The oil lamp cast a yellow glow, bathing the cottage in the soft, slightly blurred hues of an aged photograph—faint, not quite sharp. After dinner and a dose of diluted Life Source fluid, Zhang Yuanqing felt a little better, though still weak and listless, with his cough finally subsiding. He lay on the humble bed draped with yellowed curtains, watching the Queen pull out a dusty wardrobe, wipe away the dust, and lay two quilts gifted by the "aunt" upon it, forming a simple bed. Zhang Yuanqing waved his hand weakly, "Just let her sleep. She's still a child. Queen, give her the blanket." The distinction between men and women was an adult concept; Jiang Jingwei hadn't quite grasped it yet—his thoughts remained as clear and childlike as ever, and he probably saw him more as a brother. "I'd like to sleep with you too," the Queen smiled. "No, you can't," Zhang Yuanqing firmly declined. "You're too broad-chested. If you sleep on the bed, my thoughts won't be as clear." So the Queen tossed over the thin blanket made of coarse cloth. Zhang Yuanqing then passed it to Jiang Jingwei, who rolled it up and murmured, "It smells a bit musty." She lifted her head, glanced at Yuan Shi Tian Zun, then at the Queen, and asked, "So what shall we do next?" She still has a bit of sense—she realizes the current situation isn't good! Zhang Yuanqing sighed and said, "We'll have to come out and win over the people eventually. This is just an early move. Unfortunately, Lady Wan has made the sacrifice. We've lost a powerful "Jiang Jingwei" exclaimed, "The big one's gone? Then we must avenge her." The queen, sitting on the wooden box, sighed impatiently: "She's just an NPC. What do you expect me to fight for? She'll respawn once we leave the instance." That particular elegant lady wasn't a special boss within the instance nor a unique-item with fixed attributes—such characters continuously respawn. When the next emperor arrives, she'll renew herself. "The next Lady Wan is irrelevant to us, but this Lady Wan's grievance—I must settle it," said Zhang Yuanqing, leaning against the headboard, her voice slightly weak. "Our next steps are to treat the illness, boost our reputation, and find allies." Jiang Jingwei thought for a moment and said, "Treating the illness is straightforward—go to the immortal pharmacy. It can cure your ailment." "The Queen shook her head: 'No, the ordinary physicians from the Herbs and Medicines Hall cannot treat Yuanshi's illness. If either the Grand Master or one of his disciples intervenes, they will immediately identify the root cause. Once the senior physicians from the Herbs and Medicines Hall take notice, we'll have effectively placed ourselves in their grasp.' 'What then?' Jiang Jingwei asked—this was the very phrase that had become the stock response of the Fire Masters. 'Let us not worry about the illness just yet,' Zhang Yuanqing said calmly, undaunted by major matters. 'As long as Yuanshi doesn't die, he'll merely transform from an extraordinary, indifferent ruler into a mere, ineffective one. Right now, what we need is to boost our reputation—complete side quests, and then find allies.' 'I suspect the allies you're referring to aren't among our current teammates,' the Queen敏锐ly picked up on his meaning. 'Although I may be an indifferent ruler,' Zhang Yuanqing smiled, 'I am still the sovereign of the realm, the very personification of the Nine-Five dignity. Even if the Zheng family holds absolute power, there are political rivals within the court. Zheng Wenhan's rebellion The Imperial Guard is the emperor's security team, responsible for the safety of the imperial palace and the emperor himself. Precisely because Zheng Wenhan controls the Imperial Guard, he has been so unconstrained. Of course, when Zheng Wenhan rebelled, he sealed off the palace gates under the pretext of capturing assassins—partly to prevent his escape, and partly to demonstrate that the Imperial Guard is not entirely composed of Zheng family members. After all, with thousands of elite troops, it's impossible for the Zheng family to hold all of them. "Within the court, the imperial relatives are certainly loyal to the emperor; next, Zheng's political rivals are precisely our allies; and finally, some corrupt officials will undoubtedly remain loyal to me," said Zhang Yuancheng. "Zheng's greatest adversary, however, is another powerful in-law family." Jingwei was momentarily puzzled. The queen, however, brightened up immediately: "The Yang family!" She then furrowed her brows: "Indeed, Zheng Wenhan would have anticipated this. He will surely assign personnel to all the channels and pathways through which we can reach the Yang family—once we make our appearance, we will surely perish." "Moreover, once out of the palace, the emperor is like a phoenix in distress—far less than even a chicken. The Zheng family could simply declare you dead at the hands of assassins within the palace, and pass away in the imperial court, thus formally sealing your death for a state funeral. Then, with the support of the Imperial Master of Ceremonies, they could crown a new emperor." Already passive within the palace, they would be even more powerless once outside. Though they had successfully escaped the Zheng family's rebellion and assassination attempts, the next phase of the quest now entered hell mode. Precisely because of this, even the slow-witted Jiang Jingwei asked, "What now?" Zhang Yuanqing smiled slightly. "Rest assured, the Zheng family will not ascend to the throne. At most, they will install a puppet, disguised