Light and Shadow of the Old Dynasty
Fang Weian was unmoved. He took out the talisman from his arms and threw it on the ground, saying in a very tough manner: "Whoever you recognize will be the leader. You can find someone to be the commander of this camp."
The general slammed his head into the ground, his forehead resting heavily on the ground: "I dare not!"
This bow was not a plea for mercy, nor was it a rebellion. It was just out of fear. He was afraid that this general who guarded the south would be slowly dragged to death by the rotten royal family.
He was afraid that Fang Weian, with his noble character and vast southern border, would one day be devoured by the people he protected, leaving nothing behind.
It was not until this time that the "noble" royal family members who had been hiding in the tent and dared not speak finally "dared" to step forward.
The fake emperor of the old dynasty was wearing a crown and robes, and with a flick of his sleeves, he regained his dignity.
His voice exploded like thunder: "Mr. Fang, these dogs tricked me into the camp with the intention of killing the king. This is a rebellion against you! You are the General Zhennan, personally appointed by the late Emperor. How can you allow such people to be so arrogant? My dear minister, you must punish them severely!"
The camp suddenly became quiet.
The leading general gritted his teeth, his blood boiling: "If the general wants to punish me, I will bear it all."
He knelt firmly, his back straight.
Before he finished speaking, several sounds of breaking wind came from outside the camp.
Lu Bingzhao led his men here, his qi sea was not yet calm, obviously he had run all the way here.
Lu Bingzhao quickly stepped forward, grabbed Ren Xuan's arm, and lowered his voice: "Xiuyuan, did you see that formation just now?!"
Without waiting for Ren Xuan to answer, the young man cursed, "Your Majesty and Heng Yu are definitely setting us up again! They almost made me cry!"
Ren Xuan remained silent, his gaze complex as he looked at Fang Cun in the distance. The remaining light of the Law Formation still lingered above the camp, and within the light, the remains of the puppet had shattered.
If this matter is made clear, it would be a miracle if Lu Bingzhao did not chop off Fang Cun's head with his own hands.
Seeing that he didn't say anything, Lu Bingzhao took it as his consent.
Lu Bingzhao's mood visibly improved: "Xiuyuan, why have you been acting weird since this morning?"
He tried to find an excuse for Ren Xuan: "It's all because of them! If they don't compensate you and me with 5,000 elite soldiers each when we go back this time, this matter won't end!"
After saying this, Lu Bingzhao stepped forward with his sword drawn. He swept his gaze over the Xiao royal family members present, all with different expressions. A cold look filled his eyes: "Capture them all!"
The brave cavalry behind him swarmed forward, their swords and spears shining in the sun, and their murderous intent was sharp.
And among the soldiers kneeling on the ground in the camp, not one stood up to stop them.
They just watched quietly, watching Yuqi suppress the group of arrogant royals one by one, watching the man who claimed to have noble blood finally being crushed into the dust by iron and blood, and some even lowered their heads and laughed softly.
The false emperor was horrified and struggled, shouting, "Lord Fang! Protect me!!"
But what responded to him was Lu Bingzhao's teasing look, which was extremely cold and could not hide a hint of sarcasm.
Lu Bingzhao held his sword and glanced at Fang Weian: "General Fang, please do not break your promise to His Majesty again."
These words were spoken very softly and slowly, yet they were more oppressive than an army marching on a camp.
The feathered cavalry pinned down the royal family one by one, and the light and shadow of the old dynasty fell into dust under the campfire.
Fang Weian said nothing. He had already promised Qin Chengxiu, so he had to show his attitude.
So he said nothing and did nothing.
Qin Chengxiu asked for attitude, and he gave it.
Fang Weian saw the person behind him trying to draw his sword.
Fang Weian stretched out his palm and grabbed the hand holding the sword first.
His palm was extremely steady and cold, and the restraining force went up along Xiao Dingyuan's wrist bone, instantly sealing the qi and blood in his body.
Xiao Dingyuan froze, his face darkening: "What are you doing?"
Fang Weian's voice was extremely low, but every word was as hard as iron: "Your Highness, they were the ones who killed Qin Chengxu's men first."
Xiao Dingyuan was shocked, but still did not back down: "Yue Gong is only ten years old, what does he know?"
Fang Weian avoided his gaze: "Qin Chengxiu wants everyone."
Xiao Dingyuan: "I don't count everyone?"
Fang Weian looked at him with a very gloomy look in his eyes: "...If you continue like this, they will drag you to death."
"let go."
"It is my duty to protect Your Highness."
