You are already cultivating immortality, who would fight with you alone?

Liu Yi thought to himself that compared with Fang Qing, he could never compare to him.

Fang Qing's sudden intervention was like a huge rock thrown into a calm lake, which stirred up a thousand waves in his heart. He felt the pressure like a mountain pressing down on him, and even couldn't help but fall into the quagmire of self-doubt.

Fang Qing was able to govern Daliang in an orderly manner with his own strength. Faced with such a strong opponent, Liu Yi really didn't know how to lead the individual cultivators to fight against him.

Although Daliang was already showing signs of corruption at this time, he still couldn't help but have doubts in his heart: Is he really capable of defeating Fang Qing?

However, he had made a promise to Liu Gong, promising to be the "leader" among the scattered cultivators. If he retreated out of fear at this moment, Liu Gong would be extremely disappointed...

Liu Yi was feeling very annoyed and subconsciously raised his hand to scratch the back of his head. Then his mind sank and his gaze involuntarily turned to the towering top of the tower again.

Perhaps, I could ask Mr. Liu for some advice?

If Mr. Liu stepped forward to stop Fang Qing, wouldn't this trapped beast situation be easily resolved? !

Thinking of this, Liu Yi felt suddenly relieved. Just as he was about to walk towards the Juxian Tower, he suddenly stopped and quickly retreated.

For a moment, his brows were furrowed, like two tangled mountains.

Then, he raised his hand and slapped himself hard on the face. In an instant, his cheeks turned red like ripe tomatoes, and he blamed himself, "Asshole! How could Mr. Liu not know what Fang Qing was thinking?"

"It's just some hardships. Master Liu cultivated you personally. Have you lost even this little confidence?!"

"If that's the case, it would be better to return the surname Liu to Mr. Liu and just roll back to the mountains and become a free and easy wild man!"

After saying this, he sighed, hung his head in dejection, and immersed himself in self-pity.

“Bang… Bang… Bang!”

The ground shook slightly, as if with the sound of dull war drums. A huge shadow came over him from behind, completely covering the already dim light.

Liu Yi reacted very quickly and rolled forward. When he turned around and saw who was coming, he breathed a sigh of relief, but greeted with a little embarrassment: "It turned out to be the Demon General..."

The visitor was none other than Mo Liqing, the leader of the four brothers of the Mo family.

It was curfew at the time and the streets were empty. Mo Liqing was four meters tall, like a moving hill. Standing in front of him, Liu Yi looked even smaller.

"Want to meet Mr. Liu?" Mo Liqing was silent for a moment, then slowly asked.

Liu nodded subconsciously, but in a flash, he seemed to remember something and quickly shook his head to deny it.

Mo Liqing didn't pay attention to his actions. He reached out from his waist and took out three small and exquisite brocade bags. He threw them to Liu Yi and said, "Mr. Liu will not see you, but he knows your intention and ordered me to give you three brocade bags."

The brocade bag seemed extremely small in Mo Liqing's hand, but when it fell into Liu Yi's hand, it was of normal size.

Mo Liqing continued, "You can open the first treasure bag now. The other two can only be opened when you are hesitant."

After he finished speaking, Mo Liqing turned and left. He moved very cautiously and took every step carefully, for fear that he would damage the houses on the street if he was not careful.

"Can I open the first brocade bag? Could this be the magic weapon that Master Liu gave me to ensure victory?!"

Liu Yi was full of doubts, and immediately opened the first brocade bag impatiently.

I saw a note lying quietly inside. In an instant, my heart full of expectations was like being poured with a basin of cold water and disappeared instantly.

However, he couldn't suppress his curiosity and wanted to know what Liu Gong had written.

So he slowly opened the note.

There were only two words on the note: [Are you scared? ]

Liu Yi felt his head buzzing. These two words hit his heart like a heavy hammer and continued to magnify in his mind.

He just stood there in a daze, as if time had stopped.

Until the curfew was lifted, the morning light gradually illuminated the streets, the people in the city came out of their homes one after another, and the shouts of vendors at the street stalls rose one after another. Only then did Liu Yi come back to his senses from his daze.

He exerted force on his fingers, tightly gripping the note; the joints turned slightly white from the force.

These two simple words pierced his heart and made him feel ashamed.

Yes!

Mr. Liu came a long way, from being an ordinary man, rising in the change of dynasties, until he unified the entire Qiyang Continent and became a king who dominated one side.

Compared with the countless hardships and obstacles that Liu Gong had experienced, my current predicament is nothing.

