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

As the sky gradually brightened, Fang Qing closed a memorial and was about to pick up a new one, but Qian Ge Lao's words followed him like a shadow, lingering in his mind, making him no longer interested in dealing with official documents.

Then, he slowly retracted his outstretched hand, put his arm on the table, supported his chin, and fell into deep thought:

According to what Lord Qian said, Mr. Liu's intention did not seem to be on Liu Yi.

But what was the purpose of paving the way for Liu Yi?

Isn't it intended to overthrow the beam...

Why is that?

"Dong dong."

Just at this moment, there was a knock on the door. Fang Qing collected his thoughts, took a memorial from the pile, and spread it out:

"come in."

As the door creaked, Wu Ji walked into the room with a smile on his face and greeted respectfully, "Prime Minister."

Fang Qing said "hmm" but didn't look up: "What's the matter?"

"The governor of Kyoto sent someone to deliver a message."

Fang Qing frowned slightly, and while grinding ink, he asked impatiently: "The governor of Kyoto is usually free and easy, what's the matter this time?"

Although Wu Ji had a smile on his face, that smile did not reach his eyes. There was a hint of inquiry in his eyes, as if he was observing Fang Qing's reaction to the news. He chuckled twice and said, "Lord Qian committed suicide at home."

"Bata..."

The ink stick in Fang Qing's hand suddenly broke into two pieces. His pupils shrank slightly and his body began to tremble as if there was an earthquake.

After a long while, he slowly raised his head, looked at Wu Ji's half-smiley face, and said in a trembling voice: "Suicide?! Elder Qian committed suicide?!"

"That's right." Wu Ji nodded heavily, "The envoy said that the words conveyed by the governor of Kyoto have not been changed a word."

Fang Qing only felt a "boom" in his mind, as if the sky was falling and the earth was splitting apart.

Just two hours ago, the two were still chatting happily, but in the blink of an eye, they were separated by the Yin and Yang?

He swallowed hard, looking at Wu Ji's ever-changing smiling face, feeling an inexplicable discomfort in his heart.

Lord Qian was a pillar of Daliang, and his passing is a great loss to Daliang.

At this moment, in the whole Daliang, perhaps only Wu Ji in front of him could still smile like this.

This is also a helpless move. The four brothers are born with defects in facial expression control and always have the same face.

Fang Qing didn't pay much attention to it, and quickly asked: "How did he commit suicide? Was it hanging from a beam, or falling into a well?!"

Wu Ji's expression remained unchanged as he slowly said, "I was stabbed seven times in the back."

Fang Qing was stunned at first, then he could not help but shout angrily: "Absurd! It is absolutely ridiculous! Committing suicide with seven stab wounds in the back? It's amazing that he could come up with such an idea!"

After saying this, he suddenly overturned the desk to the ground, and the memorials scattered all over the ground like snowflakes.

"Pass my order on the governor of Kyoto to resign immediately and return to his hometown to farm!"

Then, he stretched out his fingers, which were trembling slightly with anger, and said, "Go to the Jinyiwei Yamen and call that person..."

"Who?" Wu Ji asked quietly with a smile on his face but a hint of cunning flashed in his eyes.

Just when he was about to call out the name, Fang Qing was suddenly speechless. The name on the tip of his tongue could not be uttered no matter what.

It wasn't that he had forgotten the man's name, but he was suddenly filled with fear and didn't dare to continue.

He suddenly realized that there might be a huge conspiracy behind this.

The anger on his face froze instantly, and then a chill ran from the soles of his feet straight up to his heart.

His whole body shook violently, as if he was hit by an invisible force. He quickly retracted his fingers and picked up the desk again with trepidation.

Thinking of this, his hands began to tremble uncontrollably, and the angry words were stuck in his throat.

Then he slowly sat down on the couch and fell into silence.

Fang Qing only felt the fear coming like a tide, enveloping him tightly. He subconsciously clenched his hands, as if this would allow him to grasp a glimmer of security.

But those trembling hands showed no signs of relaxing.

The unchanging smile on Wu Ji's lips seemed to have a deeper meaning at this moment. He narrowed his eyes slightly, revealing a hint of caution and expectation, and watched Fang Qing's reaction quietly.

"Has the Prime Minister thought of anything?" Wu Ji asked softly.

"No!" Fang Qing looked up in horror and almost instinctively denied Wu Ji's guess.

Then, as if responding to Wu Ji or warning himself, he murmured, "I didn't think of anything..."

After a long while, Fang Qing took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, forcibly suppressing the uneasiness in his heart, and said: "Tell the governor of Kyoto that the elder died of old age and did not commit suicide. This matter must be handled properly. Let the people of Tai Fengchang take charge of the funeral arrangements for the elder Qian. Carry it out according to the standards of a prince, and the whole country will mourn!"