After these words were spoken, the atmosphere became even colder.
Lu Bingzhao, who was standing by, sneered and said impatiently, "Don't be ungrateful. If Fang Weian hadn't guaranteed you nothing to do with this case with his life and property, do you think you would still be able to stand your ground now?"
He raised his chin slightly, his tone cold: "There are hundreds of people from your Xiao family in this camp, and you are the only one who survived. You really raised a good dog."
Xiao Dingyuan raised his eyes, and a sharp light surged in his usually calm eyes: "How do you know that I have no chance?"
Fang Weian shouted, "Your Highness!"
Lu Bingzhao had already pressed the hilt of his sword, his voice as cold as a knife: "Say it again?"
The scene is about to explode.
Fang Weian stepped in and said solemnly, "Marshal Lu, your Highness just said that in anger. Why take it so seriously? I apologize on your behalf."
Lu Bingzhao sneered and said nothing more. He only looked at Xiao Dingyuan coldly: "I have taken so many people. I will soon know whether he said it in anger."
After Lu Bingzhao finished speaking, he bowed and said in a very calm tone: "Goodbye."
Before he turned and left, he patted Ren Xuan's shoulder and said, "Xiuyuan, I'll leave a few people with you. Be careful."
Ren Xuan's eyes flashed, and he lowered his brows in thought.
If he doesn't take Fang Cun now, Fang Cun will most likely be killed by Qin Chengxiu's gang later, so it's better for him to deal with him first.
So he stepped forward and said calmly, "General Fang, leave this man to me."
Fang Weian was stunned for a moment. He was already surprised that Han Xiuyuan hadn't pointed it out earlier. Now that Han Xiuyuan was asking for someone, his stance was even more difficult to grasp.
He bowed and said, "I am an ignorant young man and have offended you. I will reprimand you severely when I get home."
Ren Xuan waved his hand to interrupt: "I won't make things difficult for him, otherwise, I wouldn't have concealed it for you just now."
Fang Weian's eyes moved slightly, and he replied in a low voice: "...Thank you."
Ren Xuan said no more, stretched out his hand to pull Fang Cun up from the ground, and dragged him to a secluded place aside: "Let's go, you deserve it."
Fang Cun was still covered in blood, but he saw through him at a glance: "Hey, General Ren?"
Ren Xuan didn't bother to pay attention to him. After all, Lu Shi'an copied this guy's skills, so it was not surprising that Fang Cun could see through him.
He was genuinely curious: "As long as there are corpses, you can create a puppet?"
Fang Cun spat out a mouthful of blood foam and laughed: "General, why are you asking such nonsense?"
Ren Xuan was almost losing his temper: "Because of this person, Qin Chengxu is now going to slaughter the entire Xiao royal family. You really don't want to live."
Fang Cun just shrugged and said, "I couldn't help it. This is the first time I've seen a formation master of this level."
——My hands are really itchy.
There was a hint of regret in his tone: "I still want to see how far that stage can go. It's a pity that Fang Weian is such a boring person."
Ren Xuan took a deep breath, feeling a tightness in his chest. "If I were your friend, I would chop you into pieces right now and let you experience the feeling of being sacrificed alive."
Fang Cun smiled, the blood on the corner of his mouth not yet dried, and he smiled like a cool madman: "It's a pity that you won't touch me, because that's not your friend."
Ren Xuan glanced at him coldly and didn't respond, which meant he agreed.
Fang Cun understood and smiled again: "Look, you're not a good person either. So what right do you have to scold me?"
Ren Xuan was speechless for a moment.
Fang Cun continued leisurely, adding, "However, my previous inference may be biased. This doesn't seem like a simple transition from soul to consciousness; it's more like being pulled into another level of cause and effect."
Ren Xuan almost fell over in one breath, his face instantly turned cold: "You need to tell me?!"
Before he finished speaking, he cursed in a low voice: "The destiny is on the same track, strange phenomena are happening frequently in the southern border, and Xiao Jingyuan's people are going to be wiped out! The dragon veins are broken, and the world is in chaos because of you!!"
He gritted his teeth and demanded, "What on earth did you do?!"
Fang Cun seemed to be enjoying it. He looked up at Ren Xuan and said, "Isn't that interesting?"
His tone was steady, yet tinged with a sly smile that no one could deny: "You also have Han Xiuyuan's memories, right? I simply did something insignificant, following the original owner's wishes."
Ren Xuan narrowed his eyes and grasped the key: "So, whose body do you have now?
Fang Cun didn't bother beating around the bush. He lowered his eyes and said shockingly, "I'm Xiao Dingyuan."
