Four months have passed since the death of the water ghost.
In the study room.
Xu Chong took out a small bell and poured his strength into it.
There is no ringing sound, just invisible waves rippling around in circles.
When the fluctuations stopped, Xu Chong put away the bell, sat on the chair, closed his eyes and rested.
After a moment, a thin figure wearing black clothes and carrying a fishing rod stepped out of the void and suddenly appeared in the study.
It was Dou Tianyuan.
As soon as Dou Tianyuan came out, he looked around.
After confirming that no one else was present, he staggered suddenly and his face turned pale instantly.
"You're just riding a horse... why don't you just call me over if nothing happens?"
"I have repeatedly warned you to use the Cloud Passing Order only at a critical moment of life and death!"
"Do you know how far it is from the capital to here?"
"I almost got raped and fucked..."
Dou Tianyuan's voice stopped suddenly.
Because Xu Chong opened his eyes.
"Subordinate, I have met the commander-in-chief."
Xu Chong got up and bowed down.
Killing intent!
Dou Tianyuan saw from Xu Chong's eyes a murderous intention that was so strong that it was almost substantial!
Moreover, it seems that this murderous intention is not directed at him?
Inner demon?!
Dou Tianyuan's expression changed greatly, he threw away the fishing rod, took a step forward, and directly grabbed Xu Chong's wrist, "The ninth level of body washing... He actually completely ignored the rules of calming the mind. How long has this inner demon accumulated?"
"It starts from the fifth level of body washing."
Xu Chong smiled.
To be precise, it started after the death of the water ghost.
Since the death of Water Ghost, Xu Chong has been troubled by inner demons every moment.
He couldn't remember how many scenes he had seen.
Swearing, demanding life, seducing, this is the lowest level.
Massacres, rapes, plunders, and all kinds of hellish scenes have all appeared.
And the cruelest thing...death replay.
Including what happened, whether he witnessed it with his own eyes or not.
Liu Er, Aunt Ma, Zhang Laizi, Lao Li, Master...
This also includes things that haven’t happened yet.
Zhao Liu, Li Xiangxue, Sun Yourong, Ge Wanshan, Kou Ruohai, Jiang Zhihong, Dou Tianyuan...
Anyone who was even remotely close to Xu Chong, whether they were dead or still alive, died hundreds of thousands of times in front of Xu Chong's eyes in different ways, in the form of inner demons.
"You can still laugh?!"
Dou Tianyuan looked ugly, "Why don't you wait until you solve your inner demons before you break through?"
If the inner demons are not eliminated, the Tao cannot be cultivated.
Therefore, no matter who you are, you should always be alert when you are in the body-washing realm, and immediately look for solutions as soon as you have inner demons.
Maybe it would be better for Chong to wash his body at the ninth level, but his inner demons would also follow the ninth level?
"My subordinates discovered that when inner demons surround the body, the true strength will far exceed the current state."
Xu Chong replied.
"...So what?"
Dou Tianyuan's face turned even more ugly, "You are afraid that as soon as you walk out of Qintian Prison, you will be attacked by your inner demon and die on the spot!"
"My lord, you are worrying too much."
Xu Chong shook his head, "It was indeed a bit difficult at first, but after getting used to it, my subordinates can easily tell whether they have inner demons or not. Now it doesn't even affect their interactions with others, but the killing intent in their eyes is too obvious and they can't hide it at all."
."
Hearing this, Dou Tianyuan was not happy but was shocked.
Martial arts has been around for so many years, and some people have long tried to use inner demons.
It also proves the saying that the stronger the inner demon, the stronger the strength.
But the problem is that this situation cannot last long.
Either he died suddenly due to the backlash of his inner demons, or he was assimilated by his inner demons and became a devil who did all kinds of evil.
Xu Chong's situation is very similar to the latter situation.
"Who is your inner demon?"
Dou Tianyuan asked.
No matter what the cause of inner demons is, in the final analysis it will fall into place on the person.
It may be one person or a group.
The only way he could think of was to take Xu Chong to deal with this or these people immediately.
"Marquis Taiping, Xie Changqing."
Xu Chong did not hide anything, "I took the liberty of inviting you here just to ask you about this animal."
"Xie Changqing..."
Dou Tianyuan's face softened slightly, and he sighed, "It seems that the water ghost is nothing more than a small favor to you."
As Daqing's intelligence chief, Dou Tianyuan knew the time of Water Ghost's death, which could be said to be earlier than the court.
Originally he didn't take it seriously, but now it seems that this water ghost is definitely of great importance to Xu Chong.
What happened between the two of them?
"It has already exceeded this category."
Xu Chong smiled and shook his head, "Now, my subordinates simply want to kill him."
