In Emei, start by obtaining golden attributes.

Chapter 479 Second Only to Two, Above Ten Thousand (Third Update)
the other side.

At the foot of the mountain.

As Shangguan Jin Hong returned to the carriage, the curtain fell, shutting out the wind, snow, and gazes from the Emei Mountain gate.

The driver shook the reins, and the carriage started moving again in the snow. The wheels rolled over the snow, and the tracks stretched longer and longer until they disappeared into the gray and white of the mountain road.

As we descended the mountain, the wind grew stronger and the snow became more fragmented.

The carriage was unusually quiet.

Shangguan Jin Hong tucked his hands into his sleeves, leaned against the soft cushion, his face expressionless, only his eyes swirling in the shadows.

Emei, Xiyuan, the pavilion, and the phrase "Shaolin no longer has a realm of heaven and man" were all suppressed in the deepest part of his heart, like a spark that had been lit but had not yet exploded.

Two hours later.

Just as the sky began to darken, in the western courtyard of Jiading Prefecture.

The courtyard wall is neither high nor low, and its appearance is simple. There is no plaque on the lintel, and the lanterns under the eaves are made of ordinary blue gauze. When the snow shines on them, they look like a cold color that has been smoothed out.

As Shangguan Jin Hong stepped through the gate, two figures immediately came to greet him.

One of them was over forty years old, with a fair complexion and no beard. He had narrow eyebrows and eyes, and walked with small but steady steps, exuding a refined air. He was a trusted confidant of the Money Gang.

During this period, Shangguan Jin Hong was not in the Money Gang, and Sun Qingyu was the deputy leader who handled the affairs of the Money Gang in Shangguan Jin Hong's place.

The other person was slightly hunched over, with a delicate face and a friendly smile. If Gu Shaoan were here, he would recognize him at a glance as Cao Zhengchun.

Just as Gu Shaoan had predicted.

Eunuchs like Cao Zhengchun were extremely loyal to the person on the dragon throne.

This is because everything they, as eunuchs, receive comes from the master of the dragon throne.

As for who was sitting on the dragon throne, Cao Zhengchun neither cared nor paid attention.

All he cares about is what the person sitting on the dragon throne can bring him.
As the leader of the Money Gang, Shangguan Jin Hong was naturally adept at winning people's hearts.

Zhu Houzhao and even the last remaining experts of the Celestial Realm within the court perished at Yixiantian. With Shangguan Jin Hong's abilities, it would not have been difficult to recruit Cao Zhengchun to his side.

Shangguan Jin Hong lifted the curtain and got out of the car.

Sun Qingyu and Cao Zhengchun immediately stepped forward to welcome Shangguan Jinhong into a room.

The fireplace in the front hall was burning brightly, and lanterns and candles illuminated the entire spacious room.

After the servant Shangguan Jin Hong took off his cloak and left quickly, Shangguan Jin Hong went straight to the head of the table and sat down.

He sat very steadily, his sleeves hanging down, his fingertips lightly resting on the armrests, and even his breathing had a rhythm he had cultivated over a long period of time.

Cao Zhengchun and Sun Qingyu stood at the lower end, their gazes lingering on Shangguan Jin Hong's face for a moment.

Noticing Shangguan Jin Hong's expression, Cao Zhengchun knew perfectly well that Shangguan Jin Hong's trip to the Emei Sect had gone extremely smoothly that day.

Just then, Sun Qingyu suddenly spoke up: "Now that the leader is the emperor, why bother to come to the Emei Sect in person? If you want to see Gu Shaoan, just issue an edict to have Gu Shaoan come to the capital."

As soon as these words were spoken, the charcoal fire crackled in the room, and the lamplight flickered gently between the beams and pillars. The silence that moment was as if someone had pressed their pulse with their knuckles.

Cao Zhengchun stood to one side, his face still bearing that friendly smile, but the light in his eyes had dimmed.

He glanced at Sun Qingyu, then quickly looked away, focusing his attention on his own thoughts.

The next moment, Shangguan Jin Hong slowly spoke, his voice not loud, but completely overshadowing the previous words "summoned to the capital by imperial decree".

"Sun Qingyu".

