Unexpectedly, after not returning home for a few days, the lintel of the Tao family's door became a little mottled, and it was no longer as bustling with people as before, filled with cars and horses. His father, Tao Zhenbao, had been arrested and imprisoned because of his close association with Wang Zhao, and his mother, Hao, was also ill. Hearing this news, the green young man almost crushed the celadon tea cup in his hand.
In the sky jail, Wang Zhao was nailed to the torture rack, and his body was severely beaten with a whip. His body was already covered in blood and flesh, and the wounds were deep enough to show the bones.
"Tell me, who ordered you to record the affairs of the Tian family?" Wang Zhao's family has all been imprisoned, and the emperor sent inmates to secretly torture Wang Zhao. Wang Zhao still didn't answer, and his mouth was full of blood. The father-in-law snorted coldly, picked up a hot red iron and burned it on Wang Zhao's chest.
Wang Zhao screamed out in pain, rolled his eyes and passed out. Tao Zhenbao, who was imprisoned not far away, was not much better. In the dark cell, he was lying on a tattered and damp straw mat, dying.
With a "crash" sound, a bucket of cold water woke up the unconscious Wang Zhao.
"Master Wang, we have to remind you that your son is still in our hands." The words of the internal prison officer immediately made Wang Zhao feel like he had fallen into an ice cellar.
"It's the King of Guiyang - Liu Xiufan!" Wang Zhao finally couldn't stand it anymore and confessed the person behind the scenes.
The eunuch was shocked and immediately signaled his followers to take notes, then continued to ask: "What is the purpose of King Guiyang's move? Recruit him from the truth!"
Seeing that Wang Zhao remained silent, the eunuch smiled and said, "Don't worry, your son doesn't know about it. Our family will definitely tell His Majesty to let him live."
"Over the years, King Guiyang has been secretly collecting evidence of the emperor's conspiracy to murder the deposed emperor Liu Ziye and usurp the throne in order to overthrow the emperor in the future and ascend the throne himself."
The jailer nodded with satisfaction and waved his hand as he walked out of the cell. The prison warden raised his knife and dropped it. Wang Zhao's head fell to the ground, and he died with his eyes open.
"Sir, Wang Zhao has committed suicide out of fear of crime." The cell leader respectfully raised his hands and said to the inmate. The inmate smiled and said: "You did a good job. Our family will remember you."
"Brother Wang!" When Tao Zhenbao heard this, he already understood in his heart and couldn't help but burst into tears. In his heart, he only hoped that Wang Zhao would go well on the road to Huangquan. At this moment, his face was ashen, and he no longer had any hope of surviving, but he was just afraid of hurting his family.
In the palace of Prince Guiyang in Jiangzhou, a young man was playing chess with Liu Xiufan in a quiet pavilion with a cup of wine flowing along the winding river.
Looking at the young man's face, he has two sword-shaped eyebrows slanting into his temples, a pair of phoenix eyes looking for power, his hair tied up with a hosta, his posture is leisurely and elegant, and he has the graceful demeanor of a superior. This young man is none other than Murong Zheng, the direct son of the Murong family, one of the five major cultivation families in the north.
"Mr. Murong has come here in person, does he know that it is dangerous?" Guiyang King Liu Xiufan said loudly. Although he knew that the young man in front of him had advanced cultivation, he believed that there were many secret guards around him and no one could cause trouble in his mansion.
Murong Zheng held the black chess piece and threw another piece, "My head has been a close friend of the prince for a long time. He knows that the prince has been hiding his power and biding his time, and he has ambitions to embrace the dragon. I have specially ordered you to come and help me."
The young man's words were decisive and direct, and a light flashed in King Guiyang's eyes.
"Do you know that this is a treasonous statement? Based on your intention alone, I have to doubt your intentions."
Murong Zheng said as if he hadn't heard: "Your Majesty, it's your turn." He picked up the tea cup and said, "Your Majesty is a man with a big heart, and the enemy of his enemy is his ally. How can you refuse my family? Where is the Lord’s heroic sympathy?”
On the jade-carved chessboard, Heizi was surrounded by people, but he knew he couldn't do anything, but he made a move to block his way out. "Just like this chess game, the prince will ride on the wind in the future, and the Murong family will have no regrets about making a move."
Guiyang King Liu Xiufan was secretly speechless and couldn't help but think about it, "Tell me your conditions."
Hearing this, the smile on Murong Zheng's lips grew thicker, "To show our sincerity, we can agree on three things. First, my Murong family is willing to work hard for the prince's will; second, after the prince ascends to the position of Ninth Five-Year Plan, , we must join forces with the Murong family to attack the Northern Wei Dynasty; thirdly, we can send a team of people who know the local history and rumors of the Southern Dynasty to search for a lost treasure of the Murong family."
Liu Xiufan listened carefully and heard that there was no risk in the early stage, but if he really borrowed the strength of the Murong family, wouldn't he have added another wolf enemy to himself when the overall situation was stabilized in the future?
He pondered, and Murong Zheng was not in a hurry. He just said quietly, "My lord, you know that Wang Zhao has been exposed, and his life or death is uncertain now."
This was the fate of King Guiyang. It was only a matter of time before Wang Zhao confessed. He was not allowed to think about it any longer and needed to make an immediate decision. Liu Xiufan was staring at Murong Zheng with burning eyes, and suddenly felt the murderous intention hidden under this young man's gentle appearance.
The housekeeper hurriedly interrupted the conversation between the two, indicating that he had something important to report. Liu Xiufan looked calm, obviously his thoughts were interrupted.
The housekeeper whispered a few words into Liu Xiufan's ear, telling him that Wang Zhao had committed suicide out of fear of crime, and that their private collection of evidence against Liu Yu seemed to have been exposed.
