Chapter 3

Time seemed to press the fast-forward button.

Li Fan carried out his plan in an orderly and methodical manner.

With the experience of two lifetimes, everything went smoothly as if it were meant to be.

He still participated in the imperial examinations.

However, this time, with decades of experience in power, the articles he wrote were far superior to those of his previous life. He ranked first in the provincial, metropolitan, and palace examinations, achieving the rare feat of winning all three, and his name became known throughout the land!

He then requested to serve as an official in a distant place, citing his youth as a reason to gain experience. His destination, of course, was Wen County.

Although there was much confusion and regret in the imperial court, his request was still approved.

Thus, after three years of anchoring, he returned to Wen County.

This time, things were much better than in his previous life. Due to his great fame and his thorough understanding of the temperaments of all the officials in the county, he had little trouble bringing the entire county under his control.

He then began to promote and cultivate his loyalists from his previous life, continuously expanding his influence.

At the same time, he drew up the blueprints for flintlock guns, ordered the craftsmen to produce them, and shared all the difficulties in production. He also secretly recruited skilled craftsmen from various places to develop more advanced firearms.

The mining of the mountains did not stop. Li Fan swept away all the bandits in the mountains near Wen County and forced them to mine. Relying on the mines, he built many workshops in the deep mountains, producing large quantities of handicrafts and ironware. He also secretly organized merchant caravans to sell goods in various places, accumulating funds.

In the fourth year of anchoring, Li Fan secretly searched and finally found the body double of Emperor Xuanjing. It was this double that almost caused his assassination plan to fail in his previous life. Fortunately, he was always cautious, and with many backup plans, he managed to avoid failure. Li Fan personally trained the double, and after half a year, there were almost no flaws.

In the fifth year of anchoring, a great drought hit Jiangnan. Li Fan ordered his loyalists to pretend to be refugees and attack the Langya Prince's mansion. Li Fan led his men to pretend to rescue, but in reality, they worked together to secretly kill the entire Langya family. At the same time, he had the double appear.

From then on, Li Fan took over the Langya Prince's mansion and secretly controlled it.

The news of the Langya family's murder, with only the Langya Prince surviving, shocked the court and the country. The emperor was furious and sent troops to suppress the refugees. Li Fan, for his efforts, was promoted to the governor of Huaijiang Prefecture.

Li Fan's influence further expanded. However, after this, he became more cautious. He did not continue to expand outward but instead focused on advancing technology and developing productivity in a low-profile manner.

In the seventh year of anchoring, a locust plague arrived as expected. Li Fan was well-prepared, and Huaijiang Prefecture naturally suffered no disaster. He also applied to the court to open the granaries and distribute food to the disaster victims, which was approved.

This opportunity allowed Li Fan to gain a large number of people. These disaster victims settled in Li Fan's jurisdiction, and his strength grew exponentially.

In the ninth year of anchoring, the wedding of the Langya Prince and the granddaughter of the chief scholar took place as scheduled. That night, Li Fan broke into the bridal chamber, terrifying the Langya Princess. Upon learning that Li Fan had killed the Langya Prince and taken over the mansion using a double, she angrily denounced him as a traitor. Li Fan was unperturbed and instead laughed, ordering her to write down this shocking news in a letter.

Li Fan, carrying this letter, disguised himself as a messenger of the Langya Prince and secretly entered the capital to meet the chief scholar.

Li Fan, with a calm expression, revealed that he now controlled the entire Langya mansion and claimed that he had consummated the marriage with the chief scholar's granddaughter on the wedding night. The chief scholar, though surprised, remained composed and asked what Li Fan intended.

Li Fan frankly stated that the chief scholar had many enemies after years in power, and his sons were all useless. After the chief scholar's death, it would be difficult to protect the family. If the chief scholar helped him at the right time, he would ensure the family's prosperity for a hundred years.

The chief scholar pondered for a long time and slowly asked what he needed. Li Fan smiled and said that he would reveal it in due time, then left gracefully.

