Chapter 9, Kill.

The mountain flood has blocked the road, and Rong Youquan can no longer rush to handle his affairs overnight. He is no longer in a hurry to continue his journey and responds: "These two nephews of mine have previously learned some martial arts and weapon skills. From Dayan to Nanli, it is a long journey, and having them by my side will make me feel more at ease. They have some understanding of martial matters, so if the young brother has any questions, feel free to ask."

Song Yang's father, the Grand Minister, remains the Prime Minister of the Great Yan dynasty. On the surface, everything appears to be flourishing, but the Prime Minister himself is aware that it seems... there are not many good days left.

Minister Fu continued, "This matter may perhaps be related to a former imperial physician named You Li." The "Centenary Banquet" took place over a decade ago, yet Minister Fu, having attained the high position of Chancellor, possessed exceptional intellect. Throughout the afternoon, he recalled all the events from that time, pondering deeply, and ultimately focused his suspicions on Physician You.

The son who has already been abandoned can be abandoned once more without concern. The fourth son cannot survive

Prime Minister Fu nodded and said, "Do you still remember my fourth son?"

The old man smiled: "I will go and check, I will surely find it. Is there anything else?"

Three years ago, Song Yang was twelve years old. According to the Great Yan calendar, it was already the sixteenth year of the Jingtai era. The incident regarding the 'demonic star' had passed many years ago, and the situation had long since calmed down. After all, father and son are of one mind. Lord Fu had instructed his trusted aide to secretly retrieve the remains of his fourth son and return them to the ancestral grave. However, he never expected that the coffin would be completely empty

When the emperor issued his decree, all the infants born on the night of May 7 in the fourth year of the Jingtai era were killed. ... Only the fate of the fourth son of the Fu family remains unknown ... . ... As the elder stated, "This matter cannot be clearly explained"

It is a well-known fact that Mr. Fu enjoys raising birds, and he has a small aviary at his home. However, this time he did not merely observe; he opened a cage and took out a pure white magpie. Gently stroking its feathers, he raised his hand and tossed it into the sky. The white magpie spread its wings and, in the blink of an eye, disappeared from sight

In three years, the elder sent a message to Lord Fu, finally locating the whereabouts of You Li, and has already dispatched someone to go there

The most reliable method is to heed the two words spoken by the Chancellor: eliminate.

The Duke of the State, Tan Guidé, went to the palace to meet the Emperor seven years ago. After returning, he suddenly fell seriously ill and has since been unable to rise from his bed. Now, his existence is scarcely distinguishable from death, rendering the leadership effectively "nonexistent." The descendants within the Tan family are embroiled in fierce internal strife, leading to the family's fragmentation. The commander of the Changting Guard, Xie Pangzi, died under mysterious circumstances, and subsequently, the two successors were accused of corruption and collusion, implicating numerous individuals. Ultimately, the court disbanded the Changting Guard and established the "Wuyi Guard" in its place. The descendants within the Tan family are embroiled in fierce internal strife, leading to the family's fragmentation. The commander of the Changting Guard, Xie Pangzi, died under mysterious circumstances, and subsequently, the two successors were accused of corruption and collusion, implicating numerous individuals. Ultimately, the court disbanded the Changting Guard and established the "Wuyi Guard" in its place

Song Yang shifted the topic: "Master Rong and the two esteemed relatives possess an impressive demeanor; they must have excellent skills and a wealth of knowledge in various subjects. The younger generation has a matter they wish to consult with the experts."

Thirty miles north of Yanziping, at the entrance of the Yin family's inn, with a heart that is both aware and unaware, Song Yang casually revealed that the person Rong Youquan was looking for was none other than himself. The life-and-death tribulation from a hundred years ago is still vividly etched in his memory. Song Yang did not take it seriously, but he would never forget that he also bore the identity of the 'Heavenly Calamity Demon Star.' Naturally, he could understand why these three warriors from Yan had traveled such a long distance.

The old man turned his head, pondering: "I have an impression of that calamity star. You have mentioned his matters to me before."

"Just looking? Just taking a glance?" The old man smiled and said, "You understand the reasoning; this matter cannot be clearly explained."

To speak candidly, Prime Minister Fu does not believe that the fat man Xie truly killed all the "demon stars" back then; how could it be possible for not a single one to escape? However, the other children have no connection to him whatsoever; he neither needs to nor wishes to understand whether any other demon stars have survived. What he truly "cares about" is only Song Yang.

It is imperative that outsiders must not be allowed to know that the four sons of the Fu family are not dead; otherwise, a calamity that could annihilate the family will descend in an instant

That night, Prime Minister Fu sat in his study, dismissing all attendants, and without lighting any lamps, he quietly remained alone in the darkness. At the third watch of the night, the door of the study was suddenly pushed open, and a cool night breeze swept in, revealing an old man who appeared silently before Prime Minister Fu: "Did you call for me?" The old man was small in stature, with his hands tucked into his sleeves, moving without making a sound, as if he were merely a shadow blown in by the wind.