Liu Xiufan's face turned grim, he waved his brocade sleeves and cursed in a low voice: "You useless piece of trash!" The young man opposite smiled and said nothing, drinking tea to himself.
Liu Xiufan waved his hand. He had no way out and said to the young man: "According to what Your Excellency said, it's just that for such a big event, I still need some time to plan."
The young man nodded in understanding and bowed to say goodbye. He saw a flash of light under his feet, passing over the eaves like a dragonfly on water, and left the palace. His figure was as light as a ghost, and only the pool of water made ripples.
"What, Wang Zhao committed suicide out of fear of crime?" Tao Hongjing was shocked when he heard the news. At this time, he felt very bad about his father's situation. Any disturbance could affect his life. It was hard to say whether his father had suffered any accident. He repeatedly searched for ways to visit the prison, but all his efforts were in vain. He could no longer sit still and wait for death, so he had to fight to the death.
In the dark night, the stars are like fireflies.
Tao Hongjing, dressed in black and masked, came outside the prison. While the guards at the gate were drowsy, he quickly ran away to avoid inspection. Speaking of which, he had to thank his master Sun Youyue for his guidance since the last time he was in Chongxu Pavilion. Tao Hongjing seemed to have opened up all the meridians in his body, breaking through to the seventh level of the Qi Refining Realm, and his cultivation had greatly improved.
Tao Hongjing rushed towards the prison, which was dark and damp, with a rotten musty smell everywhere. There were several dim candles hanging in the narrow passage between the cells. After entering, I discovered that the Heavenly Prison was a multi-level structure, and the level of security on each level was different. Considering that this was a personal order from the Holy Emperor, it was no match for ordinary prisoners.
He lurked quietly in the darkness, used the breath-holding method to dodge flexibly, and avoided the jailer's sight time and time again. The prison was filled with all kinds of wailing sounds, and the air of despair filled the air. Tao Hongjing searched several levels and became more and more anxious. He knew that this was not a place where he could stay for a long time. As he walked quickly, he prayed that his father would be safe.
When he turned over and went down to the next level, the iron cage of the prison changed its direction. He looked carefully and saw that these were individual cells, and the people in prison should be those who were severely punished. He checked one room after another, and finally passed a familiar figure in front of a dark prison!
Tao Hongjing's heart felt sour, and his eyes gradually became moist. My father has lost a lot of weight, his eye sockets are deeply sunken, and his temples used to be slightly stained by wind and frost, but now, in just a few days, his hair is full of white.
He mumbled and spoke in a very low voice, "Father, the child is unfilial! You are late! I will take you away." Tao Hongjing choked with sobs, unable to calm down the anger and heartache in his heart.
Tao Zhenbao opened his eyes with difficulty, and felt very happy as he watched the young and immature boy in the past grow into the handsome and heroic young man he is today.
He was more worried about his son than his own situation, "Don't be reckless, you are stupid, how can you break into the prison without permission." He told Tao Hongjing to leave quickly, but Tao Hongjing was already obsessed with doing anything, and he pulled the sword from his waist. She pulled out the long sword from its sheath and struck with all her strength. The iron chain locking the prison door was cut in half. Tao Baozhen tried to persuade her to no avail, so she could only lie on her son's back and accompany him to break through!
The prison was full of potholes and water, and Tao Hongjing struggled to move forward. The movement just now finally attracted the attention of the jailer and guards.
"Bold thief! If you dare to rob the Heavenly Prison, you will die!" Liu Guangshi, the commander of the Imperial Guards, heard this and scolded him sternly. Although Tao Hongjing was flexible and able to evade the pursuers, there were a large number of jailers. They lit all the torches and searched. Liu Guangshi soon discovered Tao Hongjing and his son.
Tao Hongjing had nowhere to escape, so he had to put his father down. In response to his father's nervous eyes, he patted his father's hand to express reassurance.
He raised the sword in his hand again and rushed towards Liu Shiguang and the jailers without hesitation. He silently performed the Shangqing Kung Fu, infusing his whole body with spiritual energy, and then drew his sword to strike. The sword's light was like a dragon's, and every time it struck, it carried a fierce attack.
Liu Guangshi saw that this man actually had some skills, and when he turned to dodge, he drew out the silver dragon mace. Cold light flashed, the evil spirit was restrained, the edges were edgeless, but it had strong lethality.
The two figures were fighting together in the shadow of the sword. At the moment of life and death, Tao Hongjing's sword skills became faster and faster, and his eyes became firmer. The long-term practice of Shangqing Kung Fu made him breathe longer. When his body and mind calmed down, the other party's expression Every move has become extremely clear, but in addition to Liu Guangshi, there are more than a dozen Forbidden Army guards watching eagerly, and his retreat has been blocked.
The continuous battles consumed both sides' physical strength and internal strength. Seeing that Liu Shiguang's silver dragon mace had fallen, he quickly turned over on the ground to avoid it, but his arm was still injured and his skin was torn.
"Don't worry about me, go away!" Tao Zhenbao looked sad and threw himself in the direction of his son.
Tao Baozhen held his hand and lowered her voice and whispered in her ear, "When you get out, find Liu Bing, the Minister of Civil Affairs. He may be able to save me."
Liu Bingnai was the imperial younger brother of the current emperor and the direct grandson of Liu Daolian, the king of Changsha. He had outstanding talents and enjoyed a good reputation among the government and the public. Because of his distant bloodline, he posed no threat to the throne and was deeply trusted by the emperor.
Tao Hongjing endured the pain in his heart, knowing that what his father said was the best way. He no longer struggled with Liu Guangshi, activated the magic formula, and flew quickly towards the exit of the Tianlao. When Liu Guangshi chased him out of the Tianlao, the surroundings returned to calm, and no one could be seen. He cursed secretly and returned to the cell bitterly.
