The sunlight from the horizon seeped into the meditation room like thin, hooked threads, flowing onto the chilling longsword.
The blade in his hand moved even closer.
Fine lines of blood immediately appeared on the abbot's neck.
“Those who follow the Buddhist path do not lie. You have already broken the precept by drawing your sword before the Buddha.”
Yan Beimo did not loosen his grip on the knife in the slightest, and his voice remained calm.
"Everyone says that the monks of Puguo Temple save all sentient beings, so why don't they save me?"
Abbot, "---"
"When sentient beings have requests, all Buddhas will respond. My heart is turned to all Buddhas, and the Buddhas will surely save me."
His expression was indifferent, and there was no change in his expression or his eyes, yet his words were arrogant.
"Does it count?"
The abbot calmly observed his expression, remained silent for a long while, and finally responded.
The moonlight enveloped the entire courtyard, and a night hawk on a branch let out a long cry before flapping its wings and flying away.
The night hawk, who had been waiting outside, didn't know how long it took before the person strode out.
"My lord, a letter has arrived from the Cui family, requesting to see you."
Yan Beimo remained silent, his expression terrifyingly somber.
Night Hawk didn't hear his response and didn't dare to say anything more, so he followed.
Upon returning to the palace, Yan Beimo saw Cui Linyuan and Cui Xun standing with their hands behind their backs in front of the imperial table as soon as he entered the main hall.
A flash of displeasure crossed his eyes, but when he saw people looking over, he suppressed his hostility and went inside.
"Yan Er".
Cui Linyuan and Yan Beimo were friends for many years, and Cui Linyuan knew Yan Beimo's personality, so he smiled and sat down opposite him.
“My cousin was reckless, so I brought him here to apologize.”
Yan Beimo glanced at him but didn't respond.
Cui Xun knew all too well the true colors of these scions of prominent families in Yandu. He smiled as he walked over and picked up the wine.
"My sister-in-law accidentally fell off a cliff that day, and I was unable to save her in time. Please do not blame me, Lord Yan."
Yan Beimo ignored him and looked at Cui Linyuan indifferently.
Cui Linyuan coughed lightly, awkwardly turning his eyes away, not daring to look at him.
He wouldn't have bothered if his grandmother hadn't begged him in tears.
"It was all a misunderstanding," Cui Xun said with a forced smile. "I immediately sent people down to look for her, and they saw my sister-in-law's figure—"
Before he could finish speaking, Yan Beimo's gaze immediately turned to him, and the tension in his heart subtly stirred.
Cui Xun laughed and said, "My men saw her appear in the East Sea."
The guards followed, intending to eliminate the threat completely, but found that the person was not dead and had left through the cave entrance. There were many guards inside the cave, clearly indicating that it was premeditated.
He then ordered the people to leave, but fearing trouble might arise later, he even sent someone to follow them to check on them. This was just an accidental mishap.
"That direction leads to Penglai."
He brought good news. Yan Beimo's violent temper subsided somewhat upon seeing him, and he tapped his bent fingers lightly on the table, lost in thought.
Cui Xun glanced at Yan Beimo's expression and spoke.
“I was heartbroken when my sister-in-law fell off the cliff, but thankfully she is unharmed. However, we were wrong back then. We will send 30,000 troops from Ye City to the Marquis of Yan as an apology, and I hope that the Marquis of Yan will achieve great success.”
Yan Beimo leaned back in his chair, remaining silent.
Cui Xun glanced at Cui Linyuan, and seeing that the latter remained silent, he continued, "We in the southeast region are willing to befriend Marquis Yan and share a common hatred against the enemy."
A silence hung in the air.
There was a long silence.
Cui Linyuan smiled and stood up, personally pouring tea for Yan Beimo, saying, "Give me some face. Jinling's life is safe, but you can't let me lose a younger brother, can you?"
"Furthermore, with the southeastern kingdoms in chaos, it would be easier for us to head south with Cui Xun around."
Yan Beimo's face was cold as he accepted the gift, which was considered a gesture of respect.
But just as Cui Linyuan was about to sit down, he was kicked.
