. Although it was broken, it was heartwarming.

The news of his departure had spread throughout the capital, but few people knew exactly when he would leave, and he didn't want to make a big fuss and waste time.

He had already met with the people he needed to say goodbye to.

There was no need to meet with people he shouldn't say goodbye to, people he had no connection with.

He didn't meet Sima Ke, but that didn't mean that this person wasn't important. On the contrary, this guy was very useful to him. As Jingtai's fourth son, with his current reputation, his power wasn't small.

But Jingtai would definitely be wary of his relationship with Sima Ke. In the Inspecting Heaven Division, he had already greeted several Divine Envoys. They wouldn't join his camp, but they would never hinder him either.

That was enough.

He had to avoid suspicion as much as possible.

When he was smoking yesterday, he told Consort Yang about this and asked her to pass a message to Sima Ke, to make some noise recently.

The position of Crown Prince was about to be decided.

If it didn't work out, Chen Yuan would do his best to help him ascend to the throne.

This was Chen Yuan's pie in the sky, but Sima Ke had no choice but to eat it.

After staying in the Marquis of Wu'an's mansion for half an hour and instructing Butler Fu a few words, Chen Yuan left the Marquis of Wu'an's mansion quietly, as if he was just going for a leisurely stroll.

Then, he left Shenjing City just as quietly.

It wouldn't be completely unknown, but there wouldn't be many who knew.

Chen Yuan left Shenjing City from the south gate, heading straight for Changshan Prefecture. As soon as he left the city, Chen Yuan, who had no worries, immediately flew into the air, streaking across the sky like a meteor.

In the eyes of ordinary people, such a supernatural power similar to transformation into light would be imperceptible.

"Zheng"

Chen Yuan, who was flying at high altitude, suddenly stopped his forward momentum, looking suspiciously at the position to his left front. Sounds of solemn zither music filled his ears and permeated the surroundings.

Looking closely, he saw a woman in a white dress, a thousand feet ahead, plucking the strings of the zither beneath her. The alternating sounds of the zither were both solemn and conveyed a sense of parting.

The white-robed woman wore her hair loose, with only a wooden hairpin inserted in it, appearing unusually unrestrained.

Her skin was like mutton-fat jade, appearing to emit a faint light from afar.

Her eyebrows were like willow leaves, or perhaps sword-like eyebrows, giving her a heroic air.

Her nose was high and straight, her eyes were bright, and strands of her long hair moved with the wind, as did her white dress.

Such a scene was no less than a landscape painting, both tranquil and beautiful.

Chen Yuan also saw the white-robed woman's appearance at a glance, and was slightly surprised.

Because this woman was none other than the current Grand Princess, Pingyang!

Judging by her actions today, she must be seeing him off.

As the music ended, Princess Pingyang stood up, looked remotely at the figure suspended in the void, raised her hand and bowed.

As if to say, have a safe journey.

She didn't know that Chen Yuan would leave today, but based on his movements, she could calculate it, so she waited here today. She didn't know what she was waiting for.

But in the end, she still came.

Just like going to Lin'an Prefecture.

They looked at each other, the atmosphere solidified.

Neither Chen Yuan nor Pingyang said anything, they just looked at each other calmly. After about ten breaths, Chen Yuan nodded slightly, cupped his fist in a salute, and soared away.

Princess Pingyang stood on the mountain peak, looking south, like a statue of a wife waiting for her husband, not moving for a long time.

This day was the 26th day of the sixth month of the ninth year of Jingtai in the Great Jin Dynasty.

The Imperial Palace, the Imperial Garden.

Jingtai, dressed in a plain robe, held a jade slip, looking indifferently at the contents.

Several eunuchs and palace maids attended him.

The garden was filled with the fragrance of flowers.

"Your Majesty, Eunuch Cao is here."

A young eunuch said respectfully.

"Let him in."

Jingtai casually placed the jade slip in his hand on the stone table. After a short while, Cao Zhengxian walked from the entrance to the Emperor's presence and bowed slightly:

"This old servant greets Your Majesty."

"Sit."

Jingtai pointed to the side.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Cao Zhengxian sat down beside the Emperor with great familiarity.

"Chen Yuan has left?"

"At this time, he is no longer traceable within the capital. He must have left." The eyes and ears of the Imperial Surveillance Division were spread throughout the entire capital. If they wanted to track someone, even if that person had extremely high cultivation, they couldn't shake them off.

Finding a person was very simple.

But if they couldn't find him, it could only prove two things: one, this person had shaken off the hidden stakes and eyes throughout the capital, and two, this person had completely left the capital.