Normally, I would be complacent when others praised me as "Little Liu Gong". But now, when I encounter difficulties, I become timid and confused. What virtue and ability do I have to deserve this title? !

"thump!"

Liu Yi's face was as hard as iron, his eyes were full of determination, and he suddenly knelt down in the direction of the Juxian Tower.

This kneeling seemed to gather all his strength. With a "crack" sound, the blue bricks under him actually had several cracks created by his kneeling.

The sudden noise scared the surrounding stall owners so much that their faces changed suddenly. They squatted down in panic and hid behind their own stalls, their eyes full of fear and confusion.

Under the focused astonished gazes of the crowd, Liu Yi leaned over and knocked his forehead heavily on the ground three times in a row. The sounds were dull and powerful.

After he finished bowing, he slowly stood up, looking towards the direction of the Juxian Tower with a sharp gaze, and said loudly, "Liu Yi has failed to live up to your high expectations. I swear here that the next time I return to Daliang, I will lead thousands of troops and march into the city!"

…………

As soon as the hour of Mao arrived, the heavy city gate of Daliang capital slowly opened, and the "creaking" sound echoed in the morning air.

Suddenly there was a cheer coming from outside the city, and long winding queues had already formed outside the city, like long dragons just waking up from sleep.

These are all people who came to the capital to work, and most of them are ordinary people living in the villages around the capital.

Working outside the city, they could only earn a few coins even if they worked very hard, but in the capital, they could earn precious spirit stones.

Therefore, they hurried here before dawn every day and waited eagerly outside the city, fearing that if they were a little slow, the nobles in the city would choose someone else and they would end up with nothing.

"Line up! Come one by one. The fee to enter the city has been changed today! It requires two spirit stones!" The soldier guarding the city yawned lazily and shouted at the top of his voice.

As soon as these words were spoken, it was like a huge rock was thrown into a calm lake, and the cheers outside the city instantly turned into a chorus of sorrow.

"It has always been one spirit stone, how come it suddenly increased in value? I don't accept it, I'm going to report it to the Imperial Guards!" A burly man roared angrily with a red face.

"Yes! We have all read the documents issued by the court. The fee for entering the city is one spirit stone, and it will not change for a hundred years! You are blatantly disregarding the laws of the court!" An old man in the crowd also echoed tremblingly, his eyes full of indignation.

"The Imperial Guards will not let you go!!!" Everyone responded in anger.

Facing the bustling crowd, the soldier guarding the city was full of disdain. He nonchalantly scratched his ears and said with a curled lip, "Go and complain to whoever you want! Whether it's the Imperial Guards or the National Protection Army! Go find whoever can control you!"

After saying that, his face darkened instantly, and he suddenly drew out his long knife, and stabbed it into the ground with a "puff" sound, causing dust to fly everywhere.

"But if you want to file a complaint, you have to go through me first and enter the city gate. Two spirit stones, not one less!" He glared at everyone with bloodshot eyes, looking viciously at them.

"If you want to cause trouble, just come and try!" The soldier guarding the city glanced at everyone with an arrogant and disdainful sneer on his face, and his voice exploded above everyone's head like a broken gong.

This voice, like a basin of cold water, instantly extinguished the anger that had just ignited in the crowd.

When many people heard this, the anger on their faces instantly turned into fear and they quickly shut their mouths.

After all, although these city guards are not as powerful as the majestic Jinyiwei and the powerful National Protection Army in the imperial army system, they are still the real imperial army under the command of the Nine Ministers and the Court Justices.

How dare we offend these common people so easily?

"This... What on earth is this?! It's simply lawless!" A middle-aged man in coarse linen clothes was so angry that his face turned red, his hands clenched into fists, and his body trembled slightly, but in the end he just cursed in a low voice.

"Yes..." In the crowd, an old woman with a face as pale as paper and red eyes said in a sad voice with tears in her eyes, "My little grandson was born with the aptitude to practice cultivation, and he has been waiting for me to earn some spirit stones to send him on the road to cultivation."

"I work so hard every day, but I only earn one and a half spirit stones a day on average. Now the entrance fee has suddenly increased to two spirit stones. Not only do I not earn enough money from my work, I have to pay for it..."

As the old woman spoke, she kept wiping tears with her dry hands, and her thin body shivered in the cold wind, as if she would be blown down at any time.

At this moment, Liu Yi, who happened to be out of the city, witnessed this scene, his face instantly turned ashen as ink, and a surge of anger rose from the bottom of his heart. He turned around without hesitation, and was about to rush over to teach this arrogant city guard a lesson.