"---"
What a waste, using so much force.
"My wife and children were affected by the princess's fall off the cliff, and the prince just brushed it off with a few words. I'm afraid I can't eat or sleep properly."
After a moment, Yan Beimo slightly lifted his eyelids and spoke slowly.
Cui Xun paused, took out a knife, and spoke with a smile.
“The princess is young and impetuous. I apologize to my sister-in-law on her behalf.”
With a snap, the severed finger fell to the ground, blood splattering everywhere.
The air around them fell silent, with only a faint smell of blood lingering in the air.
After a while.
"I've heard that Your Highness has some skilled swimmers under your command. In a few days, I will send someone to the East Sea. I hope Your Highness will assist me."
Cui Xun smiled and said, "Of course."
In the midst of chaos, the south was in turmoil, and more than a dozen regimes of various ethnic groups in the north were fragmented, plunging the world into misery. It was the most chaotic era in history.
After Shen Yan's death, the states of the Central Plains went to war, the entire Great Jin Dynasty fell apart, and the previous dynasty was in turmoil. The powerful families, led by the Yan family, supported Yan Bei Mo's ascension to the throne under the pretext of a new emperor's succession. As a result, the powerful families of the world were outwardly united but inwardly divided.
Yan Beimo set a new precedent, and other powerful families followed suit, attempting to claim the throne, plunging the entire world into chaos.
The Li family of Longxi replaced the Southern Liang dynasty, and various northern tribes began to vie for power, taking turns to rule and vying for control of the Central Plains, each indulging in the fantasy of being an emperor.
After the establishment of the Great Jin Dynasty, the emperor resided in the capital and temporarily unified the south. The gentry and the imperial family launched several northern expeditions, but the north was divided and inflicted by warlords. Some gentry in the north colluded with the Western Regions and the Hu people, and the turmoil was difficult to quell for hundreds of years.
In this chaotic world, many heroes emerged. Among them was Yan Beimo from the Yan family, who held sway in the north for many years, thus maintaining a balance between the north and south.
With the death of the new emperor, a member of a powerful family ascended the throne with an imperial edict, leading to a complete split between the northern and southern regimes.
But Yan Beimo was ruthless. With the backing of powerful families, he ordered a northern expedition, ascended the throne in Jiankang, changed the country's name to Jianyuan, established the Great Qi, and thus the dynasty changed.
Yan Beimo ascended the throne and established the Great Qi Dynasty. The Nine Provinces were reshuffled, many small countries were crushed, and the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions took advantage of the situation to move south and seize land. In the north, there were frequent wars and turmoil.
Inside the council hall, the air was completely silent.
When Night Hawk entered, he saw that the person sitting on the dragon throne had an unhappy expression. Thinking of the minister who had just left, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
It couldn't have come at the worst possible time.
"Any news?"
Night Hawk immediately knelt on the ground, "Our people have searched all the places Qinghe King mentioned, and the portrait has been posted throughout the entire southeast region. Qilin led troops to Penglai, but Penglai is too big, and no news has been sent back yet."
Yan Beimo's expression darkened slightly. "Are the Northern Family Army members really this useless?"
Night Hawk felt a chill run down his spine. "I have already sent more men. We will definitely find the lady."
---
Penglai.
Taozhi left the pharmacy carrying the medicine. On her way back, she saw a stall selling clear soup noodles. She paused for a moment, then went over to buy some.
Penglai is located on an island atop Beishan Mountain, along the coast. This clear soup noodle soup is not the kind of noodles they eat in the Central Plains. It contains various seafood ingredients, which the princess especially loves to eat when she is pregnant.
She was ordered to wait for the princess in Qing County, but she did not see her for a long time, so she waited there until Xiao Yan came and found the princess.
Unexpectedly, when we met again, she was already heavily pregnant.
After arriving in Penglai, the princess wanted to abort the child, but the doctor said that her belly was too big and that forcing the birth might result in the death of both mother and child, so she kept the baby.
Thinking of this, she sighed and carried the noodles to the small courtyard they had bought.
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