The old man nodded and said, "Understood." After speaking, he turned and left. When he reached the door, he paused slightly and added, "You don't look well; make sure to rest."

The Prime Minister spoke in a very calm tone: "I have a personal attendant named Song Chao, who discovered that there are no bones in the coffin of the Fourth Son."

Song Yang shook his head: "It is not a matter of skill, but rather of weaponry. Have you all heard of a type of mechanism that can shoot out hundreds of blades, each over a foot long, in the blink of an eye? At close range, it possesses tremendous force, capable of dismembering a person with its numerous blades."

Upon receiving the confidential report from his trusted aide, Lord Fu's hand trembled slightly as he nodded and said, "Understood, you may leave now." He then closed his eyes and fell silent. It was not until an hour later that he opened his eyes, rose, and went to the garden of the Prime Minister's residence to observe the birds

After Old Xie passed away and his family moved away from the capital, it was as if they had evaporated, and there was no further news; no one dared to inquire. However, the "daughter-in-law" that Old Xie had sent over years ago continued to grow up in the Fu family. Every time Mr. Fu saw this girl, he would think of his fourth son who had died suddenly at the age of one hundred.

From the moment he appeared until he left, the frail old man kept his hands tucked in his sleeves, never taking them out.

In those years, only two remained from the literary, martial, immortal, and serpent categories, along with the * map * and books. Following the martial and serpent, it was he, the "literary" one. In recent years, the court has vigorously promoted newcomers, replacing the disciples of the Fu family layer by layer from the capital to the localities, while the Prime Minister's power has been gradually reclaimed by the Emperor. Only that "immortal" still firmly occupies the position of National Master, never having faced any setbacks from the court.

However, allowing Doctor You to take the Fourth Son outside without any oversight poses a significant risk. The Fu family’s decision not to provoke them does not mean that they will not expose their identities on their own. Perhaps tomorrow, You Li will appear in the capital with the Fourth Son to claim their ancestry; or perhaps yesterday, a member of the You family, having been bullied by the authorities and unable to contain their anger, pointed at the young man beside them in the court and shouted loudly at the local officials: "He is the Fourth Son of the current Prime Minister; which of you dares to act against him..."

However, having served as Prime Minister for nearly twenty years, he cannot simply resign at will. Besides the immediate threat posed by the emperor's knife, there are countless whirlpools behind him. While these whirlpools cannot consume the current Prime Minister of the Great Yan, they are more than capable of shattering Lord Fu into pieces after his resignation. At the very least, he cannot tender his resignation and retire until these whirlpools are calmed.

On the night of the centenary, a series of unexpected events unfolded. By a twist of fate, Song Yang managed to survive. However, even if Prime Minister Fu were to clarify and explain all the intricacies involved, no one would believe him. Anyone examining this matter would arrive at only one conclusion: that the esteemed official Fu had deceived the world and found a way to protect his own son.

The old man stood silently, showing no reaction

The people in my household are unable and it is inconvenient for them to handle this matter. I kindly ask you to find You Li and see if the fourth one is still around.

The two major powers collapsed one after another; apart from Emperor Jingtai, who else was behind it

On the second day, Song Chao accidentally fell into a deep well and drowned. Moreover, those who had come into contact with him the previous day either mysteriously disappeared or met with accidental deaths. Given the involvement of the Xiangfu, the Ministry of Justice did not dare to be negligent and made considerable efforts to investigate for a time. However, each case revealed no suspicious circumstances, ultimately leading to an inconclusive end

Vice Chancellor Fu shook his head and sighed inwardly, indeed, one's appearance reflects one's heart. The Emperor, with a knife-like brow, truly harbors a considerable amount of ruthlessness within.

The three Yan people all wore expressions that were both amusing and perplexing. One of them simply laughed out loud: "If a spring is pulled, hundreds of knives shoot out? If such a powerful thing really existed in the world, what would be the use of practicing martial arts and skills?"

Especially now, at the critical moment when Emperor Jingtai has begun to suppress the power of the Chancellor.

Mr. Fu fell silent for a moment, then uttered two words: "Kill them."

How could Mr. Fu not understand that if he continued to waste time, he would meet the same fate as Tan and Xie? A sense of retreat began to take root in his heart, and he started to withdraw slowly.

Song Yang sighed inwardly; the fifteen years of peaceful days have come to an end as of today

Deceiving the sovereign and plotting rebellion

Today I discovered that there are no bones in his coffin, perhaps... he is still alive