to resemble me, and issue a formal silence order to the troops involved in tonight's operation, making it seem as though nothing had happened." Jiang Jingwei and the Queen both asked, "Why?" ... The palace. In the now-extinguished imperial chambers, a group of fifteen soldiers with their armor torn and scattered searched through the charred, smoky ruins. Zheng Wenhan stood before the imperial pavilion, sword at his side, his face as still and dark as water, silent. After a full minute, the soldiers halted, exchanged glances, and then shook their heads slightly. A commander, hesitating, stepped through the threshold reduced to blackened charcoal and approached Zheng Wenhan, speaking softly, "Zheng Chancellor, we still haven't found the Imperial Seal of the Realm." Zheng Wenhan drew a faint smile, took a deep breath to steady himself, and asked in a steady voice, "Where is the Jade Pendant of the Two Dragons?" The military commander shook his head. Zheng Wenhan erupted in anger, kicked over the commander with a forceful stride, and shouted, "Find them! Dig three feet deep—find them, or I'll have your heads!" The commander quickly rose and barked orders to his subordinates, "Keep searching! If you don't find both the Imperial Seal and the Jade Pendant of the Two Dragons, I'll cut off your heads!" The soldiers bowed their heads and quickly resumed their search, despite having already been digging through the ashes for a full hour. The roar came from above. The middle-aged swordsman, his skin still creased, descended gracefully on his sword, bowing and extending his arm: "Lord Zheng, I have explored every corner of the imperial palace. I have not found the weary king—he has fled." Zheng Wenhuan's chest and abdomen rose and fell vigorously. "What is the report from the palace gates?" The middle-aged swordsman shook his head slightly. "The imperial guards stationed at the gates reported no breaches. At one hundred zhang beyond the gates, and another one hundred zhang beyond that, guards were posted. With the king's level of cultivation, he could at most remain invisible for two hundred zhang. To scale the five-zhang-high palace walls would leave him only one hundred and fifty zhang. Therefore, it is impossible for him to escape the palace without disturbing the guards." Zheng Wenhuan asked, "What about the others?" "Besides the woman who was instantly reduced to ash, the remaining six: one soared into the sky, beyond the reach of the arrows; one moved with an unusual technique, gliding between eaves and rooftops, and escaped the palace; one entered the inner palace and vanished without a trace; and one broke through the As the two fled halfway, they turned back to the Summer Palace, dove into the lake, and vanished without a trace. The middle-aged swordsman replied in turn. Zheng Wenhuan immediately turned to the man-made lake, "The昏king also escaped through the lake. Assign several skilled swimmers to follow his escape route." The middle-aged general nodded and then turned to watch the soldiers searching the area, "Have we not yet found the Imperial Seal?" Zheng Wenhuan's expression darkened. "Not only did Zhao Shun take the Imperial Seal of the State, but he left not even a single jade seal behind. How can this be! You continue to monitor the palace. I'm going to visit the Tianji Building." The Tianji Building was where the State Preceptor resided. "Understood," the general replied. ... In the dimly lit room, Zhang Yuancheng opened his inventory, removed a square piece of bright yellow, translucent jade, held it steadily in his hands, and presented it to Jiang Jingwei and the Queen. "This is..." The Queen was first startled, then delighted, "The Emperor's Imperial Seal?" Zhang Yuancheng smiled warmly. "Not just this." Then, he retrieved six imperial seals from the inventory—some jade, some gold, some iron. Zhang Yuanqing explained to his two teammates: "These are all imperial seals, each serving a different purpose. Some are used exclusively for issuing edicts, others for appointing ministers, and still others for sending confidential messages. But none of these are particularly significant—my act of stealing them is simply to delay time, so that Zheng Wenhan won’t misuse my seals at will. "The most important items, however, are these two." Zhang Yuanqing then produced a jade seal of bright yellow, featuring two dragons, and placed it beside a square jade piece, describing it: "This jade seal belongs to the third emperor of the Southern Dynasty. It was carved from a flawless jade stone gifted by the vassal state of 'Cloud-Color Kingdom,' and is unparalleled in its rarity. While imperial seals can be duplicated, the Seal of Succession is unique—by virtue of its one-of-a-kind status, it has long been regarded as a symbol of legitimacy and imperial authority. For Zheng Wenhan to claim the throne and establish his rule, he must possess this Seal of Succession; otherwise, neither the court nor the people will recognize him." Even if Zheng Wenhan did not ascend the throne, he would still need the Imperial Seal to support a puppet emperor. In fact, Zhao Shun was the most ideal puppet emperor—yet Zhao Shun favored his empress, who was the direct daughter of the Yang family. As the Yang family was already a powerful aristocratic lineage, this strengthened their position, making them Zheng’s foremost rival. In Zhang Yuanqing’s few memories, the Yang family woman had been selected by the Empress Dowager Zheng. Now reflecting on it, he believed the Empress Dowager likely intended