Wu Ji raised the corners of his mouth slightly, chuckled, and agreed respectfully.

Then, while Fang Qing was thinking with his head down, Wu Ji took two steps forward, approached Fang Qing, and asked in a low voice: "Prime Minister, do you need us to pack our bags and valuables in advance?"

Fang Qing blinked, a hint of doubt in his eyes: "Why?"

"Run, you have four of us brothers by your side. The world is so big, there's no place you can't go." Wu Ji smiled, with a bit more confidence in his expression.

The four brothers are all great masters in the Refinement Void Stage. When they work together, they can defeat the Mahayana masters. He is not bragging when he says this.

But Fang Qing just shook his head slowly, looking calm: "Don't think too much, I will be fine.

After sending Wu Ji away, Fang Qing fell silent again.

In the study, the flickering candlelight illuminated his furrowed brow.

The death of Lord Qian was definitely not a so-called suicide, but a homicide.

The only way he could do it so quietly and have the governor of Kyoto consider it a suicide was because... No one dared to mess with the person who killed him!

Needless to say, who else could this person be other than Liu Yuntian?

Thinking of this, Fang Qing seemed to realize something and shouted loudly towards the door: "Someone come!"

The next moment, Uncle Wu pushed the door open and walked in, bowing and saying, "Prime Minister."

"Where's Wu Ji?"

"My fourth brother has gone to do what you asked."

"Oh, right!" Fang Qing slapped his forehead and muttered to himself, "How could I have forgotten that?"

Then, he waved to Uncle Wu anxiously, and when he got closer, he continued to ask, "Besides the elder, are there any other people in the Qian Mansion who... committed suicide?"

"No, only Lord Qian committed suicide."

Fang Qing let out a long sigh, rubbed his fingers, and after thinking for a moment, he said: "Now that the elder has passed away, Qian Xueshi should observe mourning. Let him go home, and when the time is right... he can restore the monarchy."

After saying this, Fang Qing no longer paid attention to Uncle Wu, but instead sorted out the messy desk while secretly thinking:

Why did Liu Gong want to kill the elder?

This question was like a cloud, weighing heavily on Fang Qing's heart.

Could it be that the elder has done something extremely treasonous?

But if this is true, with Liu Gong's swift and decisive character, once he has the intention to kill, he will kill like a strong wind sweeping away fallen leaves, leaving no trace of trouble.

The final result could never be as simple as the death of Lord Qian alone.

Lord Qian is by no means a rebellious person. He is an extremely intelligent and experienced man with a mind as deep as the abyss and a deep insight into worldly affairs.

He cares about the people of the world, has all life in his heart, is upright and wise, and will never betray anyone.

And considering Mr. Liu's reliance on Mr. Qian, how could he easily...

"No..." A sharp light flashed in Fang Qing's eyes, "He must have done something that conflicted with Mr. Liu's interests!" He didn't even realize that what was in his mind had already come out of his mouth.

After realizing what was happening, he quickly covered his mouth.

At this moment, Fang Qing suddenly recalled the last words that Qian Ge Lao said to him before his death:

"You are indeed a capable minister who is well versed in the art of governing a country... But you must know that a country is no different from a person, and they also have seven emotions and six desires."

"The Prime Minister still lacks understanding of the changes in human nature."

"If Mr. Liu really favors that child... why not just let you disappear from this world?"

"Wouldn't this solve the problem once and for all?!"

Fang Qing kept replaying these words in his mind.

All countries and people have seven emotions and six desires... Liu Gong paved the way for Liu Yi, and it seemed that he did not intend to overthrow Daliang.

Otherwise, I would have disappeared from this world long ago.

No...it is also possible that Liu Gong wants to become Liu Yi's whetstone!

I don’t want Liu Yi’s path to be too smooth!

However, this idea does not conform to Liu Gong's logic.

Liu Gong never does useless work. If the goal is to overthrow Daliang, what is the point of training Liu Yi?

Isn't this a waste of time?

Fang Qing was feeling depressed. He raised his hand and gently supported his forehead, as if to ease his complicated thoughts.

He really found it difficult to understand Liu Gong's behavior. He just felt vaguely that Liu Gong was planning an unfathomable chess game, so big that even with his wisdom he could not get a full picture of it.

The tragic death of Lord Qian must have been due to his insight into the secret of the chess game.

But for the safety of his family, Lord Qian could only linger on the edge of Mr. Liu's bottom line and remind himself in an obscure way.

But what exactly did he want to remind himself of?

Fang Qing grabbed his hair in pain, forcing his brain to run like a fast-moving gear, thinking hard.

Suddenly, the word "common people" flashed before his eyes like lightning!

What Lord Qian cared about most in his life was the people of the world. Could it be that Lord Liu had the intention to exterminate all the people?

Is Lord Qian's move an attempt for me to do something to stop it?