"this……"
Dou Tianyuan hesitated for a while, "Xie Changqing only has the third level of body cleansing. He is indeed far from your opponent, but in order to set an example and attract more rebels to join him, the imperial court has always protected Xie Changqing very well..."
"My subordinates killed Xie Changqing not just to vent their anger."
Xu Chong shook his head, "I have a prediction that once Xie Changqing is killed, my cultivation method will definitely succeed...even if it is the Zifu cultivation method!"
"real?!"
Dou Tianyuan's eyes suddenly widened.
"Your Excellency, you should know that Zi Mansion is the residence of the soul and cannot be touched easily, but..."
Xu Chong raised his hand and pointed at the center of his eyebrows, "The inner demon wandered around Yuchi and Huangting before entering."
"What?!"
Dou Tianyuan exclaimed again.
He has lost his temper more than once today.
All because of Xu Chong.
"The inner demons have been condensed to the extreme. They are no longer completely void, but have become something similar to strength."
Xu Chong explained patiently, "The place where it finally occupies is the Purple Palace between the eyebrows."
"For example, as you can see, the killing intent in my eyes is just a very subtle part of my inner demons revealed."
"Moreover, I can feel that my Zifu is becoming stronger every moment."
"Perhaps... this is the inner demon preparing to take my place?"
Xu Chong smiled and said: "In short, I have a hunch that once I can kill Xie Changqing, my inner demons will turn into nutrients and create the strongest Zifu that has ever existed."
"...Lying on the horse!"
A deep chill arose in Dou Tianyuan's heart.
The cultivation of Taoism in Zifu has been the biggest problem since ancient times.
First of all, there are extremely few divine beings in Zifu, and most of them hide their true nature and pretend to be heavenly beings in Huangting.
Secondly, even if you can find a god who cultivates Taoism in Zifu, and the other party is willing to tell the truth, it will be useless... The reasons for successful cultivation of Taoism are different for each person, and there is no rule.
If Xu Chong's speculation is correct, then... this will be a change that affects the entire power system!
After all, the way of cultivation cannot be controlled by humans, but the inner demons can!
If it goes out in public...
Think about it, in order to cultivate inner demons, how many people will deliberately create disputes and make themselves suffer humiliation, hatred, guilt and other emotions.
It is even impossible to kill one's father, mother, wife, and children.
"I can help you kill Xie Changqing."
Dou Tianyuan slowly exhaled a breath, "But you must remember that you cannot disclose this matter to anyone anymore. Once Taipingdao learns about it..."
The court still has laws to control it, but Taiping Dao doesn't care so much.
Once it is leaked, it will be a huge disaster.
"My lord has misunderstood."
Xu Chong shook his head, "Xie Changqing, I can only kill him myself, not anyone else."
"Um?"
Dou Tianyuan's heart sank, "Is this a necessary condition for turning the inner demon into nourishment?"
"Exactly."
Xu Chong nodded with a smile.
"But the problem is, with that kind of protection, you..."
Dou Tianyuan was about to speak but stopped.
"I have Wu Xiangyi in hand. If I pretend to be blind, I should have a chance to get close."
Xu Chong had already planned it.
"I'm afraid this opportunity is not easy to find..."
Dou Tianyuan was not optimistic. He shook his head and said, "Forget it, I'll tell you his information first, and you can make your own decision."
"Thank you for your sympathy."
Xu Chong cupped his fists and saluted, then said with one hand: "Sir, please sit down."
"Um."
Dou Tianyuan nodded and took a seat, then said slowly.
It was only a small matter for Xie Changqing to accept the recruitment and help the imperial court wipe out a provincial branch. The huge prestige brought by this incident was what the imperial court valued most.
After all, Taipingdao is like a flea, always jumping around Daqing.
Warriors, the material losses are not worth mentioning, but in terms of people's hearts, it really gives the court a headache.
According to the investigation by the General Guard, there are many officials even in the capital who are colluding with Taiping Dao in order to make huge profits.
This kind of behavior of eating from the bowl and looking at the pot is unacceptable to the royal family.
However, this matter was very involved, and no substantial evidence could be found, so the royal family could only stare and sulk.
At most, it's just to put some shoes on for the most serious suspects.
Those who are supposed to betray the interests of the imperial court will continue to betray the interests of the imperial court.
But now it's different.
Even the Xie family, one of the six major families on Taiping Road, defected to the imperial court.
What concept?
If you continue to cooperate with Taiping Dao, your partner may defect to the imperial court that day.
Let me ask you if you are afraid.
As a result, the former rebel Xie Changqing changed his identity and became the Taiping Marquis Xie Changqing, and concurrently the provincial envoy of Selangor Province, Si Zuo.
Things don't end here.
Because of the title of "Taiping".
This is almost the same as hitting Tai Ping Dao in the face, and it's the kind of slap from left to right over and over again.