to use the Yang family to balance the power of the Zheng family. He then picked up the yellow-and-blue dragon jade, saying, “This jade, though a scrap from a flawless stone, has been worn by successive emperors around their waists—just as much a symbol of status. Together with these two items, they can prove my identity.” The script prompt reminded him not to abandon the imperial identity, yet he also needed to leave the palace. After careful consideration, Zhang Yuanqing placed both items and the Imperial Seal into his inventory. “The Master is indeed steady…” the Queen said, beaming without speaking. Jiang Jingwei also exhaled in relief, closed his eyes Zhang Yuanqing pulled the quilt a little tighter for Jingwei, and looked toward the queen several meters away. "Before she died, Princess Wan told me that Zheng Wenhan was responsible for the death of the Shen Rui army. There's time to investigate this line." The queen immediately turned to Jingwei. "That must be Jingwei's side quest." "Her mission is our mission, after all. It's better to rely on the chief of the Fire Division's judgment than on Jingwei's alone." Zhang Yuanqing said. "It's late now. Let's rest. We'll think about tomorrow's matters tomorrow." ... As the eastern sky began to lighten with a pale fish-blue hue, Fu Qingyang stood at the city rampart, his armor stained red with blood, his handsome face streaked with blood and dust. He gazed toward the distant flames that had now gone out, his eyes calm and deeply thoughtful. The sounds of battle from several hours earlier still echoed in his ears. After nightfall, the Southern Dynasty's garrison launched a surprise attack. First, Zhao Chenghuang controlled the spiritual servants to eliminate the Northern Dynasty's troops scattered across the city outskirts, then the Mage Eye led five thousand soldiers out, feigning The northern dynasty sentry troops, seeing the torches blazing, indeed fell for the ruse. With limited forces gathered at night, Tuoba Guanghe hastily assembled 2,000 cavalry to sortie from the camp. Subsequently, Fu Qingyang led the southern dynasty garrison forces to launch a counterattack, penetrating deep into the northern army's camp, slaughtering troops, and setting fire to supplies and siege equipment—effectively burning through the northern forces' supply lines. After defeating tens of thousands of enemy troops, Fu Qingyang, instead of seeking further glory, decisively withdrew. Tuoba Guanghe returned to rescue his forces, only to find them empty. Enraged, he launched a solo assault on the city, engaging in fierce combat with Fu Qingyang, the Master with the Eye of Enchantment, and Xiahou Ao Tian—the three masters—without achieving any advantage. The combined power of the Master's Eye of Enchantment and Fu Qingyang's newly developed sword intent posed a genuine threat to this nine-tier ancient war god. After slaying over a thousand defenders and inflicting heavy damage on the city's defenses, he stormed off in frustration. In this night assault, the southern dynasty suffered nearly 6,000 casualties As a result of this battle, Fu Qingyang's reputation among the southern dynasty's garrison forces soared. Soldiers and officers who once harbored doubts now eagerly treated him as a hero, even going so far as to view him as a devoted follower. Yet Fu Qingyang felt no joy—this engagement had ignited the northern dynasty's fury, and the coming days would undoubtedly witness a grueling siege. Laborers from the army would be called upon to fight on the battlefield, while civilians in the city would be forced to serve as laborers. Fu Qingyang's plan was to gradually wear down the northern dynasty's 400,000 troops to around 200,000, then retreat to the capital. Through daytime reconnaissance, he had already gained a preliminary understanding of the capital's situation. The southern dynasty's political factions were divided into two groups: one led by the Zheng family, the other by the Yang family. Both were powerful imperial clans wielding influence over the government. The Zheng family, a long-established clan, had held sway in the court for several decades and possessed substantial strength. The Yang family, though a newer imperial clan, was itself a well-established aristocratic family with a broad network of branches, and thus managed to Fu Qingyang also learned that Yang Ce's appointment as commander was entirely due to the steady influence of his sister, the empress of the imperial household. Zheng family was particularly sensitive to this development, fearing that Yang Ce might achieve remarkable military successes on the front lines. If the campaign is divided into two separate regions—namely, the capital and the battlefield—the capital would be under Yuan Shi's care. However, until Yuan Shi fully controls the court, the capital will likely remain a perilous stronghold for the frontline troops. Retreating to the capital would mean certain doom. That is why Fu Qingyang dared not retreat to the capital. Lixin City could hold out for at most half a month, or as briefly as seven days—hope lay in Yuan Shi's ability to stabilize the capital situation; otherwise, the situation would grow dire. Amid the cold night wind, Fu Qingyang gently exhaled. Suddenly, he heard a steady humming sound. Turning toward the sound, he saw a blurred silhouette swiftly approaching from the dark sky, its thin wings vibrating with a noise akin to a helicopter's rotor. Fu Qingyang's pupils flashed white, and upon focusing, his brows immediately arched. Was it Xiao Yuan?