Lady, let me explain.

Chapter 125 Killing Wei Zhongxian

"The late Emperor has passed away suddenly and returned to the Five Elements. I have been ordered by the late Emperor to enter the ancestral temple to perform the rites. All civil and military officials, elders, soldiers and civilians have urged me to ascend the throne. I have repeatedly declined, but to no avail. Now, I respectfully announce to Heaven and Earth that I have ascended the throne."

Before long, Lin Yi watched as Prince Xin ascended to the pinnacle of power in the Song Dynasty.

This was quite a shock to him, causing his ambition to swell immensely in a short period of time...

As a eunuch, Wei Zhongxian's power originated entirely from the emperor. With Zhao Zhen's ascension to the throne and the fall of the eunuch faction, it was too late to reverse the situation.

Even before Zhao Zhen had done anything, the eunuch faction collapsed, and Wei Zhongxian's adopted sons all surrendered to him.

Three days after Zhao Zhen ascended the throne, he issued an edict ordering Wei Zhongxian to leave the palace.

That night, Lin Yi arrived at Wei Zhongxian's residence.

He landed in the courtyard, and with a casual wave of his hand, the door opened wide.

Wei Zhongxian, dressed in a gray linen robe, smiled at him and said, "Master Lin has arrived. Please come in."

Lin Yi looked at him. Wei Zhongxian had lost his power and was now just a frail old man with a physical disability.

Lin Yi looked to one side: "I can understand that you have lived in the capital for a long time and are protecting the emperor, but he is just an old eunuch who brings disaster to the world."

Chongyangzi landed lightly and said calmly, "I have already spoken with the emperor and arranged for him to keep vigil for the late emperor."

"Oh, what does that have to do with me?"

Chongyangzi stood there, his face calm and serene.

Lin Yi's doubts were gradually resolved.

Why was Emperor Xuanzhi so obsessed with Taoist practices, and why did Wei Zhongxian, a mere eunuch, control the government, while Chongyangzi accomplished nothing...? He certainly wasn't incapable.

There is only one answer: he acquiesced to this situation, or even orchestrated it.

Wei Zhongxian was a wicked man, corrupt and extravagant, tyrannical and disruptive, forming cliques for personal gain, persecuting dissidents, and committing countless unjust cases.

Objectively speaking, he did occupy the position and also did a lot of practical work.

Reforming fiscal and tax policies, breaking the protection of the court party over the gentry in Jiangnan, and increasing national treasury revenue are essential for the court to afford the military pay for the nine border regions.

In this chaotic era, the Song Dynasty was able to barely maintain its border defenses, thanks in part to Wei Zhongxian's efforts.

He heavily relied on and supported the border generals, and tacitly allowed Guo Jing to subtly sideline Lü Wenhuan, helping to defend Xiangyang; thus leaving room for the three righteous armies to survive in the Qilu region.

Recently, they have also devised a strategy of befriending distant states while attacking nearby ones, uniting with the Mongols, Western Xia, and the Qing Dynasty to encircle the Jin Dynasty.

Wei Zhongxian was a double-edged sword. Now that he had used up his sword, Chongyangzi did not discard him directly, but left him a way out.

That makes sense.

It's a pity that Wei Zhongxian died, which would have suited his interests.

Recapture of the Golden Snake Camp was only one aspect.

Wei Zhongxian held power for several years, and the people had long suffered. Whether it was the civil officials of the court, the local gentry and powerful families, the heroes of the martial arts world, or even the common people, they all hated him.

Although Lin Yi's reputation was great before, it was always limited to the Jianghu circle. If he killed Wei Zhongxian, he would undoubtedly become famous throughout the world.

Lin Yi smiled, his sleeves fluttering even without wind.

"Then I'll ask for your expert advice."

Chongyangzi stood with his hands behind his back and said calmly, "Please."

Lin Yi lightly touched the ground with his feet and shot out. He thrust out with his right hand and unleashed the move "Regretful Dragon Soaring." When the palm force burst forth, he was only six or seven zhang away from Chongyangzi.

Lin Yi changed his palm technique, using the moves "Dragon Appears in the Field" and "Flying Dragon in the Sky" to deliver three palm strikes in succession, like a tidal wave.

Chongyangzi's Taoist robe billowed in the wind, his black beard swayed, and he simply extended his palms.

boom!
Lin Yi unleashed his palm strike, sending Chongyangzi flying backward.

Lin Yi realized that Chongyangzi was only knocked back to dissipate the force, and was not injured at all.

He was startled. The Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms was the number one palm technique in the world, unmatched in its power and ferocity. The combined force of his three palm strikes could kill even an elephant, yet Chongyangzi had received them so easily.

Lin Yi leaped into the air, unleashing a flurry of Six Meridian Divine Sword strikes. Invisible sword energy crisscrossed the night sky, swiftly piercing towards Chongyangzi.