"Your Majesty, this old servant has also received a message from my subordinates." Cao Zhengxian smiled faintly. Now that the Emperor was neither anxious nor angry, he spoke much more relaxedly.

"What message?"

Jingtai glanced at him.

"Hidden stakes discovered that at the third watch today, a plump and beautiful woman secretly left the Marquis of Wu'an's mansion. Originally, I wanted to investigate who this person was, but because of fear of Chen Yuan, I ultimately did not act."

Cao Zhengxian said as such.

Jingtai chuckled:

"You old fellow is still watching such things. Chen Yuan has never married, so it's normal to have women approaching him. It seems that the rumors are true. This person is fond of other men's wives, which is different from ordinary people. He is indeed a young and romantic man."

"This person may have had deep contact with Chen Yuan. If we find her and use her as a threat, we might be able to make Chen Yuan afraid of harming her." Cao Zhengxian said very seriously.

This could be considered a handle that wasn't exactly a handle.

"What do you think of Chen Yuan's character?" Jingtai didn't answer Cao Zhengxian's question, but asked in return.

Cao Zhengxian pondered for a moment and said in a low voice:

"He is ruthless, decisive, and emotionless. He prioritizes profit in everything and acts step by step."

"Then do you think someone with such a character would ruin things for a woman?"

"Your Majesty is right, this old servant is somewhat..."

Jingtai waved his hand: "I understand Chen Yuan's personality to some extent. A woman is nothing. He will never risk his life for her. Moreover, he doesn't dare to break face with me yet. These small tricks are not worth mentioning.

As long as Chen Yuan doesn't commit treason or defiance of his superiors, liking a few women is nothing."

"Your Majesty's teachings are correct. This old servant will keep them in mind."

Cao Zhengxian nodded seriously.

"How are those few matters being investigated?"

Jingtai asked casually.

Cao Zhengxian knew what Jingtai was asking about and said in a low voice:

"The situation in Lanzhou is still unclear, but the latest news from Youzhou seems a bit off. It may be related to the remnants of the Xiang family who appeared in the North before.

As for Shuzhou, we can't draw any conclusions yet. There are traces of the activities of the Everlasting Sect, as well as traces of the Heavenly Devil Palace, and..."

"And what?"

"There are also some traces of the activities of demons. Lu Renjia's death may not be so simple."

"The South is going to be unstable."

Jingtai's expression was solemn.

"Yes, with so many things happening together, there are indeed signs of instability in the South. Why not transfer Chen Yuan to another place? Otherwise, with his personality, talent, and potential, he may not be able to return alive."

"This kid has good luck. He has survived so many dangerous situations before, so this time won't be any different. He has no intention of marrying and aims for the world.

I don't know if it's true, but I can satisfy him. If he doesn't meet my requirements within a year, he must come back to get married and tie a rope around him.

His talent is too terrifying and cannot be kept for long. And next time, not to mention the Duke of Wei and the Duke of Zheng speaking up, even if the National Preceptor and Wei Jinfeng are added,

I will no longer compromise!"

"Your Majesty is right."

"However, if he really dies in the South, we must bring his body back to the capital. I'm actually curious as to what he relies on to surpass ordinary people by decades in just a few short years."

Jingtai added one last sentence.

Cao Zhengxian was stunned for a moment, unable to fully comprehend the meaning behind it, and had to nod his head:

"Yes, this old servant understands."

"It's been so long, have we found the traces of the Painting Sage?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, we have narrowed the scope by half. Only Shuzhong, Shunan, Shuxi, and other places have not been investigated. Wu Daozi should be within these few ranges."

"I'll give you another year, just like Chen Yuan. If you can't bring Wu Daozi back to the capital within a year, don't blame me for being ruthless."

Jingtai said in a stern voice.

A year was definitely a relatively generous amount of time.

And his time was running out. At most, he had a little more than a year left. If he couldn't complete his plans, the impact would be too great.

"This old servant obeys the decree. Within a year, I will definitely bring this person before Your Majesty."

Cao Zhengxian's expression was solemn and his face was grave.

"Good, remember what you said. Go down."

"This old servant takes his leave."

Qingzhou, Nanling Prefecture, Ping'an County.

Chen's family courtyard, which had not been disturbed for a long time, did not appear dirty or messy. There wasn't even much dust. This was due to Wang Ping's efforts. He had been doing very well in Ping'an County for the past two years.

Everyone in the county's brothels knew his name.

Who wouldn't call him Lord Ping when they saw him?

However, although Wang Ping had astonishing power, he always kept his head clear and knew where his power came from. Even the adults in the prefectural capital didn't dare to do anything to him. He had connections with both the black and white markets, all because of that once-brother-from-another-mother, Chen Yuan.

