After Long Xiaoyuan spoke, Shi Qingshan cut off the heads of two people.
When the two heads rolled on the ground, the remaining three people turned pale.
Liu Suifeng said, “Leave it to me. I’ll make them tell everything that they know as quickly as possible.”
After he spoke, Liu Suifeng took them to the side coldly.
Liu Suifeng did interrogate them at the fastest speed.
He came back half an hour later.
“They’ve talked. They only know that their Master is from Northern Barbarians, where it is in chaos now. Their Master asked them to come here and kidnap General Shi. It is best to catch him alive, so they can use him to threaten you. They don’t know the identity of their Master, and they only know that he is from Northern Barbarians. They have more than twenty accomplices in the Imperial City now.”
“How can we break the spell of this place?”
“Water, the spell fears water,” Liu Suifeng immediately said, “Only water can break it. The valley is below us. Only water pouring down from the top can break the spell.”
Long Xiaoyuan continued to ask, “Do you know how to get out of here?”
“Yes, there is a way.”
“We can’t lose any time now. Let’s talk about this after we go out.”
The others had no objections. Therefore, they decided to go out first.
Liu Suifeng led the way, and it didn’t take them long to go out of the valley.
However, it was not easy to transport a large amount of water.
However, where was a will, there was a way.
The only thing that Long Xiaoyuan found strange was that he didn’t see the Shadow Guardians down there.
Were they trapped somewhere else in the valley or not?
But if they weren’t trapped, where were they?
He could not find the answer to the question. When they found the horses, they set off the signal.
Soon after, a large group of people arrived, led by Qiu Ming.
“Good afternoon, Your Majesty and Your highness.”
“Qiu Ming, we need water here. Find a way to bring enough water here. Hurry up.”
Qiu Ming immediately nodded. “Yes, I will do it now.”
Long Xiaoyuan had been rushing along the way, and he didn’t eat anything in the valley, so he was reaching his limit. Shi Qingzhou noticed there was something wrong with him, hastily taking him off the horse. “Are you alright?”
Long Xiaoyuan shook his head. “I’m fine. I just feel a little tired. Let’s rest here.”
Shi Qingzhou quickly helped him sit by the roadside.
Shi Qingshan did not rest, leading the soldiers of Qiu Ming and busying around.
There were no big towns nearby, but there were many villages.
Some of them went to fetch water from the villages.
They transported the buckets with carts.
Although Qiu Ming and the rest were very fast, they didn’t make it in time.
When they arrived and poured the water down, four hours had passed.
The people who were knocked out in the beginning woke up again and continued the fight, in which more casualties were caused. Shi Qingshan’s troops had suffered the biggest loss since they followed Shi Qingshan.
They suffered the heavy loss in the valley instead of the battlefield.
The casualties wrung the hearts of Shi Qingshan and Long Xiaoyuan.
Long Xiaoyuan took a good rest by the roadside and finally felt refreshed.
Shi Qingzhou gave him some internal power. Although it was not much, it was better than nothing, helpful for his recovery.
Long Xiaoyuan stood up. “How is the situation over there?”
“The water has been delivered, but the casualties have increased.”
Long Xiaoyuan pursed his lips tightly. “How many people died?”
“Eight hundred.”
Long Xiaoyuan closed his eyes. “So many?”
Shi Qingzhou didn’t know what to say.
Long Xiaoyuan opened his eyes and said slowly, “Let’s go. Let’s leave first.”
Shi Qingzhou nodded.
After they got back to the palace, Long Xiaoyuan said softly to Shi Qingzhou that night, “Qingzhou, I’ve decided to support Huhe Huangcheng to be enthroned.”
Shi Qingzhou looked at him.
Long Xiaoyuan smiled. “Are you surprised?”
Shi Qingzhou slowly shook his head. “Although Huhe Huangcheng uses poison, he doesn’t use venomous insects after all. Most importantly, we knew how he is. The person who is behind the scene is too evil and crazy. If he becomes the emperor of Northern Barbarians, I’m afraid that he would keep causing troubles to Tianlong Dynasty.”
Long Xiaoyuan nodded. “We don’t know who this person is, but I think Huhe Huangcheng should have known now.”
Shi Qingzhou nodded. “Let’s get our people in Northern Barbarians to ask him. Huhe Huangcheng can’t resist the temptation of forming alliance with us.”
Long Xiaoyuan nodded, “Okay. I will get it done.”
“We have to tell my father about this.”
“Of course. But the alliance will not change, “Long Xiaoyuan said firmly.
Shi Qingzhou nodded. “Alright. It’s still early. I’ll go back home.”
Long Xiaoyuan frowned. “Don’t go for the time being. Liu Suifeng gathered the news that there are spies in the Imperial City, but they knew that they had been exposed. When our people tracked them to the place where they were staying, they had gone. We don’t know where they are hiding. You should stay in the palace these days. Don’t go anywhere.”
Shi Qingzhou looked at Long Xiaoyuan’s serious eyes, nodding helplessly. “Okay, I got it.”