"Look! The Jinyiwei are here! Great, we are saved!" Someone in the crowd was the first to shout excitedly.

Liu subconsciously looked towards the city, and sure enough, he saw a Jinyiwei in the uniform of a hundred households, walking towards them in a square step and swaggering.

Liu Yi couldn't help but retract his steps.

He was trained and raised in the Jinyiwei since he was young. During this period, he was carefully taught by a respected senior. The senior was upright and strict in enforcing the law, which made him deeply admired.

In addition, under the governance of Mr. Liu, the entire Jinyiwei had a clean and upright atmosphere, and no one had ever been heard of being corrupt.

Therefore, Liu Yi has always had a natural liking for the Jinyiwei. At this moment, he has even pictured in his mind the scene of the city guards being severely punished according to the law.

"Sir, sir from the Embroidered Uniform Guard!" Seeing this, many people rushed forward like drowning people grabbing at straws, and called out anxiously through the horse barriers towards the city gate.

The guarding of this city gate is jointly undertaken by the City Guards, the National Protection Army and the Embroidered Uniform Guards. In name, they are supervising each other, but in reality, the National Protection Army and the Embroidered Uniform Guards usually regard themselves as the bosses, and the City Guards are always the ones who do the real work.

"My Lord, please help us! The city guards raised the city entry tax without reason, which is a serious violation of the court laws!" An old man pleaded in a trembling voice.

"The Imperial Guards have always been impartial and ruthless. Quickly arrest these city guards and give us justice!" Everyone echoed, their eyes full of anticipation.

The hundred households inside the city gate naturally heard the people's cries for help.

He wanted to enter the city wall to enjoy breakfast and relieve his sleepiness, but he couldn't help but stop, frowned slightly, and retreated impatiently.

He stood at the city gate, looking at everyone with contempt, and said disdainfully: "Stop making noise here! Increasing the city entry tax is a matter that the nine ministers have discussed and decided together. If you are dissatisfied, just go and ask the nine ministers to reason with you!"

"Why are you nagging at us servants?" He waved his hand in disdain. Before leaving, he threatened viciously, "Shut up, everyone! Whoever dares to disturb me while I am enjoying my breakfast will not be spared!"

When the people heard this, the expectations on their faces instantly turned into astonishment and despair. They looked at each other, at a loss as to what to do.

Liu Yi was so shocked that he felt like he was struck by lightning, and he stood there in a daze.

His eyes were wide open, staring at the Jinyiwei captain who climbed onto the city wall, his eyes full of disbelief, as if the scene before him was just an absurd nightmare, and he was expecting to wake up in the next second.

"This... Is this still the Jinyiwei that I know?!" Liu Yi roared in his heart, with doubts and anger surging like a raging tide.

He couldn't figure out no matter how hard he tried, when did the Jinyiwei start to obey the orders of the Jiuqing?

Since its inception, wasn't the Jinyiwei meant to monitor all officials and ensure the integrity of the court?

What is the difference between the current situation and handing over the power to control the weather to those who make profits by selling umbrellas?

This will undoubtedly turn power into a tool for personal gain!

"Officials protect each other and are in collusion with each other. If this continues, Daliang will become a living hell for the lower-class people!!" Liu Yi felt sad, and a feeling of powerlessness shrouded his heart like a haze.

"Killing one person is killing, and killing two is also fine! How can we allow these despicable rats to play with the Daliang that Liu Gong has built with all his heart and soul!" Liu Yi's heart was burning with anger, and murderous intent was surging, almost out of control.

He stretched out his hand angrily and just about to grasp the origami, but then his body suddenly froze and he stood still.

In an instant, it was as if a bolt of lightning broke through the chaos in his mind, and the "flaw" that Fang Qing had mentioned before flooded into his thoughts like a revelation.

His Adam's apple rolled slightly subconsciously, and his eyes were filled with a complex expression of astonishment and enlightenment.

"If this chaos continues to spread, the people's resentment will burst like a flood, and rebellion will break out in no time. If Fang Qing wants to compete with me, he must quell the civil unrest first. This hot potato should be his headache!"

Liu Yi was thinking secretly in his heart, his thoughts were flying.

Thinking of this, his eyes suddenly lit up, and an idea blossomed in his mind like a spark of fire: "It seems that the more chaotic Daliang is, the more acute the conflicts between the parties, the more distracted Fang Qing will be, and my chances of winning... won't it be higher?!"