If a war breaks out between Daliang and the coalition forces composed of sects and independent cultivators, the people will surely fall into dire straits. This seems to be an inevitable disaster. Even with one's own strength, it may be difficult to stop this situation.

Even though the war is extremely brutal, there is no threat of world destruction, and there will always be many lives that survive.

Speaking of Liu Gong's actions, the world today is divided into two, one is Daliang, and the other is the power of the sects and independent cultivators.

One side is under his control, and the other is controlled by Liu Yi.

He and Liu Yi are like the black and white chess pieces, and Mr. Liu is undoubtedly the only person playing the game!

It seems that Liu Gong has no rivals. So, what is the point even if he creates the situation to the extreme?

No matter who wins, it is ultimately just a game played by one person.

A chess game without an opponent?

"I understand!"

At this moment, Fang Qing stood up suddenly, walked to the window like a gust of wind, stared at the Juxian Tower that towered into the clouds, his throat moved slightly, and he swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

"It's not that you don't have an opponent! It's that your opponent hasn't appeared yet!"

"You want to arrange your chessboard to maximize your chances of winning before your opponent arrives, and then move the chessboard to his front before making a checkmate!"

"We will never give them any chance to turn things around!"

"There is only one opponent that you dare not gamble with!"

“It’s the way of heaven!”

Fang Qing suddenly realized something. Just as he finished speaking, a strange light suddenly flashed outside the window, illuminating his shocked face.

His steps were somewhat unsteady, and he stumbled back a few steps. A terrible thought emerged in his mind: "After the sky falls... I'm afraid the world will really be destroyed."

"In exchange for the lives of all the living beings in this world, will you be able to ascend to heaven alone..."

At this moment, Fang Qing suddenly recalled some words that Lord Qian had mentioned vaguely before his death, which seemed to imply some kind of grand crisis concerning the heaven and earth. Combined with the inference at this moment, everything seemed to have an answer, but this answer was too heavy.

……

At the same time, at the top of the Juxian Tower.

The wind was cold and biting. Liu Yuntian stood at the window with his hands behind his back, his clothes rustling.

His eyes were like an eagle's, looking down in the direction of the Prime Minister's Mansion. His deep eyes seemed to contain endless thoughts.

From his angle, he could just see Fang Qing's study, and the two of them seemed to be looking at each other from a distance.

It’s just that Liu Yuntian can see Fang Qing, but Fang Qing can’t see Liu Yuntian.

Liu Yuntian raised his eyebrows slightly, and a disdainful arc appeared at the corner of his lips, "The sky is falling and the world is destroyed? Haha. How could you think of that!"

"Although I am not a good person, am I as evil as you imagine?"

Liu Yuntian shook his head helplessly, his expression showing a bit of pride, "I really don't care much about other people's lives... But I will never do anything that would harm others and not benefit myself!"

"Only profit... can drive me to act!" As he spoke, Liu Yuntian slowly turned his head and looked at the figure sitting quietly in the room. "Wuji, in your eyes, do I look like a devil who does all kinds of evil?"

“Who knows?” Wuji glanced at him with disdain in his eyes. “One hundred thousand soldiers’ lives were given away at will. That’s a full hundred thousand lives. Behind them, there are also whole families!”

Liu Yuntian stroked his white beard lightly. How could he not know the sarcasm in Wuji's words?

But he was not ashamed of it, he just said calmly: "I am willing to give it up, I am willing to give it up..."

“You must sacrifice in order to gain!”

"Oh?" Wuji raised his lips and said teasingly, "So, you are quite justified?"

"One hundred thousand lives, what's so insignificant to me?" Liu Yuntian turned and went into the house, sitting opposite Wuji, his eyes deep and his expression calm, "If it weren't for me saving the day, I don't know what kind of chaos this world would be in."

"One war after another, one natural disaster after another..."

"How can the power of a mere 100,000 souls stop it?"

As Liu Yuntian spoke, he unconsciously played with a jade pendant that symbolized power in his hand. The jade pendant flickered faintly under the candlelight.

As he was speaking, a servant suddenly hurried in and whispered something in Liu Yuntian's ear. Liu Yuntian's brows relaxed and his expression became more relaxed.

Inside the Juxian Tower, candlelight flickered and the ancient paintings hanging on the walls appeared and disappeared in the light and shadow.

Liu Yuntian and Wuji sat opposite each other. On the sandalwood table in the middle was placed an unfinished chess game. The chess pieces were scattered around, just like the situation in the world.

"Liu Yi killed his way to the Zhongzhou County Governor's Mansion, and Mei Zai died."

Liu Yuntian smiled as he picked up a chess piece on the board, looked at it carefully, then pinched it with two fingers and the chess piece turned into dust and fell from his fingertips.

"The end...is coming soon!"