He called out her name in a flat tone.

"How has the Money Gang been doing these past few months?"

Sun Qingyu quickly cupped his hands in response, "Reporting to the leader, the gang's accounts are operating as usual, the branch offices in various places are functioning normally, and the financial routes remain uninterrupted."

"In the capital, my subordinates have been secretly laying the groundwork according to the previous arrangements of the gang leader. The Money Gang has already extended its reach to salt monopolies, cloth shops, pawnshops, security escort agencies, restaurants and teahouses. The several forces that originally occupied the capital have not moved on the surface, but we have secretly seized their lifelines."

He spoke more and more fluently, and his voice unconsciously became more spirited.

"With the cooperation of the Azure Dragon Society, we now have 70% of the various forces in the capital under our control."

As he finished speaking, a hint of undisguised smugness even surfaced on Sun Qingyu's face, as if the smooth sailing he had been enjoying over the past few months had finally found a place to settle down.

After listening, Shangguan Jin Hong simply nodded slightly.

He tapped his fingertip on the armrest, as if finalizing a conclusion.

No wonder.

The two words were uttered as lightly as a snowflake falling to the ground.

As soon as she finished speaking, Shangguan Jin Hong looked up at Cao Zheng Chun.

After their eyes met, Cao Zhengchun swayed, his clothes barely making a sound, and he flashed behind Sun Qingyu, slapping Sun Qingyu on the back.

The palm strike was not violent, but extremely accurate, as if the force was concentrated into a single line, penetrating through clothing and reaching straight into the bones.

Sun Qingyu felt a tightness in his chest, and his feet suddenly lost their footing. He was pushed forward by the force and staggered straight into Shangguan Jin Hong's seat.

next moment.

Shangguan Jin Hong raised her right hand.

With a single, outstretched hand, his fingers clamped down like iron pincers, precisely gripping Sun Qingyu's neck and stopping him within half a step.

Sun Qingyu's feet were half an inch off the ground, his collar was pulled tight, his face flushed red instantly, his eyes bulged slightly, and his hands instinctively tried to grab Shangguan Jin Hong's wrists, but he couldn't budge them at all.

He forced out a broken, gasping sound from his throat.

"Help, leader."

Shangguan Jin Hong's eyes remained expressionless.

He didn't even get up, but leaned forward slightly in his seat, as if examining an object that had suddenly developed a crack. The lamplight fell on his profile, making his noble air seem even colder, so cold as to be unapproachable.

A few breaths later, Shangguan Jin Hong coldly said, "It seems that taking over the Money Gang these past few months has been too smooth."

"Things are going so smoothly that you're even willing to speak up and help me think about problems."

With her throat constricted, Sun Qingyu's breathing became intermittent, and fear finally surfaced in her eyes.

He struggled frantically, shaking his head and begging for mercy incoherently, his knees kicking wildly in the air as if he wanted to kneel down but couldn't find the ground.

"Master, I dare not. I simply misspoke."

Cao Zhengchun stood to the side, hands in his sleeves, a faint smile on his face, as if he was already used to this scene.

Despite Sun Qingyu's words, Shangguan Jin Hong's eyes remained cold.

The next moment, he slightly tightened his fingers and twisted his wrist.

Only a very light, very short, crisp sound could be heard in the hall, like a withered branch breaking in the cold night.

Sun Qingyu's struggle suddenly faltered, he could no longer catch his breath, his eyes quickly lost focus, and his limbs went limp.

Shangguan Jin Hong released his grip.

Sun Qingyu's body fell to the ground with a thud, his clothes fluttering open like an old robe that had been carelessly discarded.

The charcoal fire still burned, and the lamplight still flickered, as if everything that had just happened was merely an insignificant rustling of wind in the front hall.

Cao Zhengchun looked at the person on the ground, his eyebrows twitching almost imperceptibly.

Shangguan Jin Hong didn't even raise his eyelids, and only asked indifferently, "Does Eunuch Cao think that I am being a bit heartless? Just a word and I've turned on my right-hand man?"

Cao Zhengchun immediately lowered his head and spoke in a perfectly proper voice: "This old servant dares not."

