Chapter 50

"Clang, clang, clang, clang~"

A series of crisp sounds echoed one after another. It was the sound of weapons! The Shadow Sword, the Mad Sand Saber, the Horse Splitting Spear, and the Three-pronged Halberd. It was too fast; the Li family's experts died too quickly. The bodies fell to the ground, and it took a while for the weapons to fall from their hands, clashing with the hard ground and sparking.

"Thud~"

Witnessing this nightmare-like terrifying scene, Li Jiancheng, the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty, turned pale and trembled all over. He wanted to run, but his body wouldn't obey. As soon as he moved, his left foot tripped over his right, and he fell flat on his face. The shock was so intense that his body suddenly shuddered, and a large wet patch appeared in his crotch, as he had been scared into wetting his pants.

The firebrand fell to the ground, and the light gradually dimmed.

In the dim light, Xiao Sheng stood with his hands behind his back, gazing up at the ceiling of the secret passage. His eyes seemed to penetrate through layers of soil, as if trying to see through to the sky. Lost in thought, he naturally didn't speak.

Xiao Sheng's silence made Li Jiancheng dare not speak or move recklessly. He lay half on the floor, feeling anxious, angry, regretful, and resentful, suffering and tormented, each second feeling like a year.

It was unknown how long it had been. Footsteps echoed in the corridor. A moment later, two figures appeared, none other than Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling, the Twin Dragons. Seeing the ground covered with corpses, the Twin Dragons were both startled and exclaimed, "The Li family! Li Jiancheng? Li Yuanji! Li Shentong! Yang Xuyan! Li Mi! Ke Dazhi! And Mei Xun? What's going on? Senior Xiao, are you alright?"

Xiao Sheng only sighed lightly and did not answer the Twin Dragons' questions. Instead, he asked calmly, "Is it light outside yet?"

The Twin Dragons, not understanding, answered honestly, "It's already light."

Xiao Sheng nodded and, after a while, suddenly shivered, almost shuddering, and sighed, "It's so cold. It must be snowing outside again. Sigh~ Life is truly as lonely as snow."

The Twin Dragons were completely baffled. Kou Zhong spoke first, "Senior, don't be lonely. Something big has happened outside."

Xiao Sheng turned around and said calmly, "What happened? Hmm, this isn't the place to talk. Let's go inside and discuss it."

The Twin Dragons agreed. Xu Ziling then moved to immobilize Li Jiancheng by pressing his acupoints, making him faint. They then dragged him up, opened the secret wall, and, together with Xiao Sheng and Kou Zhong, re-entered the round stone room.

Kou Zhong, fearing that Li Jiancheng might have a way to automatically release himself and escape, quickly pressed eighteen acupoints on him and threw him into a stone room used for storing fruits and dry rations in the treasure vault. Only then did he return to ask Xiao Sheng what had happened.

Xiao Sheng casually recounted how he had discovered another secret room in the treasure vault, heard an alarm, went to investigate, and coincidentally met Li Jiancheng and the others, dealing with them effortlessly.

Kou Zhong finally understood. He patted his chest, still feeling the aftereffects of the shock, and said, "So, our every move was being monitored by Li Jiancheng and the others. That was really dangerous. If it weren't for Senior, our treasure hunt would have been in vain."

Xiao Sheng laughed, "It's nothing, just a small effort. But, Young Master Zhong, I can't do this for free, right? How do you plan to thank me?"

Kou Zhong didn't even need to think and generously blurted out, "Senior, what are you saying? Without your help, we wouldn't know when we'd find the treasure vault. Senior, you insisted on just one Evil Emperor Relic, which makes us feel very awkward. Senior, take whatever you like here, as a token of our gratitude."

"Ha ha, Young Master Zhong, you really know how to speak. Alright, I won't be polite then," Xiao Sheng smiled and said, "Since that's the case, I'll take one of these two boxes of jewels. Young Master Zhong, you won't be heartbroken, right?"

"Not heartbroken, not heartbroken. Actually, Senior, you can take both boxes. Because... because... sigh~"

Kou Zhong's face showed a hint of embarrassment, and he couldn't continue. Xu Ziling took over, smiling bitterly, "Senior, let me explain..." and detailed the troubles they had encountered.

It turned out that earlier, Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling had gone out to contact their subordinates to quickly transport the weapons and gold from the Yang Gong Treasure Vault. After completing the task, they returned to Xuanping Fang to bring Hou Xibai along. Unexpectedly, Xuanping Fang had undergone a sudden change. Hou Xibai was immobilized by a soft paralysis technique and lay on the ground, unable to move. Yin Hou and Fan Fan had vanished without a trace.

The Twin Dragons secretly cursed and decided to save Hou Xibai first. After Hou Xibai was freed, he explained the truth with a helpless expression. It turned out that the Evil King had arrived and rescued Yin Hou and her disciple.