Long Xiaoyuan pinched his palm. “I’m sorry.”
Shi Qingzhou shook his head. “What are you apologizing for?”
“I don’t allow you to go back.”
Shi Qingzhou rolled his eyes at him. “Alright, stop talking nonsense. Go to sleep.”
“Okay.” Long Xiaoyuan nodded.
The next day, Long Xiaoyuan got up early.
When he went to the morning court, Shi Qingzhou was still asleep, and Long Xiaoyuan did not wake him up.
By the time Long Xiaoyuan came back from the court, Shi Qingzhou was already sitting at the dining table.
Long Xiaoyuan had brought someone over.
Shi Qingzhou immediately stood up when he saw the person. “Father?”
Shi Qingshan smiled without saluting.
He probably knew that Long Xiaoyuan didn’t like this.
Shi Qingzhou and Shi Qingshan sat at the dining table. “Breakfast will be served soon.”
Shi Qingshan nodded. “Okay.”
Long Xiaoyuan smiled and said. “Lotus Shortbread is very delicious. Father, you can have a taste.”
“Okay.” Shi Qingshan agreed readily.
Long Xiaoyuan did not follow the rule of no talking during breakfast, and he told Shi Qingshan about the visit to the general’s mansion.
Shi Qingshan said seriously, “I was not home and I didn’t know what had happened. Your Majesty, thanks to your help, my home can be safe.”
Long Xiaoyuan smiled. “Father, you are welcome. We are family.”
Shi Qingshan smiled as well. He noticed that his son did not show any rejection, knowing the two of them were close.
What’s more, at home he heard from his wife that Long Xiaoyuan, the emperor, did not even set his foot in any palaces but the Empress’ Qiankun Palace.
Did the emperor love his son only for the rest of his life?
Shi Qingshan was happy for his son. He was loyal and devoted to Tianlong Dynasty.
When his only son became the empress, the Shi family could no longer have any descendants. If his son was happy, it was worth it.
He was contented to see Long Xiaoyuan treat his son well.
Thinking of this, Shi Qingshan had better appetite looking at the food in front of him.
Long Xiaoyuan put a lot of food in the bowl of Shi Qingshan, who thanked him but did not refuse.
It was a warm breakfast.
After breakfast, Long Xiaoyuan and Shi Qingshan went to the study of Qiankun Palace.
Shi Qingzhou did not go with them, staying outside and asking the Shadow Guardians about information of the spies in the Imperial City.
A Shadow Guardian came to report that there was movement from the Tianji Sect.
Shi Qingzhou asked coldly what was going on, and the Shadow Guardian said, “We only heard a loud noise coming from inside, but it was covered up quickly. When we tried to go in and investigate, we got held back.”
Shi Qingzhou instantly frowned. “In other words, no one can enter Tianji Sect now, right?”
“Yes.”
Shi Qingzhou narrowed his eyes. “Go take a look. If they stop you, you can break in.”
“Yes.” The Shadow Guardian took the order and immediately left.
Shi Qingzhou thought about the issue of Tianji Sect. Moments later, he stood up and leapt out at high speed.
Soon, he arrived at Liu Suifeng’s place with the lightness skill.
Liu Suifeng looked at him in surprise. “What’s wrong?”
Shi Qingzhou said quickly. “Follow me to Tianji Sect.”
Liu Suifeng was startled. Before he could ask, Shi Qingzhou had already leapt away, so he had to chase after him.
Ouyang Chuan was coming out of the room and didn’t know what happened. When he saw Liu Suifeng chasing after Shi Qingzhou, he gritted his teeth and followed them.
Long Xiaoyuan didn’t know that Shi Qingzhou had left the palace. He was discussing with Shi Qingshan about Northern Barbarians.
Shi Qingshan agreed to send out troops to help Huhe Huangcheng.
However, they had to be careful.
For example, they could give him military support and acknowledgement, but they should not send the troops into Northern Barbarians. Otherwise, they might suffer huge loss.
Long Xiaoyuan nodded. “I think so too. We can announce to the world that we only acknowledge Huhe Huangcheng as the emperor of Northern Barbarians. In addition, we will announce what the evil backstage manipulator has done.”
Shi Qingshan nodded. “Good idea.”
After that, the two of them got down to details. By the time everything was confirmed, two hours had passed.
Shi Qingshan took his leave. He was surprised when he didn’t see his son outside, but he left without asking.
When Long Xiaoyuan came out, he got the news that Shi Qingzhou had gone out.
He summoned a Shadow Guardian and inquired. Shi Qingzhou went to Tianji Sect!
Instantly, Long Xiaoyuan’s face darkened.
However, even though he was worried, he stayed behind. Liu Suifeng was with Shi Qingzhou, which relieved him a little, but he couldn’t help sighing in his heart.
He felt that he was starting to get old.
Why? Because he got worried too much!
While Long Xiaoyuan was worried, Shi Qingzhou had arrived at Tianji Sect.
