Qin Zhong escorted Cui Yulu out and happened to see Tuoba Xuan.
"So it was you. You were too scared to come in and see me, weren't you?"
"Hmph, who says I wouldn't dare? How about we have a competition after I'm done with this busy period?"
Tuoba Xuan greeted Qin Zhong familiarly, indicating that the two had sparred together quite a bit in the past.
"A defeated opponent like you? Do you think I'm afraid of you?"
Tuoba Xuan was mocked, and his smile immediately disappeared. He roared angrily, "A scholar should be viewed with a second glance after three days of separation. My defeat at your hands back then was an accident. You won't be so lucky next time."
After exchanging a few more jokes, Qin Zhong let them pass through Yulou Pass.
The horse galloped for a while longer, and when Cui Yulu felt that her body couldn't take it anymore, she secretly drank a sip of spiritual spring water.
"Brother, let's take a break. The child and the horse can't take this kind of running."
"Okay, there's a restaurant up ahead, let's go in and rest for a while."
This is a good opportunity to ask Tuoba Xuan about the royal family of the foreign tribes.
Only by knowing yourself and your enemy can you win every battle.
"Two catties of beef, three bowls of noodles, and a pot of good wine, please."
Upon hearing this, the waiter happily went down to prepare.
Looking at the in high spirits Tuoba Xuan, Cui Yulu asked, "Brother, do you know why Old Wang suddenly fell seriously ill?"
"To be honest, I don't know either. Ever since your accident, I brought some people to Jingyuan Town and haven't been back for over a month. I don't know the specifics."
"However, Old Wang had a pre-existing condition, so it's probably a relapse."
Cui Yulu nodded slightly: "But this old king has no son, so how can he let a queen make the decision?"
At this point, Tuoba Xuan's face darkened, and after a long silence, he looked up at Abu and slowly said, "Actually, the old king had five sons, and Abu was the sixth. However, in recent years, they have all died of illness, and even their birth mother passed away from the same disease. The king was greatly affected by this and contracted a serious illness."
Upon hearing this, Cui Yulu glanced at Abu, who was focused on eating noodles. Fortunately, the mother and son had escaped; otherwise, they would probably have turned to dust long ago.
"Didn't your king ever consider that this wasn't a coincidence, but rather something deliberate?"
After taking a sip of wine and a bite of beef, Tuoba Xuan looked up at Cui Yulu.
"You suspect that someone close to me, the King, did this?"
"If I remember correctly, when I first met Fu Xiaoyu, he was already poisoned by your barbarian tribe. I think your king's children are probably in the same situation."
Tuoba Xuan carefully recalled the scenes of the princes' deaths, which were similar to the scene when Fu Xiaoyu was poisoned.
His face darkened further, and he put down his wine glass, saying sullenly, "So you suspect that my king was also poisoned this time, and that the person who poisoned him is right next to him, isn't that right?"
Seeing his solemn expression, Cui Yulu quickly ate a bite of noodles and said, "Don't be too nervous. I'm just guessing. We'll have to wait until we see the King to make a decision."
Tuoba Xuan felt a tightness in his chest, and a bad premonition was rising in his heart.
If this poisoning was intentional, then this person is truly meticulous and cautious, leaving no room for error, and has been eliminating the king's son step by step. Now, as long as the king is eliminated, the foreign lands will inevitably be in chaos, and then the person will reap all the benefits.
Tuoba Xuan suddenly remembered what Tuoba Xuanyi had told him: this return would inevitably be extremely dangerous.
Suddenly the tavern closed its doors, and a group of foreign soldiers rushed in and surrounded them.
"Brother, it seems someone is targeting you."
Cui Yulu cautiously took out her hidden weapon, soybeans, and carefully looked at the people around her. They should all be top experts from the royal family, since anyone who dared to capture Tuoba Xuan must be quite skilled.
"Haha, you guessed right, girl. It seems these bastards were afraid I'd come back, so they ambushed us here beforehand."
Tuoba Xuan took out his short sword and held it horizontally in front of his chest. He then glanced at Abu beside him and said, "You brat, are you scared?"
"Hmph, a real man isn't afraid. Sister, stand behind me, I'll protect you."
The little guy spoke with great seriousness, and even took a few steps forward to protect Cui Yulu behind him.
“Very good, it suits the spirit of us barbarians. I like your character.”
Tuoba Xuan didn't take these people seriously at all, and even joked with Abu.
However, the little guy looked at the foreign soldiers in front of him with a serious expression, which made Tuoba Xuan think that he was very similar to the old king.
It seems we really made the right choice this time; this child is sure to achieve great things.
The soldiers naturally recognized Tuoba Xuan, and none of them dared to make a move, fearing that they would be the first to die.
"You guys better hurry up, or wait until I finish my meal before you talk."
Tuoba Xuan had lost his patience and swung his sword at them, striking them down one by one.
They quickly dealt with four or five of them, forcing those people to retreat step by step, without Cui Yulu and the others having to lift a finger.
"As expected of a warrior, it was evident from his first move that he possesses genuine skill."
Cui Yulu was nagging Abu on the side, while the little guy was still gripping his little spear tightly, looking somewhat tense, not relaxing at all despite the people retreating step by step.
Tuoba Xuan quickly fought his way through and the three of them reached the door.
"I don't know who sent you. I'll take your lives today, but go back and tell your master that if you don't kill me today, I will take her life tomorrow."
After Tuoba Xuan finished speaking, he led the two women out of the restaurant.
They rode swiftly towards the capital.
At this point, the capital city was probably in turmoil, and it seemed that the world was destined for a major reshuffle.
This foreign land is also facing a purge, just like the Yuan Dynasty. The old king is weak and surrounded by treacherous officials. At present, this foreign land is also in a state of fragmentation, with the leaders of various tribes occupying their own territories and wanting to become kings.
The Tuoba family has always been of one mind with the royal family, so his return will naturally cause a great uproar.
This is bound to attract the attention of all parties involved.
In particular, the Lei tribe in the southeast has always been the largest and most ambitious of the four major tribes.
Now that Old Wang is seriously ill, he will probably be secretly plotting how to rebel against the royal family and take the opportunity to build his own power.
Just now, Tuoba Xuan saw the cloud-thunder pattern tattoos that belonged to the Thunder Department on those soldiers.
It seems that the Thunder Department needs a thorough cleanup.
"How much longer until we reach the capital, brother?"
"If we don't stop now, we should arrive in about two more hours."
Cui Yulu nodded and slapped the horse's back even harder, raising clouds of dust behind her.
They had to get to the capital immediately and couldn't afford any mishaps on the way. Cui Yulu was anxious. This trip to the foreign land would probably take even longer, and she didn't know if it could be resolved smoothly. She also wondered how Fu Xiaoyu was doing and hoped he could hold on.
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