Despite his words, he showed no fear on his face, and his breathing remained perfectly steady.

Shangguan Jin Hong saw it all, but her expression remained unchanged.

He and Cao Zhengchun were both leaders of the Green Dragon Society, and they knew each other inside and out. To outsiders, they were master and servant, ruler and subject.

In reality, he and Cao Zhengchun are more like partners, helping each other while also being wary of each other.

Cao Zhengchun naturally wouldn't show the same reverence he did when facing Zhu Houzhao, and Shangguan Jin Hong never cared about that either.

He just put it more bluntly.

"How I obtained this position is unknown to others, but Eunuch Cao knows it very well."

"Therefore, as far as I and Eunuch Cao are concerned, we can offend anyone in this world, but we cannot afford to offend those two people on Wudang and Mount Emei in the slightest."

At this point, Shangguan Jin Hong paused for a moment before continuing, "With that person's talent, it's a certainty that he will reach the Sitting Illumination Realm in the future."

"If we don't anger him and Master Zhang, we won't cause turmoil in the Great Wei Kingdom, and we might even be able to get their protection at crucial moments."

"I, and your Cao family, will also enjoy lasting blessings and be second only to the emperor, above all others."

Upon hearing this, Cao Zhengchun's eyes flickered slightly.

At this moment, Shangguan Jin Hong continued, "Therefore, neither you nor I can take any risks when it comes to matters involving those two, especially on our side, we cannot afford to make any mistakes."

"If we can do it, the world will be ours; if we can't, not only will others be at stake, but even our lives will be at the mercy of those two."

After he finished speaking, the room became even quieter.

Shangguan Jin Hong did not feel that being manipulated was anything shameful.

In the end, this world is ruled by the strong.

Shangguan Jin Hong also knew that with his talent, no matter how hard he tried, the Celestial Realm would be his limit in this life.

However, even martial artists at the Celestial Realm level could be slaughtered at will by Gu Shaoan within the One Line Heaven.

Shangguan Jin Hong had long passed the age of youthful passion.

Knowing full well that if he couldn't change the world with his own strength, he could only try his best to adapt.

Cao Zhengchun slowly raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the corpse on the ground before returning to Shangguan Jinhong.

At that moment, Cao Zhengchun suddenly understood why Gu Shaoan had chosen to hand over the court of the Great Wei Kingdom to Shangguan Jin Hong.

Putting everything else aside, at least Shangguan Jin Hong clearly understood his own position.

But the more this was the case, the more Cao Zhengchun felt that Shangguan Jin Hong could stay in this position indefinitely.

A few breaths later, Cao Zhengchun smiled humbly again: "Your Majesty is wise."

Time flows like water.

Spring has arrived in the blink of an eye.

February.

A piece of news that shook the entire martial arts world of the Great Wei Kingdom spread throughout the entire kingdom in a very short time with the help of an imperial edict.

Cihang Jingzhai was actually allied with Baixiaoge to overthrow the martial arts world of Dawei, thus paving the way for Dayuan to annex Dawei, which enraged the imperial court.

Along with this imperial edict, the Emei Sect and Gu Shaoan also gained fame.

In the imperial edict, it was revealed that several Celestial Realm experts from the Great Wei Kingdom, along with several other Celestial Realm experts from Shaolin, including Xuanmie and Dushan, were assassinated by a group of experts from the Great Yuan Kingdom, including Ba Shi, Si Hanfei, and others, in collusion with Bai Xiaosheng from within Cihang Jingzhai. However, Gu Shaoan single-handedly turned the tide and killed them all, causing a great uproar throughout the martial arts world.

Late February, Da'e Back Mountain.

Gu Shaoan, Zhou Zhiruo, Yang Yan, Huang Xuemei, Juechen, Juejue, and others all gathered in Abbess Miejue's courtyard.

In Yang Yan's hands was a message sent by Sun Bai.

The document clearly records that on February 15th, the imperial court dispatched troops to Dita Peak, joining forces with the Azure Dragon Society and the Golden Coin Gang to annihilate Cihang Jingzhai.

　This is just a transitional chapter! The story will then involve the Sui Dynasty!
　
(End of this chapter)