The loud noise from the Tianji Sect turned out to be the noise of the fight between two people, who were actually Zou Qingyuan and Wu Ronghan! In the end, the Shadow Guardians managed to break in and saw Wu Ronghan’s final attack at Zou Qingyuan, who spat out blood.
The Shadow Guardians asked the reason of the fight, but the two of them kept silent.
When Shi Qingzhou and Liu Suifeng arrived, the fight had long ago stopped, but the Shadow Guardians had not got any useful information.
Shi Qingzhou didn’t ask Wu Ronghan any question, and instead he took Zou Qingyuan away.
Wu Ronghan wanted to stop him, but Liu Suifeng stepped in.
Just like that, Zou Qingyuan was taken away from Tianji Sect by Shi Qingzhou.
After Shi Qingzhou left Tianji Sect, he did not go back to the imperial palace. Instead, he took Zou Qingyuan to a restaurant and asked for a private room.
After they sat down, Shi Qingzhou ordered a pot of wine and some dishes.
After the waiter left, Shi Qingzhou said slowly, “Brother Zou, have we known each other for a long time?”
Zou Qingyuan paused and nodded. “Indeed. It has been six years.”
“Yeah, it’s been six years,” Shi Qingzhou said lightly, “You know me, and I know you. So do you still want to cover up for Wu Ronghan?”
Zou Qingyuan was shocked, but he didn’t know what to say.
Shi Qingzhou continued slowly, “I thought that it was an obvious signal that I personally searched Wu Ronghan’s room.”
Zou Qingyuan pursed his lips tightly.
“I have one thing to tell you, Brother Zou. Yesterday…”
Shi Qingzhou told him the death of the eight hundred soldiers in a very cold tone. In the end, he said in a colder voice, “Brother Zou, are you the citizen of Tianlong Dynasty?”
Zou Qingyuan shuddered. He looked up at Shi Qingzhou and said hoarsely, “Are you telling the truth? So many people died in the valley?”
“Brother Zou, do you think I need to lie to you?”
Zou Qingyuan slowly shook his head. “No… You don’t have to lie to me…”
He knew Shi Qingzhou was telling the truth.
Shi Qingzhou said lightly, “What did Wu Ronghan do? Do you still want to cover up for him? If he is a citizen of Tianlong Dynasty, then he has committed treason and should be killed. If he is not a citizen of Tianlong Dynasty, then he should be killed as well. Do you agree, Brother Zou?”
As Shi Qingzhou spoke, his voice was getting colder.
Zou Qingyuan’s face whitened suddenly. After a long time, he said slowly. “Alright, I… will tell you.”
But right at that moment, something suddenly happened.
Zou Qingyuan was about to say something, but he suddenly grabbed his own neck with his hands.
“Zou Qingyuan!” Shi Qingzhou was shocked and hurriedly went over to check, but at this moment, Zou Qingyuan suddenly overturned the entire table and fell to the ground in pain.
Shi Qingzhou turned pale. He intended to go up to stop Zou Qingyuan, who suddenly jumped up and rushed to him like crazy. If Shi Qingzhou was hit, he would be injured or dead.
Shi Qingzhou didn’t dare to fight, so he could only dodge.
Just as Shi Qingzhou dodged, the Shadow Guardians arrived.
The Shadow Guardian had been following Shi Qingzhou, so they rushed over when they heard the commotion.
The Shadow Guardian worked together, intending to control Zou Qingyuan, who suddenly fell to the ground and spat out blood…He died shortly afterwards.
Shi Qingzhou turned grave.
But it was useless.
A Shadow Guardian felt Zou Qingyuan’s nose. “He is dead.”
Shi Qingzhou closed his eyes for a short while before he opened his eyes with coldness. “Where’s Wu Ronghan?”
“Still in Tianji Sect.”
“Let’s go.” Shi Qingzhou took the lead and left.
The Shadow Guardians followed.
Shi Qingzhou took them to Tianji Sect, where Liu Suifeng was waiting. “Where’s Wu Ronghan?”
Liu Suifeng knew that something was wrong when he saw Shi Qingzhou’s expression. “In the room.”
“Go in and take a look,” Shi Qingzhou said coldly.
The door was pushed open. There was no one in the room.
Liu Suifeng was shocked.
Shi Qingzhou looked at him and pursed his lips. “Where is he?”
Liu Suifeng took a deep breath. “I was careless.”
Shi Qingzhou ordered, “Search.”
There was a secret passage in Wu Ronghan’s room, and they quickly found out. Shi Qingzhou turned grimmer. “Chase him!”
All the Shadow Guardians started to move.
The managers of the Tianji Sect were brought over.
“Liu Suifeng, I’ll leave the interrogation to you. The rest of you, search this place carefully inside out!”
Shi Qingzhou said coldly. His icy eyes showed that he was extremely angry.
The people did not dare to delay, starting to search the place thoroughly.
Liu Suifeng started interrogating…