He paused, then added, "It's not him either."
Ren Xuan's eyes suddenly darkened.
Fang Cun, however, remained calm: "General, have you ever heard of the art of dividing Qi?"
"Separate the spirit of the original body and place it in the backup body. As long as the backup body survives, even if the original body dies, it can still return."
"But there is a taboo in the art of splitting energy—the backup body cannot be separated from the main body for too long. Otherwise, the backup body will develop self-awareness."
He raised his eyes slightly and looked at Ren Xuan: "My original owner was just a 'reserve body'."
"Back then, after Fang Weian left Yong'an Palace, he asked Xiao Dingyuan for a spare body to keep by his side. Theoretically, as long as I'm alive, Xiao Dingyuan won't die."
"It's been too long. Xiao Dingyuan never thought of taking me back, but I have developed self-awareness."
His tone suddenly darkened, a coldness spreading across his face. "I don't want to be a backup body that could be taken back at any time. I want to kill my real body. I want to kill Xiao Dingyuan."
Fang Cun raised his eyes to look at Ren Xuan: "But 'I' can't do it, because Fang Weian is here. In this world, except for Qin Chengxiu, no one can get past Fang Weian and kill Xiao Dingyuan."
Fang Cun said, with a slight smile on his face: "My best option is to borrow Qin Chengxiu's knife."
Ren Xuan was silent for a long time before he spoke in a low voice: "...Since you are Xiao Dingyuan's backup, even if you kill him, what does it matter? He can continue to live in your body. In the end, you will be the one who dies, right?"
Fang Cun heard this and suddenly smiled. The smile was very faint, but as cold as a knife: "——'I'm gambling."
"General Ren, the art of dividing Qi is proactive. If you want to survive, preparing your body will extend your life."
"But what if he doesn't want to?"
Fang Cun's tone remained calm. "He has been ill for a long time. Fang Weian is extremely sensitive to his emotions. Before being forced into a desperate situation by Qin Chengxiu this time, Fang Weian had never mentioned the words 'leaving the Xiao family'. For Xiao Dingyuan, Fang Weian was even willing to play with the royal family of the previous dynasty. Fang Weian was even able to follow the old etiquette of monarch and subject to the pseudo-emperor."
Fang Cun paused, his eyes becoming more playful. "Since the day of 'Yu Feng's martial arts performance, beheading the sword and sparing the life', Qin Chengxiu has spared Fang Weian three times, and each time he did it out of sincerity."
He laughed, "Fang Weian is not a heartless person. He truly recognizes this heroic leader. But even so, Fang Weian still led his army to fight Qin Chengxiu in Pengcheng. The battle lasted for five days, resulting in tens of thousands of casualties."
"The Battle of Pengcheng saw tens of thousands of people sacrificed for nothing. Qin Chengxu couldn't stand it any longer. He retreated and gave in, which led to Lu Hengyu's march south. But Qin Chengxu wasn't the only one who couldn't stand it. How could Fang Weian face these tens of thousands of dead souls with a clear conscience?"
"Lu Hengyu's trip south was a concession from Qin Chengxu to Fang Weian. It was the closest Fang Weian and Qin Chengxu ever came to reconciliation."
"But the Xiao family was not happy about this. Once the peace agreement was reached, the Xiao family would completely lose their power and there would be no hope of a comeback. So Lu Hengyu did not return alive."
"The Xiao family knew that Lu's death would touch Qin Chengxiu's bottom line. They wanted to use this 'robbery and murder' to provoke a complete confrontation and turn the entire Southern Xinjiang Jiuzhou into the next Pengcheng."
"But they didn't consider that Lu's death also touched Fang Weian's bottom line."
"Fang Weian feels guilty. Lu Hengyu's death has completely suppressed him morally. He has broken his promise and betrayed his integrity. For him, the only way to protect Xiao is to pay for his life himself. He simply cannot give up Xiao Dingyuan."
"But from Qin Chengxiu to Xiao Dingyuan, everyone understands that killing Xiao is the most fundamental way for Fang Weian to escape his current situation."
"He's been ill for a long time. He's been seeking medical advice, taking medication, and living day by day, all out of habitually responding to Fang Weian's expectations."
Fang Cun raised his eyes slightly, and in that look, there was a sneer that saw through all human nature: "He never chose to do something that could be solved by simply changing a backup. Isn't it obvious whether Xiao Dingyuan wants to live or not?"
Fang Cun paused, his words revealing an eerie certainty, as if he was explaining a very simple truth: "He is very tired, I am helping him."
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