Snapping sound.
Naturally, Taipingdao wanted to get rid of Xie Changqing and quickly restore the glory of Yizi.
Unfortunately, the court had already anticipated this.
The entire Selangor Provincial Envoy Department was set up with many ambushes, causing Taiping Road to lose batches of manpower. In the end, Xie Changqing was not even seen in person.
"What kind of ambush?"
Xu Chong asked with a frown.
"A Taoist artifact called Jingxin Liuli. Anyone who harbors hostility will be discovered immediately as soon as he steps into the Chengdu Envoy Office."
Dou Tianyuan answered, and then added: "It's not possible to reach for the stars. This Taoist weapon is controlled by Xie Changqing, which provides him with extremely strong protective capabilities... unless you find a hidden weapon of the same Taoist level."
"Will you be discovered if you are hostile?"
Xu Chong's heart sank slightly.
Can something as ethereal as hostility be detected?
It is indeed a Taoist weapon...
It's a pity that the Wuxiang Yi can only cover the appearance and aura, but it can't cover things like hostility. Otherwise, it wouldn't be called the Wuxiang Yi, it should be called the Invincible Yi.
What's more, his attitude towards Xie Changqing goes far beyond the concept of hostility, it is a naked murderous intention.
"It's not just a Taoist weapon."
"The force that protects him is the Commander-in-Chief of the Snow Province Province. Although it is far less powerful than the Blood-clothed Guards, it is better because of the number of people. The crossbows, swords, and armors they are equipped with are all at the level of military soldiers."
"Twelve hours of non-stop patrolling and standing guard. If there was any sign of trouble, we would all cover up."
"Even if Xie Changqing goes out, the protection accompanying him will not fail at all."
After Dou Tianyuan finished speaking, he sighed, "I don't see that you have any hope of killing him... Just forget it. I'll help you kill him and let the inner demons dissipate. It's the same as taking the path of Yuchi."
"My lord just said..."
Xu Chong grasped the key point in the words and asked instead: "Xie Changqing also knows how to go out?"
"Of course."
Dou Tianyuan glanced at Xu Chong speechlessly, "After all, he is a noble prince and a high-ranking official. He has been hiding in the yamen from beginning to end. How can he be willing to do so? What's more, the court wants him to move around..."
really.
The more public the betrayer is, the greater the stimulation to the betrayed party will be, and the greater the prestige of the party accepting the betrayer will be.
Xu Chong frowned and thought.
"Listen to me. If you really have no other choice, just let me take action."
Dou Tianyuan repeated it again.
"My subordinate wants to try again."
Xu Chong's expression persisted.
In fact, he just lied.
As long as Xie Changqing dies, his inner demons will turn into nutrients and nourish the Purple Palace between his eyebrows.
There is no such thing as having to kill someone with your own hands.
The reason why he told this lie was because he knew that even if he killed the current Xie Changqing with Dou Tianyuan's status, he would still be severely punished.
It's nothing for hundreds of officials to write a letter of impeachment. After serving as the commander-in-chief of the Blood-Shirt Guards for so many years, Dou Tianyuan should have been used to being impeached for a long time.
But it is unclear what Emperor Qing would think and what kind of punishment he would impose.
As for not being discovered...
It is true that one hand can come and go without a trace, but it is precisely because of this that it is easy to suspect Dou Tianyuan.
Therefore, unless there is an emergency, it is best not to let Dou Tianyuan take this risk.
So he wanted to try it again himself.
"Try...how long can your inner demons remain stable?"
Dou Tianyuan asked.
"If you stay in Qintian Prison, it will be fine if it continues like this."
Xu Chong replied, "If you go out, take the tea grown by Yuan Jianzheng for about three months."
"Three months?"
Dou Tianyuan pondered for a long time, and then sternly said: "Okay, I will give you three months. After three months, if Xie Changqing is not dead, I will take action."
"...What kind of punishment will you receive?"
Xu Chong asked in a deep voice.
"Probably not dead."
Dou Tianyuan touched his chin, "But if you go to prison and imprison yourself for five, six, seven or eight years, I'm afraid it's possible."
Imprisonment...
Xu Chong's heart tightened, and he became more determined to kill Xie Changqing with his own hands.
Prison is not a fun place.
The materials used to make the shackles of the forbidden law came from the imperial prison.
"Don't be so sad. I have always been in charge of the prison myself. I have been in and out of it tens of thousands of times. I am familiar with it and it feels like home."
Dou Tianyuan said with a relaxed smile, "At worst, I'll just wait until you become famous before you come to fish for me."
"Uh...is that so."
Xu Chong touched his nose and felt a little more relaxed.
"Say no more."
Dou Tianyuan blinked at Xu Chong, "What if you can really kill that Xie Changqing?"