The Evil King's martial arts were far superior to the romantic young master, and more importantly, he was Hou Xibai's master. The deep master-student bond and years of authority meant that as soon as the Evil King appeared, Hou Xibai had to obediently step aside without even lifting a finger.

The Evil King then stepped forward and used his demonic powers. Yin Hou and her disciple immediately awoke. They then immobilized Hou Xibai and left with the Evil King. Before leaving, Yin Hou's expression of gnashing teeth and deep resentment made Hou Xibai feel terrified. The Twin Dragons felt the situation was serious but were helpless, so they returned to seek Xiao Sheng's advice.

The alliance of the Evil King and Yin Hou was a serious matter in the eyes of the Twin Dragons. However, to Xiao Sheng, it was nothing to worry about.

He smiled and said slowly, "Ha ha, don't be nervous. Think about it, the Evil King and Yin Hou won't dare to show their faces again in the short term. That means they won't interfere with your plan to move the treasure, which is a good thing. If they do dare to come out again, it means they believe they have enough strength. Ha ha, I'll get to see the highest level of the demonic arts. In short, there's no need to worry."

The Twin Dragons were originally very nervous, but after hearing Xiao Sheng's analysis, they felt it made sense and were reassured. They realized that worrying wouldn't change anything, so they decided to face the situation calmly, dealing with it as it came.

Xu Ziling sighed and looked back at the secret room where Li Jiancheng was held, smiling bitterly, "We can temporarily ignore the Evil King and Yin Hou. But Li Jiancheng is a hot potato that we can't ignore. He is the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty. If he goes missing for a few hours, it will raise suspicions. If he disappears for a day or two, it will cause chaos in Chang'an. This is the real trouble. Senior, how should we handle him now?"

Xiao Sheng smiled, "Actually, it's not as troublesome as you think. Since you are competing with the Li family for the empire, wouldn't chaos in Chang'an be to your advantage?"

Xu Ziling sighed and said solemnly, "That's true, but... Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin are currently locked in a fierce struggle. If Li Jiancheng dies at this critical moment, Li Yuan will immediately suspect Li Shimin. If he punishes Li Shimin out of anger, and Li Shimin refuses to accept the injustice, it could lead to internal strife in the Tang Dynasty, giving the Turks a good opportunity to invade. If the north falls, it could lead to a repeat of the Five Barbarians' chaos. Wouldn't that be our fault?"

Xiao Sheng disagreed, "The sun will rise no matter who is gone. No one is truly irreplaceable or indispensable. If you're worried that the Li family's internal strife will lead to a Turkish invasion, it's simple. We can kill the Turkish Khan. Once he's dead, the Turks will fight over the next Khan, leaving no time to invade China."

Since the fall of the Sui Dynasty, various warlords had risen, fighting and expanding their power. The Li Tang Dynasty, occupying Guanzhong, had the advantage of location and was the strongest among these warlords. However, compared to the Turkish Khan, they were still far behind.

Therefore, when Li Yuan began his rebellion in Taiyuan, he had to first submit to the Turks and accept their enfeoffment. This relationship had not been severed even now. Thus, the Turkish Khan, Jiali, was the most powerful person in the world. His words could determine the fate of thousands, and his actions could change the fortune of millions.

But, such a powerful figure, in Xiao Sheng's words, was no different from a chicken or a dog. He could be killed at any time. This calm and indifferent attitude was truly the most terrifying thing in the world!

Of course, after seeing the bodies of Li Yuanji, Li Shentong, Yang Xuyan, Li Mi, Ke Dazhi, and Mei Xun, the six great experts, lying in the secret passage, the Twin Dragons no longer had any doubt about Xiao Sheng's abilities.

Knowing that a single Li Mi had once given the Twin Dragons a hard time, and Yang Xuyan, the shadow assassin, had often matched them in intellect and strength, they now realized that these experts had become mere dead flesh. With such power, the Twin Dragons no longer believed that there was anything Xiao Sheng couldn't do.

Thus, the fate of the Tang Dynasty's Crown Prince, Li Jiancheng, was decided. Kou Zhong took the initiative, dragging Li Jiancheng back like a dead dog, and then released the acupoints on his body.

Li Jiancheng, regaining consciousness, immediately realized the situation was dire. He threw away all his dignity as the Crown Prince and, with tears streaming down his face, knelt on the ground, begging Xiao Sheng for mercy. He also swore to the Twin Dragons that if they let him go, he would immediately withdraw from the competition for the throne and live in seclusion. In short, he used every trick to save his life.

But all of this was in vain. Xiao Sheng watched Li Jiancheng's performance with a smile, and when he grew tired of it, he raised his hand and delivered a "Flying Finger Spear." An invisible air bullet pierced Li Jiancheng's head, and he immediately joined his brother Li Yuanji in the underworld.