Knowing this clearly, he naturally wouldn't be negligent. The Marquis of Wu'an's mansion was still under construction, and besides going to supervise the construction from time to time, he spent much of his free time cleaning the courtyard.

He knew that Brother Yuan was a nostalgic person, and even if the mansion was built, it wouldn't necessarily be as important as this small courtyard.

Since there wasn't much he could do, he had to do his best.

He had always maintained the original appearance of the small courtyard, and anyone who dared to damage a brick or tile in this courtyard would have to pay a great price.

On this day, as usual, Wang Ping cleaned the courtyard again, offered incense to Chen Yuan's parents and uncle, and then turned around, closed the door, and left.

As soon as Wang Ping left, the surrounding void changed, with faint ripples appearing. Xiang Qianqiu, dressed in black robes and resembling Chen Yuan somewhat, slowly walked out.

He looked around the small courtyard for a while, then pushed the door open and entered. A small strand of hair fell on it. Xiang Qianqiu narrowed his eyes, grabbed it, and walked into the room.

What came into view were three spiritual tablets.

They didn't have names, but he knew that one of them was his.

He stared at them in the room for a long time, but Xiang Qianqiu's eyes remained indifferent, as if nothing could arouse his interest. After observing for a while, just as he was about to leave, he discovered a plain paintbrush on a shelf.

Xiang Qianqiu's lips curled into a faint sneer. He switched the paintbrush, put the hair back, and left Chen's family courtyard silently.

When he reappeared, he was actually on the back mountain of Cien Temple outside Ping'an County.

A somewhat vicissitude-looking monk in a green robe sat cross-legged on the back mountain. His appearance was a little unusual, as he looked both in his twenties and thirties.

His eyes were somewhat vicissitudes-looking.

If Chen Yuan were here, he would definitely be able to recognize that this person was the Xuyan monk who had given him the Vajra Glazed Body Technique, and it was also him who had given Chen Yuan a crucial pointer when Chen Yuan was investigating the traces of the Everlasting Sect demons.

Although he had received money for it.

"Benefactor Xiang."

The Xuyan monk looked at the void in front of him, where there was no movement, and smiled with a nod.

"Is the matter done?"

Xiang Qianqiu walked out of the void expressionlessly, stopped in front of him, and looked at him indifferently.

"The countries of the Western Regions have already begun to make moves. Once they move, they will inevitably drive the Spiritual Mountain behind them. As long as the imperial court becomes hostile to the Western Spiritual Mountain, Benefactor Xiang's opportunity may come."

Xuyan smiled faintly.

"These are all minor tricks and not that important. The bald donkeys of Spiritual Mountain are not stupid, how could they not understand the principles behind it?"

"Hehe, Amitabha."

"You lazy monk, did you complete the task I gave you?"

Xiang Qianqiu looked directly at him.

The Xuyan monk smiled silently and stretched out his palm.

With a cold snort, a water-attributed spiritual orb exuding black light was thrown into his hand.

"This poor monk is not Benefactor Xiang's subordinate. You and I are just trading. Since it's a trade, we naturally have to speak with benefits."

"Alright, speak quickly."

"It's already done, but this poor monk is a little puzzled. Why would Benefactor Xiang, who has always claimed to be the orthodox heir to the world, get involved with the Southern demon race?"

Xuyan looked directly at him.

Xiang Qianqiu was silent, and also stretched out his palm, the meaning of which was self-evident.

"Forget it, this poor monk won't ask."

Seeing that he still needed to give something, Xuyan no longer wanted to ask.

"You lazy monk, how many things have you taken from me over the years, and now you're not willing to return even a little bit? It's a waste that you were once the number one person under the Bodhisattva of Spiritual Mountain, the Golden Body Dragon Subduing Arhat who shook the Western Regions."

Xiang Qianqiu snorted coldly.

Xuyan smiled:

"The Dragon Subduing Arhat is the past, the Xuyan monk is the present, and the natural treasures are the future. Since the great change in Spiritual Mountain more than two hundred years ago, this poor monk has no longer been a member of Spiritual Mountain.

Also, this poor monk is trading with you. I've been guarding Ping'an County for nearly twenty years, so isn't it natural for me to take some things from you?"

"Guarding? You're just sleeping here every day, can that be considered guarding?"

"At least, that Benefactor Chen is safe and worry-free."

"With Wu Daozi around, nothing will happen to him."

"But you still let me come."

Xiang Qianqiu looked at him, changed the subject, and said in a deep voice:

"Follow me. When I succeed in restoring the country, I will appoint you as the National Preceptor and allow you to establish a lineage that will be passed down for ten thousand generations."

"How many people have Benefactor Xiang said these words to?"

(End of this chapter)