As Chongyangzi's robes fluttered, the invisible sword energy reached within three feet of him, only to be met with an extremely soft yet extremely hard barrier. With a few hissing sounds, the invisible sword energy vanished without a trace.

Lin Yi wasn't surprised; even the Sweeper Monk had this protective aura. He took two steps, covering several meters, and arrived in front of Chongyangzi, unleashing a barrage of attacks with both palms, all using the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms.

In the past few days, Lin Yi has been taught the essence of the Tianshan Six Yang Palm by the Tianshan Child Granny, and his use of the Nine Yang True Qi and Nine Yin True Qi in his body has become more exquisite.

He skillfully used both yang and yin types of true energy in his palm strikes, the force in his palm wind sometimes swallowing and sometimes releasing, combining strength and softness, resulting in great damage.

But Chongyangzi's eyes remained calm and still. He simply clasped his hands together and once again unleashed the qi barrier. Lin Yi's palm strike struck the qi barrier and instantly vanished.

He sneered. It seemed that Chongyangzi had reviewed the events that night after returning home.

That night, he suddenly turned around and attacked. Chongyangzi was confident in his ability to fight back, but he was only able to be penetrated by the sword energy.

Tonight, Chongyangzi learned his lesson and adopted a steady approach. Now, he is in an invincible position without even making a move.

Lin Yi remained calm, surging his dantian and circulating his true qi throughout his body. He condensed almost tangible sword qi in his palms and struck the qi wall in front of Chongyangzi.

In terms of internal energy expenditure, he might not necessarily lose.

Lin Yi unleashed hundreds of sword strikes in one go, and Chongyangzi finally gave up his defense and struck with his palm.

At Chongyangzi's level, one is no longer bound by martial arts techniques; every strike he makes is incredibly powerful.

After exchanging dozens of moves, Chongyangzi's arm trembled, like a dragonfly skimming the water, and he pointed a finger at Lin Yi.

Lin Yi was surprised. He flipped his right hand and thrust out the three swords, Shaoshang, Shangyang, and Shaoze, to counteract the force of the finger.

After exchanging several more moves, Lin Yi saw that Chongyangzi's finger strikes were sharp and swift, targeting the three acupoints on his wrist: the wrist bone, Yanggu, and Yanglao.

Protected by his Nine Yang Divine Skill, he only felt a sharp pain and his acupoints were not sealed.

Lin Yi laughed and said, "Your moves have the shadow of the Dali Duan family's One-Finger Divine Skill."

Sure enough, Chongyangzi was none other than Wang Chongyang, who had faked his death and gone into seclusion!

Wang Chongyang sighed, "You young man, you do have some talent... In ten years, you will truly deserve the title of 'the best martial artist in the world'."

Lin Yi asked, "May I ask, senior, are there any immortals on earth within the Qing court?"

Wang Chongyang said calmly, "If you want to assassinate Emperor Kangxi, you can give up that idea."

Disappointed, Lin Yi urged his hands to clap again.

The two were locked in fierce combat when suddenly Wang Chongyang's expression changed...

"What a cunning little bastard!"

He flashed forward, and Lin Yi smiled and retreated sharply.

Knowing he was trying to escape, Wang Chongyang immediately leaped forward and struck with his palm. His face turned purple, and the palm strike seemed to carry the weight of a thousand pounds.

boom!
Although Lin Yi was fast, he was still hit by the palm wind. He groaned and used the force to fly out. He used his lightness skill and in a few flashes, he had already flown hundreds of feet away.

Wang Chongyang stood rooted to the spot, his face ashen...

Lin Yi had just returned to his residence when another person arrived.

"Fortunately, the sect leader was able to delay us, and Qiu Shui has fulfilled his mission."

Li Qiushui opened a cloth bag, inside was Wei Zhongxian's head.

Seeing the bloodstains on Lin Yi's chest, she exclaimed anxiously, "Sect Leader, are you injured?"

Lin Yi laughed and said, "What, you want to make a move? Why don't you give it a try?"

Li Qiushui bowed and said, "Qiushui had no such intention."

Lin Yi stepped forward, pinched her chin, and lifted it up. He said calmly, "You did well tonight."

After saying that, he used his palm power to strike Li Qiushui six times, and six pieces of ice burst out from Li Qiushui's body.

Li Qiushui was overjoyed and knelt down, saying, "Thank you for your mercy, Sect Leader."

Even now, even though he has removed all the life-and-death talismans, Li Qiushui still dares not disobey him.

The Life and Death Talisman is just a formality; he can plant it once, and he can plant it a second time.

However, Lin Yi was worried that Li Qiushui would avoid him in the future, and that he would not be able to find her in this vast world, so he left three tokens.

(End of this chapter)