In the tenth year of anchoring, the Langya Princess gave birth to a son. Clearly, this was Li Fan's child. Li Fan sent a letter to the chief scholar's mansion to announce the good news.

In the fifteenth year of anchoring, the emperor finally fell seriously ill. Upon receiving the imperial edict, Li Fan, along with his loyalists, rushed to the capital.

After the body double of the Langya Prince ascended the throne, Li Fan, with the emperor's edict, arranged his loyalists in the court. With the chief scholar's secret cooperation, he controlled the situation without much resistance.

In the sixteenth year of anchoring, rebellions broke out in various places. Li Fan took the opportunity to place his loyalists in the army and, using the merits of suppressing the rebellions, promoted them extensively. In just three or four years, the army was firmly under Li Fan's control.

In the twentieth year of anchoring, the country gradually recovered from the turmoil of the imperial succession. Li Fan decisively poisoned the fake Emperor Kangning, eliminating the last potential threat.

After supporting his son to the throne, Li Fan was appointed Grand Tutor, moving from behind the scenes to the forefront and once again wielding immense power.

After this, the development of the Great Xuan Empire did not stagnate but instead accelerated even more due to Li Fan's will!

In the thirty-fifth year of anchoring, at the Grand Tutor's mansion.

Li Fan read the secret letter handed to him by his subordinate, frowning slightly.

"So, the mist over the Xuyuan Abyss clears for half a day every fifteen years?"

"Grand Tutor, that is correct. Our Immortal Seekers were ordered to camp near the Xuyuan Abyss and observe day and night. We finally had a breakthrough a few days ago," the Immortal Seeker, kneeling on the ground, recalled the scene, still showing signs of awe. "After the mist cleared, a faint light could be seen from the bottom of the abyss. We observed with a telescope and discovered various inverted scenes."

"Although what each person saw was different, there were vast mountains stretching endlessly, with magnificent buildings hidden within; a grand city stood on the plain, bustling with a population of no less than a million; and a sky city surrounded by rays of light, with various rare birds and beasts flying around, truly...," the Immortal Seeker paused, then sighed. "Truly incredible."

"Indeed, it comes from the Xuyuan Abyss." Although he had known this news for a long time, Li Fan was still a bit excited to hear it confirmed by his subordinate. However, years of experience had taught him to keep his emotions in check.

He asked calmly, "Have you found a way to reach the bottom of the abyss?"

The Immortal Seeker's breathing hitched, and his face turned pale. He hurriedly kowtowed and apologized, "Your subordinate is incompetent. We have tried various methods, but once we reach a certain depth, we are shredded by the sudden gale winds. The gale winds are so fierce that even our strongest armor cannot withstand them for a moment."

Li Fan, upon hearing this, did not show much disappointment.

Waving his hand to dismiss the Immortal Seeker, Li Fan muttered to himself, "It seems I still have to wait for you."

...

In the fiftieth year of anchoring, in the capital of the Great Xuan Empire, Xuanjing.

The once bustling Xuanjing was now eerily quiet.

Under the order of the current Grand Tutor, the vast majority of Xuanjing's residents were forcibly relocated to surrounding cities a month ago, supposedly to avoid disaster. This ridiculous excuse was not believed by everyone. However, the Grand Tutor did not force those who refused to leave, only suggesting they dig basements for protection. These people took it as a joke.

After receiving the report, Li Fan did not intervene. He had done his best.

Now, the streets and alleys of Xuanjing were filled with the special forces he had carefully prepared over the years to deal with the two immortals.

Everything was ready, only the wind was missing!

That night, the moon hung high in the sky, and the two cultivators arrived as scheduled!

"Daoxuanzi! Don't push me too far!"

Kou Hong's angry shout echoed throughout Xuanjing.

"Rat-tat-tat-tat..."

Countless streams of fire suddenly lit up, and tens of thousands of bullets rained down on the two immortals like a waterfall!